2012 Spring - Science & Engineering Newsletter - Seattle University

The College of
Science & Engineering
SPRING 2012 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1
Washington’s
Professor
of the Year
Dr. Vicky Minderhout
page 7
INSIDE
25th Anniversary of Project Center
page 2
Studying Wave Energy in Chile
page 4

2 Science & Engineering seattle university 3
Project Center Celebrates Silver Anniversary
History of the Project Center
Electrical engineering seniors Michael Parks, Joseph McIntosh, Arihant Jain, and Charles Park are designing a truck noise cancellation system for Kenworth.
How do you get a job without experience, and how do you get experience without a job?
The Project Center is Seattle University’s answer to this perennial question.
Before graduation, every senior in engineering and computer
science and every master of software engineering student joins a
team of fellow students that completes a professionally sponsored
design project. Through the generous support of our project
sponsors, our students gain valuable real-world skills: coping
with shifting project scopes, managing limited budgets, meeting
real deadlines, and overcoming personnel issues. They learn the
nuances of negotiation, public speaking, scheduling, and
matching engineering design with the bottom line.
The practical utilization of skills discussed in the classroom,
when linked to the Jesuit mission of service to others, can bring
dramatic changes to people’s lives, and our Project Center has a
long tradition of doing public service projects. Here are just a
few examples: project teams have travelled to Nicaragua to help
coffee farmers improve the processing of their crops, to Zambia
to build a waterwheel to pump water away from a crocodileinfested
river, and to Haiti to help provide arable land to a hungry
populace.
The Project Center has become an indispensable element of our
engineering program. We are proud that our student project
teams regularly win national awards for their work and that
many of their project designs find their way into commercial
products. We celebrate our alumni who volunteer their time to
return to the program as sponsors and team liaisons. We are
grateful that project sponsors, large and small, have chosen to
join with us in shaping the next generation of engineers. ■
by Bob Heeren and Jean Jacoby
Over 25 years ago, three forward-thinking engineering chairs,
Dale Carlson (CE), Robert Hereen (EE), and Dennis Wiedemeir
(ME), envisioned an industry-sponsored engineering research
center housed in the School of Science and Engineering, as it
was called back then. The center would support design projects
as the focus of engineering seniors at Seattle U. It was an innovative
proposal. From this brainstorming emerged the Engineering
Design Center (EDC), precursor to the Project Center, authorized
by Dean Terry van der Werff and officially initiated during the
1987-1988 academic year.
Professor Rolf Skrinde, Founding Director of the EDC, recalls “I
was fortunate in … being associated with the Center in its early
years, and in working with industry and faculty members to provide
our graduating seniors with a taste of the real world of
professional practice in which they were about to enter. Sometimes
called a capstone experience, the Project Center was a relatively
new concept at the time, but now there are many such programs
at colleges and universities throughout the country. As Director,
… much of my work relat(ed) to introducing the concept to
industry and soliciting from them the types of projects that
could be accomplished by teams of students, who … would
dedicate approximately one quarter of their time during the
senior year to the program.” Subsequent directors have carried
on this tradition (Patricia Daniels, Jeff Gilles, and Jean Jacoby).
For 15 years, the Project Center was supported by Sheridan
Botts. In 2007, Amy Haedt took over project recruitment, sponsor
relations, and contract management. Forging and maintaining
these relationships with the sponsors is critical to the ongoing
success of the program.
Believing that the primary function of engineering is design, the
three engineering departments integrated the professional
practice of engineering into the senior design experience to give
engineering students an opportunity to apply their knowledge
in solving real-world problems. The current structure remains
largely unchanged from its early days. Through a yearlong
sequence of courses, student teams work to complete projects
sponsored by corporate, government, or non-profit agencies.
Project teams are composed of 3-5 students, a faculty advisor,
and a liaison engineer from the sponsor. Seniors in computer
science and graduate students in the Master of Software Engineering
program joined the program in 1996. In 2008 the Project
Center formed a partnership with the Albers School of Business
and Economics, enabling a common project recruitment base,
cooperative projects, and interdisciplinary student learning. This
Mechanical engineering seniors James Krumwied, Inri Haryono and Erika
Tyler proudly display their senior design project, “Design of Algae Photobioreactor.”
The sponsor wished to explore the possibility of using CO2
from power plant exhaust to grow algae for biodiesel production.
experience can also lead to student internship opportunities.
As we look back over a quarter of a century, we note that this
senior design experience is foundational for the engineering
and computer science programs in the College of Science and
Engineering. We have created an experience that trains engineering
students to do design work at an advanced level, and
we have maintained a strong relationship with highly satisfied,
repeat sponsors (e.g., The Boeing Company, AREVA/Alstom
Grid, Kenworth Truck Company, PACCAR, Puget Sound Energy,
Seattle City Light, and Seattle Public Utilities). The Project Center
has become a signature program of Seattle U. ■
PROJECT CENTER SPONSORS 1987-2012
A. K. Gordon & Assoc. + Adobe Systems + Alliant Techsystems + Alstom + Amazon + AMEC + Appia Engineering Consultants + Appian Graphics + Applied Microsystems +
AREVA T&D + ARIS + Artisan Instruments + Atigeo + AVTECH + Bass Educational Services + Better Lifestyles + Bioalgene + The Boeing Company + Center for Design of Analog-
Digital Integrated Circuits + Cingular Wireless + Citrix Systems + City of Seattle + Consolidated Metco + Costco + Coughlin Porter Lundeen + Cray + Cybergroup + Data I/O
Corp. + David Evans and Assoc. + David Taylor Research Center + City of Des Moines + DevDac + Duet Cascade + ELDEC + Electroimpact + Emerald City Rotary Club +
Enchanted Learning + Engineered Software + Engineers Without Borders + Fluke + Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center + Friends of Blackman Lake + FSI + Group Four +
GT Development + Harris Group + Harrison Comfort Footwear + HDR Engineering + Herrera Environmental Consultants + Hewlett-Packard + Honeywell + IEEE + Industrial
Revolution + Ingersoll-Rand + Intelligent Results + K2 + Kenworth + King County + Leadership Advancement Int’l. + Magnusson Klemencic Assoc. + Management Assistance
and Concepts + Medtronic Physio-Control + Microscan Systems + Microsoft + National Bureau of Asian Research + National Park Service + Neighborhood House + Nesting Bird Yurt
+ Noetix + Nordstrom + Nova Ray + Nutraceutix + Octaform + PACCAR + Pacific Northwest National Laboratory + PACLAND + Parsons Brinckerhoff + PATH + Philips Healthcare
+ Photon Machines + Pierce County + Port of Seattle + Potters for Peace + Pratt & Whitney + PSF Mechanical + Puget Sound Energy + Qwest + Rabanco + Regence BlueShield
+ REI + The Robbins Company + Saint James Cathedral + Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories + Seattle City Light + Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind + Seattle Public Utilities +
Seattle University + Siemens Medical Solutions + SignalSet + Snohomish County Public Works + Solution Recovery Services + Sound Transit + Spinoza Technology + SRAM + SRS
Energy + SunGard Collegis + SvR Design + Terabeam + Tetra Tech KCM + The Other Roadside Attraction + Tinnea & Assoc. + Triad Assoc. + Two Degrees Consulting + Univar
USA + Universal Avionics System + University of Washington + US Army Corps of Engineers + US Bureau of Reclamation + US Coast Guard + US Forest Service + US Public Health
Service + Valberg + Verizon + Vietnam Veterans of America + Washington Mutual + Washington Publishing Company. + Washington State Department of Transportation +
Washington State Ferries + Waste Management + Waterfront Construction + Wave Consulting Group + Wellness by Design + Westinghouse Hanford + Weyerhaeuser + Willapa
Hills Farmstead Cheese + Wire DynamiX + WISDM + World Bicycle Relief + Xilinx + Zetec

4 Science & Engineering seattle university 5
Message from the Dean
I was having coffee in the
Learning Commons a couple
of days ago when Rodney
Dwyer, a senior in mechanical
engineering, came up to
me to thank me for helping
make possible his study
abroad in Santiago, Chile.
Rodney said it was a powerful
experience, particularly
the visit to the Memory and
Human Rights Museum.
Dr. Michael J. Quinn, Dean
Later that day, I met with Dr. John Carter, who organized
the trip, which was the capstone experience of a new
elective course John created on the mathematical modeling
of wave-energy extraction. Eight students from electrical
engineering, mechanical engineering, and mathematics
attended lectures, did homework, and took exams here
in Seattle during winter quarter, then traveled with John
to Chile during spring break to hear a series of lectures
on the subject organized by Dr. Rodrigo Cienfuegos of the
Pontifical Catholic University. When John and his students
weren’t attending lectures or visiting laboratories, they
were immersing themselves in Chilean culture. What a
great example of one faculty member’s expertise and
hard work resulting in an incredibly rich experience for a
group of students!
Faculty are at the heart of every university, and creative
and enterprising faculty members like John Carter help
make the College of Science and Engineering an extraordinary
learning environment for our students. New faculty
members bring new energy and ideas to the College, and
for that reason I’m thrilled to report that we have hired
seven new assistant professors who will begin in the fall
of 2012: three in biology, one in chemistry, and three in
mathematics. I am confident they will have an immediate
impact. For one thing, they will represent 1/9th of the
total number of professors in the College. For another
thing, they are an extraordinarily talented and accomplished
group of people. Altogether, these seven new
faculty members have already published more than 50
refereed articles, many in highly respected journals, including
Nature and Science.
As we continue to attract remarkable faculty members
who have a genuine interest in working with students
and fostering their professional formation and personal
growth, Seattle University will become an even more
attractive destination for science and engineering students,
catalyzing an exciting new era in our College’s history. ■
www.facebook.com/seattleuscieng
Faculty and students pose at La Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas,
a facility of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC) on the bluff in La
Cruces, on the Chilean coast. From left to right: Juan Carlos Dominguez (PUC),
Caleb Bowman, Erin Shankel, Max Cerami, Maricarmen Guerra (PUC), Aaron
Klingensmith, Emily Frost, Dr. Rodrigo Cienfuegos (PUC), Adam Frank, Dr. John
Carter, Kia Braha, Rodney Dwyer, and Dr. Cristian Escauriaza (PUC).
Energy from Waves:
International Study in Chile
As part of the winter quarter course, “Mathematical Models of
Wave-Energy Extraction,” Dr. John Carter and eight SU students
traveled to Santiago, Chile, for spring break. These lucky students
participated in a series of lectures on ocean and tidal energy
extraction in this extraordinarily rich environment. The course
was organized by Dr. Rodrigo Cienfuegos at the Pontifical Catholic
University of Chile. Chile’s immense coastline and dramatic
energy needs affords excellent opportunities to explore harnessing
tidal and wave energies. Dr. Cienfuegos and his research group
are internationally known for being at the forefront of wave and
tidal energy extraction. (Following this course, Dr. Cienfuegos
flew to Sendai, Japan, for a conference on tsunamis.)
While the trip included a visit to the Department of Hydraulic
and Environmental Engineering at PUC and research facilities in
Santiago and Las Cruces, students also dedicated time to experiencing
Chilean culture. They visited a number of museums,
including the incredibly powerful Museum of Memory and
Human Rights, and spent several afternoons enjoying Santiago’s
lovely parks. They ate Chilean delicacies including pastel de choclo,
chorripan, and chorrillanas and drank pisco sours, Chilean
wines, and fresh-squeezed juices from a wide variety of fruits. A
highlight of the trip was the asado (Chilean BBQ) at Rodrigo’s
house.
The opportunity for engineering and mathematics students to
study with this renowned Chilean team is inestimable. As future
generations strive to deal with energy shortages and the options
afforded by renewable energy sources, this experience will
shape these students from Seattle U. ■
Alumni News
On April 17th, physics alumnus
Paul Newman ‘78 received the
Alumni Board’s Professional
Achievement Award. Dr. Newman
is a leader in the use of aircraft for
atmospheric research and is the
Chief Scientist for Atmospheric
Chemistry at NASA’s Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Maryland. Newman has authored
Paul A. Newman, Ph.D., ’78
or co-authored more than 130
refereed scientific papers and
reports, including several significant studies of atmospheric
ozone. He helps direct Goddard’s analysis of the dynamics,
chemistry, and radiative properties of the middle atmosphere.
Newman currently serves as co-chair on the Scientific Assessment
Panel to the Montreal Protocol, a landmark international
treaty banning ozone-depleting substances. He directed the
first flight of the NASA ER-2, a civilian version of the U-2
converted to scientific research. He has been named in ten
NASA Group Achievement awards and been twice chosen by
his Goddard colleagues for peer awards. Newman grew up in
St. Joseph Parish on Capitol Hill, Seattle. Several members of
the Newman family are also SU graduates, including his late
father Jerome ’58, daughter Mary ’02, brother Stephen ’81,
and sister Joyce (Griffin) ’80. The day before receiving the
Alumni Award, Dr. Newman addressed Seattle U students
on the impact of ozone-depletion and efforts to curb this
degradation.
John Hooper, P.E., S.E., is Principal
and Director of Earthquake Engineering
at Magnusson Klemencic
Associates (MKA), an international
award-winning Seattle-based
consulting structural and civil
engineering firm. John graduated
from Seattle U in 1981 with a BCE
and joined Ratti Fossatti Associates.
He attended UC Berkeley in
John Hooper, P.E., S.E., ‘81
1983, earning his MS in 1984,
re-joining RFA that year as Technical
Director. In 1990 he became a Principal/Partner. In 1997, John
moved to MKA. An MKA owner for over 12 years, John has
been integral in directing the firm’s technical undertaking, focusing
on seismic and earthquake engineering, particularly
in the research and development of new codes, methodologies,
and approaches. Through project and technical committee
experience, John remains at the forefront of industry advancements.
He is the Chair of the American Society of Civil
Engineers’ Seismic Subcommittee, member of the NEHRP
Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction
(ACEHR), and very involved with the Earthquake Engineering
Research Institute (EERI), FEMA, and the Pacific Earthquake
Engineering Research (PEER) Center. John serves on the College
of Science and Engineering Advisory Board.
On February 9th, alumnus Charlie Lyford visited with mechanical engineering
majors to offer practical design and implementation advice.
Students Evan Sjostedt, Max Cerami and (hidden) Rick Frederick take
advantage of Lyford’s professional experience.
Alumnus Charlie Lyford ‘96 visited the campus in February
and provided a lot of practical advice to the ASME Student
Club that is designing a one-seat electric car. He has often
helped with go-kart and bike “design and build” projects,
lending his expertise and welcoming students to his state-ofthe-art
race car lab, T-Zero. Charlie has generously donated
equipment to the College’s machine shop, allowing engineering
students to gain valuable machine tool experience. The Lyford
family, including Mary ’12, has three generations of professional
motor sport racing experience. They are passionate about
hands-on engineering.
Upcoming Events
Science and engineering majors will participate in the
Celebration of Student Scholarship on Friday, May
18, from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Center.
Engineering and computer science students will
present their work at the 25th annual Projects Day on
Wednesday, May 30. This year’s celebration will begin
at 1 p.m. in the Pigott Auditorium.
The College will host a large booth at the Seattle
Science EXPO at the Seattle Center, Saturday, June 2,
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
All three of these events are free and open to the public.

6 Science & Engineering seattle university 7
Bannan Scholar Profile: Nichole Porter
I grew up in a family where education
was not considered important,
so I dropped out of high school in
9th grade, like my parents. As an
adult I took dead end jobs, living
paycheck to paycheck. When I was
22 I married and soon had my son,
Quinton, and daughter, Alexandra.
I became a stay-at-home mom with
a smaller income.
Just after I had my daughter, my best friend passed away suddenly.
Like me, she also had a three-year-old. I was heartbroken
but began to wonder, “If I were to pass away, what would my
children have from their mother? What would I like them to inherit
from me?”
I did not want them to struggle as I had, and I knew that the
way to change that was for me to return to school, to lead by
example. This would make it possible to pay for their education
and to show them how important education is.
STEM Club: Bannan Scholars in Service
Last fall the 21 Bannan Scholars, science and engineering juniors
and seniors, started an after-school Science Technology
Engineering Math (STEM) Club at Bailey Gatzert Elementary
School. The club seeks to encourage students to learn science
through engaging activities in a school where only 10% of the
fifth grade students meet state requirements. Eddie Lincoln, the
Success Coordinator at the elementary school, brought up the
idea with Ben Neal and Rachel Vranizan, senior co-leaders of
“the Bannans,” and soon all were on board. During their fall
quarter retreat, they brainstormed fun and thoughtful projects
for the STEM curriculum.
Elizabeth Brasseale works with a Bailey Gatzert student.
In considering my choices, I realized that I would like to become
an electrical engineer. I got my GED and enrolled in community
college. I was a good student, so I was accepted at Seattle University.
The issue of money was instantly a concern. Because I
received the Transfer Scholarship and the Bannan Scholarship,
my husband and I were able to make it work.
Since receiving the Bannan Scholarship, my experiences have
been phenomenal! I was instantly part of something that I could
never have imagined. I felt immediately accepted by my peers,
and my eyes were opened to much more of the world. I have
appreciated the speakers who generously bestow their knowledge
upon us in the Bannan Scholars meetings. The speakers
even inspired me to join Engineers Without Borders to try to
make a real difference in the world!
Receiving the Bannan Scholarship made it possible for me to
continue my education at a school that really cared about me
becoming a good engineer! I am very grateful for the opportunities
that Seattle University has given me and my children as well! ■
Lessons have covered the solar system, space travel, chemistry,
buoyancy of water, materials science, and the conservation of
energy, which was “experienced” when Gatzert students built
Rube Goldberg machines. Twenty-four 4th and 5th graders participated
in the STEM Club last fall. Now Seattle U student volunteers
Gina Esposito and Taisha Doo and K-12 Leadership
Team member Tyler Yamaguchi provide steady “anchors” and
“crowd control” support for club activities.
The Bannan Scholars are excited about being part of the Seattle
University Youth Initiative with their STEM Club program. “It is
awesome to see them [Gatzert students] get excited about science,”
says Jasmine Davis, a fourth year chemistry and forensic
science major. The journey has been filled with many pleasant
surprises. “Nothing is ever going to go how you plan it. The
stuff they find exciting is never what you intended to wow them
with,” says Elizabeth Brasseale, a third year physics major. “They
hang on your every word, and there’s nothing like hearing a
chorus of ‘ooooh’ and ‘aaah’ and ‘wow!’ following your demonstrations.
The rest of the time, you’re too busy trying to keep them
from eating the chemicals to worry what they think of you.”
“For me, STEM is an incredible experience… Whether they
enjoy the subject or not, they are constantly asking questions
and wanting to learn more,” says Justin Willis, a senior general
science major, reflecting on his experience. “It is encouraging to
hear, at the end of each Wednesday, that each of them learned
at least something new about the world of science.”
The Bannan Scholars plan to expand efforts in the coming years. As
faculty advisor Frank Shih says, “We’re just getting started….” ■
Professor Vicky Minderhout Honored as Washington’s
Professor of the Year
In November, Dr. Vicky Minderhout, professor of chemistry, was
named the Washington State “Professor of the Year” by the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She
was awarded this honor for her profound impact on student success
in her innovative approach to teaching. She is the first faculty
member at Seattle University to receive this honor and one of only
27 educators throughout the country to be honored in 2011.
In 1997, having completed 17 years at Seattle University, Dr.
Minderhout did something quite radical – she challenged everything
she had learned about teaching and dramatically changed
her teaching methods. After attending a conference where a
new approach was discussed, she turned away from the traditional
lecture method of teaching science. Adopting a Socratic
method, she began to think less like a conveyor of information
and more like a coach, one who strives to elicit the optimal performance
from each participant.
At first, Dr. Minderhout’s novel approach was a source of discomfort
for students who were used to the traditional formula
of lectures, labs and testing. This new method required creative
thinking and problem-solving, group participation and a deeper
understanding of the principles behind the lesson content. In
short, she challenged them to think, to analyze, and to apply
this new-found knowledge to other areas of their discipline and,
indeed, their academic lives. It stretched them – and her. Lectures
were abandoned in favor of small group problem-solving
sessions, research driven and designed to build not only base
knowledge but also the invaluable critical-thinking skills that
come to distinguish scholarly success.
“This, I believe, is the future of science
education, and it’s happening right now,
right here at our university.”
Michael Quinn, Dean
But Dr. Minderhout’s “conversion” did not rest with the successes
she witnessed in her classroom. She shared her success with her
colleagues. She and associate professor Dr. Jenny Loertscher coauthored
a workbook, Foundations of Biochemistry, securing a
National Science Foundation grant to test the material nationally. It
is now being used in over 50 institutions across the country.
Professor Minderhout has held 40 workshops to model the way an
inquiry-based undergraduate course can work. She continues to
publish extensively, and she is a sought-after speaker on the subject
as the method continues to grow in popularity. She generously
gives of her time in work with many other educational innovators
involved in re-shaping STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math) curricula to better prepare students and teachers for the
future, including K-12 curricula. As Dana Riley Black, director of
Seattle’s Center for Inquiry Science at the Institute for Systems
Biology says of Minderhout’s efforts, “It’s not just hand-on, it’s really
minds-on, and that’s the type of workers we want in our field.”
Dr. Minderhout’s award was publicly recognized in a ceremony
last November 21 when Seattle University President Fr. Stephen
Sundborg, SJ, presented her with a plaque honoring her accomplishment.
■

8 Science & Engineering seattle university 9
Athletics Honors College’s Top Student-Athletes
The College of Science and Engineering boasts 58 student-athletes among its undergraduate majors.
Their overall performance in the classroom is commendable; as a group, they earned an average GPA
of 3.13 during fall quarter. By the end of winter term, eight of them had been recognized by the
Department of Athletics for their exceptional academic and athletic performance.
We proudly salute them: (top Row) Brandon Hammer, Liana Heberer, Marshall Kosaka, Caitlin McCleary,
(bottom Row) Bethany Richards, Katrina Schwab, Kacie Sowell, Katie Tougas.
Project Center Feature: Building a Better (Micro) Mouse
For five months the ECE 12.3 senior design team had worked
toward a one goal: to build the winning MicroMouse robot for
the IEEE Region 6 competition at the Boeing Museum of Flight
in February. The team invested 6000 man-hours in research, design,
prototype construction and the final robot build-out. The
stage was set to challenge 3-time winner, University of Alaska
Fairbanks.
The competition itself is straightforward. Each micro robot
searches out a 16x16 maze. Once the robot has thoroughly explored
the maze and “memorizes” the pattern, it returns to the
start. It is then clocked to make the fastest possible run to the
center of the square. The timed speed run determines the victor.
When Seattle University set their robot, “The Dude,” down, it
strolled through the maze, returned home, and made its sprint
to the center in only 27 seconds – a remarkable accomplishment
for a first year team! When the UAF team leader picked up his
stalled mouse mid-search, he succumbed to IEEE rules that
penalize the team with a 30 second penalty added to their best
run. This guaranteed the victory for Seattle U! ■
Chris McDougall, Bobby Seidensticker, and Hoang Tran watch “The Dude”
make its way through a copy of the competition maze. Associate professor
Al Moser served as faculty advisor to the team.
Student Research Briefs
Senior physics major Jeff Tibbals is working with professor
Mary Alberg to calculate the ways in which the momentum
of an elementary particle, like the kaon or the pion, is shared
among its constituent quark. Both attended the 2011 Fall
Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Nuclear
Physics at Michigan State University last October. Alberg and
Tibbets have co-authored a paper describing this work, which
has been published in the journal Physics Letters.
Civil and environmental engineering students Caitlyn Echterling
and Jenny Graves worked under the supervision of assistant
professor Wes Lauer to perform aerial photograph
analysis that helped document the increase in stream bank
erosion in the Le Sueur river basin, a large agricultural watershed
in southern Minnesota. Dr. Lauer was part of a larger
team that worked for several years to develop a sediment
budget for the basin. Their work was published in the journal
Environmental Science and Technology.
Biochemistry majors Orrin Stone and Lauren Ryon and molecular
biology major Kelly Biette, accompanied by faculty
mentors Patrick Murphy, Vicky Minderhout, and Jennifer
Loertscher, attended the Experimental Biology conference in
San Diego April 21-25. Students were able to present the
projects they had been working on all year to the diverse
audience.
Senior Patrick Trainor and assistant professor of mathematics
McLean Sloughter have been working together to study pine
beetle infestations. Early in March, Trainer presented a talk
titled “Modeling of pine beetle caused mortality in Jeffrey
pine trees” at the Northwest Undergraduate Mathematics
Symposium at Lewis and Clark College. He collaborated with
Dr. Sloughter and another author on another talk titled “Living
in a bad neighborhood: the influence of spatial proximity
on Jeffrey pine beetle-caused mortality in the Lake Tahoe Basin,”
which was presented in late March at the Western Forest
Insect Work Conference in Penticton, British Columbia.
Engineering students Aimee Corn, Rachel Dang and Katie Stinson
exhibited their leadership skills by coordinating nine student
clubs to host activities for National Engineering Week in February.
The Society of Women Engineers offered the annual Resume
Night, which gives engineering and computer science students
the opportunity to receive individual feedback from local engineering
professionals. The student chapter of the IEEE hosted
Mock Interviews Night, offering students a chance to sharpen
their interviewing skills. Other events were hosted by student
chapters of EWB, ASCE, ASME, Habitat for Humanity, Concrete
Canoe, Steel Bridge, and Tau Beta Pi. The week was a great
success. ■
Associate professor Joanne Hughes Clark and physics majors Andrew
Hankins and Kayla Furukawa (not shown) presented a poster on their
summer research at the NASA Future Forum held December 9th, 2011,
at The Museum of Flight.
Fnu Pooja, a graduate student in computer science, has been
working under the supervision of associate professor Roshanak
Roshandel to develop techniques to detect malware behavior
in text messaging and telephony applications of Android devices.
She has developed a methodology to analyze user’s behavior
regarding individual phone usage and detection of anomalies.
A fellow graduate student in computer science, Pichai Assawaruangchai,
has been working with Dr. Roshandel to
develop a tool to analyze malware behavior by monitoring
network traffic and identifying attempts to contact IP addresses
that are known to be malicious or compromised. Doohyun
Chung, a graduate student in software engineering, has been
developing a framework for malware analysis on Android
phones and tablets. Doohyun is currently wrapping up tool
development for two novel algorithms for behavioral analysis
of smartphones. These algorithms will be able to detect when
a piece of malware on a smartphone is performing activities
that may compromise the security or privacy of the user’s
data. ■
Students Organize Engineering Week Activities
Before the official start of National Engineers Week, student clubs
organized a mixer in Casey Commons. Pictured in this photo are
Nicole Nakaoka, Hannah Rolston, Dr. Frank Shih, Anneliese Sytsma,
Renee Vandermause, and Mark Beggs.

10 Science & Engineering seattle university 11
Faculty Notes
CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Associate professors Katherine Kuder and Nirmala Gnanapragasam
authored a paper titled “Implementing peer-reviews in
civil engineering laboratories,” which will appear in the 2011
ASEE Conference Proceedings.
Nirmala Gnanapragasam has been a volunteer math club
coach at a North Seattle elementary school for the past 10+
years, preparing 12-15 kids each year for local, state, national
and international competition. Recently her team of 6th graders
took fourth place in Seattle Chapter MATHCOUNTS, moving
them to the state level at the Microsoft Campus, the dream of
every “mathlete.” MATHCOUNTS (mathcounts.org) is the
most prestigious contest for 6th through 8th graders; it is run
by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
Assistant professor Wes Lauer published “The importance of
off-channel sediment storage in 1-D morphodynamic modeling”
in the textbook Gravel Bed Rivers: Processes, Tools, Environments.
Assistant professor J. Paul Smith published “Performancebased
framework for soil-structure systems using simplified
rocking foundation models” in Structural Engineering and
Mechanics: An International Journal.
J. Paul Smith co-presented a paper at the ACI 2012 Spring
Convention in Dallas, March 18-22. The title of the paper was
“Special considerations for the seismic analysis and design of
piers, wharves and yards supported on prestressed concrete
piles.”
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Dean Michael J. Quinn recently launched the fifth edition of
his text, Ethics for the Information Age. The book covers a
variety of issues related to the modern use of computers and
networks, such the effects on personal privacy of widespread
data-gathering by Google and Facebook, the implications of
widespread file-sharing on intellectual property rights, and security
weaknesses of wireless Internet access points.
Associate professor Yingwu Zhu received word of the acceptance
of his research paper titled “Evaluating mesh-based P2P
video-on-demand systems” by the 26th IEEE International Parallel
& Distributed Processing Symposium.
ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
In December, assistant professor Henry Louie presented a
keynote address titled “The past, present and future of the
Power & Energy Society” at the IEEE Power & Energy Society
Innovative Smart Grid Technology conference in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia. The conference was hosted by the IEEE, the King
Keynote speaker Dr. Henry Louie is recognized by conference chair
Bander Allaf at the Innovative Smart Grid Technology conference in
Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah University of Science and Technology and the Saudi
Electric Company under the patronage of the Saudi Minister
of Water of Electricity, Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman Al Hussien.
The conference, focusing on creation of more efficient electric
grid operation, improved use of renewable resources and
greater consumer empowerment, provided opportunities for
power utilities, regulators, and representatives of all interested
parties to meet and exchange ideas. Louie is Vice President of
Membership & Image of the IEEE Power & Energy Society.
MATHEMATICS
Professor Shusen Ding gave an invited main lecture titled
“Norm inequalities for differential forms and related operators”
at the International Conference on Higher Structures in China
II. He also attended the international conference Nonlinear
PDEs and Applications in China, where he gave seminar talks
at the Harbin Institute of Technology and Tsinghua University.
Assistant professor Brian Fischer is co-author of “Effect of instantaneous
frequency glides on interaural time difference
processing by auditory coincidence detectors,” published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
The paper “Partitioning Pythagorean Triangles Using Pythagorean
Angles” by professors emeriti Carl Swenson and Andre
Yandl is scheduled for publication in the May issue of the College
Mathematics Journal. Their paper “On a class of matrices with
zero determinant” has been accepted for publication in
Mathematics Magazine.
PHYSICS
Professor Mary Alberg and University of Washington professor
Gerald Miller have co-authored a paper “Taming the pion
cloud of the nucleon,” which has been accepted for publication
by Physical Review Letters, the world’s foremost physics letters
journal. In this work they calculated the effects on the mass of
the proton of the short-lived fluctuation of the proton into a
neutron and a pion, a process allowed by Heisenberg’s uncertainty
principle. Their results are in excellent agreement
with the fundamental calculations of lattice QCD (quantum
chromodynamics).
Emeritus professor Pierre Gehlen (second from left) with the Engineers
Without Borders group and local residents in Mae Nam Khun, Thailand,
2007.
In Memoriam: Pierre Gehlen
Pierre Gehlen, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering,
passed away on January 3, 2012. Pierre taught in the Mechanical
Engineering Department from 1982-2006. He was a strong
supporter of engineering education and a great proponent of
Engineers Without Borders. In 2007 he helped install a drinking
water treatment system for a children’s dormitory in Thailand.
He also worked in Zambia with Father Bert Otten, SJ. He was
kind and intelligent and had a wonderful sense of humor. He
was a keen photographer and remained in contact with many
former students. He is sorely missed.
The Science & Engineering Newsletter is published semiannually by
the Seattle University College of Science and Engineering.
Editor: Patricia Whitney (senews@seattleu.edu)
Dean: Michael Quinn
Contributors: John Carter, Amy Haedt, Bob Heeran, Joanne Hughes Clark, Jean
Jacoby, Henry Louie, Hilary Northcraft, Nichole Porter, Frank Shih, Mike Thee
Photos: John Aronson, Kayla Furukawa, Anil Kapahi, Shelley Rolfe, CJ Taylor.
This newsletter is printed on FSC Mixed Sources paper — a product group
from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fiber.
A Century of Service:
Three Dedicated Faculty Members Retire
Three College faculty members
with a total of 104 years of service
to Seattle University are retiring at
the end of this academic year:
Mary Ehlers, Dan Matlock, and
David Thorsell.
Mary Ehlers, associate professor
of mathematics, began her career
at Seattle University in the fall of
1974. Mary calculates that she has
taught more than 5,000 students Dr. Mary Ehlers
in her classes over these years.
Her future plans are “yet to be determined.”
Dan Matlock, associate professor
of biology, started at Seattle University
in the fall of 1984. Dan
says he’s learned a few things
along the way: “(1) To my students
I say that the secret to a
rewarding career in the life sciences
is to choose an organism
for study that can only be found
in a part of the world you want to
visit, and more, importantly, one
that tastes good; and (2) to my Dr. Dan Matlock
colleagues, I recommend that
they think of their work not as a career, but as a hobby; a very
expensive hobby.”
Like Mary Ehlers, David Thorsell,
associate professor of chemistry,
started at Seattle U in the fall of
1974. He was appointed department
chair in 1976 and served in
that capacity for 12 years. David
says, “Having finally recovered
from that task, I will now retire
and work on home and boat
projects that have been sorely
neglected during my recovery.
Dr. David Thorsell
Vicky and I also plan to do some
car and boat trips and to spend
some time on Orcas Island where long-time friends recently
bought a home.”
We are pleased to announce that all three of these faculty
members have been granted emeritus/emerita status by Seattle
University, and we hope they will come back to campus frequently
to visit with us! ■

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PROJECTS
DAY 2012
MAY 30, 2012 // 1 – 5:30 PM
WE ARE 25! Please join the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of
the Seattle University Project Center at Projects Day 2012. Students
present the results of their projects followed by a poster session and
free reception. Opening ceremony at 1 p.m. in Pigott Auditorium, Albers
School of Business and Economics followed by student presentations
and reception in Sullivan Hall, SU Law School.
Visit www.seattleu.edu/projectcenter for more details.