Author: Joshua

Congratulations to University of Utah electrical and computer engineering professor Cynthia Furse and materials science and engineering chair Feng Liu for receiving the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award, respectively.

Both were recognized with the campus-wide honors during the 150^th annual University of Utah Commencement as well as the College of Engineering’s convocation on May 3.

Feng Liu — Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award

Since joining University of Utah in 2000, Prof. Feng Liu has developed into one of the world’s leading experts in the fields of surface science and epitaxial growth of thin films, and the theory of nanostructures, graphene and topological materials. He won the prestigious Senior Humboldt Award in 2008 citing: “His work pioneered our understanding of the atomistic mechanisms underlying epitaxial growth of thin films and semiconductor nanostructures.” In 2011, Prof. Liu was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, based on: “His contribution to theory of nanostructures and strain-induced nanoscale Self-assembly.” “In recent years, he pioneered the fields of organic and surface-based topological materials,” said one nominator. “Prof. Liu has been running an active and well-funded research program which has become one of the largest in the College of Engineering (the group reached 20 people at one point). His research has been steadily supported by federal agencies (DOE, NSF and DOD), the State of Utah and industry. He is among the few people who has been simultaneously funded for two separate DOE-BES core programs, ‘Materials Synthesis and Processing’ and ‘Physical behavior of Materials’ (funded continuously so far for 20 years with an annual budget of $300K).”

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University of Utah materials science and engineering assistant professor (lecturer) Jeff Bates has created a new ski wax that not only has caught the eye of recreationists but also of Popular Science magazine.

The well-known science and technology magazine just named Bates’ Phantom ski wax for its 31st annual Best of What’s New award in the recreation category. The magazine listed the 100 greatest technological innovations for the year in categories including aerospace, gadgets, cars and security devices.

The Phantom wax, developed by Bates last year for Salt Lake City-based ski company, DPS Skis, involves a special formulation of polymers that can be applied to skis only once, eliminating the need for additional applications like regular ski wax.

To read more click here.

University of Utah materials science and engineering professor Shelley Minteer was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), it was announced Nov. 28. Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

She is one of two U professors to receive the honor this year. The association also named chemistry professor Glenn Prestwich. Both are among 416 newly-elected Fellows.

Minteer was elected for “fundamental and applied contributions to electrochemistry, including electrocatalytic cascades and natural and artificial metabolons for biofuel cells.”

Minteer’s career has focused on using nature as an inspiration and solution to chemistry problems. Her work has resulted in 17 issued patents and over 300 peer-reviewed publications in using biology as inspiration for biosensing, energy storage, energy conversion, and electrosynthesis.

To read more click here.

David A. Duke, a University of Utah College of Engineering graduate, former chief technology officer with Corning Inc. and an inductee in the National Academy of Engineering, passed away Monday, Oct. 9, of natural causes. He was 81.

Duke graduated with a bachelor’s in geology and geophysics in 1957, and a master’s and doctorate in geological engineering in 1959 and 1962, respectively, and was a fierce supporter of the U’s College of Engineering throughout his career. He was a member of the College’s Engineering National Advisory Council for 13 years and was a generous benefactor, providing financial support for the construction of the Warnock Engineering Building as well as for the David A. and Hanne J. Duke Scholarship in Materials Science and Engineering.

“David Duke was an engineering giant whose inventions and leadership had a huge impact on people’s quality of life in areas ranging from dinnerware to optical communications and air quality,” said Richard B. Brown, dean of the U’s College of Engineering. “He was recognized as a global technology leader, and honored with the highest awards given in the engineering profession. I appreciate his remarkable vision, judgement and support as a member of my National Advisory Council.”

Duke was born and raised in Salt Lake City and attended East High School before enrolling at the University of Utah in 1953. Upon graduation, he started working for Corning as a research scientist, a company he would stay with for 34 years. During that time, he was awarded 10 patents, most for Corelle dinnerware. During his tenure with the company, he attended Harvard Business School’s Professional Management Development program and then was put in charge of several of Corning’s businesses, including those involving science products, Radomes, catalytic converter substrates, and telecommunications/optical waveguides. In 1988, he was elected vice chairman and chief technical officer of Corning and was a member of its board of directors. He retired from the company in 1996 and was living in Park City with his wife, Hanne.

He accepted the National Medal of Technology from President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore on behalf of Corning, and he later received the Earle B. Barnes Award in Chemical Research Management by the American Chemical Society. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 1992.

During his career, he served tirelessly for others, mentoring colleagues at work, counseling families through his work with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and encouraging youth to pursue their professional goals. Away from work, Duke served as an LDS branch president and bishop in Elmira, N.Y., and was president of the South Africa, Durban LDS Mission from 1998 to 2001.

Duke is survived by his wife of 62 years, Hanne; their four children, Katherine (Robert) Shumway, Michael, Deborah (Gregg) Winn and John (Cessily) Duke; 20 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A public viewing will be held Friday, Oct. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the LDS Olympus Stake Center, 2675 E. 4430 South, Salt Lake City. A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. at the LDS Park City Stake Center, 2300 Monitor Dr., Park City. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Perpetual Education Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at http://give.lds.org/pef or to the David & Hanne Duke Scholarship Fund at the University of Utah College of Engineering at https://umarket.utah.edu/ugive/level4.php?catid=82.

The 2017 University of Utah College of Engineering staff, teaching and service awards were handed out Aug. 18 during the annual fall faculty meeting. Congratulations to all of the recipients of this year’s awards — including Materials Science and Engineering student Joshua Winger as this year’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant.

Joshua Winger, Materials Science and Engineering

It takes a rare combination of not only intelligence but selflessness to be a great teaching assistant. Josh Winger in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is one of those TA’s.

Just look and the student comments written about Josh, which read like Yelp reviews for a 5-star restaurant: “He went above and beyond the responsibility of a TA. By far the best one I have ever had,” wrote one student. “Josh was a very intelligent, very kind teacher’s assistant. He is always willing to help any person about any questions and about any subject.”

Lastly, the professor he worked for, Taylor Sparks, has only the highest praise for Josh: “He goes way above the duties of his job to try and help students out. He is a credit to our institution . . . and I can’t imagine a more deserving recipient.”

To read the complete list of this year’s winners click here.

If an engineer is going to successfully commercialize his or her technology so it can be used by millions of people, it takes a certain amount of business acumen to make it work. The problem is a lot of engineers just delegate that half of the work to executives with MBAs.

But there is a lot engineers can learn about the world of business to help them navigate the muddy waters of patents and partnerships. That’s why the University of Utah College of Engineering along with the U’s Eccles School of Business have developed a new Engineering Entrepreneurship Certificate designed to give engineering students the fundamentals necessary to start a business and function in the corporate world. The certificate is college-wide and can be taken by any engineering major.

For more information about the certificate, go to entrepreneurship.coe.utah.edu.

“By not knowing what it takes or the costs and the obstacles involved in business, that can be a significant impediment to something that’s a really good idea,” said University of Utah electrical and computer engineering department chair, Gianluca Lazzi, who also is the program director for the certificate. “By providing the students with the skills and knowledge necessary — from finance, to marketing, to operations and strategy — they can be prepared and avoid several of the pitfalls that come up when people try to start an enterprise.”

The undergraduate certificate requires 20 credit hours, and some courses counted toward an engineering degree can be counted for the certificate. It can be taken as an undergraduate or graduate (a graduate student needs only 15 credit hours to complete the certificate).

Some of the courses include Engineering Entrepreneurship, Launching Technology Ventures, Technical Communications, and Intellectual Property and Business Law. While formal applications are not necessary, prospective students are encouraged to contact the program advisor, Alec Down (alec.down@utah.edu), for guidance.

Lazzi and U College of Engineering Dean Richard B. Brown came up with the idea of the certificate so future engineers can more easily understand what it takes to successfully commercialize their research.

“These courses can help them so they can understand the language, read financial statements and not just rely on someone else for those things,” Lazzi said.

Another advantage with the certificate is that these courses are geared specifically for engineers, he added.

“There is an advantage when your colleagues in the courses are like-minded,” he said. “You form in teams and work directly on engineering projects that can enrich them with business knowledge. It’s an extension of what our students are already doing here but we really beef it up with elements important for translating it all into commercialization.”