The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering This report was produced with funds from the Harry Lynde Bradley Foundation. Cover photos by John McCormick Cover: Virginia Tech’s RapidRadio framework can help a user build an FPGA radio in a short time, based on a set of characteristics extracted from an unknown signal. Researchers in the Configurable Computing Laboratory are building an Internet- controllable robot to impair the wireless channel for testing. Produced by Uncork-it Communications WHAT’S INSIDE 4 Lessons You Can’t Find in a Book COMPETITIONS 6 More Light... 8 Taking the Competition Under Water 10 From the Ground Up 12 Minding the Gaps 13 Interdisciplinary Design 16 Promising Power 18 An Arctic Blast FEATURES 20 The New Solar 22 Life Beyond Silicon 24 Electronics 25 Controls 26 Power & Energy RESEARCH 28 Biomedical Applications 30 Electromagnetics 32 Communications 34 Networking 35 Computer Systems 36 Embedded Systems 38 SoftwareI/Design Automation 2 From the Department Head 39 Ph.D. Degrees Awarded ECE PEOPLE 40 Bradley Fellows & Scholars 44 Donors to ECE 45 Corporate/Industrial Affiliates 46 Honors & Achievements 48 ECE Faculty Photography: Robert Dunay: p. 11; Kelsey Kradel: pp. 13, 21; John McCormick: pp. 2, 35, 36; Dave Franusich: p. 24, 25; Christina O’Connor: pp. 1, 4-12, 17, 20, 21, 23, 25; Jim Stroup: p. 8, 10, 22, 23 PERSPECTIVES from the Department Head is my great honor to now serve as department head of In the domain of critical infrastructures, the the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer 2 department is making contributions in many areas, including Engineering and to provide this introduction to our power and energy systems, telecommunications and networking IT2010 annual report. This report summarizes the many infrastructure, sensors and embedded systems for structural health notable accomplishments of our students and faculty. Perhaps more monitoring, and rail transportation. importantly, it provides a glimpse into just a few of the innovations The domain of healthcare and biotechnology in research, education, and outreach that reflect the great poten- 3 is clearly important as our population ages and healthcare tial of the department. It is this potential, the opportunity, and the dominates political discourse. ECE researchers, often in collabo- challenges that we face that make my job exciting. ration with researchers in other disciplines, are making important I look forward to serving the 70-plus faculty members, the advances in medical imaging, synthetic biology, bio-MEMS, and approximately 1200 undergraduate and graduate computing infrastructure and methods that can students, and the thousands of alumni and friends help to solve challenges such as engineering better of the department as we strive for even higher medicines or reverse engineering of the brain. quality, even more significant impact, and even The fourth general domain is greater innovation. 4 safety and security, with includes the While increased national rankings, research grand challenge of securing cyberspace. ECE fac- funding, and SAT and GRE scores for our ap- ulty and students are creating innovative hardware plicants are important and necessary goals, we for the secure implementation of cryptographic are driven by more pressing and more important algorithms, methods for locating wireless attack- challenges. I assert that electrical and computer ers, and programs for educating the next genera- engineering has never been more important than tion of engineers and scientist for the intelligence it is right now for both economic vitality and community. societal good. The National Academy of Engi- We are striving to both transform and to be neering formed a committee to identify Grand 5 transformed by innovations in edu- Challenges for Engineering for the 21st Century. cation, research, and collaboration, If you are not familiar with this list of 14 Engi- Scott Midkiff the fifth domain of the grand challenges. ECE neering Grand Challenges, I urge you to visit the Department Head technological developments promise to dramati- informative web site at www.engineeringchallenges. cally increase the performance and efficiency of org. While one may argue that the list is incomplete or that there cyberinfrastructure, which are the tools for scientific discovery, and are other challenges that are more “grand,” the list does illustrate advance personalized learning through the use of the Tablet PC and the important and difficult challenges facing the world that require other educational technologies. technically innovative solutions. Finding solutions to the grand The challenge and the opportunity for the Bradley Depart- challenges will require the expertise of multidisciplinary teams of ment of Electrical and Computer Engineering is to make the funda- engineers, scientists, and policy makers. But, to varying degrees, mental discoveries, develop the transformational innovations, and the talents and contributions of electrical and computer engineers ensure the well prepared future ECE workforce necessary to meet are essential to new breakthroughs to solve these grand challenges. the Grand Challenges of Engineering and find solutions to other important problems to help ensure the prosperity of the nation and I categorize the 14 Grand Challenges into five general domains: a sustainable future for the world. The future of engineering is clearly multidisciplinary. ECE The domain of energy and the environment is researchers are already working across disciplinary boundaries. 1 vital to a sustainable future. Virginia Tech’s ECE department Engineering will rely more and more on cyber systems, including has world-class expertise in power electronics, power systems, and high performance computing that is enabling new approaches to sensors for harsh environments that are necessary to solve challeng- discovery and innovation, plus embedded systems that underlie new es such as making solar energy economical. cyber-enabled engineered systems such as the smart grid and cogni- 2 The National Academy of Engineering’s Committee on Engineering’s Grand Challenges developed the following list NEW FACULTY of 14 key areas needing engineering solutions. Mantu Hudait 1 Make solar energy economical Mantu Hudait 2 Provide energy from fusion joined ECE in 3 Provide access to clean water September as an 4 Reverse-engineer the brain associate profes- 5 Advance personalized learning sor in the micro- 6 Develop carbon sequestration methods electronics area. 7 Engineer the tools of scientific discovery An expert in materials science 8 Restore and improve urban infrastructure and microelectronics, Hudait is investigating new materials and 9 Advance health informatics device structures for energy-effi- Prevent nuclear terror 10 cient nanoelectronics and alterna- 11 Engineer better medicines tive energy sources. He came to 12 Enhance virtual reality Virginia Tech after serving four 13 Manage the nitrogen cycle years as a senior process engi- 14 Secure cyberspace neer in the Advanced Transistor Source: www.engineeringchallenges.org and Nanotechnology Group at Intel Corporation. Hudait received his tive wireless networks. our alumni and friends. The department is espe- Ph.D. in materials science and en- In the future, the nation will need more cially appreciative of our ECE Advisory Board, gineering from the Indian Institute electrical and computer engineers with more ad- chaired by Gino Manzo, and the advisory boards of Science in 1999, and a mas- vanced preparation, and exhibiting greater diver- for research groups and centers. The department ter’s degree in materials science sity. We must expand the ECE student pipeline is indebted to James Thorp, our previous depart- and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1992. from K-12 to college and from the undergraduate ment head, who left the ECE department both to the graduate level. To introduce undergradu- intellectually strong and fiscally sound. I am espe- ates to advanced study, we offer undergraduate cially grateful to Jim for the wisdom and knowl- Paolo Mattavelli research experiences across the department, in- edge that he shared so generously before and after Paolo Mattavelli cluding an NSF-funded REU site in wireless. We I became department head. I wish to thank the joined ECE in Janu- seek to engage even more of our best undergradu- ECE faculty and staff, who do so much for the de- ary as a professor ates in research. And, we strive to better prepare partment, and Dean Benson and the the College in the electronics our students to work in global, multidisciplinary team. All have been very helpful to me as I learn area. Mattavelli will be working with teams and to creatively integrate knowledge to the ropes of the new job. And last, but certainly the Center for Power Electronics solve problems through “hand-on, minds-on” not least, I thank my wife, Sofia, and my children, Systems (CPES). Mattavelli comes learning. Victoria and Erik, for their support in the move to ECE from the University of This annual report shows that ECE faculty back to Blacksburg and for their understanding of Padova in Vicenza, Italy, where he and students are working very hard to seize the the demands associated with my position. served as an associate professor opportunities before us. It is also clear that more We welcome two new members to our fac- of electronics since 2005. He has must be done. This is our challenge. Despite de- ulty, Mantu Hudait in microelectronics and Paolo coordinated a number of research clining state support for higher education, we are Mattavelli in power electronics. Mantu and Paolo and industrial projects in power not standing still. More and more, we control our are introduced at right. electronics, and received the Prize own destiny. We are establishing creative partner- In closing, I note the passing of William A. Paper Award in IEEE Transactions ships with industry, government, and others in Blackwell on March 12, 2010. Bill was depart- on Power Electronics in both 2005 academia, as well as with our alumni and friends, ment head from 1966 to 1981, during which time and 2006.