News & Events: October 25

Chris Yakacki wins a CU Denver-sponsored Pilot Research Mentorship Program
Bioengineering undergraduate open house draws prospective students and sparks potential collaboration
CEAS seminar Oct. 31: Everything you wanted to know about Hyper-rings (but were afraid to ask)
Help name the CU Denver Lynx
Staff Appreciation Breakfast, October 31
FALL 2012 Graduation Dates/Deadlines and Instructions
Call for nominations: 2013 Thomas Jefferson Awards
Call for proposals: CU Women Succeeding Annual Professional Development Symposium

Have news or events you want to share with the college? Contact Erica Lefeave.

—————————–

Chris Yakacki wins a CU Denver-sponsored Pilot Research Mentorship Program

Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Chris Yakacki has won a CU Denver-sponsored Pilot Research Mentorship Program. The goal of the program is to foster career development in pre-tenure faculty by supporting the development of research mentoring relationships with off-campus science and engineering leaders.

Yakacki is partnering with Patrick Mather from Syracuse University to be his mentor. Mather is the head of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute as well as a Milton and Ann Stevenson Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and he is a well-known leader in the field of smart and active polymers for biomedical applications. The partnership is an ideal match—Mather is a leader in the field of developing novel biomaterials and Yakacki’s background has been in developing orthopedic biomedical devices from the same types of materials.

“The main goal of the program is to not only offer a young faculty member mentoring, but to help foster research collaboration developing new active polymers for biomedical devices,” says Yakacki. “One example of this could be for liquid-crystalline elastomers, which are a type of polymers that can elongate/contract up to 4 times their original length when exposed to a small change in temperature.”

–top–

Bioengineering undergraduate open house draws prospective students and sparks potential collaboration

More than 30 people attended the Oct. 24 Bioengineering Undergraduate Open House, 10 of whom were potential students. As part of the event, attendees toured some of the labs and classrooms. “They seemed to enjoy the tours, as they got to see first-hand some of the ongoing technologies,” says Karen Gilbert from the Department of Bioengineering.

The principal, administrator and some teachers from Longmont High School also attended the Open House and are very interested in the program. We are going to try and pursue some type of collaboration.

“We’re excited to report that there are already several applicants to the program,” Gilbert says.

The department’s graduate open house will be held on November 2 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Bushnell Auditorium, Building 500, on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Learn more and RSVP at www.ucdenver.edu/bioengineering.

–top–

CEAS seminar Oct. 31: Everything you wanted to know about Hyper-rings (but were afraid to ask)

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Fall 2012 Seminar Series
******************************
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
11:15 a.m., NC 3212

Everything you wanted to know about Hyper-rings (but were afraid to ask)
******
Tom Altman
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
University of Colorado Denver

Abstract
A circulant graph is called a hyper-ring with N nodes (N-HR for short) if all of its nodes (labeled 0 ..N-1) that are exactly a power of two away from each other are connected. We prove that the node-connectivity of an N-HR is equal to its degree by presenting an algorithm for an explicit construction of the node-disjoint paths connecting any pair of nodes s and t. The length of these paths is bounded by a function of the positional distance between s and t. After discussing some of the more interesting properties of HRs, their construction, and applicability to various problem domains, we show a broadcasting scheme and a node-to-node communication protocol for HRs that require an optimal number of rounds, even in the presence of node failures.
Various topologies have been proposed for interconnecting processors in large scaled parallel and/or distributed systems. Hyper-rings (HRs) and their variations have appeared in the literature under several names, including optimal broadcasting scheme and binary jumping networks. The structure, properties, and advantages of this family of networks and their fault tolerance will be addressed and analyzed in detail.
Node-connectivity of a network, denoted by ĸ, is fundamental in the analysis of network reliability and/or security. Menger’s Theorem relates the connectivity of a graph G to the size of the smallest set of pair-wise internally node-disjoint paths between any pair of nodes s and t. Hence, in a network, multiple copies of a message may be sent through a number of disjoint paths and fault tolerance can be achieved in this manner. Partitioning a secret message into sub-messages, or using Rabin’s Information Dispersal Algorithm, where every i-th packet is transmitted via the i-th mod ĸ path, may prevent (or at least make it more difficult) for adversaries to intercept and decipher it.

Bio.
Dr. Altman has been a Professor of Computer Science at UCD since 1997. His previous work with Prof. A. Wala at UK (1986-1990) has resulted in a first in the world mine ventilation expert system (MVES) and a physical MV-laboratory model that was used for analyzing the fine points of system simulation, ventilation control, monitoring systems, and various network optimization and other numerical methods. The MVES project involved a graph-theoretical formalization for the representation of underground coal mines, flow prediction techniques, and analyses of gas concentrations. Dr. Altman’s work with Dr. P. Boulos on network-flow optimization, water quality simulation, optimal design and operation, and related numerical methods has spanned for more than twenty years. It has resulted in over twenty conference and journal papers, some of which have received awards such as ASCE’s Research Paper of the Year, EPA’s Star Award, and others. The theoretical results were developed into a software package, H2O-net, which is widely recognized as the state-of-the-art software for the applications above. It is used by over 70% of the largest water utility companies in the USA. Presently, Dr. Altman is working on a various projects ranging from Bioinformatics and Data Mining, parallel computation, to Formal Language Theory and the evaluation of Linguistic Geometry AI decision-making algorithms with Professor B. Stilman.

EDUCATION
• Ph.D. Computer Science, University of Pittsburgh, 1984.
• M.S. Computer Science, University of Pittsburgh, 1981.
• B.S. Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Pittsburgh, 1979.
(Member, 1976 National Championship Football Team).
RECENT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
• 2008-present: ABET Program Evaluator (Computing Accreditation Commission).
• 2005-present: Director of Computer Science Undergraduate Program, UCD.
• 2002-2004: co-Director of Computer Science CSIS Ph.D. Program, UCD.
• 2000-2004: Director of Computer Science Graduate Program, UCD.
• 1999-2001: Director of Curriculum, Retraining Engineers for Information Technology, UCD.
• 1997-present: Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, UCD.
SELECTED RECOGNITIONS
• MWH-Soft Excellence in Engineering Education Award, 2002 and 2003.
• College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Teacher of the Year, 2001.
• American Society of Civil Engineers Water Resources Best Research Paper for 1996.
• The Marquis Who’s Who in the World, 1996.
• University of Colorado at Denver Faculty Fellowship 1994-95.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Scientific Achievement Award, 1994.
REVIEWER FOR
• ACM Computing Reviews; Applied Mathematical Modeling; Information Processing Letters; IEEE Journal on Distributed Computing; Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics; Parallel Processing Letters; National Science Foundation.

–top–

Help name the CU Denver Lynx

Student Government needs our help in naming the new university mascot and has developed an online survey to gather the university’s input. The survey will be open until Nov. 15.

Also, the mascot committee is seeking people who would like to don the lynx costume and represent CU Denver at university-sponsored events.

Criteria for being a live lynx:
• Male and female candidates welcome.
• Must be high spirited and high energy.
• Mascot will be compensated.
• Mascot must be between 5-foot-6 to 6-foot tall.
If you would like more information on becoming the very first CU Denver Lynx mascot, please sign up in Tivoli 303 or email aaron.wilson@ucdenver.edu.

An informational meeting about the mascot tryouts will take place at 2 p.m. on Nov. 2 in Tivoli 442.

–top–

Staff Appreciation Breakfast, October 31

University Staff Council is hosting a staff appreciation breakfast and costume contest on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 8 – 9:30 a.m. in the Lawrence Street Center Terrace Room.

Learn more and RSVP.

–top–

FALL 2012 Graduation Dates/Deadlines and Instructions

Here are some very important dates regarding the FALL 2012 Graduation list:
• Saturday, December 15, 2012 – End of Semester. Commencement Ceremonies held 9:00am at the Denver Convention Center.
• Thursday, December 20, 2012 – ALL GRADES DUE BY ALL FACULTY who are teaching courses in the FALL 2012 semester.
• Thursday, December 20, 2012 – ALL IP/I GRADES MUST BE CHANGED AND SUBMITTED TO THE OFFICE OF RECORDS AND REGISTRATION FOR ALL INCOMPLETE/IN PROGRESS COURSES ON STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS. GRADE CHANGES ARE ONLY ACCEPTED THROUGH THE PROPER COMPLETION AND SUBMISSION OF A “CHANGE OF RECORD FORM.”
• Monday, December 24, 2012 – Grades available to students/faculty/staff on the web. Departments should verify all grades are recorded on student transcripts and investigate any/all missing grades which may prevent a student being approved for graduation.
• Monday, December 24, 2012 – Tuesday, January 8, 2013 – Departments responsible for determining, resolving and notifying students of any/all administrative issues that may prevent a student from graduating in the SUMMER 2012 semester.
• Wednesday, January 9, 2013 – ALL COMPLETED FALL 2012 GRADUATING STUDENT FILES TO ME FOR FINAL REVIEW.
• Wednesday, January 9, 2013 – Departments responsible for notifying/advising ALL student(s) who have been denied FALL 2012 graduation. THIS IS AN ADVISING FUNCTION AND IS NOT PERFORMED IN THE DEAN’S OFFICE.
• Thursday, January 31, 2013 – Degrees posted on official student transcripts. Official transcripts showing degrees posted available to students.
• Friday, September 22, 2013 – Diplomas mailed to students. (Diplomas mailed to addresses on ISIS and provided by students.)

Directions for FALL 2012 GRADUATION files are below:
• ALL STUDENT FILES MUST CONTAIN THE MOST CURRENT (FALL 2102) TRANSCRIPT which indicates ALL grades including FALL 2012 grades. If a student’s transcript shows a missing grade for any course that is needed for graduation, the department should immediately investigate the missing grade to determine the reason and resolve any administrative issues.
• ALL incomplete (I), in progress (IP) grades MUST have a letter grade on the transcript for ALL semesters including FALL 2012. (Remember CAND 5940 does not ever display a grade only the distinction ****).
• DO NOT PLACE ANY FORMS THAT ARE IN NEED OF PROCESSING IN THE STUDENT’S FILE OR STAPLE THEM TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE FILE. All forms that need processing must be completed by following the proper college procedures set forth by Associate Dean, Bruce Janson. PLACING FORMS THAT NEED PROCESSING IN A STUDENT’S FILE WILL DELAY THE PROCESS FOR GRADUATION APPROVAL.
• ALL transfer credit(s) must appear on ISIS and verified/applied correctly to the students program sheet (BS) or Application for Admission to Candidacy(MS, MENG). Each department is responsible for verifying that transfer credit appears on ISIS and is appropriately applied to degree requirements. Department Signatures indicate this function has been appropriately verified.
• ALL Program Sheets, Application for Admission to Candidacy forms, Green Sheets (for graduate students only) and any other applicable paperwork MUST be correctly verified, approved and SIGNED by all appropriate individuals in each department. Incomplete files or files that are missing signatures or information will be returned to the departments jeopardizing the student’s ability to graduate. USE THE ATTACHED GREEN SHEET FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS. DO NOT USE OLD GREEN SHEETS.
• When you have properly assembled and verified all files are complete, PLEASE SEND ALL FILES TO PAUL INCLUDING FILES OF STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT APPROVED TO GRADUATE. Paul needs ALL files including students who are not graduating for auditing purposes.
• Please DO NOT deliver files to me as you process them. It makes it very difficult to keep track of where files are. Collect all files and deliver all of them to me at one time.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Paul Rakowski.

–top–

Call for nominations: 2013 Thomas Jefferson Awards

The University of Colorado is looking for nominations for the 2013 Thomas Jefferson Awards. The CU Thomas Jefferson Awards are awarded to those persons who advance the ideals of Thomas Jefferson, which include:
• broad interests in literature, arts and sciences, and public affairs;
• a strong concern for the advancement of higher education;
• a deeply seated sense of individual civic responsibility; and
• a profound commitment to the welfare and rights of the individual

Nominations must be received by Nov. 30. Learn more at www.cu.edu/jefferson-award.
–top–

Call for proposals: CU Women Succeeding Annual Professional Development Symposium

CU Women Succeeding 11th Annual Professional Development Symposium, “Opening Doors: Navigating Your Professional Journey”

A Call for Proposals

The Faculty Council Women’s Committee announces a call for proposals for the CU Women Succeeding 11th Annual Professional Development Symposium.

The Symposium starts at 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 21 and concludes at 3 p.m. on Friday, February 22, 2013. It will be held at the University Memorial Center, University of Colorado Boulder.

The Committee welcomes proposals for workshops, roundtables, book discussions, panels, and other interactive and innovative formats focused on the theme of “Opening Doors: Navigating your Professional Journey” for the Friday sessions. Proposals should address the interests and concerns of CU women faculty and staff and can also address broader educational/professional-development issues related to women in academia and beyond.

We additionally welcome proposals for poster presentations during the Thursday, February 21 opening celebration.

Each proposal must include contact information for a primary organizer, who will be responsible for the content and recruitment of additional presenters for the session.

Proposals must include:
1. Title of presentation
2. Summary of presentation to be printed in Symposium brochure (100 words or less, please)
3. Brief description of proposed topic and how it relates to the “Opening Doors: Navigating your Professional Journey” theme (200 words)
4. One to three specific learning objectives for participants
5. Time block preference (indicate preference for 45 or 90 minutes)
6. Names of each presenter (if more than one)
7. Contact information for principal presenter; CU campus and department; title; email address; phone number.
8. Technology resources needed

The deadline for submission is Friday, October 26th, 2012. The selection process will be completed and presenters notified by early December. Questions can be directed to melinda.piket-may@colorado.edu or karen.jonscher@ucdenver.edu.

Click here to submit your proposal.
–top–