Engineering Kudos
Lemos Watson chosen to receive ASC Regional Teaching Award
Nov. 4, 2022 - Emmeline Lemos Watson, assistant professor of practice in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, has been chosen to receive the 2022 American Schools of Construction (ASC) Regional Teaching Award for Region 4. The award will be presented in April 2023 at the International ASC Conference in Liverpool, England. Recipients of the Regional Teaching Award are eligible to be considered for the ASC International Excellence in Teaching Award.
Balasubramaniam chosen as editor-in-chief of IEEE journal
Nov. 4, 2022 - Sasitharan Balasubramaniam, associate professor in the School of Computing, has been named editor-in-chief of IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological, and Multi-Scale Communications. IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communications is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE Communications Society and established in 2015. The journal is devoted to the principles, design, and analysis of communication systems that use physics beyond classical electromagnetism, including molecular, quantum, and other physical, chemical and biological techniques. Balasubramaniam will serve as editor in chief for a term of two years and views the role as an opportunity to support IEEE's interdisciplinary efforts.
Shen chosen to NSF CMMI Game Changer Academies for Advancing Research Innovation Program
Oct. 27, 2022 - Zhigang Shen, associate professor in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, has been chosen to the 2023 National Science Foundation (NSF) CMMI Game Changer Academies for Advancing Research Innovation Program. The program aims to improve group dynamics during panel discussions, increase awareness of bias and identity, and enhance understanding of high-risk, high-reward ideas. Once trained, "Panel Fellows" will bring enhanced skills and awareness when they participate in panel discussions during NSF merit review.
Four alums chosen to university's Young Alumni Academy
Oct. 27, 2022 - Four College of Engineering alumni are among the 39 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates selected to the 2022 class of the Young Alumni Academy. The Nebraska Engineering alums in the 2022-23 cohort are (with hometowns, year of graduation and major):
Satya Deshpande, Lincoln, 2022 mechanical engineering and applied mechanics
Mustafa Ridha, Lincoln, 2018 computer engineering
Tyler Sondag, Omaha, 2018 civil engineering and 2020 architectural engineering
Austin Wendt, Omaha, 2017 computer science
Yusong Li chosen to represent university in Big Ten Academic Alliance programs
Oct. 11, 2022 - Yusong Li, associate dean for faculty and inclusion, is among the 11 University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members chosen by the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor to attend two Big Ten Academic Alliance leadership programs this year.
Li was chosen to the Academic Leadership Program, which began with a seminar held Oct. 13-15 in Lincoln and will conclude with an event at Pennsylvania State University in the spring of 2023. Fellows in this program will also participate in conversations on campus throughout the academic year learning about leadership and a broad range of topics including community engagement, diversity and inclusion, freedom of expression, challenging conversations, mental health, student success, and the social value of higher education.
56 from Nebraska Engineering honored at university's Employee Service Award reception
Sept. 29, 2022 - Fifty-six faculty and staff from the College of Engineering were among the nearly 850 from across the University of Nebraska–Lincoln who were honored during the Employee Service Awards ceremony held Sept. 28 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
The Nebraska Engineering honorees were:
40 YEARS
Khalid Sayood, Electrical and Computer Engineering
35 YEARS
Massoum Moussavi, Civil and Environmental Engineering
30 YEARS
Marilyn Augystyn, School of Computing
Alan Boldt, Biological Systems Engineering
Peter Revesz, School of Computing
Hendrik Viljoen, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
25 YEARS
Kathleen Glenn, College of Engineering
Norman Schaefer, College of Engineering
Joseph Turner, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Jiashi Yang, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
20 YEARS
Lorrie Adams, College of Engineering
Stuart Bernstein, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Yongfeng Lu, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sarah Plautz, Biological Systems Engineering
Dongming Peng, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Eva Schubert, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Witawas Srisa-An, School of Computing
Zhaoyan Zhang, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
15 YEARS
Jane Stewart Engebretson, College of Engineering
Peter Hilsabeck, Civil and Environmental Engineering-Lincoln
Angela Pannier, Biological Systems Engineering
Zhigang Shen, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Mehmet Can Vuran, School of Computing
Tadeusz Wysocki, Electrical and Computer Engineering
10 YEARS
David Birdzell, College of Engineering
Michelle Eble, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Andrea Halsted, College of Engineering
Derek Heeren, Biological Systems Engineering
Jennifer Keshwani, Biological Systems Engineering
Joe Luck, Biological Systems Engineering
David Mabie, Biological Systems Engineering
Suzette Person, School of Computing
Liyan Qu, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mark Riley, College of Engineering
Rodney Rohrer, Biological Systems Engineering
Amy Schmidt, Biological Systems Engineering
Benjamin Terry, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Hongfeng Yu, School of Computing
5 YEARS
Jena Asgarpoor, College of Engineering
Matthew Barrows, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Ashley Branting, College of Engineering
Bhuvaneswari Gopal, School of Computing
Kelli Herstein, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Brandon Kreiling, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Jared Ludwig, College of Engineering
Raquel O'Grady, College of Engineering
Erin Omar, College of Engineering
Jae Park, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Ryan Pedrigi, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Xin Qiao, Biological Systems Engineering
Vishnu Reddi, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Yeyin Shi, Biological Systems Engineering
Rebecca Wachs, Biological Systems Engineering
Yaoling Wang, College of Engineering
Christine Wittich, Civil and Environmental Engineering-Lincoln
Kuan Zhang, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Shudipto Dishari wins WEPAN Core Concept Award in pitch competition
Oct. 6, 2022: Shudipto Dishari, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and her venture, Innopoly, won the Core Concept Award in the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) Accelerator Program - an award-winning two-day workshop on STEM entrepreneurship that recognizes participants for their achievements in innovation.
The Core Concept Award is given to an entrepreneur who makes a compelling case for the viability of their business. Dishari's InnoPoly works with polymers, or giant macromolecules, to provide innovative and effective solutions for clean energy technologies.
"I came to know about the Accelerator program through our Associate Dean for Faculty and Inclusion at UNL College of Engineering, and I wanted to learn more about entrepreneurship," Dishari said. "The systematic training was truly an enriching experience for a beginner like myself, and it was also wonderful to get connected with some inspiring female professionals. Learning from others' experience, I would say, is a privilege."
The WEPAN Accelerator Program takes an intersectional feminist approach to supporting women in engineering ventures by creating inclusive and socially equitable entrepreneurship ecosystems. The Accelerator Program is a 2021 winner of the Small Business Administration's Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, which is aimed at spurring investment in underserved communities within the innovation economy at scale. The WEPAN Accelerator Program is funded by the Henry Luce Foundation through an award to the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
Fifth edition of Wolf's pioneering textbook published
Marilyn Wolf, director of the School of Computing and Elmer E. Koch Professor of Engineering, has just published the fifth edition of her textbook Computers as Components. The first edition was published in 2000 and it was quickly identified as one of the first textbooks on embedded computing.
An embedded computer is part of a larger physical device, giving rise to the trains-planes-and-automobiles theme of recent covers. Embedded computers are also used in medicine, finance, and critical infrastructure. The book describes the unique aspects of embedded computing: real-time computing and low-power software. The book discusses basic principles and applies them to practical examples.
"The fifth edition has been in the works for several years and I am glad to be able to hold it in my hand," Wolf said. "The content has evolved but the basic themes have proven to be resilient. These days, many students know the content through my Embedded Systems Channel on YouTube, but I'm still a believer in the power of the printed page."
Seven from college attend ASEE Midwest Section Conference
Seven representatives of Nebraska Engineering attended the 2022 ASEE Midwest Section Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and brought home the Faculty Mile Award, which will stay in the College until the 2023 conference that will be held in Lincoln. The traveling trophy is given each year to the university whose members travelled the longest distance to get to the conference.
The College had two papers presented at the conference:
- “Early Alert & Intervention System in Early Math Courses for Engineering Students,” by Sohrab Asgarpoor, Amanda Bergeron-Bauer, and Eric Einspahr
- “The World Needs More Complete Engineers: Developing Students’ Non-Technical Skills,” by Markeya S. Peteranetz, Tareq A. Daher, David Jones, Lance C. Pérez, and Daniel G. Linzell
Conference attendee Allen Oberwhere joined two undergraduate construction management students - Nyawa Allieu and Eybrany Ocampo Alvarado (participating virtually) – and three students from other universities on a six-person Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) panel to share their perspectives and experiences.
The College of Engineering will host the ASEE Midwest Section Conference in 2023 to be co-chaired by Jena Asgarpoor and Sohrab Asgarpoor. Information about the conference and call for papers will be disseminated in the next couple of months as conference planning gets underway. As host institution, we hope many papers, posters, panels, and special sessions are submitted by our faculty, students, and staff and encourage everyone to start planning for their submissions.
Research by nine Nebraska Engineering faculty supported by 2022-23 Layman Seed Program awards
July 12, 2022 - Nine faculty from the College of Engineering are leading research projects that are among the 24 being supported by the. University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Office of Research and Economic Development in 2022-23 through its Layman Awards program, which funds work that enhances a researcher's ability to obtain external funding to support prominent scholarship.
The program offers two tracks — the Layman Seed Program, which funds new projects by early-career faculty who are nontenured at the time of submission; and the New Directions Program, which funds tenured faculty who are branching into new research directions or need funding to support pilot or developmental work toward the next step in a funded research program. Awards of up to $10,000 per application for each program are made possible by support from the University of Nebraska Foundation.
The College of Engineering faculty being supported by Layman Seed Program awards in 2022-23 are:
2022 LAYMAN SEED PROGRAM AWARDS
- Mona Bavarian, chemical and biomolecular engineering; "Continuous manufacturing of microelectronics polymers via combination of data science and macroscopic modeling."
- Jason Hawkins, civil and environmental engineering, "Environmental-economic systems as dynamic networks-of-networks."
- Qiang Liu, School of Computing, "Automated offline simulator augmentation with real-to-sim learning in mobile networks."
- Nitesh Nama, mechanical and materials engineering, "Bubble based acoustic microswimmers."
- Arman Roohi, School of Computing, "Enabling robust quantized neural network acceleration in federated edge computing."
2022 LAYMAN NEW DIRECTIONS GRANTS
- Moe Alahmad, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, "Analysis and statistical prediction of variability in time-series data."
- Srivatsan Kidambi, chemical and biomolecular engineering, "Synthetic biomimetic environment (BEASTS) to investigate the role of stiffness in altered redox signaling and inflammation in placenta during HDP."
- Daniel Linzell, civil and environmental engineering, "Individual-level factors that and their impact on retention of women in the construction industry."
- Hongfeng Yu, School of Computing, "Hierarchical knowledge-driven visual analytics for oncologic diagnosis."