September 21, 2009

---------------------------------------------------
IN THE NEWS
---------------------------------------------------
City Club talks startups and venture capital
The economy is down, unemployment is up, but Oregon stands to emerge strong from the current recession if it can start growing new companies and attracting Oregon investors. Wayne Embree, managing partner for the Portland investment firm Reference Capital Management, and Terri Fiez, the head of the School of EECS, talked about startups and venture capitalism in Oregon at Monday's meeting of the Corvallis City Club. Corvallis Gazette-Times

Ted Brekken talks about how OSU research is working to improve the effectiveness of wind energy
OSU YouTube Channel

On the Bright Side: improving solar energy
Find a problem and solve it. It’s the mantra, shared by so many engineers, that Terri Fiez used when she co-founded the solar energy startup Azuray Technologies two years ago. Powered by Orange

---------------------------------------------------
OPPORTUNITIES
---------------------------------------------------
Show the world what it means to be Powered by Orange
Join us on campus and in Portland, starting September 21 for events all day on Monday and continuing throughout the week. There will be prizes, music, food and fun. Look for special giveaways and event information on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Details

The Center for Teaching and Learning will be offering several workshops during fall term. All faculty and graduate assistants are welcome!

15 Survival Skills for Instructors
Oct. 1, 10 am – 12 pm
This session will be of particular interest to instructors new to teaching, but serves as an excellent review of some of the best practices used in classrooms today. Dr. Peter Saunders, CTL Director, will discuss and answer questions on some of the most critical aspects of teaching in higher learning. Issues such as establishing the teaching/learning environment, discipline in the classroom, effective teaching behaviors and motivation will be addressed. Details and registration

Discover Your Teaching Philosophy
Oct. 16, 1 - 3:30 pm
This workshop will be of particular interest to faculty and graduate teaching assistants preparing a teaching portfolio and who wish to create a statement of their teaching philosophy. All faculty and GTAs who teach, hold assumptions about what it means to teach. Ask a dozen instructors and you will hear a range of answers that describe guiding, facilitating, telling, showing, planning, helping, directing and so forth. Faculty and GTAs will come away from this workshop with a concise statement of their own teaching philosophy. Attendees are encouraged to bring syllabi of courses they teach. Details and registration

Understanding and Working With Contemporary Students
Oct. 22, 10 am - 12 pm
This session will focus on cultivating a better understanding of the new generation of students and how they make meaning of the world. Specifically, we will explore how students tend to make decisions, what and who influence them most, and what are their media habits. All of these issues influence how they approach the university experience and their expectations of learning environments. Details and registration

Austin Entrepreneurship Program Idea Challenge
November 10, 6-7:30 p.m., Kelley Engineering 1003. The Idea Challenge is an opportunity to pitch your business idea or come hear other students pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. Find out if your idea has what it takes to go forward. Great preparation for the 2010 Enterprise Challenge where the possible prize money totals $17,500. Winners of the Idea challenge will receive $50 and will be paired with a mentor to prepare for The Enterprise Challenge to be held on April 16, 2010. For further information or to enter, contact Mary McKillop at mary.mckillop@bus.oregonstate.edu.

Austin Entrepreneurship Program Building Your Own Business Plan Series runs from October 6 - January 19. The “Building Your Own Business Plan” Series and the “Idea Challenge” are designed to give students who are potentially interested in commercializing their senior projects assistance in doing so. Details

---------------------------------------------------
SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS
---------------------------------------------------
The purpose of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, as stated in the enabling legislation, is to alleviate a critical current and future shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. The Foundation will award undergraduate scholarships to outstanding students, to be known as Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, in the spring of 2010 for use during the 2010–2011 academic year. The awards will be made on the basis of merit to two groups of students—those who will be college juniors and those who will be college seniors in the 2010–2011 academic year—who have outstanding potential and intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Four-year institutions are eligible to nominate up to four students who are in the sophomore or junior class during the 2009–2010 academic year. Two-year institutions may nominate up to two students who are sophomores during the 2009–2010 academic year. To be considered, a student must be nominated by his or her college or university using the official online nomination process on the Foundation's website. Details

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
Spring 2010 & Summer 2010 Application Open – Deadline: October 6, 2009
The Gilman International Scholarship Program is pleased to announce the opening of the Spring 2010 online application and the launch of a pilot summer award cycle for students participating in Summer 2010 study abroad programs. A limited number of summer awards will be available to students majoring in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math field who meet the program's standard eligibility criteria listed below.

• Enrolled as an undergraduate student at a two or four-year U.S. Institution
• United States citizen
• Receiving a Federal Pell Grant at the time of application or during the term of study abroad
• Participating in a study abroad program that is no less than 4 weeks and no more than an academic year
• Receiving academic credit
• Study in any country not currently under a U.S. State Department Travel Warning or Cuba

---------------------------------------------------
GRADUATE EXAMS
---------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 23, 10am-noon, KEC 1114. PhD Final Oral Examination - Ahmet Ferhat Yildirim. Major Advisor: Huaping Liu; Committee: Mario Magana, Patrick Chiang, Thinh Nguyen; GCR: David Hackleman. "Polarization diversity and directional communication in 60 GHz wireless networks." Details

---------------------------------------------------
JOBS
---------------------------------------------------
Did you know that you can subscribe to the EECS Jobs List that will send you e-mail when new jobs are posted? Internships and even a few on-campus jobs get advertised there as well. Subscribe here.

Don't forget to check out the AfterCollege job site, tailored especially for our EECS students.

• Computer Associates
  Intern (Redwood City, CA South San Francisco, CA); Principal Consultant (Plano, TX Houston, TX); Software Architect - Introscope Development (South San Francisco, CA)
• National Security Agency
  RF / Wireless Communications Engineer (Fort George G. Meade, MD)
• Cybercoders.com
  Software Developer - C# - SQL - SDLC - finance (Seattle, WA); Software Developer - C# - SQL - SDLC - finance (Seattle, WA)

STUDENT GRADER needed fall, winter, and spring terms for CS 195 and CS 295 web authoring courses. If you have 5 to 10 hours available each week (starting week 2 of the term), have an excellent work ethic, and have experience working with XHTML, PHP, JavaScript, and MySQL, please contact pam.vanlonden@oregonstate.edu via email. Include a list of links to your web site work, describe your skill level, and note what hours you are available during week 2 through 11 of Fall term.

Research Experience for Undergraduates in Computational Sustainability
Professors Dietterich and Wong are looking for two undergraduate CS students interested in an NSF-sponsored REU studying the application of computer science to problems of ecological science and biosphere management. Our primary focus is on applying machine learning methods to predict the distribution of multiple plant and animal species. We are also studying methods for managing forests in Eastern Oregon to minimize catastrophic fires while also providing sustainable habitat for diverse species, sustainable harvest of wood products, and (possibly) carbon sequestration. Interested students should send an email message to tgd@eecs.oregonstate.edu and wong@eecs.oregonstate.edu with your resume, a copy of your transcript, and the contact information for two references.

C++ Programming for Insect Identification
The BugID project (http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~tgd/bugid/) seeks an undergraduate CS major to join our cross-disciplinary team of mechanical engineers, computer scientists, and entomologists. We are developing computer vision algorithms and robotic hardware to revolutionize the identification and classification of bugs (actual arthropods -- not their software namesakes). Knowledge of C++ and significant programming experience are desired. The project will involve extending and improving our C++ program that controls a robotic microscope + camera setup to capture images. You will gain experience interfacing with robots and cameras, as well as experience with computer vision and machine learning algorithms. Interested students should contact Professor Dietterich (tgd@eecs.oregonstate.edu).

Peer Mentors for Statics. Seeking volunteers to help statics students with problem solving. This is a great opportunity to help others while gaining some resume-building experience. You'll work with students during lectures and then in additional group tutoring sessions. If you got a B or better in statics and are available Wednesdays 9-10, email Dr. Rodriguez-Nikl at rodrigto@engr.orst.edu for more information.

Digital Design Engineer, Cirrus Logic. Design digital logic circuits and digital filters for applications including Mixed Signal Audio, Embedded SoC and high precision Industrial / Data Acquisition products. Primary activities include: design using Verilog, logic simulation, functional verification, and synthesis of DSP and data conversion IC’s in a mixed signal environment. Implement RTL modules and work with design team with integration and integrated functional verification. Responsibilities will also include support activities such as behavioral modeling of analog and mixed signal circuits, test vector generation and lab test development. Details

Analog Design Engineer, Cirrus Logic. In this position you will be responsible for designing CMOS analog blocks for AtoD and DtoA converters for Cirrus Logic’s market leading Industrial, Mixed Signal Audio and Embedded applications. You will participate in all aspects of the design –architectural development; transistor level design and circuit simulation; layout supervision for the analog subsections for your project; simulation of the IC from transistor level to systems level and lab validation. Details

Linn County is looking for a student who is interested in the following (part-time, non paid) work: Main electrical switchgear project involving layout, estimating and schedule; UPS installation project involving costing and layout; Develop Large solar panel RFP for power purchase program with leading solar investment firms; Assist in solar project; DDC controls program: graphics, management, and assist on projects; Put together energy management program; Develop an electrical system management program on distributed power systems. Details

Want to include an item in this newsletter? Send the info here.