UK ECE Summer 2018 Newsletter
ECE Holds Student Research Symposium
Our first annual ECE Student Research Symposium was a great success, with twenty-nine graduate and undergraduate students presenting their research work to peers, faculty, and guests. The outstanding graduate research award was presented to Ms. Narges Taran (pictured left with her advisor Dr. Dan Ionel) for her poster "A Novel Optimization Algorithm for Electric Machines with 3D FEA, Differential Evolution, and Surrogate Models". The outstanding undergraduate research award was presented to Mr. Zach Kahleifeh for his poster "Hardware Trojan Detection in Implantable Medical Devices Using Adiabatic Computing".

Next year's event is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 26, 2019! We would love to have you visit to see our ECE student's outstanding research work!
Embedded Systems Course Introduced
In an effort to increase hands-on design content throughout our curricula, a new sophomore Embedded Systems Lab class was introduced this year. Students designed and built complete systems based on embedded systems platforms such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or Launchpad. Final projects included the "Sunrise Clock" (pictured right), "Botanist Boarding House", and "Infinity Mirror" systems. You can watch videos of theses projects on our ECE Youtube page.
Faculty News
ECE Faculty and Students Represent UK at SEC Conference on Cybersecurity
ECE faculty Dr. Samson Cheung and Dr. Himanshu Thapliyal led a team of six graduate and undergraduate students, representing UK at the 2018 SEC Academic Conference at Auburn University in April. Our UK team competed hack-a-thon style with t eams from other SEC universities to formulate a solution for a real-world cybersecurity issue, presenting results to academic and industry participants from around the country.
ECE's Dr. Hank Dietz Recognized for Digital Photography Work
ECE faculty member Dr. Hank Dietz has a long history of making both academic and real-world contributions in his field. Most recently, Dr. Dietz was recognized for providing a fix to a digital striping artifact common in Sony compressed Raw images.
Alumni News and Events
Mark Your Calendar!
IEEE Welcome Back Picnic - Tuesday, August 28, 2018, 6-8 pm, Engineering Courtyard

ECE Football Tailgate (vs. S. Carolina) - Saturday, September 29, 2018, Time TBD

We need your help!
ECE is forming an "Alumni Engagement Committee" and is looking for alumni who would be interested in serving. If you are interested, email us at [email protected]
ECE Alum Thomas E. Jenkins, Sr. Inducted into UK College of Engineering Hall of Distinction

ECE Alum Mr. Thomas Jenkins (EE '54) was one of six Engineering alumni inducted into the UK Engineering Hall of Distinction in Spring 2018. Throughout his 33-year career at GE, Jenkins strove to increase the standard and quality of living through innovation and productivity. His honors and accomplishments include 55 patents, 5 managerial awards, 2 Inventor of the Year Awards, and the prestigious Steinmetz Award given biannually to six engineers from across GE's entire global engineering force. As recognition of his outstanding career, Jenkins was inducted into the GE Inventor Hall of Fame.
Want more ECE alumni news? Send your news to [email protected]
Student News
Computer Engineer Graduate and Men's BB Player Dillon Pulliam Headed to Carnegie Mellon for MBA
Dillon Pulliam (CompE '18, CS '18) was the first Engineering student in over 20 years to play on the UK Men's Basketball Team. Aside from his work on the basketball court, Dillon was awarded the 2018 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year at the Catspys and will be attending Carnegie Mellon to pursue his MBA.
ECE student Elizabeth Foster Receives Otis Singletary Outstanding Leadership Award, Speaks at 2018 Commencement Ceremony
Elizabeth Foster (EE '18, PEIK UG Certificate '18) received this year's Otis Singletary Outstanding Senior Award and was also the featured student speaker at the 2018 Commencement ceremony. The Outstanding Senior Award recognizes one graduating male and one graduating female recipient for their demonstration of superior student involvement through leadership and service at the University of Kentucky throughout their undergraduate career. Foster served as Vice President of the Student Government Association, and is a passionate servant leader who advocates for those whose voices are not always heard, and is planning to attend the University of California, Berkeley to pursue a master’s degree.
Austin Lang ton, Marine and Computer Engineering Graduate, Will Aid Human Missions to Mars
If anyone understands overcoming insurmountable challenges it's Austin Langton (CompE '18). In 2010, Langton decided to join the military to serve his country instead of heading to college, and spent four years on active duty with the Marine Corps, including serving time in Afghanistan. After returning from his military service, he set out on a new mission to earn a bachelor's degree in computer engineering at UK. In his Sophomore year, Langton received an internship from NASA working at a rapid proto-typing lab called Swamp Works, and is now headed to NASA to work full-time after graduation.
Grad student Damien Lawhorn (EE '17) Awarded Fellowship to Research Hybrid Electric Aircraft
Damien Lawhorn, EE alum and current grad student, recently received a NASA KY graduate student fellowship to fund his work with ECE faculty member Dr. Dan Ionel on hybrid electric aircraft. The one-year fellowship will fund Damien’s research work into hybrid electric motors that use both an electric and jet propellant, with each being used according to the amount of thrust the craft may need in a given moment. Damien seeks to advance knowledge in this area by running simulations of the power transfer between motors in various situations, including in aircraft where solar panels provide all electric energy.
University of Kentucky
Electrical and Computer Engineering
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