News

WNCG student Ian Roberts has been awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. The NSF program identifies researchers “anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.”

WNCG faculty member Todd Humphreys has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Humphreys was one of five faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin to receive the award for 2019. The PECASE is the “highest honor bestowed by the United States Government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.”

WNCG alumna Nasim Mohammadi Estakhri recently received a Graduate Student Fellowship from the IEEE Photonics Society. The program provides fellowships to outstanding graduate students pursuing education within the society’s field of interest. The fellowship is usually awarded to a student who, at the time of nomination, are in their final year of graduate study.

Prof. Andrea Alù was recently appointed as a Simons Investigator in Physics. This program aims to provide a stable base of support for outstanding scientists, and enables them to undertake long-term investigations of fundamental questions in their fields. Each year, the Simons Foundation invites nominations from universities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for the Simons Investigators in Mathematics, Physics, Theoretical Computer Science and the Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems (MMLS) programs.

WNCG student Jason Soric received Honorable Mention in the Student Paper Competition at the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and North American Radio Science Meeting. The symposium, which was held in Vancouver, Canada this summer, provides an international forum for the exchange of information on state-of-the-art research in antennas, propagation, electromagnetic engineering and radio science.

WNCG Postdoctoral Associate Juan Sebastian Gomez-Diaz received the Junior Raj Mittra Travel Grant (RMTG) award to attend the 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and North American Radio Science Meeting, which will take place in Vancouver, Canada this July.

Join Prof. Andrea Alù as he shares insight into his work with metamaterials, light and an "invisibility cloak." 

Reciprocity is a general symmetry property that applies to the vast majority of materials. If an antenna transmits towards a specific direction, it must also receive signals from that same direction. To protect sources and improve communication systems, it is desirable to build components not bound by reciprocity requirements that can transmit and receive signals in the same channel without interference.

Much of life involves setting priorities. In the age of information overload, the need to select relevant information and prioritize is greater than ever. Ranking product choices, identifying items of greatest relevance and interest and setting priorities are widespread issues in economics, health informatics and online networks. 

Prof. Andrea Alù was selected to participate in the 2014 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. Participation in the symposium is based on a rigorous application and selection process determined by the organizing committee. Each year, 100 engineers under the age of 45 meet for an intensive multi-day symposium to discuss cutting-edge developments in the areas of next generation robotics, materials for batteries, impacts of shale gas and oil on the economy, environment, energy sustainability and technologies for the heart.