NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS FALL 2008

Integrated Circuit turns 50

Also in this issue: Illinois home to new Microsoft- and Intel-funded parallel computing center Copper nanowires grown by new process create long-lasting displays Control, Thy Passion: The story of an eminent Illinois lab

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Eden travels to Israel ring on Fulbright Grant The future of enginee 5 Illinois home to new Microsoft- and Intel-funded parallel computing center Dear Friends, 6 Faculty publications showcase ECE Department’s research, contributions This year has marked a number of milestones in the history of engi- 7 Copper nanowires grown by new neering and the history of ECE Illinois. In our last issue we featured process create long-lasting displays the accomplishments of John Bardeen, who would have turned 100 this year. Bardeen was part of a team that invented the transistor in 8 Bruce Wheeler retires 1947. For this accomplishment, the team received the 1956 Nobel 9 Brunet receives Campus Award Prize in Physics. Bardeen would go on to win another Nobel Prize for Excellence as part of the team that developed the theory of superconductivity. 10 Alumnus Kilby’s integrated circuit turns 50 In this issue we celebrate the invention of the integrated circuit by Jack Kilby, who graduated from Illinois with a degree in electrical engineering in 1947—appropriately Five new faculty join ECE 12 the same year as Bardeen’s accomplishment. Kilby also received a Nobel Prize in 14 Faculty News Physics, his in 2000. 14 Holonyak inducted into National The transistor revolutionized the world, enabling electronics to be made in a smaller Inventors Hall of Fame scale. Similarly, the integrated circuit further changed how electronic devices are 15 Indiana Jones and the incredible designed and made. Continuum Fingerboard It is appropriate that these individuals and these inventions have connections to Illinois. 16 ECE students critical to SAE racing team Our department is at the forefront on innovation for the future. Even now we have people 17 ECE student gains popularity on YouTube such as Nick Holonyak, whose discoveries and inventions have vastly changed our world, enabling such devices as compact disc players—devices that are commonplace now, but 18 ECE congratulates its PhD recipients that not so very long ago would have been beyond anyone’s imagination. 19 Jonathan Hill: Many approaches exist for supporting ECE Illinois The innovations associated with this University, either through research done here or by our alumni, continue to push the boundaries of science. The high-tech companies 20 Donor Profi le: Rod Parks that are peopled by and that bene fi t from our graduates are familiar names to many. 21 Donor Honor Roll Our world constantly advances through the work of our faculty and alumni. 23 Alumni Board President’s Letter No one knows how our daily lives in the future will compare and differ from those we 24 Alumni Leaders: Steve Sample live now. But we can be sure that there will be advances and improvements that contain and Dean Radin the indelible stamp of ECE Illinois. 26 Alumni Class Notes Best Regards, 28 Control, Thy Passion: The story of an eminent Illinois lab

30 Death to the slide rule! Long live the Richard E. Blahut slide rule! Emeriti turn 90 Department Head 31 Campus Roundup Henry Magnuski Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Resonance is published twice a year by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Comments and suggestions are welcome. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Contact Tom Moone, editor, at [email protected] or mail to the address at right. 53 Everitt Laboratory 1406 W. Green Street Editorial Board: Jeannette Beck, Assistant to the Head; Stephen G. Bishop, Associate Head; Urbana, IL 61801 Richard E. Blahut, Department Head; Jonathan Hill, Director of Development; Jamie Hutchinson, Publications Offi ce Editor; Jill Jarboe, Coordinator of Alumni and Student Relations; Beth Katsinas, Director of External Relations; Tom Moone, Communications Coordinator; Brad Petersen, Assistant Director of Communications Contributing Writers: Lauren Eichmann, ECE Illinois; Jim Kloeppel, U of I News Bureau; Rick Kubetz, College of Engineering; Jennifer La Montagne, Computer Science; Bridget Maiellaro, ECE Illinois FALL 2008

ECE NEWS BRIEFS NEW RECRUITMENT engineering degree from SITE This spring ECE a four year university. Illinois launched Start the Journey, a new site for “From my experience as prospective students. The a faculty member, I know site is interactive, allowing that unless students take users to fi nd more in- mathematics every year depth information about in high school, they’re not topics of interest. Topic going to be eligible for areas of the site include direct entry into a college of information on ECE courses, research, and faculty, engineering,” she said. “You as well as quotes from current students and information on need to talk to students about graduate salaries. The presentation can be seen at www.ece. engineering before they get uiuc.edu/startthejourney or by clicking on it from the to high school or it’s too late.” department Web page. CONFERENCES REMEMBER BIOLOGICAL COMPUTER REMODELING IN EVERITT LAB Several LABORATORY This year marks the 50th anniversary of the areas of Everitt Lab were remodeled founding of the University of Illinois’ Biological Computer over the summer. The student lounge, Laboratory in 1958, and two organizations recently contributed publications offi ce, and fabrication to the celebration of this milestone. The American Society lab have all had work done to them. In for Cybernetics and the annual conference on Understanding addition to new fl oors and new paint, the Complex Systems met at the University of Illinois in May. fabrication lab has a new HEPA fi lter, high These two groups joined together to acknowledge how the work purity plumbing, new test benches, new conducted at the Biological Computer Laboratory between 1958 display shelves, and a state-of-the-art fi re and 1975 continues to inspire research today. suppression system. The student lounge has been expanded. Heinz von Foerster (1911–2002), former INGENUITY RECEIVES Illinois professor of electrical engineering INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION and biophysics, launched the Biological The Council for Advancement and Computer Laboratory in 1958. He Support of Education, headquartered is remembered for research on self- in Washington, DC, with members organizing systems and self-referential around the world, awarded its Circle of systems, and was the director of the Excellence Award in the “Tabloid and Biological Computer Laboratory until he Newsletter Publishing Improvement” retired and moved to California in 1975. Though the lab closed category to Ingenuity, the newsletter for upon his retirement, von Foerster and his lab are still revered by ECE Illinois students. Ingenuity received those in the cybernetics fi eld. a bronze medal in this category. MOMEI QU WINS ARTHUR ASHE JR. SPORT SCHOLAR The Circle of Excellence Awards AWARD In May, graduating ECE senior Momei Qu was named Program recognizes outstanding work in communications the 2008 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sport Scholar of the Year. This and marketing, alumni relations, advancement services, and award is sponsored by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and is fundraising. These awards are judged by peer professionals at named in memory of tennis great Arthur Ashe. Nominees for this schools, colleges, and universities, as well as by professionals award are student athletes who maintain a GPA of at least 3.2 and from outside the education fi eld. who are active on campus or in the community.

ECE PROFESSOR HELPS FIFTH GRADERS DISCOVER Qu credits her parents for nurturing her achievements on the ENGINEERING ECE Professor Elyse Rosenbaum completed court and in the classroom. “They are the number one factor why her fi rst year teaching introductory engineering to fi fth graders I have been so successful,” she said. “They held academics in a at Stratton Elementary School in Champaign. As part of her really high view, but they also encouraged me so much in all my National Science Foundation funded research project, Rosenbaum endeavors as I was growing up. A huge part of my success is due aims to improve local students’ interest in obtaining an to them.” NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Eden travels to Israel on Fulbright Grant By Bridget Maiellaro

s the 2007–2008 Fulbright- volume plasmas,” Eden said. “Basically rapidly. It’s a very interesting and exciting Israel Distinguished Chair it’s an electron source.” place to be.” in the Natural Sciences and Engineering, ECE Professor The experiments went well. In fact, the Throughout his trip, Eden maintained Gary Eden recently returned to campus research group hopes to publish at least his committee work and kept in touch following a four-month visit to Israel. one article on their research, which will with the progress of his students at the During that time, Eden served as a visit- appear later this fall. University of Illinois via e-mail and fax. He returned to the United States June 6, ing faculty member at the Technion-Israel In addition to his research project, Institute of Technology’s Physics Depart- and was back to work at the University Eden was given the opportunity to on June 7. ment through the Fulbright Commission, present several lectures to graduate working to develop microplasma devices. students, postdoctoral researchers, “[The University of Illinois] is in my faculty members from various depart- blood, and in the blood of my col- ments, and undergraduates. One of his leagues,” Eden said. “We do this because lectures focused on ultrafast laser we love it. We can’t imagine doing spectroscopy, in which he discussed anything else.” using extremely short laser pulses to watch a molecule break apart. Overall, Eden thoroughly enjoyed work- ing with “laboratories and researchers of “We use the laser pulses in the same the highest caliber” and learning more way that a strobe light is used at a party,” about the culture of Israel. Eden said. “When there is a strobe light During his trip to Israel as the 2007-2008 Fulbright- fl ashing, it makes a person’s actions “In any of these types of relationships, Israel Distinguished Chair in the Natural Sciences and look as though they’re frozen in time. whether it’s with Israel, Germany, or Engineering, ECE Professor Gary Eden was able to Japan, there is cross-fertilization. That’s spend his weekends touring the countryside. Photo We’re doing essentially the same thing courtesy of Gary Eden with molecules, but at about 10 million the beauty of being in science and en- times faster.” gineering,” Eden said. “You build these “It was just an incredible experience,” relationships, see people on a periodic Eden said. “It’s hard to describe by a On the weekends, Eden toured the basis, and share ideas. This exchange single phrase.” country with his wife Carolyn, who sparks ideas, which is the key to science accompanied him on the trip. The couple, and engineering.” After arriving in Haifa, Israel, on who stayed at a faculty guest house and February 5, Eden primarily contributed later an apartment complex for gradu- The Fulbright Program, a U.S. govern- to plasma physics research in conjunc- ate students, visited Jerusalem, Masada ment program formed in 1945, is aimed to tion with Technion’s professors Yakov National Park, Galilee, Mount Hermon, promote “mutual understanding between Krasik and Joshua Felsteiner and their Caesarea, and other archeological sites the people of the United States and the research students. The research team throughout the country. people of other countries of the world,” sought to adapt microplasma devices that according to the Fulbright Scholar Pro- were fabricated by ECE graduate student “One of the joys of this trip is that we gram’s Web site. Each year, the program Jekwon Yoon and adjunct ECE Associate really had the opportunity to live among presents a distinguished lecturer with the Professor Sung-Jin Park at the University the people, live like them, for four Fulbright-Israel Distinguished Chair in of Illinois. months,” Eden said. “We were able to the Natural Sciences and Engineering, form a number of friendships we hope allowing awardees the opportunity to “The microplasmas are intended to gen- will last a lifetime. These are memo- conduct research in Israel for four to nine erate electron beams which will be used ries that will last a lifetime…It’s a rich, months and providing them a stipend for in larger machines for generating large diverse country that is growing very living costs. FALL 2008

Illinois home to new Microsoft- and Intel-funded parallel computing center

By Jennifer La Montagne, Computer Science

he University of Illinois is home not feasible with the computing power said Sarita Adve, professor of computer to a new joint research endeavor available on today’s clients. science and director of research for the with Microsoft Corporation center. “The market is larger, so and Intel Corporation that there is an opportunity to provide aims to enable commodity systems different programming solutions for to make use of parallel computing different applications. The challenge techniques previously relegated to is that these solutions must be the realm of supercomputers. As supported by one, fl exible hardware a pioneer in parallel computing architecture and a few software advances, Illinois is uniquely system architectures.” positioned to help usher in a new era of parallel computing for consumer The UPCRC at Illinois is one of two systems that will enable drastically such centers funded by Microsoft new applications for human-centric and Intel. The other center will and environment-aware computing. be at the University of California, Berkeley. This research alliance is The Universal Parallel Computing Members of the UPCRC group gather outside the the fi rst joint industry and university Research Center (UPCRC) at Seibel Center at the University of Illinois. In front are research center of this magnitude Illinois brings together researchers (from left) Codirector Marc Snir (in red suspenders), in the United States focused on Codirector Wen-mei Hwu, and Director of Research in computer engineering and Sarita Adve. mainstream parallel computing. computer science to discover easy and accessible methods for enabling “We are excited about working with the multicore computing systems “We believe that most parallel pro- the University of Illinois because its increasingly in use today grammers should be able to use stellar faculty and students are global to take better advantage of their simple, intuitive ways of expressing leaders in creating breakthroughs in processing capabilities. parallelism,” said ECE Professor parallel software and architecture,” Wen-mei Hwu, codirector of the center. said Andrew Chien, vice president “Multi- and many-core computing is “Future microprocessors will contain of the Corporate Technology Group becoming pervasive; client-focused hundreds, and perhaps thousands of and director of Intel Research. “Their mass market applications are now cores. While parallel languages must excellence builds on a long tradition of driving parallel programming,” said become simpler, hardware is becoming excellence in parallelism which goes Marc Snir, professor of computer science more complex. We will be researching back over many decades.” and codirector of the center. “We face ways to bridge this enlarging gap to “We are pleased to be working with a new challenge: one that places enable client-focused applications of the University of Illinois to solve one emphasis on productivity over high the future.” performance; and one that addresses of the most complex issues facing the the needs of the broad community The center’s research activities are technology industry today,” said Tony of application developers. In such an founded on the premise that advances Hey, vice president of External Research environment, parallel programming in multicore computing will require a at Microsoft Research. “By having the must be accessible to all programmers.” coordinated, multidisciplinary effort expertise of both industry and academia that encompasses all components of the at our new research center, we are confi - A central research thrust will be the multicore system. dent we will make great strides in this development of new applications area and ultimately bring the benefi ts of that aim to dramatically improve the “We have a new opportunity and a new parallel computing to consumers.” quality of life for the end user, but are challenge for parallel computing today,” NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Faculty publications showcase ECE Department’s research, contributions

By Bridget Maiellaro

ince its founding in 1891, publication, Analog Signals and Systems, his career, Huang has co-authored ECE has become one of the best is being used for the fi rst time this eight textbooks, edited or co-edited engineering programs in the summer in ECE 210: Analog Signal 18 publications, and contributed to world. With innovations in a Processing. Kudeki began writing the 107 book chapters. Bernhard has variety of specialized areas, including book based on notes from the course authored one textbook and written microelectronics, telecommunications, that he and former ECE Professor David or cowritten fi ve book chapters. and electromagnetics, the faculty have Munson, Jr., taught in 2000. Over the shared their research fi ndings inside course of seven years, Kudeki sought to Professor Tamer Başar has also made and outside of the classroom. improve previous versions of the notes a vast number of contributions over until the book was published as part of the years, with both of his textbooks One key method for sharing research the Illinois ECE Series at Prentice Hall. dubbed classics by prestigious organi- fi ndings is through textbooks and zations. The Society for Industrial and other publications. Applied Mathematics (SIAM) selected Başar’s fi rst publication, In fact, within the past year (July Dynamic Noncooperative Game 2007 to June 2008), 43 faculty Theory (1982), to be included in members have added to their their Classics in Applied Mathe- already stellar publication lists. matics series in 1999. Meanwhile, H-infi nity Optimal Control and “I think that one way scholarship Related Minimax Design Prob- advances is by the publication lems: A Dynamic Game Approach of books,” said Richard Blahut, was made a Birkhäuser Classic department head and Henry earlier this year. Magnuski Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “Our “I believe my books have made Illinois faculty know the latest the lists because game theory and developments in electrical and the material in the books have computer engineering as well as “I think the key is coming up with better endured the test of time. Particularly anybody in the world. New knowledge ways of teaching,” Kudeki said. “And the dynamic game theory was quite needs to be organized and archived in book is a documentation of this effort, a innovative at the time I wrote the books,” some way to go on to the future, and way of presenting the student with course said Başar, who has also edited or co- we’re the best people to do that.” material in a cohesive way. That’s the edited six publications and contributed to 42 book chapters. “It’s a topic that is still As department head, Blahut sets an exciting part. … If you do this sort of in great demand and use today.” example with eight books to his name, thing for all the courses, then we’ll have a nice set of electrical engineering books. three of which have been translated Blahut is very pleased with the ECE The Illinois ECE Series is an attempt for into a variety of languages, including faculty’s contributions and knows that doing this.” Russian, Chinese, and Japanese. Blahut the trend of producing prestigious has also edited or coedited three books Other recent contributions include publications will continue for years to and has written fi ve chapters in various those by Professor Thomas Huang, come. “We’re a very strong department,” publications. who co-edited two new publications he said. “Our books are highly valued by those around the world who teach Associate Head for Undergraduate and contributed to fi ve book chapters, at different universities. We are where Affairs Erhan Kudeki co-authored one and Professor Jennifer Bernhard, who people look to fi nd the most current of the department’s newest textbooks, authored Reconfi gurable Antennas and knowledge.” released in March of this year. The wrote three book chapters. Throughout FALL 2008

Copper nanowires grown by new process create long-lasting displays

By James E. Kloeppel, U of I News Bureau

new low-temperature, catalyst- a bundle of nanowires for each pixel free technique for growing in their display, the failure of a few copper nanowires has been nanowires will not ruin the device. developed by researchers at “Our experimental results suggest Illinois. The copper nanowires could bundled nanowires could lead to longer serve as interconnects in electronic device lasting fi eld-emission displays,” said Kim. fabrication and as electron emitters in a television-like, very thin fl at-panel In addition to working on fl exible displays display known as a fi eld-emission display. made from copper nanowires grown on bendable plastic, the researchers are “We can grow forests of freestanding also working on silver nanowires. copper nanowires of controlled diameter and length, suitable for integration ECE Professor Kyekyoon “Kevin” Kim and With Kim and Choi, co-authors of the into electronic devices,” said ECE ECE Lecturer Hyungsoo Choi have devel- paper are graduate student and lead Professor Kyekyoon “Kevin” Kim. oped a new low-temperature, catalyst-free author Chang Wook Kim, graduate technique for growing copper nanowires. student Wenhua Gu, postdoctoral “The copper nanowires are grown on a Photo by Brian Stauffer research associate Martha Briceno, and variety of surfaces, including glass, metal, professor and head of materials science and plastic by chemical vapor deposition The researchers describe the nanowires, and engineering Ian Robertson. from a precursor,” said Hyungsoo Choi, the growth process, and a proof- a research professor in the Micro and of-principle fi eld-emission display Nanotechnology Laboratory and a in an article published in the May lecturer at ECE. “The patented growth 2008 issue of the journal Advanced process is compatible with contemporary Materials, and posted on its Web site. silicon-processing protocols.” Typically, the nanowires of 70 to 250 nanometers in diameter are grown on a silicon substrate at temperatures of 200 to 300 degrees Celsius and require no seed or catalyst. The size of the nanowires is controlled by the processing conditions. The columnar, fi ve-sided Magnifi ed optical image produced by nanowires terminate in sharp, pentagonal a proof-of-principle copper nanowire- based fi eld-emission display activated tips that facilitate electron emission. in a vacuum-sealed chamber. Photo courtesy Kyekyoon Kim To demonstrate the practicability of their process, the researchers fi rst grew an array of copper nanowires on a Funding was provided by the patterned silicon substrate. Then they University of Illinois. Characterization fashioned a fi eld-emission display based of the samples was conducted at the on the array’s bundles of nanowires. University’s Center for Microanalysis of Materials, which is partially funded In a fi eld-emission display, electrons by the U.S. Department of Energy. emitted from the nanowire tips strike a phosphor coating to produce an image. Because the researchers used Scanning electron microscope image of copper nano- wires grown on a silicon substrate at 250 degrees celsius at high magnifi cation. Photo courtesy Kyekyoon Kim NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Bruce Wheeler retires

By Tom Moone

n May 6, a reception was processes at the campus and state level where you can’t believe they actually held on the fi fth fl oor of the to establish this department, developing pay you to have fun,” as Illinois “ is Beckman Institute to honor new courses, and hiring the staff and driven by immense curiosity.” He ECE Professor and Bio- faculty to serve the incoming students. noted that “universities have existed engineering Interim Department Head for a millennium and have a unique Bruce Wheeler on the occasion of Insana said much of the department’s responsibility to society, one carried his retirement from the University of current and future success is due in out exceptionally well by Illinois, Illinois. Wheeler fi rst came to Illinois large part to Wheeler. “We can say we the ECE Department, and the new in 1980 when he joined the ECE faculty. have a dedicated faculty who all like and Bioengineering Department.” He had served as interim head of the support each other, a truly outstanding Bioengineering Department since it fi rst department staff, and students that are In his research, Wheeler has long opened its doors to students in 2004. off-the-charts in terms of qualifi cations had an interest in neural signals. He and enthusiasm, all acquired under currently lists his research interests Bruce’s leadership,” he said. “I can say as multichannel neural signals, on behalf of the department faculty and microminiature sensors for neural staff that we have all been profoundly recording, controlled stimulations honored to have been a part of the of neuronal networks, and patterned department’s development under Bruce’s growth of neurons. Over the course leadership. And that we will continue of his distinguished career, Wheeler to do all we can to see it fl ourish.” has received numerous awards. He was a recipient of the 3M Faculty ECE Department Head Richard Blahut Development Award in 1984 and 1985. said, “I have known Bruce since his He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the graduate student days at Cornell, and American Institute for Medical and as a colleague here at Illinois. He has Biological Engineering. He is the editor- ECE Professor Bruce Wheeler received a gift in served the ECE Department well as in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on commemoration of his retirement from the University the associate head for undergraduate at a reception held May 6 at the Beckman Institute. Biomedical Engineering and serves on affairs, and has served the College ably many university and national review and patiently as the interim head of the panels. He is a recipient of the Medical Wheeler was in fact one of the driving Bioengineering Department during its Scholars Program Outstanding Advisor forces behind the establishment of the formative years. I shall miss him.” (2003), the Campus Award for excellence Bioengineering Department. Michael in Advising Undergraduate Students Because the Department of Insana, who succeeds Wheeler as (2000), the Illinois Dad’s Association Bioengineering opened its doors to interim head of Bioengineering, Outstanding Faculty Award (1999), and its fi rst students in the fall of 2004, said at the reception, “If you are the Stanley H. Pierce Award (1987). He this past May saw Bioengineering’s in an established department, you was made an Honorary Knight of St. fi rst class of graduating seniors. As a may not fully appreciate what a Pat in 1999, and he has been included parting gift, Wheeler was presented major undertaking it is to begin a in the Incomplete List of Teachers with a framed copy of the T-shirt new department.” Insana then listed Ranked as Excellent numerous times. the department had given to this the multitude of tasks that Wheeler fi rst class of graduating seniors. undertook to get the department Though Wheeler is retiring from Illinois, he is not retiring from the profession. underway: writing necessary documents After the presentation of his gift, He will be joining the University of to establish the department, setting Wheeler reminisced about his time Florida in Gainesville, where he will be up the graduate and undergraduate at Illinois. “This is one of those jobs curricula, moving through the necessary a professor of biomedical engineering. FALL 2008

Brunet receives Campus Award for Excellence

By Bridget Maiellaro

arie-Christine Brunet, out the different topics in ECE,” she ECE lecturer and chief said. “It’s more interesting than just advisor, recently received going to class, sitting, and listening the Campus Award for how great it is to use those things.” Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. In addition to these substantial Brunet, who is the course director for changes, Brunet said she is always ECE 110: Introduction to Electrical trying to improve homework, and Computer Engineering, said that tutorials, online materials, and continued support from colleagues her lectures. and students, in addition to actively improving the course, contributed to Brunet completed all of her her receiving the award. degrees in France, attending the University of Paris. After earning ECE Lecturer and Chief Advisor Marie-Christine “I’ve done so many things to the class, her bachelor’s and master’s degrees Brunet (left) received the 2008 Campus Award for especially over the last four years,” in applied math in 1983 and 1985, Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. she said. “I’ve put in a lot by trying to respectively, Brunet went on to change it, by trying to make it better, obtain her PhD in computer science “It is the perfect deal of doing what I and trying to involve students.” in 1989. While earning her PhD, she love to do. I teach and help students also worked at an IBM research center through advising. It’s really a blessing,” Brunet began revising the contents of in Paris. Brunet said. ECE 110 when she became the course director in fall 2004. She said most After obtaining her PhD, Brunet was To be eligible for the Campus Award for changes were refl ected in the course offered a postdoctoral position later that Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, during fall 2006. However, one change year at IBM in Yorktown, in a group faculty members must have taught at she is most proud of took place in fall that focused on parallel machines least one undergraduate course for 2005, when Brunet implemented on various projects. She eventually four years prior to being nominated support groups for women in ECE 110, came to work at a research center at for the award. Teaching assistants and who usually make up 10 to 15 percent the University of Illinois. In 1994, the instructional staff are also eligible. of the class. University needed someone to teach Nominations may be submitted by a pilot class, now known as ECE 110. faculty members, administrators, Brunet and the women engineers Since Brunet was available, she said yes. alumni, or students. ECE Professor meet one or two times a week, with Soon enough, she started teaching other Stephen Bishop, associate head for those who can attend, and brainstorm classes, but “continued to have a soft administrative and instructional about problems relating to class in a spot for ECE 110.” affairs, nominated Brunet, while ECE small setting. Department Head Richard E. Blahut “A lot of people don’t have an extreme gave his approval by signing off on the A second updated course feature began interest in working with freshmen, but nomination. last fall, when Brunet adjusted the I do,” she said. “I really enjoy it. I like structure of the class so students in ECE how it’s their fi rst year; they are trying Past ECE recipients of the Campus 110 now work in groups of four or fi ve to fi gure out what is going on.” Award for Excellence in Undergraduate for research activities. Teaching include G. E. Anner (’75), In 1998, when the ECE Department M. S. Helm (’76), W. G. Albright (’78), “Students are working in teams to learn needed someone to help with advising, N. N. Rao (’89), Burks Oakley II (’93), how to use the library as a resource to she jumped at the opportunity. Michael C. Loui (’95), Ricardo Uribe fi nd papers, write proposals, and fi gure (’04), and Eric A. Dunn (’04). NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Alumnus Kilby’s integrated circuit turns 50 By Jamie Hutchinson

ifty years ago it was just a the outcome didn’t much matter. In baby, about the size of a 1966 the adversaries had already cut a paper-clip. Since then it hasn’t deal by which each granted the other really grown, but it sure has a license to its patent, while other grown up. competitors could purchase licenses through separate deals with both On September 12, 1958, ECE alumnus patent holders. Jack Kilby (BSEE ’47) demonstrated his brainchild to executives at Texas At fi rst the electronics industry was Instruments in Dallas. As a circuit, the slow to adopt integrated circuits, invention was nothing special: just a but minds changed after chips were few basic components—transistors, successfully deployed in the Apollo resistors, and capacitors—forming a moon mission and the Minuteman simple phase-shift oscillator. What missile in the 1960s. In 1971 Texas made it special was the integration Jack Kilby with products using Instruments released another Kilby of components in one solid slab of integrated circuits. Jack Kilby’s invention invention, the Pocketronic, the world’s silicon. Kilby’s “monolithic idea” led of the integrated circuit was the genesis of fi rst handheld calculator and the directly to today’s densely packed almost every electronic product used today. integrated circuit’s fi rst entry into the From cell phones, to modems, to Internet microprocessors with computing audio players, the chip has changed the mass consumer market. Later that power that was unimaginable in 1958. world and enabled an entire industry to grow. year Intel, which had been founded in Photo courtesy of Texas Instruments 1968 by Noyce and fellow Fairchild In the decade following the 1947 expatriate Gordon Moore, released the invention of the transistor by ECE of the mostly vacated lab to sketch out fi rst programmable microprocessor, professor-to-be John Bardeen and his a better solution that eliminated the the 4004, opening the way for the PC Bell Labs colleagues William Shockley interconnection problem altogether. and Walter Brattain, circuit designers Upon returning from vacation, Kilby’s had hit a wall they called the “tyranny boss Willis Adcock greeted the mono- of numbers.” Transistors were faster, lithic idea skeptically, but allowed Kilby smaller, more reliable, and more effi cient to see if he could build it. The integrated than the vacuum tubes they replaced, circuit was born. but the new devices still had to be wired together and soldered. What’s more, A few months later the monolithic idea engineers had harnessed transistors to occurred, in nearly identical outline, to design bigger, more complex circuits than Robert Noyce working at Silicon Valley ever before, further subjecting circuits to startup Fairchild Semiconductor. For the vagaries and expense of hand wiring the next decade, Texas Instruments and and soldering. Fairchild battled in court over the right to profi t from the integrated circuit. (At When Texas Instruments hired Kilby in one point, U of I solid state physicist May 1958, the company was committed Robert Maurer testifi ed on behalf of First integrated circuit—Jack Kilby invented to an Army–sponsored solution called the Kilby.) However, by 1970 when the U.S. the integrated circuit at Texas Instruments Micro-Module, which involved snapped- in 1958. Comprised of only a transistor and Supreme Court fi nally denied Texas together components with built-in wires. other components on a slice of germanium, Instruments’ request to review a patent That summer Kilby, who had yet to Kilby’s invention, 7/16-by-1/16-inches in size, appeals court opinion favoring Fairchild, revolutionized the electronics industry. The roots accumulate any time off, took advantage of almost every electronic device we take for granted today can be traced back to Dallas 50 years ago. Photo courtesy of Texas Instruments FALL 2008

revolution, not to mention countless other Starting with Bardeen, then Kilby, “smart” chip-driven devices from traffi c the history of solid state technology lights to musical instruments. Today can be told as the story of one ECE the U.S. semiconductor industry is the legend picking up where another left country’s second largest exporter with off. Working at Fairchild in 1963 with $256 billion in worldwide sales in 2007. Frank Wanlass, ECE alumnus C. T. Sah developed CMOS (complementary metal- Personally, Kilby and Noyce shared oxide semiconductor) which, owing to the credit for their invention. They also its high noise immunity and low power shared the National Medal of Science consumption, is still the predominant and induction into the National Inventors circuit technology used in chips today. Hall of Fame for inventing the chip. Later Sah joined the ECE faculty and Noyce died in 1990 and so could not collaborated with ECE legend Karl Hess share the Nobel Prize in Physics, Jack Kilby with his engineering on solving problems of electron transport which was awarded to Kilby in 2000. notebook. Jack recorded the in semiconductors, work that Hess would Kilby’s Nobel lecture acknowledged the successful demonstration of the fi rst integrated circuit in his engineering build upon in the 1980s and 1990s. contribution of his Silicon Valley rival. notebook. Signed “JS Kilby,” the page Today, faculty in ECE are pushing silicon Kilby left Texas Instruments in 1970 for in his notebook is dated September and CMOS to their ultimate limits, while a career as an independent consultant 12, 1958. Photo courtesy of Texas laying the groundwork for futuristic Instruments and inventor, which he remained until alter-natives like quantum computing. his death in 2005.

Remembering the chip that changed the world

By Thanh Tran, Texas Instruments

Fifty years ago, Jack Kilby invented the The worldwide demand for integrated circuits integrated circuit, and practically everything now represents a $250 billion-a-year industry. we touch, do, and take for granted today has It continues to feed technological revolutions his fi ngerprint on it. It’s hard to imagine life in every industry. Also, it is changing people’s today—and tomorrow—without Jack’s chip. lives around the world, including those in such emerging economies such as my birth country When I enrolled at the University of Illinois, of Vietnam. I didn’t know Mr. Kilby. At Illinois I learned the nuts and bolts of engineering. But I also Where will such innovations come from? learned Mr. Kilby’s story, which inspired me Most will sprout from the imaginations of to continue his legacy of creativity and seek young graduates with degrees in science, ways to push his invention even further. technology, engineering, or mathematics. We must encourage our youth to follow in As an electrical engineer in the digital signal Mr. Kilby’s footsteps, embrace his passion processor division at Texas Instruments and for problem-solving, and envision tomorrow’s ECE alumnus Thanh Tran an inventor of many techniques implemented opportunities. in personal computers and HDTVs, I am proud to be a part of Mr. Kilby’s legacy. I regard him Just as Jack did. as a genuine hero. His invention changed the world. Thanh Tran (BSEE ’84) is an electrical engineer with Texas Instruments and a member of the ECE Alumni Board. NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

NEW FACULTY Five new faculty join ECE

The ECE Department recently welcomed new faculty between the two subjects, I was very interested [in Illinois],” members: Alejandro Dominguez-Garcia, Matthew Gilbert, Gilbert said. “Also, the school has a good reputation for having Gang Logan Liu, Sayan Mitra, and Shobha Vasudevan. excellent students and doing tremendous research.”

As a power engineer, Assistant Professor Gilbert’s research focuses on quantum transport theory in ALEJANDRO DOMINGUEZ-GARCIA is nanostructures, as he searches for new logic devices which happy to be at Illinois. “We are the best operate with reduced power consumption. He is currently power engineer program in the country,” using correlated electron states in bilayer graphene to produce he said. “So it’s the place to be.” new multifunctional logic devices. He also has active research programs in ultra-scaled CMOS transistors, spin transport, Dominguez-Garcia has come a long way and many-body theory. to get to Illinois. He received his master’s degree in electrical engineering in 2001 from Gilbert earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and the University of Oviedo in Spain. He then PhD from Arizona State University in 2000, 2003, and 2005, spent a year there as an assistant professor. In respectively. Following his education, he completed his 2002 he went to MIT to pursue his doctorate, postdoctoral research at the University of Texas, Austin completing it in 2007. He arrived at Illinois for one year. Prior to joining Illinois, Gilbert served ECE Assistant Professor early this summer. as the assistant director of the South West Academy of Alejandro Dominguez- Garcia Nanoelectronics through the University of Texas. “My research interests lie in the interface of reliability and control, with a special emphasis Gilbert is excited about teaching students at the University on applications on power electronics and power systems,” said of Illinois. “I like working with young people. Each one Dominguez-Garcia. Some of his fi rst research projects will has a different point of view and they always come up with include fault-tolerant power electronics design and dynamic interesting ways to look at problems,” he said. “Research is safety assessment of power systems. a collaborative effort, and students keep me on my toes.”

This fall he will be teaching ECE 430: Power Circuits and Gilbert will teach courses that deal with solid-state areas, Electromechanics. “It’s a very fun course to teach,” he said, electromagnetics, and physics. Eventually, he would like to “because it covers the fundamentals of electrical energy create a cross-disciplinary course that focuses on quantum systems from generation to transport and so on.” He is transport theory. currently developing a graduate course for the spring on Assistant Professor dynamic systems reliability. GANG LOGAN LIU joins ECE Though Champaign-Urbana after a postdoctoral position with is quite different from Spain, Lawrence Livermore National Dominguez-Garcia has been Laboratory, where he studied enjoying his time here. “Life nanofabrication techniques that he here is quiet,” he said. “It’s a hopes to apply in his research in nice place to live and work. nano and bioengineering. For his That is the most important.” dissertation work at the University of California, Berkeley, completed With an interest in both in 2006, Liu developed metallic electrical engineering and nano-bio-photonic sensors physics, Visiting Lecturer used to detect chemical signals MATTHEW GILBERT was within living cells. After that, ECE Assistant Professor attracted to Illinois because he did postdoctoral work at the Gang Logan Liu of its strength in those ECE Visiting Lecturer University of California, San Francisco medical school before areas. “Since I do the hybrid Matthew Gilbert moving on to Livermore. FALL 2008

At Illinois, Liu will be based in the Micro and Nanotechnology Through collaborators like ECE Associate Professor Daniel Laboratory, but plans to collaborate with researchers Liberzon, Mitra already knows a lot about Illinois. “I have campuswide in developing what he calls nano-hybrid “onics” come to know of the stimulating environment at UIUC for systems. “I call them that because there are so many ‘onics,’ doing research, particularly interdisciplinary research,” he said. like electronics, photonics, bionics,” said Liu. “I want to create “I look forward to being a part of this great community.” something like a nanobionics system, which is really a nano-bio hybrid, that can be merged into the living biological system.” Assistant Professor SHOBHA VASUDEVAN said she decided Liu hopes to teach classes ranging from the fundamental to the to teach at Illinois because it advanced. “I believe [introductory electromagnetism] is a very is one of the most prestigious important fundamental class for all people interested in doing academic institutions today. nanophotonics or nanoelectronic devices later,” he said. “I’m “ECE, in particular, is home also interested in developing some advanced grad-level classes to many existing and potential such as molecular electronics or molecular photonics.” world leaders in technology,” she said. “Alumni from this “I can’t wait to get more familiar with the campus,” he said. department have blazed trails “Through collaborations we can create something really useful in the industrial landscape to benefi t everybody.” as well as peer academic institutions. It is very After earning his PhD in exciting for me to be a part 2007 from MIT, Assistant ECE Assistant Professor Shobha Vasudevan of the vibrant, challenging Professor SAYAN MITRA intellectual atmosphere spent last year as a post- offered by this department, and the University at large.” doctoral researcher at Caltech applying new modeling After obtaining her bachelor’s degree from the University of and verifi cation techniques Mumbai, India, in 2001, Vasudevan went on to receive her to real world systems like master’s and PhD in electrical and computer engineering from “Alice,” Caltech’s entry the University of Texas, Austin, in 2003 and 2007, respectively. in the Defense Advanced While earning her graduate degrees, Vasudevan worked as Research Projects Agency a research assistant and teaching assistant. She also held (DARPA) Urban Challenge internships with Intel, Motorola, and Qualcomm. for autonomous vehicles. The ECE Assistant Professor new techniques grew out of In addition to teaching, Vasudevan gives talks on alternate Sayan Mitra Mitra’s dissertation research. methods for hardware verifi cation and promoting the use of “I developed a mathematical formal methods in an industrial context. framework for modeling such systems and a set of software tools for rigorously proving their correctness,” he said. “These talks are important because Illinois has not had a prominent presence in hardware verifi cation so far,” she At Illinois Mitra will continue developing mathematical said. “Overall, I am hoping that the seminars help in techniques for improving software systems, especially “cyber- building an integrated research environment in Illinois physical” systems, which involve interaction with the physical [electrical and computer engineering and computer science] world. “Modeling and analysis of such systems is important for to solve verifi cation challenges faced by hardware and systems many engineering systems and poses some challenging research on chips.” questions,” said Mitra, pointing to automobile dynamic stability controllers as one example. “The correctness of such a complex Vasudevan is involved in joint collaborations with electrical system relies both on the behavior of the car—its velocity, and computer engineering and computer science professors and acceleration, etc.—and the behavior of the controller—a piece their research groups. She plans to start her own research group of software.” for formal verifi cation of hardware and embedded systems in the near future. This fall Mitra will teach a section of ECE 598: Modeling and Verifi cation of Real-Time and Hybrid Systems. “This is my fi rst time teaching such a class and I am very excited about it.” NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

FACULTY NEWS JENNIFER BERNHARD was promoted to SHUN LIEN CHUANG, the Robert C. MacClinchie professor. Distinguished Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, received a 2008 Humboldt STEPHEN BOPPART was promoted to professor. Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists.

MARIE-CHRISTINE BRUNET JAMES COLEMAN, Intel Alumni Endowed Chair in received the 2008 Campus Award Electrical and Computer Engineering, and former PhD for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. student S. David Roh recently earned a United States patent for their research and development of the dual distributed WENG C. CHEW received the Bragg refl ector (DBR) grating semiconductor laser. 2008 Chen-To Tai Distinguished Educator Award of the IEEE BRIAN CUNNINGHAM received a 2008 Xerox Antennas and Propagation Society “for Award for Faculty Research. He was one of outstanding contributions to education in four associate professors in the College of the fi elds of electromagnetic theory and Engineering to receive the award, which computational electromagnetics.” honors faculty members for outstanding research. KENT CHOQUETTE has been named a Fellow of SPIE (International Society for Optical MINH DO was promoted to associate professor. Engineering). He has also been named the recipient of the 2008 IEEE/LEOS Engineering MATTHEW FRANK received a Faculty Early Career Achievement Award. Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Holonyak inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame By Lauren Eichmann

John Bardeen Professor of Electrical and Computer Holonyak earned his bachelor’s degree in 1950, Engineering and Physics, Nick Holonyak, Jr., his master’s degree in 1951, and his doctorate in was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of 1954, all in electrical engineering from Illinois. Fame in May. Holonyak was honored primarily for Holonyak was the fi rst graduate student of two-time his invention of the fi rst practical light-emitting Nobel laureate John Bardeen, an Illinois professor diode (LED). who invented the transistor.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame was founded Since joining the faculty at Illinois in 1963, by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offi ce and the Holonyak and his students developed the quantum- National Council of Intellectual Property Law well laser, creating a practical laser for fi ber-optic Associations in 1973 to recognize, honor, and communications, compact disc players, medical encourage invention and creativity. diagnosis, surgery, ophthalmology, and many other ECE Professor Nick applications. Holonyak developed the fi rst practical LED in 1962 Holonyak, Jr. while working at General Electric (GE). Today, these long-lasting, Among Holonyak’s many awards are the Lemelson-MIT Prize, low-heat light sources illuminate everything from alarm clocks Global Energy Prize from Russia, the IEEE Medal of Honor, to the NASDAQ billboard in New York’s Times Square. the U.S. National Medal of Technology, the Frederic Ives Medal of the Optical Society of America, the Japan Prize, the National “Nick Holonyak’s inventions, like all great works of scientifi c Academy of Sciences’ Award for the Industrial Application of inspiration, have changed our world,” said Richard Herman, Science, the Optical Society’s Charles Hard Townes Award, and chancellor of the Urbana campus. “Honoring Nick Holonyak’s the U.S. National Medal of Science. inventions is yet one more recognition of the extraordinary signifi cance of his work.” FALL 2008

KANTI JAIN received the prestigious David MARK SPONG has been named the new dean Richardson Medal from the Optical Society of of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering America for achievements in the fi eld of optical and Computer Science at the University of engineering. The award is presented each year Texas at Dallas. to one individual chosen for his “dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance in attaining the GREG TIMP and BRUCE WHEELER highest level of scientifi c achievement in their (pictured) have been named IEEE chosen fi elds.” fellows for the class of 2008. The title of IEEE fellow recognizes unusual distinction in the profession PHILIP KREIN, Grainger Endowed Director’s and accomplishments that have signifi cantly added Chair Professor in Electric Machinery and to “the advancement or application of engineering, Electromechanics, received the IEEE Power science, and technology.” Electronics Society’s 2008 Distinguished Service Award. Retired ECE Lecturer RICARDO URIBE received the Wiener Gold Medal of the American Society for N. NARAYANA RAO’s new textbook, Fundamentals of Cybernetics “for outstanding and profound lifelong Electromagnetics, was recently published by Prentice Hall. contributions to the nurturing of cybernetics.”

ANDREW SINGER was promoted to professor.

Indiana Jones and the incredible Continuum Fingerboard

By Lauren Eichmann

There’s a new character in the latest Haken started working on the design of the Indiana Jones movie, one with Illinois Continuum Fingerboard as a graduate student roots. But you won’t see this character at Illinois in the early ’80s in Donald Bitzer’s on screen. The Continuum Fingerboard, a Computer-based Education Research Lab unique musical instrument designed and (CERL) on the Urbana campus. He later fi nished built by ECE Illinois alumnus and lecturer the preliminary design in the mid-’90s and Lippold Haken, plays an important role in offi cially released the Continuum Fingerboard the movie’s music. in 2000. Haken currently teaches ECE 395: Advanced Digital Projects Laboratory at The movie, Indiana Jones and the Illinois. He often incorporates the Continuum Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, integrates Fingerboard into his classroom activities. Haken’s unique electronic instrument— often described as a fretless keyboard— Built by hand at Haken Audio in Champaign, into one of its soundtrack’s recurring Illinois, each Continuum is made of thick metal ECE Lecturer themes. Although it has previously been Lippold Haken with a soft, red nylon-over-neoprene surface. used for sound effects in movies including As a non-traditional keyboard, it has no keys Superman Returns and War of the Worlds, and only markings indicate fi nger placement. Players are the instrument is being used in a revolutionary able to generate different sounds, pitches, and volume by way as part of John Williams’ orchestra. sliding their fi ngers across horizontally, vertically, or by applying pressure to the surface. “The Continuum is now a real member of the orchestra, as opposed to ambient sound,” said Haken of its use in John Paul Jones, bass guitarist and keyboardist with Led Indiana Jones. “The Continuum has reached a level of Zeppelin, keyboardist Terry Lawless of U2, Jordan Rudess maturity where it’s no longer like, ‘Hey, look at this weird of progressive metal band Dream Theater, and famous widget.’ It’s being taken seriously as a real orchestral Indian composer A. R. Rahman have all purchased the instrument. And that’s very exciting.” Continuum and are either still experimenting or performing with the instrument already, said Haken. NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

ECE students critical to SAE racing team

By Bridget Maiellaro

he University the fi nal competition for of Illinois’ the Formula SAE World Formula Society Cup. Even though Levin of Automotive had hopes of the team Engineers (SAE) team was fi nishing in the top three at recently ranked third out Michigan, Illinois was still of 53 teams at the Virginia ranked higher than they International Raceway were at the 2007 challenge, competition and fi nished where they fi nished 36th 13th out of 104 teams out of 136 teams. at this year’s Michigan International Speedway The team’s mission is to event. While the group maintain a strong program includes and recruits its and to keep improving team members from across its cars. In addition, campus, ECE students participants agree that have played an integral role the experiences on SAE in its continued success. will help them succeed in the future. ECE students were an integral part of the success of the Illinois “It is important for Formula Formula SAE car, seen here at the Virginia International Raceway. SAE to have a strong ECE “It really helps to show employers that you team because racecars have ggg complex electrical systems that require things…from basic machining, to some can work on an actual successful a lot of design and maintenance,” said carbon fi ber work, to troubleshooting project,” Levin said. “Many employers recent ECE graduate and Formula SAE automotive electronics,” Levin said. “I are looking for engineers who have team member Jacob Foster (BSEE ’08). don’t think there is any class that you experience right out of school, and SAE can fi nd as broad a range of practical really gives you a major advantage in Throughout his membership, Foster knowledge as the formula program.” this respect. Everyone who graduates worked on the car’s electrical system. has a piece of paper that says they have He was responsible for its wiring, data The Illinois Formula SAE team, which a degree, but not too many people can acquisition, and electrical durability. was founded in 1987, works together point to something like a car and say, Foster said that his experiences in ECE on designing, building, and developing ‘I designed, built, and tested that.’” labs helped him apply his knowledge a small formula-style racing car each of electrical systems and electronic year. Upon completion, the car competes Illinois SAE, which is open to all components throughout the designing, in various races against cars designed students, aims to provide its members building, and debugging stages. by students from other universities and with numerous educational, professional, colleges throughout the world. and social activities and opportunities ECE senior and team member related to vehicles of all types, according Kieran Levin said the club has given The Virginia International Raceway to its Web site. For more information opportunities and training that he competition took place from April and updates, visit www.mechse.uiuc. doesn’t think he could have learned 25 to April 28 in Alton, Virginia, edu/clubs/sae. anywhere else. while the Michigan International began May 14 and ended May 18 in “So far, as part of this club I have done Brooklyn, Michigan. Foster said that a lot of hands-on engineering and for Illinois Formula SAE, Virginia learned a lot of really useful, practical was practice for Michigan, which was FALL 2008

ECE student gains popularity on YouTube

By Bridget Maiellaro

CE student “It works similar to a Steve Ward’s miniature lightning interest in strike,” he said. “It’s electricity all about repeating a has helped him gain snapping sound fast celebrity via the online enough to make it video-sharing Web site, sound like a note.” YouTube. A video clip entitled “Singing Tesla Since the debut, Ward Coil at Duckon 2007” has been able to take featuring a seven-foot industry standard tall Tesla coil built songs that have a and owned by Ward ECE senior Steve Ward has built dozens of Tesla coils, and MIDI format and has had more than videos of the coils have become popular on YouTube. program them into his 1,281,000 views within Photo courtesy of Steve Ward system. He has also one year. compiled his own the event and run his coil by Jeff Larson, medleys of artists and Additionally, a second video of Ward’s a friend whom he met at an annual written his own MIDI formats. In fact, work, entitled “Twin Musical Tesla Coils teslathon earlier that year. he has fi les of songs loaded onto the coil. playing Mario Bros,” has been viewed While the tracks are longer, Ward said more than 490,000 times. Prior to the event, Ward he only uses about 10 to was experimenting 20 seconds of each song. Ward, a senior majoring in electrical with generating musical engineering, built his fi rst Tesla coil sequences with the coils. Overall, Ward said the summer before his freshman year After several months of the performances are of high school. He said he was inspired organizing the music, great because everyone by a friend, Illinois alumnus Steve the “singing” coils can hear the coils, and Klec (ACES ’07), who built a coil with debuted at DucKon. they demand attention. his older brother for an eighth grade Music included the However, each device is science project. theme songs from the as dangerous as any high Super Mario Brothers power electrical device. “Ever since then, I’ve wanted to capture and Tetris video effective lightning on a small scale,” games, which were “If you are a safe distance Ward said. Over the years, Ward said he programmed to run on away, then there is no probably has made more than 50 Tesla 10-second loops. danger,” Ward said. coils. The coils, which have taken him ECE student Steve Ward “But it’s as dangerous as anywhere from a day to almost three Ward, a native of Oak grabbing live electrical years to design, range from six inches Forest, Illinois, said he wiring if you get too to seven feet in height. is able to imitate the songs by managing close. If those sparks were to hit a the rates at which the fi re sparks out of person, from a small coil they would The original video clip featuring Ward’s the coil. He does this through the use just be painful and likely not to cause work was recorded mid-June 2007 of a controller and his laptop. After the any permanent harm. But from the large at DucKon, an annual science fi ction songs are programmed into the laptop, coils, I have no idea… it’s best to avoid convention held in the Chicagoland area. it commands the controller to play a them!” Ward said that he was invited to attend certain note for a certain period of time. ECE congratulates its NEWSPhD FOR ECE ILLINOISrecipients ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

STUDENT ADVISOR DISSERTATION OCTOBER 2007 Al Hokayem, Peter Spong, M. Reliable Control of Multi-Agent Systems Athanasopoulou, Eleftheria Hadjicostis, C. Diagnosis of Finite State Models Under Partial or Unreliable Observations Cao, Min Kumar, P. Analysis and Cross-Layer Design of Medium Access and Scheduling in Wireless Mesh Networks Chatterjee, Debasish Liberzon, D. Studies on Stability and Stabilization of Randomly Switched Systems Chuang, Yu-Ju Feng, M. Dynamic Range Analysis and High-Speed Integrated Circuit Designs Using INP HBT Technology Chu-Kung, Benjamin Feng, M. Compound Semiconductor Power Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor Technology Chung, In Jae Cangellaris, A. Modeling and Hybrid Simulation of On-Chip Power Delivery Network Using an Unconditionally Stable Electromagnetic Field Solver Deng, Liang Wong, M. VLSI Physical Design for Manufacturability and Reliability Drost, Robert Singer, A. Equalization Using Graphical Models Kashyap, Akshay Basar, M. Sensing with Communication Restraints Kondratko, Piotr Chuang, S. Slow and Fast Light Using Quantum-Dot and Quantum-Well Semiconductor Optical Amplifi ers Kwasinski, Alexis Krein, P. A Microgrid Architecture with Multiple-Input DC/DC Converters: Applications, Reliability, System Operation, and Control Liu, Shao Srikant, R. Congestion Control Protocols for the Evolving Internet Lu, Yue Do, M. Multidimensional Geometical Signal Representation: Constructions and Applications Mou, Shin Chuang, S. Theory and Experiment of Antimony-Based Type-II Superlattice Infrared Photodetectors Nguyen, Ha Thai Do, M. Multisensor Signal Processing: Theory and Algorithms for Image-Based Rendering and Multichannel Sampling Phatak, Sandeep Allen, J. Phone Confusion Analysis and Its Application Qu, Liyan Chapman, P. Reduction of Dynamic Nonlinear Models of Magnetic Devices Raghunathan, Vivek Kumar, P. Physical-Layer Aware Algorithms and Protocols for Wireless Networks Robinson, Stephen Tucker, J. Fabrication and Transport Properties of Silicon Nanoelectronic Devices Takos, Georgios Hadjicostis, C. Sparse Solutions to Structured Underdetermined Systems in the Presence of Small Noise Touri, Rouzbeh Hadjicostis, C. Perfect Reconstruction of Digital Transmission through Channels with Bounded Additive Noise Tsai, Chiun-Lung Cheng, K. Indium-Gallium-Arsenide Quantum Wire Infrared Photodetectors Wang, Hua Viswanath, P. Topics in Network Information Representation and Communication Xiao, Yan Eden, J. Probing the Dissociation of the Rubidium Dimer by Wavepackets and Parametric Four-Wave Mixing Yang, Sichao Hajek, B. Reduced Complexity Mechanisms for Network Resource Allocation Ying, Lei Srikant, R. Wireless Networks for Communication and Sensing DECEMBER 2007 Arora, Himanshu Ahuja, N. Modeling Objects Using Interest Points, Edges, and Regions Benavides, Nicholas Chapman, P. Mass Minimization of DC-DC Converters in Portable Electrical Energy Sources Ganguli, Anurag Hutchinson, S. Motion Coordination for Mobile Robotic Networks with Visibility Sensors George, Ashvin Bresler, Y. Algorithms for Tomographic Reconstruction: Fast Back Projection and Cardiac Computed Tomography Hesford, Andrew Chew, W. Parallel Methods for the Solution of Large-Scale Radiation and Inverse Scattering Problems Kimball, Jonathan Krein, P. Digital Control Techniques for Switching Power Converters Lee, Jeffrey Kamalabadi, F. 3D Tomographic Imaging of the Ionosphere Using Global Positioning System Measurements Li, Maokun Chew, W. Studies on Applying the Equivalence Principle Algorithm on Multiscale Problems Liu, Yuan Chew, W. Recent Development in Low Frequency Integral Equation Method Mao, Kaiyun Jin, J. Finite Element Analysis Of Multilayer Transmission Lines and Circuit Components Mekonnen, Yidnekachew Schutt-Aine, J. Broadband Macromodeling Techniques for Interconnects and Electronic Packages Nee, Brett Chapman, P. Integration of Filter Elements in Electric Drives Niu, Penglin Chapman, P. Biomechanical Energy Conversion Shaikh, Kashan Liu, C. Design and Development of A Portable Microfl uidic System for Medical Diagnostics Tu, Jilin Huang, T. Visual Face Tracking and Its Applications Vu, Linh Liberzon, D. Invertibility and Input-to-State Stability of Switched Systems and Applications in Adaptive Control Weaver, Wayne Krein, P. Geometric and Game-Theoretic Control of Energy Assets in Small-Scale Power Systems Xu, Dan Liang, Z. Design of Multidimensional Large-Tip-Angle Radio Frequency Pulses for Parallel Transmission in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Zhang, Zhuohui Bernhard, J. Analysis and Design of a Broadband Antenna for Software Defi ned Radio MAY 2007 Chen, Guang Adesida, I. Gallium Nitride-Based HEMTS Devices Modeling and Performance Characterization Chen, Kuo-Feng Eden, J. Microplasma Transistor with A Quasi Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS)/Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) Electron Emitter Davis, Clayton Chew, W. Reduced-Cost CEM Problems through Model Simplifi cation and A-Priori Information Kim, Dong Hyung Adesida, I. Process Development and Device Characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for High Frequency Applications Lakshmikantha, Ashvin Srikant, R. An End-User QOS View of Buffer Sizing and Bandwidth Sharing Protocols Liu, Ming Huang, T. Probabilistic Correspondence Mapping for Audio-Visual Speaker Modeling Maitre, Matthieu Do, M. “Traveling Without Moving,” A Study on the Reconstruction, Compression, and Rendering of 3D Environments for Telepresence Mallik, Siddhartha Koetter, R. Coding Strategies For Combating Interference On Point-to-Point And Multiple Access Channels Ryoo, Shane Hwu, W. Program Optimization Strategies for Data-Parallel Many-Core Processors Sun, Jin Carney, S. Near-Field Scanning Optical Tomography Varatkar, Girish Shanbhag, N. Energy-Effi cient and Error-Tolerant Design Woo, Anne Cangellaris, A. Passive Rational Fitting of A Passive Network Transfer Function from Its Real Part Zhang, Zhenqiu Huang, T. Joint Face Detection and Tracking In 3D Space Zhong, Yu Wong, M. Fast Algorithms for the Design and Analysis of Large Power Grids FALL 2008

Many approaches exist for supporting ECE Illinois By Jonathan Hill, Director of Development

Our department has a long and illustrious history, and year ago. Today you can deduct the full $5,000 on this the stories we are able to print in Resonance are just year’s income tax return. The $4,000 capital gain is a sample of the great things that the faculty, students, not taxed, even though it has “infl ated” your charitable and alumni of ECE Illinois take part in every day. deduction. Avoiding the capital gain makes it possible to give stock at a lower actual cost to you rather than One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is meeting making a cash gift. ECE alumni who are proud graduates and supporters of this department. I believe their pride is well founded Often the stocks that work best for this kind of when you look at the impact that our alumni, faculty, giving are those that have the greatest amount of and students have on the world every day. appreciation. Another topic to consider is how such a gift of stock would facilitate an adjustment of an In their support of ECE Illinois, most gifts we receive investment portfolio. from alumni and friends are monetary. For most people, this type of gift is their regular and best means Stocks may also be a means for creating a source of supporting the department and its educational of regular income during retirement by setting up a goals. But there are a few other options that may charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT), a trust that can be advantageous to the donor while also providing include stocks as well as other assets, and that can pay support to ECE. a variable income for life or a set term of years. Our featured donor in this issue, Rod Parks, is someone One such option I’d like to mention is a gift of who has chosen this as a way to provide for an appreciated stock. For some donors, this is a way to endowed scholarship for the department. make an impact on the department while incurring substantially reduced cost. This cost reduction is the These are just a few of the many gift plans that can result of the double tax benefi t. be made to benefi t ECE Illinois. I welcome the opportunity to talk to you about these or other giving For example: suppose you decide to give 100 shares options to the department and encourage you to of stock with a current fair market value of $5,000. contact me at [email protected] or by calling You bought the stock for only $1,000 more than a me at (217) 265-6285.

Emma L. Marshall Scholarship achieves funding goal

Last summer we announced the establishment The scholarship will be awarded to students of the Emma L. Marshall Scholarship Fund. who exemplify Emma’s work ethic and com- The ECE Alumni Association board wanted mitment; a daunting task, as those who to recognize the dedicated service Emma pro- know Emma also know how tirelessly she vided to the Alumni Association during her 15 has worked in support of ECE alumni. years as student and alumni relations coordina- tor. The fund was announced in recognition of Though this scholarship has achieved its Emma’s retirement from the ECE Department. initial funding goal, contributions to this fund will still be accepted. Donations can be The generosity of alumni who remember Emma made via the ECE Web site at www.ece.uiuc. and her hard work has been outstanding. The fund edu or by contacting Jonathan Hill. has already achieved its funding goal, and will Emma Marshall begin providing scholarships to students in 2009. NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

DONOR PROFILE Giving support where he found support

By Tom Moone

or Rod Parks (BSEE ’70), one of the greatest benefi ts “HP was a great place to work,” said Parks of his time there. The he received from the ECE Department—though at the company was growing fast and had a strong company culture. time it was still the EE Department—was support. Parks said the company would even give his kids Christmas Not fi nancial support, but personal support. It was the presents. His job enabled him to live a year each in Germany and personal support of the faculty in the department that enabled France doing work for HP. “It was a great privilege,” said Parks. Parks to complete his degree and move on to a successful career at Hewlett Packard. Since leaving HP in 1996, Parks has worked with a couple of startup companies, one a A native of Paxton, Illinois, Parks received software company and another that provided an associate degree from DeVry University ISP service to rural areas in Colorado. Between in Chicago in 1962. Wanting to continue his working for these two companies, he did some education, he returned to the area with a job as consulting work for HP and Agilent. a technician in the Physics Department at the University of Illinois. While there he started Parks now considers himself truly retired, taking courses part time. In 1964, he started and spends time volunteering with Habitat for working for the EE Department. “I really Humanity and doing some activities he enjoys, enjoyed the work,” he said. “I had a lot of including skiing, golf, and traveling. interaction with students and the faculty. The Throughout his career at HP, Parks had been faculty members were incredibly supportive acquiring stock in the company. Parks and of me going on and fi nishing my engineering ECE alumnus Rod Parks his wife Sharon set up a charitable remainder education.” unitrust (CRUT) with his stock assets. With Working full time taking two courses a semester and one in the a trustee overseeing the portfolio, Parks and his wife receive summer, Parks fi nished his undergraduate degree eight years a regular income based on the portfolio’s performance. After after joining the University. When he received his diploma, he their death, the assets remaining in the CRUT will be distri- also received a letter from the department signed by most of buted to designated benefi ciaries, one of which is ECE. “I the faculty members. “There were a number of luminaries who have a soft spot in my heart for the University of Illinois, signed it,” he said. “In many ways, I treasured that letter even particularly electrical engineering,” he said. “I want to leave more than the diploma.” some money here.”

After fi nishing his bachelor’s degree, Parks began working in The funds given to ECE will then be used to establish a the marketing department of Hewlett Packard in Loveland, scholarship to benefi t a student deserving of support. “I was Colorado. He went on to management positions in a variety of working full time, married, and had two children, so I took areas within the company, including technical support, sales classes over an extended period to get my degree” he said. support, and product marketing. Parks was able to see a major “So my goal is that the scholarship be given to a student who is change in the company as HP grew to the major computing deserving of support to continue their education.” company it is today. “During my time, the company really Summing up his education and engineering career, Parks fl ipped from being a test and measurement instrumentation said, “It’s a long trip from Paxton, Illinois, to Colorado and all company with some computer business to a computer company the things we’ve been able to do, and all the opportunities that also had some adjunct businesses,” he said. Shortly after we’ve had. Without a good education, which started here, I Parks retired from HP in 1996, the test and measurement portion wouldn’t have been able to experience all these things. It’s of the company was spun off as Agilent Technologies. been a great ride.” FALL 2008

Donor Honor Roll January 2008 through June 2008 Kuhlman, Mary A. and Robert P. Wiegand ECE is grateful to the alumni, friends, and partners who have made contributions to the Labiak, William G. and Mabel department. This list includes fi nancial donations, but we are just as grateful for the ongoing Lachman, Phillip M. support you lend in other ways. ECE could not maintain its position as a great educational Meeker, Donald J. and Gabrielle B. and research institution without you. Mueller, Thomas O. Owdom, Ronald S. The following list includes charitable gifts designated for ECE and received between Parks, John F. January 1, 2008, and June 31, 2008. Gifts to other campus units may be recognized in Schmitt, Ross A. other campus publications. Simaan, Rita Sohail, Faysal A. We strive to make this list as accurate as possible. If your name is listed incorrectly or Stahl, Alan L. omitted, please accept our apologies. To report an error or omission, or for information Strack, Jan Jeffry about making a gift, please contact Jonathan Hill, director of development, at (217) 265-6567 Tomasic, Michael G. or [email protected]. Trick, Michael T. Turic, Carlos and Denise M. Corporate and Foundation Motorola Foundation Gifts of $1,000 to $5,000 Veatch, Mark S. Donors National City Bank Corporation Andideh, Ebrahim Waldrop, Park D. Advanced Materials Technology National Semiconductor Beanblossom, Todd M. Werner, William D. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Corporation Borth, David Edward West, Leslie Joe Agilent Technologies, Inc. Northrop Grumman Foundation Bruckmann, Guenter and Wolson, Raymond D. III Ameren NVIDIA Corporation Sarah Margaret Zillman, Daniel C. American Electric Power Company PBM Nutritionals, LLC Campbell, Edna M. Gifts up to $249 American Transmission Co. LLC Phonak AG Chan, Lisa Adkisson, Robert A. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP Progress Energy, Inc. Chow, Doris W. Ahn, James J. AT&T Foundation Qualcomm Incorporated Hong, Se June Aksamit, Randy J. The Ayco Charitable Foundation Raytheon Company Kiesling, Robert W. Amaya, Luis E. and Alexandra Bitrode Corporation Rockwell Automation Mitchell, Joan L. Ortiz The Boeing Gift Matching Charitable Corporation Newman, Leon A. Anderson, Arne D. Program S&C Foundation Pesavento, David R. Anderson, Steven K. CambridgeSoft Corporation Salutron, Inc. Plofsky, Jordan and Aprille, Thomas J. Caterpillar Foundation Sargent & Lundy LLC Jo-Ann Moretti Arisman, Mark T. Cisco Foundation SC Johnson Fund, Inc. Radnik, Robert C. Arndt, Jonathan M. ConocoPhillips Company Starbucks Smolik, Kenneth F. Assar, Mahmud Crowe, Chizek and Company LLC State Farm Companies Foundation Sterling, Jennifer T. Atwood, Michael L. and Karen M. Eastman Kodak Company State Farm Mutual Automobile Tolli, Dominic M. and Natalie J. Baca, Richard J. Emerson Electric Company Synopsys Foundation Wang, Yi-Min and Pi-Yu Chung Balasaygun, Mehmet C. Exelon TAC, LLC Wang, Zhonghui A. and Liping J. Balzarini, Dennis L. GE Foundation Tektronix, Inc. Weichsel, George H. Banerjee, Amit General Dynamics Telekom Research & Development Yaru, Nicholas and Rosemary Decision Systems Inc. Sdn. Bhd. Beck, Robert W. The Grainger Foundation Inc. Texas Instruments Gifts of $250 to $999 Bertetti, David D. IBM Matching Grants Program Texas Instruments Foundation Alvarez, Francisco Birnbaum, Joshua and Jessie Institute of Electrical & Electronic Timo Technology Company, Ltd. Baits, Paul G. Boughton, Kristin G. Engineers Twelfth Root Beall, Charles W. Brearley, Harrington C. Jr. Intel Corporation UDASOFT, LLC Bennett, William S. Breeding, Juliann B. Intel Foundation United Technologies Corporation Blevins, Jack L. Bunch, Steve R. International Business Verizon Foundation Chicoine, Michael R. and Burns, Patrick G. and Tracy H. Machines Corporation Caroline G. Chan, Chi K. J. P. Morgan Chase Foundation Major Gifts Cochran, Paul L. Chen, David T. Lockheed Martin Corporation Grainger, David W. DeGregorio, Gary L. Chu, Michael J. Foundation Dunning, Wendell R. and Rita Dickmann, James W. Cleveland, George M. Mattel Children’s Foundation Bahl, Lalit R. and Kavita Kinra Erickson, Paul M. Davis, Robert L. The Medtronic Foundation Welch, Allyn Green, Philip B. and Barbara Davis, Charles E. Mentor Graphics Corporation Warren, Annette E. Trust Iffl and, Charles F. and Elizabeth J. Dougherty, Mack X. Microsoft (Deceased) Kreer, John B. and Vivienne M. Eichelkraut, Craig A. Major, Jo S. Jr. and Diann M. Emery, Edith R. NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Erlebacher, Seth A. Kotecki, Donald K. Nelson, Mark W. Slutter, Andrew B. Etzel, Mark H. Krames, Michael R. Neuhalfen, Andrew J. Speltz, Stephen Eugene Farmer, Daniel E. Kroll, Gregory A. and Cynthia A. Neuhalfen, Michael A. Squire, John S. Fong, Peter H. Kruger, Deborah J. Ng, Spencer W. Stapleton, Jim Gartner, Todd H. and Leonora J. Kudlich, Robert A. Nichols, JeanAnn Stocks, John C. Gerber, Howard L. Lange, David A. and Rise R. O’Brien, James D. Struzinski, William Andrew Gerstenberger, Jeffrey S. Langlois, William M. Ohnemus, Scott J. Sumrall, George E. Graff, Timothy E. and Therese C. Laursen, Robert L. O’Mahoney, Michael A. Swim, Alan D. Graham, Richard A. Layman, Roger S. and Julie A. Tang, Ju-Ho Greenwood, Andrew D. Layno, John H. Parikh, Mitesh M. Torkildsen, Robert A. Greer, James A. and Beth A. Lee, Jong R. Patriarca, Rodolfo Turkowski, Kenneth E. Hajic, Earl J. Lee, Jeffrey J. Plano, Mary A. Umeki, Russell Hall, Douglas C. Lomelino, Dale L. Polesky, Richard W. Vanarsdall, Kurtis D. Halla, John B. Longley, Lester A. Polson, Duane R. and Margaret M. Halttunen, Martin Armas Ludwig, Paul D. and Jennifer L. Potter, Lee C. Vaughn, Matthew W. (Deceased) Maddock, James B. Presser, Leon Waineo, Douglas K. Hanes, Larry L. Maher, Robert C. Ray, Howard K. Walker, Michael E. Hansen, Timothy R. Mahoney, Gerald W. Redfern, Elwin M. Webb, David B. and Hart, Gerald W. Mata, Donnell Richter, John P. Jennifer L. Harmon Haruch, John and Constance Y. McCloskey, Lyle D. Rosa, Albert J. Webb, George B. Haskins, Robert E. McCurdy, Duane D. Ruby, Robert A. Webb, James A. and Becky Ann Hill, Michael L. and Colleen M. McKinstry, Robert B. Saari, Brian A. Wegehenkel, Chris L. Hill, Will J. Messinger, Erica Samp, Michael K. Welbourne, G. Bruce Hodel, A. S. Meyer, Michael G. Sander, Benjamin T. and Wenda, Ronald L. Hoover, Keith E. and Judith M. Milano, Raymond A. Nancy Ann Whiteman, Michael L. Huh, David K. Moehn, David M. Schrock, Anthony M. Wilson, Glenn Edward Huitema, Richard L. Moore, John S. Schwartz, Alan M. Winograd, Shmuel and Elaine Johnson, Gary W. Moreira, Jose E. Scott, Michael J. and Melanie M. Wirth, Robert D. Jones, Edwin C. Jr. Munson, Bill A. Shemroske, Peter M. Wytmar, Richard J. III Kaliski, Robert W. Myers, William J. Siljenberg, David W. Young, Richard C. Katz, Richard H. Nagel, Jeffrey M. Sipinski, Gene Yu, Gilbert S. and Mabel L. Kenyon, Richard Jay and Lois B. Nealon, Mark J. Skulina, Richard J. Ziffra, Scott A.

ECE Alumni Awards

CALL FOR Please submit nominations no NOMINATIONS! later than January 3, 2009! Do you know a fellow ECE Illinois alumnus deserving of recognition for his or her accomplishments? Then we want to hear from you!

ECE Illinois has nearly 20,000 alumni worldwide making contributions in engineering, business, government, and academia. Help us identify those alumni deserving of recognition for their outstanding work by completing a nomination form for one of the following awards: • ECE Distinguished Alumni Award honors ECE graduates who have made professional and technical contributions that bring distinction to the department and University. Anyone with an ECE degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who is not a current faculty or ECE Alumni Board member is eligible. • ECE Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes young alumni who have made outstanding professional contributions to their fi eld. Anyone with an ECE degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who will be under 40 years old on April 1, 2009 is eligible.

For more information and to submit a nomination online for either award (with the new & easy automated system!), please go to www.ece.uiuc.edu/alumni/. Questions/comments: Jill Jarboe • ECE Alumni and Student Relations Coordinator 55 Everitt Lab, 1406 W. Green Street, MC-702, Urbana, IL 61801 • [email protected] • PH: 217.333.5817 • FAX: 217.265.6499 FALL 2008

ECE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Denise M. Turic (BSEE ’88) Microchip Technology MIDWEST VICE PRESIDENT President’s Letter Kenneth F. Smolik (BSEE ’69, MSEE ’70) Banner & Witcoff Dear Fellow ECE Alumni, WESTERN VICE PRESIDENT Ebrahim Andideh (PhD ’90) A great way to keep ECE Illinois in the media, to raise the awareness and Intel Corporation (retired) status of the department, and to make us all look good, is to win nationally EASTERN VICE PRESIDENT and internationally recognized awards. Of course, in order to win we must David Yeh (BSCompE ’83, compete, and in order to compete we must be nominated. The department MSEE ’85, PhD ’90) and faculty are recipients of many prestigious awards. Our alumni at large Texas Instruments, Inc. are not, but should be. TREASURER Erica Messinger (BSEE ’99) The awards are sponsored by professional organizations, societies, foundations, governments, Agilent Technologies, Inc. and corporations. The ECE Department maintains a list of awards and ECE winners, and PRESIDENT-ELECT monthly posts will be made to the Electrical and Computer Engineering Alumni Group on Always Illinois (www.alwaysillinois.org/) to alert you of upcoming nomination deadlines. Chris George (BSCompE ’97, MSEE ’99) There are nearly 200 annual awards for ECE in academia, government, industry, and service. Hanley, Flight and Our ECE department has helped develop our sensational talents. It is a shame for our worthy Always Illinois to keep Zimmerman, LLC ECE alumni not to be recognized for their accomplishments. Please join up on upcoming award possibilities. PAST PRESIDENT Sherel D. Horsley (BSEE ’64, re asking you to notify us of deserving ECE To facilitate an increase in alumni nominations, we a MSEE ’65) graduates. Do you have an ECE colleague or friend who should be recognized for his or her Texas Instruments (retired) achievements? Or do you satisfy the criteria for a particular award but need a nominator? Please, MEMBERS let us know! Karen Coperich Branch (MSEE ’96, PhD ’01) The department, alumni board members, and ECE alumni volunteers are available to help Sandia National Laboratories complete nominations, so don’t put it off because of other more pressing tasks. Contact the Phillip Lachman (BSEE ’04) department today and help us get the recognition we deserve. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Sincerely, Ben Sander (BSEE ’93, MSEE ’95) Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Thanh Tran (BSEE ’84) Texas Instruments, Inc. Denise Turic (BSEE ’88) Christy Westendorf (BSEE ’00) ECE Alumni Association Patrick Engineering Board of Directors President John Woythal (BSEE ’56) The Boeing Company (retired) NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Steve Sample: A study in leadership

By Tom Moone

n his 2002 book The Contrarian’s be a university president.” Sample then students typically apply each year. “It’s Guide to Leadership, Steve proceeded to fulfi ll that goal. now the most sought-after course at this Sample (BSEE ’62, MSEE ’63, university,” said Sample. PhD ’65) writes, “It’s hard to He served as deputy director on the defi ne [leadership] in a way that is Illinois Board of Higher Education from A result of his involvement with this satisfactory to everyone, although 1971 to 1974. Although he did not fi nd course was The Contrarian’s Guide to most people believe they know it the work with the IBHE as satisfying Leadership. Sample analyzed leaders when they see it.” as working at a university, “I learned a of countries and kingdoms as well as lot about politics,” said leaders in academia and industry to Looking at Sample’s Sample. develop his insights. “I came up with career, with 17 years concepts or principles that maybe as president of the In 1974 Sample became even I wouldn’t have held until I got University of Southern provost and executive into teaching this class and got into California and nine vice president of the observing and studying real leaders,” years as president of the University of Nebraska. he said. State University of New Then Sample began York at Buffalo before achieving presidency It is worth noting that Sample donates that, one could certainly positions in higher royalties collected from the sale of this see that leadership, and education. In 1982 he book to a scholarship fund for USC know it. became the president undergraduates. of SUNY Buffalo. Sample’s career started And then, in 1991, Sample has received numerous awards out following a typical he became the tenth throughout his career. In 1998, he path. After completing ECE alumnus Steve Sample president of the was elected to the National Academy his PhD in 1965, he went University of Southern of Engineering “for contributions to to work for Melpar, a small aerospace California, and has held this post ever consumer electronics and leadership fi rm in Falls Church, Virginia. since. “I have really loved it,” he said. in interdisciplinary research and However, he quickly felt a draw to education.” In 2003 he was elected to the academia that was stronger than the Under Sample’s leadership, USC has American Academy of Arts and Sciences draw of industry. In 1966 he returned continued to grow in renown and in recognition of his accomplishments to the classroom as an assistant professor infl uence. USC has received national as a university president. In 2005, he at Purdue University. recognition for its community outreach became an Eminent Member in Eta programs, and it has become known Kappa Nu honor society, an honor Sample enjoyed teaching, but “I wasn’t as one of the nation’s leading research conferred upon those whose attainments really that oriented to academic re- institutions. In 2000, USC was named and contributions to society through search,” he said. A colleague eventually College of the Year by Time magazine. engineering leadership have resulted in suggested Sample consider going into signifi cant benefi ts to humanity. And administration. It was after he came to USC that Sample earlier this year Sample was named a became interested in leadership as a recipient of the IEEE Founders Medal A fellowship from the American Council topic of study. At USC, Sample met “for leadership in higher education and of Education allowed him to spend a Warren Bennis, a pioneer in leadership the engineering profession, and for year as an administrative intern in the studies. Together, they created a course pioneering contributions to consumer offi ce of the president at Purdue. “I loved for juniors and seniors called “The Art electronics.” it,” said Sample. “It was at that point and Adventure of Leadership.” For the that my wife and I decided that I should course’s 40 available slots, over 300 NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS ALUMNI LEADERS FALL 2008

Alumnus’ unusual research got an engineering start

By Jamie Hutchinson

rom age five, ECE alumnus research on psychic phenomena used discretionary research time to study Dean Radin (MSEE ’75) seemed (or “psi”), as well as his command psi. His next job was with the famed headed for a career as a concert of psi research worldwide, Radin think tank, SRI International, which violinist. But he also excelled fiercely defends the evidence for performed classified psi research for at science and math, read voraciously in human potentials like psychokinesis, the Pentagon. At SRI, Radin conducted many subjects, and enjoyed taking apart clairvoyance, telepathy, and experiments, reviewed translations of gadgets and putting them together again. precognition. Russian and Chinese psi literature, and interviewed defecting scientists from What’s a prodigious polymath to do? those countries.

Radin consulted with family and In the late 1990s Radin worked at friends, who gave him the advice he Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s now gives to others: “I always tell Interval Research Corp., and he has people now that if you’re interested in a long been interested in the possibility huge range of topics…first learn how to of psi-based technologies. He points to do engineering so you can know how several new patents or patents pending to do something.” He majored in for devices that exploit the effects of electrical engineering at the University mental intention on circuitry. of Massachusetts, then picked Illinois for grad school. “Somebody somewhere thinks there’s money to be made,” said Radin. “The In many ways, Radin’s resume since closest analogy to things we have today leaving ECE looks like those of the are brain-activated technologies, and this department’s other most successful would be the next step, which would be and interesting alumni. He earned a pure mind-controlled technologies.” PhD and went on to hold positions in prestigious labs and think tanks; he ECE alumnus Dean Radin Radin shares the engineering commu- worked in a Silicon Valley startup for nity’s optimism about nano and one of the giants of the tech industry; biotechnology, if for slightly different Radin’s books, The Conscious Universe and his research and publications have reasons. “The effects that we see in (1997, HarperCollins) and Entangled made him a big name in his field. mind-matter interactions tend to be Minds (2006, Simon & Schuster), are very small and very statistical,” he available as mass-market paperbacks. But the similarities end there, and the said. “That suggests that the smaller He’s been interviewed by Oprah and differences originate in another of the system, or the easier it is for the Larry King, profiled by the New York Radin’s boyhood interests. “When I was system to be ‘pushed,’ the better the Times, and featured in the award- a kid and I learned that it was possible results might be.” to apply some science towards verifying winning documentary What the BLEEP whether psychic phenomena were true or Do We Know!? He draws huge crowds Radin and other psi researchers often not, I couldn’t think of anything for talks at venues ranging from use the Internet for networked experi- more interesting to do.” Cambridge University’s Cavendish ments, an area Radin has explored Laboratory to Google. And he’s all over since his student days at Illinois, Today Radin is a senior scientist at the Internet. when he posted a precognition test on the Institute of Noetic Sciences in the PLATO network. “Nothing very After earning his PhD in educational Petaluma, California. Arguing from spectacular to report about it,” he said. psychology at Illinois, Radin worked at the results of his own well-known “But it was fun.” Bell Labs in Columbus, Ohio, where he NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES 1950s Xactly is a leader in on-demand sales Ben Tsai (MSEE ’82, PhD ’84) was Glenn Jacobs (BSEE ’58) and his wife performance management. elected to serve on the board of directors Eileen celebrated their 50th wedding of Varian Semiconductor Equipment anniversary in June. He retired from 1980s Associates, Inc. Varian is the leading GTE in 1992 after 34 years in the Christina Brazdziunas (BSCompE supplier of ion implant equipment to engineering and service departments. ’89) was named chief technology offi cer semiconductor manufacturers. for Verso Technologies, Inc., a global Steve Whealon (BSEE ’83) is currently 1960s provider of next generation network William Wulf (BS Engr. Physics ’61, solutions. enrolled in medical school in the MSEE ’63) received an honorary degree Caribbean at Saba University School David P. Freese (BSCompE ’89) was from Missouri University of Science and of Medicine on the island of Saba, named CEO of Generation5, a company Technology in May. He gave the address Netherlands Antilles. that provides predictions of customer at the commencement ceremonies for the behavior, attitudes, and purchase David Yen (MSEE ’77, PhD ’80) has university. potential to help marketers reach been named executive vice president customers more effectively. for emerging technologies at Juniper 1970s Networks, Inc. Juniper Networks is a William Bielby (BSEE ’70) has joined Mario de la Huerga (BSEE ’82) was leader in high-performance networking. the sociology faculty at the University named network administrator for Grubb of Illinois—Chicago. & Ellis—New Mexico, which is one of 1990s John Day (BSEE ’70, MSEE ’76) the largest full-service commercial real Bradley Bishop (MSEE ’94, PhD ’97) received the Roger Deveau Award estate companies in New Mexico. has been named Instructor of the for Excellence in Teaching by Part- Year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Dirk Meyer (BSCompE ’83) was named Annapolis, Maryland. Time Faculty from Boston University, chief executive offi cer of Advanced Metropolitan College. Micro Devices. Eric Chamberlain (BSCompE ’97) is Neal J. Keating (BSEE ’78) has been the cofounder and chief operating offi cer Scott McMullen (BSEE ’85) has been of RingFree, a San Francisco-based named the president and chief executive named vice president of engineering offi cer of Kaman Corp. Kaman conducts company focusing on the development for Medsphere Systems Corporation. of software and services that allow business in the aerospace and industrial Medsphere Systems is a leading distribution markets. mobile telephone devices to converge provider of open source software for Internet and traditional calling. Robert Kennedy (BSEE ’78) was the healthcare industry. named the 2008 DC Illini of the Year Richard Kapusta (BSCompE ’92) Chuck Stancil (BSCompE ’84, was appointed vice president of by the Washington, DC, Illini Club. MSEE ’85) was recently appointed He is copresident of C-SPAN. marketing and business development chief technologist for business PCs at for Actel Corporation. Actel designs, John Orr (BSEE ’69, PhD ’77) was Hewlett Packard. develops, and markets fi eld- appointed provost and senior vice Norman Tien (MSEE ’85) was named programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) president for Worcester Polytechnic a recipient of the Chang-Lin Tien and programmable system chip Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. Education Leadership Award. Tien solutions for power-effi cient design. Yahya Rahmat-Samii (MSEE ’72, is the dean and Nord Professor of Chris Koopmans (BSCompE ’99) PhD ’75) was elected to the National Engineering at Case Western Reserve was named vice president for product Academy of Engineering. He is a University’s Case School of Engineering. development for Bytemobile, Inc. professor of electrical engineering He is also the Ohio Eminent Scholar Bytemobile is a leader in mobile Internet at UCLA. in Condensed Matter Physics. The solutions for network operators. Tien Awards program recognizes William J. Sudlow (BSEE ’71) was the accomplishments of rising Asian Jeff R. Lamb (BSCompE ’96) has appointed senior vice president of American leaders in higher education. been hired as president by DOmedia. engineering for Xactly Corporation. DOmedia is an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of alternative and unique advertising media. HAVE NEWS TO SHARE? Mark Stout (BSEE ’90) was named director of renewable technology Visit www.ece.uiuc.edu/alumni and complete our “Keep in Touch” form. FALL 2008

planning at Cleantech America, Inc. then Duke Power Company, from which Gerald E. Peterson (BSEE ’51) died Cleantech develops utility-scale clean he retired in 1994. May 13, 2008. He was 82. He served energy alternatives for sale to utilities, with the Army Air Corps during World municipalities, and other customers. Edward H. Scharres (BSEE ’48) died War II. He retired from Commonwealth May 10, 2008. He was 88. Scharres Edison after 37 years of service. Oliver Valente (BSEE ’91) was named served with the Army in World War executive vice president and chief II. He was assigned to the Oak Ridge Paul DiSalvo (BSEE ’53) died June 16, operating offi cer for ExteNet Systems, (Tennessee) Atomic Bomb Project where 2008. He was 78. Inc., a company that develops innovative he performed technical work. He was distributed antenna systems networks for employed by General Electric and then Robert F. Hoyt (BSEE ’53) died wireless service providers. Illinois Institute of Technology Research November 29, 2007. He was 79. He Institute, where he carried out a variety served in the Air Force from 1946 to 2000s of projects, including some for NASA. 1949. He was employed by Caterpillar, Harish Agarwal (BSCompE ’02) is a co- Motorola, and Honeywell. John K. Giles (MSEE ’49) died October founder of Octopart, a search engine for Rolland L. Heien (BSEE ’58) died electronic parts. 2, 2007. He was 83. During World War II he served in the Navy. In 1976 he retired June 10, 2008. He was 72. Heien was Ryan Harbaugh (BSEE ’01) passed the from the U.S. Postal Service where he an electrical engineer for McDonnell professional engineer exam in Indiana. had worked as an electrical engineer. Douglas-Boeing until his retirement. Karen Hauck (BSCompE ’06) and L. Wayne Stevens (BSEE ’49) died Lynn D. McNames (BSEE ’59) died Matthew Zwier (MS Physical Chemistry November 29, 2007. He was 83. He December 12, 2007. He was 76. He ’05) were married December 29, 2007, served with the Marines in World War served with the U.S. Army during in Champaign. Matthew works for II. He worked with Shell Oil in Canada the Korean War. He was employed the University of Illinois Chemistry and later with PanCanadian Petroleum. by Lockheed-Martin and later by the Department as a scientifi c computer In the 1970s he joined Amerada Hess Department of Defense in the Civil programmer, and Karen is a PhD student in Calgary as vice president for Service before his retirement. in the history and philosophy of science exploration. He moved to Denver and Raymond Belmonte (BSEE ’59) died in at the University of Pittsburgh. headed L.W. Stevens and Associates April 2008. He was 76. He had retired until his retirement. Nicholas Soldner (MSEE ’06) has from Motorola after 37 years of service. returned to Connecticut after spending Clyde “Cotton” Wilson, Jr. (BSEE ’49) Timothy Roethemeyer (BSEE ’93, a year working in Shanghai, China. He died March 28, 2008. He was 86. He MSEE ’95) died September 6, 2007. is interested in meeting Illinois alumni served with the Marine Corps during in the New York City area. World War II. Wilson worked for Emerson Electric and later for Nathan Schweighart (BSEE ’01) Missouri Utilities Co. At the time of married Pamela Armata on April 12, his retirement from Missouri Utilities 2008. He works as a senior engineer for Co. in 1984, he was the vice president the Tennessee Valley Authority and is of electrical operations. pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. Harry Cerbin (BSEE ’50) died April 21, 2008. Anlin Xiong (MSEE ’05), the vice president of Sinoenergy Corporation, has Martin A. Halttunen (BSEE ’50) died been appointed as board secretary to the March 18, 2008. He was 82. He served in company. Sinoenergy is a manufacturer the Army during World War II and was of compressed natural gas vehicle and gas awarded the Purple Heart. He worked station equipment in China. at General Electric for 37 years until his retirement in 1987. IN MEMORIAM Samuel D. Wright (BSEE ’47) died Deane C. Leonard (BSEE ’50) died December 3, 2007. He was 86. He served December 23, 2007. He was 88. He in the Army during World War II. He served in World War II with the U.S. started his career with Central Illinois Army Medical Corps in Europe. He Public Service. Later he worked for was employed by Caterpillar until his Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation and retirement in 1981. NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Control, Thy Passion The story of an eminent Illinois lab

By Jamie Hutchinson

he Decision and Control who retired from the ECE faculty from 1965 to 1970, spurred the group Laboratory (DCL) at Illinois in 2005. “It measures the change on to more interdisciplinary work. traces its origins to an “adaptive in performance due to changing One such effort, led by urban and systems” research group parameters or environments. Illinois regional planning professor Jerrold established in the Coordinated Science became the center of this activity.” Voss, drew upon control theory to Laboratory (CSL) in 1959 by CSL achieve dynamic, interactive models associate director Mac Van Valkenburg. In 1965 Petar Kokotovic, who had met of urban growth useful to planners. The group consisted of just two people: Van Valkenburg the previous year at Other applications included economic Van Valkenburg and his freshly a conference in Yugoslavia, joined policy and electric power systems. graduated advisee, José Cruz (PhD the Illinois control group and quickly 1959), whose dissertation Beginning in 1981 with the extended traditional hiring of Tamer Başar, the circuit theory to address group’s ranks began to fi ll with systems with time-varying a new generation of faculty components, introducing who are today the senior ideas from the emerging members of the DCL. Before fi eld of automatic control. coming to Illinois, Başar had already coauthored a book on Nearly 50 years later, the noncooperative game theory DCL claims 20 faculty that has since become a classic from fi ve departments and in applied mathematics. At enjoys a reputation second Illinois, he has spearheaded to none in the world of research in the cutting-edge control, now a mature, highly area of “H-infi nity optimal interdisciplinary research control,” which addresses Mac Van Valkenburg José Cruz fi eld. Those who remember the old sensitivity issue from the early days of the Illinois a new angle incorporating group attribute its success to the style established himself as a leader in game theory. “You formulate it as a and philosophy of its founder. “His “singular perturbation” theory, which problem where the controller is playing philosophy was the same as [then ECE addresses the control of complex, a game against the uncertainty viewed department head] Ed Jordan,” said Cruz dynamic systems whose behavior evolves as an adversary,” said Başar. “That of Van Valkenburg. “Hire the very best in two or more time scales. Meanwhile, way, you safeguard yourself against you can fi nd, and leave them alone.” Cruz took the lead in applying theory of the worst that can happen.” In 1991 “differential games” to systems where Başar coauthored a bestselling book William Perkins fi nished his PhD multiple controllers, or players, seek on the subject, and today the book at Stanford in 1961 and joined the to realize divergent goals. In the 1970s is still a standard text in the fi eld. group that year, initiating a productive these two lines of research would merge collaboration with Cruz in the area of into a highly successful, Department In 1984 Kokotovic attended a conference sensitivity theory, which addresses of Energy-sponsored methodology in San Antonio at which a University uncertainty in a system and its for large-scale systems control. of Maryland mathematician, P. R. environment. “As a measure of feedback Kumar, gave a talk about self-tuning to cope with these uncertainties, we The new control ideas percolating regulators. “Wherever Petar is, all roads introduced a mathematical concept at Illinois had broad applications, go through,” refl ected Kumar, who, known as sensitivity,” said Perkins, and W. Dale Compton, CSL director thanks to that encounter, joined the FALL 2008

Illinois control group in January 1985. The DCL has supplied people as increasingly interdisciplinary DCL. Kumar began to study manufacturing well as ideas to research institutions The newest ECE members of the lab systems and developed scheduling nationwide. Cruz retired from Illinois in are Christoforos Hadjicostis (1999), policies for semiconductor fabrication 1986 and became dean of engineering Daniel Liberzon (2000), Yi Ma (2000), that have been implemented at IBM’s at Ohio State. After 25 years at and Seth Hutchinson (2007), an ECE Burlington, Vermont, plant. Later Illinois, Kokotovic retired to become faculty member since 1989 who adds Kumar turned his attention to wireless director of the Center for Control, to the group’s expertise in robotics. and mobile networks, developing some Dynamical Systems, and Computation of the fundamental theory about the at the University of California—Santa Meanwhile, the non-ECE group scaling of such networks. He and his Barbara. This fall, robotics expert Mark within the DCL has grown to become students have written two of the most Spong, a DCL member since 1984 and a majority. For many years it consisted highly cited papers in that fi eld. ECE faculty member since 2005, became solely of Spong and large-scale engineering dean at the University of systems expert Juraj Medanic, both In 1989 Sean Meyn joined the group. His Texas at Dallas. of whom were affi liated with the expertise, like Kumar’s, lay primarily Department of General Engineering in the area of adaptive control, in which No story about the Illinois control until its reorganization in 2005. The the control law for a system can change group would be complete without 1990s brought strong non-ECE hires as more is learned about such as Petros Voulgaris the system function and its (Aeronautical Engineering), environment. Meyn’s work Andrew Alleyne (Mechanical on nonlinear and stochastic Science and Engineering systems led to a coauthored [MSE]), Geir Dullerud monograph that the current (MSE), and Carolyn Beck president of the American (Industrial and Enterprise Economics Institute has called Systems Engineering), and “the bible for economists who the trend has continued into use Markov models.” Recently this decade. “It has been Meyn collaborated with great to see a real blossoming U of I economics professor of interdisciplinary activity In-Koo Cho to improve the in the general area of power market models and Petar Kokotovic (right) decision and control,” said analyses used by economists. and his PhD advisor Alleyne. He remarked on William Perkins Yakov Tsypkin at Allerton the lab’s engagement with The early work on sensitivity new classes of physical has been reanimated in recent decades mention of the Allerton Conference systems like networked vehicles, with the thriving fi eld of “robust on Communication, Control, and biophysical systems, and hybrid control,” where the engineer derives a Computing, which originated in 1963 systems, as well as new applications strict control law that will function for as the Allerton Conference on Circuit in areas such as safety and security. an established range of system and System Theory. The annual parameters. Perkins and Başar provided gatherings, founded by Van Valkenburg, Meyn, who is the current director of the the control expertise for a recent Perkins, and Cruz, have grown to DCL, wants to continue the conversation NASA-funded project to develop smart encompass a broad range of engineering with researchers from a broad range icing systems for small aircraft. “Icing disciplines, attracting top researchers of fi elds. “For example, biology has changes the dynamics of the aircraft,” from around the world to enjoy—for all sorts of beautiful puzzles,” he said. said Perkins. “We looked at sensitivity a few a days in the beautiful setting “Like understanding the regulation of coeffi cients and monitored those online, of Allerton Park—the collegiality that insulin and glucose—it’s all a control and used those to decide when icing Van Valkenburg established at DCL problem.” He’s optimistic about the was occurring.” The project included and that prevails in the lab to this day. possibilities: “With computers being so faculty in aeronautical engineering fast, you can come up with the craziest and (because of the human factors Though less dominant than in past ideas and try them out. It’s never been involved in piloting) psychology. years, ECE faculty have continued to a more exciting time for research.” form a strong contingent within an NEWS FOR ECE ILLINOIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Death to the slide rule! Long live the slide rule! Emeriti turn 90

By Jamie Hutchinson

olleagues, friends, and family noted physicist. “That’s a million to one distribution, while his nuclear exper- recently celebrated the 90th shot,” refl ected Coleman on his rise from tise lies in management of the nuclear birthdays of ECE professors humble beginnings. “And that required fuel cycle. In 1978 he cofounded SHTH emeriti Paul D. Coleman and the help of a lot of people.” Associates and he has served as the Daniel F. Hang. Coleman was feted with company’s president ever since. SHTH a roast at the Champaign Country Club Coleman joined the ECE faculty as an provides software to enhance nuclear on May 30. Hang marked the occasion associate professor in 1951, establishing fuel management. with an open house in the lobby of the the Electro-Physics Laboratory. His Krannert Center for the Performing Arts early research focused on megavolt “Getting into teaching is what I’m on June 14. electronics, harmonic generation, and most proud of,” said Hang. “You get electron beam interaction. Later he to know the “They did worked on problems in lasers and optics. students, make some nice He advised nearly 50 doctoral and 75 and they remarks about master’s students, 13 of whom have won come back me, but the the ECE Distinguished Alumni Award. and thank emphasis was “You’ll never know how dear that is to you.” One to have fun and my heart,” he said. former kid Uncle Paul,” student, said Coleman. Offi cially retired since 1988, Coleman John “I had a lot of remained active in the lab for another 15 Hughes, infl uence on them, years, and he still sifts through his fi les cofounded but everybody’s at home, looking for old problems that SHTH forgiven me.” were left unsolved when, around 1960, Associates federal research dollars were redirected and is still The roast was from physical electronics to lasers. with the cohosted by “With a computer and Mathematica, I company. ECE Professor Emeritus Coleman’s can solve a lot of problems on vacuum In ECE ECE Professor Emeritus Paul D. Coleman alma mater, tubes that I could never even touch with Hang Daniel F. Hang Susquehanna a slide rule.” taught University, which will soon break courses in circuits, electric machines, Hang (BSEE ’41, MSEE ’49) was born in ground on the Paul D. Coleman Physics and engineering economy, in addition to Cleveland, Ohio, and worked for General Center, made possible by funds from his responsibilities with NPRE. Coleman and his former students Electric between his undergraduate and at Illinois. Coleman’s students and graduate student days at Illinois. He A banner and cake created for the colleagues have already established joined the ECE faculty as an assistant birthday open house told parts of a graduate student research award in professor in 1947 and a decade later Hang’s life story in pictures. The banner Coleman’s name in ECE. helped found the nuclear engineering featured a light bulb with an atom program at Illinois. He retired in symbol inside—representing Hang’s Coleman was born in Stoystown, 1984 from ECE and the Department two departmental affi liations—and a Pennsylvania, a village of 250 people, of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological scout representing Hang’s longtime to parents with only an eighth grade Engineering (NPRE), and has stayed involvement in Boy Scouts. The cake education. During World War II busy with teaching, consulting, and was decorated as a slide rule. he won the Air Force Meritorious volunteering. Civilian Award for his electronics countermeasures work at Wright Field, Hang’s research in electrical engineer- Ohio. After the war, he did his PhD in ing has emphasized the economics physics at MIT under John Slater, the of electric power generation and FALL 2008

CAMPUS ROUNDUP

Photos courtesy of Kalev Leetaru

URBANA CAMPUS BRANDING INITIATIVE UNDER WAY materials, improving work zone safety, implementing technologies As part of the branding initiative aimed at standardizing the to improve bridge safety and monitoring, and utilizing alternative Urbana campus’s identity as “Illinois,” the campus is in the midst energy sources such as wind. Visit the ICT web site, www.ict.uiuc. of transitioning to the www.illinois.edu Web domain. edu, for more information about the ICT’s research activities. To help in this move, the Urbana campus has a new e-mail address. CHANCELLOR, CHEMIST ELECTED TO AMERICAN ACADEMY Since May 13, students, faculty, and staff have been able to use OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Richard Herman, the chancellor of the “@illinois.edu” e-mail addresses. The fi rst step in that process is Urbana campus of the University of Illinois, and Jeffrey Moore, establishing new addresses for Urbana campus e-mail users. the Murchison-Mallory Professor of Chemistry at Illinois, have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, new logo standards have been established. Most They and the other 191 newly elected fellows will be honored campus unit logos will be phased out, with a standard use of the at the annual Induction Ceremony on October 11 at academy campus logo taking that place. The only exceptions are campus headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. units that are identifi ed as subbrands, independent brands, consortia, and external partnerships. Founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other scholar-patriots, the American Academy of Arts and ILLINOIS STATE SCIENTIFIC SURVEYS BECOME PART OF Sciences has elected as members the fi nest minds and most U OF I The four state scientifi c surveys—the Illinois State infl uential leaders from each generation, including George Geological Survey, the Illinois Natural History Survey, the Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the eighteenth century, Illinois Waste Management and Research Center, and the Illinois Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the nineteenth, State Water Survey—have become part of the University of and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the twentieth. Illinois’s Urbana campus, under a measure signed by Governor The current membership includes some 200 Nobel laureates Rod Blagojevich. The surveys will be organized as a new unit, and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners. the Institute for Natural Sciences and Sustainability. The institute will take advantage of the surveys’ complementary CAMPUS LOOKS TO ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES AND FUELS goals and mission of providing the scientifi c underpinnings for The Garage and Car Pool in Facilities and Services is exploring energy, sustainability, environmental policy, and natural resource fuel-effi cient and eco-friendly vehicles. Two e-ride utility trucks management, ensuring that the natural environment is developed have been added to the service fl eet. Powered by nine eight-volt to enhance the well-being of the citizens of Illinois and the state’s batteries, the all-electric trucks produce no ozone-depleting economic viability. emissions and don’t require hazardous chemicals such as antifreeze, oil, and other liquids. IDOT PLEDGES $15 MILLION TO THE ILLINOIS CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION The Illinois Department of Transportation In addition, Campus Mail, the Paint Shop, the Locksmith Shop (IDOT) will invest more than $15 million over the next three and several other units have been test driving eight mini trucks years to continue innovative transportation research conducted by from several different manufacturers to gauge their suitability and the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT) at the University of durability as service vehicles. Although the mini trucks are gas- Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This new agreement comes as ICT powered, they have smaller engines than full-size utility trucks continues to conduct ground-breaking transportation research in a and offer better fuel economy. variety of focus areas. To read campus news as it happens, visit UI Now at Since its 2005 inception, ICT has grown to become one of the www.illinois.edu/uiNow. leading transportation centers in the nation. ICT’s varied research includes developing better designs for pavements that use recycled Iyer chosen as Vice Chancellor for Research By Rick Kubetz, College of Engineering

CE Professor Ravishankar (“Ravi”) Iyer, the George faculty, and graduate students, as well as external agencies and Ann Fisher Distinguished Professor of Engineering and groups, on behalf of the university’s research and and director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory graduate programs. (CSL), has been chosen to serve as interim vice chancellor for Iyer, who has served as CSL director research for the University of Illinois since 2000, is also an affi liate at Urbana-Champaign, pending professor of the Department of approval of the Board of Trustees. Computer Science, director of the Motorola Center for Communication, “Ravi is well known for his and co-director of the Center for leadership skills and I am delighted Reliable and High-performance to have him as part of the campus Computing. For his own research, leadership team,” stated Chancellor Iyer has been recognized as Richard Herman. “CSL is character- having made fundamental and ized by its outreach across campus pioneering contributions to the and the promotion of large multi- design and validation of reliable disciplinary projects, and as its and secure computing systems. director, (Ravi) has taken the laboratory to a level of visibility Iyer replaces Charles (“Chip”) and multidisciplinary excellence, Zukoski, who has served as the vice characteristic of the best on this chancellor for research since June campus and indeed, the nation.” 2002. Zukoski, who is the William H. and Janet G. Lycan Professor The vice chancellor for research in the Department of Chemical is the senior campus offi cer with and Biomolecular Engineering, is responsibility for advancing research planning to return to the faculty. at Illinois. His offi ce works with ECE Professor Ravishankar (“Ravi”) Iyer college deans, department heads,

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 53 Everitt Laboratory 1406 W. Green Street Urbana, IL 61801

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