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DEAN'S LETTER

As we close out the calendar year, I want to express my appreciation for the tremendous contributions of the dedicated staff of UCLA’s School of Engineering. The men and women who comprise our staff play an important role in the operation of our School, making it possible for us to fulfill our mission of education, research and service to the profession and community.

More than 250 staff members work at the School, and the functions they perform are both wide in scope and essential in nature. Our admissions and student affairs officers counsel prospective and current students, helping them to reach their educational goals and make the most of their time at UCLA. Lab technicians, research engineers and web site managers play a direct role in helping our faculty to fulfill their instructional and research missions. Many staff also help faculty to prepare their proposals and manage their budgets. The professional designers and builders of our R&D shops help students and faculty to complete research projects in diverse areas, from nanofabrication to earthquake studies.

Our School’s accountants, fund managers and development managers ensure that the School operates in a fiscally responsible manner and that we are well-positioned to continue our mission for years to come. Equipment and building managers make certain that our facilities remain world-class and that everyone has a safe and healthy environment in which to work and study.

Outreach professionals from the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity raise student interest in science and engineering, while other staff plan and stage special events such as commencement, open house, research reviews and symposia. Their efforts help us to forge stronger links with the community, raise public awareness of the School’s research and make our School an accessible and inviting place. In fact, staff members are perhaps our most important ambassadors, because they are the key point of contact with members of our community, prospective students, alumni and supporters. They are the public face of our School and each day they provide a tremendous service through their professionalism and enthusiasm.

Together, the staff represents an essential source of support without which our School would not be a world-class institution. Though they do not always receive the recognition that is their due, I wish to acknowledge their efforts and thank them for their hard work. We have many ambitious goals to meet in the coming years, and our staff will play an important role in our future success.

To all our readers, I wish you a safe and happy holiday season, and a prosperous and healthy New Year.

Sincerely,

Vijay K. Dhir
Dean

FEATURE STORIES

NSF Funds New Wireless Testbed Project
UCLA is one of six universities selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead development of WHYNET, a wireless hybrid networked testbed that will redefine how specific innovations in wireless communication technologies are evaluated. The grant, worth more than $5.5 million, will finance six multidisciplinary testbed initiatives in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/stories/2003/whynet.htm

Engineering 1 Building to be Demolished Dec. 17
This month, the Engineering School takes a step closer to realizing an important goal -- replacing the School’s Engineering I building with a state-of-the-art facility capable of supporting the School's mission of teaching, research and service. Work is set to begin December 17, with the controlled demolition of the old facility's east wing, called Unit 1B. As that day draws near, the E-Bulletin looks back at the School’s oldest building.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/stories/2003/engineering_one.htm

California NanoSystems Institute to Host International Symposium
CNSI will host its First International NanoSystems Symposium at UCLA on Saturday, December 13. Nanoscience and nanotechnology topics will be discussed by internationally renowned scientists, with comments from Fraser Stoddart, the CNSI director who holds UCLA’s Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences. CNSI is a joint initiative between UCLA and UC Santa Barbara.
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?menu=fullsearchresults&id=4773

Two UCLA Engineering Professors Elected IEEE Fellows
Computer Science Professor Deborah Estrin and Electrical Engineering Professor Bahram Jalali have been elected Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Estrin was honored for her innovations in scalable network protocols and sensor network research. She is director of UCLA’s Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS) and was recently named to Popular Science magazine’s ‘Brilliant 10’ list of top researchers. Jalali was elected for his contributions to the application of time-frequency techniques in microwave photonics. He is the founder of Cognet Microsystems, a Los Angeles-based fiber optic component company that was acquired by Intel Corporation in April 2001.
For more information about CENS visit the Center’s web site http://www.cens.ucla.edu/.
To visit Professor Jalali’s web site go to http://www.ee.ucla.edu/faculty/bios/jalali.htm.

Students Receive Scholarships to Study Math and Engineering
Students received over $200,000 in scholarships at a banquet held by UCLA’s Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED). The scholarships, which were awarded to undergraduate and graduate students at UCLA as well as local area middle and high school students, are part of CEED’s efforts to encourage young people to pursue studies in math, science and engineering.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/stories/2003/ceed_awards.htm

UCLA Mechanical and Aerospace Engineer Elected AIAA Fellow
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world's leading professional society in the broad areas of aeronautics and astronautics, has elected mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Ann Karagozian as a Fellow. She is one of only 30 chosen this year. Presentation of the new Fellows will take place during the International Air and Space Symposium in Washington D.C., in April 2004.
Visit Professor Karagozian’s web site for more information about her research. http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ark/

Engineering Student Groups Participate in Homecoming Parade
Three engineering student groups built floats for this year’s Homecoming parade. The float built by the Triangle fraternity and the Phi Sigma Rho sorority won the UCLA Student Alumni Association's Best Design and Craftsmanship Award and Sweepstakes Award for Best Overall Entry. The UCLA chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) also entered a float for the second year in a row.
http://www.engineeringalum.ucla.edu/news/homecoming03.asp

Computer Science Dept Chair Elected to Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Milos Ercegovac, professor and chair of UCLA’s computer science department was elected a foreign member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The Belgrade-based Academy is the most eminent scientific and art institution in Serbia and dates back to 1886. Ercegovac is a specialist in digital arithmetic, digital design, and computer system architecture. For more information about his research, visit his web site.
http://www.cs.ucla.edu/~milos/

MEDIA WATCH: UCLA ENGINEERING IN THE NEWS

Wind Explored as Energy Source
An $80,000 California Energy Commission grant to research wind-generated electricity has been awarded to electrical engineering professor A.V. Balakrishnan and graduate student in electrical engineering Ken Mok. While current wind turbines require strong winds to generate electricity, Balakrishnan hopes to harness energy from slower winds.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?ID=26383

Buried Treasure
Embedded computers are already an integral part of ordinary life. They are the unseen brains behind wireless devices, automated elevators, climate-control systems, traffic signals and washing machines. The drive now is to further expand the use of embedded computers and sensors into places previously deemed impossible, mostly by making them smaller, cheaper, and more energy-efficient. UCLA’s Center for Embedded Networked Sensing is leading the way, according to a San Diego Union Tribune article.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20031126-9999_1c26sensors.html

Nanotechnology – Small Things for Big Changes
Los Angeles Times business columnist James Flanigan spoke with UCLA electrical engineering professor Eli Yablonovitch to understand how the science of nanotechnology will transform industry and medicine.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-flan23nov23,1,5081881.story

On a Cheap Plastic Grid, Gigabytes Galore
Yang Yang, UCLA professor of materials science and engineering, was quoted in a New York Times story about new uses for a plastic material called Pedot. Paid subscription is required to view article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/27/technology/circuits/27nexx.html

Nine Bruins Compete in Regional Programming Contest
UCLA’s Engineering School sent three teams – UCLA Blue, UCLA Gold and UCLA Bruins – to participate in a regional computer programming competition. Teams had to solve eight or more complex, real-world problems, with a grueling five-hour deadline. The three teams from UCLA placed 9th, 18th and 25th overall, out of 59 teams.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?ID=26386

Read more UCLA Engineering news at http://www.engineer.ucla.edu

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