In Nanotech, It's Hip to be Square
(September 28, 2007) A new nano-fabrication technique has been created by a team of researchers out of the Center for Nanomagnetic Systems at the UH Cullen College of Engineering that enables the creation of squares and other features that hold promise for the future of computing. The team of electrical and computer engineering researchers, including Dmitri Litvinov, Paul Ruchhoeft and Stanko Brankovic, has developed a method of fabricating tightly packed nano-sized features with sharp corners, such as squares and honeycomb patterns, that could result in more more powerful and reliable computing devices for everything from music storage to computational research.

Engineering Researchers Make Fuel Cell Breakthrough
(September 21, 2007) Peter Strasser, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, and his team of researchers, has made a discovery that could eliminate one of the biggest financial hurdles to the commercial introduction of fuel cell-powered vehicles. Their findings will be featured in an upcoming issue of one of the world's most prestigious chemical engineering journals, Angewandte Chemie.

Biomedical Engineering Student Conducts Research Overseas
(September 20, 2007) Austin Head, junior biomedical engineering student at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, was selected to participate in Rice University's NanoJapan program, a research intensive program funded by the National Science Foundation. Head was among 15 other students chosen nationwide to spend 11 weeks in Japan this summer researching the various aspects of nanotechnology. While there, the students toured Japan, giving them the opportunity to learn about the Japanese culture.

Second Annual Women-in-Engineering Retreat Fosters Growth, Teamwork
(September 14, 2007) The WELCOME (Women in Engineering Learning Community for Maximizing Excellence) program hosted nationally-recognized motivational speaker, Dr. Valerie Young, during its second annual Women-in-Engineering retreat held on Sept. 8. The day-long retreat attracted thirty-five female University of Houston students, in addition to professional engineering mentors, to take part in Dr. Young's personal development workshop. Students also participated in a sand sculpting competition as part of the retreat's focus on teamwork.

Former Chairman of Mechanical Engineering Passes Away
(September 12, 2007) Douglas F. Muster, Brown & Root Professor Emeritus and former chairman of the UH Department of Mechanical Engineering, passed away September 7, 2007 at the age of 88. He came to the UH Cullen College of Engineering in 1961 and was named chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering a year later, a position he held for ten years.

Introducing Nanotech to Teachers
(September 11, 2007) The past four years, the UH Cullen College of Engineering has hosted the Research Experience for Teachers program, a summer research program designed to give science teachers a chance to investigate emerging technologies and learn novel experiments to share with their students. The National Science Foundation recently awarded the program a $497,000 grant to support a newly-designed session called Innovations in Nanotechnology.