When Downsizing’s Good Power-Dense Motors and Generators

PURDUE ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

FALL 2005

ECE Grad Students: Intelligent, Involved, and In Demand Laying a Foundation for Our Future Facility up front Vincent Walter

On My Mind

Welcome to the first issue of Impact, our new alumni magazine. The debut of this publication comes at a most fitting time—one marked by significant change. According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “Nothing endures but change.” His words ring true as the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering once again stands on the verge of new beginnings. Today we eagerly await the construction of a state-of-the-art building that will raise the bar in both learning and discovery. These facilities hold much promise, providing students and faculty with essential resources for pushing boundaries and conquering new frontiers. Recognizing the impact professors have on each student, we have also set out to increase ECE’s number of premier faculty members. A 42-percent increase in faculty size will create a 10 to 1 student-faculty ratio, allowing us to provide students with the personal attention that will enhance their education. These top professors in the field will guide and mentor our students, adding diverse backgrounds and fresh perspectives to our team. As we pursue these initiatives, in addition to key research projects throughout the school, we realize that ECE is only as strong as its alumni—men and women who stay connected with their alma mater, supporting our programs and goals. Your partnership makes progress possible. We thank you for stand- ing with us during these exciting times, and we look forward to visiting you next spring through the second issue of Impact.

Mark J. T. Smith Michael J. and Katherine R. Birck Professor and Head, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

From the Editor

As Bob Dylan sang on a classic hit, “The times they are a-changin’.” Although that song came out in the 1960s, its theme is as relevant now as it was then. While the world around us evolves and confronts new challenges, ECE remains a leader in its field. From students to professors and alumni, the school continues to design solutions that advance the engineering profession and improve society. That theme weaves itself throughout this issue’s stories. In the following pages you’ll learn about groundbreaking work conducted by the Energy Sources and Systems team. You’ll also read about a unique new class that’s turning engineers into entrepreneurs, in addition to stories that illustrate the impact ECE graduate students and alumni are making. We hope you enjoy this first issue and invite your thoughts and comments. Please send us your letters using the contact information on page 2.

Matt Schnepf Editor

Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering contents

UP FRONT

Messages from the head of the school and our magazine editor

AROUND ECE

A year of exciting news and stellar achievements 3

COVER 3 Energy Sources and Systems: raising the bar in automation 6 and energy efficiency

FEATURE

Training engineers in the fine art of entrepreneurship 10

BEHIND THE SCENES

Meet Dan Leaird, ECE senior research scientist 11

IN MY VIEW Tom Engibous on the need for basic research funding 12 10

UP CLOSE: FACULTY

A call for building student diversity at the PhD level 14

CAMPAIGN IMPACT

Designing ECE’s future through top facilities 16

UP CLOSE: STUDENTS

A look inside the world of our graduate students 18 UP CLOSE: ALUMNI 12 Spotlighting the OECE ’04 winners and alumnus Edmund Schweitzer 20

RETROSPECTIVE

Flashback to the 1940s 23

CHECK IT OUT

New tax law’s impact on ’05 charitable giving 23

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Impact Fall 2005 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Dean...... Linda P. B. Katehi Head...... Mark J. T. Smith Director of Development...... Margarita Contreni Director of Development...... Velma Jones Director, Marketing and Communications...... Rwitti Roy Editor...... Matt Schnepf Graphic Designer...... Swapnil Mathkar Contibuting Writers...... Kathy Mayer ...... Linda Terhune

ECE Impact is published by the Purdue University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering for 22,000 alumni, faculty, students, corporate partners, and friends. We welcome your comments. Please send them to the following address:

Electrical and Computer Engineering Impact Purdue University 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd., Suite B120 West Lafayette, IN 47906-4153 E-mail: [email protected]

Articles herein may be reprinted by nonprofit organi- Welcome Aboard, Velma! zations without permission. Appropriate credit would ECE is proud to welcome Velma Jones, our be appreciated. newest director of development. She earned To make a gift to the School of Electrical and Com- her bachelor’s degree in political science from puter Engineering, or to learn more about naming Purdue in 2002 and has been on staff with the opportunities for ECE’s new building, please contact: university since that time, first serving in the Telefund area as associate director through Margarita Contreni September of last year. She then accepted the Director of Development position as director of development in Annual (765) 496-6453 Giving where she worked on the President’s [email protected] Council 16K project and was involved in

bringing the President’s Council membership to an all-time record level. Velma Jones Director of Development (765) 494-9945 Robin Canada [email protected]

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Purdue University 465 Northwestern Avenue West Lafayette, IN 47907-2035

Produced by the Engineering Communications Office 2

Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering around ece

A ‘Valiant’ Achievement Bond, Jakowatz Receive DEA Honors ECE team and Disney join forces on cinematic project Proving it truly is a small world, a Purdue ECE team has gone Hollywood, lending its talents to Walt Disney’s distrib- uted film Valiant. The animated tale, which hit theaters this past summer, featured prominent work by graduate student Joshua Schpok and Associate Professor David Ebert. Much of the film takes place in the sky, which required the presentation of clouds. Schpok developed software used to create three-dimensional clouds, adapting techniques pio- neered by Ebert to tailor the cloud-animation software the filmmakers used. “With Josh’s software you can design the clouds, change This year’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni the way the light looks on them, and move them around (DEA) Award recipients included two from ECE: interactively,” Ebert says. Animators typically employ sepa- Arthur J. Bond (BSEE ’68, MSEE ’69, PhD ’74) and rate software packages to first preview low-resolution images Charles “Jack” V. Jakowatz Jr. (BSEE ’72, MSEE ’73, and then create the final high-quality product. By using the PhD ’76). interactive software Schpok developed, they can create both Bond is both dean of the School of Engineering and preview images and final high-quality images, saving both Technology and a professor of electrical engineering at time and money. Alabama A&M. While studying at Purdue, he coordinated the Created by the producer of the blockbuster Shrek films, Program for Disadvantaged Students and co-founded the Valiant centers around Great Britain’s Royal Homing Pigeon National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). He previously Service during World War II. The mission for Valiant, the served on Purdue’s faculty. film’s pigeon hero, is to deliver important dispatches from the Jakowatz manages the Radar Signal Processing Research French Resistance while evading enemy falcons. Group, Sandia National Laboratories, in New Mexico. He ECE held a special showing of Valiant on August 19, the has also served as an adjunct engineering professor at film’s U.S. opening date. A capacity crowd attended the event the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. In 1994 he where Ebert and Schpok made a short presentation detailing founded and became managing partner of SAR Education their contributions to the film. Associates, which teaches modern imaging radar technology via short courses.

ECE—Department of the Year The Purdue Black Caucus named ECE as its 2004-05 Department of the Year during an April 2005 program. The award recognizes a department that is instrumental in the academic success of African American students. To learn about ECE’s work toward recruiting and graduating PhD-track underrepre- sented minority students, see page 14.

Valiant takes flight above the clouds, thanks to an ECE duo’s work.

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Impact Fall 2005 around ece

NAE Taps Two From ECE The National Academy of Engineering has elected Leah Jamieson and David Landgrebe into membership. They represent two of the 74 new members and 10 foreign associates inducted into the academy this year.

Jamieson, Ransburg Professor and Children in Tennessee explore an EPICS team’s nanotechnology exhibit. associate dean for undergraduate EPICS Wins Top Prize, Marks 10th Year education, was noted for her innova- Purdue’s EPICS program and its leaders received the 2005 Bernard M. Gordon tions toward integrating engineering Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education. The honor came education and community service. from the National Academy of Engineering, which called EPICS a national model in engineering education. Landgrebe, professor emeritus, was EPICS—Engineering Projects in Community Service—was born at Purdue and noted for his work in developing harnesses the talents of students to solve real-world problems. Since the inception of EPICS 10 years ago, 14 other academic institutions have adopted the program multispectral technology for remote nationally. earth sensing. The program’s leaders include Edward Coyle and Leah Jamieson, co-founders “Induction into the National Academy and ECE faculty members, and William Oakes, co-director and Engineering Education faculty member. The three declined most of their share of the $500,000 of Engineering is one of the highest Gordon Prize money. Instead, the bulk of the award went toward the program itself. professional distinctions accorded to As EPICS celebrates its first decade at Purdue, it continues to make an impact both locally and beyond West Lafayette’s borders. This past spring a joint effort an engineer,” says Provost Sally Mason. between the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of “It is well deserved by both individuals, Physics went on display at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge in Tennessee. The exhibit, “Nanotechnology: The Science of Making Things,” was created by a team and we are all very proud of their career of students and professors as part of EPICS. success and the distinction that Leah The exhibit provided information on nanotechnology for elementary-age chil- dren, using video animations, a wall of nano-art, hands-on activities, posters, and and David have brought to themselves a LEGO scanning probe microscope. Michael Melloch, professor of electrical and and Purdue.” computer engineering, helped direct the project.

Late-Breaking News Jamieson named IEEE president-elect Leah Jamieson, Ransburg Professor and associate dean for undergraduate education, has been elected the 2006 president-elect and 2007 president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The announcement came on November 4. The IEEE includes more than 365,000 individual members in approximately 150 countries. It serves as a leading authority in technical areas ranging from computer engineering, biomedical technology, and telecommunications, to electric power, aerospace engineering, and consumer electronics, among others. We congratulate Leah on this achievement and will include a comprehensive report in our next issue. 4

Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering New Faculty Join ECE Jordan Steers Team Woodall Heads to Victory Entrepreneurship Center Seven new professors recently joined ECE, con- tinuing our tradition of academic excellence. These Distinguished Professor Jerry Woodall faculty members, along with their research special- has been named director of the Burton ties, include the following: D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship in Purdue’s Discovery Park. Cordelia Brown—computer engineering Through 31 years as a researcher in IBM laboratories and the creation of Mary Comer—video compression, scalable three companies, Woodall has gained video coding, medical imaging broad experience applicable to his new role. The recipient of a National Medal Dan Jiao—high-frequency VLSI circuits, of Technology from President George high-performance VLSI CAD, computational W. Bush, Woodall joined Purdue’s electromagnetics faculty in 1993. He left in 1998 to join the faculty at Yale and returned to Byunghoo Jung—analog and mixed-signal Purdue this year. IC design, RF and high-speed IC design for “My job will be to take our faculty wireless and wireline communication systems ECE graduate student Shawn Jordan and students’ research and ideas and (above right) helped steer the Purdue turn them into business plans—and Guy Lebanon—theory and applications of Society of Professional Engineers to then hopefully move them along to the statistical machine learning both Purdue and national titles in 2005’s Purdue Research Park and the venture Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. capitalists,” Woodall says. He also will Xiaojun Lin—analysis, control, and Jordan hails from Fort Wayne, Indiana, head up industrial collaborations. optimization of large communication networks and served as team co-captain. “Large companies can no longer do The competition pays homage to the all the research they need to compete Minghao Qi—nanotechnology, especially late cartoonist Rube Goldberg, who in the global economy, so universities 3D nanofabrication and low-cost nanolithography specialized in drawing whimsical need to take on corporate-sponsored machines with complex mechanisms to research,” Woodall states. “This will perform simple tasks. Purdue defeated bring resources to the university and groups from six other universities to expose students to real research to secure the national title. Each team was complement their classroom work and required to create a machine that prepare them for careers in industry, in Two New Professorships replaces batteries in a flashlight and academe, or as entrepreneurs.” turns it on using at least 20 steps that A member of the National Academy Established employ engineering and physics of Engineering, Woodall is a fellow of principles. Purdue’s team used 125 four societies: the American Vacuum Endowed professorships allow ECE to attract steps to complete the task. Society, the Institute of Electrical and retain top professors as the school continues Jordan was relieved during the and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), to grow its preeminent faculty. The recently competition when a step involving a the Electrochemical Society, and the announced Jai N. Gupta Professor of Electrical water balloon worked. “When we were American Physical Society. He received and Computer Engineering, funded by Jai Gupta building the machine, we discovered IEEE’s 2005 Nishizawa Gold Medal, (PhD ’74), will initially be designated for a research through trial and error that water bal- which honors contributions to material scholar in the Birck Nanotechnology Center in loons don’t like to cooperate,” Jordan and device science technology, includ- Discovery Park. says. “You don’t know which way they ing practical applications. Gupta is the recently retired president of L-3 are going to bounce or what they are Communications Government Services Group. going to do. When I saw that step work, In addition to his generous gift, the school recently I was very pleased.” received anonymous support for another endowed To celebrate its victory, the team professorship within the Energy Sources and appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Systems area. late-night talk show in April.

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Impact Fall 2005 Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering We can’t overstate America’s growing interest in energy and power. Burdened by blackouts and spiraling fuel costs, we have become increasingly concerned. Purdue’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is addressing both these and related issues, pursuing cost-effective, efficient solutions to the nation’s energy problems. The Energy Sources and Systems (ES&S) group within ECE is leading this effort. Its diverse work encompasses a broad range of topics. This includes the design of electric propulsion systems to the control of electric systems in complex vehicles and the reliable operation of electric utili- ties. Current projects of note focus on automating U.S. Navy ships and creating power-dense electric motors and generators.

The Energy-Power Connection Steve Pekarek, ECE associate professor and ES&S chair, stresses that everything we do has an energy impact. “The fact that we have meat on the table involved a lot of energy expended,” he says, noting the energy required to prepare, package, and transport the goods. When we see that hitting our wallets appreciably, we ask, “Can we do this more cost-effec- tively?” Most ES&S research involves power, which is the transmission of energy. Energy itself is obtained from sources such as coal and oil. It is then converted to thermal, mechanical, and then usually an electrical form for transmission. The size and cost of the equipment needed to do this depends on the rate we want the energy to flow—the power. To make use of a new energy source we must create an effective means to process power. For example, you don’t connect a solar cell directly to the power grid. With electric vehicles you take energy from the grid to charge the battery. Then you take energy from the battery and transfer it to an electric motor where it is converted to mechanical form. Capital cost remains a chief challenge in making power conversion equipment. “We’ve known how to perform the power conversions for

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Impact Fall 2005 cover

decades,” Professor Scott Sudhoff explains. “The catch is, we The Navy finds it increasingly challenging to recruit sailors. don’t how to do them at a price that will make them the preva- That’s because fewer people find such service desirable due lent technology for a car.” to long stints at sea. Solutions engineered by Sudhoff’s team Today’s engineers are exploring new optimizations for would accommodate smaller crews. “Most of your crew is making smaller, cheaper electromechanical devices, passive damage control, maintenance, and the like,” he says. “So what devices, and entire power converters. “With the new power we’re trying to come up with is a highly autonomous warship semiconductors available today there are a lot of things feasi- where these things become automated.” ble now that weren’t feasible before in terms of power density Ships traditionally have mechanical drives—a large turbine and control,” Sudhoff says. connected through a gearbox to the propeller. This is a good Automating U.S. Warships approach if the ship primarily operates at a fixed speed. Research conducted by Sudhoff would greatly benefit the “If you’re a freighter, and you’re going back and forth across U.S. Navy. This work, designed to make warships more auto- the Pacific Ocean at a fixed speed, this is fine,” Sudhoff says. mated, would help reduce a ship’s manpower while making Warships—and even cruise ships—require flexibility to its power system more robust. operate efficiently over a range of speeds. At times they must

Significant, High-Impact Research

Energy and power cover broad as one of the team’s leaders. He is subject areas. The following represent also director of Purdue’s Center for some significant initiatives, illustrating Security of Large-Scale Systems, part the breadth of ES&S research. of Purdue’s Homeland Security Institute. Automatic Generation Control The center is developing new devices Professor Chee-Mun Ong has been and control/operating methodologies working with NiSource Inc. on modeling for security enhancement. Its research automatic generation control to regulate and development areas include electric system frequency and load following. power systems for high-altitude airships NiSource’s operating companies deliver and the electric power grid, in addition energy to more than 3 million U.S. cus- to other initiatives. tomers, engaging in electric generation, Among the center’s members is PC transmission, and distribution. Krause and Associates (PCKA), of NiSource seeks to identify which of its which both Professor Paul Krause loads possibly contributed to a violation and Wasynczuk are associated. The of one of two new control performance company specializes in the analysis, standards. Ong’s work provides them design, and simulation of power sys- with the means to determine which tems and power system components. loads caused the violation, in addition Krause is the ES&S team’s senior fac- to reducing inter-area power swing and ulty member, having joined the school unit wear-and-tear costs. in 1970. Research he conducts focuses Security Development and Enhancement on such areas as electromechanical Purdue researchers have been devel- conversion and electric drive systems. oping a high-altitude, helium-filled craft Krause is also PCKA’s president and that may hover over the same spot for senior engineer. He is the co-author of up to a year. Its applications would in- Electromechanical Motion Devices (with clude surveillance, homeland security, Wasynczuk) and Analysis of Electric missile defense, and weather forecast- Machinery and Drive Systems (with ing. Engineers and scientists are also Wasynczuk and Sudhoff). working to develop solar cells and an advanced fuel cell to power the craft. Professor Oleg Wasynczuk serves

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering cover

travel fairly quickly. Often, however, the ship operates at more modest speeds where the hull resistance is less. By running on electric motors, these ships will have power sources not mechanically connected to the propellers. Instead, the power Top Students Receive Grainger Awards source will drive a large electrical generator that provides Thanks to a $100,000 Grainger Foundation gift, ECE is extend- electricity for the motors that turn the propellers. The decou- ing support to ES&S undergraduate and graduate students. The pling of the ship speed from the turbine speed—made Grainger Outstanding Energy Sources and Systems Student possible by electric drives—allows the turbine to operate at a Awards Program will benefit selected students enrolled from August favorable speed regardless of ship speed. In addition, power 1, 2005, through April 30, 2007. from the ship’s generators can then be deferred for other Recipients will be high achievers who exhibit excellence in uses. courses, research, or design projects within ES&S engineering. This requires a robust electric power system that won’t fail Through the program they will participate in research/design regardless of where a ship takes a missile hit. The system projects that require/build a working knowledge of this field; would automatically reroute power around sections of a ship develop career identities by interacting with faculty, students, and that become damaged during an attack, enabling the industry colleagues; enter the ES&S field, contributing profession- continued functioning of weapons, plus navigation and ally to its future; and promote outstanding research and scholarly communication equipment. activity. “Our current generation of warships has not done as well ECE anticipates a high application rate for these awards. The as desired,” Sudhoff says, noting that several U.S. ships have school also expects to present half of the awards to undergraduates suffered hits in recent years. “Of the four that have taken and half to graduate students. missile, mine, or terrorist hits, each one has gone dead and dark in the water.” A pulsed-power weapon system can also be added. “If you have a rail gun your shells have no chemical explosives in package—more cost effective,” Pekarek notes. That smaller them,” Sudhoff says. Should you take a missile hit in your package must in turn accommodate the same horsepower. ordnance, the ordnance doesn’t blow up because it’s steel. “Theoretically it looks like we could achieve significant gains Engineering Efficient Machines over existing machines,” he says. The automotive industry Like Sudhoff’s work, Pekarek’s holds promise for substantial would welcome these advancements. impact. As cost-effective combustible fuel sources diminish, Motors can also cause acoustic noise, as forces inside the focus turns toward electromechanical energy conversion— machine may be the driving noise source. “What we’re trying electric motors and generators—to provide a backbone for to do is get a smooth force, the force in the direction that we the energy transition. “If we can produce machines that are want, and we should have a more power-dense, quieter more power dense and efficient, they will also be more cost machine,” Pekarek says. effective for consumers,” says Pekarek, who studies applica- A New Home for ES&S tions from automotive brake systems to electric propulsion to Recognizing the relevance of Pekarek and Sudhoff’s work, electric power steering. numerous other ES&S projects, plus energy and power’s Working with motors of all sizes and power levels, he calls growing significance, ECE is devoting prime space and a fresh look at machine design long overdue. Modern numeri- resources to the field. The school is currently in the middle of cal tools allow engineers to investigate force production a building campaign that will take research to the next level inside machines in a much more detailed light than previously (see page 16), and an ES&S complex will enjoy a prominent considered. What they have discovered recently is that the presence. magnetic fields inside the machine create byproduct forces Teams will address the design, optimization, and control that are much greater than the intended force (which causes of energy conversion devices, subsystems, and architec- the motor to turn). Engineers therefore question whether tures of commercial and tactical vehicles (automobiles, ships, alternative geometries/excitation schemes can be developed, submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft), plus terrestrial elec- leading to more power-dense, efficient, and fault-tolerant tric power systems including the nation’s electric power grid. machines. Groundbreaking work will take place here as the ES&S team “If we can create machines with better force profiles, they intends to lead by engineering solutions that impact both should be more power-dense, which means a smaller industry and society.

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Impact Fall 2005 feature

Turning Engineers Into Entrepreneurs

Hands-On Course Teaches the Fine Points of Launching a Business—Kathy Mayer

Tomorrow’s new ventures might divides into five teams of six engineer- Energy, Excitement Flow include electronic gaming sites linking ing students and two management stu- Just as important as Teles’ how-to players in distant cities, a company dents, who enroll through their school. lesson is the class energy. “The atmo- selling a system to capture golf strokes The teams brainstorm potential busi- sphere was electrifying, and ideas flew in a database for game analysis, or a ness ideas, analyze them to identify a from every direction,” Fromm says. “smart home” business that automates viable one, then develop it throughout Shea appreciated the class guests— everything electronic, from lighting to the semester as they learn about every CEOs and venture capitalists who pre- temperature, security, and music. aspect of new ventures, from identifying sented in the last five weeks. “All of our markets to securing financing. speakers were so dynamic, it was im- At semester’s end, with a compre- possible not to catch their enthusiasm “This is among the best hensive 25-to-40-page business plan and energy.” in hand, students give 15-minute pre- experiences I have had.” sentations to venture capitalists and seasoned professionals, who fire back “Enjoyed every minute Those were among the business questions. plans polished in last spring’s debut of ECE senior Colleen Shea, who’s spent for and in this class.” ECE 495B, “Entrepreneurship,” offered eyeing entrepreneurship, says, “I was again in fall 2005. “This is as close to surprised to learn that you can have a “They are some very heavy hitters,” starting a business as students can get great idea, but if the market and Teles says of his speaker lineup, and without having to mortgage their car financials aren’t there, then you have his goals are several. “I hope students or iPod,” says venture-savvy instructor nothing.” leave with an understanding of what it John Teles (BSEE ’73, MSEE ’75), who “There is so much that goes into literally takes to start a business, that earned an MBA from the University of every business, every concept, every they walk away with the same level of Chicago in 1982. He drives to Purdue product,” says fellow student Jonathan passion I have for the subject matter, from his Chicago consulting company Fromm, an aeronautics and astronau- and, ultimately, that they are inspired to for the three-hour, Friday-afternoon tics senior. “This class taught me to start their own businesses.” class. respect the skills and talents required Even if a business launch isn’t the “The business plan is the core of it. for every detail of this process, and not first career step for these students, It’s the deliverable,” says Teles, who just those done by engineers.” Teles believes the lessons apply widely. co-founded a national Internet service “Many elements can be used in a provider. His current business, launch- Fortune 500 environment, in an intra- ed in 2000, has played a management preneurial capacity,” he says. “With this consulting role for technology-based class, students have a good under- companies. “The things standing of how to develop potential Class Replicates Real World opportunities and a comprehensive A new entrepreneurship and innova- learned I feel business plan. And they can present it tion certificate program at Purdue aims will follow me in a very concise manner to upper to enroll 1,000 undergraduate students management for funding.” from each college and school by fall throughout my 2008. ECE 495B serves as a model for business career.” the program’s capstone course, which Alumni willing to share their professional will include a hands-on, real-world project. expertise through this course should contact “This is incredibly like the real world,” John Teles at [email protected]. Teles says of the 40-student class he

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering behind the scenes

At Work and Play in the Laboratory

Dan Leaird Shares His Zeal for Engineering Exploration—Matt Schnepf

Some people view the workplace as sists with planning and executing the their personal playground. When these direction of this research, including individuals go to work each morning, short- and long-term goals. The team’s they set out pursuing their life’s passion. projects center on the technology and Racecar drivers, for instance, thrill at applications of ultrafast laser pulses on topping record speeds while entre- the femtosecond time scale. This preneurs thrive on launching lucrative includes work that focuses on ultra- ventures. Deep within the subbase- high-speed optical communications ment of Purdue’s MSEE building, Dan and networking, plus the characteriza- Leaird employs the essential tools for tion of ultrafast electronic and a groundbreaking day of research and optoelectronic devices. discovery. Besides tackling his own research “I enjoy playing with toys,” jokes projects, Leaird also works closely with Leaird, an ECE senior research scientist 19 students (mostly at the graduate since 1996. “I very much enjoy being in level), assisting them with their individu- the lab all the time.” al pursuits. Research conducted by the That passion for exploration dates group is widespread, running the gamut back to childhood. “I’ve always had a from spectral line-by-line pulse shap- large interest in engineering sciences,” ing, ultrafast optical pulse processing, Leaird says. Growing up, he spent con- and measurement/correction of polar- siderable time on a family-owned farm, ization mode dispersion in optical fibers which served as another playground of to ultra-wide bandwidth communication sorts. Here his inquisitive nature grew and high-speed arbitrary RF waveform as he repaired anything that crossed generation. Vincent Walter his path. “There was always something “I do whatever needs to be done Dan Leaird at home in the research lab. to fix,” he remembers. to get our research going,” Leaird Leaird earned his bachelor’s degree explains. Thus, describing his daily When it comes to their future, Leaird in physics from Ball State University in routine becomes a complicated task. underscores the importance of tackling 1987. While employed by Bellcore, a “I don’t have a typical day,” he says. problems in the laboratory, which will premier telecommunications research Therefore, it’s easy to assume that if he help them to develop skills that make group based in New Jersey, he met owned a hat rack it would be overflow- them more valuable engineers. “The Andrew Weiner. ing due to the countless hats he wears. real world is all the problems,” he says, Eventually Weiner joined ECE’s While he may serve as a computer pointing out that one can never gain too faculty. Shortly thereafter, Leaird relo- technician one moment, the next he much practical experience. cated back to Indiana and became an may be a plumber, followed by an air- In fact, if he could plant one seed of ECE teaching and research assistant in conditioning repairman and a writer. wisdom into students’ minds, it would 1994. He went on to complete his MS Each day brings new goals—along with be this: “Do something!” He can’t and PhD degrees here, maintaining a the typical twists and turns. emphasize enough that they should turn working partnership with Weiner, now Yet regardless of the hat he may be off their computers, roll up their sleeves, the Scifres Distinguished Professor of wearing, Leaird finds his work fulfilling. and start building—constructing Electrical and Computer Engineering. And if that affinity for research and anything. By doing so, whether or not Today Leaird conducts research as discovery is contagious, his passion for they climb a mountain of success each part of Weiner’s ultrafast optics and engineering will continue to impact the time, they will gain valuable insight fiber communications group. He as- students he supervises and mentors. toward becoming top engineers.

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Impact Fall 2005 in my view Photos courtesy of Texas Instruments Tom Engibous underscores the need for a broad commitment to R&D. A Call to 21st-Century Discovery Evaluating the U.S. Government’s Role in Funding Basic Research—Tom Engibous

Tom Engibous (BSEE ’75, MSEE ’76, Honorary Doctorate ’97) is chariman counted for about two-thirds of all R&D of Texas Instruments. The following text is from a speech he delivered to the spending in the U.S. Texas Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (San Antonio). In the last three years, the govern- There’s no doubt that scientific research has led to the creation of new industries, ment has increased spending for which fuels economic growth. Whether the U.S. continues to be the world leader in homeland security and the life the 21st century will depend on what we do with R&D and education. sciences. Private investment has Some numbers compiled by the American Association for the Advancement of declined in response to the recession. Science illustrate the current status of our nation’s commitment to discovery. They Still, on the whole, it would appear found that 38 percent of all R&D spending worldwide—from both government and that private industry has filled the gap private sources—occurred in the United States in 2001. Japan came in second at left by government. But there’s a critical 14 percent. What’s most interesting is that China was third, with 8 percent of global difference between the R&D you get R&D spending. And I believe—I know—that India is a rising force. from federal versus private sources. In People in the U.S. tend to view these countries as a source for low-cost workers, general—and let me emphasize that but they are becoming world-class centers for invention and innovation. And they I’m speaking in general terms—govern- will compete ever more aggressively with the U.S. for technological leadership in ment has supported basic research that the future. has led to fundamental discoveries and When you look at data specific to the U.S., R&D spending has risen sharply over invention. Private industry has focused the past 50 years to almost $300 billion in 2002. Until the 1970s, most of that money on the commercial application of that came from the federal government. But federal support has steadily slipped—from basic research. a peak of almost 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the mid-1960s to The line between basic research and less than 1 percent in recent years. commercial development has become Meanwhile, private R&D has increased and now rivals what the government did harder to define than it once was. 40 years ago (as a percent of GDP). In fact, private industry in recent years has ac- These days, a lot of money that tech

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering companies spend on mergers and ac- the possibilities. To the contrary, Hertz covering physical sciences and quisitions is really targeting R&D. said, “I do not believe that the wireless engineering, as well as defense and life In the past eight years or so, Texas waves I have discovered will have any sciences. These categories all support Instruments (TI) has probably acquired practical application.” each other. For instance, research in 25 companies solely for their expertise. I’m not making fun of Hertz. Who the physical sciences led to the MRI, These tend to be small startup compa- knows what my own famous last words which has had a profound impact on nies with no products or revenue, but will be! But I’m glad Hertz expanded healthcare. Now there’s even a capsule they have developed knowledge and the boundaries of science, and I’m that you swallow, and electronics inside expertise that fit our business plan. glad for the innovators who ran with it take pictures of the digestive tract and Last year TI spent about $1.7 billion and created industries such as radio, transmit them wirelessly. The capsule on R&D—meaning that we’re the No. TV, and wireless communications. Just is cheap enough that it’s disposable, 2 company in the world when it comes think of the millions of people who now which is an important thing! to semiconductor research. In recent work directly and indirectly for these Commercial development of physi- years, about 18 percent of our revenue industries and what they mean to bil- cal-science research has made these has been spent on R&D. lions of people worldwide. For TI alone, things possible—and more affordable. Pharmaceutical companies tend to Hertz’s discovery has become a multi- The main branches of research are legs spend the most, at about 20 percent of billion-dollar stream of annual revenue. on the ladder our society is climbing. revenue. And the average U.S. compa- The simple truth is that basic research We should pursue excellence in each of ny spends about 3 percent on R&D. and new industries will determine which the disciplines. Make no mistake, TI is doing cut- nations are great in the 21st century. R&D and education are not expense ting-edge development research. It And many exciting things are happen- items. They are investments that will pay strengthens our ability to win and serve ing with federally funded R&D. big dividends for decades to come— customers. By doing that, we’re pushing But there are grounds for concern not just financial rewards for industry hard at the boundaries for our industry. as well. In the past few decades, U.S. and investors, but also in a better TI is not asking the government to government funding for engineering quality of life for us all, and for those fund this commercial product develop- and physical sciences has remained who follow in our steps. ment. What TI does believe is that gov- flat and even declined. Meanwhile, U.S. government funding for engineering and physical sciences has remained flat and even declined. ernment should support basic research. funding for life sciences has increased That’s where new discoveries that cre- dramatically, and funding for homeland ate new industries will come from. No defense has spiked over the past three company today can afford to invest in years. that kind of long-term basic research. It’s understandable that federal fund- The long-term benefits of funding ba- ing for life sciences has expanded, sic, pre-competitive research make it and there’s no question that homeland a legitimate role of the federal govern- defense must be a major priority. Yet in ment. It’s impossible to say what might addition to enhancing and protecting be found. As Einstein said, “If we knew life in this generation, I think we should what we were doing, it would not be also maintain a commitment to future called research, would it?” generations. They will live to see things Also, end applications for basic re- we cannot imagine. The question is: search are not always easy to see. Will those fantastic things come from Heinrich Hertz was a theoretical phys- the U.S. or from some other nation? ics professor when he discovered radio To answer that question, the U.S. waves. Even his great mind did not see needs a broad commitment for R&D,

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Impact Fall 2005 up close: faculty Vincent Walter

(From left to right) Mark Smith chats with ECE graduate students Rolin Pettway Jr., Terrika Givan, and Albert Vega. Building Diversity at the PhD Level Mark Smith Leads Faculty in Recruiting and Graduating Underrepresented Minority Students—Matt Schnepf

To maintain a competitive edge in the world marketplace, the United States must partner with them. That requires engag- award more doctoral degrees within the STEM fields (sciences, technology, engi- ing professors in the process to make it neering, and mathematics). We also must build a more diverse student body. That a success. “That’s where our challenge makes it equally imperative that a higher percentage of PhD students must come lies, and I think we’re making good from America’s underrepresented minority groups—African Americans, Hispanic progress,” Smith notes. Americans, and Native Americans. ECE provides support for its faculty Purdue has joined forces with other U.S. universities in a program called AGEP, members in this area, and Smith the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate. This National Science remains open to how he can promote Foundation (NSF) initiative aims to increase the number of underrepresented faculty involvement in the initiative. minority students who earn PhDs within the STEM fields, and ECE has enthusiasti- “Some incentives may be attractive to cally embraced the challenge. one school or department, and other AGEP operates at three vertically integrated levels—an alliance, its member incentives may be attractive to other institutions, and each institution’s schools or departments. The Midwest schools or departments,” he states. Crossroads Alliance includes Purdue University-West Lafayette, Indiana University- So far, the School of Electrical and Bloomington, and Northwestern University. As a group the alliance hopes to triple Computer Engineering is off to a prom- the number of PhDs it awards to minority students annually, from a nine-year aver- ising start, enrolling 18 minority stu- age of 19 to 60. dents this fall in its graduate programs. While a school ECE’s size would be expected to enroll three to five minority PhD This number reflects significant strides students annually to help meet alliance goals, smaller schools would be expected faculty members are already making to enroll one or two. “If everyone does that we will meet our goal,” says Mark Smith, toward awarding more doctoral de- ECE’s Michael J. and Katherine R. Birck Professor and head. Toward that objective, grees to underrepresented minorities. ECE and other Purdue STEM schools are equipping their faculty members to

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering Addressing a National Concern ECE also has several retention pro- While companies regularly visit The number of American students grams in place that can benefit all campus to discuss their work, universi- graduating with PhDs in the STEM fields students. “There’s not that much differ- ties typically haven’t made similar continues to drop or remain stagnant ence between the underrepresented presentations. “We have programs in while countries like China make visible minority and majority students, certainly place to try and help that,” Smith says. gains. Therefore, both the NSF and in terms of what it takes for success,” These include seminars and courses Congress express concern as they Smith says. “Those principles are geared toward “future” faculty evaluate America’s future competitive- broad.” members. “Many students don’t know ness. This provides AGEP with vast po- He finds one of the best retention what it’s like to be a professor because tential to make a national impact. “[We aids to be a tutor bank where senior we historically haven’t told them.” need] to graduate more PhDs in the students tutor their peers in specific Smith also acknowledges another STEM fields if we are to compete with classes. “The minute [our] AGEP related factor hindering U.S. competi- Japan, Great Britain, China—all these students find themselves in need of tiveness: an attitude that “only men do other countries that are in the market- help, we line them up with a tutor,” this type of work.” He stresses that the place now globally,” Smith says. Smith states. In fact, feedback has engineering teaching pool must include Demographic projections out to year been so positive that ECE is working to more women across the board, or 2025 indicate that the nation’s white expand the program to all students. society will miss out on its total brain- population in the age bracket between Incorporating this feature into the power. “The realization that we need to 18 and 24 will continue to decrease as school’s culture also demonstrates how move in this direction is an old one,” he the minority population experiences AGEP provides a model for fleshing out says. “People have been working at this an upward movement. Yet the minority the best practices ECE can institutional- for a long time. It just takes a while and population remains underrepresented ize school-wide. hard work to change the culture.” in the STEM fields by a three-to-one In another proven method—a refine- As Smith pursues AGEP’s goals, he is margin, and Smith affirms that we must ment of the tutor bank—students go especially encouraged by the school’s reverse this trend. through an academic course as a small “This is something that all of us need group. For this, a senior-level student to be passionate about,” he says. So works with a small number of students as the nation focuses on total domestic taking a particular course. The leader ECE will connect students with gains, schools like ECE will pay extra and group meet regularly, working attention to that growing population through the course material and segment becoming increasingly under- studying for exams. advisers early on and help them represented in these fields. ECE enjoyed some initial success Promoting Student Retention with the small-group model when it The school currently retains 55 per- involved several minority students in the to establish social networks. cent of its PhD students, which makes it process last year. Smith believes such equally important to focus on retention. a model will help ECE with recruitment “Incoming students face a variety of and retention and finds it to be more fall enrollment and the fact that more challenges as they become acclimated efficient than the tutor bank because it than 20 percent of his professors have to campus. Minority students often have builds a sense of community, instantly agreed to be AGEP faculty members. to cope with feelings of isolation,” Smith connecting students. And while the school makes a concert- explains. Promoting Academic Careers ed effort to recruit and graduate more To promote retention of minority Beyond implementing models for minority PhD students, ECE will also doctoral students, ECE will connect increasing and maintaining student examine its curriculum to ensure it students with advisers early on and enrollments, schools like ECE will also remains competitive. Smith states, help them to establish social networks. promote the academic career path— “As the world is changing we want our For example, the school invites minority another AGEP goal. Many schools have curriculum to adapt so that when our students to functions when they first no minority faculty members, and such students graduate they are ready to arrive on campus, and organizations a skewed population makes it difficult to meet the challenges of the evolving like the ECE Graduate Student Asso- create a learning community accurately workplace.” ciation invite them to social activities. reflecting the nation’s demographics.

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Impact Fall 2005 campaign impact

Pictured above are possible Discovery Park sites for ECE’s new building, which will be named for alumnus Patrick Wang’s father. The Brink of an Exciting Future

ECE Launches Plans for a High-Tech Facility in Discovery Park—Matt Schnepf

Facilities for instruction and discovery the latest resources for studying an Alumni Lend a Hand will be second to none. That vision fuels ever-changing and expanding indus- Thanks to alumni support, the build- the School of Electrical and Computer try,” says Ed Ward (BSEE ’63, PhD ing project has hit the ground running. Engineering on a path to international ’70), chief technical officer with Unity A lead gift from Patrick Wang (BSEE preeminence. With an ambitious build- Semiconductor and a building- ’72, MSEE ’72, HDR ’04) helped launch ing program in place, ECE will create a campaign supporter. plans for a $20-million facility that will model learning environment, propelling Most of the school currently resides take ECE to the next level, and addi- students and faculty to thrilling heights within the EE and MSEE buildings, with tional alumni support will further fund of exploration. space in four additional locations. the project. Over the next two years the Top Programs, Premier Facilities Unfortunately, this dispersed configura- school will seek to raise $12 million to ECE remains on the cutting edge of tion doesn’t effectively promote ECE’s support this initiative. Toward that goal, key research initiatives that impact the key objectives. it has established several naming world. One of Purdue Engineering’s Well-configured, state-of-the-art opportunities for designated building oldest and largest schools, ECE con- space enhancements will do more than areas, including labs and offices. tinually receives global acclaim for its centralize the school’s operations. They Like Wang and Ward, additional highly rated programs. will also facilitate the training of top alumni are lending a hand to the A new facility will only take the school electrical and computer engineers while project. “Supporting the building higher. It will do so by establishing accommodating a larger faculty (a cap- campaign for Purdue’s ECE building world-class research and educational ital campaign goal). Here the school will is my way of thanking Purdue for the space that supports ECE’s mission and equip professors with the resources to positive impact it had on my life,” Ward newly adopted academic program become leaders and innovators while says. “The excellent education and statement. “A new state-of-the-art students develop a passion for improv- positive experiences I had as a student building will have an enormous impact ing society. at Purdue, both as an undergraduate on students as it supplies them with and in my PhD studies, prepared me for

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering success in the emerging, challenging, opportunities for multidisciplinary and exciting semiconductor industry.” collaboration. As it plans its new building, ECE James Kahan (BSEE ’69), SBC “One of the most prominent features Communications’ senior executive vice of the new facility is its location,” says anticipates research in key areas: president for corporate development, Mark Smith, Michael J. and Katherine energy conversion echoes Ward’s sentiments. “The new R. Birck Professor and ECE head. “It computational electronics objectives are important to Purdue’s will be located in Discovery Park so it stakeholders and the residents of can take advantage of the bioscience coherent and quantum optics Indiana and the United States,” he says. facility, the nanotechnology center, and vehicle systems “I may be—probably am—biased, but the new biomedical engineering school VLSI and circuit design no engineering or technical school can [that will be] over there.” be better than its electrical and com- Looking Toward the Future high-speed machines puter programs.” The capital campaign remains instru- fault-tolerant diagnostic systems State-of-the-Art Features mental to ECE’s undergraduate and distributed heterogeneous simulation Construction will occur in two phases. graduate programs. Besides expanding The relatively smaller first phase will facilities by 40 percent, the campaign photonics and spectroscopy address the highest priority need. will support ECE’s recruitment of top- ultrafast optics and fiber communications It will primarily house research labs tier students as the school raises applied ultrasonics and space for the faculty, staff, and money for scholarships and fellow- graduate students who will use those ships. “It will also allow us to attract the CAD design facilities. Eventually, the larger second best and the brightest faculty members. biomedical image processing and visualization phase will bring together most faculty, We’re raising money for chairs and pro- optical imaging students, administration, and staff. fessorships, which will help us to attract material characterization/advance metrology Expanding the school’s groundbreak- those people to our campus,” Smith ing work, Phase I will include three adds. And as the school takes this integrated designs of electromagnetically high-tech complexes. Work within the monumental step toward an exciting fu- applied systems fields and optics complex will be dedi- ture, ECE thanks its friends and alumni cated to a variety of research, including for their past and continued support. the biomedical effects of electromag- netic fields; nanophotonics processes; and the design, fabrication, and testing of high-frequency circuits and anten- nas. In the energy sources and systems Building Naming Opportunities complex faculty and students will study ECE’s building naming opportunities cover a wide range of gift levels. energy-conversion devices and the ar- chitectures of commercial and tactical Following are some selected current naming opportunities: vehicles. The VLSI and circuit design • $1.5 million to $2.5 million: complex complex will facilitate research in such • $1 million: labs, such as the energy conversion lab areas as RF, analog, and mixed-signal • $500,000: labs, such as the vehicle systems lab design, plus the design of high-speed labs, such as the photonics and spectroscopy lab communication circuits. • $250,000: In addition to research space, plans • $100,000: labs, such as the optical imaging lab call for meeting rooms and several • $50,000: fields and optics workshop; conference room unique features—interaction space for • $10,000: faculty office students, raised floors, wired facilities Gifts of all amounts are appreciated, and all donors’ names will be included on a for wireless access, video teleconfer- encing capabilities to various campus plaque in the new facility. For information or to make a contribution, please contact locations, and video security. The build- Margarita Contreni at (765) 496-6453 or Velma Jones at (765) 494-9945. ing will also enjoy a prime campus location that will provide significant

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Impact Fall 2005 up close: students

A Winning Combination

ECE Grad Students Provide an Invaluable Mix of Enthusiasm, Time, and Talent—Linda Terhune

Engineering is one of Purdue’s larg- est. These graduate students are the leaders of tomorrow, in industry and academia, bringing pride to themselves and Purdue. “Upon graduation, our master’s grad- uates are able to have an immediate impact,” Balakrishnan says. Expanding on the role of doctoral students, he adds, “The reputation and ranking of a university like Purdue is due in large part to its research programs. While it is the professors who lead these

Vincent Walter programs, they cannot do it all them- Cathy Slater (left) and Aditya Bansal are both pursuing their doctoral degrees from ECE. selves. This is where the graduate students come in. In the beginning When the Purdue campus quiets down for the night and undergraduates have there is a teacher-student relation- gone home, the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering comes alive with ship between a professor and his/her another group. These are its graduate students, many of whom work in laboratories graduate student; this relationship late into the night, making a name for Purdue University and the future of their evolves over time into a true collabora- profession. tion. Indeed, toward the end of the PhD Men and women like Aditya Bansal, Cathy Slater, and twins Brandon and Brant program, the student often will be the Cassimere come from around the world and across the United States, determined research leader.” to make a difference in their field. Through their dedication, they have helped the Cathy Slater, now in the first year of university’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering achieve a Top 10 the doctoral program, is heavily national ranking and a reputation that extends around the globe, drawing top involved in research on optical com- students and faculty to West Lafayette. munication with her major professor, “A school is made of its faculty, staff, and students. You need to have good grad- Andrew Weiner. She got an early start uate students doing good work,” says Bansal, a native of India who completed his on this work as an undergraduate at master’s work here and is now in the second year of the doctoral program. Purdue, when she began teaching and Bansal chose Purdue’s graduate program in electrical engineering because of its conducting research. She also advised reputation and ranking. He cites the financial support package Purdue offered as a local high-school robotics team. a major factor in his choosing Purdue over Michigan and Illinois. Bansal’s support In addition to Slater’s contributions comes through a combination of research and teaching assistantships. As a teach- in the laboratory, she has brought ing assistant, he has helped classes in the area of digital design and microproces- prestige to Purdue by winning several sors, working 20 hours a week. In addition, he has to keep up with his coursework top scholarships. She is funded by a and get started on research. U.S. Department of Education (DoE) Approximately 15 percent of ECE graduate students serve as teaching assistants, Graduate Assistantships in Areas of supporting professors in classroom instruction and staffing laboratories. The work National Need (GAANN) fellowship, of graduate students is crucial to the school’s success, according to Venkatarama- which requires six semesters in the nan Balakrishnan, professor of electrical engineering and associate school head in teaching area—from teaching to charge of education. advising and from test writing to course With more than 500 graduate students—the incoming group of master’s and development. She also holds a National doctoral students this fall numbered 150—the School of Electrical and Computer Science Foundation (NSF) fellowship

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering that covers tuition and fees and master’s degrees in ECE but decided to continue on for doctorates. Brandon says includes a stipend for travel to confe- his initial plan was to work in industry, but he admits an innate love of teaching. rences and personal expenses. Slater “You’ve got to love what you do. The money is not in academia. You really have was one of 54,000 applicants for the to have a passion for students,” says Brant, who, like his brother, was a math and NSF fellowship; she was one of 900 science tutor in high school and during their undergraduate years at Southern recipients across all the sciences. University. They now tutor for core ECE graduate courses. Besides fellowships from outside The Cassimeres are also active in Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG). sources like NSF and DoE, a number It represents university-wide graduate student interests on issues ranging from of internal fellowships are available for parking concerns to health insurance. Brant is ECE senator for the 2005-2006 graduate students. These internal academic year and chair of the PGSG Academic and Professional Development fellowships are funded by the graduate Committee. Brandon served as PGSG ECE senator for the past two years and is school and by ECE. Fellowships are the currently president of the Black Graduate Association. Both men are active in choicest means of support for graduate helping recruit minority students to the university. students and are essential for attracting The brothers, who sing with the Black Cultural Center’s Black Voices of Inspiration the world’s top students, according to and at Lafayette’s Second Baptist Church, share a philosophy with Bansal that Balakrishnan. graduate school should be more than academics. Life should have some balance, “Purdue is competing for the very they say. best in the world—the cream of the Bansal, president of the ECE Graduate Student Association (ECEGSA), is crop—against universities like MIT, determined to make ECE graduate students comfortable at Purdue. ECEGSA exists Stanford, Michigan, and Illinois. to foster interaction between the school’s faculty and students and to lure graduate A fellowship offer is often the clincher in students out of their laboratories and offices. Incoming students received letters a student’s decision to attend Purdue,” from ECEGSA this summer and were invited to an orientation and information he says. session a few days before the semester started. Events during the year include an Other forms of financial support annual gala where faculty and students “lighten up” with skits, pizza parties, a fall include teaching assistantships picnic, and cosmic bowling. (administered by the School of ECE) Other events are hosted by Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), the electrical engineering and research assistantships honors society, with which Slater works. She helps organize the annual awards (administered by professors who lead banquet and the group’s student lounge and refreshments stand in the EE building. research projects). She also attends HKN activities, including industry presentations, socials, volunteer “Financial aid is of particular impor- undergraduate tutoring, and volunteer sessions to help undergraduates develop tance toward recruiting international their personal plans of study. students, for many of whom the cost of The ECE graduate student organizations will have office space in the new ECE living and studying in the United States building now in the planning and funding stages (see page 16). The building will is prohibitive,” Balakrishnan says. include permanent space for a graduate student commons with a lunchroom, Domestic students also rely on lounge with kitchenette, and funding. The Cassimere brothers are in study space. This is good their second year of the ECE doctoral news for Bansal, who says program and have been funded since there is currently nowhere their arrival at Purdue in 2001 by in the building to grab a teaching assistantships, research late-night cup of quality assistantships, and Purdue Doctoral coffee, a creature comfort Fellowships. In addition to helping pay that does make a for their education, working in all areas difference. has given them a broad introduction to career options, whether in industry or academia. “I would like to experience the whole nine yards so that I get exposure to all areas,” Brandon says. Vincent Walter The Cassimeres, natives of central The Cassimere brothers—Brant (left) and Brandon—remain active in several campus groups. Louisiana, came to Purdue to pursue

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Impact Fall 2005 up close: alumni

OECE ’04 Introducing Our Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineers for 2004 John Underwood

From left to right: Mark Smith, head of Electrical and Computer Engineering, pictured with the 2004 OECE recipients— Jong Woo Park, Ji Zhang, Theodore Rappaport, Brian Smith, JoMei Chang, Peter Sauer, Billy Beyers, and Lee Hamilton.

Last fall seven ECE alumni received the school’s top award for professional achievement, the Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer (OECE) Award. We congratulate each of these individuals, recognizing them again here.

BILLY W. BEYERS JR. (MS ’68) JONG WOO PARK (PhD ’88) Senior Corporate Technology Advisor (Retired) Executive Vice President and General Manager Thompson Consumer Electronics Digital Printing Division, Digital Media Business Billy Beyers launched his career with RCA Home Samsung Electronics Co. Instruments, which later became Thompson Consumer Jong Woo Park joined Samsung Electronics Company, Electronics. By 1991 he had assumed technical respon- Korea, in 1992. As senior vice president and general sibility for the team that provided the video compression manager, he has led the development of next-generation system and consumer receivers for what would become DRAMs, SRAMs, and high-density flash memory devices. the DirecTV Satellite system. He has received the World First Class Product prize from the JOMEI CHANG (MS ’75, PhD ’78) Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy. Chairman and CEO, QilinSoft LLC THEODORE S. RAPPAPORT (BSEE ’82, MSEE ’84, JoMei Chang was the first woman researcher in computer PhD ’87) science at AT&T Bell Laboratories. There she invented and William and Bettye Nowlin Chair in Engineering patented the first reliable multicast protocol. She founded Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Vitria, which focuses on business-process integration, in University of Texas-Austin 1994. In 2004 she founded QilinSoft, which sells integration Theodore Rappaport is founding director of the Wireless technology to China. Networking and Communications Group at the University of R. LEE HAMILTON JR. (PhD ’86) Texas-Austin. He has 100-plus patents issued or pending and President and CEO, Freedom Scientific, Inc. founded Wireless Valley Communications, a leading software Freedom Scientific, Inc. is the market leader in assistive company for wireless network deployment and control. technology products for the blind or vision-impaired. Under PETER W. SAUER (MSEE ’74, PhD ’77) Lee Hamilton’s leadership, it has launched several products, Grainger Chair Professor including the PAC Mate—the first and only accessible hand- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering held computer based on Microsoft’s Pocket PC software. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Peter Sauer directs research on power systems and electric machines. His main contributions are in the modeling

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering and simulation of power system dynamics with applications chairman, and CEO of Crossroads Systems, Inc., which he to steady-state and transient stability analysis. He previously took public in 1999. He currently serves on the boards of served as program director for power systems in the National Conformative Systems; Nanotechologies, Inc.; StoredIQ; Science Foundation’s Electrical and Communication Systems and TeraVicta Technologies. Division. JI ZHANG (PhD ’89) BRIAN R. SMITH (MSEE ’89) Co-founder, Chairman, and CTO, Exavio, Inc. Managing Director, S3 Ventures; Products and technology developed by Ji Zhang have Chairman of the Board, TeraVicta Technologies; become part of leading digital video distribution networks like Managing Director, Convergent Investors Echostar and DirecTV. In 2002 he co-founded Exavio, Inc., Brian Smith was Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year which focuses on media infrastructure markets that require in 2000. Prior to starting S3 Ventures, he was co-founder, the ability to store and distribute high-quality streaming media.

The Fundamentals of Personal Success Alumnus Edmund Schweitzer Champions the Teaching of Engineering Basics—Linda Terhune Photos courtesy of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Edmund Schweitzer was named an Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer in 2003. He serves on the ECE Advisory Board and speaks frequently with students.

Edmund Schweitzer is getting back to basics. As founder the math and electrical engineering knowledge from however and president of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) many years ago,” he says. he is involved in complicated electrical engineering but is an Schweitzer’s introduction to electrical engineering came at ardent believer in the fundamentals of the field. a young age. His grandfather, Edmund O. Schweitzer, earned Schweitzer (BSEE ’68, MSEE ’71) has more than 30 patents a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue in related to electric power system protection, metering, monitor- 1898. His father, Edmund O. Schweitzer Jr., was also in the ing, and control. He invented the first digital protective relay field and had more than 100 patents. in 1982, but he knows he didn’t get that work done without a “I’ve been interested in electrical engineering since I was 3 firm understanding of the basics. years old. I followed my dad everywhere and was interested “I’m almost 58, and I’m still using the fundamentals I used in everything he did. My dad would give me tools and keys at Purdue. I still read technical papers and books—vector and clocks to play with. He taught me how to wind electro- calculus and matrix mathematics and optimization. I’m using magnets. I was in his shop with him all the time when he was

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Impact Fall 2005 SEL’s products have revolutionized the power protection industry.

experimenting and inventing,” he says. University, Schweitzer was able to apply one. “It’s the only form of energy that The learning curve was fast: “One those lessons firsthand. Then, in 1982, consumers pay for after they’ve used day, I had the idea that it would be fun he founded SEL in the basement of his it…an amazing deal,” he states. to put the keys in the electrical recep- Pullman, Washington, home to improve The future of electricity as a power tacle. The keys touched the metal plate, the safety and reliability of electric pow- source is secure, but Schweitzer is less and I got a shock and burned my er while making it more economical. Its enthusiastic about the supply of electri- fingers and blew a fuse.” products for the electric power industry cal engineers to serve that industry. He He was still exploring in fourth grade include digital protective relays, meters, traces the shortage to deregulation of when a teacher caught him tugging on fault indicators, synchrophasers, and the industry 15 years ago, a time when old phone wires in a classroom. The more. utilities sought profit by shrinking their teacher’s reaction was quick. “She told SEL has 1,100 employees and sales workforces, which are now aging. The me to ‘never play with electricity in any exceeding $200 million. Its activities supply of electrical engineers has not way, shape, or form,’” he recalls. span the globe, with its main production met the demand. To help counteract It was a challenge he couldn’t resist. facility in Pullman; a plant in Mundelein, this trend, SEL funded an electronics Raised in Northbrook, Illinois, Illinois; a factory in Monterrey, Mexico; instructor position when Pullman High Schweitzer studied electrical engi- and offices in 46 other locations. School dropped the subject. The initial neering at Purdue, where he sought to Customers include nearly every utility classroom was in the SEL building; it combine his interests in math, science, in the United States, corporations, and has now been moved back to the high and technology. He continued on in the institutions including Purdue University. school. master’s program, studying with profes- His daughter, Stephanie, works in mar- Schweitzer is proud of that type of sors Walter L. Weeks, Chin-Lin Chen, keting at E.O. Schweitzer Manufacturing human contribution to the field, an David B. Miller, and Benjamin Leon. He Company in Mundelein; one son, impact that he values as equally as his was interested in working in the Eddie, is a mechanical engineer with company’s innovations. He is quick to electric power area or communications Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in list SEL’s dedication to values and but kept his focus on the fundamentals. Pullman. A second son, Paul, is in the integrity as the bedrock of the He received a doctorate in 1977 from U.S. Navy and is considering a career company’s strength. As an example, Washington State University with a dis- in mechanical engineering. in the wake of the late summer flood- sertation on digital signal processing. SEL’s products have revolutionized ing and devastation in Louisiana and “I took all the math and physics I the power protection industry, offering Mississippi, SEL pledged to discount could. I stayed away from applied stuff. fault locating and protection against its equipment by up to 50 percent to its Universities weren’t the place to go to blackouts, enabling instantaneous utility customers in that region. learn how to apply stuff. They were very tripping, providing wide-area measure- “I enjoyed developing a company that good at teaching fundamentals and ments to assess if a power system is has a strong sense of values and theory, and I was already pretty good stable or unstable, and more. SEL has follows them,” he says. “It means a lot to with my hands and knew how to build anticipated developments in the field. me, and our customers know it. I get a things,” he says. “Universities have a lot Long before the events of 9/11, the tremendous amount of pride from that.” of pressure to teach design, for company developed low-cost technol- In his spare time, Schweitzer can be example, but they shouldn’t lose sight ogy to secure communication with a found hosting barbecues for SEL of what they are really good at, and that serial encrypting transceiver for data employees, spending time with his is teaching the fundamentals. I want to communicated from substations. This family, and boating in—what else?—an hire people who have that knowledge, is now a federal requirement for utilities. electric boat. not necessarily as designers. I’m much “We have focused on making electric more interested in hiring young men power safer, more reliable, and more and women who have a deep, funda- economical, with less maintenance. mental understanding of the science You can get more out of the power sys- and technology and mathematics that tem because of what SEL has done,” are important to engineering—they’ll Schweitzer says. learn design here.” Schweitzer is, of course, a proponent As a faculty member at Ohio of electricity, which he defines as both a University and then Washington State clean form of energy and an affordable

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Purdue Electrical & Computer Engineering retrospective Step Back in Time As ECE’s building plans usher in a new era, let’s step back in time. The pho- tos here represent some electrical engineering faces and facilities of the 1940s. Clearly fashions have changed, but our passion for discovery remains as strong as it was 60 years ago! Stay tuned for the next chapter in our history.

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New Tax Law Encourages Charitable Giving in ’05

President Bush signed the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 on September 23. Congress passed the law to help victims of Hurricane Katrina directly and to spark charitable giving generally. The new law permits individual donors who itemize their deductions to deduct up to 100 percent of their adjusted gross income for certain cash gifts. (The normal limit is 50 percent.) Please keep the following in mind when considering the new tax law:

• The 100-percent limit is only in effect for CASH gifts made from August 28, 2005, through December 31, 2005. • The increased limit applies to most charitable gifts made outright and in cash to public charities, not just those made to charities that help hurricane victims.

When donors consider a gift to Purdue, it is important to know how the new law favors charitable giving. When you give CASH to Purdue between now and December 31, 2005, you may be able to deduct the full contribution up to 100 percent of your adjusted gross income (depending on other contributions you have made in 2005).

As in all cases, donors are strongly urged to consult their tax advisers concerning this temporary opportunity.

Visit Us Online We encourage you to stay connected with your alma mater by visiting the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering online at www.purdue.edu/ece. Our Web site receives updates regularly as we add news from around the school and new issues of our online alumni e-newsletter. We’ll see you in cyberspace!

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Impact Fall 2005