2024-ENG-I3-Magazine_ISSUU

IMAGINE•INNOVATE•INSPIRE 09

NEWS

wall of donors: The Bill Hannon Foundation, Erin Fullinwider Alex and Tony and Siri Mitchell. Their generous commitment has been instrumental in driving this transformative initiative forward. For the second lab, it is exciting to report that the school received a generous commitment of $250,000 from Daniel and Caili Chang to renovate and name the engineering and entrepreneurship lab. The Chang Innovation Lab is scheduled to open for students in Fall 2025. With the first lab completed and the second lab in planning, the school’s ongoing fundraising efforts will help to continue renovations of the remaining second-floor electrical engineering labs. Donations of all sizes are welcomed, and any gift of $5,000 or more for the third lab, up to $100,000, will be matched by an anonymous donor. For details on fund-matching opportunities, please contact elurkis@sandiego.edu or visit sandiego.edu/fundEElabs.

enhanced MATLAB analysis tools, enabling advanced machine learning capabilities. “Practicum is built into the spine of our engineering and computer science degree programs, and the new lab will serve to significantly enhance the hands-on experience that our students receive,” explains Professor of Practice and Chair of Electrical Engineering Venkat Shastri, PhD. “I am particularly proud of the fact that the lab design was the culmination of a collaborative effort between faculty members from our electrical engineering, integrated engineering and computer science departments.” The success of this renovation project is made possible through the generous support of donors. The Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering extends its gratitude to the following individuals who have contributed in excess of $5,000, and whose names are proudly displayed on the

BRIEFS

Leaving Legacies Spring 2024 marked the retirement of two esteemed faculty members. Chuck Bane, MS — who had an illustrious 50-year career spanning U.S. Navy service, wireless communications and cybersecurity — joined USD in 2018, becoming program director of USD’s cybersecurity engineering program in 2020. Zella Kahn-Jetter, PhD, PE, a trailblazer for women in engineering, joined USD’s mechanical engineering department in 2017. She retired from USD as interim chair. New Cyber Director Following the retirement of Chuck Bane, internationally recognized cybersecurity and emerging technologies expert, Haydar Majeed ’19 (MS-CSE), now leads USD’s cybersecurity engineering program. Majeed is leveraging his technical prowess to drive innovation and further shape the future of USD’s cybersecurity successful programs. New Faculty Members The Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering added two strategic hires in Fall 2024 to support the computer science department: Nikhil Yadav, PhD, a seasoned tenure-track associate professor, and Md Nafee Al Islam, PhD, an assistant professor who received his PhD from Notre Dame in Spring 2024. Both bring a wealth of knowledge in the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science.

PHOTO BY MICHELLE SZTUPKAY