ENG-23-4200-I3-Magazine_Final Version

06 USD ENGINEERING Darkness

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IMAGINE•INNOVATE•INSPIRE

Honoring

attract new students, retain exceptional faculty members and drive learning and innovation,” says Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations Elisa Lurkis, who is tasked with sourc ing funds for the renovations. Phase I of the proposed renovations will include a single lab on the third floor. This particular renovation is not just about bringing the space up to date, it’s also about making it interdisciplin ary and modernizing the instruments. Chair of Electrical Engineering Venkat Shastri, PhD, and Chair of Integrated Engineering Susan Lord, PhD, both agree that this lab will encompass an “essential open-space floor plan for integrated teaching and conducting lab work.” This lab will also support the embedded software programs offered in the integrated engineering and computer science departments and will be shared between the three departments to advance those programs. The new lab will also serve as the backbone of the capstone program across com puter science, electrical, integrated and mechanical engineering. Standard instrumentation for the space will include oscilloscopes, sig nal generators, spectrum analyzers, circuit design, PCB prototyping, Lab VIEW and computers that have tools for embedded software development. Added features to existing MATLAB analysis tools will allow for more ma chine learning. According to Shastri, these cutting-edge tools will be “comparable to those found in indus try, giving students a significant ad vantage when joining the workforce.” Phase II renovations of the three second-floor electrical engineering labs will be more traditional in func tionality and will include new electrical benches, moveable furniture, storage cabinets and the removal and replace ment of the existing flooring with electrostatic flooring.

Since none of the second-floor labs are outfitted with windows, new win dow installations have been proposed to better illuminate the dimly lit spaces, which, according to Occupa tional Health and Safety, can provide heightened productivity levels. Electrical engineering alumna Erin Alex '05 recalls tinkering in these dark, windowless lab spaces. “The electrical engineering curriculum is robust, providing ample hands-on ex perience. Although the old labs served their purpose, these modernizations will be critical to further drive collab oration and innovation. The upgraded tools and design environment being proposed for the new labs will encour age more students to choose electrical engineering and will result in students wanting to spend more time in these labs. That’s why I’ve decided to per sonally support this effort and I hope other alumni will join me.” The long-awaited renovations, however, are dependent on funding. Each lab costs approximately $200,000 to renovate. The Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering has received a dona tion of $100,000 as of summer 2023. Dean Roberts will provide up to $100,000 in matching funds for every donation of $5,000 or more — those donors will have the opportunity to include their names on the list of do nors who made the renovation of the electrical engineering labs possible. “It has been a long time coming and we are thrilled to be on the cusp of providing a modernized, high-tech space that is no longer looming in the shadows, both literally and figuratively — a space where ideas are tested and genius is realized,” says a very opti mistic Roberts. For details on fund-matching opportuni ties to bring this vision to life, please contact elurkis@sandiego.edu or visit sandiego.edu/fundEElabs .

Electrical Engineering Lab Renovations

The Passing of an Iconic Mentor

Turns to Light

Sam Burt

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by Michelle Sztupkay

by Michelle Sztupkay

endowed scholarship fund, the Sam Burt Memorial Engineering Scholarship, so his passion and devotion to the craft of engineer ing will live on through the work of USD’s engineering students. Endowed scholarship funds are permanently invested to provide earnings that support the university’s work in perpetuity. USD’s minimum required amount to create an endowed scholarship is $50,000. As of the date of this publication, we have raised approximately $36,000. Gifts of any size will help us reach this goal. Please contact Elisa Lurkis at elurkis@sandiego.edu or visit sandiego.edu/SamBurtFund if you would like to make a gift in Sam Burt’s honor.

Renovation plans are underway for four outdated labs at USD’s Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering. Dean Chell Roberts and electrical engineering faculty members have performed thorough needs assess ments for the labs and hired the architectural firm, Delawie to develop a plan that will bring the spaces up to 21st century pedagogical and technological standards. “The upgrade will be transforma tional, enabling the department to con duct instruction and research that will

lectrical engineering is one of the foundational disciplines of our increasingly tech-based society. As inventors, designers and creators, electrical engineers are trained to manipulate voltage and currents in creative and innovative ways that advance modern-day tech nology. To do so effectively, these practitioners need a space in which they can ideate, collaborate and make connections. It’s a space where the inconceivable becomes tangible — where darkness turns to light.

am Burt, a beloved lab tech nician at the University of San Diego’s Shiley-Marcos

School of Engineering since 2011, passed away suddenly on April 7, 2023. Burt was an iconic figure in the fabrication lab spaces. His impact on those around him was profound. He was a private man, with unwavering values, who, in his own unique style, selflessly went above and beyond for others. Those who were fortunate enough to get to know him quickly came to understand the depth of his kindness and generosity. Burt treated everyone equally and demanded excellence. Despite his gruff exterior, his dedication to his students, to his colleagues and to USD was authentic and undeniable. He was unconditionally devoted as a mentor, providing meaningful hands-on experience to help stu dents achieve their goals. A celebration of life was hosted by the school to respectfully honor a man who has forever shaped the lives of those he touched. The pal pable sense of loss and adoration was manifested by the outpouring of reflections from visibly moved students, alumni, colleagues and loved ones — all of whom had come from near and far to share their stories and pay their respects. The Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering is establishing an

RENDERING COURTESY OF DELAWIE

SAM BURT, FOREGROUND