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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#CC0000" vlink="#CC0000"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>To view online, visit <span style='color:red'>http://egr.uh.edu/newsletter/deansmemo/0911.html</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=602 style='width:451.5pt'><tr style='height:63.75pt'><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:63.75pt'><p class=MsoNormal><img width=600 height=107 id="_x0000_i1029" src="cid:image001.gif@01CC6CA0.9C9B1C80" alt="http://egr.uh.edu/newsletter/deansmemo/images/newswrapper_dean_new.gif"><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=600 style='width:6.25in'><tr><td colspan=3 valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><img width=30 height=30 id="_x0000_i1028" src="cid:image002.png@01CC6CA0.9C9B1C80" alt="http://www.egr.uh.edu/images/space.gif"><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td width=30 valign=top style='width:22.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><img width=30 height=30 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image002.png@01CC6CA0.9C9B1C80" alt="http://www.egr.uh.edu/images/space.gif"><o:p></o:p></p></td><td width=540 valign=top style='width:405.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><img width=120 height=150 src="cid:image003.jpg@01CC6CA0.9C9B1C80" align=right hspace=9 alt="http://egr.uh.edu/newsletter/deansmemo/images/tedesco.jpg" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2"><![endif]><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Dear Cullen College Faculty and Staff,</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>As we kickoff a new academic year, I am excited to share with you the unprecedented growth that our college has experienced over the last four years. Our enrollment has grown 38 percent, with our incoming freshman class at more than 600 students this semester; our research expenditures have doubled; our faculty has grown in size from 87 to 105 and we've added four members of the National Academy of Engineering; and financial support from our alumni and from industry has nearly quadrupled. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>With the addition of several new academic programs, including our Honors Engineering Program and our new Pre-Engineering Program, we are most certainly experiencing Tier One growth—I expect these trends to continue in this direction as we move our engineering program into national prominence. Thank you for your hard work and dedication in helping UH become Tier One!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Here are a few announcements and updates that I'd like to share with you:</span><o:p></o:p></p><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=10 cellpadding=0 width=540 style='width:405.0pt;border:none;border-bottom:dotted #333333 1.0pt'><tr><td valign=top style='border:none;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>ABET:</span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> Preparations have been underway for next week's ABET visit for the re-accreditation of our undergraduate programs in chemical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical engineering. Thanks to all the faculty and staff who have worked to ensure the re-accreditation of our programs.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Pre-Engineering Program:</span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> As I mentioned above, the college has just launched a Pre-Engineering Program, which is expected to be in full swing in fall 2012. The program offers a temporary major for UH engineering student prospects, giving students a chance to meet our rising entrance requirements. It also allows the college to better predict the success and retention of these students.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>New Faculty: </span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>This semester, nine tenured-track faculty joined the Cullen College. Join me in welcoming all new Cullen College faculty and staff, along with these professors:<br><br>Ashutosh Agrawal, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering<br>Ravi Birla, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering<br>William Epling, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering<br>Bora Gencturk, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering<br>Lars Grabow, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering<br>Hyongki Lee, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering<br>John Lee, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Chair; Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Professor of Petroleum Engineering<br>Mo Li, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering<br>Kalyana Nakshatrala, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Retirements:</span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> Just over a week ago, the ECE department held a symposium in honor of Dr. Leang Shieh, longtime professor of the department who is retiring. A winner of every major college award, Leang has most certainly helped strengthen our electrical and computer engineering academic programs as well as our research programs through his work in controls over the last forty years. He is an alumnus of the college and we couldn't be more proud of his achievements here at the University of Houston. Please join me in congratulating him for a job well done.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Recent Media Coverage:</span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> Our Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was recently highlighted as one of the top engineering R&D spenders in the nation in the <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2011/08/uh-rice-among-top-engineering-rd.html?s=print">Houston Business Journal</a>. ChBE was ranked 17th for research expenditures in 2009. In addition, Drs. Ramanan Krishnamoorti and Mike Harold documented the department's history in an <a href="http://www.chee.uh.edu/sites/chbe.egr.uh.edu/files/files/ChE.pdf">article</a> published in <em><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chemical Engineering Education</span></em>. Our new petroleum engineering professor, Dr. John Lee, was featured by the <a href="http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/1313716078-Bauer-Business-Focus-John-Lee.html">Bauer Business Focus</a>, while Drs. <a href="http://www.bisnow.com/energy_news_story.php?p=16866">Tom Holley</a> and <a href="http://www.bisnow.com/energy_news_story.php?p=17336">Matt Franchek</a> were featured by Houston's Energy Bisnow about their respective programs in petroleum and subsea engineering.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Subsea Engineering Support:</span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> We recently received a $50,000 gift from KBR in support of our new Subsea Engineering Program. We are incredibly excited to see the widespread interest and support that exists for this program.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant: </span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Efforts are ongoing for a university-wide effort, led by the Cullen College, to obtain a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant. The purpose of the funding is to increase participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Y Building: </span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The first phase of the Y Building demolition is expected to start late this fall. The facility is closed and the abatement process will begin this November.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>NSF Engineering Research Center: </span></strong><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The Cullen College is leading a multi-institutional effort to establish a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. The proposed center, NESTOR, will conduct transformative research to enhance the fundamental advances in nanosciences to design systems for large scale energy storage. Drs. Venkat Selvamanickam and Pradeep Sharma are leading the effort for UH; partnering institutions include UT Pan-American, Texas A&M University, UT-Austin, Rice, KTH in Sweden, Tsinghua University in China and the Indian Institute of Science in India.</span><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></div><p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Thank you, as always, for your continued dedication and support!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Warm regards,</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><img border=0 width=251 height=71 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image004.png@01CC6CA0.9C9B1C80" alt="http://egr.uh.edu/newsletter/deansmemo/images/Tedesco_Signature.gif"><o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-line-height-alt:0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Joe Tedesco </span><o:p></o:p></p></td><td width=30 valign=top style='width:22.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-line-height-alt:0pt'> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=1 width="98%" noshade style='color:gray' align=center></div></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=600 style='width:6.25in'><tr><td width=28 style='width:21.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></td><td width=572 style='width:429.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=5 cellpadding=0><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><a href="http://www.egr.uh.edu" target="_blank">EGR HOME</a> | <a href="http://www.egr.uh.edu/news/" target="_blank">EGR NEWSROOM</a> | <a href="http://www.egr.uh.edu/alumni/" target="_blank">EGR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION</a> | <a href="http://www.egr.uh.edu/communications/?e=pub" target="_blank">PARAMETERS</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>