Lauren Talarico, a reporter for KHOU 11 News in Houston, interviewed Yan Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH Cullen College of Engineering, for her report on exploding hoverboards this week.

Yanliang (Leonard) Liang, electrical and computer engineering research associate at UH Cullen College, won the Silver Nano Research Poster Award at the 10th Sino-U.S. Symposium on Nanoscale Science and Technology in June.

Yan Yao, assistant professor in the Cullen College’s electrical and computer engineering department, is developing alternatives to popular lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power much of the modern world.

Last June, Texas Gov. Rick Perry drove an electric car made by Tesla Motors in front of the Texas State Capitol Building in Austin – a symbolic gesture meant to signify his intention of convincing Tesla executives to build their more than $4 billion battery factory right here in the Lone Star State.

For all their virtues, electric vehicles have two major drawbacks: their cost – usually tens of thousands of dollars more than comparable gasoline-powered cars – and how far they can travel on a single charge.

The summer semester offers a perfect opportunity for undergraduates to conduct engineering research under the mentorship of a faculty member. Cullen College of Engineering undergraduates selected for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) gained practical experience in research methods and a newfound interest in the science of innovation.

Dr. Yan Yao, an assistant professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering and Robert A. Welch Professor at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), was awarded the 2013 Ralph E.