Milestones: June 14, 2019

Mandli Chosen for National Early Career Faculty Innovator Program

Kyle Mandli, assistant professor in applied physics and applied mathematics, was named to a new interdisciplinary program from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He is one of nine early career faculty members from U.S. universities chosen to work with NCAR scientists to investigate the impact of climate change and natural hazards on coastal areas with the goal of building greater societal resilience. Mandli, an expert on storm surge, will focus on creating better forecasting and predictive capabilities for coastal flooding due to storms, while other researchers will look at topics ranging from human health to marine resource management. NCAR, a research and development center funded by the National Science Foundation, conducts world-class research in earth system science. The Early Career Faculty Program is a two-year program established to connect NCAR with university faculty in the social sciences and STEM outside of NCAR’s core expertise to address complex research problems.

Columbia Engineering Professors Win University Faculty Diversity Grants

Lauren Marbella, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has won the Junior Faculty Grant Award and V. Faye McNeill, professor of chemical engineering, has won the Mid-Career Faculty Grant from the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement for contributing to the diversity goals of the University by their research, teaching, and mentoring activities. Marbella, who joined Columbia in 2018 and is part of the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center, will put her grant toward the study of “Chemical Mechanisms of Lithium Ion Transport in Next Generation Cathode Materials.” McNeill, an atmospheric chemist who has taught at Columbia since 2007, will investigate “A Novel Technique for In-situ Atmospheric Aerosol Activity Measurement.” The grant program is part of the University’s Faculty Diversity Initiative to support its core values of inclusion and excellence.

Schulzrinne Receives Chairman’s Award from IEEE Communications Society

Henning Schulzrinne, the Julian Clarence Levi Professor of Mathematical Methods and Computer Science and professor of electrical engineering, received the Chairman’s Award from the IEEE Communications Society (@ComSoc) Technical Committee on Communications Quality and Reliability (CQR) for his academic legacy in advancing the internet. The award, presented at the CQR annual workshops, recognizes individuals with sustained contributions in the field who demonstrate the core values of the professional society and show integrity consistent with that of a role model.  Schulzrinne was cited “for his distinguished innovation to establish the foundations and advance the quality and reliability of the Real-Time Internet; for his industry leadership to standardize internet technologies for global interoperability; and for his strong academic legacy progressing the next generation of computer scientists and engineers.” In addition to his teaching and research, Schulzrinne served as the Chief Technology Officer for the United States Federal Communications Commission from 2011 to 2014.

Leong Elected to International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering

Kam W. Leong, Samuel Y. Sheng Professor of Biomedical Engineering, was elected to the new class of fellows of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE). Fellows are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the profession of medical and biological engineering. Leong develops innovative, polymer-based biomaterials for drug delivery and regenerative medicine, including cancer therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and cell therapy. He is a pioneer in converting adult stem cells from one cell type to another through the application of DNA nanoparticles and, through tissue and stem cell engineering methods, is able construct human tissue-on-a-chip for disease modeling and drug development. Leong will be inducted on September 20 in a special session at the Carnegie Mellon Forum on Biomedical Engineering.

Hirschberg Named to DARPA Information Science and Technology Study Group

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has named Julia Hirschberg to the Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group for a three-year term beginning this summer. The group brings 30 of the brightest scientists and engineers together to identify new areas of development in computer and communication technologies and to recommend future research directions.

The ISAT Study Group was established by DARPA in 1987 to support its technology offices and provide continuing and independent assessment of the state of advanced information science and technology as it relates to the U.S. Department of Defense.