News & Events: August 28, 2012

CU Denver Block Party is a success
Bioengineering faculty win major new grants from the National Institutes of Health
Electrical engineering student conducts NSF-supported research in India over the summer
Anu Ramaswami accepts position at University of Minnesota; farewell reception Sept. 7
Dam Safety conference and job fair—free for students
Vote for CU Denver Lynx personality
Graduation application announcement
You’re invited: SWE mini conference
Poster session for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the AVS
Paper shredding, Sept. 7

Have news or an event you want to share? Contact Erica Lefeave.

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CU Denver Block Party is a success

Last Thursday, August 23, some of our students and faculty represented the college at the first-ever CU Denver Block Party.

Dan Connors, assistant professor of electrical engineering, and EE student Kyle Dunn set up an interactive demonstration of face detection and some other computer vision algorithms.

The programs used a USB camera that faced passerbys, and the computer screen showed the audience what was found. Mechanical engineering seniors Loi Ngo, Michael Dennison, Mark Maceda and Marcel Sorel showcased their senior design project, a hydrogen-powered vehicle that was built to compete in the 2012 Shell Eco-marathon. Both groups fielded questions throughout the event and did an excellent job representing the college.

Other Block Party activities included a zip line, a gondola photo booth, a rock-climbing wall, live music and food trucks. The event drew students, staff and faculty and was deemed a success by administration and university participants.

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Bioengineering faculty win major new grants from the National Institutes of Health

Faculty in the Department of Bioengineering have been awarded more than $8M in new grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Robin Shandas, chair of bioengineering, has been awarded one of six prestigious awards by the Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award brings more than $2.1 million to the department to study pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in children.  This project brings together a collaborative team of bioengineers, clinicians and basic scientists to improve prediction of clinical outcomes in children born with this complex disease.

Dr. Shandas was also awarded, for a second 5-year cycle, a senior NIH K24 career award to train the next generation of translational scientists in cardiopulmonary bioengineering.  He is one of the few PhD scientists to receive this clinically oriented award, which is usually given to MD physicians. The award recognizes his longstanding record of teaching and mentoring in translational bioengineering.

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering Kendall Hunter is a co-investigator on a second award made by the NHLBI to School of Medicine principal investigator and bioengineering affiliate faculty Kurt Stenmark. Hunter will develop new imaging diagnostics to evaluate how scleroderma affects the pulmonary vascular system. The NIH/NHLBI has earmarked $20.25 million over 5 years to foster research leading to improved diagnostics and therapeutics for RV disease. CU Denver won two of the six awards made nationally.

In addition, Daewon Park is co-investigator on another new RO1 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. This $1.8M grant will be used to develop next-generation polymeric materials for various dental applications.

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Electrical engineering student conducts NSF-supported research in India over the summer

For eight weeks over the summer, electrical engineering graduate student Jarvis Hill visited the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Center for Nondestructive Evaluation and conducted research supported by National Science Foundation.

Hill’s research focused on finite difference time domain (FDTD) modeling and its application to the field of electrodynamics. In theoretical physics the study of fields in time and space is known as Electrodynamics. FDTD enables computational modeling and simulation of electromagnetic phenomena. This is useful when there is a need to understand how electric and magnetic fields behave in or on an object (e.g., cell phone antenna, cable dish, transformer coils, etc.). This allows engineers and scientists to gain information about a component or entire system before fabrication, which limits timely and costly redesigns. Anything that relies on electrodynamics to function is a candidate for FDTD modeling. Hill also relished in the cultural experience of living and studying in Tamil Nadu, India for eight weeks.

Next summer, the university will have the opportunity to send another PhD/MS student and electrical engineering assistant professor Yiming Deng to IIT-Madras under the support of NSF.
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Anu Ramaswami accepts position at University of Minnesota; farewell reception on Sept. 7

Civil engineering professor Anu Ramaswami has accepted a new faculty position as the Denny Chair Professor of Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP) at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. This is a university-wide professor position that includes joint appointments with the College of Engineering and the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Systems. She is resigning her tenured professorship at effective August 30, but will remain involved with CU Denver and IGERT/CSIS as an adjoint professor over the next year or so.

Wish Anu good luck in her future endeavors at a farewell reception next Friday, September 7, from 12 – 1 p.m. in the North Classroom Atrium A & B (near the café).

Contact Roxanne Pizano with questions.

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Students Invited to Dam Safety 2012 Conference and Career Fair, Sept. 16-21

—PLEASE SHARE WITH STUDENTS—

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), a national nonprofit organization of more than 3,000 members representing state and federal agencies, local governments, utilities and the private-sector, invites students to attend its 29th annual conference, to be held September 16-21 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.  Expected to attract more than 1,000 participants from throughout the United States and around the world, Dam Safety ’12 will offer unparalleled opportunities to learn from and network with renowned experts in dam engineering and related fields.

Complimentary Admission for Students
ASDSO will waive registration fees for students presenting valid IDs from North American schools. Students are invited to attend all sessions and receptions and to relax, mingle and browse materials in the Student Lounge area, adjacent to the exhibit hall.

Dam Safety Career Fair – Monday, Sept. 17, 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm
This special event for students and prospective employers is part of the evening reception, which begins at 5:00 and ends at 6:30.  It will take place in the Exhibit Hall, next to the Student Lounge.  The event will feature a short presentation on career opportunities in dam safety and engineering, followed by an informal mixer.  (Students, bring your resumes!)

Registration
Please pre-register.  Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registering helps us plan, and students who pre-register will have materials ready and waiting at the registration desk.  Complimentary registrations are not available online, but students may send a completed Dam Safety 2012 Registration Form to ASDSO via email at info@damsafety.org, fax: 859/323-1958, or postal mail: ASDSO, 450 Old Vine St, Lexington, KY 40507.

QUESTIONS?
More information on Dam Safety 2012: www.damsafety.org
Contact: Sarah McCubbin-Cain, smc@damsafety.org, 859-257-2102

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Vote for CU Denver Lynx personality

CU Denver Faculty and Staff,

CU Denver officially has selected the lynx to serve as our mascot <http://www.ucdenver.edu/life/services/studentlife/Club%20Sports/Pages/CU-Denver-Mascot.aspx> . Now, it’s time to show your support and contribute your opinion by filling out a short ‘lynx personality’ survey <https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/whoisyourlynx> .

With leadership from the Student Government Association and input from students, alumni, faculty and staff, we are adopting a mascot to build school spirit. Earlier this year, the CU Denver community voted and selected the lynx by a majority vote.

Your feedback is needed to determine exactly who the CU Denver Lynx will be. Will our lynx be bold, ferocious, cute, cuddly, wily, funny? Will it high-five, growl or dance? This is your chance to tell us how you think the lynx should represent CU Denver and you.

The survey has been extended to August 31, so there’s still time to share your opinion through the survey, and encourage others to do so, too.

Mascot activities to watch for going forward:
October – Vote on what the CU Denver Lynx will look like and its name.
November – Get your dance moves ready for the mascot performer tryouts start.
January – The CU Denver Lynx will make its first public appearance the first week of spring 2013 classes.

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Graduation application announcement

Departments and/or faculty advisors should notify all eligible graduate and undergraduate students to go online and apply for FALL 2012 graduation through UCD ACCESS before Wednesday, September 5, 2012 (Census Date). Eligible students who fail to apply for FALL 2012 graduation before Census will not be eligible to graduate in the fall 2012 term.

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You’re invited: SWE mini conference

The CU Denver Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter is hosting a professional development conference on Saturday, September 15, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Tivoli called Engineer A Little Play Into Your Day: The secret to fueling our personal and professional growth, success and happiness.

All faculty are invited to attend this event, which will feature two great speakers, including local Human Resources expert and author Barbara Brannen (sponsored by ExxonMobil), as well as several “play group” leaders from local SWE sections. It will be a unique, engaging and playful day.

For more specific details, visit the conference website.

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Poster session for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the AVS

You’re invited to attend the Annual Symposium of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Vacuum Society on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westminster, Colorado. The Symposium theme for this year is “Vacuum on the Fringe”. Symposium registration is free, and pre-registration includes a complimentary lunch. See the Symposium brochure for speakers and topics and a flier about the short courses offered during the week of September 18-21, 2012.

Students are encouraged to participate in the poster session where they can win cash prizes. We would appreciate if you would post the Call For Student Posters somewhere in your department where it will be visible to students.

Any questions may be directed to the following address or email.

Lorelle Mansfield
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
15013 Denver West Parkway MS 3219
Golden, CO 80401-3305
phone: 303-384-7884
fax: 303-384-7600
email: lorelle.mansfield@nrel.gov

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Paper shredding, Sept. 7

Shred-It will be here on Wednesday, August 29. If you have paper/documents that need to be shredded, please contact Barbara Frascello in the Dean’s Office at barbara.frascello@ucdenver.edu or 303-556-4678.

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