Electrical and Computer Engineering

Wind energy is the fastest growing source of renewable energy in the world with a projected annual growth rate of more than 20 percent, generating more than 15,000 additional megawatts per year. The United States alone increased its facilities by 4,000 megawatts in 2007, and Colorado is among the leading states with the sixth-largest wind power capacity in the country, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

Innovations in Laser Technology Offer Life-Changing Impact

Juliet Gopinath

A little over 50 years ago, CU graduate Theodore Maiman (EngrPhys '49) demonstrated the world's first working laser—the ruby laser—at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.

Since then, lasers have become an integral part of our lives with applications in consumer electronics, communications, sensors, and medicine. Every compact disc player contains a semiconductor laser, and airplanes rely on laser gyroscopes for navigation, to name a few examples.

Study Abroad Serves as Stepping Stone for Student's International Career

Nick Bertrand

CU engineering student Nick Bertrand spent two of his first four years of college studying in China—and then he went back again for a summer research internship.

"I love living in China—I love the food and the different style of entertainment there. And I was interested in the research from an academic perspective," he says.

Now a fifth-year senior double majoring in electrical and computer engineering and applied math, Bertrand has been selected as the 2010 Study Abroad Student of the Year.