Impact Magazine 2014

Table of Contents IMPACT | VOL. 3 | ISSUE 1

6

12

MAKING ART FROM MATH

LINGUISTIC GEOMETRY

NEWS + EVENTS 2

STUDENT SOCIETY 9

Faculty Profile

Headlines and milestones from the past year

Society of Women Engineers at CU Denver

TAM VU 15 Google + Research: supporting research in

Alumni Profile

KAREN MAESTAS 5 2014 Outstanding Woman in Engineering

AWARDS 10

capacitive touchscreen communication

2013–14 National Science Foundation Student Profile

CAREER Award recipients

RACHELLE WALTER 16 Feature

MAKING ART FROM MATH 6 Associate Professor Ellen Gethner uses

RESEARCH 11

Medicine + Engineering: research

New efficient simulations improve design of

opportunities abound in the new

zinc-anode batteries

undergraduate bioengineering program

Feature

UPCOMING EVENTS 17

math and science to create art

LINGUISTIC GEOMETRY 12

Important dates over the next year

Professor Boris Stilman’s theory of linguistic geometry could change modern warfare

DEAN Marc Ingber

E DITO R IA L R EV I EW Laura High

COV ER I L LUSTRATI ON Bryan Leister

E DITO R IA L M A NAG E ME NT Erica Lefeave

DE SIG N A ND PRODUC TI ON Anabliss Design + Brand Strategy

PH OTOGRAPH Y Glenn Asakawa, Michael Ensminger Photography

W R IT IN G Erica Lefeave

ABOUT Impact is published annually by the University of Colorado Denver College of Engineering and Applied Science for college alumni and friends. Send correspondence to Erica Lefeave, CU Denver College of Engineering and Applied Science, Campus Box 104, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364.

DEAN’S NOTE s I begin my fifth year as dean, the College of Engineering and Applied Science has accelerated an already impressive growth pattern in its educational and research programs. Student credit hours have shown an average annual increase of more than 12 percent during the last four years. Research awards have increased five-fold over the same four-year period.

But beyond the dollar figures, college faculty

prepare graduates for in-demand careers in

experiential learning and research

have received some prestigious awards,

an array of relevant fields.

opportunities.

including three National Science Foundation

In this issue of Impact, we focus on one of

I hope you enjoy this issue of Impact

CAREER awards, two National Institutes

the college's fastest growing areas—information

and learning more about the incredible

of Health Research Development Awards and

technology, a subject that affects all of our

work that’s taking place in engineering

two Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

lives. Information technology is pervasive in

at the University of Colorado Denver.

Awards, among many others.

today's world especially with the advent of

The college launched four innovative

smart phones and tablets. Our students are

certificate programs in the fall, including

being prepared to take leadership roles in

certificates in software engineering, computer

meeting the information technology demands

forensics, computer science for high school

of business, health care, government, education

teachers and computer graphics and visual

and entertainment.

effects. The digital arts certificate,

Faculty and students across the college

Kind regards,

Marc Ingber, Dean

in collaboration with the College of Arts

are performing cutting-edge research in

College of Engineering and Applied Science

& Media, prepares students to excel in a

several IT-related fields. Current research

University of Colorado Denver

multitude of industries including feature film,

spans communications, programming

broadcast, scientific visualization, medical

languages, bioinformatics, modeling and

imaging and engineering. The other three

simulation, signal processing, networking,

certificate programs are offered this fall at the

embedded systems, and human-computer

University of Colorado's new South Denver

interactions. Highlighted projects include

facility, providing greater accessibility in this

high-performance computing; distributed,

rapidly growing region of the Front Range.

wearable and remote computing;

We’ve also launched three new

algorithms; artificial intelligence;

professional graduate programs: construction

computer graphics; and more. We are

engineering and management, geomatics

partnering with many local companies

engineering and motorsports engineering. All

and government agencies in these

of these new programs are designed to meet

endeavors, providing both graduate and

the needs of our ever-changing society and to

undergraduate students with quality

NEWS AND EVENTS

Maxworth receives IEEE Life Member Graduate Study Fellowship PhD student Ashanthi Maxworth has been awarded the IEEE Life Member Graduate Study Fellowship in Electrical Engineering, which carries a $10,000 per year stipend.

Maxworth completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Moratuwa, which is the top technical university in Sri Lanka.

She joined CU Denver in spring 2013 and currently is pursuing her PhD in engineering and applied science under Assistant Professor Mark Golkowski.

AWARDS

COMPETITIONS

Mechanical engineering students place first at 2014 Shell Eco-marathon Americas In April, eight mechanical engineering students competed at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas in Houston. The CU Denver team was awarded first place in the hydrogen fuel cell prototype category when its vehicle achieved 1,259 miles per gallon. Team members Cole Booth, Kurtis Calkins, Scott Davis, Ben Johnson, Jeremy Johnson, John McGee, Alfredo Saracho and Alysha Yinger spent eight months designing and manufacturing the vehicle, called Archetype, which is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and is made of carbon fiber.

This is the second consecutive year that the CU Denver team has won first place in the hydrogen fuel cell prototype category. In 2013 the team won with a vehicle that achieved a maximum of 1,823 miles per gallon.

Engineering students receive NSF Bridge to Doctorate Awards Five engineering graduate students have been selected to participate in the National Science Foundation’s Bridge to Doctorate Program. The recipients are: Madia Stein, bioengineering; Alejandro Henao, civil engineering; Henok Ghebrechristos, computer science and engineering; David Ramirez, mechanical engineering; and Cindy Munoz, mechanical engineering. The award includes a $30,000 stipend, plus $10,000 toward tuition and fees for the first two years.

Karunanithi and Rorrer receive faculty awards Arunprakash Karunanithi, associate professor of civil engineering, and Ronald Rorrer, associate professor of mechanical engineering, were honored as recipients of CU Denver faculty excellence awards by Provost Roderick Nairn at the CU Denver Celebration of Faculty Excellence event in September. Karunanithi received the Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Activities Award in recognition of his contributions in research and his collaborative involvement with students in his research. Rorrer received the Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award in recognition of his contributions to CU Denver faculty and his colleagues’ high regard.

2

COMPETITIONS

Students compete at Cornell Cup USA In May, five electrical engineering students, Samir Hashem, Thanh Bui, Michael Bourquin, Anthony Supino and Shraddha Shakya,

Shandas and Yakacki receive Technology Transfer Awards

Li named assistant dean of international education

Robin Shandas, chair and professor of

Chengyu Li, professor of civil engineering, has

bioengineering, and Christopher Yakacki,

been named assistant dean of international

assistant professor of mechanical engineering,

education. This is an important position

both received CU Denver | Anschutz

as the college continues to develop several

Technology Transfer Awards. Yakacki was

collaborations with international universities.

awarded New Inventor of the Year, and

Li was instrumental in the development

EndoShape Inc., a company based on

of the 3 + 1 + 1 program with three Chinese

work by Shandas, was awarded the CU

universities. The college also has partnerships

Denver | Anschutz Company of the Year.

with institutions in Spain and Italy.

competed in the third annual Cornell Cup USA at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Their project, Remote Emergency Biometric System (REBs), is a mobile biomonitoring system that collects and transfers vital-signs data wirelessly, enabling remote monitoring for a large number of patients in emergency scenarios.

Members of team REBs effectively demonstrated their design problem and solution in formal presentations and fielded questions from the official judges. This is the second year that CU Denver students have competed in the Cornell Cup under the guidance of Assistant Professor Dan Connors.

Bioscience 2 building breaks ground In April, the university and the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority broke ground on a medical research incubator building, Bioscience 2, at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. The 112,000 square-foot building is being built on the 184-acre Fitzsimons Life Science District.

Once complete, the four-story building will house the bioengineering programs on the first and parts of the second floors. The building is scheduled to open in August 2015.

S P OTLIG HT

Altholz receives CU Denver undergraduate research grant Jacob Altholz, an undergraduate student in bioengineering, received a CU Denver Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) grant for academic year 2014–15.

For his research experience Altholz is working in Associate Research Professor Richard Weir’s lab helping to design and construct a new functioning finger prosthetic. His goal is to simplify existing prostheses, allowing for a more natural range of motion. This project is part of Weir’s larger goal of developing fully functioning and comprehensive upper-limb prostheses.

UROP funds approximately 30 projects each year in all fields of study. It is hoped that through this program students will receive a deeper understanding of methodologies in all aspects of research.

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NEW P ROG RA M S

New Faces FARNOUSH BANAEI-KASHANI Farnoush Banaei-Kashani comes to the college from the University of Southern California and joins the Department of Computer Science and Engineering as an assistant professor. His research focuses on fundamental and applied data management with a special interest in data-driven decision-making systems, i.e., systems that automate the

College launches three new graduate programs This fall the college launched three new

process of decision-making based on data.

HEIDI BROTHERS

professional graduate degree programs, which culminate with the Master of

Heidi Brothers joins the college as a clinical teaching track

Engineering degree: construction engineering

assistant professor in civil engineering, specifically the

and management (CEM), geomatics

construction engineering and management program. Most

engineering, and motorsports engineering.

recently, Brothers taught civil engineering technology at

The CEM program was developed with

Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has 28 years

support from an advisory board of industry

of experience in areas including sustainable design, civil and

professionals that identified a need for

environmental engineering, environmental management,

managers in the construction industry.

teaching, research and more.

The program is backed by the accredited CU Denver Business School and the College of Architecture and Planning. More information is available at engineering.ucdenver.edu/cem.

CAROLINE CLEVENGER

The geomatics engineering program provides broad-based expertise and cutting-

Caroline Clevenger joins the college as assistant director of

edge skills that span the growing geospatial

construction engineering and management and associate

field and helps alleviate the shortage of

professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. Before

well-educated geospatial professionals. It is

coming to CU Denver, she was an assistant professor in

one of just a handful of geomatics programs

the Department of Construction Management at Colorado

in the country, and is administered by

State University. Clevenger’s research interests include

acclaimed industry professionals. Learn

sustainability, energy efficient buildings, project delivery

more about this program at engineering.

process improvement and building information modeling.

ucdenver.edu/geomatics.

The motorsports engineering program provides a rigorous education in mechanical engineering with a focus on motorsports

STEPHEN GEDNEY

and in-depth exposure to the design–build process. The goal of the program is to

Stephen Gedney joins the Department of Electrical

graduate engineers who have had the

Engineering as professor and department chair. Since 1991

opportunity to work with state-of-the-art

he’s been with the University of Kentucky, most recently as

equipment on comprehensive mechanical

a professor in electrical and computer engineering. Gedney’s

engineering projects. More information

research interests include computational electromagnetics,

is available at engineering.ucdenver.edu/

electromagnetic scattering, microwave circuit device

motorsports.

modeling, parallel computational methods and parasitic extraction of mixed signal systems.

4

ALUMNI PROFILE

ENGINEERING+LEADERSHIP Maestas named 2014 Outstanding Woman in Engineering

he American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado named Karen Maestas, MS civil engineering 2001, the 2014 Outstanding Woman in Engineering. This prestigious award recognizes an outstanding woman in a leadership position for achievements in the engineering profession and for being a visible role model for young engineers.

“Engineering is a challenging profession,

Maestas, a senior project manager at URS

“Solving problems is something I love to do,

Corporation, manages a complex portfolio

and throughout my career, I have certainly

and it takes dedication and perseverance to successfully complete your engineering

of mine reclamation projects that has grown

dealt with many challenging situations. Being

annually from approximately $500,000 in

involved in successful environmental cleanups

education. Be confident, and listen carefully

2007 to more than $8 million in 2013. These

is one of the most gratifying parts of my job.

to your mentors along the way—they have

projects involve numerous state and federal

It’s amazing to see technology in action.”

a lot to teach you about the real world

requirements and a host of technical and implementation challenges.

Using her expert technical abilities, management and communication skills

As an active community member, she also speaks out to promote math and science

of engineering.

“Your success as an engineer often comes

education to students ranging from

down to how well you understand the

elementary school to higher education.

problem at hand, and whether you can

and a thorough understanding of business

communicate clearly and effectively

operations, Maestas leads a large and

to bring the right technical solution.

diverse technical team that provides a wide range of turnkey services for these multistate mine sites. Her ability to lead multiple, concurrent and interconnected technical projects and to communicate effectively about complex technical subjects in a way that is accessible to the public are hallmarks of her career.

“Engineering is a rewarding profession, and I encourage women to wholeheartedly pursue their dreams!”

Under her leadership, URS has been working with a university to test a biological treatment method to address

“I’ve had great mentors over the years,

elevated sulfate levels present in acid rock

both men and women. When I graduated

drainage at a mine site. Maestas’ team is

from college more than 20 years ago, about

also experimenting with spent brewer’s

one in five engineers was a woman, and

grain, ordinarily a waste product of beer

that has not really changed much in the last

production, as a carbon source, which is

two decades.”

a promising “green” alternative for mine water cleanup.

“It is such an honor to be recognized as outstanding in my profession,” Maestas says.

This is something she hopes will change.

Leading by example, Maestas encourages women to pursue careers in engineering and science. She offers these words of advice.

Karen Maestas, MS 2001, encourages young women across the state to pursue careers in engineering and science.

Engineering is a rewarding profession, and I encourage women to wholeheartedly pursue their dreams!”

FEATURE STORY

T

he interplay among math, science and art may not be clear to many, but for Ellen Gethner, associate professor of computer science and engineering, finding ways to use math and science to create artwork is a passion. Inspired by a demonstration in her high school geometry class, she has been applying mathematical foundations to artwork for decades—from algorithms inspired by M.C. Escher’s mathematical work to translating music to a computerized visual interpretation.

“My geometry teacher colored a small square piece of paper with an M.C. Escher-like drawing and then he took four small, square mirrors, and stood them upright and perpendicular to one another around the drawing,” Gethner explains. “When looking at the reflection of the mirrors playing off of one another, you get an instant infinite and beautiful tiling of the plane, also known as a wallpaper pattern. That simple example combines math and physics to produce a stunning piece of artwork.”

6

T H E M AT H OF M .C. ES CHER Stemming from that high school geometry demonstration, Gethner has great interest in the mathematics of M.C. Escher’s work.

It’s said that Escher worked to understand many mathematical principles only to use them in his artwork. One such project involved creating a pattern inside of a square tile that could then be rotated and reflected to create an infinite wallpaper pattern from that single tile. According to Gethner, his idea was to overlay a number of polygons in a square, call the resulting pattern the motif, make four copies of the motif, and then add four copies of the motif to a larger square made up of four squares in a grid.

MAKING ART FROM MATH “Before placing each of the motifs in the larger two-by-two grid, you are allowed to rotate and/

hand investigation to try to count the number

theory—that upon input of a given motif in a

of different patterns arising from a two-by-two

square tile, one can always find a finite colored

or reflect each one,” she explains. “By doing so,

tile and, according to Gethner, he came pretty

you can create many ‘different’ square tiles. If

close to the right answer.

you then tile the plane with this single square

“The combination of computer science and

“prototile” that, upon vertical and horizontal translations, yields a colored wallpaper pattern in which ribbons are colored uniformly and

tile, you have a large variety of infinite wallpaper

math are central to the role of automation

patterns made from one motif.”

and efficiency this work requires,” she

“This again gave rise to a method, albeit

says. “I wrote several papers that gave the

much more complicated, for producing the

Escher had an application for his initial tiling

overlapping ribbons are colored differently.

question—he wanted the ability to produce

mathematics behind and a formula for the

infinite from the finite. It was an exciting

many different wallpaper patterns from either

exact number of wallpaper patterns arising

discovery and nice interweaving of different

one (rotations only) or two (rotations and

from using a single motif (rotated and/or

areas of mathematics and computer science

reflections) templates, so he was looking for

reflected) n2 times in an n-by-n grid square.”

that led to the solution,” she says. “With the

a cost effective way to manufacture many in the design. The tricky part was to determine

PR O D U C IN G T H E IN F IN IT E FR OM T H E F IN IT E

the number of patterns, which have come to be

Through her research, Gethner has also shown—

known as “ribbons.” Escher did a laborious by-

using algorithms, graph theory and number

patterns as well as give the consumer some say

algorithmic solution in hand, we wanted to use it to color some of Escher’s interesting motifs as well as design our own.”

What she has found, however, is that any pattern that requires five or more colors is Cont’d on next page >

7

difficult to make visually appealing without

“We are learning about frequency of both

some depth of knowledge of what it takes

sound and colors and working toward a

to make attractive color combinations. This

usable method to match and then display

challenge led to some of her current work

them,” she says. “We have a way to go on

of making art with music.

“While some of this research may be seen to be subjective, there are scientific properties of

this part and are both working to learn more

its sound; all of these factors will play into the final artistic creation.

“The idea is that harmonious sounds should look good on the screen, and dissonance should look bad,” says Gethner.

“A lot of this is very subjective, as it should be

about sound and color.”

For their first attempt, Steinmetz and

since we are trying to create art. The point is

sound and light that are of interest and of help

Gethner are encoding sound and color

to be imaginative in transforming from one

to us,” she says.

using the frequency, which is challenging.

domain to another: The sky is the limit.”

Determining frequency of individual musical

To better help with this project, Gethner

CREATING ART FR O M M US I C

notes involves being able to sample the sound

is taking piano lessons, through which she

Using the natural numerical encoding of both

in real time and then converting it to artwork

discovered an interesting puzzle. A C-major

sound and color, Gethner is working with

to be displayed on a computer screen.

scale has a somewhat positive cheery sound

Shannon Steinmetz, a master’s student in the

Steinmetz devised a method to retrieve

while an A-minor scale (or any minor scale)

integrated sciences program at CU Denver,

sound during a live performance and then

is a bit sad and contemplative. The exact same

to create artwork from music. The goal of

convert it by way of a discrete Fourier

set of notes is played in increasing order in

the project, according to Steinmetz, “…is to

transform—a mathematical function that

both scales; the only difference is the note

construct a mathematical model that can

transforms signals between time domain

from which it begins. “Since our ultimate goal

provide an analytic mapping between repeated

and frequency domain—to a sine wave.

is to create artwork that reflects the music

harmonic and/or dissonant melodies, and

On said wave, the higher the amplitude the

being played, we need to be able to detect the

patterns of visually pleasing or displeasing color.”

louder the note and the shorter the period

difference between major and minor,” she says.

In other words, they’re working to find a way to

the higher the pitch. As an experiment,

convey the mood of the music through art.

using the time domain, Steinmetz created

is that unlike proving mathematical theorems,

a visualization in which each note played

which are either true or false, is that opinion

So, how does one determine the numerical

“One of the fun aspects of this project for me

encoding of color and sound? This question

is represented as an arc traced over a swath

and experiment play a big role in the outcome

is the heart of the research project, and once

of three-dimensional space. Each arc has

of how the result is automated by way of an

answered, the solution can be applied to

a starting and ending angle based on the

algorithm,” says Gethner. “This kind of work

other areas of Gethner’s research.

changes in amplitude, and a radius that is

has much more of an artistic flavor.”

dependent on the amplitude of the main signal.

The resulting visualization is a set of geometric shapes that collaborate to

The point is to be imaginative in transforming from one domain to another.”

form conic slices describing an interval of the signal. Colors are constructed by converting the signal information into red, green and blue values using amplitude, previous amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio, respectively. Ultimately, Gethner and Steinmetz want to leverage the discrete Fourier transform and frequency mappings to color a shape according to the frequency of

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. 8

Ellen Gethner, associate professor of computer science and engineering, finds ways to use mathematical functions to create works of art.

ST U DENT S O C I E T Y

Making an impression: Society of Women Engineers at CU Denver rewarding, and to encourage them to pursue degrees in these areas,” she says. “SWE was one avenue that allowed this link between young girls and college students.”

SWE faculty advisor, Maryam Darbeheshti, hopes that the work of groups like SWE will help continue to shrink the statistical minority of women in the engineering and STEM fields.

“It’s important to empower young women to pursue futures in STEM,” she says. “The

F

students in SWE are energetic, smart and OUR YEARS AGO, THE CU DENVER

“The biggest accomplishment of our chapter

full of new ideas. I’m extremely proud of this

is increasing our membership and outreach,”

group of students and excited to see what the

chapter emerged from dormancy. Since then,

says Chelsea Starr, chapter president and a

future brings.”

membership has more than tripled and the

senior in mechanical engineering. “One of

group continues to gain momentum. Already

the biggest obstacles that we have had to

her sights are set on the big picture and the

this year, they are part of two college NSF

overcome is the lack of participation.”

future of the organization. “I hope to leave CU

Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

CAREER grant proposals and a STEM proposal

When Starr joined SWE as a freshman,

Although Starr graduates next May, she

Denver with valuable leadership qualities and

with the CU Denver Mathematical and

she was motivated by the networking

experience, as well as satisfaction knowing

Statistical Sciences Department, and they

opportunities with female engineers in

that our SWE chapter continues to grow.”

are mentoring students at area high schools,

the workplace and the opportunity to help

including an all-female team of high school

increase awareness about STEM fields through

students who will compete at the 2015 Shell

K-12 outreach. “It is important to tell today’s

Eco-Marathon Americas in Detroit.

high school students why STEM fields are so

For more information about the organization, visit societyofwomenengineers.swe.org.

N EW P ROG RA M

Computer science partners with the College of Arts & Media to offer innovative new certificate program

T

HE DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER

the driving force of the program for the

animation and visual effects. Those who

Science and Engineering has teamed

college. “Through this program, students will

complete the program will be prepared

up with the Digital Animation Center (DAC)

learn how the fundamentals of computer

for opportunities at animation studios,

in the College of Arts & Media to offer a

science and computer graphics techniques

computer game development companies and

new undergraduate certificate program in

are applied and how they are becoming an

multimedia industries.

computer graphics and visual effects. The

enabling technology for modern computer

new program blends the technical side of

animation,” he says.

computer science with the artistic side of

According to Choi, this is a unique program

Certificate completion requires students to take core courses from their home department, three courses from the other

the DAC to foster a synergistic partnership

that fosters innovative education intersected

program, and then complete the joint capstone

between the two programs.

by both art and engineering. Students will

courses during the final two semesters.

Min-Hyung Choi, associate professor of computer science and engineering, is

be trained in project-oriented environments for producing technically advanced computer

9

AWARDS

2013–2014 National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipients Assistant Professor of Electrical

burden. Furthermore, with the prevalence

Engineering Mark Golkowski received

of interconnected electronics, ground-based

a 2013 National Science Foundation

electrical and communication systems

CAREER Award. Golkowski’s CAREER award

are more vulnerable to detrimental space

project, “Whistler Mode Wave Propagation,

weather events than ever before.

Amplification and Coupling,” is a five-

Through his CAREER program, Golkowski

year investigation of electromagnetic

will provide exposure for a diverse audience

wave propagation in the near-Earth space

to advanced research and will use novel

environment. The research involves ground-

numerical tools to improve engineering and

based observations of low frequency waves

mathematics instruction. He was motivated

in Alaska, special laboratory experiments

by two well-documented deterrents to science

performed at the Naval Research

and engineering career paths: insufficient

Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and

mathematical proficiency and a perceived

theoretical simulations performed at the

lack of instruction in applicable, real-world

University of Colorado Denver.

skills in college-level curricula. Unfortunately,

The space environment enveloping the

these impediments tend to be most prevalent for underrepresented minorities. From his

Assistant Professor

hosts a rich array of physical processes

teaching experience, Golkowski also knows

Department of Mechanical Engineering

as well as billions of dollars worth of

that electromagnetic waves are a prime

spacecraft assets. Golkowski sees the

example of key engineering and science

scientific discoveries of the CAREER

material that is notoriously intimidating to

project as significantly enhancing current

potential students.

understanding of magnetospheric physics,

Golkowski’s CAREER project seeks to

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Christopher Yakacki received a 2014 National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Yakacki’s CAREER award

including the large-scale energy dynamics

address these issues by leveraging the

project, “A Two-Stage Processing Approach

known as space weather. Space weather

current popularity of mobile smartphones

to Shape-Switching Liquid-Crystalline

effects are a leading limitation to spacecraft

among students and youth. Golkowski

Elastomers for Biomedical Applications,” is a

lifetime and thus a significant economic

and his research assistants will work with

five-year investigation into the development

CU Denver senior design instructors to

of a reaction mechanism to tailor and

develop a special smartphone application

manufacture liquid-crystalline elastomers

that allows students to make recordings of

(LCEs) for biomedical applications.

electromagnetic waves and also visualize

MARK GOLKOWSKI, PHD Assistant Professor Department of Electrical Engineering

10

CHRISTOPHER YAKACKI, PHD

Earth (the near-Earth space environment)

LCEs are a class of smart polymers that

key aspects of electromagnetic phenomena.

can repeatedly change shape and optical

This application will allow students to

properties in response to a stimulus, such as

improve their understanding of math and

heat or light. Traditionally, LCEs have been

science and to record and examine the low-

difficult to synthesize and manufacture for

frequency waves that are the primary topic of

applications such as biomedical devices.

Golkowski’s research. Through this application,

This CAREER award is to investigate a new

the project will provide a much-needed bridge

approach and reaction mechanism to

between a dominant mobile culture and the

tailor and manufacture these materials

underrepresented education and career paths

for biomedical applications, specifically

necessary to create and sustain it.

shape-changing biomedical devices.

Golkowski obtained his BS degree

Shape-changing biomedical devices

from Cornell University and his MS and

promote minimally invasive surgery. Devices

PhD degrees in electrical engineering from

can be compacted to a small size, inserted

Stanford University. He joined the Department

through a small incision, and deployed once

of Electrical Engineering in 2010.

inside the body. Many medical devices

RE S E A RC H

New simulation methods help improve design of zinc-anode batteries

Z

INC-ANODE BATTERIES HAVE BEEN STUDIED AS A LOW- COST,

long-cycle life system for grid-scale energy storage. Kannan Premnath, assistant

are left in place permanently, however,

professor of mechanical engineering, is involved in the development and application

some devices need to be adjusted over

of efficient methods for the simulation of electrodeposition phenomena in these

time or even removed. LCEs offer the

batteries to help improve their design and operating conditions.

opportunity to have the device return to

“Energy storage represents a critical component in the redistribution and use of both

its compacted shape for easier removal.

conventional and renewable sources of energy for different applications,” he says. “It is

Because of the soft nature of the material

important to develop new technologies that are reliable and cost-effective with minimal

and its unique optical properties, Yakacki

negative influence on the environment.”

will use this award to continue his work with Dr. Malik Kahook and the

In zinc-anode batteries, the electrodeposition and dissolution of an electrode occurs during charging

Department of Ophthalmology in the

and discharging cycles, respectively. The

University of Colorado School of Medicine

electrodeposition often results in the formation of

to develop new ophthalmic LCE devices.

Yakacki’s CAREER award will also

pointed needle-like structures on the electrodes known as dendrites, which are undesirable because their

serve to create summer workshops

growth over time impedes the performance of batteries.

for local high school students, which

“The mechanism of electrodeposition is complicated

will give them a hands-on experience

because the morphology of the deposits depends

in how smart polymers can be used

strongly on the operating parameters like the applied

in biomedical applications. Using this

voltage and electrolyte concentration,” says

new technology, Yakacki will apply his

Premnath. “Thus, it is crucially important

teaching and industry experience to

to understand the complex underlying

design and develop interference devices

processes involved in the electrodeposition

for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears,

phenomena using modeling and

which also illustrates how the fields

simulations. We have developed algorithms

of mechanical engineering, materials

to make computations for these

science, and bioengineering can combine.

simulations more efficient.”

He hopes to show that engineering isn’t a confined area of study, and that although

This research, which is in collaboration with the City University of New York

there are individual degree programs,

Energy Institute, involves state-of-the-art

engineers often solve problems using

modeling and simulation methods and their

an interdisciplinary approach. Through

implementation on large parallel computer

this endeavor, Yakacki wants to give

clusters. These physics-based simulations

students a better look at how a college

provide a fundamental understanding of

education can lead to unique, real-world

the various multiscale flow and interfacial

opportunities and experiences.

processes in these batteries, which

Yakacki received his BS, MS, and PhD in

offer valuable insights for their design

mechanical engineering from the University

and improvements. By developing more

of Colorado Boulder. He joined the

efficient methods, Premnath and his fellow

Department of Mechanical Engineering

researchers will enable faster simulations

in 2012.

of large-scale problems under different parametric conditions.

“The new method resulted in several orders of improvements in computational efficiency while delivering accurate physical results that matched well with recent measurement data thereby demonstrating its predictive capabilities,” he says.

11

FEAT U RE STO RY

LINGUISTIC GEOMETRY FROM FIGHTING WARS TO COMPUTING THEM

12

W H AT IF CO N V E N T IO N A L armed forces were equipped with a tool that changed the way wars were fought forever?

What if every military unit had something like an animated X-ray into the future that showed all enemy activities and how best to protect against them? And what if these predictions were updated in real time?

Take it a step further and imagine a future without missiles or nuclear warheads and with limited conventional weapons. What if the outcome of wars was decided without actual fighting but by computers instead?

According to Department of Computer Science and Engineering Professor Boris Stilman and his theory of linguistic geometry (LG), it’s not a question of what if; it’s a question of when.

The goal of the project was… in other words, to mathematically replicate human thinking.”

“Currently, little by little, the U.S. Army

Stilman’s research on new game theory

Putting LG to the test

is adopting our LG software to global

started in 1972 in Moscow. For 16 years he

The Defense Advanced Research Projects

intelligence systems in stationary and

was involved in the advanced research project

Agency (DARPA) is the primary research agency

mobile command posts around the world,

PIONEER led by former world chess champion

at the U.S. Department of Defense and is

to command and control systems inside

Mikhail Botvinnik and funded by the (former)

one of the main defense research agencies

thousands of infantry assault vehicles, and

U.S.S.R. State Committee for Science and

in the world. It funds the development of

even to soldiers’ handhelds,” Stilman says.

Technology. The goal of the project was to

technologies that may lead to revolutionary

discover and mathematically formalize the

improvements in warfighting and to

visionary software will start saving lives of

methodology used by the most advanced

technology in general. In 1999, a series of LG-

American soldiers and, maybe, start changing

chess experts in solving chess problems; in

focused proposals to DARPA yielded a success

the course of wars around the world.”

other words, to mathematically replicate

for Stilman. As part of the team led by the

LG is a type of game theory discovered by

human thinking. Over the course of the project,

Rockwell Science Center, he received a grant

“In a couple of years, or even sooner, this

Stilman that allows people to solve classes

Stilman developed the theoretical foundations

to develop the LG-based command and control

of adversarial games of practical scale and

of a new approach that showed its power far

system for the Joint Force Air Component

complexity. It is ideally suited for problems

beyond the initial chess problem. This became

Commander project of the U.S. Air Force. It was

that can be represented as abstract board

the basis for the development of LG.

through this project that Stilman and his team—

games, for example, military decision

In 1991, Stilman joined the Department

aids, intelligent control of unmanned

of Computer Science and Engineering at the

other universities and STILMAN—developed the

vehicles, simulation-based acquisition,

University of Colorado Denver, and in 1999, he

first full-scale software prototype of the

high-level sensor fusion, cyberwar, robotic

founded STILMAN Advanced Strategies to lead

LG defense application.

manufacturing and more. The advantage of

the development of LG applications and to test

LG is that it provides extraordinarily fast and

and transition them for use in society. STILMAN

scalable algorithms to find the best strategies

was founded with the encouragement and

for concurrent multi-agent systems. Unlike

approval of the CU Denver administration.

other gaming approaches, the LG algorithms permit modeling a truly intelligent enemy. LG

including members from CU Denver, several

“Our work with STILMAN was openly encouraged,” says Stilman. “STILMAN

is applicable to the non-zero-sum games and

founders have always believed that

to the games with incomplete information,

a collaborative relationship with the

for example, imperfect sensors, weather and

university is mutually beneficial.”

enemy deception.

PRO F E S S OR B O R IS S T I L M A N 13

the U.S. Army simulation package OneSAF.

What’s next?

The two teams were housed in different

Historically, LG was developed by generalizing

rooms, and the Red team didn’t know

experiences of advanced chess players. Fifteen

whether it was fighting with a RAID-assisted

years of successfully applying LG to a highly

Blue commander or a human-assisted Blue

diverse set of modern military operations has

commander. In all the experiments the RAID-

led Stilman and his team of researchers to

assisted Blue team outperformed the human-

believe that LG is something more fundamental

assisted Blue team and consistently defeated

than yet another mathematical model of

the Red team.

efficient wargaming.

“After each simulated fight, DARPA

“I suggested that LG is a mathematical model

requested the Red commander to answer the

of human thinking about armed conflict

question, ‘With whom have you just fought,

resolution, a warfighting model at the level

humans or RAID?’” says Stilman. “In 44

of superintelligence,” he says. “To explain its

development and testing of LG applications

percent of the cases, the Red commander was

chess-related heritage, we should recall that

and technology transfer didn’t happen

wrong. In a sense, RAID successfully passed

the game of chess was originally invented

until 2004 when STILMAN was awarded

the informal Turing Test of whether it is true

1,500 years ago as a gaming model of ancient

the DARPA real-time adversarial intelligence

artificial intelligence.” He cautions, however,

wars. To formally prove this hypothesis we

However, significant progress in the

and decision-making (RAID) project, a highly ambitious project in artificial intelligence aimed at developing automated tools to perform predictive analysis of enemy behavior, actions and intentions. It was time to apply LG technology to complex military operations and to test its advantages.

For the RAID project, DARPA chose one of the most difficult types of operations— Military Operations in Urban Terrain— similar to those conducted by the U.S. Army in Iraq. Though the smallest entity on the team, STILMAN was responsible for

The game of chess was originally invented 1,500 years ago as a gaming model of ancient wars.

the key item: an LG-based “brain” behind the software oracle RAID that predicts the future for human adversarial teams Blue

should have demonstrated the power of LG

tool, RAID must be applied properly.

on ancient wars that happened before the

“Military advisors to DARPA see great

game of chess had yet to be invented. So far,

oracle estimates enemy courses of action

opportunities in RAID, but also warn

we demonstrated this theoretically on major

and suggests the best responses for the Blue

about the need for appropriate use.”

battles of Alexander the Great, Hannibal,

and Red. As part of such prediction, this

team against the actions of the Red team insurgents in real time.

After 30 projects over the last 15 years, Stilman believes a transition to

and Julius Caesar.”

So, perhaps in the not-so-distant future,

Over the course of the project, DARPA

the LG technology is finally happening.

the U.S. armed forces will be able to better

and the U.S. Army tested RAID software in

A growing number of applications of LG

predict the strategies of their enemies, and

six experiments, some of which lasted more

have passed comprehensive testing and

modern society will have access to “what-if”

than a month. In each experiment—following

are currently being applied in real-world

analysis of historic battles, all because of the

recommendations provided by RAID—the

command and control systems in the

mathematical models contained in LG, and

Blue team, simulating the U.S. Army, fought

United States.

a scientist’s initial interest in strategies used

the Red team of insurgents. Both teams used

14

that like any technology, weapon or

in the game of chess.

FACULTY PROFILE

GOOGLE+RESEARCH

Supporting research in capacitive touchscreen communication s society relies more and more on smartphones, tablets and other post-PC devices, traditional methods for identifying and authenticating users are becoming cumbersome and time-consuming. Tam Vu, assistant professor in computer science and engineering, is addressing this problem through his research project One Ring to Rule Them All. The project aims to provide a ubiquitous

“Existing technologies often fail on one

practice. We are currently working closely

of the two requirements, if not both,”

with our sponsor contact at Google to move

authentication through a novel communication

he explains. “Our proposed method of

the project forward.”

technique called capacitive touchscreen

authentication is unique and timely. It

communication. Vu received a one-year Google

makes use of the popular touch screens and

completing his PhD at the WINLAB/Department

Research Award to help support his efforts,

touch surfaces as a communication medium,

of Computer Science at Rutgers University in

the first Google Award for CU Denver, and the

eliminating the need to use the legacy wireless

New Jersey. He currently heads the Mobile and

fourth for the University of Colorado system.

communication that is known to be prone to

Networked Systems lab, where they work on

eavesdropping.”

various aspects of mobile systems and wireless

solution for user identification and

Vu joined the college in fall 2013 after

networks including mobile healthcare, mobile communications, mobile context discovery, mobile-centric Internet architecture and

“Our initial invention… was well received by both academic and industrial audiences.”

This new method uses the universal “Our initial invention of the technology had shown a very promising result and

capacitive touchscreens found in today’s electronic devices as receivers for decoding

was well received by both academic and

identification and authentication information

industrial audiences,” says Vu. “These initial

transmitted from custom-designed, wearable

outcomes encouraged us to apply for the

hardware tokens, such as a ring or a watch.

awards from Google.”

The goal is to unify all forms of authentication

The capacitive touchscreen communication technology has the ability to change the way society uses smartphones and other portable devices. According to Vu, the maturity of mobile personal and smart devices creates a strong need for authentication methods that are both secure and convenient.

tokens, including credit cards, SIM cards and car keys into a single, wearable ring.

“I am so humbled to have been chosen for this award knowing that there were many qualified proposals submitted,” says Vu. “The funds will go far in helping us push our technology to security and privacy protection

Tam Vu, assistant professor of computer science and engineering, received a one-year Google award to fund his research in capacitive touchscreen communication.

mobile system security and privacy. Outside of work, Vu enjoys photographing coffee shops around the city, watching TED® talks and hanging out with friends and family.

STUDENT PROFILE

MEDICINE+ENGINEERING

Research opportunities abound in new undergraduate bioengineering program ver since she was a kid, Rachelle Walter has wavered between pursuing a career in the medical field and studying engineering. When she came across the new undergraduate bioengineering program at CU Denver, she thought it was a perfect match.

Now that she’s completed her first year, she’s

understand more about the early stages of

certain she made the right choice. The course

development in Type I and Type II Diabetes and

work is challenging, but Walter knows you have

could potentially lead to therapeutic targets to

to work hard to get what you want—it’s a lesson

inhibit or delay their development.

she learned from watching her father, and one

“With diabetes, you have an accomplishable

she appreciates every day. As she begins her

goal,” she says. “This disease doesn’t change

second year in the program, Walter is doing all

over time, which is really awesome to get into.”

she can to make sure her dreams become a reality.

“I really like the program in that it’s new and

In addition to the research award, Walter also received a travel grant to the 2015 APS

that it’s smaller,” she says. “They’re teaching

annual Experimental Biology meeting in Boston

us material from industry ... Knowing we’ll be

to present her research data.

prepared is really awesome.”

This past summer Walter participated in the prestigious American Physiological Society (APS)

Walter applied to the APS fellowship program with the hopes of gaining hands-on research experience and the opportunity to decide

Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship

whether she enjoyed it. Ultimately, she wants

program, which funds undergraduate students

to continue into either the National Institutes of

to do research for a 10-week period. The program

Health Medical Scientist Training Program or the MD/PhD bioengineering program. And although her eye is on graduate programs, she wants to

“I want to help people and to make a difference.”

become fluent in German and to learn about law.

“My back-up plan is to become a patent lawyer,” she says. “I don’t want to have just one path planned because things can change.”

Regardless of the path she chooses, Walter

is designed to introduce students to a scientific

knows her hard work will pay off. “My greatest

research career in which each student works

inspiration is my dad,” she says. “He led by

on his or her own research question in an

example and showed me that if you try hard

established APS investigator laboratory. Walter

and put your mind to it, you can accomplish

worked with Richard Benninger, assistant

anything. He taught me to be how I am today.”

professor in bioengineering, and post-doctoral

For now, her experiences in the bioengineering

researcher Nikki Farnsworth, to investigate pro-

program have made her more confident in her

inflammatory cytokine induced changes in gap

current path. “I want to help people and to

junction coupling in the pancreatic islet and to

make a difference. I can’t wait to gain more

determine a potential mechanism for overcoming

knowledge about research and also contribute

these changes. This study will help researchers

to the advancement of medicine.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

CE L E B R AT E

Commencement Celebrations

What’s your story?

We’ve shared some of our stories, and now

DECEMBER 13, 2014 | COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER MAY 16, 2015 | AURARIA CAMPUS

we want to hear from you. Tell us about the

Each semester, graduating students participate in commencement ceremonies to mark

to Erica Lefeave at erica.lefeave@ucdenver.

the completion of their degree and a new beginning for what comes next. Everyone

edu or at CU Denver College of Engineering

is invited to attend and to congratulate our newest class of alumni. Find additional

and Applied Science, Campus Box 104,

details at ucdenver.edu/commencement.

P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364.

impact you’re making by sending an update

Get involved We’re always looking for ways to build stronger connections with our alumni, our partners and the community. If you want to get involved with the college— as a mentor, a volunteer or through internships—contact the Office of the Dean at 303-556-2870.

Support your college Give a scholarship, send a student team to an engineering competition or support cutting-edge research. Your gift makes a tremendous impact at the college.

For more information on how you can help, contact Noelle DeLage at noelle.delage@ucdenver.edu

CO MP E T E

or 303-315-2026.

Fall and Spring Senior Design Competitions DECEMBER 12, 2014 AND MAY 15, 2015 | AURARIA CAMPUS

1,000 More campaign

Come see our students’ finest work as they present their senior design projects to a

This year, CU Denver

panel of industry judges and compete for cash prizes. Visit engineering.ucdenver.edu/

launched 1,000 More,

seniordesign in early December and in early May for information about the showcased

a campaign to foster

projects and event timing and location.

student success and provide financial support for 1,000 additional CU Denver students every year, and to triple private support for scholarships by 2020. Both

C E L E B R AT E

Year-End Celebration 2015

need-based and merit-based scholarships are priorities during 1,000 More, as are scholarships for international students,

MAY 15, 2015 | NINTH STREET PARK AURARIA CAMPUS

study abroad opportunities, transfer

Join faculty, staff, students and alumni for sun, BBQ,

Learn more about the campaign

conversation and fun as the college hosts its fourth

and how you can contribute at

annual Year-End Celebration. Visit engineering.

ucdenver.edu/1000more.

students and graduate students.

ucdenver.edu/celebration this spring for details.

17

NO NP RO FIT O RGANIZATIO N U.S. P O STAGE

PAID

DENVER, C O P ERM IT NO . 8 3 1

College of Engineering and Applied Science Campus Box 104 P.O. Box 173364 Denver, CO 80217-3364

VISIT US 1200 Larimer Street, Suite 3024 Denver, Colorado 80204 Tel: 303.556.2870 FIND US ONLINE engineering.ucdenver.edu

ABOUT: Information technology is a subject that affects all of our lives, especially with the advent of smart phones and tablets. Our students are prepared to meet the IT demands of business, health care, government, education and entertainment.

Cert no. SW-COC-001530