UCLA Engineering Spring 2009 by UCLA Engineering

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405 Hilgard Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90095

UCLA ENGINEER

3.1415926535 8979 323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 8214808651 3282306647 0938446095 5058223172 5359408128 4811174502 8410270193 852110555

SPRING 2009, ISSUE NO. 21

Please join us in celebration of the

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNET A day of surprising innovations from the Internet—present and future Including the keynote presentation from:

SAVE THE DATE

NICHOLAS NEGROPONTE Founder, One Laptop Per Child Creator, MIT Media Lab

October 29, 2009 UCLA Campus http://www.engineer.ucla.edu

Handheld Healthcare > Alumnus James L. Easton ‘59 > Powerhouse Bacteria

UCLA Engineer.cgla indd A-B

5/2/09 1:00 AM

FROM THE DEAN

It’s amazing to think how ubiquitous cell phones have become. In less than 20 years they have evolved from a luxury item into a powerful tool that’s almost impossible to live without.

We are extremely proud that UCLA Engineering faculty have made pioneering contributions to modern cell phone communications. Several of our faculty are transforming cell phones into portable and powerful devices for healthcare, environmental monitoring and much more. Our students as well are developing new applications for mobile phones. This issue highlights their work.

Also in this issue, we are continuing to feature alumni who are innovators and industry leaders. The Easton name is synonymous with sports equipment. But did you know the company’s president Jim Easton is a UCLA Engineering alumnus?

Finally, we are particularly proud that two of our faculty, Deborah Estrin and John Kim, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, among the highest professional honors for an engineer. We can all be proud that they

UCLA E NGINEER DEAN Vijay K. Dhir

ASSOCIATE DEANS Richard D. Wesel Academic and Student Affairs Gregory Pottie Research and Physical Resources ASSISTANT DEAN Mary Okino Chief Financial Offi cer DEPARTMENT CHAIRS Timothy J. Deming Bioengineering

Jiun-Shyan (J.S.) Chen Civil and Environmental Engineering Adnan Darwiche Computer Science Ali H. Sayed Electrical Engineering Mark S. Goorsky Materials Science and Engineering Adrienne Lavine Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

I hope you enjoy these stories and more in this issue of UCLA Engineer.

UCLA ENGINEER ADVISORY BOARD Timothy J. Deming Vijay K. Dhir William Goodin Mark S. Goorsky Adrienne Lavine Mary Okino Richard D. Wesel

Vijay K. Dhir Dean

10 Inside Your Cell Phone 12 Alumnus James L. Easton ‘59

Harold G. Monbouquette Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

are now among 22 NAE members affi liated with UCLA Engineering.

Sincerely,

8 Handheld Healthcare

Engineering Careers

8 2 Research Summaries 14 School News 18 Student News 22 Alumni News

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS COMMUNICATIONS Matthew Chin Communications Manager Wileen Wong Kromhout Director of Media Relations and Marketing Joseph Donahoo Executive Director of External Affairs OFFICE OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 310.206.0678 www.engineer.ucla.edu uclaengineering@support.ucla.edu front and back cover photos: Phil Channing design: Leslie Baker Graphic Design

3.1415926535 8979 323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 8214808651 3282306647 0938446095 5058223172 5359408128 4811174502 8410270193 8521105559 6446229489 5493038 196 4428810975 6659334461 2847564823 3786783165 2712019091 4564856692 3460348610 4543266482 1339360726 0249141273 7245870066 0631558817 4881520920 9628292540 9171536436 7892590360 0113305305 4882046652 1384146951 941511

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5/6/09 12:41 PM

RESEARCH SUMMARIES

POLYMER SOLAR CELLS WITH HIGHER EFFICIENCY LEVELS Wileen Wong Kromhout

In this electron micrograph image, the white areas are water droplets; they are contained within darker oil droplets. The droplets are in water. photo: Jarrod Hanson

urrently, solar cells are difficult to handle, expensive to purchase and complicated to install. The hope is that consumers will one day be able to buy

solar cells from their local hardware store and simply hang

SCIENTISTS PRODUCE NANOSCALE DROPLETS

them like posters on a wall. A new study by UCLA Engineering researchers has

WITH CANCER-FIGHTING IMPLICATIONS

shown that the dream is one step closer to reality. Reporting in the Nov. 26 edition of the Journal of the American

car covered and powered by flexible solar fi lms. Our

Chemical Society, Yang Yang, a professor of materials

dream is to see solar cells used everywhere.”

science and engineering, and colleagues describe the design

While polymer solar cells have been around for

and synthesis of a new polymer, or plastic, for use in solar

several years, their efficiency has, until recently, been

With the reality of today’s energy crisis, a new game-changing technology is required.

Stuart Wolpert

CLA scientists have succeeded in making unique nanoscale droplets that are much smaller than a human cell and can potentially be used to deliver

pharmaceuticals. “What we found that was unexpected was within each

Emulsions are droplets of one liquid in another liquid; the two liquids do not mix. “This gives us a new tool, a new material, for drug delivery and anticancer applications,” said Thomas G. Mason, a UCLA associate professor of chemistry and physics.

oil droplet there was also a water droplet — a double

Mason, who holds the John McTague Career Development Chair, is also a member of the CNSI.

cells that has significantly greater sunlight absorption and

low. The new polymer created by Yang’s team reached

emulsion,” said Timothy Deming, professor and chair of

conversion capabilities than previous polymers.

5.1 percent efficiency in the published study but has in

the Department of Bioengineering and a member of both

Deming and Mason have made nanoemulsions con-

a few months improved to 5.6 percent in the lab.

the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and UCLA’s

taining billions of double nanodroplets. Their research,

Jonsson Cancer Center. “We have a water droplet inside of

reporting on droplets smaller than 100 nanometers —

an oil droplet, in water.”

the world’s smallest double emulsions — appeared in the

The research team found that substituting a silicon atom for a carbon atom in the backbone of the polymer

“Previously, the synthesizing process for the poly-

markedly improved the material’s photovoltaic properties.

mer was very complicated. We’ve been able to simplify

This polymer can also be crystalline, giving it great poten-

the process and make it much easier to mass produce,”

tial as an ingredient for high-efficiency solar cells. “With the reality of today’s energy crisis, a new-game

polymer can eventually be used on solar cells far beyond their current rooftop applications. Imagine a house or

Sept. 4 edition of the journal Nature.

said Jianhui Hou, UCLA postdoctoral researcher and

“If we have water-soluble drugs, we can load them

co-author of the study.

properties and have them be stable. We have demonstrated

inside,” Deming said. “If we have water-insoluble drugs,

we can make these emulsions that are stable in this size

we can load them inside as well. We can deliver them

The full release is available here: http://www.engi-

range, which no one has ever been able to do before. These

simultaneously.”

neer.ucla.edu/news/2008/solar_cells_yang.htm

double nanoemulsions are generally hard to form and very

changing technology is required to make solar cells more popular,” Yang said. “We hope that our newly synthesized

“The big challenge,” Deming added, “was to make these molecules in the sub-100-nanometer size range with these

unstable, but ours are very stable.”

The full news release is available here: http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/2008/nanoscale_droplets.htm

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 2-3

UCLA ENGINEER 3

5/6/09 12:42 PM

RESEARCH SUMMARIES

Yi Tang with undergraduate Ralph Cacho and graduate student Sherri Gao. photo: Phil Channing

NEW APPLICATIONS FOR ENERGY AND FOR MEDICINE USING THE VERSATILE E. COLI BACTERIUM Wileen Wong Kromhout and Matthew Chin

.coli is a powerhouse organism whose well-known

James Liao has harnessed the tiny organism to make

genetic maps and versatility make it a natural choice

longer-chain alcohols which can be used in more energetic

for advanced research.

biofuels. Yi Tang uses it to synthesize natural products

Two UCLA chemical and biomolecular engineering faculty

used in antibiotic and anticancer drugs.

Though this new frontier of biofuels production from

polyketides, the UCLA research team — which included principal investigator Yi Tang, and graduate students Wenjun Zhang and Yanran Li — fi rst dissected a

in global warming, the scientific significance of successful

polyketide synthase enzyme from a rice plant fungus,

Energy: Higher Density Biofuels

genetic modification could also mean great benefits

then reassembled it and transferred it into the E. coli

Longer-chain alcohols, with five or more carbon atoms,

beyond the environment.

bacterium. The resulting synthetic enzyme is necessary to

pack more energy into a smaller space and are easier to separate from water, making them less volatile and corrosive than the commercially available biofuel ethanol. The greater the number of carbon atoms, the higher the density of the biofuel. Ethanol, most commonly made from corn or sugarcane, contains only two carbon atoms. Organisms typically produce a large number of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. In their research, Liao’s team examined the metabolism of amino acids in E. coli and changed the metabolic pathway of the bacterium by inserting two specially coded genes. One gene, from a cheese-making bacterium, and another, from a type of yeast often used in baking and brewing, were altered to enable E. coli’s amino acid precursor, keto acid, to continue the chain-elongation process that ultimately resulted in longer-chain alcohols. “This research is significant for two reasons,” said Liao, the study’s lead author. “From a scientific standpoint, we wanted to show that we can expand nature’s James Liao with Postdoc Yajun Yan and undergraduate Vye-Chi Low. photo: Phil Channing

production of gasoline and even jet fuel.”

To achieve the successful synthesis of the aromatic

organisms has the potential to address significant issues

members have each used E. coli in potential applications in two vastly different areas — energy and medicine.

because they contain more energy. This is significant in the

capability in making alcohol molecules. We showed we are not limited by what nature creates. From an energy standpoint, we wanted to create larger, longer-chain molecules

The full news release is available here: http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/2008/longer_chain_biofuels_liao.htm

Medicine: Synthesizing Natural Products Natural products are pharmacologically or biologically potent chemical compounds produced by living organisms; many are the active ingredients in pharmaceuticals. Bacterial aromatic polyketides include the antibiotic tetracycline and the compound doxorubicin, used in the treatment of breast and other cancers. Because many of these natural products are synthesized by organisms that are difficult to collect, grow and maintain, researchers have sought to produce them using simpler organisms like E. coli. While turning E. coli into a microbial factory for natural products has been highly successful, resulting in the production of groups of drugs that include antibiotics like erythromycin and vancomycin, as well as terpenes and alkaloids, attempts to synthesize bacterial aromatic

synthesize the carbon backbone of aromatic polyketides, which was previously inaccessible in E. coli. In addition to the synthetic enzyme, the researchers introduced other enzymes to form a new pathway in E. coli that produced a range of bacterial aromatic polyketides from simple nutrients such as glucose. “This is a key advance in the field of natural product biosynthesis,” said Tang. “We have now outfitted E. coli with the ability to make this family of compounds that are vital toward treating diseases such as infectious diseases and cancer. Furthermore, we can now take advantage of the E. coli machinery to engineer the pathways we introduced and synthesize new versions of natural products that may be more potent than the current versions — so-called unnatural natural products.” On a more fundamental level, the UCLA researchers are exploring interactions between the bacterial and fungal components they introduced into E. coli, which are from different kingdoms of life.

polyketides had previously been hindered by the com-

The full news release is available here:

pounds’ complicated assembly process.

http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/2008/ metabolic_engineering_tang.htm

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 4-5

UCLA ENGINEER 5

5/6/09 12:43 PM

FACULTY NEWS

UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science Affliated Faculty who are Members of the National Academy of Engineering

TWO UCLA FACULTY MEMBERS ELECTED TO

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING

Asad A. Abidi professor of electrical engineering, 2007 Vijay K. Dhir dean and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, 2006 M.C. Frank Chang professor of electrical engineering, 2008

Wileen Wong Kromhout and Matthew Chin

Election to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to engineers. ¶ Deborah Estrin, a professor of computer science with a joint appointment in electrical engineering, and John Kim, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, are among 65 members and nine foreign associates elected in 2009, the academy announced in February. ¶ Academy membership recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education, including those who have pioneered new and developing fields of technology and those who have made major advancements in traditional fields of engineering. ¶ UCLA Engineering has 22 affiliated faculty who are NAE members, including 11 who have been elected since 2003.

John Kim

Robert S. Elliott professor emeritus of electrical engineering, 1988

Kim, who holds UCLA’s Rockwell Collins Chair

Deborah Estrin professor of computer science, electrical engineering, 2009

in Engineering, revolutionized the way turbulent flows are studied and modeled. He has made outstanding contributions to the development of direct numerical simulations and large eddy simulations as reliable and respected tools in several important contributions to understanding the physics and control of turbulent flows. Kim’s work has been recognized with the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, the H. Julien Allen Award from the NASA Ames Research Center, the Otto Laporte Award from the American Physical Society and the Ho-Am He is a fellow of the American Physical Society

Deborah Estrin

role in developing the ns-2 network simulator, an

and has served since 1998 as editor of the journal

Estrin, the founding director of the Center for

important tool in the network research community.

Physics of Fluids. Kim joined UCLA Engineer-

Estrin, who has received numerous recognitions

ing in 1993, following more than 10 years as a

is the fi rst female faculty member from UCLA to

for her work, was selected as the fi rst Athena

research scientist, section head and, ultimately,

be elected to the academy. She was one of four

Lecturer of the Association for Computing

branch chief at the NASA Ames Research Center

women elected this year, making her one of only

Machinery’s (ACM) Committee on Women in

at Moffett Field, Calif.

104 female academy members. The National

Computing and was honored with the Women of

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized

Academy of Engineering includes 2,246 U.S.

Vision Award for Innovation from the Anita Borg

for my contributions to the fundamental physics of

members and 197 foreign associates.

Institute for Women and Technology. She is a fellow

turbulent flows,” Kim said. “This is particularly

of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the

meaningful and encouraging, considering the cur-

in Computer Networks, has made pioneer-

American Association for the Advancement of

rent academic environment, where basic research

ing contributions in the design and application

Science, the ACM and the IEEE.

does not get much attention. I am grateful to my

Estrin, who holds UCLA’s Jon Postel Chair

of wireless sensing systems for environmental

“As I reflect upon the last decade of developing

current and former students and postdocs at UCLA

monitoring and has been a national leader in the

and exploring embedded sensing systems for envi-

and former colleagues at the NASA Ames Research

advancement of embedded sensing research.

ronmental monitoring, I feel particularly grateful

Center for their contributions, and to UCLA for

to my students and multidisciplinary collaborators

providing the environment in which I could carry

developed multicast routing protocols that have

for making it such a rewarding and stimulating

out such basic research.”

become Internet standards and played an integral

process,” Estrin said.

Prior to her work in embedded sensing, she co-

Chih-Ming Ho professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, 1997

turbulence research. In addition, Kim has made

Prize in Engineering from the Ho-Am Foundation.

Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS) at UCLA,

John J. Gilman professor emeritus of materials science and engineering, 1975

Tatsuo Itoh professor of electrical engineering, 2003 Alan C. Kay adjunct professor of computer science, 1997 John Kim professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, 2009 Leonard Kleinrock distinguished professor of computer science, 1980 Kuo-Nan Liou adjunct professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, 1999 John D. Mackenzie professor emeritus of materials science and engineering, 1976 David Okrent professor emeritus of mechanical and aerospace engineering, 1974 C. Kumar Patel adjunct professor of electrical engineering, 1978 Judea Pearl professor emeritus of computer science, 1995 Yahya Rahmat-Samii professor of electrical engineering, 2008 Henry Samueli professor of electrical engineering, 2003 Lucien A. Schmit, Jr. professor emeritus of mechanical and aerospace engineering, 1985 Jason Speyer professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, 2005 Eli Yablonovitch adjunct professor of electrical engineering, 2003 William W-G Yeh distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering, 2008

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 6-7

UCLA ENGINEER 7

5/6/09 12:43 PM

COVER FEATURE

Professor Ozcan working in his busy lab with Javad Farhani, Sungkyu Seo, Justin Su and Derek Tseng (from left to right). photo: Phil Channing

A Cell Phone Made to

Revolutionize Healthcare Wileen Wong Kromhout

ell phones have come a long way in the

uses a light source to illuminate a sample of blood,

a red blood cell count can also determine if someone is

great distances between people in need of healthcare and the

last decade. Today one can text message,

saliva or other fluid. Then with a sensor array, a

anemic or might have malaria. Further, in the event of

facilities capable of providing it is still a major obstacle to

take photos, shoot videos, send and re-

“shadow image,” really a diffraction pattern, of the

a disaster where water quality can be compromised, the

improving health.

ceive emails, and even access the World

microparticles in the sample, such as red blood cells,

cell phone can be used to detect hazardous microparticles

is obtained.

that might have contaminated drinking water.

Wide Web. Now imagine a cell phone that can be used to monitor diseases like HIV or malaria

“Cells are semi-transparent in the sense that their

The compact, lightweight and portable size of LUCAS

According to Ozcan, the LUCAS platform can be produced rather inexpensively, parts cost less than $10, and all one needs is a simple camera phone.

and can be used to test water quality after a major

shadow image will show some texture and that’s

makes the potential impact of Ozcan’s mobile lab very

disaster like a hurricane or an earthquake.

the fi ngerprint of the cell,” said Ozcan, an assistant

exciting. Currently, microscopes and advanced medical

testing can potentially be done by LUCAS as well, reducing

professor of electrical engineering. “It is actually a

lab equipment, like flow cytometers, are the standards

the cost and frequency of visits to the doctor’s office and

hologram. Different cell types exhibit different holo-

for examining, identifying and counting cells. They

to labs.

health in the developing world, as well as devel-

graphic textures or holographic signatures. Red blood

are bulky, cost tens of thousands of dollars and require

oped nations in the next several years. The UCLA

cells compared to white blood cells, for example, are

trained technicians to operate.

Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied

different in size and shape.”

Aydogan Ozcan’s cell phone — turned mobile medical lab — could alter the direction of global

Science professor’s amazing device has already

The holographic signature is identified and counted

In developed nations like the United States, point of care

To broaden the applications of LUCAS, Ozcan’s next goal is to modify the imaging platform so that it is able to detect

“With LUCAS, we were able to simplify the imag-

low concentrations of bacteria, at levels of 100 to 1000 bac-

ing device. And because LUCAS does not require a lens

teria per milliliter. Ozcan feels confident that when merged

garnered the attention of major media outlets and

instantaneously using custom-developed “decision

we were also able to increase the visual field to a few

with nanotechnology, LUCAS can be enhanced to analyze

publications, including CNN, the BBC and Wired,

algorithm” software that compares the captured

hundred times larger than the area that can be seen under

nanoparticles like viruses, proteins and even DNA.

just to name a few.

holographic signature to a library of training images.

a microscope. LUCAS really provides a capability that

The collected data can also be sent by the cell phone

doesn’t exist today,” said Ozcan.

One major enhancement to Ozcan’s cell phone prototype is LUCAS, an innovative lens-free, high throughput imaging platform. LUCAS, which

to a hospital for further analysis and diagnosis. Specifically, for HIV patients, the phone can be

stands for Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell Monitor-

used to measure CD4 or CD8 cells in a person’s

ing Array platform based on Shadow imaging, fi rst

blood to determine if an HIV patient has AIDS; or

Resource-poor areas like Africa, India, and Brazil

“In the coming months, we’ll be collaborating with the infectious diseases unit at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine to test LUCAS in clinical settings here and overseas. I am

would benefit enormously from having tools that could

proud of my group’s work, knowing we will continue to im-

diagnose and monitor diseases in the field. Today the

pact life through new innovations in one of the best interdisciplinary research environments in the country.”

Matthew Chin 3.1415926535 8979 323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 8214808651 3282306647 0938446095 5058223172 5359408128 4811174502 8410270193 8521105559 6446229489 5493038 196 4428810975 6659334461 2847564823 3786783165 2712019091 4564856692 3460348610 4543266482 1339360726 0249141273 7245870066 0631558817 4881520920 9628292540 9171536436 7892590360 0113305305 4882046652 1384146951 941511

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UCLA ENGINEER 9

5/6/09 12:44 PM

FEATURE

UCLA ENGINEERING

MAKING THE CELL PHONE POSSIBLE

Even more on Cell Phones

Matthew Chin and Alborz Jooyaie

Every time you’re on your cell phone, it’s very likely that the call was made possible by the work of multiple faculty members from UCLA’s Electrical Engineering Department. This list includes five faculty members whose pioneering contributions in communications technology have each been recognized with membership in the National Academy of Engineering: Asad A. Abidi, M.C. Frank Chang, Tatsuo Itoh, Yahya Rahmat-Samii and Henry Samueli.

Mixer: Down-converts the incoming signal from high frequency to a lower frequency suitable for baseband processing, and up-converts the transmitting signal from low frequency to a high frequency suitable for transmission via the antenna. Asad A. Abidi, Behzad Razavi and Chang.

Digital to Analog Converter (DAC): converts the baseband digital stream to analog for transmission. Chih-Kong Ken Yang.

Baseband Processing: Demodulation/modulation and coding of information received and transmitted. Babak Daneshrad, Alan Willson, Henry Samueli, Abeer Alwan, Richard D. Wesel and Ali H. Sayed

Low Noise Amplifier (LNA): amplifies the incoming signal from the antenna, and reduces interference. Abidi, Razavi and Chang.

Frequency Synthesizer: Sets the reference for receive and transmit carrier frequency. Abidi, Razavi, Chang and Sudhakar Pamarti.

Power Amplifier (PA): boosts the transmission signal to achieve sufficient power for successful propagation and reception. M.C. Frank Chang.

Receiver and transmitter (Rx/Tx) antenna: Receives and transmits voice and data signals. Yahya RahmatSamii, Tatsuo Itoh and Ethan Wang.

GO BRU U IN NS!

7 8

Analog to Digital Converter (ADC): converts the incoming analog signal to digital stream for processing by the baseband. Abidi, Razavi and Chang.

SCHEMATIC OF THE CORE COMMUNICATIONS UNIT OF THE CELL PHONE

At UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, more work is being done to enhance cell phones and their capabilities. The Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS) has created the Personal Environmental Impact Report (PEIR), in which users can gather and receive data on their cell phones regarding how their daily life is affected by and contributes to pollution and other environmental effects. More information on PEIR can be found at: http:// peir.cens.ucla.edu Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Rajit Gadh, and his graduate student Sid Mal, are working on a mobile phone application that will enhance the experience of live sports events. Named MobiSportsLive, the application takes advantage of a phone’s cameras, motion sensors, and GPS-ability to make watching a live sports event more interactive and personalized. More information on MobiSportsLive can be found at: http://winmec.ucla.edu/mobisportslive/ Songwu Lu, associate professor of computer science, is harnessing the power of cloud computing to make mobile phones more secure. Typically a strong anti-virus program on the phone itself could drain battery power and take up valuable memory. So instead, Lu is developing a program where the phone sends samples of its activity to a network of servers. These servers will scan incoming data from millions of cell phones for any malicious activity. And if any such activity is found, it will seek out only the affected phones and send them a solution. UCLA Engineering continues to take full advantage of the cell phone’s ubiquity and growing power and these are just a few of the exciting ongoing projects taking place at the school.

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 10-11

UCLA ENGINEER 11

5/6/09 12:46 PM

FEATURE

In bioengineering professor Daniel T. Kamei’s laboratory. Left to right: Kamei, undergraduate Sophia Lin, bioengineering professor and department chair Timothy Deming, graduate students Victor Sun and Dennis Yoon. photo: Phil Channing

aston Sports is a household name. And, thanks to the Easton family, aluminum and baseball go

roached has approached

together like “peanuts and Cracker Jack.” Yet, its

his businesss with

household status was not earned overnight, and

ve the perspective

aluminum was just the beginning. Three generations of

of an engineer, a

Eastons have manufactured sporting equipment that has

eer mechanical engineer

always been at the top of their game with one simple phrase:

ew to be precise. He knew

“make the best products for the best athletes.”

ld the key to success would

This motto has fueled innovation at the company for decades.

be to look into produc-

Upon graduation from UCLA Engineering in 1959, James

ing more products with the

L. Easton began work for the Douglas Aircraft Company.

technical expertise and equip-

After five years in the aircraft business, he began working for

ment the company already had

his father, James D. Easton, whom built a successful archery

perfected. And his constant pursuit of

company based on his development of the fi rst successful

ality making the best performance and quality

aluminum arrow shafts.

products — period — has made Easton a leader

Jim Easton convinced his father to enter a new market — ski poles — with a simple premise: use the skills the company

On the Mark: Innovation and Quality James L. Easton ‘59 Joe Donahoo

Easton ton

in nearly all sports where it competes. ng engineer at Similarly, in the late 1980s, a hockey-playing

has to create new opportunities. Since 1946, the business

Easton wanted to explore hockey as a potential market. The

had developed expertise in making aluminum tubing after

y stick with a company introduced an aluminum-handled hockey

converting the centuries-old wooden arrows to aluminum,

replaceable wood-and-fiberglass blade. It caught on with some

and this expertise made Easton the ideal maker of ski poles

professionals, raising many eyebrows on and off the ice. Soon,

for Scott, the fi rst aluminum ski pole maker.

hockey-legend Wayne Gretzky was knocking on Easton’s door.

I attribute much of my success to what I learned at UCLA and I want to give back to the university that made my education experience possible. Similarly, in 1969, the company began exploring the

Gretzky, new to the Los Angeles Kings, had seen fellow players

baseball bat market. In 1970, the average collegiate team was

using Easton sticks, and asked for a couple built to his speci-

spending $15,000 for wooden bats; that’s nearly $80,000

fications. Shortly thereafter Gretzky converted, becoming the

today. The company began supplying Little League, then

spokesman for Easton Hockey for seven years.

softball, and fi nally collegiate baseball teams; each time hon-

The future of innovation:

ing their skills to keep up with the demands of faster pitchers

Easton recently funded research at UCLA Engineering for

and more powerful hitters. For the intervening decades the

carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the technology that is presently

company dominated the bat market for collegiate baseball

used in his full-carbon bats as well as two-piece, part-carbon

and softball, Little League and even tee-ball.

bats. CNTs also make up many of the full-carbon Easton

Easton has a simple explanation for the company’s domi-

cycling components and hockey sticks. These microscopic

nance: competitors had been wooden bat makers. They had

carbon CNT particles are mixed with CNT-strengthened

never worked with drawing and tapering high strength

epoxy resin that bonds the carbon fibers together, making

aluminum tubing. This material and manufacturing process

an overall stronger composite.

was new to them, and the Eastons had 25 years experience.

continued on page 29

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 12-13

UCLA ENGINEER 13

5/6/09 12:46 PM

SCHOOL NEWS

Q & A WITH RICHARD D. WESEL Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs On Admissions and Student Success

ESC tutors: Derek Wung, Vanessa Thulsiraj, Vivian Hecht, Huy Le and Marcia Ferreira. Photo: Todd Cheney

What does the current profile of the 2008 freshman class look like?

UCLA ENGINEERING SCIENCE CORPS:

ONLINE TUTORING PROGRAM POWERED BY STUDENTS

one places the threshold, the number of applicants above that

In Fall 2008 we enrolled 554 freshmen from a pool of 7,797

threshold is growing and that makes our admissions process

applicants. This was an extremely qualified group of students.

more selective. Here is another way to look at it: the UCLA

Over 85% of our fi rst-year engineers scored a 700 or better on

Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science

the SAT Math-2, and more than 93% of our freshmen had a

could grow more than 25% without sacrificing the quality of

weighted GPA above 4.0. Looking at traditional GPA, over 89%

the students we admit.

of our freshmen had a GPA of 3.7 or higher.

What can an engineering student do to succeed in their classes at UCLA? I encourage students to take a challenging high-school program, so that they can develop the study and timemanagement skills they will need in college. Once at UCLA, I encourage students to calibrate their study level by starting

Matthew Chin

with three courses during the fi rst quarter of freshmen year

iddle school and high school is an impor-

The program serves other functions as well.

tant time for young students, when they can

One of UCLA’s priorities is to pool its resources in

become enamored with math and science, or

ways to give back to the greater Los Angeles commu-

become discouraged.

to this effort. Finally, it’s a subtle way to encourage

and technical careers, the UCLA Henry Samueli School

UCLA’s engineering students to use their skills and

of Engineering and Applied Science offers schools the

knowledge through volunteering.

gram in math and science. Students from participating schools have access to an online platform where they can receive tutoring help from UCLA Engineering students. Tutors are available

difficulty with an assignment. He got right to work to show them how to approach their homework. “The students thanked me a lot for the help because

are posted online.

their homework, and I was able to fully explain to

ESC’s director. “In the short term, our undergraduate

very unforgiving. Working aggressively at the beginning of the quarter is crucial. By starting problem sets the first day each is handed out, it is much easier to get those inevitable questions answered by a friend, the professor, or the teaching assistant. At any large university, like UCLA, office hours can be a wonderful opportunity to work closely with profes-

night, when several high school students were having

it was late at night when they were trying to complete

middle and high school students,” said Scott Carolan,

As UCLA Engineering alumni know, the quarter system is

ESC tutor Derek Wung remembered one particular

in the late afternoon and evening, and their schedules “We’re really proud to offer this kind of resource to

adjusted to college life and the difficulty of our courses.

nity, and this is just one of the school’s contributions

To keep students interested in science, engineering

Engineering Science Corps (ESC), a free tutoring pro-

and then going to a four course schedule after they have

them in detail how to solve the problems,” Wung said. Wung even spent some extra time, explaining the computer science major to a curious student.

tutors are helping keep math and science interesting and approachable to their younger peers at a very

The Engineering Science Corps program is sponsored

critical time in their lives. And over the long term,

by the Nicholas Endowment. For information on

this can help keep students interested in science

ESC and other outreach programs, visit: http://esc.

and engineering careers.”

seas.ucla.edu

sors and get to know them. Between classes, UCLA Engineering students Lorena Topete, Maxmiliano Rivas and Jennifer Lara (lft to rt), assist each other with their course work. photo: Phil Channing

What else can an engineering student do to successfully prepare for a career or graduate study? To help students understand where a UCLA Engineering

How does this compare to previous freshman classes?

degree will take them, we recently introduced a new two-unit

Based on GPA and the SAT Math-2 score, the most striking

seminar, “What Students Need to Know About Careers in

aspect is the consistent quality of the applicant pool, even while

Engineering.” It’s a very popular seminar. The best way for

the number of fi rst-year applicants has grown more than 33%

our undergraduates to learn about opportunities is through

in the past four years alone. That is, the percentage of appli-

on-campus research with a professor or off-campus intern-

cants with a weighted GPA above a certain value has remained

ships with industry. Doing both is even better. These activi-

constant over the last few years, but the number of applicants

ties help the students become attuned to what the future

meeting that criterion has grown as the number of applicants

holds while building their resumes. The school has a Web

has grown. The consistency of the quality of UCLA freshman

site that acts as an internship clearinghouse, listing the many

applicants is amazing. The bottom line is that no matter where

companies interested in our outstanding undergraduates.

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 14-15

UCLA ENGINEER 15

5/6/09 12:47 PM

SCHOOL NEWS

With a $1.2M anonymous gift the school has been able to match endowed scholarship gifts with a goal of creating 48 new awards. This is the story of one of this year’s award winners.

State of UCLA Engineering During the Current Economy

Q&A WITH DEAN VIJAY K. DHIR At the time of writing, the California budget was in flux. Alumni can obtain the latest budget news from: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/campus-budget.aspx

REWARDING ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE

ALEX CAPACELATRO ‘10

How has the economy and state budget cuts affected the

initiatives that may alleviate funding cuts. We created an on-

school’s budget?

line master’s degree in engineering, which is a self-sustaining

The economic situation as well as the budget cuts in the UC

program. It also provides more T.A.s, while providing indus-

System mean less operating funds for the UCLA Henry Sam-

try with engineers that have advanced technical knowledge.

ueli School of Engineering and Applied Science for at least

At only 18 months old, the online master’s has not reached its

the next year. That decline impacts our ability to deliver an

full potential. It will continue to grow to a point where it will

lex Capacelatro began his research career in high

excellent undergraduate education. Without these resources,

likely fund more teaching assistants. Additionally, the Henry

school, synthesizing aerogels in his basement in

for instance, we will not be able to hire lecturers, which

Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science opened

Brewster, New York. Though only a teenager at

often come from local industry. These instructors enrich our

the Institute for Technology Advancement in February 2009.

the time, he was on his way to a career in innovation.

programs. Additionally, we will not be able to hire as many

This institute conducts translational research: it takes research

The summer before his senior year in high school, he

graduate students and teaching assistants to help undergradu-

and ideas from campus to develop and commercialize them.

was invited to UCLA’s 13th International Workshop on

ates in their classes. Teaching assistants are predominantly

Commercialization of our technologies could create significant

Sol-Gel Science & Technology, leading to research with

graduate students; this has a ripple effect on the recruitment

resources. These investments are promising for the long term,

UCLA Engineering and JPL.

of graduate students. In the long run, fewer engineers will

and we hope to generate more revenue from these activities.

2009 RECIPIENT OF THE MONTE AND RUTHELLEN TOOLE SCHOLARSHIP IN ENGINEERING Leti McNeill

impair the economy’s intellectual capacity to discover and

When choosing a college, it was a natural decision for

develop new technologies.

Capacelatro to choose UCLA. “While visiting for the conference, I found the campus, students, and professors very inviting. UCLA

degree from a top-notch university. The entrepreneurial

education for undergraduates or graduate students. We are

Roughly 20%, but that funding continues to decline.

looking to economize — to make our programs more effec-

From what other resources does funding come from? Alex Capecelatro

I will not compromise the quality of the UCLA Engineering

What percent of the school’s budget comes from the state?

would enable me to continue my research in a familiar environment, close to terrific resources, and earn a

In what areas are you not willing to compromise on quality?

UCLA Engineering receives $85 to $90 million of external

tive and efficient. There may be impact on undergraduates in terms of larger classes, but we want to mitigate that.

research funding from various state, federal and private agen-

How can our alumni and industry partners help the school?

Science Journal, advisor for the Forum for Energy

cies. This is the engine of our research enterprise. We also

Alumni can always help with resources. The above challenges

Economics & Development, adviser for the Formula

receive support from industry. They sponsor research and

are why we ask for gifts. Any gift to the school is a vote of

a scholarship made possible by the scholarship chal-

Zero fuel cell car racing team, founder and co-president

provide some scholarships for undergraduates.

confidence in our work and greatly valued. Many gifts, taken

lenge campaign currently underway, where the school

of the Startups and Entrepreneur Association, and

matches gifts of $25,000 or greater. He says of the

volunteers a minimum of thirty hours for community

are often earmarked for a certain purpose. Generally, these

much as possible. I recognize that everybody is experiencing

support, “If it weren’t for scholarships like this, I would

service per year.

funds provide fi nancial support to students through scholar-

fi nancial difficulties, but whatever they can sacrifice to sup-

ships and fellowships. Gifts also create endowed chairs for

port the school goes a long way and is appreciated.

atmosphere of California made UCLA a great place to be as well,” said Capacelatro. Capacelatro is one of several students who received

be worried about making money to pay bills and tuition

When does Capacelatro have time to go to class?

Gifts account for about 10% to 15% of our budget, and

“I am dedicated to my education and building a

deserving faculty and some support for improvement

— and less time doing something that is valuable to the

foundation to do something truly monumental. UCLA

of infrastructure.

community.”

Engineering has educated me on cutting edge research

How will the school make up the shortfall?

and to focus on proper product development. I hope to

In short, we attempt to make up for the shortfall with

has begun several startups, is president of the Materials

motivate, inspire, and encourage the next generation of

external funding. Yet, at present, the school will not be able

Research Society, managing editor of the Undergraduate

Bruins when I am an alumnus.”

to make up the shortfall. Recently, however, we began some

— more than $45,000 a year as an out of state resident

He’s serious about making an impact too. Capacelatro

together, make a significant impact. I urge all alumni to do as

Industry partners can help us out by providing volunteer lecturers. For example, local industry may provide us volunteer instructors — allowing them to be released from their work to teach. It would relieve a huge strain on resources, while helping us educate more engineers for work and research.

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 16-17

UCLA ENGINEER 17

5/6/09 12:47 PM

STUDENT NEWS

AWARD-WINNING MOBILE APP Robyn Woo photo: Don Liebig

Matthew Chin

CROSSING DISCIPLINES IN THE NANO WORLD ROBYN WOO PhD ’08

CLA Engineering computer science graduate student

The application is called Wertago — the mobile

Teresa Ko was part of a five-person development

app for nightlife. Wertago lets users evaluate night-

team that won $275,000 last year as one of the top

life options — from dance clubs to karaoke bars to

prizes in the Android Developer Challenge, a mobile device

live music venues — on their smart mobile phones.

application competition sponsored by Google.

The application features real-time, user-generated updates to help friends connect and pick the best

Matthew Chin

places to go. Venues are rated by users and highlighted on a mapping interface. Users can personal-

s a chemical and biomolecular engineering

in terms of material balance, energy balance and

ize their profi le, chat with other users and share

graduate student, Robyn Woo investigated

chemical potential,” Woo said. “But working

experiences and recommendations.

the growth of indium phosphide nanostruc-

across disciplines has allowed me to see different

“We were talking about how the club scene

tures. The compound material has some special

approaches to problems and become familiar with

changes so frequently that it’s just too difficult to

properties that give it great potential for applica-

other scientific and engineering terms.”

keep up with,” Ko said. “Wertago makes it possible

tions in high-power and high-frequency electronics, and in optoelectronic devices. For her doctoral research, Woo created three

to fi nd the ideal spot to go while you’re out, even if

Cutting-edge nanoscale research is where fields

you’re traveling or new to the area.”

are intersecting and where breakthrough discover-

Wertago has been available for Google Android

ies will come from.

phones for the past few months. A mobile webapp

distinct types of indium phosphide nanostructures

“This research is crucial to the development of

— wires, cones and pillars — through a deposition

so many new products, including next-generation

has also been released for other smartphone brows-

process. She found that the ultimate shape depend-

integrated circuits, solar cells, optical and wire-

ers, and an iPhone version is on the way. Wertago

ed on the surrounding temperature, and the relative

less communication devices, sensors, and medical

can also be accessed via standard web browsers.

amounts of indium and phosphorous available dur-

devices, just to name a few,” Hicks said.

ing the deposition processes.

The Wertago team includes Ko and friends Kelvin Cheung, Peter Ree, Robert Sarvis, and

The advanced cross-disciplinary experience that Woo had not only helped in her research,

Douglas Yeung. They met while attending school

(MOVPE) reactor, which has unique compound

but also gave her some valuable communication

in Boston. Now they are all living in different

semiconductor growth capabilities, for the ex-

skills, which she has already drawn upon in

parts of the country.

periments. Thanks to her skill on the advanced

the workplace.

Woo used a metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

laboratory machine, her PhD advisor professor Robert Hicks coordinated research collaborations for her with faculty members from the department

Deborah Estrin. Before her graduate studies,

be resourceful and harness their imaginations. “My advice is to be open-minded and to always think outside the box,” she said. “There are many

Engineering.

approaches to problems and I sincerely believe that

proach problems in a chemical engineering way,

systems under co-advisors Stefano Soatto and

Woo encourages those in the graduate school to

of Electrical Engineering and Materials Science “As a chemical engineer, I was taught to ap-

Ko is studying computer vision and embedded

no one approach is better than others.”

Teresa Ko photo:Phil Channing

Ko was a senior member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories. The app is available through www.wertago.com

Woo received her PhD in summer 2008.

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 18-19

UCLA ENGINEER 19

5/6/09 12:48 PM

STUDENT NEWS

Bridget Navarro photo: Todd Cheney

COMPUTER SCIENCE PhD STUDENT RECOGNIZED

AS MARCONI YOUNG SCHOLAR Matthew Chin

SENIOR BRIDGET NAVARRO IS HAPPY

CLA Computer Science PhD student Rafael P. Laufer was one of four students nationwide to

ABOUT MAKING SOME TOUGH CHOICES

be selected for the Marconi Society’s Young

Scholar Awards. This is the fi rst year the Young Scholar Awards have

Wileen Wong Kromhout

been granted by the organization, which is best known for its annual $100,000 Marconi Award and Fellowship

given to living scientists whose scope of work and influence emulate the principle of “creativity in service to humanity.” The Marconi Society’s Young Scholar Award is given in recognition of outstanding academic achievement and intellectual promise in the field of communications science. The awards were announced in September 2008. “It is a great honor to receive this award from such work has truly revolutionized the way we communicate Rafael P. Laufer photo: Don Liebig

a donation from 2007 Marconi Fellow Ronald L. Rivest, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-

which was used for a more secure and efficient network

ogy who was a co-founder of RSA encryption, the major

path coding in forwarded packets.

transactions on the Internet. Laufer graduated with high honors from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) with a BS and a MS in

ing this summer with a stellar undergraduate career.

tunities in the fields of science and engineering,” Navarro

Navarro, a double major in civil and environmental

said. “More emphasis is put on boys to learn math and

engineering and atmospheric, oceanic and environmental

science when both boys and girls should be encouraged

sciences, plans to continue her education and obtain a

equally. More exposure to engineering should be given to

master’s degree in civil engineering. She has already been

both women and minorities. This is why I try to speak at

accepted to all three of the universities she applied to: MIT,

my old high school whenever I go back.”

UC LEADS is one of the most prestigious fellowships

and access information.”

encryption system used throughout the world for secure

engineers. Growing up, no one educated me on the oppor-

Cornell and UCLA.

distinguished and respected scientists,” Laufer said. “Their

The society’s Young Scholar program was launched with

C LEADS scholar Bridget Navarro will be graduat-

At UCLA, Laufer has been working on a novel routing paradigm for wireless mesh networks. The key idea is to take advantage of the broadcast nature of the wireless medium to improve the overall throughput of the network. He

Electrical Engineering in 2003 and 2005, respectively.

is also working on techniques for differentiating applica-

He developed a new IP traceback system against anony-

tion traffic on the Internet. His graduate advisor is Internet

mous denial-of-service (DoS) attacks on the Internet. The

pioneer Leonard Kleinrock, UCLA Distinguished Professor

research led to a generalization of the Bloom fi lter theory,

of Computer Science and the 1986 Marconi Fellow.

Navarro’s family is from Mexico and she is the fi rst person in her family to go to college. Her mother had her at

awarded by the University of California system. The

a young age and raised her on her own, often working two

program provides selected students in the fields of science,

jobs. Though Navarro’s mother never fi nished high school,

technology, engineering and mathematics with educational

she believes education is a window to opportunity and

experiences that prepare them for leadership roles.

encouraged her daughter often.

Navarro, who wants to specialize in hydrology,

“Growing up it was always about me, my education, going

hopes to one day design water treatment plants for

to college. She made me apply to UCLA. She regrets not fin-

developing nations.

ishing high school but she thinks I’m the best thing that ever

“When the movie Inconvenient Truth came out, I became really interested in the environment,” said Navarro.

happened to her. She inspires me every day,” Navarro said. Now Navarro fi nally gets to inspire her mom. She

“People worldwide still don’t have enough clean, safe water

enrolled at a community college recently and wants to

to drink and it remains one of the most pressing environ-

go to law school.

mental issues of the 21st Century.”

This summer Navarro will have some time to consider

Navarro admits she wasn’t always interested in engineer-

the tough choices she has to make. Though great opportu-

ing. She only learned of the field when a guest from industry

nities lie ahead with three prestigious universities to choose

came to speak at her high school in Moreno Valley, Calif.

from, she knows she may have to leave behind a family and

“I remember him encouraging a lot of the girls to become

undergraduate home she’s grown to love so dearly.

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 20-21

UCLA ENGINEER 21

5/6/09 12:48 PM

ALUMNI NEWS

2008 UCLA ENGINEERING AW ARDS ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

NORTHROP GRUMMAN EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

Armond Hairapetian ’87, MS ’88, PhD ’93

Terri S. Hogue

Entrepreneur in Residence, Miramar Venture Partners

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Gerassimos (Makis) Orkoulas

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT IN ACADEMIA

Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

David Patterson ’69 (Mathematics), MS ’70, PhD ’76 Professor of Computer Science at UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering

EDWARD K. RICE OUTSTANDING STUDENTS

ALUMNI PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

Outstanding Doctoral Students

Kinam Kim PhD ’94

Foad Dabiri MS ’05, PhD ’08

Executive Vice President, Department of DRAM product and technology, Memory Division, Samsung Peter Shenghan Li PhD ’08

Electronics Co., LTD

LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION Novak Zuber ’51, MS ’54, PhD ’59 Office of Regulatory Research, US Nuclear

Outstanding Master’s Student

Regulatory Commission (retired)

John Hoang ’04, MS ’08

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SERVICE AWARD Carey Nachenberg ’95, MS ’95

Outstanding Undergraduate Student

Symantec Fellow and chief architect of Symantec’s

Frank Kuo ’08

Security Technology and Response division

For more information on the award recipients, please visit:

DISTINGUISHED YOUNG ALUMNUS Dean Ho ’01 (Physiological Sciences), MS ’03, PhD ’05 Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern’s Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

LOCKHEED MARTIN EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING David Smallberg Lecturer of Computer Science

http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/news/2008/awards_dinner_2008.htm

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS 3

1 Dean Ho, 2008 Distinguished Young Alumnus recipient, with Sharon Vuong the 2007 recipient

2 Professor Leonard Kleinrock, Dean Vijay K. Dhir, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and Coretta Harris, president of the UCLA Engineering Alumni Association

3 Kleinrock was recognized at the dinner for receiving

PLATINUM Anonymous, Marjorie ’46 and Ralph ’50 Crump 4 Patrick Healy, KNBC reporter and awards dinner emcee, with Dean Dhir

GOLD Nancy and Aaron ’58 Cohen, Intelligent Optical

5 David Patterson, 2008 Alumni Achievement in Academia Award recipient

SILVER Amgen, The Aerospace Corporation, Raytheon Company,

6 Armond Hairapetian, 2008 UCLA Engineering Alumnus of the Year

BLUE Abraxis BioScience, LLC, Applied Materials, Inc., Blizzard Entertainment, The Boeing Company, Broadcom Corporation, CTS Cement Manufacturing Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, RAND Corporation

the National Medal of Science in August 2008. photos: Glenn Cratty

Systems, Inc., National Technical Systems, Inc.

Symantec Corporation

UCLA_new_22-23_cgla.indd 1-2

UCLA ENGINEER 23

5/6/09 12:55 PM

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES 1950s Gary MacDougal ’58 has been selected to be co-chairman

Randal J. Prout is the co-founder of Netsoft, a technology search firm specializing in staffing technology based start-up companies. Netsoft’s search consultants have worked in the industry for high-tech companies in engineering, marketing and sales and combined have more than 38 years of search experience. ¶ Prout, with over 20 years of experience, specializes in searches at software start-ups from the vice president level to senior staff. He has worked in development, system design and manufacturing, and holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. ¶ For more information on Netsoft, please visit: http://www.netsoftsearch.com/.

PROVIDES VALUABLE ADVICE FOR CURRENT JOB MARKET

Safety, published by RFF Press in September 2008.

of the $400 million America for Bulgaria Foundation, the

Asad M. Madni ’69, MS ’72 received two IEEE 2008 Re-

largest private foundation in Bulgaria.

gion 6 Southern Area Awards: for outstanding leadership

Melvin A. Breuer ’59, MS ’61 is the Charles Lee Powell Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at USC. The Test Technology Technical Council of the IEEE Computer Society held a special half-day

and professional service. He was also elected an Eminent Engineer of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society. In addition, Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario awarded him with an honorary doctorate.

forum celebrating his career.

1970s

1960s

R. Samuel Baty PhD ’70 has just published his fi rst novel,

Thomas E. Sawyer ’60 is currently the CEO and chairman

CO-FOUNDER OF TECHNOLOGY SEARCH FIRM, NETSOFT,

Michael V. Frank ’69, PhD ’78 is the author of, Choosing

of Innova Enterprises, Inc.

Footsteps to Forever, a World War II historical thriller. He is a retired US Air Force officer and a retired chief scientist, and is currently an adjunct professor at Embry-

Robert “Bob” Gottfredson ’61 has been retired for 14-years,

Riddle Aeronautical University. He lives in Albuquerque,

and has been busy volunteering and working on his memoirs.

N.M. with his wife, Linda.

Rolland “Rollie” Winter ’61 cast one of the 13 Virginia

Ira Kalb ’70 was appointed associate director of the Center

electoral votes for Barack Obama. He had been chosen

for Global Innovation at the Marshall School of Business

at a Congressional District Convention in May and also

at USC.

attended the Inauguration in January. What in your opinion makes for an exceptional candidate?

Kapriel V. Krikorian ’70, MS ’71, PhD ’78 is a principal engi-

What kind of advice would you give to those currently searching for a job or are transitioning in their careers?

Phil Ahlfeldt ’64, MS ’65 is the vice president of sales for

nology. He or she should show some tangible results, relevant

They need to be aggressive; get in front of decision makers.

Applied Weather Technology, Inc.

thesis/coursework, internship and practical work experience,

Sending in a resume is not enough. Research the competi-

John Roebuck MS ’65 is applying his engineering training

tion, the market and the technology and demonstrate you

man of the American Council of Engineering Companies

and some defi ned career plan. Clients also prefer candidates

and aerospace project experience to a most unusual arena:

have done your homework before your interview.

(ACEC). He also serves as the chief operating officer of

with a master’s degree.

upgrading anthropometry of the human ear for potential

What kind of advice would you give to those just graduating and

Kleinfelder, Inc., an ACEC member fi rm.

improvements in the design of ear-related products.

For us, that is someone who has an expertise in a specific tech-

How have things changed for search firms in this economy? Many competitors are going away. Companies are cutting expenses, which means less hiring. We also get downward pressure on recruiting fees. It’s critical to have great relationships with client companies. To fi nd business, I need to focus on the industries that have strength. Are you finding that engineers are facing the same tough challenges

entering the workforce? Those entering the work force should network with colleagues. Personal referral is the best way to a new job. Co-ops or internships are a must and offer real world experience. Develop a five-year career plan, and be able to articulate this. Additionally, evaluate your passions and strengths. A

in the current job market, why/why not?

person with strong people skills should consider pre-sales

Yes; companies are cutting costs and overhead. Marketing

engineer or product manager roles. Consider technical sup-

takes the biggest hit. Non-profitable products get eliminated

port in a hot market to learn the technology then move to

and less money is committed to new products and technolo-

design engineering. Support roles can lead to development,

gies. Fortunately, technology can reduce costs or help leap

quality assurance, product management or professional

frog competitors. Even in a recession, technology markets

services. Lastly, study the industry before you accept a

can grow.

position so you know if it’s growing or contracting.

neering fellow at Raytheon Company in El Segundo, Calif. Bartlett Patton ’73, MS ’74 has been elected as vice chair-

Jeff Way ’76 was presented the Distinguished Service

John O’Keefe ’67 retired from IBM after a 39-year career.

Award by the Antenna Measurements Techniques As-

He has since joined Instantiations Inc., in Portland, Ore.,

sociation (AMTA) for 2008 at AMTA’s conference in

as a principal software architect where he is responsible for

November in Boston.

the VA Smalltalk product.

Dan Goebel ’77, MS ’78, PhD ’81 is presently a senior

Ash Dave MS ’69 was awarded a patent for a key

research scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where

foundation for the compilation of an Electronic

he just published his fi rst book, Fundamentals of

Medical Record (EMR).

Electric Propulsion, Ion and Hall Thrusters. He will

Terry Dooley ME ’69 serves as secretary on the board

also be teaching Spacecraft Design 161C for the UCLA

of directors of the ACE (Architecture, Construction,

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Engineering) Mentor Program in the Los Angeles metro-

in spring 2009.

politan area. “ACE introduces inner-city high school

Reginald J. Murray ’77 has completed his doctoral studies

students to professionals from these fields and shows

in organization change at Pepperdine University.

students how to follow in their footsteps.”

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 24-25

UCLA ENGINEER 25

5/6/09 12:56 PM

ALUMNI NEWS

John Pruett ’78 is happily practicing endodontic dentistry in Redding, Calif. He writes that “(his) engineering education is as much a part of (his) clinical practice as (his) dental education, and is a very powerful adjunct to (his) thinking.”

1980s Ivan Gargurevich MS ’80, PhD ’96 is a senior process

1990s Rex Black ’90 has written two books, Advanced Software Testing Volume I and Advanced Software Testing Volume II, which were released in late 2008. Black’s books have

Joel Elad ’95 has published his fi fth book, LinkedIn for

Iris (Javaherian) Sooferi ’03 is currently practicing

Dummies, and a second edition of his book, Starting an

law at a downtown Los Angeles fi rm.

Online Business All in One Desk Reference for Dummies, became available in March 2009.

sold more than 100,000 copies around the world and

Jay Gottlieb ’96 and Rebecca (McAlexander) Gottlieb ’96, MS ’98

have been translated to Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Rus-

celebrated their 10-year anniversary in November 2008.

sian, and Hebrew.

Thomas Kang PhD ’04 is an assistant professor of the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. Mi-Hyun Park PhD ’04 has been an assistant professor

Brett Poirier ’97 has worked for Boeing for 15-years in

in the Department of Civil and Environmental

Calif. working in the development of alternative

John Kesapradist MS ’90 has done significant work in

their satellite division (formerly Hughes Space & Commu-

Engineering at University of Massachusetts, Amherst

fuels technologies.

graphite fiber composite materials for thermal conductivi-

nications). He has two children, Ethan and Anneliese, with

since September 1, 2008.

ty and space applications, including for fl ight experiments

wife, Elizabeth ’95 (Russian Studies).

engineer with Brinderson Engineers in Costa Mesa,

Joseph F. Jensen ’80, MS ’83 has been elevated to IEEE Fellow for contributions to the high-speed analog-digital converter and high-speed digital integrated circuit design. Mark Meyerhofer ’81 is chief technology officer at FutureLogic, Inc. Srinivas Makam PhD ’82 has been awarded several patents for work done at AT&T and Tellabs. Elias Domingo ’84 has been elected as partner of Lowrie,

on the International Space Station.

as the Antenna Design Section Head within the RF Ap-

director / chair of the Computing and Software Systems

ertures and Mechanical Department at Raytheon Missile

Program at the University of Washington, Bothell where

Systems. She relocated to Tucson, Ariz. last year to join the

he is an associate professor.

Missile Systems.

Daniel E. Boss ’91 has been appointed vice president of engineering with Serious Materials where he is the head of all product development, including SeriousWindows,

Lando & Anastasi, LLP, an intellectual property law fi rm

SeriousGlass, EcoRock, QuietRock, ThermaRock, and

in Cambridge, Mass.

QuietHome Doors.

Kevin McNamee ’84 is a member of the Alumni Mentors Network, a Southern California University of Health Sciences/Los Angeles College of Chiropractic service.

Jennifer Young ’99, MS ’03 has recently accepted a new role

Michael Stiber MS ’90, PhD ’92 has been appointed

Gary Soe ’04 was promoted to senior product design engineer and relocated to Atlanta, Ga. Roger Wei ’04 is working on a DDS degree at NYU College of Dentistry. Dennis Chiang ’05 has been recently certified as a project management professional and promoted from Advisory

2000s Tasha Lopez MS ’01 was selected to participate in IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (a corporate version of the Peace Corps), and will be in Africa until March 31. Most of her

IT Specialist to DOORS Senior Consultant at IBM. Mikhael Felker MS ’05 proposed to Alla Filler (degree expected ’09) and are planning on a wedding in 2011.

time will be spent working with an umbrella organization

Luke Lee ’05 co-founded a web startup called

John Delgado ’91 ran for city council for the city of

that advocates for a better business climate in the indus-

Tenporium Inc.

Hercules, Calif.

trial sector in Ghana. Visit her blog at tashaefualopez.

Sarah (Tobin) Rosen ’05 and her husband, Chad, will

blogspot.com.

be expecting their fi rst child on May 27, 2009.

Joe Wang ’91 works as a registered patent attorney for

Dean Tullsen ’84, MS ’86 was named an IEEE Fellow for

the law fi rm of Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner in

Fan Yang PhD ’02 was elected to senior member of IEEE in

contributions to the architecture of multithreaded and

James Fang ’06 is now a Cisco Certified Internetwork

San Jose, Calif. He specializes in obtaining patents on

March 2008, received the Junior Faculty Research Award

high-performance processors.

Expert #18187, Routing & Switching.

software, internet, and digital media technology. Joe lives

from the University of Mississippi in September 2008, and

Nancy Mayer ’86 was promoted to Director of Operations,

with his spouse and two children in the San Francisco

was elected to a full member of the United States National

System Engineering & Integration and Test Division of

Bay Area.

Committee of the International Union of Radio Science

Northrop Grumman Space Technology.

Vincent K. Gustafson ’93, an intellectual property at-

Gene Golovchinsky ’87, with co-authors, won the Best

torney, has been named principal of Intellectual Property/

Greg Ferl MS ’03, PhD ’05 recently accepted a position as

Paper Award at the 2008 ACM Special Interest Group on

Technology Law in Chapel Hill, N.C.

scientist at Genentech, Inc. in the area of Clinical Imaging/

Aaron Lombard ’07 has been working for The Boeing

Information Retrieval conference. The paper describes a

Kerop Janoyan ’93, MS ’95, ENG ’99, PhD ’01 is currently

Advanced Modeling & Simulation.

Company since December 2007 as a process engineer.

novel approach to collaborative search.

an associate professor in the Civil & Environmental

Brandon Jones ’03 has graduated from the United States

Esteban Valles PhD ’07 has published a book,

Odilyn Santa Maria ’88 married William S. Luck, Jr. on

Engineering Department at Clarkson University in Pots-

Naval Test Pilot School, Engineering Course, Class 133.

Timing Recovery and Carrier Synchronization

November 11, 2008.

dam, N.Y. He will be a By-Fellow of Churchill College at the University of Cambridge during the Lent and Easter

Jeanne (LaMotte) Finger ’89 was promoted to associate in

Terms 2009.

August 2008. She is a project manager with AECOM, in the Watershed Concepts business line.

Clement Cheng ’95 is currently a patent attorney.

Commission B in January 2009.

Michael Manzano ’03 has received his orders for the US Navy’s Officer Candidate School and will be serving in the Civil Engineer Corps.

Mark Adato ’07 has accepted a position from Teach for America as a general science teacher in Hawaii. Golita Behnoodi ’07 MS ’08 is a software engineer working on hybrid and electric automobiles at General Motors.

using LDPC Codes. Brian Hahn ’08 works at City of Hope. Jin Sung Kang ’08 is a teaching assistant for MAE 157.

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 26-27

UCLA ENGINEER 27

5/6/09 12:56 PM

ALUMNI NEWS

IN MEMORIAM J. Robert Hoffman ’50

He saw the company evolve into an industry leader with more than

Gene Rosholt ’59

$2 billion in annual sales.

Stone Froberg ’61, ME ’64

This could be your UCLA Engineering Scholar

Gifford, who played intercollegiate baseball while at UCLA, was a generous supporter of UCLA and several collegiate baseball

William F. Felburg ’68

programs. At UCLA he funded facilities for both the baseball and

Jack Gifford ’63, founder and longtime CEO of Maxim Integrated

golf programs.

Imagine making a permanent gift of an educational opportunity for deserving students in need. With a gift of $25,000 you can establish an endowed scholarship at UCLA Engineering that the School will match for a total $50,000 endowment.

Products, co-founder of Advanced Micro Devices and the 1991 UCLA Engineering Alumnus of the Year, passed away on January 11.

Sydney Loeb MS ’69, PhD ’64, along with Srinivasa Sourirajan,

He was 68.

produced the first practical reverse osmosis membrane for desalina-

Born in 1941, Gifford grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA in 1963. He began his career in the semiconductor industry with Fairchild Semiconductor. Following Fairchild, he co-founded Advanced Micro Devices in 1969. In 1983, Gifford founded Maxim Integrated Products and served

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, a matching gift fund of $1.3 million has been established to fund scholarships for undergraduate students. By leveraging this gift, the School is providing the opportunity for you to create a permanently endowed scholarship at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

tion while both were at UCLA Engineering, passed away on December 17, 2008. He was 91. Following the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane breakthrough, Loeb led the building of the first RO desalination plant in Coalinga, Calif. In the 1960s, Loeb became a faculty member in chemical

as its CEO. Widely considered one of the “founding fathers” of the

engineering at Ben-Gurion University in Israel where he continued

analog microchip industry, Gifford retired as Maxim’s CEO in 2007.

research on desalination technology for many years.

Now is the time to create a legacy at UCLA Engineering showing your vision of access to higher education. For information on how you can take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Leti McNeill, Director of Development, in the Office of External Affairs at UCLA Engineering: (310) 206-0678 or hsseasgiving@support.ucla.edu.

ON THE MARK: INNOVATION AND QUALITY continued from page 16 “The progression to carbon composites was logical,”

research, including the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s

Easton said as he sat next to a wall displaying nearly 100

Disease, to the Easton Technical Leadership program

of the latest model baseball bats, and a handful of the fi rst-

at the Anderson School.

generation aluminum bats, in his Van Nuys, Calif. office. “Professionals and enthusiasts alike are always seeking

When asked why UCLA, Easton said, “for one, I went to UCLA in 1952, as it was a university I could

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING, AN ONLINE PROGRAM

Online by the SEAS

a stronger, lighter, stiffer material,” commented Easton.

afford to attend. I attribute much of my success to

AREAS

“With carbon fiber, all those qualities are present. But

what I learned at UCLA and I want to give back to the

• Advanced Structural Materials

carbon doesn’t like to be hit. So we had to change the lay

university that made my education experience possible,

• Computer Networking

up of the fiber, and add other materials for toughness.”

so others may also have a UCLA experience. But also,

• Electronic Materials

The resulting bat is both beautiful and intimidating: a

few institutions have the capabilities and expertise of

• Integrated Circuits

recent loser of the college world series chalked the loss to

UCLA. Few universities can study carbon nanotubes

• Manufacturing and Design

the fact that the winning team was hitting Eastons.

for sports equipment, conduct leading-edge research in

• Mechanics of Structures

cancer and Alzheimer’s, and be home to 100 national

• Signal Processing and Communications

sport championships.”

• Systems Engineering (new for 2009)

Easton further explained that as the technologies mature, the company fi nds other innovations to keep its edge. “We fi ne tune the balance and the feel, and give the bat a bigger sweet spot,” he said. Easton and his wife Phyllis have also been incredibly

With the help of UCLA Engineering, there will soon be even more cutting-edge sporting equipment on professional fields, on the ice, and in cycling races as

generous. The couple has supported many activities on

well as in your local sports stores, and we expect those

campus, from UCLA Athletics to engineering and medical

to be Easton.

• Aerospace Engineering (new for 2009)

The primary purpose of this Program is to enable employed engineers and computer scientists to enhance their technical education beyond the Bachelor of Science level, and to enhance their value to the technical organizations in which they are employed. Additional Information and Online Applications Available at www.msengrol.seas.ucla.edu

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THE PROGRAM • Each course is fully equivalent to the corresponding on-campus course and taught by the faculty members who teach the on-campus course. • The online lectures are carefully prepared for the online student.

UCLA Engineer.cgR2.indd 28-29

5/6/09 12:56 PM

Non-Profi t Org. U.S. Postage PAID UCLA

405 Hilgard Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90095

UCLA ENGINEER

3.1415926535 8979 323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 8214808651 3282306647 0938446095 5058223172 5359408128 4811174502 8410270193 852110555

SPRING 2009, ISSUE NO. 21

Please join us in celebration of the

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNET A day of surprising innovations from the Internet—present and future Including the keynote presentation from:

SAVE THE DATE

NICHOLAS NEGROPONTE Founder, One Laptop Per Child Creator, MIT Media Lab

October 29, 2009 UCLA Campus http://www.engineer.ucla.edu

Handheld Healthcare > Alumnus James L. Easton ‘59 > Powerhouse Bacteria

UCLA Engineer.cgla indd A-B

5/2/09 1:00 AM