The University of Texas at Arlington

2006

EE Ph.D. Student Sahni Receives National Recognition

December 19, 2006

Electrical Engineering Ph. D. student Mandhir S. Sahni has been honored with an “All-American Scholar Award” from the United States Achievement Academy. An outstanding student, Sahni has maintained an immaculate 4.0 GPA during his master’s and doctoral studies. By receiving the award, Sahni is eligible to receive an educational grant of up to $10,000.

Memorial Service Scheduled for Dr. Tseng Huang

December 19, 2006

A memorial service for Emeritus Professor Dr. Tseng Huang will be held on Saturday, January 6. Dr. Huang retired from the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department in January 2001 after 40 years of service to the university.

Center for Underground Infrastructure Research Re-established

December 11, 2006

The Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education, formerly at Michigan State University, is now located at UT Arlington. The Center will promote research, development and training in underground infrastructure construction and renewal technologies.

Construction Engineering and Management Tracks Now Offered under the Master’s Programs by Civil & Environmental Engineering Department

November 10, 2006

The Civil & Environmental Engineering now offers emphasis areas in Construction Engineering or Construction Management focusing on engineering aspects such as construction research and the application aspects of construction and leading to either M.S. or M.E. degrees.

Alumnus Honored for Entrepreneurial/Philanthropic Contributions

October 26, 2006

University of Texas at Arlington Computer Science & Engineering alumnus Jeff Smith (MS ’88, Ph.D. ’04) was recently presented with the Kauffman Foundation’s Community Award in recognition of his successful efforts to improve the economic conditions of the citizens of Magote, a mountain village in Honduras.

Computer Science & Engineering Department Welcomes New Chairperson

October 25, 2006

Fillia Makedon, Ph.D., is the new chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department. She comes from Dartmouth College, where she was a professor of computer science and the director of Dartmouth’s Experimental Visualization Laboratory. She was also a program officer in the National Science Foundation’s Office of Cyberinfrastructure.

NSF Grant Supports Development of New Soil Testing Measures

October 11, 2006

The National Science Foundation has awarded a three-year, $208,974 grant to researchers in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department to develop mechanisms and processes to predict when soils reach a point of developing landslides and mudslides. Drs. Laureano Hoyos, the principal investigator, and Anand Puppala, the co-principal investigator, will create a novel ring-shear testing apparatus that will be the first of its kind to ever be implemented at any geotechnical research institution in the U.S. and will constitute a major advancement in soil testing.

Materials Science & Engineering Reaches Department Level

October 3, 2006

The Materials Science & Engineering Program has been elevated to departmental status and Professor Stathis Meletis, the program’s director, was named department chair. The new department is concurrently celebrating its 40th year as a component of the College of Engineering.

UT Arlington Colleges of Engineering and Science to Host Research Day

October 3, 2006

The Colleges of Engineering and Science are conducting Research Day ’06 in a joint effort to promote awareness of research activities currently in progress at UT Arlington. Research Day provides a venue for faculty, students and industry researchers to explore the exciting world of research activities and to share their discoveries with other researchers and possibly develop cooperative projects.

Ten Faculty Members Join UT Arlington’s College of Engineering

August 31, 2006

The College of Engineering will add nine faculty members this fall and one in the spring, each recognized for outstanding research and teaching abilities. Their addition is the result of the college’s mandate to provide its students with an exceptional learning and research experience.

Energy Systems Center Receives Gift of Line Protection Systems

August 30, 2006

Researchers in theEnergy Systems Research Center will be able to improve and expand their studies into protecting power system failures, thanks to an in-kind donation of six microcomputer-based protective relays. Center Director Dr. Wei-Jen Lee says the systems will .

Tseng Huang Endowed Professorship Announced for Civil Engineering

August 30, 2006

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department has announced the creation of an endowed professorship honoring Professor Emeritus Tseng Huang, who retired in January 2001 after 40 years of service to the university. During his tenure at UT Arlington, he served as a teacher, mentor, advisor, researcher and friend to countless numbers of students, professionals and faculty.

Clinical Trials to Begin for Full-body Skin Cancer Detector

August 18, 2006

A full-body laser scanner and evaluating software, developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington and UT Southwestern Medical Center, will change a tedious and time-consuming procedure into one that is not only quicker, but also more accurate. The device utilizes computer-assisted scanning techniques that automatically detect changes in the shape, color and texture of pigmented skin lesions.

Civil Engineering PE Exam Preparation Seminar

August 3, 2006

Civil Engineers! Want some solid preparation for the broad scope of the Professional Engineering Practices and Principles Examination? This six-Saturday seminar covering 12 topics is for you.

Disease Biomarkers Will Aid in Diagnosis and Treatment

July 31, 2006

Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Jean Gao is the principal investigator in a project to identify and profile biomarkers for the presence of diseases. She is working with researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas on this NSF-funded project.

UT Arlington Team Scores High in International UAV Competition

July 11, 2006

A team of mechanical and aerospace engineering students took third place overall at the Fourth Annual AUVSI Student Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Competition. In addition to taking third place (with a $3150 prize), the team also took third place in mission performance and fifth place in oral presentation.

Collegiate Racers Gather for 6th Annual Texas Autocross Weekend

July 7, 2006

Student auto racing teams from across the U.S. will test their skills in a challenging autocross competition on Saturday, July 22. Approximately 20 cars from 10 universities will be speeding around a twisting course set up on a parking lot on the south side of the campus.

$866K Study to Improve Biocompatibility of Medical Implants

June 21, 2006

Researchers in the Colleges of Engineering and Science at The University of Texas at Arlington are using a grant from the National Institutes of Health to reduce a body’s rejection of medical implants and drugs. Dr. Liping Tang of the Bioengineering Department in the College of Engineering and Dr. Richard Timmons of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department in the College of Science have teamed for a three-year project.

Ph.D. Student Honored for Research, Publishing Accomplishments

June 7, 2006

Electrical Engineering doctoral student Mahesh Krishnamurthy has received the prestigious 2006 Transportation Electronics Fellowship presented by the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society. Krishnamurthy received the award for his research accomplishments and interests, which include the design of high-efficiency and fault-tolerant electromechanical energy converters that are used in electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.

Microreactor Process Developed for Biodiesel Refining

June 7, 2006

MAE Assistant Professor Brian Dennis has developed a microreactor that will dramatically reduce the time needed to process biodiesel fuel. The process will also reduce the cost of production by as much at 30-to-40 cents per gallon.

Student Team Places Third in Regional Robotics Competition

May 5, 2006

Electrical Engineering seniors Brian Hendryx and Reginald Golightly and Computer Science & Engineering junior Chris McMurrough built a robot that successfully competed with more than 30 larger teams in a challenge sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). The first and second place teams (LSU and Arkansas Tech) both had 12 students on their teams.

Graduate Student Chosen for Prestigious Summer Program

May 3, 2006

Materials Science & Engineering doctoral student Rashed Islamwill be attending the Pan American Advanced Studies Institute on Transmission Electron Microscopy in Materials Science this summer. He is one of only 48 students in all the Americas chosen to attend.

Civil Engineering Professor Begins Year with Several Grants

May 1, 2006

Civil Engineering Professor Anand Puppala experienced a rewarding first quarter; he is the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on four grants totaling almost $800,000. Two of the grants are from the Texas Department of Transportation and other two are from the City of Arlington.

Grad Student Taking Engineering Courses While Working in Europe

May 1, 2006

Jenish Gheewala is serious about earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He’s enrolled in three courses this semester, and he’s completing his course assignments while working in Basel, Switzerland.

College Researchers Rewarded with State Grants

April 25, 2006

Six College of Engineering researchers will be receiving more than $533,000 in funding from the State of Texas Advanced Research Program. The competitive, peer-reviewed grants program funds scientific and engineering research projects of faculty members at Texas higher education institutions.

Aerospace Student Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

April 14, 2006

Michael Byron Webb has been awarded a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship by the National Science Foundation. This is the second time this semester that an aerospace engineering graduate student has received a national award.

Collaborative Research Project May Find End to Chronic Pain

April 7, 2006

Researchers in the Colleges of Engineering and Science think they have a way of improving the management of chronic pain. A three-year, $269,984 grant from the Integrative, Hybrid and Complex Systems program in the National Science Foundation will support investigative efforts by Electrical Engineering Associate Professor J-C. Chiao and Assistant Professor Sungyong Jung and Psychology Assistant Professor Yuan B. Peng.

Dr. Bob Woods to Receive Chancellor’s Council Teaching Award

April 6, 2006

Mechanical Engineering Professor Bob Woods has been selected to receive the Chancellor’s Teaching Award for 2006. Dr. Woods teaches several undergraduate- and graduate-level courses and is the advisor for the Formula SAE racing team.

Chakravarthy Receives $275K Grant for Stream/Event Data Processing

March 9, 2006

Computer Science & Engineering Professor Sharma Chakravarthy has received a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to create a program to integrate the processing of different kinds of information.

Outstanding Individuals Recognized at College Awards Banquet

March 8, 2006

The man who started the UTA/UTSW biomedical engineering program, several members of the faculty and one staff member were recognized at the College of Engineering’s annual Awards Banquet, which capped the activities of Engineering Week.

EE Professor Rao Co-authors Book on Multimedia Communications

February 1, 2006

A new textbook co-authored by Electrical Engineering Professor K. R. Rao has just been released. Titled “Introduction to Multimedia Communications: Applications, Middleware, Networking,” the book outlines the technology and skills needed to design integrated multimedia systems that combine text, graphics, audio and video.

Computer Science’s Gao Receives NSF CAREER Research Grant

January 17, 2006

CSE Assistant Professor Jean Gao has received a prestigious CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation to study four-dimensional, sub-cellular structure tracking and modeling for cell dynamics. CAREER grants are designed to promote faculty early career development and are awarded to scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.