Alumni Newsletter - Summer 2011

Researchers from the College of Engineering and Applied Science are helping develop the next generation of the Internet -- a more mobile version -- and the CU-Boulder campus is using this new technology to provide wireless service on campus buses and in some labs and classrooms.

The university recently used the WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) wireless protocol to extend its wireless network to the campus buses running between the Boulder campus and off-campus student residence halls located about a mile from campus. A tablet-wielding student in one of these off-campus residence halls can now jump on the campus wireless network while waiting at the bus stop, board the bus and ride it to campus, all during one uninterrupted session on the campus wireless network.

"The Internet, and the way that people access the Internet, is changing," said computer science professor Dirk Grunwald, who is involved in the WiMax project. "Internet access has grown increasingly mobile ... The next generation Internet needs to directly address the mobile users of the future."

While Wi-Fi wireless service -- the kind most of us are accustomed to using in coffee shops and hotels -- is designed for short-range wireless coverage, primarily inside buildings, WiMAX is designed for mobility and outdoor connections that can be maintained at highway speeds.

The university's Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, or ITP, is employing WiMAX technology in a laboratory setting to allow students first-hand experience with this technology, and Professor Timothy Brown, director of the ITP, will use the campus WiMAX service in a class to help students design and analyze wireless networks.

"Because students in my class need to download large amounts of data, we need a way to do it that won't take down the campus wireless network," Brown said. "Our lab's WiMAX system allows us to do our work without kicking off the wireless users in the classroom next door. Everyone is happy."

Max S. Peters, who will be remembered for his strong leadership and remarkable achievements over 16 years as dean of engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder―as well as for his fun-loving personality, athleticism, and service to the engineering profession―died on June 20, 2011, at the age of 90.

From 1962 to 1978, Max led the engineering school through the construction of a new, modern-day Engineering Center, and oversaw significant increases in research funding and improvements to graduate education as the eighth dean of the college. Max continued to teach and do research while dean, and wrote many technical papers and several textbooks on chemical engineering, including the widely known Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers, which is now in its 5th edition and has sold over 100,000 copies. He subsequently served as chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering from 1981 to 1985, and retired from active duties in 1987, when he became professor emeritus of chemical engineering and dean emeritus of the college.

Max also was active in professional service, so much that the College of Engineering and Applied Science created the Max S. Peters Faculty Service Award, and presented it to him as its first recipient the year he stepped down as dean. He was also recognized as one of the Top 100 individuals in the college’s history.

Throughout his life, Max enjoyed competing in athletics, including running, skiing, ice skating, and later, race-walking. As dean, he shared his playful and competitive nature with his students, racing them annually during Engineering Days - often manipulating the rules before and during the races so that only he could win.

Max is survived by his wife of 63 years, Laurnell Stephens Peters, along with their two children, Margaret and Stephen, and four grandchildren. Contributions in his memory can be made to the Max S. Peters Graduate Fellowship Fund by writing a check to the CU Foundation with Max Peters on the memo line. Checks can be mailed to: Engineering Development, 422 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309.