January 8, 2018
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Let’s start the new year off with congratulations to:
Eight students who have signed up for our NAE Grand Challenges Scholars program. They are: Raymond Chin ’18, Eva Hansen ’18, Emma Luke ’19, and Warish Orko ’21 of biomedical engineering; Andrew Balogh ’21 of chemical engineering; Shannon Lue Chee Lip ’21 of computer science; Madhavan Murali ’21 of mechanical engineering; and Sang Pak ’21 of psychology. They have chosen challenges ranging from providing access to clean water to engineering better medicines. Read more here.
The Department of Computer Science for positive responses on 23 grant and gift proposals during the last half of 2017, representing a grand total of $4,149,126 in new funding — $3,841,837 of it external. Topping the list: A $1.546 million Office of Naval Research grant for John Criswell for his project “Slimming, Simplifying and Securing Software Systems,” a $498,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for Chen Ding, a $450,000 NSF grant for Michael Scott, a $350,000 NSF grant for Chenliang Xu, a $302,000 NSF grant for Jiebo Luo, and a $156,000 NSF grant for Ji Liu. A variety of smaller awards went to Chen Ding, Dan Gildea, Henry Kautz, Lane Hemaspaandra, Ehsan Hoque, Ji Liu, Jiebo Luo, and Chenliang Xu.
Four Hajim school researchers who have received PumpPrimer II seed fund awards from AS&E to help jump start promising lines of research. Mitchell Anthamatten, professor of chemical engineering, and Onur Ozcalik, a PhD student in his lab, are working on synthesizing novel ABA triblock copolymer networks to improve the stability and ion transfer capability of fuel cell exchange membranes. Henry Kautz, professor of computer science and the Robin and Tim Wentworth Director of the Goergen Institute for Data Science is working with John Covach, professor of music theory and director of the Institute for Popular Music; and Lauren Di Monte, data and research impact librarian, to develop a detailed, web-based list of musical works (albums and singles) from the history of popular music. An award to Jannick Rolland, the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering, will support spatial light modulator equipment to test freeform optics during their manufacturing stages, not just the finished pieces, with industry partners aligned with the Center for Freeform Optics. The deadline to apply for the next round of awards is Feb. 23.
Hussein Aluie, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who has received an additional 90 million hours on a supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory to simulate the fluid instabilities that have thwarted the quest to achieve ignition in inertial confinement fusion. Read more here.
Xi-Cheng Zhang, the M. Parker Givens Professor of Optics, who has received a prestigious Humboldt Research Award to visit Germany this year to work with Hartmut Roskos, a professor of physics at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. Hartmut, like Xi-Cheng, is an expert in terahertz physics and technology. Xi-Cheng also plans to visit several other German research groups to discuss topics related to terahertz waves, nonlinear optics, and imaging.
Vivian Li ’18 of computer science and digital media studies, who won honorable mention in the Computing Research Association’s (CRA) Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award program for 2018. Vivian, in a statement, describes how important it has been to work with female peers in computer science to overcome feelings of not belonging and not fitting in.
Seniors Ivan Suminski, a dual major in mechanical engineering and violin performance at the Eastman School, and Ruoxue (Astra) Zhang, a dual major in electrical and computer engineering and studio art, who are this year’s recipients of the Wells Award. The award recognizes Hajim students who excel in both engineering and the humanities, exemplifying how the humanities can inform engineering, and vice versa. Read more here.
Speaking of studio art, Hajim School students in senior lecturer Heather Layton’s introductory painting class helped provide art to create a more welcoming atmosphere at the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center on Holland Street. Ryan Carbone ’20 of chemical engineering depicted a dinner scene reflecting the demographics of the Holland Street neighborhood. Abigail Liebhart ’21, who plans to major in studio art and minor in mechanical engineering, created a 48-by-96-inch landscape inspired by nature. Wendy Zhou ’20, a computer science and psychology double major, did a fanciful series of paintings showing a shark lying on the grass, a chicken swimming in the sea, and a frog walking on a stream. “You can shine wherever and whoever you are,” Wendy says. What a great way to serve our local community! Read more here.
Our Society of Women Engineers chapter came up with a remarkable program to engage girls from local elementary schools during a STEM workshop last month. The theme was Sea-Worthy Science with a big emphasis on pirates. What does that have to do with science, technology, engineering, and math? Plenty, as it turns out. For example, the girls learned mechanical engineering principals by building “planks” out of Popsicle sticks to see which one could hold the most pennies. They had a “scavenger hunt” by taking apart computers to find the circuitry treasures inside. Shawn Biehler from Orthotics and Prosthetics at the Medical Center even loaned some leg prosthetics to show the improvements that have been made since the pirates’ classic peg legs. “At the end of the day, the young girls left excited about STEM and the volunteers remembered why they wanted to go into engineering in the first place,” reports Kathryn LaBine ’18, SWE’s outreach coordinator. Well done! This is exactly the age when we need to interest female and underrepresented minority students in STEM. Read more here and be sure to watch this video.
Clearly, we’ve got a lot of great things happening at the Hajim School. Is it any wonder I’m looking forward to the start of another great semester?
Due to the Martin Luther King holiday, the next issue of Hajim Highlights will be next Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
