February 2023: MAE@UCI News

Winter 2023

The 2023 Annual Design Review will be held March 17, from 1 to 4 p.m., at UCI Cove, Beall Applied Innovation. Learn More

Chair's Message

The new year has kicked off with lots of activity and we look forward to another successful quarter. I am pleased to share some of our recent accomplishments in the MAE Department.

We continue with our safe return to on-campus instruction during winter quarter with several regularly scheduled events such as hosting seminar speakers, student socials and our recent participation in the 2023 UCI Homecoming event.

MAE faculty and students continue to shine in their research endeavors and receive national recognition. Last fall, Professor Emeritus Said Elghobashi was honored in a scientific symposium for his lifelong contributions as a scholar and educator; Professor Feng Liu recently received the 2023 AIAA Air Breathing Propulsion Award at SciTech; Associate Professor Haithem Taha was elected as Associate Fellow of AIAA; Assistant Professor Penghui Cao’s research on dislocation patterning and deformation microstructure evolution was featured on the cover of Science Advances; Assistant Professor Xian Shi was recognized as a 2023 Young Investigator by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to explore the fundamental dynamics of the detonation phenomenon and detonation-based propulsion concepts; and Distinguished Professors Tryphon Georgiou and Efi Foufoula have made a generous gift to support students at the Samueli School of Engineering.

We are also looking forward to the 2023 Annual Design Review on March 17, where our senior class will showcase their progress on the various Senior Capstone projects.

Best regards,

Roger Rangel

Professor and Chair

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INNOVATION

UCI LAUNCHES FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC CALIFORNIA MICROGRID PROJECT TO TEST SMART AND RESILIENT HOMES FOR THE FUTURE

The Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) at UCI announced that it is working with the Department of Energy (DOE), SunPower®, KB Home, Southern California Edison® (SCE), and Schneider Electric™ (SE) to develop, deploy and test two microgrid communities located in the Shadow Mountain master plan in Menifee, California.

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FEATURE

LONGTIME PROFESSOR SAID ELGHOBASHI HONORED AT SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM

UCI Distinguished Professor Emeritus Said Elghobashi was recognized for his lifelong achievements as a scholar, educator and administrator at a scientific symposium held in his honor Sept. 15 at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Science and Engineering.

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ACCOLADE

LIU RECOGNIZED FOR TURBINE-BURNER ENGINE INNOVATION

Feng Liu, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has won the 2023 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Air Breathing Propulsion Award.

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RESEARCH

UCI ENGINEER UNCOVERS DISLOCATION PATTERNS IN DEFORMED MATERIALS

Did you ever wonder why your spoon, which bent while scooping ice cream, could never be perfectly put back to its original shape?

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RECOGNITION

TAHA CITED FOR DEVELOPING NOVEL FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has elected Haithem Taha to its Class of 2023 Associate Fellows.

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SHOUTOUT

SHI RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF NATION'S TOP YOUNG INVESTIGATORS

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) has awarded Xian Shi, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, a 2023 Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) grant.

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GIFT

DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORS ESTABLISH ENDOWED GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD

Two UCI Distinguished Professors - Tryphon Georgiou and Efi Foufoula - have made a generous gift to support students at the Samueli School of Engineering.

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