Engineering and... News: August 2023

Dear GW Engineering Community,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 academic year! To our new students, faculty, and staff, we are excited to have you join the GW Engineering community. To our returning students, we are so glad to see you back on campus.

It was not that long ago that we officially closed out the 2022-2023 academic year on a high note, when we announced GW's new co-led $20 million trustworthy AI institute – TRAILS, recognized our recipients of GW faculty honors, and celebrated the accomplishments of another amazing graduating class of engineers and computer scientists.

This summer, we announced several new partnerships, initiatives, and accomplishments that illustrate how GW continues to be a leader amongst higher education institutions and how GW Engineering is playing a growing role in that stature.

In June, GW was invited to join the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), which recognizes GW's leading research, education, and innovation. The AAU is the club for the most prestigious research universities in North America, as evidenced by the current membership list. As you will see, GW is the only DC-based university in the AAU.

GW Engineering announced a new $30 million partnership between GW and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that gives GW students and faculty access to a federal program for STEM worker cultivation through its participation in NIST's Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). The program partners with universities to provide lab experience and financial support to undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral candidates, and faculty, as well as further the United States' STEM workforce.

GW was awarded a two-year grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to establish an Open-Source Program Office (OSPO). The OSPO will coordinate and support open-source software development across GW, helping researchers embrace open-source tools and practices. The OSPO's plans include training programs, infrastructure and tools for open-source development, events fostering community and collaboration, and partnerships with industry and government.

These are but a few examples of how GW Engineering's research, educational programs, and partnerships are creating knowledge, solutions, innovations, policies, and leaders to address society's grand challenges of the mid-21st century – and how we are being increasingly recognized for doing so.

Additionally, over the last two months, we focused on preparing to welcome new undergraduate and graduate students. Thanks to our dedicated community of faculty and staff, we've made great strides in improving and enhancing our instructional strategies, curricula, and support services to ensure our students receive a robust learning experience and are positioned for success.

When asked what piece of advice I would give to incoming GW Engineering students, my answer is to meet new people, explore your interests, and be open to new ideas and perspectives. But this is really advice for all of us, throughout our entire lives.

So I encourage everyone – myself included – to make the most of the fall semester, whether by exploring new academic programs and courses, connecting with others over a shared interest, participating in research and innovation on a topic of importance to you, volunteering your time and expertise in an area of need, joining a student organization or simply attending a GW Engineering event to share community and learn from one another. GW offers plenty of opportunities to do so, and there is no time like the present.

Raise High, Revolutionaries!
John Lach, Dean
GW Engineering

Congratulations to Professor Ekundayo Shittu on being named the Interim Chair of the Engineering Management and Systems Engineering (EMSE) Department! Professor Shittu brings a strong background in industrial engineering and operations research, business, and management fields, as well as a deep understanding of systems engineering principles and methodologies. In 2023, Professor Shittu received the Trachtenberg Prize for Teaching in recognition of his exceptional teaching and commitment to student success.

Led by GW Engineering, the George Washington University has entered a five-year cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that will strengthen the scientific workforce while providing opportunities for GW and its partners in the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP).

September 1 from 2-6pm: Innovation Center Open House

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September 7 from 3:30-4:30pm: Dell Technologies Undergraduate Info Session

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September 8, 15, & 22 from 4-6pm: Org Fair Fridays

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September 8 from 4-6pm: Graduate Student Welcome Happy Hour

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September 8 from 7-9:30pm: Student Performance Showcase

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September 12 from 1:30-2:30pm: Job Search 101: SEAS Graduate Career Services Orientation

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September 13 & 21 from 4-6pm: GW Engineering Org Fair

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September 14 from 10-11am: Grad MS Thesis/Research Seminar

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September 22 from 2:15-3:15pm: Industry Expert Panel: Successful University-to-Workforce Transitions

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September 22 from 11am-4pm: GW Engineering Career Fair & Symposium

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September 23 from 9am-4:30pm: Convocation & Welcome Day of Service

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September 29 - October 1: Alumni & Families Weekend

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Integrated circuits (ICs) are embedded in every aspect of our modern society. They deliver high-performance, high-reliability, secure, energy-efficient, & sustainable solutions to important societal applications. David & Marilyn Karlgaard Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ahmed Louri and his team regularly investigate these novel parallel computer architectures & technologies. His current research projects include versatile and scalable accelerator architectures and ICs for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. 

In Spring 2023, Louri was awarded three new National Science Foundation awards that total $3.8 million to continue researching and designing next-generation computing architectures. 

Every year, the American Physical Society (APS) holds a meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) to promote the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in all areas of fluid dynamics. We are excited to announce that Michael Plesniak, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Chair and Professor, will co-chair the 2023 meeting!

Plesniak has been involved with the APS DFD for over 30 years and, alongside other members of GW’s fluid dynamics group, was encouraged by DFD leadership to put in a bid to co-host the conference in D.C. with the University of Maryland, which was accepted. This year’s meeting is projected to draw around 4,000 attendees.

Designing Implantable Cardiac Devices to Study Heart Failure

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Creating a Healthier World Through Pioneering Environmental Engineering Research

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Serving Understudied Communities Through Computer Security and Privacy Research

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Investigating Entropy Oxide Memristors for Software-Equivalent Neuromorphic Computing

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Championing Sustainable Solutions to Address Food, Agriculture and Climate Change Issues

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Solving Urban Air Mobility Safety Concerns Through Innovative Research

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Researchers at George Washington University have developed an experimental device that could one-day help monitor and treat heart disease and dysfunction in the days, weeks or months following traumatic heart-related event before dissolving safely in the body. The dissolvable device would also help avoid complications and burdens associated with removal from the body, such as infection or the high cost of another surgical procedure.

Luyao Lu, Assistant Professor of biomedical engineering, and fellow GW researchers working with counterparts at Northwestern University describe the device they developed and tested in a new study published in Science Advances. The device is an advanced soft electronics system that uses an array of sensors and actuators to perform more complicated investigations of the heart than traditional devices like a pacemaker has been able to do in the past. Not only can it be placed on various sections of the heart, but it can communicate information to physicians in real time about the health status of the patient’s heart.

Executive Director of Undergraduate Student Services, Advising, and Records Jonathan Ragone works hard to ensure all incoming and returning undergraduate students are well-supported throughout their entire time at GW Engineering.

Q: What led you to this career?
A: I started my career in Student Affairs/Residence Life as an Assistant Residence Hall Director in my senior year of college. I really enjoy working with students, faculty and staff to create communities that foster learning, leadership and belonging. In this first position, I helped lead the Living Learning Center for Science and Engineering which seems to have come full circle 24 years later. After that I remained in Residence Life for a number of years in different positions with functional areas around leadership development. However, I later transitioned to roles more focused in Academic Affairs, which included Orientation, Advising, and Program Management.

Q: What advice would you give to incoming first-year students on how to succeed at GW Engineering?
A: The key to success is finding your passion because when your values align with what you are doing there is no limit to what you can achieve. Of course that is easier said than done, but challenge yourself to go outside of your comfort zone, listen to yourself, take time to reflect, and be open to new ideas.

Dean John Lach recently hosted a Staff Town Hall where he presented on the State of the School. The presentation summarized GW Engineering's current progress & shared where we aim to go from here with time for staff to ask questions. It demonstrated our school has continued to make amazing progress and further explained the "Engineering And..." brand.

Rumana Riffat, associate dean for graduate studies at SEAS, has been named vice provost for faculty affairs, effective Sept. 1! Riffat, an expert in sustainable treatment of wastewater, joined GW's faculty in 1994 and was named a full professor in 2009. She holds many research, teaching and service awards from GW and external organizations.

GW Engineering is excited to introduce Ryan Salandy as the new SEAS Web Lead! He is a collaborative and strategic web professional boasting over a decade of experience in web development. He comes from OIE, where he served in a temporary position. In that year, he says he fell in love with GW and wanted to stay permanently.