A number of new faculty faces appeared on campus during a spectacular year for the College of Engineering. Their individual and collective experiences will augment the excellence, breadth and depth of CoE research and academics. Michigan Engineer is proud to spotlight several of these new faces. We'll turn the light on other new faces in upcoming issues.

David Blaauw, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The invigorating atmosphere among professors and the ongoing research activities at the College caught the attention of David Blaauw, a new associate professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department. And there's good reason to believe that he'll attract a good deal of attention of his own.

Blaauw comes to the campus with an MS and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has a twofold purpose: to pursue his interests in computer-aided and circuit-design issues for deep submicron design, and to "educate the students in a new and challenging area."

He went on to explain his philosophy of education. "I want students to think critically and analytically about circuit problems, rather than just teaching them a lot of facts. I like to have very open communication with the students -- there has to be an atmosphere where they feel free to ask questions and discuss things in class and where they feel welcome to stop by at any time that they feel they need to."

Blaauw practices what he preaches: Thinking critically is part of his makeup -- a characteristic that's become increasingly important as he works to scale transistors below 100 nanometers. "At this size," he said, "circuit design becomes increasingly difficult due to numerous new electrical effects that accompany such small devices. I'm working on analysis and design methods that allow industry to build ever-faster processors in such advanced technologies."

In his spare time, Blaauw works on objects of a comparatively macro scale: furniture. "I make furniture from wood," he said. "I made most of the wood furniture in my house. But now, as a new prof, it's hard to find any time."

Blaauw is a member of IEEE and ACM. He has received the Motorola Innovation Award; the Motorola Distinguished Innovator Award for having 10 patents issued; and the Best Paper Award, which he received at the Design Automation Conference.

Daryl Kipke, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Daryl Kipke, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, associate professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, associate director, Center for Neural Communication Technology, has returned to the College of Engineering with a great sense of satisfaction -- even excitement.

"I loved the College of Engineering and the entire University of Michigan experience while I was a student. And now, coming back, I feel as if I've come home. It's comfortable, very comfortable. And exhilarating, if that doesn't sound too dramatic. I mean, the atmosphere is charged -- things are happening. The interaction with other professors is stimulating. The students work hard -- that in itself is rewarding. And the facilities are top-notch -- the College has really grown over the last 10 years.  The whole environment is a big plus in completing my work successfully. I guess when you put it all together it feels like a new beginning."

Kipke spends a lot of time in the Neural Engineering Laboratory, where he has focused his work on basic and applied research to advance the treatment of neurological disorders. However, the programs that fall under his direction cover a lot more ground -- neural prostheses, BioMEMS, neural implants, functional electrical stimulation, cortical plasticity and function, and minimally invasive technologies for neurovascular applications.

His history at the College reflects his current high level of activity -- he holds four degrees from the College. In fact, he and his wife, Paula, share a love for staying busy -- together they have seven degrees from the University. They also have five young children, another indication that activity is a way of life in the Kipke household. In the few free moments that he manages to find, Kipke calms his own neural networks with woodworking, a favorite pastime.

He has received the National Institutes of Health FIRST award (1995), the National Science Foundation CAREER award (1995) and was a U.S. delegate to the U.S.-South Korea joint Bioengineering Symposium (1998). He's a member of IEEE, the Society for Neuroscience, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Sharon Glotzer, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering

Sharon Glotzer, associate professor, Chemical Engineering, associate professor, Materials Science and Engineering, came to the College because of its "great reputation, its high level of intellectual pursuit and the interdisciplinary nature of a lot of the research that goes on here. I knew that, here, I'd have the opportunity to build a world-class research program in the computational research of soft materials and nano-scale assembly."

Glotzer is also looking forward to developing new curricula and working with several other College faculty to start a center for computational materials research and education (CCMRE). Its goal will be to foster interdisciplinary research and educational activities in computational materials research across the College and the University, emphasizing the multiscale nature of materials simulation.

Although this will be the first semester she has taught at the University of Michigan, she's already formulated a philosophy of education. "I believe that learning is a life-long endeavor," she said. "I picked up some calligraphy when I was in Hong Kong, a few years ago. It says either "learning never stops" or "never stop learning" - and either one works for me. I look at everything as an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to discover something fascinating that no one knew before. That's how I want my students to look at their pursuits, too."

Glotzer is the former director and co-founder of the Center for Theoretical and Computational Materials Science at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where she worked for eight years before joining U-M. She is a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer; a member of editorial advisory boards for Topics in Chemical Engineering, Oxford University Press and PhysChemComm. She'll be taking a seat on the editorial advisory board for Computers in Science and Engineering in 2003. She's the recipient of the 2000 American Physical Society Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award, the 1998 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and the 1997 Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award for Superior Federal Service, to name just a few of her many honors.

Edgar Meyhofer, Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering

Edgar Meyhofer, associate professor in the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, said that "the single most important reason for coming to the College of Engineering is teaching students both fundamentals and advanced problem-solving skills. I want to strengthen the efforts of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and, in the process, make it one of the research and educational leaders in this important interdisciplinary field."

He has a dynamic philosophy of education in which it's essential to promote active participation, teamwork, communication skills and professionalism in the classroom. He said that "developing classes and opportunities for the formal training of undergraduate and graduate students in such emerging new areas will be important, because it will propel our graduates into leadership roles in industry and academia."

Meyhofer's general research interests cover a lot of ground: biomechanics, biophysics and cell physiology, molecular nanotechnology, comparative functional morphology and ultrastructure, and the development of microscopy-based techniques for the manipulation and detection of single molecules. With his research on biomolecular motors, he expects to gain insights into how protein molecules function.

His work offers numerous opportunities "to move in new directions that would have not been possible within the typical medical school setting." His vision is to "collaborate with other faculty on various research projects involving the biomechanics of biological motor molecules; to develop the interface between biology and engineering; and to initiate new research projects and collaborations." More specifically, he hopes to create -- from biological motor molecules -- single molecule engines that act like minute robots whose principal function is to produce useful mechanical work on the nanometer scale.

His interests away from campus include large-format architectural and landscape photography.

Meyhofer has received the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Fellowship, and was an American Heart Association Fellow. He's a member of the Biophysical Society.