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More than a Weatherman

Submitted by Lori Brandt on

Public Impact Fellow Scott Sellars is developing a better way to predict precipitation

Scott Sellars was consulting with the South Carolina Ports Authority when he recognized just how important weather data is to the safety and efficiency of the agency’s operations. If the wind blew above 30 knots, the massive mobile cranes used to load and off-load the ships’ cargo would start to roll down the dock, jeopardizing workers, equipment and vessels.

Because the South Carolina coast experiences highly variable weather – including violent thunderstorms, hurricanes and even tornadoes – the Ports Authority had hired Sellars, a meteorologist, to provide up-to-the-minute forecasts. When high winds were anticipated, the cranes could be locked down in a stationary position, minimizing risk.

Today, Sellars is a doctoral candidate in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. He’s attempting to develop a better way to predict precipitation. His research focuses on atmospheric rivers – large plumes of moisture transported from the tropics – affecting the West Coast.

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Microsoft Research Names Anima Anandkumar a Faculty Fellow

Submitted by Lori Brandt on

Anima Anandkumar has been awarded a 2013 Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship. An assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at UC Irvine’s The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, Anandkumar is one of seven from around the world to receive this support.

"It is a great honor to receive the Microsoft faculty award,” says Anandkumar, whose interdisciplinary research spans machine learning, statistics, signal processing and optimization.  “The past winners of this award have gone on to do cutting-edge innovative research, and it inspires me to follow their lead.”

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Sina Poorkasmaei Presents as Finalist at Broadcom Foundation University Research Competition

Submitted by Erik Wirtanen on

Sina Poorkasmaei, a Samueli School graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, presented innovative engineering research at the Broadcom Foundation University Research Competition sponsored by Broadcom Foundation, a non-profit public benefit corporation funded by Broadcom Corporation. Poorkasmaei’s project “Differential Space-Time Modulation for Multiple Access Channels with Two Users” studied the technical challenges posed by improving the quality of information exchange between portable devices.

Poorkasmaei, who is working with Chancellor’s Professor Hamid Jafarkhani, was among 12 student finalists from 12 universities from around the globe competing in a poster session at Broadcom’s annual Technical Conference June 5-6. The finalists, who were chosen by a select committee comprised of preeminent engineers, shared insights into their engineering research and how its future application can improve lives and contribute to society. More than 400 distinguished Broadcom engineers were on hand to judge the entries on technology innovation and presentation.

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Abraham Baca Named Scholar of the Week by Great Minds in STEM

Submitted by Erik Wirtanen on

Abraham Baca, a civil engineering senior, at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) is a 2012 HENAAC-Southern California Edison scholarship recipient. The first in his family to attend college, Abraham’s goal is to graduate from UCI and receive his Professional Engineering License.

Abraham is best described as a student that seeks out any academic, leadership or career development opportunity that comes his way. As a freshman, he sought out and joined the Latino Business Student Association (LBSA). The only STEM student in the organization, he continued his active involvement through his senior year when he was elected president. As president, he reengaged community service opportunities for the organization, which was very important to him. He also instilled a mentorship program, which paired upper classmen with lower classmen. Abraham believes the best way to create drive is to have someone guide you along your academic path.

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Arash Kheradvar Elected as a Fellow of the American Heart Association

Submitted by Erik Wirtanen on

Dr. Arash Kheradvar, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA). Kheradvar was elected to fellowship by the AHA Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention in recognition of his major contributions to cardiac imaging and image-based modeling of cardiovascular diseases.  

“I am deeply humbled to have been elected for this honor,” says Kheradvar. “It could never have happened without the hard work and dedication of my research group over the past years. I look forward to furthering my efforts toward the AHA’s mission, which is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.”

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Recent Award to Advance Research in Diabetes Treatment

Submitted by Erik Wirtanen on

Elliot Botvinick,  assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, was awarded more than $200,000 by the Iacocca Foundation to tissue engineer an implant for people with type 1 diabetes.

The current primary treatment of type 1 diabetes is the delivery of artificial insulin via injection or pump combined with careful monitoring of blood glucose levels. Botvinick and Jonathan Lakey, associate professor of surgery in UCI’s School of Medicine, are researching methods of improving the encapsulation of islet tissue. Encapsulation of islet tissue prevents direct contact between implanted cells and the host’s immune system and holds great promise as an alternative to pancreatic transplantation that does not require pharmaceutical immune suppression.

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Inaugural Autism AppJam to Honor Autism Awareness Month in April

Submitted by Erik Wirtanen on

For two weeks this April, UC Irvine student teams will be tapping their energy and creativity to create the next generation of mobile apps to benefit persons with autism. This Autism AppJam is sponsored by UC Irvine and the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders of Southern California to honor Autism Awareness Month and to highlight the exciting technology advances that are improving the lives of those with autism.

On April 5, AppJam teams will kick start their effort to build the best app, culminating at an April 19 event, in which a team of judges — which include those from Blizzard Entertainment, Google, Yahoo and IBM — will award the top teams prizes and recognition.

Tau Beta Pi Honor Society Initiates New Members

Submitted by Erik Wirtanen on

The UC Irvine Tau Beta Pi Chapter, which has around 300 total members, has initiated 41 new members. Tau Beta Pi is a national honor society open to all engineering disciplines and is the oldest and largest honor society at the Samueli School.

Students must complete an initiation process by meeting a set of requirements and demonstrating commitment to the organization before becoming official members.  An initiate must be in the top 8 percent of their junior class or top 5 percent of their senior class, and display exemplary character and integrity.

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Broadcom Foundation Funds Graduate Engineering Fellowships at UC Irvine’s The Henry Samueli School of Engineering

Submitted by Lori Brandt on

Universities that help graduate students offset the rising costs of earning an advanced degree are better positioned to recruit top talent. And with several years of tuition increases and state funding decreases, graduate schools are looking to corporate partners for support. The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) is pleased to announce that Broadcom Foundation has pledged such assistance in the form of graduate fellowships. 

Broadcom Foundation will contribute $400,000 over two years to establish graduate fellowships at the Samueli School. The gift will fund four electrical engineering graduate students each year for the next two years.

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Amir AghaKouchak Participates in 2012 Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium

Submitted by Erik Wirtanen on

Symposium features innovative faculty

Assistant Professor Amir AghaKouchak, department of civil and environmental engineering, was one of 72 innovative educators who participated in the National Academy of Engineering's fourth Frontiers of Engineering Education (FOEE) symposium. The attendees were nominated by fellow engineers or deans and chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants. The symposium was held Oct. 14-17 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine.

The FOEE program brings together some of the nation’s most engaged and innovative engineering educators to recognize, reward and promote effective, substantive and inspirational engineering education.

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