School of Engineering News

Beyond Senior Design: Bringing Hospital Communications into the Future
Hospitals are one of the busiest places that an individual can be in. Doctors and nurses are running around, often supervising many patients, and during hectic times caregivers are confronted with the task of prioritizing patient’s needs, which is a very complex process. But two former UConn Engineering students are looking to streamline patient-caregiver interactions through a device called YouCOMM.

	Beyond Senior Design: Bringing Hospital Communications into the Future Hospitals are one of the busiest places that an individual can be in. Doctors and nurses are running around, often supervising many patients, and during hectic times caregivers are confronted with the task of prioritizing patient’s needs, which is a very complex process. But two former UConn Engineering students are looking to streamline patient-caregiver interactions through a device called YouCOMM. read more
	UConn Engineering Announced as Partner Institution for $14.2M Regional Transportation Center In a coalition of schools led by the University of Maine, the University of Connecticut School of Engineering will be a participant in the Region 1 University Transportation Center: Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (TIDC), funded by a five-year $14.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. read more
	John Lof Leadership Academy Inducts First Cohort of Members In a ceremony held on Tuesday, May 22, 29 graduate students were inducted in front of faculty, staff, and UConn Engineering leadership, into the John Lof Leadership Academy, a new exclusive society for UConn Engineering graduate students. read more
	Chandy Appointed Department Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering The UConn School of Engineering is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. John Chandy as the next department head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, effective the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester. Dr. Chandy will be taking over the role from Dr. Rajeev Bansal, who has been department head since 2009. read more
	DOE Grant Aims to Increase Resilience of Distributed Energy Resources Professor Peng Zhang from the University of Connecticut Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has received nearly $400,000 from the Department of Energy to develop a computational method for studying and predicting how our nation’s power grids, with high penetration of distributed energy resources (DER), like solar energy, will respond to various conditions and situations. read more
	Alumni News for May 2018 From moving up the career ladder, to awards, our alumni are making their mark on the world! Check out some of their recent notable achievements in this latest installment of UConn Engineering's Alumni News. read more
	UConn ASCE Teams Post Second Place Wins in Regional Competitions Every spring, eighteen American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student conferences are held across the country with ambitious agendas including business meetings, professional/technical presentations, social activities, competitions, and awards banquets. At this year’s New England student conference, UConn came away with second place finishes in both the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge competitions. read more
	Five UConn Engineering Professors Received NSF CAREER Awards in 2018 In 2018, five UConn Engineering faculty were awarded Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grants from the National Science Foundation. The CAREER program awards these grants to exceptional junior faculty who exhibit outstanding skills in research and education, and show the potential to be academic leaders and role models. The amount of CAREER awards nearly doubled from 2017, when the school had three faculty members receive the coveted funds. read more
	John Lof Leadership Academy to Officially Launch on May 22 On May 22, at the UConn Alumni Center, the UConn School of Engineering will officially launch the John Lof Leadership Academy and announce its first cohort of John Lof Fellows. Backed by the generous endowment from John Lof, a former UConn electrical and computer engineering professor of 35 years, this exclusive Academy will aim to continue the legacy of Dr. Lof, who wished to reward and cultivate a select group of future leaders and engineering trailblazers. The proceeds of the endowment will be used towards the direct support of the student members (in the form of grants and fellowships), as well as the corresponding Academy programs. read more
	Annual LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) Poster Symposium By: Randi Mendes, UConn School of Engineering Graduate School The Annual LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) poster presentation and the symposium was held on Friday, April 20th at UConn. Each spring, LSAMP BD Fellows present their research to other faculty and students. This event is an opportunity for BD Fellows to go through the […] read more
	UConn Engineering Professor to Receive Honorary Degree from the Icahn School of Medicine Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, the University of Connecticut’s 8th University Professor in school history, and a tenured professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, the Materials Science and Engineering Department, and the Biomedical Engineering Department, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai on May 11, recognizing his impact and contributions to the medical field and his pioneering work in Regenerative Engineering. read more
	Senior Design Demonstration Day: Providing Innovative Solutions to Technical Challenges Two hundred and twenty-eight groups, consisting of nearly 800 seniors stood proudly by projects ranging from as small as a cyborg insect, to as large as an all-electric car, inside of Gampel Pavilion. The capstone projects, which were the culmination of a year’s-worth of work, are known as Senior Design, and are presented annually at Senior Design Demonstration Day. read more
	Ten Accomplished Alumni Inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineers’ Class of 2018 The Academy, which has inducted 165 total members since its inception in 2003, honors School of Engineering alumni whose careers are characterized by their sustained and exemplary contributions to the engineering profession through research, practice, education, policy or service. Members are individuals who bring enduring honor to their alma mater as practitioners and as citizens. read more
	UConn CSE Senior Develops Facial Recognition Security for Under $80 By: Amanda Wright, Communications Assistant, UConn School of Engineering A UConn Computer Science & Engineering senior, Trevor Phillips, has recently developed a way to create facial recognition security for under $80, using the technology found in a handicap door opening button. A facial recognition system is a computer application capable of identifying or verifying […] read more
	U.S. Senator Chris Murphy Highlights Quiet Corner Innovation Cluster As “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer” In one of his weekly “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer” spotlights, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy highlighted the work of the Quiet Corner Innovation Cluster, a UConn School of Engineering program. QCIC provides research and development, financial, and other business resources to small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies in rural Tolland, Windham, and New London counties. QCIC, along with its sister program CMSC, are expected to help 280 small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies and add almost 2,500 jobs to the Connecticut economy. read more
	A Celebration of NSBE and the 50th Anniversary of the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center On Wednesday, April 18th the UConn chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers celebrated the 50th anniversary of the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center and reflected on their successful year. read more
	Submarine Engineers Simulate Real-Time Conditions to  Test Key Components Existing laboratory test methods don’t allow submarine engineers to test how a motor will vibrate in real-world conditions on a ship at sea, so designers take the conservative approach to prepare for the worst. But a team of UConn engineers has developed a method to test vibrating, manufactured components, using actuators and shake tables, sensors, and mathematical formulas that can replicate the system-level, real-time conditions. read more
	GE Night: The Annual Celebration of a Strong Public-Private Partnership On a night aimed at showcasing one of UConn Engineering’s strongest public-private partnerships, 11 students presented updates on the research they have been working on, which was made possible through the $7.5 million investment from General Electric Industrial Solutions in 2012. read more
	Remembering Dr. John Enderle, The Educator and The Nurturer A loving husband, father, brother, friend, colleague and mentor, Dr. Enderle enjoyed a long and illustrious career as a professor and inspirational leader, admired for his unfailing dedication and support for students, a legacy honored by his family establishing the John Enderle Fund memorial scholarship. read more
	Senior Design: Using Vibrational Therapy to Change the Outlook for Cerebral Palsy Patients (Part 2) Entering the final stretch of their Senior Design journey, the biomedical engineering team of Brianna Perry, Morgan DaSilva, Brittany Morgan, and Katie Bradley are realizing the crushing realities of real-world results versus perfect-world expectations. read more
	UConn Mechanical Engineering Student Accepted into NASA Program This past semester, Marwan Ghellai transferred to the University of Connecticut from Manchester Community College. But, even though he’s brand new, he’s already had experience beyond the classroom, and beyond our world. Gellai, a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering, when he was still a student at MCC, was accepted into the NCAS (NASA Community College […] read more
	Senior Design: Building The “Heart and Soul” of an Electric Car (Part 2) With good intentions in mind, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Design team of Daryl Biron, Ernesto Ortega-Hernandez, and Alain Tshipamba set out to build not only the powertrain of an electric car, but also realize their dream of seeing it race in the summer. With time ticking down, only one of those two goals seems likely. read more
	School of Engineering 4th Annual Poster Competition The Student Association of Graduate Engineers (SAGE) and the School of Engineering put on the 4th annual poster competition on March 9, 2018. There were 55 students, representing every department, who competed. The grand prize of the competition was $1000. The competition had two rounds. During the first round, each student competed within their department. Judges, […] read more
	Navy STEM Program Hosts Speaker Dr. Robert Koch The Navy STEM Program hosted distinguished speaker Dr. Robert Koch, P.E., U.S. Navy Senior Technologist in Undersea Tactical Stealth Systems at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), on Wednesday, February 28. Prior to his current assignment, Bob was the Head of the NUWC Division Newport Solid Mechanics and Design Branch, and also a Chief Research Scientist in […] read more
	UConn Students Learn about NUWC Newport’s Cutting-Edge Programs During Tour Amid a few humorous anecdotes and movie references, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport Commanding Officer Capt. Michael Coughlin had some sage advice for the 30 or so University of Rhode Island and University of Connecticut engineering students who visited the Division on March 23. “Wherever you go to work, make sure the quality of […] read more
	Javidi Wins Prestigious Award from The Optical Society Dr. Bahram Javidi, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is the 2018 winner of the prestigious Joseph Fraunhofer Award / Robert M. Burley Prize from The Optical Society. The award, given to one person in the country every year, was bestowed upon Javidi for his “seminal contributions to passive and active multi-dimensional imaging from nano- to micro- and macro-scales,” according to the award citation. read more
	Reflecting on International Women’s Day Reflecting on International Women's Day, Dean Kazem Kazerounian recognizes the achievements of the talented female students, staff, and faculty, and lays out his vision for gender parity in the School of Engineering. read more
	Alumni News for March 2018 From moving up the career ladder, to awards, our alumni are making their mark on the world! Check out some of their recent notable achievements in this latest installment of UConn Engineering's Alumni News. read more
	Giving Back to the Future of Engineering For 36 hours, on April 4-5, all of UConn Nation will come together like never before during UConn Gives to show their support for the University they love and the programs they are passionate about. Gifts can be made between 12 a.m. on April 4 and 12 p.m. on April 5. read more
	Dr. Keith Barker Receives Faculty of the Year Award The UConn chapter of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society recently awarded Dr. Keith Barker, professor of computer science & engineering, the 2017-2018 Faculty of the Year Award. Every year, members are asked to nominate a professor that had a profound impact on their career at UConn. Professor Barker, commonly referred to as KB, was […] read more
	The United Illuminating Company Joins CBI as a Founding Partner The Connecticut Brownfields Initiative (CBI) recently announced the addition of The United Illuminating Company (UI) as a founding sponsor and partner. The partnership, which was finalized earlier this month, will bring financial, as well as experiential support to the students and faculty involved with the program. read more
	New Advanced Manufacturing Program Aims to Develop The Next Generation of Engineering Leaders In a nationally-competitive proposal process, UConn School of Engineering was one of only two schools in the country to receive funds to train the next generation of advanced manufacturing leaders. As a result of this funding, the School of Engineering will start a master’s-level Advanced Manufacturing for Energy Systems (AMES) program, with classes commencing in the fall 2018 semester. read more
	Eight UConn Researchers Elected to Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering Eight total UConn faculty members, including six engineering professors, were elected into the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2018. Election into CASE is based on scientific and engineering distinction achieved through significant contributions in theory or applications. read more
	Professor Alpay Named GE Professor in Advanced Manufacturing By: Amanda Olavarria The UConn Board of Trustees recently appointed MSE Professor Pamir Alpay as the General Electric (GE) Endowed Professor in Advanced Manufacturing. He received his Ph.D. in 1999 from the University of Maryland. Dr. Alpay joined UConn’s Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) in 2001 and from 2013 to 2017 he served as the Head of […] read more
	Dean Kazerounian Named a Distinguished Engineering Educator by The Engineers’ Council During an awards ceremony held at the end of February, the School of Engineering’s Dean Kazem Kazerounian was presentedwith the Distinguished Engineering Educator Award by The Engineers’ Council, a national engineering organization based in California. According to the citation, Kazerounian received the award for his “significant contributions to engineering education, research, and industry/university engagement that respond to global trends in […] read more
	Student-Athlete Strong: Matthew Dagenais By Susan Twiss, University Communications UConn’s student-athletes are often lauded for their on-field or on-court achievements, but there’s an equally important – often unseen – dimension to the student-athlete. UConn Today’s Student-Athlete Strong series highlights the academic prowess of selected high-achieving student-athletes and provides an inside look at their lives beyond their sport. Matthew Dagenais ’19 […] read more
	Senior Design: Building The “Heart and Soul” of an Electric Car (Part 1) Four Senior Design teams, including an electrical and computer engineering team featuring seniors Daryl Biron; Ernesto Ortega-Hernandez; and Alain Tshipamba, are working to complete an all-electric car for a national competition in June. The portion of the car that Biron, Ortega-Hernandez, and Tshipamba are working on is the “heart and soul” of the vehicle—the powertrain. read more
	Businesses, Engineering Schools Tap Overlooked Workforce: Women (Hartford Courant) In this article for the Hartford Courant, reporter Stephen Singer looks at the efforts and programs UConn and others have designed to successfully increase the amount of female engineers in the workforce. read more
	Engineering Her Future UConn’s School of Engineering sets the national standard for closing the gender gap. Women make up 24.3 percent of UConn’s engineering graduates–tops among public institutions nationally. How does UConn do it? It’s all about programs and outreach for aspiring female engineers, some of which starts well before college. read more
	Husky Mentor Network: Where Advice-Seeking Students Meet Helpful Alumni Advisors UConn Husky Mentor Network, the newly introduced advising software platform, enables introductions to occur organically between advisors and advisees. It promotes mentoring relationships that fit the developmental needs of the student, and mentorship isn’t forced - it happens on its own terms. read more

Prior Engineering News - 2018