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| 1996 |
Water
Reclamation Membranes
New research at UCLA devoted to refinements in
reverse-osmosis technology could help solve problems of
irrigation drainage water in the agriculturally rich San
Joaquin Valley. (March 1996)
Image
Compression Technique Doubles Efficiency
Researchers report the development of a new image data
compression technique that is one-and-a-half to three
times more efficient than the widely used JPEG standard.
Such an advance could speed image communications for applications
ranging from the Internet to direct broadcast satellite
television. (March 1996)
Accurate
El Nino Prediction Tool
UCLA researchers demonstrate a prediction tool with a
significant level of accuracy in predicting droughts and
floods caused by El Nino up to one or two years in advance.
(July 1996)
Ultralight
Robotic Aircraft
A crew of Rockwell engineers successfully launched and
flew the UCLA-Rockwell Unmanned Air Vehicle during tests
at El Mirage Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert. The battery
powered, 40-foot-wing-span craft flew perfectly, while
jubilant engineers chased the aircraft across the dry
lake in a convertible. (November 1996)
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| 1997 |
Artificial
Intelligence Program Solves Rubik’s Cube
Computer science professor Richard Korf has found
the first optimal solutions to Rubik’s Cube. The
median optimal solution appears to be 18 moves, and it
is believed any cube can be solved in no more than 20
moves. (May 1997)
Better
Aneurysm Treatments
A team of UCLA computer scientists have developed a computer
simulation system that can create highly accurate simulation
and images of blood flow and correctly map its dynamics
to aid doctors in treating brain aneurysms. (July 1997)
Novel
Polymer Membranes
New ceramic supported polymer membranes could have a large
impact on a variety of organic-organic separation applications,
including refinery processes in the petrochemical industry,
solvent recovery from various semiconductor manufacturing
operations, purification of contaminated water supplies,
and use in the food and beverage industry, such as wine
clarification. (September 1997)
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| 1998 |
Interdepartmental
Biomedical Engineering
UCLA's Biomedical Engineering Interdepartmental Graduate
Degree Program is helping to fill the rapidly expanding
need for engineers with specialized training in biomedical
engineering. (January 1998)
Revolutionary
Polymer Semiconductor Fabrication
Using a common inkjet printer, materials science and engineering
professor Yang Yang’s group is printing polymer
coatings directly onto glass substrates. (February 1998)
Hindenburg
Disaster Reassessed
UCLA chemical engineering professor discovers that it
was not hydrogen but the material used to coat the "skin"
of the airship that caused the disastrous fire aboard
the famous Hindenburg zeppelin. (May 1998)
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| 1999 |
Improved
Inkjet Printers
Recent graduate Fan-Gang “Kevin”
Tseng applied microelectromechanical systems technology
to the design of inkjet printers to achieve exceptional
resolution, solving a problem that has plagued the printing
industry for more than 10 years. (February 1999)
New
Antenna Designs
When electrical engineering professor Yahya Rahmat-Samii
is looking for new antenna designs, he just puts a few
together so they can mate and reproduce. This decidedly
unromantic activity, which takes place inside a computer,
is an application of genetic algorithms - the Darwinian
notion of natural selection and evolution. (September
1999)
Renovated
Engineering Student Lounge
A gift from Sonny and Jerry Hollander (’48) has
opened new doors for engineering students with the renovation
of the Jerry and Sonny Hollander Engineering Student Center.
The refurbished Center provides much-needed space for
corporate presentations and student group meetings, an
expanded computer lab and study area, and offices for
student leaders. (September 1999)
30th
Anniversary of the Internet
On the UCLA campus in 1969, the first Internet connection
was established, ushering in a new method of communication
that today spans the globe and touches the lives of millions
worldwide. The School celebrated the 30th anniversary
of that first message with an all-day event reflecting
on its impact and exploring the Internet’s future.
(October 1999)
http://www.oid.ucla.edu/webcast/Inet30/index.html
Samueli
Family Gives $30 Million to UCLA
Dr. Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan, donated $30 million
to UCLA School of Engineering to establish endowments
for graduate fellowships, teaching awards and term chairs,
and for capital construction and other high-priority projects.
They also made a gift of $20 million to UC Irvine’s
School of Engineering. (December 1999)
|
| 2000 |
Cars
'See' Through Fog
A team of UCLA researchers has developed an advanced
vehicle control laboratory on wheels to test a number
of autonomous features that will make vehicles safer,
and shift a number of decisions from the driver to the
car. (April 2000)
School
Dedicated
Honoring Dr. Henry Samueli, three time alumnus and electrical
engineering faculty member, the School is dedicated as
the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied
Science. A symposium prior to the dedication explored
the evolving role of engineering in our world. (October
2000)
|
| 2001 |
Wazzan Steps Down as Dean
After 15 years of leadership, Frank Wazzan steps
down as dean of the School. From an assistant professor
in nuclear engineering in 1963 to dean of the School, Frank
Wazzan played an active role in shaping its direction and
its future. (June 2001)
Better
Military Decisions
UCLA researchers are developing information technology
that could one day help military leaders make rapid, informed
decisions in a variety of hostile situations. The program
would provide military leaders with fast, easy to understand
information to assist them in managing military operations,
from elaborate humanitarian missions to large-scale border
defense. (June 2001)
Improving
Building Safety
The George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering
Simulation (NEES) brings together 11 institutions in a
cooperative network that will allow them to share data
and equipment. The field-testing and monitoring equipment
being designed at UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science will provide researchers
with real-time information on what happens to structures
such as buildings, dams and bridges during simulated earthquakes.
(September 2001)
Computer
Vision
Computer scientist Stefano Soatto and his research team
are examining how people use vision to interact with others
and with their environment, to design systems that will
allow computers to interact in similar ways. (November
2001)
|
| 2002 |
Institute
for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration
By mimicking the remarkable self-organizing capabilities
of biological systems, researchers in the NASA-sponsored
Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration (CMISE) hope
to create the next generation of technologies for exploring
space. CMISE is one of five University Research, Engineering
and Technology Institutes that represent NASA’s
grand vision for enabling the promise of 21st century
technologies. (February 2002)
Center
for Embedded Networked Sensing
Just as UCLA was the first node on the ARPANET, a computer
network that was the precursor to the Internet, researchers
say the next incarnation of the Internet - a total communications
system permeating the physical world - will be developed
at the newly established UCLA Center for Embedded Networked
Sensing. (April 2002)
Bioengineering
Department
The interface between biology and the physical sciences
represents fertile ground for new and exciting discoveries
in the 21st century. The faculty in the newly formed Bioengineering
Department at UCLA have embraced this opportunity to make
an impact in this field with a revolutionary curriculum.
(September 2002)
Center
for Nanoscale Innovation for Defense
The Center for Nanoscience Innovation for Defense is created
to facilitate the rapid transition of research innovation
in the nanosciences into applications for the defense
sector. Research at UCLA will focus on: quantum tele-communication
nanodevices, development of a single-electron-spin microscope,
photonic crystal nano-optical structures and circuits,
and molecular level electronic and mechanical devices.
(December 2002)
|
| 2003 |
Vijay
K. Dhir Appointed Dean
Vijay K. Dhir, professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering, has been named dean of the UCLA Henry Samueli
School of Engineering and Applied Science. Dhir, who served
as the School’s interim dean since February 2002,
plans to focus on increasing interdisciplinary research,
aggressive faculty recruitment, greater engagement with
alumni and creating a higher national profile. (March
2003)
Functional
Engineered Nano Architectonics Focus Center
The Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics Focus Center
(FENA) will expand semiconductor research at universities.
The term “architectonics” is derived from
a Greek word meaning “master builder,” which
aptly describes the center’s researchers as they
build a new generation of nanoscale materials, structures
and devices for the electronics industry. (August 2003)
Center for
Scalable and Integrated Nano-Manufacturing
The Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing
(SINAM) will combine fundamental science and technology
in nanomanufacturing, transforming laboratory science
into industrial applications in nanoelectronics and biomedicine.
SINAM’s integrated research and education platform
will have wide and profound impacts on our lives through
applications in computing, telecommunication, photonics,
biotechnology, health care, and national security. (October
2003)
Engineering
IB Demolition
On December 17, 2003 the UCLA Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science marked an important milestone
in its plan to replace the School’s Engineering
I building with a modern, state-of-the-art facility capable
of better supporting the School's mission of teaching,
research and service. (December 2003)
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