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DEAN'S LETTER

Three weeks ago, our senior class came together for a special dinner to mark their upcoming graduation. While I joined our senior students in an evening of food and entertainment, I had a chance to consider how hard each of them had worked to arrive at this important milestone. This dinner was a welcome opportunity for us to celebrate everything our students have achieved. I must also say I was impressed with the multi-faceted abilities our students displayed during the evening's musical program!

It was sixty years ago this month, in June of 1943, that California Governor Earl Warren signed a bill appropriating $300,000 to provide instruction in engineering at the UCLA campus. Now, on this special anniversary, I will have the pleasure of congratulating the class of 2003 during commencement ceremonies June 14.

With an engineering degree from UCLA, our students possess the incredible potential to change the world. I find it fitting that the advice our School's first dean, Llewellyn Boelter, shared with students in 1963 rings just as true today:

"The products of your mind are the most precious things you own ... and you must protect them, and must not do wrong with them, you must do the right thing. You must always have in mind that the products of your mind can be used by other people whether for good or evil, and that you have a responsibility that they be used for good. You can't avoid this responsibility ... you must accept the responsibility yourself, for yourself and for others."

Sincerely,

Vijay K. Dhir
Dean

FEATURE STORIES

Wired Classroom Gives Educators Insight Into Child Learning
UCLA engineers and education experts are building a high-tech classroom where everyday objects, from textbooks to tabletops, are wired with sensors to measure child behavior patterns in a group setting. Researchers believe that the data they collect from their "smart kindergarten" classroom can be used to create a more interactive learning environment and allow educators to better assess teaching and learning methods.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/stories/2003/smartkg.htm

UCLA Henry Samueli School Licenses Nine Multimedia Patents to Samsung Electronics
The patents, all in the area of multimedia communications, are the result of several years of collaboration between the Image Communications Laboratory of electrical engineering professor John Villasenor and Samsung's Digital Media R&D Center. They cover methods to transmit images and video sequences using wireless devices such as next-generation cellular telephones and computers connected to wireless local area networks.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/stories/2003/patents.htm

Alumnus of the Year Dwight Streit to Address Graduates at Commencement
Dwight Streit left his hometown of Oak Park, Illinois, birthplace of Hemingway and land of the Frank Lloyd Wright house, and came to California in pursuit of an engineering degree. Ten years later he had laid claim to both an M.S and Ph.D in electrical engineering from UCLA. This June, Streit will give the keynote address at the School of Engineering's commencement ceremonies.
http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/stories/2003/commencement03.htm

Stand and be Recognized
The School of Engineering has announced the winners of this year's academic awards. Roughly eighty students will be recognized during commencement ceremonies for their academic excellence or service to the School. A complete list of this year's honorees is online.
http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/Commencement/all_awards_03.html

Professor Nasr Ghoniem Honored for Collaborative Spirit
Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Nasr Ghoniem was one of two UCLA professors awarded the Faculty/Staff Partnership Award by the UCLA Staff Assembly for his commitment to collaboration and collegiality with staff. The award was presented to Ghoniem and professor Gregory Cole of the department of medicine and neurology June 6.
http://support.mae.ucla.edu/news/index.htm#ghoniem_award

MEDIA WATCH: UCLA ENGINEERING IN THE NEWS

Unread Papers Win Many Mentions
Recent research by electrical engineering professor Vwani Roychowdhury, reported earlier in the E-Bulletin, continues to receive attention. A study by Roychowdhury and colleague Mikhail Simkin has suggested that many of the references cited in scientific papers have not been read by the authors citing them, according to an analysis of how errors in citations propagate through the literature. In addition to an interview on BBC radio that aired May 30, articles appeared in The Guardian and the journal Nature.
http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v423/n6938/full/423373a_fs.html

Students Enrich Studies Through Research
From examining the soil to solving problems in space travel, our engineering graduates leave UCLA with solid research experience. The Daily Bruin spoke to students Robert Lobbia and Emily Guglielmo.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=24784

Campus Becomes Virtual Battlefield
The UCLA Chapter of Eta Kappa Nu and computer security company Symantec hosted a "Battling Robots Competition" that put students' computer programming skills -- and killer instincts -- to the test.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?ID=24486

Dhir Appointment Makes Headlines in Indian American Press
Several news outlets reported on the appointment of Vijay Dhir, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, as dean of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. News items appeared in U.S.-based publications India Today, India Abroad, India West, India Journal, New India Press and the India-based Hindustan Times.
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IE820030519061150&Title=NRIs&rLink=0

Power of the Puck Revealed
Professor Thomas Hahn, chair of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department, was on the air during ABC Sports coverage of the Stanley Cup hockey finals between the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the New Jersey Devils. Hahn lightheartedly speculated on the added power of the game's newest composite material hockey sticks during two special segments that aired during games five and six of the tournament.

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

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