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CECS Celebrates Accomplishments of Its Graduates and Alumnus

Group shot of Louise and Mike Mahoney, left, with their son, Tom, and COE Dean Forouzan Golshani

Computer science alumni Tim Mahoney says he loves Long Beach State so much that he has a black-and-gold mug in his office at Apple, where he works as a software engineering manager. Son of former College of Engineering Dean Mike Mahoney, who is now provost and vice president of academic affairs for Cal State East Bay, Tim said he attended five schools over seven years before earning his degree.

At CSULB, he received almost all As. In fact, Mahoney still remembers the one faculty member who gave him a B.

After graduating in 2013, he applied for more than 100 jobs and toured Silicon Valley companies to distribute his resume in person before receiving the fateful call from Apple. “Not everybody thinks they can apply to their dream job and get it, but there’s no harm in trying,” said Mahoney, recipient of a CECS Outstanding Alumnus award.

Dean Forouzan Golshani advised graduates to find their passion—and stay in touch with faculty. “I’m so glad we’re here to celebrate your success,” he said. “You overcame obstacles. You pulled through and you’re here.” Continue reading “CECS Celebrates Accomplishments of Its Graduates and Alumnus”

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Turbine and Suspension Systems Take Top Awards at Engineering Expo

A locomotive suspension system for harsh environments was chosen as the most innovative and practical design and a turbine in-pipe system as the best design for sustainable and clean energy harvesting at the Engineering Innovation Expo Monday.

The showcase in the University Student Union included 22 Senior Design Projects from the CSULB Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department.

The pico hydroelectric turbine-in-pipe system uses excess pressure within residential-scale pipe systems to harvest electricity off-the-grid. The system consists of a reaction turbine, generator, and auxiliary electrical equipment. The electrical equipment is dependent upon the application which can include powering outdoor lights or charging small electronics. Additionally, the design of the system will keep the flow rate and pressure of the water entering the household in compliance with standards for potable water systems.

Team members include Cristina Azuara, Hope Daley, Elyssa Lawrence, and Daisy Zaragoza. Continue reading “Turbine and Suspension Systems Take Top Awards at Engineering Expo”

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Creativity and Innovation on Display with MAE Senior Design Projects

Ever wish your skateboard had brakes or your bike could charge your phone? Several CSULB engineering students had those wishes too. But instead of just wishing, they turned those ideas into a reality.

On Monday, 22 groups of mechanical engineering students demonstrated their Senior Design Projects at the Engineering Innovation Expo in the University Student Union. Heavy on green and renewable energy, the projects were the results of two semesters of work—including plenty of late nights and weekends. Continue reading “Creativity and Innovation on Display with MAE Senior Design Projects”

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Multi-disciplinary SoCalGas Teams Conduct Real-world Research

Southern California Gas Co. teams

Some engineers work for years before one of their designs makes it out into the world. But thanks to a collaborative program between the CSULB College of Engineering and Southern California Gas Co., some students have that opportunity as an undergraduate.

Each year, SoCalGas assigns technical problems to teams of mechanical engineering and chemical engineering students who work to resolve them as part of their Senior Design Projects. The problems are challenging and thought-provoking. Rather than draw on results from other researchers, the students must come up with solutions of their own. Continue reading “Multi-disciplinary SoCalGas Teams Conduct Real-world Research”

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Hundreds of Engineering Students Practice their Interview Skills

Countless online articles can tell you how to create the best impression during a job interview. But as with engineering itself, there’s no substitute for trying out those theories in the real world.

On Friday, the CSULB College of Engineering Office of Professional Development & Internships hosted its annual mock interviews, giving 530 students the opportunity to practice their interview skills with representatives from 48 employers. Continue reading “Hundreds of Engineering Students Practice their Interview Skills”

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Environmental Engineering Team Takes Top Spot at ASCE Competition

The Cal State Long Beach team clinched a first-place win in last weekend’s Environmental Competition at the annual ASCE Pacific Southwest Conference for building a water treatment system for less than $500. The three-day competition, which drew 1,300 students from 18 universities to Arizona State University, lets students put their civil or environmental engineering skills to the test.

College of Engineering Dean Forouzan Golshani congratulated the students on their excellence. “As we move forward toward a more robust and standalone program in environmental engineering, student interest already places us above other universities,” he said.

“I wasn’t sure how we would do at first,” said Anesia Canty, Environmental Team Captain and president of the CSULB chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World. “Last year, UCI, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and CSU Fullerton got the top spots, so I knew we had to be at their level to place.” Continue reading “Environmental Engineering Team Takes Top Spot at ASCE Competition”

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Sticking with STEM Means Limitless Possibilities for Future Careers

Panelists at the Science Extravaganza all had the same message for middle-school students: stick with STEM for a career with limitless opportunities.

Hosted by the CSULB chapter of MAES, the second annual event drew nearly 300 students from Perry Lindsey, Stephens, and Franklin Classical middle schools, as well as volunteers from The Aerospace Corp., Boeing, and other companies and student organizations.

“We need to help schools that serve underrepresented groups, and have limited funding and limited STEM,” said Anthony Ramirez, MAES CSULB Chapter Co-President and a CSULB aerospace engineering major. Continue reading “Sticking with STEM Means Limitless Possibilities for Future Careers”

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Artemus Labs’ ‘Sexy’ Prosthetic Liner Wins 2018 Innovation Challenge

Artemus Labs team

Four finalist teams faced off Thursday at the CSULB Innovation Challenge, delivering their pitches to judges and answering questions about their target customers, revenue projections, and competition. The winning team was Artemus Labs, which will receive $10,000 in cash and $40,000 in services to help market its Python prosthetic liner.

“One of the things that President Conoley and I value is innovation—especially student innovation,” said CSULB Provost Brian Jersky. “We’re the old generation and you’re the new—we’re in your good hands.”

The Artemus Labs team collected feedback from amputees and evaluated existing prosthetic liners before designing their Python liner, which is breathable and comes in bright colors and two designs. Their goal was to make amputees “feel sexy.” Continue reading “Artemus Labs’ ‘Sexy’ Prosthetic Liner Wins 2018 Innovation Challenge”

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MAE’s Yan Li Wins Best Paper Award

CSULB Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Assistant Professor Yan Li has won a Best Paper Award for her research on materials properties.

The paper, “Probabilistic Fracture Toughness Prediction of Composite Materials,” was presented at the 8th International Conference on Computational Methods (ICCM2017) in Guilin, China, in July 2017.

It explores the challenge of predicting the variation of material properties such as strength and fracture toughness in material-sensitive design, and the development of an integrated computational and analytical model to predict fracture toughness in a statistical sense. Continue reading “MAE’s Yan Li Wins Best Paper Award”

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Meet the Four Finalist Teams for the 2018 Innovation Challenge Awards

Innovation Challenge Awards Gravity Ball

Startups that have developed a versatile exercise ball, launched an augmented reality app, started a household battery recycling program, and are working on a prosthetic prototype for amputees have been named finalists in the 2018 CSULB Innovation Challenge.

Gravity Ball, the Battery Effect, StickUp, and Artemus Labs will present their business plans to judges at the April 12 Innovation Challenge Awards Ceremony. The top team will receive up to $50,000 in cash and business services.  Continue reading “Meet the Four Finalist Teams for the 2018 Innovation Challenge Awards”