Ecpe Connections
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alumni newsletter fall 2 011 volume 28 issue 1 ecpe connections alum helps bring trees to 9/11 memorial plaza more inside ... • computer engineering student attends google camp • faculty makes breakthroughs in bandwidth recycling • alum becomes new ecpe external advisory board leader www.ece.iastate.edu learn invent impact department news letter from the chair in this issue am pleased to be able to share exciting news about the growth department news ........................ 3-6 and continued success of the Department of Electrical and Com- new faculty and staff • distinguished lecture puter Engineering (ECpE) and report on the accomplishments of I series • new bio-electrical engineering our students, faculty and staff, and alumni, as I begin my second course • faculty and staff recognitions • year as the Palmer Department Chair in Electrical and Computer new online graduate certificate Engineering. With 1,259 undergraduate students enrolled in our electrical, alumni news .............................. 7-10 computer, and software engineering programs, our department is murray harpole’s legacy remembered • in contributing to Iowa State University’s enrollment memoriam • new leader of external advisory Fall Student Enrollment being at an all-time high this fall. Our graduate board • advisory board members • alumni programs also are maintaining strong enrollment, with awards • alum helps bring trees to 9/11 335 students in master’s and PhD programs. Graduate memorial plaza We continue to develop our curriculum to meet Students: 335 the needs of our growing population, and have student news ......................... 12-14 introduced a new bio-electrical engineering course for Undergraduate information assurance student group • wind undergraduates and a new online graduate certificate Students: 1,259 energy research summer program • student in nondestructive evaluation (page 6). awards • cpre student attends google Not only are our student numbers increasing android camp rapidly, but our faculty and staff is growing as well. We have many new faces in the department (page 3), research news ......................... 15-20 including Ian Dobson, the inaugural recipient of the Arend J. and Verna V. Sandbulte research in brief • ibm faculty award • Professorship in Engineering, and Assistant Professor Faxian Xiu. Additionally, software helping biologists understand micro- engineering faculty members Samik Basu and David Weiss received joint appointments organisms • improving wireless networks • with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of dean’s research initiatives • nsf awards for Computer Science. materials, devices, and circuits research • As we grow our department, research efforts continue to increase and strengthen bandwidth recycling • nsf career award • our reputation. Several faculty members recently received prestigious grants and awards strengthening the professoriate to fund their research. Vikram Dalal, Thomas M. Whitney Professor in Electrical En- gineering, received a 2011 IBM Faculty Award for his work in advancing solar energy (page 16) and Northrop Grumman Assistant Professor Sumit Chaudhary received a Na- tional Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to improve organic solar cell efficiency about this issue (page 19). Assistant Professors Ayman Fayed and Liang Dong also each received NSF grants to fund groundbreaking research projects they are leading (page 18). Additionally, Fall 2011 • Volume 28 • Issue 1 James McCalley received an NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainee- Department Chair: David C. Jiles ship Program award, which you can read more about online at www.ece.iastate.edu. Newsletter Coordinator: Kenzie Brennan Many of our alumni also are being recognized for their career achievements, includ- ing Chris Holland, whose company developed equipment to plant trees in the 9/11 This newsletter is published twice a year by Memorial Plaza (page 10), and Bruce Trump, who is leading ECpE’s External Advisory the Department of Electrical and Computer Board (page 8). Engineering, Iowa State University, I am pleased to have been able to renew many acquaintances this year and look 2215 Coover Hall, Ames, IA 50011-3060, forward to connecting with more of our alumni this fall. I welcome you to join us www.ece.iastate.edu; [email protected], October 22 for Homecoming Weekend, or anytime you have a chance to return to your 515 294-1097. © 2011 alma mater. To give a gift to the ECpE department, visit Kind regards, www.foundation.iastate.edu or call the ISU Foundation at 515 294-2416. David C. Jiles Iowa State University does not discriminate Palmer Department Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering on the basis of race, color, age, religion, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries about the cover photo can be directed to the Director of Equal The 9/11 Memorial Plaza and equipment an ECpE alumnus created to plant trees on the Opportunity and Diversity, 3280 Beardshear plaza. Memorial photo courtesy of National September 11 Memorial & Museum, created Hall, 515 294-7612. by Squared Design Lab. Equipment photo courtesy of Chris Holland and Natalie Hammer. 2 ecpe connections department news ecpe welcomes new faculty and staff Virginia “Ginny” Anderson became the bachelor’s degree from Mid-America Nazarene University. program assistant for the Information Assurance Center and ECpE department in Colin Christy (MSEE ’90) came to ECpE in April. She also assists the Security and May as the program manager of the EPRC Software Engineering Research Center. and as an energy systems specialist for the Anderson had served as a secretary in the Center for Industrial Research and Service department since 2001. (CIRAS). At the EPRC, Christy works with member companies to select and fund electric power systems research and coordinates short Samik Basu began a three-year appoint- courses. At CIRAS, he works with industrial ment in January as director of the software companies on energy management issues. He received his bach- engineering program, a joint position in the elor’s and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the Univer- ECpE and computer science departments. sity of Missouri–Rolla and Kansas State University, respectively. Basu joined the Department of Computer Science in 2003, where he currently serves as Ian Dobson joined ECpE this fall as the inau- an associate professor. gural recipient of the Arend J. and Verna V. Sandbulte Professorship in Engineering. He Paula Beckman (BS JLMC ’92) joined ECpE has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Student Services as a secretary in February. Cambridge University and a PhD in electrical She helps plan student events and schedules engineering from Cornell University. For more graduate exams and advising appointments. than 20 years, he was a faculty member in the Beckman has worked for Iowa State for 17 electrical and computer engineering depart- years. She currently is working on an associ- ment at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is a Fellow of ate’s degree in criminal justice at Des Moines IEEE, and is a member of ISU’s electric power and energy systems Area Community College (DMACC). research group and energy infrastructure strategic research area. Lucky Bene started in February as an ac- Hazel Peterson began as ECpE’s secretary in countant. He prepares budgets and processes January. She schedules lectures, assists in fac- reimbursements and student time sheets. He ulty searches, reserves conference rooms, and previously was an accountant and accounting more for the department. Peterson previously officer in Nigeria. Bene received a diploma worked for 10 years as the secretary for ISU in accountancy and a postgraduate diploma Extension and Outreach’s Communications in business studies in Nigeria. He also has an and External Relations unit. Peterson has an associate’s degree in accounting information associate’s degree from DMACC. systems and an accounting paraprofessional degree from DMACC. David Weiss received a joint appointment Barbara Brown is the administrative special- in the ECpE and computer science depart- ist for the Electric Power Research Center ments in August. He joined the Department (EPRC) and Power Systems Engineering of Computer Science in 2009 as the inaugural Research Center. Her duties include budget- Lanh and Oanh Nguyen Endowed Chair in ing, processing reimbursements, managing Software Engineering. He served in several in- accounts, and organizing activities for the dustry positions before coming to Iowa State. Wind Energy Science, Engineering, and Pol- icy undergraduate research experience. She Faxian Xiu joined this fall as an assistant previously was an assistant to the area vice president at Ecolab. professor. Xiu has bachelor’s and master’s She has an associate’s degree from Baptist Bible College. degrees in materials science and engineer- ing from the Harbin Institute of Technology Jenifer Bungert started in May as the pro- gram assistant for research and graduate and the University of California, Los Angeles education. Her responsibilities include pre- (UCLA), respectively, and a PhD in electrical proposal preparation, and graduate student engineering from the University of California, admissions and recruiting. She previously Riverside. He previously worked as a staff was a grant writer for Youth and Shelter research associate at UCLA. He is a member of ISU’s