Engineering Faculty, Student Win Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence

Michael Green, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and engineering student Peter Chaudhari won the 2003 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. The award recognizes Green's outstanding work as a mentor and Chaudhari's excellence as an undergraduate researcher. Green, an expert in circuit design, has spent the past year helping Chaudhari, a senior studying computer engineering, to develop a BiCMOS 10Gb/s adaptive cable equalizer.

"One of the most gratifying aspects of working in academia is the one-on-one interaction with students," says Green. "I enjoy directly observing and participating in the student's learning process, and I usually end up learning at least as much as the student does. Often a student will contribute a fresh perspective to a research project, which fosters innovative ideas and unexpected directions. I also take great pleasure in staying in contact with students after graduation and learning about their successes. I believe that mentoring undergraduate students is one of the best long-term investments of time that a professor can make."

Green and Chaudhari were selected for the award from a field of more than two dozen candidates by Dean Nicolaos G. Alexopoulos and Associate Dean John LaRue.

The award was presented on May 10, 2003 at the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

This year, nearly 20 engineering students and seven engineering student teams presented their research at the annual symposium. To learn more, visit www.urop.uci.edu.