CU Engineering January 2008 eNotes

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January 2008 CU Engineering News & Events

ITL Program co-founders Larry Carlson and Jackie Sullivan (center photo) have been selected to receive the 2008 Bernard M. Gordon Prize, the National Academy of Engineering's top educational honor. The $500,000 prize recognizes the program for its innovation and impact, both on undergraduate learning and K-12 engineering education.

College Calendar
NEW STUDENT WELCOME PROGRAM Jan. 10, 9 a.m., ECCR 105; new students meet department representatives, college officials ,and register for classes during this half-day program.

SPRING SEMESTER BEGINS Jan. 14.

COLLEGE MINI-RETREATS The college will hold four “mini-retreats” this spring as part of its strategic planning process. The events, which will be held in the business school, are organized topically as follows:

l Programs―Feb. 8, 4-7:30 p.m., and Feb. 21, 5-8:30 p.m.

l People―Feb. 28, 5-8:30 p.m.

l Places―March 7, 4-7:30 p.m.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend at least one of the events; contact the Dean's Office for more information.

For more information about college events, visit Events Calendar.

In the News
Following is a list of recent press releases pertaining to the college. Click each link to read the full news release, or visit Current News.

l CU-Boulder Faculty To Receive $500,000 Prize for Innovation in Engineering Education (story)

l Discovery Channel to Air In-Depth Look at 2007 Solar Decathlon Featuring CU-Boulder Team (story)

l New Book by CU-Boulder Researcher Targets Columbia Glacier at Mid-Retreat (story)

l University of Colorado Professor to Receive AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award (story)

Fast Facts
The Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences ranked fourth in the nation in a faculty productivity index published in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Other CU-Boulder programs in the index’s top 10 are geography, physical oceanography, and atmospheric sciences, and meteorology. >>More info

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ITL Program Wins Top Educational Prize
Larry Carlson and Jackie Sullivan have been selected to receive the National Academy of Engineering’s top educational honor recognizing innovation in engineering and technology education, the Bernard M. Gordon Prize.

The $500,000 award, to be presented at a gala in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 19, recognizes the pair for founding the ITL Program, which infuses hands-on learning throughout K-16 engineering education to motivate and prepare tomorrow’s engineering leaders. A local celebration also will be planned by the college.

The ITL Program is a widely respected national model for interdisciplinary, hands-on learning supported by an innovative environment that allows students to integrate engineering theory with practice and learn by doing. Sullivan and Carlson founded the program in 1992, and since then have expanded and strengthened its reach within the College of Engineering and Applied Science as well as in K-12 schools.

Among their achievements are an increase in retention of students across the engineering college, partnerships with seven local schools where students in grades 3-12 experience hands-on engineering in weekly classes, and the creation of the TeachEngineering digital library, a collection of hands-on lessons and activities available free to K-12 educators around the world.

Carlson and Sullivan’s selection marks the second time in the eight-year history of the Gordon Prize that the award has been presented to CU engineering faculty. CU-Boulder Professor Frank Barnes, who co-founded the university's Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program in 1971, received the Gordon Prize in 2004.

Engineering Design Expo a ‘Super’ Hit
About 350 people attended the Engineering Design Expo in the ITL Laboratory on Dec. 8, despite a storm that dumped seven inches of snow on Boulder that day. "Team Superizer" (pictured above at left) won the People’s Choice Award for its skateboard project. The team of first-year students, comprised of Ian Pegler, Colin Mitchell, Dylan Canfield, Nicole Darling, and Duke Roberts, designed an adaptable riser that allows the truck to swivel on a longboard (an extra-long skateboard) as part of Mike McGrath's section of GEEN 1400, the First Year Engineering Projects course.

TEAMS Clubs Introduce Kids to Engineering
Eleven undergraduates from CU engineering are leading extra-curricular “TEAMS Clubs” at Lafayette schools this year, including a new Spanish-speaking club at Pioneer Elementary School that is making engineering come alive for non-native English speakers.

Through the ITL Program’s K-12 engineering initiative, the CU students are guiding elementary and middle-school students in hands-on activities, including creating their own water filters, windmills, circuits, and bridges.

The TEAMS clubs (short for Tomorrow’s Engineers... creAte. iMagine. Succeed ) are part of a long-term partnership between the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Boulder Valley School District. Participating schools include Angevine Middle School and Sanchez, Pioneer, Ryan, and Lafayette elementary schools.

CU undergraduates involved in the program include first-year honors students Eric Benzel (ApMath, pictured above at right), Kristina Fuerst (ChBE), Ellen Wagner (ChBE), Ana Ilic (ECE), and Tyler Wingfield (EnvEngr); along with sophomores Tracey Fischer (CEAE) and Levin Sliker (ME); juniors Andru O’Farrill (ChBE), Daniel Fargano (ECE), and Kate Vanderwiede (ME); and senior Ryan Erickson (ChBE).

College Names 2008 DEAA Honorees
Congratulations to the following individuals who have been selected to receive the 2008 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award:
Gary R. Anderson (MechEngr’69)— Industry & Commerce
Kristi Anseth (PhD ChemEngr’94) — Research & Invention, Education
Peter Mannetti — Special
John McMasters (AeroEngr’61, MS ’62) — Industry & Commerce
Sami A. Miro (CivEngr’69) — Private Practice

The awards are scheduled to be presented at the 43rd annual Engineering Awards Banquet on April 25. More information about the recipients and banquet will be available in the spring.

Honors & Awards
Congratulations to the following on their outstanding achievements:

Faculty
Joe Ryan of civil, environmental and architectural engineering was named a recipient of the 2008 Boulder County Pacesetter Award for contributions to the health and safety of Boulder citizens, recognizing his work to monitor and control the effects of acid mine drainage in the Jamestown/James Creek and Left Hand Creek watersheds.

The CADSWES research team led by Edith Zagona in civil, environmental, and architectural engineering was credited by the Bureau of Reclamation for its role in supporting the Colorado River shortage agreement, which was signed by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in December along with the seven basin states. The deal, which was negotiated over the past three years with the help of RiverWare, a modeling tool developed by CADSWES, gives the states new tools to manage the river and its water rights without reopening the 85-year-old Colorado Compact.

John Crimaldi and Hari Rajaram of civil, environmental and architectural engineering received Faculty Fellowships for 2008 from the Council on Research and Creative Work to support their sabbatical research.

Ryan Gill of chemical and biological engineering co-founded a start-up company in June called OPX Biotechnologies, which is engineering microbes to make biofuels. The company has secured $3.6 million in venture funding and named Robert Chess as chairman and chief executive.

Tad Pfeffer of civil, environmental and architectural engineering published a new book on the retreat of the Columbia Glacier in Alaska.

Staff
Adam Sadoff, graduate student adviser in electrical and computer engineering, was selected to receive the Employee Recognition Award for December.

Students
Geoffrey Johnson, Katherine Schmidt, and James Tabata of civil, environmental and architectural engineering took first place in the Design-Build Institute of America student competition, beating teams from CSU and BYU. The win netted the team a $1,500 prize for their education and an additional $500 for the CU program for design-build related education.

The following student awards were presented at the Dec. 20 Engineering Recognition Ceremony:
Joshua Kats, chemical engineering, Outstanding Graduate of the College and winner of the Academic Achievement Award
Craig Fogle, engineering physics and applied math, Outstanding Graduate for Research (co-recipient
Matthew Osborn, aerospace engineering sciences, Outstanding Graduate for Research (co-recipient)

Advisory Boards
Joe Oxman, a division scientist with 3M Corp., was selected to receive the college’s 2007 Corporate Advocate Award. He was nominated by Associate Dean Chris Bowman based on his dedicated service to the Industrial/University Cooperative Research Center for Fundamentals and Applications of Photopolymerizations. Oxman served as the inaugural chair of the center’s industrial advisory board and has been a strong advocate for students, faculty, and technology transfer.

New Faculty & Staff
Welcome to the following new faculty who are joining the college in January:
Karl Linden, professor, civil, environmental and architectural engineering
Aaron Bradley, assistant professor, electrical and computer engineering
Li Shang, assistant professor, electrical and computer engineering
Ken Baker, scholar in residence/senior instructor, interdisciplinary telecommunications

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