APR
2015

ISSUE
No. 3

NEWSLETTER
 
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Dear Friends of EECS,

It's a time of celebrating all that is new and renewed at Wichita State University. The campus is in full bloom, awash in tulips springing up along walkways, as incoming freshmen enroll for their first semester in August and seniors prepare to graduate in May.  The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is particularly pleased to welcome four new Koch Honor Scholars and three new Wallace Scholars.


 

The Koch Honor Scholars program was created this year with a $1.54 million pledge from Koch Industries to fund up to 10 scholarships per year for students in the Honors College who major in engineering or business. As many as 10 scholarships will be awarded annually, worth up to $30,000 over four years. 

 

EECS is pleased to welcome the following 2015-16 Koch Honors Scholars: R. Chase Crenshaw, Andover High School, computer science; Kiehn A. Foraker, Rose Hill High School, computer science; Morgan K. Jarrett, Mulvane High School, computer engineering; and Nicholas A. Perkins, Andover High School, computer engineering.


 

Three 2015-16 Wallace Scholars have also declared EECS majors: Meghan Grimes, Maize High School, electrical engineering; Hunter Picard, Rose Hill High School, electrical engineering and Charlotte Rippy, Wichita East High School, computer science.  Wallace Scholars receive up to $20,000 over four years. The merit-based scholarships for engineering majors are funded by the late Dwayne and Velma Wallace. 

 

In addition to new students, EECS is grateful for the addition of new staff to our team: Karen Wright joins us a new academic advisor, housed in the EECS offices of Jabara Hall's 2nd floor. We also welcome Ben Roose as a new System administrator and Nathan Smith as the electrical engineering lab manager.

 

That's just the beginning of the news we have to share. Please read on to learn about the noteworthy achievements of our faculty, alumni and students. And remember, for the most current information you can follow us on Facebook. 


Sincerely, 

Chair, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
WSU College of Engineering

Dr. Hyuck Kwon 
Faculty and Research

Dr. Hyuck Kwon (Ph.D., University of Michigan) is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science who is receiving significant recognition for both his research and teaching. He is one of four finalists for the 2015 Wichita State University Academy of Effective Teaching (AET) Teaching Award, a certificate of recognition granted by outstanding WSU emeriti faculty. Kwon was also recently awarded for the second year in a row a 2015 Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship for his research in jamming/anti-jamming of wireless/mobile and space satellite communication systems, and has recently been awarded two patents and two Air Force Research Laboratory grants in this area. 

 

A faculty member at WSU since 1993, Kwon sees teaching and research as strongly inter-connected. In an essay written in support of his nomination for the AET Teaching Award, Kwon explained how he came to regard teaching as a critical responsibility while driving along rural Kansas highways and realizing how low-income people in both Kansas and developing nations sacrifice a great deal financially to send their children to universities, and how many of these students cannot devote themselves full time to studies because they must work. "My teaching is crucial for students' careers and their future because my teaching is not just for their degrees but for their lives and roles in society," Kwon said.

 

 

Alumni

Gen Narui, Sam Bloomfield Engineer in Residence 2015
Gen Narui, who holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from WSU, is the 2015 Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Engineer in Residence. On April 2, he presented the Bloomfield Lecture on "Innovation and the Open Source Movement," which explored how the open source movement behind the Linux operating system contributed to the development of  
IT companies such as Google, Yahoo, Amazon.com, Facebook and Twitter as well as innovations outside the tech field. 

Narui  has had a distinguished career in the engineering field, spanning over 48 years.  He has served as a vice president of Digital Equipment Corporation, United States, and as a board member of Digital Equipment Corporation, Japan.  He has also served as a vice president at Silicon Graphics International, Japan.  Currently, Narui is the Chairman and Founder of the Linux Professional Institute (LPI), Japan. He is also serving on the Board of Directors of LPI.  
Students

Austin White in Wallace Hall's Senior Design Lab. 
Photo by Travis Gillespie/The Sunflower.
Austin White, is an undergraduate student in computer engineering, but he's already started a tech company and holds a campus IT job usually reserved for graduate students, serving as senior IT for the College of Health Professions. In addition, he plays a lead role in the College of Engineering K12 Outreach programming, teaching basic computer programming to kids using the Scratch program developed by MIT. 

White, a graduate of Derby High School, says he was a shy under-achiever before he discovered computers, programming and robotics. Now he's known for a boundless energy and eagerness to take on new projects. 

"Before I found things I was passionate about, I was on my way to failing or dropping out of school. I had some terrible social anxieties, but my passions helped me find other people like me thus eventually leading me to who I am now," said White, who is also active in MakeICT, Society of Women Engineers and the Association of Computing Machinery. 


 

His involvement in the start-up -- a company called RIaspire -- was recently featured in The Sunflower. The company was started by engineering graduate student James Tennant, who is studying engineering management after earning a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering.
 
IN THE NEWS


Wichita State University has announced a historic agreement with one of the world's leading aerospace companies.  Airbus Americas has agreed to locate the company's Wichita engineering center in a new building on the university's Innovation Campus in 2017. 

Cindy Hoover, a 1990 BS in Electrical Engineering graduate from WSU and vice president at Spirit AeroSystems, is on the cover of a recent issue of Women in Manufacturing. She was highlighted for being a 2015 STEP Award Honoree.

Wichita State's College of Engineering has been selected to participate in the prestigious Pathways to Innovation program operated by Stanford University and funded by the National Science Foundation. It will assist in the college's goal of incorporating entrepreneurship into the undergraduate engineering student experience.  

Westar, a major employers of WSU's electrical engineering students and graduates, has received national recognition for its cooperative education programs. Nominated by the WSU Career Development Center, it has received the Cooperative Education and Internship Award Kettering Award. Read more. 

We appreciate your support of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. If you wish to express your support with a financial contribution, please know it will benefit current and future students, faculty and staff, and programs that enhance the student experience. All donations are tax deductible. 

EECS, WSU College of Engineering
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