Spring 2022
An MAE student team under the guidance of Assistant Professor Jacqueline Huynh is one of eight finalists selected to compete in NASA’s Gateways to Blue Skies Forum, June 2-3, 2022. The competition sponsored by NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate challenges teams to evaluate the future aviation landscape and propose designs to accommodate the new technology in an “airports of tomorrow” concept. Read more. 
Chair's Message
Spring greetings! We are already halfway through spring quarter and we have seen most of our routines return on campus. It has been a pleasure welcoming students back to the classroom and their projects. We continue to remain in full compliance of state vaccination and booster mandates and will maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

Spring quarter has also been great for our student team projects, including the Blue Skies competition team (featured article), which is one of eight chosen to participate in NASA’s Gateways to Blue Skies Forum in June. On the faculty side, Assistant Professor Natascha Buswell was honored for excellence in undergraduate teaching as part of the 2022 Celebration of Teaching. Associate Professor SungWoo Nam received a 2022 NSF BRITE Pivot Grant Award for his work in atomically thin semiconductors. Professor Cecilia Richards of Washington State University, who was the first woman to receive a doctorate from our department in 1990, will be honored as a Hall of Fame inductee on May 13, 2022.

As we near the end of the academic year, I am looking forward to our in-person Samueli School of Engineering commencement, which is just around the corner on June 12. As you read more about our accomplishments and news, keep in mind that these successes would not be possible without you, our faculty, alumni and friends. Each and everyone’s support is essential to the continued growth of our department. 

Best regards,
Roger Rangel
Professor and Chair
FUNDING
JOHNSON RECEIVES NSF GRANT FOR TURBULENT FLOW SIMULATIONS

Perry Johnson, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has received a National Science Foundation grant for his project "Physics-inspired Coarsening for Turbulent Flow Simulations."
INNOVATION
SHKEL RECOGNIZED FOR MICROSYSTEMS INNOVATION

Andrei Shkel, professor in UCI’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering, has been named a 2021 fellow by the National Academy of Inventors.
ACCOLADE
NAM EARNS NSF BRITE AWARD FOR ATOMICALLY THIN SEMICONDUCTORS

SungWoo Nam, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, received a 2022 Boosting Research Ideas for Transformative and Equitable Advances in Engineering (BRITE) Pivot award from the National Science Foundation.
RESEARCH
COPP INFORMS PATH TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY

Environmental, economic and energy security concerns are causing an urgent need for sustainable electricity generation.
SHOUTOUT
KIA AWARDED IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS MAGAZINE'S OUTSTANDING PAPER

Solmaz Kia, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been awarded the IEEE Control Systems magazine Outstanding Paper Award for her article “Tutorial on Dynamic Average Consensus: The Problem, Its Applications, and the Algorithms.”
RECOGNITION
2022 CELEBRATION OF TEACHING HONORS BUSWELL

Samueli School faculty member – Natascha Buswell – recognized for excellence in undergraduate teaching.
FEATURE
MAKING CAMP HOME

Soon after being accepted to UCI and declaring as an aerospace engineering major, Wendy Robello received an invitation to participate in the California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) Summer Science Academy (CSSA) Program. 
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