Dean’s Message · 4 FRONTIERNEWS Provost Appoints Choi as Dean of Engineering The School of...

Dear Alumni and Friends of the School of Engineering:

September yielded the formal announce-ment, at the Legislative Office Building in

Hartford, of a new research initiative thatemerges from a unique academic/State/indus-try alliance: the Eminent Faculty Initiative inSustainable Energy. The State has establisheda permanent budget line item of $2 millionannually in support of the initiative, with amatching one-time sum of $2 million pledgedby industrial partners. This research nexus will reside permanently in the School ofEngineering and expand upon our existing critical mass of research excellence in fuelcells, biofuels, photovoltaics and other greentechnologies. A national search is underwayto recruit a world-class senior researcher

and several other sustainable energy team members to propel Connecticut onto thenational energy stage.

More broadly, this initiative will enhanceour larger core of allied research in environ-mental engineering, hydrology monitoring, foulweather prediction, smart construction andcommunity development, and smart/securetransportation. Please see pages 11-20 fordetails of the new initiative and profiles ofsome of our superb research aimed at creatingrealistic alternatives to fossil fuels, monitoringwater resources on the African continent,studying how natural disasters impact build-ings, and helping Connecticut and the nation

2 FRONTIERNEWS www.engr.uconn.edu

Erling Smith, Ph.D., P.E.

Dean’s Message

prepare for—and avoid—unexpected disas-ters such as the Minneapolis bridge collapseand other hazards of an aging infrastructure.

A critical theme within our school is synergistic “cross disciplines.” To address 21st

century challenges and remain vital, we mustbroaden our scope to embrace greater meas-ures of cell biology, agriculture, psychologyand public policy, for example. As you read ofour accomplishments in research and teaching,this interdisciplinary undercurrent will becomemore apparent. Tomorrow’s engineers mustexcel in fundamental engineering practicewhile also developing their capacity to adaptand apply non-engineering concepts to engi-neering solutions. A broader challenge to theengineering community is how to provide general engineering education to the public at large: unless Americans—and particularly policy setters—understand basic science andengineering, the nation’s economic security isin jeopardy.

New Dean

I am delighted to announce that the Universityhas named Dr. Mun Choi to be the next Deanof Engineering. Dr. Choi earned his Ph.D. at Princeton and comes to us from DrexelUniversity, where he is Associate Dean forResearch and Graduate Studies in the Collegeof Engineering and Department Head ofMechanical Engineering and Mechanics. He will commence his duties as Dean inJanuary 2008. At Drexel, he helped to developsix different U.S. Department of EducationGraduate Assistance in Areas of NationalNeed (GAANN) site programs and was instru-mental in securing $6.5 million in funding fromthe National Science Foundation (NSF) for ajoint graduate collaboration between Drexeland the University of Pennsylvania. I invite you to read about Dr. Choi on page 4.

New Head for CMBE and New Faculty

Dr. C. Barry Carter (see p. 5) joined us asDepartment Head of the Chemical, Materials &Biomolecular Engineering Department. He wasmost recently the 3M Harry Heltzer EndowedChair in the Department of ChemicalEngineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota. In addition, we welcomed seven talented new facultymembers (see pgs. 25-26) in August. Eachbrings expertise in an area of strategic importance to the School, from environmentaland transportation engineering to biomaterialsand biomedical engineering.

Other News

This issue debuts the first of our alumni company profiles, with a spotlight on PhononCorporation of Simsbury (see pgs. 6-7), a powerhouse company that employs UConnengineering graduates and maintains strongties with our School.

Those who receive our electronic newspage, eFrontierNews, will recognize many ofthe stories appearing on the following pages.For an advance look at our most immediatenews, subscribe to our monthly eFrontierNewsat your desktop. It’s free. Please see page 4 forsubscription information.

This issue of FrontierNews will be my lastas Interim Dean. It has been my great privilegeto serve the School of Engineering and all ofyou who make up our dynamic community. I remain thankful for all of the support I havereceived, and I am confident that the UConnSchool of Engineering will continue its climb to the top.

Sincerely,

Erling SmithInterim Dean

Issue 13

I am pleased to report that this issue of FrontierNews was printed on 50% recycled/25% post-consumer waste paper stock. I think you’ll agree that it looks and feels great, but another bonus of going green is that we can do so at no additional cost. Going green isn’t just an aesthetic and socially responsible decision anymore, it’s also economical!

Issue 13, Fall 2007

www.engr.uconn.edu FRONTIERNEWS 3

Interim DeanErling Smith

Associate DeansA.F.M. Anwar, Research and Graduate EducationJohn C. Bennett, Jr., Academic Affairs

Assistant DeanMarcelle Wood, Undergraduate Education

Director of Development Joseph C. Hanrahan

Writer/EditorNan R. Cooper

Graphic Designer/IllustratorChris LaRosa

Photo CreditsChris LaRosa, Peter Morenus, Matt Bacco and University Communications

FrontierNews is published twice yearly by the Office of the Dean, School of Engineering at the University of Connecticut.

261 Glenbrook Road, Unit 2237Storrs, Connecticut 06269-2237Telephone: (860) 486-2221

Published for the alumni, faculty, students, corporate supporters, and friends of the School of Engineering at the University of Connecticut.Suggestions are welcome. Send correspondenceand address corrections to the Editor at the above address or e-mail to [email protected]

on the cover

A joint press conference held at theLegislative Office Building in Hartfordunveils an ambitious new research campaign, the Eminent FacultyInitiative in Sustainable Energy, which will reside in the School ofEngineering. See story on page 12.

FEATURES

3 Dean’s Message

4 Provost Appoints Choi as Dean of Engineering

5 New Department Head Arrives in Storrs

6 Alumni-Led Company a Profile in Excellence

8 Weiss Named UTC Professor of Advanced Materials and Processing

8 Engineering Welcomes New Academic Advisor: Brian Schwarz

9 Women Faculty Named 2007 Women of Innovation

9 Engineering Programs Undergo Accreditation Review

10 UConn Honors Alumnus John Krenicki (’84)

10 Raytheon Partners with UConn for Advanced Materials

20 Alumnus Bernie Berson (’57)Takes Reins at NSPE

21 Bar-Shalom Research to Aid Defense

21 Enderle Receives ASEE Merryfield Award

22 Distinguished Alumni, Friends and Scholars Recognized

23 Student News

24 Ilies Captures NSF CAREER Award

25 School Welcomes New Faculty

28 Outreach Initiatives Excite Prospective Students

30 In Memoriam: Jack E. Stephens

IN EVERY ISSUE

27 Faculty News

31 Alumni News

FrontierNewsS C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G

SPECIAL SECTION

11 Sustainable Energy, the Environment,Soil and Water Resources

12 Engineering Launches Eminent Faculty Initiative in Sustainable Energy

13 MacKay Research Examines Impact of Antibiotics in Environment

14 FuelCell Energy Celebrates Successful Demo at Fuel Cell Center

15 Connecticut Transportation Institute Slated a National Center of Excellence

15 Earthquake Monitoring Research Continues in Thailand

16 Connecticut Bridges Safer Thanks to DeWolf

17 Fuel Cell Center Establishes Fuel Cell UPS Test Facility

17 Fuel Cell Conference Draws 400

18 UConn Demonstrates Continuous Biodiesel Production

19 School Seeks New Director for Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center

19 Ethiopian Hydrologic Studies Excite Multi-Institutional Student Team

STUDENT PROFILES

5 Katherine Etter: Finding the Balance

5 Fuel Cell Research Attracted Ph.D. Student Kyle Grew

24 Kolawole Ladoja: Destined for UConn Engineering

24 Colette Opsahl: From Step Dancing to Cardboard Canoes

30 In the Swim with Senior Andrea Ryan

30 Michael Smith Mixes Ballroom Dancing with Computer Science


Provost Appoints Choi as Dean of Engineering

The School of Engineering is delighted towelcome Dr. Mun Choi as Dean, effective

January 2008. UConn Provost Dr. PeterNicholls announced Dr. Choi’s appointment,the culmination of an extensive nationalsearch, in early July. Dr. Erling Smith will con-tinue as Interim Dean through the end of 2007.

During interviews and campus visits, Dr. Choi was impressed with the Universityculture and focus on both research andinstructional distinction. “The excellent reputa-tion of the faculty and their scholarly activi-ties, the high quality of undergraduate andgraduate students, the strong commitmentsfrom the upper administration, and active andloyal alumni groups were important elementsthat attracted me to UConn,” said Dr. Choi.

“The School of Engineering at UConn ispoised to become one of the premier institu-tions in the country and will develop leader-ship in critical areas of emerging research andinnovative academic programs,” he remarked.

Dr. Choi received his M.A. and Ph.D.degrees from Princeton University in 1989 and1992, respectively, in the field of mechanicaland aerospace engineering. He currentlyserves as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College ofEngineering, and as Department Head ofMechanical Engineering and Mechanics atDrexel University in Philadelphia.

Before joining Drexel in 2000, Dr. Choi heldacademic and administrative appointments at

the University of Illinois in Chicago. He alsoconducted post-doctoral research as aNational Research Council Post-DoctoralFellow at the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD from1992-93.

Dr. Choi’s current research interests focuson the effects of sooting and radiation ondroplet combustion, and soot diagnostic tech-niques. In collaborations with researchers atNIST and Sandia National Laboratory, Dr. Choihas measured optical and physical propertiesof soot produced from various-scale flamesand fires. Other investigations involve researchon spherically-symmetric droplet combustionand have enhanced the understanding of howsooting and radiation behaviors influencedroplet burning characteristics. His experi-ments on droplet combustion are slated to beconducted aboard the International SpaceStation. Many of his studies focus on under-standing the performance characteristics ofalternative liquid hydrocarbon fuels and additives typically used in automotive and jet engines.

Dr. Choi has championed educational initiatives throughout his career. He helped to develop six different U.S. Department ofEducation Graduate Assistance in Areas ofNational Need (GAANN) site programs andwas instrumental in securing $6.5 million infunding from the National Science Foundation(NSF) for a joint graduate collaboration

between Drexel and the University ofPennsylvania. In addition, he was a co-investi-gator on an NSF GK-12 fellowship program for doctoral students and collaborated on anNSF Bridge to the Doctorate program forminority students.

He is president of the internationalmechanical engineering honor society, Pi TauSigma, which boasts 160 chapters nationwide.Dr. Choi has received numerous awards forexcellence in research and teaching, includingthe Harold A. Simon College of EngineeringAward for Excellence in Teaching (’98), theCollege of Engineering Inaugural FacultyResearch Award (’98), the university-wideAward for Excellence in Teaching (’99) and thesystem-wide University Scholar award (2000-03)—all at the University of Illinois in Chicago.In 2006, he was awarded the Drexel UniversityCollege of Engineering Robert G. Quinn Medalfor Leadership and the NSF GreaterPhiladelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance forMinority Participation Award for Excellence in Education.

For the latest UConn engineering news, sign up to receive eFrontierNews, ourmonthly electronic news page. eFrontierNews is free, and it keeps you abreast

of breaking news within the School of Engineering. We describe faculty researchthat improves lives and livelihoods—such as monitoring voting machine integrity,improving bone repair, predicting water resources and testing bridge wear. We alsoprofile outstanding students, announce alumni activities and more. It’s easy to subscribe: just visit our website at www.engr.uconn.edu, select “School News” and click on eFrontierNews, where you’ll find subscription details. Or you can callus today to request your free subscription: (860) 486-5394.

Issue 13

Katherine Etter: Finding the Balance –Engineering, Political Leadership and Mentoring

StudentProfilesNew DepartmentHead Arrives in Storrs


Dr. C. Barry Carter took the helm July 1 as Head of the Chemical, Materials &

Biomolecular Engineering (CMBE)Department. Dr. Carter was most recently the 3M Harry Heltzer Endowed Chair in theDepartment of Chemical Engineering andMaterials Science and a professor in theChemical Physics Program at the University of Minnesota.

His academic career spans 16 years as a faculty member at the University ofMinnesota (’91-’07) and 12 years with the

Materials Scienceand Engineeringdepartment atCornell University(1979-91).

Dr. Carterearned his D. Phil.in Metallurgy &

Science of Materials at Oxford Universityin 1975, and in 2005 he received the Sc.D.degree in Natural Sciences from CambridgeUniversity.

As CMBE Department Head, Dr. Carteroversees 22 full-time faculty members andthree research faculty and instructors, as well as three administrative personnel.

His research interests include interfacesand defects in ceramics and semiconductors.

He is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal ofMaterials Science and serves as GeneralSecretary of IFSM, the InternationalFederation of Societies for Microscopy. He has received many honors throughout his career and is a past president of theMicroscopy Society of America and the co-author of Transmission ElectronMicroscopy: a Textbook for MaterialsScience. He is a Fellow of the AmericanCeramic Society and a co-author of the newtextbook CeramicMaterials: Science &Engineering, publishedby Springer in April 2007.

Biomedical Engineering student Katherine “Kade” Etter (Spring ’08) is sharpening her mastery of juggling, a skill

that will serve her well in her career—whether medicine orlaw, or a marriage of both. Careful time management andfocus allow Kade to balance competing demands in her rolesas Speaker of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Community Assistant in the Northwest dorm, and a Biomedical Engineering undergraduate enrolled in the

University’s Honors Program. “The School of Engineering has an innovative approach to education and student

life. Freshmen are grouped together in courses to facilitate the development of friend-ships, encourage group projects, and provide a support network for classes. UConn’sforesight in requiring group projects and individual presentations mirrors currenttrends in industry. Additionally, undergraduates have numerous opportunities to conduct research. Combine these opportunities with the rest of the engineering program and our graduates are among the best prepared for the future.”

Read Kade’s complete profile on our website at www.engr.uconn.edu. Click on“Prospective Students & Outreach” and locate the submenu item “Meet Students.”

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Graduate student Kyle Grew, a native of the farm belt stateof Ohio, came to UConn in 2005 to pursue his doctoral

studies after earning his B.S. in mechanical engineering at theUniversity of Dayton, OH.

Under faculty advisor Wilson Chiu, Kyle is studying the optimization of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anodemicrostructures. SOFCs are made of solid-state materials.Since they operate at high temperatures, 650-800° C, SOFCscan use a wide variety of fuel stocks and operate without the need for a costly catalyst.“I am studying the various transport mechanisms—such as mass, electronic charge andionic charge—and reaction/interaction mechanisms (i.e., electrochemical oxidationreactions) at the pore scale level. This involves trying to develop computational modelsto achieve a pore-level understanding of these processes in the state-of-the-art SOFC,and then designing microstructures that are feasible to manufacture and that minimizeefficiency/power losses associated with the described transport mechanisms.” Kyle’s project is funded by both the National Defense Science & Engineering GraduateFellowship Program and the Army Research Office.

Read Kyle’s complete profile on our website at www.engr.uconn.edu. Click on“Prospective Students & Outreach” and locate the submenu item “Meet Students.”

Fuel Cell Research Attracted Ph.D. Student Kyle Grew

Issue 13


Alumni-Led Company a Profile in Excellence

A small high-tech company co-foundedby two UConn engineering alumni,

Phonon Corporation of Simsbury, hascarved out a niche as one of the leadingmilitary surface acoustic wave—or SAW—device designers and manufacturers in theworld. Led by Tom A. Martin (M.S.,Ph.D., ’71, ’74), President and Chairmanof the Board, and Clement Valerio, Jr.(B.S., M.S., Ph.D. ’70, ’76, ’84) VicePresident of Research & Development,Phonon develops high tech analog microcircuits used in defense and spaceapplications.

Phonon is a 65-employee companyfounded in 1982 by Drs. Martin andValerio, along with Dick Fraley, formerVice President of Sales & Operations whoretired recently, and Pierre Dufilie (B.S.,M.S. ’70, ’71) who left in 1989. Within its

15,000 sq. ft. dedicated facility—located onpastoral farmlands where tobacco oncedominated the agricultural economy—Phonon employees design, build and testnovel surface acoustic wave, or SAW, unitsfor customers that include Raytheon,Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin,and some government agencies.

“We’re the leading U.S. company thatsells exclusively to the defense industry,”said Dr. Martin. “There are other, large,SAW companies that focus on commercialapplications, such as cell phones and other

consumer devices. We are the onlyAmerican company to focus on purelydefense applications.”

Phonon’s products deploy acoustic wavesacross the surface of special solid-state materials to achieve their unique signal processing capabilities. An input transducerconverts electrical impulses into tinyacoustic waves that then travel through thesolid propagation medium to the outputtransducer, where the waves are then recon-verted to electrical signals. Phonon’s SAWdevices and subsystems are used in radars,electronic warfare programs, communica-tions systems and even deep space.

Among Phonon’s critical resources, none is more fundamental than its employees, many of whom hold degreesfrom the University of Connecticut. “We maintain close contact with UConn,”

said Dr. Martin. “We are truly a technology company. Our business is based on peopleskills: good, bright engineers are ourlifeblood.”

Because SAW technology is a “veryniche business,” Dr. Martin said, only oneacademic program in the nation trains itsstudents in SAW technology, a Florida institution. “We made the decision yearsago to seek out bright engineers and trainthem ourselves. UConn is our main sourcefor engineers. We are very pleased with therelationship.” Phonon hires UConn engi-neering graduates, provides on-site training,and encourages its engineers to return toschool for their graduate degrees, offeringfee reimbursements, flex-time schedulingand other incentives. Many of the Phonon’s14 engineers are enrolled in, or have completed, graduate studies at UConn.

Besides Drs. Martin and Valerio, thecompany’s 14 engineers include UConnelectrical engineering alumni Dan Porga(B.S. ’93), David Miller (M.S. ’96),

Pictured in top photo, UConn engineering alumniat Phonon, left to right: Dan Porga, Jerry Heines,Dave Miller, Johanna Raphael, Erling Smith, Tom Martin, Steve LaBarre, Tom Reinwald, Jon Kahl, Scott Kraft, and Clem Valerio. Picturedin the middle, left to right: a Phonon techniciantesting a SAW device; Dr. Smith and Dr. Martindiscussing a Phonon sponsored senior design project.Pictured at bottom: a skilled assembler solderingtogether a high reliability module.

“ ”We made the decision years ago to seek out bright engineers and train them ourselves. UConn is our main source for engineers. We are very pleased with the relationship.

SOEAlumni

Issue 13

— Tom Martin


Scott Kraft (B.S. ’03), Tom Reinwald (B.S.’03), Jonathan Kahl (B.S. ’04), SteveLaBarre (B.S. ’06), and Johanna Raphael(B.S. ’06). In addition, Dr. Jerry Heines is aUConn physics alumnus.

The U.S. military uses SAW technologyto improve the speed and accuracy of smalltarget detection by radars, which areincreasingly subjected to sophisticated,powerful jamming and deception tech-niques. In electronic warfare, SAW technol-ogy is used to disable hostile electronics andto protect against electronically controlledthreats. SAW devices are used in militarycommunications as well, to handle voice,video, or digital data signals at high rateswhile providing signal security and jamresistance.

Despite its exclusive reliance on govern-ment contracts, Phonon’s business is bothstable and growing at a rate of about 10%annually, according to Dr. Martin. “Ourcontracts are very large and long term—decades in length—in fact. It’s the nature of the defense industry. Take the Patriotmissile, for example, which initially begansome 40 years ago. The long-term nature ofthese military projects makes our businessvery stable.”

All design, manufacturing and testing ofPhonon’s devices—which are proprietaryand custom-tailored to each customer’sneeds—is conducted within the Simsburyfacility. The SAW units are constructed intwo class-100 clean rooms, one dedicated towafer fabrication and the other to compo-nent assembly, where employees carry outtheir work attired in sterile coveralls, hoods,booties and gloves. The wafers are madeusing photolithographic processes, the sametechniques used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Phonon personnel subject every unit to rigorous testing beforeit is shipped to the customer.

In hiring engineers for its unique operation, Phonon takes advantage of one particularly effective hiring portal, the senior design program in the School of Engineering. Phonon has sponsored a senior design team in the Electrical &Computer Engineering department for several years. Senior engineering studentstake this capstone class during their lastyear as a culmination of their precedingyears’ classroom studies. Corporate spon-sors, who provide financial support, presentan undergraduate team with a genuinedesign challenge and appoint a corporate

mentor to advise the team throughout theyear. Phonon engineer Tom Reinwald (B.S.’03), who is pursuing a master’s degree at UConn, is the Phonon mentor to thesenior design team. He spends between twoand four hours weekly with the studentsthroughout the school year, helping themunderstand the design challenge within thecontext of Phonon’s needs. The studentsalso visit Phonon several times and delivera final presentation before a phalanx of thecompany’s engineers, who grill them withquestions. “They do a very good job,” saidDr. Martin.

The 2006-07 Phonon-sponsored seniordesign team was charged with developmentof a programmable logic controller toupdate the increasingly outdated Solitectrack system Phonon uses at the start of itsphotolithography process. Dr. Martinexplained that the company purchases older(20-30 year old) semiconductor wafer fab-rication units and adapts them to theirneeds, since new units can cost millions ofdollars. While older equipment carries areasonable price tag, the units suffer fromincreasingly obsolete or unavailable replace-ment parts. The student design team ofMichael Kelley, Benjamin Romeo andJeffrey Travis, with oversight from Mr. Reinwald and faculty advisor Dr. Mohammad Tehranipoor, designed anddeveloped a cost-effective programmaticcontroller to replace an aging system. The project is ongoing, and a new team of electrical engineering seniors will examine a different aspect of the device during the2007-08 school year.

Mr. Reinwald is very enthusiastic abouthis work with Phonon. “My goal in acareer was to never wake up in the morningand say to myself, ‘I really don’t feel likegoing to work today.’ I have never felt thatsentiment at Phonon. It’s a very reward-ing environment, and we have a lotof freedom to face challenges.Tom [Dr. Martin] is verysupportive of continuingeducation. We have threeUConn engineeringPh.D.s at Phonon, andthey are great mentorsand teachers; it’s likehaving three more pro-fessors. Plus, with a coregroup of UConn engi-neers, we share the sameeducational experiences

and training, and even refer to classes bynumber (e.g., ‘remember in 234, when wewere studying…’).”

Phonon’s success originates in the company’s unique, high quality products,unapologetic quest for excellence, and com-mitment to providing continuing educationfor its employees. Its deep roots and ongoing alliance with UConn’s School ofEngineering help the company sustain itshigh level of flexibility and innovation.Please visit Phonon’s company website atwww.phonon.com for more details.

Issue 13

Pictured above: Phonon sponsored UConn seniordesign team presenting their project on seniordesign day 2007. Pictured below: the wafer fabri-cation track system they were assigned to upgrade.

Weiss Named UTC Professor of Advanced Materials and Processing


Engineering Welcomes New Academic Advisor: Brian Schwarz

The School of Engineering is pleased towelcome a new Director of Advising,

A. Brian Schwarz,who joined theSchool in Augustfollowing theretirement of Dr. David Jordan,emeritus professorof Electrical &

Computer Engineering, who served asDirector of Advising for seven years.

With oversight from Assistant Dean ofUndergraduate Education Marty Wood,Brian will advise students in planning theiracademic programs and career goals; in the

pursuit of scholarships, awards and intern-ships; and in identifying industry co-ops,internships and job placement opportuni-ties. He will also help students navigate academic difficulties. In addition, he willaudit student records to determine eligibili-ty to graduate; assist with recruiting, registration, orientation and other initia-tives; meet with parents to discuss academic policies and their child’s performance, asneeded; and maintain a host of informativestatistics, including enrollment, admissions,dismissals, registrations, degree programchanges and similar matters.

Brian earned a B.A. in psychology atTemple University, Philadelphia, and an

M.A. in Student Affairs in HigherEducation at Indiana University ofPennsylvania, Indiana, PA. He brings sevenyears’ experience in student advising andcounseling at the University ofMassachusetts – Amherst, which he joinedin 1999 as the Assistant Director for FieldExperience with the Campus CareerNetwork. He joined the College ofEngineering one year later as Director ofRecruitment and Transfer Affairs, and justlast year Brian became Director of the college’s newly-created Career and StudentDevelopment Center. For a more complete biography, please seewww.engr.uconn.edu/advising.

Robert Weiss, Board of TrusteesDistinguished Professor (2003) of

Chemical, Materials & BiomolecularEngineering, was named the UTC Professor

of AdvancedMaterials andProcessing at theUniversity ofConnecticut. The position isassociated with theUTC Advanced

Technology Clinic endowment. In receiving the new title, Dr. Weiss

said “I am honored to accept this prestigious title. UTC is among the world’spremier corporations and a technologicalpowerhouse.”

Dr. Weiss was previously honored as theAnthony T. DiBenedetto DistinguishedProfessor of Engineering (1998) and aDistinguished Professor of Engineering(2002). Within his profession, Dr. Weisshas garnered the Society of Plastics

Engineers’ International Research Award(2002), International Education Award(2000), and Fred O. Conley Award forPlastics Engineering/Technology (2003).After receiving his Ph.D. in chemical engi-neering at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1976, Dr. Weiss accepted aposition in the Corporate Research Labs of Exxon Research and EngineeringCompany and joined the University ofConnecticut in 1981.

His research focuses primarily onionomers, a type of polymer containingbonded salt or acid groups. His interestsalso span proton exchange membranes—used in fuel cells, polymer blends, wettingof thin polymer films, electrically conduc-tive polymers, and hydrophobically modi-fied hydrogels. He is a Fellow of theAmerican Physical Society, the Society ofPlastics Engineers, the American ThermalAnalysis Society and the PolymericMaterials: Science and EngineeringDivision of the American Chemical Society.

Dr. Weiss is a former Associate Directorof the Institute of Materials Science andformer Director of the Polymer Program at UConn. He has 18 U.S. patents and haspublished more than 400 peer-reviewedjournal articles, book chapters and conference proceedings. In addition, he isthe Editor-in-Chief of the Society ofPlastics Engineers’ journals, PolymerEngineering and Science (1996-current) and Polymer Composites (1997-current); and former Associate Editor of both publications. He serves on the editorialboards of Macromolecules, the Journal ofApplied Polymer Science, Polymer andPolymer Composites, and Chemistry CentralJournal. He is also an adjunct Professor of Materials Science at the University of Florida.

SoENews

Issue 13

The Connecticut Technology Council(CTC) named Drs. Mei Wei and

Quing Zhu two of nine 2007 Women ofInnovation award recipients. Dr. Wei, an assistant professor in the Chemical,Materials & Biomolecular EngineeringDepartment, received the academic innova-tion and leadership award in recognition ofher contributions in the field of biomateri-als. Dr. Zhu, an associate professor ofElectrical & Computer Engineering,received one of two awards presented in thearea of research innovation and leadership forher development of a novel breast cancer detection device. UConn School ofPharmacy doctoral student Kristyn Grecocaptured the collegian innovation and leadership award.

The Women of Innovation awards,begun in 2005, recognize outstanding contributions by Connecticut women in

the fields of sci-ence, engineering,education andbusiness. Awardsare made in eightcategories, and thisyear the committeereceived a total of120 nominations.

“Ms. Wei andMs. Zhu are trulyremarkable womenworking in scienceand technology,”said Mike Scricca,Membership

Director of the CTC. The council isConnecticut’s industry association for thetechnology sector and it seeks to attract and unite various state constituencies toenhance the technological prowess, cultureof innovation, and economic well-being ofthe state.

In presenting the awards on January 25,Elizabeth Alquist of Day Pitney, chair ofthe event’s planning committee, said“These women are making a difference in their workplace and in academia, butmore importantly, they are role models and innovators.”


Women Faculty Named 2007 Women of Innovation

EngineeringPrograms UndergoAccreditationReview

In October, following two years of prepara-tion and extensive reporting, the School

hosted evaluators from the AccreditationBoard for Engineering & Technology (ABET),who reviewed 11 of the School’s undergrad-uate programs. ABET is the specializedaccreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing,engineering, and technology. In addition,the Computing Accreditation Commissionreviewed the School’s degree programs incomputer science, computer engineering and computer science & engineering.Accreditation is akin to an academic seal ofapproval: it provides the assurance that acollege or university program meets thequality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students.

The School’s programs were lastreviewed for accreditation in 2001-02. At that time, the six bachelor’s degree programs reviewed—Chemical Engineering,Civil Engineering, Computer Science &Engineering, Computer Science, ElectricalEngineering, and Mechanical Engineering—received the maximum accreditation. Thenewer undergraduate degree programs wereineligible for evaluation in 2002. However,they are undergoing ABET review this cycle.

The 2007 accreditation visit culminatedtwo years of preparation that included apractice review by visiting external expertscommissioned to assess each degree pro-gram. For each program detailed, expansiveself-study reports were prepared for thereviewers, which included survey results andanalyses, performance measures, goals andobjectives, outcomes and other assessmentmaterial. In addition, each program surveyedits faculty, alumni, Industrial AdvisoryBoards and students to identify strengthsand areas of concern; these results led tothe development and implementation of animprovement plan for each program.

Thanks to our significant advance preparation, the ABET review process proceeded smoothly. Final results will beannounced during summer 2008.

Dr. Wei’s research centers on the applica-tion of biomaterials in bone repair and inorthopaedic and dental implants. She seeksto develop “a new generation of biomateri-als, which have excellent biocompatibility,sufficient mechanical strength, good osteo-conductivity and osteoinductivity, andwhich are suitable for dental and orthopedicapplications…As life expectancy growslonger, there will be a demand for a signifi-cant increase in the survival rate ofimplants.”

Dr. Wei is investigating new syntheticcomposite materials, woven from apatiteand polymer fiber, for use in promotingbone repair, spinal fusion and other skeletalhealing. She believes hydroxyapatite/poly-mer material will enhance structural integri-ty as bones repair. Dr. Wei’s research wasprofiled in the Winter 2006 issue (page 5)of Frontiers. To view a copy, visit our website at www.engr.uconn.edu, select “School News” and click on FrontierNewsMagazine.

Dr. Zhu was recognized for her novelbreast cancer imaging device, which com-bines near infrared (NIR) and ultrasound toovercome the limitations of each individualtechnology, yielding more accurate diag-noses. She was awarded two U.S. patentson the technology, which has garnered over$3.3 million in funding from the NationalInstitutes of Health and Department ofDefense. She was named a DonaghueInvestigator in late 2006 by the DonaghueFoundation, West Hartford, CT, and waselected a member of the ConnecticutAcademy of Science & Engineering in early2007. Her research was profiled more exten-sively in the December 5, 2006 issue ofeFrontierNews. Please visit our website atwww.engr.uconn.edu, select “School News”and click on eFrontierNews.

Issue 13


UConn HonorsAlumnus John Krenicki (’84)

Engineering alumnus John Krenicki, Jr.(B.S.E. Mechanical Eng. ’84) was present-

ed an honorary Doctor of Science degreefrom the University of Connecticut during the May 2007 commencement ceremonies.UConn President Philip Austin presented thehonorary degree, lauding Mr. Krenicki for hisimpressive career accomplishments andinternational recognition as one of thenation’s top corporate strategists. During his23-year career with General Electric, Mr. Krenicki has served as CEO of four majorGE units.

As President and CEO of GE Energy, Mr. Krenicki oversees a world-leading suppli-er of technology, products and services to theenergy industry. “GE technology supportsabout 1/3 of the world’s electricity,” said Mr. Krenicki. “GE leads in many areas suchas wind energy, with $4 billion in revenues in

wind power yearly.We manufacturewind turbines,which are installedon location at windfarms mostly inCalifornia, Texas,Colorado and other

western states. We’re also involved in solar,but it’s more expensive and has more materi-als science hurdles that must be counteredbefore it can expand beyond distributedpower applications. GE Energy is alsoinvolved in nuclear and in coal gasificationand carbon sequestration. For environmentalreasons, nuclear energy ultimately may provecrucial to the nation’s future. Sustainableenergy fits our economic and environmentalcommitments, and today’s customers are willing to pay a little more for cleaner energy, so a diverse energy mix makes goodeconomic sense.”

This year, Mr. Krenicki and his wife,Donna (Samson; B.A., Fine Arts, ’84) estab-lished scholarships in the schools ofEngineering and Fine Arts. The Paul KrenickiEndowed Scholars in Sustainable Energyscholarship will support an undergraduate orgraduate engineering student whose inter-ests lie in clean energy. The scholarship is

named in honor of Mr. Krenicki’s youngerbrother. “Paul was very curious and alwaysinterested in science and technology. Sadly,he died of cancer while in college and neverhad the opportunity to pursue his dreams.”

During his multifaceted career, Mr. Krenicki has worn many GE executivehats. He was the CEO of GE-Bayer Silicones(a GE joint venture) in Erkarth, Germany, from 1997-99. He was then named a GECompany Officer and became a VicePresident and General Manager of theAmericas for GE Lighting. Mr. Krenicki wasVice President and General Manager of GESuperabrasives in Worthington, OH, beforebeing promoted to President and CEO of GETransportation Systems in June 2000. In thatrole, he staged the unit’s turnaround from acyclical downturn that saw sales of freightand passenger locomotives drop by half injust two years. In early 2003, he was nameda Senior Vice President of GE and Presidentand CEO of GE Plastics. A year later, themerger between GE Plastics, GE Siliconesand GE Quartz resulted in formation of GEAdvanced Materials, over which he presidedas President and CEO until July 2005.

Mr. Krenicki’s training as an engineer provided an important platform for his career.“Engineering is a great foundation—for busi-ness, medical school, law, anything. Being anengineer is like passing through the tollboothfully prepared.” Looking back on his own varied career, he advised students to go withthe flow, don’t plan too much, and be open to change.

He has been a passionate advocate fordiversity in the engineering workforce, and in2005, GE established a $500,000 gift to theSchool of Engineering for creation of the GEAdvanced Materials Endowed ScholarProgram Fund, which focuses particularly onAfrican American engineering students atUConn. In 2000, Mr. Krenicki received theSchool of Engineering’s DistinguishedEngineering Alumni Award, and in 2003 hewas inducted as a founding fellow of theAcademy of Distinguished Engineers. He serves on the Advisory Board of theSchool of Engineering.

Raytheon Partners withUConn forAdvancedMaterials

An interdisciplinary faculty teamreceived a $1.47 million subcontract

from defense giant Raytheon Companyto assist in the development of engi-neered nanocomposites for optical appli-cations. The project is being funded bythe Defense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency (DARPA) and managed by theOffice of Naval Research (ONR).

The project team includes principalinvestigator Eric Jordan, a professor ofMechanical Engineering (ME), anddeputy manager Maurice Gell, a researchscientist affiliated with the Chemical,Materials & Biomolecular Engineeringdepartment (CMBE). Critical tasks willbe overseen by Baki Cetegen, professorand department Head of ME, and MarkAindow, professor of CMBE. Partneringwith the UConn-led, multi-institutionalteam are Inframat Corporation ofFarmington, CT and researchers fromMIT and the University of Michigan.Raytheon has subcontracted other portions of its larger DARPA contract toRutgers University and the University ofCalifornia - Davis.

The UConn team will seek to developa new ceramic material that has the nec-essary optical properties as well as excel-lent mechanical and physical properties.These requirements greatly limit thechoice of potential materials systems,according to Dr. Jordan. “To achieveoptical transparency, it is necessary forthe material to be fully dense and free of light-scattering defects such as micro-pores and cracks. Accordingly, the materials to be made are at or beyondthe cutting edge of ceramics processing,”he said.

The UConn team was chosen in largemeasure because of a unique new ceramicprocessing method it pioneered in partnership with Inframat Corporation,called Solution Precursor Plasma Spray

Continued on page 20

Issue 13


In the last decade, these subjects have drawnconsiderable attention from the scientific community, policy makers, the media and concerned citizens the world over. Demands on the Earth have exploded as Asia investsheavily in an unprecedented industrial revolu-tion, drought and war exact a dangerous toll,and energy usage swells to staggering levels.

The School of Engineering is committed tothe development of technologies that willaddress these myriad, integrated challenges.Within our laboratories, engineering faculty

are forging exciting new energy technologies,examining how human activity alters the environment that sustains us, designing more intelligent transportation and grappling withthe intersection between technology/policy/human impacts.

In the ensuing pages, we profile some ofour groundbreaking research in these areas,and we invite you to explore our activities ingreater detail, to partner with us, or to becomepart of the solution in other ways.

Issue 13

FrontierNews is printed on Burgo Chorus Art 50% recycled/25% post-consumer waste, with the balance of pulp coming from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests. Please visit www.fsc.org.

Engineering Launches Eminent Faculty Initiative in Sustainable Energy

During a joint press conference onSeptember 18th, held at the Legislative

Office Building in Hartford, the University ofConnecticut formally unveiled an ambitiousnew research campaign, the Eminent FacultyInitiative in Sustainable Energy, which willreside in the School of Engineering. TheUniversity of Connecticut’s new president, Dr. Michael Hogan—joined by ConnecticutState Senator and President Pro Tempore Donald Williams, Jr., UConn Provost PeterNicholls, industry partners FuelCell Energy, the Northeast Utilities Foundation and UTCPower, and members of Connecticut’s GeneralAssembly—enthusiastically discussed thepublic-private initiative.

The Eminent Faculty Initiative represents a unique partnership between UConn, the Connecticut General Assembly, and theindustrial partners who are committed to propelling Connecticut onto the internationalstage in the development of sustainable“green” energy. The initiative is rooted in theJuly 2006 passage of a senate bill entitled “An Act Concerning Jobs for the Twenty-FirstCentury,” which was championed by SenatorWilliams and enacted by both houses in theConnecticut General Assembly. A provision ofthe bill charged UConn’s Board of Trustees to

develop a program to attract world-renownedfaculty members to the University in a researcharea deemed strategically important. ProvostNicholls invited competitive proposals fromacross campus and awarded the first eminentfaculty position to the School of Engineering toaddress the critical area of sustainable energy

—an area of keen importance to ConnecticutGovernor M. Jodi Rell, who has set a goal toreduce state fossil fuel consumption by 20%and to replace 20% of all energy used and sold in Connecticut with clean/renewableenergy by 2020.

A permanent State appropriation of $2 million yearly was budgeted for the initia-tive, contingent upon the University securing a one-time funding commitment of $2 millionfrom industry. Interim Dean of EngineeringErling Smith, accompanied by Associate DeanMehdi Anwar and Director of Development

Joe Hanrahan, secured the necessary $2 million in matching industry pledges fromcorporate partners FuelCell Energy of Danbury,the Northeast Utilities Foundation, and UTCPower of South Windsor.

Dr. Hogan, who officially commencedduties just the week before, said the State hasa rare opportunity to provide leadership indeveloping viable sustainable, environmentallysound alternatives to conventional energy technologies. Other speakers included RayNecci, President and Chief Operating Officer ofConnecticut Light & Power; Frank Wolak, Vice President of FuelCell Energy; Tom Jarvi,UTC Power’s Director of Technology

Development; Senator Williams; ProvostNicholls; and various State senators and representatives.

Senator Williams said the commitment tosustainable energy is essential to Connecticut’sfuture. “Connecticut is already a world leaderin fuel cell technology,” he remarked, with 15percent of fuel cell employees around theworld located in Connecticut. He also laudedthe Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center as arole model that attracts visitors from acrossthe globe. He thanked his colleagues on bothsides of the aisle for passage of the jobs bill, including Senators Joan Hartley, Judith Freedman and Gary Lebeau; andRepresentatives William Hamzy and Pam Sawyer.

In his remarks, Provost Nicholls praised Dr. Smith for developing the important energyproposal and thanked the legislators andindustrial partners for joining together to“solve one of the greatest challenges we faceas a nation.”

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Smithsaid “This is an exceptional opportunity tobuild a results-oriented, visionary research and development program in renewable greenenergies, at a time when the nation is justbeginning to grapple with its precarious

“”

This is an exceptional opportunity to build a results-oriented, visionary research and developmentprogram in renewable green energies, at a time when the nation is just beginning to grapple with itsprecarious dependence on fossil fuels.


Continued on page 13University of Connecticut President, Dr. Michael Hogan addresses the media during a joint press conference as Connecticut State Senator and President Pro Tempore Donald Williams, Jr. looks on.

Issue 13

— Erling Smith

MacKay Research Examines Impactof Antibiotics in Environment


dependence on fossil fuels.” He said that,in addition to cutting-edge research,

the initiative would allow the School ofEngineering to develop educational programs to train tomorrow’s energy leadersand entrepreneurs.

Mr. Necci recalled that when NortheastUtilities received the proposal from theSchool of Engineering, he was excitedbecause it fit precisely with the company’sthree areas of investment, in economicdevelopment, workforce development, andenvironmental stewardship. His commentswere echoed by FuelCell Energy’s FrankWolak and UTC Power’s Tom Jarvi.

Dr. Smith said the School will immedi-ately launch a national search for a scholar

of international stature and reputation whowill effectively leverage and expand theSchool’s research and development activi-ties in sustainable energies, including fuelcells, biofuels and photovoltaics. The Schoolexpects to hire several additional seniorfaculty members and support staff to complement ongoing activities in the areaof alternative energy. The School’sresources include the Connecticut GlobalFuel Cell Fuel Cell Center (CGFCC) and theBiofuel Consortium, as well as currentresearch involving photovoltaics and othergreen energy technologies.

Eminent Faculty continued from page 12

Research conducted by associate professorAllison MacKay (Civil & Environmental

Engineering) is aimed at helping scientists better understand how antibiotics and otherorganic compounds enter the nation’s waterways, disperse and change over time.

In 2004, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)published disturbing findings from a study of

water and fish intributaries of thePotomac River,among them a “highincidence” of malesmallmouth bassendowed withoocytes, or eggs, in

their testes. Analyses of water samples takenin the study revealed measurable levels ofantibiotics, animal feed additives, arsenic,pesticides and other so-called “endocrine disruptors”—pharmaceutical or natural compounds that alter the ordinary functioningof hormones in living things.

With the emergence of antibiotic-resistantstrains of bacteria, the prevalence of antibi-otics in aquatic systems—including municipalreservoirs—is cause for concern. A majorsource of antibiotics in the environment is animal feedlots. In 2004, the U.S. agriculturalindustry used 21.7 million pounds of antibi-otics, which are commonly added to animalfeed to prevent disease and promote growth.Scientists believe that a very large percentage— more than 60 percent—of ingested antibi-otics are excreted by livestock and eventuallyenter the nation’s waterways. The AmericanMedical Association and American Academyof Pediatrics are among the more than 300health, consumer, environmental, sustainableagriculture, and other organizations that havecalled for an end to the routine use of medical-ly-important antibiotics as feed additives.

Dr. MacKay, along with Dr. DharniVasudevan, associate professor of Chemistryat Bowdoin College, is interested in betterunderstanding what happens to these agricul-tural antibiotics after they leave the animal.Their research, supported by the U.S.Department of Agriculture and the NationalScience Foundation, seeks to unveil the

so-called “fate” of such contaminants in soiland water: how—and how far—they travel;how they are changed over time; how they aredegraded, etc. Dr. MacKay explained that sunlight, temperature, flow rate, bacteria andother microorganisms, soil types and mineralcomposition—all may affect how these antibiotics are degraded.

“Antibiotics are designed to be biologicallyactive even at low levels, so their impacts and environmental interactions can be much subtler and more complex than manycontaminants,” said Dr. MacKay.

According to Dr. MacKay, the most widelyused agricultural antibiotic is tetracycline,which is added to the feeds of cattle, swineand even farmed fish. After leaving the animal,ingested antibiotics typically begin their journey in surrounding soil before beingwashed into bodies of water or seeping intogroundwater. Dr. MacKay commented thatantibiotics tend to remain active longer in soilthan in water, for a variety of reasons. “Inwater, for example, if these compounds remainclose to the surface, they may be broken downby sunlight. Antibiotics may also be degradedby bacteria more quickly in water than in soil.”It is here, in the soil, that Drs. MacKay andVasudevan have focused their research in aneffort to determine how different soil composi-tions may affect the movement and active lifeof tetracycline.

Once Dr. MacKay and her team finishcharacterizing the soils and complete tests

regarding the movement of tetracyclinethrough these soils, they will develop a mathe-matical model that replicates the movementand fate of the antibiotics as they movethrough soils of different composition. They ultimately hope to expand the scope ofthe model to accurately reflect the movementof not only tetracycline but a wider array ofantibiotics. In seeking to develop a macro- orgeneric model, they are looking at the interactions of tetracycline and soil at a molecular level. A more complete version ofthis story appeared in the August 22 issue ofeFrontierNews. Please visit our website atwww.engr.uconn.edu, select School Newsand click on eFrontierNews.

Issue 13


FuelCell Energy Celebrates Successful Demo at Fuel Cell Center

Danbury-based FuelCell Energy (FCE) hosteda celebratory summit at the Connecticut

Global Fuel Cell Center (CGFCC) on Thursday,September 6th to announce its successfuldemonstration of a novel distributed genera-tion hydrogen production technology calledElectrochemical Hydrogen Separator (EHS).

The successfuldemonstration offerspromise that hydrogen-poweredautomobiles maybecome a reality.The summit featuredremarks by various

energy leaders, a round-table discussion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and demonstrationof the EHS unit.

The technology was developed to addressa barrier to widespread use of fuel cells intransportation—the lack of a hydrogen infrastructure capable of supporting hydrogengeneration, storage and transport. To test theunit’s sustained performance, FuelCell Energyinstalled a laboratory-scale EHS unit at theCGFCC that separates the excess hydrogengenerated by high-temperature fuel cells.According to FCE representatives, the unitoperated for more than 6,000 hours with nodegradation in performance.

The celebratory event capped a successfulindustry/university/government collaboration

aimed at refining and testing the novel EHStechnology and propelling it toward commer-cialization. The partners included FuelCellEnergy, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, the U.S. Department of Defense and the UConnSchool of Engineering. The Connecticut CleanEnergy Fund provided seed funding to the project, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’Engineer Research & Development Center provided an additional $2.6 million in DODfunding that allowed FCE to continue develop-ment of the technology, which consumes littleenergy, involves no moving parts, and is lesscostly than existing mechanical technologies.A recurring theme during the summit was thechallenge to make often costly renewableenergy technology more economical, and tomove it from the lab to commercial markets.

Among the speakers sharing remarks wereLise Dondy, President of the Connecticut CleanEnergy Fund; Dr. Pinakin Patel, Director ofSpecial Systems and Research at FuelCellEnergy; Franklin Holcomb, Fuel Cell ProjectsManager for the Army Corps of Engineers’Construction Engineering Research Laboratory(CERL) in Champaign, IL; Trent Molter, CGFCCResearch Scientist and Business DevelopmentOfficer; UConn Provost and Executive VicePresident for Academic Affairs, Dr. PeterNicholls; and Interim Dean of Engineering, Dr. Erling Smith. FuelCell Energy’s Dr. Patel;Keith Frame, Associate Director—New

Technologies andProject Managementwith the ConnecticutClean Energy Fund;Dan Tyndall of AirProducts & Chemicals;Joel Rinebold of CCAT;and Franklin Holcombof DoD-CERL—andother sustainableenergy leaders and

policy makers participated in an afternoonround-table brainstorming session intended tofoster continued industry/academic/govern-ment collaborations on energy development.

During its operation at CGFCC, the EHS unitproduced enough hydrogen to fuel three fuelcell vehicles per day. The demonstration alsoshowed that dramatic cost savings of between30-60 percent are possible compared with commercially available hydrogen separationsystems. FuelCell Energy believes the technol-ogy could make the cost of hydrogen competitive with that of gasoline.

The alliance exemplifies the positive synergies that can emerge between commer-cial partners and the university’s unique R&Dcenters, which are equipped with exceptionalresources.

Issue 13


Connecticut Transportation Institute Slated a National Center of Excellence

The Connecticut Transportation Institute(CTI), a unit of the School of Engineering,

was notified in July that it has been tabbed to receive millions of dollars in federal fundingas a National Center of Excellence forTransportation Security. The grant wasannounced jointly by Connecticut SenatorsChris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, who champi-oned the selection of CTI, one of seven charter programs to receive a combined $18 million/year in homeland security grantsover four years. The program is part of the Rail and Public Transportation Security portion ofso-called H.R. 1 Implementing the 9/11Commission’s Recommendations, whichpassed both the House and Senate with strongmajorities and was signed by President Bushon August 3.

A total of $72 million has been allotted forthe four-year project. At this time, the legisla-tion is not yet budgeted.

CTI is a nexus for research and educationin transportation issues and has pioneered awide array of high-tech methods, includingcomputer simulation models, real-time trafficdata, and video feeds from traffic managementsystems. CTI has been a national leader formore than three decades on transportationissues ranging from clean fuels to mass transitand smart growth, to the response of infra-structure to extreme events. Its TechnologyTransfer Center hosts workshops for more than3,500 government and private-sector special-ists, and it also draws on the resources of theConnecticut Global Fuel Cell Center, a pioneerin the development of innovative, distributedfuel sources. CTI was awarded $2 million infunding in 2005 for the establishment of aUniversity Transportation Center focusing onsmart transportation.

In announcing the news, Senator Doddsaid, “The University of Connecticut should beproud that its transportation experts have beenrecognized for their excellence. This homelandsecurity funding will further their efforts tohelp keep millions of Americans safe from thethreat of terrorism as they travel on our roads,railways, and mass transit systems. I look forward to watching their progress in theyears to come.”

“The selection of the ConnecticutTransportation Institute as a National Center ofExcellence for Transportation Security is a trib-ute to the excellent work conducted at CTI andthe University of Connecticut,” Lieberman said.“The accompanying grant will transform CTIinto one of the leading authorities on trans-portation security, which has become a criticalarea of study in the wake of numerous terroristattacks against transportation systems aroundthe globe.”

CTI is one of seven entities chosen toreceive the federal monies. The other institu-tions are the Mack-Blackwell National RuralTransportation Study Center at the Universityof Arkansas (Fayetteville), the National TransitInstitute at Rutgers University (NewBrunswick, NJ), Texas Southern University(Houston), Tougaloo College (Jackson, MS), the Mineta Transportation Institute at SanJose State University, and the HomelandSecurity Management Institute at Long IslandUniversity (Brooklyn, NY).

The transportation security Center ofExcellence at UConn will draw upon experts in sustainable energy, smart transportation,chemical and biological sensing, IT, the first-responder community and other entities tobring enabling research and instructionalexpertise in the following areas:

• Structural hardening (especially bridges), stress monitoring and detection, and failure prediction

• Real-time traffic monitoring systems to identify congested areas and offer recommendations for traffic rerouting

• Identification of soft transportation targets • Sensing to detect biological and

chemical agents• Development of sustainable, non-fossil fuel

energy alternatives that will help the nation gain energy independence and reduce its reliance on petroleum refineries and distribution networks that can be targeted by terrorists

• Development of real-time monitoring, multi-sensor data fusion and communications systems capable of deploying critical information to first-responders

• Sub-marine surface sensing and communication networks

EarthquakeMonitoringResearch Continuesin Thailand

The urgency and relevance of the researchwork of Dr. Richard Christenson and his team,profiled in our winter 2007 issue ofFrontierNews (pgs. 16-17) was recentlyunderscored by natural events. Days beforeDr. Christenson, an assistant professor ofCivil & Environmental Engineering, and hisundergraduate students Adam Scianna andDominick Mantoni, arrived in Thailand for

their summer 2007trip to examine the impact of seismic events onbuilding structures,a Richter scale magnitude 6.3earthquake struck

the northern border of Thailand. A 6.3 earthquake is considered “strong,” and capable of causing considerable damage tobuildings, destruction of chimneys, movementof houses on their foundations, and otherserious consequences.

The three-year project, supported throughthe International Research Experiences forStudents (IRES) project, focuses on the exploration of smart civil structures that can sense and react to their environment. Dr. Christenson, along with Adam, Dominickand their Thai colleagues from ChulalongkornUniversity, flew to the northern city of ChiangMai, where they conducted seismic downholetests to measure shear wave velocity for site-response analysis. The resulting datarevealed information about the wave parame-ters and soil characteristics of the immediatearea that, paired with local earthquake data,was used to develop contour maps of earth-quake intensities in the region. The seismicintensity data provide valuable insight intothe strength of a particular earthquake at a particular location, in contrast with the gross impact data offered by Richter scalemeasurements.

Read a complete account of the team’s 2007 research travels atwww.engr.uconn.edu/cee/christensonresl.

Issue 13


Connecticut Bridges Safer Thanks to DeWolf

In the wake of the August 1 Minneapolisbridge collapse, which sent cars and trucks

plummeting 60 feet into the Mississippi Riverduring the evening rush hour, it is reassuring toknow that Connecticut has a secret weapon inthe battle to ensure bridge safety. Dr. John

DeWolf, a professor of Civil & EnvironmentalEngineering at UConn, has spent more thantwo decades on field research involving bridgemonitoring. With funding from the U.S. FederalHighway Administration and the ConnecticutDepartment of Transportation (ConnDOT), he began research in 1985 to examine howexisting technologies can be used to monitorin-service bridges on a variety of performancecriteria, and how bridges perform and age over time.

According to the American Society of CivilEngineers (ASCE), the U.S. has 596,842 publicbridges. In 2003, more than 27% of thesewere judged structurally deficient or function-ally obsolete; 33% of Connecticut’s over 5,350bridges were deemed deficient or obsolete.Twelve have received ratings so low they are considered to be in critical condition.

In carrying out their research, Dr. DeWolfand his team selected a cross section of theState’s most important bridges and pairedthem with different sensor systems to deter-mine which provided the most useful and reliable information. Each monitoring array is custom tailored based on the inspectionconcerns, traffic, age and materials specific to

the bridge. The monitoring apparatus includesa computer and hardware that operates various sensors. The data are collected atintervals and stored in the computer, fromwhich they can be accessed remotely. Dr. DeWolf uses sophisticated finite

element analysis tomake sense of the raw data. The resulting profile is then compared against thefield inspection results, and the points of con-vergence or deviationallow Dr. DeWolf torefine and improve hisanalytical model.

Dr. DeWolf con-ducts both short-termand long-term monitor-

ing studies. He explained that the short-termmonitoring is meant to complement the State’sinspection system and is conducted on select-ed bridges that have been targeted for sometype of repair, with the objective of helping

ConnDOT to better understand the nature ofthe identified problem and how it can best beresolved. “For example, if inspectors find acrack, we can help them determine more precisely the nature of the problem and how itcan be addressed for optimal safety whileavoiding unnecessary repair costs,” said Dr. DeWolf.

U.S. bridge inspection regulations weredeveloped by the Federal HighwayAdministration, which launched the 1971National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS,revised in 2005). The NBIS calls for every

public bridge to be inspected a minimum ofevery two years. Currently, inspectors examineand rate bridges based on a “visual condition”rating system with values ranging from 9 (bestscore) to 0 (worst). Bridge inspectors gradeeach span in three critical areas: the deck, the superstructure under the road and the substructure, which includes piers and foot-ings. Since these ratings are based on obser-vation, rather than discrete measurements,they involve a fair degree of subjectiveness. Dr. DeWolf’s studies involve quantifying metrics that reduce the subjective nature ofthe inspections and enhance bridge safety.

Dr. DeWolf has used as many as 52 sensors on any one bridge, and as few as 14.The arrays may include a combination of tiltmeters, accelerometers, strain gauges, and thermocouples that measure tilt, vibration,strain and temperature at various locations on a bridge. He currently has long-term monitoring arrays installed on six Connecticutbridges. His objective with these long-termmonitoring studies is to better understand howbridges perform and degrade over time, underdifferent weather and temperature conditions,with varying use, etc., and to develop assess-ment guidelines that can be applied uniformlyand universally.

One of the new systems Dr. DeWolf’s teamdeployed is the first of its kind: an array that

relies on solar panels for its power source.Wireless structural monitoring systems requirebatteries located at each sensor, but the monitors mounted at various places on bridgesare often extremely difficult to reach, said Dr. DeWolf, making it difficult to change spentbatteries and keep the monitoring systemoperational. The introduction of solar energywill improve the team’s ability to keep an arrayin place and capture critical data over longperiods. His next goal is to automate the entire process.

“ ”For example, if inspectors find a crack, we can helpthem determine more precisely the nature of the problem and how it can be addressed for optimalsafety while avoiding unnecessary repair costs.

Issue 13

— John DeWolf


With financial support from ConnecticutInnovations’ Yankee Ingenuity

Technology program, the Connecticut GlobalFuel Cell Center (CGFCC), a unit of the Schoolof Engineering, has established an acceleratedtesting facility for fuel-cell based backuppower systems. Fuel-cell backup power systems, or uninterrupted power supplies(UPS), offer a number of important advantagesover battery backup systems, including higherenergy density and power density, lowerweight, lower maintenance, and potentiallyhigher reliability—all at a lifecycle cost comparable to that of battery systems.

Fuel Cell Center EstablishesFuel Cell UPS Test Facility

The CGFCC offers a number of excellenttest features for evaluating the performance,efficiency, and reliability of multi-kilowatt (kW)fuel-cell power modules. These include:

1. A water-cooled load bank that can dissipate current up to 1500 amps at a maximum of 60 volts. The load bank has an add-on module to enable measurement of the cell/stack impedance spectrum, providing additional diagnostic information about cell/stack performance.

2. An automated system that simulates grid power loss and monitors the start-up reliability of the backup-power units.

3. A Thermotron environmental chamber (-60

oC to 180

oC) that can impose a variety

of indoor and outdoor conditions to test the accelerated shelf decay of backup-power units, which are typically shut down or idle during the majority of their service life. Additionally, temperature transients can be simulated for accelerated-degradation studies.

Dr. Xinyu Huang, an assistant research professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Kenneth Reifsnider, former CGFCC Director,constructed the testing facility. Technical andfinancial contributions were made by centerpartner UTC Power Corporation (SouthWindsor, CT). A key feature is a comprehen-sive hydrogen-safety protocol with a suite ofredundant sensors and actuators that ensuresthe safe handling of large quantities of hydro-gen fuel when testing kW-class fuel-cellpower plants. The facility also provides a valuable hands-on learning environment forundergraduate and graduate students.

The first fuel-cell system being tested is aPureCell® Model 5 Power System (5-kW) fromUTC Power. The CGFCC is now fully equippedto provide competitive third-party stack/systemperformance and reliability testing services.Dr. Huang invites original equipment manufac-turers (OEMs) of fuel-cell based backup-powerunits, as well as fuel-cell power modules forforklift trucks, small vehicles, etc., to contacthim ([email protected], 860-486-5284) for details of the CGFCC’s test services andcapabilities, student research opportunitiesand the like.

Fuel Cell Conference Draws 400

With the famed Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop, the American Society of

Mechanical Engineers (ASME) staged its fifthInternational Conference on Fuel Cell Science,Engineering and Technology June 18-20, 2007.Dr. Nigel Sammes, formerly the UTC ChairProfessor of Fuel Cell Technology in UConn’sConnecticut Global Fuel Cell Center and editorof the Journal of Fuel Cell Science andTechnology, chaired the conference with co-chair Scott Samuelsen, director of the NationalFuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC) at theUniversity of California - Irvine.

The conference provided an insider’s view of the state of fuel cell science and commercialization to nearly 400 attendees—academic and government researchers as wellas industry leaders—from 27 countries.

Four distinguished fuel cell leaders presentedplenary sessions:

• Patrick Davis, Acting Program Manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technology

• John Scott, Chief of the Energy Conversion Branch at NASA’s Johnson Space Craft Center in Houston

• Wayne Surdoval, Fuel Cells Technology Manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)

• Heinrich Lienkamp, Ph.D., Head of the Business Development/ChemicalEngineering Department for the Division Energies and Utilities of Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG

Speakers from pioneering companies partici-pated in the conference, including individualsfrom General Motors, Rolls Royce, UnitedTechnologies Research Center, UTC Power,Hamilton Sundstrand, Tokyo Gas, GeneralElectric, FuelCell Energy, H2Gen Innovations,Inc., Consolidated Edison, Keyspan BusinessSolutions, Plug Power, Avalence, the NationalInstitute of Standards and Technology (NIST),National Institute of Advanced IndustrialScience and Technology (AIST), PacificNorthwest National Laboratory (PNNL), theNational Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL),NYSERDA, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fundand several leading academic programs.

Abstracts of their talks may be found at www.asmeconferences.org/FuelCell07/Keynote.cfm.

Issue 13


UConn Demonstrates Continuous Biodiesel Production

In late June, faculty and students associatedwith the multidisciplinary Biofuel Consortium

staged a technological first for academicbiodiesel production: the continuous 16-houroperation of a pilot-scale reactor convertingwaste cooking oil to pure biodiesel. Followingseveral short-run trials aimed at determiningthe conversion efficiency of the reactor, foundto be functioning at a 99 percent conversionrate, the unit began an uninterrupted overnightdemonstration run. At the end of the trial, the team had produced 230 gallons ofbiodiesel that will be used in the University’sfleet vehicles.

The Consortium comprises students andprofessors associated with several Universitydepartments and programs who share a

common interest in stimulating a biofuelsindustry within Connecticut, thus reducing thestate’s reliance on fossil fuels and associatedenvironmental and health impacts. TheConsortium emerged from the research effortsof Dr. Joseph Helble, former Head and profes-sor of Chemical Engineering, who—workingwith two students in 2004—transformedwaste cooking oil collected from campus dining halls into biodiesel that successfullyfueled a University shuttle bus.

Richard Parnas and Benjamin Wilhite, bothfaculty members in the Chemical EngineeringProgram, headed up the16-hour demonstration

project. Dr. Parnas is director of the BiofuelConsortium. The prototype production systemwas constructed by chemical engineering grad-uate student Matt Boucher. The demonstrationteam also included chemical engineering students Katie Bower, Steven Unker, Cliff Weed, Si-Yu Li and visiting India Instituteof Technology - Delhi student Rajdeep Das.

According to Dr. Wilhite, what differenti-ates the UConn demonstration from other university biodiesel projects is the reactor’sability to operate continuously. “Other universi-ty biodiesel projects rely upon batch produc-tion, which limits the volume that can be effectively and economically produced,” said Dr. Wilhite. The reactor’s unique designfeatures make it attractive to industry, said Dr. Parnas, who added that there is significantindustrial interest in the new reactor technolo-gy. Several companies have approached UConnto request licensing rights to the reactor, forwhich Dr. Parnas filed a patent application in January 2007.

The Biofuel Consortium uses waste cookingoil as a feedstock in the reactor, thus avoidingthe food-versus-energy debate currently sur-rounding corn-based ethanol. However, spentcooking oil contains contaminants that must beremoved before the oil can be used in the reac-tor. Greenleaf Biofuels donated 500 gallons ofyellow grease, a commercial waste vegetableoil, for the demonstration. In the week preced-ing the continuous run, Mr. Boucher pretreatedthe waste cooking oil to neutralize and removefree fatty acids and contaminants that resultedfrom the oil’s earlier use in food production.

The UConn reactor incorporates reactiontechnology along with gravimetric separationto produce two liters per minute of usablebiodiesel and a small amount—averaging 10 percent—of byproduct. The reactor is continuously fed a 4:1 (volumetric) mixture ofwaste vegetable oil and methanol with anoverall flow rate of approximately two litersper minute. The reactor design is also easilyscalable to much larger production rates.

One byproduct is glycerol, which is usedextensively in cosmetics and other personalcare products, pharmaceuticals and commercial

foods. Because the market is generally glutted,the team is investigating possible applicationsof glycerol as a feedstock for fuel cells or foruse in polymers. Unreacted methanol, one ofthe two most important reactants, is mostlydissolved in the glycerol stream and isextremely costly to waste. To reduce methanolloss, during the 16-hour run, Si-Yu Li used theglycerol in a 20 liter batch distillation unit torecover over 40% of the methanol removed inthe glycerol stream.

Looking back on his more than 20-hoursojourn with the biofuel reactor, Mr. Bouchercommented that “I learned that our reactortechnology works extremely well, even whenthe equipment budget was quite low, and that

despite several early equipment failures, hard work brings good things. We aren’t onlymaking biodiesel in that lab, we are making a difference.”

In commercial applications, biodiesel is typically mixed with conventional dieselfuel, often at a ratio of 2:8 for the so-called“B20” fuel. When used in vehicles, biodieselproduces no sulfur dioxide, and significantlyreduces hydrocarbon and particulate emissions compared with conventional petroleum-based fuels.

In recognition of his commitment to thedevelopment of sustainable fuels, Dr. Parnaswas honored with receipt of the University’s2006-07 faculty Environmental LeadershipAward. Dr. Parnas was lauded for his efforts tonot only reduce the CO2 footprint of theUniversity but also to position UConn in theforefront of sustainable energy development.The Environmental Leadership Awards are presented by the University’s EnvironmentalPolicy Advisory Council (EPAC) as a way toacknowledge individuals who continuouslystrive to lead environmentally responsible lives at the University of Connecticut and who,through their positive example, have inspiredothers to follow suit.

Issue 13


School Seeks NewDirector for ConnecticutGlobal Fuel Cell Center

Associate Dean for Research & GraduateEducation Mehdi Anwar announced that

the School of Engineering has launched asearch for a permanent Director of theConnecticut Global Fuel Cell Center (CGFCC).The CGFCC, established in 2001 with signifi-cant investment from Connecticut Innovationsand Connecticut industry, is housed in a dedicated, state-of-the-art facility located atthe Storrs campus. The Center has enjoyedfunding of over $10 million during its six yearsof operation and ranks among the largest academic fuel cell R&D centers in the nation.

The Director will report directly to theDean of engineering and will oversee all short- and long-range operations of theCGFCC. Dr. Anwar said that candidates shouldpossess the leadership qualities necessary to attract significant financial and humanresources to the Center, along with a

commitment to building and maintaining col-laborative partnerships between the CGFCCand industrial and government partners.Additionally, applicants should have demon-strated experience and interest in marketingand promotion, a record of successful fundsgeneration, and the leadership skills necessaryto foster visionary team-based research anddevelopment.

The School seeks to fill the open positionimmediately with a qualified individual.Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in engineering or a related physical science discipline, a distinguished record of research in fuel cell technology, and an establishednational/international reputation in theirresearch areas. Dr. Anwar said the Schoolinvites self nominations as well as secondarynominations of individuals who fit these criteria. Additional details of the candidatesearch may be found on the Center website, at www.engr.uconn.edu/ctfuelcell.

The CGFCC serves as a nucleus forresearch, commercialization and educationalactivities focusing on proton exchange mem-brane fuel cells (PEMFCs), solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs), direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs),molten carbonate and other fuel cell types, and by efforts in micro- and micro-miniaturefuel cell systems. The Center partners withConnecticut fuel cell leaders such as UTCPower, FuelCell Energy, Distributed EnergySystems; Connecticut state alternative energyleaders including the Connecticut Clean EnergyFund/Connecticut Innovations; and nationalfunding agencies such as the U.S. Departmentof Energy, National Science Foundation,DARPA, ONR and many others.

With faculty researchers from various engineering disciplines as well as chemistryand biology, the CGFCC is advancing the stateof the art in fuel cell science and technologyand bringing fuel cells to the next stage ofcommercial development in countless domesticand military applications, from laptop comput-ers and automobiles to primary power unitsused by infantry personnel in remote environ-ments. Our center also offers on-site facilitiesfor fuel cell and stack performance testing, and education aimed at training tomorrow’senergy leaders in diverse fuel cell and othersustainable energy technologies.

Ethiopian Hydrologic Studies ExciteMulti-Institutional Student Team


Ateam of nine undergraduate and graduatestudents from the U.S. and Ethiopia spent

the summer intensively studying the hydrologyof a key Ethiopian watershed as part of athree-year National Science Foundation-fund-ed project headed by Dr. MekonnenGebremichael, assistant professor of Civil &

Environmental Engineering (CEE). The teamseeks to develop reliable methods of monitor-ing the water resources in the region overtime, using ground-based sensing methods,satellite data and physically-based hydrologicaland meteorological models.

Ethiopia is an important target for hydrolo-gy and weather research. Dr. Gebremichaelsaid, “Studies have shown that weather originating in Ethiopia eventually travels to thecontinental U.S. One recent study reported thatabout 70% of the Eastern Atlantic tropicalcyclones originated with incipient disturbancesthat developed in the Ethiopian highlands, so understanding climatological events in thatpart of Africa will help us better predict andunderstand the impact on the U.S.”

The biggest challenge in monitoring andpredicting water resources variability in Africa in general, and in Ethiopia in particular,is the lack of ground-based systems for observing water resource variables such asrainfall, stream flow, soil moisture, etc. Dr. Gebremichael is keenly interested in developing basin hydrological data for Ethiopiaand comparing it against satellite data andhydrologic models to predict flood and otherhydrological events. He believes such studieswill help Ethiopia and the U.S. to better predictfoul weather and permit Ethiopia to invest insustainable development as more is knownabout water resources in the target area.

The field team included Dr. Gebremichael,UConn graduate Alana Rebollo (B.S. politicalscience, ‘07); Caitlin Balthrop, an undergradu-ate in Civil & Environmental Engineering atTennessee Technological University (TTU),Cookeville; UConn CEE graduate studentsDawit Zeweldi, Feyera Aga and Tadesse Taye;

Issue 13


Ethiopian Hydrologic continued from page 19

along with Dr. Yonas Michael of Addis AbabaUniversity, Ethiopia’s largest university, andgraduate students Woinishet Hailemariam,Yared Ashenafi, Muluken Bilhatu and LensaTefera.

Following a training period earlier in thesummer, the group traveled to Debreberhan,Ethiopia during the monsoon season andfocused their efforts on the Beresa River

basin, a tributary of the Blue Nile located incentral Ethiopia. The watershed spans a variety of climates, including a moist mountainregion and dry lowlands. The group met upwith their Ethiopian collaborators, includingthe Addis Ababa graduate students and sever-al faculty members, and began a four-weekstay during which they installed three of aneventual six sensor units that will form a dis-tributed network and designed an experimentfor conducting intensive field measurements.

Dr. Gebremichael explained that the team’sscientific objectives were to quantify the accuracy of satellite water-related productsand their use in flood prediction. He alsohopes to inspire inquiry-based learning andpromote the development of globally-orientedscientists. The team members will reconvenein summer ’08 to begin the next stage of theirresearch, which will include installation of theremaining six sensor units and continued data collection.

Please visit our website atwww.engr.uconn.edu/cee/mekreslfor a more detailed story.

Alumnus Bernie Berson (’57) Takes Reins at NSPE

Bernard R. Berson, P.E., who earned hisB.S. in civil engineering at UConn in

1957, was installed as president of theNational Society of Professional Engineers(NSPE) during the annual conference in

Denver (July 26-29). The NSPEserves 45,000members nation-wide and promotesengineering licensure andethics, continuing

education opportunities and other activitiesthat enhance the preparation and reputationof practicing engineers.

As President, Mr. Berson plans to focuson three core initiatives: the continuedimprovement of state and national partner-ships to enhance member services, benefitsand incentives as well as licensure; contin-ued and expanded efforts toward buildingenterprise and company-wide memberships;and development of strategies for attractingyoung engineers and enhancing outreachwith colleges and universities. The youngengineer initiative is a particular priority for him.

Mr. Berson operated a private practice for nearly 30 years—Berson, Ackermann &Associates, Inc., located in Fords, NJ, andlater Piscataway, which provided site

engineering, surveying, and public worksdesign services. He later founded a consult-ing practice specializing in general consulta-tion, forensic engineering, and professionaldevelopment seminars. He holds ProfessionalEngineer (PE) and Land Surveyor licenses (LS)in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; PE licensesin Delaware and Massachusetts; and LSlicenses in Virginia and Maryland. He is alsoa PE and LS in Connecticut (retired status),and in New York (inactive status).

Mr. Berson is dedicated to enhancing theeducational opportunities and professional-ism of engineers nationwide—particularlyyoung engineers. For four years, he produced“PEPP Talk,” an electronic newsletter with acirculation of approximately 13,000 membersof the NSPE and Professional Engineers inPrivate Practice (PEPP). As Chair ofNSPE/PEPP (2001-02), he created the PEPPYoung Engineers Advisory Council with thegoal of engaging young engineers and shedding light on the issues and concernsrelevant to them. Mr. Berson has conductedprofessional development seminars to engineers, architects and land surveyors,many in participation with constructionclaims attorneys, and he a co-authored (with Douglas Benner) a signature 2007 book,Career Success in Engineering: A Guide forStudents and New Professionals.

Please visit our website for the full-length version of this story, including Bernie’s memories of his undergraduate days at UConn: www.engr.uconn.edu/alumni/engralumlinks.php.

(SPPS). In this process, chemical precursordroplets are injected into a plasma jet toform the ceramic in its brief flight to thesubstrate. The SPPS process offers signifi-cant advantages that are favorable for theDARPA project. It involves molecular-level mixing of multi-component ceramicmaterials, the ability to control chemicalpurity, and the flexibility to rapidlyexplore new compositions.

A project goal is to achieve transparen-cy in the infrared optical range. To do so,the team must produce a nano-grainedmaterial that is stable at elevated tempera-tures. Dr. Jordan explained that thanks toits high cooling rates, the SPPS processcommonly produces oxide ceramicmicrostructures with grain/crystal sizes of

less than 100 nanometers. A nanometer is10-9 meters, a size so minute that it wouldtake 80,000 nanometers to equal thewidth of a human hair. The SPPS processcan effectively produce multi-componentmicrostructures at the nanometer scale,called nanocomposites, that are high-strength as well as resistant to erosion andthermal shock. For this first phase of theDARPA contract, the UConn-led teamwill screen potential optical materials andoptimize the SPPS process.

The modeling of useful optical proper-ties is also important and will be carriedout by both Raytheon and UConn, wherethe effort is led by Dr. Paul Klemens, professor emeritus of physics.

Raytheon Partners continued from page 10

Issue 13

Bar-Shalom Research to Aid Defense

Dr. Yaakov Bar-Shalom, Marianne E.Klewin Professor in Engineering and a

Board of Trustees Distinguished Professorof Electrical & Computer Engineering,received a $630,000 three-year grant fromthe U.S. Department of Defense to developpractical multi-target tracking and multi-sensor data fusion algorithms that will aid

the U.S. military inaccurate detectionand characteriza-tion of targets inthe field. The workis expected toenhance the efficiency of

surveillance systems when it is deployed for use with domestic and overseas radar systems.

The research draws upon researchunderway in Dr. Bar-Shalom’s lab, whichinvolves estimation and statistical decisiontheory combined with mathematical

optimization. In collaboration with his colleagues, Electrical & ComputerEngineering professors Peter Willett andKrishna Pattipati, Dr. Bar-Shalom willdevelop algorithms that accept input frommultiple and diverse sensors; optimize reliability by reducing clutter and noise aswell as individual sensor biases; send thesensor data to a central point where it canbe merged and organized to reveal an accurate “single integrated” picture of multiple targets simultaneously; and triggeran appropriate response. The algorithmswill be used in large computers housedeither on ships or air command centers totrack both aircraft and ballistic missile targets, and possibly land or sea targets.

Dr. Bar-Shalom commented that theteam will publish their results in leadingpeer-reviewed journals to ensure the great-est integration of the algorithm into defenseapplications. “The algorithms I developedthat are used in a large number—more than

50—of Raytheon radars were picked upfrom my open literature papers and shortcourses I offered.”

A recognized international expert in target tracking, Dr. Bar-Shalom is creditedwith originating the probabilistic data association filter (PDAF) for target trackingin a low signal-to-noise ratio environment;pioneering the theoretical information limitfor estimation in the presence of false meas-urements—and an algorithm that meetsthis limit; and developing the optimaltrack-to-track fusion (TtTF) equations for real-world asynchronous decentralizedsurveillance systems. These tools and tracking paradigms are used worldwide fortarget detection and tracking by militaryand national defense organizations. For a more complete story, please seewww.engr.uconn.edu/shalom0707.

Enderle Receives ASEE Merryfield Award

Dr. John D. Enderle, professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering

and Director of the Biomedical Engineeringprogram, was presented the 2007 FredMerryfield Design Award in recognition ofhis distinguished accomplishments in seniordesign. The Merryfield Award is presented

by the AmericanSociety forEngineeringEducation (ASEE)and is one of threenational engineer-ing awards giveneach year. The

award was established in 1981 by CH2MHill—the international engineering consulting and construction firm foundedby professor Merryfield—to recognize engineering educators for excellence in theteaching of engineering design.

Since joining the School of Engineeringin 1995, Dr. Enderle has won a number ofawards. In 2006, he received the AmericanAssociation of University Professors

(AAUP) excellence in service award and the Theo Pilkington Outstanding EducatorAward (American Association forEngineering Educators). He previously was presented the IEEE Engineering inMedicine and Biology Society’s serviceaward (2004) and in 1998, he was selected a University of ConnecticutTeaching Fellow.

Dr. Enderle is Editor of the annual publication on NSF Senior Design Projectsto Aid Persons with Disabilities carried outby universities throughout the U.S. He co-authored the text Introduction toBiomedical Engineering (1st edition ’99, 2nd edition ’05, Academic Press), and he isEditor-in-Chief of IEEE EMB Magazineand BME Book Series Editor for Morganand Claypool publishers. He also serves onthe Editorial Board of the Academic PressBiomedical Engineering Book Series. In 2006, Dr. Enderle co-authored threeshort books on probability theory for biomedical engineers and authored a bookon bioinstrumentation (Morgan and

Claypool). He is also a member of theConnecticut Academy of Science &Engineering (CASE). His current researchinterest involves characterizing the neu-rosensory control of the human visual andauditory system from the molecular to large system level. Dr. Enderle received his Ph.D. from Rensselaer PolytechnicUniversity in 1980.

Fred Merryfield, for whom the award isnamed, was a sanitary engineering professorand researcher at Oregon State Universityfor 35 years. Professor Merryfield motivatedhis students to measure river pollution andreport their findings to the Oregon StateBoard of Health. He was eventually credit-ed as the driving force behind the cleanupof the Willamette River and other estuariesin Oregon.

www.engr.uconn.edu FRONTIERNEWS 21Issue 13

Engineer in 2005. Dr. Goldblatt has madeoutstanding contributions to siliconprocesses and engineering and is a leader insemiconductor materials research. He wasinstrumental in IBM’s transition to coppermetallurgy in semiconductor processing inthe mid 90’s. As the technical leader and—later—technical manager, he was responsi-

ble for initial feasibility, proof ofconcept, scale-upinto development,and technologytransfer to manu-facturing. He holdskey patents in this

area. The transition to copper afforded IBMa 15% performance increase and a clearleadership position lasting several years.

Since 2002, Dr. Goldblatt has led ajoint research-development team that creates prototypes for many of the break-through technology concepts originating inIBM Research and has enabled implemen-tation of these processes in the 300mmmanufacturing line in IBM’s semiconductorfabrication facility. He is currently leadinghis team in new, expanded directions,exploring the ultimate capabilities of siliconbased devices as well as novel post-CMOSconcepts.

Julie A. Pollitt (B.S. MechanicalEngineering, ’88) is a Program Analyst in the Office of Program Analysis &Evaluations, Office of the Administrator at the National Aeronautics & SpaceAdministration (NASA), Washington, DC.

Her duties includedevelopment of an agency-level performance man-agement system;negotiation ofexternally trackedperformance

metrics with the Office of Management andBudget; and product development andreporting on NASA programs and projectsfor the White House’s Budget and

The School of Engineering honored sixoutstanding individuals with special

recognitions during the annual banquet and awards ceremony in April. Five of thehonorees were named to the School’sAcademy of Distinguished Engineers andone was presented the 2007 DistinguishedEngineering Service Award. The event,which also included the award of meritscholarships to outstanding students, took place before an audience of over 600 alumni, corporate friends, faculty, andscholarship awardees and their parents.University of Connecticut President PhilipE. Austin, along with Interim Dean ErlingSmith, welcomed guests and presentedopening remarks. University Provost PeterNicholls and Dean Smith then introducedthe Academy of Distinguished Engineersinductees and service award recipient.

The 2007 inductees include Ronald D.Goldblatt, Julie A. Pollitt, John R. Rhode,Jr., Sudhakar V. Shenoy and Jack E.Stephens. The Distinguished EngineeringService Award was presented to professoremeritus Mahmoud Melehy of Electrical &Computer Engineering. Short profiles forall of the award recipients appear below.

For profiles of previous Academyinductees since 2003, visitwww.engr.uconn.edu/alumni/ on theSchool of Engineering website.

During the evening the School awardedmore than $550,000 in academic meritscholarships to 217 continuing studentsand offered another $800,000 to enteringengineering students. The scholarships are funded by donations from generous corporate friends and alumni.

Ronald D. Goldblatt (M.S., Ph.D.,Materials Science, ’84, ’87) is an IBMDistinguished Engineer and SeniorManager of Advanced Silicon Science and Process Technology at the T.J. WatsonResearch Center, Yorktown Heights, NY.He joined IBM in 1981 and has held tech-nical positions of increasing responsibilityculminating in his appointment to theexecutive position of Distinguished


Distinguished Alumni, Friends and Scholars Recognized

Continued on next page

Performance Integration Initiative. Sincejoining NASA Headquarters in 2002, shehas also served as Deputy Program Managerof NASA’s largest aeronautics research program, and as a Strategic Analyst.

Ms. Pollitt began her career as a DesignEngineer with the NASA-Ames ResearchCenter’s Mechanical Systems & Controlsunit, Moffett Field, CA in 1988. She heldvarious positions of responsibility, includingMars Airplane Conceptual Design TeamCo-Lead; Business Development Manager;and Intelligent, Digitized ShuttleApplication Lead. As a CongressionalScience & Technology Fellow assigned toRep. Tony Hall (3rd District - OH), she wasresponsible for legislation affecting the U.S. Air Force and related to access-to-space/reusable launch vehicles, aging aircraftand the insufficient investment in defenseaerospace science and technology. Ms. Pollitt has received numerous NASAhonors, including the Special Achievementand Spotlight Awards. She earned her M.S. at Stanford University (1991).

John R. Rhode, Jr. (B.S. ElectricalEngineering, ’60) is the Founder andManaging Director of Sound ConsultingAssociates LLC, which caters to service andmanufacturing clients in the developmentand implementation of strategic plans,

performanceimprovement andbreakthrough management projects. Earlier in his career,

as Director ofStrategic Planning

for Engelhard Corporation (1991-95), Mr. Rhode helped the company quadrupleits stock price and led a key Engelhard re-engineering team whose successes were cited in Michael Hammer’s book, The Reengineering Revolution.

Prior to joining Engelhard, Mr. Rhodewas a Senior Consultant, Director ofPlanning, and Vice President of Marketingand Planning for the Industrial ProductsGroup of Combustion Engineering; VicePresident of Marketing and Planning forthe Power and Industrial Sector; and CEOof a Combustion Engineering subsidiary.

Issue 13

He previously served as Vice President ofLPL Technology’s Amphenol subsidiary,and Chief Engineer for the command anddata links on the APOLLO Project forMIT’s Instrumentation Lab, where he wasresponsible for the command and datatransmissions to and from the spacecraftand also participated in the preflight training of the astronauts. Mr. Rhode was a member of the Board of Directors of The Strategic Planning Institute. He earnedhis M.S.E. in Computer Applications from MIT and an MBA from HarvardUniversity.

Sudhakar V. Shenoy (M.S. ElectricalEngineering, ’71; MBA ’73) is founder(1981), Chairman and CEO ofInformation Management Consultants, Inc.

(IMC), whichreceived theGolden HammerAward, presentedby the VicePresident of theU.S., and theGovernment

Computer News Industry InformationTechnology Award. Earlier in his career,Mr. Shenoy was a Senior Business Analystwith American Management Systems (’78 - ’80), held technical positions withWindsor Manufacturing (’73 - ’78) and wasan adjunct faculty member in the UConnSchool of Business (’72 - ’74).

Mr. Shenoy represented the U.S. in aPresidential trade and development missionto India (’95) and on trade missions toSpain and Berlin. He was named amongthe Top 25 Most Influential People in theWashington, DC high-tech industry; the2004 Small Contractor Executive of theYear by the Northern Virginia GovConCouncil, the Professional Services Counciland Washington Technology; and theWashington Area Minority and SmallBusiness Person of the Year (1995). He received the Greater Washington HighTechnology Entrepreneur of the Year Awardin 1998. Mr. Shenoy served on the State ofVirginia Technology Commission (’98); he currently serves on the non-residentIndian Advisory Board on Foreign DirectInvestment to the Prime Minister of India,and on the Board of Advisors of theUConn School of Business.

Jack E. Stephens (B.S. Civil Engineering,’47) Ph.D., P.E., who died in August, was aprofessor emeritus, Civil & EnvironmentalEngineering (CEE) at the University of

Connecticut; a Public ServiceSpecialist with the ConnecticutTechnologyTransfer Center(T2); and a SeniorResearch Advisor

to the Connecticut Advanced Pavement Lab(CAP Lab). Please see Dr. Stephens’ memoriam on page 30.

Mahmoud A. Melehy (Ph.D., University of Illinois, ’52) is a professor emeritus ofElectrical & Computer Engineering (ECE)at UConn. He joined the ECE faculty in1958. Dr. Melehy’s research has been devoted mainly to generalizing Einstein’s1905 theory of Brownian motion to surfaces, membranes and other interfaces.

The generalizedtheory has led to aunified theory forsemiconductordiodes and solarcells, which accu-rately corroboratesexperimental data

reported, over more than 25 years, by some27 authors. The general theory has furtherrevealed that the first and second laws ofthermodynamics require that electriccharges reside at most interfaces. This resultexplains numerous natural phenomena,such as surface tension, capillarity, fog andcloud suspension, atmospheric electricity,particle adhesion to surfaces, and the mystery of generating static electricity byrubbing two different surfaces against oneanother. Dr. Melehy has published on thissubject some 80 scholarly journal publica-tions and one book. He has presented hiswork in numerous international confer-ences, including the Paris, 2005 “EinsteinCentury International Conference.”

In 1960, Dr. Melehy consulted atShockley Transistor, Mountain View, CA,resulting in two published papers with Dr. W. Shockley, inventor of the junctiontransistor and co-recipient of the 1958Nobel Prize in physics.


Student NewsDoctoral student Nisar Ahmed, Electrical &Computer Engineering, received best thesislaurels at the 2006 IEEE VLSI TestSymposium. He was presented the TestTechnology Technical Council (TTTC) bestdoctoral thesis award amid a highly competitive field of challengers.

Graduate student Jessica Chau(Environmental Engineering) won a competitive travel grant, based on her mini-proposal submission, to attend theIUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics) 2007 Perugia GeneralAssembly in Italy July 2-13, 2007.

Two May 2007 Civil Engineering graduates,Daniel Espinosa and Christopher Wall,were recognized by the national Chi Epsiloncivil engineering honor society. Daniel waspresented the 2006-07 Chi Epsilon NewEngland District Scholarship Award ($1,500),and Chris received the Joseph L. BrandesNational Chi Epsilon Scholarship Award($3,000), for their outstanding academicachievements and contributions within Chi Epsilon.

Bethany Lepine (B.S. BiomedicalEngineering, ’07) received the University ofConnecticut’s Spirer/Dueker HumanitarianAchievement Award for her community outreach. Bethany was recognized for hervolunteer work as program director for theUConn Community Outreach homelessnessproject, through which she trained and oversaw the efforts of 60 volunteers associated with community homeless shelters in Willimantic and Rockville, CT.

Doctoral student Wesley Marshall(Civil & Environmental Engineering) won aprestigious 2007 Dwight David EisenhowerGraduate Transportation Fellowship, presented by the National HighwayInstitute. He received the award for his proposed research involving communitydesign, road safety and transportationsustainability. The two-year fellowship conferred $61,500 in funding and a stipendallowing Mr. Marshall to attend theTransportation Research Board AnnualMeeting in January 2008, where he will


Issue 13

StudentProfiles


Dr. Horea Ilies, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was named a

National Science Foundation Early CareerDevelopment (CAREER) Award winner in 2007.

The five-year $400,000award will support hisinvestigation into waysto improve the designand manufacture ofmechanical systemswhose functiondepends on inherent

contact between moving geometries. Such systems are typically encountered in the designand manufacture of mechanisms such as gearsand cams, but the same underlying principles are found in other application domains such ascomputer aided manufacturing, geometric modeling and computer graphics, engineeringdesign, tool path planning in manufacturing, and computer assisted surgery.

Many failures arise when the contactbetween the parts does not conform to thedesigned or intended contact, which can betraced to the fact that certain mathematical singularities of the mathematical models havenot been taken into consideration during thedesign stage. Dr. Ilies will seek to develop ageneric theoretical framework and computationalalgorithms for predicting, quantifying, and cor-recting malfunction or unintended behavior ofsuch systems due to unintended changes in the contact between the moving geometric objects.Such a capability, which could be used, for exam-ple, to predict contact disruptions during theearly design stages of parts moving in contact,would result in significant reductions in the product development time. In turn, such adecrease in the product development time would induce substantial financial benefits to a company.

Dr. Ilies commented that his CAREERresearch will “advance the state of the art incomputer aided manufacturing, path planning,and geometric modeling by providing algorithmswhich will, for example, significantly improve on-line testing of tool paths and CNC codes forarbitrarily complex shapes and motions that willreduce under- or over-cutting in machining,improved swept volume calculations andimproved collision detection.” Please see pagewww.engr.uconn.edu/news/ilies07 of our website for the detailed story.

Ilies Captures NSFCAREER Award

Kolawole Ladoja: Destined for UConn Engineering

Achildhood lesson instilled at his father’s knee led seniorcomputer engineering major (Dec. ’07) Kolawole

Ladoja to decide at an early age that he wanted to be anengineer. Returning to the U.S. after many years in Nigeria,Kolawole was convinced by both his impressions of the university and his mother’s urging, to attend UConn. The road from Nigeria to Storrs was anything but straight.

“I grew up mostly in Nigeria and returned to the U.S. (I was born here) in 2001. My Dad is a civil engineer, and when I was little, he told me that in resource-rich Nigeria—because we didn’t have manufacturingoperations—raw materials are exported and transformed into expensive productsthat are sold back to Nigerians. I knew then that I wanted to be an engineer,because I felt engineers produced goods.”

“I am the kind of person who needs to be challenged to perform. My perform-ance has always been proportional to how much I was pushed. UConn has not disappointed me in this respect; in fact, it has exceeded my expectations. I am continuously challenged by faculty, staff and students. This enables me to realizeand acknowledge my weaknesses as well as work on being a more well-roundedindividual.”

Read Kolawole’s complete profile on our website at www.engr.uconn.edu. Click on “Prospective Students & Outreach” and locate the submenu item “Meet Students.”

Colette Opsahl: From Step Dancingto Cardboard Canoes

Mechanical Engineering senior Colette Opsahl (’08) hastaken advantage of exceptional opportunities during her

UConn years, including studying abroad in Ireland, teachingIrish step dance and interning with Hamilton Sundstrand.

“I spent six months, including the spring ’06 term, at theUniversity of Limerick in Ireland. It took some work to getmy coursework arranged. Dr. John Bennett served as a liaison with ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering &Technology) to ensure my courses were transferable from Limerick to UConn.European programs aren’t accredited in the same way that U.S. engineering programs are accredited, so this took some coordination. My study abroad experience was excellent.”

Colette began a year-long internship at Hamilton Sundstrand over the summerworking on the Joint Strike Fighter program. “I would like to stay with HamiltonSundstrand. In fact, I’ll split my time next month between Hamilton Sundstrandand UConn. United Technologies [parent company] pays for its employees to pursue graduate studies and even offers the further incentive of awarding $10,000 in UTC stock when employees complete their graduate degree.”

Read Colette’s complete profile on our website at www.engr.uconn.edu. Click on “Prospective Students & Outreach” and locate the submenu item “Meet Students.”

Issue 13

School Welcomes New Faculty

Civil & Environmental Engineering

The Civil & Environmental Engineering(CEE) Department welcomed a record fournew junior faculty members: Drs. JosephBushey, Maria Chrysochoou, NicholasLownes and Adam Zofka.

Dr. Joseph Bushey earned his Ph.D. inenvironmental engineering at CarnegieMellon University (2003) and his M.S. inenvironmental engineering and science at

Stanford University(1996). He bringsexpertise in waterquality engineer-ing, and hisresearch interestsinclude the transport of metals

and toxins within natural systems. Beforejoining UConn, he conducted post-doctor-al research at Syracuse University involvingthe effect of landscape on mercury cycling,and the mobility and bioavailability of mercury within forest ecosystems. Earlier inhis career he worked as a research assistantin the Department of Civil Engineering at Stanford University, and as a researchchemist/engineer with P.H. Glatfelter Co.of York, PA. Dr. Bushey co-authored fivebook chapters and scholarly journal papers. In addition, five of his conferencepresentations have appeared in publishedproceedings.

Dr. Maria Chrysochoou earned her Ph.D.at the Stevens Institute of Technology,Hoboken, NJ (2006) and her M.S. at the

TechnischeUniversitaetDresden, Germany(2003), both inenvironmentalengineering. After completingher doctorate,

Dr. Chrysochoou held a post-doctoralresearch position at the Stevens Institutethat involved in-depth examination of flyash, chromite ore processing, and munitionsremediation. She was named the graduateassistant of the year (2005) by the StevensInstitute Department of Civil, Ocean and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Chrysochoou has published more than10 scholarly papers in refereed journals anddelivered 13 presentations at professionalconferences. Her research interests involvethe geoenvironmental and geochemicalcharacterization of soil, waste, industrial by-products and complex media.

Dr. Nicholas E. Lownes earned his Ph.D.in August 2007, and his M.S. degree in2005 – both at the University of Texas-Austin in transportation engineering.

Dr. Lownes wasawarded a numberof honors through-out his academiccareer, includingfour named gradu-ate fellowships. Hehas published one

scholarly journal paper and three refereedconference papers to date. In addition, he held leadership roles in several studentchapters of professional societies and honorsocieties. Dr. Lownes brings expertise intraffic engineering—including highwaysafety, human factors and cost-benefitanalysis—traffic micro-simulation, networkanalysis and public transportation systems.Dr. Lownes worked as an Installation Water Resources Manager with ESAEnvironmental following receipt of his B.S.,and through four college internships hegained experience in building demolitionand reconstruction, human/traffic engineer-ing, and construction inventory control.

Also joining the CEE department withexpertise in transportation engineering is

Dr. Adam Zofka,who was awardedhis Ph.D. by theUniversity ofMinnesota (2007)and his M.S. byGdansk Universityof Technology,

Poland (2001), both in civil engineering.Dr. Zofka’s research interests include pavement engineering—particularly thecharacterization, testing and modeling ofbituminous materials; asphalt mixtures,asphalt binders, and reclaimed asphalt pavements (RAP); pavement performanceand non-destructive testing. He has published six scholarly papers in peerreviewed professional journals and confer-ence publications. Dr. Zofka has garnered a number of scholarships and honors,including the Matthew J. Huber Award forExcellence in Transportation Research andEducation, presented by the Center forTransportation Studies at the University ofMinnesota in 2006, and the 2001 GoldMedal of the President of GdanskUniversity of Technology.

Seven new faculty members joined the School of Engineering andcommenced their academic duties at the start of the fall ’07 term.The new faculty members, whose brief profiles appear below, bringexpertise in areas of strategic importance to the School as it plans its research future, including environmental and transportation engineering, biomaterials and biomedical engineering.



Computer Science & Engineering

Dr. Yufeng Wu joined the ComputerScience & Engineering Department withexpertise in computational biology andbioinformatics. He received his Ph.D. in2007 from the University of California –Davis and his M.S. from the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998.Dr. Wu is particularly interested in computational problems in populationgenomics, including association mappingof complex diseases and inference ofgenealogical networks from population-

scale variationdata. He employscombinatorial orprobabilisticapproaches inresolving thesecomplex prob-lems. Dr. Wu has

published seven scholarly journal papersand conference presentations. He receiveda best student paper award for his presen-tation concerning models and efficientalgorithms for association mapping ofcomplex diseases with ancestral recombi-nation graphs. Before embarking on hisdoctoral program, Dr. Wu was a softwareengineer (1998-03) at PrairieComm, Inc.(now part of Freescale Semiconductor,Inc.), an Illinois startup company.

Mechanical Engineering

Two new faculty members joined theMechanical Engineering Department:Drs. Shiva Kotha and Wei Sun, both inareas spanning biomaterials.

Dr. Shiva Kotha was previously an assis-tant professor in the School of Dentistryat the University of Missouri – KansasCity. He obtained his Ph.D. in biomed-ical engineering from Rutgers Universityand the University of Medicine andDentistry of New Jersey in 2000. Dr. Kotha conducted post-doctoralresearch in aerospace/mechanical engineering at the University of NotreDame, and in orthopaedic surgery atWashington University of St. Louis, MO.

His research interests include scale-dependent tissue mechanics, bone adaptation to mechanical loading, devicesand materials for improving chronichealth problems, non- and minimally-

invasive tissueengineering, andthe developmentof novel compos-ites for use inprosthetics. Dr. Kotha’s current research

focuses on evaluating the molecular profiles underlying bone adaptation tomechanical loading in non-invasive regeneration/shaping of bone, and in the development of novel devices andmaterials for improving chronic healthissues. He has published more than 20 scholarly papers in prestigious scientific journals.

Dr. Wei Sun received his Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University ofPittsburgh in 2003 and his M.S. inMaterials Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China in 1993.Following receipt of his doctoral degree,Dr. Sun was a post-doctoral fellow in theMechanical Engineering Department

at the GeorgiaInstitute ofTechnology, anda staff engineer inthe Heart ValveTherapy R&Ddepartment atEdwards

Lifesciences LLC, Irvine, CA. His researchfocuses on the experimental study andconstitutive modeling of cardiovascularbiomaterials, and the study of tissue andorgan function using computational biomechanics tools. Earlier research hasinvolved new heart valve and annuloplastyprosthesis design, modeling of biomimeticfiber scaffold materials for artery substi-tutes, and the biomechanics of heart valve biomaterials.

present his proposed research and an overviewof previously conducted research involving the benefits of on-street parking to urbandevelopment.

Sayma Rahman, an M.S. graduate student inEnvironmental Engineering, has been awardeda 2007-08 Education Foundation Fellowship of$12,000 by the American Association forUniversity Women (AAUW). The AAUWEducation Foundation exclusively targetswomen pursuing graduate studies who are at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where womenare underrepresented. A total of 26 candidateswere selected across the nation in 2007-08,and Ms. Rahman was the only winner fromConnecticut.

The UConn Material Advantage (UCMA)Student Chapter was selected to receive two prestigious national honors, the WorldMaterials Day Award and the Chapter ofExcellence Award. The Chapter of ExcellenceAward is presented to just five yearly of the 75 student chapters nationwide. Both awardsbring visibility and prestige to the UConn chapter. They were presented in September to the UCMA officers, who includeJacquelynn Garofano (graduate president),Amber Black (undergraduate president),Julie Anne Mackey (vice president), Salay Stannard (secretary) and SamuelBrewczynski (treasurer). The group isadvised by assistant professor of Chemical,Materials & Biomolecular Engineering Rainer Hebert.

Student News continued from page 23

26 FRONTIERNEWS www.engr.uconn.edu Issue 13

Reda Ammar, Department Headand professor of ComputerScience & Engineering, was gen-eral chair of the 20th International

Conference on Parallel and DistributedComputing and Systems, which took placeSeptember 23-26, 2007 in Las Vegas.

Professor emeritus of ChemicalEngineering Mike Cutlip and professor Mordechai Shacham of Ben-Gurion University have

published the second edition of their signaturebook, with a revised title: Problem Solving inChemical and Biochemical Engineering withPOLYMATH, Excel, and MATLAB. The 752-pagebook is published by Prentice Hall (ISBN-10 is0131482041).

Gerald Engel, professor ofComputer Science & Engineering(Stamford campus) was elected to a three-year term as Vice

President of the International Federation forInformation Processing (IFIP). IFIP was createdby the United Nations. Dr. Engel represents theU.S. IEEE Computer Society on the GeneralAssembly and has served as an IFIP trustee.

In May, Howard Epstein, professor of Civil & EnvironmentalEngineering, was presented theBenjamin Wright Award of the

Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers (CSCE)section of the American Society of CivilEngineers (ASCE) for his significant contribu-tions to the civil engineering profession. It isthe highest honor that ASCE can bestow upona member of the civil engineering community.

Board of Trustees DistinguishedProfessor of Electrical & ComputerEngineering Bahram Javidi delivered the plenary address at

the Optical Microsystems 2007 (OMS 2007)conference in Capri, Italy September 30-October 3. His topic was “ImprovedPerformance Three Dimensional Sensing and Visualization by Integral Imaging.” Meetingsponsors were the European Optical Society(EOS), the Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) Lasers Electro-Optics Society(LEOS), The Institute of Physics, and otherEuropean organizations.

Peter Luh, Department Head ofElectrical & Computer Engineeringand SNET Professor ofCommunications & Information

Technologies, delivered the opening plenarytalk at the 2007 IEEE International Conferenceon Automation and Logistics held in Jinan,Shandong, China, in August 2007. The title ofthe talk was “From Manufacturing Schedulingto Supply Chain Coordination: The Control ofComplexity and Uncertainty.”

Assistant professor of MaterialsScience RamamurthyRamprasad was a co-inventor ontwo U.S. patents issued on

November 14, 2006. Patent number 7,136,029for a “Frequency Selective High ImpedanceSurface,” and patent number 7,136,028 for“Applications of High Impedance Surfaces,”were issued to Dr. Ramprasad and his co-inventors, M.F. Petras and C.T. Tsai.

Assistant professor of ChemicalEngineering Ranjan Srivastavaspent the summer in Silver Spring,MD as a Fellow at the Naval

Medical Research Center, where he worked inthe Viral & Rickettsial Diseases Department.His studies involved development of a genomedatabase and genome-scale metabolic model-ing of Orientia tsutsugamushi, a bacteriumresponsible for scrub typhus.

Mohammad Tehranipoor,assistant professor of Electrical &Computer Engineering, co-organ-ized a panel at the 2006 IEEE VLSI

Test Symposium, on the subject “ThreeQuestions to Oracle,” that garnered a “bestpanel award.” Dr. Tehranipoor was also a 2006Design Automation Conference (DAC) bestpaper candidate for his work on “High-QualityTransition Delay Fault Test in NanometerTechnology Designs.”

Lei Wang, assistant professor ofElectrical & Computer Engineering,is co-inventor on a new patententitled “Receiver and Method for

Mitigating Temporary Logic Transitions,” whichwas awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,200,821 inApril 2007. His collaborator is E. Fetzer of IntelCorp.

Five current engineering facultymembers were elected to membership in the ConnecticutAcademy of Science andEngineering (CASE) in honor oftheir career accomplishments.They were among 26 individualsinducted during the Academy’sannual meeting in May. The newlyinducted members include:Rajeev Bansal, professor andAssociate Department Head ofElectrical & Computer Engineering; Steve Demurjian, professor andAssociate Department Head ofComputer Science & Engineering;Eric Jordan, professor ofMechanical Engineering; Nejat Olgac, professor ofMechanical Engineering; andQuing Zhu, associate professor of Electrical & ComputerEngineering.

FacultyNews


Outreach Initiatives Excite Prospective Students

BRIDGE

Forty incoming engineering students participat-ed in the five-week summer BRIDGE 2007, a residential readiness program designed toprepare students for the freshman-year experience. The program provides intensivepreliminary coursework in core mathematics,chemistry, physics and computer concepts.Admission is limited to qualifying studentswho have applied or been admitted to the

UConn School ofEngineering.BRIDGE specificallytargets studentswho are members ofgroups traditionallyunderrepresentedamong the nation’s

engineers, including women, AfricanAmericans, Hispanics, Puerto Ricans andNative Americans.

Each BRIDGE day included classroominstruction in chemistry, computer program-ming, calculus and physics. Evenings werereserved for scheduled group study sessions.Students also completed practice tests andengaged in team exercises intended toimprove their group problem solving skills—an important part of the undergraduate experi-ence and engineering practice. Other activitiesincluded off-campus site visits to theAnheuser-Busch plant in Merrimack, NH, Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, theMillstone nuclear power plant in Waterford,CT, and home and personal care products manufacturer Unilever (Trumbull, CT).

Participating students enjoyed complimen-tary on-campus housing, weekly meals, tuitionand books. Social, recreational and culturalactivities were integrated into the five-weekprogram. After successfully completingBRIDGE, qualifying students could receiveeither a stipend of up to $800 or one of several renewable scholarships of up to $2,000 per year.

For more information about our BRIDGE program, please visitwww.engr.uconn.edu/diversity/bridge/.

MULTIPLY YOUR OPTIONS

On April 13, 150female eighth-graders from 14 middle schoolsconvened at theUConn Storrs cam-pus for a one-dayMultiply Your

Options (MYO) conference spotlighting scienceand engineering. Working in teams, the youngwomen constructed rudimentary motors frommagnets, wire and batteries; designed andassembled prototype sails to test on a raisedtrack with fan-generated wind; electrolyzedwater into its constituent hydrogen and oxygenmolecules using saltwater, pencils and a 9Vbattery—and enjoyed other activities gearedto introduce engineering and science conceptsin a fun manner.

Now celebrating its 13th year, MYO isintended to help young women explore engineering and scientific principles.

The workshops are taught in a hands-on, problem solving format by practicing womenscientists and engineers, many of whom areUConn alumnae and graduate students. Anafternoon session involved attendees in adeductive reasoning game in which femalerole models brought five tools from work that offered hints about their occupations and the students strove to correctly deducetheir careers.

The workshops covered a dozen subjects,from the relationship between electricity andmagnetism to construction of batteries usinggalvanic cells, how color changes indicatechemical reactions and how fluids are recycledin a closed ecosystem such as that found onthe international space station.

For additional details of our Multiply Your Options program, please visitwww.engr.uconn.edu/diversity/myo/.

ENGINEERING 2000

In June, 91 students from 74 high schools participated in the week-long Engineering

2000 (E2K) residen-tial program. E2Kparticipants arenominated by their high schoolmath, science, ortechnology teachersto attend the resi-

dential program. Working in small groups, with instruction and mentorship provided byfaculty members and engineering students,participants explore engineering careers; learn and demonstrate engineering concepts;and fabricate a working model of an engineer-ing device.

Topics in this year’s E2K spanned a varietyof subjects, such as “Transportation Planningfor the National Parks,” “Bioenergy Productionfrom Waste,” “Using GPS in Geomatics andTransportation,” “Modeling of AutomotiveMotion with Model Cars,” “Thermal-FluidsEngineering: A Power Plant as a Case Study,”“Target Tracking” and “Metal Processing andProperties: Bobby Pins to Swords.” The weekwrapped up with demonstrations of items thestudents created, such as rudimentary EKGdevices, fuel cell and other energy efficientdevices, wooden bridges, solar cells, and audiomonitoring.

For more information about our Engineering 2000 workshop, please visitwww.engr.uconn.edu/soe.php?pId=engr2k.


The School of Engineering conducts a series of important programs each year that help students in K-12 gain a better understanding about engineering principlesand careers. These efforts familiarize students with engineering in an exciting, often hands-on format that appeals to young people.

For more information about our outreach activities, please contact:

Marty WoodAssistant Dean for Undergraduate Education191 Auditorium Road, Unit 3187University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT 06269-3187 USAPh.: (860) 486-5466Email: [email protected]

Issue 13


DA VINCI PROJECT

One July week, the School of Engineeringhosted eight math, science and technologyteachers, who sought to learn engineeringfundamentals and develop interesting curricula and exercises for their classrooms.The participants were immersed first in general engineering instruction, followed by a choice of three workshops in which to focustheir learning. The workshops targeted fuelcells, bio-materials, and math optimization and game theory.

The fuel cells group built and tested theirown fuel cell from scratch and, along the way,learned the physics and chemistry of this fascinating “new” (1839) technology.Participants in the bio-materials workshop

created and tested synthetic bonelikematerial, and inves-tigated biomedicaland materials engineering, whichfuse chemistry, biology and physics

concepts. In the math optimization/game theory workshop, teachers learned that combinatorial optimization problems are ubiq-uitous and are solved daily by many industries,from electric utilities to delivery services.Participants learned how to identify and solvesuch problems using methods rooted in math-ematical optimization and game theory. Visualillustrations involving simple games such ascrypto puzzles, riddles, or even Sudoku provid-ed the teachers classroom examples sure tospark the interest of a high school audience.

To learn more about the da Vinci Project,please visit www.engr.uconn.edu/davinci/.

2007 NORTHEAST REGIONAL SCIENCE BOWL

On March 17, the School hosted and spon-sored the 2007 Northeast Regional ScienceBowl (NRSB) for high school students. A totalof 27 teams gathered to match wits, aided by80 volunteers. The bowl included both aJeopardy!-style quiz bowl and a model fuelcell car race.

The NRSB drew teams from acrossConnecticut as well as New York, Rhode Island

and New Hampshire.Throughout themorning, teamscompeted in round-robin tournaments of two eight-minutehalves, with the topperformers meeting

in championship rounds mid-afternoon. Thequestions spanned astronomy, earth science,physical science, life science, math and gener-al science. Teams were given just seconds toslap a buzzer and answer each question. Fuelcell race competitors designed and built theirentries for optimal power and speed. By day’send, the 2006 champion team from nearby E.O. Smith High School claimed the winner’slaurels and the honor of representing theregion in the National Science Bowl tourna-ment. Greenwich High School captured tophonors in the fuel cell race.

For details of the Northeast RegionalScience Bowl, please visit www.sciencebowl.uconn.edu/.

CONNECTICUT INVENTIONCONVENTION

The School of Engineering once again hostedand co-sponsored the Connecticut InventionConvention (CIC), which took place April 28 at Gampel Pavilion and attracted over 570inventors in grades K-8; more than 170 judges;and thousands of teachers, family membersand sponsors to the bustling Storrs campus.The introductory program included a keynotepresentation by civil engineer PeterHalvordson, Vice President of Engineering forGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat. During the

judging portion ofthe convention,teams of two-to-three volunteerjudges reviewed the inventions andasked the younginventors about their

projects, encouraging peer-to-peer discourse,before selecting the top three contenders within each judging circle of 8-12 students. The Connecticut Invention Convention is a nonprofit program underwritten by grants andin-kind support from community, educationalinstitutions, businesses and charitable organizations.

For more information about the Connecticut Invention Convention, visit www.CTInventionConvention.org.

Issue 13

In MemoriamJack E. Stephens

The School was deeply saddened by the lossof alumnus (B.S. Civil Engineering ’47) and

emeritus professor Jack Stephens, who diedAugust 6th. Dr. Stephens was elected to theSchool’s Academy of Distinguished Engineers in

April, in recognition of his countless contributions to notonly the School ofEngineering but alsothe State and the civilengineering profession.Though retired from

academic duties, Dr. Stephens, a professionalengineer, remained very active as a PublicService Specialist with the ConnecticutTechnology Transfer Center (T2) and a SeniorResearch Advisor to the Connecticut AdvancedPavement Lab (CAP Lab). He served on the CEEfaculty from 1950-89 and was Department Headfrom 1965-72.

Dr. Stephens helped to shape many facets ofConnecticut’s transportation-related governanceand research infrastructure. He was instrumentalin the State’s decision to fund both theConnecticut Cooperative Highway ResearchProgram (CCHRP)—jointly with the ConnecticutDepartment of Transportation at UConn in1962—and the Connecticut TransportationInstitute (CTI), founded in Storrs in 1974. As CTI’sfirst Director, he established the T2 Center, whichprovides training for town employees, and theCAP Lab, which researches and tests hot-mixbituminous concrete.

Dr. Stephens was a life member and pastpresident of the Connecticut section, AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers (ASCE); past president,Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers; and pastChair, Transportation Committee of theConnecticut Academy of Science & Engineering.He received the University of Connecticut AlumniAssociation Distinguished Public Service Award(’82), the Engineering Alumni Award (’86) and theConnecticut section of ASCE Benjamin WrightAward (’89). Dr. Stephens was awarded his M.S.(’55) and Ph.D. (’59) degrees at Purdue University.

Dr. Stephens was profiled in the summer ’05issue of Frontiers (p. 18), which may be found onour website under School News. Memorial donations may be made to the Jack E. StephensScholarship Fund, payable to “UConnFoundation” and sent to the University ofConnecticut Foundation, 2390 Alumni Dr., Storrs,CT 06269-3206.


StudentProfiles

In the Swim with Senior Andrea Ryan

What motivated senior Andrea Ryan, an Iowa nativeand valedictorian of her Bettendorf High School

class, to pursue her engineering studies halfway across thecountry in Storrs? This Chemical Engineering major wasattracted by the combination of academic excellence, a compact campus, and a competitive swim team.

“UConn offered me a strong scholarship package thatmade coming 18 hours [driving time] east from Iowa

actually cheaper than remaining in-state. Although my primary focus when choos-ing my future university was the academic programs, I was interested in continuingmy swimming career and UConn possessed strong programs in both those areas ofmy life. After I visited the campus, I was convinced that UConn was the rightchoice for me.”

“As a captain of the swim team, I’ve had to challenge myself to inspire and leada great group of female student-athletes…We practice twice a day, do weight training, and also have team study halls...Balancing my time between practice and classes does prove hard at times, but it is all about good time management.”

Read Andrea’s complete profile on our website at www.engr.uconn.edu. Click on “Prospective Students & Outreach” and locate the submenu item“Meet Students.”

Michael Smith Mixes BallroomDancing with Computer Science

The campus diversity and strong curriculum were deciding factors in Michael Smith’s decision to choose

UConn for his university experience. The junior Computer Science major has found not only his engineer-ing niche but also extracurricular activities, such as leadingthe DanceSport competitive ballroom dance team, sincecoming to UConn from Wakefield, RI.

“The University Scholars program allows students totake on a two-year research project on a large topic of their choice; it’s something I will be applying for, and which I think is one of the best possibilities you couldhave, to be able to do research in a topic of your choice.”

“At the start of my sophomore year, I joined the DanceSport competitive ballroom dance team. I have had an amazing time with this club and the people init. Dancing on a ballroom team was something I never imagined for myself, yetnow I am the club’s president responsible for overseeing our club’s organization,funding and travel...It’s been a great experience so far at UConn.”

Read Michael's complete profile on our website at www.engr.uconn.edu. Click on “Prospective Students & Outreach” and locate the submenu item “Meet Students.”

Issue 13

AlumniNews

John Q. Adams (B.S. Civil Engineering, ’93) is a senior transportation engineer withSebago Technics, Inc., Westbrook, ME.

Bree Vilmos Allen (B.S. Material Science,’96) is Director of Product Management forThermo Fisher Scientific, a scientific instrumentation developer that acquiredNITON LLC, where he began his career.

Joel S. Becker (M.S. Material Science, ’74)won the Malcolm Baldrige Community Awardpresented by the Waterbury (CT) RegionalChamber of Commerce. He is the President of the Chicago-based American SupplyAssociation, chairman of Waterbury Hospital’sBoard of Trustees, and a board member ofWebster Financial Corp.

Robert D. Becker (B.S. Electrical & ComputerEngineering, ’82) founded a management consulting firm, the Product DevelopmentAdvantage Group, LLC, to help software and/orelectronics businesses bring products success-fully to market. Mr. Becker was formerlySenior Vice President of Engineering andOperations at Mercury Computer. He is amember of the University of ConnecticutAcademy of Distinguished Engineers (2005).

Steven Bouchard (B.S. ElectricalEngineering, ’03) is a product manager for Hubbell Wiring Systems.

William H. Brewster, Jr. (B.S. MechanicalEngineering, ’86) joined Gerber Technology(Tolland, CT) as Vice President, GlobalMarketing and Product Management. He previ-ously was Vice President of Marketing forKonica Minolta Business Machines U.S.A., Inc.

Benjamin Bulkley (B.S. ElectricalEngineering, ’86) was named Chief OperatingOfficer of Allscripts, a leading provider of clinical medical software, connectivity andinformation solutions. He previously wasSenior Vice President of Global CommercialOperations for Invitrogen Corporation. He was inducted into the UConn Academy of Distinguished Engineers in 2005.

Franklin R. Chang-Diaz (B.S. MechanicalEngineering, ’73), who retired in 2005 from theU.S. astronaut corps after a successful careerthat included seven space shuttle flights,returned to Cost Rica and built that nation’sfirst rocket lab. He is constructing a plasma-powered rocket engine that he plans to launchto Mars by 2025.

Wayne Eckerle (Ph.D. MechanicalEngineering, ’85) was promoted to VicePresident – Corporate Research andTechnology for Cummins Inc., Columbus, IN.Before joining Cummins in 1989, Dr. Eckerlewas employed at United TechnologiesResearch Center and as an Associate Professorat Clarkson University. He serves on the external advisory board of the UConnDepartment of Mechanical Engineering.

Ferdinand Engel (M.S. Computer Science &Engineering, ’72) joined Iron Mountain Digitalas Chief Technology Officer. He previously was Chief Technology Officer for ConcordCommunications until the company wasacquired by Computer Associates in 2005. Mr. Engel, who holds several U.S. patents in network management and security, was inducted into the UConn Academy ofDistinguished Engineers in 2005.

Mark Gothberg (B.S. Chemical Engineering,’68) is Chief Operating Officer of StrategicHealth Care Communications and editor ofeHealthcare Strategy & Trends. Mark alsoholds an MBA from Columbia University.

Christopher O. Granatini (B.S. CivilEngineering, ’96), P.E., is a senior transporta-tion engineer in the Middletown, CT office ofthe environmental engineering consulting firmof Tighe & Bond, Inc.

Gordon Hannah (B.S. Electrical Engineering,’88) is Managing Director of the Public SectorSecurity and Identity Management Group,BearingPoint Public Sector Security Group. TheMcLean, VA-based company is a global man-agement and technology consulting company.

Michael J. Hartnett (Ph.D. MechanicalEngineering, ’78) Chairman, CEO and Presidentof Roller Bearings Company of America and

Holdings, was inducted into the 250-memberConnecticut Academy of Science &Engineering (CASE). He was inducted a founding member of the UConn Academy ofDistinguished Engineers in 2003.

Vinod K. Kalikiri (M.S. Civil Engineering, ’95)P.E., PTOE, was named an associate, one of the firm’s senior positions, of Vanasse HangenBrustlin (VHB) Inc., Watertown, MA. He is aproject manager in VHB’s Land DevelopmentGroup, and responsible for traffic engineeringand permitting. Mr. Kalikiri joined VHB in 2001.

Shiva Kalisetty (M.S. Electrical Engineering,’94) joined ATX Group as Vice President ofBusiness Development. The company is thelargest independent provider of telematics tothe automotive industry. He was previouslyemployed with Clarity CommunicationSystems.

Suzanne Brown Koroshetz (B.S. Electrical &Computer Engineering, ’78) was namedPrincipal of Brien McMahon High School,Norwalk, CT in spring 2007. The school has enrollments of nearly 1,500 students. Ms. Koroshetz previously was Principal ofStamford High School.

Stanley B. Levy (M.S., Ph.D. MechanicalEngineering, ’63, ‘66) was named ChiefTechnology Officer for BioSolar, Inc., developerof a technology to produce bioplastic materialsfrom renewable plant sources for use in flexible solar cells. Prior to joining BioSolar, Dr. Levy was a technical consultant.

James Long III (M.S. Civil Engineering, ’98),P.E., is a senior bridge design engineer forCollins Engineers, inc., in the firm’s NewportNews, VA office. Collins is a civil, structuraland water resources engineering firm.

Richard Mastracchio (B.S. ElectricalEngineering, ’82) joined the seven-membercrew of the space shuttle Endeavour, whichconducted a two-week mission at the international space station in August. Mr. Mastracchio conducted three space walksduring the mission, which focused on attaching



AlumniNews cont’d.

a new truss segment to the space station andreplacing a gyroscope that helps control thestation's orientation. He previously flewaboard shuttle Atlantis in 2000. He wasinducted into the University of ConnecticutAcademy of Distinguished Engineers in 2003.

Scott Milligan (B.S. Mechanical Engineering,’94) is a manager at CUNO, a division of 3M,in Old Lyme, CT.

Andrew M. Morosky (B.S. Civil Engineering,’88), Town Engineer for Bethel, CT, was alsonamed Public Works Director for the town in August.

Ronald Nault (B.S. Civil Engineering, ’84),President of Hamden, CT-based LuchsConsulting Engineers, announced the companyhas acquired the architectural/engineering firm of DeCarlo & Doll. The combined firmcomprises more than 40 design professionals.

Andrew Sadlon (B.S. Electrical Engineering,’81) is President of Hoffman EngineeringCorporation, Stamford, CT. He previously wasPresident of Prime Technology, Inc.

Donald E. Scott (B.S., M.S. ElectricalEngineering, ’57, ’59), Ph.D., authored a newbook, The Electric Sky – A Challenge to theMyths of Modern Astronomy (MikamarPublishing) which was published in late 2006.Dr. Scott is a retired professor of electricalengineering who taught at the University ofMassachusetts.

Thomas Zarrella (B.S. MechanicalEngineering, ’78) was elected President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of GTSolar International, Inc. of Merrimack, NH, a worldwide provider of technology, equipmentand turnkey manufacturing solutions acrossthe photovoltaic supply chain. He previouslywas President and Chief Operating Officer ofGT Solar Incorporated, a subsidiary.

In MemoriamAlfred L. Birch (B.S. Electrical Engineering,’52) died in July 2007. Before his retirement,he worked for nearly 30 years as an engineerand Department Head of DevelopmentEngineering for Western Electric Company of North Andover.

Gordon Lee Bywaters (M.S. ’58) died in July 2007 as the result of an auto accident.During his career, he worked for Pratt &Whitney Aircraft as chief engineer of aerodynamic systems and components.

John R. Pavlick, Sr. (B.S., M.S., ElectricalEngineering ’65, ’70) died in June 2007. He was employed with Perkin Elmer, CBS Labs,Consolidated Controls, Raymond Engineeringand Lockheed Martin. Mr. Pavlick was a member of the Eta Kappa Nu NationalElectrical Engineering Honor Society and the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society.

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