BUFFALOENGINEERSPRING 2013 Faculty Nationally RecognizedINsIde ThIs Issue:

student Awards

donor support

Folks Kofke Melodia Scutari

UB SAE IE GE Team

The Davises Li

McCombs receives medal

distinguished Alum

Faculty, pp. 2–3 and pp. 15–18

•LieslFolks:NewDean

•DavidKofke(CBE):SUNYDistinguishedTitle

•Govindaraju(CSE),Mitin(EE)–SPIEFellows;Alexandridis(CBE)–AAASFellow

•Melodia,Scutari(EE):NSFCAREERAwards

Students, pp. 7–13

•UB(SAE)SnowmobileWin

•IETeamWinsTopSpotinGEChallenge

Development, pp. 28–29

•BarbaraandJackDavisEngineering education endowment Fund

•LiGiftNamesDavisHallDataMiningLab

•AnonymousGiftEnhancesSchool

Alumni, pp. 3–6

•McCombs:NationalMedalofTechnology &Innovation

Research, p. 3 and pp. 19–27

•BME,p.20

•CBE,pp.21–22

•CSE,p.23

•CSEE,p.21andp.24

•EE,pp.3,19and22

•ISE,pp.25–26

•MAE,p.27

Education, p. 14

•UBaTopAffordableUSSchool

Pre-College, p. 30

Class Notes, p. 31

I extend my thanks to all who have granted me the honor of leading this formidable institution.

ThebreadthandexcellenceoftheSchoolofEngineeringandAppliedSciences’(SEAS)activitiescontinuetoamazeme, andtoattractexternalrecognitiontoourgreatschool.

In alignment with the direction set by the UB2020 Strategic Plan, SEAS’ engagements with outside organizations are also growing robustly, leading to new opportunities for students and faculty across a spectrum of disciplines.

Theenthusiasmforinnovativeeducationalandresearchprojectsundertakenbyalumni,students,faculty,andourpartnersiscontagious.Buildingstrongandlastingpartnershipsisthekeytoourcontinuedgrowth.

ThereisagreatdealofexcitementwithinSEASarisingfromacontinuedhighdemandforourundergraduateandgraduatedegreeprograms.The2013academicyearwillseeanotheracademicallystrongfreshmanclass,followingthetrendsofthepastfewyears,andaboostinincominggraduatestudentquality.ThehighdemandforUB’sdegreesseemstobedrivenbythenationalconversationaroundanticipateddemandincomingdecadesfortheSTEM-educatedemployeesrequiredtomaintainUSinternationalcompetitiveness,andthepublicityaroundthehighcostofmanydegreesandassociatedhighdebtswithwhichmanystudentsgraduate.Thesetwoconsiderationsarenowapriorityinthemindsofstudentsandfamiliesastheychoosecollegesanddegreeprograms,totheadvantageofUBSEAS.However,theincreasednumberscomingthroughourdegreeprogramsinSEASposenotableresourcechallengesforus.Wemustcontinuetoinnovateinlargeandsmallwaystoensurethatthequalityoftheeducationalexperienceisnotdegradedforthoseinourprograms.

RecentendorsementsoftheexcellenteducationalexperienceUBoffershavecomefromnationalsurveysbyKiplinger’s and PrincetonReview,whichhavefoundUBtoofferatopexperiencethatmatchesaffordabilitywitheducationalexcellence.Ourdonorshavealsopledgedtheircommitmentintheformofvaluable

financialsupportthatenhancestheresearch-work-lifeexperienceatourSchool.Wegratefullyacknowledgeallofourdonorsfortheirgeneroussupport.Iextendspecialthankstoouralumswhohavegivengiftsthatenhancetheeducation,research,andbuiltenvironmentatourSchool:toBarbaraandJack Davis,whohavegivenagiftforascholarshipfund;toRobin LifornamingaDavisHallDataMiningLab;andtoananonymous alumnuswhohasnamedGracePlaza,enhancinganexteriorareaofDavisHallandofferingfundsfordiscretionarypurposes.

Congratulationsontheexcellentaccomplishmentsofouralumni,faculty,andstudents,especiallytothosewhohaveearnedtoprecognitions.Ourdistinguishedalumnus,Norman R. McCombs,receivedtheNationalMedalofTechnologyandInnovationfromPresidentObama,thenation’shighesttechnologyhonor.OurfacultymembersMelodia and ScutariinEEhaveearnedtheNationalScienceFoundation’sCAREERaward,underscoringthevalueoftheirresearch.SUNYDistinguishedProfessorsMitin(EE)andGovindaraju(CSE)andMSECo-Director,CBE’sUBDistinguishedProfessorAlexandridis(CBE),havebeenrecognizedasfellowsofSPIE,SPIE,andAAAS,respectively.CBEProfessorKofke has earned a SUNYDistinguishedtitle.

Twostudentteamshaveachievednotablesuccessthissemestertoo,inISEandinMAE,andareproofpositiveofthegreateducationandextracurricularactivitiesofourSchool.AnISEteamwonsecondplaceinaprestigiousGEChallenge,whileanotherstudentteaminMAEearnedatopspotintheSAECleanSnowmobileCompetition.

IlookforwardtoworkingtogetherwithyoualltobringourSchooltonewheightsofachievement.

LieslFolks, dean

I Message from the Dean I 2

For abbreviations used in Buffalo Engineer, please see page 24. Cover photos are courtesy of UB and the individuals themselves.

ThisisapublicationoftheSchoolofEngineeringandAppliedSciencesOfficeofExternalAffairsandtheEngineeringAlumniAssociation,UniversityatBuffalo.AnyonewishingmoreinformationonthearticlescontainedhereinmaycontactExternalAffairs:716.645.0966;716.645.2495(fax);orub-seas@eng.buffalo.edu.Circulation:26,000.

RobertE.Barnes,Editor-in-Chief DebraSteckler,Editor

Dean Liesl Folks

I Cover Stories I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 3

Tommaso Melodia

Gesualdo Scutari

EE’s ScutariEEAssistantProfessorGesualdo ScutariearnedanNSFCAREERawardforhisproject,“VariationalInequalities:ANewParadigmforCognitiveNetworkLayering.”Thegoalofthisresearchistoenvisagedistributedmechanismsforcooperativeadaptationandlearningincomplexlarge-scalenetworks.

Complexnetworksareprevalentinmodernscience,includingthestudyofbiologicalnetworks,powergrids,andcommunicationsystems.Inmanycomplexsystems,itiscommontoobserveemergentbehaviorarisingfromtheinteractionamongindividualagents.Whileeachindividualagentisnotcapableofcomplexbehavior,itisthecombinedcoordinationamongmultipleagentsthatleadstothemanifestationofsophisticatedbehavioratthenetworklevel.

Scutariseekstodevelopanewmethodologytodesignandanalyzedistributedmechanismsforcomplexnetworks,whichrepresentsashiftfromcurrentheuristicbasedapproaches.Oneimportantapplicationiscognitiveradionetworks,wherethenodessensetheenvironmentanddecidehowtooptimallyallocatetheirradioresources.

Distinguished Alumnus Norman R. McCombs: National Medal of Technology and Innovation

President Obama with Norman R. McCombs upon presenting the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (Image courtesy of the White House)

UBEngineeringalumnusNorman R. McCombs,BSME’68,receivedtheNationalMedalofTechnologyandInnovationataWhiteHouseceremony.ThetopUSgovernmenthonorrecognizesthosewhohavemadelastingcontributionstoUScompetitivenessandqualityoflifeandwhohavehelpedstrengthenitstechnologicalworkforce.McCombsisseniorvicepresidentofresearchanddevelopmentofAirSepCorp.,inAmherst,NY.TheawardrecognizesMcCombs’contributionstopressure-swingadsorption(PSA),atechnologythathashelpedeasebreathingformillionsoflung-diseasesufferersandhasimprovedsafetyandefficiencyinmanyindustries,fromfishfarmingtosteelandpapermanufacturing,andwastewatertreatment.

McCombs’workinthedevelopmentofPSAsystemsledtotheinventionofthefirstportableoxygenconcentrator.Asadirectresultofhiscontributions,thetechnologyhasbecomeaviable,safe,andaffordablepartofthelong-termoxygentherapynecessaryforpatientswithchronicobstructivepulmonarydisease.Hesucceededinrefiningthesystemanditsdesignfromweighingover200poundsto45pounds,andrecently,toanambulatorydeviceweighingonly1.8pounds–smallandsafeenoughthattheFederalAviationAdministrationhasapproveditsuseonairlines,allowingplanetravelforhundredsofthousandsofpeople.

Fortheseandhismanyotherinventions–hehasbeengrantedover50USpatentsandhundredsmoreinternationally–hehasbeenhonoredthreetimesinInventoroftheYearcompetitions.McCombsisafellowoftheAmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineers(ASME)andamemberoftheSocietyofAutomotiveandAeronauticalEngineers.HismanyawardsincludetheAmericanIntellectual

Continuedonpage4

NSF CAREER AWARDEES

EE’s MelodiaEEAssociateProfessorTommaso MelodiaearnedanNSFCAREERawardforhisprojectentitled,“TowardsUltrasonicNetworkingforImplantableBiomedicalDevices.”

Wirelesslynetworkedsystemsofimplantablesensorsandactuatorscouldenablerevolutionaryapplicationsthatadvancemedicaltreatmentofdisease.Yet,mostresearchtodatehasfocusedoncommunicationsalongthebodysurfaceamongdevicesinterconnectedthroughtraditionalelectromagneticradio-frequency(RF)waves,whilethekeychallengeofenablingnetworkedintra-bodyminiaturizedsensorsandactuatorsthatcommunicatethroughbodytissuesissubstantiallyunaddressed.Themainobstacletoenablingthisvisionisposedbythephysicalnatureofpropagationinthehumanbody,whichiscomposedprimarilyofwater,amediumthroughwhichRFelectromagneticwavesdonoteasilypropagate.

Melodia’sprojectinvestigatesforthefirsttimethefundamentalsofultrasonicnetworkinginhumantissuesthroughaclosed-loopcombinationofmathematicalmodeling,simulation,andexperimentalevaluation. Continuedonpage19

Continuedonpage22

I Alumni I 4

In MemoriamUB Engineering offers its sincere sympathy to family, friends, and classmates of those alumni who have recently passed away.

Douglas A. Adams,BSME’75Donald A. Alianello,BSEE’67Robert K. Bensching,BSIE’53John B. Cannito,BSIE’62Richard Dahler,BSME’50Joseph G. Debo, Sr.,BSIE’50Paul C. Eisinger,BSME’60Gordon H. Elwell,BSME’50George C. Erickson,BSME’64David J. Evers,BSCivE‘75Edward W. Falsetti,PE,BSME’80Philip F. Frandina,PE,LS,BSCivE’64 (seearticlethispage)Russell M. Gaiser,BSIE’48Wei-Zheng Gao,MSEE’88Zigmund J. Glichowski,BSEngSci’71Franklyn P. Good, Jr.,BSME’49John H. Gordon Jr.,BSCivE’62Walter V. Grabowski Sr.,BSME’58Oscar W. Haas, Jr.,BS’76MS’88ChemERobert A. Hayman,BS’54MS’62EEMichael E. Hopkins,BSCivE’81James L. McGarry,MSCivE‘76George J. McLoughlin,BSCivE’71Harry J. Radloff,BSEE’63Paul Roman,BSME’81William E. Smith,BSIE’50Fred Standen Jr.,BSEE’83Charles S. Tittle,BSIE’52Richard A. Weber,BSIE’55David Wittman,BSME’48

Distinguished Alumnus Norman R. McCombsContinuedfrompage3

PropertyLawAssociation’sLifetimeAchievementAward(2005);theThomasA.Edison PatentAwardoftheASME(2007);theUBEngineeringAlumniAssociation’sEngineeroftheYear(2007);theUBEngineeringDean’sAwardforAchievement(2008);andtheUBAlumniAssociationCliffordFurnasMemorialAward(2010).

Mr.McCombsisalongtimeTonawanda,NewYorkresidentwithhiswifeof52years,Grace(Seitz).In1956,hebeganhiscareerindevelopmentatFeddersCorporation,andin1963movedtoresearchattheLindeDivisionofUnionCarbide.HesubsequentlyfoundedNRMDevelopmentCorporationand,later,XorboxCorporation,whichevolvedintoAirSepCorporationin1986.Inadditiontohiswork,McCombsenjoystheclassicalguitar,sculptingandgourmetcooking.HewasappointedOfficierMaîtredeTableRestaurateuroftheConfrériedelaChaînedesRôtisseurs,theworld’spremiergourmetsociety.

The UB Engineering Alumni Association presented Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) with a check that helped fund their attendance at ESW’s “What is Your Legacy” conference at University of California, San Diego. Shown holding the award are ESW Treasurer Olga Carcamo, (ChemE), and ESW Funding Specialist Alanna Olear (EnvE).

Engineering Alumni Association Vice President Joe Frandina presents the UB chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) President Alvaro Giron with a check that helped fund their participation in ASCE competitions including Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, and Seismic Design.

Philip F. Frandina, PE, LS, BS CivE ’64 (1929-2013)

TheSchoolofEngineeringmournsthelossofalumnusPhilip F. Frandina.AprominentprofessionalengineerandformerErieCountypublicworkscommissioner,FrandinaworkedthroughouttheeightyearsittooktocompletehisUBCivEdegree.HeeventuallyadvancedthroughalloftheengineeringpositionsinthecountyDepartmentofPublicWorks,becomingcommissionerin1982.

Afterretiringin1988,hecontinuedworkingathisfamily’sfirm,FrandinaEngineering.Ahighlyregardedstructuralengineer,bridgedesignerandarbitratorinconstructiondisputes,heearnedseveralawardsfromtheErie-NiagaraChapteroftheNewYorkState

SocietyofProfessionalEngineers,ofwhichhewasapastpresident.HealsowasapastpresidentoftheTechnicalSocietiesCouncilandtheBuffalosectionoftheAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers.HefoundedthelocalchapteroftheAssociationforBridgeConstructionandDesignandservedasitsfirstpresident.TheAmericanPublicWorksAssociationstatechapternamedhimoneoftheTopTenPublicWorksOfficialsof1988.

In2001,Frandinaandhisthreechildren,Frank(BS’73MS’74CivE),Joseph(BSCivE’78),andRosanne(BSCivE’81, withaUBMBA)–allprofessionalengineers,werenamedEngineersoftheYearbytheUBEngineeringAlumniAssociation.

Philip Frandina

McCombs after receiving the UB Alumni Association Clifford Furnas Memorial Award in 2010

Alumnus-InventorsThefollowingalumnus-inventorshavebeencreditedonpatentedinnovations.Fordetails,pleasevisitthealumnisectionofourwebsitehttp://www.eng.buffalo.edu/alumniFriendsDonors/patents/

Avarachan V. Cherian,MSEE’06 Cynthia A. Hoover,Dean’sCouncilmember, PhDCBE’95 Robert C. Johnson,MSCBE’81 Jack C. Kitchens,BS’79EngSci Daniel C. Merkel,BSCBE’89 John D. Peck Jr.,BS’93MS’95PhD’00CBE Hang T. Pham,BS’80MS’92CBE John K. Schneider,BS’80MS’87PhD’90EE Haiyou Wang,PhD’01CBE

Engineering Alumni Association Supports Student Clubs

UB Career Services: Discover. Develop. Achieve. •Seeking top candidates for your company? Toarrangeon-campusinterviewsorshowcaseyourorganization,e-mailjobs@buffalo.edu.•Have advice for current college students? JointheMeet-a-Mentorprogram.• Job hunting?Getjobsearchassistanceandaccesstoonlinepostingsandinterviewingopportunities.

Pleasevisit:www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu.CareerServicesOffice,259CapenHall,NorthCampus,UniversityatBuffalo(716)645-2231.

I Alumni I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 5

ScholarshipsSincetheearly1990s,theUBEngineeringAlumniAssociationhascarriedonatraditionofgivingscholarshipstodeservingundergraduatestudentsthroughtheUBEngineeringAlumniAssociationScholarshipFund.Pleaseconsidercontinuingthistraditionwithyourowndonations,whichareessentialtosupportingthefund.Together,wecanpromoteUBEngineering’sexcellence.

PleaseaddresscheckstotheUBFoundation,withthefundnameabovenotedinthememo,andsentto:

ExternalAffairs UBEngineeringOffice 412BonnerHall UniversityatBuffalo Buffalo,NY14260-1900

TheUBEngineeringAlumniAssociation’sannualEngineeroftheYearawardwenttoDennis Elsenbeck(MEngME’96),regionalexecutiveforNationalGrid’s(NG)WesternDivision.TheawardrecognizesaUBEngineeringalumorcloselyaffiliatedpersonwithdistinguishingactivitiesinalumni,community,andprofessionalaffairs.

Elsenbeck’scivicengagementsareextensive:heisUBEngineering’sDean’sAdvisoryCouncilchairandsitsonmanyregionalcommunityadvisoryboards.Hisserviceeffortsearnedhimthe2010UBAlumniAssociation’sCommunityLeadershipAwardandaNationalFederationforJustCommunities’CommunityLeaderAward.(Formoreaboutthelatter,seetheClassNotessection.)

AregularcontributortoourSchool’sDeltaSociety,Elsenbeckalsodonatesgenerouslyofhistimeandenergy.HehaschampionedrelationshipsbetweenNG,theSchool,andUBinmanyways:hehelpedusherNGsponsorshiptoUBEngineeringof$250,000,whichsupportedprogramsandcomputerandteleconferencingupdatesto414BonnerHall.Theroomwillbeknownas“theAdvancedGlobalConferenceRoom,broughttoyoubyNationalGrid.”HeworkedwithInterimDeanRajan BattatoestablishtheSchool’sfirsthigh-schoolsummerresidencyprogram,towhichNGgave,throughDennis’advocacy.WithUBandNG,Elsenbeckwasalsoinstrumentalinestablishingamaster’sdegreeprogramthathasgranteddegreestoabout35NGemployeesrecently.

(L to R): UBEAA’s Colleen M. O’Connell and Jeffrey Dudek with Dennis Elsenbeck and Dean Liesl Folks

2013 Engineer of the Year: Dennis Elsenbeck

(L to R): Alum Jim Karsten, Larry Perot (UB Law), and UBEAA President Jim Boyle (L to R): Alums Jon Kolber and Joe Testa

Annual UB Engineering Alumni Association TailgateTheUBEngineeringAlumni Association (EAA)helditsannualtailgate party prior to the UBBullshomecominggame against the UniversityofPittsburghPanthers.Schoolalums,family,andfriendscameouttoenjoytheevent.

DiscoveraWorldofTalent

I Alumni I 6

Alumni Membership – One Amount Pays AllDID YOU KNOW?AmemberoftheUBEngineeringAlumniAssociationautomaticallyjoinstheUBAlumniAssociation(UBAA)!

NOT A MEMBER?Joinnowtobeginsavingonevents,onlineshopping,UBmerchandiseandmuchmore.Whenyoujointhealumniassociation,you’remakingastatementthatyou’reTrueBlue,yousupportUB,andyouwanttomakeadifference.(And,you’llgetallthebenefitsmembershiphastooffer!)Showyourprideandsupportanorganizationwhosepurposeistoprovidesupportforyou.

Findoutmoreonlineathttp://www.eng.buffalo.edu/alumni_membership.phporcallUBAAat1-800-284-5382.

THANK YOU MEMBERSThankyoutoallEngineeringSchoolalumniwhohavejoinedtheUBEngineeringAlumniAssociationandtheUBAlumniAssociation.Yoursupportallowsustoprogrambothalumniandstudenteventsandactivities.

Wherever this symbol appears in Buffalo Engineer, a dues-paying alumni member has been named.

UB Engineering Alumni Association (UBEAA) at BasketballThisyear,UBEAA’sbasketballgameeventenjoyedarecordstudentattendance,aswellasawinfortheUBBullsvs.NorthernIllinoisUniversity.

(Top) Alumni and families, students, faculty and staff enjoyed the pre-game party and the Bulls’ victory. (Middle) Alum and EE Assistant Professor Jennifer Zirnheld was chosen by the Division of Athletics as the game’s honorary faculty coach. Zirnheld is standing between Victor E. Bull and Dr. Donald Reed, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Sports Management. Photo: Paul Hokanson. (Bottom) The UBEAA Student Spirit Award was presented to Tau Beta Pi by UBEAA’s Treasurer Steve Buechi and Event Chair Rick Rink (far left). The Spirit Award was co-sponsored by the UB Alumni Association.

UB Engineering Alumni Association Board of DirectorsOfficers:

James D. Boyle,President(BSCivE’78)

Joseph S. Frandina,PE,VicePresident(BSCivE’78)

Stephen P. Buechi,Treasurer(BSCivE’93,MEng’95)

Michael J. Dray,Secretary(BSChemE’04)

Members:Michelle C. Barker(BSChemE’99,MSCivE’07)

Peter Buechi,PE(BS’68MS’70CivE)

Jeffrey Dudek(BSCivE’00)

John T. Kociela,PE(BSCivE’68)

Johnathan Kolber,(BS‘72,MS‘74CivE)

Anthony S. Markut(BSIE’80)

Colleen M. O’Connell(BSCivE’03)

Brian J. Peer(BSChemE’05)

Richard A. Rink,PE(BSCivE’80)

Howard Strauss,PE,EmeritusandFounding

FacultyAdvisor(MSME’54)

Bill Swenson,PE,EmeritusAlumniCoordinator

Robert E. Barnes,AlumniCoordinator

(MS’76,PhD’84IE)

TheIEteampicturedwonthecompetition’sfirstmilestoneandplacedsecondoverallintheGEHealthQuestchallenge,fortheirsubmissionentitled“DischargeRoadmap-APatient-CentricAppforaBetterDischargeExperience.”Thejudgeswereimpressedbytheimportanceoftheproblemandthedepthoftheteam’sproposalthatfocusedondevelopinganewmobileapplicationforimprovinghospitaloperationsandthepatient/caregiverexperience.ISEProfessorLi Linprovidedguidance.See:http://www.gequest.com/c/hospital/visualization/352.

Left to right: IE PhD students Dapeng Cao, Nicolette McGeorge, Theresa Guarrera, Yuan Zhou, David LaVergne, Sabrina Casucci, Judith Tiferes, and ISE Professor Li Lin.

UB SAE team members, left to right: Amie Vuong, Dave Stedman, Patrick O’Byrne, Joseph DeMario, Co-Captain Noor Jariri, SAE Vice President Matt Strang, Nick Lanzano, Co-Captain Cory Bunnell, Matt Egan, and SAE Presi-dent Robert Neuman Jr.

IE Student Team Wins Second Place in GE Challenge

I Students I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 7

UB SAE Wins Best Emissions in 2013 Clean Snowmobile ChallengeTheUBSocietyofAutomotiveEngineers’(SAE)teamwastheBestEmissionsWinnerintheSAE2013CleanSnowmobileChallenge(CSC).TheCSCengineeringdesigncompetitionchallengesengineeringstudentstoreengineeranexistingsnowmobiletoreduceemissionsandnoiseandincreasefuelefficiency.Theirmodifiedsnowmobilescompeteinavarietyofeventsincludingemissions,noise,fueleconomy/endurance,acceleration,handling,staticdisplay,coldstartanddesignpresentation.TheUBSAEteamcompetedintheeventwitha3-cylinderturbo-dieselengine,passingthestandardssetforsootoutputbyover40%.Theteam’sfacultyadvisorisMAEAdjunctAssistantProfessorEdward M. Kasprzak.

CURCA Awards These student-mentor teams received Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities’ (CURCA) awards for their projects; they are listed by student major.

ChemE:Aubrey Beckinghausen,“AssociationofE.colicontamination with nuisance filamentous algae bloomsatpublicrecreationalbeaches,”CSEEResearchAssistantProfessorDavid Blersch

Yan Lin Zhang,“Profileofaliquidfilmneararoughsolidsurface,”CBEResearchInstructorGersh Berim

CompSci: Xiang Lin,“ApowerfulclouddevelopingcombinationAndroidandGoogleengine,”CSEResearchAssociateProfessorBina Ramamurthy

EE: Sharece Blake,“Effectsoftransientcurrentsontheelectricalcharacteristicsofathinwire,”EEAssistantProfessorJennifer Zirnheld

EnvE: Alanna Olear,“HandDryerFeasibilityStudy,”CSEEProfessorJames N. Jensen

Daniele Cardoso Spinelli,“Performanceevaluationofalow-costreactordesignforcultivationofbenthicfilamentousalgae,”Blersch

ISE, all with ISE Assistant Professor Jun Zhuang:Marie Catalano,“ScreeningSimulationforBalanceCongestionandsecurityandfacingstrategicapplicants”(groupproject)

Giovanni Madejshi,“Modelingattacksanddefensesofsmartgridsusinggametheory”

Elizabeth Newell,“VisaSecurityScreening”(groupproject)

ME & AE, all with MAE Assistant Professor Manoranjan Majji: Zachary Fisher,“DesignanddevelopmentofaUAVtrackingsystem”

Andrew Lyons,“UAVflightsystems”Frank Repetti,“UAVtrackingsystem”Vruddula Varun,“DevelopmentandtestingofUAVtrackingsystem”

ME: Joseph Groele,“Designofanareodynamicfairing,”Majji

Alexander Elhage,“Dataacquisitioninconsumerproducts,”NYSCEDIIResearchAssociate Andrew Olewnik

ME Doctoral Student Starts Up Buffalo- Based Sensorcon MEPhDstudentMark P. WagnerisfounderandCEOofSensorcon,aBuffalo,NY-basedcompanythathasdevelopedSensordrone,akeychain-sizeddevicethatactsasasmartphoneaccessorytorunhundredsofnewapplicationsusefulindailylife,includingbreathalyzer,studfinder,carbonmonoxidedetector,lighting,andweatherandairqualityapplications.Thegadgethasreceivedmuchpraiseandpresscoverage.AsuccessfulKickstartercampaignraisedmorethansixtimesitsinitialstatedgoalof$25,000.

UB SEDS Hosts Space Conference

I Students I 8

IE Student Daley Wins Best PosterIEMSstudentOriane Daley won a poster competitionatthe13thannualInterUniversityWorkshoponHuman

FactorsandErgonomics,hostedattheUniversityofToronto,forherprojectentitled,“LayeringTactileGraphicsforBlindSTEMStudents.”

CSE Student Rodolph Reaches OutCSEPhDstudentLavone RodolphisworkingtomakescienceeducationfunandengagingintheBuffaloPublicschools through the Interdisciplinary science andEngineeringPartnership(ISEP).TheprogramisledbyUB,BuffaloState

College,theBuffaloPublicSchools,andtheBuffaloMuseumofScience.AtRodolph’salmamater,HutchinsonCentralTechnicalHighSchool,hehelpedacomputertechnologyteacherdevelopanAndroidprogrammingcourse.AtBurgardHighSchool,hehelpedabiologyteacherorganizeatripandrelatedlessonsontheBuffaloMuseumofScience’sCSIexhibit.WithaBurgardphysicsteacher,Rodolphhelpedstudentsdesign,build,andracemodelracecarstounderstandtheeffectsofairflowandcarshapesonspeedandvelocity.Rodolphalsowasinstrumentalinsecuringfundingfortheprojectandarelatedfieldtrip.

IE Student Casucci Wins SHS Student Paper Award

IEPhDstudentSabrina Casucci won the society forHealthSystems(SHS)studentpapercompetitionforherpaper,“ATheoreticalModelforPatientCareTransitionProcessestoReduceHospitalReadmissions.”Shepresentedtheworkatthe2013HealthcareSystemsProcessImprovementConferenceinNewOrleans.

SEDS conference organizers with astronaut Peggy Whitson (center, in pink shirt).

TheUBchapterofStudentsfortheExplorationandDevelopmentofSpace(SEDS)hostedthelargestUSstudent-runspaceconference,havingwontheopportunitytodosoaftercompetingwithSEDSchaptersnationwide.Theconferencetheme,“Crossroads:HowOurGenerationWillTakeUstotheSpaceFrontier,”addressedhowtoday’sstudentswillimpacttomorrow’sspaceindustry.HeldattheBuffalo-NiagaraConventionCenter,prominentspeakersfromNASAandthespaceindustryincludedUBEngineeringalumniChristopher Scolese(BSEE’78),directorofNASA’sGoddardSpaceFlightCenter,andHussein Jirdeh(PhDME’88),headofcommunicationsandpublicoutreachfortheSpaceTelescopeScienceInstitute,plusdirectorsfromNASA’sKennedySpaceCenter,LangleyResearchCenter,andastronautPeggyWhitson,thirteenthchiefofNASA’sAstronautOffice.PrivatesectorpresentersincludedWillPomerantz,VirginGalactic’svicepresidentforspecialprojects,andChrisLewicki,presidentofPlanetaryResources,“theasteroid-miningcompany.”

TheUBSEDSpresidentisMary Magilligan(AE)andMAEProfessorPaul DesJardin,AEundergraduatestudiesdirector,isitsfacultyadvisor.AEstudentAndrew Dianetti,pastUBSEDSpresident,servedasconferencechair.TolearnmoreaboutSEDSandtheconferencepleasevisit:https://www.buffalo.edu/home/feature_story/space-conference.html.

Mark Wagner

Far left, the Sensorcon device; left, screen-shots of information the Sensorcon has gleaned.

I Students I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 9

New York Space Grant Funds Support Student Research

UB ISE’s HFES Chapter Wins Excellence AwardTheUBISEstudentchapteroftheHumanFactorsandErgonomicsSociety(HFES)wontheSilverLevelHFESOutstandingStudentChapterAwardfor2012,inrecognitionofitsexcellenceinsupportingmanysuccessfulactivitiesincategoriesincludingmemberrecruitment,technicalworkshops,guestspeakers,socialactivitiesandmentoringnewstudents.TheawardwaspresentedattheStudentReceptionoftheHFESAnnualMeetinginBoston,Mass.

Left to right: IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists best poster team of Juhyung Yun, EE Pro-fessor Wayne A. Anderson, Eric Kozarsky, Chong Tong; not pictured is Xueli Hao.

UB HFES student chapter members with award

NYSpaceGrantfundssupportedfellowshipsawardedtoDaniel Snitzer(MAE),whostudiednonlinearsystems,Jun Wang(EE),whoresearchedheterojunctionsolarcells,andMeredith Canty(EE),whostudiedhigh-voltageresistors.Eric Kozarsky (EE)waspartiallysupportedinhisresearchonthinsiliconfilmsforlowercostsolarcells.AnEEgraduatestudentteamconsistingofKozarsky,withco-authorsJuhyung Yun,Chong Tong,Xueli Hao,andJun WangwasawardedBestPosteratthe38thInstituteofElectricalandElectronicsEngineers(IEEE)PhotovoltaicSpecialistsConferenceinAustin,Texas.Their“Thin-FilmZnO/SiHeterojunctionSolarCells:DesignandImplementation”researchfocusedonimprovementsinefficiencyandlightabsorptionofthinfilms.TheiradvisorwasEEProfessorWayne A. Anderson.

Buckwalter and Kodweis: NSF Summer Research Experiences UBEngineeringstudentsEsther Buckwalter(EnvE)andCourtney Kodweis (BME),bothUBHonorsCollegeScholars,performedresearchduringtheirsummers,throughtheNationalScienceFoundation’s(NSF)ResearchExperienceforUndergraduates(REU)program,whichgivesundergraduateshands-onresearchexperience.

EnvEmajorandPresidentialScholarEsther Buckwalter(minoringinSpanish)spentsixweeksstudyingwateravailabilityandcloudforestsinCostaRica,throughasummerREUwithTexasA&MUniversity.Theprogramtookhertotheuniversity’sSoltisCenterforResearchandEducationneartheMonteverdeCloudForestincentralCostaRica.Withotherstudents,Buckwalterstudiedhydrologicandbiogeochemicalchangesinthewatershedofatropicalforestandbuiltaweir–aconcretestructuredesignedtocollectdataonflowrate–inthestudywatershed’sstream.Thisflowdata,combinedwithgroundwaterlevels

fromwells,wasanalyzedtounderstandthewatershed’sresponsetostormevents.TheinformationalsoofferslocalCostaRicancommunitiesbetterinsightonwateravailabletothem.

InJuly,BuckwalterreturnedtoTexasA&Mtocompleteheranalysisandpresentfindings;shealsopresentedattheAmericanGeophysicalUnionconference(SanFrancisco,Calif.).Thesummer’sresearchconcludedthesecondyearofathree-yearprogramheldatSoltis.Buckwalterwillnotreturnfortheprogram’sthirdyear,butwillcontinuetoanalyzedatacollectedintheforest.ShesaidshewillcarryonherworkimprovingtheenvironmenthereatUB,asanactivememberofEngineersforaSustainableWorld.

BMEstudentCourtney Kodweis was selected to participateasaresearchinternatMilwaukeeSchoolofEngineering(MSOE)throughNSF’sREU.AdvisedbyMSOEMEprofessorSubhaKumpaty,Kodweis’sappliedresearchproject,“Three-DimensionalModelingofthePediatricAirway”focusedondevelopingamethodforthecreationofpatient-specific,three-dimensionalmodelsofthepediatricairway(bothcompromisedandhealthy).Theresearchresultedinthedevelopmentoftwoinitialmodels,andisintendedforuseintheclinicalsetting,withtheaimofallowingdoctorstoplanforand/orpracticecomplexsurgeriesandofeducatingparents/patientsontheircondition.Theresearchresultsmayofferdoctorsabetterassessmentofairflowdynamicsthroughtheairway,andabetterunderstandingofhowtheairwayoperatesundercompromisedconditions.Kodweis’posterwasacceptedforthe2013National

CouncilonUndergraduateResearchconference(LaCrosse,Wis.).

TheREUhasbeenfundedforthreeyears,soKodweis’sresearchwillinformfutureREUresearchincomingsummers.Theexperienceofferedherrareopportunitiestocollaboratewithphysiciansatworld-renownedhospitalsandtoworkwithstate-of-the-arttechnology,especiallyattheMSOERapidPrototypingCenter.AsaresultofherREUexperienceandmenteerelationship,KodweisistravellingtoHyderabad,Indiatoconductmaterials-basedresearchforbiomedicalapplications.ShewillbepartoftheInternationalResearchExperienceforStudents(IRES)programthroughMSOE,ledbyKumpaty.AtUB,KodweisisconductingspinebiomechanicsresearchwithateamledbyCSEEProfessorStuart Chen.

Esther Buckwalter in Costa Rica

Courtney Kodweis presents findings at her REU’s final poster session. She is holding two of the models devel-oped through her research.

I Students I 10

AE and AE/ME inductees

ChemE inducteesME and AE/ME inductees

Listedbydisciplinearethefollowinginductees:AE: Sandra Czarnecki, Bjorn Foote, Michael Hotto, Richard Kennedy, Shawn Jiun-Mu Seet, Mitchell SlomowiczAE and ME: Vincent Buttimer, Scott Chown, Jacob Deutsch, Brian Fenton, David Fijas, Christopher Germain, Thaddeus Song En Low, Devpriyan Maniarasu, Chris-topher Michels, Nnamaka Nwanegbo, Michael Rossi, Diane Sorenson, Jeevan Suparmaniam, Willy, Miata Wright, Ping Song WuBME: Alexandra Ciolko, Tara Harten, Divya Kanthala, Eric McDermott, Ryan Murphy, Kari Puma, Stephanie RosenbaumChemE: Cheng Kee Lai, Michael Samol, Raymond Scuderi, Carly Snyder, Zi Feng Wu CompE: Shane Anderson, Matthew Handley, Daniel Kozlowski, Divakar Singh, Kshitij Srivastava, Lauren StutzmanCivE: Erdim Acik, Osman Akhmedov, Erik Austin, Merve Babayigit, David Barile,Andrew Bartlett,Viktor Barzilay, Fahrettin Bay, John Boser, Yavuz Canefendic, Dillon Creen, Mikhail Dashkevich, Mehmet Demir, Anthony DeSantis, Koral Dolu, Mary Doran, Danielle Farabell, Blake Fenwick, Mark Fintzel, Fred Frandina-Brawn, Shang Jie Gan, Kaitlin Gorski, Burcin Guler, Ali Gurbuz, Eda Gurses, Kevin Hebert, Colin Judge, Oguz Kadioglu, George Kalkowsky, Walter Kaniecki, Matthew Keilson, Brian Kelly,Stephen Kent, Katie Kochmanski, Andrew Leising,Jihong Li, Brian LoVerdi, Michelle Mekker, Garrett Miller, Seam Moore,Caitlin Moore, Joseph Oliverio, Michael Owamagbe, Joseph Panzetta, Minjin Park, Sanjeev Paudel, Michael Perkins, Michael Picard, Anthony Poupalos, Basit Qayyum, Rammohan Rajasekharan, Michael Rhode, Gesner Rigaud, Curtis Scott, Zhen Hau Sing, Patrick Sleasman, Stephen Smallidge, Justin Sullivan, Atinc Tunali, Yigit Turk, Zeynep Usta, Nejdet Uzun, Martin Valdivia, Frederick Van Der Sande, Cha Nee Wang, Steven Wolf, Mark Zablocki, Grzegorz Zak, Bin Zheng, Mackenzie ZimmermanEE: Nikita Butakov, Daniel Gold, Matthew Hess, Chocodhury Tausif Moorir Jhalok, James Li, Boon Teik Lim, Ailin Lin, Donald Lui, Kevin Mei, Dustin Muscato, Christopher Owen, Cecilia Simon, Kirussanth Sivana-than, Tobin Varghese, Bich Vu, Michael WalshEnvE: Feridun Akalin, Halil Altun, Mesut Bicakci, Esther Buckwalter, Busra Cetin, Michael Dietrich, Duygu Erguz, Elizabeth Hennessy, Mubeccel Ilya, Selen Isik, Faruk Kucukali, Ryan Lichtman, Merve Mermertas, Necip Olcay, Taylan Ozturk, Irem Parmaksizoglu, Ece Pekoglu, Qi Ze Tan, Tugba Uslu, Aysegul YalcinIE: Andrew Carroll, Marie Catalano. Howard Chen , Christine DiGiacomo, Shawn Gubala, Lisa Harrer, Shanney Lacey, Emily Landesberg, Areea Mostofi, Elizabeth Newell, Rajdeep RayME: William Dutcher, Sourobh Ghosh, Nicholas Jeyaratnam, Qing Hong Jiang, Hanybul Jun, Thanusyan Kanniah Jegatheswaran, Joshua Kasprzyk, Chunki Kim, Jasmine Lawrence, John Leung, Christopher Mayer, Emmanuel Obunadike, Donald Pangrazio, Parth Parikh, Theodore Pitera Richard Viehdeffer III, Lisa Vogt

Order of the Engineer at 2013 Engineers Week

EE inductees

EnvE inductees

I Students I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 11

BME inductees CompE inductees IE inductees

Attendees of the second OE ceremony, held to accommodate the excellent student response to participate.

A central event of Engineers Week was the Order of the Engineer (OE) ceremony, which enjoyed its largest turnout, requiring a second ceremony to accommodate all. OE welcomes graduating seniors into the engineering community with an oath of professionalism. Inductees also included UB Engineering Alumni Association’s Engineer of the Year Dennis Elsenbeck (MEng ME ’96) (see story, Alumni section), and Canadian engineer Daniel Bailargeon.

CivE inductees

CivE inductees

Daniel Bailargeon

I Students I 12

CBE’s Koushik Ponnuru: Knovel Week One Challenge Winner

UBstudentsturnedinarecordnumberofsubmissionsduringthefirstweekoftheKnovelUniversityChallenge,becomingthefirstinChallengehistorytohaveover100studentsparticipateinunder24

hours.ChemEstudentKoushik Ponnurutookthefirstweek’sprize,aWesternDigitalHDTVLiveStreamingMediaPlayer.

E-Week 2013SeemorepicturesofEngineersWeek(E-Week)2013attheUBStudentExperienceFacebookpage:http://on.fb.me/14HmqtO.

AEWG Award for CivE PhD Student Farhidzadeh

CSEEPhDcandidateAlireza Farhidzadehreceivedthe Acoustic emission WorkingGroup’s(AEWG)2012StudentAwardforhispaper,“IntroducingSiftedb-ValueAnalysisandaNewCrackClassificationforMonitoringReinforcedConcreteShearWallsbyAcousticEmission.”HisPhDresearchissupervisedbyCSEEAssistantProfessorSalvatore Salamone.Farhidzadeh’sprimaryresearch interests include structural health monitoring ofcomplexstructuresusing acoustic emission techniques.

ISE students and faculty attended the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences-INFORMS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

Left to right: Mr. & Mrs. Engineer, John Billingsley (ChemE) and Catie Bonga (ME)

ISE Students and Faculty at INFORMS

NSF Project Supports IE StudentsISEAssistantProfessor Jun Zhuang’sproject,“RobustApprovalProcessintheFaceofStrategicAdversariesandNormalApplicants,”withNationalScienceFoundation(NSF)funding,hassupportedPhDstudentsJohn Coles,Cen Song,andJie Xu,andresearchexperienceforIEundergraduatesMarie Catalano and Elizabeth Newell.Learnmoreabouttheprojectat:http://www.ise.buffalo.edu/node/100.

CSEE Plays SoccerCSEE’sSecondAnnualCivil(orange)vs.Environmental(green)EngineeringSoccerMatchendedina2-2tie.Thewell-attendedgameincludeddisplaysofASCE’sconcretecanoe,whichdoubleddutyasawatercooler,andEngineersforaSustainableWorld’ssolarpoweredsmoothiecart.ThegamewasrefereedbyPierre Gautreau.

Alireza Farhidzadeh with award at the 54th AEWG meeting (Princeton, NJ)

Presenting plaques to sponsors was Sourobh Ghosh, TBP external vice president, treasurer and event chair. (Left to right, top to bottom): Sourobh Ghosh; Bloomberg’s Mohit Devnani, John Kirchgraber, and Amol Kothari; ASG’s Kim Grant; Cobham’s Jim Talty; and Moog’s Paul Badding and Chrissy Seuffert.

(Left to right): A student who interned at ICONICS; recent alum, former TBP office holder and employment dinner chair Greg Ma-loney (BS EE ’12 with a UB MBA), now an ICONICS sales applica-tion engineer; and ICONICS Founder, President, and CEO Russell L. Agrusa (BS EE ’76), who is on the Dean’s Advisory Council and earned the 2010 Engineering Dean’s Award.

Tau Beta Pi, NY Nu Chapter Hosts Honors Dinner and Tech FairThe Tau Beta Pi New York Nu chapter held its annual Honors Recruitment Dinner and Tech Fair.

TheeventreceivedgoldsponsorshipfromICONICS;silver-levelsponsorswereAppliedSciencesGroup(ASG),Bloomberg,Cobham,andMoog.

Student presenters Mitali China and Jasdeep Mann

UB CBE’s 15th Annual Graduate SymposiumTheCBEdepartment’sannualgraduatesymposium,heldattheCenterfortheArts,wasanopportunityforstudentstolearnabouteachother’sworkandtosocialize.StudentpresentationsbyMitali China and Jasdeep MannwerefollowedbykeynotespeakerJohnMagnani,GlycoMimetics,Inc.’schiefscientificofficerandvicepresident.Later,oversixtygraduatestudentspresentedtheirresearchduringthepostercompetition.The2012postercontestwinners were: Yongjia Fan(Tzanakakisgroup),Xin Liu(Swihartgroup),andXiaozheng Xue(Furlanigroup).TheCBEstudents’choice awardee was Mohammad Ghasemi(Alexandridisgroup).

Keynote speaker John Magnani of GlycoMimetics, Inc.

I Students I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 13

NSF Recognizes IE Student Coles’ ResearchIE PhD student John Coles’ dissertation was recognized and earned funding from the National Science Foundation’s through its Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (DRMS) program, with ISE Assistant Professor Jun Zhuang as PI.

Theprojectisentitled,“DoctoralDissertationResearchinDRMS:ModelingtheDynamicsofAgency-agencyPartnershipsBeforeandFollowingExtremeEvents.”Theresearchersdevelopmodels to explore how characteristics

ofpartnershipscouldbeusedtopredictdynamicsinagencyinvestment,commitmentlength,partnershipselection,andexittiming.Theresearchcollectsandvalidatesdatabyinterviewingagenciesactiveinrespondingtoextremeevents.Thisprojectcomparesagencybehaviorintwoseparatedisasterresponsescenarios,mathematicallymodelsthelife-cycleofagencypartnershipsduringdisasteroperations,andconductscontrolledexperimentstoanalyzeagencydecisionmaking.

I Education I 14

UB: Quality Academics and AffordabilityIn2013,theUniversityatBuffaloroseinaffordabilityaccordingtoKiplinger’sPersonalFinancemagazine.Itslistof100BestValuesinPublicCollegesrankedUBat33rd(upfrom38thin2012)ofthemostaffordable,academicallyoutstandingUSschoolsforin-statestudents.UBremainedat27thforout-of-statestudents.UB’sscoreimproved“thankstoitshighfour-yeargraduationrate,lowaveragestudentdebtatgraduation,abundantfinancialaid,alowstickerpriceandoverallgreatvalue,”accordingtoKiplinger.

UBwasalsonamedasoneofPrincetonReview’stop75BestValueCollegesin2013amongpubliccollegesanduniversities,citingUB’s“stellaracademics,”researchemphasis,andaffordability.UBstudentssurveyedsaidtheyalsoenjoyedUB’sdiversityanditsvarietyofacademicchoices.

NanoJapan Connects US Undergraduates with Top Nanotech Research in JapanTheSchoolofEngineeringisacollaboratorontheNanoJapanInternationalResearchExperienceforUndergraduates(IREU)Program,anundergraduateresearchexperiencethroughRiceUniversitythatcultivatesinterestinnanotechnology,especiallyforundergraduatesfromunderrepresentedgroups.NanoJapanprovidesstructuredresearchopportunitiesinJapaneseuniversitylaboratorieswithJapanesementors.Theprogramisrecognizedasamodelforinternationaleducationprogramsforscienceandengineeringstudents,andismentionedinInfusingRealWorldExperiencesintoEngineeringeducation,aNationalAcademyofEngineeringreportshowcasingtopUScollege-levelengineeringprograms.EEProfessorJonathan Bird participates intheprogram’sresearchwithanumberofJapaneseuniversityprofessors,andsupervisestheworkofitsUSundergraduateIREUparticipants.

NEW MS in Embedded Systems Degree Program with Amrita, IndiaTheSchoolofEngineeringhaslaunchedanewoverseasdegreeprogram,theMSinEmbeddedSystems(MSES),incollaborationwithAmritaUniversityinIndia.TheMSESisa12-course,36credit-hourprogram;thecurriculumincludescoursesonreal-timeoperatingsystems,embeddedsystemonachip,wirelessnetworks,multimediasystems,andmulti-corearchitectures.MSES’sfirstoffering,inSpring2013,wasforemployeesoftheRobertBoschEngineeringandBusinessSolutions,Ltd.,andfocusedonautomotivesystems.

US News & World Report’s RankingsUSNews&WorldReporthasrankedtheSchoolofEngineering&AppliedSciencesandsomeofitsgraduateprogramsagainstothernationalpublicandprivateengineeringschoolsandtheirprogramsasfollows:

Ranking Area

36 Aerospace

notranked Biomedical

43 Chemical

24 Civil

notranked ComputerEngineering

61 ComputerScience

76 Electrical

42 Environmental

25 Industrial

68 Mechanical

61 SchoolofEngineering

Summer Enhancement Course OfferingsTheSchoolofEngineeringispleasedtoagainofferacomprehensivesetofsummerschoolcourseofferingsforundergraduatesandgraduatestudents.UBEngineeringstudentsandmatriculatedstudentsfromotherschoolsarewelcometoenroll,asareincomingfreshmenandtransferstudents.Formoreinformation,pleasevisithttp://ubthissummer.buffalo.edu/.Pleasenote:theremustbesufficientenrollmentforacoursetobeoffered.

NSF Award: Bringing Students to CEISARE UB’sCenterofExcellenceinInformationSystems,Assurance,ResearchandEducation(CEISARE)wasawarded$1.6MfromtheNationalScienceFoundation,forbringingupto16studentstostudyatCEISARE.Thegrantwillcoverthecostofstudentstipends($25,000),in-stategraduatetuitionandfees($12,000)andbooks,travelexpensesandhealthinsurance($3,000)fortwoyears.Theremainderofthegrant,roughly$345,000,goestocostsassociatedwithrunningthecenterforfiveyears.CSEProfessorShambhu UpadhyayaisCEISAREdirector.

Inexchangeforthefinancialsupport,studentsmustagreetoworkforthefederalgovernmentfortwoyearsupongraduation.AccordingtoUpadhyaya,studentscanchoosefromnumerousagencies,includingtheNationalSecurityAgency,theDepartmentofHomelandSecurity,theDepartmentofDefense,andtheFBI.

Co-investigatorsonthegrantincludedMathematicsProfessorThomasCusick;Management’sSUNYDistinguishedServiceProfessorH.RaghavRao;andLawAssociateProfessorMarkBartholomew.

The Right Stuff: Gerhardt LectureDean’sAdvisoryCouncilmemberanddistinguishedalumnusLester A. Gerhardt (UBMS’64,PhD’69,EE)deliveredanEngineer’sWeek@UBSpecialSeminarentitled,“TheRightStuff:PersonalandProfessionalValues,Strategies,andGoals”toafullauditorium.Gerhardt’sinsightson“therightstuff”includedhowwisdomandgoodinterpersonalskills,combinedwiththepropertechnicaleducationandtools,canleadtoa“wow”factor.Healsodiscussedhowgenerationsdifferinexpectationsandapproachesandhowthesedifferencesmanifestthemselvesintheworkplace;andhowcreativity,innovation,andentrepreneurshipcaninspirepowerfulresultswhencombinedwithstrongleadershipskills.

Gerhardt’sdistinguishedcareerincludesprominentindustrialandacademicexperienceatBellAerospaceandover40yearsatRensselaerPolytechnicInstitute(RPI),whereheisaprofessorofElectrical,Computer,andSystemsEngineering,withajointappointmentinComputerScience.HismanyhonorsincludetheAmericanSocietyforEngineeringEducation’shighesthonor–theprestigiousBenjaminGarverLammeAwardandMedal–forhis“combinedcontributionstotheartofteaching,contributionstoresearchandtechnicalliterature,andachievementsthatcontributetotheadvancementoftheprofessionandofengineeringcollegeadministration.”GerhardtalsoreceivedtheUBAlumniAssociation’sDistinguishedAlumniAward.

Shambhu Upadhyaya

Gerhardt with Dean Folks

Jonathan Bird

Top HonorsThe SUNY Board of Trustees appointed CBE’s David Kofke to the rank of SUNY Distinguished Professor, its highest distinguished ranking, conferred upon individuals who have achieved prominence and a distinguished reputation within their field.

Kofkeisinternationallyrecognizedinthefieldofmolecularsimulation.HismanycontributionsincludeinventingtheGibbs-Duhemintegrationtechnique;developingintermolecularpotentialsthatpermitpredictionofthepropertiesoftoxicchemicals,whichhelpreducetheneedfordangerousexperiments;anddevelopingasuiteofmolecularsimulationmodulesforresearchandeducation.Kofkehassystematicallyexaminedbiasesinmolecularsimulationmethodologiesanddevelopedasimpleheuristictodetectbias.Hecontinuestodevelopmethodsofcalculatingvirialcoefficientsandclusterintegralsthatpreviouslycould

notbecomputed.Thisrepresentsanimportantsteptowardthegoaloffirst-principlescalculationoffluid-phaseproperties.HisnumerousawardsincludetheJohnM.PrausnitzAwardforOutstandingAchievementinAppliedChemicalThermodynamics,onlyoneoffiverecipientstohaveearnedit;theJacobF.SchoellkopfMedal,andSUNYChancellor’sAwardsforExcellenceinResearchandCreativeActivity,andforExcellenceinTeaching,amongothers.SeetheAccomplishmentsarticleinthissectionformoreaboutKofke.

I Faculty & Staff I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 15

Faculty & Staff AccomplishmentsCBE’sUBDistinguishedProfessorPaschalis Alexandridis was electedafellowoftheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience(AAAS),for“fundamentaldiscoveriesonblockcopolymerthermodynamics,structureanddynamics,fordevelopmentoffunctionalproductsutilizingself-assemblymethodologies,andforoutstandinggraduatestudentmentoring.”Hisresearchaddressesinterconnectionsbetweenmolecularinteractionsandsupramolecularassemblies,andbetweenstructuredassembliesandtheirpropertiesandfunction.

AssociateDeanforResearchandGraduateEducation,ISEProfessorRajan BattaandISEProfessorRakesh Nagi,andco-authorMin Zhang(PhDIE‘07),wontheInstituteofIndustrialEngineersIIe Transactions’BestPaperPrizeinDesignandManufacturingfor,“DesigningManufacturingFacilityLayoutstoMitigateCongestion.”

CSEEProfessorMichel BruneaupublishedThe emancipating death ofaBoringEngineer,anovel.

CSEProfessorChang Wen ChenreceivedtheUBExceptionalScholarAwardforSustainedAchievement,whichhonorsoutstandingprofessionalachievementfocusedonaparticularbodyofworkoveranumberofyears.Itrecognizesanunprecedentedaccomplishmentinaseniorscholar’scareer,distinguishingabodyofworkofenduringimportancethathasgonebeyondthenorminaparticularfieldofstudy.

CSEEProfessorAndre FiliatraultwasappointedbytheNaturalSciencesandEngineeringResearchCouncilofCanada(NSERC)asmemberontheVanierCanadaGraduateScholarships(CGS)SelectionCommittee.TheVanierCGSattractsandretainsworld-classdoctoralstudentstoCanadawithanawardof$50,000peryearforthreeyearsandisavailabletobothCanadianandinternationalPhDstudentsstudyingatCanadianuniversities.

CSE’sSUNYDistinguishedProfessorVenu Govindarajuwaselectedafellow ofSPIE(SocietyofPhoto-opticalInstrumentationEngineers),forsignificantachievementsindocumentrecognitionandretrieval,andbiometrics.

ISE/CSEEStephenStillAssistantProfessorinTransportationandLogisticsEngineeringQing HewonBestResearchPaperAwardfor“DevelopmentandTestingofPriorityControlSysteminConnectedVehicleEnvironment,”attheIntelligentTransportationSocietyArizonaAnnualConference.

CBE’sUBDistinguishedProfessorDavid A. Kofke was profiled on thecoverandintheChEEducatorsectionofthejournalChemicalengineering education,inanextensivewrite-upbyCBEProfessorandDirectorofGraduateStudiesJeffrey R. Errington,CBE’sSUNYDistinguishedTeachingProfessorCarl R.F. Lund,andChemEProfessorDavidM.FordofUniversityofMassachusetts,Amherst.

EEAssociateProfessorNatasha LitchinitserreceivedtheBestAbstractAwardinthe43rdWinterColloquiumonthePhysicsofQuantumElectronicsforherworkon“StructuredLightandMatter,”whichwaspresentedinthesession“SingularOpticsandFanoResonances”(Snowbird,Utah).Theworkwasafollowuponherperspectivearticlereportedinsciencelastyear.

EE’sSUNYDistinguishedProfessorVladimir Mitin was elected a fellowofSPIEforsignificantachievementsinnanoengineering.

CSEEProfessorAdel SadekwasselectedtoserveonapanelofSUNYexperts recommendingimprovementstoNewYorkState’s(NYS)naturaldisasterandemergenciesresponsepreparedness,fortheNYS2100Commission.

CBE’sUBDistinguishedProfessorPaschalis AlexandridisreceivedtheUBExcellenceinGraduateStudentMentoringAwardfromUB’sGraduateSchool,whichrecognizesexceptionalexcellenceinfacultymentoringofgraduatestudents.

AssistantProfessorsJun Zhuang(ISE)andEE’s Jennifer Zirnheld(BS‘93MS‘97PhD‘04EE)werehonoredatareceptionrecognizingfacultymentoringexcellence.ZhuangandZirnheldhadeachreceivedtheUniversityatBuffaloFacultyAwardforExcellenceinMentoringUndergraduateResearchandCreativeActivity;theawardhasbeenrenamedthePresidentEmeritusandMrs.MartinMeyersonAwardforDistinguishedTeaching andMentoring.

UB’sCollegiateScienceandTechnologyEntryProgram(CSTEP)MentoringAwardsweregiventoEELecturer Kevin Burke(BS’97MS’04PhDEE’10),Zirnheld,andCBEProfessor,Director,IntegratedNanostructureSystemsMark Swihart.TheawardrecognizesoutstandingCSTEPresearchmentors.

Alexandridis Burke Swihart Zhuang Zirnheld

Faculty Mentors Awarded

David Kofke

BMEBMEAcademicCoordinatorMichael KoronaearnedhisMBAfromUB.HisexperienceincludespositionsatUB’sOfficeofCampusLivingasassistanthalldirectorandresidencehalldirector.Michaelserved

asacoordinatorforStudentDevelopmentatCalPolyStateUniversity,SanLuisObispo,priortojoiningUBEngineering.

BMETechnicalStaffAssistantChristopher Majchrzak graduated this past year with a BSinBusinessAdministration,concentrationinManagementInformationSystems,fromUB’sSchoolofManagement.Whilehe

wasattendingUB,ChristopherworkedasanInstructionalSupportAssistantatScienceandEngineeringNodeServices.

CBECBESecretaryLori DuVall is an experienced administratorwhosepreviouspositionsatUBincludesthoseattheOfficeofUndergraduateAdmissions,thePhysicsDepartment,andComparativeMedicine’sLaboratoryAnimal

Facility.SheholdsdegreesfromCanisiusCollege(BAEnglishLiteratureandBACommunication)andhaspublishedpoetryandseveral“MyView”columnsintheBuffaloNews.

CSECSEGraduateAdmissionsSecretaryJill FryzowskiholdsaBSinEnvironmentalStudiesfromUB.Herpreviousworkexperiencewasinretailandmanufacturing.

CSEAssistantProfessorOliver Andrzej KennedyearnedhisPhDfromCornellUniversityin2011.Hisresearchfocussesondatamanagement,uncertainty,distributedsystems,streamprocessing,andweb-applications.

CSEAssociateProfessorKui Ren,anNSFCAREERawardee,earnedhisPhDfromWorcesterPolytechnicInstitute.Hisresearchinterestsareincloudcomputing,wirelessnetworking,smartgridandcyberphysical

systems,especiallytheaspectsofsecurityandprivacy.

CSEAssistantProfessorLukasz Ziarek receivedhisPhDfromPurdueUniversity.his research interests are in programming languagesandsoftwareengineeringandsystems,withafocusonlanguage,compiler,andruntimedesign.

CSEECSEEAssistantProfessorSarah K. Delavan earnedherPhDinCivilandEnvironmentalEngineeringfromGeorgiaInstituteofTechnology.Herresearchinterestsresideinexperimentalfluidmechanics,withafocuson

theinfluenceofhydrodynamicsonbiologicalandecologicalsystems.Herworkwillhelpfacilitatethemanagementofournaturalwaterwaysthroughanunderstandingofthecomplexrelationshipsbetweenman-madestructures,fluidmechanics,andtheplantsandanimalthatinhabitthosenaturalwaterways.

OutreachCoordinatorSarah D’IoriojoinsCSEEafterservingasamediaproductionspecialistforMCEER.PriortojoiningUB,sarah held positions as a communications specialistforPennStateUniversityandasa

producer/writerforSevenThreeMedia,LLC.SheearnedherBAinjournalismfromPennStateUniversity.

CSEEGraduateAcademicCoordinatorAmanda HardingearnedaBSinBusinessManagementfromTheCollegeatBrockportandworkedasanadmissionsadvisorthere,recruitinginthecentralNewYorkregion.She

iscurrentlypursuinganMSinHigherEducationatBuffaloStateCollege.

CSEEAssistantProfessor Berat Haznedaroglu receivedaPhDinChemicalandEnvironmentalEngineeringfromUniversityofCalifornia,Riverside.Hisresearchinterestsaddressproblemspertainingtowaterqualityand

sustainablebioenergy,specializingonthefateandtransportbehaviorofimportanthumanandanimalpathogensinaquaticenvironmentsandfunctionalgenomicsofphotosyntheticorganismsforbiofuelapplications.

CSEEAssistantProfessorJongmin Shim earnedaPhDinEngineeringMechanicsfromMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.Hisresearchinterestsareinmultifunctionalflexiblestructurescharacterizedbytunable

properties;materialcharacterizationunderhigh-strainrateloading;andconstitutivemodelingbasedonfinitedeformationtheoryforinnovativematerials.

CSEEAssistantProfessorMettupalayam Sivaselvan(MS’99PhD’03CivE)servedasaUniversityofColorado,BoulderCivil,EnvironmentalandArchitecturalEngineeringassistantprofessorpriortohiscurrent

appointment.Hisresearchinterestsincludenonlinearstructuralanalysis,numericalmethodsforstructuralfailuresimulation,hybridtestsystems,controlsystemsforstructuresandtesting,andlarge-scaleexperimentation.

ISEISEAssistantProfessorLora Cavuouto receivedherPhDinIndustrialEngineeringfromVirginiaTech.Cavuoto’sresearchevaluatestheimpactsofagingandobesityonworkercapabilitiesandinjuryrisk.Hergoals

aretofacilitatethedevelopmentofmoreinclusiveergonomicguidelinesandinterventionstoaccommodatethediverseandchangingworkforce.

ISEandCSEEStephenStillAssistantProfessorinTransportationandLogisticsEngineeringQing He was a postdoctoral researcher at theIBMT.J.WatsonResearchCenter,whereheledprojectsinSmarterTransportation.His

PhDisfromtheUniversityofArizona.He’sresearchvisionistodevelopmultimodalandmultidimensionaltransportationandlogisticssystemswhichincorporatenewinformationtechnology,byapplyingabroadrangeoftechniquessuchasoptimization,control,simulation,andstatistics..

MAEMAEStaffAssistantMolly Dandino recentlyearnedanMAinEducationalPsychologyandQuantitativeMethodsfromUB.Whilecompletinghermaster’s,sheservedasagraduatestudentassistant

intheofficeofGraduateEnrollmentManagementServices.InMAE,Mollyisassistingwithundergraduateprogramadministration,studentregistration,researchadministration,andResearchFoundationaccountandpersonnelmanagement.

MAEAssistantProfessorEhsan Tarkesh EsfahaniearnedaPhDinMEatUniversityofCalifornia,Riverside.Hisresearchinterestsareinartificialintelligenceinengineeringdesign,braincomputerinterfaces,assistivedevices,

interactiveCADinterfaces,human-machineinteractions,bipedallocomotion(humanandhumanoid).

MSE ProgrAMMSEStaffAssistantLaura Dombrowski holdsaBAinEnglishandaBSinBrainandCognitiveSciencesfromtheUniversityofRochester.Herexperienceincludesworkingineventplanningandadvocatingforhigher

educationinclusionforstudentswithintellectualdisabilities.

I Faculty & Staff I 16

Comings, Goings and Changes

Comings

We extend a warm welcome to our new Dean Liesl Folks. Please see the inside front cover for the Dean’s Message.

I Faculty & Staff I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 17

Goings

Retiring are the following; we thank each for their special contributions throughout their years of service:

DuringCSEEProfessorPrasanta Banerjee’s35yearsofservice,headvisedover50graduatestudents.Banerjeeisknownforhispioneeringcontributionstotheboundaryintegralequationmethod,forwhichhecoined

thenameBoundaryElementMethod(BEM)andauthoredthesubject’sfirstcomprehensivebookwhichwastranslatedintoRussianandChinese.Hisworkonstaticanddynamicbehaviorofpilefoundationsandonconstitutivebehaviorofsaturatedgranularmediumisalsorecognizedworldwide.Banerjee’scomputationalengineeringmechanicslaboratorydevelopedanddistributedseveralboundaryelementcodesinthepublicdomain–BEST3D,BESTCMSandBESTFSI.BanerjeefoundedtheBoundaryElementSoftwareTechnologyCorporation.HismanyawardsincludetheInternationalSocietyforGeomechanics’USRegionAward,forcontributionstothestaticanddynamicbehaviorofpilefoundations(2007);andtwoNASATechnologyDevelopmentAwards–fortheinelasticthermaldurabilityanalysesofstructures(1995),andformicromechanicsofcompositesbyBEM(1998).

Administrator Assistant Judy Flickhasretired.SheworkedwithISESUNYDistinguishedProfessorEmeritusColin Drury on a Federal AviationAdministrationgrantfromApril1990to2006andforSUNYDistinguishedProfessor

and dean emeritus George C. Lee on a Federal highway AdministrationgrantfromSpring1997throughAugust2012.

CBE’sGraduateAdmissionsSecretaryDawn Townsendhasretired.Dawnheldthepositionfrom2003–2012andwasawealthofinformation,handlingeverythingfromappointments and purchasing to managing

thegraduatestudentservicearea.TownsendearnedaSUNYChancellor’sAwardforExcellenceinClassifiedService,forsuperiorperformanceandextraordinaryachievementbyemployeesinclassifiedservicepositions.

WewishcontinuedsuccesstoChristinaBloebaum,Yun(Raymond)Fu,ArifIslam,KerryLynch,andGilbertoMosqueda.KyleAndersonisnowanApplicationsDeveloperatUBEnterpriseApplicationServices.TheresaMealey,formerlyofMCEER,hasmovedtoapositionintheProvost’sOffice.CSEAdministratorYvettePardeeisnowintheDepartmentofPhysics.

We thank Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education rajan Batta for his service as acting and interim dean.

We also thank UB Distinguished Professor of CBE and MSE Program Co-Director Paschalis Alexandridis for his service as acting associate dean for research and graduate education.

Changes

Promotions to Professor

Promotions to Associate Professor

Appointments

BME: Chair Albert Titus (joint appointment with EE)

CSE: Rohini Srihari

CSE: Jinhui Xu

Tevfik Kosar (CSE): promoted to tenure; also appointed CSE Admissions Director

EE: Tommaso Melodia

EE: Kwang Oh

MAE: Puneet Singla

CSEE Professor Adel Sadek, CSEE Director of

Graduate Studies

CSE Associate Professor Hung Ngo, Director of

Graduate Studies

EE Associate Professor Leslie Ying, Director of

Graduate Studies

David Love, formerly of FIRM, is now an MAE

staff assistant.

CSEE: Adel Sadek

MAE: Paul DesJardin

UB Engineering welcomes its new members and thanks its departing staff for their years of dedicated service.

I Faculty & Staff I 18

Service Recognition CeremonyThe annual UB Engineering Service Recognition Ceremony honored the service, by decade, of UB Engineering employees as of 2011.

This year’s honorees were:

50 Years: George C. Lee 20 Years: Christina Bloebaum, Kerry Collins-Gross, Paul Desjardin, and Nicholas Dipirro 10 Years: Gersh Berim, Kevin Patrick Cleary, Jeffrey Errington, Bahattin Koc, Venkat Krovi, Timothy Leyh, Gerald Meyers, Hung Ngo, Cheryl Robbins, Albert Titus, and Sergey Tulyakov.

Obituaries TheSchoolofEngineeringmournsthelossofitsmembers.Wan Yong Chon April25,1924–July15,2012BornandraisedinKorea,ChoncametotheUSin1954asavisitingscholaratMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.ChontaughtattheUniversitiesofRhodeIsland,NewBrunswick,andMcGillbeforejoiningUBasaNuclearEngineeringassociateprofessorin1968.Heservedherethroughthemid-1980s,andwasalsodirectoroftheWesternNewYorkNuclearResearchCenteronUB’sSouthCampus.Chonheadedamajorresearchprojectcentraltothedevelopmentoftheemergencyreactorcorecoolingsystemsthatremainastandardsafetyfeaturetoday.AfterretiringfromUB,hebecameakeyfigureinSouthKorea’snuclearpowerindustry,servingasaspecialadvisertotheKoreaElectricPowerCorp.Inadditiontohisprofessional

accomplishments,hewasanamateurcellist,authorofbooksonTaoismandBuddhism,andamemberoftheTuscaroraYachtClub(Wilson,NY).ChonwasadedicatedhusbandtoKayChon,afatheroffour–Margaret,Richard,Robert,Michelene–andgrandfatherofthree.

Sherwood Peter “Bud” Prawel Jr. January17,1932–August19,2012PrawelwasafounderofUB’sCivEprogramintheearly1960s,wherehehelpedtoshapethestructuresarea.HedesignedthefirstshaketableplatformoftheStructuralEngineeringandEarthquakeLaboratoryusingferrocement,andconstructeditwithhelpfromstudentclubs.Hewasalsoaco-founderoftheNationalCenterforEarthquakeEngineeringResearch(nowMCEER).TwoofthethreecollegeengineeringtextbooksPrawelco-authoredwerewrittenwithformerUBPresidentRobertL.Ketter.Throughouthis40yearsofuniversityservice,Prawelmentoredhundredsofstudents,doctoralandpost-doctoralassociates,andyoungjuniorfaculty.HewasrecognizedwiththeSUNYChancellor’sAwardforExcellenceinTeaching(1975).

Uponhisretirement,theCSEEOutstandingStructuralEngineeringStudentawardwasestablished.Prawel’sextracurricularactivitiesincludedsailing,woodworking,restoringnineteenth-centurycuckooclocks.Healsoplayedthebagpipes,raisedaward-winningorchids,andwasagenealogicalresearcher.Prawelissurvivedbyhiswifeof58years,Florence,hisfivechildren,Pete,David,Tim,EricandJennifer,elevengrandchildren,andonegreat-grandchild.

Rowland “Toby” Richards June2,1935–Jan.8,2013CSEEProfessorEmeritusRichardstaughtatPrincetonandattheUniversityofDelawarebeforejoiningourSchoolin1980.Duringhis30yearsofservice,hetaughtcoursesfromfluidmechanicstostructuralaesthetics,witharesearchfocusonseismicsoilmechanics.HispublicationsincludePrinciplesofSolidMechanics,whichincludeseleganthand-drawndiagramsandfootnoteswithmanyliteraryandobservationalasides.BorninNewYorkCityandraisedinSouthernCalifornia,Richardsledalifeofsomeadventure.Asayoungman,hewastwiceaUSnationalchampionarcherandwonthe1950WorldJuniorArcheryChampionship,heldinBrussels.HissummersasayouthwerespentworkingatTrailLakeRanchinWyoming,andas

acollegestudent,goldmininginCaliforniaandtheYukonTerritoryofCanada.In1960,RichardsopenedFloodwoodsFarminWaitsfield,Vermont,whereheraisedBeltedGallowaycattle.Thefarmisstilloperatedbythefamily.Survivorsincludehiswifeof45years,theformerMarthaMarcy;twosons,RowlandIIIandGeorge;twodaughters,KelveyWilsonandJeanDamon;andtwosisters,CatherineMurff,andChristineRousselot.

Grace S. Lee October25,1935–September8,2012

TheSchoolofEngineeringfondlyremembersMrs. Grace S. Lee,wifeofSUNYDistinguishedProfessorand dean emeritus George C. Lee.Mrs.LeewasalongtimesupporterandmemberoftheUBWomen’sClub.

Donations may be offered; please specify S.P. Prawel Fund or Grace Lee Memorial Scholarship Fund. Mail to: PO Box 900, Buffalo, NY 14226-0900; or call: 716.645-3013.

Present were (left to right): Jeffrey Errington, Venkat Krovi, Albert Titus, then-Interim Dean Rajan Batta, Kevin Patrick Cleary, and Gerald Meyers.

Theprojectisinvestigatingfourintertwinedresearchtasks:(i)ultrasonicchannelmodelingandcapacityanalysis;(ii)physical/mediumaccesscontrollayersolutionsforultrasoniccommunications;(iii)distributedandasynchronouscross-layercontrolandresourceallocationalgorithmsbasedonstochasticmodelingofultrasonicinterference;and(iv)performanceevaluationthroughamulti-scalesimulatorandasoftware-definedtestbed.

EEPhDstudentG.Enrico Santagati and ee postdoctoral researcher Zhangyu Guanarecontributingtotheproject.

Ti Ri

RjTj

SignalInterference

I Research I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 19

EE’s Melodia Continuedfrompage3

Melodia’s research studies the principles that will enable a wireless net-work based on ultrasonic waves among implanted miniature devices.

Research Proposals Win Funding from UB and SUNY E FUNDS

UB’sEFundcompetitioninvestsincollaborative,high-returnstrategicinitiativesresponsivethataccelerateUB’srecognitionasaleadingpublicresearchinstitution.TheseSchoolofEngineeringfacultyproposalshavewon.Theyarelistedwiththenamesoftheprojectleads:

• Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering (CDSE)–CSE’sSUNYDistinguishedProfessorVenu Govindaraju,withMAEProfessorAbani Patra,MathProfessorGinoBiondini,andCSEProfessorVipin Chaudhary

• UB Center for Home Health and Well-Being through Adaptive Smart Environments (Home-BASE)–ISEProfessorAssociateVictor Paquet,Home-BASEdirector;ISEProfessorandChairAnn M. Bisantz;BMEProfessorandChairAlbert H. Titus;RehabilitationScience’sJamesLenker;CSE’sSUNYDistinguishedProfessorGovindaraju;Nursing’sMaryCarey;andArchitecture’sEdwardSteinfeld

• Institute of Bridge Engineering (IBE)–CSEE’sSUNYDistinguishedProfessorGeorge C. LeeandCSEEProfessorandChairAndrew Whittaker

• Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics (ISTL)–CSEEProfessorAdel W. Sadek,withISE’sSUNYDistinguishedTeachingProfessor,PraxairProfessorinOperationsResearchMark Karwan;CSEAssociateProfessorTevfik Kosar;CSEProfessorChunming Qiao;and,fromManagement:AssociateProfessorCharlesWang;AssociateProfessorNatalieSimpson;andUBDistinguishedProfessor,ChairofOperationsManagementandStrategyNallanSuresh

• Materials Science & Engineering (MSE),co-directedbyUBDistinguishedProfessorsofPaschalis Alexandridis(CBE)andFrankBright(Chemistry)wasawardedE-fundsinthepriorfiscalyear.

SUNY SUSTAINABILITY AWARD COMPETITIONTheinauguralSUNYSustainabilityAwardcompetitionpromotessustainabilityissuesandseekstoreduceon-campusenergyuse.

• CSEEandISEAssistantProfessorQing He’sproject,“MonitoringEventTraffictoIncreaseEfficiency,”studiesimprovingtrafficpatternsforlarge-scale,planned,specialevents.ThisprojectisalsosupportedbyUB’sOfficeofParkingandTransportationServices.

UB’S CATALYST FUND TheUBCatalystFundsupportsthedevelopmentofpromisingtechnologiesinthelifesciencesandenablesresearcherstodemonstratethecommercialvalueofpotentialproducts.Thegoalistomovepromisingtechnologiesclosertothemarket.SchoolofEngineeringresearchersreceivingtheseawards:

• BMEAssistantProfessorMark Ehrensberger,directoroftheKennethA.KrackowOrthopaedicResearchLab,andMicrobiologyandImmunologyProfessorAnthonyCampagnari,totestandoptimizeanovelelectrochemicaltechniqueforeradicatingbiofilminfectionsonmetallicmedicalimplants.

• MAEAssociateProfessorVenkat Krovi;Gynecology-ObstetricsAssociateProfessorPankajSinghal;andCSEAssistantProfessorJason Corso,tostudytherepurposeofvideo-basedmicromotionanalysis,traditionallyusedtoevaluateindustrialmanipulativeskillsandefficacy,inevaluatingproficiencyandimprovingtrainingofdoctorsperformingroboticsurgeries.

• CBE,Pediatrics,andPhysiologyandBiophysicsAssistantProfessorDaniel Swartz,todevelopspecializedvasculargraftsthat,whenimplanted,couldbestimulatedtobecomefunctionalasanativetissue,thusalleviatingtheneedfordonorbloodvessels.

SUNY/RESEARCH FOUNDATION (RF) COLLABORATION FUND AWARDS

TheSUNYRFCollaborationFundpromotesnewandexistinginter-campuscollaborationsandpartnerships.

•BMEAssistantProfessorJonathan Lovell,withUniversityatAlbanyresearchers:“ProbingNanovesicleSelf-assemblyUsingElectronParamagneticResonance.”Inthisproject,electronparamagneticresonancewillbeusedtomakemolecularinsightsofhowporphyrin-phospholipidporphysomenanoparticlesself-assembleusingnitroxidespinlabelsandcopper-porphyrinchelates.

•CSEEAssistantProfessorSalvatore Salamone,withBinghamtonUniversitycollaborators:“CollaborativeResearchtoAdvanceScientificKnowledgeoftheMechanismofCorrosioninCivilInfrastructures.”(Seearticleonpage21.)

BME’s Lovell and Kim Develop Porsche Microbubbles; Medical Imaging InnovationBME assistant professors Jonathan Lovell and Chulhong Kim coauthored “Porphyrin Shell Microbubbles with Intrinsic Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Properties,” with Mansik Jeon, BME postdoctoral associate, and four collaborators from the University Health Network in Toronto.

Theirresearch,onanovelcontrastagentcalledporshemicrobubbles(MBs),wasfeaturedonarecentJournaloftheAmericanChemicalSocietycover.

MBsaretinybubblesoffluorinatedgasinjectedintoapatient’sbloodstream,to sharpen the grainy black-and-whiteimagesproducedfromultrasound.The team created the porsheMBscontrastagentbyencapsulatingMBsinashellofporphyrin,anorganic compound that stronglyabsorbslight,andphospholipid,afatsimilartovegetableoil.

TheteamdiscoveredthattheintrinsicpropertiesofporsheMBsmadethemsuitableforbothultrasoundandphotoacousticimaging,witharesonancefrequencyof9–10MHz.Assuch,theirdistinctivepropertiesarepotentiallyadvantageous

forabroadrangeofbiomedicalimagingandtherapeuticapplications.Theteamcalculatedthattheporphyrin–lipidintheMBshellimprovedtheporshestiffnessbythreetofivetimesthatofcommerciallipidMBs.

Themicrobubblescanbeusedwithultrasoundsonogram,andwithphotoacoustictomographytocreatemoredetailedpictures,therebypotentiallyimprovingtreatmentsforconditionssuchashypoxia–chroniclowbloodoxygenlevels–andspeedingtheanalysisofchemotherapy’seffectiveness,reducingwaittimesfromweekstodays.

Thepaperisavailableat:http://pubs.acs.org/toc/jacsat/134/40.

I Research I 20

Sarkar’s research demonstrates exquisite control of stem cell functions with syn-thetic nanostructured biomaterials.

BME’s Sarkar Researches Synthetic Nanostructured Biomaterials in Stem Cells For tissue engineering applications, regeneration of damaged organs and tissues through stem cells and artificial matrix is dependent on controlling the cell fate.

Interactionbetweencellsandtheextracellularmatrixtightlyregulatescellfateduringtheregenerationprocess.BMEAssistantProfessorDebanjan Sarkar andhisresearchteamfromtheBiomaterialsandRegenerativeTherapeuticsLaboratorypublishedastudy in JournalofBiomedicalMaterialsResearchPartA showingthatthefateofstemcellsisdeterminedbythephasestructureofsyntheticmatrix.Bystudyingtheinteractionofadultstemcellsonsyntheticpolymermatricesderivedfrombiodegradablepolyurethanes,theyhaveshowntheuniquerelationshipbetweenthenanophasestructuresofsyntheticextracellularmatrixandstemcells.

Polyurethanesexhibitnanostructuredbiphasicmorphology,whichisanexcellentstructuralandfunctionalmimicofnaturalextracellularmatrixatnanoscaledimension.Thisphasemorphologyinfluencesthefunctionofadultstemcellsthroughpromptingappropriatecellularresponse.Sarkarandhisteamdevelopedagroupofpolyurethanematerialsthatexhibitdistinctnanostructuresandthesephasemorphologiesinducedsignificantchangesinstemcellbehavior.Cellschangedtheirshapeandsizeinresponsetothephasemorphology,andasaresult,cellularresponsessuchasproliferation,adhesion,migrationweremodulated.Thisissignificantforcontrollingstemcellfateduringartificialtissueregenerationprocessintissueengineeringapplications.Thisresearchhasdemonstratedexquisitecontrolofstemcellfunctionswithsyntheticbiomaterialsanditprovidesanexcellentopportunitytoregeneratetissuebymimickingthenaturalregenerationprocess.

ThisresearchwassupportedbyafacultystartupfundprovidedbyUB.CBEgraduate student Patrick Dicesare,BMEundergraduatestudentsWade Fox and Michael Hill,andBMEpostdoctoralresearcherG. Rajesh Krishnan were partoftheresearchteam.Dr.ShuyingYangoftheUBOralBiologyDepartmentcollaboratedonthisproject.

Debanjan Sarkar

Jonathan Lovell Chulhong Kim

A BME team’s innovation poses an improvement to medical imaging. The research appeared on the cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Mansik Jeon

CBE Group Led by Andreadis: Novel Way to Restore Function of Aged MSCsCBE Professor and Chair Stelios T. Andreadis (with affiliations in BME and the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences) was PI on “Nanog reverses the effects of organismal aging on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) proliferation and myogenic differentiation potential,” with CBE PhD students Juhee Han, Panagiotis Mistriotis, CBE Research Instructor Pedro Lei, and Roswell Park’s Dan Wang and Song Liu.

Thepaper,publishedinStemCells,demonstratedthattheintroductionofasinglegenecanreverseagingofstemcellsinculture.

Andreadis’groupshowedthatMSCsoriginatingfromolderdonorssufferfromlimitedproliferativecapacityandsignificantlyreducedmyogenicdifferentiationpotential,ofconcernbecausethepatientsmostlikelytosufferfromcardiovasculardiseaseareelderly.Thegrouptestedwhetherasinglepluripotencyassociatedtranscriptionfactor,Nanog,couldreversetheproliferationanddifferentiationpotentialofbonemarrow(BM)-MSCfromadultdonors.Microarrayanalysisshowedthatadult(a)BM-MSCexpressingNanogclusteredclosetoNanog-expressingneonatalcells.Nanogmarkedlyupregulatedgenesinvolvedincellcycle,DNAreplication,andDNAdamagerepair,andenhancedtheproliferationrateandclonogeniccapacityofaBM-MSC.Notably,NanogreversedthemyogenicdifferentiationpotentialandrestoredthecontractilefunctionofaBM-MSCtoasimilarlevelasthatofneonatal(n)BM-MSC.Theteam’sresultssuggestthatNanogmaybeusedtoovercometheeffectsoforganismalagingonaBM-MSC,therebyincreasingthepotentialofMSCfromageddonorsforcellulartherapyandtissueregeneration.

TheresearchreceivedfundingfromtheNationalHeart,Lung,andBloodInstitute.

CSEE’s Salamone: Corrosion Monitoring System for Civil InfrastructuresProfessor Salvatore Salamone is working on a joint project entitled “Collaborative Research to Advance Scientific Knowledge of the Mechanism of Corrosion in Civil Infrastructures,” with Binghamton University ME Assistant Professor Guangwen Zhou.

Through an interdisciplinary structural engineering and materialscienceapproach,theresearchersseektodevelopmitigationstrategiesto slow the corrosion rate andresultingprogressivedeteriorationofcivilinfrastructures.

Theresearchframeworkwillmakeuseofrecentadvancesinsensortechnologies,statisticalsignalprocessingtechniques,atomicresolutionelectronmicroscopy,andquantitativein situ electronmicroscopy.

Tovalidatetheproposedsystem,acceleratedcorrosiontestswillbedoneatUB’sSmartStructuresResearchLaboratory(SSRL).TheworkissupportedbyaSUNY/RFResearchCollaborationFundGrant.

I Research I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 21

Salvatore Salamone

Accelerated corrosion test setup at UB’s SSRL

Stelios Andreadis

Nanog-expressing aBM-MSC were treated with myogenic differentiation medium and three days later they were fixed and stained for the smooth muscle marker calponin. Cell nuclei were counterstained with Hoechst 33342 (blue). Scale bar: 100mm. w

CBE Professor Mark T. Swihart and SUNY Distinguished Professor Paras N. Prasad (Chemistry, Physics, EE, and Medicine) were PIs on a study published in Nano Letters, which showed that spherical nanoparticles of silicon react with water to produce hydrogen almost instantaneously.

SwihartisdirectoroftheUB’sStrategicStrengthinIntegratedNanostructuredSystems;PrasadisexecutivedirectorofUB’sInstituteforLasers,PhotonicsandBiophotonics(ILPB).

Theresearchersdemonstratedthatthenanosizesiliconreactedwithwatertogeneratehydrogen1000timesfasterthanbulksilicon,andabout150timesfasterthansimilarreactionsusingsiliconparticles100nanometerswide.Theyattributethistoachangeintheetchingdynamicsatthenanoscalefromanisotropicetchingoflargersilicontoeffectivelyisotropicetchingof10nmsilicon.Astheyreact,thelargerparticlesformnonsphericalstructureswhosesurfacesreactwithwaterlessreadilyandlessuniformlythanthesurfacesofthesmaller,sphericalparticles,accordingtoSwihart.Thereactiondidnotrequirelight,heat,orelectricity.Theseresultsimplythatnanosiliconcouldprovideapracticalapproachforon-demandhydrogenproduction,forexampleinnewtechnologiesthatgeneratehydrogenforportablepowerapplications.

AuthorsonthepaperwereILPBResearchAssistantProfessorFolarin Erogbogbo(BS’04PhD’09CBE),CBEvisitingresearcherTao Lin,CBEundergraduatePhillip M. Tucciarone,Krystal M. Lajoie(MSChemE’13),BMEundergraduate Larry Lai,andGauri D. Patki(MSChemE’13).

I Research I 22

25 YEARS

Mark Swihart Paras Prasad

Silicon nanoparticles (about 10 nanometers in diameter) react with water to quickly produce hydrogen.

EE’s Scutari Continuedfrompage3Sensingiscollaborative,toavoiddecisionerrorsinducedbylocalshadowingphenomena.Resourceallocationismadeonacompetitivebasis,usingagame-theoreticapproach,butlocalinteractionsareincorporatedtoimproveuponthepotentialinefficiencyofNashequilibria.

Theresearchbuildsonanovelframeworkthatcollectivelyistermedhierarchicalvariationalinequalities(VI).VItheoryprovidesabroadmathematicalframeworkforahostofformulationsofpracticalinterest,suchasclassicalnonlinearoptimization,equilibrium,andgame-theoreticproblems.ThisresearchwillalsointroduceVIsinengineeringdisciplines,encouragingcross-fertilizationamongdifferentresearchfields,suchassignalprocessing,optimization,gameanddecisiontheory,andnetworking.VItheorywilloffertoresearchersinthesecommunitiesaconstructiveandpowerfulplatformforfruitfuldevelopments.

Large-scale complex networks: designing emer-gent behaviors via variational inequalities

Credit: Swihart Research Group /UB.

CBE’s Swihart and EE’s Prasad: Silicon Reacts to Produce Hydrogen from Water

I Research I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 23

Abbreviations Used in the Buffalo EngineerDepartmentsBME,BiomedicalEngineeringCBE,ChemicalandBiologicalEngineeringCSEE,Civil,StructuralandEnvironmentalengineeringCSE,ComputerScienceandEngineeringEE,ElectricalEngineeringISE,IndustrialandSystemsEngineeringMAE,MechanicalandAerospace engineeringMSE,MaterialsScienceandEngineering

denotes dues-paying Alumni Association members

Computer Learning: Lie Detection Software CSE Research Scientist Ifeoma Nwogu (PhD CS ’09) (affiliated with the Centers for Unified Biometrics – CUBS, and of Excellence for Document Analysis and Recognition – CEDAR), CSE’s SUNY Distinguished Professor Venu govindaraju (PhD CSE ’92), UB Communications Professor Mark G. Frank, and CUBS scientist Nisha Bhaskaran (MS CSE ’10) produced software that allowed a computer to assess eye movements to determine whether a speaker was lying.

Thecomputerdetectedlieswithan82.5%accuracy,faringover12%betterthanatrainedhumaninterrogator.ThestudywassupportedbytheNationalScienceFoundation.

Theresearchersestablishedregulareyemovementstodistinguishsubjects’honestyfromdishonesty,particularlynotingblinkingrateandfrequencyofgaze-shifting.Theyculledfortyconversationsfromapsychologicalstudy,tapedwithavarietyofsubjectsandundervariousconditions.Thesubjectschosewhetherornottostealacheck,andwhenaskediftheyhaddoneso,subjectswhoseeyemovementpatternsremainedthesamewerelabeledtruthful,andthosewhosepatternschanged,werelabeledasliars.Mostbutafewparticularlygoodliarskepttheirphysiologicalresponsesundercontrol.

“Whatwewantedtounderstandwaswhethertherearesignalchangesemittedbypeoplewhentheyarelying,andcanmachinesdetectthem?”statedNwogu.“Theanswerwasyes,andyes.”

Thescientistsaredevelopingasystemthatemploysalargerdatabase,tobeusedalongsidehumaninterrogators.

CSE’s Alphonce: Education Research Jürgen Börstler, Ludwik Kuzniarz (both of the Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden) and CSE Teaching Associate Professor Carl Alphonce led a working group called Teaching Modeling in Computing Curricula at the 2012 Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education conference.

TogetherwithparticipantsMichałŚmiałek(WarsawUniversityofTechnology,Poland)andWilliamSanders(UniversityofHartford),theworkinggroupproducedareportthat“investigatedhowandwhen(software)modelingistaughttohelpusbetterunderstandthekeyissuesinteaching(software)modeling.”Thekeyfindingswerethattheterm“modeling”isnotconsistentlydefinedacrosscurriculardocuments,andrecommendedapproachestoteachingsoftwaremodelingaresimilarlyinconsistent.

AlphoncehasalsobeeninvolvedintheVCTAL(TheValueofComputationalThinkingAcrossGradeLevels9-12)project,servingonitsadvisoryboardsince2011,andmorerecentlyalsoasanauthor.Heiscurrentlyco-writingamoduleonRecursiontogetherwithPIMidgeCozzensofDIMACS(theCenterforDiscreteMathematics&TheoreticalComputerScience)atRutgers,TheStateUniversityofNewJersey. Carl Alphonce

Eye Measurements

Ifeoma Nwougu

Venu Govindaraju

CBE’s Swihart and EE’s Prasad: Silicon Reacts to Produce Hydrogen from Water

DegreesAE,AerospaceEngineeringChemE,ChemicalEngineeringCivE,CivilEngineeringCompE,ComputerEngineeringCS,ComputerScienceEE,ElectricalEngineeringEnvE,EnvironmentalEngineeringES,EngineeringScienceIE,IndustrialEngineeringME,MechanicalEngineering

SchoolSEAS,Schoolofengineering and Applied sciences

NYC Brownstones are Focus of MCEER Earthquake Engineering Studies Researchers from MCEER, collaborating with the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) and the International Masonry Institute (IMI), are investigating the seismic vulnerability of panel walls that comprise New York City’s large stock of aged brownstones buildings.

MCEER’sresearchteambuilttwounreinforcedmasonrywallsusingmaterialstypicaloflatenineteenth–early20th-centuryconstructiontechniques;onewallwasreinforcedwithsteelrodsandboltsthatconnectedtheflooringtothewall,andtheotherwasnot.Thewallsweresubjectedtotwosetsofearthquakegroundmotions;firstfromthe5.8-magnitude2011Virginiaearthquake,whichcausedbothwallstomove,butdidnotcausenoticeabledamage.

Thesecondsetofgroundmotionswasfromthe6.3-magnitude2011NewZealandearthquake.Thistime,theparapetontheunreinforcedwallcollapsed,andthereinforcedwallsufferedsomedamagebutremainedstanding.

Theexperimentaltestingispartofalargerprojecttodevelopandvalidatenumericalmodelstobeusedforseismicvulnerabilityassessments,suchasforpropertylossandhumancasualties.

TheprojectteamincludesCSEEProfessorsAndrew Whittaker and Amjad Aref,ResearchAssociateProfessorGilbertoMosqueda(UniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego),andCivEPhDcandidate,Fulbrightscholar Juan Aleman.OthercollaboratorsweretheInternationalUnionofBrickLayers&AlliedCraftWorkers—Local#3NY,UnitedMaterialsLLC,Scranton’sThruwayBuildersSupplies,andReclaimSyracuseInc.

Theresearchwaswidelycoveredinthenationalmedia,includingDiscoveryChannelCanada’s“DailyPlanet.”Formoreinformation,visit:http://mceer.buffalo.edu.

Full-Scale Testing for New Method to Prevent Soil LiquefactionCSEE Professor Sabanayagam Thevanayagam is the UB coPI on “Induced Partial Saturation (IPS) Through Transport and Reactivity for Liquefaction Mitigation,” a new method to prevent soil liquefaction that is undergoing large-scale testing at UB.

Fundedbya$1.2millionNSFgrant,thePIisNortheasternUniversityProfessorM.K.Yegian,withcoPIsKennethStokoe(UniversityofTexas,Austin),AkramAlshawabkeh(Northeastern),ArvinFarid(BoiseStateUniversity,Idaho).

IPSpromisesamoretargeted,efficient,andenvironmentally-friendlywaytotreatareasexperiencingsoilliquefaction,whichtypicallyoccurswhenearthquakeshakingcausesthewaterpressureinsandysoilstogreatlyincrease.Soilliquefactionresultsinatemporarilyweakersoilthatcannotsupportstructures.UsingtheIPSprocedure,a solution is pumped that releases tiny oxygen gas bubbles,whichrendersthesandysoilmoreresistanttoliquefaction.IPScanbeimplementedeveninabuiltenvironmentunderbuildingsandbridges.

ThetestsutilizedNSF’sGeorgeE.Brown,Jr.NetworkforEarthquakeEngineeringSimulation-NEESgeotechnicallaminarbox,whichsimulatestheeffectsofsoilliquefactioninreal-worldgroundconditionssubjectedtostrongearthquakeshaking.Afterlabtests,fieldtestswillbeconductedataNEESsiteinSouthernCaliforniainanareapronetoearthquakesandcontainingliquefiablesoils.

UBCSEEstudentscontributingtotheprojectinclude:Jeremy Bielby,Craig Hebbard,Qiqi Huang,andKaitlyn Murray.

Testing of unreinforced masonry walls, typical of those in New York City, aids in development of new tools for practitioners.

Andrew Whittaker

Amjad Aref

Sabanyagam Thevanayagam

Earthquake-Induced Ground Shaking and Liquefac-tion Simulator (NEES at University at Buffalo)

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I Research I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 25

Faculty InventorsThe UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer, and Economic Outreach – STOR recognized the following UB Engineering faculty inventors.

FACULTY INVENTORS NAMED ON US PATENTS:

nCBEProfessorSriram Neelamegham,withRoswellParkCancerInstitute’sE.V.Chandrasekaran,KhushiMatta,andJunXue:MethodforSynthesisofSialylatedProductsUsingReversibleSialylation

nEEProfessorAdly T. Fam:Generating PartialSums

nMAEProfessorJames Felske,ChemistryProfessorJamesF.Garvey,MAEResearchProfessorJohn Lordi,andMAEProfessorJoseph Mollendorf:MethodofAlteringaFluid-BorneContaminant

VISIONARY INNOVATORS: UB TECHNOLOGIES

LICENSED TO INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS

nCBEProfessorPaschalis Alexandridis,toQuantumTechnologyGroup:ControlledSynthesisofNanocrystalsandNanoparticlesbyaGas-EmulsionProcess,andControlledSynthesisofPolymorphicNanostructures(Nanodots,Nanorods,Nanowires,Nanotubes,Nanolaminates,HollowNanospheres)UsingTemplatesFormedbyAmphiphilicBlockCopolymerStabilized“WaterinOil”and“OilinWater”TernarySystems

nMAEProfessorThenkurussi Kesavadas andISEProfessorAnn Bisantz,toTactusTechnologies,Inc.:HapticEnabledSimulatorforRehabilitationandImprovedWritingSkill

nMAEProfessorThenkurussi Kesavadas,forSimulatedSurgicalSystems,LLC:SkillsTrainerforRoboticSurgery

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRITn2012UBFacultyEntrepreneur:EESUNYDistinguishedProfessorVladimir Mitin,founderofOptoelectronicNanodevices,LLC

ISE’s Cavuoto Researches Obesity Current studies estimate that over two-thirds of the US adult population is either overweight or obese, with profound impact on the workplace.

ISEAssistantProfessor Lora Cavuotoisidentifyingandcharacterizinghowobesitycanmodifyjobdemandsandaffectworkercapacitymusclefunction.Recently,sheexaminedwhetherobesityeffectsaremodifiedbyworkplace/workstationconfiguration,specificallytheextenttowhichbodypartsneedtobesupportedatwork.Herresearchhasshownthatwithobesity,strengthishigher,butendurancetimeislower,particularlyformorecomplextasks.Sheisnowapplyingthisfindinginhercurrentprojectconsideringchangesinmusclefatigueandrecoveryforthedevelopmentofnewmodelsforwork-restscheduling.Theoutcomesofthisresearchcanfacilitateworkplaceinterventionstoreducefatigueandinjuryrisk,thusloweringtheeconomicburden.Overall,theresearchgoalistohelpensure

thatergonomicguidelinesandpracticeareappropriatetoaccommodatethediverseandchangingworkforce.

Cavuoto’steamincludesIEstudentsMaria Bejarano-Rodriguez,William Macaluso,andAli Karimi Nouri,incollaborationwithTexasA&MHealthScienceCenterAssistantProfessorRanjanaMehta.

Lora Cavuoto

The outcomes of this research can facilitate workplace interventions to reduce fatigue and injury risk, thus lowering the economic burden.

Top: Determining grip strength and endurance. Bottom: Relationship between job demands and worker capacity.

I Research I 26

ISE Team with Nikolaev and Nagi Studies Social NetworksISE Assistant Professor Alexander Nikolaev is PI on “Discovering Fundamental Structural and Behavioral Laws of Social Networks,” with ISE Professor rakesh Nagi and Nutonian, Inc. Founder Michael Schmidt as co-PIs.

Rakesh Nagi

Alexander Nikolaev

The researchers seek to discover laws governing social networks.

Analyzingthestructureorbehaviorofcomplexconstructslikesocialnetworkspresentsnewchallengesforempiricalrelationshipdiscovery.Theresearchersexploitthemethodologicaltoolboxbasedonsymbolicregression,withtheobjectivetoassistthehumanmindin simultaneously searching through multiple social networkdatasetsanddetectingstablerelationshippatternsacrossthem,thusallowingforthediscoveryofnaturalsocialnetworkbehaviorlaws.Theteamidentifiesobjectivelymeasurable,macroscopicmetricspertainingtosocialnetworkphenomena,andexploresunderwhatconditionsthecomputer-enabledempiricalapproachtoknowledgediscoverycanbesuccessful.Tothisend,multiplenetworksofmillionsofnodesarecomputationallytraversedinsearchofrobustexpressions(explicitformulaeandinvariants)correspondingtohiddensymboliclaws.Thisprojectfurthersadvancesincommunications,economics,engineering,politicalscience,psychology,sociology,epidemiology,andotherdomainsengagedinstudiesofsocialinteractionandbehavior.ISEstudentsworkingontheprojectincludedAlireza Farasat,Mohammadreza Samadi,andMichael Stearns.

TheresearchisfundedbytheNationalScienceFoundation.

Analyzing the structure or behavior of complex constructs like social networks presents new challenges for empirical

relationship discovery.

This project furthers advances in

communications, economics,

engineering, political science, psychology,

sociology, epide-miology, and other domains engaged in studies of social

interaction and behavior.

MAE’s Ringuette: Vortex Formation and Forces of Flapping-Wing HoveringMAE Assistant Professor Matthew ringuette is PI on research that seeks to understand the fluid dynamics of flapping-wing hovering.

Theapplicationishighly-maneuverablemicroairvehicles(MAVs)inspiredbyinsectsandhummingbirds,whichcouldgatherlocalinformationincomplexdisasterzonesorbattlefields,andoperateinswarms.

Forflappingwings,flowseparationalongtheedgesgeneratesvortexloops.Theobjectiveistocharacterizetheseunsteady,3-Dvorticesandtheirrelationshiptothewinggeometry,motion,andliftforce.Ringuette’steamexperimentswithsimplified,scaledmodelsinliquid-filledtanks,emphasizingphysicsratherthanmimicry.Stereoscopicparticleimagevelocimetryisusedtoreconstructthetime-varying,volumetricvelocity.Theteamexaminesrectangularwingsrotatingfromrestathighanglesofattack,representingahoveringstroke.Forsmalleraspectratios(AR,spandividedbychord),tip-vortexeffectsproducegreaterspanwisevelocityandalteredvortexformation(seefigure).

Matthew Ringuette

(Left) The vortex loop produced by AR = 2 and 4 wings. Each has an attached leading-edge vortex (LEV) inboard, but the former is more coherent due to the domi-nant tip flow; the latter exhibits outboard vortex detachment and a lower lift coefficient. (Slices of spanwise or out-of-plane velocity; iso-Q gives vortices.)

MAEPostdoctoralAssociateZakery CarrandMAEPhDstudents Adam DeVoria and Matthew Burge contributetotheresearch,whichissupportedbytheAirForceOfficeofScientificResearch.

I research I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 27

MAE’s Salac: Lipid Vesicle ResearchLipid vesicles are model systems for simple biological cells, such as red blood cells.

Theyhavealsobeenproposedasdrugdeliveryvectorsormicro-reactors.ThegoalofMAEAssistantProfessorDavid Salac’sworkistounderstandtheelectrohydrodynamicsoflipidvesicles.Usingadvancedcomputationaltechniquesthefluid-structureandelectricfield-structureinteractionsthatvesiclesexperiencearemodeledin silico.

Salac’sresearchhasalreadydemonstratedthatinertialeffectshaveastabilizinginfluenceonthedynamicsofvesiclesinfluidflowintheabsenceofelectricfields.Forexample,intheabsenceofinertiaavesiclewilltumbleend-over-endwhentheviscosityencapsulatedbythevesicleissufficientlyhighcomparedtothesurroundingfluid.Asinertialeffectsincrease,thetumblingperiodofthevesicleincreases.Eventuallythevesiclereachesastableinclinationanglewithrespecttothefluidflowdirection.Seethefigureforanexample.

Theresearchwillallowforthesimulationofmanythree-dimensionalvesiclesundertheinfluenceofbothfluidflowandelectricfields.Theresultwillbeanumericalframeworkcapableofpredictingthedynamicsofvesicles.

David Salac

Vesicles encapsulating fluid with a large viscosity compared to the surrounding fluid will tumble end-over-end in the creeping flow regime (left). As inertia increases the vesicle will not tumble, but reach a equilibrium inclination angle (right).

I Development I 28

Li Gift Names Davis Hall Data Mining Labrobin (Yanhong) Li (MS CS ‘94) has named a CSE lab space in Davis Hall dedicated to data mining. ThefounderandCEOofChina’slargestsearchengine,Baidu,wasrecognizedwiththeUBAlumniAssociation’s(UBAA)2012InternationalDistinguishedAlumniAward,forhisexceptionalcareeraccomplishments,whichhavegarneredglobalrenownandlanded him on Timemagazine’s2010listoftop100worldleaders–thosewhomostaffectourworld.LialsoearnedtheUBAA2006GeorgeW.ThornAward,fordistinguishedUBgraduatesunder40.

AftercompletinganundergraduatedegreeininformationscienceatPekingUniversity,LibecameagraduatestudenthereattheSchoolofEngineering,wherehestudiedvectorspacemodelsusedtointerpretwordrecognitionresultsatUB’sCenterofExcellenceforDocumentAnalysisandRecognition–CEDAR.Heattributesmuchofhissuccesstohisstudiesthere,andCEDARDirector,CSEProfessorSargur N. SriharirecallsLi’s“outstanding”workatthattime,notablyina2012Forbesinterview(http://onforb.es/RTEkBM).Afterearninghismaster’s,heworkedasanengineeratInfoSeek,aCalifornia-basedsearchenginecompany,until1999.HereturnedtoChinaandlaunchedBaiduin2001,wherehedevelopedrevolutionaryonlinesearchtechnologiesthatarenowconsideredindustrygoldstandards.

Barbara and Jack Davis Engineering Education Endowment FundBarbara and Jack Davis (BS IE ’55) have given $2 million to establish The Barbara and Jack Davis Engineering Education Endowment Fund, for scholarships to Western New York undergraduate students with financial need. ItwillbeusedtoincreasethenumberofengineersandimprovethequalityofeducationatUBEngineering.AsthelargestsinglescholarshipfundinourSchool’shistory,thegiftrepresentsaphilanthropicmilestoneforUBEngineering.ThefundwasestablishedinappreciationoftheeducationthatJackreceivedatUBEngineering.

Anonymous GiftThe School of Engineering received a generous anonymous gift of $1M to be used at the discretion of the Dean. Currentlythefundsarebeingusedforfacultystart-upcostsandenhancementstofacilities,includingdevelopingtheareainfrontofDavisHall,GracePlaza,asanattractivegatheringplacebyaddingseating,additionallandscaping,andotherimprovements.

Robin Li

I Development I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 29

Development staff can be contacted anytime at 1.888.205.2609 or directly:• AssistantVicePresidentTim Siderakis:tsiderak@buffalo.edu,716.645.0970• SeniorDirectorMichael Madonia:mmadonia@buffalo.edu,716.645.0969• DirectorPatrizia Latvala:latvala@buffalo.edu,716.645.5020• AssistantDirectorBethany Mazur:bll2@buffalo.edu,716.645.0968• AssociateDonna Linenfelser:dfelser@buffalo.edu,716.645.2133

(L to R): Bethany Mazur, Donna Linenfelser, Tim Siderakis, Michael Madonia, and Patrizia Latvala

Gifts Wegratefullyacknowledgethegeneroussupportofallourdonors,includingthefollowingindividuals,foundations,corporations,and institutions:

Individuals / Foundation:Messrs.MichaelandDavidCadiganDr.JoeChuangTimandDeniseKleinMr.DonandMrs.ElfriedeFergusonMr.NormHayesMr.MaxKayandMs.NaidaIrizarryShawMrs.GraceLeeMemorialScholarshipFundMr.RobinLiKennethO.Young

Corporations / Institutions:AmericanCancerSocietyBentleySystemsBirdTechnologiesGroupClark,Patterson,LeeHealthFoundationofWesternandCentralNYhealth Researchhuawei Technologies IBMCorporationLogicBloxNationalGridNorthropGrummanPraxairSprintCorporationWattsArchitectureandEngineering

Thispastfall,advisorycouncilsoftheBME,CBE,CSE,ISE,andMAEdepartmentsconvened.Thecouncils,comprisedofleadingalumsandindustryrepresentatives,arechargedwithadvocatingfordepartmentsandassistinginimprovementsandachievinggoalsofpreeminenceineducation,research,andservice,andwithstrengtheningtiestoindustry.Theirgoalsincludeassistingwith:long-termplanningandstrategy;development;educationalandprofessionalidentity;studentorganizations;classroomenrichment;studentjobplacement;industrialrelations,andnewprograms.

Departmental Advisory Boards and DAC Convene

The School and departmental advisory council chairs (ACC) at the Fall 2012 DAC meeting. Left to right: Dean’s ACC Dennis Elsenbeck; CBE Co-ACC Cynthia Hoover; CSE Russell L. Agrusa; BME ACC Joseph V. Fritz; MAE ACC James F. Van Oss; ISE ACC Patrick Abrami; CSEE ACC Frank J. Puskar. Not pictured: EE ACC John V. Pilitsis and CBE Co-ACC Mitchell J. Pulwer.

Thank You, Donors We thank our donors for their generosity.

Pleasevisithttp://www.eng.buffalo.edu/donors/1112andthesidebarlinkstolearnmoreaboutgiftsandgiving.

WearepleasedtosaythattheUBEngineeringAnnualFundhasenjoyedsteadygrowthinthepastfewyears.YourfinancialsupportiscriticaltothemissionoftheSchool.

Ifyou’reenergizedbyUBEngineering’sexcellenceandwishtoparticipateintheSchool’sdynamic andcontinuedgrowth,pleaseconsideragiftto theSchool.Tomakeacontribution,pleasevisit http://giving.buffalo.edu/schools/engineering andclick“Donate”intheleftsidebar.

(L to R): BEAM Saturday Academy students: Raven Brock, City Honors School; Amaiya Escobar, Sweet Home Middle School; Willow Gomez, Frederick Law Olmsted Elemen-tary School, PS 64; Jared Ritzler, PS 81; Marquel Hampshire, Math, Science, and Technol-ogy Preparatory School, PS 197; Gregory Mosher, Olmsted Middle School, PS 156

BEAM Events

BEAM Annual Awards Breakfast – BEAM’sannualAwardsBreakfastwasthemed,“PreparingOurChildrenfora21stCenturyWorkforce.”AddressesweregivenbyBEAMPresident,Prestolite’sArthurJ.McKinnonJr.,BEAMExecutivedirector Marilyn Helenbrook,andBEAM’sFinanceVPCarmen Vella,withguestspeakersCannonDesign’sLaurenBlas,BEAMSaturdayAcademyseventh-andeighth-graders,andMoog’sDonDavis.DuPontwasabreakfastsponsor,andtablesponsorswere:UBEngineering,BuffaloPublicSchools’Career&TechnicalEducation,GeneralMills,Moog,NationalGrid,andWendel.Recognizedwere:GeneralMillsasBEAM’sCorporatePartneroftheYear;UBEngineeringDean’sAssistant Christina EscobarwiththeCharlesCampbellSr.OutstandingServiceAward;Moog’sPeteSergiwiththeEducationalAchievementAward;NancyNoudwiththeSpecialAchievementAward;DuPont’sChristine Wingo(MSIE’09)withtheTechnicalAdvisorAward;andLibertyPartnershipPrograms’TheresaBonitowiththeFacultyAdvisorAward.

I Pre-College I 30

Tech Savvy 8: Don’t Stop Until We Reach Our Dreams! TheAmericanAssociationofUniversityWomen(AAUW)partneredwithprincipalsPraxair,Inc.,throughthePraxairFoundation,UBEngineering,andWTS,Inc.,tosponsorTechSavvy8,(TS8)thethemeofwhichpromotedpersistence–animportantelementinattaininggoals,especiallyinscienceandengineeringcareers.Theeventofferedworkshopsandactivitiesforinterestedadultsandyoungwomeninmiddle-andhigh-school,gearedtohelpingthemdiscoverscience,technology,engineering,andmath(STEM)careers,andlearnusefulcareerskills.UBEngineeringcolleaguesassistingwiththeprogramthisyearwereCBE’sUBDistinguishedProfessorPaschalis Alexandridis,CSETeachingAssociateProfessorCarl Alphonce,EELecturerKevin Burke(BS’97MS’04PhDEE’10),AssistantDeanforUndergraduateEducationKerry Collins-Gross,MAEAssociateProfessorVenkat N. Krovi,SeniorAcademicAdvisorTerri Miklitsch,andEEAssistantProfessorJennifer Zirnheld(BS‘93MS‘97PhD‘04EE).

Thisyear,TSalsocelebratesitsnationwidelaunch.ThefirstwillbeinMississippi,thehomestateofTSfounder,PraxairLeaderofCommunityEngagementTamara Brown(MEngChemE’03).ForherleadingeffortsinpromotingSTEMeducation,Brownwasrecognizedasa2011WhiteHouseChampionofChange.

Buffalo-areaEngineeringAwarenessforMinorities(BEAM)isanationally recognized program promoting engineering,math,science,andtechnicaleducational excellence forunderrepresentedschool-ageyouth.

Over lunch, students networked through an autograph/ networking game. Here they are filling out their game cards.

Interim Dean Rajan Batta with some BEAM Senior Scholars

BEAM Senior Student Dinner – Buffalo-areaEngineeringAwarenessforMinorities(BEAM)helditsannualfallSeniorStudentDinner.Theeventwasanopportunityforstudentstomeetpotentialemployers.Tablesponsorswere:DuPont,Fisher-Price,GeneralMotorsPowertrain-Tonawanda,Moog,NationalGrid,UBSchoolofEngineering,andWendelCompanies.Studentsearnedawardsfromthesesponsors:BEAM,DuPont,Fisher-Price,GeneralMotors,NASA

Grant-EEProfessorEmeritusWayne Anderson,andWendel.Studentsreceivingscholarshipswere:HaniAl-JabiLopez,ChristianBrickhouse,KevinCarlin,OrvisCollinsIII,KaraDavis,AlexaDitonto,AnnaFerri,MelanieGlover,ShannonGriffin,CourtneyJones,MartinLockeJr.,KatherineMetzler,GinaNasca,ErikNelson,RichardPlesh,D’QuanPope,KoriRabatoy,ChristinaReville,MaryRoseRicotta,AaronRoach,andFadiSuboh.

1970sVincent N. Pugliese, BS CivE ’74, is president of Risk Specialists Companies, Inc. (Boston, Mass.), a national network of wholly-owned brokerage subsidiaries of Chartis US.

1980s Mark E. Bulmer, CPA, BS IE ’83, is executive vice president and group head for Financial Services of Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co.

David Gerland, PE, BS CivE ’85, was promoted to deputy chief of the US Army Corps of Engineers (Anchorage, Alaska) Construction Operations Division.

Carol Hanley, MS EnvE ’80, was selected as the Kentucky Science Teachers’ Association 2012 Distinguished Science Educator of the Year. She is associate director of the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment of the University of the Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Sashi Kunnath, PhD CivE ’89, and co-author Yannis Dafalias (UC Davis professor) were awarded the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Norman Medal for their paper, “SANISTEEL: Simple Anisotropic Steel Plasticity Model.” Kunnath is UC Davis CivE department chair and a professor of structural engineering and mechanics.

Bahgat Sammakia, MS ’80 PhD ’82 ME, a SUNY distinguished professor of ME, is Binghamton University vice president for research (VPR). Sammakia had served as interim VPR since 2010.

Mark Withiam, PE, BS CivE ’86 Year, is a structural engineer for Keystone Associates Architects (Scranton, Penn.)

1990sBrian Betschart, BS ChemE ’97, is a partner and automation engineer at Fourstep Automation, Inc.

Rob Call, BS ‘93 MS ‘95 ME, is Praxair Associate Director of Global Operations Excellence and

Development, Global Bulk Distribution and Customer Service.

Gilberto A. Chang, PhD CivE ’93, is Technological University of Panama’s Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education.

Dennis Elsenbeck, MEng ME ’96, National Grid’s Western Division regional executive, received a National Federation for Just Communities Community Leader Award recognizing his community service. Elsenbeck is this year’s UB Engineering Alumni Association’s Engineer of the Year. For more, see the Alumni section.

Scott Thomas Gleason, BS EE ’91, a Concordia University assistant professor (Montreal, Canada) is a co-investigator for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, monitoring tropical cyclones.

Thomas Hobika, BS CompSci ’93, is vice president of IT Solution Consultants for EarthLink Inc.

Karl Steven Kuriger, BS ME ’97, was married to Julia Evelyn Simcox in Durham, NC. He is owner of Kaladyne LLC, and a mechanical engineer for Belcan Engineering.

Michael Martin, BS IE ’98, is director of architecture, infrastructure and client services for Nfrastructure.

Scott Rybarcyzk, PE, BS CivE ’97, is an associate principal for Wendel Duchscherer.

Michael Spitz, PE, BS ChemE ’96, is a partner and projects leader at Fourstep Automation, Inc.

Jeff Umland, PhD ME ’90, is chief mechanical engineer of NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, which recently landed. Umland previously was the JPL structural dynamics lead for the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mapping mission; and the lead on the JPL Mars Pathfinder Lander Bridle subsystem effort.

Timothy Zuber, PE, BS CivE ’93, is an associate principal for Wendel Duchscherer and Wheatfield town engineer.

2000sSheila Baker, PhD ME ’01, is a University of Missouri ChemE assistant professor.

Alexander S. Kerr, BS ’09 MS ’10 CivE, was promoted to engineer II in the transportation division of Barton & Loguidice, P.C.

Dan Magnuszewski, BS CompE ’05, is Z80 Labs chief principal innovationist. He also serves CSE’s advisory board council.

Sam Masiello, BS CompSci ’00, is a board member of the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email.

George Mavroeidis, PhD CivE ’04, a Catholic University of America CivE assistant professor, received the Teaching Excellence in Early Career Award.

Anshu Pasricha, JD MS EE ’07, is an associate in the White & Case NY office. His JD is also from UB.

Matthew J. Plizga, PE, BS CivE ’04, passed the NYS Professional Engineer examination.

Oscar Ramírez, MS ’98 PhD CivE ’01, was elected Rector of the Technological University of Panama (TUP), the institution’s highest authority. His term will run for five years, through 2018.

Ramiro E. Vargas, PhD CivE ’06, is TUP’s Director of the Experimental Center for Engineering Research, the post formerly held by Oscar Ramírez.

2010sJared Kuhl, BS ’09 MS ’11 ME, works in Texas as a ground-support equipment engineer for SpaceX.

Venkata Reetesh Yelamanchili, MS CompSci ’11, is a SemaConnect Software Engineer (Annapolis, Maryland).

I Class Notes I I www.eng.buffalo.edu I 31

Sheila Baker

Karl Kuriger

Scott Gleason

Vincent Pugliese

Brian Betschart

Dan Magnuszewski

Carol Hanley

Oscar Ramírez

Mark Bulmer

Sam Masiello

Thomas Hobika

Bahgat Sammakia

Gilberto Chang

George Mavroeidis

Jared Kuhl

Ramiro Vargas

Dennis Elsenbeck

Anshu Pasricha

Sashi Kunnath

Venkata Yelamanchili

Vietnam native Bich Vu has widened her world considerably at UB. She’s an Honors College double major in computer and electrical engineering with a Japanese minor. Vu participates in ROTC; was inducted into the National Society of Pershing Rifles; and served as president of the UB Society of Women Engineers. The recipient of two scholarships established by UB donors, Vu plans to work in computer security for the U.S. government. The best reason to support UB is what students like Bich will do in the future.

I’ll keep our nation secure.

The best public universities have the strongest private support. www.giving.buffalo.edu

Thanks to you,

External AffairsUB School of Engineering & Applied Sciences412 Bonner HallUniversity at BuffaloBuffalo, NY 14260-1900

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE PAIDBUFFALO NYPERMIT NO. 311