News

Each year, WNCG presents the Student Leadership Award to an outstanding student—or students—who not only displays excellence in research and academic activities, but also embodies the spirit of the group’s mission to create a collaborative research environment. This year, the award goes to two students: Ahmad AlAmmouri and Jessica Hoffmann.

WNCG continues to grow; this spring, Assistant Professor Jonathan Tamir and Professor José del R. Millán were welcomed to the group. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_preview","fid":"1761","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"180","width":"180"}}]] Dr. Jonathan Tamir holds a joint appointment with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dell Medical School’s Department of Diagnostic Medicine. He is also affiliated with the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences.

As the new academic year begins, WNCG welcomes a new faculty member. Assistant Professor Aryan Mokhtari joins the group, having worked most recently as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) at MIT. He was one of nine new faculty to join Texas ECE this fall. 

TWS 2019 co-organizers Edison Thomaz and Nanshu Lu have announced the theme of this year’s Summit: Connectivity and Sensing at the Human-Machine Frontier. The event will highlight advances and opportunities at the intersection of human-centered computing, sensing and connectivity. Sessions and panels will focus on wearables, virtual and mixed reality, bio-interfaces, and perception. We will explore the challenges and demands of the communication infrastructure required to support and enhance devices and experiences. WNCG will host the event on November 12, 2019.

As an interdisciplinary center for research and education, WNCG is home to many talented minds. The group has grown steadily since its inception over 15 years ago and now comprises 23 faculty members and over 150 students and research staff. The upward trends don’t stop simply at the number of group members. Over the years, WNCG has built an exceptional network of industry partners, increased the number of its sponsored research projects yielding groundbreaking results, and successfully graduated Masters and Ph.D. students who go on to a wide range of careers in industry and academia.

Every Spring, Texas ECE’s Awards Banquet celebrates the achievements of the department’s outstanding students and faculty. Three WNCG members were among those honored at this year’s event, which was held last week on May 6. WNCG Student Ahmed Kord won the prestigious Graduate Student Excellence Award for 2018-2019. The department confers this prize annually on one graduate student who has demonstrated “high academic achievement in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.”

The spring semester is in full swing, and as WNCG continues on the forefront of research, the group has welcomed a new director. Professor Constantine Caramanis began his three-year term as WNCG Director at the start of the new calendar year. Prior to that, he served as the group’s associate director. With Caramanis stepping into the new role, Professor Alex Dimakis was chosen among WNCG faculty to serve as associate director. WNCG’s leadership system allows the associate director to learn the ropes over the course of the term before serving their own term as director. 

WNCG will host the 17th Texas Wireless Summit (TWS) on November 12, 2019.  Planning for TWS has just begun, but you can expect an exciting list of high-profile industry and academia speakers, as in previous Summits. Past events have typically been attended by more than 350 leading members of industry and academia each year.

The Engineering Education and Research Center at The University of Texas was abuzz with over 200 participants gathered for Texas Wireless Summit (TWS) on November 6. This year’s theme was “AI and the Mobile Device.”Held annually by WNCG, TWS brings together leading figures in industry, academia, and government to discuss the latest developments in information systems technology. “AI and the Mobile Device” marked the 16th summit hosted by the group.“Every year we try to think about a theme that captures what’s most exciting in technology,” Prof.

It's no secret that WNCG produces stellar industry and academic professionals. Here's where WNCG students and alumni are headed this summer for internships and employment.