ECpEConnections The Department of Electrical and Engineering Newsletter for Alumni and Friends l Fall 2009 Students Prepare for National Solar Decathlon

MORE NEWS: • Department Initiates New Alumni Awards • Power Fund Supports Research

• New Bioengineering Research Area Introduced

Cystorm is here! www.ece.iastate.edu ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 1 departmentNEWS Letter from the Chair

Dear alumni and friends, In this issue departmentNEWS s we enter the fall 2009 semester, our Department of Electrical and Calendar of Events ...... page 4 AComputer Engineering (ECpE) says ‘goodbye’ to our centennial Faculty and Staff Receive Accolades ...... page 4 year, and ‘hello’ to the next 100 years. Our ECpE Centennial Gala New Bioengineering Core Area Established ...... page 5 and Awards Ceremony last spring was a huge success—attracting more students and New Faculty and Staff Welcomed ...... alumni than ever before to our spring awards celebration. And this fall, our graduate and page 5 undergraduate enrollment numbers are up (see chart), bringing total enrollment to its Inaugural Mehl Professor in highest numbers in recent years. Computer Engineering Named ...... page 5 Additionally, several of our faculty have earned researchNEWS new recognition for their work by being named to Iowa Power Fund Advances Researcher’s departmental endowed professorships (see pages Long Quest for Efficient ...... page 6 PhD: 188 4 and 5). They also are receiving recognition and ECpE Professors Receive Patent for funding for new research opportunities in the areas New Optical Switching Technology ...... page 7 of solar cell technology (page 6), supercomputing MS & MEng: Professor Chu Improves (page 8), and computing and networking systems 140 BS: 883 Integrated Circuit Designs ...... page 7 (page 10). Our alumni are experiencing success in New Iowa State Supercomputer, their careers, too (page 13). Cystorm, Unleashes 28.16 Trillion The start of a new century for our department Calculations Per Second ...... page 8 comes with a couple changes. First, our depart- Computer and Networking Systems Faculty ment will start to raise funds for Phase II of our Start New NSF Research Projects ...... page 10 Coover Hall Building Project. Phase II will involve Graduate and undergraduate enrollment studentNEWS increased this fall. renovations to Coover Hall and a second addition Students Receive Recognition ...... page 11 to our building to ensure our current and future Computer Engineering Students Win students will continue to learn and research in state-of-the-art facilities and with leading- NSF Graduate Research Fellowships ...... page 11 edge equipment. And despite today’s difficult economic times, we know our alumni and Students Make Final Preparations friends of the department will continue to give us their full-fledged support, and I for Solar Decathlon Competition ...... page 12 sincerely thank them for that. Second, I am voluntarily stepping down from my position as ECpE department chair alumniNEWS at the end of this academic year. The search for my replacement is currently underway, Department Initiates New Awards Program to Recognize Alumni ...... page 13 and the department welcomes any suggestions you may have for who should lead the department into its next century. It has been my pleasure to lead this great department for In Memoriam ...... page 13 the last several years. ECpE Alumnus Develops Technology Best wishes for a happy fall and winter. to Help NASA Learn More About Mars ...... page 14 Electrical Engineering Alumnus Saves Lives, One Pacemaker at a Time ...... page 15 Alumni Return to Campus for Alumni Days ...... page 16 Alumnus Becomes HKN Eminent Member ...... page 16 Arun K. Somani Department Chair Anson Marston Distinguished Professor

Jerry R. Junkins Endowed Chair Photography. Photo courtesy of Craig Carroll

Fall 2009 | Vol. 26 Issue 1

Department Chair: Arun K. Somani If you’re planning a gift to the ECpE department, please visit Newsletter Editor: Dana McCullough www.foundation.iastate.edu/gift or contact Ben Barnhart at (515) 294-0934 or [email protected]. Cover photo: Students install solar panels on the ISU Solar Decathlon house’s roof; Photo by Bob Elbert. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, Published twice a year by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal 2215 Coover Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3060; www.ece.iastate.edu; Opportunity and Diversity, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612. [email protected], (515) 294-2664. © 2009

2 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 departmentNEWS Department Launches Phase II of Building Project

ith Phase I of the Coover Hall n teaching labs for the Electric Power Phase I WBuilding Project complete, the and Energy Systems group, computer Addition department is beginning efforts for Phase II forensics, and more; of the project. n classrooms and a permanent home Phase II will include a new building for the senior design program; and

Diagram courtesy of Architects Smith Metzger. Architects Diagram courtesy of addition to replace the old high-bay area and n an atrium to serve as a central gather- single-floor portions of the building, as well ing space for students and faculty. as renovations to the original Coover Hall. The auditorium in Coover Hall also will The new addition and renovations will create be upgraded with new finishings and furni- Part 1 involves renovation of the original Coover 43,000 square feet of new space for: ture, and the north and east wings will get Hall, Part 2 will be a new building addition, and n faculty, staff, graduate student, and a total makeover. The north and east wings’ Part 3 shows where the current courtyard will teaching assistant offices; makeover includes gutting and remodeling be enclosed to create an atrium. n research labs, including labs for high- to bring the space up to current building speed circuits, wireless communica- code and accessibility standards, and making other new alumni will support us in our en- tion, and the Internet-Scale Attack it more energy efficient by installing double- deavor to provide state-of-the-art classrooms, and Generation Environment; paned windows and a central heating and teaching labs, specialized research labs, and cooling system. offices to our students, faculty, and staff,” The cost for Phase II is expected to be says Department Chair Arun K. Somani. more than $24 million, and will be fund- To contribute to the Coover Hall Coover Hall’s Building Project Fund, simply fill out and northeast, ed by state funds and private donors. east, and “We are grateful to our alumni mail the form on page 9 (with the “building southeast and industry supporters who were very project” fund box checked), or contact the portion will generous during Phase I of our building ISU Foundation’s Ben Barnhart at (515) 294- undergo project, and we hope those alumni and 0934 or [email protected]. n renovations in Phase II. Follow ECpE on Facebook, Twitter

Be Part of ECpE’s Alumni & Friends Corridor The Department of Electrical and Computer ast summer, the ECpE department sent our challenge to alumni to raise $1 million Engineering (ECpE) is now on Facebook Leach alumnus/a of the department of through this effort,” says Department Chair and Twitter. You can become a fan of photographic history book in celebration of Arun K. Somani. ECpE on Facebook and stay up-to-date on the department’s centennial year. Along with There is still time to sign up to be part department’s happenings. Plus, you can get the book, the department also initiated a of the Alumni & Friends Corridor. involved and network through our page by posting pictures and videos, commenting campaign to challenge our alumni to raise To be included in this corridor and be on departmental postings, and more. $1 million to help the department, faculty, permanently recognized and remembered— On Twitter, you can see what’s going on daily and students conduct research, teach, and or to honor a favorite professor or colleagues in the department. learn by creating an Alumni & Friends who are Iowa State University electrical or Corridor in the ECpE Building Addition. computer engineering alumni—download Come check out our Facebook and Twitter So far, more the 30 alumni have signed and fill out the department’s online Alumni pages: Visit www.ece.iastate.edu to up to be included in our Alumni & Friends & Friends Corridor form at www.ece.iastate. get connected. n Corridor, which will provide a place for the edu/alumni. A minimum donation of $500 department to permanently recognize and per nameplate is required for inclusion in remember our alumni, faculty, and friends. the exclusive Alumni & Friends Corridor. n The corridor will include a wall with name- plates that honor those individuals. “We appreciate the enthusiasm and Sign Up Now! support of our alumni who already have To become part of the ECpE department’s signed up to be part of our Alumni & exclusive Alumni & Friends Corridor, visit Friends Corridor, and we continue with www.ece.iastate.edu/alumni to download and fill out the PDF form.

ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 3 departmentNEWS

Calendar of Events

Upcoming events sponsored by the university, college, and ECpE department:

September 21 Distinguished Lecture: “Emotional Intelligence Technology and Autism” Howe Hall, Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, 1:10 p.m.

October 15 Distinguished Lecture: “The Seven Wonders of Computer Arithmetic” Left: Assistant Professor Alexander Stoytchev holds an award presented to him by Interim Dean Jim

Howe Hall, Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Bernard. Middle: Associate Professor Manimaran Govindarasu rides in the 2009 VEISHEA parade after Auditorium, 1:10 p.m. receiving a VEISHEA award. Right: Bernard hands staff member Sara K. Harris her departmental award.

October 15 & 16 ECpE Fall External Advisory Board Meeting Faculty and Staff Receive Accolades 3041 ECpE Bldg., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. everal faculty and staff members recently for Networking Applications (see page 7). have received recognition. The following n Associate professors Manimaran November 16 S Distinguished Lecture: “Wind and Energy are some of those recent award winners: Govindarasu and Nicola Elia both received Markets—A Case Study of Texas” n Associate Scientist Maneesha Aluru the VEISHEA Outstanding Faculty Award. Howe Hall, Alliant Energy-Lee Liu was awarded the 2009 P&S Outstanding The award is bestowed to faculty receiving Auditorium, 1:10 p.m. New Professional Award for demonstrating the most student votes each year. innovative, creative, or original ways to ac- n Three faculty and staff members were December 18 complish job responsibilities; exhibiting ser- awarded the Mervin S. Coover Distinguished Graduate Commencement vice to Iowa State University, and more. Service Award, including Manimaran C.Y. Stephen’s Auditorium, 8 p.m. n Professor Venkataramana Ajjarapu Govindarasu, Assistant to the Chair Sara was appointed to the David C. Nicholas K. Harris, and Communications Specialist December 19 Undergraduate Commencement Professorship of Electrical Engineering. Dana (Schmidt) McCullough. The an- Hilton Coliseum, 1:30 p.m. n Assistant Professor Dionysios nual award, named in honor of former Aliprantis was appointed to the Litton Department Head Mervin S. Coover, is given February 9 Industries Professorship. to faculty and staff for their extra­ordinary Spring Engineering Career Fair n Five faculty were recognized with service to the department. Hilton Coliseum, 12 to 6 p.m. the department’s 2009 Warren B. Boast n Senior Lecturer Mani Mina received Undergraduate Teaching Award—associate the VEISHEA College of Engineering Faculty February 12 professors Degang Chen and Sang Kim, and Recognition Award. Students in the College Distinguished Lecture: “Towards a System Theoretic Foundation for assistant professors Tom Daniels, Alexander of Engineering nominate and vote for faculty Control Over Networks” Stoytchev, and Joseph Zambreno. The to receive this award each year. Howe Hall, Alliant Energy-Lee Liu annual award, named for former Department n Dana McCullough received the uni- Auditorium, 1:10 p.m. Head Warren B. Boast, recognizes outstand- versity’s P&S CYtation, an award given semi- ing faculty in the ECpE department. annually by the Professional and Scientific March 12 n Assistant professors Jaeyoun Kim and (P&S) Council to recognize P&S staff at the Distinguished Lecture: “Better Aditya Ramamoorthy received the Harpole- university who have demonstrated a com- Architectures and New Security Pentair Developing Faculty Award, which pro- mitment to excellence. Applications for Coarse Network vides supplemental support and enrichment n Department Chair Arun K. Somani re- Monitoring” opportunities to young assistant professors. ceived a U.S. patent (no. 7,536,477) for Access Howe Hall, Alliant Energy-Lee Liu n Auditorium, 1:10 p.m. Brian Hornbuckle, Sang Kim, and Mechanisms for Efficient Sharing in a Network. Zhao Zhang were promoted from assistant n Assistant Professor Lei Ying won the Visit www.ece.iastate.edu for additional professor to associate professor with tenure. Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Young details and up-to-the minute information n Mani Mina and Robert J. Weber Investigator Award to conduct research on on departmental events and seminars. were awarded a U.S. patent (no. 7,555,177) combating threats to networks. He is one of for an All Fiber Magneto-Optic On-Off Switch 15 people nationwide to receive this award. n

4 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 departmentNEWS New Bioengineering Core Area Established Inaugural Mehl Professor in Computer Engineering Named he ECpE department is establishing a Tnew core area of research and graduate rofessor Srinivas Aluru study: bioengineering. This is the 10th core Phas been appointed area the department offers. the inaugural recipient of “This new core area will broaden the the Ross Martin Mehl and engineering skills of our students. The in- Marylyne Munas Mehl tegration of various engineering streams Professorship of Computer and basic life sciences will be key for future Engineering. This breakthroughs in science and technology,” Assistant Professor Timothy Bigelow (right) and endowed professorship Srinivas Aluru says Assistant Professor Santosh Pandey, a graduate student conduct research for using was established in 2008 the research group’s chair. ultrasound technology to treat cancer. Bigelow is to support research and part of the new bioengineering research group. Pandey also adds that the new area will related activities of an Iowa State University bring together faculty conducting research take courses in three broad areas: bio-signal computer engineering professor. in bio-optics, bio-electromechanical systems, processing, bioinformatics, and bio-micro- Aluru conducts research in high- biomedical imaging, bio-signal processing, systems. Courses in those areas would cover performance computing, algorithms and bioinformatics, and other areas of bioengi- topics such as ultrasound imaging, low-noise systems for large-scale applications, bio- neering under one umbrella, helping them VLSI circuit design, computational molecular informatics and systems biology, combi- to identify common goals and challenges in biology, functional genomics, microelectron- natorial scientific computing, and applied creating a new student workforce adept in ics, microfluidics, and sensors and actuators. algorithms. He has published two books both engineering skills and life sciences. More information about the bioengi- and more than 100 technical papers in For graduate students, this new core neering core research group is online at journals and at peer-reviewed conferences. area of graduate study will allow them to www.ece.iastate.edu/research/bioengineering. n Additionally, Aluru has led 29 externally funded projects. Previously, Aluru served as the College New Faculty, Staff Welcomed of Engineering’s Richard Stanley Chair in Interdisciplinary Engineering (2006 to he department welcomed one new staff engineering students on academic require- 2009). He currently serves as a faculty mem- Tmember and two faculty members last ments, course schedules, academic resources, spring and fall:. and policies, as well as teaches an orientation ber in the interdepartmental bioinformatics n George Amariucai joined the depart- course. She has an associate’s degree from and computational biology graduate pro- ment as an adjunct assistant professor this DMACC, bachelor’s degree in mass com- gram, which he chaired from 2005 to 2007. fall. Amariucai holds a PhD from Louisiana munication from Grand View College, and Throughout his career Aluru has re- State University and bachelor’s and master’s master’s degree in higher education from ceived many prestigious awards, including degrees in electrical engineering from the Iowa State. an NSF CAREER award (1997), IBM Faculty University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania. n Ayman Fayed started as an assistant Award (2002), ISU Foundation Mid-career His research interests include information professor in January. He joined the depart- Achievement in Research Award (2006), theory, wireless communications, and signal ment after working for eight years at Texas Warren B. Boast Undergraduate Teaching processing. At Iowa State, he will join the Instruments as an analog and mixed-signal Award (2005), and Government of India’s communications and signal processing re- integrated circuits designer, specializing Swarnajaynti Fellowship (2008). He also has search group and assist in the operation of in implementations in nanometer CMOS received two Best Paper Awards at the 2006 the department’s senior design program. technologies. Fayed holds a master’s degree IEEE Inter­national Parallel and Distributed n Lindsay Diers is an academic ad- and PhD degree from The Ohio State Processing Symposium and IEEE Computer viser. She advises electrical and computer University and a bachelor’s degree from Society’s 2005 Computational Systems Cairo University in Egypt. Bioinformatics Conference, as well as two His current research interests Best Paper Finalist Recognitions at the 2007 include energy harvesting and and 2002 Software Composition confer- embedded power management ences. Additionally, Aluru is co-chair of integrated circuit design for an annual workshop in High Performance portable electronics. Fayed is Computational Biology, and has edited the part of the ECpE department’s Handbook on Computational Molecular Biology VLSI research group. n (2006). n

George Amariucai Lindsay Diers Ayman Fayed ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 5 researchNEWS Iowa Power Fund Advances Researcher’s Long Quest for Efficient Solar Power

By Mike Krapfl, ISU News Service n Vikram Dalal’s 37 years of researching into electricity. Dalal says as Isolar technology, the efficiency of thin- new materials are developed, film solar cells for homes and buildings has researchers have to figure out improved from 1 percent to about 7 percent. how they can be used in solar Dalal, the Thomas M. Whitney Professor applications. of Electrical and Computer Engineering and n Develop new solar director of the university’s Microelectronics cell structures that optimize Research Center, is hoping his latest multi- the performance of the new disciplinary research project could boost that materials. Dalal says there is efficiency to about 10 percent. no universal design for solar That would mean better solar cell tech- devices and so new materials nology that could be patented and licensed mean new structures. by Iowa State, a competitive edge for an n And, study how semi- Ames-based company collaborating on the conductors based on organic project, and clean, green energy for all of us. molecules can be used in so- The three-year research project is sup- lar applications. Dalal says or- ported by a $1.69 million grant from the ganic molecules—substances Iowa Power Fund, a state program to sup- that are found in living things Professor Vikram Dalal works in his research lab at Iowa State’s

port energy innovation and independence. Microelectronics Research Center. and that contain carbon- The project supports the work of Dalal hydrogen bonds—are very and six other Iowa State University faculty good at absorbing light and do we grow a mature technology? I’m hoping members plus eight graduate students. The could be the future of solar technology. Iowa State can become a leader in this field Iowa Energy Center is also supporting some Working with Dalal on the project are and help make a smooth transition from our of Dalal’s solar research and he expects that five ECpE faculty members— Rana Biswas, current technology.” work to contribute to the power fund project. an adjunct associate professor; Sumit That current technology has been “We are very excited about this project,” Chaudhary, an assistant professor; Jaeyoun a booming business. The Dalal says. “We want to help Iowa become a Kim, an assistant professor; Joseph Shinar, Industries Association based in Washington, major producer of solar products that can be adjunct professor and chair of physics and as- D.C., reported that the photovoltaic market sold all over the world. That’s what I want do tronomy; and Ruth Shinar, an adjunct profes- in the United States grew by more than 48 too. I want to help Iowa companies become sor. Malika Jeffries-EL, an assistant professor percent in 2007 and U.S. solar manufactur- world-class producers of solar technology.” of chemistry, is also working on the project. ing grew by 74 percent in 2007. The United The project has three primary goals: The researchers are collaborating with States currently ranks fourth in the world n Study, characterize, and optimize PowerFilm of Ames and Micron Technology for installed solar power (behind Germany, new silicon alloys that can be used in photo­ of Boise, Idaho. Japan, and Spain). Solarbuzz, an interna- voltaic cells that convert sunlight directly The project includes work in the matur- tional solar energy research and consulting ing field of thin-film silicon-based photovol- company based in San Francisco, reports the Micron Extends Support for taic technology. And it includes work in the photovoltaic industry generated $17.2 bil- emerging field of organic . lion in global revenues in 2007. Dalal’s Research Dalal says Iowa State has hired the Dalal is hoping the research at Iowa Micron Technology has committed research people and is developing the expertise to State can contribute to the continued growth support to Professor Vikram Dalal. The make it a leader in the research and develop- of solar energy, making it a major energy op- support will provide Dalal with $75,000 ment of the new technology. tion for the future. each year throughout the next five years. “Looking 20 years out it’s very clear “Our whole objective is to achieve Dalal plans to use the funds to engage that organic semiconductors will be a major greater solar efficiency without sacrificing graduate and undergraduate students in research at his research lab in the player in photovoltaic technology,” he says. cost,” he says. “We want to do this better and Microelectronics Research Center at “The technology is in its infancy, and if we cheaper. Only then can solar penetrate the Iowa State University. don’t nurture a technology in its infancy, how large-scale utility market.” n Photo by Bob Elbert. Bob Photo by

6 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 researchNEWS ECpE Professors Receive Patent for New Professor Chu Improves Integrated Circuit Designs Optical Switching Technology iguring out how to meet the computing Fchallenges of the future is a tough task echnology developed by Professor Weber and Mina are hoping to interest for engineers, and it requires researching TRobert J. Weber, Senior Lecturer communications companies and their sup- and developing solutions no one has tried Mani Mina, and their graduate students pliers in the technology they have patented. before. One Iowa State computer engineer, could make communication via fiber-optics The primary application of the technology Associate Professor Chris Chu, is conducting networks faster, more cost effective, and is in information transmission switching innovative research to improve integrated more reliable than ever before. over large fiber networks, or even networks circuit (IC) designs used in and Weber and Mina recently were awarded within a building, vehicle, or neighborhood, other electronic devices. Chu’s research a U.S. patent for developing a new switch Weber says. It could be used for both data could result in increasing performance for light used in fiber-optics networks. Their and communication networks. and decreasing the cost of circuits used in device enables all switching to be done opti- “The main purpose of the switch was everything from computers and MP3 players cally, rather than requiring voice and data to be used for node reconfiguration for to video game consoles and digital cameras. information to be taken from a light carrier, high-volume fiber-optic connections called It also could minimize turnaround time for placed on an electrical carrier, switched, and light trails,” Mina adds. “One of our current engineers during the design process. then placed back on a light carrier in order research activities is to utilize the unique Chu’s research is supported by a 2009 to get the message from the sender to the properties of magneto-optic media that will IBM Faculty Award he received last summer. recipient. enable the switch to be used as a modulator. Chu says because of the prevalence of “The device changes the routing of the This capability will allow the user to have a intellectual property reuse (aka using old light from one fiber to another,” Weber says. higher capacity of communication.” designs in creating new ones) and hierarchi- “The device uses the interaction of light with Weber and Mina’s research was support- cal computer design methodology in recent a specific magnetic material. The magnetic ed by a Computer and Information Science years, there is a need for better layout tools material modifies the way light progresses and Engineering grant from the National for mixed-size IC designs. He says the tradi- through it. The difference in the effective Science Foundation, and was conducted tional layout algorithms perform very poorly, speed of light in the material is used to in Iowa State University’s new High-Speed so the main goal of his research is to develop change the path of the light through the Systems Engineering Laboratory. Their pat- an efficient and high-quality placement tool total device.” ent is number 7,555,177 and it is named targeting mixed-size IC design. Weber and Mina’s technology is the fast- All Fiber Magneto-Optic On-Off Switch for “The main idea is to improve a state-of- est magneto-optic fiber-based switch suited Networking Applications. the-art analytical placer with the guidance of for fiber optics applications. Former graduate student Rashmi fixed-outline floorplanning at the full-chip “The fastest switching is based on elec- Bahuguna (PhdEE ’07) contributed to the level,” Chu says. “Effective integration of a tro-optic phenomena,” Mina says. “We have research and is listed on the patent. Two fixed-outline floorplanner with an analytical researched and continue to research ways and other electrical engineering doctoral students, placer has never been done before.” implementations for getting faster and smaller Sasha Kemmet and Jin-Wei Tioh, are help- If successful, Chu’s design will improve switches based on magneto-optic phenomena ing Weber and Mina continue to advance circuit performance and power, decrease to compete with electro-optic switches.” the technology. n circuit size, and reduce turnaround time for engineers designing new circuits, thus reduc- ing the number of designers needed on proj- ects and creating more affordable electronics for consumers. Professor Robert J. Chu’s recent IBM Faculty Award will Weber sits in one help him support graduate students to par- of the new VLSI/ ticipate in this research project. The students RF design labs in the ECpE Building include computer engineering PhD students Addition. Weber and Zijun Yan and Yanheng Zhang. Senior Lecturer Mani For more information about Chu’s IBM Mina’s research was Faculty Award, visit www.ece.iastate.edu/news/ conducted in Iowa recent-news. n State University’s new High-Speed Systems Engineering Laboratory.

ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 7 researchNEWS

Professor Srinivas Aluru and Systems Support

Specialist Steve Nystrom stand next to Iowa State’s new supercomputer, Cystorm.

infrastructure that helps users make decisions by identifying relevant information sources. “These research efforts will lead to significant advances in the penetration of high perfor- mance computing technology,” says a summary of the Cystorm project. “The project will bring together multiple departments and research centers at Iowa State University and further enrich interdisciplinary culture and training opportunities.” Joining Aluru on the Cystorm project are five Iowa State researchers: James McCalley, the Harpole Professor in Electrical Engineering; Arun New Iowa State Supercomputer, Cystorm, K. Somani, ECpE department chair; Maneesha Aluru, an associate scientist in Unleashes 28.16 Trillion Calculations Per Second ECpE and genetics, development, and cell biology; Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, By Mike Krapfl, ISU News Service an ECpE courtesy assistant professor and rinivas Aluru recently stepped between (When CyBlue went online three years ago, William March Scholar in Mechanical Sthe two rows of six tall metal racks, it was the 99th most powerful supercom- Engineering; and Krishna Rajan, a profes- opened up the silver doors, and showed off puter on the list.) sor of materials science and engineering the 3,200 computer processor cores that “Cystorm is going to be very good for and a Stanley Chair in Interdisciplinary power Cystorm, Iowa State University’s data-intensive research projects,” Aluru says. Engineering. Steve Nystrom, an ECpE sys- second supercomputer. And there’s a lot of “The capabilities of Cystorm will help Iowa tems support specialist, is Cystorm’s system raw power in those racks. State researchers do new, pioneering research administrator. Cystorm, a Sun Microsystems machine, in their fields.” The researchers purchased the com­ boasts a peak performance of 28.16 trillion puter with a $719,000 grant from the calculations per second. That’s five times the Interdisciplinary research prowess National Science Foundation; $400,000 peak of CyBlue, an IBM Blue Gene/L super- The supercomputer is targeted for work in from Iowa State colleges, departments, and computer that’s been on campus since early materials science, power systems, and sys- researchers; and a $200,000 equipment 2006 and uses 2,048 processors to do 5.7 tems biology. donation from Sun Microsystems. trillion calculations per second. Aluru says materials scientists will use Aluru, the Ross Martin Mehl and the supercomputer to analyze data from the Center of excellence Marylyne Munas Mehl Professor of university’s Local Electrode Atom Probe mi- Because of Cystorm, the computer company Computer Engineering and the leader of croscope, an instrument that can gather data will designate Iowa State a Sun Microsystems the Cystorm project, says the new machine and produce images at the atomic scale of Center of Excellence for Engineering also scores high on a more realistic test of a billionths of a meter. Systems biologists will Informatics and Systems Biology. supercomputer’s actual performance: 15.44 use the supercomputer to build gene net- While Cystorm is much more power- trillion calculations per second compared to works that will help researchers understand ful than CyBlue, Aluru says Iowa State’s first CyBlue’s 4.7 trillion per second. That mea- how thousands of genes interact with each supercomputer will still be used by research- sure makes Cystorm 3.3 times more power- other. Power systems researchers will use the ers across campus. ful than CyBlue. supercomputer to study the security, reli- “CyBlue will still be around,” Aluru Those performance numbers, however, ability, and efficiency of the country’s energy says. “Researchers will use both systems to do not earn Cystorm a spot on the TOP500 infrastructure. And computer engineers will solve problems. Both systems enhance the list of the world’s fastest supercomputers. use the supercomputer to build a software research capabilities of Iowa State.” n Photo by Bob Elbert. Bob Photo by

8 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 Fill out this form online! Visit www.ece.iastate.edu/ alumni (click Alumni News Form).* would like to hear from you!

We want to hear about your career moves and personal news for future issues of ECpE Connections. You’re welcome to enclose photos; however, we can’t return them. We need your help, too, with gifts to the department’s scholarship funds, lab facilities, building improvements, student organizations, and other departmental activities. If you’re making a contribution to Iowa State, please consider designating it for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering using the form below. Please enclose your pledge or gift with your news, and mail it to: Iowa State University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Attn: Communications Specialist, 2215 Coover Hall, Ames, IA 50011-3060. Also, feel free to give us a call at (515) 294-2664 or e-mail us at [email protected] (subject line: Newsletter).

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I want to help the ECpE department remain the best! Please contact me about supporting: Notice to Alumni Living Abroad: o endowed chairs and professorships Due to budget constraints and increasing o scholarships and fellowships postage costs, the ECpE department temporarily will not be sending this ECpE o laboratories and classroom space Connections newsletter to alumni with o Coover Building Project Fund international mailing addresses beginning with this issue. The latest editions of the newsletter always are online at www.ece.iastate.edu/news/ I’d like to support the: ECpE Excellence Fund Other Fundt ______ecpe-connections. New issues are posted in October and April each year. n o $1,000 o $1,000 o $500 o $500 o $250 o $250 o Other $ ______o Other $ ______

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*Only the Alumni Information Form is online. Contributions can be sent via standard mail. tFor more information on the funds, contact Ben Barnhart, Director of Development, College of Engineering (515-294-0934 or [email protected]).

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ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 9 researchNEWS Computer and Networking Systems Faculty Start New NSF Research Projects

CpE faculty were part of nearly $16.5 of pay-per-click ad revenue results from click Emillion in newly funded research pro- fraud, where individuals or rival companies posals during the last fiscal year from July generate false clicks. Associate Professor Yong 2008 to June 2009. About $8.7 million of Guan is trying to eliminate this fraud by those research grants came from the National developing a new framework to verify clicks Science Foundation, and nearly half of those and define the quality of clicks. He also is de- were awarded to faculty in the department’s veloping filtering-based tools to validate and computer and networking systems research weed out suspicious clicks, promoting trans- group. Here are highlights for a few of the parency between advertisers and online ad new research projects: businesses. Guan’s research could save online Associate Professor Zhao Zhang is one of several marketers billions of dollars every year. faculty who were awarded new National Science Fault-Tolerant Cooperative Communication Foundation research grants this past year. in Large-Scale Wireless Networks Memory Thermal Management for Multi-core Systems improve system power efficiency. Associate Professor Sang Kim is working to With the increasing demand on memory develop what he calls a “fundamentally new performance by multi-core processors, the Attack Detection and Recovery cooperative communication architecture that memory subsystem, processor, and hard disk at the Hardware/Software Interface is inherently self-scalable, robust when trans- drive are becoming more and more vulnerable Assistant Professor Joseph Zambreno’s re- mission errors and malicious attacks occur, to overheating. In Associate Professor Zhao search focuses on using hardware features and allows decentralized network operation Zhang’s research project, he plans to study to improve the security of software systems. with flexibility for topology changes in large- coordinated thermal management schemes, According to Zambreno, his goal is to cre- scale wireless networks with noisy channels.” as well as develop, evaluate, and implement a ate technology to rapidly detect and recover Kim’s research could improve the design and thermal-aware page allocation to avoid unbal- from attacks that improperly access memory operation of embedded, wireless sensor, ad anced overheating from some memory chips or take over a CPU. The technology he is hoc, mesh, and cellular networks. by considering the location of each chip and developing could enable systems to return memory access demand of each application. to normal operation after attacks and protect Detecting Click Fraud in Pay-Per-Click Zhang’s research could ensure safe system systems during the recovery process. It also Online Advertising Networks operations of multi-core computer systems, as provides systems with the ability to thwart a Currently, the online advertising market re- well as improve overall system performance, large class of attacks and develop more ro- ports that 14.6 percent, or about $2.8 billion, reduce system manufacturing cost, and bust software systems in the future. n

1010 ECpE ECpE CONNECTIONS CONNECTIONS Spring Fall 2009 2009 studentNEWS Computer Engineering Students Win NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

wo computer engineering students— “More specifically, I study how robots could TShane Griffith and Cory Kleinheksel— learn to identify and use what humans call were awarded a National Science Foundation containers.” (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship this Griffith says that in order for robots to year. A third student, Cory Simon, received work alongside humans in the future, they an honorable mention for the award. The NSF must have the capacity to learn about and Graduate Research Fellowship Program funds identify containers, but programming a robot three years of study—up to $121,500—in with knowledge of all containers would be a master’s or doctoral degrees focusing on laborious and menial task. Shane Griffith Cory Kleinheksel research in science, technology, engineering, “The goal of my research is to identify sev- and mathematics. This year, 950 students eral developmental trajectories that may enable nationwide received fellowship awards. a robot to learn and identify containers.” so they can make informed decisions to re- Griffith is studying developmental ro- Kleinheksel is pursing a PhD in embed- duce costs, increase production, and reduce botics and hopes to play a role in research to ded and sensor systems at Iowa State. the environmental impacts of farming. After create robots that can help humans do labori- “My proposed research is for a middle- graduate school, he plans to pursue a career ous tasks such as help people assemble large ware system that emphasizes modular con- as a professor. structures, prepare food for the elderly and cepts for improved integration of sensor node Griffith and Kleinheksel join two other disabled, and clean and organize homes. data and high-level applications that would current ECpE students who have received “Developmental robotics is an embodied use the data,” he says. NSF Graduate Research Fellowships: Sasha approach to creating artificial intelligence Specifically, Kleinheksel will develop Kemmet, a PhD student in electrical engi- that suggests robots may be capable of learn- a system to improve precision farming by neering; and Mike Steffen, a PhD student in ing as human infants learn,” Griffith says. increasing information available to farmers computer engineering. n

Students Receive Departmental, University Recognition ongratulations to the following Excellence Award. The award honors and along with Professor Arun K. Somani, Cundergraduate and graduate student encourages outstanding achievement by received Second International Conference award winners: graduate students in teaching. on Dependability’s Best Paper Award in June. n Six graduate students—Osameh Al- n Graduates students Sudha Anil Their paper was titled “Managing the Impact Kofahi, Benjamin Jackson, Licheng Jin, Kumar Gathala, Atul Madhavan, Edward of On-Chip Temperature on the Lifetime Sasha Kemmet, Jin-Wei Tioh, and Bojian “Jason” Stanek, Natarajan Viswanathan, Reliability of Reliably Overclocked Systems.” Xu—each won the ECpE Graduate Research and Zhen Yu all received the university’s n Daniel Stone, a senior in electri- Innovation and Progress Award (GRIP). Spring or Summer 2009 Research Excellence cal engineering, won the Student Alumni GRIP awardees are evaluated on their re- Award. The awards are given each semester Leadership Council’s Student Leadership search productivity and nominated by ECpE to recognize graduate students at the time of Recognition Award last spring. Stone gradu- faculty throughout the calendar year. This is their graduation for outstanding research ac- ated in May 2009. the second year for these awards. complishments as documented in their theses n Shan Zhou, a PhD student in com- n Graduate students Matthew and dissertations. puter engineering, received the College Clausman, Mark Tannian, and Jonathan n Graduate students Viswanathan of Engineering’s Schafer 2050 Challenge Watson all received the university’s Teaching Subramanian and Prem Kumar Ramesh, Graduate Fellowship. n Griffith photo courtesy of Shane Griffith. Griffith

(From left to right) Edward “Jason” Stanek, Atul Madhavan, Osameh Al- Kofahi, Jin-Wei Tioh, and Bojian Xu, were among the students recognized at the ECpE Scholarship and Awards Ceremony last spring.

10 ECpE CONNECTIONS Spring 2009 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 11 studentsNEWS

Students install the solar panels on the roof of the ISU Solar Decathlon’s Interlock House.

Students Make Final Preparations for National Solar Decathlon Competition

fter 18 months of hard work, Iowa Reida and Jirak helped the team choose the the selection of solar and HVAC systems. It AState University’s Solar Decathlon team house’s solar energy system, and set up and should do well in the competition.” showed off their achievement—the solar- perform basic solar cell characterization Iowa State is one of 20 teams worldwide powered Interlock House—at an August measurements. that was selected to compete in the 2009 open house. The team designed and built the “I did market research on the solar Solar Decathlon. The 20 houses will be open house for the U.S. Department of Energy’s panels and inverters for house’s photovoltaic for public tours, as part of the Department Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., which system,” Reida says. “We figured out the total of Energy’s Solar Village on the National takes place in October. area we needed to cover in on Mall, October 8-18. To get the house to The house, which is expected to pro- the house and surveyed the various products the nation’s capital, the house will be disas- duce more energy than it consumes, features: out there; compared prices, efficiency, and sembled, trucked to Washington, D.C., and n Rooftop solar panels (photovoltaic aesthetics; and reported our findings to the reassembled. modules) that generate electricity to project leader.” At the competition, students will com- power all electrical devices inside the An ECpE senior design team, includ- pete in 10 areas: architecture, market viabil- house ing Michael Anderson, Jamasen Partham, ity, engineering, lighting design, communica- n A solar thermal evacuated tube sys- Shawn Merselis, Jesse Erickson, Matthew tions, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, tem used to heat and cool the interior Bray, and Louis Landphair, also served as home entertainment, and net metering. space, and provide domestic hot water consultants on the house last spring. And Juries of professionals and industry experts n Radiant floor heating ECpE Professor Vikram Dalal served as one will judge the contests. n Liquid desiccant dehumidifier of 18 faculty advisers for the interdisciplin- More information about the project is n Passive heating and cooling features, ary team. online at www.solard.iastate.edu. n such as a sun porch and ventilation “The teamwork on the house was excel- —Teddi Barron from ISU News Service n Energy-efficient construction tech- lent. All the decathlon students helped each contributed to this article. other and put together an excellent final

niques, including R-12 windows, Elbert. Bob Photo by Arnold. Jason by Rendering R-48 wall and roof insulation, and house,” Dalal says. airtight construction “The house is very at- n Energy-efficient appliances and lighting tractive, as opposed to n Universal design, ADA accessible previous designs, and n Furniture, lighting fixtures, and has used significant ceramics created by Iowa State stu- innovative designs in dents; cabinetry created by Des Moines both the architecture Area Community College students of the house and Several electrical engineering students worked on the house, including graduate An artist’s rendering students Molly Reida and Jason Jirak. of the ISU Solar Decathlon house

12 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 alumniNEWS Department Initiates New Awards Program In Memoriam The ECpE department recognizes our alumni who passed away this past year. to Recognize Alumni This list includes alumni who died between September 12, 2008 and August 12, 2009. t last spring’s 2009 ECpE Centennial electrical, computer, or software engineering Every effort was made to ensure the AGala and Awards Ceremony marking that have made or are making a significant accuracy of this list. the culmination of the department’s 100- impact on society, the field, the profession, year celebration, the department initiated or industry, based on scholarly contributions, 1930s four new awards to annually recognize the professional leadership, or leadership in in- n Chester G. Sorflaten (BSEE ’39) achievements of our alumni and service of dustry, government, or academia. friends. The inaugural award recipients also Hillesland was recognized for his admin- 1940s were announced: istrative leadership in the utility industry and n Albert J. Bianco (BSEE ’43) contributions to engineering extension educa- n Clyde C. Blinn (BSEE ’47) n Edwin F. Buckley (BSEE ’48) ECpE Distinguished Career Achievement Award tion; Summers for her contributions to semi- n Henry R. Cramer (BSEE ’40) Sehat Sutardja (BSEE ’83), Tunc Doluca conductor processing in the biomedical elec- n Arthur M. Dutton (BSEE ’45; PhD Stat ’51) (BSEE ’79), Richard K. Richards (BSEE tronics field; and Ping for his contribution in n Richard K. Evenson (BSEE ’47) ’43), R. Grover Brown (BSEE ’48; MSEE ’51; the development of processes n Donald R. Gibbs (BSEE ’46) PhDEE ’56), and Arend Sandbulte (BSEE that support non-volatile memory products. n Ted R. Hayes (BSEE ’45) ’59) each received the ECpE Distinguished n Francis L. Jones (BSEE ’48) Career Achievement Award. This award ECpE Exemplary Service Award n George O. Pickens (BSEE ’48) recognizes top ECpE alumni who have dem- Tom Scott, an emeritus ECpE professor, n William M. Seneff (BSEE ’45) onstrated exemplary career achievements in was awarded the ECpE Exemplary Service n George F. Stastny (BSEE ’48) the fields of electrical, computer, or software Award. This honor recognizes demonstrated n Edward P. Walsh (BSEE ’49) engineering that have made a major impact extraordinary service to the department by n Walter W. Wilson (BSEE ’41) on society, the field, the profession, or indus- individuals who are not members of the try, based on scholarly contributions, profes- department’s current faculty or staff. Scott 1950s n sional leadership, or leadership in industry, received this award to recognize his extra­ Ian S. Chiang (BSEE and BSME ’53) n Stanley M. Clasen (BSEE ’50) government or academia. ordinary service to the department and its n Robert E. Derby (BSEE ’50) Sutardja received this award to recognize alumni through continued voluntary efforts n Milton B. Hoover (BSEE ’55) his contributions to the field of analog and to identify faculty, staff, and alumni who have n C. J. Jameson (BSEE ’58) mixed-signal integrated circuit design and distinguished themselves in their careers. n Arthur L. Prudhom (BSEE ’59) for industrial entrepreneurship and leader- n Harold D. Skank (BSEE ’59) ECpE Early Career Impact Award ship; Doluca for his contributions to the field n Dennis E. Tschudi (BSEE ’59) of analog integrated circuit design and for No winners were named for the ECpE Early n Warren E. Wilke (BSEE ’51) leadership in the semiconductor industry; Career Impact Award this year, but in the fu- Richards for contributions to the develop- ture this award will recognize an alumnus/a 1960s n ment of fundamental computer concepts and who has demonstrated significant early ca- Ronald J. Griffith(BSEE ’63) n William L. Jasper (BSEE ’63) for dissemination of these concepts through reer accomplishments in electrical, comput- n Robert E. Mentzer (BSEE ’63) seminal textbooks in computer arithmetic, er, or software engineering that distinguish the recipient from his or her peers in the n James W. Neiers (BSEE ’63) computer design, and digital systems; Brown n field. These accomplishments should be evi- Ted F. Riley (BSEE ’68) for scholarly contributions in the areas of n Thomas M. Robinson (BSEE ’64) denced by technical accomplishments, lead- statistical communications, Kalman filter- n Denton C. Rowe (BSEE ’60) ing, and global positioning systems; and ership, or other activities that have made, are Sandbulte for leadership in the development making, or show considerable promise for 1970s and evolution of the power industry. making a significant impact on society, the n Charles M. Cousins (BSEE ’70) field, the profession, or industry.n n Mark B. Durschmidt (BSEE ’79; MSEE ’80) ECpE Engineering Impact Award Glenn Hillesland (BSEE ’47), Tracy 1980s (Kness) Summers (BSEE ’94), and Er-Xuan Nominate a Classmate! n John W. Maass (BSEE ’86) Ping (PhDEE ’95) all received the ECpE For more complete biographical information n Ali Safaeinili (BSEE ’87: MSEE ’89; on this year’s winners, or to nominate a PhDEE ’93) n Engineering Impact Award. This award recog- former classmate for next year’s award, nizes ECpE alumni who have demonstrated visit www.ece.iastate.edu/alumni/ecpe- distinctive accomplishments in the fields of alumni-awards.

ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 13 alumniNEWS

Alumnus Ali Safaeinili stands next to NASA’s Mars

Reconnaissance Orbiter. His radar sounder technology impacted discoveries recently made by the orbiter.

ECpE Alumnus Develops Technology to Help NASA Learn More About Mars s a student at Iowa State University, international collaboration between NASA’s poles, but the poles are not very hospitable AAli Safaeinili (BSEE ’87; MSEE ’89; JPL and the Italian Space Agency. The places for a human or even a robot to visit,” PhDEE ’93) worked in the lab at the Center sounder flew to Mars onboard the European he says. “We now have confirmed the pres- Photo courtesy of Ali Safaeinili. Photo courtesy of for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE). Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft in ence of ice in large quantities at latitudes simi- Little did he know at the time, the laboratory June 2003. The second instrument flew lar to Detroit and New York City, which in instrumentation and measurement on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in comparison are much easier to operate from.” techniques he learned on campus would August 2005. He adds that a robot or astronaut can directly impact his career at NASA’s Jet “I love discovery and working on new melt ice into water and with electricity, he Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). problems and these instrument concepts can decompose the water into hydrogen and “Many of the techniques that I use today were new and full of promise to reveal secrets , which is good for fuel and oxygen on the Mars projects are variations of the on Mars,” Safaeinili says. “MARIS, being the that human visitors could breathe. techniques my colleagues and I developed first of its kind, was very risky and we didn’t On the same mission, the spacecraft at the CNDE to analyze ultrasonic data and know how it would perform in the end since Safaeinili helped create made another impor- form images,” Safaeinili says. “That particular its performance depended on the property of tant advancement in understanding Mars. experience put me in a very unique position the surface and subsurface of Mars, and even The spacecraft, which operated day and night at JPL to be a leader in this new planetary its higher atmosphere called the ionosphere. during the mission, collected enough data to radar sounder field.” It was truly a leap into the unknown.” create the first 3-D map of Mars’ polar region. “As a result of the success of the two Technology to see beneath Mars’ surface Discovering ice on Mars radar sounders on Mars, it is almost certain Safaeinili, who is a principal engineer at the In 2008, one of the tools Safaeinili helped that a radar sounder will fly on the recently JPL, has spent the last nine years working to develop discovered more ice on Mars than announced NASA outer planet flagship develop, deploy, and operate a radar sounder scientists previously thought existed. spacecraft to Europa, a moon of Jupiter, that can “see” beneath the surface. The radar “This discovery has been the highlight with the designated launch date in 2020,” sounders he helped develop are now orbit- of my career and I believe it is probably the Safaeinili says. n ing around Mars. most significant discovery we have made on “These are the first such instruments Mars in a long while,” Safaeinili says. Editor’s note: During the production of this to ever operate around another planet,” The reason the discovery was so signifi- newsletter, we learned of Ali Safaeinili’s untimely Safaeinili says. cant, adds Safaeinili, is not that they found death in July. He kept his battle with cancer He adds that the first one, Mars a large amount of ice on Mars, but rather largely private, but we feel that his story is Advanced Radar for Subsurface and where they found it. important for you to see. Our hearts go out to Ionospheric Sounding (MARIS), is an “We know there is a lot of ice in Mars’ his family and friends.

14 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 alumniNEWS

ALUMNI Q&A Electrical Engineering Alumnus Saves Lives—One Pacemaker at a Time

For alumnus Joseph “Max” Cortner (BSEE A: By treating irregular heartbeats, our prod- privileged to champion. ’72), saving lives is all part of a day’s work. ucts save lives and restore quality of life to Cortner is the director of test engineering for hundreds of thousands of patients every Q: How did attending Iowa State impact Boston Scientific’s implantable pacemakers year. It’s a very satisfying endeavor. It instills your career? and defibrillators, and his team is part of every a passion for quality that provides its own A: Iowa State provided me with a broad set new product development team at the com- energy for the work. We do everything we of engineering skills. Those fundamental pany. He answered our questions about his can because we must. underpinnings have allowed me to be effec- career and the impact Iowa State had on him. tive at solving problems for many types of Q: What career achievement(s) are you most electronics. I made the jump from testing Q: What is the “coolest” project you’ve proud of, and why? computers to testing implantable medical worked on in your career? A: I am most proud of the team I have built. devices with the confidence that I had the A: Developing a new built-in, self-test These engineers are world-class and con- tools for the new job. scheme that made high quality testing of our tribute daily to the health of our patients. As complex integrated circuits possible is one part of molding an effective organization, I Q: Who was your favorite professor at Iowa of the most fun projects I’ve worked on. The am proud to have instituted a chain of tech- State and why? teamwork with digital chip designers and nological changes that keep them equipped A: Chester “Chip” Comstock (MSEE ‘64; test engineers was exemplary. It’s always fun and efficient. Built-in, self-test for digital cir- PhDEE ‘69) was my favorite professor. He to work with intelligent people and move cuits, printed circuit board tests that use vir- taught courses about integrated circuits with the needle on quality. tual test access, statistical test data analysis to enthusiasm and clarity. His skill at breaking eliminate outliers from our products—these down complex subjects to elements of learn- Q: What do you enjoy most about your work? are a few of the major changes I have been ing helped me think about an approach to learning as well as the material of the course. Alumnus Max Cortner stands next to equipment that tests the functionality of every finished device that his department at Boston Scientific ships. The system sets up test conditions Q: What clubs and organizations were you and records thousands of measurements for each device. Failure of those measurements to

match precise design specifications causes the device to be scrapped. involved in when you were a student? A: I served as house president for Gilman House on the fifth floor of Wallace hall. We were the first group to live in the tower and created a house society from scratch. It was a wonderful group of guys. I was a member of Eta Kappa Nu as well. It helped me get to know my professors as well as my classmates.

Q: What else would you like to share with us? A: I am an engineer at heart. Outside of work, I express my engineering roots in ac- tivities such as building an experimental air- plane with a couple of friends. Yes, it flew.

Q: How did you first become interested in electrical engineering? A: I always wanted to know how things worked as a child. It came down to a choice between mechanical and electrical engineer- ing when I entered Iowa State. I think I was attracted to electrical engineering because it seemed more mysterious at the time. Visualizing the unseen is a form of intellec- tual ingenuity that fascinates me. n

Photo courtesy of Max Cortner. ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009 15 nonprofit org. Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering u.s. postage 2215 Coover Hall paid Ames, IA 50011-3060 ames, IA permit no. 200

Alumni Return to Campus for Alumni Days

The ECpE department welcomed back several alumni during the ISU Alumni Association’s annual Alumni Days events last May. Below, three electrical engineering alumni share their reminiscences about their time at Iowa State and their careers:

William Boeckmann (BSEE ’59) My great-grandfather bought his farm in 1875. I was the first in the family to go to college. My younger brother, Mark Boeckmann, graduated in chemical engineering in 1981. My Electrical engineering alumni toured the new ECpE Building Addition dad sold the farm in 1975. during Alumni Days. Front row: Greg Hiatt (BSEE ‘59), William Meek (BSEE ‘59), Donald Norris (BSEE ‘49). Middle row: Gene Warrington Lyle Morse (BSEE ’44) (BSEE ‘58), Ken Rubsam (BSEE ‘59), Arend Sandbulte (BSEE ‘59). Top I remember Ben Willis in the Power Lab reciting from his row: William Boeckmann (BSEE ‘59), Jan Boeckmann, Lyle Morse favorite book, The Education of Hyman Kaplan. I also remember (BSEE ‘44), John Martin (BSEE ‘44). Harry and Ed tending the light on the Marston Water Tower. Alumnus Becomes HKN Eminent Member Harold “Gene” Warrington (BSEE ’58) At the ECpE Centennial Gala and Awards Ceremony last spring, I remember my microwave courses labs. The professor was a Gerald Posakony (BSEE ‘49) received the national Eta Kappa Nu whiz at Maxwell’s equations. He would cover three chalkboards (HKN) Eminent Member recognition. The award is given to select showing the applicability to show E=IR. I also remember AC individuals whose technical attainment and contributions to circuits labs and playing jokes on classmates. I remember using society through leadership in the fields of electrical or computer transistors when they cost $12 a unit. engineering have resulted in significant benefits to humankind.

16 ECpE CONNECTIONS Fall 2009