College of Engineering Spotlight Newsletter

College of Engineering

SPOTLIGHT AN UNSHAKEABLE FOCUS ON LEARNING

boisestate.edu/coen

FALL 2021

WELCOME FROM THE DEAN Dear Friends, It brings me joy to see the campus so full of life again as we have begun our new normal not only around the college of engineering, but also our entire campus community.

Our faculty have been busy continuing their cutting-edge and critical research. Our Quantam DNA Research Group continue to push the boundaries for their work on quantam entanglement as they have received a $5 million grant renewal from the Department of Energy for their critical approach on energy-related research projects.

One of our newer Broncos, Dr. Erin Mannen, has also received national attention for her Best Friend Award from Kids in Danger as her research has led to policy changes and saved lives of infants with the recall of millions of dangerous infant inclined sleep products.

As many of you noticed this summer, wildfires and other unprecedented events of climate change have vastly impacted the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West. Thanks to research by Dr. Mojtaba Sadegh and his colleagues, we now better understand how these forest fires are now reaching higher, and wetter elevations.

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the many successes and honors our faculty have been tirelessly completing and I encourage you to read more in-depth about all of our amazing research and awards by visiting our website https://www. boisestate.edu/news/tag/college-of-engineering/.

The hard work and loyalty not only to our students, but to our community and state do not go unnoticed. I applaud you all!

With your health and safety in mind, JoAnn S. Lighty Dean and Professor College of Engineering Front Cover – Engineering PLUS students in class.

Disclaimer – Photos of participants without facial coverings were taken before our campus-wide mandate.

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CYBERSECURITY PROGRAMS MEET COEN’S NEWEST ONLINE PROGRAMS: CYBER OPERATIONS AND RESILIENCE (CORe) As the needs of supplying a trained cyber workforce across the spectrum grows, the College of Engineering recently started the Cyber Operations and Resilence Program (CORe) Dr. Sin Ming Loo, Director (CORe), will tell you the program is about “people, process, and technology.” With bachelor and master degrees, and post-baccalaureate certificates available, CORe takes a new systems approach to enabling cyber professionals. CORe prepares learners to think about the system being managed, the risks presented and how resilience can be achieved. It is not just cybersecurity; it is not just cyber and physical. CORe is also about understanding the interdependencies interacting with the system in order for it to operate. It emphasizes the interrelations of people, process, and technology and how understanding and strengthening these interdependencies can lead to a more resilient system. CORe is designed around the realities of today’s broad cyber landscape: that breaches will occur in any system over time and building resilience into systems to detect, respond, and return in a timely and orderly fashion is needed.

This program launched Fall 2021 with a Bachelors of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience, a Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience and three Graduate Certificates (CORe Analyst and Threat Intelligence, Governance Policy Administration and Resilience Engineering). Pending Idaho State Board of Education approval this fall, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience will launch in the Spring 2022 semester. All of these programs are asynchronous online and prepare students to anticipate, detect, mitigate and manage cyber, physical and interdependency infrastructure threats. There are pathways for high school students, community college graduates and returning students. The CORe program is designed for all students: those who have a technical or non-technical degree, those who are military members or working professionals, and those with an undergraduate degree in any field.

The workforce demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to trend upward as cybersecurity increases in priority for government, corporations, and nonprofit organizations.

In correlation with increasing concern for cybersecurity, the labor market has also shifted to accommodate this issue. Between September 2016 and March 2021, there has been an approximate 300% increase in unique job postings for cybersecurity professionals and the intensity with which postings are made has more than doubled.

Dr. Sin Ming Loo, Director of the Cyber Operations and Resilience Program (CORe)

Edward Vasko, Director of the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity

Michelle Steffens, Online Program Manager - Cyber Operations and Resilience (CORe)

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COEN IN THE NEWS KANDADAI AND SUBBARAMAN AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS AIR FORCE SUMMER FACULTY FELLOWSHIPS Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty Nirmala Kandadai and Harish Subbaraman were recently honored with prestigious Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowships. During the 10 week fellowships, Kandadai and Subbaraman conducted research at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

According to the program website, “The U.S. Air Force Research Lab Summer Faculty Fellowship Program offers hands-on exposure to Air Force research challenges through 8- to 12-week research residencies at participating Air Force research facilities for fulltime science, mathematics, and engineering faculty at U.S. colleges and universities.”

AWARD EMPOWERS RESEARCH TO ADVANCE ‘ADVERSARIAL’ CYBERSECURITY SKILLS Trojan horse; firewall; ransomware: it is no coincidence that these terms sound as though they are describing a war zone. Cyber systems in every industry are the site of a constant (and often invisible) battle. That’s why emerging cyber security professionals need to be trained not only in the best practices and theories of cyber security, but also in the ability to out-think and outmaneuver the enemy at the (virtual) gate.

Gaby Dagher, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, is determined to empower the next generation of students with adversarial, game theory-based education. The National Science Foundation also supports this mission, and recently awarded Dagher’s research with a grant of $400,000.

Learn more about Dagher’s award by scanning the QR code.

PAKALA WINS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AWARD TO ADVANCE MOBILE TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED CURRICULUM Congratulations to Krishna Pakala, an assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Boise State University, and Diana Bairaktarova, an associate professor of engineering education at Virginia Tech, who jointly received two grants totaling $200,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The grants will support research utilizing mobile technologies and a technology-enhanced curriculum to improve student engagement and learning in STEM undergraduate courses.

Pakala’s technology-enhanced curriculum approach is called “Mobile Assisted Gains through Innovative Curriculum (MAGIC) for STEM Undergraduates.”

“The goal of the research is to measure how mobile technology, when purposefully integrated into engineering teaching, impacts student engagement, enhancement, and extension of learning,” Pakala said. “Using a thermal-fluid science course as a model course, the primary contribution of this research is to directly improve and transform engineering students’ learning by enhancing their learning in one of the most difficult and abstract content in engineering curricula.”

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SADEGH CO-AUTHORS ARTICLE PREDICTING ANOTHER DANGEROUS FIRE SEASON IN THE WEST Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced, and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, McGill University This is a condensed reprint from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site with research and opinion by faculty experts. A link to the full May 13, 2021 article follows.

After a dry winter and warm early spring, just about every indicator flashes red across the western U.S., with nearly half the region in severe or extreme drought, a snowpack at less than half, drying soil, and dangerously low rivers and reservoirs. By late May, California drought emergencies crossed most counties, Utah increased overuse fines, Idaho ranchers Mojtaba Sadegh considered selling livestock, and widespread tree deaths and dying vegetation were fueling another dangerous fire season.

As climate scientists, we track these changes. We see drought that is meteorological, from little rain or snow, hydrological, from low water levels, agricultural from low soil moisture, and anthropogenic when human activities contribute. This convergence can drive ecosystems into costly and dangerous ecological drought.

Less Snow, More People The west is critically dependent on snowpack since it provides steady water during dry summers. But rising global temperatures mean less snowpack. Spring started with snow levels at only half of their normal conditions in Utah, with more sinking into the dry ground where it fell rather than supplying rivers.

But drought isn’t only about nature.

More people are moving west, increasing demand for water and irrigated farmland.

And global warming – driven by human activities like fossil fuel use – triggers today’s widespread and intense drought.

We pump more groundwater for irrigation and other needs, but centuries-old aquifer reserves recharge slowly. Agricultural use alone outpaces their recharge, so we are less resilient when nature brings hot, dry conditions.

Rising temperatures also influence whether we see snow or rain, and how quickly snow melts and trees and vegetation dry out. Further, extreme heat and droughts can intensify one another. Incoming solar radiation in wet conditions evaporates soil moisture, but in dry season and in the absence of soil moisture, a large portion of the solar radiation turns into sensible heat and increases air temperature near the surface. Higher temperature then causes more evaporation and the soil dries even further. So the cycle of heating and drying continues. Alarmingly, the trigger for this cycle has been changing. In the 1930s, there was a lack of precipitation, but in recent decades its been excess heat.

Fire Warnings Ahead The 2020 record-breaking western wildfire season burned over 15,900 square miles, including the largest fires on record in Colorado and California. As drought persists, the chance of large, disastrous fires increases. As expected the 2021 fire season was another tough one, and it has not ended yet! Much of California is still under high danger when the easterly winds toward ocean pick up in fall.

View the full article by scanning the QR Code.

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THE POWER OF PEOPLE IN EDUCATION

NOVEL ENGINEERING PLUS PROGRAM EXPANDS ACCESS FOR STUDENTS The Boise State University College of Engineering, an educational leader in reimagining engineering education, now offers students a flexible way to integrate engineering with other college degree programs. Engineering PLUS (ENG+), under the direction of Professor Amy Moll, provides greater access to engineering, enriching the college and our workforce with greater diversity in gender, ethnicity, and thought.

Problem Solving and Interdisciplinary Thinking The current generation of students on our college campuses and those who are coming in the next few years are eager to find meaningful work, creatively solve problems and design innovative products.

They want to enrich the lives of people around them and around the world and enjoy a collaborative work environment. Gaining the skills to contribute in impactful careers offers the opportunity to make a

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difference to the quality of life for people worldwide.

However, educators do not always do a good job highlighting exciting opportunities in engineering and computer science, and engineering students may not recognize that these careers can be creative, collaborative, and impactful.

Further, new skill sets are needed. The American Society of Engineering (ASEE), with support from the National Science Foundation, is working with industry, government and academic leaders to bridge the gap between engineering education and the needs of industry in the 21st century. Locally, industry representatives echo the ASEE findings: they seek technically competent engineers with workplace skills that transcend traditional disciplinespecific programs. Employers want engineers with the ability to critically evaluate problems not only within, but also outside their domain expertise; communicate complex problems to colleagues, clients, and management across diverse cultures; and assimilate disparate and sometimes incomplete pieces of information to make informed businessforward decisions. They seek confident, innovative, business-aware engineers with the depth and

ADVANCING ACADEMIC INNOVATIONS breadth of knowledge, both technical and professional, that enables progress in a rapidly changing technical landscape and a diverse set of skills, experiences, backgrounds and approaches to problem solving enable innovation—a critical component to long-term economic growth and global competitiveness.

By offering this more responsive and flexible engineering degree, Boise State is contributing to this effort.

ENG+ - Expanding Access through Design The ENG+ program is attracting a diverse group of students which is important since a larger talent pool better represents the full cross-section of the social spectrum.

The results are impressive, most notably for women.

Nearly half of the almost 100 students in the program our women, a group historically underrepresented in computer science and engineering. According to a 2019 report from the National Science Foundation, women in 2016 earned about half the nation’s bachelor’s degrees in the sciences, but with most in psychology and bioscience, and the fewest in computer science (19%) and engineering (21%).

The ENG+ program gives students a strong engineering foundation by including core courses from Mechanical, Civil, & Electrical Engineering; Materials Science; and Computer Science. It adds in a unique four-semester design curriculum built around the problem-solving strategies used in top organizations from business to non-profit and service sectors.

Students design their own “PLUS” with engineering electives and a pathway of additional electives from across the University that speak to their own interests and talents.

Benefits While students gain the engineering background needed to solve technical problems and gain 21st century workplace skills, the program also builds on the strengths, interests, and goals of each student.

Our “PLUS”-up themes include manufacturing, architecture, medicine, education, business, and law.

ENG+ enables the student to earn an ABET-accredited engineering degree AND specialize in another discipline. The program has created a wide variety of opportunities by increasing curriculum flexibility, responding to student interests, allowing transfer/2nd degree students to more quickly obtain an engineering degree, and leveraging other disciplines of interest to engineering students.

Learn more about ENG+ and specific program requirements by scanning the QR Code.

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COEN IN THE NEWS KIVI CHANNEL 6 INTERVIEWS WINIECKI ON ACCESSIBILITY FOR BLIND AND LOW-VISION USERS Boise State University undergraduates will soon have a new opportunity to contribute to “Advanced Manufacturing for a Sustainable Energy Future.” Don Winiecki, professor in the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning department, was interviewed

by KIVI Channel 6 for a story on the accessibility of graphical data displays for individuals who are blind and low-vision.

Winiecki is a member of the National Braille Association where he oversees an “Ask an Expert” online forum and answers questions about creating usable tactile graphics for STEM and other disciplines.

Read more about Winiecki’s work in a 2019 feature: “Professor is on a mission to make a community that’s better and fairer for more people” by scanning the QR Code.

qDNA RESEARCH GROUP AWARDED $5M RENEWAL GRANT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Boise State’s Quantum DNA (qDNA) Research Group received a Phase II renewal grant of $5 million from the Department of Energy Basic Energy, Science’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research as part of a broader announcement of funded energy-related research projects.

Composed of five research teams that span multiple departments and colleges at Boise State, involving almost 30 faculty, professional staff and students, the qDNA Research Group is pioneering the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a programmable, self-assembling architecture that organizes light-absorbing dye molecules to achieve quantum entanglement.

Quantum entanglement occurs when the excited state of one molecule in the aggregate cannot be described independent of the excited state of another, and is due to a collective interaction between the molecules.

“The group continues to contribute at a national and international level to the muchneeded engineering and science research in quantum entanglement, as recognized by this new Phase II award.”

– JoAnn S. Lighty Dean, College of Engineering 8 COEN Newsletter | Fall 2021

View the full qDNA article by scanning the QR Code.

TOP 10 SCHOLARS BOISE STATE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TOP 10 SCHOLARS The Top Ten Scholars program enables students from across Boise State to demonstrate their academic excellence as well as acknowledge the tremendous influence that mentoring faculty members have had on their success. This year the College of Engineering is proud to have three Top 10 Scholars who were recognized at graduation in May. Students are nominated by Dean, JoAnn Lighty, and are subject to rigorous review by a selection committee.

Nominees then are reviewed based on academic breadth of coursework, research, creative works and publications, presentations at professional meetings or conferences, and extracurricular community and campus service.

“The accomplishments of these scholars are inspiring.”

– JoAnn S. Lighty Dean, College of Engineering

Mia Klopfenstein, Meridian, Idaho Degree: Bachelor of Science, Materials Science and Engineering Future Plans: Klopfenstein is pursuing a Ph.D. in materials science to research energy solutions for climate change, and would ultimately like to become an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow.

Honored Faculty: Dr. Eric Jankowski, Associate Professor, Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering

Sophia Mitchell, Eugene, Oregon Degree: Bachelor of Science, Materials Science and Engineering Future Plans: Mitchell moved to Philadelphia to work as a materials and process engineer at Boeing, and hope to eventually earn a master’s degree in business administration and/or aerospace engineering.

Honored Faculty: Dr. Paul Davis, Surface Science Lab Manager, Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering

Olivia Thomas, Boise, Idaho Degree: Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, Bachelor of Science, Games, Interactive Media and Mobile Technology (GIMM) Future Plans: Thomas works at Microsoft as a program manager Honored Faculty: Anthony Ellertson, Chair, Department of Gaming, Interactive Media & Mobile Technology

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FUTURE CONSTRUCTION MANAGMENT BUILDING The Construction Management (CM) Program at Boise State University has prepared students to enter the workforce, job ready, for over 30 years. It is the only public university in the state offering a bachelor’s degree and a minor, as well as a certificate for industry professionals.

• The CM program graduates 45+ students per year • Nearly 95% of our students complete internships before graduation.

• Nearly 90% of our students are active in national and local CM associations and clubs.

• Nearly 100% of our students receive multiple job offers within three months of graduation.

Our program has grown 50% over the past four years, causing a strain on our current deteriorating lab. It is time to build a new facility that allows our students to take classroom learning into hands-on skills development in a state-of-the-art facility to increase their value degree.

This new facility will provide an excellent showcase for the construction industry. It will be the first Boise State facility facing Beacon, a street with growing traffic. With a highly appealing exterior, the building will also feature exposed interiors that highlight various building materials and the way each is utilized.

WE INVITE YOU TO INVEST For more information about how you can contribute please contact us.

CHRISSY SHELTON Senior Director of Development College of Engineering chrissyshelton@boisestate.edu (208) 426-1422

“The Construction Management Department has encouraged learning in a variety of capacities and work in leadership positions. The best thing about the construction management program is the relationships between professors and students.

Our instructors, advisors, and peers will go out of their way to figure out how to help you through any issue; not just as something to say, but is the reality of the type of people associated with this program.”

— Hope Stauffer, ’21

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INNOVATION

A year ago, the Dry Creek Historical Society (DCHS) partnered with Boise State University’s Construction Management Association (CMA), chaired by Dr. Casey Cline, to preserve and restore the historically significant granary at the Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead.

The hand-made granary dates to the early 1870s.

As a result of their efforts, the project has earned the Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from Preservation Idaho’s Annual Orchid and Onion Awards. Previously, the team achieved this award for their reconstruction of the historic guard tower at the Minidoka National Historic Site.

In the early 1860s, Phillip Schick, originally from New York, arrived in the Dry Creek Valley near Boise, looking for a brighter future. He built a home and developed his original 160-acre claim into a 400-acre farm. In 1920 the Schick family sold the farm to Frank Parsons, a banker, who hired Costantino Ostolasa to manage the farm. Costantino, originally from the

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Basque country of Spain, ran the farm until he died in 1956. The Ostolasa family continued to work the farm and live in the farmhouse until 2005. Soon after, a group of residents formed DCHS, a nonprofit organization.

DCHS is dedicated to preserving part of Boise’s farming past. It oversees the Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead, including the old farmhouse, a detached kitchen, root cellar, saddle shop, woodshed, granary, and large horse/dairy barn, all nestled among big trees on 2 acres near open space and foothills. The buildings are over 150 years old, have begun to lean, and are on the verge of falling over. The granary’s support system is located outside of the building to keep the pressure of the stored grain from bursting the building. In addition, a cable through the interior of the building holds the structure together. These features were included in the historically accurate restoration.

ALUMNI NOTES We want to stay in touch.

Please send your updates to Leandra Aburusa-Lete laburusa@boisestate.edu

COENEngineering

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEAN’S OFFICE

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FACULTY AWARDS Krishna Pakala – Fierce Educator Krishna Pakala, an assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering was named a Fierce Educator by Fierce Education.

An excerpt from Pakala’s award page reads: “As the world shut down in March 2020, Dr. Krishna Pakala became the “Professor of the Pandemic,” utilized the far-reaching capabilities of digital technology to continue his students’ learning seamlessly. He used the functionalities provided by social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook to reach out and maintain human connections. ” Read more about Pakala’a award by scanning the QR Code.

Erin Mannen – Best Friend Award An organization that fights for product safety for children, Kids in Danger is presenting their Best Friend Award to Erin Mannen, an assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and director of the Boise Applied Biomechanics of Infants lab, “for her groundbreaking infant sleep research that has led to policy changes and saved lives.”

Mannen’s research focuses on how babies move and use their muscles while using various commercial products. Her findings have led to the recall of millions of dangerous infant inclined sleep products by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

As a result, a new standard for infant sleep products will be implemented next year.

Read more about Mannen’s award by scanning the QR Code.

Industry Advisory Board The Industry Advisory Board provides counsel to the dean to support the long-term strategic objectives for the college. Current board members are: Karen Baerlocher, Alta Science & Engineering, Inc Noel Bakhtian, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Yvette Barrios, Amazon Chris Brandt, Boise Cascade David Butzier, AECOM Chris Byrne, POWER Engineers Doug Dockter, Idaho Power Mark Durcan, Micron Technology, Inc. (retired) David Eagleton, ON Semiconductor Timothy Forhan, 3rdGear LLC Jim Gasaway, Kount Wayne Hammon, Idaho Associated General Contractors Steve Howarth, Cradlepoint Dean Klein, Micron Technology, Inc. (retired) Tom Loutzenheiser, Preco Electronics Elizabeth Marshall, Marshall GIS Timothy Morgan, An ATLAS Company Lynn Russell, COEN Emeritus Professor John Smythe, Micron Technology, Inc. Linda Somerville, Micron Technology, Inc. Marcene Taylor, Marcene Taylor, Inc. Maria Tindall, HP Inc. Marianne Walck, Idaho National Laboratory