Nevada Engineering Spring 2021
Engineers make a world of difference in the fight against COVID-19
Nevada Engineering | Spring 2021
The stories of the students and faculty in the College of Engineering who are making a world of difference through their research, outreach and service.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Greetings from Dean Manos Maragakis
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. In the year that followed, every facet of life has been touched by the pandemic, from the way we work to the way we eat, where we live and how we share traditions with our loved ones. To say nothing of how we teach and learn.
In the midst of the ensuing uncertainty and fear, I was proud of the immediate response of the members of the College of Engineering. Within days, they began harnessing their skills and resources to help in the unprecedented fight. They used 3D printers to produce personal protective equipment for distribution in our hospitals and care facilities. They discovered new ways to deliver a globally competitive computer science and engineering education, and as a result, we continued to provide our students with opportunities to pursue world-changing research.
In this issue of Nevada Engineering, we highlight the many projects from the College that helped us understand and address the challenges of COVID-19. From wastewater analysis to determine the spread of the virus to novel machine learning approaches to predict its future proliferation, from tests for the virus that provide results within 30 seconds to the development of new techniques to sanitize surfaces, the research our students and faculty produced in the last year will have a lasting impact.
The research produced in the past year, though, is only part of the story. In this year unlike any other, I am grateful to every person in the College. Through their hard work and dedication, we have not only adapted but thrived. We took our advising online, offered tutoring through Zoom, continued to support K-12 students through our outreach programs, connected students with employers through virtual career fairs, delivered our Innovation Day to showcase senior projects online, and most of all, maintained the engineering spirit that drives innovation and creativity to solve the most difficult and pressing problems. Every person had to find new ways to contribute in all areas of our operations, and their successes are countless. As a result, for the second year in a row, all of our ranking-eligible graduate programs were ranked by U.S. News & World Report, and for the tenth year in a row, the College itself was ranked.
As we look forward to a brighter day, it is apparent that the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno has been strengthened by this challenge. We have maintained our breadth of research, our high standard of scholarship and our personalized world-class mentorship. In fact, in this challenging year, we have had enough good news to share with the world to distribute two issues of the magazine—a first for us. I am deeply impressed but not at all surprised by the response of our students, faculty and staff. This issue of the magazine reflects their commitment to the future and their ability to overcome any obstacle they may face.
Regards,
Manos Maragakis
Dean, College of Engineering
University of Nevada, Reno
2021 Innovation Day goes virtual
Each year, all engineering graduating seniors work in teams on senior capstone projects. Together, they design solutions to real-world problems. From idea to prototype, the process allows students to draw on four years’ worth of engineering coursework to bring theory to life. One of Dean Manos Maragakis’s original visions for the College when he took office, the annual Innovation Day is a showcase of their hard work.
To keep this important tradition alive while respecting gathering guidelines, this year’s event went virtual. Pictured here is Biomedical Engineering Team 14 (Victoria Defilippi, Casey O'Brien, Sarita Brown, and Nolan Larza), working in the new William N. Pennington Engineering Building on their project, Luna.
Working within COVID protocols, the Society of Women Engineers connects students with industry
On February 17, the University’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) connected 65 students with 11 companies through its annual Evening with Industry (EWI) event. As a result of the virtual delivery of this year’s event and the outreach efforts of the Society of Women Engineers, for the first time ever, students from Truckee Meadows Community College, Western Nevada College, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas were also able to participate. SWE President Victoria Defilippi and EWI Coordinators Lily Raymond and Mackenzie Santor-Vaz organized the event.
Natalie Little delivered the keynote address and said of the event, "UNR SWE did a fantastic job of pulling together their members and hosting this amazing networking event."
Sierra Nevada Corporation forgoes holiday and year-end meetings, donates to College of Engineering
Donations were made based on Sierra Nevada Corporation employee recommendations.
Janet Napolitano discusses DHS during COVID-19 at College of Engineering's 2020 Distinguished Lecture Series
The former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security described the current challenges facing the country and offered a hopeful closing remark.
Spring Internship & Career Fair
To abide by social distance guidelines, the Spring 2021 College of Engineering Internship & Career Fair went virtual. On Thursday February 25, 47 employers connected with 454 students through 642 one-on-one meetings. Hosted by the College of Engineering's Career Services, the semiannual event is designed to help students transition from the University to fulfilling careers.
Dean Manos Maragakis
“The members of the College of Engineering have responded to the coronavirus pandemic with the singular goal of securing the health of the members of our global community.”
NOTES FROM AN R1 RESEARCH INSTITUTION
$25 Million in 2020
It was another great year for research in the University of Nevada, Reno's College of Engineering. With support from the Engineering Research Office, the faculty in the College of Engineering received $25 million in grant funding for projects designed to improve the world. We are proud to share some of the many highlights from the year in review. While we look back on a successful year, with $16 million in grants from July to December alone, we also look forward to another successful year of advancing knowledge, solving problems and solidifying our reputation as an R1 Research Institution.
NSF-funded research will improve reliability and efficiency of sensor networks
Field data networks for scientific research and service, such as this ALERTWildfire camera system in the Lake Tahoe watershed, are an area of rapid growth fueled by Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Photo by Scotty Strachan, UNR Office of Information Technology, Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and ALERTWildfire.
New roadside LiDAR sensors help build a safer transportation infrastructure
Engineering researchers have expanded a network of LiDAR sensors to improve traffic efficiency, reduce accidents and facilitate the use of autonomous vehicles.
New tool allows computer scientists to support life scientists
Department of Computer Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Tin Nguyen and his lab have developed software to help life scientists efficiently analyze single-cell data using machine learning.
Collaborative research project with NV Energy gets assistance from University professors
Professors Hanif Livani and Mohammed Ben-Idris of the electrical engineering department will participate.
Floris van Breugel awarded prestigious Air Force Research Laboratory grant
Van Breugel is one of 36 scientists to receive $450,000 through the Air Force's Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).
CREATE program welcomes second cohort, celebrates successful first year
The NSF-funded program aims to recruit, retain and engage academically talented engineering students through scholarships and academic support services.
GAANN welcomes first cohort of fellows for fall 2020
The Graduate Assistantship in Areas of National Need program in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering welcomed its first cohort this fall.
Postdoctoral researcher wins international 3-minute thesis video competition
Before receiving her Ph.D. in civil engineering in August, Elif Ecem Baş developed a machine learning algorithm that improves cyber-physical seismic hybrid simulations.
Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates earn prestigious scholarships
Zachary Wolff and Alexander Goldman have earned scholarships from the TMS Society, a national organization that awards only ten scholarships annually.
Computer Science student Sara Davis wins Intel SWE Scholarship for engineering research
Sara Davis, a Ph.D. student in Computer Science Engineering, received a scholarship from the Society of Women Engineers for her research in reducing bias in AI systems.
Dean Manos Maragakis
"The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education R1 (or very high research activity) designation is reserved for the highest level of research activity at doctoral institutions. . . . The College of Engineering played a leading role in the University's efforts to attain R1 status, and I want to thank all of our dedicated faculty, students and staff for their significant contributions."
PEOPLE
Annual Celebration
Each year, our Annual Celebration recognizes the accomplishments of our students, faculty and staff. We couldn't be prouder of the dedicated members of our community, like Fall 2020 Senior Scholar Allan Romero.
Through my work as an engineer, I hope to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis [MS] through genetic engineering. My dad has MS. He is my biggest inspiration to become an engineer, and I want to help others with MS.
Victoria Defilippi
President, Society of Women Engineers
Krishna Pagilla elected ASCE Fellow
The election honors Pagilla’s more than 25 years of experience
After receiving his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 1994, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair Krishna Pagilla has embarked on a career that, to date, has resulted in more than 200 publications and more than $10 million in research grant funding. Most recently, he received an award of $1.8 million to study COVID-19 prevalence through wastewater surveillance.
In recognition of these accomplishments, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has elected him as a fellow. The honor is given to only 3 percent of its membership of 150,000 engineering professionals. About the honor, Pagilla said, “Being a civil and environmental engineer, this recognition by ASCE as a Fellow is a proud moment in my career. I hope it adds to the visibility of the CEE department and the University as having as many top-rated faculty in the nation as we do.”
Kelly Cross named one of 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America
In January, Cell Mentor listed Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Kelly Cross as one of the 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America.
Of the recognition, Cross said, “It is an honor to be recognized with so many other outstanding Black scholars, and I hope we continue to be an inspiration to young scholars. This generation needs to see scientists and engineers that are relatable. For example, young aspiring scholars need visible examples that look like them and have life experience similar to theirs to know it is possible to one day make this list or even better make Black scientists so common in academia that this list is not necessary. These examples can be normalized by embedding them within the culture and technical curriculum.”
International Women's Day
Inaugural International Women’s Day Award for Inclusive Practices awarded
This year, Computer Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Emily Hand developed an award to recognize the contributions of graduate students in the department who strive to foster inclusive practices in the College and across campus. The International Women’s Day Award for Inclusive Practices provides a $500 prize, as well as a plaque.
The inaugural recipient, Autumn Cuellar, is a member of the College of Engineering Diversity Committee and serves on the Disability Resource Center’s neurodiversity working group. Through her work and service, she is a strong advocate for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) concepts.
Alumnae & Alianza
As part of Alianza's celebration of Women's History Month, three of our alumnae shared their experiences as women in engineering.
Sierra Gonzales
Michelle Falcon Mujica
Fallon Rodriguez
"As a Latina engineer, I find my inspiration through other women who have taken risks or leaps of faith in order to find their true happiness and purpose.... My greatest accomplishment has definitely been being a first-generation college graduate. Being a minority woman in a male-dominant field was something I didn’t just want for me, but it was something that I wanted for my parents because they gave me an opportunity that they didn’t have in their lifetime."
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HEADLINES
Our students, faculty, staff and alumni keep making headlines. Check back often.
College of Engineering and its programs make 2021 U.S. News and World Report rankings
For the second year in a row, the College of Engineering and all of the ranking-eligible graduate engineering programs housed within it received rankings.
Rubber hits the road for RTDensity
Electrical Engineering Professor Sesh Commuri’s road construction tool goes to market
New testing instrument, only one of its kind in Nevada, allows College of Engineering to expand research into power grids
Acknowledgements
The College of Engineering gratefully acknowledges the support of Nevada Today and Nevada Silver & Blue in making these stories possible. Special thanks to Mike Wolterbeek, Karl Fendelander, Jane Tors, Moses Achoka, Sarah Strang, Isaac Hoops and Nikki Moylan.
Corporate Partners
The Corporate Partners program at the College of Engineering of the University of Nevada, Reno brings together a select group of companies and firms to collaborate with engineering and computer science educators, researchers and students. The mission of the program is to generate interactions between the College and the Corporate Partners that bridge the gap between theory and practice and bring a competitive edge to the College of Engineering, the partners, the region, the state and the nation.
The College of Engineering is proud to partner with the following companies.
Learn more
For more information about the program, please contact Flynn Ginty at fginty@unr.edu or (775) 682-7696.
Contact Nevada Engineering
Submit inquiries to Chris Moran at cakinaga@unr.edu.