Arizona Engineer | Winter 2024 | Improving the Human Condition Issue

Together we create powerful change

The College of Engineering is driven by lofty ideals to transform lives and the community for the better.

DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,

continue the primary mission of making the world a better place. With that lofty goal in mind, this issue of our alumni magazine focuses on how engineering improves the human condition.

Change is indeed underway on campus. Suresh Garimella, an accomplished mechanical engineer, was named the university’s 23rd president, and I had the honor of serving on the search committee We also recently welcomed U of A’s new senior vice president of research and innovation, Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, who is an esteemed physicist and materials scientist.

I’m proud to say that both university leaders have academic appointments in the College of Engineering, and I look forward to collaborating closely with them as we continue to grow on all fronts. In fact, you’ll be able to hear about their visions for the future in this very issue.

Making life better

There’s no better way to explore the theme of advancing the greater good than through our position as a land-grant university With the Morrill Act of 1862, this nation recognized the importance of access to high-quality education. Now, more than 160 years later, the College of Engineering is changing lives and leading the charge to a healthy, sustainable future

In the pages ahead, you’ll also read about three impactful National Science Foundation grants These awards address the needs of students from rural communities, the recruitment and retention of women and other historically underrepresented students, and internship opportunities for autistic students.

university Arizona Transportation Institute. Led by the U of A and funded through a novel agreement with Arizona Department of Transportation, AZTI is dedicated to improved and equitable mobility for everyone in our society

Indeed, throughout this issue, you’ll see that the spirit of the Morrill Act is alive and well within

athering of Wildcats

and friends Among the college’s remarkable accomplishments, I was particularly thrilled to historic threshold in our growth. But most importantly, every dollar makes an impact on student on and advancing life-changing research.

Of course, we wouldn’t be able to pursue our vital mission without your help. On behalf of the entire college, we extend our deepest gratitude for your support and collaboration in making the world a better place

wish everyone a safe and joyous time with family and friends, and a happy new year

Go Cats, and Bear Down!

David W. Hahn

Craig M. Berge Dean, College of Engineering

The University of Arizona College of Engineering

P O. Box 210072

Tucson, Arizona 85721-0072 engineering.arizona edu

Facebook: @UACollegeofEngineering

Instagram: @AZEngineering

LinkedIn: University of Arizona College of Engineering 520.621 1992 • classnotes@engr.arizona edu

State’s inaugural tri-university transportation institute puts safety first

From preventing crashes to making better asphalt, ADOT funds up to $11.5M in high-priority projects.

IIN A FIRST for the state, the Arizona Department of Transportation is investing in a tri-university consortium to undertake research vital to safety, sustainability and the economy. Coordinated in Engineering at the U of A, the institute capitalizes on strengths of the state’s three public universities

Transportation Institute. Over the following two years, ADOT will continue funding at up to $11.5 million in total, pending approval by the the Federal Highway Administration

The Arizona Board of Regents, governing board for the universities, approved the institute in September 2024.

An ADOT-hosted ceremony on Nov. 22 in Phoenix celebrated the partnership and featured the signing of a letter of understanding

Eight AZTI projects have already begun. They range from

improving asphalt mixes to determining whether using repair and maintenance costs for roadways.

“ We’re tremendously excited to partner with talented faculty and students in a way that can improve the lives of Arizonans, support our state’s economy and promote transportation engineering as an exciting and essential career ”

JENNIFER TOTH, ADOT director

ADOT holds a ceremony in November 2024 to celebrate the research partnership

Gearing science to economic growth

success of Arizona’s top industries – mining, agriculture, renewable energy and tourism, for example – said David W Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering

“This collaborative approach is certain to drive economic

to ADOT for investing in the future of Arizona and empowering university engineers and students to combine

Historically, Arizona’s university researchers have faced a explained Yao-Jan Wu, AZTI executive director and U of A professor of civil and architectural engineering and mechanics. The institute streamlines proposal and funding processes so teams can leverage strengths across the state.

Academic, industry benefits

The institute’s projects are expected to lead to additional grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, he said, as federal awards require strong collaboration

to a report from the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies. State and federal projects give universities a platform to involve and educate students.

“The more money we bring to the state, the more we can develop the workforce We can fund students to engage in the research and get them excited about transportation engineering,” said Wu, who also is incorporating outreach

AZTI-associated faculty from the U of A, Arizona State University and NAU are exploring ways to integrate transportation content into existing programs, such as the U of A College of Engineering’s Summer Engineering Academy for high school students Additionally, Wu is working to involve professional organizations like the American Council of Engineering Companies and the Institute of Transportation Engineers, which has a student chapter at the U of A.

AZTI’s planning and research committees will accept the next round of proposals in February 2025 to set additional projects in motion. As AZTI matures, Wu plans to implement a tech

intended in the transportation industry

The ADOT Research Center administers planning and research funding that the FHWA of the U.S. Department of Transportation provides to state departments of transportation and subrecipients.

with “a severe and growing workforce shortage,” according

Engineering deans (left to right) Charles Chadwell of NAU; Kyle Squires of ASU; David W. Hahn of the U of A; Karla Petty, FHWA Division Administrator for Arizona; and Jennifer Toth, ADOT director, sign a letter of understanding for AZTI

Yao-Jan Wu, Arizona Transportation Institute executive director and professor of civil and architectural engineering and mechanics, tells a reporter the consortium increases all three universities’ opportunities to secure federal funding and helps bring students into transportation research

Grad programs broaden access to tech careers

M as ter ’s and doc to ral deg rees s erv e studen ts and indust ry.

DDEMAND FOR COMPUTER science and software engineers is sky-high, with starting salaries ranging between $65,000 and $125,000. Postgraduate degrees in these areas are giving U of A students more options to broaden expertise and advance their careers.

science-related jobs, according to the U S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“We’re thrilled to expand the program, and to invest in the future by bringing in new hires to join our

“ECE is investing in the future with faculty hires in areas like AI and edge computing to bolster computer science and engineering programs.”

MICHAEL WU, electrical computer engineering department head

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in fall 2024 launched master ’s and PhD programs in computer science and engineering. Systems and industrial engineering – after rolling out master ’s and accelerated master ’s options in January 2024 – began a PhD program in software engineering.

“A graduate degree is a critical credential that can accelerate moving up the technical ladder more quickly,” said software engineering founding faculty member Sharon ONeal, who led the college’s approval process with the university and the Arizona Board of Regents

Investing in computer science and engineering

science and engineering BS degrees in fall 2023 to meet industry demand. Employers

already excellent faculty,” said Michael Wu, ECE department head.

instructors who are experts intelligence, hardware design and natural language processing

Expanding software engineering’s reach

The software engineering BS program began three years ago and has grown quickly to serve hundreds of students on campus, online and at the university ’s Yuma campus In addition to main campus enrollment, SIE launched online MS and

“Software engineering is the only engineering program in which students can earn a PhD online ”

RICARDO VALERDI, systems industrial engineering department head

PhD programs at the start of the fall 2024 semester and also introduced an accelerated master’s in Yuma

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects software engineer employment will grow by 17% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average 4% job growth.

degree for students at

“ The additional training helps accelerate career goals.”

SHARON ONEAL, software engineering founding faculty member

diverse stages and in many circumstances. Software engineering is the only engineering program in which students can earn a PhD online,” said Ricardo Valerdi, SIE department head

Beyond bachelor’s degrees

Students earn advanced degrees for a variety of reasons. Some have degrees

dream jobs. Others seek positions that require a master ’s or PhD degree.

“The additional training elevates them. Most alumni with master’s degrees garner higher salaries,” said ONeal.

The Software Engineering Wildcats Club provides students at all levels with additional avenues for networking and career preparation

P r e si d ent Suresh Ga r imell a ’s ac a demic h o m e is in a eros p ac e and mechanical en g inee r in g

SSURESH GARIMELLA, 23rd University of of Arizona president, is among the newest class of faculty joining the College of Engineering He has a tenured appointment as University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

Garimella joined the U of A on Oct. 1, 2024 from the University of Vermont, years. He said the diverse campus, strong research enterprise and status as a land-grant institution, where students are the “heartbeat,” all appealed to him.

“Everyone at the university has a part to play in creating the environment where students can thrive,” said Garimella, whose own academic journey started as a 12-year-old with a vision to become a researcher

Garimella was the youngest of three children growing up in India. His father worked as an engineer, and his mother was a housewife. Neither had a college degree. They stressed the

importance of education and instilled in their children a strong work ethic.

“My parents wanted us to do well,” he

“Everyone at the university has a part to play in creating the environment where students can thrive.”

U OF A PRESIDENT SURESH GARIMELLA, Aerospace Mechanical

Distinguished Professor

Engineering

At UVM, also a land-grant institution, G arimella froze tuition rates to make enrollment as accessible and funding for research doubled, and the university became a top 100 research institution Prior to his time leading UVM, G arimella served at P urdue University as the Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and executive vice president of research and partnerships

having co-authored more than 625 research publications and 16 issued patents. His work focuses on energy

and sustainable energy systems, and thermal and energy transport at microscales and nanoscales. Garimella has mentored more than 90 graduate students and 50 post-doctoral scholars, 29 of whom hold prestigious faculty positions around the world. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Additionally, Garimella is a member of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, and he has served as a Department of State

He received a bachelor ’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, a master ’s from Ohio State University and a PhD from University of California, Berkeley

Suresh Garimella, shown here in gardens near Old Main, is the 23rd

of A president and a tenured

Distinguished Professor in the college

What It Means to be a Land-Grant University

U of A L AND ACKNOWLED GEMENT

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized Tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the university strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities

Founded in 1885, the U of A was among 52 institutions receiving federal land through the 1862 Morrill Act. The act aimed to create universities that emphasized agriculture and the mechanical arts –meaning engineering – and make higher education accessible to middle- and working-class people.

Today, there are 112 U S. land-grant institutions, with at least one in every state and territory and the District of Columbia, including Diné College and Tohono O’odham Community College in Arizona. While academic and research priorities have changed with constantly evolving technologies and economies and increasingly diverse populations, overarching goals of landgrant institutions remain much the same as they were more than 160 years ago.

• Provide access to higher education

•

• Contribute to economic development

• Serve the public through science and technology

• Nurture career competence

• Address the needs of a diverse society

“Our focus as a land-grant university is one of service to the state – its people and communities,” said U of A President Suresh Garimella. “We have a responsibility to make opportunity available and create the environment where many more people can thrive ”

Engineering social, cultural and economic advancement engineering has been at the core of the land-grant purpose.

for all Arizonans,” said David W Hahn, Craig M B erge Dean of the College of Engineering

Engineering undergraduate enrollment has grown 35% over the 2017-2019 average, and the college continues to increase access for students from underrepresented groups. (See ‘Trend,’ Page 15.)

The college’s 17 degrees, with recent additions software engineering and computer science & engineering, keep academics aligned with the state’s workforce needs and global technological demands

Hands-on opportunities, such as the Craig M. B erge four-year design program, internships and club activities, give students an edge in the job market. And, support programs such as ENGAGED help ensure the success of all students

Research, for which expenditures have doubled compared with 2017-2019 levels, not only is aligned with the state’s economic development, but also is tackling some of society’s greatest needs

• Water reuse and renewable energy

• Disease diagnostics and medical devices

• • Secure communication, quantum computing and AI

• Environmental resilience and transportation

• Safe and responsible mining

• Improved semiconductor manufacturing

The college, in collaboration with experts across campus, partners with Native Nations in Arizona to provide training and outreach as well as projects geared to food, energy and water needs

‘Everyo

ne welcom e’ in 44 st ude nt organi zation s

AACROSS SOCIAL AND cultural backgrounds, clubs provide a sense of belonging and help students along their career paths.

The annual clubs showcase gives students a chance to connect with peers who share interests, but not necessarily majors.

The leaders from each club who gathered at the September 2024 event in the U of A Bear Down Gym all had similar goals: increase community work and interdisciplinary membership

That message was heard loud and clear from the Student Mine Rescue Team, a recently revitalized organization that simulates rescue drills with its members at the San Xavier Underground Mine

“Rescue is why I wanted to go into mining engineering,” said club President Carter Brown. “In the big industries that keep our country running, it’s important that people

who supply the things we need every day go home safe.”

Brown, a mining senior, said the Rescue Team trains with breathing apparatuses, spending about four hours underground mapping the mine.

Students in all engineering majors can become members of the club and volunteer for a mine rescue team if they meet training requirements.

Club members also attend Society for Mining, Metallurgy, & Exploration meetings to connect with job opportunities.

Collaboration like this is heavily emphasized in the college’s 44 clubs, and the crossover goes beyond academic disciplines.

Cassidy Little, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) president, said clubs that support underrepresented students are joining forces this year for a cornhole tournament.

“We are doing a joint event to learn about the other clubs, so we can build a bigger community,” said the biomedical engineering senior.

“It’s important that people who supply the things we need every day go home safe.”

CARTER BROWN Student Mine Rescue Team

president

Professional clubs like NSBE; Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) celebrate diversity and help students cross the commencement stage.

According to a 2023 SHPE report, for example, the graduation rate for undergraduate engineering students in the organization is 87%. Whereas, an American Society for Engineering Education report put the rate of bachelor’s engineering degrees awarded to historically underrepresented students in the U.S. at about 41%.

Mining engineering seniors Alexis Rylaarsdam (left) and Carter Brown (right), shown here at the annual clubs showcase, are passionate about emergency response, inspiring them to rehabilitate the Student Mine Rescue Team

AIAA club members present their rocket, Fire Hazard, at the 2024 Spaceport American Cup competition

Design, build and bond

Many students, such as members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, tap into opportunities to develop not only technical skills but also professional connections

“This club is amazing for building your technical experience, and it’s an amazing way to get your foot in the door with companies,” said AIAA Secretary Aidan Fritzler

Along with six other club members, Fritzler and Noah Clark, aerospace and mechanical engineering sophomores, traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to compete in the summer 2024 Spaceport America Cup, the world’s largest intercollegiate rocket competition.

The U of A students built and launched a solid fuel rocket named Fire Hazard. They placed 49th out of

102 teams. On top of participating in hands-on engineering, they met potential employers

Clark met representatives from Raytheon, an RTX business; Northrop Grumman; Virgin G alactic and Blue Origin

In their downtime, club members

which spontaneously led to a White

“Very similar to the Planet Arrakis,” Fritzler laughed

“We got carried away with the movie,” said Clark. “We just threw ourselves and rolled down the dunes ”

Unlike Fire Hazard, which operates

Rocket Engineering Club fuels its rocket with liquids – isopropyl alcohol or nitrous oxide – which can be more dangerous

“There are only a few places, legally, we can launch,” said AME sophomore Etan Grant, club secretary

The club plans to deploy its secret weapon – members with widely varying skills – in California at a summer 2025 competition called Friends of Amateur Rocketry Oxidizers Uninhibited Tournament, or FAR-OUT.

“We have mechanical engineering students for launch rails, aerospace for the rockets, and electrical and computer is important for rocket tracking,” said Grant. “We even have artists to paint the rocket. Everyone is welcome.”

“The bottom line of our club is you can come talk to people who have done your major, who have been where you are at, and you feel less lonely,” says Cassidy Little (second from left), president of NSBE

(From left) WREC Secretary Etan Grant, Treasurer Jack Dean and Project Manager Ronan Sacolick display their rocket, the Sonoran Wildcat.

MACHI N E LEAR NI N G

S H OWS PRO M I S E

FO R SAFER EV BATTER I ES

Graduate student ’s work sets the stage for automobile manufacturers and better protect drivers.

OOVERHEATED BAT TERIES CAN cause

of the most critical safety concerns with electric vehicles is keeping their batteries cool.

Engineering researchers are proposing a way to predict and prevent temperature spikes in the lithium-ion batteries commonly used to power EVs

Aerospace and mechanical

engineering PhD recipient Basab

Ranjan Das Goswami is lead author on a paper detailing how to predict these heat surges The paper, “Advancing Battery Safety,” was published in the July 2024 edition of the Journal of Power Sources

Goswami and his adviser, AME professor Vitaliy Yurkiv, developed a model that uses multiphysics and machine learning to sense, predict and identify lithium-ion battery overheating, known as thermal runaway. A $599,808 grant from the Department of Defense – called

Defense Established Program to

Stimulate Competitive Research – is supporting their work

This framework could one day be integrated into an electric vehicle’s battery management system to stop overheating, said Goswami, who completed his PhD in August. The senior battery simulation engineer is leading a product development team with a Tucson startup

“We need to move to green energy,” Goswami said. “But there are safety concerns associated with lithiumion batteries ”

Using the past to predict the future

Thermal runaway can be extremely

“The temperature in a battery will escalate in an exponential manner,

An electric vehicle battery pack is comprised of closely connected battery cells Today’s electric vehicles can have more than 1,000 cells in each battery pack.

If thermal runaway occurs in one cell, nearby cells are highly likely to heat,

happens, the entire battery pack of the electric vehicle could explode

To prevent this, the researchers propose using thermal sensors –wrapped around battery cells – that feed historical data into a machine learning algorithm to predict future temperatures. The algorithm pinpoints when and where a thermal runaway event, which begins with a hotspot, is likely to start

“If we know the location of the hotspot we can have some solutions to stop the battery before it reaches that critical stage,” Goswami said

Prior to Goswami’s research, machine learning had not been used to predict thermal runaway.

“We didn’t expect that machine learning would be so superior to predict thermocouple temperature and location of hotspots so precisely,” said Yurkiv, who was impressed by the accuracy of Goswami’s algorithm. “No human would ever be able to do that.”

The research builds on a paper Goswami and Yurkiv published in January, investigating the use of thermal imaging to predict runaway, which would require heavy imaging equipment constantly taking photos for review

The solution Goswami and Yurkiv

Meeting global demand

Goswami’s research was published at an important point in American car manufacturing history. In 2023, global electric vehicle sales increased 35% year over year. And, the Biden administration announced in July – the same month the paper was published – a $1.7 billion investment in electric vehicle manufacturing across eight states

“ To gain widespread acceptance, it’s crucial for the public to know that ongoing research is actively addressing these critical safety issues ”

BASAB RANJAN DAS GOSWAMI, aerospace mechanical engineering doctoral

graduate

As demand rises, safety measures are essential to the continued acceptance of electric vehicles.

“Many people are still hesitant to embrace batteries due to various safety concerns,” said Goswami. “To gain widespread acceptance, it’s crucial for the public to know that ongoing research is actively addressing these critical safety issues ”

NSF alliance augments college support programs for underrepresented students.

WWOME N AN D P EOPL E from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds are underrepresented in engineering.

investments from public and private funders and companies, according to the National Science Foundation

into it, the issue would be solved. But it’s not,” said Kathleen Melde, College of Engineering associate dean of

To address disparities, the college has joined the NSF’s Western regional hub for the Engineering PLUS alliance

In its quest for “transformative, systemic and sustainable change,” the NSF aims to increase engineering degrees awarded in the United States to women and students from marginalized groups. The goal for 2026 is 100,000 undergraduate degrees and 30,000 graduate degrees, a jump from 2021 totals of 54,000 and 21,000, respectively.

About 20 universities and research centers have joined the hub so far. They ’re located in Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington

“We’re at the table with a larger group, focused on engineering, ” said Melde. “We can start sharing data, and we’ll have a network of people who can really help fast track the

Success to share

Throughout her career, Melde, also a professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been hearing, “You don’t look like an engineer.”

Since she graduated in 1985, the percentage of women earning engineering bachelor’s degrees has grown from 15% to 24%.

said Melde, who has led the college’s divers i ty and inclu s ion e ort s sin ce 2020 .

College leaders focus on hiring faculty members who represent the student of cultural clubs, and administering student success programs. Not only did the college see increased enrollment in 2024, the incoming class was also more diverse than the national average.

Through the alliance, the U of A will share data, including the successes of ENGAGED, with regional peers. Established in 2016, the program is a suite of services for engineering undergraduates that has assisted 232 students since 2021. ENGAGED students have shown stronger retention rates than demographically similar students who are not part of the program

Encouragement to thrive

Alejandro Quijada, a solutions engineer for IBM, graduated in 2023 with a BS in mechanical engineering He works with the company’s sales team to resolve client questions and ensure installations go smoothly.

Quijada joined ENGAGED’s Catapult First Year Experience at the start of his college education. Becoming part of a student cohort and hearing from mentors and recent alumni was one

many ENGAGED students, Quijada became a mentor to younger students

The student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers – where Quijada served as executive vice president – was also a huge

professional skills and meet other Hispanic engineers.

Esteban Macias and Lily Hall are part of ENGAGED, a suite of programs the college introduced in 2016 to help students succeed in engineering

convention. He returned to represent IBM at the same convention in fall 2024.

Quijada mentors SHPE students and strives to set an example

“It’s hard to go into engineering. It’s nice to go, ‘Hey, I grew up where you grew up. It’s possible.’”

ALEJANDRO QUIJADA, mechanical engineering alum

“A lot of people in SHPE need encouragement sometimes,” he said. “It’s hard to go into engineering It’s nice to go, ‘Hey, I grew up where you grew up It’s possible ’”

Support for growth

Ongoing enrollment growth makes this a great time to join the Engineering PLUS alliance, said Melde

She not only plans to grow the college’s undergraduate support programs, but also incorporate insights from the alliance to

“Inclusion means people bring you into the group,” she said “And you feel safe in that space, and you grow together ”

dean plans to incorporate aspects of the undergraduate program into the graduate student experience

Trend

continues: larger classes, more representation

The U of A has welcomed its largest and most diverse class yet. More than 9,300 first-year students, including a record 4,900 Arizonans, started their Wildcat journeys in August 2024.

In the college, over half of the incoming students self identify as ethnicities other than white – exceeding university benchmarks – and 29% are women, higher than the national average.

Engineering remains among the university’s most popular majors, and this year’s enrollment maintains an all-time high at 767 students

Kathleen Melde, associate

HOMECOMING 2024

Alumni and friends celebrate connections amid college growth, changes in university leadership, and an evolving field.

College supporters and U of A alums (left to right) Dan and Cindy Klingberg and Deanne and Brian Perry celebrate Homecoming at the Engineering tailgate

Alumni receiving awards at Homecoming include Sierra Rose (not pictiured) and (left to right) Stanley Stachowiak, Travis McCarthy, Jerry Hunter and Nitin Patel

SSIGNIFICANT CHANGE HAS come to the U of A since the college celebrated its 60th Engineers Breakfast last year, David W Hahn, the Craig M Berge Dean, told 315 attendees gathered at the annual event on Oct. 28

“This is a time of transition,” said Hahn “The college has not only persevered but has thrived by embracing collaboration and resilience. Our shared experiences and connections have always been the foundation of the Wildcat spirit ”

Hahn updated alumni and supporters on progress toward goals, including growth, and highlighted how the college is increasing education access to serve the state

Suresh Garimella, whom the university welcomed as its 23rd president on Oct. 1, spoke at the event.

“Everything I’ve seen at the university – our amazing research labs and

– makes me even more sure that the future is bright, and nowhere is it brighter than here in the College of Engineering,” said Garimella, who is a University Distinguished Professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering.

Additional speakers were Engineering Student Council President Gracee Spatz, U of A Foundation President and CEO JP Roczniak, and keynote speaker Jerry Hunter, alumnus of the year Hunter, who recently retired as chief

“ We can’t put this genie back in the bottle. I don’t think

humanity are too large.”

JERRY HUNTER, alumnus of the year, delivering keynote on AI

large language models, which are AI programs that use deep learning to analyze and understand text

Hunter touched on the promises of large language models – improved access to the latest medical information and predictive health care analytics, for example – as well as ethical considerations, privacy, and the growing need for electrical power to fuel AI systems

“We can’t put this genie back in the bottle,” he concluded. “I don’t think we too large ”

Looking out over the crowd at the annual breakfast, Gracee Spatz, Engineering Student Council president and chemical engineering junior, tells attendees that one big reason she holds the field in high esteem is the multitude of career paths

Members of the student group PhilanthroCATS, which fosters student-alumni engagement, help organize the annual breakfast

In what for many was their first time hearing from U of A President Suresh Garimella, friends and alumni of the college listen as he describes the world’s need for more engineers

HOMECOMING 2024 >> >

Lacy Lecture: ‘The evolution of a copper mine’

The mining industry, too, is changing. Timothy Snider, speaker for this year’s W.C. Lacy Distinguished Lecture, shared insights on the copper market, his company’s flagship project, and the future challenges and opportunities for incoming engineers.

“Through market understanding and innovation, the copper industry will continue to thrive,” said Snider during the Homecoming event.

Snider, a U of A alum from the late 1960s, also underscored the importance of education in shaping his career, which began more than 50 years ago rld’s largest copper producers. He is now chairman and co-founder of Cupric Canyon Capital, which acquired a major copper mine and concentrator in Botswana

HALL OF FAME:

Alumnus of the Year Award

Jerry Hunter | Systems Engineering, BS ‘88 & MS ‘90

Hunter’s three-decade career began at NASA’s AMES Research Center and has included leadership positions at tech companies Snap Inc., Sun Microsystems and Amazon. He helped establish the SnapCats internship program and has generously contributed to the college’s Transfer Student Scholarship fund.

Outstanding Young Alumni Volunteer Award

Sierra Rose | Mechanical Engineering, BS ‘19

Rose works at Northrop Grumman Space Systems as a design, integration and test engineer for the intercontinental ballistic missile program. She has mentored Interdisciplinary Capstone teams since beginning at Northrop Grumman¸ the industry sponsor for her own senior design project

Bear Down Award

Nitin Patel | Mechanical Engineering, BS ‘02

Patel, who earned his MS at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is on the Dean’s Advisory Board He has been with Caterpillar Inc. for 20 years, serving as campus coordinator the last 10 years. The engineering manager has mentored seven capstone design teams, recruited numerous Wildcats, and worked with students in the Summer TRACK and Summer Engineering Academy

Distinguished Citizen Award

Stanley Stachowiak | Electrical Engineering, BS ‘84

Stachowiak served six years in the U S. Air Force before earning his degree The retired engineering manager’s career included a 21-year stint at Burr-Brown, senior positions at Texas Instruments and Cirrus Logic, and ongoing consultant roles Stachowiak, an active community volunteer, and his spouse Jodi have given to the college and university

Professional Achievement Award

Travis McCarthy | Civil Engineering, BS ‘98

McCarthy is senior vice president and Southwest regional manager for Sundt Construction, where he started his career 25 years ago He serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board as well as the Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics Alumni Industry Council He and his family have established an endowed scholarship for students studying construction engineering management

CLASS OF 2024

William Assenmacher

BS Mechanical Engineering, 1974

Retired Caid Industries president & CEO; founder, Southern Arizona Business Coalition

Ed Barrios

BS Chemical Engineering, 1971

33-year career with Dow Chemical

Alan Boeckmann

BS Electrical Engineering, 1973

Retired Fluor Corp. chairman & CEO; former college Alumnus of the Year

Donald Felsinger

BS Mechanical Engineering, 1972 Former Sempra Energy chairman & CEO

Mary Boice Moreton

BS Systems Engineering, 1974

Retired Bechtel senior vice president

Tom O’Neil

PhD Mining Engineering, 1972 & CEO; former mining and geological engineering department head

Scott Roberts

BS Chemical Engineering, 1969

35-year career with Royal Dutch Shell

The W C Lacy Distinguished Lecture series honors Willard C. “Bill” Lacy, the first head of the combined Department of Mining & Geological Engineering

Timothy Snider tells of his journey from laboring underground to leading modern mining companies

$ 2.5 M boosts wor kf o r ce d ev e lopm e n t in minin g

The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation builds on decades of university investment.

WWITH THE ever-increasing global demand for minerals – crucial to everything from cellphones, computers and medical devices to defense systems and green energy – a recent $2.5 million grant from the FreeportMcMoRan Foundation is funding U of A outreach and scholarships in mining to tackle workforce development on multiple fronts.

“Our longstanding partnership with the U of A not only addresses our immediate workforce needs but also lays the groundwork for long-term success.”

TRACY BAME, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation president and FreeportMcMoRan director of social responsibility

As these scholarships broaden access in the workforce, Freeport-McMoRan’s support of K-12 outreach is expected to teach thousands of Southern Arizona youth about the importance of

minerals and introduce them to careers in modern mining

“Our longstanding

partnership with

the U of A not only

addresses our

immediate workforce

needs but also lays

the groundwork for

long-term success

by helping middle

and high school

students see pathways

to a future in this

critical and dynamic

industry, ” said Tracy

Bame, president of the

Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and the company ’s director of

social responsibility

From early understanding to quality education and careers

High-quality education is the industry’s strongest tool for meeting workforce needs and increasing socioeconomic opportunity and mobility, Bame added.

“This generous gift from the FreeportMcMoRan Foundation directly addresses the critical need for highly skilled engineers in the mining industry,” said David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering. “The funding allows us to opportunities for students, equipping them with the technical skills and

hands-on experience necessary to lead in an evolving industry ”

The Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, School of Mining and Mineral Resources, and the Department of Geosciences’ Lowell Program in Economic Geology are sharing the grant.

“ This generous gift directly addresses the critical need for highly skilled engineers in the mining industry ”

DAVID W HAHN, Craig M Berge Dean, College of Engineering

Freeport-McMoRan has partnered with the U of A, which has one of only 13 nationally accredited mining programs, for nearly two decades, donating more than $6 million. Additionally, Phelps Dodge, a company Freeport-McMoRan acquired in 2007, has been contributing to the university since the 1940s, when it helped fund the construction of the Mines and Metallurgy building.

The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation’s recent gift helps the university expand K-12 outreach Engineering Academy

Freeport-McMoRan representatives discuss high-tech mining careers with students at the Mines for Limitless Minds event in 2023

C

a t S at in orbi t Students ‘stretch its legs’ before data collection.

SSHAE HENLEY BREATHED a sigh of back to Tucson in late July 2024.

The aerospace engineering master’s student has worked on the studentundergraduate at the U of A.

“It has been the most helpful thing at the university,” said Henley “Classes give you a solid math and physics background but not necessarily handson experience ”

The mission is part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative to foster growth in the small-sat industry. U of A tech based Rincon Research are partners on the project.

as Henley watched the rocket’s plume across the sky in Tucson, she and the dozen or so undergraduate and graduate students who began building CatSat over four years ago had no way of knowing the wait still was not over

U.S. Space Force tracking accounted for seven of the eight nanosatellites scheduled for deployment from the spacecraft. But not a sound from CatSat The team listened for signals from the tiny craft for nearly two weeks.

Finally, as the sun dipped below the horizon on July 15, the team began

our frames are good for future data recordings,” said Henley, also mission

Soon, the students will embark on CatSat’s main goals: to collect ionospheric data and test an

Aerospace graduate student Adrien Bouskela said they have started

can do and how we can improve it ”

Bouskela, altitude and orbital control systems lead, supervises students who

– twice in the morning and twice at night. During these passes, they send photo commands

“With the pictures, we are troubleshooting – making sure we’re pointing the correct direction and that

Amateur, or ham, radio enthusiasts take advantage of this charged layer of the atmosphere to broadcast information throughout the world. The team hopes to provide information that will improve radio transmissions

dramatically increase the total data

CubeSats and other small satellites

“It is nice to have a mission that is by students, for students, because everyone is learning and transmitting knowledge,” Bouskela said

Aerospace Alpha rocket on July 3. But

CatSat, a small satellite also known as a CubeSat, is roughly the size of a large cereal box

Prior to launch, Aman Chandra and Shae Henley carefully examine the CubeSat hardware in a cleanroom to minimize contamination

CatSat will orbit Earth roughly once every 95 minutes for the next year, studying radio transmission in the ionosphere and testing an ultralight inflatable antenna that looks like a balloon

College receives NSF award to expand employment opportunities for autistic students

To stimulate lasting change in the workforce, IDEAS in Mind continues the success of established programs.

TTHANKS TO A $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the college has expanded its awardwinning internship program for undergraduate autistic students

Internships Designed with

Engineering Autistic Students (IDEAS) in Mind is providing career

resources to 45 students and employer

training for the next three years

The service is part of the college’s ENGAGED programming, which

serves historically underrepresented

students in engineering

“Disability is not initially thought of when talking about diversity initiatives only the bottom line, but the overall work culture.”

JACY FARKAS, Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities director

It builds on the successes of the EPICS program, which placed two students with internships in 2023 – one at Raytheon, an RTX Business, and one at Texas Instruments.

Terry Matsunaga, a U of A medical imaging professor and an adjunct biomedical engineering professor, cofounded EPICS in 2022 with David W Hahn, the Craig M B erge Dean of the college. Matsunaga saw a

need for career support after watching his son’s job search

“I didn’t anticipate how he would

said the IDEAS in Mind co-principal investigator. “I decided that I was going

parents who are going through the same experience ”

Matsunaga is not alone: 85% of people with autism in the U.S. who have college degrees are unemployed or underemployed, according to the Autism Society

Matsunaga, who worked in the private sector for 16 years before transitioning to the U of A, brought his industry connections to EPICS For IDEAS in Mind, he will connect companies with the university’s Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, where the program is co-housed

students with disabilities transition from school to the workforce. They

teach interview skills, promote integrated work settings and provide workplace support.

To ensure the program centers on the experiences of those it aims to support, the IDEAS in Mind team includes neurodivergent

brains work uniquely compared with societal norms – as well as family members of autistic people

The Sonoran Center will provide employers with inclusivity training geared toward people with autism. The instruction addresses accessibility at every step of the hiring process, including applications, interviews, onboarding and day-today management

Industry partners Raytheon and Texas Instruments have already agreed to collaborate with IDEAS in Mind.

Terry Matsunaga, program co-principal investigator and cancer researcher, has a son with autism

David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean, promotes collaboration across campus to support programs like IDEAS in Mind

The Sonoran Center is a federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, providing resources, education and services to people with disabilities

$2.5M NSF award values strengths

About 50 undergraduates in Yuma and Tucson are expected to receive scholarships up to $15K annually and benefit from extensive mentoring.

FFOR MANY STUDENTS, engineering can be an intimidating major. But they often begin their higher education journey with more skills and knowledge than they realize. The eCAMINOS program helps students recognize what they bring to the table and see a future with engineering

Funded with nearly $2.5 million from the National Science Foundation, eCAMINOS began in fall 2024 at the university’s Tucson and Yuma campuses. The program’s name (“camino” means “path” in Spanish) represents engineering pathways, and it intends to shift

education away from addressing instead valuing their strengths and experience

“One of the most important things grant university is to mentor students in ways that inspire them and help them realize their own potential,” said U of A President Suresh Garimella. “As an engineer and an educator, I’m pleased to see pathways open for more students to pursue their goals The eCAMINOS program will not only create opportunities to help them succeed in higher education but also will prepare them for impactful future careers.”

Asset-based thinking, as opposed

student success, according to project lead Vignesh Subbian, associate professor of biomedical engineering and systems and industrial engineering.

“But little is known about how to do it longitudinally, throughout the student’s engineering program This project helps us do that,” said Subbian, also a member of the university ’s BIO5 Institute

The NSF grant funds scholarships and research, using a model in which mentors focus on student strengths With guidance from faculty and academic advisers, students in the program create portfolios to showcase not only classroom work but also relevant life experiences, such as helping make community improvements and taking on leadership roles

As the Yuma- and Tucsonbased cohorts progress through their studies, program researchers will study and compare the needs and assets of the two groups, striving environments and perspectives

Meaningful scholarships and experiences

Sixty percent of the award is providing scholarships

in engineering majors will each receive a maximum

of $15,000 annually throughout their university

education. Program leaders expect to serve 28

students from Yuma and 22 from the main campus in Tucson

Participation in eCAMINOS is expected to help students overcome common psychological

will encourage more undergraduates to begin and

gaps in the workforce.

“Sometimes, students are challenged to visualize themselves in engineering,” he said. “There’s a struggle with becoming a knowledge worker when they haven’t seen others take that path.”

A model for engineering educators

The remainder of the NSF award will support the research component and assessment of the program’s employment. Program leaders intend to disseminate

programs and a professor of practice in systems and industrial engineering.

“This grant gives students a

needs,” he said. “That’s time

into their studies.”

Faculty involved in eCAMINOS are partnering with several Arizona employers to establish engineering internships. NSF and Intel Corp also are collaborating to provide additional semiconductorcareer resources.

Marla Franco, vice president for Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives at the U of A, said helping transfer students –especially those pursuing STEM degrees – succeed is vital to the university’s federal HSI designation. At the Yuma campus, students begin BS programs in engineering after transferring with two-year degrees from Arizona Western College, which shares the campus with the U of A, or Imperial Valley College in California.

Supporting students from Yuma is also of great priority as an HSI, she said

Advancing the land-grant mi ssio n eCAMINOS helps the college meet responsibilities inherent in the university’s land-grant mission, according to David W Hahn, the Craig M Berge Dean

“Engineering education is fundamental to the health and prosperity of Arizona’s people,” said Hahn. “This program greatly increases opportunity and stands to enrich our state with more engineers to improve agriculture, environmental and climate conditions, and contribute to critical industries like domestic semiconductor manufacturing.”

Putting portfolios together over time helps students reflect on their engineering identities, says Vignesh Subbian.

The university seeks to increase access and opportunity “in ways and acknowledge the vibrant communities where they reside,” says Marla Franco.

“This model helps students realize what they’re bringing to a sphere that initially feels alien,” says

WISPER center aims to advance security in our increasingly connected world

U o f A j o i n s w it h V i rg i n ia Tech , George Mas on Un iv er sit y

a nd o v er 25 i ndu st r y p a r t ner s t o p i oneer 6G w i re l e s s

commun i c ati on re s e a rch .

Wcommunication has been connecting the world since 2019 While the technology has produced faster data rates, improved coverage and processing time, the industry is looking to the next generation for better security

Regents Professor Marwan Krunz and Michael Wu, head of the

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering, have received $750,000 from the

National Science Foundation to establish the Center for Wireless Innovation toward Secure,

NextG Networks – also known as WISPER – with Virginia Tech and George Mason University

Despite the quiet title, Krunz and Wu expect WISPER to make a loud splash for 6G functionality. Center researchers will

frequencies to sustain the latest technology

“We need to make sure we have the infrastructure to support emerging applications and technologies like virtual reality.

At the same time, it’s got to be reliable and trusted,” said Wu, co-principal investigator on the project

Funded by the NSF’s Industry University Research Cooperative Center program, WISPER brings together academics, industry and government. Virginia Tech will act become lead.

“I’m particularly excited about the energy that I see from industry in supporting the center,” said principal investigator Krunz. “We already recruited 27 companies ”

Charting the course for NextG

wireless communication that powers cell phone connection.

“The whole wireless telecommunications industry is looking into the subsequent generation of communication systems, which we term as 6G or sometimes NextG, ” Krunz said. “There’s a demand for a research center that integrates the needs of many companies in the telecommunications sector ”

Center investigators will delve into areas ranging from AI and cybersecurity to energy and defense.

Marwan Krunz is a Kenneth Von Behren Endowed Professor and directs the Wireless Communications and Networking Laboratory

WISPER is the first NSF-funded center to focus on next-generation wireless communication systems Using AI, the center expects to protect more internet users from cyberattacks than previous generations

From the smallest scale, like mobile phones and laptops, to the largest such as cloud servers and wireless networks, AI will play a major role in automation and high-speed data collection, Wu stressed.

Prioritizing cyber safety

Two-thirds of the world’s population is connected online, according to the United Nations International Telecommunication Union. With increased connectivity comes a greater risk for cyberattacks.

“As we go into NextG, this complexity will need more security,” Krunz said

With more than 343 million victims of cybersecurity attacks in 2023 and 94% of organizations already reporting email security incidents in 2024, cybercrime is surging

WISPER industry partners like Keysight Technologies are keen to see more research in this area.

The electronics and software company has collaborated with the College of Engineering for many years Senior Vice President Mark Pierpoint was Industry Advisory B oard chair of the Broadband Wireless Access and Applications Center, another NSF center Krunz directs.

“There are more mobile phones in the world than people, and wireless communications are connecting more critical systems than ever before We are interested in helping meet that need safely,” Pierpoint said. “There are bad actors out there, and we want to make sure the networks we are using are safe.”

Student engagement

fund exploration, Pierpoint added that it’s also an excellent

“This is very important to a department like ECE,” said Wu. “The center engages a big number of companies They support our PhDs and hire our students.”

The 27 industry partners that have already signed on will each provide $50,000 annually The companies not only provide insight on research topics, but also they support the center’s academic outreach.

“We intend this to be as inclusive as possible, and part of our outreach is to try to engage high schools and undergrads,” Krunz said “There’s an educational component to these centers to increase awareness of wireless systems, especially the NextG. ”

Student project key to returning coral to the Biosphere 2 ocean

Advising the capstone team is the next step for alum who began her career at the U of A research facility

CCOR AL RESEARCH AT Biosphere 2 is at a critical point. The marine team is preparing to reintroduce corals into the facility’s ocean after 25 years of its reef being too damaged to support life and research.

The reef was not well maintained in the decade before the U of A took over Biosphere 2 ownership in 2007, said Research Specialist Lia Crocker.

“ We can push the ecosystem 30 years into the future and see how it responds to stresses we know are predicted soon with climate change ”

LIA CROCKER, biosystems engineering alum and Biosphere 2 research specialist

“We saw all the coral die Algae left us with a super-degraded reef, which is what we see with reefs today,” she said.

The marine team has removed tons of algae since 2018 and tested methods to restore reef health Biosphere 2 sponsored a 2024-2025 Interdisciplinary Capstone team to develop a precise light control system

Seven students took on the project as part of the Craig M B erge Engineering Design Program

After the students present their results at the college’s spring Design Day, researchers will install the lights and move corals from two 325-gallon tanks, known as raceways, to the ocean.

The raceway tanks’ systems allow researchers to carefully manipulate lighting conditions. But no commercial product is available for the much larger ocean. The students are designing and prototyping a system and user interface to manage intensity, wavelength and duration. Their design will become a crucial part of coral reintroduction because the Biosphere 2 glass blocks out all UV light and takes the sun’s visible light down to between 30% and 50%, said Crocker.

“I chose to be a biosystems engineer because we work toward solutions for problems presented by climate change,” she said.

As a student planning for the future, Crocker didn’t want to take the “traditional work for an engineering

“It’s nowhere near the amount of light coral needs to thrive ”

The ocean lighting system will advance research capabilities and attract collaborators working to coral, Crocker said.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to rehabilitate a degraded reef,” she said “Since we will have environmental control, we can push the ecosystem 30 years into the future and see how it responds to stresses we know are predicted soon with climate change ”

An inspiring fit

Advising a capstone team is new for Crocker, who hopes to guide students like her who are invested in ecological sustainability

U of A from Pittsburgh with a desire to augment her studies at Biosphere 2 and secured an internship for the summer preceding her senior year. For her own Interdisciplinary Capstone, Crocker created and led a Biosphere 2 project. She stayed on at the facility as a graduate student worker and began her career there when she completed an accelerated master ’s in 2021.

Now the marine team’s sole engineer, Crocker wants to serve as an example to students with similar interests and broaden their perspectives on ways to apply their skills

“I hope this inspires the students on the planet, but also allows them to thrive in what they enjoy doing ”

(From left) Biosphere 2 marine team members Daniel Grambihler, Renee Grambihler, Lia Crocker and Carter Ungemah recruit student team members at the 2024 Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program Open House

Drawing from her own similar 2019-2020 capstone experience, biosystems engineering MS alum Lia Crocker mentors students completing a project for Biosphere 2

HOTTER THAN EVER

Solar Oven Throw Down and Solar Track Meet

A group of 737 students met at the U of A Mall on Oct. 15, 2024 for a friendly competition to determine which team could build the hottest oven out of recyclable materials. Using cardboard and aluminum foil, first-year students in the ENGR 102 course, plus 26 from the ENGR 102 high school program who attend Salpointe Catholic High School, applied foundational engineering skills to amplify Arizona’s heat for biscuit baking.

Team Solar Nation, from materials science and engineering professor Sammy Tin’s class, reached the highest average temperature at 487 degrees Fahrenheit, one degree higher than last year’s winner. Anwar Gatto, an electrical and computer engineering student from another Tin team, said he enjoyed competing.

“It was fun working with a group and being able to design with support from professors,” Gatto said.

ENGR 102 students revisited the friendly rivalry at the Solar Track Meet on Nov. 26. To prepare for the annual meet, students become certified in 3D printing. Then they team up and use the skill to build autonomous solar trackers that follow the sun’s movements to collect solar energy.

‘Sign me up,’ says first-year engineering student at every turn

Math enthusiast begins with course credit, a stellar career plan and a promising invention.

IILANA VALENZUELA eagerly awaited her U of A education. So much so that she took every opportunity to start early, earning college credit in high school

“The problem with me is that I want to learn everything,” said the incoming W.A. Franke Honors College student. “I to take every class and learn everything she learned advanced math and physics.

“Oh, my goodness, I love math. It’s that sort of deeper-level thinking that really just rocks your entire world,” she said

At Catalina Foothills High School, she took three years of engineering, culminating in the college’s Engineering 102 High School course, which gives students an early start on their degrees.

Valenzuela earned recognition as a National Hispanic Scholar from the College Board before graduation and received the university’s Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Scholarship for academic excellence. She narrowed her focus to aerospace and mechanical engineering and plans to pursue an accelerated master’s. Close ties to NASA

“It’s my absolute dream job to work at NASA, as an engineer on the Artemis missions,” she said. The Artemis and person of color on the moon

A foundation to build upon Valenzuela is no stranger to campus

Her parents are alumni working for the university, and she has fond memories of visiting campus for sporting events, the Tucson Festival of Books and Spring Fling. The family expects her younger brother and sister to follow her to the U of A.

program helped prepare her for the college’s undergraduate design focus. During the six-week session, her group designed a device that plugs into an electrical outlet or circuit to prevent encouraged the team to connect with an adviser at Tech Launch Arizona, the university’s commercialization arm. She is eager to develop the invention and explore forming a startup

“I

genuinely wish there was class and learn everything

ILANA VALENZUELA, honors student

TH E NATIO NA L Science Foundation – as part of its

Future of Semiconductors, or FuSe2, program – recently awarded $3.8 million for two projects involving U of A

engineers developing solutions for the semiconductor energy dilemma

Energy use in technology with semiconductors –from data centers, computers and smartphones to solar cells, electric vehicles and medical equipment – has doubled every three years since 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. These products could consume nearly 20% of the world’s energy by 2030.

“Revolutionary changes to computing will be required soon,” stated the Decadal Plan for semiconductors. The study was published by industry consortium Semiconductor Research Corp and cited that the world’s energy production is growing only by around 2% a year

professor of electrical and computer engineering

U of A students at all levels will contribute to both FuSe2 projects Wang also is working with Sunnyside High School to bring Tucson teachers and students into the university’s Spin Lab, which he established in 2012.

Principal investigator Weigang Wang says advanced technologies rely on larger and larger computing power

FuSe2-funded research and education addresses key challenges in the U S semiconductor industry Each multi-university team is receiving $1 9 million over three years

Marwan Krunz, Regents Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is contributing to a microchip, or collection of semiconductors, expected to increase energy

wireless communication. Krunz, a Kenneth Von Behren Endowed Professor, received $575,000 for his team’s part in the FuSe2 project, which Arizona State University is leading

Weigang Wang, professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering, is leading development of novel materials and devices to substantially reduce energy waste, speed computer memory systems by up to 100 times, and enable further miniaturization of electronic devices. The U of A is receiving $1.1 million of the project’s total award

“The teams are tackling core technical challenges for advanced technologies that will improve communications and computing while reducing energy consumption,” said Liesl Folks, U of A vice president of semiconductor strategy and

One chip can have billions of silicon-based transistors, the foundation for today ’s computer memories. The transistors

continually switch between the two binary states of 1 and 0 – the language of computers indicating electrical current on or electrical

or bits, are used to store, process and

transmit data, such as text, numbers, images and video The more complex the task or calculation, the greater the amount of energy consumed by the transistors

The researchers are working with magnetic tunnel junctions, which may someday replace transistors in storing information. Instead of charge, magnetic tunnel junctions use a quantum mechanical property of electrons called spin to store and manipulate information. These devices have been under investigation for about 25 years However, the behavior of their ferromagnetic electrodes, like those in compasses but at a nanoscale, has limited the technology ’s use.

Co-principal investigator and ECE associate professor Tosiron Adegbija is working with Weigang Wang to develop materials intended to “revolutionize energy consumption across computing – from power-hungry AI systems to everyday devices ”

Wang and his team are investigating novel versus ferromagnets is the alignment of spins within them. Once the antiferromagnetic device writes a 0 or 1, the information persists even when power is removed, resulting in

“It’s like the magnet on your refrigerator door that can stay in place for 10 years, because the spins are held together by a quantum mechanical force,” said Wang

Additionally, because each antiferromagnetic tunnel junction won’t interact with others like it, more can be packed tightly together in even smaller devices

GUE S T CO L UM N

by Tomás Díaz de la Rubia U of A Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation

At the University of Arizona, we are driven by a simple yet profound question: How can we make life better for the people of Arizona and the world beyond?

Transforming lives through meaningful change

The answer lies in a commitment to research that serves the public good. At the core of the university’s land-grant mission is an an unrelenting determination to address society’s most pressing challenges

it’s woven into the fabric of our being. Whether we are engineering advanced solutions for water sustainability, pioneering biomedical intelligence to revolutionize industries, our work creates meaningful belief that science, discovery and invention should always strive to improve the human condition.

Impact goes beyond breakthroughs

This mission is about more than producing breakthroughs. It’s about creating opportunities for students to learn, experiment and lead. It’s

people who need them most. And it’s about working with Arizona’s unique resources – diverse populations, environment and climate – to produce solutions that resonate locally and globally.

When I look at the future, I see a university where innovation isn’t just a goal – it’s a promise. The U of A is investing in the people, partnerships and programs to ensure research continues to thrive and the next generation can dream bigger and achieve more.

“Together, we will continue to tackle the challenges of today and turn them into opportunities for tomorrow.”

I am honored to be part of a community leaving such an indelible mark on society.

Progress is achieved by working together

As alumni, your connection to this mission is invaluable Your achievements, insights and support inspire Wildcat talent

I invite you to stay engaged, help us make connections, share your stories, and join us in shaping a brighter future Together, we will continue to tackle the challenges of today and turn them into opportunities for tomorrow

Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellows

A 2017 gift from the family of mechanical engineering alum Craig M. Berge funds the four-year design program and an endowed chair for the dean. David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean, created a fellowship in 2020 to further the family ’s vision of the college leading the way in education and research.

Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellows are named to three-year terms and receive $8,000 toward research and teaching.

2024

• PIERRE DEYMIER, professor, materials science engineering and BIO5 Institute

• HONGYUE JIN, associate professor, systems industrial engineering

• ZAFER MUTLU, assistant professor, materials science engineering and electrical computer engineering

• DEAN PAPAJOHN, professor of practice, civil architectural engineering & mechanics

• JUDITH SU, associate professor, biomedical engineering and optical sciences and assistant professor, BIO5 Institute

• RAVI TANDON, Litton Industries John M Leonis Distinguished Associate Professor, electrical computer engineering

2020

• IVAN DJORDJEVIC, professor, electrical computer engineering and optical sciences

• PHILIPP GUTRUF, associate professor, biomedical engineering, electrical computer engineering and BIO5 Institute

• QING HAO, associate professor, aerospace mechanical engineering

• MING LI, University Distinguished Scholar and professor, electrical computer engineering

• , professor, chemical environmental engineering

From health to agriculture – making big moves to improve lives

KIMBERLY OGDEN department chair and professor, CHEE

Outstanding Young Researcher

The Association of Korean Physicists in America awarded MSE assistant professor Brian Kim a 2024 Outstanding Young Researcher Award. Kim works with complex heterostructures for semiconductors, manipulating 2D and quantum materials at the atomic scale to discover properties for advanced technologies.

JANET ROVEDA professor, ECE

ERIKA EGGERS professor, BME

HEE JEONG KIM assistant professor, CAEM

The newest class of a dozen faculty members – plus university President Suresh Garimella (See ‘Garimella,’ Page 7) and Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation Tomás Díaz de la Rubia (See ‘de la Rubia,’ Page 31) – boasts expertise ranging hydrometallurgy and additive manufacturing.

“We selected this class to engage and mentor a growing number of students, advance research in diverse engineering disciplines, and support the college’s associate dean for faculty

Five are teaching computer science and engineering. (See ‘Programs,’

Page 6), and two are focused on the Cancer Engineering Initiative

G arimella is tenured as a University Distinguished Professor in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Díaz de la Rubia is a tenured professor in the

Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

‘I held a vision to inspire the next generation of thinkers, doers and innovators ’

JYOTIKRISHNA DASS, ECE assistant professor

Dass, who has a PhD from Texas A&M University, was a research scientist and postdoctoral scholar at Rice University. He integrates machine learning, parallel computing and hardware design for edge computing, enabling remote devices to process information in real time.

‘ The colla bo rative e nvironmen t, combined wi th state-o fthe-a rt fa ciliti es, pr ovid es an ideal set ting f or advan ci ng cance r res ea rch ’

SWARNA GANESH, BME assistant professor

Ganesh has executed several projects, including a nano sensor for detecting cancer biomarkers and clinical assessment tools for monitoring brain metastases. She earned a PhD at Ryerson University, now Toronto Metropolitan University, where she also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship

‘The aim is to advance physical understanding of boundarylayer transition to help improve the design and operation of future high-speed vehicles.’

CHRISTOPH HADER, AME assistant professor

Hader studies boundary-layer transition in transonic, supersonic and hypersonic flow regimes. He earned a PhD in aerospace engineering at the U of A and says the growing edge in hypersonic research made the college a clear choice

‘The people and leadership are fantastic, and the vision is inspiring ’

ALEXANDRA HOLMES, MSE assistant professor of practice

Holmes worked at Medtronic and Honeywell exploring failure analysis of medical devices, non-destructive materials characteristics, and the optimization of coatings and additive manufacturing processes. Her PhD is from Arizona State University

The university’s reputation for quality students and research, as well as strong collaboration in areas such as robotics and autonomous driving, appeal to this AI expert.

BO LIU, ECE associate professor

Liu, who holds a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, worked at Amazon Research, Auburn University and Philips Research. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

‘My role is a direct result of this forward-thinking initiative aligning perfectly with my research ’

ALEXANDER MCGHEE, BME assistant professor

McGhee, who earned a PhD from the University of Florida, was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work with the U of A Cancer Engineering Initiative leverages 3D bioprinting and in vitro modeling techniques to advance personalized drug treatments.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Technologies head to market

Engineers contribute

commercialization arm, Tech Launch Arizona. TLA reported a

2024, plus nine startups launched, 72 licenses and options

issued. Twenty percent of these involved engineering faculty.

Startups

Dr. Daniel Latt, associate professor of orthopedics and biomedical engineering, led a multidisciplinary team in development of an Ancerix surgical toolkit for extracting orthopedic screws.

Among inventors of an iSeniCare frailty assessment tool was Bijan , professor of surgery and faculty member in the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Interdisciplinary Program

Civil and architectural engineering and mechanics professor Jennifer Duan invented a mapping technology for predicting and responding

Technologies is commercializing.

Faculty innovation ambassadors

Two entrepreneurs – professors

Hao Xin, electrical and computer engineering, and Frederic Zenhausern, biomedical engineering – are serving as TLA Faculty Innovation Ambassadors, educating colleagues and students about inventions, licensing and startups.

‘The university’s location in the heart of Arizona’s rich mining region provides an environment deeply intertwined with industry ’

SEHLISELO NDLOVU, MGE professor

Nd l ovu joins the col l ege fr om the U n i ve r s i ty o f th e Witwatersrand i n J ohannesbu r g, whe r e she was a pro f essor and the DSI / N RF S ARC hI C ha i r Ho l de r i n Hyd r ometal l u r g y. Th i s past pres i dent o f the Souther n Afri ca Inst i tute o f M in i ng and Meta ll urgy ho l ds a P h D f rom Imper i a l C o ll ege, London .

‘I feel at home, appreciated, energized and excited to work for the U of A ’ , ECE professor of practice

Quevedo-Torrero joins the U of A from the University of North Texas. He holds a PhD from the University of Houston and was chair and associate professor of computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Quevedo-Torrero grew up in Culiacán, Mexico

‘The college is a place where educating students and pushing science forward are both truly valued, which is very important to me ’

ELLIS ROBINSON, CHEE assistant professor

Robinson – who has held postdoctoral appointments with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon, where he earned a PhD – is dedicated to improving air quality. He was a mass media fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

‘It has been an honor to join the exceptional faculty here and utilize world-leading experimental facilities via productive multidisciplinary collaboration ’

JAMES THREADGILL, AME assistant professor

Threadgill, who completed his PhD at Imperial College, London, has led investigations applying flow diagnostics, signal processing techniques and manufacturing processes to complex 2D and 3D flow topologies. He has held multiple research positions at the U of A

‘I focus on AI trustworthiness due to its potential for counterintuitive mistakes and misuse by malicious users ’

HAN XU, ECE assistant professor

Xu, who earned a PhD from Michigan State University, focuses on the safe and reliable operation of machine learning and artificial intelligence. He is developing methods to protect data and address issues concerning copyright and intellectual property rights

‘I would love to codesign solutions of AI algorithms, systems and hardware to make AI usable for the general public.’

HUANRUI YANG, ECE assistant professor

Yang, who was a postdocto r al scho l ar at the U n i ve r s i

and

Hao

Latest FLOWER device applications could lead to better health outcomes, diagnostics, and portable toxin

IIN JUDITH SU’S Little Sensor Lab, researchers detect substances in astonishingly small amounts using the FLOWER device, invented by Su, associate professor of biomedical engineering and optical sciences.

Su and her collaborators have used FLOWER (Frequency Locked Optical Whispering Evanescent Resonator) to sense a variety of substances, including disease biomarkers and toxic gases. Advances in the device’s sensing capability and a U S Army investment are paving the way for improved soldier safety and better health outcomes for the general population.

Early warnings save lives

The FLOWER device picks up target compounds at zeptomolar (10-21) concentrations, an astonishingly minuscule amount at about 600 molecules per liter

With ultrasensitive detection, the military expects it may safeguard soldiers

Su received $2.8 million from the U S Defense Threat Reduction Agency four years ago to conduct Phase 1 research for the FORWARD: FLOWER-Based Optical Resonators for Widely Applicable Reagent Detection project

Phase 1 tested FLOWER’s capabilities on tiny amounts of airborne chemical warfare agents.

Su, also a Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellow, said FLOWER detected one part per trillion DIMP concentrations, a Sarin surrogate

The highly toxic nerve agent is clear, odorless and tasteless. It is challenging to detect without advanced tools, making it a dangerous obstacle for soldiers

“We were able to demonstrate record levels of sensitivity, ” Su said

Euan McLeod, U of A associate professor of optical sciences and Su’s collaborator, said the device allows for early detection and will be more sensitive than anything the military is currently using.

They were awarded $2.1 million from the U S. Army to develop a handheld prototype that takes FLOWER out of the lab and into the general population. Anyone could be an operator.

“This will keep people safer by giving them an early warning at a longer distance from the source,” McLeod said.

Leading drug research

Unlike other sensing devices, FLOWER doesn’t require compound tagging –

to make a target compound stand out during testing

“For things like small molecule drug

screening, sometimes the tags can interfere with the results,” Su said. FLOWER’s accessibility and sensing capabilities can make new drug discoveries possible, according to a paper published in Nature Communications on Aug. 28, 2024.

She led the research for the U of A, collaborating with Stephen Liggett from the University of South Florida.

The researchers used G proteincoupled receptors as the sensing compound for their experiments GPCRs are sometimes referred to as gatekeepers for cells and are the target of 40% of all pharmaceutical drugs. In addition to regulating cell functions, they act as signalers for cells, one of the reasons they are important for drug research

For the Nature Communications paper, they focused on the kappaopioid receptor

“The kappa-opioid receptor is really important for pain,” Su said. “A future potential application for something like this would be pain relief, but

FLOWER uses microtoroid optical resonators to sense molecules Each microtoroid is approximately the width of a human hair

In the Little Sensor Lab, Judith Su and her team use ultrasensitive optical technology for a wide variety of applications.

15 years of lifesaving entrepreneurship

Alum’s robotic inventions give emergency responders a major edge in water rescue.

AANTHON Y MULLIGA N had just sold his aerial drone company in 2009 and was considering what to do next

“I decided to make a robot boat,” the mechanical engineering alum said. “I was living in Malibu, so it was very convenient ”

“ The College of Engineering has been very can solve problems ”

ANTHONY MULLIGAN, Hydronalix CEO and mechanical engineering alum

Mulligan started developing a robotic craft to research marine wildlife with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But, as he and his partner

they realized the design could be transformed into a remotely controlled rescue vehicle to assist lifeguards

“We started building durable little boats that could operate in any weather conditions and carry a life

waves in the surf – with no problem at all – we knew it would have an impact ”

Fast forward 15 years, and Mulligan’s invention, EMILY (Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard) rescue craft, are in use at beachfronts and resorts all over the world. Mulligan’s company, Hydronalix, has sold more than 2,000 of the aquatic rescue boats

Local resources, global enterprise

The Hydronalix product line now includes an expanded array of watercraft and aerial drones Construction is the shelf.

or motor controllers that can handle that current. We had to develop our own manufacturing line, right down to the circuit boards,” the 1988 graduate explained.

The company is based in Sahuarita, Arizona, which boasts a pool of skilled workers, including many U of A alumni and students.

for us We can hire people who can solve problems,”

Anthony Mulligan (front row, center) trains members of the Indonesian National Ministry of Search and Rescue to use the EMILY rescue craft in Jakarta

said Mulligan, who won the college’s Leo B Hart Humanitarian Award in 2016

“That, combined with the low cost of being in Southern Arizona, is a key part of being competitive globally. ”

Inventions for any mission

Hydronalix recently invented and released a larger rescue craft that is unlike any other on the market. The CASVAC (Casualty Evacuation Unmanned Surface Vehicle) is a covered rescue craft that can operate autonomously or be controlled remotely to reach an injured victim and transport them back to safety. If needed,

responder or EMT. The CASVAC, which weighs 200 lbs. and folds up compactly for easy transport, is intended to aid in hardto-reach aquatic rescues where medical attention is needed

Student gives back with work in clean water advocacy

ip program.

The Mo’s Policy Scholars program provides

professional experience in environmental

policy and Indigenous governance research

Students work closely with researchers and faculty members in the Udall Center for

Studies in P ublic Policy

Lane’s mentor, assistant professor Gemma

Smith – who holds a joint appointment with

the Udall Center and School of Government

and P ublic Policy – is investigating the presence of PFAs, or “forever chemicals,” in urban water supplies and examining how local governments address these health hazards.

mother and member of the Diné (Navajo) tribe

The company’s new aerial drone, the Hermes-1, is specially device, which has probes mounted on the bottom, to check conditions For example, with a mobile phone app, they can assess whether it is safe to drive a rescue vehicle through a

Hydronalix also builds tactical sonar boats and unmanned surface vehicles, and Mulligan recently won a $42 million, develop advanced technology for unmanned watercraft

“We do a lot of work for the Navy and Marines for humanitarian missions,” said Mulligan. “This will allow us to keep making better and better boats, and lots of them ”

“Growing up on the Navajo Nation reservation without running water or electricity, I challenges of accessing basic necessities. This experience instilled in me a profound sense of purpose to address such critical issues.”

TRISHA JEAN LANE

Lane plans to pursue a PhD in environmental engineering after completing her undergraduate degree in May 2025. Her goal is to establish a career dedicated to providing clean water to low-income, rural communities.

Anthony Mulligan’s company employs 50 workers and hires about 10 interns annually, many from the university The students get hands-on experience in research, design and manufacturing Hydronalix also has a history of sponsoring several capstone projects as part of the Craig M Berge Design Program

Hydronalix engineers launch EMILY rescue robots in a simulated mission.

2010 S

Bradley Williams, BS/ME 2013 and MS/ SE 2018, was named a rising star by Via Satellite magazine The awards recognize young professionals who make important behind-thescenes contributions in the space and satellite industry Williams is a program executive in NASA’s Heliophysics Division.

1990 S

Charlie Trantanella, MS/EE 1991 and PhD/EE 1994, published a book titled “Preacher Teacher Hater Fraud: The Life of Lilla Mabel Hodgkins, a.k.a. Rev Mabel MacCoy Irwin ” Irwin (1856-1928) was a Universalist minister, writer, lecturer and faith healer. She was also a eugenicist who found herself embroiled in national scandals

Engineers and an adjunct professor at New York University’s Department of Industrial Engineering. He is a licensed professional association executive

Jason Antonino , BS/MSE 1998, language through International Teacher Training Organization. He completed a four-week program in Guadalajara, Mexico In 2025, he will return to Mexico to begin teaching.

Remigio Galarraga-Sanchez, PhD/Hydrology 1995, retired as senior professor from the School of Civil Engineering at the National Polytechnic School in Quito, Ecuador He and his wife, Maria Carrillo-Robayo, keep in contact with friends made at the U of A – Elena Merino and her husband Leoncio Martinez.

1980 S

Don Pettit, PhD/ChE 1983, who is NASA’s oldest active astronaut, arrived at the International Space Station in September 2024. He will spend approximately six months aboard research to help prepare crew for future space missions. This is Pettit’s fourth NASA mission.

1970 S

David Soukup, BS/SE 1976, was named a fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. He is the managing director of governance for the American Society of Mechanical

1960 S

Terry Bahill, BS/ EE 1967, received the International Council on Systems Engineering’s Founder ’s Award for his council leadersh

since 2011

Bradley Williams

David Soukup

Terry Bahill

Jason Antonino

Remigio Galarraga-Sanchez (left)

NASA astronaut Don Pettit is a flight engineer and a prolific space photographer

For the love of humanity

Arizona Engineer often features alumni and friends who are giving because they want to change lives and save lives. While each of their stories is unique, they are all compelled to invest in worthy causes and deserving people – people who are dedicated to improving the human condition.

For example, Wildcat couple Mike and Sheri Hummel are helping fund the Cancer Engineering Initiative, which is working toward individualized medicine Mike, a 1982 electrical engineering graduate, and Sheri,

want to bring about a fundamental change in disease detection and treatment. Mike, who is retired CEO and general manager of the utility Salt River Project – said, “Applying an engineering approach to this kind of problem is exciting.”

Bob Rutherford, who earned an aerospace engineering degree in 1978 and had a career in the U S. Navy and defense industry, feels deeply that a better future lies in the great things students and faculty do. His family established a scholarship in honor of his grandfather, and Bob has made an estate gift for a faculty chair and other support in aerospace and mechanical engineering

The Muzzy family is supporting the Eller-Engineering Entrepreneurship, or E3. This collaboration with the Eller College of Management is giving students further knowledge to pursue entrepreneurial careers. Ultimately, the program is expected to diversify the workforce, particularly at top levels Jim Muzzy, an Eller alum who had a career in investment

engineers and businesspeople work together toward technological advancement and product development

Looking beyond today

These insightful philanthropists do not consider themselves extraordinary people or heroes Many only tell their stories in the hopes that their experiences will inspire others to see the value in giving.

Wildcat Engineers – students, faculty and alumni –problems When donors and engineers team up, they create a powerful force for discovery and progress.

Happy holidays, and the best to you and your families!

Margie Puerta Edson Assistant Dean, Development & Corporate Relations

520 626.0572

puertaedson@arizona edu

The University of Arizona

College of Engineering

P.O. Box 210072

Tucson, AZ 85721-0072

CALLING ALL ALUMNI!

Where has life taken you since graduation? We’d like to know and so would your college classmates. Please email us with details (no more than 300 words) and be sure to include the following information:

• Name and year you graduated

• Major

• Degree (BS, MS, PhD, etc )

• Details of your activities

We’d also be interested to see – and share – pictures of your family, your latest work project, that boat or hot rod you just finished building in your garage, or your blossoming gardens. Vacation photos are great, too We’ll publish your news and photos online and in the next print edition.

Please send your email to cla ss note s @ eng r.arizon a ed u

BEEN IN THE NEWS LATELY ?

Let us know if you’ve been getting some media attention. Just email the link, and we’ll keep spreading the news on the college website and in social media.