Package Engineering to Be as Appealing as an iPod?
Engineers Make a World of Difference. Engineers Help Shape the Future. Turning Ideas into Reality. Because Dreams Need Doing.

To unveil the National Academy of Engineering’s upcoming report on “Public Understanding of Engineering — Developing Effective Messages,” ITL Co-Director Jackie Sullivan created and led a participatory workshop at the annual ASEE meeting in Honolulu in June to engage the engineering community in reframing communications about engineering to better appeal to youth. Participants worked in teams to re-cast engineering from skills and benefits to a world of difference, and developed hypothetical ad campaign messages and images for the engineering community to adopt. The NAE Public Understanding of Engineering report, to be published later this year, is based on the most extensive market and communications research to date regarding the public’s perceptions of the engineering profession.

National Capstone Design Conference
CU Engineering hosted the first national conference focused on engineering capstone design courses June 13-15. A total of 170 people attended the conference from universities across the country to discuss moving capstone design to the next level. Topics included starting a program featuring externally sponsored projects, institutionalizing a capstone design program, and improving and enhancing existing programs.

Jack Zable, who launched the mechanical engineering department’s successful Industry/University Cooperative Projects Center, served as conference chair. Kathryn Michel, Scott Palo and Gary Pawlas from CU-Boulder served on the organizing committee.

Honors and Awards
Congratulations to the following faculty on their outstanding achievements.

Roseanna Neupauer of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, has been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering's Frontiers of Engineering program. The 13^th annual symposium, to be held Sept. 24-26 at Microsoft Research in Redmond Wash., will bring together 83 of the nation’s brightest young engineers to examine a range of topics and enable advances in thinking and approaches.

Lee Peterson of aerospace engineering sciences has been appointed a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the term of his sabbatical there.

Xinzhao Chu and Jeff Thayer of aerospace engineering sciences will receive funding from NSF for their $1.2 million MRI proposal for developing a mobile Fe/Rayleigh/Mie Doppler lidar.

Phiar, a company started by Garret Moddel of electrical and computer engineering, received the 2007 Apex “Fast Forward” Award from the Colorado Software and Internet Association in June. Phiar, which is developing low cost, nano-scale devices that take performance beyond the physical limits of semiconductors, was recognized as exemplifying the future of high technology and striving to bring the next level of technological innovation to Colorado.

Faculty and Staff
The following changes in leadership positions are effective July 1:

• Derek Reamon of mechanical engineering is the new faculty co-director of the ITLL.

• John Bennett of computer science is the new director of ATLAS (a campus appointment) as well as Archuleta Professor and Faculty Director of Educational Initiatives in the college.

• Diane Sieber is the new director of the Herbst Humanities Program.

• John Falconer is the new chair of chemical and biological engineering.

• X.C. Cai is the new chair of computer science.

In addition, Penny Axelrad is serving as interim chair of aerospace engineering sciences from May 2007 to August 2008.

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