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DEAN'S LETTER
I would like to thank all of our corporate partners for their many contributions to the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and recognize the vital role that they play in our mission of education, research and service to society.

We draw on their expertise in shaping our curriculum – ensuring that our graduates are well prepared to contribute when they enter the workforce. Individuals from industry also share their time and experience, coming to campus as adjunct faculty or guest lecturers.

Their support for our students takes many forms – from scholarships and fellowships that allow our students to achieve their dreams, to funding for student organizations and competitions that help showcase the students’ creativity and skills. Summer internships, another means of support, allow our engineering students to gain valuable real-world experience while still pursuing their degrees.

Grants from partner corporations also make it possible for our students and faculty to work with K-12 students to increase their interest in careers in engineering and science. This benefits both the university and the field, by increasing the next generation of talented engineers available to industry.

Technology and engineering companies provide funding for new areas of research, as well as gifts-in-kind, driving new discoveries and developments. Our industrial affiliate partners provide departments and research centers with unrestricted funds to pursue new opportunities as they arise. Many teaching and research labs throughout the School have benefited from their generosity, ensuring that our equipment is state-of-the-art. Our collaborative programs with corporations also provide a means to transition technology into the marketplace, where it will impact our daily lives.

Our efforts would not be nearly as effective as they are without the assistance of our partners and friends in industry, and I am pleased to acknowledge all of the ways in which they help us.

Sincerely,

Vijay K. Dhir
Dean


FEATURE STORIES
UCLA Computer Science Professor Presents Technology at World Economic Forum
UCLA computer scientist Deborah Estrin, named one of Popular Science magazine’s “Brilliant Ten” in 2003, introduced her work in embedded network sensors to an international audience on Jan. 27 at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. The foremost global community of business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society committed to improving the state of the world, the forum is an independent international organization that consults with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/2005/forum.html

UCLA Professor Gives Distinguished Lecture
Mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Rajit Gadh, director of WINMEC, spoke on the “Wireless Internet of Artifacts” in December at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai as a Tata Infotech, Ltd Distinguished Speaker. For more on Gadh’s research, please visit http://www.mae.ucla.edu/academics/faculty/gadh.htm.

Computer Science Professor to Receive Laureate from the University of Bologna
Computer science professor Leonard Kleinrock will receive an honorary Laureate degree from the University of Bologna in Italy, the oldest university in the Western world. Kleinrock will become a Doctor of Internet Science at the graduation ceremonies on Tuesday, May 24, 2005.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/2005/kleinrock.html

Multidisciplinary Research on Nanocomposites published by the Institute of Physics in Nanotechnology
Research by mechanical and aerospace engineering chair H. Thomas Hahn and Virginia Yong, a graduate student in materials science and engineering, has shown that nanoparticle dispersion is necessary to achieve enhanced flexural properties in nanocomposites. Their work shows that with good dispersion, nanoparticles will improve mechanical properties of nanocomposite films, coatings, etc. This opens doors to the utilization of functional nanoparticles in multifunctional applications. Their paper is available online at
http://ej.iop.org/EJ/abstract/-ffissn=0957-4484/-ff30=all/0957-4484/16/4/004.

Protection From Internet Attacks
Computer science adjunct professor Peter Reiher, along with several colleagues, recently published “Internet Denial of Service: Attack and Defense Mechanisms,” a book that addresses ways of defending against denial-of-service attacks. For more on Reiher’s research, please visit http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/ficus-members/reiher/index2.html.


ON THE WEB
UCLA Engineering Timeline
In the last 60 years, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has achieved several significant research milestones. View a brief timeline of the School online at http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/history/timeline.html.


UCLA ENGINEERING HISTORY
Early Air Pollution Research
While Californians continue to wrestle with ways to reduce air pollution, including alternate transportation options, UCLA engineers were among the first to study air pollution and its effects.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/history/pollution.html


MEDIA WATCH: UCLA ENGINEERING IN THE NEWS
It’s Alive – Tiny Living Robots
Department of Bioengineering Chair Carlo Montemagno was interviewed by Warren Olney for National Public Radio’s Reporter’s Notebook on To The Point.
http://www.kcrw.org/show/tp (It aired January 19)

The breakthrough was also covered by CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/01/18/microbots.reut/index.html

New Search Tool Ranks IT Research Funding
Electrical engineering researcher Mikhail Simkin commented on a new method that analyzes funding source acknowledgements in scientific papers.
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/scnce/story.xhtml?story_title=New-Search-
Tool-Ranks-I-T--Research-Funding&story_id=29896&category=scnce

Bruin Nerds Get Revenge With Storming Success
In their quest to recruit new members this fall, the Bruin Nerds arrived at orientation toting artist and engineer Chuck Hoberman's classic invention – the plastic geodesic expanding sphere.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=31486

UCLA Must Pave Way for Alternative Fuel Vehicles
An article on alternative fuel vehicles in the Daily Bruin included chemical engineering chair Vasilios Manousiouthakis’s efforts to have a hydrogen fueling station built at UCLA.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=31392

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