uofsc engineering minizine

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTING / UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA / SPRING 2015

Engineering & Computing

SPRING 2015

College of Engineering & ComputingDean / Tony AmblerDirector of Communications and Marketing / Kathryn McPhailSenior Director of Development / Lori Ann Summers ’88 [email protected] Relations and Development / Jeff Verver ’[email protected]

CEC Communications OfficeSwearingen Engineering CenterColumbia, SC 29208Phone: 803-777-2576Email: [email protected]

Department ChairsJohn Weidner / Chemical EngineeringRobert Mullen / Civil and Environmental EngineeringManton Matthews / Computer Science and EngineeringRoger Dougal / Electrical EngineeringJamil Khan / Mechanical Engineering

University Home Page: sc.eduCollege of Engineering & Computing Home Page: cec.sc.edu

University Writers Group / University Creative ServicesEditor / Chris HornDesigners / Michelle Hindle Riley and Linda Toro DodgeContributing writers / Steven Powell and Jeff StenslandProofing Editor / Carolyn Parks Photographer / Kim Truett

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employ-ment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetics, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The University of South Carolina has designated as the ADA Title II, Section 504 and Title IX coordinator the Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Op-portunity Programs. The Office of the Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs is located at 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 805, Columbia, SC; telephone 803-777-3854. UCS 14389 3/14

Contents

In this issue

4 / Around the College News from chemical, civil and environmental, computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering departments

8/ By the numbersEleven quick facts about the College of Engineering and Computing’s progress

10/ Skype on wheelsAn engineering professor is collaborating with social work faculty to develop new tools for helping older adults live independently.

12/ Alumni of the yearTwo graduates recognized by the college for professional accomplishments and devoted service.

13/ Freeze cleaningMechanical engineering team gets two patents for new method of destroying asthma-causing allergens.

14/ The art of equanimityIrene Au has climbed the summits of the tech world and learned how to find balance in life.

On the Cover — Senior Maria Piroli works in the newly renovated biomedical engineering lab.

2014 was nothing short of record break-

ing for the College of Engineering

and Computing — from student enrollment to fund raising!

In the fall, we welcomed the largest undergraduate class in the his-

tory of our college with about 2,400 undergraduate students. The

incoming freshmen also boasted an average SAT score of more than

1220. Our efforts to find the best and brightest students in the state,

country and beyond are working.

Thanks to our generous alumni, friends and corporate partners,

we raised $10.4 million in our development efforts for fiscal year

2014, which makes the college the second largest academic fund-

raising unit on campus.

What is most impressive about reaching this goal is know-

ing that these gifts make an empirical difference in the level

of education we deliver to our students and in the caliber of

research our faculty produce. We are generating graduates

who find immediate careers in high-demand industries. They

are not only bolstering the economy of our state and region

but also creating innovations that will improve our ever-chang-

ing, global society.

Further proving our students are highly sought after, at our

recent Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Career Fair,

more than 100 companies filled the convention center to recruit our

students for full-time jobs as well as internships and co-ops. In the

last year, we’ve seen a 14-percent increase in employer participation.

These companies tell us that our graduates are highly skilled and

have the experience needed to be successful in the workplace. Plus,

the starting salaries for our engineering and computing graduates

averages $57,000 — that makes them the highest paid USC gradu-

ates of any academic discipline.

The records we are breaking in enrollment, career placement and

fund raising confirm that the College of Engineering and Computing

is striving for excellence. Together with supporters like you, we will

continue to improve the quality of education our students receive

and the level of pride we hold for USC.

Our faculty research, which you’ll read more about in this issue,

continues to thrive and drive public-private partnerships.

TONY AMBLER, DEAN

COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA / 3

We highlight the accomplishments of faculty, students and alumni by showcasing work from the College of Engineering and Computing’s five departments — proving once again that the CEC is one of the university’s benchmark colleges.

AROUND THE COLLEGEMECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Center leads the way among SmartState CentersThe Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Center, one of 51 SmartState Centers in South Carolina, has been ranked No. 1 in total funding among the centers with $54 million.

The center is a world leader in solid-oxide fuel cell and energy systems research. Solid-oxide fuel cells are an essential component of advanced clean energy solutions, as they are highly efficient, work with a variety of fuels and emit no toxic byproducts.

Under the direction of Ken Reifsnider, the center’s team of more than 50 faculty and students works to develop technology that can provide power for municipalities, rural areas and industries; heat and electricity for homes; automobiles that operate on several fuels without emissions; and long-lasting mobile power for computers, cell phones and other electronics.

The SmartState Program was established in 2002 and is funded by the state Education Lottery. It authorizes Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina, the state’s three public research institutions, to use the funds to create research centers in areas that will advance the state’s economy. The program has attracted more than $1.2 billion in non-state investment and has led to the creation of more than 7,000 jobs.

New graduate program develops management skillsThis fall, the College of Engineering and Computing launched a new master’s degree program designed to help engineers and computer sci-ence professionals learn to manage innovation and projects within their companies.

The Master of Science in Engineering Management program was created as a result of S.C. companies expressing their dire need for tech-nically trained professionals with management expertise.

“These companies are impressed with the technical skills of our CEC graduates but urged us to offer more management courses so these pro-fessionals can lead a team and manage large-scale projects,” said Dean Tony Ambler.

The executive format program includes interdisciplinary courses in engineering, business, law and communications taught by professors from the CEC, the Darla Moore School of Business, the School of Law and the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies.

“The program is an alternative to the MBA that should be appeal-ing to professionals who desire to stay on a technical track as they move forward in their careers,” Ambler said.

The curriculum covers topics from managing product development and optimizing resources to providing leadership in making economic decisions and negotiating new projects.

Designed for working adults, the program is structured with weekend classes, including some lectures that will be streamed between USC’s main campus in Columbia as well as the Lowcountry Graduate Center in North Charleston and the University Center in Greenville.

For more information, contact Rebecca Wessinger at 803-777-8318 or [email protected].

4 / COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Nuclear engineering program awarded $4 million grantThe nuclear engineering program has received a $4 million federal grant to research ways to more effectively store spent nuclear fuel.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the grants to five universities — USC, Geor-gia Tech, MIT, the University of Wisconsin and Penn State.

Currently, spent nuclear fuel is stored safely around the country in dry cask storage canisters made of steel and concrete. The used fuel is expected to be stored for decades before it can be disposed of in an even-tual geologic repository or recycled as fuel for future reactors.

Under the direction of COE professor Travis Knight, the grant will allow scientists to study the drying process for the spent fuel.

“Used fuel is temporarily placed in pools of water to cool it down,” Knight said. “Then it is dried using a vacuum process once it’s moved to the long-term dry cask storage. We expect that a small amount of water remains in the canisters.”

Knight and his fellow researchers will work to determine through various methods how to reduce the amount of water left in the canisters.

BUILDING BETTER MATERIALSIf you’re interested in faster iPhones with longer-lasting batteries,

cheaper high-octane gasoline that emits less pollution and TVs with

thinner yet wider high-def screens, then you’re interested in seeing

progress in materials science.

Materials are the physical pieces of just about everything people

find useful. Research and development has produced a cornucopia

of better materials over the years, and that progress is largely the

result of scientists creating, testing and commercializing materials

with increasingly complex makeup.

Chemical engineering professors Jochen Lauterbach and Jason

Hattrick-Simpers are among a small group of scientists selected to

define the future of the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), announced

three years ago by President Obama. The goal of the initiative is to

combine computational and experimental tools to help businesses

bring new materials to market in half the time it once took.

That leadership was recently recognized at a workshop support-

ed by the White House, where the two CEC professors were tapped

to help determine the future of high-throughput materials science in

the MGI.

“What our workshop was devoted to was identifying the key

stakeholders at national labs, academia and industry,” says Lauter-

bach. “We are going to get together and identify key data formats,

key necessary experimental resources and key technological hur-

dles that the community can all agree to advance materials discov-

ery. That way we’ll all be benefiting from one another’s work.”


COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Each year, the Association for the Advance-ment of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) recognizes a hand-ful of distinguished artificial intelli-gence scientists for their outstanding contributions to the theory or practice of AI. USC comput-er science professor Michael N. Huhns was named an AAAI fellow for his sig-nificant contribu-tions to the field of multiagent systems and its applica-tions in information management and service-oriented computing. Fellows are honored for providing intellec-tual leadership and making significant research or service contributions to the field, usually over a period of at least a decade or more.

Riding in styleSir Big Spur, USC fans’ favorite gamecock, was riding in style this football season thanks to the creative minds of a group of electrical engineering students.

As part of a year-long senior design project, the students developed and designed a new

“ride” for the beloved gamecock, which is owned by Ron Alber-telli and his wife, Mary Snelling, of Aiken.

The College of Nursing raised money for the design, which includes LED lights, a motorized goal post, and a removable top complete with Gamecock carpet.

“We wanted to make them something that’s attractive, reli-able, sustainable and efficient,” said student Luke O’Hara.

VETERAN PROFESSOR NAMED NEW DEPARTMENT CHAIR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Manton M. Matthews has been named chair of the Department of Computer

Science and Engineering. He joined the faculty in 1979 doing research in

graph theory and K1, 3-free graphs.

He is known for a conjecture, now called the Matthews-Sumner conjec-

ture, which stimulated a flurry of research and led to six international work-

shops. His recent research focuses on parallel algorithms utilizing GPU and

many-core devices.

“In computer science and engineering, our graduates work in the most exciting and

innovating careers at Microsoft, Google, Amazon and beyond,” he said. “They face many

great opportunities upon graduating, making these exciting times for the department.”


By the numbers: scholarshipsNearly 330 engineering and computing students were awarded

a college-level scholarship in 2014-15, a 23 percent increase in re-

cipients in the past two years. The CEC awarded $515,000 in

college scholarships this year thanks to the generosity of about

80 individual or corporate donors.

• 46 biomedical engineering students

• 79 chemical engineering students

• 47 civil and environmental engineering students

• 53 computer science and engineering students

• 31 electrical engineering students

• 73 mechanical engineering students

Students got to meet and thank the donors who fund the scholar-

ships that help them attend USC at a luncheon in October 2014.

“I was able to see a great benefit from my education. I want to give

back to the University, which helped me get where I am today, by

supporting other students.”

— Gregory Disher, ’89, electrical engineering

NStar Electric and Gas, Massachusetts

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

High-voltageA group of senior electrical engineering students are designing a power system strong enough and smart enough to run a U.S. Navy ship.

The four students began a year-long design project, under the direction of Dr. Roger Dougal, to create a protection circuit to regulate the elaborate power grids used on electric ships.

“The system we are creating is like the circuit breaker in your home but for a massive ship,” said student Patrick German.

“This device must separate the power to var-ious parts of the ship so it can compensate for a problem or overload in one part of the ship without affecting the entire vessel. “

German and Dan Bauer are building the hardware while classmates Brittany Richards and Jacob Roper are focusing on the control system or software.

“We hope to test out our project at the industrial level at the end of spring,” Roper said. “We hope that the results will be rel-evant to not only the electric ship industry but also any large power grid system.”


The College of Engineering and Computing has been making steady progress for several years on a number of fronts. Here’s a snapshot of what’s being accomplished.

10x329BY THE NUMBERS

Giving to the College of Engineering and Computing from alumni has increased 10-fold since 2010 ($142,895 to $1.4 million).

Number of engineering and computing students awarded a college scholarship in FY 2014. That’s a 23 percent increase in the past two years.

Average starting salary of College of Engineering and Computing graduates in Class of 2013, the highest for any major on campus.

+29%Amount of increase in graduate (master’s and Ph.D.) enrollment 2009-13 in the College of Engineering and Computing.

$70 millionThe College of Engineering and Computing’s goal toward the overall $1 billion Carolina’s Promise campaign. The college has exceeded its goal.


Amount of private giving to the College of Engineering and Computing in FY 2014.

ON THE RISE

Each of the college’s departments, mechanical, computer science and engi-neering, biomedical, civil, chemical and electrical have all registered enrollment gains in the past few years.

Engineering & Computing/ Law Program

1226Average SAT score of College of Engineering and Computing’s 2014 freshman class.

2,400Number of undergraduates enrolled in the College of Engineering and Computing in fall 2014, a 127 percent increase since 2006.

The number of companies recruiting College of Engineering and Computing students for full-time positions, internships and co-ops increased by more than 10 percent in the past year.

>100

The College of Engineering and Computing is developing an interdisciplinary program with the USC School of Law.


‘Skype on wheels’Professor developing technology that gives caregivers new tools to stay in touch with the elderly.

Jenay Beer wants to develop technologies that will allow older adults to live fuller and more independent lives.

The computer science professor received her undergradu-ate degree in psychology before deciding she wanted to study the interactions between robots and humans, specifically people older than 65. That led Beer to earn a doctoral degree in the emerging field of engineering psychology. Now she is an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the College of Engineering and Computing and the College of Social Work.

“Engineers focus on how to design and develop a product, but is it also important to focus on how it will effect the lives of the people who use the product, “ said Beer. “But because of my psychology background, I understand that a product isn’t useful if a customer can’t figure out how to operate it or if it doesn’t help them improve their lives in some way.”

Beer has teamed up with College of Social Work research-er Sue Levkoff; both are faculty associates in USC’s Smart-Home initiative. The center connects researchers in social work, medicine and engineering with the goal of enabling older adults to stay in their own homes longer through the use of new technologies and community services.

“There is a myth that older adults aren’t good with tech-nologies. I have found the opposite to be true. If they see a tangible benefit, they tend to be more willing to adopt the technology,” Beer said.

Recently, she’s been working with “smart presence,” which she describes as “Skype on wheels.” The device typi-cally stands about five feet tall and consists of a pole-mount-ed computer screen connected to a motorized base.

Imagine the device stored in a kitchen nook. An older adult could create a user profile for her children or other caregivers that would allow them to remotely check in regu-larly. Caregivers could turn on the device from their home computer, which then projects the caregiver’s face as it roams the home, finds the older adult and initiates a conversation. Is there food in the refrigerator? Are dishes washed? Is Dad steady on his feet?

“Technology can really be a bridge between people to promote a healthy lifestyle,” Beer said.

Beer also hopes to introduce smart presence in several assisted living centers around Columbia.

“We want to see how older adults interact with the devices,” Beer said. “Maybe there is also a way for medical professionals to use smart presence to get a true look at the patient while making certain health decisions — at any hour and even from several states away.

“We are not looking to replace medical professionals or family interaction, but these devices could serve as another tool to help older adults communicate and maybe even receive better care.”


The College of Engineering and Computing recently hon-ored two alumni for their professional accomplishments and devoted service to the College. The CEC named Casey Borowski as 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, and Kari Morrison accepted the 2014 honor for the Young Alumni Award.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes an individual who has made notable contributions to his or her profession, community and university.

Casimir “Casey” Borowski Jr., Class of 1969, graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and attended Harvard Business School where he earned his MBA in 1977. Borowski is the president/CEO/director and part owner of Texas Molecular Limited Partnership and Sea Lion Technology Inc. near Houston, Texas.

“Being the first in my family to attend college, USC and the Naval ROTC scholarship were the start of a new life for

me. It was a great experience, and I’m eternally grateful for the wonderful teachers and mentors,” Borowski said.

The Young Alumni Award recognizes an individual who graduated within the past decade and who shows the poten-tial to make a positive impact professionally and serve as an example for other recent graduates.

Kari Morrison is a 2009 Honors College graduate with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. This past May, she earned an International Master of Business Administration degree from USC. She recently began a new position as a business analytics consultant with Cisco in Austin, Texas.

“I think there are so many reasons to stay connected with your alma mater,” Morrison said. “I cannot count the num-ber of times I’ve reached out to an old professor for advice. I have attended different alumni events and made many con-nections, all thanks to the University of South Carolina.

Alumni of the year


A team of researchers has received two patents for a new method to rid carpets, mattresses and other fabrics of harm-ful allergens and pests that cause asthma.

The patents (Methods and Compositions for Eliminating Allergens and Allergen-Producing Organisms) are the work of Michael Matthews, Jian Zhang and Allan Quick and use CO2 to “freeze clean” home fabrics. The process deactivates proteins found in pet dander and can remove smoke residue and other allergy-causing substances. The freezing process also kills dust mites embedded in carpets and mattresses, which are a major cause of asthma.

The researchers are currently perfecting the application method, which utilizes CO2 vapor sprayed directly on fabric. The vapor cools on expansion to form tiny micro-pellets of

dry ice that are quickly vacuumed and the result is fabric free of allergy-causing agents. Early tests suggest a single cleaning treatment lasts about six months.

The work is funded with multiple external grants, includ-ing two from the National Institutes of Health. About 7 million children in the U.S. suffer from asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Matthews said physicians could eventually order the treat-ment as an effective intervention for children with asthma.

“We realized that there was a critical national need to address the removal of asthma triggers from the home,” Matthews said. “These triggers, which are actually pro-teins produced by pets and pests, can be removed with our technology.”

Freeze cleaningPatented method destroys asthma-causing allergens

Call it a philanthropic group

funding plan of sorts — several

College of Engineering and Com-

puting alumni who work for Exxon-

Mobil started a scholarship endowment for undergraduate

students last year. And it continues to grow.

Jeff Blohm, mechanical engineering ’97, launched

the USC Alumni-ExxonMobil Engineering Endowment

in 2014 along with six other colleagues scattered across

the country from Texas to Michigan to Virginia. Several of

them are still in their 20s.

“Many of the ExxonMobil alumni from South Carolina

and I have always had a strong desire to help our

fellow Gamecocks in whatever way we can, whether it be

through recruiting, mentorship, involvement with student

organizations or, in this case, by pooling our resources to

start the endowment,” Blohm said.

“Our hope is that the endowment will help engineer-

ing students for years to come get the great education,

experience and leadership skills that are offered at the

University of South Carolina.”

The endowment will fund undergraduate scholar-

ships for mechanical and chemical engineering students.

ExxonMobil offers a 3-to-1 matching gifts programs, mak-

ing these alumni donations even more impactful. The

endowment is expected to reach $90,000 within five years.

Alumni engineer a new scholarship endowment


Call it cosmic fate or destiny or good timing — whatever it

was, the stars aligned for Irene Au. She graduated summa

cum laude with degrees in electrical and computer engi-

neering in 1994 and, after graduate school, landed design

positions at Netscape, Yahoo and Google. Now she has

taken another career leap as a partner in a venture capital

firm, while also finding a place of balance in her life.

Q: What should professionals ask themselves if they’re

looking for a better alignment of their goals and skills?

What are you curious about? Curiosity is the primal

source of passion and interest. When you’re curious, you

want to dig deeper and learn more, and you have fun.

When you’re not curious, learning feels like a chore. Many

of us have the misconception that when we’re successful,

we will find happiness. But the converse is true: When we

are happy, success follows.

Q: You’ve worked in positions that were so new there

was no template to follow. What was your strategy

for adaptation?

I learned to stay curious, and I was eager to learn and

try new things. I also learned that you have to be will-

ing to take risks and fail. It was better to take action and

risk making mistakes than wait to be told what to do; on

Internet time, you can’t afford to wait. Finally, you have to

listen and get feedback.

Q: What are some of the career mistakes — and smart

moves — that you’ve seen people make?

The biggest career mistakes stem from insecurity or fear.

When someone is insecure, they’re less apt to listen to

feedback because they fear being shamed and judged.

Fear can also prevent people from reaching out to oth-

ers, which is unfortunate because so many opportunities

happen when people connect. Conversely, some of the

smartest moves come from a growth mindset, which isn’t

possible without a very strong sense of self. People with

a growth mindset understand that with hard work, persis-

tence and iteration, they can improve.

Q: How have yoga and meditation helped?

Mindfulness practices have helped me to be present, to

stay calm and to feel love and compassion. Meditation

and yoga help train the mind to pay attention, clearly and

purposefully, in spite of distractions and past experiences.

By being present, it’s easier to see clearly what the priori-

ties are and what needs to be done.

The art of equanimity


CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Honoring a veteran professorIf you graduated with a civil engineering degree in the past 30 years, you likely have at least a few good stories to tell about longtime professor Mike Meadows.

Meadows cemented his reputation as a premier mentoring professor, with hundreds of current and former students benefitting from his knowledge. Last year, his friends, family and colleagues honored Meadows with the announcement of the the Mike Meadows Civil Engineering Endowment Fund.

In January 2013, one of his former stu-dents, Ray Ammarell, ’88, ’89, took the lead in establishing the scholarship, spearheading an effort to contact former students, friends and colleagues about contributing to the endowment.

“It is my hope that we can show apprecia-tion for the years of dedication and work Dr. Meadows has given, not just to engineering, but also to the well-being of his students in the field of civil engineering,” Ammarell says.

The endowment will provide scholarships to worthy undergraduate civil engineering students and will continue to provide a con-tinuous legacy for Meadows.

Anyone interested in contributing to the Mike Meadows Civil Engineering Endow-ment Fund should contact Jeff Verver, director of development for the College of Engineering and Computing, at 803-777-3612, or via email at [email protected].

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

IN MEMORIUM — HENRY M. ROTHBERGHenry M. Rothberg, a longtime supporter of the College of Engi-

neering and Computing, passed away in 2014 but his legacy lives on

through the successes of students who earned degrees thanks to

his generosity.

Rothberg earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering

from the college in 1944 and later received an honorary doctor-

ate from the university. He and his brothers built a successful floor

covering and furniture business in South Carolina before he moved

back to his home state of Connecticut.

In 1956, he developed the first commercially accepted, latex-

modified adhesives for thin installations of ceramic tile and stone,

branded LATICRETE®. By combining his knowledge of chemical en-

gineering with his firsthand experience in floor covering, Rothberg

is widely considered to be the pioneer of polymer thin set adhesive

technology for ceramic tile and stone.

In 2000, Rothberg started an endowed scholarship fund, which

has since provided scholarships for nearly 200 undergraduate

chemical engineering students. He also started a fellowship fund for

graduate students.

When he passed away in March 2014, the 91-year-old’s family

asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be given to the CEC. The

overwhelming response was proof of the respect and love with

which Rothberg was held.


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Columbia, SC 29208

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A huge smile, a nervous grin, a devious wink or a deadpan gaze—facial expressions refl ect our moods and let others know how we’re feeling. But what if a computer could do the same thing: recognize our feelings by the expressions on our faces? Yan Tong, a computer science researcher, is focused on computer vision and pattern recognition, with the goal of programming computers to detect certain emotions. If successful, her work could help teach autistic children, improve online instruction or even detect impaired drivers. Yan’s study is just one way USC research is turning science fi ction into science fact.

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As a Gamecock, my observations have No Limits.Yan Tong, faculty

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