Faculty News
New Faculty:
Dr. Kinga Dobolyi has joined GW as an associate professor of practice in the CS department. Dr. Dobolyi previously taught computer science at George Mason University for eight years. Her interests in computer science education focus on how to retain and increase the number of students in such courses, especially under-represented groups, via techniques such as self-pacing, active learning, test-driven development, automated feedback, student-led discussions, and focusing on non-traditional computer science applications. She has also worked in industry as a data scientist at a startup, and as an applied deep learning researcher at the non-profit IQT Labs, specializing in biomedical applications of computer vision and NLP. Her current research interests include automated testing for deep learning models and characterizing uncertainty in research on emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Dobolyi earned her PhD in 2010 from the University of Virginia.
Awards & Honors:
Congratulations to Dr. Payman Dehghanian (ECE), who has been selected to receive the Washington Academy of Sciences’ 2021 Early Career Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The award will be presented to him at the Academy’s annual banquet, which will be held on September 9. The citation for Dr. Dehghanian’s award will read: “For enhancing the reliability, resilience, and operational endurance of the nation’s electric power delivery infrastructure against environmental stressors and man-made cyber and physical threats.”
Publications:
Dr. Lorena Barba (MAE) and her PhD student Olivier Mesnard have published the following journal article: O. Mesnard and L. A. Barba, "[Re] Three-dimensional wake topology and propulsive performance of low-aspect-ratio pitching-rolling plates,” ReScience C, 7(1):7 (August 2021). Preprint arXiv:2105.00775
Dr. Michael Keidar (MAE) and his students and post-docs have published the following recent papers: 1) D. Yan, A. Horkowitz, Q. Wang, and M. Keidar, “On the Selective Killing of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Cancer Treatment: Status and Beyond,” Plasma Processes and Polymers. Published online August 20, 2021, and selected for the journal’s cover page; 2) D. Yan, A. Malyavko, Q. Wang, L. Lin, J. H. Sherman, and M. Keidar, “Cold Atmospheric Plasma Cancer Treatment, a Critical Review,” Applied Sciences. Published online August 23, 2021; and 3) M. Keidar, K-D Weltmann, and S. Macheret, “Fundamentals and Applications of Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas” (editorial), Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 130, Issue 8. Published online August 28, 2021.
Dr. Volker Sorger (ECE), along with Dr. Tarek El-Ghazawi (ECE) and Dr. Santiago Solares (MAE), has published the following articles: 1) M. Miscuglio, Y. Gui, X. Ma, Z. Ma, S. Sun, T. El-Ghazawi, T. Itoh, A. Alù, and V. J. Sorger, “Approximate analog computing with metatronic circuits,” Communications Physics, Vol. 4, 4. Published August 26, 2021; and 2) R. Maiti, M. A. S. R. Saadi, R. Amin, V. O. Ozcelik, B. Uluutku, C. Patil, C. Suer, S. Solares, and V. J. Sorger, “Strain-Induced Spatially Resolved Charge Transport in 2H-MoTe2,” ACS Applied Electronic Materials, 2021.
Media Mentions:
Dr. John Helveston (EMSE) was quoted in an August 23 StorageCafe article about the future of electric vehicle adoption in the US, “The Future Is Electric: The San Jose, SF, and LA Metros Are Tops For Electric Cars With PHX and Portland Speeding Up To Enter the EV Race.”
Scott Sklar (director of sustainable energy, SEAS EEMI) was quoted in several recent media pieces on the topic of climate change. WUSA-CBS9 quoted him in the August 23 piece “VERIFY: Yes, the UN report says human-induced climate change has caused some damage that’s irreversible for centuries,’’ as well as in the August 11 piece “A UN report says the climate crisis is here. How should you prepare?” and the August 9 piece “More natural disasters ahead if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t slashed | UN Climate Report.” CNN also quoted him in the August 12 article “Bill Gates pledges $1.5 billion to climate projects in the infrastructure bill.’’
Other News
MAE graduate Ms. Ashley Kowalski (BS 2011, MS 2012) has been selected to be part of a ground-based, eight-month NASA simulation of a multinational team for a space mission. The crew will live together in isolation for eight months in Moscow, Russia and will experience various aspects of social isolation and confinement during the simulation. By studying crew interactions, health, and physiology during confinement, NASA researchers will advance development of methods and technologies to mitigate and counteract potential related problems on future spaceflight missions.
Upcoming SEAS Events
WOW Talk Series
Wednesday, September 8
4:00 pm (ET)
Speakers:
- Dr. Payman Dehghanian (ECE): “Electrical and Computer Engineering Distributed Intelligence for Online Situational Awareness and Resilience in Power Grids”
- Dr. Samer Hamdar (CEE): “AI in Traffic Engineering: From Computer Vision to Incident Detection in a Connected Transportation Environment”
- Dr. Qing Zeng (Biomedical Informatics Center): “Clinical Research and Leadership Explainable AI and Observational Data in Clinical Research”
These short talks (15 minutes each) are designed to introduce GW faculty and students to current and exciting research projects, to initiate discussion and collaboration, and to share expertise at GW.
GW Compass Happy Hour
September 9
5:30 pm
Tonic at Quigley's (2036 G Street, NW)
Come meet your fellow STEM graduate students at our first fall semester happy hour. Free appetizers! All attendees must sign-in upon arrival for the purposes of potential contract tracing.
EEMI Webinar: “From Vikings to Wind Turbines, Denmark’s Journey Toward Sustainability”
New date: Thursday, September 30
8:00 am (ET)
The SEAS Environmental and Energy Management Institute (EEMI) will co-host a free webinar on Denmark's pioneering actions towards energy sustainability. The event will feature Dan Jørgensen, the Danish Minister of Climate, Energy, and Utilities. He will be interviewed by EEMI Visiting Scholar Ambassador András Simonyi on Denmark’s journey toward sustainability. Topics will include the European Commission’s 2021 "Fit for 55" legal framework to achieve climate goals, Denmark's pioneering role in energy transition, transatlantic climate and energy cooperation, and preparation for COP26.
External Events
RCR and Beyond
Classes begin September 2
Thursdays, 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) @ GW and Beyond is a semester-long weekly seminar course designed to develop and strengthen ethical problem-solving skills along with cultivating sensitivity to ethical issues commonly found while conducting research. The course is open to the entire campus community, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, researchers, staff and research administrators. Registration is capped at 20 participants, first come, first served. Classes are held on Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. throughout the semester, unless otherwise noted.
GW Centuries Celebration Weekend
Friday, October 1 – Sunday, October 3
Join GW for the culmination of our bicentennial. The weekend includes in-person events and activities for alumni, students, faculty, staff, and GW families, as well as Commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021, opportunities to honor our Monumental Alumni, and a closing Bicentennial Bash.
Human Resources News
Find updates on benefits, employee resources, and more at the HR Corner. Please visit the HR Corner to get the latest news and information.