-COE News
-New Research Grants and Gifts
-Awards and Honors
-Seminars and Events
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DEAN'S COLUMN

Dear alumni and friends:

On October 8th, over 100 friends, faculty and students gathered to celebrate the successful construction of a wall around the only school in the village of Cerro Alto, Guatemala.  The wall was critical for purposes of hygiene (keeping farm animals out) and safety (keeping children in). This project was undertaken by our campus chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB).  The October dinner raised thousands of dollars in contributions through ticket sales, donations, pledges and a silent auction.  A special presentation was made to O'Connell & Associates, a law firm, for a generous gift that matched funds raised prior to the January 2007 work trip. Michelle Doherty, the former Peace Corps volunteer in Cerro Alto, who facilitated the interaction with the village leadership, flew in from Colorado to be the guest speaker and reunite with the EWB team.  Guests at the Gala learned that the teachers in the village also took up the cause of making the school a safer place, using their resources to initiate other hygiene, safety and recycling projects as well as painting a map of the world on the wall.  In 2006-2007, students raised over $25,000 for that project.  They expect to raise a similar amount of funds for water safety projects in 2008.

I am pleased to announce the College of Engineering Teaching Awards and Advising Awards for 2007. The Teaching Awards were based on excellent student evaluations, significant curriculum changes, significant lab upgrades, creation of new courses, etc. Congratulations to 2007 Faculty Teaching Award recipients Rashid Ansari (ECE), John Hetling (BioE), Amid Khodadoust (CME), Roland Priemer (ECE), Michael Scott (MIE), Jon Solworth (CS), Mitch Theys (CS), Venkat Venkatakrishnan (CS), and Lew Wedgewood (ChE).

Undergraduate Advising Awards are based on advising evaluation forms from our undergraduate students. The results of these student evaluations determined the winners of the Best Advisor Awards for 2007.

Congratulations to Tanya Berger-Wolf (CS), Vladimir Goncharoff (ECE), Frank Loth (MIE),

Peter C. Nelson
Interim Dean, College of Engineering

COE NEWS

The UI Alumni Association invites engineering alumni and students to P2P.  Renew old contacts and make new ones at this upbeat and dynamic speed networking reception.  This event will be held at Jake Melnick's Corner Tap, 41 E. Superior Street, Chicago on Thursday, November 29, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM.  The fees are:  Students, UIAA Annual and Life Members - $20.00 and UIAA Non-Members - $30.00.  Please RSVP by Monday, November 26, 2007 and view other UIAA events at http://www.uiaa.org/chicago/

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The College regrets to announce the passing of past Assistant Dean Vivian Cardwell.  Dean Cardwell was raised in Milwaukee and moved to Chicago to pursue an MBA at the University of Chicago. After raising a family, she began her professional career at UIC serving our engineering students and faculty for 23 years. Professor Tom Moher said Vivian always provided a friendly and welcoming face for our faculty and students. She had the good fortune to work with thousands of students during her career, and touched many lives. I'm sure that she will be remembered very fondly by generations of UIC Engineering students and alumni.  Vivian was also an accomplished musician and vocalist.  Memorial gifts in honor of Vivian Cardwell may be directed to the Engineering Alumni Association Award Fund.  A scholarship will be awarded in her honor annually.  Please mail your gifts to Nancy J. Cohen, Director of Development, UIC College of Engineering (MC 159), 851 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60607-7043.  Checks should be payable to the UI Foundation.

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Bioengineering

David Eddington Ph.D. of the Biological Microsystems Lab receives grants from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for "Microfluidic Microbial Sieve" & from DARPA for "Cnidocytes as Microscale Synthesis and Delivery Modules"

Professor Ali Mansoori elected as full member (Academician) by the International Academy of Endeavors (IACE)

Professor Percival D. McCormack M.D., Ph.D. Invited to join the National Advisory Council for Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering of NIH (NIBIB)

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Computer Science

GLOBAL WARMING

In it's Science section, Apple, Inc. explains how Geoscientists in Antarctica use EVL's visualization tools.
Read more:
http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/andrill/index.html

NEW RESEARCH GRANTS & GIFTS

Professors Banerjee and Scott of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department receive research grant from NSF

Professors Pat Banerjee and Michael Scott are the Co-PIs on a multi-university research grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. The title of the project is "Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Recreational Technologies and Exercise Physiology Benefiting Persons with Disabilities.”  The total award is approximately $5 million and runs from 2007 through 2012. More information can be found here:

http://www.engr.uic.edu/newsletter/images/NIDRR.jpg

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Professor Suresh K. Aggarwal of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department receives NSF Grant

Title: "International Workshop on Advances in Combustion Science and Technology;" Sponsor: NSF; Amount: $20,000; Duration: 9/1/07-2/29/08

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Professor Patton of the Bioengineering department is the recipient of a NSF grant

Jim Patton received a NSF grant in the amount of $351,000/yr (total costs) for a period of 11/1/07 – 10/31/11. This grant explores the prospects of artificially augmenting error as a means of enhancing the motor learning process and tests it on the recovering survivor of stroke.

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Energy Resources Center (ERC) and the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department are dedicated to research in the field of air cleaning

“Cleaning Your Air at the University of Illinois”

There is a collaborative effort underway between the Energy Resources Center (ERC) http://www.erc.uic.edu and the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) http://www.mie.uic.edu dedicated to research in the growing field of air cleaning. This important research looks at a procedure which cleans recirculated air of indoor contaminants to promote energy efficiency. By utilizing a process that recirculates the air, there is less demand for outdoor air and a reduction in the cost to condition it. This collaborative effort underway at the Air Cleaning Technology Laboratory (ACTLab) http://www.actlab.uic.edu/ evaluates the innovative technologies necessary for alternative air cleaning processes and was made possible through funding provided by the National Center for Energy Management and Building Technologies (NCEMBT) as part of a cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy and UIC.

AWARDS & HONORS

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SEMINARS & EVENTS

Monday, November 5, 2007
ECE Department Seminar
Dr. Shubhra Gangopadhyay
LaPierre Chair and Joint Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biological Engineering,and Physics
University of Missouri-Columbia
"Dielectric Films with Metal Nanoparticles for Higk-k and Non-Volatile Memory Applications"
10:00 a.m.
Room 1000 SEO

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
ECE Department Seminar
Dr. Shubhra Gangopadhyay
LaPierre Chair and Joint Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biological Engineering,and Physics
University of Missouri-Columbia
"Nano-Engineered Materials and Applications in Life Sciences"
2:00 p.m.
Room 1000 SEO

Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Teaching with Technology Bownbag Lunch
All interested RSVP via email to itl@uic.edu
11:00 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.
Room 613, Student Center East
http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/itl/fwm/

Monday, November 12, 2007
College of Engineering OPEN HOUSE
All interested students and parents must RSVP by Wednesday, November 7.
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Room 302, Student Center East
http://www.engr.uic.edu/recruitment/open_house.htm

Thursday, November 15, 2007
Computer Science Distinguished Lecturer Series
Mary Beth Rosson, Penn State University
"When Users Do the Programming: Challenges and Opportunities for End User Software Engineering"
11:00 a.m.
Room 1000 SEO

Free Flu Shots

Flu shots at no extra charge to eligible State of Illinois employees and retirees. (Dependents, spouses, contractual workers, consultants, students, and employees who have opted out of health insurance coverage through the state are NOT eligible for the free flu shot through this program.) Employees must present their health insurance card from their State-sponsored health plan and verification of University employment (I-Card).




East side of campus:

Wednesday, November 7
9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Student Center East
Cardinal Room (329)
750 S. Halsted

West side of campus:

Tuesday, November 13
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Student Center West
Chicago Room A
828 S. Wolcott

Questions regarding the FREE flu shot program? Contact the UIC Benefits Service Center at (312) 996-6471

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Newsletter Editors, Carolyn Griffith and Nancy Singer
Please submit news items to cgriffi@uic.edu
http://www.engr.uic.edu