Awards
Highlights of Faculty, Staff and Student Achievement

Civil engineering professor receives national award

May 9, 2008

Dr. Joseph Yura, emeritus civil engineering professor, received the Offshore Technology in Civil Engineering Hall of Fame award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for his paper entitled “Ultimate Capacity Equations for Tubular Joints.” Winning papers were selected based on innovation, vision, direction and lasting impact on the design, construction or installation of the offshore infrastructure.

Chemical engineering senior receives University Co-op grand prize award

May 9, 2008

Baltej Ludher, chemical engineering senior, received the $20,000 University Co-op George H. Mitchell grand prize award for his research paper “Novel Methods for Producing Micron and Sub-micron Pharmaceutical Particles for Pulmonary and Oral Delivery.” This award rewards undergraduate students who have demonstrated unparalleled dedication and achievement in their fields of study. Ludher’s research has the potential to radically advance drug delivery, as well as disease diagnosis and treatment. He has helped develop two novel methods for producing high- surface area therapeutic and pharmaceutical particles: thin-film freezing and pH flocculation.

Related Link: 2008 Undergraduate Grand Prize Winner Recipient of $20,000 http://www.universitycoop.com/ePOS/form=cat.html&cat=261&store=108

Design-Build-Fly teams receive second and fourth place at international aeronautics competition

May 8, 2008

Aerospace engineering student teams scored 2nd and 4th place wins in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design-Build-Fly (DBF) international competition. The undergraduate students achieved their wins by successfully applying all aspects of the competition’s requirements in aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, vehicle design and manufacturing.

The 2008 competition required that teams design an electric-powered, unmanned aircraft system capable of carrying a load of up to 14 partially-filled, half-liter water bottles or four half-size clay bricks, or various combinations of the two, on two flights around a predetermined course. The competition also required a flight without a load that had to complete the course using a minimum number of batteries.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics DBF competition is widely considered the premier international aircraft student design competition.

Students on the second place team were: team lead Ivan Kung and key members Jeff Chu, Jason Fortner, Stephan Greening, Vishnu Jyothindran and Daren Wang. Other team members include Tausiq Ahmed, Charlotte Bryan, Joel Chapa, Alex Cheng, Craig Dorsey, William Duong, Akash Gandhi, Charles Gilbreath, Elisa Gravis, Matthew Jones, Jason Lavine, May Ann Li, Garrett Mosely, Tarique Rahman, Krystal Stewart, Paul Wedholm and Nathan Wu.

Students on the fourth place team were: team lead Martyn Hunt and key members Ty Brockhoeft, Brady Lotz and Matias Soto. Other team members include Jeremiah Bracy, Najeh Haq, Joaquin Herrera, Justin Kizer, Michael Skyler Lawson, Seve Rizo Patron, Andrew Pritchard, Andres Perez Segura, Barton Starnes, and David Vargas.

Dr. Bishop and Dr. Chaput were the advisors for these students.

Biomedical engineering professor named fellow of American Society for Engineering Education

April 21, 2008

Dr. Nicholas Peppas, biomedical engineering professor, was recently elected fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education in recognition of his commitment and excellence in engineering education. The American Society for Engineering Education is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. Peppas is the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering.

Aerospace sophomore receives full scholarship and guaranteed summer internships from ASEE

April 18, 2008

Philip Barcelon, aerospace engineering sophomore, received a SMART (Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Program) Scholarship from the American Society for Engineering Education. Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive an annual stipend, full tuition and related educational fees, $1,000 book allowance, paid summer internships at the U.S. Department of Defense laboratories, and employment placement after graduation. SMART Scholars include students who have demonstrated ability and special aptitude in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, have a minimum 3.0 grade point average, and the desire to work for a U.S. Department of Defense research lab.

Biomedical engineering professor wins alumni award

April 17, 2008

Dr. Mia K. Markey, biomedical engineering assistant professor, was selected to receive a 2008 Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) for her “distinguished achievements and leadership contributions in her professional field of endeavor consistent with IMSA’s mission”. The Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award recipients are selected by the board of trustees executive committee at IMSA. As director of the Biomedical Informatics Lab at the university, Markey uses signal processing and artificial intelligence techniques to design clinical decision support systems to help healthcare providers better diagnose, treat and manage diseases.

Associate professor receives Fulbright Scholar award

April 16, 2008

Dr. Elmira Popova, associate professor of mechanical engineering, was recently named a Fulbright Scholar by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to lecture and conduct research in operations research and statistics during the 2008-2009 academic year. Popova will conduct research with colleagues at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics in “St.Kliment Ohridski” University and at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Popova will use ideas from operations research and statistics to address forecasting and decision-making problems and will assist in developing a new course.

Chemical Engineering professor honored as international fellow

April 15, 2008

Dr. Thomas Edgar, chemical engineering professor, has been elected a fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) for his outstanding contributions to the fields of mathematical modeling, optimization, and automatic control of chemical and microelectronics processes and professional leadership. The IFAC Fellow Award is given to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions in the interdisciplinary field of automation and automatic control, in the role as an engineer, technical leader, or educator. Edgar is the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Endowed Chair of Engineering.

Construction management professor and student win international innovation award

April 11, 2008

Dr. William O'Brien, civil engineering assistant professor, and his former graduate student Maj. March Distefano, received a FIATECH Celebration of Engineering and Technology Innovation (CETI) Award for their research project “Comparative Evaluation of Infrastructure Assessment Methodologies at the Small Unit Level.”

The researchers used cognitive evaluation techniques to better understand and improve existing US Army infrastructure assessment methodologies and tools. Their research has implications for the design of civilian infrastructure assessment technologies.

Dr. O’Brien was also awarded an honorable mention in the FIATECH CETI “Early Career Researcher” category for his ongoing research in advancing information technologies and their use on construction projects.

The CETI awards were established to recognize significant achievements in technology developed for the capital projects industry.

Assistant professors receive national award

April 8, 2008

Seth Bank and Emanuel Tutuc, assistant professors in electrical and computer engineering, and Carlos Hidrovo, mechanical engineering assistant professor, recently received Young Faculty Awards from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further develop and validate their research.

To encourage the next generation of researchers working in microsystems technology DARPA provides each award recipient a grant of approximately $150,000.

Dr. Seth Bank will apply the award to develop new semiconductor nanostructures for lasers operating in the mid-infrared portion of the optical spectrum.

Dr. Emanuel Tutuc will use the award to help develop semiconductor nanowire tunneling field effect transistors.

Dr. Carlos Hidrovo will study high speed droplet flows for integration in microreactors and thermal management systems.

The mission of DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office is to develop breakthroughs in materials, devices, circuits, and mathematics to create components that are more advanced than today’s devices and that have the performance and functionality to enable new capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Biomedical engineering professors receive regional awards

April 8, 2008

Dr. Suggs, a biomedical engineering assistant professor, received the Young Faculty award from the Gulf-Southwest section of the American Society for Engineering Education. Suggs is the first to be honored with this award designed to encourage and recognize young faculty participation in ASEE or engineering education activities and events. Selections were made based on a number of criteria including authorship of instructional materials, contribution and participation in ASEE, and advising graduate and undergraduate students.

Dr. Zaman, biomedical engineering professor, received the 2008 Outstanding Teaching Award from the Gulf Southwest Region American Society for Engineering Education for his outstanding performance as an engineering educator. In his two years at the university, Zaman has designed two new courses while teaching core classes. The American Society for Engineering Education furthers education in engineering and engineering technology.

Aerospace engineering professor wins international computation award

April 4, 2008

Dr. Tom Hughes, aerospace engineering professor, received the Grand Prize from the Japan Society for Computational Engineering and Science. This is the highest award given by the society, an organization that promotes advances of education and technology in computational engineering. Hughes, who holds the Computational and Applied Mathematics Chair, is the first recipient of this award.

Civil engineering professor receives national transportation award

April 1, 2008

Dr. Machemehl, civil engineering professor, has been selected to receive the 2008 Wilbur S. Smith Award from the Transportation and Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers for his “contributions to transportation engineering as a teacher, researcher and research administrator.” The Wilbur S. Smith Distinguished Transportation Educator Award recognizes a person who has been an asset to the transportation profession by relating academic studies to the actual practice of transportation. Machemehl also serves as director of the university’s Center for Transportation Research and holds the Nasser I. Al-Rashid Centennial Professorship in Transportation Engineering.

Civil engineer receives award for First Pan American Conference

April 1, 2008

Dr. Jorge G. Zornberg, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, received the Achievement Award from the Mexican Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society “in recognition for his invaluable enthusiasm, dedication and commitment that led to GeoAmericas 2008, the First Pan-American Geosynthetics Conference.”

Dr. Zornberg chaired the GeoAmericas 2008 international conference, which included eight concurrent technical activities, an innovative educational program, a major exhibition, and multiple social events. Approximately 1,000 individuals attended the conference.

Robotics and Automation Society student chapter mentors award-winning team

April 1, 2008

The Robotics and Automation Society student chapter mentored the high school robotics team that won the Johnson and Johnson Gracious Professionalism Award from the FIRST Robotics Lone Star Regional competition. The society assisted a team of 20 high school students, four middle school students, and one home-schooled student in building and programming a robot.

Nuclear engineer selected to chair international advisory group

March 25, 2008

Sean O’Kelly, associate director of the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, was selected to chair the International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Working Group on Research Reactors. This advisory group serves programs supporting the operation and use of research reactors worldwide. The Technical Working Group on Research Reactors (TWGRR) represents senior international experts in the areas of research reactor operation, utilization, maintenance, refurbishment, modernization, fuel management, nuclear fuel cycle, quality assurance and new designs. O’Kelly represents the United States among the 20 countries participating.

Transportation engineering student selected for national leadership conference

March 21, 2008

Alison Conway, a Ph.D. student in transportation engineering, has been selected to participate in the 2008 Eno Leadership Development Conference by the Board of Regents of the Eno Transportation Foundation. The Leadership Development Conference selects 20 graduate students from around the nation to get a first-hand look at how transportation policy is developed and implemented. During the conference, these students will have meetings with federal officials as well as leaders of business and non-profit organizations.

Civil engineering professor receives lifetime achievement award

March 18, 2008

Dr. Thomas Kennedy, emeritus professor of civil engineering, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Modified Asphalt Producers for his research that focused on the development of new materials and technical procedures. Kennedy managed several large governmental research programs in the 1990s which developed longer-lasting and safer asphalt paving methods now being implemented internationally. Kennedy is the first person to receive this award.

Biomedical engineering professor selected as international fellow

March 6, 2008

Dr. Brannon-Peppas, professor of biomedical engineering, was named a Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering by the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering for her pioneering work on degradable polymers and drug delivery products, especially for cancer treatment. This is the highest international recognition in the field of biomaterials. Brannon-Peppas is the first UT professor to receive this recognition while at UT.

Students receive Cockrell School of Engineering leadership awards

February 26, 2008

Six undergraduate students and two graduate students were recently honored with student leadership awards from the Cockrell School of Engineering. Biomedical engineering students Heidi Gensler and Christopher Green, chemical engineering students Danielle Kamel and Jesus Ramos, and electrical engineering student Madhurita Sengupta, all received the Undergraduate Student Leadership Award.

Graduate students Jessica Ventura and Qiu Wu received the Graduate Student Leadership Awards. Both doctoral candidates, Ventura is a mechanical engineering student while Wu is an electrical and computer engineering major.

In addition, second-year Andrew Wang, an electrical engineering major, was honored with the Marvin Wright Engineering Athlete Award for distinguishing himself both in athletics and in the classroom.

Nominees for each of the leadership awards must have held a leadership position in an engineering student organization, have positively affected the Cockrell School of Engineering community, and have dedicated themselves to overcome obstacles and pursuing their visions. Undergraduates must have at least 24 hours of in-residence credit while graduate students must have at least 18 hours of in-residence courses.

Civil engineering professor receives national transportation educator award

February 26, 2008

Dr. Chandra Bhat, professor of civil engineering, received the Wilbur S. Smith Distinguished Transportation Educator Award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers for his “outstanding contribution to the transportation profession by relating academic studies to the actual practice of transportation”. Bhat is the Adnan Abou-Ayyash Centennial Professor in Transportation Engineering.

Cockrell School of Engineering academic advisors receive university advisor awards

February 25, 2008

Courtney A. Lockhart and Dr. Kelly J. McQueary, academic advisors for electrical and computer engineering, and chemical engineering, respectively, received the Texas Exes’ James W. Vick Award for Academic Advising for their effective, positive influence on the educational experience and lives of university students. The award represents the highest university honor for academic advisors.

Chemical engineering student and biomedical engineering advisor receive outstanding FIG mentor and facilitator awards

February 25, 2008

Caitlin Forschner, a junior chemical engineering student, and Cindy Zimmerman, an academic advisor in biomedical engineering, both received Outstanding First-Year Interest Group (FIG) Awards. Forschner was selected as an Outstanding FIG mentor and Zimmernan received the Outstanding FIG facilitator award. The two received the awards for their effective, positive influence on the educational experience of engineering students and their enthusiasm and knowledge in applying university resources. Forschner and Zimmerman maintained a sense of approachability by creating a non-judgmental atmosphere and making a positive difference in their students' university experience.

Biomedical, chemical engineering professor elected to inaugural class of Materials Research Society Fellows

February 21, 2008

Dr. Nicholas Peppas, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and pharmaceutics professor, was elected to the inaugural class of Materials Research Society Fellows for pioneering contributions to the field of biomaterials and especially for the development of hydrogels as biomaterials. The society honors members distinguished for their contributions to the advancement of materials research worldwide. The maximum number of new fellow appointments each year is limited to 0.2 percent of the current membership. This year, only 30 received this distinction. Peppas is the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering.

Civil engineering students take second in earthquake design competition

February 21, 2008

Five civil engineering students took second place in the Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition at the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Annual Meeting. The team members winning the competition are Ariana Alvear, Matt Homer, James Kleineck, Martin Scales and Ty Womble. Other members who participated in the project are Lynna Lotrakul, Michelle Wilkinson, Eleanor Reynolds, Mark Trowsdale and Philp Goertz. The competition required designing and constructing a model high-rise office building that was subjected to multiple earthquake ground motions. Teams were judged on the building’s seismic performance, architectural design, structural innovation, financial return for the client over the life of the structure, and a student presentation.

Civil engineering professor receives national leadership award

February 21, 2008

Dr. Kenneth H. Stokoe, II, civil engineering professor, received the 2008 Frank Frischknecht Leadership Award for his contributions to near-surface geophysics. The honor is given jointly by the Environmental and Engineering Geophysics Society and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Dr. Stokoe holds the Jennie C. and Milton T. Graves Chair in Engineering.

Civil engineer named Woman of the Year by Texas women’s transportation seminar

February 21, 2008

Kara Kockelman, associate professor of civil engineering, will receive the Woman of the Year Award from the Texas chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar. This award honors a leader in the field of transportation who has advanced the reputation and credibility of women in the field. Kockelman’s primary research interests include the modeling of urban systems, the economic impacts of transportation policy, and crash occurrence and consequences. She also is the William J. Murray, Jr. Fellow in Engineering No. 2.

Civil engineering associate professor to chair American Concrete Institute committee

February 21, 2008

Dr. Kevin Folliard, associate professor of civil engineering, has been named chair of the American Concrete Institute committee on concrete durability. The committee handles durability-related issues and forms guidelines for producing concrete in aggressive environments. Folliard has also been appointed to be a member of the general concrete and construction subcommittee. This subcommittee develops materials and durability-related guidance for the Structural Concrete Building Code. Folliard, who founded the Concrete Durability Center at the university in 2005, is the Austin Industried Endowed Faculty Fellow in Civil Engineering.

Electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student wins national thesis prize

February 20, 2008

Chan-Byoung Chae, an electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student, received the gold prize in the SAMSUNG Humantech Paper Contest for his paper “Coordinated Wireless Networks with Limited Feedback for the MIMO Broadcast Channel." The paper offered new ideas to improve the use of MIMO, a major theme of international wireless research which uses multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. Chae’s supervising professor is Dr. Robert W. Heath Jr., associate professor of electrical engineering.

Two environmental engineering graduate students receive national research grants

February 15, 2008

Brent Stephens and Michael Waring, environmental and water resources engineering graduate students, both received $10,000 grants from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers for research projects. Stephens will be conducting a field performance study of how climatic conditions affect air conditioning energy consumption in residential and light commercial buildings. Waring will study how interior surfaces in buildings impact particle generation due to indoor ozone chemistry.

Aerospace engineering alumni selected for Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award

February 15, 2008

Timothy Price Crain II, an aerospace engineering alumnus, was selected as a recipient of the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award from the Texas Exes for significant achievements in his career and service to the university before reaching the age of 40. Crain earned his bachelor’s degree from the university in 1995, his master’s in 1999 and his doctorate in 2000 and now works for NASA as the Orion orbit guidance, navigation, and control systems manager.

Chemical engineering supervisor receives Citizen Service Award

February 15, 2008

Kevin J. Haynes, a Laboratory/Technical Services Supervisor in the Chemical Engineering Department, has received the Citizen Service Award from the university police department. Haynes assisted the police in apprehending thieves entering the office of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers student chapter by setting up surveillance cameras and keeping meticulous logs of unauthorized and illegal activities. Haynes is only the fourth person to earn this award.

Mechanical engineering senior joins Teach For America as Amgen Fellow

February 15, 2008

Ella Miesner, a mechanical engineering and Plan II senior, has been selected to join the 2008 Teach For America Corps as an Amgen Fellow. Teach For America is the national corps of recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in underserved public schools. Corps members are hired by the school districts where they work as first-year teachers and receive additional salary as part of the federal AmeriCorps program.

The Amgen Fellowship is given annually to 50 incoming math, science and engineering majors who best exemplify perseverance, critical thinking, the ability to motivate others, and a commitment to ending educational inequity. Fellows receive a signing bonus from the Amgen Foundation, which also hosts all fellows at a Washington, D.C. conference to learn and discuss the latest in math, science, and engineering education. Miesner has written for The Daily Texan, worked as a Teach for America campus coordinator, and is an active participant in the Women in Engineering program.

Mechanical engineering senior receives Student Excellence Award and scholarship

February 15, 2008

Jeff Armstrong, a mechanical engineering senior, received the 2007 Student Excellence Award from The Southwestern Company for outstanding sales and recruitment during his five summers working for the Nashville company. In addition to the award, Armstrong received a scholarship. In the summer of 2007, Armstrong recruited, managed and trained six University of Texas at Austin students to run their business through Southwestern’s summer program for college students. By the end of the summer, Armstrong and the University of Texas organization had made a gross profit of $478,340, putting them in third place in Southwestern’s Top Campus list of 356 university and college campuses worldwide.

Chemical engineering professor receives National Publications Referee Award

February 12, 2008

Dr. Jim Chelikowsky, chemical engineering professor and holder of the W.A. "Tex" Moncrief, Jr. Chair of Computational Materials in the Institute of Computational Engineering and Sciences, received the Outstanding Referee Award from the American Physical Society for his peer review work on the society’s journals. Chelikowsky became one of the first members to earn this honor.

American Society of Civil Engineers student team wins first place in Steel Bridge Competition

January 31, 2008

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) UT Student Chapter’s Steel Bridge Team finished first place overall at this year's Texas-Mexico Region competition in Beaumont, Texas. The team placed first in every category, including construction time, construction economy, lightness/weight, stiffness, and structural efficiency. The goal of the competition is to follow a set of design specifications, received six months beforehand, to build a model bridge as quickly as possible that can support 2,500 pounds. The UT ASCE Steel Bridge Team built their winning structure, weighing 135 pounds with a 21 foot span, in roughly 6.5 minutes. The team will participate in the national competition held later this year in Gainesville, Florida.

Student receives Silver Award from Materials Research Society

January 22, 2008

Christopher Carlton, a materials science and engineering doctoral student, received the Silver Award from the Materials Research Society (MRS) for his significant observations and imaging of silver nanoparticles undergoing the deformation process. He presented his research at the 2007 MRS Fall Meeting in a paper co-authored by Oleg Lourie, executive vice-president of NanoFactory Instruments, and his supervising professor, mechanical engineer Dr. Paulo J. Ferreira.

Electrical and computer engineering advisor receives Eyes of Texas Excellence Award

January 22, 2008

Janice Williams, an academic advisor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received the Fall 2007 Eyes of Texas Excellence Award.

Each semester, Eyes of Texas, an anonymous campus organization, recognizes “outstanding contributions to student life at The University of Texas” through the award to 10 deserving faculty or staff for their unselfish devotion to better the campus community.

Williams advises undergraduate students in electrical and computer engineering. She coordinates and oversees initiatives designed to support and partner with academically at-risk students to help them reach their personal and academic goals.

Bovik elected fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical and Instrumentation Engineers

January 22, 2008

Dr. Alan Bovik, an electrical engineering professor, has been elected fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical and Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) for his “pioneering technical, leadership, and educational contributions to the field of image processing." SPIE fellows are members who have distinguished themselves by making significant scientific and technical contributions in the multidisciplinary fields of optics, photonics, and imaging. Dr. Bovik directs the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering and develops techniques for improving and measuring the quality of digital images and videos. He holds the Keys and Joan Curry/Cullen Trust Endowed Chair.

Biomedical engineering professor receives profession’s prestigious Galletti Award

January 17, 2008

Dr. Nicholas Peppas, professor of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and pharmaceutics, has been selected to receive the 2008 Pierre Galletti Award from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for his contributions and leadership in biomaterials science and engineering, and for his work on drug delivery that led to new biomedical products and devices. The Pierre Galletti Award, considered the most prestigious award in biomedical engineering, was established in 1999 in honor of the institute’s founding member and past president. Peppas holds the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering.

Electrical and computer engineering professor receives more than $1 million in grants

December 18, 2007

Dr. Joydeep Ghosh, an electrical and computer engineering professor, received two grants totaling more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation to apply his data mining research techniques in two distinct areas.

For the first project, Ghosh and co-principal investigators, Drs. Melba Crawford and Bryan Pijanowski of Purdue University, received $851,000 to predict long-term changes in land use over large geographical areas. He will use his previously developed system for classifying land covers that extracts, analyzes and manages large sets of remotely sensed data, and determine how to apply the system for predicting change.

For the second project, Ghosh and co-principal investigator Dr. Inderjit S. Dhillon, an associate professor in computer sciences also at The University of Texas at Austin, received $430,000 to identify natural groupings and similarities among objects in data sets. For example, they will compare genes with unknown functions to genes with known functions, based on how they respond to different stress conditions, to discover the purpose of the currently unknown functions. On a larger scale, researchers will help determine compatible sets of people based on their interaction with other people through large social networking sites. Overall, this research can improve understanding of underlying physical, economic or social phenomena.

Electrical engineering professor wins third of four major signal processing industry awards

December 18, 2007

Dr. Alan C. Bovik, an electrical engineering professor, has received the Signal Processing Society Education Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This award honors educators who have made pioneering and significant contributions to signal processing education. Applicants were judged on their technical achievements, authorship of scholarly books and texts, course materials, and innovation, inspiration, and creativity exemplified in teaching and curricula development. Dr. Bovik won this award through his series of image processing books and online lectures, making him the first person to receive three of the IEEE group’s four major awards for his service, achievements, and teaching. He holds the Keys and Joan Curry/Cullen Trust Endowed Chair.

Aerospace engineering professor elected member of the Italian Lombard Institute

December 17, 2007

Dr. Thomas J. R. Hughes, an aerospace engineering professor, was elected a foreign member in the Mathematics section of Italy’s Lombard Institute, Academy of Sciences and Letters. Hughes was elected for his work in computational mechanics. The Lombard Institute was founded in 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte with the goal of discovering and refining three distinct areas: physical science and mathematics, political sciences, and literature and fine arts. Hughes will attend his first meeting as a member at the institute next year.

Aerospace engineering professor delivers Newmark Distinguished Lecture

December 17, 2007

Dr. Thomas J. R. Hughes, an aerospace engineering professor, delivered the 2007-2008 Newmark Distinguished Lecture at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The lecture is given annually in honor of the late Dr. Nathan Newmark, a prominent consultant and national leader in civil engineering education and research. Hughes was chosen by the structures faculty at the University of Illinois through an independent nomination and selection process. He presented his work on isogeometrical analysis, a new technology that unites computer-aided design with computer-aided engineering. He holds the Computational and Applied Mathematics Chair III in the university’s Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES).

Civil engineer receives alumni award from University of Nebraska

December 17, 2007

Dr. James O. Jirsa, a civil engineering professor, was one of four alumni selected to participate in "Master's Week" at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for his work as a leading applications-oriented researcher in the behavior and design of reinforced concrete structures. Since 1964, the University of Nebraska designates “master” alumni to return to campus for a week to interact with students and university officials. Dr. Jirsa advised students on building successful careers and updated faculty on developments in his field. He currently holds the Janet S. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering.

Electrical engineer and mechanical engineer honored with Texas Exes Teaching Award

December 14, 2007

Dr. Constantine Caramanis, an electrical engineering assistant professor, and Moss Shimek, a mechanical engineering teaching assistant, were elected to receive Texas Exes Teaching Awards.

The Texas Exes have honored a faculty member and graduate instructor in each school and college annually since 1982. After accepting nominations from all university students, a committee from each school selects the award recipients.

Caramanis joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 2006. He is a member of the Wireless Communications and Networking Group and has worked on applications in telecommunications, the Internet and air traffic management. He has developed algorithms for dynamic and autonomous reconfiguration of various aspects of air space to account for the impact of weather uncertainty.

Moss Shimek, a mechanical engineering graduate student, was part of a team that won first place in the university's Idea to Product™ (I2P™) competition with an idea for a human-powered battery charger.  He enrolled as a freshman in 1995 and is now pursuing his doctorate.

The Cockrell School of Engineering announces 2007 Distinguished Graduates

December 7, 2007

Four alumni were elected Distinguished Engineering Graduates of The University of Texas at Austin and were honored at fall commencement ceremonies on Dec. 8.

The annual selections, made by the Cockrell School’s Engineering Advisory Board, are based on outstanding professional records, public service, support of education, and other significant achievements.

The 2007 Distinguished Engineering Graduates are: Portland State University Emeritus Dean Chik Erzurumlu, IBM Distinguished Engineer Kitty Pearsall, consultant, inventor and California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, and owner and manager of HAT Resources Harry Trueblood Jr.

Dr. Chik Erzurumlu is emeritus dean and retired professor of civil engineering at Portland State University (PSU). As the founding dean of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, he provided the guiding influence in transforming a pre-engineering program into a comprehensive college of engineering that now has over 1,900 majors enrolled in B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degree programs in five engineering fields and computer science.

Erzurumlu’s University of Texas at Austin connection began in 1960, where he earned his master’s degree in civil engineering in 1962. The same year he joined PSU as an instructor in engineering. In 1968, he took a sabbatical leave to work on his Ph.D. in civil engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and completed the degree in 1970.

Upon returning to PSU, he adopted a professional strategy involving teaching excellence, research productivity, and service to the institution and the profession. After serving as head of civil-structural engineering for four years, he was appointed as the founding dean of PSU’s newly established School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1980. He has more than 30 publications and presentations in topics ranging from structural engineering to professional practice at international, national and regional conferences.

Erzurumlu has also been active in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) serving in leadership positions at the local and national levels. Currently, he represents ASCE on the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the national Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

In recognition of his contributions to engineering education and the engineering profession, Erzurumlu was granted fellow status by both ASCE and NSPE. He received the Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award by the ASCE Oregon Section in 1985 and the Engineer of the Year Award by Professional Engineers of Oregon in 1999. Perhaps the greatest recognition occurred in 2004 when as part of an $8 million gift to the College, his former student Dr. Fariborz Maseeh, established an endowment in Erzurumlu’s name.

Erzurumlu and his wife, Ulku, enjoy traveling, tennis, reading, opera, and watching the Longhorns win.

Dr. Kitty Metcalfe Pearsall earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1971 from the University of Texas at El Paso. In 1972 she joined IBM as a materials engineer, but took an educational leave of absence in 1976. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering with a materials option from The University of Texas at Austin in 1979 and 1983 respectively. Since returning to IBM in 1983, she has been a technical resource in materials/package engineering in manufacturing, procurement and development environments with 12 years spent in technical management focusing on the qualification of various commodities.

In 2005 Pearsall was appointed an IBM Distinguished Engineer (DE) and elected into the IBM Academy of Technology. As a DE in IBM’s integrated supply chain, she serves as a process consultant and subject matter expert working on strategic initiatives impacting qualification and end quality of procured commodities. She is engaged with world wide teams implementing cross-brand, cross commodity processes/products.

Pearsall has been a licensed professional engineer in the Texas since 1993. She is the holder of one U.S. patent, four patents pending and several patent disclosures that have contributed to the IBM patent portfolio. She has authored numerous internal publications as well as 17 external publications for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ conferences and journals.

She is a role model to others both technically and professionally, and embraces her role as mentor. She devotes endless time to mentoring – and promoting the engineering career path to technical women professionals – by providing career guidance, engineering advice, and “lessons learned.” She actively supports the development, advancement, and recognition of IBM’s technical talent. She was recognized this year for her endless drive and passion for mentoring and people development and presented with the Women in Technology “Frances E. Allen Mentoring Award.”

Her work with the Society of Women Engineers has had an inspirational effect on today’s female engineering students, and she continues to promote engineering as a superb profession for young women to enter.

Pearsall continues to support the Cockrell School of Engineering with contributions to the Friends of Alec spanning more than 20 years.

Steve Poizner has had a successful career as a business consultant, an inventor of life-saving technology, a volunteer public school teacher, the founder of several non-profit organizations supporting improved education for disadvantaged students and as a public servant. Today, Poizner is one of California’s highest-ranking elected officials.

An inventor and entrepreneur, Poizner developed the cutting-edge technology that allowed GPS receivers to be placed into cellular phones. The technology Poizner developed can be found in more than 200 million cell phones around the globe, and has already saved dozens of lives.

After selling his company, he was selected to serve in the non-partisan White House Fellowship program, where he was appointed Director of Critical Infrastructure in the National Security Council. Beginning work just one week before 9/11, Poizner was tasked with protecting the nation’s network systems and electrical grids against terrorist attacks.

After concluding his service in Washington, D.C., Poizner returned to California where he taught government in a disadvantaged high school and refused to accept a salary.

Wanting to continue in public service, Poizner sought election as the state Insurance Commissioner, one of California’s eight statewide elective offices. On the campaign trail, he earned endorsements of more than 35 major newspapers and won the election by more than a million votes. As California’s Insurance Commissioner, Poizner regulates the fourth largest insurance market in the world.

Poizner’s commitment to bettering society is evidenced in his government service and his efforts to improve public education by focusing on under-privileged schools to ensure that every student has the opportunity to receive a quality education. Steve seeks to be an exemplary role model for addressing challenges and seeking to make the impossible possible. During his rise in both business and politics, he has sought to maintain his integrity and values. From his middle-class upbringing in Houston, Texas, he emphasizes to students that goals can be realized with hard work, vision and integrity.

During his 59 years in the energy industry, Harry Trueblood Jr. has been the president and/or chairman and chief executive officer of eight publicly-traded companies, founding seven of them. For about 30 of those years, his principal operating company was Consolidated Oil & Gas, Inc., (CGS) which made significant crude oil and natural gas discoveries as well as numerous acquisitions in the Rocky Mountains and Texas. His public real estate firm was one of the founders of Vail and developed Princeville Resort on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii.

Trueblood earned his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 1948 after his studies were interrupted for two years of service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His first industry job was with The California Company (Chevron) in Mississippi and Louisiana. Later he joined independent oil operation in Sterling, Colorado. There he founded his own consulting firm in 1952 and began his corporate career in 1955 with a small private company that became CGS.

He currently is owner and managing member of HAT Resources, LLC, and vice president/ treasurer of his Harry Trueblood Foundation, which annually supports scholarships in the university’s Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering.

Trueblood was a member of the executive committee of the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Natural Gas Supply Association and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers for over 50 years. He was elected to membership in the American Petroleum Institute’s 25 Year Club, helped found the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS) and its counterpart in New Mexico, and helped found the One Hundred Club of Denver and the Flatirons Club of CU/Boulder.

In 2006, IPAMS recognized him with its Wildcatter of the Year award for lifetime achievement and distinguished service to the energy industry and his employees and to society through his philanthropic works. In 2004, he was one of the 54 inductees into the inaugural class of the Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Hall of Fame.

At the university he is a member of the UT Chancellor’s Council, the President’s Associates, and the Littlefield Society and a lifetime member of the Cowboys Alumni and Ex-Students Associations. He and his wife Lucile live in Denver and they have two children and two grandchildren.

Chemical engineering student receives national best poster award

December 7, 2007

Caleb Funk, a chemical engineering doctoral student, received the 2007 Best Poster Award from the Separations Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Funk presented a new type of membrane he devised through Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS) he named the “ZeoTIPS membrane.” These unique membranes Funk developed have practical uses, such as removing salt and other minerals from water to convert it to fresh water. The membranes’ ultra-high selectivity also allows them to perform a wide range of tasks for the oil and gas industry, including separating gases, organic substances, and other liquids.

Civil engineering dissertation selected for national award

December 7, 2007

Dr. Xiaokun Wang, a former civil engineering doctoral student, has been selected to receive the 2007 Council of University Transportation Centers Pikarsky Award for best Ph.D. dissertation in Science and Technology. Wang’s dissertation developed a model with applications for anticipating land use and air quality changes across Austin. She studied under Dr. Kara Kockelman, associate professor of transportation engineering, at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Wang is now an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn.

Chemical engineering sophomore wins university’s first Undergraduate Research Award

December 5, 2007

Chemical engineering sophomore Barbara Ekerdt won the first Undergraduate Research Award from the university’s Senate of College Councils. The award is co-sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and seeks to encourage students to get involved in research early in their undergraduate experience. Ekerdt received the award for her work on molecular recognition of undesirable biomarkers with associated intelligent delivery of therapeutic proteins under Dr. Nicholas Peppas, a chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmaceutics professor.

Electrical and computer engineering professor receives 2007 Okawa Award

December 5, 2007

Dr. J.K. Aggarwal, an electrical and computer engineering professor, received the 2007 Okawa Prize from the Okawa Foundation for Information and Telecommunication of Japan. The award annually recognizes one person of Japanese origin and one person not of Japanese origin who make internationally outstanding contributions in research, technological development, and business in the information and telecommunication fields. Aggarwal received the Okawa Prize for his research of dynamic scene analysis and multi-sensor fusion in computer vision systems. He is the director of the Computer and Vision Research Center and holds the Cullen Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair No. 2.

Biomedical engineering professor receives alumni award

November 14, 2007

Dr. Mia Markey, biomedical engineering assistant professor, received Carnegie Mellon University’s RecentAlumni Award. This award recognizes graduates within the past 10 years making outstanding professional accomplishments or providing exceptional service to the university. Since arriving at The University of Texas at Austin Markey founded the Biomedical Informatics Lab and assisted in creating the new undergraduate curriculum in biomedical engineering. She has also been recognized for her innovative research on designing medical decision aids that help physicians diagnose, treat and manage cancer.

Electrical engineering graduate student wins Best Paper Award

November 14, 2007

Alexander Liu, an electrical engineering graduate student, won the Best Student Paper Award at the International Conference on Data Mining. Guided by Dr. Joydeep Ghosh, a professor who holds the Schlumberger Centennial Chair in Electrical Engineering, and Dr. Cheryl Martin, a research scientist at Applied Research Laboratories, their paper proposed new solutions to particular problems in data mining and machine learning, for example, teaching computers to detect interesting patterns such as unknown pieces of information or previously unknown correlations.

Electrical engineering professor wins Best Technical Paper Award

November 14, 2007

Dr. Alexis Kwasinski, electrical engineering professor, received the best technical paper award at the 29th International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC).The paper, co-authored by Dr. Philip Krein from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, discusses a planning framework to reduce telecommunication network power supply vulnerability during natural and man-made disasters. The paper’s recommendations include using alternative distributed generation technologies, such as photovoltaic panels, small wind generators, microturbines, and fuel cells, to diversify energy supply.

Electrical and computer engineering professor wins U.S. Army Research Award

November 14, 2007

Dr. Sririam Vishwanath, electrical and computer engineering professor, received a $300,000 U.S. Army Research Office Young Investigator Award to design transmission strategies of wireless networks that are both optimal in performance and simple in complexity and structure. The U.S. Army awards this grant to university faculty who have held their doctoral degrees for five years or less.

Civil engineer receives award for transportation/public health assessment

November 14, 2007

Dr. Chandra Bhat, a civil engineering professor, along with co-authors Dr. Jessica Guo, a former Ph.D. student, and Rachel Copperman, a current Ph.D. student, received the 2007 Pyke Johnson Award from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) for their outstanding paper in transportation systems planning and the environment. The paper discusses the increasing interdependency of transportation and public health by highlighting the adverse effects of motorized transportation dependency on the environment and public health, and identifies possible benefits of non-motorized transportation, like walking and biking that can increase social equity, improve personal health, and reduce traffic congestion and vehicular emissions. The paper also examines the effects of demographics and urban form on motorized transportation dependency and non-motorized transportation use. Dr. Bhat holds the Adnan Abou-Ayyash Centennial Professorship in Transportation Engineering.

Operations research student receives first place paper award

November 12, 2007

Amit Partani, a doctoral student in the Operations Research & Industrial Engineering Program, received the Best Paper Award from the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS) Computing Society. The award is given annually to the best paper on computing and operations research by a student author. Partani’s paper explained how to reduce from 1 to 5 percent statistical errors that arise when designing manufacturing systems, communication networks, and financial portfolios under uncertainty. The same paper also received an honorable mention for the INFORMS George E. Nicholson Student Paper Prize.

Earnest Gloyna interviewed by congressman for Veterans History Project

November 12, 2007

Dr. Earnest Gloyna, former dean and civil engineering professor emeritus, spent Veterans’ Day recounting stories of his World War II service to Congressman Lamar Smith for the Veterans History Project (VHP). Gloyna, who holds the Bettie Margaret Smith Chair in Environmental Health Engineering Emeritus, served as a U.S. Army Aviation Engineering Battalion Lieutenant Colonel from 1942 to 1946 in Europe. Created by Congress in 2000, the VHP collects various accounts of service from volunteers to preserve the memories, experiences, and stories of America’s veterans. Gloyna’s personal narrative will be archived along with others’ contributions at the Library of Congress.

Chen elected fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

November 5, 2007

Dr. Shaochen Chen, a mechanical engineering associate professor, was elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession. He is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of nanomanufacturing and its applications for biomedical engineering and life sciences. Dr. Chen directs the Nano-Opto-Bio Engineering Laboratory, received the 2001 National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the 2004 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and currently holds the Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering.

Society of Women Engineers wins five national awards

November 5, 2007

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) university chapter received five 2007 national awards for exemplary chapter work and individual research. The Cockrell School’s SWE chapter won first place awards for outreach events, high membership retention, maintaining the best Web site, and an overall chapter outstanding certificate of merit. Individually, mechanical engineering graduate student Anne Ranes created a first-place poster explaining how compensatory mechanisms in amputees’ walking adjust with different walking speeds.

An award for the best regional newsletter went to the university’s region with credits to editor and university SWE member Nina Lu.

Electrical and computer engineering students receive computer architecture best paper award

November 5, 2007

Elias Mizan, an electrical and computer engineering graduate student, and Tileli Amimeur, an electrical and computer engineering undergraduate student, received the 2007 Best Paper Award at the 19th International Symposium on Computer Architecture and High Performance Computing. Their co-authored paper discussed a new technique that allows computational circuits in microprocessors to produce more reliable results, effectively reducing the rate of errors. Their research was guided by the late Margarida Jacome, an electrical and computer engineering professor, while she battled cancer.

Mechanical engineering professor to discuss distance learning in Niger, Africa

October 12, 2007

Dr. Sheldon Landsberger, a mechanical engineering professor, will deliver two lectures in Niger, Africa on implementing computer-based methods of teaching for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To support the IAEA’s efforts to transfer nuclear technology to underdeveloped countries, he will discuss developing web-based courses in nuclear and radiochemistry and his experiences in teaching distance learning in the university’s nuclear program. Landsberger coordinates the Nuclear and Radiation Engineering program and holds the Hayden Head Centennial Chair.

Dean Streetman honored by IBM

October 10, 2007

Dean Ben Streetman was honored during IBM Austin’s 40th anniversary celebration for “outstanding leadership in engineering education and innovation.” The company’s research and development operation in Austin acknowledged his sustained contributions to collaborations of technology, resources and talent between the Cockrell School and IBM since IBM moved to Austin in 1967. IBM consistently ranks in the top five among the 300 employers hiring new engineering graduates from the Cockrell School. Streetman is widely recognized among leaders credited with broadening the state’s economy to include high technology industries, in addition to its historic reliance on agriculture, oil and gas. He became dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering in 1996 after founding and directing the university’s Microelectronics Research Center for 14 years. His teaching and research interests focus on semiconductor materials and devices, and he authored the textbook Solid State Electronic Devices, which has been translated into Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Polish.

Aerospace engineering senior receives Mike Wacker Award

October 10, 2007

The Texas Parents Association presented the 2007 Mike Wacker Award for overcoming great adversity to Jeffrey Mikeska, an aerospace engineering and biology senior. While battling cancer, Mikeska attended classes and served as treasurer and, later, president of the university student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He underwent numerous surgeries last year and was forced to miss the Spring 2007 semester. He returned this fall with plans to graduate in December.

Civil engineering professor receives 2007 Shamsher Prakash Research Award

October 5, 2007

Dr. Ellen Rathje, a civil engineering associate professor, has received the 2007 Shamsher Prakash Research Award from the Shamsher Prakash Foundation for her contributions to geotechnical earthquake engineering. Rathje, selected from nominees worldwide under the age of 40, is an expert in earthquake-induced landslides, the effect of soil conditions on ground shaking, and soil liquefaction, in which earthquake shaking causes soils to essentially turn into quicksand.

Three professors inducted into National Academy of Engineering

October 4, 2007

A professor of aerospace engineering and two professors of computer science and electrical engineering were formally inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Sept. 30, widely considered among the highest honors to be earned in the engineering and technology professions.

Dr. Stelios Kyriakides, the Temple Foundation Endowed Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, was elected for his "contributions to understanding of propagating instability phenomena in structures and materials and its use for technological applications." He has studied the initiation, propagation and arrest of collapse in offshore pipelines used in the oil and gas industry.

Dr. Simon Lam, the Regents Chair in Computer Sciences in the Department of Computer Sciences, was elected for his "contributions to computer network protocols and network security services." He has won previous awards for inventing secure sockets for securing Internet applications and prototyping the first secure sockets layer.

Dr. J. Strother Moore, the Admiral B.R. Inman Centennial Chair in Computing Theory in the Department of Computer Sciences, was elected for his "contributions to automated reasoning about computing systems." He is co-developer of the Boyer-Moore Theorem Prover, which is used by computer scientists to verify that computer systems are functioning correctly.

The NAE serves as an advisory board to federal government departments and agencies, to examine and report on any engineering topics of interest to the government. It also conducts independent studies to analyze important topics in engineering and technology.

The University of Texas at Austin now has 32 NAE members and boasts the second highest number of NAE members on its faculty among public universities.

Mechanical engineer receives 2007 INFORMS Prize for Teaching Practice

October 3, 2007

Mechanical Engineering Professor Dr. Paul Jensen received the 2007 Prize for Teaching Practice from the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS). This annual award recognizes an outstanding university or college teacher who helped students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively practice operations research or the management sciences. Applicants were required to submit a philosophy on teaching, description of projects, statements of support from past students who are now in practice, and statements of support from industrial sponsors of those students now in practice. Dr. Jensen was named an INFORMS Fellow in 2005 and is currently the Cullen Trust for Higher Education Endowed Professor Emeritus in Engineering No. 3.

Aerospace engineer named associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

October 1, 2007

Dr. Maruthi R. Akella, Dr. Maruthi Akella, an aerospace engineering assistant professor, has been named an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) for his outstanding contributions to aerospace attitude dynamics, control theory and networked systems.

Dr. Jacob Abraham receives Best Paper Award at international conference

September 28, 2007

Dr. Jacob Abraham, professor of electrical and computer engineering, received the Best Paper Award at the 24th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Very-Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Test Symposium (VTS). The paper “Spectral Prediction for Specification-Based Loopback Test of Embedded Mixed-Signal Circuits,” written by Abraham and graduate students Hongjoong Shin and Byoungho Kim, discusses problem-solving methods for testing mixed-signal circuits. Abraham holds the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering No. 8.

Dr. Pengyu Ren receives $1.2 million grant for drug research

September 12, 2007

Dr. Pengyu Ren, a biomedical engineering assistant professor, received a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop software that will improve the process of identifying the most effective chemical structures for new drugs. Ren will develop tools for identifying better drugs to treat arthritis, cancer, and other diseases by improving the understanding of how well a potential drug recognizes a protein target in the human body. He will then be able to make these predictions about drug candidates based on computer modeling and simulations of the physical forces acting between a potential drug and its target protein.

Computer engineering professor named Outstanding New Faculty

September 12, 2007

Dr. Michael E. Orshansky, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, was named the Special Interest Group on Design Automation’s (SIGDA) Outstanding New Faculty at the 2007 Design Automation Conference. SIGDA is part of the Association for Computing Machinery, the professional organization of computer scientists. The SIGDA Outstanding New Faculty Award, one of two annual awards sponsored by the group, honors a junior faculty whose research contributions are likely to make a significant impact in the field of electronic design automation. Orshansky's research develops modeling and algorithmic methods to improve circuit design and create better, faster computer chips.

Computer engineer receives NSF CAREER Award

September 11, 2007

Dr. David Z. Pan, an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, received a $410,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, which recognizes promising young faculty members. Pan’s research focuses on bridging the gap between integrated circuit design and manufacturing of microchips. The funds will be disbursed over the next five years as Pan develops computer-aided guide tools to make smarter design decisions that increase microchip resistance to the damage by lithography, polishing, random defects, and other stages of chip design. Pan is the director of the Design Automation Laboratory.

Dr. David T. Allen receives Joe J. King Award

September 7, 2007

Dr. David T. Allen, a chemical engineering professor, received the 2008 Joe J. King Professional Engineering Achievement Award for making significant contributions to the engineering profession at the Cockrell School of Engineering. Allen, the Gertz Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering, has provided a scientific basis for air quality management in Texas and has developed environmental education materials for engineering curricula which are distributed worldwide. Allen is the director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources.

Chemical Engineering doctoral student recognized by AIChE

August 15, 2007

Roy Raharjo, a chemical engineering doctoral student, received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Separations Division Graduate Student Award, which annually recognizes six outstanding graduate students from around the country. A student of Dr. Benny Freeman, the Kenneth A Kobe Professor in Chemical Engineering, Raharjo was awarded for his research in the competitive effects of vapor / gas permeation in solubility selective polymers. Raharjo is the third student from Freeman’s research group to receive the award.

Biomedical engineering undergraduate receives national research and design award

August 9, 2007

Isis Trenchard, a senior in biomedical engineering, received the 2007 Undergraduate Research and Design Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society for her work on “Doping of Polyaniline for Use in Recognitive Hydrogels.” Trenchard’s research aimed to create a biosensor using a conductive polymer, which could be useful with biomedical systems. The research was conducted under chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and pharmacy professor Nicolas Peppas and doctoral student Carolyn Bayer. Dr. Peppas holds the Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering.

Computer engineer receives U.S. Army grant to improve wireless networks

August 8, 2007

Dr. Sriram Vishwanath, computer engineering assistant professor, received a $300,000 U.S. Army Research Office Young Investigator Award to design transmission strategies of wireless networks that are both optimal in performance and simple in complexity and structure. The award is intended to support the research, teaching and careers of university faculty members who have held their doctorate for five years or less.

Biomedical engineering professor wins national James E. Bailey Award

August 7, 2007

Dr. George Georgiou, a biomedical engineering professor and chemical engineering professor, was awarded the James E. Bailey Award from the Society for Biological Engineering of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) for his contributions to protein engineering, specifically the development of therapeutics to biological warfare agents, protein manufacturing technologies, and combinatorial library screening methodologies. The award, endowed by Cytos Biotechnology, recognizes outstanding contributions in biological engineering. In addition to receiving the award, Dr. Georgiou will lecture at the Annual AIChE meeting Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. in Salt Lake City. Georgiou holds the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering No. 9.

Robotic Research Group directors win outstanding paper award

August 6, 2007

Drs. Delbert Tesar and Chetan Kapoor, the Department of Mechanical Engineering Robotics Research Group’s director and associate director respectively, received the 2007 Outstanding Paper Award from the Emerald Literati Network for a paper published in the Industrial Robot Journal. Their paper, titled “Integrated teleoperation and automation for nuclear facility cleanup,” demonstrates a novel approach to human machine interaction that seamlessly uses teleoperation, or operation at a distance, and automation in a complex environment. Dr. Tesar holds the Carol Cockrell Curran Chair in Engineering and is a fellow of Earnest F. Gloyna Regents Chair in Engineering. Dr. Kapoor is the chief scientist for the Robotics Research Group.

Computer engineering doctoral student receives Best Paper Award

July 20, 2007

Ramakrishna Kotla, a computer engineering doctoral candidate, with Computer Science Associate Professors Lorenzo Alvisi and Mike Dahlin, received the Best Paper Award at the USENIX Advanced Computing Systems Association annual technical conference. The paper, titled “SafeStore: A Durable and Practical Storage System”, focuses on their ‘SafeStore’ storage system which protects long-term data storage from hackers, human error, hardware / software failures, and environmental catastrophes. This new storage system architecture ensures that duplicate data being stored at different locations is durable, cost effective, readily available, and audited for data loss.

Chemical engineering graduate student receives national scholarship

July 20, 2007

Yang Zhang, chemical engineering doctoral student, has received a scholarship from the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society to research multivariate statistical process control methods to develop and implement an online monitoring software package for industrial chemical and biological batch processes. Zhang studies under Dr. Thomas Edgar, chemical engineering professor, who holds the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Endowed Chair of Engineering. Zhang’s research is supported from a grant by Emerson Process Management of Austin.

Chemical engineering undergraduate student selected to attend two national conferences

July 17, 2007

Jessica Rosinski, a chemical engineering undergraduate student, was selected to attend the U.S. Women in Nuclear 2007 Conference in Anaheim, California sponsored by the Nuclear Energy Institute. U.S. Women in Nuclear is a network of more than 2,400 women working in nuclear and radiation-related fields around the country. Rosinski also attended the American Society of Engineering Education’s annual meeting in Honolulu, to present the peer-reviewed paper, “Development of a Radiochemistry Laboratory for the Production of Tc-99m using Neutron Activation.” The paper focuses on the isotope Tc-99m used in nuclear medicine to identify tumors in the body. Rosinski works for Dr. Sheldon Landsberger, the Hayden Head Centennial Professor in mechanical engineering and Coordinator of the Nuclear and Radiation Engineering Program.

Chemical engineering professor receives national Creative Invention Award

July 17, 2007

Dr. Adam Heller, chemical engineering research professor, received the 2008 American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Creative Invention. Heller developed the FreeStyle Navigator™ Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, which provides continuous and accurate glucose information for those with diabetes. ACS annually recognizes a single inventor for “the successful application of research in chemistry and/or chemical engineering that contributes to the material prosperity and happiness of the public.”

Heller’s invention recently received European CE Mark approval which allows its broad use within Europe.

Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory receives national operations award

July 17, 2007

The university’s Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory received the Meritorious Achievement in Operations Award recognizing outstanding nuclear reactor operations from the American Nuclear Society. The society, which represents test, research, and training reactors, nominated the university’s reactor, then asked representatives from nuclear power plants to vote on approving the laboratory’s selection. The award honors licensed and unlicensed personnel operating a nuclear facility and performing their duties in an exemplary manner. The award was given to Sean O’Kelly, the Associate Director for the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab, for his diligent performance in overseeing the day to day operations of the facility.

Mechanical engineering senior research scientist receives national materials award

July 17, 2007

Dr. Joseph H. Koo, Dr. Joseph H. Koo, mechanical engineering senior research scientist, received the Fellows Award from the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE). The award is given to members exhibiting outstanding accomplishments over an extended period of time in contributing to the advancement of material and process science or engineering. Koo is one of seven inductees for 2007 SAMPE Fellows.

Mechanical engineering professor receives entrepreneurship award

July 13, 2007

Dr. Steven Nichols, mechanical engineering professor, received the American Society for Engineering Education 2007 Kaufmann Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award. Nichols, who is also director of the Clint W. Murchison, Sr. Chair of Free Enterprise, has instituted a graduate course that teaches how to convert research results into products for society, and founded the ‘Idea to Product (I2P)’ technology commercialization competition. The honor, which is sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, recognizes leadership and innovation in engineering / technology entrepreneurship education.

Electrical engineering professor named consultant by Virginia governor

June 25, 2007

Prof. Ted Rappaport, professor of electrical engineering, has been asked by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine to serve on the state’s “Broadband Roundtable”, a project that will have Dr. Rappaport working with former Virginia Governor Mark Warner and Virginia’s Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra to develop strategies to accelerate broadband connectivity to rural homes and businesses in Virginia. Governor Kaine said Rappaport was selected because of his strong national reputation in wireless communications. Rappaport will also be working on a one year research grant with Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative to implement wireless broadband last-mile internet access in towns throughout south side and southwest Virginia. Rappaport was on the electrical engineering faculty at Virginia Tech for 14 years before joining The University of Texas and creating the Wireless Networking and Communications Group in 2002. Dr. Rappaport holds the William and Bettye Nowlin Chair in Engineering and is also the Jack Kilby / Texas Instruments Endowed Faculty Fellow in Computer Engineering.

Civil engineer invited to National Academy of Engineering’s “Frontiers” program

June 25, 2007

Dr. Travis Waller, civil engineering assistant professor, was selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers of Engineering program. The program seeks the best young engineering talent in the country to discuss some of the hottest topics in engineering. Waller’s research focuses on developing highly efficient computer models and optimization techniques to improve transportation networks. Dr. Waller is currently the Fellow of the Clyde E. Lee Professorship in Transportation Engineering.

Biomedical Engineering Student to attend international meeting with Nobel laureates

June 25, 2007

Carolyn Bayer, a biomedical engineering doctoral student, has been selected by the National Science Foundation to attend the 57th Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany. Bayer, one of 51 participants representing the United States, will take part in informal interactions with Nobel Prize winners on this year’s topic of physiology and medicine. The meeting will gather over 500 international students.

Woods receives national award for long-term support of women in engineering

June 22, 2007

Dr. Sherry Woods, director of special projects under Associate Dean of Academic Affairs David Dolling, was chosen to receive the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN) Founders Award, which honors members who exemplify the spirit of WEPAN founders through long-term efforts for the organization. Woods, who currently chairs the Corporate Relations Committee for WEPAN, has served in leadership roles for the organization for more than eight years, including a presidential term from 2003-2004. WEPAN and its 600 members nation-wide are committed to enhancing the success of women engineers in academic and professional settings.

Chemical engineer receives national award for excellence in publications

June 21, 2007

Dr. Thomas M. Truskett, chemical engineering assistant professor, will receive the 2007 Allan P. Colburn Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). The award is given to AIChE members under the age of 36 who have exhibited excellence in publications. Truskett is being recognized for pioneering statistical mechanical theory and computer simulation methods for modeling the structure, kinetics, and thermodynamics of chemical and biophysical systems. He is the fourth professor in the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering to receive the Allan P. Colburn Award.

Mechanical engineering professor to become president of Acoustical Society of America

June 19, 2007

Dr. Mark F. Hamilton, mechanical engineering professor, was elected by the membership as the next president of the Acoustical Society of America. He will succeed the current president in July 2008, and his term as president will last for one year. His election also includes one-year terms as president-elect and past-president on the governing board of the society. The fields of acoustics encompassed by the society and its journal range from physical, engineering, biomedical, architectural, structural, and underwater acoustics to musical acoustics, psychological and physiological acoustics, speech and hearing, and animal bioacoustics.

Aerospace professor receives Polish medal for work in computational mechanics

June 19, 2007

Dr. J. Tinsley Oden, professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, will receive the O.C. Zienkiewicz Medal from the Polish Association for Computational Mechanics (PACM) for his contributions to the field, especially in Poland. Dr. Oden has worked extensively on the mathematical theory and implementation of numerical methods applied to problems in solid and fluid mechanics and, particularly, nonlinear continuum mechanics.

Two aerospace engineering professors to receive honorary doctorates

June 14, 2007

Two aerospace engineering professors, Dr. Ivo M. Babuska and Dr. Thomas J. Hughes, will receive honorary doctorates from international universities this year.

Babuska will receive an honorary doctorate from Czech Technical University in Prague for his world-renowned scientific work in numerical mathematics. Babuska graduated from Czech Technical University in 1949 with a civil engineering degree and in 1951 with a doctorate in technical sciences. At The University of Texas at Austin he holds the Robert B. Trull Chair in Engineering.

Hughes will receive honorary doctorates in civil engineering from the University of Padua and the University of Pavia, both in Italy. Pavia commends Hughes for his "his fundamental work in solid, structural and fluid mechanics, with special emphasis on recent work in turbulent flows, stabilized and multiscale methods, and isogeometric analyses." Padua will also bestow an honorary doctorate in civil engineering later this year. At the University of Texas at Austin Hughes holds the Computational and Applied Mathematics Chair III.

Aerospace engineering professor awarded medal for ap