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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 1616 1 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. 3 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