[Staff] SDSU College of Engnieering Spring 2016 Newsletter

[Marcie Morihiro]

Hi Everyone,

Below, please find the CoE Spring 2016 Newsletter, thank you!

Marcie Morihiro
Assistant to the Dean
College of Engineering
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1326

Office:  E-203B
Phone:  619-594-6062
E-mail:  mmorihiro at mail.sdsu.edu



The College of Engineering Newsletter
April 2016

Message from the Dean

The Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences (EIS) Complex construction
is well-underway, with the footing excavation starting on February 29,
2016, a week ahead of schedule. The EIS Complex will house state-of-the art
research laboratories for renewable energy systems, biomedical engineering,
and wireless communications.

In addition to the Zahn Innovation Platform, several interdisciplinary
research centers including the Smart Health Institute, the Viromics Center,
and an imaging laboratory for brain research will be housed in the new
Complex.

The interior will introduce project and collaborative spaces and 11,500
square feet of instructional space which includes a design studio, a
fabrication shop, and several teaching laboratories.

The construction of the EIS Complex will be completed in Fall 2017. A live
feed of the construction can be viewed at: http://130.191.35.82/live.htm
and for more information on the EIS Complex, please visit
http://eis.sdsu.edu.

Dean Monte Mehrabadi
------------------------------

Faculty Highlight

Dr. Sahar Ghanipoor Machiani, a recent addition to the Civil, Construction
and Environmental Engineering Department is trying to make our
transportation infrastructure safer. After receiving a Master’s Degree in
Transportation System Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in
Tehran, she moved to the United States in 2010 to earn her Ph.D. in the
same field from Virginia Tech. There, she began working with driving
simulators to model driver behavior and better understand what’s going on
inside the minds of those behind the wheel. On the driver behavior side,
her research has recently centered on how drivers respond to yellow traffic
signals. Dr. Machiani also is beginning to look into how new
driver-assistance technologies like collision and lane-shift warnings are
influencing driver behavior.
------------------------------

Faculty Accolades

*Dr. Suchi Ayala*, Associate Dean of the College of Health and Human
Service, is the PI on a $10M endowment from the National Health Institute
(NIH) on Minority Health and Health Disparities. *Drs. Morteza Monte
Mehrabadi* (Dean of the College of Engineering) and *Kee Moon* (Professor
of Mechanical Engineering), were co-PI's along with Drs. Marilyn Newhoff,
Stanley Maloy, and Jose Castillo.

*Dr. Chris Mi*, Professor and Chair of Electrical & Computer Engineering,
received $104,359 from the University of Michigan Uncertainty Management
and Proactive Maintenance for Lithium Ion Batteries in Electrified
Vehicles. As well, $200,000 from the Nanjin Golden Dragon Bus Manufacturing
Company Ltd Joint Laboratory Development and Training.

*Dr. Asfaw Beyene*, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, received $110,000
from the US Department of Energy Industrial Assessment Center.

*Drs. Kee Moon* (Professor of Mechanical Engineering) and *Yusuf Ozturk*
(Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering), received $135,078 from
the ETRI Electronic and Telecommunications Research Institute Sustainable
Power Module for Implantable Medical Devices based on Wireless Power
Transfer.

*Dr. Fletcher Miller*, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, was a co-author
of “Fire in Microgravity” article (pgs. 44-45), which was featured on the
cover of the January-February 2016, American Scientist magazine.

*Dr. Eugene Olevsky*, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, received
$125,000 from the US Department of Energy Fundamentals of Spark-Plasma
Sintering: Rapid and Ultra-Rapid Materials Consolidation and Joining.

*Dr. George Youssef*, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, was
selected as one of the 2016 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Ralph R.
Teetor Award winners. This award is given by SAE to a select few
outstanding early career engineering educators.
------------------------------
Student Accolades

*Associated Engineering Student Council (AESC)*, coordinated and sponsored
the First Annual Dean's Ping Pong Tournament, on April 13, 2016, in the
Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union Center, Montezuma Hall. The Tournament
was a huge success bringing together the College of Engineering faculty,
staff and students, for food, socializing and a friendly game of ping pong.




* American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)*, SDSU Engineering Chapter,
participated in the ASCE Younger Member Forum sponsored Engineering Design
Day at the Chula Vista Mall on February 27, 2016. The event featured a
variety of booths with hands-on projects geared towards teaching young
students basic engineering concepts such as buoyancy, structural stability
and simple calculations.


*ASCE Pacific Southwest (PSW) Conference 2016*, SDSU Civil, Construction
and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) students competed in the 2016 PSW
Conference, hosted by CSU Long Beach, on March 31-April 2, 2016. The
students were accompanied by Dr. Janusz Supernak, Interim Chair of CCEE.

Eighteen other universities attended the conference. Among them: ASU, Cal
Poly Pomona, Cal Poly SLO, UCLA, UCSD, UH Manoa, UNLV, USC, and University
of Arizona.

SDSU Women's Concrete Canoe Team placed first in the endurance race. The
Concrete Bowling Team and the Tug-of-War Team took first place. The co-ed
sprint race and volleyball teams placed second. The Men’s Concrete Canoe
Team ranked third in the endurance race. The Women's Sprint Race,
Transportation Design, and the Impromptu Design teams ranked third.

*Diletta Giuntini*, PhD Student in the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in
Engineering Sciences, was awarded with an Inamori Fellowship from the
Office of Graduate and Research Affairs. Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder of
Kyocera Corporation, has contributed funds to SDSU that provide stipends to
degree-seeking graduate students. Ms. Giuntini was also the recipient of
the ASM San Diego Chapter 2016 Abe Hurlich Scholarship in recognition of
her exemplary achievements in scholarship, leadership and service to the
community.

*Anachristina Morino*, Senior, Aerospace Engineering, was one of ten
recipients for the 2016 Quest for the Best Award. The “Quest for the Best”
awards seek to recognize outstanding student leaders who have typified and
promoted the mission of the university. This Vice Presidential Student
Service award is given each April to the “best of the best” at SDSU – those
students who excel academically and through community and campus
involvement. This award recognizes Ms. Morino for her excellence in
academics, campus involvement, and community service.
------------------------------
Outreach Activities

*Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program (MESA)*
On Thursday, February 25, 2016, the SDSU MESA Program hosted an event to
encourage young women to explore the science, technology, engineering and
mathematics fields (STEM). Thirty middle school girls from the MESA Schools
Program at O’Farrell Charter School spent the day at SDSU. The day's events
included a look at several student engineering projects led by MESA
undergraduates:

   - Rocket Project: led by *Jennifer Martin Velazquez*, Aerospace
   Engineering major
   - SDSU Formula SAE Car: led by *Natalie Robertson*, Mechanical
   Engineering major
   - Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering — Prosthetic Skateboard
   Project: led by *Alberto Perez Jr.*, Mechanical Engineering major and *Sonia
   Fisher*, Computer Engineering major.

“If we are to bridge the gap and increase the number of females entering
STEM fields, we must start early and we must provide living examples that
can share their experience and provide guidance,” said *Natasha Celise*,
SDSU MESA Program Director.

*Project Lead the Way (PLTW)*

On February 27, 2016, San Diego State University's Society of Women
Engineers chapter and Project Lead The Way hosted Project Lead The Way
Girl’s Day to encourage young girls to be confident in the science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) arena. “An event like this
is important to SDSU because it demonstrates our support of increasing
diversity in STEM,” said Michelle Bunn, Project Lead The Way Affiliate
Director in the College of Engineering. “It also allows students and their
parents the opportunity to learn about SDSU’s Colleges of Engineering and
Sciences programs and scholarships.”

The event included workshops where students completed hands-on STEM-related
experiments run by female engineers and scientists. Parents also attended
workshops that provided information about other local STEM events and
activities for their daughters.

*Troops to Engineers*

On Friday, March 11, 2016, Troops to Engineers hosted a small group of
Marines from Wounded Warrior Battalion-West. Working with the Society of
American Military Engineers (SAME) student chapter leaders, Kyle Wallace
(President) and John Michael Hernandez (Vice President), the Marines were
introduced to the Engineering program at SDSU. The Marines had the
opportunity to attend an ME 240 class lecture, tour the Machine Shop and
Structural Engineering and Powder Technology labs, as well as speaking with
members of SAME and two of the SDSU Engineering student clubs: Mechatronics
and Baja SAE. Troops to Engineers and SAME extend a special thanks to Dr.
Khaled Morsi, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, for rearranging
his schedule and allowing the Marines to sit in on his lecture. The Marines
had a positive experience overall and we hope to see them become Aztec
engineers in the near future!
------------------------------
*Alumni Highlight*

Halla Razak, ’86, sits in the Director’s chair at the City of San Diego’s
Department of Public Utilities, managing 1,600 employees and a vast water
and waste water infrastructure. In November 2015, the San Diego City
Council approved plans to reduce its 85-percent dependence on imported
water by constructing purification facilities for turning wastewater into
drinking water. The decision makes San Diego the largest city in the nation
to launch potable water reuse with reservoir augmentation. Christened Pure
Water San Diego, the project is expected to provide more than a third of
the City’s potable water by 2035.

Razak continues to elicit public support for the plan, but her more
immediate concern is the sharply reduced statewide water consumption
objective set by Governor Jerry Brown in response to the California
drought. To comply with its 16-percent reduction target, the City of San
Diego has imposed mandatory watering restrictions and broadened its Waste
No Water campaign encouraging conservation among homeowners and businesses.
------------------------------
*Upcoming Events*

*Engineering Advisory Board Meeting*
Wednesday, May 4, 2016, 8:30am-1:15pm
Templo Mayor Conference Room, Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, SDSU

*Engineering Design Day*
Wednesday, May 4, 2016, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Montezuma Hall, Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, SDSU

*Engineering Senior Banquet*
Thursday, May 5, 2016, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Fowler Family Ballroom, Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, SDSU

*Engineering Commencement*
Saturday, May 14, 2016, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Viejas Arena, SDSU

San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego CA 92182
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