Engineering and... News: September 2024

Greetings and Happy 140th Birthday, GW Engineering!

Our school – the second oldest undergraduate-serving school at GW – was established in 1884 to ensure that DC would be at the forefront of engineering education, innovation, and discovery. This purpose is baked into the fabric of our school and can be seen throughout our

academic programs. From where we started to where we are today, we’ve grown, evolved, improved, diversified, and adapted – we have come a long way! But there are always more goals to accomplish, more innovations to create, and more impact to have, and I fully believe in the GW Engineering community to make it happen!

It really is all about our people. Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni all play important roles in growing our reputation as an institution of innovators and accelerators. From research projects that inform national policy and experiential activities that enhance learning, to external partnerships and interdisciplinary initiatives designed to address the most pressing concerns in today’s society – the GW Engineering community consistently demonstrates our commitment to center people in everything we do. 

As the only R1 engineering school in the nation’s capital, we have unique opportunities to educate, influence, and partner with the federal government on innovations and policies that will impact communities around the world. Recently, Professor Peng Wei visited Capitol Hill to brief the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on the impact artificial intelligence (AI) technology will have on air, space, and cyber security. As announced in April, Wei is leading a $6 million multi-institutional, NASA-funded research initiative to help make urban airspace safe and secure.

Our faculty are not only leading educators and researchers – they are pioneers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Professor Ahmed Louri was honored by the IEEE Computer Society with its Golden Core Award and was awarded a patent for a novel fault-tolerant scheme for optimizing AI and machine learning (ML) computing architectures. Louri, the David and Marilyn Karlgaard professor of electrical and computer engineering, is also leading three major research grants awarded by the National Science Foundation just last year.

Another recent and impressive accolade was achieved by a student member of our community. GW Engineering graduate student Jack Hatcher has been selected as a 2024 – 2025 GW Presidential Fellow. This fellowship provides students with a financial award that covers the full cost of their tuition and an opportunity for professional development. Hatcher is currently pursuing his master’s in civil and environmental engineering. This is another example of the role individual members of the GW Engineering community play in growing our reputation as a community full of people who will be the engineering and computing leaders of the future.

We are excited to have recruited another cohort of world-class students to our community at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. We hosted more than 150 first-year undergraduate students for our annual new student getaway at River Riders Family Adventure Resort. As is the case with so much of what happens in GW Engineering, this event was organized and led by students, in this case, the School of Engineering and Applied Science Student Peer Advisory Network (SEASSPAN). Students spent the day engaged in outdoor team-building activities, including ziplining, hiking, and rafting. This annual activity encourages our new students to connect with peers, establish new friendships, and build community. 

Last spring, I announced the GW Engineering Inclusive Excellence initiative, which started with surveys, focus groups, and individual conversations to learn more about people’s experiences in GW Engineering and to get ideas about how we may best cultivate a culture of inclusion in our school. I’m pleased to share that from this input, we have developed an Inclusive Excellence action plan, which is housed on the new Engineering Inclusive Excellence webpage. The webpage will also host a dashboard that tracks the status of each item in the action plan, including activities, working groups, timelines, milestones, and outcomes. To ensure the success and sustainability of this initiative, we have launched a search for the inaugural GW Engineering Director of Inclusive Excellence, who will oversee and coordinate the implementation of the Inclusive Excellence action plan. Together, we can create a more inclusive GW Engineering community where everyone has an equitable opportunity to thrive and succeed.

This academic year is shaping up to be our best to date. As we go forward and forge the future of GW Engineering, I’m asking every member of our community to engage – with the school and with each other. Attend one of our events, connect with us on social media, interact with one another, and reach beyond your conventional circles to learn and experience something new. We must have the courage to reach out, be open to new ideas, take risks, and look for solutions outside of our own wisdom. If we support each other in those endeavors, the future of GW Engineering – and of each member of our community – is limitless.

Thank you for contributing to GW Engineering's 140 years of excellence.

Raise High!

John Lach

Dean, GW Engineering

Imagine a small unmanned aircraft delivering your next meal or prescription refill to your house or an autonomous air taxi taking you from JFK airport to Manhattan in New York City. It turns out that the arrival of these technologies is closer than you might think. Peng Wei, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is the lead on a project to guard these autonomous aircraft flying in high-density urban airspaces against cyberattacks, funded by NASA’s University Leadership Initiative (ULI). During a presentation on Capitol Hill on July 23, Wei highlighted the critical need for artificial intelligence (AI) safety and cybersecurity in aviation and introduced the multi-institutional research team working on these challenges.

October 1 & 2: srsRAN Project Fall Workshop 2024
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October 1, 8, & 15 from 12:25-1pm: Hispanic History Month Booth
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October 2 from 4-5pm: GW Upstart Workshop: How to Start Social Innovation
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October 3 from 8:30am-1:30pm: A Hands-On Workshop to Manage AI Risks to Business and Democracy
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October 3 from 11am-6pm: George Hacks' Kogan Makerspace 2024
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October 4 from 12:30-1:30pm: Highlighting Your Unique Edge: A Workshop on Effective Value Proposition
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October 5 from 12pm: SEASSPAN's GW Engineering Volleyball Tournament
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October 7 from 10-11am: GW Engineering Grad Programs Virtual Information Session
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October 9 from 10-11am: Funding Innovations via SBIR/STTR Programs
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Given chip technology's potential to revolutionize countless fields, recognizing the contributions of leading scholars in this domain is critical. One such individual making strides in advancing our capabilities within this field is the David and Marilyn Karlgarrd Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and IEEE Fellow Ahmed Louri. In a testament to his constant innovation and profound impact on the field of computing, he was recently honored with the prestigious IEEE Computer Society (CS) Golden Core Award and obtained a patent for a novel fault-tolerant scheme for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) architectures implementing them both.

Ph.D. Candidate Devon Guerrelli Discusses Cardiomyocyte Research on Podcast

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Early-Career Leader Yun Shen Attends NAE's Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering 2024 Symposium

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Reaching Across Disciplines to Solve Problems in Healthcare with Digital Solutions

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Empowering Early- Career Faculty: Inside the 2024 NSF CISE CAREER Workshop

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Opal HTM Receives Boost from GW's First $100,000 SBIR Matching Fund Grant

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GW Engineering Researchers Innovate Thermoelectric Design for Enhanced Power Generation

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Explore the findings of a groundbreaking study led by Associate Professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering David Broniatowski in the GW Media Relations feature, "Explaining the Gist of Why Misinformation Is False May Help Curb the Spread of It." Published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, the study delves into the mechanics of misinformation spread online and uncovers more effective ways to counter it, offering key insights on how to curb its influence in the digital age using gist-based interventions.

Leveraging their institutional knowledge and sourcing expertise, each member of GW Engineering's dedicated procurement team, like Supervisor of Accounting Shiju Varghese, plays a key role in ensuring every department and unit has the resources it needs to succeed.

Q: How long have you been working at GW, and what is your position?
A: I have been working at GW for 18 years, and my current position is Supervisor of Accounting.

Q: What led you to this career?
A: In one of my previous roles, I worked as an administrator at a technical teaching institute in India. I truly enjoyed interacting with the students, faculty, and parents. This experience inspired me to pursue a career in academia.

Q: Why did you choose GW?
A: When I came to the U.S., my employment agency assigned me a job at George Washington University. I loved the campus location and thoroughly enjoyed the diverse culture of GW and Washington, D.C. This positive experience led me to decide to stay at GW.

On August 16, over 150 first-year GW Engineering students, accompanied by staff, peer mentors, and faculty, gathered at River Riders Family Adventure Resort in West Virginia for the New Student Getaway. With options like whitewater rafting, hiking, and ziplining, this day was full of exciting outdoor activities that encouraged adventure and allowed students to connect with their peers and faculty in a relaxed, natural setting.

Over 2,000 students, faculty, and staff volunteered at 55 sites across the D.C. area during GW's 2024 Welcome Day of Service, including schools and community centers. Projects ranged from classroom preparation and mural painting to organizing materials, with the event offering first-year GW Engineering students a chance to connect with the community and each other through service.

At the 2024 GW Convocation, President Ellen Granberg welcomed the incoming Class of 2028 and encouraged them to embrace their unique journeys, highlighting GW's strong tradition of public service and leadership, especially in civic engagement. GW Engineering Dean John Lach was also in attendance, participating in welcoming the new students alongside other university leaders.

The GWU-PREP is a collaboration with GWU in Washington, DC and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. GWU-PREP provides research opportunities at NIST to students, faculty, research staff, and postdoctoral researchers at GW as well as researchers at SURA-affiliated universities.

We support your ambitions by offering financial support to eligible GW community members, including a monthly stipend, hourly wage, or full tuition reimbursement for qualifying undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff.