Bulletin

May 01, 2008

Yan Ma, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering, took first place in the student research poster competition at a recent Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exhibition in Chicago organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Ma’s winning poster is titled A New Method Based on Current Injection for Investigating Grounding Grid Integrity. Her poster illustrates an analysis and design method for large electrical substations. Such substations have safety and protection features that rely on grounding – a connection to the earth. Ma presents an innovative way to determine if grounding at substations is adequate for the safety and protection of substation equipment and personnel. Ma’s adviser is electrical engineering professor George Karady.

May 01, 2008

Rene Bermudez has won an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Leadership Award. Bermudez, who is graduating this semester with a degree in civil engineering, won the award for the ACSE’s Region 8, competing against candidates at colleges and universities in nine states in the western United States. Bermudez increased membership in the ASCE student chapter at ASU when he served as chapter president in 2007. He has also been active in student chapters of Engineers Without Borders and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and reported on student activities to a local chapter of the American Concrete Institute. He recently led an ASU team to its best performance in a regional level of the National Concrete Canoe Competition in the ASCE’s Pacific Southwest Regional Conference for student chapters. Associate professor of civil engineering Kamil Kaloush, a co-adviser to ASU’s ACSE student chapter, says Bermudez “has been an inspiring leader for his fellow students. His professionalism in all his work has been outstanding.” Bermudez is currently working part-time for CEMEX, a multinational cement manufacturing company with a large Arizona operation.

May 01, 2008

Bruce Rittmann, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering, as well as director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at ASU’s Biodesign Institute, will receive the Simon W. Freese Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). It’s one of top awards given by the organization, honoring notable achievements in environmental engineering. The honor comes with an invitation to give a featured lecture at the the Environment and Water Resources Institute annual congress in June 2009 in Kansas City. Rittmann’s research is in the area of pollution cleanup, water and wastewater treatment, and capture of renewable energy. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has won the National Water Research Institute’s Clarke Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Water Science and Technology and is one of the world’s most cited researchers, according to the Institute for Scientific Information.

Apr 17, 2008

Esma Gel, associate professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, will receive the Hamid K. Eldin Outstanding Young Industrial Engineer in Education Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) at its annual conference in May in Vancouver, Canada. The award recognizes young IIE members who have demonstrated leadership and professionalism in industrial engineering education. Since joining the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering in 2000, Gel has been teaching graduate and undergraduate course in operations research and production systems. Her research focuses on the use of applied probability techniques for modeling, design and control of prduction systems and supply chains, with emphasis on workforce engineering. Her work has been published in leading journals and funded by the National Science Foundation and industrial partners such as Intel, IBM and Infineon. Gel earned her masters of science and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University in 1995 and 1999, respectively.

Apr 08, 2008

Jason Dykert and Michael Magyar have been awarded scholarships by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The scholarships will provide the undergraduate students in the School of Materials $9,000 each per academic year. Dykert and Magyar will be recognized for the award at the School of Materials Celebration of Excellence on April 11. Keith Holbert, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, directs the NRC scholarship program at Arizona State University. He submitted the request for the NRC to fund these scholarships. Holbert says the U.S. Congress instituted the scholarships to ensure that the NRC has a sufficient workforce to handle anticipated increases in nuclear power plant operations. After graduation, Dykert hopes to use his training to improve the environment while working for the NRC. Magyar plans on continuing his education and pursuing a career in the energy industry.