Faculty News
Research:
Prof. Samer Hamdar (CEE) and the GW Transportation Group have been awarded a two-year, $125,533 subcontract from Battelle, Inc. This research funding is designated to provide support to the Federal Highway Administration (U.S. Department of Transportation) under the task titled “Research Assistant Support for Staff Projects in the Office of Safety Research and Development.”
Prof. Roger Lang (ECE) is the principal investigator of a three-year, $470,000 NASA grant to continue measuring the dielectric constant of seawater. This latest research will focus on taking measurements in cold seawater, where an accurate knowledge of the relationship between the dielectric constant of seawater, its temperature, and salinity are needed for satellite retrieval algorithms.
Media Mentions:
The Hindu quoted Prof. Poorvi Vora (CS) in the May 14 article “‘EVMs cannot be perfectly secure.’’’
Conferences & Presentations:
Prof. Erica Gralla (EMSE) and her students attended the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) Annual Meeting, held May 5-9 in Seattle, WA. Prof. Gralla and her students* gave the following presentations:
1. Erica Gralla and Jarrod Goentzel. “Humanitarian Transportation Planning: Evaluation of Practice-Based Heuristics and Recommendations for Improvement”
2. strong>Megan Peters*, Jarrod Goentzel, and Erica Gralla. “Measuring Change in Ugandan Agricultural Markets”
3. Azrah Anparasan* and Erica Gralla. “The Impact of Decentralization and Coordination Policies in Humanitarian Logistics Transportation Networks”
4. Madison Reinker* and Erica Gralla. “A System Dynamics Model of Systemic Change in Farmer Adoption of Agricultural Inputs in Uganda”
5. Jarrod Goentzel, Erica Gralla, and Ira Haavisto. “Insights and Tools for Implementing Operational Standards in Decentralized Humanitarian Organizations”
6. Lauren Bateman* and Erica Gralla. “Agent-Based Modeling of Internal Information Management Support for Humanitarian Organizations”
Prof. Gralla also organized a one-day conference before the main POMS conference for the College of Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management, finishing her two-year term as vice-president for meetings. She also was elected to serve as the new vice-president for communication.
Other News:
Prof. Volker Sorger (ECE) has been elevated to the status of IEEE Senior Member.
Dr. Lijie “Grace” Zhang (MAE) has been invited to serve as a member of the Biomaterials and Biointerfaces Study Section, Center for Scientific Review for a four-year term beginning July 1. Study sections review grant applications submitted to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), make recommendations on these applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their fields of science. Membership on a study section is a unique opportunity to contribute to the national biomedical research effort. Members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.
Other News
NEW SEAS COURSE: New Venture Creation Using Design Thinking (SEAS 4800 / SEAS 6800)
Summer Session 1
Tuesdays from 6:10 to 8:40 pm
This brand new, 1.5-credit course is based on Stanford University's design thinking framework to create a startup. The focal point of the course will be a public health issue impacting Washington, D.C. You will work in interdisciplinary teams throughout the course to create a customer-centric product/service for local users. From establishing organizations to creating products and services, design is a process.
In this course, you will be introduced to elements of leadership, and problem solving approaches that draw on design thinking, the lean startup methodology, entrepreneurship, and other frameworks used by business leaders to spark the creation of new products and services, and to start ventures aimed at creating sustainable change. If you have questions about the course, please email Ms. Annamaria Konya-Tannon.
SEAS Events
Order of the Engineer Ceremony
Tuesday, May 16
4:00 pm
SEH, Lehman Auditorium
EEMI Webinar: Overview of the New SEAS Certificate in Greenhouse Gas Management
Thursday, May 18
12:00 pm
Register for the webinar
Dr. Rachael Jonassen (visiting scholar, EMSE) will lead the Environmental and Energy Management Institute’s 30-minute, free webinar on the new SEAS Certificate in Greenhouse Gas Management. The certificate will be offered to off-campus and non-degree students, and the webinar will feature faculty who will explain the courses being offered this fall.
The Pelton Award for Outstanding Senior Project & SEAS Undergraduate Awards Ceremony
Thursday, May 18
12:30 – 2:30 pm: Senior Design Showcase (SEH Studio Labs)
4:00 – 6:00 pm: Pelton Award for Outstanding Senior Project (Lehman Auditorium)
Both of these events are open to all SEAS students, faculty, staff, and families. A reception will follow the ceremony.
Traffic and Granular Flow Conference (TGF17)
Wednesday – Saturday, July 19-22
TGF17 will be hosted at GW and chaired by Prof. Samer Hamdar (CEE). All details of the conference can be found on the conference website.
Dissertation Defenses
Student Name: Ivan Suarez Castellanos
Dissertation Title: “Ultrasound Stimulation of Insulin Release from Pancreatic Beta Cells”
Adviser: Prof. Vesna Zderic (BME)
Thursday, May 25
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
SEH, B1220