A. W. (Tony) England, Ph.D., became the interim dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan-Dearborn, effective May 1, 2012. In addition to his role as interim dean, England is also professor of atmospheric, oceanic, and space sciences and professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.

England is a former astronaut who shared in the President's Medal of Freedom for his contributions to the safe recovery of Apollo 13.

He was also a mission scientist for Apollo 16, flew as a mission specialist on the Shuttle Program's Spacelab 2, and served as a Space Station program scientist for two years. He has logged 4,000 hours as a pilot—2,000 of these in high-performance aircraft and eight days in Earth orbit.

Upon leaving NASA in 1988, England joined the University of Michigan as professor of electrical engineering and computer science and became professor of atmospheric, oceanic, and space sciences in 1994. He served as an associate dean of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies and an associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering.

Among his awards are Great Britain's Calcutta key for his contributions to pre-college science education and the U-M Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Award for his work with undergraduates in research.

He writes, ″I am very much looking forward to working with colleagues both within CECS and across UM–Dearborn. UM-Dearborn serves Michigan in many important ways and CECS is a significant contributor to the university's mission. With the state's and the nation's increased recognition that a well-educated workforce is key to a successful future, the university's mission will grow in importance. My goal is to ensure that CECS continues to support that growth by providing an excellent engineering education, producing innovative research, and seeking opportunities to inspire K-12 youth to pursue engineering careers.″

He is currently researching the science and technology needed to use satellite microwave radiometry to detect and predict climate-related changes in spatial and temporal distribution of snow and ice.

England is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is a member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in earth sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1965 and his Ph.D. in geophysics from MIT in 1970.

It is anticipated that England will serve as interim dean for two years while the university and college conduct a search for a permanent dean.

University of Michigan-Dearborn faculty members were recognized for their teaching, research, and service at the 30th annual Honor Scholars and Faculty Awards Dinner on March 27. Two College of Engineering and Computer Science faculty members were included in the group of honorees.

Narasimhamurthi "Nattu" Natarajan, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, received the Distinguished Teaching Award–Tenured Category, and Dohoy Jung, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was presented with the Distinguished Research Award.

Nattu Natarajan has taught within the electrical and computer engineering programs since 1986. With a passion for teaching, he has developed an innovative pedagogy that involves cultivation of the inventive use of computers in the class, integration of state-of-the-art technologies in the curriculum, and promotion of science and engineering through extracurricular activities.

"He has volunteered his time far beyond his duty as faculty," said Dongming Zhao, professor of electrical and computer engineering. "His effort has helped and influenced hundreds of students in their technical training and professional career development."

In 2002, Natarajan founded the Intelligent Systems Club as a way to guide students in engineering design projects and coach them to put knowledge from books into practice. His teams have participated in regional and national competitions, earning recognitions and placing UM-Dearborn on the map of engineering education. "Professor Natarajan's mentorship exceeds far beyond the boundaries of the physical classroom," said former student Kristopher Bechamp. "To Professor Natarajan, the classroom is wherever knowledge can be found."

Dohoy Jung joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2008. Since that time, his research has focused on thermal and fluid sciences and their applications to advanced energy conversion.

Applications include internal combustion engine processes and systems, hybrid powertrain systems, PEM fuel cell systems, vehicle thermal management, and solar energy systems.

"Dr. Jung is an outstanding researcher who has proven his talent through individual and team research efforts," said Zoran Filipi of Clemson University. "He has demonstrated continuous growth and the ability to recognize research topics critical for advancing the automotive area."

Jung's research sponsors have included the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Army TARDEC, Ford Motor Company, and Hyundai-Kia Motor Company.

Engineering Professional Development announced the new offering of systems engineering as a concentration area in the Graduate Certificate Program. The program is designed for engineers and other professionals who are responsible for defining, planning, managing, and supporting large integrated systems. For more information, click on the link below.

UM-Dearborn Difference Makers™ are at the forefront of their fields. They're improving the lives of others and making an impact here in our local communities. Nominated by faculty and staff, these individuals aren't just outstanding students and alumni, they embody academic and professional achievement, integrity, and leadership. Please visit the following link to view the 2012 Difference Makers™. Select ″College of Engineering and Computer Science″ to see the list.

Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science Kai Zeng has received a five-year, $500,000 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The award is the NSF's most prestigious award, supporting junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research.

Zeng, who joined UM-Dearborn for the start of the fall 2011 semester, received the award in February. His research focuses on wireless networking and cyber security. The CAREER award will enable him to conduct a comprehensive study toward reliable and efficient network monitoring in white space cognitive radio networks.

"As smart phones and other wireless applications have became more popular, the increasing traffic volume has placed significant pressure on the existing spectrum," Zeng says. "It's similar to a traffic jam where the volume of vehicles exceeds the road's capacity. To help alleviate the spectrum shortage, the Federal Communications Commission released underutilized analog TV spectrum, or 'white space,' to unlicensed secondary users for opportunistic access. This has opened up a lot of exciting opportunities related to public-safety, medical, and other applications."

Zeng says the opening of the white space spectrum has created a new set of challenges.

"The spectrum must be used efficiently," he says. "One the one hand, the unlicensed band has become overcrowded. On the other hand, some licensed band is underutilized. It's as if the spectrum was a 100-lane road with 90 lanes booked, except the users that have reserved the space aren't using the roads very frequently. That leaves only 10 lanes for all the other traffic. The idea is to allow some of the cars from the remaining 10 lanes to drive on the other 90 lanes to optimize usage."

To achieve maximum white space efficiency, primary and secondary users must be monitored to prevent resource abuse. However, because the white space spectrum is wide (50 to 900 MHz), it's difficult to monitor users effectively.

"Without proper monitoring, it's nearly impossible to manage or optimize the network," Zeng says. "It's also hard to track a particular user's behavior, since it's possible to jump around channels very quickly. The goals are to pave the way for efficient networking in white space and to apply secondary network monitoring to allow operators and users to optimize the network."

The funds awarded to Zeng will help support the hiring of two doctoral students as research assistants, the purchase of lab equipment, and the development of curriculum, including enhancing existing courses and creating a new undergraduate course related to the research—Wireless Forensics.

"My research integrates electrical engineering and computer science," Zeng says. "Its interdisciplinary nature will help broaden the vision of UM-Dearborn students as well as introduce new curriculum."

"I'm honored to receive the award. Since wireless communication is such an integral part of our lives, this project may have a broad impact on society and the economy."

The College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn has launched a bachelor of science degree in digital forensics. The degree program, designed to address the needs of undergraduate students interested in this rapidly growing field, will be available beginning this fall. Digital forensics is an area of computer science that encompasses the examination and analysis of material found in electronic devices including computer hard drives, cell phones, PDA's, and storage devices. Often, the retrieved information is used as legal evidence in criminal or civil cases.

"This increasingly digital age brings new challenges in securing our computing and intellectual assets," says Subrata Sengupta, dean of CECS. "University of Michigan-Dearborn's new program in digital forensics will help meet the demand in this emerging field, providing well-qualified graduates to serve in both the public and private sectors."

The degree program combines the study of a core curriculum of computer science and security with selected areas of criminal justice, engineering and accounting.

For more information, contact the College of Engineering and Computer Science at 313-593-5510 or email uninfo@engin.umd.umich.edu.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) has received million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) initiative to establish an enhanced graduate program through the newly created Center for Electric Drive Transportation.

The Center for Electric Drive Transportation will build upon the college's existing doctoral and master's degree programs in automotive systems engineering as well as upon faculty expertise and research achievements in electric drive vehicles. CECS faculty members have expertise in battery-electric vehicles, extended-range electric vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles.

"I am very excited about this opportunity," said Chris Mi, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) who is leading the CECS initiative. "This is a big recognition of our past work in the area of electric and hybridelectric vehicles. It will enhance greatly our existing graduate programs in automotive systems engineering."

The GATE grant will support five or more graduate student fellowships during the next five years and will allow a minimum of twenty graduate students to be trained through the program, Mi said. At least seven new graduate courses will be developed in power electronics, energy storage, and energy conversion systems. Four existing courses in the powertrain and vehicle electronics concentrations will be revised.

A number of new subjects, such as vibration, reliability, power management, and thermal management of electric drive vehicles will be supported by the grant, Mi said. Faculty members from three departments will guide electric drive vehicle research projects with the assistance of graduate students. The goal of the research is to develop technologies that will accelerate the commercialization of electric drive vehicles.

Faculty members will also collaborate in curriculum development, laboratory improvement, graduate research and capstone project supervision, research proposal development, and other center activities.

DOE's GATE initiative will award $6.4 million over the course of five years to support seven centers of excellence at American colleges, universities, and university-affiliated research institutions. The awardees will focus on three critical automotive technology areas: hybrid propulsion, energy storage, and lightweight materials.

In addition to the graduate program, the Center for Electric Drive Transportation plans to develop short courses and seminars to train practicing engineers.

"We have strong industry support," said Mi, who added that the center may benefit from cost sharing from industry partners. "We see this as an opportunity to expand our relationships with the automotive industry and build sustained research and education in this area. The graduate students who will be trained in this program will be in high demand by the automotive industry."

For more information about the new GATE center, contact Chris Mi at chrismi@umich.edu.