Faculty News
Research:
Prof. Pinhas Ben-Tzvi (MAE) and his former doctoral student Paul Moubarak have been granted U.S. Patent 9,004,200: “Mobile Robots with Hybrid Traction and Mobility Mechanism.” The patent was issued on April 14.
Profs. Guru Venkataramani (ECE) and Tian Lan (ECE) have won a three-year, $531,000 Office of Naval Research award for their project “Symbiotic and Integrated Reasoning ENgine (SIREN) for Autonomic Cyber Systems.” Their work aims to characterize bugs and security flaws in applications through program analysis using statistical and formal techniques.
Publications:
Prof. Pinhas Ben-Tzvi (MAE) and his former doctoral student Zhou Ma have published the following peer-reviewed journal paper: Ma, Z., Ben-Tzvi, P., “RML Glove – An Exoskeleton Glove Mechanism with Haptics Feedback,” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, Vol. 20, Issue 2, pp. 641-652, April 2015.
Presentations:
On April 24, Prof. Pinhas Ben-Tzvi (MAE) gave an invited research seminar at the University of Maryland in the Maryland Robotics Center, Institute for Systems Research and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The research seminar was titled “Design and Integration of Novel Field Robots and Robotic Exoskeletons.”
On April 24, Prof. Tianshu Li (CEE) gave an invited talk, titled “On the quantitative applicability of classical nucleation theory to ice nucleation,” at the Ice Nucleation workshop organized by Princeton University’s Center for Theoretical Science.
Other News:
Prof. Ken Chong (MAE) was invited to serve as a mentor and facilitator of the NSF CAREER Workshop held April 26-28 at Northeastern University in Boston. Approximately 200 young faculty members participated in the workshop, including at least one from GW. While in Boston, Prof. Chong gave a seminar at MIT on April 29 exploring the translational research in mechanics and structures, from nano scale to the continuum.
Prof. Volker Sorger (ECE) was awarded the journal cover for his recent publication: K. Liu, Z. R. Li, S. Khan, C. Ye, and V. J. Sorger, “Ultra-fast electro-optic modulators for high-density photonic integration,” Laser & Photonics Review, 10, 1, p.11-15 (2015). Laser & Photonics Review has an impact factor of 9.3.
Guest Vignette
Although great advancements have been made with regards to the treatment of central (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system injuries, achieving a full-functional recovery is still challenging—namely, the incomplete union of severed nerves and the formation of scar tissue inhibiting tissue formation. In addition, the lack of highly efficient and implantable scaffolding for the propagation of neural signals and the induction of tissue formation through external stimulation have proved difficult.
For this purpose, Prof. Lijie Grace Zhang and her students are developing a combinatorial approach integrating novel nanomaterials, 3D printing, and neural stem cells to address the current limitations facing neural regeneration. Specifically, biomimetic neurogenic nanomaterials were bioprinted into a novel 3D neural tissue construct with a tunable internal structure and predefined biomechanical properties. This research will greatly transform the scope and depth of traditional "neural engineering," which, from the viewpoint of IEEE, primarily focuses on neural networking and brain-machine interface. Our preliminary results showed the effectiveness of the 3D printed nano neural construct in directing sustained neural stem cell growth and differentiation in vitro. Based on the positive results, we will perform further in vivo studies to illustrate expedited neural tissue regeneration. Our long term goal is to use a patient-specific, 3D bioprinted neural tissue graft to clinically treat neural defects and recover neurological functions. This research is expected to be aligned with the mission of the “BRAIN” initiative proposed by President Obama, which aims to “revolutionize our understanding of the human mind and uncover new ways to treat, prevent, and cure brain disorders like Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.” (Provided courtesy of Prof. Lijie Grace Zhang, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
SEAS Events
Order of the Engineer Ceremony
Tuesday, May 12
4:00 – 6:00 pm
SEH Lehman Auditorium
The ceremony and reception are open to all SEAS students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Pelton Senior Project Competition & Senior-Alumni BBQ
Thursday, May 14
5:00 pm
SEH Lehman Auditorium (competition) and High Bay (BBQ)
RSVP
The competition and BBQ are open to the public. RSVPs are required.
SEAS Career Center News
Boeing: Systems Engineering Intern
Requisition Number: 1500014339en
Huntington Beach, CA
Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) is looking for system engineers to design, develop, integrate and test new and continuing state of the art products for aircraft/aircraft systems, rotorcraft/rotorcraft systems, ships/shipboard systems, communications/communications systems, missile/missile systems, energy/energy systems, cyber warfare/cyber warfare protection and space/space systems. To qualify, candidates must be enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program, majoring in engineering, technical, or applied sciences fields. For more information and to apply, please visit: http://jobs-boeing.com/huntington-beach/business-support-services/jobid7417557-systems-engineering-intern-jobs .
Boeing: BDS Software Engineering Intern (multiple U.S. locations: CA, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Requisition Number: 1400002233en
Computer engineering, computer science, and software engineering students: utilize your passion for developing software to develop large-scale simulations, airplane flight control and display software, avionics, mechanical and electrical systems, aircraft systems, networks, mobile ground-based defense platforms, satellites, and space vehicles. To qualify, candidates must be enrolled in a Bachelors degree program (or a consolidated Bachelor’s/Master’s degree program), majoring in engineering, technical, or applied sciences fields. Most positions may require the successful candidate to be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. For more information and to apply, please visit: http://jobs-boeing.com/huntington-beach/business-support-services/jobid6039452-bds-software-engineering-intern-%28multiple-locations%29-jobs .
Student Career Development Opportunities
Crown Consulting is looking for more SEAS graduate students with a focus on mobile application development. Interested students should contact the Graduate Career Services Team at [email protected].
The Allied Minds Fellows Program seeks to provide young scholars in the STEM disciplines with a unique perspective on the business side of science and early-stage technology commercialization. The program, which will begin accepting applications on May 4, 2015, seeks to attract an elite group of graduate students and post-docs from top-tier research institutions to gain hands-on experience with scouting, diligence, market discovery and investment analysis in support of our corporate and portfolio company activities.
Dissertation Defenses
Student’s Name: Mohammad Obiedat
Dissertation Title: “Incrementally Sorted Lattice Data Structures”
Advisor: Prof. Simon Berkovich (CS)
Friday, May 8
1:00 – 3:00 pm
SEH 46055