Engineering Professor Receives Minority Advancement Award
(June 26, 2006) Hamid Parsaei, professor and chair of industrial engineering with the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, recently received the UPS Award for Minority Advancement from the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE). The award, which was presented at the group’s Annual Conference in May, is given “for innovative development of programs/products directed to the advancement of women, minorities or people with disabilities within the field of Industrial Engineering.” Parsaei received the award largely for his efforts to recruit minority students to the Department of Industrial Engineering.

UH Engineering Alumnus Signs Major Deal with LucasArts
(June 23, 2006) University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Alumnus Mitch Bunnell (1985 BSEE) has signed a contract to incorporate technology developed by his company, Pixelux Entertainment, into video games developed by George Lucas’ LucasArts. Bunnell's Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technology simulates how objects behave in real-world environments, eliminating the need for costly pre-animation production by providing animation in real-time. DMM will be incorporated into the next ten games produced by LucasArts, including Indiana Jones and Star Wars.

Alumnus-Owned Firm Receives Award for Innovation
(June 9, 2006) A company owned by University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering alumnus Manmohan Kalsi (1970 MS ME, 1975 PhD ME) recently received the Woelfel Distinguished Innovation Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineer's International Petroleum Technology Institute. Kalsi Engineering received the award for its Kalsi Hydrodynamic Thrust Bearing™, a compact bearing that extends the performance envelope of drill bits and down-hole motors and other down-hole tools to operate under higher loads and speeds, making it cheaper and more efficient than other bearings.

Hussain to Lead ME Section of National Academy of Engineering; Receives NSF Grant
(June 2, 2006) Fazle Hussain, Hugh Roy & Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been elected as an officer of the National Academy of Engineering’s Mechanical Engineering Section. His three-year term, which begins on July 1, includes one-year terms as secretary and then vice-chair and will culminate with Hussain serving as chair of the Mechanical Engineering Section, one of the most prestigious positions in the mechanical engineering community. He also recently received a National Science Foundation grant for $300,000 to support his research into an aircraft's trailing vortices, which are swirling flows behind an airplane caused by the difference in air pressure above and below the wings. Such research could result in reduced delays at airports.

Chemical Engineering Professor Receives University Award, Welch Grant
(June 2, 2006) Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Peter Vekilov has received the award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship at the associate professor level from the University of Houston for his pioneering research to identify ways to mitigate the harmful effects of debilitating diseases such as sickle cell anemia, cataracts, diabetes and Alzheimer's. He also received a research grant from The Welch Foundation for $150,000 to support research involving the role water plays in the process of insulin crystallization and the aggregation of proteins in solutions. One of the most prestigious grants in Texas higher education, the award marks the third time a faculty member from the department has received a Welch Foundation grant.