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January 2015 Update

Happy New Year

All the best in 2015!

We hope the new year brings you health, happiness, and plenty of opportunities
to be with us here on campus.

 
Alumni, Student, Faculty, and Program News and Events:
Award Ribbon

Joseph Soares '14, MS '16, Brandon Ohara '13, MS '15, Russell Williams '14, and Prof. Hohyun Lee won the best poster award for their presentation, "Wearable Thermoelectric Power Generation" at IDTechEx Energy Harvesting USA 2014, the world’s largest event on energy harvesting and storage technologies and their application.

Tschudy

Laura Tschudy, mechanical engineering sophomore, was selected as a University Innovation Fellow, a highly competitive program run by Epicenter, the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation. Intense training in the entrepreneurial mindset, design thinking, and venture creation help Fellows become change agents on their campuses.

Quantum Computing

The Department of Applied Mathematics is offering a new course in quantum computing (AMTH 351).The topic is of great theoretical interest and has potentially significant implications for computation as well as security when quantum computers much more powerful than those already built are constructed.

Straw Bale Test

Graduate civil engineering students Chris Heckert, Brittnie Swartchick, and Molly Summers have completed testing of an 8' long full-scale strawbale wall. The reversed cyclic lateral load tests are used to establish the seismic resistance of the wall, which contains novel details developed by the students.

Drone Ever Fam Winery

Robotics Systems Laboratory: The RSL is expanding its fleet of Unmanned Aerial Systems and adding classes and activities to enable the team to provide drone-based services to local partners and collaborators, such as Aver Family Vineyards, a sustainable winery near Gilroy. Learn more here.

Finnemore Book

E. John Finnemore, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, has organized and edited teachings of the Universal Spiritual Brother&Sisterhood (USB) into book form and Spiritual Light: Universal Teachings from the Highest Spirit Realms is now available in paperback and deluxe versions on the USB website and on Amazon.

Greg Smestad

"Photovoltaics for a Billion Poor" All are invited to attend a free public lecture, presented by Greg Smestad, graduate engineering lecturer: Thurs., Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m., Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Rd., Palo Alto.

Save the Date Sticky Note

Senior Design Conference: Mark your calendar for the School of Engineering’s 45th Annual Senior Design Conference, Thursday, May 14, 2015, 2-5 p.m. More information coming next month.