SPRING 2013, Issue No. 29
leaders in the NANO REALM
ITA: lab to launch, incubating new firms
FROM THE DEAN
A
t the atomic level, the distinctions between different engineering disciplines start to disappear. Electrical engineers, materials scientists, biomolecular engineers and others working at the nano-scale are venturing into new territory, making strides by rearranging particles one thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair. The possibilities strain the imagination: transparent solar cells placed on windows that generate electricity from sunlight; polymer capsules that carry proteins directly into cells to slow cancer; new materials that allow handheld devices to deliver more data while running more efficiently. Here at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, we have taken a leadership role in these areas of research, as the article on page 6 illustrates. The school hosts three national nanotechnology centers of excellence, with a fourth to be launched with the completion of Phase I of the Engineering VI building.
Dean
Vijay K. Dhir associate Deans
Richard D. Wesel
Academic and Student Affairs
Jane P. Chang
Research and Physical Resources
Department chairs
Jenn-Ming Yang
Bioengineering
Tsu-Chin Tsao
Benjamin Wu James C. Liao
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Jonathan P. Stewart
Assistant Dean
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Chief Financial Officer
Computer Science
Mary Okino
Jens Palsberg
M.C. Frank Chang
Electrical Engineering
The cross-disciplinary nature of nano-scale research is just one reflection of the collaborative emphasis at UCLA Engineering, both in the lab and the classroom. Six years ago, the school distinguished itself by requiring that undergraduates take a set of three technical breadth courses in a discipline other than their major, preparing them for careers in which they will be able to innovate and solve complex problems across disciplines. UCLA Engineering also has developed close ties to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and other top research centers to help sustain our technological leadership in the world. This dedication to interdisciplinary education and research is a hallmark of the school, and will remain so.
Sincerely,
Vijay K. Dhir Dean
Materials Science and Engineering
Matthew Chin
Communications Manager and Writer
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
HauChee Chung
ExternaL Affairs Communications
Office of ExternaL Affairs
Sheila Bergman
Executive Director
Bill Kisliuk
Media Relations and Marketing Director
Designer
(310) 206-0678 www.engineer.ucla.edu uclaengineering@support.ucla.edu
S PR I NG 2 01 3  |   Issue No. 29
02 | By the Numbers 04 | Breakthroughs 18 | School News 22 | New Faculty 26 | Alumni News
6
TINY SOLUTIONS
UCLA researchers take the lead in the realm of nanotechnology
12
ITA: THE INCUBATOR A center within UCLA
Engineering launches firms founded on school research On the cover: An illustration of a nanoscale submarine, no larger than a red blood cell, that could be developed to navigate the human circulatory system. Submarine illustration by Joshua Hockel. Page 6
16
anchor for innovation Construction begins on
Engineering VI, a state-of-the-art research hub
UCLA ENGINEERING
— by the numbers —
100+ More than
14,100 students applied for freshman admission for Fall 2012.
619 enrolled.
scholarships will be awarded in 2012-13 school year The average weighted GPA of those enrolled is
4.35 2,110 and average SAT score is
out of 2,400.
The school is ranked
The school is ranked
4
in the world by Microsoft Academic
in the world by the Times Higher
Search for H-index over the past 10 years.
Education World University Rankings
The H-index measures scientific influence
in 2012-13. Criteria include: Teaching,
based on the number of papers published
International Outlook, Industry Income,
and the number of times papers are
Research and Citations.
cited by others.
3
7
th
th
UCLA ENGINEER  | 
23
faculty are members of the National Academy of Engineering
breakthroughs
An App for Food
allergens
q
A portable device tests foods for potential allergens in roughly 20 minutes.
Aydogan Ozcan, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and
A
re you allergic to peanuts and worried that cookie might have some?
Now your cell phone can tell you.
Researchers have developed a lightweight device, known as the iTube,
that uses a phone’s built-in camera along with an application that runs
a sophisticated test of allergens – such as nuts, eggs and gluten – in food
samples. While available allergen detectors require bulky equipment, the iTube weighs less than two ounces. The test takes about 20 minutes.
Aydogan Ozcan, principal investigator on the research, said the device
“could be very valuable, especially for parents, as well as for schools, restaurants and other public settings.” n
Tiny capsules take on
cancer and alcohol
Yi Tang, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, member of the California NanoSystems Institute
Yunfeng Lu, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
I
n discoveries that could improve cancer treatment and help people
quickly reduce their blood-alcohol levels, researchers have delivered tiny capsules full of specialized proteins to cells in mice.
A team led by Yi Tang developed degradable nano-scale shells to
carry proteins to cancer cells and stunt the growth of tumors without
damaging healthy cells. Tang's group continues to research ways of more
UCLA ENGINEER |
4
precisely targeting tumors and prolonging the shells’ effectiveness.
Yunfeng Lu and his team devised shells carrying two complementary
p
Proteins in a thin polymer shell can process alcohol in a way similar to the liver.
proteins that speed the body's reaction to the consumption of alcohol.
"With further research, this discovery could be used as a preventative measure or antidote for alcohol intoxication," Lu said. n
www.engineer.ucla.edu/nanoshell-cancer www.engineer.ucla.edu/nanocapsule-alcohol
www.engineer.ucla.edu/cellphone-allergens
Bioengineering, member of the California NanoSystems Institute
Bacteria
on the march GeraRd Wong, Professor of Bioengineering, member of the California NanoSystems Institute and the UCLA Center for Biological Physics
Wenyuan Shi, Professor of Oral Biology at the UCLA School
of Dentistry
Karin A. Dahmen, Associate Professor of Physics at the University
of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
M
icroscopic bacteria have something in common with earthquakes,
and in the long term that discovery may lead to methods of stopping harmful microbes.
Researchers studying Myxococcus xanthu have found the bacteria
move in fits and starts, much like the earth’s tectonic plates. The pace of movement is so slow that most scientists rely on time-lapse
photography to observe the bacteria. UCLA bioengineering professor photography to capture their finer movements. Researchers found
that bacteria use tentacle-like appendages known as pili, which act as
grappling hooks that pull them along in short bursts between long
periods of rest. Both earthquakes and the bacteria follow a mathematical
model that describes so-called “avalanche” motions.
In addition, researchers found that molecules serving as the
glue allowing the bacteria to stick to surfaces also act as a lubricant, helping them glide along a surface. This gliding movement is what
allows bacteria to invade human tissues, and understanding it may be the key to finding new ways to combat pathogens. n
5
p
Researchers used high-speed photography to watch bacteria move and made a discovery that could help fight disease.
UCLA ENGINEER |
www.engineer.ucla.edu/bacteria-quake
Gerard Wong’s team went in the opposite direction, using high-speed
Big Ideas Tiny Solutions By Matthew Chin and Bill Kisliuk
From clean energy to smaller, faster devices, UCLA Engineering researchers take the lead in the nano realm
T
he UCLA Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science is a
world leader in nano-scale engineering. The school has been awarded tens of millions of dollars to launch nanotech-
t An illustration of a nano-scale
remote submarine, no larger than a red blood cell, which could be developed to navigate circulatory systems and collect vital data.
disciplines, faculty are leading efforts to exploit nanotechnology for advances in energy, healthcare, electronics and other areas.
UCLA ENGINEER  | 
two in the last several months. Across
7
nology research centers, including
FAME director Jane P. Chang
Agency (DARPA) – unveiled FAME and five other centers, and announced FAME would receive $35 million over the next five years. FAME’s director is Jane P.
UCLA ENGINEER |
8
http://fame-nano.org
p
Graphene on a transistor device offers exceptional performance that goes beyond siliconbased transistors. Photo: .Alexander Balandin, UC Riverside and FAME member.
FAME
Chang, UCLA Engineering associate
It’s not just smaller for the sake of
dean and the William Frederick Seyer
being smaller. Conducting research at
Professor of Materials Electrochemistry
the atomic scale unlocks phenomena
in the Department of Chemical and
inaccessible at larger sizes.
Biomolecular Engineering.
Finding ways to take advantage of
“This is truly an interdisciplinary
these phenomena – such as the spin
research center where science and
of an electron, a material’s magnetic
engineering are integrated to enable
properties, or the manipulation of
innovation in solid state devices," Chang
magnetism by an electric field – is the
said. "The unique and fascinating
mission for the Center on Function
functionalities that we can tailor by
Accelerated nanoMaterial Engineering
manipulating matter at the atomic scale
(FAME). Specifically, FAME is creating
will open up enormous opportunities to
and investigating nonconventional
design devices that can achieve what was
materials and structures for innovations
considered impossible just a decade ago.”
in electronic devices. In January, the two sponsors of the
FAME includes a team of 35 principal investigators, at 16 of the
center – the Semiconductor Research
nation’s best research universities. They
Corporation (SRC), a consortium of
are working on integrating theoretical
semiconductor industry companies, and
and experimental approaches to realize
the Defense Advanced Research Projects
the center’s objectives.
Manipulating matter at the atomic scale will open up enormous opportunities phrase from long-running strip by
of analog, logic or memory devices
Chester Gould. “In our case, controlling
by many orders of magnitude will
magnetism with multiferroic materials
push the envelope of electronics and
provides a pathway to revolutionize
information technology over the next
nanoscale electromagnetic devices.”
several decades,” she said. “We are doing research in truly exciting times.”
Carman directs the Center for Translational Applications of Nanoscale Multiferroic Systems (TANMS), a
TANMS
National Science Foundation Nanoscale
When mechanical and aerospace
Engineering Research Center established
engineering professor Gregory Carman
in September with an $18.5 million,
describes nano-scale research, he cites
five-year grant. The center’s roster
a cartoon strip that was way ahead
includes the best engineers and
of its time – and not just because the
scientists in multiferroic materials
protagonist wore a wristwatch-radio.
at UCLA and four partner
“There’s a line from the old ‘Dick Tracy’ comic strip, ‘The nation that
universities. They’re working toward a paradigm
controls magnetism will control the
shift in consumer
universe,’” said Carman, quoting a
electronics
TANMS director Gregory Carman
q
An array of nickel magnetic bit elements, only 150nm long, on a substrate of a piezoelectric material. Photo: Hyungsuk K.D. Kim and Joshua Hockel
http://tanms.ucla.edu
“Advancing the performance
New materials could produce substantially smaller devices
u
TANMS researchers have used an electric field to turn a magnetic field off (left) and on.
by engineering new electromagnetic
order of a red blood cell – capable of
materials in the nanoscale.
complex operations and navigation inside
Today’s electromagnetic systems use
human circulatory systems.
current to produce power. Current is much like water flowing through a pipe.
MEEM
As the size of the pipe decreases, so does
It may take changes at the molecular
the amount of electromagnetic energy
level to make solar panels a more viable
that can be produced. However, recent
source of power, and that is the focus of
discoveries have demonstrated that
researchers at Molecularly Engineered
certain materials – called mutliferroics
Energy Materials (MEEM).
Researchers seek to develop a super-capacitor with a high capability for both energy storage and delivery.
– can intrinsically produce magnetic states and can be switched on and off through an electric
field. As a result, miniaturization does not negatively influence power produced.
UCLA ENGINEER |
10
These new materials and systems
In a laboratory setting, today’s solar cells convert into energy only about 10% of the light that strikes them. “That is about the minimum needed to be economically competitive,” said Vidvuds Ozolins, director of MEEM and a professor of materials science and engineering. “In the field, solar cells only
could produce substantially smaller
convert 3% or 4% of available light. The
electromagnetic devices such as memory,
goal is to create solar cells that would be
antennas, and motors – the three focus
very high efficiency.”
areas for TANMS. Its researchers are
Ozolins and his colleagues are
working on increased Efficiency, reduced
synthesizing molecules and manipulating
physical Size, and increased Power
variations of carbon clusters known
output (ESP). How much smaller, more powerful
as buckyballs – named for pioneering engineer R. Buckminster Fuller – to
and efficient could devices be? Carman
design molecules that will self-assemble to
imagines a robotic submarine – on the
more efficiently store and transmit energy.
such as memory, antennas and motors will be supported by the Western Institute of Nanotechnology on Green
capabilities of lithium-ion batteries
Engineering and Metrology (WIN-GEM).
with the high energy delivery rate of
Phase I of the forthcoming Engineering
capacitors – for applications such as
VI building will house WIN-GEM. The
the smart electric grid and regenerative
facility will include laboratories to study
braking, which recovers energy lost to
low-power, nonvolatile nanoelectronics;
heat when a driver hits the brakes.
carbon nanoelectronics and topological
“It is difficult to get power and energy density into the same device,”
insulators; and green manufacturing of novel energy generation, storage and
Ozolins said. “A super-capacitor would
management technologies. Engineering
be transformative.”
VI also will have a basement lab with
The center, launched in 2009 as
vibrational isolation and electromagnetic
one of the Department of Energy’s
interference shielding to support highly
Energy Frontier Research Centers,
sensitive instrumentation that probes
includes members of several UCLA
materials and devices at the
departments as well as researchers
atomic scale. n
from four other institutions. Cutting-edge nanoscale research throughout UCLA Engineering also
MEEM director Vidvuds Ozolins
q
A composite material of carbon nanotubes and niobium oxide, synthesized at MEEM, with nano-scale wires to extract energy efficiently.
http://meem.ucla.edu
Ozolins seeks to develop a super-capacitor – combining the storage
The
ITA: Incubator By Bill Kisliuk
B
Dwight Streit and UCLA Engineering’s Institute for Technology Advancement are making capital gains on campus discoveries.
uilding a bridge from the laboratory to the marketplace,
the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied
Science is helping launch technology firms and aggressively mining industry expertise to help shape research. Working with the school of engineering’s Institute for Technology Advancement (ITA), professors have incorporated eight companies and placed eight more in the pipeline. The firms are attracting investor interest and research funds, while at the same time contributing to the engineering school’s financial
UCLA ENGINEER |
12
health. The Institute for Technology Advancement also works to identify multi-disciplinary research projects attractive to granting agencies and healthcare, electronics and other firms.
UCLA ENGINEER |
13
Photo: Ann Johansson
Institute for Technology Advancement
“We’re reaching out to the private sector
interdisciplinary experts — from federal
and key agencies, and we’re getting
agencies including NASA and the
investment in return,” said Dwight Streit,
Department of Energy and companies
director of the institute and a former
including Alcoa and Boeing — to support
executive with Northrop Grumman
UCLA Engineering faculty. As a result,
and TRW Space & Electronics. “We can
ITA has become a one-stop shop for professors looking to launch a start-up,
‘We’re reaching out to the private sector and key agencies, and we’re getting investment in return.’ ITA Director Dwight Streit
license a product or win a grant. “A lot of the time, professors are happy to stay in the academic world and publish research,” said Marla Sanchez, a member of ITA’s industrial advisory board and a Silicon Valley consultant for technology firms. “But the research they
provide speed and flexibility for organiza-
are coming up with is potentially very
tions interested in getting into new areas
beneficial for the world, and there is a
of research. And the companies created
big transition to getting it out there.”
by faculty or students donate equity to the school.” q A slide of skin tissue obtained with the portable LUCAS microscope, a pocketsized holographic device developed by Holomic.
Streit, who holds more than 30
Sanchez, a former chief financial officer at the fiber optics firm Avanex Corp. who co-founded Cupertino-
U.S. and international patents and
based InSite Partners, said ITA
is a professor with appointments
advisory board members work to find
in UCLA’s departments of Materials
backers for promising projects and
Science and Engineering and Electrical
advise researchers on optimizing the
Engineering, has gathered a team of
commercial potential of their work. Founded in 2007 with a grant from the Samueli Foundation and bolstered in 2009 with a gift from the Easton Sports Development Foundation, ITA has launched three firms that already have attracted outside investment and paid dividends to the school.
WaveConnex—Based on the work of Frank Chang, the Wintek Chair in Electrical Engineering at UCLA and chair of the department, the company is developing a silicon chip about the size of a grain of rice that could dramatically improve Internet connectivity and data transfer on wireless devices.
an associate professor of electrical
William Ouchi, Sanford and Betty
engineering and bioengineering, Holomic
Sigoloff Chair in Corporate Renewal at
inventions include portable microscopes
the Anderson School, said ITA is
and lightweight diagnostic tools that
helping overcome years of academic
can perform sophisticated blood, water
reluctance to go entrepreneurial – a
quality and other analyses, transmitting
hangover from the days when federal
information from the field to labs and
funding agencies controlled intellectual
hospitals via a standard smartphone.
property and universities had not
Easel Biotechnologies—Easel is pioneering methods of biosynthesizing harmful pollutants and developing low-emission biofuels based on the
Now, Ouchi said, “There is very broad agreement across campus
Professor James C. Liao, chair of
and across disciplines
Engineering Department. In each case, the companies have
that our three missions – teaching, research and
University labs have increasingly caught the interest of companies attempting to break new ground.
serving the community –
donated equity to UCLA Engineering,
are greatly enhanced if we have everyone
ensuring that the school will see
take the fruits of their scholarship all the
long-term benefits should the firms
way to the outside world.”
prove successful. ITA also encourages students to
Streit noted that high-performing university labs increasingly have
think big through an annual entre-
caught the interest of companies
preneur competition. Teams – which
attempting to break new ground.
must include at least one student each from UCLA Engineering and the UCLA Anderson School of Management – compete to develop a new piece of
based on the work of UCLA Engineering faculty – Easel Biotechnologies, Holomic and Waveconnex – have already paid dividends for the UCLA School of Engineering.
seen the upside to working with the private sector.
work of Ralph M. Parsons Foundation the Chemical and Biomolecular
p Three companies
“We have outstanding faculty with brilliant ideas,” Streit said. “The door is open to partner with UCLA, and the bottom line is it is very good for
technology and a viable business strategy
the school.” n
for launching it. With Kay Family
http://www.ita.ucla.edu
15
biophotonics work of Aydogan Ozcan,
Foundation support, the top teams in 2013 will share a $50,000 prize.
UCLA ENGINEER |
Holomic—Founded on the
building a new anchor for innovation
t (left
to right) Associate Dean Jane P. Chang, Rep. Henry Waxman, Dean Vijay K. Dhir, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry Samueli, NIST executive Stella Fiotes and National Technical Systems founder Aaron Cohen at the Engineering VI groundbreaking.
Support from alumni and friends of the school is the driving force for Engineering VI, which will have wet and dry labs, student study spaces, three centers of excellence and a 250-seat learning center.
cutting-edge research, UCLA Engineering
broke ground in October 2012 on its newest
building, Engineering VI. Rep. Henry Waxman
‘Engineering VI will… promote collaboration between our researchers and others throughout the region to make important technological advances.’ – Dean Vijay K. Dhir
The state of California is not providing
any of the estimated $120 million to $130
million needed for Engineering VI. The first
phase of construction received a $6 million
(D- Los Angeles) joined UCLA Chancellor
grant from the National Institute of Standards
c0-founder, Chairman and Chief Technology
alumni, foundations, corporations, the school
Gene Block, Dean Vijay K. Dhir, Broadcom Corp.
and Technology as well as support from
Officer Henry Samueli and others in plunging
and the campus. Work on Phase I is slated for
the ceremonial first shovel into the soil.
Engineering VI will house laboratories –
including a sophisticated basement facility
completion in 2014. Fundraising is ongoing for the second and final phase of construction. “Engineering VI will do more than
shielded against electromagnetic and
expand our facilities for students and faculty.
nology centers, office space for 30 faculty
researchers and others throughout the region
vibrational interference – three nanotech-
members and the school’s entrepre-
neurial arm, the Institute for Technology
Advancement (ITA). The building, in the heart of campus and adjacent to other
It will promote collaboration between our
to make important technological advances
with broad social implications,” said Dhir.
“Without relying on state support, we have
received – and hope to continue to receive –
engineering buildings, will meet LEED Gold
generous assistance from donors and alumni
and design elements.
this important work forward.” n
standards for use of sustainable materials
who want to see the school carry
17
dding 150,000 square feet of space for
UCLA ENGINEER |
A
1
school
News
No.
By Bill Kisliuk
Unshaken by three dozen rival teams, in February a group of UCLA civil engineering students took first prize in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s 10th annual Seismic Design Competition. It is the second straight year UCLA won the award. In the contest, teams of undergraduates designed and built a model of a skyscraper that could survive an earthquake with minimal financial damage. The competition took place in Seattle, and teams had to offer a replacement for the Space Needle as the city’s signature building. Captain Emily Yagi and her colleagues designed a tower that survived shake tests and won the top prize under criteria that also included architecture and presentation. Yagi consulted with civil and environmental engineering associate professor Jian Zhang and others on the project and relied on teammates Norman Chak and Seema Barua for key logistical support. Yagi also was on the winning team captained by Jennifer Huynh in 2012. Both Huynh and Yagi are seniors. Yagi said the biggest challenge for her team was constructing the intricate model made of balsa wood and glue. “It took a month of working five days a week, two hours a day,” she said.
18
The 2013 team also included: Anthony Ambrosio-Meir, Maxwell
UCLA ENGINEER |
Armenta, Winston Boyce, Dennis Cha, Sam Cummings, Bill Faught, Victoria Lam, Paul Lee, Andy Luu, Steven Tindula, Benjamin Wong, Mary Xue and Jane Zhu. n Photos: Emily Yagi
t At
left, Hong Mei, Peking University engineering school dean, and UCLA Engineering Dean Vijay K. Dhir forge an agreement. Below, Dhir and UCLA Chancellor's Professor of Computer Science Jason Cong, a Peking University alum, in Beijing.
UCLA Engineering faculty may also visit the
in China, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of
schools and may be invited to participate in joint
student and faculty exchange programs with
call for the universities to share rights to intellectual
in Nanjing. A third agreement, with the University
part in the exchange.
being finalized.
institutions,” Dhir said.
his counterparts at the Chinese universities during
UCLA Engineering with these leading Chinese
Engineering and Applied Science has agreed to
projects with Chinese researchers. The agreements
Peking University in Beijing and Hohai University
property developed by faculty and students taking
of Science and Technology of China in Hefei , is still UCLA Engineering Dean Vijay K. Dhir met with
“These agreements will strengthen all of our
“We believe that by sharing the resources of
a visit to Asia in January 2013.
centers, we will be able to deepen our students’
programs will have the opportunity to earn degrees
and produce innovative research.” n
Students participating in the exchange
from a Chinese university and UCLA Engineering.
learning experience, enhance faculty interactions
19
orging ties with leading research institutions
UCLA ENGINEER |
F
UCLA, top Chinese schools launch exchange programs
Faculty
Honors and Awards James C. Liao elected to
National Academy of Engineering By Matthew Chin
The academy recognized Liao for advances in engineering microorganisms to develop more clean and efficient fuels
J
ames C. Liao, UCLA's Ralph M. Parsons
to “engineering research, practice, or
Foundation Professor of Chemical
education,” the academy announced on
Engineering and chair of the Chemical and
February 8.
Biomolecular Engineering Department
“Jim has made pioneering advances
at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of
in applying metabolic engineering and
Engineering and Applied Science, has
synthetic biology techniques to solve
Engineering.
biological production of fuels and the
been elected to the National Academy of
critical and intertwined problems in the
Election to the academy is one of
combating of greenhouse gases,” said
the highest professional distinctions that
UCLA Engineering Dean Vijay K. Dhir, a
UCLA ENGINEER |
20
can be awarded to an engineer in the
National Academy of Engineering member.
United States.
“He is truly deserving of this very highest
The academy's citation recognized Liao
“for advances in metabolic engineering of microorganisms to produce fuels
and chemicals.” He joined 68 other new
members and 11 foreign associates elected for their outstanding contributions
of honors.”
p Liao uses plants and micro-
organisms in his research on metabolic engineering, synthetic biology and systems biology to produce fuels and chemicals.
Liao has received much acclaim for his
work developing more efficient biofuels.
He has genetically modified bacteria to
both consume carbon dioxide, a harmful
greenhouse gas, and produce the liquid
Photo: Ann Johansson
‘This great honor should go to my previous and current group members, who really have made all the difference in the world.’ —James C. Liao
fuel isobutanol. In essence, he and his research team have turned exhaust into fuel in a series
of biochemical reactions powered by sunlight. Liao has also developed a way to turn
electricity into liquid fuel and a method for
converting proteins into fuel. He has used his techniques to address obesity by increasing
metabolism rates — research that showed
successful results in mice.
Liao says his ultimate research goals are to
“This great honor should go to my previous
and current group members, who really have made all the difference in the world," Liao
said of his election to the academy. ”I also
appreciate the support of my colleagues, the department and the school." n
UCLA ENGINEER |
processing and to treat metabolic diseases.
21
use biochemical methods to replace petroleum
Faculty
UCLA Engineering New Faculty
UCLA ENGINEER |
22
News
JONATHaN B. HOPKINS Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
J
onathan B. Hopkins’ research goals are to
Hopkins is on the research staff of the
design, analyze and fabricate flexible materials
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
and structures that have extraordinary
working in Precision Systems and Manufac-
capabilities, such as shape and size mutability,
turing, and at the Center for Micro & Nano
elastic energy storage and release capacity,
Technology. He will join UCLA Engineering
and the ability to move with complexity while
full time in July. n
being controlled simply.
Christina Fragouli Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Ph.D. – UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
C
hristina Fragouli’s research interests include network information flow
theory and algorithms, network coding, wireless networks, sensor networks
and security. Fragouli is an associate professor at the School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Switzerland. She will arrive at UCLA Engineering later this year. Prior to EPFL, she worked at AT&T Labs’ Information Sciences Center in Florham Park, N.J., and visited the Bell Labs’ Math Center in Murray Hill, N.J. She served as an editor for IEEE Communications Letters, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, IEEE Transactions on Communications and for Elsevier's Computer Communications, and is currently an editor for IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing. She is also a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Information Theory Society. She received the Fulbright Fellowship for her graduate studies, the Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award 2000-2001, UCLA, Electrical Engineering Department, the Zonta Award 2008 in Switzerland
UCLA ENGINEER |
23
and the Young Investigator ERC grant in 2009. n
Areas (CS) Computer Science Computer Networking
Advanced Structural Materials Electronic Materials
The primary purpose of this program is to enable employed engineers and computer scientists to enhance their technical education beyond the Bachelor of Science level, and to enhance their value to the technical organizations in which they are employed.
(EE) Electrical Engineering Integrated Circuits Signal Processing & Communications
(MAE) Mechanical Engineering Aerospace Engineering Manufacturing and Design
(MSE) Materials Science
(EN) Systems Engineering
Distinctive features of the program • Each course is fully equivalent to the corresponding on-campus course and taught by the faculty members who teach the on-campus course. • The online lectures are carefully prepared for the online student.
Additional information and online applications available at: msol.ucla.edu
Online Masters
I n
M emoriam
David Okrent 1922-2012
mechanical and aero-
space engineering,
who made pioneer-
ing contributions in
nuclear reactor design and safety,
design. During his
tenure he advised 50
Ph.D. students.
“David did not
believe in giving
a prescription to
After receiving his Ph.D.,
Laboratory in Illinois, starting out
as an associate physicist. He be-
came the manager of the lab’s Fast Reactor Physics and Safety in 1957,
“He was a brilliant scholar, a great thinker, a superb mentor of
for nuclear reactors.”
Okrent received many presti-
ing a Guggenheim Fellowship, the
joined UCLA Engineering as a
Award of the American Nuclear
world-leading research program
tional Academy of Engineering .
dynamics, nuclear reactor theory
and design, and probabilistic risk
assessment, and he led graduate-
level courses in reactor safety and
joining Yale University’s faculty in the
Metallurgy Department. He became a U.S.
Materials Department. He held several admin-
George C. Laurence Pioneering
in nuclear safety. He taught
He emigrated to the United States in 1959,
influence spread far and wide in
establishing a culture of safety
Argonne National Lab, Okrent
undergraduate classes in thermo-
Born in Germany, Wagner earned
citizen in 1969.
all, he was a true gentleman. His
gious honors for his work, includ-
faculty member and established a
on the structure of liquid, amorphous and
nanocrystalline materials, and on residual
graduate students and, above
a position he held through 1971.
After spending 20 years at
was internationally known for research
his Ph.D. from from Saarland University.
Engineering Dean Vijay K. Dhir.
Okrent joined Argonne National
home in Palm Desert. He was 85. Wagner
questions of his own,” said UCLA
degree from Stevens Institute of from Harvard University in 1951.
engineering, died on Dec. 31, 2012, at his
stresses in plastically deformed materials.
answered questions with great
Technology. He earned his Ph.D.
emeritus of materials science and
research, and, instead, he always
died Dec. 14, 2012. He was 90.
Okrent received his bachelor’s
hristian N.J. Wagner, a UCLA professor
In 1970, Wagner joined the UCLA
istrative posts until his retirement in 1991.
He was a fellow of ASM International
and was a member Tau Beta Pi and several engineering organizations. n
www.engineer.ucla.edu/memoriam-wagner
Society and election to the NaOkrent retired from UCLA
in 1991, but continued teaching
classes and mentoring graduate
students for several years. n
www.engineer.ucla.edu/
memoriam-okrent
25
avid Okrent, UCLA
professor emeritus of
C
1927-2012
UCLA ENGINEER |
D
Christian Wagner
alumni
News Catching up with
Gail Kulisch MS ’90
By Bill Kisliuk
Kulisch said the crossdisciplinary approach at UCLA Engineering helped her during her 28-year Coast Guard career.
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Gail Kulisch (ret.) really
cleaned up after she earned her master’s
degree in 1990. In 2010, she led the Coast
Guard’s special operations forces in their
response to the Deepwater Horizon spill that
spewed 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf
of Mexico. In 2001, she directed a multi-agency
response to the terrorist attack on New York’s Twin Towers and the anthrax scare on
career started before she arrived
Gail Kulisch with President George W. Bush, during a briefing after the 2001 terror attacks, and, right, as a student at UCLA.
in between her first and second
Engineering professor Vincent Vilker in 1991
Capitol Hill. She served as captain of
the port in Boston from 2007 to 2009. Kulisch’s 28-year Coast Guard
on campus. In the summer of 1989,
years as a UCLA student, she helped
after the Exxon Valdez spilled oil
into Alaska’s Prince William Sound.
The Valdez response, she said, was a
pioneering example of bioremediation and
cooperation, as the Environmental Protection Agency tested microorganisms that could consume toxins even
as emergency responders cleaned the site.
A paper Kulisch
co-authored with UCLA
p
explored the use of bacteria to fight chemical
spills. Kulisch said her Coast Guard career
paralleled the multidisciplinary approach she
encountered at UCLA, requiring consideration of several angles at once.
“Nobody wants or invites a crisis,” she said.
“In response, you do not abandon science, and you do not abandon health and safety.”
Kulisch retired from the Coast Guard in
February 2012. She has since launched BTG
Ventures, an environmental consulting firm
focused on security, safety and sustainability. n
Three of a kind: From left, Melvin, Charley and Erik Kline, all of whom earned Ph.D.s at UCLA.
t
Three generations of Ph.D.s By Bill Kisliuk
In a phrase that rings across three generations, a member of the Kline family just earned a Ph.D. in engineering from UCLA.
worked with Professor Leonard Kleinrock on the develop-
Erik Kline finished his computer science degree in Fall
Kline said, his most significant Boelter Hall memory
research on routing security for the Information Sciences
his wife, at a computer club gathering.
His grandfather, Melvin Kline, who died in 2010, earned
his Ph.D. at UCLA in 1966 before becoming an electrical
engineering consultant and then teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. One of Melvin
Kline’s advisors was founding Dean Llewellyn M.K. Boelter. Melvin’s son, Charley Kline, earned three degrees at
UCLA, including a Ph.D. in computer science in 1980. He
Stanford Research Institute on Oct., 29, 1969. However,
involves meeting Lanaii, the woman who would become Charley Kline said that when he was in junior high
school, his father brought him onto campus to try his hand at programming. Erik said he knew nothing of the UCLA
campus before applying. He opted for UCLA solely on the
alignment of the school’s strengths and his interests. “I had no real preference to go to UCLA,” he said. “The decision I made was based on what the programs were about.” n
27
Institute at USC.
missions on the ARPANET from 3420 Boelter Hall to the
UCLA ENGINEER |
2012, working with Professor Peter Reiher. He is now doing
ments that led to the Internet, sending the first trans-
alumni
Notes
1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978
1950s
comets and for leading the NEAR mission to
Joe Spradley ’54, MS ’55, PhD ’58, emeritus professor of
Eros;” the Space Pioneer
physics at Wheaton College in Illinois, had two reference
Award for Science and
Physics and Chemistry of the Earth,” and “Great Lives from
National Space Society;
books he edited published by Salem Press: “Earth Science:
Engineering from the
History: Scientists and Science.”
certificates of appreciation from the U.S. Department
Gary MacDougal ’58 continues making a difference
of Defense for honorable
in the lives of the disadvantaged. His October 2012 essay
service in the Korean War
discussed how the $1 trillion the government allocates
Science Division for
in The New York Times, "The Wrong Way to Help the Poor"
annually to poverty programs would be enough if
spent more intelligently. The op-ed piece drew bipartisan praise and was named one of the Times’ top five articles of the week.
Academic Advisor at Harbin Institute of Technology in
China. Farquhar’s memoir, “Fifty Years on the Space Frontier: Halo Orbits, Comets, Asteroids, and More” was recently
1960s
PhD ’67 recently had his textbook
Program ’62, a retiree from Boeing, has been rehired
“Spread Spectrum Systems for
GNSS and Wireless Communi-
28
leadership in solar system exploration. He was also named
a Distinguished Visiting Professor and Chief International
published by Outskirts Press.
Jack K. Holmes ’60, MS ’63,
UCLA ENGINEER |
and from NASA’s Planetary
William Vietinghoff ME Engineering Executive by Boeing to provide
presentations to schools
cations,” published in Chinese.
and other organizations
Artech House in 2007.
engine development at the
It was originally published by
Robert W. Farquhar MS ’61, executive for space
exploration at KinetX Aerospace, received several honors in 2012, including election to the National Academy of
Engineering “for deep space missions to asteroids and
on the history of rocket
company’s former Santa
Susana Field Laboratory in California.
Share news about your personal life, career, honors, awards, and more! Send to: uclaengineering@support.ucla.edu 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
transportation and commercial aviation.” AIAA is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace
2006, was elected in 2012 to the executive committee of
profession. AIAA Fellows are persons of distinction who
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He first joined
sciences or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.
has two daughters, one of whom graduated from UCLA Engineering. He currently runs a consulting practice.
1970s
Lawrence C. Akers ’66 retired in 2002 after 33 years
full-time model railroader and babysitter. With three
the Advisory Committee of Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) of
the committee in 2008 and is now in his second term. Ray
at Pfizer Inc. as a chemical engineer and patent attorney. He now lives in New York.
Donald Brown ’66 recently moved to Ocala, Fla.,
to continue his second career of teaching advanced
mathematics courses at Trinity Catholic High School.
Brown and his wife Cathy are enjoying living in Florida horse country.
Robert Barker ’68, MBA (UCLA Anderson) ’70 was
recently appointed to the advisory board at Fastor
Systems. Fastor Systems is engaged in bringing solutions to the rapidly growing cloud and enterprise solid-state
drive markets.
have made notable and valuable contributions to the arts,
Raymond Hoppes ’71, MS ’75 has retired to become a
grandchildren all under 3, he notes he has a busy life. He is a member of the Near Sighted Narrow Gaugers
model railroad club.
Vinton G. Cerf
MS ’70, PhD ’72 was
appointed by President Obama in January to
the National Science
Board of the National Science Foundation.
The 25-member board sets policies for the
NSF as directed by the President and Congress. The
Asad M. Madni ’69, MS ’72, distinguished adjunct
board also serves as an independent body of advisors
elected a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics
science and engineering. Cerf is vice president and
professor of electrical engineering at UCLA, has been
and Astronautics for “seminal contributions and
distinguished leadership in the development and
to the President and Congress on policy related to
chief internet evangelist at Google.
29
president overseeing generation and wholesale energy in
commercialization of sensors and systems for aerospace,
UCLA ENGINEER |
Harold Ray ’63, who after 35 years of service to
Southern California Edison retired as executive vice
Van N. Schultz ’74, MS ’75 retired from Aera Energy in November. He
completed his term as chair of the UCLA Alumni Association in June,
(2012-14) of the IEEE Systems,
on the Chemical and Biomolecular
is past president (2007) of the
Engineering Department’s advisory council.
Robert Skelton PhD ’76 was elected to the National
Academy of Engineering in 2012 for “contributions to robust
control, system identification, and methodology for control-
structure interaction.” He also received a research award
from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. His book
“Tensegrity Systems,” co-authored by Mauricio de Oliveira, was published in 2009.
Armando Benavides MS ’77, a systems engineer at Boeing since 1992, received a patent for “systems and
method for determining propellant mass and center of
gravity for a space-based asset.” This is his fourth patent with Boeing, and sixth overall. He currently supports
Boeing’s GPS and WGS programs.
Kenneth W. Privitt ’77, MS ’80 and Nancy G. (Winter) Privitt ’78 plan to visit all 58 U.S. national
Man, and Cybernetics Society. She IEEE Circuits and Systems Society.
Leo Mascarinia ’87, CEO
of Network-911, Inc., welcomed his daughter Emma Ann Mascarinia, born in November.
1990s
Raymond T. Chen ’90, who currently serves as the
deputy general counsel for intellectual property law and solicitor for the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office, was nominated in February by President Obama to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Jerome Solomon ’91, a
17-year film and video game
industry veteran, has joined
parks. Ken recently retired from Intel Corp. after 24 years
Cogswell Polytechnical College,
Gas and Electric after 32 years of service.
assistant professor in the Digital
of service, and Nancy will be retiring from San Diego
1980s
Brian Wong ’83 was elected to the board of directors
at silicon photonics innovator Kotura, Inc. Wong is currently president and CEO of Enevate Corp., a leading rechargeable
30
elected president-elect (2013)
and vice president publications
and is now one of two UC Alumni
Regent Designates. Schultz is also
UCLA ENGINEER |
Ljiljana Trajkovic PhD ’86, a professor at Simon
Fraser University’s School of Engineering Science, has been
in Sunnyvale, Calif. , as an
Arts & Animation Department.
Additionally, Solomon sits on the National Committee for ACM
SIGGRAPH 2013.
Kei Kogure PhD ’92 is a co-translator from English to
energy storage technology company.
Japanese of “Business and Society – Corporate Strategy,
Nader Karimi ’86 has become the chief information
published by McGraw-Hill. The book has been widely
officer at BCBG Max Azria, a fashion retailer.
Public Policy, Ethics” by Post, Lawrence and Weber,
used as a textbook for many years. The translation was published by Minervashobo in Japan in 2012.
Brian Clark ’95 was appointed regional vice president
Aasim Jukaku
of sales for CLS Investments, one of the country’s
’02 and his wife
was a regional vice president at Nationwide, covering
launched the Web site HerBabyShower.com, which features
largest third party money managers. Clark previously
the western United States.
Hatifa have recently
unique and personalized baby shower favors, as well as
games, party supplies and gifts.
YashaR Mira ’04, MBA
(UCLA Anderson) ’12 is now a vice president and principal
at Heatscape, the thermal management design and
manufacturing company
for Northrop Grumman.
Sharat Batra ’05 and Marnelli Tabbada ’01
Jason K. Hui ’97, MS ’98, PhD ’02 was selected to receive
Both work for the City of
Sustained Service Award for “sustained and significant
members of the
Technical Committee, and for dedicated
Association Governing
Ryan A. Lorenzini ’98 celebrated the birth of his third
Rajindra Handapangoda ’05
contributions to the Guidance, Navigation and Control
service to AIAA.”
child in December . Also, in 2012 he received the prestigious MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute, and was
promoted to vice president at Hulberg and Associates.
2000s
Tanya Faltens PhD ’02, an engineering educator, is
transitioning from Cal Poly Pomona to Purdue University,
where she will be the educational content creation
manager for the Network for Computational Nanotechnology. Faltens will work with partners at nano centers
and universities to develop and distribute high quality
educational content, including simulation tools and other
materials, via nanoHUB.org.
Los Angeles. Both are Engineering Alumni Board of UCLA.
passed the California
Geotechnical Engineer
(GE) licensing exam in October.
Taline Khansa ’06 is serving as a Kiva Fellow in Jordan, Lebanon and Sierra Leone. Fellows work in support of
global microfinance. Khansa is pursuing a career in solving humanitarian issues after spending six years in the
aerospace industry.
Laura Balzano MS ’07 has joined the University of
Michigan as an assistant professor of electrical engineering
and computer science.
31
an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
were married in December.
UCLA ENGINEER |
Roderick Son ’95, MA ’97, MS ’99, PhD ’05 and Beckie Chan ’01, MS ‘02 were married in January 2013. Both work
he joined in 2009.
’08, an assistant professor of
2010s
Cockrell School of Engineering
California Executive Fellowship program. Based at
Austin, received a CAREER
branch to experience first-hand how public policy
Halil Berberoglu PhD
Devon Laduzinsky ’10 was selected for the 2012-13
mechanical engineering at the
at the University of Texas at
Cal State Sacramento, fellows work in the state’s executive
Award from the National
is developed.
Science Foundation, to support
research on algal biofilms for sustainable biofuels.
Morris Hsu
’09 and Jammie
Peng ’09 were
Krystina Johnson ’11 has moved from being a
manufacturing engineer at Boeing in Portland, Ore., to
an assembly automation engineer for Boeing Research &
Technology in Charleston, S.C.
married in
September 2012. Both work for
Lab126. Hsu was president of
Eta Kappa Nu,
and Peng was
vice president of the school chapter of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers while at UCLA.
Julia Pasternack ’09 has traveled to more than 40
countries since graduation. She also received her master’s
a UCLA grad student in electrical engineering.
linear controls. Pasternack was recently selected for the
Daniel Haberberger PhD ’12 is at the Laboratory for
International Leadership
Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester, in
Development Program at
New York, working on techniques for probing high
in England, and notes her
his wife, Lusnail, welcomed their first child, Jose Daniel
GKN, a large engineering firm passions for engineering and travel were fostered through
32
married in December in Vietnam. Huynh is currently
in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, where
she pursued interests in mechatronics and advanced
UCLA ENGINEER |
Hien Huynh ’12 and Duc (Ly) Hoang were
engineering clubs at UCLA.
temperature and density plasmas with lasers. He and
Haberberger, in February.
Scott Enserink PhD ’13 has started working for Trellis
Ware Technologies in San Diego as a systems engineer on wireless communication problems. n
Please send the latest news and photos regarding your career, personal life, awards, etc. to: uclaengineering@support.ucla.edu
building for the future With your support, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science is building on its decades of achievement with construction of Engineering VI, a state-of-the-art facility with new labs, a nanotechnology center focused on green energy and much more. Be a part of the progress by supporting Engineering VI.
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