The League of exTraordinary engineers

Cullen College of Engineering Magazine ? Fall 2018

The League of Extraordinary Engineers

Winner of the

national science foundation

Synergy Award

Winner of the

national science foundation

career Award

aaron becker

starring in

the engineer

He ' s t r a i n i n g r o b o t s t o c u r e d i s e a s e , h e a l t i s s u e a n d d e l i v e r me d i c i n e .

at a research lab near you

egr.uh.edu/robot-whiz

University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering 1

Parameters Fall 2018 I egr.uh.edu

The League of Extraordinary Engineers

Standing Strong

Power. Grace. Wisdom... and Water Breaking Down Walls to Build Futures

pg. 50

pg. 54

pg. 60

Cullen College of Engineering Elizabeth D. Rockwell Dean Joseph W. Tedesco Associate Dean for Research & Facilities Hanadi Rifai Associate Dean for Graduate Programs & Computing Facilities Suresh K. Khator Director of the Division of Undergraduate Programs & Student Success Fritz Claydon

2 Parameters Fall 2018

Parameters

Parameters is published biannually by the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, Office of Communications.

Executive Director Audrey Grayson

Art Director/Graphic Designer Rachel Knudsen

Marketing Manager Inez Hutchinson

Senior Writer/Editor Rashda Khan

Photographer/Videographer Carlos Landa

Contributing Writers Jeannie Kever | John Lienhard Laurie Fickman | Audrey Grayson

Stock imagery provided by iStock and Freepik

Contact us: University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Office of Communications Engineering Building 2 4722 Calhoun Road, Suite E311 Houston, Texas 77204-4009

Those wishing to reprint articles or photographs should contact the director. Use the credit line: Reprinted with permission of the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering. Clippings are appreciated.

The University of Houston is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. Minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

UH Researchers Win $1M Award to Boost Student Success

pg. 40

Uncovering the Remains of a Maya Megalopolis pg. 22

Peering into the Heart Without Touching

pg. 32

in every issue

4 >Engineering Snapshots 18 > lead news

86 > alumni news

10 > college News

65 > Faculty News

93 > support & giving

12 >HOUSTON News

75 >Student News

94 > culture & events

Academic Departments

Biomedical Engineering Chair: Metin Akay Web: bme.uh.edu 832-842-8813

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Chair: Mike Harold Web: chee.uh.edu 713-743-4300

Petroleum Engineering Chair: Mohamed Soliman Web: petro.uh.edu 832-842-4848

Civil & Environmental Engineering Chair: Roberto Ballarini Web: cive.uh.edu 713-743-4250

Electrical & Computer Engineering Chair: Badri Roysam Web: ece.uh.edu 713-743-4400

Industrial Engineering Chair: Gino Lim Web: ie.uh.edu 713-743-4180

101 > last word

Mechanical Engineering Chair: Pradeep Sharma Web: me.uh.edu 713-743-4500

Office of Advancement Mail: University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Engineering Building 2 4722 Calhoun Road, Suite E421 Houston, Texas 77204-4007 Web: advancement.egr.uh.edu

UHEngineering @uhengineering uhengineering UHCullenCollege University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering

University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering 3

engineering snapshots

harnessing the power and promise of

dean's letter

It was in the midst of the Great Depression, during the early years of World War II, when their names were first engraved into the American psyche: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain America.

In the late 1930s through the 1940s, when the American Dream may have seemed more like an illusion to many, these comic book superheroes embodied the hopes of millions of Americans suffering from loss, starvation and the effects of war. They captivated the minds and imaginations of a desperate nation, eager to envision a light at the end of dark times ? a future that was worth fighting for.

Comics offered just the kind of fantasy we could escape into: heroes taking a stand against villainy, helping those who need it most and restoring justice to an unjust world.

But it wasn't just the fantasy of comic books that captivated our attention. Superheroes were real people with average jobs and lives: Wonder Woman is military secretary Diana Prince; Batman is businessman Bruce Wayne; Captain America is frail U.S. soldier Steve Rogers; and Superman is introverted journalist Clark Kent.

If you're like me, you probably feel more like Clark Kent than Superman ? but the bespectacled and ordinary Clark Kent could find the strength to overcome incredible challenges, to rise above his fears and accomplish extraordinary feats.

This notion of heroism ? born more than 70 years ago during the Golden Age of Comics ? remains alive and well to this day, inspiring one big screen blockbuster after another. And the most enduring message of

4 Parameters Fall 2018

the superhero fantasy remains: That the superhero isn't fantasy at all.

Heroes exist everywhere, all around us. And the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering has a superhero lineup that could rival any comic book universe.

These heroes ? ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things ? embody the best qualities we all share as humans: morality, strength and a determination to protect the shared values of society.

They don't don capes, masks or spandex, but they do have superpowers. They are guardians of the megalopolis of Houston, protectors of humankind and inventors of tools and technologies that give them super-human abilities.

In this issue of Parameters, we introduce you to the everyday superheroes who are using the power of science to save lives, make the impossible possible, forge a better future and inspire others to do the same.

Warm regards,

Joseph W. Tedesco, Ph.D., P.E. Elizabeth D. Rockwell Dean and Professor

data science institute

uh.edu/data-science-institute

engineering snapshots

uh engineering by the numbers

Top ranking graduate programs in:

#13 #34 #47 #54 #59

Petroleum chemical industrial aerospace electrical

#69

Best Engineering School in the Nation

#62 #63 #75 #77 #78

civil

environmental mechanical

materials biomedical (Source: U.S. News & World Report)

+ 1,153

3,061

graduate students

undergraduate students

Degrees awarded in

2018

4,214

total

students

714 B.S. + 378 M.S. + 84 Ph.D. = 1,176 total

15

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

National

Academy of

Engineering faculty members

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

1) Andrew Veletsos; 2) Dan Luss; 3) Jerome Schultz; 4) James M. Symons; 5) Benton F. Baugh; 6) Charles D. Cutler; 7) John H. Lienhard; 8) Christine A. EhligEconomides; 9) Kaspar Willam; 10) Jamal J. Azar; 11) S.M. Farouq Ali; 12) Andrea Prosperetti; 13) Kaushik Rajashekara; 14) Ganesh Thakur; 15) Birol Dindoruk

6 Parameters Fall 2018

1377

average SAT

score of entering

freshman

139

total faculty

$26M+

annual research expenditures

$104,640 average annual salary for engineers in Houston, Texas (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2017)

2018 Average Annual Salaries in Engineering

Median entry-level salary1

Aerospace

$72,175

Biomedical

$62,170

Chemical & Biomolecular

$68,360

Civil

$58,838

Computer

$72,629

Electrical

$67,404

Environmental

$58,512

Industrial/Manufacturing

$62,063

Materials

$68,349

Mechanical

$64,695

Petroleum

$93,094

Subsea

$93,829

1 Figures from , June 2018 2, 3 Figures from National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, U.S. Department of Labor, 2017

Mean annual salary2

$115,300 $92,970 $112,430 $91,790 $119,650 $99,580 $91,180 $90,340 $98,610 $91,500 $154,780 $106,347

Top 10%3

$162,110 $142,610 $169,080 $138,110 $176,900 $150,340 $134,060 $130,930 $149,860 $133,900 $250,000 $300,000

University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering 7

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