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Feb. 19, 2014                                                                                                Vol. 16, No. 13
In This Issue

Engineering news

 
To help people suffering paralysis from injury, stroke or disease, scientists have invented brain-machine interfaces that record electrical signals of neurons in the brain and translate them to movement. Usually, that means the neural signals direct a device, like a robotic arm.

 

The promise and perils of 3-D printing, and particularly the printing of electronics and other active, integrated systems, was the topic of a Feb. 14 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) talk by Hod Lipson, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and of computer science.

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Pollock resumes ECE directorship

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

I am pleased to announce that Professor Clif Pollock has agreed to serve as director of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering for a three-and-a-half year term starting January 1, 2014. I am delighted he is willing to serve again in this vitally important role and I know ECE will benefit greatly from his leadership. I would  like to express my sincere gratitude to the outgoing director, Professor Tsuhan Chen. Under Tsuhan's directorship, the rankings of both electrical engineering and computer engineering have risen to the highest points, and the department finances are in excellent shape. ECE and the college are indebted to him for all he has done for the department and the college over the last five year. Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Clif Pollock and thanking Tsuhan for his service.

 

Best regards,

Lance Collins

Two granted tenure

At its most recent meeting, the Cornell University Board of Trustees elected Serge Belongie, Department of Computer Science, to appointment as professor with indefinite tenure, effective February 1, 2014. Susan Daniel, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, was appointed associate professor with indefinite tenure, effective the same day.    

New assistant dean for AA&D

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

I am very pleased to announce that Mike Moyer will join our College of Engineering Alumni Affairs and Development team, effective March 1, 2014, as the new assistant dean for AA&D, Mike comes to Cornell Engineering with valuable leadership and professional experience and a proven track record for surpassing fundraising. He is currently the assistant dean for the College of Architecture, Art and Planning where, among other accomplishments, he and his team exceeded their annual goals and completed the fundraising for Milstein Hall and for the new Fine Arts Library. Prior to that, he served as the associate director for Development at Johns Hopkins University. Mike is a collaborative team player who has served on multiple alumni affairs and development committees. We are excited that Mike is joining us during this exciting time for the College of Engineering. Please join me in extending Mike a warm welcome.

 

Regards,

Lance Collins

Staffing Update

Jason Battersby, assistant director of finance and budget, has recently accepted a position with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Budget Office, where he worked for five years before joining Cornell Engineering in 2012. He is starting Wednesday, February 26, 2014. 


We thank Jason for his contributions to the College of Engineering and wish him continued success at CALS.  

 

Benefit Services moving to EHOB 

 

Benefit Services will be moving from Day Hall to the East Hill Office Building (EHOB) and ready for business on Monday, March 10, 2014. There are pros and cons to this move for customer service and administrative efficiency, but on balance the advantage appears to strongly favor the EHOB location. As you know, finding parking around Day Hall is a hopeless task, especially if one is disabled. EHOB has plenty of visitor parking including spaces for those in need of close-in and level parking near the front door. At EHOB, they will be on the first floor, fully accessible by any means, and they will be on the TCAT busline 82, which goes through main campus and loops through the East Hill Plaza area, including a stop at EHOB about every 15 minutes.  

DPE seeks award nominations 

 

Diversity Programs in Engineering seeks nominations for the 2014 Zellman Warhaft Commitment to Diversity Award, established in honor of the college's first associate dean for diversity, and the inaugural Engineering College Staff Commitment to Diversity Award. The Warhaft Award recognizes faculty who have made significant and effective efforts to increase the participation and success of students and faculty from groups that are typically underrepresented in engineering.The new staff award has been established to formally highlight the contributions of staff members to the college's diversity and inclusion goals. It rounds out a suite of Commitment to Diversity awards for students, faculty and now staff. Both honors carry a $1,000 prize and will be presented at the annual DPE Awards Banquet Friday May 9. Nominations for both awards must be submitted by March 14, 2014 to [email protected]. For the faculty award, the subject line should read "2014 Faculty Diversity Award Nomination" and the nomination should consist of a single .pdf file named following the convention: Lastname_Dept_FacAward2014.pdf. In your nomination letter please describe the nominee's specific efforts to promote diversity, as well as the outcome and impact of those efforts. Please provide a copy of the nominee's CV (preferably in a 2-3 page format) as well. Tenured, tenure-track, lecturers and senior lecturers are eligible to be nominated. Previous awardees and members of the dean's staff are not eligible.  

 

For the staff award, use the subject line "2014 Staff Diversity Award Nomination" The nomination should consist of a single .pdf file named following the convention: Lastname_Unit_StaffAward2014.pdf. All staff, excluding tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers and senior lecturers are eligible to be nominated. DPE staff are not eligible.

"Sustaining Yourself" Wellness Center/Recyclemania Event


Wednesday, February 19
Upson Lounge 12-1 p.m.

Admission: Bring one recyclable item

 

Have you ever started a new exercise program with a lot of enthusiasm, only to lose interest in it two months later? What are the key elements to maintaining motivation for six months to a year or more?Join Kerry Howell, MS, HFI, CET from the Cornell Wellness program to learn how to create a sustainable exercise program. You'll leave this discussion with ideas for keeping your enthusiasm going over the long run. 

Awards and honors
 

Ph.D. candidates Malika Grayson, MAE, and Darvin Griffin, BME, were selected for the National Society of Black Engineers Major Sponsor Scholarship for 2013-14. As a NSBE Scholarship recipient, they have shown great achievement in the academic arena and dedicated service to NSBE and our campus community. 

 

CEE Professor Tom O'Rourke has been selected by the Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering of ASCE to receive the 2014 Le Val Lund Award for Practicing Lifeline Risk Reduction. The award citation reads: "For leadership and exemplary professional conduct in the application of geotechnical and earthquake engineering principles to lifeline systems and facilities." He is the first recipient of this award.

 

The Cornell Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers has been selected to receive SHPE Foundation funding to participate in the Spring 2014 Noche de Ciencias Program. This opportunity has been made possible through the generous support of the Industrial PartnerSHPE Council (IPC). The group will receive a total of $500 to cover expenses for its event, Dia de Ciencias, a K-12 outreach program that will take place on Saturday, February 22 at GIAC.

 

Christine Shoemaker, Ripley Professor in CEE, has won the 2014 Margaret Petersen Award from the ASCE EWRI. The citation is "for her technical achievements, ASCE leadership, and commitment to mentoring women pursuing engineering careers that mirror the ideals the award's namesake championed throughout her life." The award committee particularly noted Shoemaker's leading expertise in computational methods applied to environmental remediation.

 

Jery Stedinger, Cornell professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He is among 67 new members and 11 foreign associates elected this year. Stedinger was cited for his work in "statistical methods for flood risk assessment and optimization methods for hydropower system management." He was also selected by the Environmental and Water Resources Institute to receive the 2014 Ven Te Chow Award. The award citation will read: "For his pioneering contributions to hydrologic science and statistical methods used world-wide to quantify flood risk, address dam safety issues, evaluate water resource system operation and evaluate drought risk." In selecting him for this award, the committee particularly noted his seminal contributions to water resource systems. A trophy and cash prize in the amount of $2,000, will be awarded during the EWRI Congress, Portland, Ore., June 1-5, 2014.

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