Volume 3, Issue 5 June/July 2003

2003
2002
2001

June/July 2003 Friends of the College of Engineering, Before the new Stanley Hall groundbreaking, mechanical engineering professor Paul Wright explained to Governor Gray Davis how tiny networked "smart motes" could save firefighters' lives. Bonnie Powell photo On Friday, May 30th I was pleased to meet with Governor Gray Davis as he attended the groundbreaking ceremony on campus for our new Stanley Hall building. This $162M, 285,000 square-foot facility will soon be home to scientists in biology, bioengineering, magnetic imaging and tissue engineering, including the College's own Department of Bioengineering, and it will also support researchers in our Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, CITRIS. During the afternoon, Governor Davis had a chance to meet with a number of our faculty, students, and major CITRIS supporters. CITRIS Chief Scientist Prof. Jim Demmel gave the Governor a brief synopsis of CITRIS research in areas related to emergency preparedness and bio-threat detection and response, while mechanical engineering professor Paul Wright and his students demonstrated our CITRIS research designed to assist firefighters and other emergency workers. Tiny wireless sensors, no bigger than a matchbox, form ad-hoc networks that enable them to locate building occupants and monitor building temperature. With such a networked building, and with firefighters wearing additional wireless motes and related equipment, a fire chief can track their progress, pulse rate, oxygen levels, and other vital signs, as well as coordinate their movements, all from a remote laptop. Prof. Wright's disaster-response project is designed to prevent tragedies such as the loss of communication among World Trade Center rescue teams. You can watch a short video of Prof. Wright describing this technology. We are already preparing for our fall events and I invite you to save Saturday, Sept. 13 for our first-ever Berkeley Engineering Alumni College, where a number of our distinguished faculty will present "101"-style overviews of their cutting-edge CITRIS research, and where we will also present this year's Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards. It promises to be an informative and inspiring day! Have an enjoyable and safe summer and, as always, Go Bears! Very best wishes from Berkeley, /rich A. Richard Newton Dean, College of Engineering and the Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering Lab Notes is published online by the Public Affairs Office of the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. The Lab Notes mission is to illuminate groundbreaking research underway today at the College of Engineering that will dramatically change our lives tomorrow. Editor, Director of Public Affairs: Teresa Moore Writer, Researcher: David Pescovitz Designer: Robyn Altman Subscribe or send comments to the Engineering Public Affairs Office: lab-notes@coe.berkeley.edu. © 2003 UC Regents. Updated 6/23/03.