Electrical and Computer Engineering Alumni News Summer 2006 Electrical engineer named provost Craig Chamberlain, U of I News Bureau Linda P.B. Katehi, the former Dean study at the University of California at Los Angeles and earned of Engineering at Purdue University, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering there in began her duties as provost and vice 1981 and 1984. chancellor for academic affairs at Il- Katehi began her academic career in 1984 as a professor of linois on April 1. Her faculty affilia- electrical engineering at the University of Michigan, where she tion is with ECE. Chancellor Richard stayed for 18 years. Starting in 1994, she served in a succession Herman said Katehi is a perfect choice of administrative roles in the College of Engineering, culminat- for Illinois. “She is engaging, quick ing with the position of associate dean for academic affairs from and has experience with strategic plan- September 1999 through 2001. Linda P.B. Katehi ning. She has accomplished much in Katehi said she was attracted to the position at Illinois because her time at Purdue and has a great deal of support there, as of the University’s reputation and the opportunity to work with well as from those in the national community. We are enor- a new president and chancellor who are plotting the campus’ mously excited that she will be joining us in a leadership role.” future course. “It is very exciting for me to become a member of Katehi, a native of Greece, earned a degree in mechanical and this team, and I look forward to participating in a very exciting electrical engineering from the National Technical University future,” she said. of Athens in 1977. She came to the United States in 1979 to Katehi said she hopes to foster an environment that en- Provost, continued on page 10 Adesida named College of Engineering dean By Rick Kubetz, College of Engineering ECE Professor Ilesanmi Adesida, the stewardship of the College of Engineering over the past year, Donald Biggar Willett Professor of as well as a compelling vision for the future of the college. Engineering, is the new dean of the “His intellectual vitality, energy and enthusiasm are impres- College of Engineering at Illinois. No sive, and will be critical in pursuing emerging opportunities stranger to leadership within the col- in the field of engineering and attracting external partners to lege, Adesida has served as the director strengthen and sustain new directions. I have every confidence of the Micro and Nanotechnology in Ade’s leadership ability and full trust in his vision for the Laboratory and the Center for Na- future.” noscale Science and Technology. He After earning his BS, MS, and PhD in electrical engineer- Ilesanmi Adesida was named interim dean in June 2005, ing from the University of California at Berkeley, Adesida and becomes the 13th dean since the inception of the College was an IBM Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Research of Engineering in 1870. and Resource Facility for Submicron Structures (NRRFSS). “Ilesanmi (Ade) Adesida is an established leader on the Uni- In the mid-1980s, he was a visiting assistant professor of versity of Illinois campus, with a record of success as a center electrical engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New director and as interim dean,” said Richard Herman, the chan- York, and later headed the electrical engineering department cellor of the Urbana campus. “He has demonstrated exemplary at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi, Nigeria. Dean, continued on page 10 ECE Alumni News Department head’s message Summer 2006 Volume XXXI Recently, the scientific journalApplied Physics Letters listed the Table of Contents five most important papers published in that journal over its 43-year history. Not one, but two of those papers were writ- 2 Transistor laser development continues ten by ECE faculty. In fact, Professor Nick Holonyak Jr. was 2 Two most important scientific papers a co-author of both of those papers. Professor Milton Feng, 4 Overbye and Sanders Invested postdoctoral research associate Gabriel Walter, and graduate 5 Decoding Mona Lisa student Richard Chan were co-authors on one of them. (See 6 New IEEE Fellowes related story on page 3.) 7 Continuum Fingerboard 8 Thermal behavior in nanotubes Richard E. Blahut Both of these papers present astounding research achieve- 9 Launch of Trusted ILLIAC ments. The individuals involved can rightly be proud of this distinction, and, as part 10 New NAE members of the ECE family, we can all share, to some small degree, in this pride. 11 Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame 12 GRACE Project As the head of this ECE Department, I feel immense pride in these accomplish- 13 New faculty: Kanti Jain ments. But having said this, I must ask myself what I have done to be proud of. This 14 Hess and Frizzell retire department continues to be one of the most productive sources of ideas, inventions, 16 John Dyson passes away and innovations in the world. My primary role is to “get out of the way.” My job is Faculty News the recruiting and retention of absolutely the best faculty possible, finding discretionary 18 ECE history: BCL money, and turning them loose. I believe that great men and women can’t be managed, 21 Control course originators only nurtured. 22 HKN honored 23 Senior design: jam session Our pride doesn’t end with research. This past fall, ECE graduated another crop 24 Senior design: model airplane of outstanding engineers: 346 bachelor’s, 124 master’s, and 53 doctoral degrees were 25 ADSL conferred. Congratulations to our students and faculty for their hard work this past 26 Current US News rankings school year. As many of you know, earning a degree from ECE Illinois is no small New staff: Brad Petersen accomplishment. Our graduates take with them a unique blend of theory, practice, 27 Charles Bazerman lecture and leadership. 28 New Alumni Board members 30 Ramit-Samii honored It’s a challenge for our staff to keep up with all of the accomplishments of our fac- 31 Profile of David J. Berrier ulty, let alone our students and alumni. It’s important to me that we tell those stories 32 Alumni class notes and share good news with each other through this newsletter. So, to ensure that we’re 34 Robert Janowiak passes away covering the many accomplishments that make us proud, please don’t hesitate to drop 35 ECE donors us a note from time to time. Regards, Richard E. Blahut (Editor’s note: See Alumni class notes on page 32 for the best ways to keep us abreast of your work.) Summer 2006 From the Alumni Association board president Department of Electrical and Last September I had the privilege of attending the installation Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana- ceremony for B. Joseph White as the 16th president of the Champaign University of Illinois. In his inaugural address he character- Richard E. Blahut, ized the University as “high achieving, under-recognized and Department Head under-resourced.” Beth Katsinas, Dr. White noted that while the state of Illinois will continue Director of External Relations Jonathan Hill, to play a vital role in resourcing the mission of the University, Director of Development Sherel D. Horsley private donors will play an increasingly important role in as- Emma Marshall, suring that strategic objectives are met. He stressed the need for leadership among Alumni Relations Coordinator Brad Petersen, our students and alumni “because earning a degree is like investing in stock—except Editor that you can never sell it. You have a deep self-interest in maintaining the U of I as a Jamie Hutchinson, top-flight institution.” Writer Tom Moone, As alumni of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department we know first- Writer hand about top-flight learning. Our ECE Department, one of the largest in the world, is consistently ranked in the top four along with MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley. Yet, Alumni News is published twice a year by the Electrical and Computer Engineering when it comes to fostering a sense of tradition and an understanding of philanthropic Department at the University of Illinois giving, many feel that we are behind our peers. Your ECE Alumni Board has spent a at Urbana-Champaign. Please e-mail any lot of time discussing this issue, and it is a difficult one to fully understand. We need comments or suggestions to Brad Petersen at [email protected]. a better environment for engendering a sense of tradition—we have outgrown Everitt Alumni Association Board Lab. Everitt has no common spaces that support non-class-time activities—it is dif- Sherel D. Horsley, ficult to build a sense of tradition in this environment. We desperately need a new President ECE building. We also need to establish stronger, lasting links to our alumni base of Kenneth F. Smolik, Midwest Vice President nearly 20,000. There are certainly no easy answers, but the board continues its discus- Todd M. Beanblossom, sion on the issue. It will take a lot of time to change the way we think about this great Western Vice President institution that has given us the opportunities we all have had. But it can be done. Kevin Warren, Eastern Vice President Let’s all do our part in responding to Dr. White’s alumni leadership challenge. Kurt Hollenbeck, Treasurer Shirley Drazba Christopher N. George Dirk Meyer Theodore Spanos Sherel D. Horsley Denis M. Turic Michael Winberg John Woythal ECE graduates and their Ebrahim Andideh parents were honored Erica Hausfeld with a department- Douglas E. Criner, Past President sponsored brunch on Emma L.