The Boeing Company

Liebeck teaches aerodynamics, airplane performance and airplane design.

As a child, Robert Liebeck loved tinkering with model airplanes. The UC Irvine adjunct professor of mechanical & aerospace engineering is still at it — but now he's working on a much different kind of model, one that could revolutionize air travel.

Called the blended wing body, the concept results in aircraft that look more like sleek manta rays than today's tube-and-wing jets. A BWB plane would burn about 20 percent less fuel than conventional planes, and because its engines mount high on the back of the aircraft, it would be an estimated 50 decibels quieter.

"It could operate out of John Wayne Airport 24 hours a day," says Liebeck, who has been developing the BWB as a senior fellow at the Boeing Company for more than 20 years.


Dr. Thomas W. Peterson, Assistant Director, Engineering Directorate, National Science Foundation

On May 9, 2012, the Office of Research and The Henry Samueli School of Engineering hosted a seminar by Dr. Thomas W. Peterson, Ph.D., to present the investments in innovations by the NSF Engineering (ENG) Directorate. The ENG Directorate at NSF provides critical support for the nation's engineering research and education activities, and is a driving force behind the education and development of the nation's engineering workforce. With a budget of approximately $640 million, the directorate supports fundamental and transformative research, the creation of cutting-edge facilities and tools, broad interdisciplinary collaborations, and through its centers and Small Business Innovation Research programs, enhances the competitiveness of U.S. companies.


Schools served by the MESA Center at the Samueli School

A team from Garden Grove High School and a team from Roosevelt Middle School will be among four middle school and four high school teams that will compete for top bragging rights at the MESA Statewide Wind Energy Challenge Championship on May 12 in Santa Barbara. The Garden Grove and Roosevelt students are served by the MESA center housed at The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine.

These future engineers advanced from preliminary and regional contests and beat out hundreds of other students to participate in the Santa Barbara event. The winning high school and middle school teams will represent California in the national championship in Washington next month.


Professor Brett F. Sanders and alum Tricia Maruki honored

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Orange County Branch honored Brett F. Sanders, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, and Samueli School alum Tricia Maruki, P.E., in February at the branch’s annual awards dinner banquet in Costa Mesa.

Sanders' work is in the area of environmental hydrodynamics and his specialty is numerical modeling of free surface flow and transport in rivers and the coastal zone (estuaries, harbors, and bays). Maruki graduated cum laude with a B.S. degree from the Samueli School in 2005, and received her professional engineer’s license in 2008.


Jered Haun working to diagnose diseases with nanotechnology

Jered B. Haun, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, is conducting research focused on developing nanotechnologies to diagnose diseases and obtain new insight into biology.

Haun is broadly interested in detecting unique signatures, or biomarkers, that accompany diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis. These biomarkers herald the presence of the disease, and may also provide valuable insight about the pathological phenotype that can be used to formulate powerful, personalized therapies.


Photo illustration courtesy of ATO Pictures
UCI’s Jay Famiglietti warns of global crisis in new documentary

UC Irvine professor Jay Famiglietti sits with his arms politely crossed, watching an irate Central Valley farmer wrest a microphone out of a conservationist’s hand. The two are dueling over the urgency of irrigation for 25 percent of America’s food supply versus cancelling crop production to save water.

A few minutes later, Famiglietti patiently tries to explain the scientific reality behind groundwater depletion and why proper resource management could help all sides. Suddenly, he abandons his professorial lingo and sighs: “We’re screwed.”

It’s just one of his memorable observations in the new documentary “Last Call at the Oasis,” which will open May 11 at the Edwards University Town Center cinema in Irvine.

News

Apr 25, 2012

UC Irvine Introduces New Master’s of Science in Engineering Management

New graduate program targets recently graduated engineering students seeking leadership roles

Apr 18, 2012

Engineering Student Council President Engineers Data Collection System

Sean Burke created the ESCan wristband to gather data during E-Week

Apr 03, 2012

Samueli School Alum Arezoo Ardekani Receives NSF CAREER Award

Ardekani currently an assistant professor at University of Notre Dame