2 . o N , 8 . l o V 8 0 0 2 L L A F THE MAGAZINE OF THE A. JAMES CLARKMSCHOOL of ENGINEERING BE INSPIRED Visit the INSIDE Improving Life, One Innovation Community at a Time Sowing the Seeds for Hall of Fame Student Startups THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FALL 2008 | TABLE OF CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 1 Message from the Dean STORIES 2 News of Note Clark School Leads Swarming Microsystems 6 Be Inspired: Visit the Program to Protect Soldiers Future Faculty Fellows: Tomorrow’s Great Innovation Hall of Fame Teachers and Mentors Innovation Hall of Fame recognizes Clark School alumni, faculty and Internationally Recognized Inventor to Speak at associates who pioneer significant ECE Centennial Gala engineering advances Fischell Festival Focuses on Medical Imaging, New Wing 10 Engineers Without Borders: NanoDay Highlights Latest Discovery: Graphene Improving Life, One 5 Faculty News Community At a Time Student volunteer group fosters goodwill 14 Philanthropy @ Work around the globe Philanthropy as a Family Affair Get Creative With Your Gift to the Clark School 16 Sowing the Seeds for Student Startups 16 Entrepreneurship Gift from Hinman CEOs graduate Singal Olympus Recognizes Entrepreneurship Education challenges alumni to contribute Innovator Barbe 18 Students + Alumni Clark School Connections Span The Globe Going for the Goldwater Hannam Captures Truman Scholarship 21 Engineer Turned Entrepreneur Gives Back in Gratitude Publisher A. James Clark School of Engineering Dear Clark School Friends, Herbert Rabin WE HAVE ALL FOUND OURSELVES in situations in which someone asks, “What Interim Dean distinguishes the Clark School from other schools?” One way to answer this question is by reference to statistics such as our annual James F. McMenamin research expenditures, national or interna - Assistant Dean for Communications tional rankings or freshmen SAT scores. What distinguishes Missy Corley Yet while these numbers are informative the Clark School Communications Coordinator (and impressive), they do not fully convey from other schools? Editorial and Design Staff our distinctive character. Nancy Grund This issue of E@M features two Clark School programs that, in my judgment, Editor more fully demonstrate the school’s true nature: the Innovation Hall of Fame and David Taylor Engineers Without Borders. Contributing Writer When people learn the incredible array of engineering advances developed by Clark School alumni, faculty and associates that are celebrated in the Hall, they are Jason Quick always amazed. The Hall represents the school’s spirit of exploration and ingenuity Art Director and inspires our young engineers to join in this great tradition. You’ll be very proud Engineering @ Maryland is pub - to see the quality of work the Hall presents, and I encourage you to visit the Hall lished twice a year for alumni and the next time you’re on campus (or visit our website at www.eng.umd.edu/ihof). friends of the A. James Clark School of Engineering and the Glenn L. Our nationally recognized Engineers Without Borders chapter is an enormously Martin Institute of Technology at the successful service program that expresses another key characteristic of the Clark University of Maryland. School: a commitment to serving society through engineering. The chapter devel - Letters to the editor and alumni ops and executes life-enhancing projects in Africa, South America and Asia that notes are welcome. Please send them make a real difference for the people in those communities—and the students who to Engineering @ Maryland Editor, go there to help. 3230 Kim Engineering Building, The Innovation Hall of Fame and Engineers Without Borders offer opportunities University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2831. Information can be for our alumni to make important contributions as volunteers or as financial sup - sent by fax to 301.314.6868 or by porters. I encourage you to learn more about these two signature programs and e-mail to [email protected] work with us to make them even stronger. Cover photo by John T. Consoli Photo above by Prakash Patel Herbert Rabin Interim Dean NEWS OF NOT Clark School Leads Swarming Microsystems Program to Protect Soldiers The Clark School’s Department of Aerospace Engineering will research projects to be led by the department. “Aerospace engineer - lead a new multidisciplinary, multi-institution initiative to dra - ing is directing major-league competitive grants that will enhance its matically improve military surveillance capabilities and enhance reputation and that of the Clark School and university,” says Pines. soldiers’ safety. Inderjit Chopra, professor of aerospace engineering and director The program will develop networked, bio-inspired microvehicles of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the Clark School, that become the eyes and ears of soldiers in the field, crawling or fly - directs the MAST Center along with co-director J. Sean Humbert, ing over urban and other complex terrains. The tiny units will moni - an assistant professor in the department. “This is a great opportu - tor areas and convey critical information to soldiers who remain out nity for the Clark School to work with other top schools across of harm’s way. the country and to be a lead center,” adds Chopra. “The new A networked “swarm” of such vehicles can sense, communicate technology is a high priority for the U.S. Army and key to its and move together, forming a virtual “super-organism” to penetrate suc cess in the future.” any structure and find targets of interest, according to Darryll Pines, He and a team of Clark School faculty members and under - aerospace engineering professor and department chair. “This swarm graduate and graduate students, and colleagues from the university’s 2 could aid in the searches of buildings and caves and also assist in computer science and biology departments, are looking to nature perimeter defense. Soldiers would understand an environment by for inspiration for their work. “We look at birds that can fly in deploying the networked vehicles into the area instead of, or in gusty environments for long periods of time with little food,” says advance of, themselves,” says Pines. Chopra, who notes that an understanding of biology can help The program, called the Micro Autonomous Science and researchers apply basic principles to constructing engineering Technology (MAST) Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA) solu tions like the microvehicles. Center on Microsystems Mechanics, is funded by the Army “We have been working on small applications that we can operate Research Laboratory. The Clark School is the lead institution, in buildings, tunnels and other confined places,” says Chopra. “The joined by the University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania technology must enable us to fly these air vehicles for more than 30 and BAE Systems as principal members. The program is funded minutes on battery power, with a camera attached that can obtain by a $10 million award over five years with an option to continue good photos and bring back information to the troops. It must be for another five years. relatively simple for a soldier to operate with little training.” The award confirms the strategic direction the aerospace Chopra is especially excited about the opportunity for more department began pursuing about a decade ago. “Our plan was to than 25 students to work on the project. “Just imagine building create a research thrust in microsystems,” recalls Pines. “This grant an aircraft with your own hands! How do you incorporate elec - confirms our initial thinking and our ‘seed’ efforts, and solidifies tronics? How do you stabilize it? Working on a small scale, stu - our research in this area.” dents will gain experience on every component of the vehicle. Pines notes that the MAST Center is one of several major Every phase of manufacturing occurs here at the Clark School.” I New President of Alumni Chapter Named Catherine Stewart, B.S. ’03, mechanical Energy, Stewart was a member of the Clark been named the new director of alumni engineering, is the new president of the School’s first Solar Decathlon Team and relations for the Clark School. Look for Clark School Engineering Alumni Chapter participated in the school’s Annual Giving more information on the Clark School web - Board of Directors. An environmental engi - Leadership Task Force. site and in upcoming issues of E@M . I neer at Baltimore-based Constellation In addition, Josefina Simpson, ’ 84, has Engineering @ Maryland I Fall 2008 Future Faculty Fellows: Tomorrow’s Great Teachers and Mentors As a doctoral candidate in aerospace engineer - engineering itself,” says Shayman. “The Future teach,” says Shayman. ing (AE), Anand Veeraragavan was totally Faculty Program enables us to fulfill that In the research mentoring practicum, each immersed in his research, working on building responsibility and, in the process, do an even fellow co-supervises a student research project combustion-based propulsion systems at the better job of preparing students with a senior faculty member, microscale. While his faculty advisor, for success.” helping more junior students for - Christopher Cadou, AE associate professor, was Applicants for the program mulate the research problem impressed with his research acumen, he must have passed the Ph.D. quali - and meeting regularly to provide believed Veeraragavan also had the potential to fying examination and have a advice and monitor progress. be a gifted teacher. With a little prompting from minimum of three semesters left Current fellow Veeraragavan Cadou, the Ph.D. student applied for a fellow - before graduation. A competitive notes, “As a researcher you are ship and was accepted in the inaugural class of selection process assesses each narrowly focused. As a faculty the Clark School’s Future Faculty Program. candidate’s motivation for member you take a broader per - The program, launched in fall 2006 by Mark becoming a faculty member and spective and are aware of appli - Shayman, associate dean for faculty affairs, is an his or her potential for securing a cations in fields that you might exciting initiative that serves the needs of doc - tenure-track position.