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DEAN'S LETTER

At the School of Engineering, our faculty are not only committed to research and teaching. They also perform important acts of professional service. They serve as committee members of scholarly societies, act as reviewers and editors for journals and book manuscripts, and sit on advisory and review panels for government agencies and research institutes. They also chair conferences, assist in public inquiries and offer expert testimony at legislative hearings.

Through such activities, our faculty contributes to their profession and the community. Many of them also find that, through this service, they become better prepared for the range of personal and professional challenges they face as practicing members of academia, and ultimately, they become better teachers. At the same time, these interactions across disciplines encourage the ever-important advancement and sharing of knowledge, which raises the entire profession and directly benefits our students.

Nearly 80 faculty members – 60 percent of the School’s total – served on the editorial boards of over 200 archival journals, books and conference proceedings last year. Many continue to serve on an ongoing basis.

As we report in this issue of the E-Bulletin, mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Chih-Ming Ho has been named to the Board of Advisors of the ASME Nanotechnology Institute. Later this year, chemical engineering professor James Liao, whose important breakthrough in the field of metabolic engineering is described in this issue, will be chairing an international conference for scientists and engineers in metabolic engineering and related areas. Finally, this week computer science professor Deborah Estrin travels to Seattle where she will present a topical lecture at the American Association for the Advancement of Science General Meeting.

Of course, these are only three of countless examples I could mention. They are simply representative of our continuing commitment to teaching, research and professional service. I look forward to sharing more stories like these in the future.

Sincerely,

Vijay K. Dhir
Dean

FEATURE STORIES

UCLA Chemical Engineers Design Circuit for Artificial Cell-to-Cell Communication
Engineers have discovered a way to alter cell metabolism that allows cells to artificially communicate with each other, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. If cells can communicate in this fashion, say researchers, coordinated cellular action is possible. Cells acting in unison could, for example, be directed to create greater quantities of a chemical compound that would later be used in the manufacture of chemicals or pharmaceuticals.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/stories_2004/cellcomm.html.

UCLA Engineering School Determined to Continue Student Enrichment Programs Despite State Budget Crisis
Many educational experts are worried that too few of the nation’s schoolchildren are pursuing studies in science, engineering and math, creating a growing imbalance between the domestic supply and demand of technically skilled workers. How can we find ways to increase student achievement in these subjects? Rick Ainsworth, director of UCLA’s Center for Excellence in Education and Diversity, is working hard at finding solutions.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/stories_2004/techday.html.

UCLA Electrical Engineering Department Launches EEweb
UCLA’s electrical engineering department wanted to find a way to create a more dynamic learning environment for undergraduate students and a more quantifiable method of assessing the department’s educational performance. Administrators think they may have found it, with a sophisticated project called EEweb.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/stories_2004/eeweb.html.

Dean of UCLA School of Engineering Joins Alma Mater’s Hall of Distinction
Vijay K. Dhir, dean of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been selected as an inductee into the University of Kentucky’s Engineering Hall of Distinction. Dean Dhir, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1972, will be recognized at a public ceremony April 16. Although many are nominated, only 59 alumni have been named to the Hall since it was established in 1991. Inductees are selected for their distinguished service to the profession, outstanding character and commitment to community service. To learn more about Dean Dhir’s research, visit his Boiling Heat Transfer Lab at http://boiling.seas.ucla.edu/boiling/.

UCLA Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Named to Advisory Board
Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Chih-Ming Ho has been appointed to the advisory board of the ASME Nanotechnology Institute, which is dedicated to advancing the art, science and practice of nanotechnology. Professor Ho currently holds the Ben Rich-Lockheed Martin Chair and serves as UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. He is also the Director of the Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration (CMISE), and has been a member of the National Academy of Engineering since 1997. Learn more about Professor Ho’s research at http://www.cmise.ucla.edu/ and http://ho.seas.ucla.edu.

UCLA Electrical Engineering Professor to Receive 2003 Kuwait Prize
Electrical engineering professor Ali H. Sayed has been selected as co-recipient of the prestigious 2003 Kuwait Prize for Basic Sciences for his extensive research contributions in the area of adaptive systems, including the publication of over 200 articles and four books. The Kuwait Prize, one of the highest honors awarded in Kuwait for intellectual achievement, is given annually to researchers and scientists of Arab descent whose work has international significance. The honor includes 30,000 Kuwaiti dinars (approximately US$100,000), a gold medal, the Shield of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science, and a certificate of recognition. Professor Sayed will travel to Kuwait to receive the award and deliver a public lecture entitled, “On the Role of Adaptation in Modern Technologies.” To learn more about Professor Sayed’s work, visit his Adaptive Systems Laboratory at http://www.ee.ucla.edu/~asl/.

MEDIA WATCH: UCLA ENGINEERING IN THE NEWS

Internet Hits 35th Birthday Mark
Thirty-five years ago, UCLA computer science professor Leonard Kleinrock directed the transmission of the first message ever to pass over the Internet, making his host computer at UCLA the first node of what went on to become the world wide web. While he was a graduate student at MIT, Kleinrock created the basic principles of packet switching as a way to transfer files from one computer to another. Now that the Internet is in its 35th year, Kleinrock weighs in on the concerns that threaten the Internet, as well as ways to encourage its growth.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?ID=27055

Northridge Quake Still Stirs Some
It has been 10 years since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and in a story marking the anniversary, engineering professors John Wallace, Jonathan Stewart and Tom Sabol each comment on how far we’ve come in preparing for the next big quake.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?ID=26899

Governor Maps Shift from Gas to Hydrogen
William Van Vorst, UCLA professor emeritus of chemical engineering and renowned authority on hydrogen energy research, spoke with the Daily Bruin about California Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger’s plan to establish a network of hydrogen fueling stations throughout the state by the end of the decade.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=27207

UCLA Weathers E-mail Worm Storm
Peter Reiher, UCLA computer science professor, helped to put the recent Mydoom worm into perspective in a Daily Bruin article about the latest electronic attack to hit computer users around the world.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=27208

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

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