College of Engineering student Jason Brotherton (MSE - undergrad) in collaboration with Patrick Price (MSE - undergrad) and David Araujo (MSE - grad) were one of 13 groups that won the Veeco Instruments thirteenth annual Scanning Probe Microscopy calendar contest with their wavy nanostructure submission photo which was included as the November calendar image in the new 2008 Scanning Probe Microscopy Calendar. Approximately 13,500 calendars are distributed world-wide. Other research groups that won include groups from University of Cambridge (UK), University of Muenster (Germany), University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Ytkemiska Institutet (Sweden), UC Santa Barbara, Saarland University (Germany), Montana State University, Institue de Chimie des Surfaces et Interfaces (France), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, University of Bayreuth (Germany), Clarkson University and SINTEF Materials and Chemistry (Norway).

Honorable mentions were given to MSE undergrad Matt Reinhold (the groups of Peter Mullner and Bill Knowlton) and AFM Lab Manager Linda Kenoyer (Knowlton's group).

2/1 "Blurring Boundaries: Interdisciplinary Teaching and Research"

William L. Hughes, California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo, CA

10:40 to 11:30 a.m.

MEC 106

2/8 "Room temperature ferromagnetism in Ni doped CeO2 powders"

Aaron Thurber, Physics Dept., BSU

10:40 to 11:30 a.m.

MEC 106

2/14 "Winter Inversion Study in the Treasure Valley"

Paul Dawson, MBE

1:40 to 2:30 p.m.

MEC 106

2/15 "How to Think Out of the Box to Improve Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing"

Clay Conner, 5 Degrees North, Boise

10:40 to 11:30 a.m.

MEC 106

MentorNet is an e-mail based network supporting students in engineering, computer science, technology, science, and math, particularly but not exclusively women and others underrepresented in these fields. Students can get "real world" advice and encouragement from professionals working in their field of study. Discussion topics may include industry trends, graduate school, and balancing family and career choices. E-mentoring through MentorNet is sponsored by Engineering Dean, Dr. Cheryl Schrader’s Presidential mentoring award funds.

Encourage your students to sign up by going to:

2) Create a One-on-One Mentoring Program profile, and follow the links to create a protégé profile. It’s easy!

For the second time in less than a year, the National Science Foundation has issued a new Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). Please consult this useful document when preparing NSF grant proposals. New policies to be aware of include:

1) Fonts have been revised again. Times New Roman is back on the approved list, in 11 point or bigger. Other approved fonts are Arial, Courier New or Palatino Linotype (all in 10 point or greater) and Computer Modern (11 point or greater.)

2) Sub-award recipients must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.

3) Do not rely on colorized objects to convey information, unless you have received permission to submit the proposal by paper.

Once again, the ENGR 120 class needs operators for the peanut butter cracker assembly line.

Production days (on campus) will be as follows:

8:40 am to 10:30 am

10:40 am to 12:30 pm

1:40 pm to 3:30 pm

10:40 am to 12:30 pm

1:40 pm to 3:30 pm

Free Training and Lunch for Faculty and Staff

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

11:45-1:30 PM Lookout Room (Drop in when you can, stay as long as you can)

Workshop will include:

• A brief summary of China: culture, lifestyle, religions, contemporary perspectives

. China’s educational system and comparisons to the US system

• Cultural and educational differences affecting Chinese students in the US

• Interacting effectively with your Chinese students

• Free lunch

Presenters to include: Carole Schroeder, Boise State History Department and

Ryan Larsen, a cultural trainer from the University of Nevada Las Vegas

Free! Please RSVP by calling 426-3652

The NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program is now being administered by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). It is expected that approximately 20 two-year undergraduate, and 5 three-year graduate scholarships will be awarded annually to students pursuing aeronautical engineering and related fields. Total allocated award amounts are up to $40,000 for undergraduates and up to $125,000 for graduates. These funds will go towards tuition and related costs, as well as to provide paid summer internship opportunities at NASA research center.

Competitive applicants interested in this amazing opportunity should begin completing application materials immediately. A completed application will consist of profile information, academic background (including transcripts), a resume, an essay for undergraduates, a proposal for graduates, letters of recommendations, and any test scores, such as SAT’s and GRE’s, when appropriate.

NSF: Computer Systems Research Computer systems are being applied to increasingly demanding applications. The environments in which they function and the resources they manage are increasingly diverse, distributed and dynamic. While the time scales for control decisions are shrinking, the scale and complexity of the systems are increasing. Further, many of the assumptions behind today’s most common computer systems no longer hold. As a result, these systems often fail in unpredictable ways, become compromised or perform poorly. Accordingly, the frontiers of computer systems research must be moved forward, and new bold research directions must be established to draw upon interdisciplinary research capabilities across science and engineering.

The Computer Systems Research (CSR) Program supports innovative research and education projects that:

* increase our understanding of large-scale and increasingly data-intensive computer systems and applications, through the creation of new knowledge needed to improve their design, use, behavior, and stability;

* capitalize on research opportunities provided by new technologies and new classes of systems;

* expand the capabilities of computer systems by developing highly innovative new ways to exploit existing technologies;

* lead to systems software that is quantifiably more reliable, easier to use, and/or more efficient; and

* produce innovative curricula or educational materials that better prepare future generations of computing professionals.

DOE: Theoretical Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences The Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces its interest in receiving grant applications for theoretical research relevant to the U.S. program in magnetic fusion energy sciences. All individuals or groups planning to submit applications for new or renewal funding in Fiscal Year 2009 should submit in response to this Notice.

The specific areas of interest are:

1. Magnetohydrodynamics

2. Confinement and Transport

3. Boundary Physics

4. Plasma Heating, Non-inductive Current Drive, and Energetic Particles

5. Innovative Magnetic Confinement Concepts

6. Atomic and Molecular Processes in Plasmas

Save those trees!!! After you receive your new phone books this spring, be sure to recycle your old ones by stacking them adjacent to any central recycling stations around campus. The campus recycling team will be by to pick them up as part of the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle effort at Boise State University.

Professor Kris Campbell, ECE, has received a small business innovative research (SBIR) award to work with Nu-Trek, Inc. to develop continuously variable resistors for integrated circuits. To develop these devices, Nu-Trek will be licensing the technology that Dr. Campbell has developed and patented at Boise State. The SBIR award is for $100,000.

As many faculty request demographic statistics for grant proposals, the latest College of Engineering demographic statistics, along with retention data and graphs, are available at:

M:\Research\Demographic & Retention Statistics.

Just for fun, here's a quiz to see how much you know about our college demographics. (Thanks to Pat Pyke for being so creative)

1. ...had the largest increase in women freshman students between 2006 and 2007?

2. ...has the most undergraduate majors?

3. ...has the highest percentage of Latino/a students overall?

4. ...has the highest percentage of women students?

5. ...has both the highest percentage of Latino/a freshman and Latino/a grad students?

6. ...has the most students who are classified as seniors (by credit)?

7. ...has the most engineering graduate students?

1. Computer science had the largest increase in women freshman students -- with 16% women freshman students in fall 2007, up from 5.2% in fall 2006.

2. Mechanical and Biomedical has the most undergraduate majors with 301 students.

3. Civil Engineering has the highest percentage of Latino/a students overall with 8.9%.

4. Instructional and Performance Technology has the highest percentage of women students with 53%.

5. Materials Science and Engineering has the highest percentage of Latino/a freshman and graduate students, 12.5% and 14.3% respectively.

6. Construction Management has the most students who are classified as seniors (by credit) with 67.

7. Electrical and Computer Engineering has the most graduate students with 70.

******************************************************

******************************************************