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U.S. ARMY RESEARCH LAB OFFERS COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES

army collaboration oportunitiesEngineers associated with the U.S. Army Research Lab work on everything from stronger helmets and safer vehicles to the development of new materials and energy sources. On Thursday, ARL’s Steve C. Taulbee visited the CSULB College of Engineering to talk about ARL’s Open Campus Initiative.

“We want to collaborate as much as we can with major universities,” said Taulbee. “We realize we’re in a military environment. You have to go through a gate. You may have to have a security clearance. There are things that prohibit open collaboration.” Continue reading “U.S. ARMY RESEARCH LAB OFFERS COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES”

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Chemical Engineering Student Wins Second in Statewide Contest

Quang Lee and Dr. Yu2 headshot

Last summer, while working as an OSRP Research Assistant, chemical engineering undergraduate Quang Ly faced a problem so challenging he almost gave up. But because the problem was so compelling—with potential major applications for fuel-cell batteries—he persevered.

“It was very frustrating. Sometimes I wanted to give up, but then I would take a rest and get back to it the next day,” he said.

After two months of effort, he made a breakthrough—attaching an -OO group, the first step in attaching OO to the graphene. Frequent conversations with his advisor Ted Yu were a big help in understanding the problem. Ly entered his paper, “Quantum Mechanics Simulation of Fe–N–C,” in the CSULB Student Research Competition, placing second. Then, unexpectedly, he became one of 10 CSULB undergraduate and graduate students selected to compete on the systemwide level April 29-30.  Continue reading “Chemical Engineering Student Wins Second in Statewide Contest”

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Commencement Draws Thousands

The College of Engineering on Tuesday kicked off CSULB’s graduation week with a commencement that drew nearly 800 graduates, as well as hundreds of family members and friends.

“This is a very important milestone in the lives of our graduating students,” said Dean Forouzan Golshani, who advised grads to keep learning and help others. “There is so much more that a successful engineer or computer scientist must know. Engineering is all about innovating new ideas,” he said.

CSULB President Jane Close Conoley gave students some good advice: wear sunscreen, watch your blood sugar, vote, be members of juries, support public education, and pick a life partner who makes you a better person. The CSULB President also thanked families for the support, encouragement, and nagging it took to keep their kids on the track to graduation.

“Hold onto hope and be the hardest-working person in the room. And stay connected to the campus and the alumni association,” she added.

Southern California Gas Co. Vice President Hal Snyder, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1983, told students they were joining a group of CSULB graduates 300,000 strong. Snyder, the College of Engineering’s 2015 Distinguished Alumni, congratulated his 2016 successor Kenneth Santarelli, director of the Antelope Valley Engineering Program and director of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade.

In keeping with tradition, grads decorated their mortarboards in keeping with their engineering discipline. For civil engineering and construction engineering management grads, it was black hardhats. Electrical engineers decorated theirs with LED lights or made them look like circuit boards. And then there were those that had nothing to do with engineering at all. To view photos from commencement, visit the CSULB Facebook page.

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CECEM Dept Lauds Class of 2016

Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management faculty lauded the accomplishments of their graduates at the Department Graduation awards ceremony and reception Monday.

“I know sometimes you wished your journey would continue and you could stay with us,” said CECEM Chair Tesfai Goitom.

“What a happy occasion, and I’m so glad to be here,” said Dean Forouzan Golshani. “I know each one of you has a wonderful story. I’m so glad you managed to maneuver around the obstacles.”

The College of Engineering Department Graduations were intended to give grads a chance to socialize with fellow students and say goodbye to faculty. “We organized this event so you can shake hands with your professors one more time. We salute you now not as students but as professional engineers,” the Dean said.

Alumni Caleb Shen (CE) and Kris Nordbak (CEM) received Distinguished Alumni Awards for their contributions to CECEM. “It’s a privilege to be receiving this,” said Shen, who graduated in December and now works as an engineer for Granite Construction. He credited ASAE with providing many learning opportunities during his time at CSULB. Continue reading “CECEM Dept Lauds Class of 2016”

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EE Honors Its 2016 Grads

The CSULB Electrical Engineering Department on Monday celebrated its 2016 graduates with an awards ceremony and celebration.

EE Chair Anastasios Chassiakos awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award to BSEE graduate Jose Cartagena, manager of project engineering at Disneyland. “Jose is very accomplished,” said Chassiakos. “He started as an intern at Disneyland and stayed and rose through the ranks.

A member of the CSULB Electrical Engineering Advisory and Development Committee for 15 years, Cartagena was the recipient of Great Minds in STEM’s 2015 Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corp.’s Luminary Award. He was recognized for his commitment to community service, including volunteering to support the Salvadoran community in Los Angeles, where he encourages youth to get their education in STEM. Continue reading “EE Honors Its 2016 Grads”

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MAE CELEBRATES ITS CLASS OF 2016

The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department celebrated its Class of 2016 at an awards ceremony and reception Monday.

“Congratulations, you made it,” Chair Jalal Torabzadeh told the nearly 100 students in attendance. “You have come a long way. This is a milestone. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate and be proud of your accomplishments.”

Dean Forouzan Golshani said what graduates must do next is figure out their passion. “Find what makes your life meaningful. I hope you find whatever it takes to fulfill your aspirations.”

Patrick Goggin, VP of 747/767/777 Engineering at Boeing and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, received the Outstanding Alumni Award for his contributions to the MAE Department. Continue reading “MAE CELEBRATES ITS CLASS OF 2016”

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A Big Chest Pound for ChE Grads

Student - Professor celebration

Chemical engineering may be the smallest department in the CSULB College of Engineering, but that wasn’t apparent by the turnout for Monday’s Department Graduation in ECS-105.

Chair Larry Jang compared graduates’ education to a chemical process involving reactors, catalysts, and purification. “Before, you were students. Now you’re an engineer. You’ve become a high-value product,” he said.

“Are you ready to graduate?” Dean Forouzan Golshani asked the audience, to resounding applause. “Are you ready to have them graduate?” he asked the faculty. Continue reading “A Big Chest Pound for ChE Grads”

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CECS Celebrates 2016 Grads

Computer Science and Computer Engineering graduates said goodbye to fellow students and faculty at Monday’s department graduation in ECS-105.

“You did it. You survived the ups and downs of student life. Now you’re ready to join the hottest field on the planet, which is computing,” said Chair Burkhard Englert, in congratulating the graduates.

“We are helping to solve the world’s problems” in established fields and in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things, said Englert, adding that “It is a great time to graduate with a degree in computer science or computer engineering.”

Continue reading “CECS Celebrates 2016 Grads”

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Mechanical Engineering Students Show Off Design Projects

me students design project snapFrom an operational hovercraft to a 3D-printed dog prosthetic to a grill that texts you when your food is cooked, the student projects shown off during the CSULB Mechanical Engineering Department’s 2015-16 Senior Design Project Exhibition demonstrated both creativity and technical understanding.

More than 100 students were enrolled in the Senior Design class, a two-semester capstone course that emphasizes the theory and practice of modern design and manufacturing. During the first semester, students focus on concept design and embodiment design, while the second semester is dedicated to project implementation. Continue reading “Mechanical Engineering Students Show Off Design Projects”

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Stanford’s Khatib on Developing Robots for Hostile Environments

Robots for Hostile EnvironmentsThe idea to create an underwater robot came out of a conversation Stanford University computer science professor Oussama Khatib had with an underwater archeologist at a conference. Three years later, the university celebrated Ocean One’s first mission—diving 300 feet below the surface to recover items from a ship that sank off the coast of France in 1664.

Khatib, an expert in human-robot interaction, was at CSULB Friday to deliver a technical seminar on the New Robotics Age.

In the classroom, he said, students have taught robots to play ping pong, barbecue food, and fight. In the medical field, robot-aided surgery and robotic catheterization are being developed. And in the area of human augmentation, a number of different exoskeletons have been designed. Continue reading “Stanford’s Khatib on Developing Robots for Hostile Environments”