January 14, 2003

Click here to see more of the BIG D in action!

Mark Your Calendar

Expo 2003
On the Cutting Edge
February 10
UCF CECS Atrium

Did you know?

UCF Computer Programming Team has finished in the top 3 for the past 21 years in the Southeast Region competition sponsored by the the largest computing organization, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

Partnership Grows Future Workforce

By Wayne Weinberg

The University of Central Florida-College of Engineering & Computer Science and NASA-KSC proudly host the First Robotics Competition in 2003. Approximately 50 teams from throughout Florida and the Southeast will bring 1800 students and 2000 other guests to this event.

Making Hard Lives Easier

By Susan Loden

Mechanical engineering design students are making a difference in the lives of some severely disabled high school graduates by creating customized devices that enable them to hold jobs. Some of these new technologies may ultimately see wider use and garner U.S. patents for the university. Funds earned from future sales would spur development of more new tools.

Optimistic & Smart Now a National Cover Story

The College’s Dr. Pamela McCauely Bell of the Department Industrial Engineering & Management Systems is a motivator, professor, business executive and mother. Her achievements have earned her the national spotlight as IIE Solutions magazine cover story (Dec. 02 edition).

America’s First Woman in Space and UCF Reach for the Stars

by: Wayne Weinberg

The Sally Ride Science Club and the University of Central Florida College of Engineering and Computer Science will host the Sally Ride Science Festival at UCF on February 2, 2003.

 


Flappers of the new millenium

 

Dean Marty Wanielista
a.k.a. Dean Capone

Gangsters & Dames Raid UCF

By Wayne Weinberg

More than 200 people enjoyed the College’s annual Alumni Chapter Fundraiser—High Tech High Rollers—The Roarin’ 20’s. The party was held in Engineering II’s massive atrium. The atrium was creatively converted into a Speak Easy complete with a casino and music of the 20’s. Guests, dressed as gangsters, the rich and famous, or flappers, ate, gambled with Dean Dollars and by the evening’s end contributed more than $16 thousand dollars to support the Alumni Chapter’s endowed scholarship.
We are grateful to Diamond Sponsor Hartman & Associates for their support. Thank you High Tech Chair Linda Flannery of Imagine Solutions, Inc. for your exceptional leadership.

Watch out for High Tech Low Rollers in Spring!

 

High Tech
High Rollers

Ain't We Got Fun!

  


Dr. Thompson trying his luck with the slots.

    

Madame Chair-Linda Flannery

 

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7| Page 8

College Uses Business Model to Grow National Reputation

With the guidance of the leadership of the Dean’s Executive Council, the college has used the business worlds’ “best practices” to determine its strengths.

After several working sessions, the college has identified 10 core competencies or strengths. They are aerospace, bio-medical, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental, ESP, Information Systems Technology, Nano/Miniaturization, Simulation /Modeling and Transportation. The Council leadership has teamed with faculty champions to fortify each area. The progress of each competency will be benched marked against the very best college’s and universities in the nation.

 


Photo by: Marie Aguilar
L-R: Ron Eaglin, Jamal Nayfeh, Pete Panousis, Kevin Jackson, Carol Conner, Jim Heald, Mark Calabrese, Jennifer McDaniel, Kermit Prime, Carl Conti, Tom Wshburn, Louis Chow, Bill Palm, Debbie Reinhart, Chris Bauer, Hank Eyster, Jeff Pearce, Joanie Schirm, Lesia Crumpton-Young,David Gwynn, Deepa Shenoy, Essam Radwan, Bernie Fitzgerald and Lillian Ruiz

The goal is for the College of Engineering and Computer Science to become the College where all others are measured against. The result will be a meaningful research for the region and attracting the best and brightest faculty and students.

Council Chair, Dr. Peter Panousis is proud of the process “the College can be an incredibly positive influence in driving economic development in our region, and in fact the whole state.

The college has been very effective in aligning its programs and areas of competence with the needs of the community. We now need to be sure that the community recognizes these areas of high competence and how they might leverage this knowledge for the benefit of their business and the community in general. “

click here for core competency roster

Dean Wanielista and guest speaker Joyce Dawley-Regional Director FDLE. Ms. Dawley spoke on homeland security at the fall council meeting

 

 

Women Rule!

The UCF student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) was awarded first place in each of the following national competitions during the 2002 National SWE Conference in Detroit, Michigan in October: Outstanding Small Student Section, The Exxon/Mobile Grant for best audio-visual outreach video and the Boeing Team Tech Competition. The team of Annmarie Uskert, Sandy Matueski, Jessica Layton, David Diel, and Jennifer Thomas was awarded the first-place award of $5,000 for their design and presentation of an innovative camera-housing pressure gauge for Boeing.

click here for complete story

Faculty Kudos!

Dr. Abdel Aty, Associate Professor in our Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department was appointed on the Editorial board of Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal, a premier journal that is publishes state of the art research findings in the area of traffic safety.

Dr. Manoj Chopra, Assistant Chair & Associate Professor CEE is named 2002 Engineering Faculty Member of the Year by the Florida Engineering Society (FES). Current President of FES, John Zumwalt hands Dr. Chopra his award at ceremonies held at the Sawgrass Resort in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

 

Dr. Esssam Radwan, Chair CEE has been appointed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Board of Direction to serve as a Governor in the newly established Transportation and Development Institute.

Dr. Roger Wayson, Associate Professor CEE has been appointed as a national advisor for USDOT next year as part of Volpe national Laboratory in Boston to spearhead a new program on transportation security and has completed work on a committee for the National Research Council on Meteorological and Topographical Influences related to Carbon Monoxide Non-Attainment areas.


 

Tradition Revived

by: Malita Anders

The Dean’s Student Advisory Council sponsored Engineering Networking Day 2002 along with the Orlando, Florida Engineering Society and American Society of Civil Engineers Parent Chapters. Carlos Gittens a ‘98 Civil Engineering UCF alumni,



FES ASCE work the BBQ!


Free food + People = Long Lines

Rodolfo Pacheco a UCF liaison for the Water Resources Technical Committee, and Malita Anders the Dean’s Student Advisory Council Chair, headed up the event to renew the old engineering tradition of Fall Picnic. With a new name and location (CREOL Grounds), the event was a real success, despite the rainstorm that cut the event short.

Sheila Suarez, DSAC Vice-Chair (right) passing out plates.

It just doesn’t taste the same without mustard!


In the first hour and a half, over 300 students, faculty, and local professionals enjoyed BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs.

FES team said, “Red rover, red rover, send the Dean right over.”

Malita Anders, DSAC Chair thanks local professionals

 

FIRST Robotics Central Florida Regional in Orlando


The College of Engineering and Computer Science has taken a significant step to expand its growing national reputation and to contribute to the workforce on the Florida High Tech Corridor. On March 20-22, 2003, the College, in partnership with NASA/Kennedy Space Center, will host at UCF one of 23 FIRST Robotics Regionals. The event is called Central Florida FIRST Robotics Regional.

The future of high tech work force in the Florida High Tech Corridor will in part be determined by nurturing our young people’s knowledge in learning and using math, science and technology. The NASA- UCF Robotics Regional provides an opportunity for students to have hands on experience involving real world problems using math, science and technology, skills. Regional Chairman Erik Halleus of Siemens EN believes “the results motivate our youth to develop and enhance an enthusiasm for careers in engineering and technology.”

High school teams from the entire state of Florida, North America and Puerto Rico will compete in Orlando The NASA/KSC –UCF Regional will attract at least 50 teams representing 1,800 high school students and 2,000 mentors, family members and supporters to this event. The Regional will enhance the College’s ability to deliver a highly qualified workforce to the Orlando area.


America’s First Woman in Space, Sally Ride, and UCF Reach for the Stars

The Sally Ride Science Club and the University of Central Florida College of Engineering and Computer Science will host the Sally Ride Science Festival at UCF on February 2, 2003. Festivals have been hosted at MIT, CalTech, University of Texas, Arizona State University, and the University of Michigan.

The festivals bring together 600-1000 middle school girls in the Orlando region for an inspirational day of science and socializing. During a festival, girls experience science as a natural outgrowth of their own curiosity. Sally Ride will launch the Festival with an inspirational presentation describing her experiences. There will be a variety of workshops for girls and special workshops for parents and teachers about ways to support girls’ interests in science, math and computers.

Says Sally Ride.”We created the Sally Ride Science Club to support the large numbers of girls who are interested in technical fields by connecting them to each other, to female role models and to their own source of engaging content and activities.”, and separate adult track workshops are available.

 

Core Competency Leadership 2003

Aerospace
Mr. Mark Calabrese, Chair
President-John Galt, Inc.
Mr. Bernie Fitzgerald
President-Fitzgerald Marketing Communications
Aerospace College Champion
Dr. Ron Phillips
Director-Florida Space Institute

BioMedical
Biomedical College Champion
Dr. Ted Conway
Associate Professor-Mechanica, Materials & Aerospace

Computer Science
Mr. William (Hank) Eyster, III Chair
Division Vice President of Engineering GCSD-Harris Corporation
Ms. Jennifer McDaniel
Mr. Steve Stein
Principal Sr. Director
R.W. Beck Inc.
Computer Science College Champion
Dr. Erol Gelenbe
Director-School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

 


Electrical Engineering
Mr. George Mezo, Chair
Former President, Oracle
Mr. Michael Graff
Entrepreneur in Residence
UCF Technology Incubator
Jennifer McDaniel
Electrical Engineering College Champion
Dr. Zhihua Qu-Director
Electrical Engineering

Environmental
Ms. Carol Conner, P.E., Chair
Senior Vice President-Miller Sellen Conner & Walsh
Mr. Gerald C. Hartman, P.E.
President-Hartman & Associates, Inc.
Mr. William Palm, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Mr. Kermit Prime
Senior Vice President-PBS&J
Environment College Champion
Dr. David Cooper-Professor-Civil and Environmental Engineering
ESP
Mr. Mark Calabrese
President-John Galt, Inc.
Ms. Carol Conner, P.E.
Senior Vice President
Miller Sellen Conner & Walsh

Dr. Greg B. Hale
Chief Safety Officer, Vice President Safety Accessibility and Advanced Technology of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney World Co.
Ms. Jennifer McDaniel
ESP College Champion
Dr. Debra Reinhart
Associate Dean

Information Systems Technology
Mr. Dennis Harward, Chair
Government Technology Resources
Mr. William Hank Eyster, III
Division VP of Engineering GCSD-Harris Corporation
Information Systems
Technology College Champion
Dr. Ron Eaglin

Nano/Miniaturization
Dr. Peter T. Panousis
Director-HiTEC Economic Center U CF
Nano/Miniaturization College Champions
Dr. Louis Chow
Dr. Vimal Desai
Professors-Mechanical, Materials & Aerospace

Simulation/Modeling
Mr. Bernie Fitzgerald
President-Fitzgerald Marketing Communications
Mr. Jim Heald
Director of Spaceport Engineering & Technology
NASA-KSC
Mr. Kevin C. Hoshstrasser
Director-Engineering
The Boeing Company
Ms. Beverly J. Kitaoka, Chair
Group Senior Vice President
SAIC
Mr. Jim Heald
Director of Spaceport Engineering & Technology
NASA-KSC
Simulation/Modeling College Champion
Dr. Charles Reilly
Professor Industrial Engineering & Management Systems

Transportation
Mr. David Gwynn, Jr., P.E., Chair
Principal-TEI Engineers and Planners
Ms. Joanie Schirm
President
Geotechnical and Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Transportation College Champion
Dr. Essam Radwan
Chair-Civil & Environmental Engineering