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E-BULLETIN
UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
December 10, 2008
DEAN'S
LETTER
As 2008
comes to a close, I would like to recognize the invaluable contributions
of the staff members of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering
and Applied Science.
Academic counselors, research engineers, manufacturing and lab
technicians, outreach coordinators, administrative assistants,
building and equipment managers, payroll specialists, department
managers, development officers, IT support staff members along
with many, many others all play critical roles in our mission
of education, research and service.
From keeping our equipment and facilities in
top shape, to guiding our students through their academic careers,
and from supporting advanced experiments, to running the day-to-day
operations of our departments, centers and offices, our staff
members perform their tasks with integrity and professionalism.
I am extremely proud of their dedication and
hard work. And I would like to thank all of them for helping make
the accomplishments of the school possible.
On behalf of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science, I wish all of you a happy holiday
season and a healthy and prosperous new year.
Sincerely,
Vijay K. Dhir
Dean
FEATURE
STORIES
UCLA
researchers create polymer solar cells with higher efficiency
levels
Currently, solar cells are difficult to handle, expensive to purchase
and complicated to install. The hope is that consumers will one
day be able to buy solar cells from their local hardware store
and simply hang them like posters on a wall. A new study by researchers
at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
has shown that the dream is one step closer to reality. Reporting
in the Nov. 26 edition of the Journal of the American Chemical
Society, Yang Yang, a professor of materials
science and engineering, and colleagues describe the design and
synthesis of a new polymer, or plastic, for use in solar cells
that has significantly greater sunlight absorption and conversion
capabilities than previous polymers.
Mathematical
model gives clearer picture of physics of cells, organelles. Research
could shed light on life cycle of membrane-bound viruses like
HIV
Cells are filled with membrane-bound organelles like the nucleus,
mitochondria and endoplasmic reticula. Over the years, scientists
have made much progress in understanding the biomolecular details
of how these organelles function within cells, but understanding
the actual physical forces that maintain the structures of these
organelles' membranes continues to be a challenge. Now, UCLA Engineering
researcher William Klug and colleagues have devised
a mathematical procedure for accurately predicting the three-dimensional
forces involved in creating and maintaining certain organelle
membranes.
OTHER NEWS
Panagiotis
D. Christofides, professor of chemical and biomolecular
engineering and professor of electrical engineering, was elected
as a Fellow of IEEE, for "contributions to analysis and control
of nonlinear and distributed parameter processes." The grade
of fellow recognizes unusual distinction in the profession and
is conferred by the IEEE board of directors upon a person with
an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE
fields of interest. The accomplishments that are honored shall
have contributed importantly to the advancement or application
of engineering, science and technology, bringing the realization
of significant value to society.
Electrical engineering professor
Aydogan Ozcan has been selected to receive the
2009 IEEE LEOS (Lasers & Electro-Optics Society) Young Investigator
Award from the IEEE Society for Photonics. The LEOS Young Investigator
Award was established to honor an individual who has made outstanding
technical contributions to photonics (broadly defined) prior to
his or her 35th birthday. Ozcan is being recognized for his pioneering
contributions to non-destructive nonlinear material characterization
techniques, near-field and on-chip imaging and diagnostic systems.
On
November 13, as part of the Great Southern California ShakeOut,
the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation at UCLA
(nees@UCLA) conducted a laboratory demonstration to illustrate
improvements made to design requirements for reinforced concrete
structures in the past few decades. The test simulated the effect
of an earthquake on two, approximately one-half scale reinforced
concrete columns - one representative of 1950's construction,
and one for newer codes. The demonstration was led by civil and
environmental engineering professor
John W. Wallace, principal investigator of nees@UCLA,
and Bob Nigbor, Co-principal investigator of
nees@UCLA. To read more, click
here.
SWE Evening With Industry to be held Jan. 26, 2009 at Covel Commons
Evening With Industry
is an annual corporate networking event, organized for UCLA Engineering
students by the Society of Women Engineers at UCLA. The program
allows students the unique opportunity to network with representatives
from a wide range of leading technical companies over a three-course
dinner, which is immediately followed by a career fair.
Evening with Industry is open to ALL engineering undergraduate
and graduate students. It will be held on the evening of Monday,
January 26, 2009 in the Grand Horizon Room, Covel Commons. Tickets
will be sold in Boelter Hall and at Society of Women Engineers'
general meetings beginning in January.
MEDIA
WATCH: UCLA ENGINEERING IN THE NEWS
New York Times
You’re
Leaving a Digital Trail. What About Privacy?
The article covers various emerging digital technologies versus
privacy concerns. It references the Personal Environmental Impact
Report from the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing
and quotes computer science and electrical engineering professor
Deborah Estrin, the center's director.
Wired
Happy
Accident Opens Door to Cheaper, Higher-Resolution Cameras
Scientific accidents have brought some of the most groundbreaking
discoveries — vulcanized rubber, X-rays, penicillin —
and now scientists at UCLA have accidentally discovered a material
that could make digital cameras as we know them obsolete. Graduate
student Hsiang-Yu Chen (of materials science
and engineering) was working on a new formula for solar cells
when something went wrong. Instead of creating electricity when
hit with light, the conductivity of the material she was working
with changed.
KCET SoCal Connected
Shake-Up
Call
The Southern California weekly television newsmagazine
aired a segment on buildings in Los Angeles that are particularly
vulnerable during an earthquake. Civil and environmental engineering
professors Jonathan P. Stewart and John
W. Wallace were featured.
Nature Chemistry
Research
Highlights. Graphene Synthesis: Chemical Peel
The journal's research highlights section featured a Nature Nanotechnology
paper on a new method of mass-producing the nanomaterial graphene
by Yang Yang, professor of materials science
and engineering and Richard Kaner, professor
of chemistry and biochemistry with a joint appointment in materials
science and engineering.
CALENDAR
December 12-13
Symposium
at UCLA
"Water Resources Systems Analysis: The Contributions of William
Yeh"
9:00 a.m., CNSI Conference Facility
January 5
Winter
Quarter instruction begins
UCLA Campus
January 15
Jon
Postel Distinguished Lecture Series
"Transactional Boosting: A Methodology for Highly-Concurrent
Transactional Objects"
Maurice Herlihy, Brown University
4:15 p.m., 3400 Boelter Hall
January 26
SWE Evening with Industry
Covel Commons
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