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Department of Electrical & Computer

2014 - 2015 ANNUAL REPORT 2

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND © 2015, Boston University Annual Report 2014-2015

Contributing Writers: Department Chair: PROFESSOR W. CLEM KARL Mark Dwortzan, Suzanne Senior Associate Chair of Graduate Studies: PROFESSOR HAMID NAWAB Jacobs, Rebecca Jahnke, Senior Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies: PROFESSOR MARK HORENSTEIN Gabriella McNevin, Barbara Department Director: KAREN HENNESSEY Moran, and Donald Rock Editor & Graphic Designer: GABRIELLA MCNEVIN To learn more, please visit www.bu.edu/ece

Photo © Brooks, via Flicker. Photo taken on August 26, 2010. 3

THIS ISSUE An Overview 4 Research 6 Faculty10 Students16 Alumni 22 Department 27 4

Dean Kenneth R. Lutchen announced the appointment of W. Clem Karl (ECE, BME, SE) as the new chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, effective January. “He is a world-renowned researcher in his discipline, leader in the the professional community and an outstanding educator,” said Lutchen. “He will provide extraordinary and visionary leadership to the department as the College embarks on its continuous commitment to growth in excellence.”

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Welcome to the Annual Report of the Boston University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering! On the following pages you will find a summary of the accomplishments of the department and its 53 faculty over the 2014-2015 academic year. Enrollments are strong and growing with our new Masters specializations in Data Analytics, Cybersecurity and . Department grant revenue has grown by 23% over the last decade. Our campus wide initiatives in Data Science and Neuroscience offer exciting future prospects.

I encourage you to check out how Yannis Paschalidis is using big data to improve health care on page 6. Read how Doug Densmore is creating a “Bio-Design ” for synthetic biology by extending VLSI design methods on page 8. Or how Selim Unlu is combating Ebola using photonic sensors on page 9. These are just a few of the exciting research developments that happened last year.

See how our students are becoming Societal and winning awards in the process on page 16. The startup company founded by a group of our juniors won the MIT Enterprise Forum’s entrepreneurial business pitch competition. Our Senior Design program is a true jewel, including a team which won first place in the Intel-Cornell Cup last year. And this excellence continues in our graduate program with a graduate research team who won 2nd place in the IBM/IEEE Smarter Planet Competition.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is committed to a continued tradition of growth and excellence, building on our strong foundation to create a bright future. I invite you to visit the department to take a closer look at our programs, faculty and accomplishments. I look forward to seeing you on campus!

W. Clem Karl 5 6 SPOTLIGHT RESEARCH

Photo by Rick Davis, published in Synapse 2013, Vol. 1, “Additional Telemetry Rooms Will Expand Heart Monitoring Capacity.”

“I was reading a lot of things about incorporate this kind of software in an BIG DATA & the sorry state of the health care actual hospital. That’s where Adams IMPROVING system in the US and how inefficient came in. it is, and I thought it’s an opportunity HEALTH CARE to do something,” said Paschalidis, Fortunately, EHRs offer plenty who also directs BU’s Center for of data—test results, diagnoses, DATA SCIENTIST AND Information & . prescriptions, emergency room PHYSICIAN TEAM UP TO “I thought people like me that have (ER) visits, previous hospitalizations, REDUCE PREVENTABLE a quantitative, more optimization- demographic information. It’s far too oriented background could contribute much for doctors and nurses to comb HOSPITALIZATIONS something.” through manually, but enough to YANNIS PASCHALIDIS, a data feed an algorithm that automatically scientist, has built a career on making And so, having never worked in processes the information and flags things run smoothly and efficiently— medicine before, Paschalidis teamed at-risk patients. The software works transportation systems, communication up with William G. Adams, a Boston by sifting through records of patients networks, supply chains, sensor Medical Center (BMC) physician and who were previously hospitalized and networks—and now he’s taking on BU School of Medicine professor of learning which risk factor—a certain perhaps his most ambitious challenge pediatrics. With a team of graduate number of chest complaints or an yet: the US health care system. students and nearly $2 million from unusual level of a particular enzyme in the National Science Foundation, the the heart, for example—might have It all started about three years two set out to build a piece of software been red flags. The algorithm then ago. Paschalidis, a professor and that could automatically flag patients at uses those red flags to warn of future Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Boston increased risk for medical emergencies hospitalizations. University’s College of Engineering by using data from their electronic (ENG), read in a study by the US health records (EHRs). They decided to A pediatrician and medical Department of Health and Human start with heart disease, which alone informatician (someone who uses Service’s Agency for Healthcare cost the US more than $9.5 billion in information technology to improve Research and Quality (AHRQ) that in preventable hospitalizations in 2006, health care), Adams has spent the 2006, the US spent about $30.8 billion according to the AHRQ study. past 20 years thinking about how on hospitalizations that could have been In this , hospital patients to use data from EHRs to improve prevented through better patient care, are the systems. The challenge for patients’ health outcomes, especially healthier patient behavior or improved Paschalidis was understanding how to among families in Boston’s urban ambulatory services. properly use medical data and how to 7 communities. He’s also one of the lead Adams and Paschalidis published their trying to figure out how best to put scientists at BU’s Clinical & Translational findings about the machine learning this kind of predictive software to Science Institute (CTSI), one of 60 software’s success in predicting work in an actual hospital. such sites across the country that aim heart-related hospitalizations in March to accelerate medical advances by 2015 in the International Journal of “I’m confident that it will work,” encouraging researchers in disparate Medical Informatics. Their co-authors Paschalidis said. “The issue is, what fields to collaborate on medical included VENKATESH SALIGRAMA, is the best way of incorporating research. an ENG professor of electrical and something like that in the practice? systems engineering; WUYANG Will the doctors use it or ignore it?” The researchers remove any identifying DAI and THEODORA BRISIMI, PhD information from the EHRs using students working with Paschalidis; Down the road, Paschalidis said, open-source software from a National and Theofanie Mela, a cardiologist at it might also be possible to use Institutes of Health-funded center Massachusetts General Hospital. data from wearable technologies in at Harvard University called i2b2 addition to EHR data. The data is (Informatics for Integrating Biology & “If coupled with preventive there, he said; it’s just a matter of the Bedside). interventions, our methods have getting access to it. the potential to prevent a significant “In medicine, we’re constantly trying number of hospitalizations by “We carry these smartphones and to balance between something that’s identifying patients at greatest risk and now these smart watches and all concerning and something that enhancing their patient care before of these fitness trackers and other might be a false positive,” Adams they are hospitalized,” the researchers devices that know much more than said. In many cases, however, the wrote in the study. “This can lead the hospital knows about our state recommendations that would come of a to better patient care, but also to of health,” he said. “You now have false positive—healthy eating, exercise, substantial health care cost savings. a much richer record about the an extra check-in with the doctor, In particular, if even a small fraction patient, and the richer the record is, extra visits from a nurse—could still of the $30.8 billion spent annually on the better prediction you can make.” benefit the patient. And, Paschalidis preventable hospitalizations can be said, preventing hospital visits that each realized in savings, this would offer By Suzanne Jacobs, BU Research cost thousands of dollars is worth the significant results.” occasional unnecessary checkup that In the coming year, Paschalidis and only costs a couple hundred dollars. Adams will be interviewing doctors,

DESIGNING AN INTELLIGENT URBAN ECOSYSTEM

Professor Christos Boston could benefit from “smart” traffic lights moving traffic efficiently, safer bike paths Cassandras (ECE, SE) is and other improved services that BU aims to develop through a new online platform. researching “smart” traffic Photo by Rob Colonna lights capable of sensing when there’s no cross-street part of Smart-city Cloud-based developing cloud computing- traffic and staying green Open Platform and Ecosystem based services and products for motorists on a main (SCOPE), a effort funded by to solve urban problems. thoroughfare. His research is a three-year, $850,00 grant from the NSF with the goal of By Mark Dwortzan 8

Liver-like tissue formation in human- induced pluripotent stem cells. The research team’s robotic approach to engineering living cells could lead to technologies that transform human stem cells into tissues and organs for transplantation or drug design. Image courtesy of the Weiss Lab, MIT

the Institute’s Synthetic Biology software he’s developed to specify, A ROBOTIC Center and members of SRI design and assemble gene networks APPROACH TO International. (also known as gene circuits) with desired functions and insert them in LIVING CELLS “We came up with the idea of living cells. bringing robotics in to control in a Researchers have long sought to smart way the emergence of desired The second challenge is to design enable collections of living cells to behavior patterns among collections micron-scale, mobile robots that can perform desired tasks that range of engineered cells,” said Belta, who affect cells’ interactions so that they from decontaminating waterways will develop algorithms to catalyze to growing tissue in the lab, but ultimately bring about a specified their efforts have largely relied such behavior. “Our ultimate goal global behavior. Composed of on trial and error. Now a team of is to automate the entire process, organic and inorganic material and scientists and engineers led by from engineering individual cells to controlled by magnetic fields and Boston University is developing a controlling their global behavior, so light, each micro-robot interacts and more systematic approach through that any user could submit requests communicates with individual cells a deft combination of synthetic from the desktop.” at specified locations and times, biology and micro-robotics. implementing control strategies If successful, the research could needed to achieve the desired Supported by a National Science yield new insights in developmental global behavior. For example, the Foundation (NSF) five-year, $4.5 biology, lead to greater micro-robots could be controlled to million Cyber-Physical Systems standardization and automation Program (CPS) Frontier grant, optimize tissue formation from stem in synthetic biology and enable a the researchers aim to cells by triggering desired chemical bacterial or mammalian cells to diverse set of applications. These reactions within the cells. exhibit specified behaviors and range from nanoscale robots that direct a fleet of micro-robots to can manipulate objects at the Finally, the researchers will test corral the engineered cells into micron (one-millionth of a meter) how well the micro-robots are working together to perform level to chip-scale technologies that able to direct the emergent, desired tasks. transform stem cells into tissues and global behavior of collections of organs for human transplantation or engineered bacterial cells and Drawing on experts in control drug design. mammalian cells. They’ll attempt theory, computer science, to form Turing patterns—dots synthetic biology, robotics and The team’s first main challenge and patches of varying sizes—in design automation, the team is to advance a synthetic biology includes Professor CALIN BELTA E. coli and hamster ovarian cells (ME, ECE, SE), the lead principal platform—what it calls a Bio- and liver tissue from human stem investigator and Associate Design Automation (BDA) workflow cells. In the process, they will Professor DOUGLAS DENSMORE system—that can predictably employ a magnetic manipulation (ECE, BME, Bioinformatics) from engineer cells to sense their system developed by SRI to control the BU College of Engineering, environment, make decisions and multiple robots with sub-millimeter University of Pennsylvania communicate with neighboring precision. Professor Vijay Kumar, MIT cells. To produce such “smart cells,” Professor Ron Weiss, who directs Densmore will use and enhance By Mark Dwortzan 9

Ebola, Marburg and Lassa antibodies on the SP-IRIS surface capture nanoparticles corresponding to these viruses if present in a blood serum sample. The device then identifies and counts each virus particle based on its size. Image courtesy of Steve Prue.

in collaboration with Professor the potential to perform rapid CONTAINING BENNETT GOLDBERG (Physics, diagnostics in clinical settings.” BME, ECE), showed the ability to EBOLA WITH pinpoint and size single H1N1 virus Whereas conventional methods can particles. Now, after four years require up to an hour for sample of refining the instrumentation preparation and two hours or more The US Centers for Disease Control in collaboration with Associate for processing, the current Boston and Prevention reports 1.4 million Professor John Connor (MED) and University prototype requires little people in Guinea, Liberia, and other hemorrhagic fever disease to no sample preparation time and Sierra Leone have been infected researchers at the University of delivers answers in about an hour. with the Ebola virus. 70 percent of Texas Medical Branch, the team people infected with the virus die. has demonstrated the simultaneous “By minimizing sample preparation detection of multiple viruses in and handling, our system can reduce One of the big problems hindering blood serum samples—including potential exposure to healthcare containment of Ebola is the cost viruses genetically modified to workers,” said Connor. “And by and difficulty of diagnosing the mimic the behavior of Ebola and the looking for multiple viruses at disease when a patient is first seen. Marburg virus. the same time, patients can be Conventional fluorescent label- diagnosed much more effectively.” based virus detection methods Mentioned in Forbes magazine require expensive lab equipment, as a potentially game-changing The shoebox-sized prototype significant sample preparation, technology for the containment diagnostic device, known as the transport and processing times of Ebola, the device identifies Single Particle Interferometric and extensive training to use. individual viruses based on size Reflectance Imaging Sensor (SP- One potential solution may come variations due to distinct genome IRIS), detects pathogens by shining from researchers at the College lengths and other factors. Funded light from multi-color LED sources of Engineering and the School of by the National Institutes of Health, on viral nanoparticles bound to the Medicine, who have spent the past the research is showcased in ACS sensor surface by a coating of virus- five years advancing a rapid, label- Nano. specific antibodies. Interference free, chip-scale photonic device of light reflected from the surface that can provide affordable, simple “Others have developed different is modified by the presence of the and accurate on-site detection. The label-free systems, but none particles, producing a distinct signal device could be used to diagnose have been nearly as successful in that reveals the size and shape of Ebola and other hemorrhagic detecting nanoscale viral particles each particle. The sensor surface fever diseases in resource-limited in complex media,” said Ünlü, is very large and can capture the countries. referring to typical biological telltale responses of up to a million samples in which a mix of viruses, nanoparticles. The first demonstration of the bacteria and proteins may be concept, described in the American present. “Leveraging expertise in By Mark Dwortzan Chemical Society journal Nano optical biosensors and hemorrhagic Letters in 2010 and developed fever diseases, our collaborative by Professor SELIM ÜNLÜ’s research effort has produced (ECE, BME, MSE) research group a highly sensitive device with 10 FACULTYSPOTLIGHT

“I am very pleased that Boston Physical Society, Electrochemical Society, University named me as the inaugural National Academy of Inventors and IEEE. Distinguished Professor of Intellectual property resulting from his and Optoelectronics,” said Moustakas, work has been licensed to a number of who has developed a wide range of companies, including major manufacturers novel optoelectronic materials and and users of blue LEDs and lasers. devices ranging from diamond thin films Moustakas is the co-founder of RayVio to nitride semiconductors. “Photonics Corp., a venture-backed company that and optoelectronics form the backbone makes UV LEDs. MOUSTAKAS of today’s information technology, and NAMED the College of Engineering and the BU A professor of electrical and computer Photonics Center are world leaders in engineering since 1987, professor of DISTINGUISHED both domains. The establishment of this physics since 1991, and the current Distinguished Professorship will help the associate head of the Division of Materials PROFESSOR OF University in maintaining its leadership Science & Engineering, Moustakas role in these areas.” helped in putting the MSE Division on PHOTONICS & the national map. He was the 2011 OPTOELECTRONICS Since Moustakas joined BU in 1987, the College of Engineering Distinguished primary focus of his research has been the Scholar Lecturer and winner of Boston Boston University Provost Jean Morrison development of nitride semiconductors University’s 2013 Innovator of the Year has named Professor THEODORE for high-performance optoelectronic award. MOUSTAKAS (ECE, MSE, Physics) as devices covering the spectral region from the inaugural Distinguished Professor the deep ultraviolet (UV) to terahertz. Moustakas took a lead role in of Photonics and Optoelectronics, the Such devices include light-emitting diodes propelling the ECE Department’s College of Engineering’s first fully funded, (LEDs), photo-detectors and solar cells. PhD program into the nation’s top- named, endowed professorship. Intended He is well known for the development ranked programs and establishing to honor and support a BU faculty of the nucleation steps for the growth of BU as a national center of member with outstanding achievements blue/green LEDs, widely used in flat panel photonics research. in research, teaching and service in the displays on smartphones and televisions fields of photonics and optoelectronics, as well as for general illumination. He Prior to joining the BU faculty, Moustakas the professorship will be jointly funded by has also developed highly-efficient, deep worked at Harvard University as a the College of Engineering, the Boston UV LEDs, which are expected to provide research fellow and Exxon Corporate University Office of the Provost and the BU environmentally friendly water and air Research Laboratories as a senior Photonics Center. purification as well as food sterilization scientist. He received a BS in Physics from and various medical applications. Aristotle University (Greece) and a PhD in Upon Moustakas’ retirement, the Solid State Science and Engineering from professorship will be renamed as the Moustakas has had a significant impact on Columbia University. Theodore Moustakas Professorship of his field through 31 US patents, hundreds Photonics and Optoelectronics.The College of invited talks, 350 journal papers, eight By Mark Dwortzan has begun an unprecedented international co-edited books and more than 11,000 search for a senior faculty member in this citations in research literature. Selected area of engineering science who will be as the 2010 Molecular Beam Epitaxy selected as the inaugural holder of the (MBE) Innovator Award winner, he has Moustakas Professorship. been named a Fellow of the American 11

Professor David Bishop (ECE, Physics, MSE) and collaborators at BU and Bell Laboratories have developed a low-cost, microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based method that directs atoms onto a surface through tiny holes in silicon plates that move with nanometer precision. one capable of generating commercial time to get the job done. MAKING products on a massive scale within The second approach is NANO- the next decade or two. In the cover nanoimprinting or nanostamping, a story of the December 2014 edition process akin to using a nanoscale MANUFACTURING of Physics Today, he and coauthor rubber stamp. Capable of making MATTHIAS IMBODEN, an ECE identical copies of nanoscale features VIABLE postdoc, explore three potential on a device layer, nanoimprinting could BU researchers envision pathways—each requiring further be ideal for manufacturing memory massproducing high-speed nanoscale research to overcome current chips and magnetic displays. It works devices ranging from integrated limitations—to the high-speed, low- very well for single-layer systems in circuits to biosensors, but their cost and scalable manufacture of the lab, but has challenges ensuring aspirations have been hampered devices with nanoscale features. that multiple layers of an integrated by a persistent inability to precisely circuit or other nanomanufactured manipulate nanomaterials to build The first and primary avenue that device will line up correctly. reliable, functional products at a nanomanufacturing researchers reasonable cost. In a nutshell, the are pursuing is resist-based The third strategy is to apply a direct key challenge has been to pattern nanolithography, a nanoscale version writing technique, controlling the extremely small materials at exact of photolithography, commonly placement of atoms with nanoscale locations in a repeatable manner over used today in the manufacture of precision. An example of this is relatively large surfaces all within semiconductor devices. In conventional dip-pen lithography, which deploys a very short timeframe. Current photolithography, manufacturers pass atoms at precise locations on a device nanomanufacturing processes are light through a mask, which transfers surface just as a ballpoint pen’s inkball likely to become wasteful and/or the pattern of the mask (holes and deposits ink on a piece of paper. expensive if applied on a commercial traces of different shapes and sizes) Dip-pen lithography works with a scale, potentially costing orders of to an intermediate photoresist layer, variety of materials, but it’s a slow, magnitude more than the value of the which, in turn, transfers it to a target serial process, akin to writing out a devices or systems they’re designed device layer beneath it. newspaper with a pen. to build. In nanolithography, the features or “This is not a one-size-fits-all “Absent major breakthroughs in holes in the mask are on the order proposition,” Bishop said. “One nanomanufacturing, the current of one-billionth of a meter, resulting technique will probably not end trend in smartphones, laptops, PCs in similar-sized features on the up ‘the winner,’ but they’ll all have and other electronic devices toward manufactured device layer. To achieve regions of optimal applicability. smaller, faster, better and cheaper deep nanoscale features—those sized Nanomanufacturers of the future may models may grind to a halt,” said MSE below 100 nanometers—will require place different technologies on a chip Division Head and Professor DAVID replacing visible light with something that can be activated at different times BISHOP (ECE, Physics, MSE). But that has much shorter , to achieve different purposes.” Bishop is confident that with sufficient such as x-rays, which are hard to investment, nanomanufacturing can produce and focus, or electron beams, By Mark Dwortzan evolve from a laboratory technology to which now take a prohibitively long 12 RECOGNITION

National Academy of Engineering Founders Award

Robert A. Brown BU President and Professor

Brown received the NAE’s Simon Ramo Founders Award in Washington, D.C. The award confers a commemorative medal on recipients whose achievements IEEE BEST PAPER better society. AWARD Professor of the Year 2,820 papers were submitted to the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Image Alshaykh Osama Processing. 1,219 were accepted. 9 were Adjunct Professor honored as finalists, and two received top accolades. Boston University ALSHAYKH OSAMA is CEO of Professor VIVEK GOYAL (ECE) and the NxTec. He was CTO of Packetvideo Corporation, Scientist at Rockwell co-authors of “Computational 3D and and Visiting Researcher at University Reflectivity Imaging with High Photon of California, Berkeley. Osama Efficiency” received the Best Paper received a Ph.D in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Award. Institute of Technology in 1996. He received the Fulbright Scholarship and served as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems The conference, held October 27-30 in for Video Technology. He has served as a consultant, board member and Paris, draws the world’s leading image advisor for several companies and groups. and video processing engineers and scientists. Sponsored by IEEE Signal NASA Early Career Award Processing Society, it is a premier forum for research in theoretical, experimental Jonathan Klamkin and applied image and video processing. Assistant Professor KLAMKIN (ECE, MSE) is one Assistant Professor Goyal co-authored of seven university researchers the paper with his Ph.D. students nationwide to receive the 2014 Dongeek Shin (MIT) and Ahmed Kirmani NASA Early Career Faculty Award. (MIT), along with MIT Professor Jeffrey The recognition honors early H. Shapiro. It proposed the field’s most career faculty focused on space efficient imaging methodology in terms technology that address critical of the number of detected photons, needs in the US space program. besting the efficiency of “first-photon imaging” research also published by Goyal’s team in early 2014. Bill Bright Memorial Lecture The primary difference between these leading photon-efficient schemes relates Mark Horenstein to the pixel acquisition time. The new Professor model simplifies the signal collecting In April in England, HORENSTEIN process by applying similar theory (ECE) delivered the Bill Bright and algorithms, but with deterministic Memorial Lecture at Electrostatics acquisition durations. 2015, a quadrennial conference organized by the Institute of Physics. By Gabriella McNevin 13

INAUGURAL he has served as editor-in-chief of the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics DISTINGUISHED and as former chair of Photodetectors and Imaging, founding chair of PROFESSORS OF and current chair of Biophotonics technical committees for ENGINEERING the IEEE Photonics Society. His awards include the IEEE Lasers and Electro- SELIM ÜNLÜ optics Society Distinguished Lecturer, the Photonics Society Distinguished & CHRISTOS Lecturer, the Australian Research CASSANDRAS Council Nanotechnology Network Distinguished Lecturer, the Turkish Scientific Foundation Science Award, the National Science Foundation CAREER ÜNLÜ’S research is concerned with and Office of Naval Research Young the development of photonic materials, Investigator Awards. devices and systems focused on the design, processing, characterization At the College, Ünlü has served as and modeling of semiconductor the Associate Dean for Research and optoelectronic devices and high- Graduate Programs and is now the resolution imaging and spectroscopy of semiconductor and biological materials. Associate Dean for Research and Technology Development. The author of 163 peer-reviewed journal articles and an IEEE Fellow, By Mark Dwortzen

Technology Award, the Distinguished Member Award of the IEEE Control Systems Society, the Harold Chestnut Prize, the IEEE Distinguished Lecturer Award, a prize for the IBM/IEEE Smarter Planet Challenge competition, a Lilly Fellowship and a Kern Fellowship. A chair or plenary/keynote speaker at several conferences and guest editor of many technical journal issues, he has served as editor-in-chief (1998-2009) and earlier as editor of the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, and is the senior editor for the Journal of Control and Decision. He has worked extensively with industrial organizations on various systems integration and simulation . At CASSANDRAS’ research centers on the College of Engineering, Cassandras is discrete event and hybrid systems, Head of the Systems Engineering Division, cooperative control, stochastic a co-founder of the Center for Information optimization and computer simulation, and Systems Engineering, and was a with applications to computer and sensor Distinguished Lecturer. networks, manufacturing systems and transportation systems. By Mark Dwortzen The author of more than 350 peer- reviewed journal articles, proceedings, and five books, Cassandras is a Fellow of In March, US News & World the IEEE and IFAC. He has served as the Report published an article president, vice president for publications presenting Professor Christos and member of the board of governors Cassandras (ECE, SE) as a leader of the IEEE Control Systems Society, in academia at the forefront of and on the board of directors of the a trend in graduate programs to American Automatic Control Council. His bring student innovations to the awards include the IEEE Control Systems marketplace. 14

With Dean’s Catalyst Award funding, Professor Janusz Konrad (ECE) and Associate Professor Jordana Muroff (SSW) plan to develop an objective, automatic, image-based, real-time hoarding assessment algorithm running on a smartphone or tablet. Early result of automatic detection of clutter (red stars denote clutter; blue circles denote non-clutter). The severity of hoarding disorder is judged based on clutter. Graphic by Gabriella McNevin

AUTOMATING $40,000 per project to develop their they require patients and/or clinicians to technologies. complete questionnaires or select images.

BEHAVIORAL & Professor JANUSZ KONRAD (ECE) and To overcome these drawbacks, Konrad Associate Professor Jordana Muroff and Muroff plan to develop an objective, HEALTH CARE (SSW) will explore ways to automate automatic, image-based, real-time the assessment of hoarding, a complex hoarding assessment algorithm running on ASSESSMENTS psychiatric disorder and public health a smartphone or tablet. Such technology problem characterized by persistent could enable cost-effective, precisely- The College of Engineering has funded difficulty and distress associated with targeted mental healthcare for hoarding four new projects through the Dean’s discarding of possessions. Current disorder patients. Catalyst Award (DCA) grant program. assessment methods of hoarding are ENG and collaborating faculty will receive subjective and time-consuming, as By Mark Dwortzan

EFFECTIVE NEW advanced by Belotti and based on a the OTD, “Ignition Awards help bring novel architecture invented by Wichman new technologies to a mature enough APPROACH that overcomes deficiencies of existing state where they can be licensed, technologies. spun off as a new venture or create a TO PHOTON new, non-profit social enterprise.” DETECTION The team’s invention will lead to more sensitive infrared Bellotti has pursued research on detectors that can operate infrared detectors for more than Professor ENRICO BELLOTTI (ECE, using less power and at a decade; he won an NSF Early MSE) won the Boston University higher temperatures, thereby Career Award in 2005 for his work Office of Technology Development eliminating the need for certain on the physics of avalanche photon (OTD) Ignition Award for research cooling devices required by the detectors. in “high sensitivity optical detectors current generation of infrared in light starved applications. ”The cameras. This advance may By Gabriella McNevin purpose of the Ignition Award enable novel applications, is to help launch promising new especially for portable devices technologies into the marketplace. where weight and power Bellotti credits graduate students consumption are at a premium. ADAM WICHMAN and BEN PINKIE for being driving forces in Ignition Award recipients participate in a taking a fresh approach to Bellotti’s program that supports further research mission. and enables investigators to develop and position technology to be well-received The award will help develop by potential consumers. According to an infrared detector prototype 15

PAVLIDIS WINS topic, and simultaneously provide Program). He initiated major information on cutting-edge programs for graduate education IEEE applications. through transatlantic mobility of students and obtaining of double DISTINGUISHED Pavlidis’ decorated academic career degrees from US and European is complemented by achievements in institutions. He played a key role in EDUCATOR the field of engineering. promoting microwave to terahertz Pavlidis was involved in pioneering engineering, chaired and assisted AWARD University Research Centers like in the organization of numerous Professor DIMITRIS PAVLIDIS (ECE) the Space Terahertz Center and the international and IEEE meetings received the 2015 Distinguished High-Frequency Microelectronics and was the general TPC Chair Educator Award from the IEEE Center and played a key role in of the 2010 European Microwave Microwave Theory and Techniques establishing Nanofabrication Conference. Society (MTT-S). The award facilities. Pavlidis is recognized recognizes an individual who has for a dedication to advancing His contributions to education achieved outstanding success in global microwave engineering continue as the program director of the field of microwave engineering efforts. He was appointed to be the National Science Foundation’s and science as an educator, mentor, the Chair of the High Frequency Program on Electronic, Photonic and and role model for microwave Electronic Department at the Magnetic Devices, Coordinator of engineers and engineering students. Technical University of Darmstadt future emerging technologies such The award consists of a recognition (TUD) and Director of International as the Beyond Graphene (2DARE) plaque, a certificate and an Relations at the Institute of program, and ECCS Coordinator of honorarium of $2,500. Pavlidis was Electronics, Microelectronics the Materials Genome (DMREF) conferred at the IEEE International and Nanotechnology (IEMN). In program and various ERC Centers. Microwave Symposium the week this capacity, Pavlidis created In his present capacity, he is focused of 17-22 May 2015 in Phoenix, an entirely new facility for high on boosting innovative potential by Arizona. frequency micro-/nano-electronics integrating the education of future at TUD that served for education scientists, engineers, and educators Pavlidis has pursued microwave and research. He introduced into a broad portfolio. research while remaining double-degree teaching programs active in both academia and the between the universities that By Gabriella McNevin microwave engineering industry. have been supported by the US He boasts citation in more than Department of Education/EU 550 publications, and his work with Directorate General for Education semiconductor devices and circuits and Culture (ATLANTIS Program) has had an extraordinary impact and Partner University Fund (PUF on high-speed, high-frequency and photonic applications.

Early in Pavlidis’ career, he recognized the importance of mentoring engineering students, and in improving microwave engineering academic programs. In 1989 he introduced the first comprehensive Microwave Monolithic Integrated Circuits (MMIC) course, of many, that would be taught around the world. The MMIC course (IEEE Trans. on Education, 1989) was followed by courses covering design, processing and characterization of high frequency components; also, microwave and millimeter- wave circuits and devices. The courses have been well received by students, because they are structured to shed light on the Prof. Pavlidis (left) receives the Distinguished Educator Award from MMT-S Society fundamental principles of each President Tim Lee 16 STUDENTSSPOTLIGHT battery die tomorrow?” and “is the chair consuming an irregular amount of energy?”

Lastly, a geo-location monitor was enabled to benefit user navigation of urban areas. Wheelchair users could find wheelchair accessible venues and thus improve their future transportation preparations.

Stephen Hawking, world- CE MEng student Anish Shah working at an Intel lab. Photo courtesy of Intel. renowned theoretical physicist and wheelchair user, publicly STUDENT users due to varying mobility and health lauded the technological restraints of each individual. To answer advancement in a video response the range in needs, the team created for it’s potential to change lives. CREATES technology that measured and sent “Medicine can’t cure me, so I rely WHEELCHAIR information to Internet applications designed for different health and wellbeing on technology,” noted Hawking. needs. “It lets me interface with the TECHNOLOGY FOR world. It propels me. It is how INTEL The technology integrated a bio-harness I’m speaking to you now. It is able to track bio data of the wheelchair necessary for me to live.” ANISH SHAH, a Boston University user – body measurements like heart electrical and computer engineering rate, skin temperature, and the orientation Shah started the Intel internship one year graduate student, partnered with a team of of whoever sits in the wheelchair. The into the Master of Engineering program Intel interns to develop a practical gateway technology then connects to Internet at Boston University. He arrived at the device for improving the wheelchair applications specifically designed to Department of Electrical and Computer experience and benefitting health care allow health care providers to respond Engineering with an interest in embedded monitoring. to emergency situations, as well as systems in 2013, and successfully applied applications designed to improve how long- The team linked the wheelchair to the term internal vitals were monitored. the knowledge to create a device that “Internet of Things” by developing received press coverage around the technology that attaches to the chair and Another feature of the gateway device world. Now, he is working under Professor to the user to collect and send information. was mechanical data monitoring. Here, the Thomas Little in Boston University’s NSF The technology monitors fluctuating data orientation of the chair rather than that of Smart Lighting Engineering Research and transmits it to a second party by the user was observed. This capability can Center. route of an Internet application, which will be applied to identify mechanical usage help caretakers respond in emergency patterns and anomalies. By Gabriella McNevin situations. The wheelchair’s battery was also Shah and his team discovered a huge connected to the internet-of-things to variation in the needs of wheelchair answer questions like, “Will the chair 17

A computer generated image of the ANDESITE team presenting their satellite to a team of judges at the Air Force Final satellite. Competition Review (FCR) in Albuquerque, NM, February 2015. BU was one of 6 schools out of 16 selected to move on. BU TO LAUNCH ONE OF SIX TEAMS mesh network with the aim of SELECTED studying fine-scale variations in Earth’s geomagnetic environment caused by A SATELLITE ANDESITE, a task force within Boston space weather events. The ANDESITE University’s Small Satellite Program, IN THE FINAL satellite’s scientific and technological qualified to launch a self-designed innovations place it at the cutting edge ROUND OF A US satellite into orbit. The team is one of of the burgeoning cubesat movement. AIR FORCE SPACE six that qualified for the final round of the US Air Force University Nanosat ANDESITE is a unique interdisciplinary Program competition. CHALLENGE university-wide collaboration. The team of 16 students is comprised of The ANDESITE satellite is on the Astronomy, Electrical, Computer and forefront of an international movement scholars. The to advance our understanding of “space group is under the guidance of two weather” and its effects on society. faculty advisors Joshua Semeter (ECE/ Space weather arises from interactions Photonics) and Ray Nagem (ME). between the Earth’s plasma environment Research Engineer Aleks Zosuls also and the impinging solar wind. These provides support and acts as a liaison interactions can damage satellites, with the Engineering Product Innovation harm astronauts in space, render GPS Center (EPIC). information erratic and unreliable, disrupt ground-space communications The qualifying competition took place and even cause electricity blackouts on in the Kirtland Air Force Base in Earth. In 2013, the White House raised Albuquerque, New Mexico in February inadequate space weather forecasting to 2015. Now, the qualifiers must shift the global agenda, citing the significant their focus from satellite fabrication to “threat to modern systems posed by implementation. The University Nanosat space weather events” and “the potential Program will provide Air Force technical for “significant societal, economic, guidance and $110,000 to support each national security and health impacts.” of the remaining six competitors.

The ANDESITE satellite has been By Gabriella McNevin designed to deploy a network of magnetic sensors from a central mother ship. The ejected sensors will operate collectively as a space-based 18

REAL-WORLD BEST ECE SENIOR GrowBox DESIGN AWARD ENGINEERING Students developed a low-cost, fully- automated, mobile app-controlled, hydroponic To graduate with an ECE degree, plant-growing box. each senior must complete a team-driven capstone project Team Members: Jesse Fordyce, Patrick in which each team designs and Crawford, Alexandru Rosca, Ahmed Alfuwaires, prototypes a product, electronic Mark Barrasso Customer: Professor David Freedman, Boston device or software system. University Teams work with real-world customers—industry figures, small businesses, government, non-profits, schools, artists, ECE DESIGN EXCELLENCE Interface Device for Locally Configuring a Field Controller faculty and staff. Below are AWARD six award winners, recognized The team worked with Schneider Electric to create an interface device for locally for developing market-ready configuring a field controller. The product prototypes. is a digital interface that mounts on a wall and tracks critical facility systems. It aims to improve the access building engineers have to the hardware configurations, which buildings operate on.

Team Members: Oliver Baverstam, Clement Su, Anthony Domenick, John Moore, Sean Liu Customer: Todd Snide, Schneider Electric

ECE DESIGN EXCELLENCE Tomography of the Eye AWARD Students created a prototype called Tomography of the Eye to be an imaging system capable of obtaining accurate tomographic images of the anterior segment of the eye. To do so, the engineers developed functional software and an application source code.

Team Members: Conner Richmond, Boshan Mo, Mounika Vutukuru, Gaukhar Yestemirova and James Bezuk Customer: Matt Carnevale

ECE DESIGN EXCELLENCE Smart Grid Test Facility AWARD The team engineered a much-needed educational tool for electric energy courses. The final product supports active learning by students by offering a method for visual demonstration and a tool for hands-on experiments.

Team Members: Jeremy Kramer, Edward Leung, Marissa Petersile, Christopher Powers, Suleyman Kahyaoglu Customer: Prof. Horenstein, Boston University 19

ECE ENTREPRENEURIAL LyfeCycle AWARD The LyfeCycle team created a product to lessen the street biking dangers that are related to route planning and visibility. LyfeCycle is an iOS mobile map application that enables the user to be alert to high-accident locations. Additionally, it provides a light source that makes people uniquely aware of the biker.

Team Members: Alexander Wong, Deven Dayal, Kanav Dhir, Kevin Mannix Customer: Professor Osama AlShaykh, Boston University

ENG SOCIETAL IMPACT Carter School Announcement System AWARD The team created an automated device that delivers a personalized greeting to Carter School students. The team won the ENG Societal Impact Award because the technology helps students with serious mental and physical disabilities make associations between cause and effect. The device develops cognitive skills, while complementing the Carter School learning environment.

Team Members: Yicheng Pan, Sihang Zhou, Alexis Weaver, Sinan Eren, Jose Bautista Customer: Principal Marianne Kopaczynski, Carter School

MICHAEL F. RUANE John Mooore AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE This award is presented to the individual recognized by faculty and by his or her peers to embody the principles of engineering teamwork and design. This individual has demonstrated significant leadership by contributing to team cohesion and success, has maintained exceptional engineering record keeping and has adhered to best practices of the engineering design cycle.

of a solution of water and nutrients, award money to jumpstart the INTEL-CORNELL modifies the solution as needed, adjusts project. water and lighting and uses image CUP WINNER processing to track stages of plant Team C.A.R.R. (Cyclist Alert Real- growth so care can be optimized. time Response), which notifies GrowBox, an ECE senior design drivers of potential collisions with team made up of Ahmed Alfuwaires, Vying with 21 other finalists from approaching cyclists, received one Mark Barrasso, Patrick Crawford, across the country, Team GrowBox of seven Second Place awards at the Sasha Rosca and Jesse Fordyce, emerged not only with one of seven annual Intel-Cornell Cup was named First Place winner at $2,500 First Place awards but also the the fourth annual Intel-Cornell competition’s People’s Choice Award of By Mark Dwortzan Cup, an undergraduate competition $1,000. focused on innovative applications of embedded technology. The “The key innovative aspect of the team developed a low-cost, fully- project is the clever use of image automated, mobile-app controlled, processing technology as well as the hydroponic plant growing box. modular design of the GrowBox,” said GrowBox uses an iOS app that Associate Professor Alan Pisano, the controls everything a plant needs to lead faculty member for the ECE Senior grow successfully. Project Design course. Going forward, the team hopes to turn this research C.A.R.R. team members Omar Rana, Luke Poitras, Caroline Wu, Jason Tow, Stackable and suitable for small into a successful business, using the spaces, each unit senses key aspects Jeremy Bensabat 20 ENABLING PROJECT NETS 2ND PLACE developers the second place prize IN IBM/IEEE SMARTER in the “IBM Students for a Smarter BOSTON TO PLANET COMPETITION Planet/IEEE Smarter Planet Challenge: Student Projects Changing the World” BECOME A As part of a multifaceted collaboration competition. SMARTER CITY to create technology to solve urban problems, the City of Boston and a The team’s project, “Street Bumps and Boston University-led research team Big Data Analytics: Crowdsourcing Our developed an iPhone app, Street Bump, Way to Better Roads,” was honored for to upgrade management of local road demonstrating engineering expertise repairs. Now IBM and IEEE have and a commitment to improving the recognized Street Bump as a significant world. Advised by Professor CHRISTOS contribution to Boston, awarding its CASSANDRAS (ECE, SE) and Professor YANNIS PASCHALIDIS (ECE, SE, BME), DISSERTATIONS the team included graduate students THEODORA BRISIMI (ECE), Yue Zhang Student Advisor Dissertation Title (SE), WUYANG DAI (ECE), Setareh Tenzile A Sparsity-Based Framework for Cilingiroglu Selim Unlu Resolution Enhancement in Optical Fault Analysis of Ariafar (SE) and Nicholas Baladis (MIT). Berkin Integrated Circuits All BU researchers are affiliated with Delaram Venkatesh Motamed- High Dimensional Inference and Non-Linear Measure- the Center for Information and Systems vaziri Saligrama ment Channels Engineering (CISE). Development of Aluminum Gallium Nitride-Based Haiding Theodore Emitters Operating in the UV and the Visible Spec- Sun Moustakas tral Ranges Used by city employees and citizens, Wuyang Yannis Detection and Prediction Problems with Dai Paschilids Applications in Personalized Health Care Street Bump was designed to facilitate crowdsourcing as a means of collecting Joseph Venkatesh Local Learning by Partitioning Wang Salingrama relevant road condition data. The app Anna Carbon Nanotubes and Nanohoops: Probing the Vibrational Hang Chen Properties and Electron-phonon Coupling using Raman leverages the iPhone’s accelerometer Swan Spectroscopy to detect road bumps sensed during a Andrew Alexander Fraine Sergienko Engineering Photonic Entanglement trip, transmitting the data to the City of Hassanali Joshua Micro-Scale Plasma Processes in the Boston, where it is used to alert repair Akbari Semeter Auroral Plasma crews of road damage. The algorithms Mahmoud Designing Energy-efficient Sub-threshold Logic Ajay Joshi Circuits Using Equalization and Non-volatile Memory analyze the data received by the City Zangeneh Circuits Using Memristors and classify the detected bumps as Joshua Chhavi Liquid Crystal Hyperspectral Imager Goenka Semeter “actionable” or “non-actionable.” Severe Pankil Thomas Optical MIMO Communication Systems Under Il- bumps like potholes are actionable and Butala Little liumination Constraints can be prioritized in scheduling repairs. Xirui Zhang Selim Unlu Dual-Spectral Interferometric Sensor for Quantitative The team collaborated with The City of (BME) Study of Protein-DNA Interactions Boston’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, Abdulkadir Subsurface Optical Microscopy of SemiConductor Yurt (MSE) Selim Unlu Integrated Circuits which provided actual data from the City’s Xuchao Lin Christos Optimal Control Approaches for Persistent Monitoring servers. (SE) Cassandras Problem Mohammad Yannis Optimization Methods for Side-Chain Moghadasi Another BU-based app guided by (SE) Paschalidis Positioning and Macromolecular Docking Jing Qian Venkatesh Cassandras, Smart Parking, won second Unsupervised Learning in High-Dimensional Space (SE) Saligrama place in the same competition in 2011. Jing Wang Yannis Anomaly Detection and Dynamic Decision Making (SE) Paschalidis for Stochastic Systems By Gabriella McNevin 21 RECOGNITION DOWNTYME WINS BOSTON Graduate Teaching Fellow of the Year BUSINESS

MICHAEL HIRSCH is a COMPETITION Ph.D. candidate in jointly with ECE STARTUP FOUNDED and the Center for Space Physics. His primary research BY JUNIORS WOWS is in high speed geospace INNOVATION DISTRICT remote sensing via advanced optical and machine vision AUDIENCE applications. A team of BU students won the MIT

Enterprise Forum’s second annual Best Dissertation Award Beantown Throwdown entrepreneurial MAHMOUD ZANGENEH won the award for a business pitch competition this past dissertation titled “Designing Energy-efficient Sub- threshold Logic Circuits Using year. Their entry – Downtyme, an app Equalization and Non-volatile Memory Circuits Using that enables users to meet up with Memristors.”Professor JOSHI advised Zangeneh. others who are available and nearby – started out of their final project for an

IEEE Pes Scholarship introduction to

MARISSA PETERSILE (EE’15) course. Co-founded by BARRON won an IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Scholarship. PES ROTH and LUKE SORENSON (both is the world’s largest forum for technological developments CE ’16), the start-up’s cross-functional in the electric power industry. The $2,000, up-to-three-year team included JOHN MOORE (CE ’15), scholarship program recognizes outstanding undergraduate Nick Sorensen (SMG ’14), DARRYL electrical engineering students. JOHNSON (CE ’17) and Ben Pusey

(CAS ’16). With an award of over

published $20,000 in in-kind legal and marketing ANNIE LANE (CE’16) published an article on data center services, mentoring and office space, power and cost management in Circuit Cellular in November. the team was able to release the app’s Lane, who received a Clare Boothe Luce Scholar Award full version in January. earlier in 2014, studies data center power and cost optimization strategies at the Performance and Energy- By Mark Dwortzan Aware Computing Lab. 22 ALUMNISPOTLIGHT

© Copyright 2015-2016 By SolarPanelsXpert.com

A START-UP receive a check from CloudSolar every app, which shows their panels’ energy three months for twenty five years. output. Absi measures customers to get THAT CONNECTS a full return on their purchase in ten to Although this is an unconventional twelve years, realizing profits after that. SOLAR PANELS way to distribute solar energy, it will TO THE CLOUD likely mitigate the drawbacks of buying Owning a solar panel in a remote solar panels, which include the high location is one of several new ways for Michael Sun, ECE alumni, has found cost, unattractiveness of the panels consumers to join the solar movement a new way to pass “green energy” to and impracticality in places that do not and be environmentally conscious consumers. Sun, along with partners Cory Absi, an undergraduate at Boston receive much sunlight. without sacrificing their home’s University, and Xiaohang Li, formed a aesthetic in the process. Sun and his startup called CloudSolar. The startup began taking orders on the partners are confident that CloudSolar is Indiegogo crowdfunding site at a goal a smart way to invest in solar energy. The start-up operates by selling and of $300,000. As of March 2015, one- installing solar panels for customers in third of that goal was already reached. By Rebecca Jahnke (COM ‘17) centralized solar farms. CloudSolar sells The company handles all paperwork, the green energy generated from these installation and maintenance of solar panels to utility companies, benefitting panels—which range from quarter to the environment. Customers, in turn, full—and provides owners with a mobile ALUM NAMED IN FORBES’ 30 UNDER 30 LIST Atlas cofounders Michael Kasparian data analytics, were listed in (ECE ’12, MS’13) and Peter Li, who Forbes’ 2015 “30 Under 30: created a wearable fitness tracker Consumer Tech.” with 3D body tracking and advanced 23 said Albanese. “What we have is a small, INEXPENSIVE portable device that offers you an objective number. It just gives you the answer! All you HANDHELD have to do is look straight.”

DEVICE THAT The genesis for the device came over a decade ago, when both Zhou and SCANS ONE’S EYE Albanese were working on their graduate degrees in electrical engineering at BU’s College of Engineering. Professor Bifano was invited to join a team from Schepens David Freedman’s winning pitch on the Around 30 percent of people in the United Eye Research Institute that was working startup stage at Consumer Electronic States are nearsighted, and for most of with a grant from the National Institutes Show®, presented by Up Global. them, the solution is simple: go to the eye of Health (NIH) to use adaptive optics doctor and get corrective lenses. for taking better resolution photos of the mouse retina. TECHNOLOGY For most of the world, however, it’s not so easy. About 90 percent of the In the summer of 2002, Bifano chose TO IMPROVE world’s visually impaired people live Zhou and Albanese to join the team at in low-income settings, according Schepens to help develop the technology HEALTH CARE to the World Health Organization in mice. “The eye is a window into all (WHO). Often, there are no eye these health issues,” said Albanese. “Our NexGen Arrays develops doctors available to them. Without goal was to see the blood flow in the light-based virus detection tests that could improve the access to an eye exam or corrective retina, but it’s not a clear optical path.” lenses, simple nearsightedness health care industry. Alumnus becomes debilitating. David Freedman (ECE ’09, Eventually Zhou and Albanese wrapped @DScottFreedman) is the up their work on the project and went company Co-Founder. Two ECE graduates, YAOPENG ZHOU and their separate ways. In 2012, while both MARC ALBANESE, are trying to change Zhou and Albanese were in New York, NexGen Arrays’ developments include both tests to rapidly those statistics. They have invented a Zhou started thinking again of his work handheld device called Smart Vision One identify viruses that cause at Schepens. He and his old friend Marc hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola, (SVOne) that scans one’s eyes, instantly Albanese met up, and they discussed the determines whether he or she needs glasses Lassa and Marburg and worldwide problem of the lack of access to additional tests in partnership and decides the prescription. Bolstered by eye care physicians, bringing about the idea with clinical collaborators in a $1 million 2013 Powerful Answers award of SVOne. oncology and diabetes. from Verizon, their company, Smart Vision NexGen Arrays’ tests are used Labs, is poised to start manufacturing and In the following years, technology had delivering SVOne devices in early 2015. at the patient’s health care site, changed to their advantage. The two resulting in actionable clinical decided to work on the project together information. This deviates from “This could be big,” said Thomas Bifano, and formed a company. While they worked standard sensitive diagnostic director of BU’s Photonics Center, who on optical problems, they also started tests that require a full lab at a advised both Zhou and Albanese on their raising money. In 2013, they won $75,000 separate location, making them theses at BU and now serves on their board in the NYU business plan competition that less timely. The new technology of directors. “If this caught on, it could be grew from biomedical optics was followed by a $100,000 grant from research in Professor M. so cheap that everyone has one...It has the Founders.org. Then, in January 2014, they potential to be hugely disruptive.” Selim Unlu’s (@MSelimUnlu) received a $1 million award from Verizon. laboratory.

The device is a small block of plastic, a little They now have 11 working devices—all NexGen Arrays collaborates with larger than a deck of playing cards, which handmade—and will soon start production Becton Dickerson (BD), John Connor from the BU School of slips over an iPhone. To perform an exam, in Boston for 100 more. They are now one would hold the device (technically Medicine and the BU Photonics accepting preorders for the SVOne and Center. The mission has received known as a “wavefront aberrometer”) up expect the first orders to ship out in early to a patient’s eye. Light shines into the eye funding from the National 2015. The device costs $3,950 with an Science Foundation (NSF) Smart so that curves and imperfections will cause iPhone, compared to other similar devices Lighting Engineering Research beams of light to bend. A sensor collects on the market, which cost between $15,000 Center, the National Institute this information, the computer in the iPhone and $40,000. of Health (NIH) and industrial interprets it and the result is a prescription partners. specific to that eye. By Barbara Moran, BU Research The future of NexGen Array looks bright to Freedman. “I’m excited Traditionally, optometrists have determined for 2015. We’re growing rapidly eyeglass prescriptions by asking patients and are positioning ourselves for to look through a phoropter, a bulky device great commercial success.” on a swivel arm containing multiple lenses. “It’s a big, clunky, subjective measure,” By Gabriella McNevin 24

Standing before hundreds of associates, suppliers and nonprofit organizations at Walmart’s 2014 Global Sustainability Milestone Meeting in October, Walmart Foundation President and Walmart Senior Vice President (Sustainability) Kathleen McLaughlin (ECE’87) announced the company’s commitment to create a more sustainable food system. “We want to benefit the customer. We want to benefit society. And we want to do it in a way that is good for business as well,” said McLaughlin. Photo courtesy of Walmart.

SOCIETAL measure their progress in boosting On any given day, McLaughlin applies yields and helping to train one million that training to several Walmart ENGINEERING farmers. Through such initiatives, the programs designed to simultaneously company aims to increase practice serve the needs of the business and the in sustainable agriculture, thereby AT WALMART communities it serves—what she calls reducing the real cost of food—not only to the planet but also to the farmers the double bottom line. The world will need to find a way to and customers upon which its business boost food supplies by 70 percent by depends. McLaughlin routinely applies the 2050, when the global population is double bottom line to sustainable expected to reach 9.5 billion. Achieving Leading the team behind this ambitious agriculture, recycling and other social that goal requires better distribution program is KATHLEEN MCLAUGHLIN and environmental commitments by systems and farmers who can increase (ECE’87), who serves as president of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation yields considerably while reducing water the Walmart Foundation and senior vice that range from achieving zero waste consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) president of Walmart in charge of social to landfills in its operations by 2025 to emissions. and environmental initiatives, including energy efficiency, hunger relief and sourcing an incremental $20 billion from Enter Walmart, the world’s biggest healthy eating and women’s economic women-owned businesses for its US food retailer, serving 27 countries empowerment. business through 2016. in 11,000 stores around the world. Working with its global network of “We’re taking a holistic approach in As she pursues these commitments, she suppliers and applying funding through which we look at the problem as a repeatedly asks herself, “How can we the Walmart Foundation, the company system and partner with others to continue to improve what we’re doing address it,” she said. “The problem- is taking a leading role in providing so it’s sustainable for the business and safe, affordable, accessible, healthy solving training I got in engineering, in its suppliers, employees and customers, food for hundreds of millions of people. systems thinking and feedback loops, is and strengthens the communities in Walmart’s efforts include applying a highly relevant in our efforts to rewire “sustainability index” to suppliers to how the food system works.” which we operate?” 25 MAKING A DIFFERENCE IMPACTING THE GLOBE fronts, and companies can collaborate with governments and NGOs to shift the Concerned with global environmental At McKinsey, McLaughlin worked with system more rapidly.” issues and social justice from a young multinational companies that were age, McLaughlin has devoted her expanding their operations into the Charged to effect social and environmental change on a global scale, McLaughlin career to making a difference. Americas, Europe and Asia. She spent one-third of her time as director of works with a team of Walmart associates the firm’s Social Innovation Practice, to design and execute an ambitious Taking after her father, an electrical partnering with corporate, philanthropic portfolio of Walmart and Walmart engineer, she developed an affinity and nongovernmental agencies on Foundation initiatives. In addition, she for math and science and felt naturally programs to improve global health, oversees multiple Walmart teams drawn to undergraduate programs nutrition and agricultural practices in working on energy efficiency, hunger in engineering. She also maintained developing countries. and other domains, as well as improving several other interests, from vocal sustainability of selected consumer music to international affairs, which She led efforts to spur more efficient product categories such as electronics and she found ample opportunity to government responses to HIV/AIDS apparel. explore by pursuing her engineering in Africa and helped government and studies at Boston University, where nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) To tackle such complex challenges at she was a Trustee Scholar. It was in Namibia strategize on how to reduce Walmart and McKinsey, McLaughlin has turned, time and time again, to her a University Professors Program maternal mortality. grounding in engineering, which she calls course in the multinational politics In 2013, when Walmart offered her “the perfect underpinning” for everything of business—on how collaborations the chance to apply her development she’s done since graduating from BU. “It among businesses, governments and expertise on a much broader scale, she has served me very well in structuring nonprofit organizations could thrive seized the opportunity. ambiguous problems, taking them apart, in an emerging era of globalization— dissecting them and solving them,” she which opened McLaughlin’s eyes as to “The private sector has resources that says. “It’s such a fantastic foundation for how she might combine her passions are critical to addressing important pretty much anything you want to do in for engineering and societal impact. global challenges,” said McLaughlin, life.” now one year at her post at Walmart. “The course made me realize I had “I believe we have limited time on the By Mark Dwortzan this passion for technology, but I environmental and social inequality wanted to pursue it in development, and I needed to learn more about economics and politics,” she recalled.

When then-College of Engineering Dean Louis Padulo suggested that she might spend two years pursuing that knowledge at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, she applied and was accepted. Upon graduating from BU summa cum laude, she earned a BA/MA degree in politics, philosophy and economics and a diploma in theology at Oxford. She spent the next two decades engaged McLaughlin at a volunteer event in December at the Northwest Arkansas in global commerce and development Food Bank, which serves more than 700,000 people annually. The NWA issues as a consultant for McKinsey Food Bank is affiliated with Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger and Company, a global management relief organization and beneficiary of the company’s fall hunger campaign, consulting firm, where she became a in which Walmart teamed up with six of the nation’s largest food companies senior partner based in Toronto. to distribute $3.7 million, the monetary equivalent of more than 37 million meals, to Feeding America’s food banks and local agencies throughout the US. Photo courtesy of Walmart. 26 DEPARTMENTUPDATE

neural networks and nondestructive PROFESSOR testing. He taught courses in engineering EMERITUS and in logic design, signals and systems, and advised graduate students pursuing KINCAID PASSES degrees in electrical engineering. Previously, he worked as a researcher for AWAY . A member of the IEEE, he received his PhD from MIT in 1965. Professor Emeritus THOMAS As ECE chair, Kincaid increased the size of G. KINCAID, a longtime faculty the department by more than fifty percent, member and former chair of the ECE hiring faculty who included three future Department, died on January 18 at the ECE chairs—ECE Professors Bahaa Saleh age of 77. He joined Boston University (Emeritus), David Castanon (SE) and W. faculty in 1983, served as ECE chair Clem Karl (BME, SE). He also increased the from 1983 to 1994 and retired in 2006. size of the graduate program and focused it on doctoral education. Kincaid’s research focused on signal and image processing, photonics, dynamic By Mark Dwortzan

NEW HIRES PROMOTIONS Lecturer PROFESSOR OF THE Associate Professor to Professor Osama Al PRACTICE Martin Herbordt Shakh Orran Krieger Roberto Paiella Assistant Professor to Associate Professor Ayse Coskun Assistant Assistant Professor Professor Douglas Densmore Manuel Egele Sahar Vivek Goyal Sharifzedeh

Lecturer Tali Moreshet 27 ECE FACULTY

Clem Karl Mark Horenstein Hamid Nawab Enrico Bellotti Swapnil Bhatia Professor & Senior Associate Professor & Senior Associate Professor & Chair Chair of Undergraduate Studies Chair of Graduate Studies Professor Research Assistant Professor

Irving Bigio David Bishop Richard Brower Robert Brown Jeffrey Carruthers Professor Professor Professor Professor and President Associate Professor

Christos Cassandras David Castañón Ayse Coskun Luca Dal Negro Douglas Densmore Professor Professor Associate Professor Associate Professor Associate Professor

Roscoe Giles Robert Gray Vivek Goyal Martin Herbordt Allyn Hubbard Professor Research Professor Associate Professor Professor Professor

Prakash Ishwar Ajay Joshi Mark Karpovsky Gerd Keiser Ronald Knepper Associate Professor Assistant Professor Professor Reseacrh Professor Professor 28

Janusz Konrad Robert Kotiuga Min-Chang Lee Lev Levitin Thomas Little Professor Associate Professor Professor Distinguished Professor Professor

Malay Mazumder Theodore Moustakas Bobak Nazer Roberto Paiella Ioannis Paschalidis Research Professor Professor Assistant Professor Professor Professor

Dimitris Pavlidis Alan Pisano Siddharth Ramachandran Venkatesh Salingrama Michelle Sander Associate Professor of the Research Professor Practice Professor Professor Assistant Professor

Eric Schwartz Joshua Semeter Alexander Sergienko David Starobinski Anna Swan Professor Professor Professor Professor Associate Professor

Ari Tratchenberg Selim Ünlü Theodore Morse David Perreault Michael Ruane Professor Professor Professor Emeritus Professor Emeritus Professor Emeritus 29

Bahaa Saleh Malvin Teich Richard Vidale Professor Emeritus Professor Emeritus Professor Emeritus

AFFILIATED FACULTY John Baillieul Farouk El-Baz William Klein Professor Research Professor Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering Center for Remote Sensing Department of Physics Theodore Fritz Carlo DeLuca Professor Michael Mendillo Professor Department of Astronomy Professor Department of Department of Astronomy Bennett Goldberg Calin Belta Professor Jerome Mertz Associate Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering & Associate Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Physics Department of Biomedical Engineering

Solomon Eisenberg Professor & Chairman Lee Goldstein William Skocpol Associate Professor Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering Department of Biomedical Engineering Department of Physics

EDUCATIONAL STAFF Vladimir Kleptsyn Aleks Zosuls Senior Lecturer Research Engineer / Lecturer

Thomas Skinner Adjunct Associate Professor

ADMINISTRATION Karen Hennessey Solaris Bujor Christine Guerard Department Director Financial Administrator Assistant to the Chair

Austin Alexander Gabriella McNevin Cali Stephens Academic Programs Manager Publications, New Media, Senior Programs Coordinator and Promotions Administrator Ryan Flament Financial Administrator

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STAFF James Goebel Vladimir Kleptsyn IT Manager, ENG IT – ECE Electronic Circuits Lab Manager Contact 30 31 32

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