Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering Department News - September 30, 2024

CU Boulder's electrical engineering program is among the top 20 undergraduate programs according to the U.S. News and World Report for 2024-25. In the specialty rankings, electrical engineering is No. 16 among public universities.

Read more about it here!

Dear faculty members: There will be no department meeting this week. Instead please attend Eric Keller’s seminar at that time. Lunch will be served!

Join us for our first ECEE Distinguished Speaker Series talk this year titled, "Challenges and Opportunities in Closing the Algorithms-to-Devices Gap in Quantum Computing".

This will be led by Margaret Martonosi, Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University, on Friday, October 11, 2024 from 11am to 12pm at Koelbel Building: Leeds School of Business Room 352. Snacks will be provided. 

 

• Mark your calendars! This year’s ECEE Department holiday party will take place on December 6th, 2024. More details to follow.
• The Conversation Editor Visit: you are invited to an informational session with an editor of The Conversation, a well-regarded nonprofit and independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of academic experts for the public good. Learn more about the event here!
• International students and employees: The International Tax Office recently opened access to Sprintax Calculus, which helps international employees and students submit important immigration and tax residency forms to accurately calculate their U.S. tax withholdings. Get Started Here!
• Hotel Space: The former associate chair office, 1B55A, in the ECEE main office, has been repurposed as a hotel space. The room features a large desk, a large round table and 4 chairs, a desktop monitor, and a large wall-mounted monitor/TV. The room is unlocked and is available on a first come, first served basis. Contact Robin McClanahan with any questions.
• Dissertations Available: The Graduate School has decided that all thesis/dissertations that have been digitized and stored in CU Scholar/ProQuest meet retention requirements and there’s no need to keep physical copies of these documents in the department any longer. The digitized thesis/dissertations have been identified and separated from the non-digitized. They are now available for faculty and students to look through and select any that they would like to have for their offices or labs. Please stop by the main office anytime through September 30 to make selections. Contact Robin McClanahan with any questions.

When a capital asset fabrication is disassembled it is said to be cannibalized. Some of the individual parts of the fabrication may be reused in other assemblies, or all the parts may be properly disposed of as surplus. Historically, PIs have cannibalized fabrications without filling out the proper paperwork or telling the Property Manager (Bret) about this. Thus, the capital asset disappears without any records. The capital asset is lost.

The process to properly document that a fabrication is to be disassembled is for the Custodian of the asset (the PI) to complete a Property Disposal Request Form. There is a cannibalization option on the form. The form will automatically route via DocuSign to all the departments that need to approve the request. Once the disposal form has been approved, you’ll be able to move forward with what you want to do with the individual parts from the fabrication. The CCO will remove the fabrication from ECEE’s list of capital assets, and we will no longer have to locate it during the inventory process.

The CEAS Academic Integrity Quiz was distributed to all degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students September 20th. Students need to complete the quiz by October 20th or an ethics hold will remain on their student account that prevents registering for spring classes. The quiz should only take students 15 minutes to complete, and the hold will automatically be released about 30 minutes after receiving a grade of 100%.

These workshops will foster greater self-awareness by encouraging students to reflect on your emotional responses, strengths, and areas for growth. By understanding your emotional triggers and building confidence in your abilities, you will be able to more effectively manage challenges such as difficult feedback, high expectations, and competitive environments. This heightened self-awareness enables you to recognize and combat feelings of inadequacy, helping you make clearer decisions and approach your academic and professional responsibilities with a stronger sense of control and purpose. Ultimately, this empowers students to engage more fully, contribute meaningfully, and succeed with less stress.

• Social & Emotional Intelligence Training for Grad Students

Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., via Zoom

Attend this Social & Emotional Intelligence (SEI) workshop, led by Lauren Harris, to build essential skills for navigating the emotional and interpersonal demands of academic life. SEI helps develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and effective communication, all of which are critical for managing stress, collaborating with others, and fostering strong professional relationships. These skills can also enhance leadership abilities, improve mentoring effectiveness, and promote a more supportive and inclusive academic community.

Register here 

• Navigating Imposter Syndrome in Grad School & Beyond

Oct. 10 from 12 – 1:30 p.m., via Zoom

Have you ever felt like an imposter? Join Leslie Blood, director of graduate community and program development, to discuss imposter syndrome in graduate school and beyond. You'll learn strategies to recognize and manage feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy that often accompany academic challenges. You'll also gain tools to build confidence and resilience, fostering a more positive and productive graduate school experience.

If you are interested in Leslie’s Grad+ Seminar Series, this will give you a glimpse into the type of topics she covers in those weekly seminars.

Register here

The International Tax Office recently opened access to Sprintax Calculus, which helps international employees and students submit important immigration and tax residency forms to accurately calculate their U.S. tax withholdings. This platform replaces mandatory meetings with the tax office, and all new international employees are required to establish a Sprintax Calculus profile. Get Started Here! 

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) is pleased to announce that the Department of Defense (DoD) National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program will begin accepting applications for FY2025 on 1 August 2024. We encourage applications from students who are ultimately looking to gain a Doctorate and whose research and degree align with the DoD Agencies Strategy. 

• The DoD NDSEG Fellowship is administered by Systems Plus, Inc. (www.sysplus.com) and promotes education in science and engineering (S&E) disciplines relevant to the AFOSR, the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) defense missions (see DoD Supporting Agencies page for details). 

• Qualified applicants may apply beginning 1 August through this link:https://applyndseg.sysplus.com/ 

• Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. nationals, or U.S. dual citizen and can find detailed instructions regarding eligibility, appointment requirements, the application process, etc., on the DoD NDSEG website (ndseg.sysplus.com) and are encouraged to start applying early.  

• Applications are encouraged from women, persons with disabilities and minorities, including members of ethnic minority groups such as Native American, African American, Hispanic American, Native Alaskan (Eskimo and Aleut) or Pacific Islander (Polynesian or Micronesian). 

• Please direct any questions regarding the program to NDSEG.PMO@sysplus.com 

NOTE: This program was formerly called YOU’RE@CU (Your Very Own Research Experience)

This is an opportunity for graduate students to provide leadership and a unique mentoring experience to an undergraduate student in CEAS

• Mentors will participate in a professionally designed workshop on mentoring, led by Sharon Anderson and Grace Griffith, and learn how to productively integrate an undergraduate student into a lab environment.

• Mentors will also learn how to provide support and expertise for a hands-on experience in research.

• Mentors will be able to list this on their resume/CV as a teaching and mentoring experience.

• This program helps inspire undergraduate students in their first or second year engage in the field of research.

There will be 3 sessions to support mentors throughout the program:

• Best practices in mentoring session with lunch provided.
• Mid-semester check-in session with breakfast provided

Undergraduate students who are mentored will be eligible and encouraged to apply for CU SPUR and DLA programs, so there is potential for them to stay in the lab.

This program will only be recruiting BOLD scholars, BOLD society members, and Lattice scholars. 

Please share this opportunity with the graduate students in your lab and encourage them to submit a project by forwarding them this email.

• The undergraduate students selected to participate in this program will be eligible to work with your graduate students 3-5 hours per week during the Spring 2025 semester.
• Undergraduate students will take part in a 1 credit seminar class during Spring 2025 led by Sharon Anderson & Grace Griffith.

What we need from you:

• Graduate students/PostDocs: please submit your project(s) no later than:

Monday, October 21st, at 11:59 PM MST.  

Enter your project here

Due to our campus’s annual network registration renewal requirement, users will need to re-register for access to the UCB Wireless network. To register on UCB Wireless, enter your IdentiKey username and password, and agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. OIT has step-by-step instructions and a video showing how to register on UCB Wireless. If you have questions about campus networks or need help to access them, please contact the IT Service Center at oithelp@colorado.edu or 303-735-4357. View news story here. 

Due to our campus’s annual network registration renewal requirement, users will need to re-register for access to the UCB Wireless network. To register on UCB Wireless, enter your IdentiKey username and password, and agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. OIT has step-by-step instructions and a video showing how to register on UCB Wireless. If you have questions about campus networks or need help to access them, please contact the IT Service Center at oithelp@colorado.edu or 303-735-4357. View news story here. 

OIT has developed a Secure Computing Quick Start Guide that will be included with each new Dell and Mac computer purchased through the CU Marketplace starting in August. The Quick Start Guides provide best practices and a link to step-by-step instructions for the initial set-up of new Windows and Mac computers. The Quick Start Guide will be reflected as an SKU in the invoice. This will add a $7.50 charge to Apple computers ordered through CDW and a $5 to $7 charge to Dell computers, based on the computer’s specifications. This cost will be reimbursed by OIT per speedtype on a quarterly basis for orders placed during the 2024-25 fiscal year. After this fiscal year, covering the Quick Start Guide cost will be the responsibility of ordering departments and will no longer be reimbursed by OIT. For more information: https://oit.colorado.edu/software-hardware/secure-computing.

OIT has sunset its Linux server support and outsourced it to a 3rd party: Crazy Penguins. There is a $30 monthly charge for this “proactive” (monthly updates, and patching security vulnerabilities) service and a $150 cost for “reactive” service (questions, requests, etc.). The ECEE department will cover these costs. If you need to contact Crazy Penguins, submit a request to: support@craftypenguins.net  

• Teaching Labs (Capstone, Embedded Systems, Power Lab, Optics, RF, Highspeed Measurements, Circuits) IT Support: http://itll.link/servicedesk
• Research Labs License Server Support: support@craftypenguins.net
• OIT Website https://oit.colorado.edu/support
• Research Computing: https://www.colorado.edu/rc/
• IT Service Center: Contact the IT Service Center (303-735-4357 or help@colorado.edu) for help with all OIT services including email and IdentiKey, Internet connectivity and other technology-related questions.
• Buff Techs Desktop Support: OIT provides no-cost software support for laptop and desktop workstations to faculty, staff, and students. You can also register your laptop to aid in recovery in case it is lost or stolen.
• Dedicated Desktop Support: Departmental IT Support customized for your needs.
• Network Troubleshooting: Submit this form to report network connectivity issues on campus.
• Classroom Technology Problem Reporting form: Submit this form to report an issue with technology malfunctioning in a classroom (except for the ECEE classrooms – contact Bret.Moreland@colorado or 303-503-7939 for support)
• Self-Service Help Request: Submit a request directly to the ITSC using ServiceNow
• Lightboard: Contact  Andy Garcia, Andrew.Garcia-3@colorado.edu, in the Mechanical Engineering department for scheduling and technical assistance
• All other issues, contact Robin.McClanahan@colorado.edu or 303-492-6736.