Michigan Engineering

Michigan E-News

May 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
Researchers Pioneer Bladeless LASIK Surgery
President Dedicates First New Bioengineering Building

BITS--brief stories from the College
Faculty Members Selected Among Best in Nation
National Academy of Engineering Elects Three CoE Faculty
College to Celebrate 150 Years of Engineering Excellence
Design Expo Showcases New Thinking
New Department Chairs Appointed

ALUMNI AND GIVING
Jerry Levin Speaks at Graduation
Emeritus Event to Offer Something New
Network with Alums Interested in Information Technology
Gift Annuities Provide Several Benefits

RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE
Media Respond to MEMS Work, Columbia Shuttle Experts

Researchers Pioneer Bladeless LASIK Surgery

If you're considering LASIK eye surgery but hesitant about undergoing the knife, a new laser-only surgical method developed at the College's Center for Ultrafast Optical Science may help reduce complications and improve overall results-while making the procedure less traumatic for the faint of heart. (More...)

President Dedicates First New Bioengineering Building

Coleman University President Mary Sue Coleman dedicated the Carl A. Gerstacker Building in a North Campus ceremony on April 11. The building is the new home of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and provides additional research space for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as well as the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science.

Faculty Members Selected Among Best in Nation


Noble	Skerlos	Stefanopoulou	Sylvester

Four faculty members have been named to a select list of "New Faces in Engineering" as up-and-coming research experts in their fields. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science's Brian Noble, the Morris Wellman Faculty Development Assistant Professor, developed a security system that automatically encrypts sensitive information on mobile computing devices when owners stray too far from their machines, or vice-versa. Mechanical Engineering's Steve Skerlos, assistant professor, investigated membrane-based process chemical recovery, micro-scale flow cytometric devices and adaptive systems for metalworking fluid control. Anna Stefanopoulou, associate professor, Mechanical Engineering, investigated the ways in which fuel cells and other technologies could be implemented to make cleaner-running automobiles. Dennis Sylvester, assistant professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, developed a computer-chip performance simulator that is available online and is heavily used by engineers and universities around the world. (More...)

National Academy of Engineering Elects Three CoE Faculty


Abriola	Larson	Woods

Three faculty members have been elected new members of the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors an engineer can receive.

Linda Abriola, the Horace Williams King Collegiate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was recognized "for advancing our knowledge of contaminant fate and transport in groundwater and subsurface systems." Ronald Larson, the George Granger Brown Professor of Chemical Engineering and chair of the department, was recognized "for elucidating the flow properties of complex fluids at the molecular and continuum levels through theory and experiment." Richard Woods, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, was cited "for applications of soil dynamics and geotechnical earthquake engineering to the design of foundations for vibration-sensitive and vibration-robust facilities." (More...)

College to Celebrate 150 Years of Engineering Excellence

The College will celebrate its 150th anniversary beginning this September through June 2004. Mark your calendars for the following fall 2003 anniversary events: football-game recognition, September 6 vs. Houston; and Michigan Engineering Alumni Weekend and Deans' Forum with former deans of the College, October 16-18. Next spring, the celebration will include: a sesquicentennial convocation; a sesquicentennial banquet; a joint advisory board meeting; and an anniversary edition of the Michigan Engineer. A full schedule of events will be available this summer.

Design Expo Showcases New Thinking

Mechanical Engineering's annual undergraduate design expo showcased over 40 innovative student research engineering applications. They included a:

fuel-cell-powered military robot
"smart scale" that provides computerized body mass index (BMI) readouts in addition to weight
Lego automated sorting and assembly system

For more information about these and other student research projects, contact the Department of Mechanical Engineering, (734) 764-2694, or Corporate Relations, (734)647-7057.

New Department Chairs Appointed


Munson	Troesch

David C. Munson, Jr. has been appointed chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, effective June 1, 2003, pending Regental approval. He replaces interim chair Rich Brown. Currently, Dave is the Robert C. MacClinchie Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dave's research interests span a variety of topics throughout the field of signal and image processing. He was founding editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing and has served as president of the IEEE Signal Processing Society. A Fellow of the IEEE, Dave has received many awards and honors, including the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware, the ECE Outstanding Teaching Award from the University of Illinois and the Texas Instruments Distinguished Professorship at Rice University.

Armin W. Troesch (BSE NAME '69, MSE '72, PhD '75), Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, has been appointed chair of the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, effective July 1, 2003, pending Regental approval. He replaces Mike Bernitsas, who has served nine years as chair of NAME. Armin has been recognized nationally and internationally for his research on ship hydrodynamics, hydroelasticity, seakeeping, and vessel capsize and planing hull dynamics. He has held various engineering, teaching and research positions, including design engineer at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics and director of the U-M Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory. He is a Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and is a registered PE with the State of Michigan.

Jerry Levin Speaks at Graduation

American Household, Inc. chairman and CEO Jerry Levin (BSE EE '66, BSE EM '67) delivered the keynote remarks at the College's spring commencement on April 26. In a candid address, Levin told graduates about challenges he overcame during his academic and professional careers, and emphasized that "You must have the highest ethical and moral standards to succeed over the long term. Short cuts are dangerous and eventually will place you in jeopardy."

Emeritus Event to Offer Something New

The College's Emeritus celebration will be held on North Campus on June 6. This year, the College will expand the program to incorporate elements of the University Alumni Association's discontinued event. In addition to the traditional Emeritus luncheon and campus tours, the College will offer seminars and hold a recognition ceremony to recognize Emeritus professors and alumni. In addition, the Class of 1953 will present its Emeritus gift to the College. For a detailed schedule go to http://www.engin.umich.edu/alumni/events/emeritus/.

Network with Alums Interested in Information Technology

Plans are underway to form a Michigan Engineering Information Technology (IT) Affinity Group. IT events will be held during Michigan Engineering Alumni Weekend, October 16-18. If you like to learn about information technology and would like to connect with other alums who share your interest, send an email to engin.alumni.relations@umich.edu.

Gift Annuities Provide Several Benefits

U-M gift annuities provide an immediate charitable tax deduction, capital gains tax savings and a lifetime income stream, among other advantages. All the while, you will have the satisfaction of knowing your gift is helping to educate students and further research. To learn more, call (734)647-7032, email giving2@umich.edu or visit the Web site.

Media responded to the College's MEMS work and to experts who provided perspective on the Columbia Shuttle tragedy. Following are recent stories mentioning the College. (Links are provided when available.)

"How Do You Narrow Your Product Options?" The Wall Street Journal, March 17, 2003, pg. R3, R5 (CoE start-up company case study)
"A Sensor Runs Through It," Business Week, March 10, 2003, pg. 73
"Man Against a Mountain," Scientific American, March 2003, pg. 48
"Tech for Elders Must Have Purpose," Wired.com, 2/24
"Ken Wise: Mentor of MEMS," Small Times, January/February, pgs. 27-32
"Computerised Fly Fishing," Canadian Broadcasting Co. radio, 2/22
"The Columbia Disaster," Los Angeles Times, 2/5, pg. 1
"Loss of the Shuttle:History," The New York Times, 2/4, pg. A21
"Some of It Will Be Their Legacy," Science section, The New York Times, 2/4
"Nose Cone of Shuttle Columbia Found," Today Show, NBC News, 2/4
"Debris Field from Columbia Larger Than Initially Thought," The News w/Brian Williams, NBC and CNBC, 2/3
"The Fatal Final Minutes," Newsday, 2/3, pg. A3; "The Last 7 Minutes," Newsday.com, 2/3

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