There is so much exceptional work being done at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering that I apologize if the newsletter gets a bit long. From cutting-edge research projects to impactful community initiatives, each story is a testament to the passion and dedication that define our department.

And thank you for being an integral part of this remarkable community. Together, we can continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and make a lasting impact as we train the next generation of engineers.

Have a great summer. I wish you all the best in your endeavors and look forward to connecting with you again this fall!

Warm regards,
Michael Wu, PhD, FIEEE
Professor and Department Head
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Awards & Acknowledgements

We're delighted to share the many awards and recognitions earned by our faculty, staff and students this year.

University Awards

Awards of Distinction

• Professor Kelly Simmons-Potter earned the University Distinguished Outreach Faculty Award

• Associate professor and Edward & Maria Keonjian Endowed Chair Wolfgang Fink earned the University Faculty Service Award

College of Engineering Awards

Outstanding Students

• Elliot Zuercher earned the Outstanding Senior Award

• Lavanya Umapathy earned the Outstanding Graduate Student Award

• Chris Bremser earned the Outstanding Student Achievement Award

• Yuchao Liao, Milad Taghipour and Jiahao Tang earned Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards

• Graduating ECE Engineering Ambassadors Alex Hillman, Katherine Patterson, Collin Preszler and Bianca Rodriguez were recognized for their service

Faculty & Staff Excellence

• Associate dean for faculty affairs & inclusion and professor Kathleen Melde earned the Diversity Award

• Professor of practice Kay Thamvichai earned the Teacher of the Year - Career Track Award

• Associate professor Ming Li earned the Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentor Award

• Marketing & data coordinator Susan Novosel earned the Innovation Award

College of Engineering & Tech Launch Arizona Patent Medallion Recipients

• Associate professor Siyang Cao, Min Liang (PhD in electrical & computer engineering in 2016) and professor Hao Xin were recognized for their Automotive Radar Using 3D Printed Luneburg Lens patent

• Associate professor and Edward & Maria Keonjian Endowed Chair Wolfgang Fink was recognized for his Vehicular Tip or Rollover Protection Mechanisms and Traverse Optimization and Multi-Purpose Tracking patent

• Min Liang (PhD in electrical & computer engineering in 2016), and professor Hao Xin were recognized for their Hollow Light Weight Lens Structure patent

Alumni Recognitions

Mark Baker (BS in electrical engineering in 1978) won the Professional Achievement Award. Baker is the founder of CheckMark Consulting, Inc. and an innovator in the mining industry. He has advanced autonomous haulage systems, including for Komatsu, which acquired Modular Mining Systems, a company he helped found.

Mike Hummel (BS in electrical engineering in 1982) won the Alumnus of the Year Award. Hummel is Salt River Project’s general manager and CEO. In more than 40 years of service, he has taken on executive positions in almost every area of the utility company.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Awards

Awards for Excellent Performance at the Student Interface

• Maisha Hafiz earned the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

• Undergraduate academic advisor Alexis Vasquez earned the Outstanding Staff Award

• Professor of practice Dale Hetherington and associate department head & associate professor Hal S. Tharp earned Outstanding Faculty Awards

External Awards

Wolfgang Fink, associate professor and Edward & Maria Keonjian Endowed Chair earned the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Aden and Marjorie Meinel Technology Achievement Award and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Silver Fellow.

Senior Karson Knudson of the UArizona Theme Park Entertainment Group participated in the Toronto Metropolitan University Thrill Design Invitational. The engineering club earned the highest marks overall, with distinction for technical skill, feasibility, innovation and communication and they were awarded more commendations per challenge than any other student team. Michael Marcellin, Regents Professor of ECE, serves as TPEG's faculty advisor.

Michael (Hongyi) Wu, department head and professor earned a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Buffalo. The award commemorates the 20th anniversary of Wu's graduation. He received his MS degree in 2000 and his PhD in 2002.