Professional Highlights In This

New Vision and Mission

Aerospace education gets $500K boost

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DEAN'S LETTER
 

USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2008
Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs
At schools whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's

Ranking #31.  California State University - Los Angeles

Welcome to the Summer edition of the ECST Bulletin.  The College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology (ECST) has enjoyed another significant milestone in our history - we've moved up 5 spots on the US News and World Report America's Best colleges.  Our ABET accredited undergraduate engineering programs is now ranked 31st in the nation!  A tremendous achievement and another symbol of excellence for our outstanding faculty, students, and staff.  Once again, we are "Transforming Dreams into Reality”. 

We had an incredible Spring quarter and graduated over 300 undergraduate and graduate students on June 9th.  The graduation speaker, and personal friend of mind, Freeman A. Hrabowski III of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), gave a rousing speech inspiring our graduates to become leaders with extraordinary determination and vision for the future.  For more about Dr. Hrabowski, go to http://www.umbc.edu/AboutUMBC/president/

During the fall we will begin our first ever Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology Learning Community.  We've developed this program to engage our freshman and create a dynamic and collaborative learning environment for all freshman students admitted to one of our ECST majors.  Students will become active and responsible participants in their education through a series of entry level engineering design and research based courses. We will also engage the students through our applied engineering math workshops.  These co-curricular workshops enable our students to think about math from the perspective as a future engineer, computer scientist, or technologist.   We also desire for our students to form close friendships, establish a sense of community, actively engage our group community service projects, and provide the support for each other that will be needed for success in one of our majors.

In this e-Newsletter you will enjoy reading about our outreach efforts to students who wish to choose a career in Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology, our research funding, faculty dreams and inspiration, and many highlights from our student competitions. 

We have much to look forward to during our 2007-2008 academic year. It is my intention to make sure that we lay the foundation for every student to transform their dreams into reality.

H. Keith Moo-Young, Ph.D., P.E.  
Dean

New Vision and Mission Statement Rolled out by
Dean Moo-Young

Vision
To be recognized internationally as a benchmark for excellence, innovation, integrity, and distinctiveness in bachelorÂ’s and masterÂ’s level education taught from a global perspective

Mission

To provide our students with an innovative learning experiences and service opportunities and to graduate well educated professionals who are prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

During the next five years, we will strive to achieve the following goals:

Goals

1.   To design a world-class curriculum enabling our students for life long learning and adapting to an ever changing technological environment,

2.   To become the most responsive graduate engineering, computer science, and technology program in Los Angeles that meets the needs of the working professional,

3.   To demonstrate internationally recognized leadership in applied research, advance prototyping, and design in strategic areas that are fully integrated into the bachelorÂ’s and masterÂ’s educational programs,

4.   To humanize engineering, computer science, and technology through our community service and globalization activities that enable our engineering community to reflect the 21st century workforce,

5.  To be consistently ranked as one of the top 20 Engineering programs in the Nation.

Aerospace education gets $500K boost

With the number of employees in the nation's aerospace industry declining rapidly, Cal State L.A. has received a $500,000 boost from the National Science Foundation to develop a small special force to help the industry pull out of its workforce tailspin.

In a four-year program, Cal State L.A.'s College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology will work with the AERO Institute, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and industrial partners to lead 25 students through master's-degree programs. The program aims to place them in positions as highly trained aerospace engineers in Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley and to develop a "perpetual pipeline" of aerospace professionals.

The new program will offer scholarships (up to $10,000) to help students complete master's degrees in electrical, computer, and/or mechanical engineering.

The students' research will focus on five critical technologies required for U.S. to maintain its world leadership in aerospace: hypersonic (faster-than-sound) technology, nanotechnology, unmanned aerial vehicles, embedded computer systems, and machine-vision.

Research Awards 2006-2007

Students to Design Equipment for Universally Accessible Playground

Dr. Landsberger brings more than a dozen of his college students to the high school to lead a physics class once a week and promote the "fun and excitement" of engineering ahile most children in wheelchairs are unable to enjoy the thrill of zipping down a slide, those who visit the new Everychild Foundation Uni­versally Accessible Playground may soon be able to enjoy similar "whee!" experiences. Sam Landsberger, ScD, director of Orthopaedic Hospital's Rehabilitation Engineering Program, aims to add thrills to the playground with innovative equipment designed with the help of high school and . university students.

Dr. Landsberger has conducted research in rehabilitation engineering for many years at Rancho Los Amigos and serves as a professor of engineering and kinesiology at California State University, Los Angeles. His work has focused on better artificial hands, improved brace designs and enhanced wheelchairs.

As part of an educational component to these endeavors, he is harnessing the creative talents of physics students at the Orthopaedicnd science  Hospital Medical Magnet High School and students at Cal State L.A. Their goal is to develop special equipment at the new playground for children with disabilities.

A small section of the park, about 10x12 feet, has been designated as a laboratory where students can watch children put their designs to the test.

"First, they do things like construct little marsh-mallow stick towers," Dr. Landsberger explained. "They test them for stabil­ity and see how high they can build them. Eventu­ally the students progress to building water-pro^­pelled rockets. Then we introduce projects that would benefit someone with a disability.

One potential activity is called a "zip line," in which able-bodied chil­dren can grab an over-head bar and roll down a 10- or 12-foot incline on a metal beam. "To provide similar excitement for children in wheelchairs, my stu­dents have been coming up with designs that would be Safe but would also provide for more of a dynamic experience than is currently available," Dr. Landsberger said.

"The high school students assume the role of apprentices and follow the lead of their mentors, while the college students have come up with some very innovative designs.  "I have a student from Japan who said he was inspired growing up in a mountainous rural area of Japan where kids would play on Tarzan-like swings. He's come up with some incredibly inge­nious concepts that look as if they could be made quite safe and fun." Inspired himself by the fresh outlook and ingenuity of his students, Dr. Lands the mentoring program fosters a h tion among the high school students.

"Cal State L.A. students tend to be the first in their families to ever attend post-secondary schools," he explained. "They come from the very same neighborhoods as the kids here at the high school, so they relate very well and serve as an inspiration.

"What we have found working with the kids at inner-city schools is that if we ask them if they've ever been to the beach, generally less than half will raise their hands. If we ask how many have ever been to the zoo, less than a third will raise hands. And if we ask how many have ever thought of going on to college, very few raise their hands.

"Bringing students from the same back-ground who now are attending college and planning a life for them-selves outside the con-fines of the neighborhood they grew up in — that's quite a powerful motiva­tion for the youngsters."

Dr. Landsberger also hopes to offer high school students small intern­ship-type experiences within Orthopaedic Hospital.

"The engineers and scientists here are quite experienced working with graduate students and post-docs, but may not have had as much experi­ence working with the younger students on their projects," he said. "We hope to serve as a catalyst for making even very advanced research into hip prostheses, knee replacement joints and so forth a little more accessible to the younger students.

"You know you can't go wrong when you start doing this. You see the excitement and stimulating interaction that happens when you get the kids together working on solving design problems and understanding scientific phenomena." (Courtesy of Motion Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation, Spring Volume XII, Number

Students Compete in 6th Annual Bridge Building Contest

The Bureau of Engineering held its Sixth Annual Regional Bridge Building Contest on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA). High school  teams competed for a chance to advance to the International Contest to be held on April 28, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois.

This contest provides the Bureau of Engineering and universities with an excellent opportunity to outreach to high school students to promote higher education. Structural Engineering Division (SED) coordinated the entire event from inception to completion with ASCE students from CSULA hosting the event. Volunteer mentors from the Bureau of Engineering worked diligently with the students and their teachers in order to make this a successful event.

One of the objectives for the students was to build a model bridge weighing no more than twenty five grams (25 grams is less than one ounce) that conforms to specific limited dimensions for height, span and width requirements per the International Bridge Building Competition rules as defined by Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. The mentors, over a period of four months, helped guide the students through the process of designing, drafting, construction, testing and helping them understand the engineering concepts and laws of physics that govern the performance of their bridge models. Model bridge building provided the students with hands-on experience that supplements their studies. Mentors also deliver an important message highlighting the benefits of continuing education and a career in engineering. Students learn by hands-on experiences, and see the connection between their studies, practical design and actual model construction. Being able to compete  at the International level will expose the winning students to a higher level of engineering and appreciation for the value of team work.

As the teams arrived, each bridge was registered, weighed and measured per original specifications.  Students were given the opportunity to modify their bridge, if the bridge failed to meet the weight or dimension guidelines. After lunch, it was time to commence the competitions. Once approved, they were displayed for technical inspection and judged for best Aesthetics Design and Structural Design. Judges for Aesthetic evaluations were Clark Robins, Cung Nguyen and John Saldin. Alex J. Vidaurrazaga, Raymond Lui and Dr. Rupa Purasinghe, Chair of the CSULA Civil Engineering Department, evaluated the best Structural design.

The event kicked off with Sunny Patel from SED as the Master of Ceremonies with addresses from Dean of Engineering Dean A student sets up her bridge for testing as her partner anxiously looks on. Keith Moo-Young, Commissioner Valeri (Lynne Shaw, Councilmember Jose Huizar' Office staff, Cecelia Alatorre and Deputy City Engineer Clark Robins. For the best Aesthetics Design, judges voted teams of Mauricic  Guevara and Beatriz Contreras of Lewi; High School, DeCarlis Wilson and Alex Bel of Community Harvest and Efrain Orozco of Jordan High School for the first, second anc third awards respectively. For the best Structural Design, judges voted teams of Keinar Harvest, Jose Paz of Roosevelt High School and Jessica Aleman and Eduardo Laguna of Jordan High School for first, second and third awards respectively. First, second and third placed winners received medallions.

Dr. Holcomb from Lewis High School kindly provided the state-of the-art bridge testing equipment and support during testing and data collection. Model bridges were mounted on the bridge testing machine. Hydraulic incremental loads were applied to the bridges by a mechanical plunger controlled by respective students. The audiences watched anxiously as the model bridges were loaded and went through a creaking, twisting, buckling and failure modes. The maximum load carrying capacity of the model bridge was collected for efficiency computation. The goal was to score the highest efficiency ratio, which is calculated by dividing the maximum load carried divided by the weight of the bridge.

Jesus Valdivia from Lewis High School, the winning entry, loaded his bridge to 35 Kilograms (77 pounds) at which point the bridge failed. The efficiency ratio of 1983 was attained {Maximum Load - kilograms (77.2 lbs) divided by weight of model bridge = 17.65 grams (0.0389 lbs)}.

Mauricio Guevara, also from Lewis High School, placed second with an efficiency ratio of 1923, and Denny Hoang from Lincoln High School took third place with an efficiency ratio of 962. A total of eight high schools participated in the Regional Competition. The two top winners from Lewis High School will now advance to the International Bridge Competition to be held in Chicago, Illinois.

Special thanks go to: Public Works Commissioner Valerie Lynne Shaw; Councilmember Jose Huizar's Office staff, Cecelia Alatorre; Deputy City Engineer, Clark Robins; Dean of Engineering CSULA Keith Moo-Young; Chairman of Civil Engineering CSULA, Dr. Rupa Purasinghe and Civil Engineering staff CSULA, Donna Melendez; ASCE - President MLAB, Cung Nguyen; ASCE Student President- CSULA, Carlos Casco; Division Engineer, Alex J. Vidaurrazaga andAssistant Division Engineer, Sunny Patel. We extend our thanks to Lauren Skinner, Public Affairs Office; Program Manager, John Saldin and all the mentors for their leadership and dedication to success of this Regional Competition.

We extend our thanks to CSULA for their facility and ASCE student staff for assisting during the event. For technical structural engineering support, interpretations of rules and setting a high standard at the Regional Level and being the Master of Ceremonies, we thank Sunny Patel for his foresight, support and leadership. As part of the entire team for this event, special thanks go to all the mentors: Shashi Bhakta, Marlon Calderon, Alejandro Moreno, Richard Louie, Kesavan Korand, Mina Azarnia, Sharat Batra, Kelvin Hoang, Ansar Mustafa, Brian Schrieber and Alan Galiano.

Article and Bridge Contest Planned and Coordinated by SED staff Shirish.

HENAAC, IBM, Cal State LA and SHPE Partner bring STEM Awareness to Los Angeles Area Youth

 Los Angeles –From Wednesday, August 15 through Saturday, August 18, HENAAC is spearheading a regionwide educational effort to boost awareness among disadvantaged youth in the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The event, the SciTech 2020 Summer Camp, is made possible by the generous support and involvement of the IBM Corporation, who remains committed to the goal of boosting STEM Awareness in AmericaÂ’s underserved communities.

The SciTech 2020 Camp events will be held at the California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), in conjunction with the universityÂ’s College of Engineering, Science, and Technology (ECST). ECST Dean Keith Moo-Young will be an active participant in program planning and events, including an appeal to the students themselves to encourage them to pursue a math and science based education.

Students from CSULA Student Engineering organizations are taking an active role in helping administer the programs and embody the spirit of CSULAÂ’s dedication to growing Hispanic technological proficiency in the area. Students from SHESS (Society of Hispanic Engineering and Science Students) are acting as Counselors and Live-in mentors of all 40 area students who will be living on the campus of CSULA for all 4 program days. Students from the CSULA Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers will be hosting a hands-on concrete building workshop for all students as well as act in advisory capacities to other program events. These students are continuing the work that they have contributed to area middle and high school students through HENAACÂ’s acclaimed Viva Technology K-12 Program, which helps to bridge the digital divide nationwide. HENAACÂ’s Viva Technology Program and Goals have served to be the precursor to the SciTech 2020 Camp Partnership, and all partners are proud to now build on those goals

Among the fun, instructive, and hands-on exercises in which students will be participating include a Bridge-building competition, an interactive presentation on Mars Exploration, and a Math-based Scavenger Hunt. Students will also visit the facilities of the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California as well as the California Science Center as part of many program events.

CSU Los Angeles Dean of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology, Dr. Keith Moo-Young congratulates a SciTech 2020 student

SciTech 2020 students

Parents attend a closing ceremony celebration banquet

Latino students discover science

By Patricia Jiayi Ho, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

LOS ANGELES — Groups of teenagers huddled around scraps of wood and plastic in a Cal State Los Angeles classroom, trying to piece together gliders that would go the distance.

It was Day Three of a new camp aimed at Latino youths, with the goal of furthering their interests in science. The group of about 30 students were from area schools, including Gabrielino High School in San Gabriel and Arroyo High School in El Monte, and had submitted applications, essays and letters of recommendation to be selected for the program.

The glider project this past Friday was designed to be a lesson in aerodynamics.

Ultimately, organizers said, they hope the four-day, three-night science camp will get the Latino students interested in engineering and science careers — and get them thinking about college, said Monica Villafana, deputy executive director of the the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC).

Dubbed "SciTech 2020," the pilot program was put together by the HENAAC and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

"In order to maintain the U.S. as the world's technological leader, we have to make sure that all of the U.S. population is tapped for science and engineering," said Villafana.

Latinos are underrepresented in such fields, said Rafaela Schwan, director of programs for SHPE.

While Latinos constituted 13.1 percent of the labor force in 2005, they made up only 3 percent of natural scientists, 5.3 percent of math and computer scientists, and 5.8 percent of engineers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

"Traditionally, Latinos like to pursue fields where they feel they are helping people," Schwan said, referring to professions such as teaching and nursing.

"What we're trying to do is change that perception. In engineering, they are helping people in a broader perspective."

Amanda Campos, 15, an incoming sophomore at Gabrielino High, said the camp helped cement her interest in pursuing a science-related profession.

"It introduced a lot of career opportunities that I had never heard of before," she said.

[email protected], (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4586
 Source: http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_6659121

2006 Faculty Publications

 Journal Articles

• Hashemian, “Promotion of Transportation Engineering through Summer Transportation Institute (STI) Program for Secondary Students”,  Proceedings of  2006 Annual Meeting of Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), District 6  Honolulu, Hawaii, June 2006
• Tufenkjian, M.R., Maurizio, D., and Lipton, E., (2006), “Quake Ed – An Instructional Module to Demonstrate Earthquake Engineering Principles to High School Students,” Accepted for publication, 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference Commemorating the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, San Francisco, April.
• Jeng, “Frequency analysis of annual debris volume”, Proceedings of Engineering Workshop on Urban Hydrology, sponsored by American Society of Civil Engineers, Los Angeles Section, Hydraulics Group and Department of Civil Engineering, California State University, Long Beach. Pp. 179-195.
• J. Y. Beyon and G. J. Koch, “Resolution Study of Wind Parameter Estimates by a Coherent Doppler Lidar System,” Defense and Security Symposium 2006, Orlando, FL, April, 2006.
• J. Y. Beyon, G. J. Koch, and Z. Li, “Noise Normalization and Windowing Functions for VALIDAR in Wind Parameter Estimation,” Defense and Security Symposium 2006, Orlando, FL, April, 2006.
• J. Y. Beyon and G. J. Koch, “Wind Profiling by a Coherent Doppler Lidar System VALIDAR with a Subspace Decomposition Approach,” Defense and Security Symposium 2006, Orlando, FL, April, 2006.
• J. Y. Beyon and G. J. Koch, “Novel Nonlinear Adaptive Doppler Shift Estimation Technique (NADSET) for the Coherent Doppler Lidar System VALIDAR,” Defense and Security Symposium 2006, Orlando, FL, April, 2006.
• G. J. Koch, M. J. Kavaya, B. W. Barnes, J. Y. Beyon, et. al. “Wind Measurements with High-Energy Doppler Lidar,” submitted to  the 86th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, Jan., 2006.
• N. Warter-Perez and J. Dong, “An Active-Learning Teaching Model for Engineering Education Based on Mobile Technology,” 2006 Annual ASEE/PSW Conference, April 20-21, 2006, Pomona, CA.
• J. Momand, W. Johnston, S. Sharp, N. Warter-Perez, and B. Krilowicz, “A Summer Program Designed to Educate College Students for Careers in Bioinformatics,” American Society for Cell Biology Journal on CBE Life Sciences Education, submitted March, 2006.
• Parviz, B. “A Performance Validation Tool for J2EE Applications,” To be published in the Proceedings of the 13th Annual IEEE International Conference and Workshop on the Engineering of Computer Based Systems (ECBS 2006), Potsdam, Germany  March 27th-30th, 2006
  Parviz, B.  “A Collaboration-Oriented Software Architecture Modeling System-JArchiDesigner,” Poster paper. To be published in the Proceedings of the 13th Annual IEEE International Conference and Workshop on the Engineering of Computer Based Systems (ECBS 2006), Potsdam, Germany  March 27th-30th, 2006
• Lee, B.  “Wireless Internet for Future Cross Media Communication.
• Lee, B.  Utilizing JDF for Global Document Production. 
  Elfes, C.R. Weisbin, R. Manvi, V. Adumitroaie, W.P. Lincoln, and K. Shelton. "Extending the START Framework: Computation of Optimal Capability Development Portfolios Using a Decision Theory Approach," Journal of the International Council on Systems Engineering, submitted for publication 2006.
• Hsia, L., ”An Eight-Meter Inflatable Reflectarray Antenna and Its Inflatable/Self-Rigidizable Booms,” 10th ASCE Aerospace Division Conference on Engineering and Operations in Challenging Environments (Earth & Space 2006), League City/Houston, TX, March 5-8, 2006 
• Hsia, L., ”Design and Technologies Development for an Eight-Meter Inflatable Reflectarray Antenna,” AIAA-2006-2230, 47th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Newport, Rhode Island, May 1-4, 2006 
• Keshmiri, S., Colgren, R., Farokhi, S., Mirmirani, M., “Ramjet and Scramjet Engine Cycle Analysis for a Generic Hypersonic Vehicle,” 14th AIAA/AHI Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Canberra, Australia, November 2006 

Journal Articles cont.
 

• Keshmiri, S., Colgren, R., Mirmirani, M., “Trajectory Optimization for a Generic Hypersonic vehicle,” 14th AIAA/AHI Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Canberra, Australia, November 2006
• Keshmiri, S., Colgren, R., Mirmirani, M. “Modeling and Simulation of a Generic Hypersonic Vehicle,” 14th AIAA/AHI Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Canberra, Australia, November 2006
• Fidan, B., Mirmirani, M. D., Kuipers, M., Ioannou, P., “Longitudinal Motion Control of Airbreathing Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Time Varying Control,” 14th AIAA/AHI Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Canberra, Australia, November 2006
• Ludeke, T, Mirmirani, M., "The Pulling Device for a Flexible Bronchoscope," Poster presentation, Frontier in Biomedicine Conference, June 8-11, 2006
• Clark, A., Wu, C., Mirmirani, M., Choi, S., “Development of an Airframe Integrated Generic Hypersonic Vehicle Model,” AIAA Aerospace Conference and Exhibit, Reno, Nevada, January 2006
• Basile, S. Conti, F. Daneshgaran, F. Galliano, M. Laddomada, M. Mondin, “An End-to-End simulator for Open Broadband Access Network,” Proceeding of the International Workshop on Mobility Management and Wireless Access, MOBIWAC, Terromolinos, Spain, 2006.
• H. Boussalis, Levtchitch, V. Kvasha, V., Chassiakos, A., “Seismic Performance of Old Concrete” 8th US National Conference On Earthquake Engineering & 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference, Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA,  April 18 - 22, 2006.

·     J. Dong, Warter-Perez, N., “Project-based Learning Using Tablet PCs: A Practice to Enhance Design Components in Engineering Instruction”, Abstract accepted to ASEE Annual Conference 2006.

·    J. Dong, Thienphrapa, P., Boussalis, H., Liu, C. at el, “Implementation of a Robust Transmission System for Astronomical Images over Error-prone Links”, in Proc of SPIE, Multimedia Systems and Applications IX, Boston, Oct. 1-4, 2006.

·     J. Dong, Zhao, L., Sharif, G., Orellana, S., Liu, C. at el, “On the Design and Implementation of Automated Astronomical Analyzer”, in Proc of SPIE, Multimedia Systems and Applications IX, Boston, Oct. 1-4, 2006.

·     J. Dong, Warter-Perez, N., “An Active-Learning Teaching Model for Engineering Instruction Based on Mobile Technology”, in Proc. of American 2006 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Section Conference (ASEE PSWÂ’06), April, 2006.

Book Chapters

• L. Tabrizi, Professional Engineers Control Systems Theory, Problems and Solutions, 2006.
• Taly, Loads and Load Paths in Buildings – Principles of Structural Design, International Code Council (ICC), Whittier, CA, 2003, ISBN 1-58001-108-X (with companion Problems and Solutions, ISBN 1-58001-189-6).
• Taly, Reinforced Concrete Design with FRP Composites, CRC Press, 2006 Co-author with Drs. H.V.S. GangaRao and P.V. Vijay (West Virginia University), ISBN: 0824758293

College Award Winners      Dr. Lilly Tabrizi, recipient of the 2007 CSULA Distinguished Women Award

Congratulations to our 2007-08 Boeing Scholars Each student scholar receives an award of $2,500

• Vahe Khachatryan (Senior, Electrical & Computer Engineering)

• Arevik Petrosyan (Senior, Electrical & Computer Engineering)

• Sara Esparza (Junior, Mechanical Engineering)

• Keith Walitvarangkoon (Sophmore, Mechanical Engineering)

• Min Huang (Freshman, Mechanical Engineering)

• Cesar Arevalos (Freshman, Civil Engineering)

• Meline BaghdasarianM (Freshman, Mechanical Engineering)

• Edgar Perez (Junior, Civil Engineering)

• Peter Maldanado (Freshman, Civil Engineering)

• Jaime Limon (Junior, Mechanical Engineering)

Claudio Pichardo Wins at the Scholarship Luncheon

On May 10, 2007, the Golden Eagle Scholarship Luncheon was held.  Claudio Pichardo was the student speaker at the luncheon.  A copy of her speech is provided below:

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen my name is Claudia Pichardo and I am honored to speak at this luncheon to share how individuals like you who sponsor scholarships can make a world of difference to someone like me.   It is through a scholarship that I received that I have successfully accomplished everything I have put my head and heart into. Scholarships really are extraordinary resources to ordinary students like me. I would like to take this moment to thank all of you for being here today, and for believing in CSULA students.

I consider myself an ordinary student, I attend class, work, and I am involved in numerous student organizations, and support my family like many students here at CSULA.  I am the oldest from a family of seven; and first in my family to go to college. Being the oldest means that I have great responsibility to be a good example for my younger brother and sisters. I hope to encourage them to not only continue to pursue college after high school, but to work hard at obtaining a scholarship to pay for college. 

My parents have been very supportive to me in many ways. Financially they work to provide for the family but it is difficult to make ends meet. So I do what I can to help with the bills around the house. Nevertheless they continue to encourage me to be successful at Cal State LA, and their support has been a great motivation.

I am proud to be a junior in Civil Engineering and I am very excited.  At Cal State L.A. I have had the great opportunity to study at one of the best colleges in the country, the College Engineering Computer Science and Technology.  So far I have had the opportunity to learn from outstanding professors that teach me everyday how to be a good student, and a great person with good engineering ethics. The college provides its engineering students with challenging classes.  The classes are designed to provide students with a more interactive one to one attention. One of the things I about studying here is the numerous hands-on lab classes it offers. It is through the labs that I can get a better understanding of the material I am learning, the labs are very hands-on and even though they are only one unit they are very demanding. Ever since I enrolled at Cal State L.A., I knew that making it through a civil engineering program would not be easy, so I took advantage of many of the resources offered in the college.  The MESA Engineering Program has allowed me to connect with excellent academic advisors and has provided place where I can study, known as the MESA Engineering Program study center.  Most importantly, I have been able to meet wonderful students that have become my second family and the study center has become my second home.

I can truly say that at MESA Engineering Program I found a family of students that struggle through school and work together by my side. For those students I am grateful everyday. I probably wouldnÂ’t be up here today telling you I have one year left until graduation if it wasnÂ’t for the support of my friends and the college provides. The student organizations in the college also offer opportunities for development. 

 The Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Engineers and Science Students, and the American Society of Civil Engineers have also been a big part of I have taken advantage of several involvement opportunities and I have many unforgettable memories up in the fourth floor of the engineering building, memories that will be in my heart for the rest of life. Being part of these student organizations is one of the best decisions I have made here at CSULA.

It is through these organizations that I have had to opportunity to mentor underclass students and become their role model. It is rewarding to know that students look up to me and I am their living proof that it is possible to achieve everything you set your mind and heart to. It was these organizations that have also developed me professionally; I have played many roles as officer at these organizations, from bringing food to managing budget, paperwork, memberships, you name it IÂ’ve done it. At the American Society of Civil Engineers I have been exposed to a lot of technical practice, we recently build a concrete canoe and very proudly represented Cal State L.A., at the regional competition in San Diego. We were recognized as one of the most improved schools and the school to fear at the next yearÂ’s competitions.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Human Powered Vehicle West Coast Challenge 2007
CSULA HPV Team 2007 (Evolution 1)
Location:  NASA Research Ames Facilities, Sunnyvale CA

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) hosts yearly two Human Powered Vehicle Challenges (West Coast & East Coast). The 2007 West Coast challenge was held at the NASA Ames Research Center in Sunnyvale, California during April 13-15^th, 2007. Dr. Sharif, a Professor at CSULA Mechanical Engineering Department, is the reviver for CSULAÂ’s recent participation. In early 2006, he put together a group of senior mechanical engineering students to design, build and compete in the 2007 West Coast Competition. CSULAÂ’s last participation in this event dates back to 1986, when the team was led by Dr. Hsia.

The competition breaks down into three parts, the design presentation, sprint event and the endurance (road race) event. CSULAÂ’s Team Evolution I, ranked 8^th out of 25 schools in the design presentation. The students presented their vehicle to a panel of judges and elaborated on different features of their vehicle. The features included an adjustable seat (taken from a car seat), able to accommodate different riders and employing a rear suspension (a bike-spring). The judges were impressed with the overall design which included the vehicle shape & the special features.

The second day (April 14^th) involved a sprint race, in which the winner is the vehicle that could travel the fastest. It further broke down to two sub-categories in this event, the female sprint & the male sprint race. Also the ranking of the teamÂ’s female rider in the sprint event determines the teamÂ’s starting position in the next day event (endurance race). Evolution I had some trouble in the beginning with the vehicleÂ’s drive train and to elevate the situation it started raining heavily. The team was still determined to participate and be on the score sheet. After 3 hours, the matter was resolved and the team had less than an hour to get on the judgesÂ’ score sheets. CSULAÂ’s Evolution I ranked 12^th out of 25 schools for the sprint event. CSULAÂ’s female rider was ranked 9^th out of 25 schools, while her male counterparts ranked 14^th for that day.

In the last day of competition ( April 15^th), the final event included an endurance race and the winner being the first team to complete  40 miles. The road race consisted of sharp turns, straight-aways, down-hills and up-hills. The teams were allowed a change of rider and every team had a designated pit area. The team arrived early and worked on their vehicle, but right before the race begun they realized that the “rider” could only pedal on “one gear”. Nevertheless, the team finished 19^th on the final day, completing 14 laps out of the 27 laps.

The overall ranking is based on the each teamÂ’s performance in all the three events. CSULAÂ’s Evolution I, ranked an overall 13^th in their first participation ever after two decades. The winning school (University of Missouri, Rolla), is known for their participation and have a lengthy history in building human powered vehicles. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo placed second and they also have a history in building winning vehicles.

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Ramaswamy Banu
Tamilselvi Marzban Behdinian
Paul Douglas Bentz
Ravindrakumar M. Bhuchara
Albert Frank Cervantes
Wilmer Abel Cervantes
Cheng-Hung Cheng
George Lefkos Christodoulou
Maria Gabriela De La Cruz
Alexis Demetriou
DhimanAdan Diaz
Yogesh Dua
Juan Duenas
Carmen Frias
Yuan Gao
Araya Gebeyehu
Parvaneh Ghaforyfard
Jimmy Jose Guerrero
David Scot Harris
Farhad Heidari-Dormani
Quang Hoang
Sayed Forhad Hossain
Jun Hui Huang
Kenny Liang Huang
Norelia Jacinto
Mr. Abhijeet Ravindranath Kadu
Ming-Wei Kao
Maryam Mousavi Khansari
Sung Min Kim
Yeva Komandyan
Marc Sifuna Kwamusi
Francisco Antonio Lam
Bill Lee Lay
George H. Lee
Hae-Yeol Min
Hadil Salah Mustafa
Manjulatha Venkata Naga Nanduru
Kristopher Jelani Porter
Abhishek Pujari
Muhammad Mamun-ur Rahman
Asad Rana
Jonathan Patrick Roberts
Lusnail Adriana Rondon
Geddi Saban
Juan Manuel Sanchez
Ayon Md. Lutful Hasan Sarker
Ronak Pradip Shah
Ping wen Shih
Sozo Andreas Stylianides
Nuananong Suwannahong
Ekapob Tanaboonsombut
Nai-Ho Tang
Aninart Thuntanatouch
Jonathan David Torres
Hoang Quy Tran
Tsung-Ni Tsai
Mei-Hsiang Tseng
Pisit Waikoontapan
Dingding Yang
Makoto Yokoe
Alaa M. Zewila
Songtao Zhang

Master of Science in Civil Engineering
Alejandro Becerra
Dinendra Mohan Bhattarai
James Morrow Detchmendy
Christina M. Mannino
Taejin Moon
Win Naing
Sara Rostamkhani
Arif Shandin
Nandini Tarafder

Master of Science in Computer Science
Alla Lanovenko
Duy Hoang Thanh Nguyen
Snehal Nirav Patel
Mohammed Sharif Saleh

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Moaaz Abubakr Abugoukh
Yam Prasad Chapagain
Angelo Ignatius Diniz
Massoud El Khoury
Eduardo Antonio Guzman
Christopher Arno Herwerth
Kuo-Chih Ho
Vahe Janparian
Jason Keim
Kevin Knarr
Chi Man Li
Shigeru Matsuyama
Ubaldo Maximo Medina
Sahar Mehrzad
Christopher David Nichols
Ubaldo Orlando Quijano
Mario Castillo Rodriguez
Yan Zheng

Bachelor of Science in Aviation Administration

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

DEPARTMENT NEWS
 

2007 IEEE MicroMouse Team

The 2007 CSULA MicroMouse had some excellent success.  They competed well in the regional competition and are looking forward to 2008. 

We've included a link to very nice YouTube video depicting a very fast MicroMouse.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L9rkLAskWU&mode=related&search=

2007 CSULA Micromouse Team

2007
Region 6 IEEE MicroMouse Maze during the competition

Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering announces the hiring of Drs. Trinh Pham and Zhiming Gao as Assistant Professors of Mechanical Engineering. Professor Pham received her PhD from UC Irvine. Her area of research interest is in energy and renewable and alternative energy systems. Professor Gao received his PhD from University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and has worked in Oak Ridge National laboratory since 2001. His area of research interest is in thermal sciences, modeling and simulation, and energy systems. With the joining of Drs. Pham and Gao the department has positioned itself as a leader in R&D in alternative and renewable energy systems.

Dr. Darrell Guillaume has received a $500,000, 4-year NSF S-STEM grant. Two other ME faculty, Professors Mirmirani and Wu as well as two Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty, Professors Liu and Boussalis are the Co-PIÂ’s on this grant. The grant provides 40 scholarships for senior and graduate students in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in designated areas of aerospace engineering.

Professor Wu received a $200,000 Department of Defense Infrastructure and Instrumentation grant to modernize and upgrade Mechanical Engineering laboratory facilities. Professors Guillaume and Mirmirani are the Co-PIs.  

Department Of Technology

Dr. Blekhman has a strong interest in combustion and alternative and renewable energy technologies. He is currently working on curriculum, laboratory and research development in this area.

RESEARCH NOTES

College of Engineering Computer Science and Technology received over $2 million in sponsored research.
 

Upcoming ECST EVENTS

ECST Welcome Back BBQ
Friday, October 5th

ECST Open House
Saturday, October 20, 2007 - 9am-2pm  
For more info visit the Open House Website: 
www.calstatela.edu/academic/ecst/openhouse/OpenHouseFall2007.htm

ECST Career Fair
Thursday, February 21 from 10-4pm