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Michigan E-News

January 2003

Welcome to Michigan E-News, a periodic update of happenings at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. It is published by the Office of College Relations, Media and Marketing.

In this issue :

RESEARCH AND NEWS UPDATES
CoE Researchers Create the World's First, Full-scale Reconfigurable Machine Tool
AOSS Group First to Observe and Analyze Unprecedented Solar Storm
Inventor Develops a Better Way to Golf, Fly Fish
$10 Million in New Gifts
CoE Awarded $235,000 to Improve Status of Women Faculty

BITS--brief stories from the College
EECS Professor Named 2003 Outstanding Young Engineer
Pioneer Wins International Innovation Prize
Dean Named Honorary Professor of Chinese University
Research Expenditures Up 18%
Record Year for Tech Transfer

ALUMNI AND GIVING
Alumni Society and College Recognize Distinguished Alums
Join the Student/Alumni Network
Create Opportunities for Students

RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE
Activities at the College of Engineering Attract a Lot of Attention

CoE Researchers Create the World's First, Full-scale Reconfigurable Machine Tool

CoE researchers have created the world's first, full-scale reconfigurable machine tool (RMT). The RMT will increase factory flexibility and efficiency.

AOSS Group First to Observe and Analyze Unprecedented Solar Storm

A research group led by Thomas Zurbuchen, adjunct associate professor, AOSS, was the first to observe a massive solar storm of a magnitude and type that scientists previously had neither detected nor predicted. Using a specialized instrument called a solar wind ion composition spectrometer (SWICS), the team detected a barrage of high-energy particles that formed a geomagnetic "bubble" and a compressed "bow wave" of solar wind and pick-up ions. The combined forces set off a series of geomagnetic storms 100 miles above the Earth, temporarily cutting communications with space probes and creating auroras that lit up the sky every two to three hours for four days.

Zurbuchen and his team hope that by modeling such storms, they might someday be able to forecast violent solar events as much as two to four days before they hit the Earth. Advance warning would benefit, among others, the power and telecommunications industries, which could take steps to minimize damage or switch to alternative systems.

Inventor Develops a Better Way to Golf, Fly Fish

Professor Noel Perkins, Mechanical Engineering, has invented a MEMS device to measure the motion of a golfer's swing or a fly-fisher's cast.

$10 Million in New Gifts

Anniversary Campaign co-chairs Jerry W. Levin (BSE EE '66, BSE EM '67) and Kevin O'Connor (BSE EE '83) have pledged a total of $10 million to the College of Engineering. A portion of Levin's $5 million pledge will serve as a challenge to encourage additional gifts to the Michigan Engineering Fund, which calls upon the College's wide alumni base to provide flexible support for College programs and student resources. O'Connor's $5 million gift will help fund a new building for the College's growing computer science program.

Levin, chairman and CEO of Sunbeam Corp., said that Michigan Engineering "has some of the most talented and successful alumni in the world. My hope is that this gift will inspire other alumni to step forward and contribute to the future success of the College." In 1998, he and his wife endowed the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering. He has been a member of the College's National Advisory Committee since 1993.

O'Connor, co-founder, chairman and former CEO of the online marketing company DoubleClick Inc., said, "The education that I received at the University of Michigan has meant a lot to me. The computer science program has flourished in the last few years, and I'm very pleased to help provide for its future growth." In 1999, O'Connor and his wife established the Kevin and Nancy O'Connor Professor of Computer Science. A year later, he endowed the O'Connor Scholarship.

As of November 30, the Anniversary Campaign Committee reports $102 million has been raised during this leadership phase of the campaign.

CoE Awarded $235,000 to Improve Status of Women Faculty

The University has awarded the CoE two NSF ADVANCE grants totaling $235,000 to start to improve the working environment for women faculty, beginning in three departments: Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. ADVANCE promotes institutional transformation and addresses issues of special concern to women faculty in science and engineering.

EECS Professor Named 2003 Outstanding Young Engineer

The IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (IEEE-MTTS) has chosen Gabriel Rebeiz, professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as its 2003 Outstanding Young Engineer.

Pioneer Wins International Innovation Prize

Tibor Juhasz, associate professor, Biomedical Engineering, and Ron Kurtz, professor, School of Medicine, have received the Berthold Leibinger 2002 Innovation Prize for pioneering work in femtosecond eye surgery.

Dean Named Honorary Professor of Chinese University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University has awarded Dean Stephen W. Director the title of Honorary Professor. Under Dean Director's leadership, the College has formalized its relationship with SJTU. The two schools partner on research, in-person and distance learning and an effort to restructure SJTU's School of Mechanical Engineering.

Record Year for Tech Transfer

The CoE's Technology Transfer & Commercialization Office had a record performance in the 2002 fiscal year. Despite the economy, disclosures with contributions from CoE inventors reached a record high 117--more than double the annual average for the five years before the office opened.

Left to right, General Paul J. Kern; (MSE ME '73, MSE CEE '73) Larry Page (BSE CE '95), Jon R. Holt (BSE IE '68)

Alumni Society and College Recognize Distinguished Alums

Paul J. Kern (MSE ME '73, MSE CEE '73), Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command, received the Alumni Society Medal during Michigan Engineering Alumni Weekend. It is the highest honor bestowed by the Alumni Society Board of Governors. Kern is one of only 10 four-star Army generals on active duty. Larry Page (BSE CE '95) received the Recent Engineering Graduate Award--the first time that award was presented. Jon Holt (BSE IE '68) received the Distinguished Service Award. The College and the Society recognized 12 other alumni at the annual event.

Join the Student/Alumni Network

Help a student. Participate in the Michigan Engineering Student/Alumni Network. Alumni participants enter information about themselves into a database searchable by major, industry or region. Students seek out these experienced Michigan Engineers for educational and career advice. Email ecrc-info@umich.edu or call (734) 647-7160 to request your registration password today.

Create Opportunities for Students

Michigan Engineering Fund gifts recently funded merit scholarships and provided new equipment for the Mechanical Engineering and Marine Design Labs. Your gift could change a young person's life. For information about supporting the Fund or to make a gift online, visit http://www.engin.umich.edu/relations/giving/.

Following are recent media stories mentioning activities at the College. (Links are provided when available.)

• "Study:PDAs Good for Education," Wired (online), November 12, 2002
• "Why 6-Legged Bots Rule," Wired, November 2002
• "Sensors Gone Wild," p. 306, Forbes, October 28, 2002
• "PCR in a Rayleigh-Benard Convection Cell, " vol. 798, p. 793, Science, October 25, 2002
• Michigan Marching Band with CoE Drum Major, "Good Morning America," October 4, 2002

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