ECE Elements 2018

2018

ELEMENTS Featuring upcoming information about our new area of focus AI: The Future of Robotics!

A Look Inside Chair's Message

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By: Dr. Chunjiang "CJ" Qian

It is an exciting time to be a part of our ever-growing university. Over the last few years, the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department’s programs have continued to improve in quality and expand in specialty in both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our faculty, which excels in both research and the classroom, has grown to 28 tenured/tenure-track including 8 endowed professors, and 6 full-time teaching/research faculty members.

These include renowned Fellows of the IEEE, SPIE, ACerS, AAAS, and other professional engineering societies, 3 National Science Foundation CAREER Awardees, and 3 UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awardees. The department’s research program has also increased, expanding from the traditional ECE areas to emerging research directions such as Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Cyberphysical Systems, Virtual/Augmented Reality, Electric Vehicles, 5G Communication, Smart Power Systems, Nano-Materials, Autonomous Systems, and Smart Health.

The department administers accredited programs of B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and B.S. and M.S. in Computer Engineering. They span six major concentration areas: Communications, Computer Engineering, Digital Signal Processing, Electronica Materials & Devices, Systems & Control, and Power Engineering. We are also fortunate to host the interdisciplinary graduate program, Master of Science in Advanced Materials Engineering, in our department. Our department is extremely proud of our diverse and vibrant student body of over 745 undergraduate, 120 Master’s, and 88 Ph.D. students. Our student population is active in various national, and international, engineering and honor societies including IEEE, SWE, NSBE, SHPE, EWB, Eta Kappa Ne and Tau Beta Pi. Our students have been greatly benefited from the support of alumni and friends whom I would like to take the opportunity to thank.

Moving forward into the future, I am excited and proud to know that our department will continue to grow and thrive, and as we continue this growth, our commitment to excellence in education, research, and service will remain true. I would like to invite you to visit the department and find out more about our exciting programs, dedicated faculty and staff, world-class research, and student activities. Once you’ve had a chance to learn about the department, I am sure you will become as enthusiastic as I am about both our past achievements and the promising future we are racing toward.

Elements

Electrical & Computer Engineering Department Magazine

EDITORIAL BOARD: JUSTIN BINGHAM KHANH NGUYEN STEPHANIE GONZALEZ-SANABIA PHOTOGRAPHY: JUSTIN BINGHAM

ECE IN NUMBERS NEW FACULTY

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FACULTY NEWS

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FACULTY AWARDS

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MACHINE LEARNING

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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STUDENT AWARDS

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12 FOR TWELVE

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RESEARCHER, INVENTOR, PROFESSOR

SUPPORTING CYBERSECURITY 15 EDUCATION

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

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ECE CONVERSATIONS

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A NEW BEGINNING

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EXTERNAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

ECE IN NUMBERS...

1,234+ TOTAL OF STUDENTS

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GRAD CATE I F I T CER

B.S. in Electrical Engineering B.S. in Computer Engineering M.S. in Electrical Engineering M.S. Computer Engineering M.S. in Advanced Materials Engineering Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering Integrated B.S./ M.S. Graduate Certificate In Cloud Computing

FAC U MEM LTY BER S

7REE

DEG MS A R G PRO UATE

ECE Degree Programs

$3.5 MILLION IN RESEARCH GRANTS

$103,390 AVERA

88

GE SALA RY FOR TEX AS ENGINE ERS

TOTAL OF PHD STUDENT (FALL 2018)

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THE

E OF N O D AS EERING E K RAN NGIN F 2018 E T O BES AMS R G PRO

OVER

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ES E R DEG DED AR W A 017 2 6 201

RESE

ARCH LABS Issue 2018 | 2

8 1 0 2 S E R I H Y T L U C A F ATIS I N W A M E A N OS AL T L I M .

R D Miltiadis "Miltos" Alamaniatis was a research assistant professor in the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University, where he is a member of the Applied Intelligent Systems Laboratory. He received the Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Thessaly, Greece in 2005, and MS and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University in 2010 and 2012 respectively. He was a post-doctoral researcher and class instructor at the University of Utah from October 2012 to August 2014. His interdisciplinary research focuses on the development of intelligent systems and machine learning approaches applied to intelligent energy systems and smart grids, smart cities, and to nuclear security and detection hidden radioactive materials. His research has been funded by the US National Research Foundation (NSF) and by the Department of Energy.

He has published over a hundred papers in scientific journals, book chapters, and international conference proceedings and is the principal author of the book Smart Power: Integrating Power with Information (Wiley, 2018). He has been invited to serve as a leading editor in the area of intelligent energy in the journal International Journal of Monitoring and Research Technologies Research, as a guest editor of the International Journal on Artificial Intelligence Tools, and as Program Chair at the IEEE International Tools with Artificial Intelligence 2016. He had worked as an external researcher with the National Argonne Laboratory from 2010 to 2012, and as visiting researcher in the Energy and Power Systems group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in May 2016. In June 2015, he was a member of the first ever academic group to conduct measurements and research in the Nevada National Security Site. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award of ECE Department of University of Thessaly in July 2017 and is an active member of the American Nuclear Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE).

DR. TAPOSHÂ B

ANERJEE

Taposh Banerjee received the M.E. degree in electrical communication engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. Before coming to Harvard, he was a postdoctoral researcher at MIT and the University of Michigan. He is interested in theory and applications of sequential analysis, high-dimensional statistics, and multivariate analysis, especially in biology, medicine, cyber-physical systems, and data science. He is a recipient of the Abraham Wald Prize in Sequential Analysis 2016.Â

Issue 2018 | 3

 The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department has recently hired 5 new faculty members between the years 2016-2017.

2017 ZHAN QIN

QIAN CHEN

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Cloud Security, Privacy

Control and Systems

Protection, and IoT

Ph.D., 2014- Mississippi

Security

State University at Starkville,

Ph.D., 2017 - The State

Mississippi

University of New York at Buffalo

2016

SARA AHMED Assistant Professor Control and Systems Ph.D., 2011 - Virginia Tech

JEFF PREVOST

Assistant Professor Computer Engineering Ph.D., 2013 - University of Texas at San Antonio

ETHAN C. AHN Assistant Professor Electronic Materials and Devices Ph.D., 2015 - Stanford University

Issue 2018 | 4

FACULTY NEWS

pROMOTIONS

Professor In Practice Dr. Paul Morton Dr. Paul Morton holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering as well as an M.D. from the University of Missouri. His research interests include biologic sensors, neural networks, embedded systems, and human interfaces. Dr. Morton is a Board Certified OB/GYN physician, practicing for over 30 years full time until April 2013. He continues to treat gynecology patients one-half day a month.

Dr. Morton retired from the military after 3 years in the Army as an Infantry Officer and a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, and 21 years in the Air Force as a physician and researcher.

Professor In Practice Dr. Lars K. Hansen

Dr. Lars Hansen has been a full time faculty member for the electrical and computer engineering department since 1998 and is a regular face for incoming undergraduate students who wish to pursue a degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering. He is the Undergraduate Advisor of Record for undergraduate students and provides aspiring engineers with career and professional advice. He has been honored many times throughout his time here at UTSA including being College of Engineering’s Student Council Professor of the Year (twice), College of Engineering’s Excellence in Teaching Award (twice), UTSA’s President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence (Non-Tenure Track), and many others. This year marks another step forward for Dr. Hansen with his well-deserved promotion to Professor In Practice.

Associate Dean of Research Dr. David Akopian Dr. David Akopian, professor of electrical and computer engineering has been promoted to Associate Dean of Research this year. This is one of many honors and accomplishments he has received including being named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), being the founder and director of the Software Communications and Navigation Systems Laboratory at UTSA, as well as acquiring twenty-five issued and seven pending patents that explore various aspects of wireless technology. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Health (NIH), USAF, NAVSEA, ONR, Texas Higher Education Coordination Board (THECB), the U.S. Air Force Academy, and several others.

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WE ARE NOW OFFICIALLY GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS HOLDER FOR "SMALLEST MEDICAL ROBOT"

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ty l cu n! a o i f it r n u g o co o e t r s d n io ve t r la se e u at -d r l el ng o w C

Dr. Amar Bhalla and Dr. Ruyan Guo Dr. Soutik Betal, Dr. Ruyan Guo, and Dr. Amar Bhalla are now officially the Guinness World Record holders for the “Smallest Medical Robot”!

This is achieved by our doctoral student Soutik Betal (UTSA Ph.D. EE, Aug. 2017), currently a postdoctoral scholar at Alfred University, and was performed under the support of funded projects including DoD and NSF. The nanorobot measures 120 nm in dimension and was fabricated in our labs in the form of a single crystalline magnetic core with a ferroelectric shell. Although the nanorobot does not have visible arms and legs it can move and transport biological cells upon command of the electromagnetic field.

The related and extended work is published in journals, two in Nature-Scientific Reports, through collaboration with students and researchers including Dr. Nash, Dr. Tang, Dr. Ramasubramanian, Dr. Cotica and their teams.

We are excited about this recognition and wish to take the opportunity to publicize research and engage students/public’s interests in materials science and engineering.

We wish to thank Dr. Arul and VPR’s support in pursuing and expediting the application process for this GWR application.

Issue 2018 | 7

Written By: Khanh Nguyen Program Coordinator.

Machine Learning In any given day, I, like many others, find myself relying on machines to help with daily tasks. The ubiquity of machines and robots in our everyday lives has exploded in the current age of information and technology. The things that we can program machines to do are equal parts amazing and mystifying. That is why it is not surprising that Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are such a popular topic of conversation as well as research in today’s academic fields.

The University of Texas at San Antonio Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department understands this need to delve into the field of Machine Learning. That is why the ECE department is currently already conducting research into the Machine Learning area under the current faculty in the topics of intelligent robotics, autonomous vehicles, human-robot interactions, bioinformatics, and biosciences.

In addition to what is already being conducted, the department has hired some new faculty for this upcoming Fall 2018 that have some background and interest in the topic as well.

Dr. Miltiadis (Miltos) Alamoniatis who was a former research assistant professor in the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University will be joining UTSA in the ECE department this upcoming August.

Some of Dr. Alamoniatis’ research areas are in Applied Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning Applications, and Intelligent Control Methods in Power Systems. The department also welcomes Dr. Taposh Banerjee who comes to us from Harvard University. Before that, he was a postdoctoral researcher at MIT and the University of Michigan.

Dr. Banerjee’s area of interests are in theory and applications of sequential analysis, high-dimensional statistics, and multivariate analysis, especially to biology, medicine, cyber-physical systems, and data science.

Hopefully with this new addition, students who are interested in the area of Machine Learning will have more avenues available to them in assisting and contributing with this innovative and groundbreaking science. UTSA’s ECE department is looking towards the future and knows that the world ahead will be much smarter and more adapted for our needs.

Issue 2018 | 8

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT DIANE SQUIRE Whenever anyone says “group project”, it’s pretty much assured that groans and eye rolls will be the majority of responses. However, there are those times where the stigma of the group project is lifted, and something wonderful happens. When the group becomes a team, you know you’re in for something special. As a part of the team of undergrad students working on our project for Senior Design, we knew we had something great, but to have that idea take shape, and then be noticed by people outside of UTSA is something more than we had hoped for. H.E.R.M.E.S (Harsh Environment Research with Mobility Enhanced Spectrometry) has been a labor of love for all of us. Over the course of several semesters, we were able to determine a need, proposal, applications, and ultimately a solution for what originally started out as an idea from all of us. We are excited about the future of H.E.R.M.E.S., and what real world applications will come from it. And it was all because of the (not so) dreaded group project.

ZACHARY BALCAR As a Roadrunner, taking summer classes doesn’t seem like an extraordinary thing to do, until those summer classes you’re taking are in China. I was fortunate to be a part of the group of students who went to Shanghai, China as the Study Abroad class in the summer of 2017. Along with five other students, Dr. CJ (and Brandy Alger) took us on a trip we will never forget. From classes in the morning to do some local sightseeing in the afternoon, the trip showed me things that I never would have been able to see otherwise. China is a beautiful country that welcomed us with open arms to its many sights, sounds, and culture. I could honestly write a book about my travels there with the ECE students and Dr. CJ, but that will have to wait for another day. What I will say about the experience in total is this – I want to go back.

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT RICARDO RAMIREZ I have been at UTSA for my entire career. Here, I received my bachelor’s degree and my Master’s degree. Currently, I am working on my Ph.D. People tend to transfer to different universities as they continue their education, but something has always kept me here. Every year, I have seen the ECE department grow therefore increasing its rank and being a part of that has been outstanding. This growth can be reflected even in the students. I have seen the quality of the education increase along with all the opportunities; opportunities with companies that the professors are working so hard to build connections, along with grants and funding to bring in other students for bigger projects!

People have told me that when attending a big University, such as UTSA, they will become just a number. While that may be true at other universities, I attest that is not to be the case here at the ECE Department at UTSA. Just like any family or community, as long as you’re willing to participate, there will be a spot for you. After getting myself involved in the department I have found myself more involved to the point that the department makes me feel like I am a part of the department, not just another student. After reflecting, I have realized it has always been these type of experiences that have kept me here at UTSA.

Issue 2018 | 10

STUDENT Awards ECE DIA SENIOR NE S REC QUI UNI R EIV ED U E VER SITY TSA LIFE AW ARD !

ACE L P 1ST DENTS K & STU A E R C E BA RI A M M D E M UM I M A S H H O A MP AL S Y D S ION A T H I H C T A E F MPE 18 T O 0 2 C K ING 100 $ SPR E CIT D AN

ECE 2018 CLASS DEMO AWARDS MICRO I 3rd Place 1st Place Austin Annestrand Zachary Fulmer Christopher Garibay hamad alhamoudi Ahmed Mbarak Katrina Gasataya Anthony Ortiz Richardo Hernandez Jomar Pueyo 2nd Place Nayely Alvarado Diana Dimitriu Evan Gallagher Owen Gonzalez Diane Squire

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4th Place Divyaansh Dandona Raymond Downing Bryan Kelps Abraham Marcos Toache Michael Washburn

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t e e M

 n a i p o k A  Dr. 

COE professor David Akopian named Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

David Akopian, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UTSA, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He is the second NAI Fellow for UTSA, following the appointment of C. Mauli Agrawal in 2015. The honor places Akopian among an elite group of professionals that includes presidents and senior leaders of research universities, Nobel laureates, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, and National Academies members.

“I want to congratulate David Akopian, who is extremely well deserving of this recognition,” said Agrawal, UTSA interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, who nominated Akopian for the distinction. “With 32 patents to his name, his own productivity as an inventor and researcher is exemplary.”

Agrawal added: “What is not so easily measured—and perhaps far more impactful—is [Akopian’s] legacy as a mentor to the hundreds of students who have had the great fortune of working and studying under him. Because of his industry background, he infuses a real-world, multidisciplinary perspective into his laboratory and classroom.

UTSA is indeed fortunate that David Akopian has found his niche in academia.”

Akopian’s research interests are in a broad area of communication and navigation systems. He focuses on human-machine interactive mobile applications, wireless sensing, and location-finding and software-defined radio technologies. His most recent research projects have focused on mobile interactive solutions for health promotion interventions.

Akopian is the founder and director of the Software Communications and Navigation Systems Laboratory at UTSA. Since 2004, more than 80 students who trained in his lab have gone on to successful careers at a variety of companies including Apple, Google, Samsung, Cisco Systems, Amazon, Intel, and Verizon.

Over the course of his academic career, Akopian has acquired 25 issued and seven pending patents exploring various aspects of wireless localization systems, indoor wireless technologies, and human-machine wireless concepts. Several of his patents have been used in Nokia products and UTSA testbed systems serving several federal and state projects. He has received four inventor awards from UTSA and Nokia.

His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USAF, NAVSEA, ONR, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and CPRIT-TX, among others. Current funding comes from NIH, CPRIT-TX, San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI) and the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA).

Akopian is a prolific author whose research has resulted in more than 200 publications, including three book chapters, eight edited proceedings, 44 journal papers, and more than 150 invited and refereed conference papers and presentations. He served as associate editor for five periodicals, and he has chaired more than 10 mobile technology conferences.

Since 2003, Akopian has served as a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), where he also served as chair and vice-chair of the Central Texas Chapter of IEEE SMC Society for eight consecutive years. He is also a member of the US Institute of Navigation (ION). In 2008 his team won fourth place (honorable mention) in national AT&T’s “Big Mobile on Campus Challenge.” And, in 2015, he co-supervised the students from the UTSA College of Engineering who successfully showcased their engineering skills and solutions in the Perseus III unmanned technology demonstration held at the USAFA. Story by Sarah Hada / Photo by Deborah Silliman

Issue 2018 | 14

Supporting Cybersecurity Education UTSA receives $5 million to support new cybersecurity education pipeline Written by: Joanna Carver University Marketing and Communications

UTSA has received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a multidisciplinary center fostering education and research at the intersection of cybersecurity and cloud computing. The Center for Security and Privacy Enhanced Cloud Computing (C-SPECC) will act as a pipeline to create well-trained professionals in the industry and strengthen San Antonio as a cybersecurity hub. Four UTSA colleges – engineering, science, education and business – will join the center which is led by Ravi Sandhu, Lutcher Brown Endowed Professor of computer science and founding executive director of the UTSA Institute for Cyber Security. Other lead researchers include Ram Krishnan, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Microsoft President’s Endowed Professor; Jeff Prevost, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Nicole Beebe, Associate Professor of Information Systems and Cybersecurity and Melvin Lachman Distinguished Professor in Entrepreneurship; and Guadalupe Carmona-Dominguez, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Learning.

Cloud computing allows computer-processing resources and data to be shared on-demand on internet-ready devices using privately owned clouds or public cloud providers. The practice, which offers consumers simplicity, affordability and reliability, has grown quickly over the last decade. Security and privacy, however, remain a concern among researchers and other industry experts. Additionally, well-trained and innovative professionals are needed to strengthen the industry and take on the hundreds of thousands of unfilled industry jobs in the U.S. “For nearly two decades, UTSA has been a national leader in cybersecurity, a dynamic field that requires an equally nimble approach from academia, government, and industry,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “Creating a place where UTSA can expand its cybersecurity focus and apply its vast expertise to cloud computing will enable the university to make meaningful contributions with a practical impact. The center will also give UTSA students an unparalleled learning opportunity to conduct research alongside the university’s nationally recognized experts in cyber, cloud, computing, and analytics.”

The goals of C-SPECC are to become nationally recognized for excellence in research and innovation in secure cloud computing, to increase participation among underrepresented minorities in high-tech computing and to pursue innovative, research-based educational strategies for high school and college students.

To accomplish these goals and expand UTSA’s role as an urban-serving university, the center will participate in an innovative UTSA-Northside Independent School District (NISD) partnership that broadens the university’s cybersecurity recruitment to the high school level. Through C-SPECC, the UTSA College of Education and Human Development will offer certificate programs to NISD teachers and students, who will become known as “C-SPECC Scholars.”

In the certificate programs, the NISD teachers will expand their understanding of cybersecurity and cloud computing and learn how to teach it to high school students. Each semester, UTSA will offer a new course for teachers to keep their educational approaches as fresh as possible to reflect the constantly growing and changing fields of cybersecurity and cloud computing.

High school students from NISD will be recruited to study cybersecurity and cloud computing at C-SPECC. The outreach program will give the teens an opportunity to try on securityrelated careers, engaging them as they consider areas of study to pursue in college and embark on college preparedness paths. These C-SPECC Scholars will participate in certificate programs that are tailored for their education level and will help build their interest and understanding of cybersecurity and cloud computing.

Today, UTSA is home to the nation’s leading cybersecurity program, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute. The university’s unique approach includes researchers in business, science and engineering who work in multiple centers and institutes focused on solving global security challenges in today’s increasingly technological world.

Full article originally published in http://www.utsa.edu/innovations/winter2017/story/feature-cybersecurity.html

Issue 2018 | 15

What are you doing now?

I am an Professor and Graduate Program Chair in the Department of Computer Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology. I am also the Director of NanoComputing Research Lab.

When you graduated, where did you think you would be in 10 years?

I was motivated to pursue a career in academia even from early graduate student days. I enjoy working with a close-knit, smart, hardworking and passionate groups of people and aspired to build such a team.

What did you learn from your time and professors at UTSA that has significant impact on your career/choices?

Dr. Dhireesha Kudithipudi 06

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Quite a few professors from UTSA continue to influence me even today. My PhD advisor, Dr. John, is a positive energy booster and taught me to always look at the bright side. Dr. Hansen made learning enjoyable with his unassuming personality. Dr. Lin taught that the devil is in the details. They all exhibit a passion for teaching in their own way and inspired me to be the best I can be

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I hope to serve a broader academic community through transfromative leadership roles..

What is a fond memory of your time here at UTSA ?

Celebrating Spring Fiesta Festivals and late night taco hunts with friends.

What advice would you give to current UTSA student in Electrical and Computer Engineering?

It is important for graduate students to understand early-on the interdependecy of all skillsets learned.

What was an unexpected change in your career path since graduating UTSA ?

Nothing unexpected.

What elements of the field have surprised you?

To succeed in academia, leadership and management skills are as critical as the technical skills. I learned it the hard way when I was trying to set up my lab.

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What are you doing now?

I am currently a Principal Engineer at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) studying a multitude of technologies related to radio frequency (RF) phenomena for government and commercial applications. More specifically, I design and develop algorithms for RF transmitter localization and characterization from arrays of antennas, though I have dabbled in other interesting areas in my time here. At first glance, this would seem like quite the departure from my dissertation work, which was on nonlinear control theory, but actually, the fields can be very much related, in fact, share many of the same algorithmic techniques. I am also a father of two amazing children Vanessa and Xavier, that I have the pleasure of raising with their wonderful mother, Natalie. Coincidentally, Xavier was born four days after I walked the commencement stage for my PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering. What a month indeed!

Dr. Jason Polendo

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When you graduated, where did you think you would be in 10 years?

I honestly believe that I would be working in academia, as that was my initial goal when returning to school for my PhD. However, during my PhD studies I had the opportunity to work as a part-time student for SwRI and became quite enamored with the challenging and rewarding problems facing the engineers here. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to taste what the life of an educator would be like as I have taught several enjoyable graduate courses for the ECE Department in past, and would like to do so again in the future as my work in SwRI permits. A major benefit of working at SwRI , besides the interesting and challenging work, is that I get to stay close to my entire family as I was born and raised in San Antonio, with most of my extended family still in town as well. Without the support of my family I am not sure where I would be today.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

What advice you give to current UTSA student in Electrical and Computer Engineering?

It is important for graduate students to understand early-on the interdependecy of all skillsets learned.

Issue 2018 | 17

I see myself maintaining the current course of my career as I continue to find challenges and reward in the porblems we are attempting to solve.

Dr. Jason Polendo 07 0 2 TE A E EC DU A R G D PH

What is a fond memory of your time here at UTSA ?

As an engineering student I spent the majority of my time studying and doing homework in the labs within the engineering buildings, so oftentimes when I reflect back I think of all the late nights in the labs and walking the campus at night trying to clear my head to help me focus. It may sound like a lot of work and effort but the challenging tasks are oftentimes the most rewarding.

What elements of the field have surprised you?

When I initially graduated with my undergraduate degree and immediately starting working in the telecommunications industry, I was taken aback at how us newer employees were not all handed design jobs and instead handled much repetitive testing and documentation work. After some time it became apparent that this was simply part of the cycle for many newly introduced to the industry, though of course some did choose to stay their current responsibilities.

What advice would you give to current UTSA student in Electrical and Computer Engineering?

Definitely go after internships and all engineering field work you can. Of course your grades and coursework have a bearing on where you end up, but when competing with other graduates for jobs, many hiring managers weigh work experience higher. Also, learn what you can about Optimization Theory, as it plays a mayor role in many algorithms and techniques of every branch in engineering. In fact, an engineer's main goal is generally finding the optimal solution to a problem under a specific set of constraints, so once you are introduced to the framework then you will be able to apply it to scenarios all across the field of engineering.

Issue 2018 | 18

What are you doing now?

I am an Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of the Incarnate Word and Co-Director of the Autonomous Vehicle Systems Lab at UIW.

When you graduated, where did you think you would be in 10 years?

Definitely a professor at a university, I guess I thought I would be working in the industry or a research lab.

Dr. Michael Frye HD P 06 0 2 TE E A EC ADU GR

What did you learn from your time and professors at UTSA that has significant impact on your career/choices?

Dr. CJ (my PhD advisor) had a major impact on my career to become a professor. He encourage me to teach circuits class one semester and it was there where I found out that I enjoyed teaching, which got me thinking about applying for an academic position after graduation.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Still teaching and researching but hopefully as a Full Time Professor.

What is a fond memory of your time here at UTSA ?

Working in Dr. CJ's C3 Lab with other research assistants. We were a fun lab.

What advice would you give to current UTSA student in Electrical and Computer Engineering?

Network with peers and faculty members.

What was an unexpected change in your career path since graduating UTSA ?

Nothing unexpected, I started teaching at UIW right after graduating UTSA.

What elements of the field have surprised you?

I am always surprised at the number of committee meetings that I have to attend every week.

Issue 2018 | 19

Podcast Latest Episodes: ECE Staff - Introduction Dr. Yufei Huang - Bioinformatic Computing Kristy Pacheco - Student Success

A platform that allows faculty, students staff, and alumni to talk about their interests, research, accomplishments, and future plans.

Issue 2018 | 20

A new beginning...

Written by: Justin Bingham Department Manager

Building something new is always exciting. You start from the ground and work your way up until you have your finished product staring back at you. You were there from its inception in your brain until its completion by your hand.

You know everything about it; how it works, how it moves, the quirks, the subtle nuances.

When you build something yourself, it essentially becomes an extension of you.

This was not the case for me when I came into the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Well, not at first. I came into a program that had been long established and had been operating smoothly. The systems were in place. The quirks were ingrained, and the subtle nuances were part of the daily grind.

As with any well-oiled machine though, sometimes, a little maintenance is required.

This is where I come in.

I was handed the reigns of the department and set free. Fear and excitement were both coursing through my veins with equal measure.

Here I was, an outsider, walking into a system that had been running very well for years before. How was I going to change anything for the better? Thankfully, Dr. CJ gave me the one thing that was the most vital in making this project work; he gave me his trust.

Issue 2018 | 21

Slowly, over the course of several weeks and months, the department has been molded and shaped into what you see now. It’s not new, it’s just upgraded. We’ve got most of the same internal components, but we also have a new body design. We went from Star Trek to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I can’t claim credit for this. If it was only me, I would have crashed and burned a long time ago. These changes you see are due entirely to a team effort. The people who make this office what it is, both the faculty and the staff, are the ones who have helped this new era of the ECE department go from vision to reality.

At the end of the day, I don’t want people to look at the ECE department, and think “That’s the office that Justin built.” Far from it. I want people to look at our department and think, “That’s where I want to be.” I didn’t build the bar, I just helped carve out a few notches to be able to set it higher than it was before.

EXTERNAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

YIDONG CHEN PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS AND GREEHEY CHILDREN'S CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF UTHSCSA

STEPHEN PHILLIPS PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DIRECTOR, SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL, COMPUTER AND ENERGY ENGINEERING ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

KEN KUWAMURA

ADRIAN LOZANO

DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS SOUTHERN REGION, UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD

PRINCIPAL ELECTRICAL ENGINEER CENTRAL TEXAS I BUILDINGS INFRASTRUCTURE & ADVANCED FACILITIESÂ

JASON POLENDO PRINCIPLE ENGINEER SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

STEVEN PEARSON LEAD STRATEGIST & FOUNDER PEARSON STRATEGY GROUP, LLC

JILL H. VASSAR

NILS SMITH VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SIGNAL EXPLOITATION AND GEOLOCATION DIVISION AT SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS EPICENTER

ECE Chairs and Gars

DR. LARS HANSEN Professor in Practice, Associate Chair, Undergraduate Advisor of Record

DR. YUFEI HUANG Professor and Associate Chair of Research

DR. WEI-MIN LIN

DR. RUYAN GUO

Professor and Graduate Advisor of Record

Robert E. Clarke Endowed Professor, MatE Graduate Advisor of Record

Issue 2018 | 22

College of Engineering Electrical and Computer Engineering One UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249

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Engineering