Undergraduate News


2007 News Releases

Jacobs School Undergrads Shine at Conference for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science

December 12, 2007

 Jacobs School undergraduates Jorge Ortiz and Robert Valtierra took home awards for their research at the national conference of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). Breena Fraga, a UC San Diego chemistry major, was also recognized. Full Story


A Unique Way To Lower Energy Costs

A Unique Way To Lower Energy Costs

December 5, 2007

UC San Diego undergraduate students have designed, built and deployed a network of five weather-monitoring stations as a key step toward helping the university use ocean breezes to cool buildings, identify the sunniest rooftops to expand its solar-electric system, and use water more efficiently in irrigation and in other ways. Full Story


Most Complex Silicon Phased Array Chip in the World Developed at UC San Diego

Most Complex Silicon Phased Array Chip in the World Developed at UC San Diego

October 30, 2007

  UC San Diego electrical engineers have developed the world’s most complex “phased array” – or radio frequency integrated circuit. This DARPA-funded advance is expected to find its way into U.S. defense satellite communication and radar systems. In addition, the innovations in this chip design will likely spill over into commercial applications, such as automotive satellite systems for direct broadcast TV, and new methods for high speed wireless data transfer. Full Story


Undergrads Dream with QUALCOMM Chips

Undergrads Dream with QUALCOMM Chips

October 18, 2007

 The biggest challenge for one of the four winners of last weekend's QUALCOMM Innovator Challenge came at a surprising moment: after his team won first prize and $5,000 in the engineering design contest. Over the phone, freshman David Wong had to convince his parents to hand over his social security number so he could fill out the necessary tax-related paperwork to get his cut of the $5,000. Money the team won for their ideas for what is possible with QUALCOMM’s new ultra powerful chip set for mobile devices, called Snapdragon. Full Story


UCSD Engineering Dynamo Honored by National Academy Of Engineering

UCSD Engineering Dynamo Honored by National Academy Of Engineering

September 26, 2007

Stanford S. "Sol" Penner, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Distinguished Professor of Engineering Physics Emeritus at UC San Diego, will receive the 2007 Founders Award from the NAE "for pivotal studies on thermal radiation, propulsion, combustion, and energy systems, directing government studies, founding a university department and energy center, and training future leaders."  Full Story


Online Game Feeds Music Search Engine Project

Online Game Feeds Music Search Engine Project

September 26, 2007

UC San Diego electrical engineers and computer scientists are working together on a computerized system that will make it easy for people who are not music experts (like the senior author’s mom) to find the kind of music they want to listen to – without knowing the names of artists or songs. Full Story


Primate Sperm Competition: Speed Matters

Primate Sperm Competition: Speed Matters

September 25, 2007

 UC San Diego and UC Irvine researchers have reported that sperm cells from the more promiscuous chimpanzee and rhesus macaque species swim much faster and with much greater force than the sperm of humans and gorillas. Full Story


SIGGRAPH in San Diego: Graphics, Video and Rock

August 3, 2007

American Idol and Comic-Con have come and gone, but fun in San Diego’s summer sun has just begun. From August 4 to 9, the top computer graphics and interactive media folks from around the world will flood San Diego for the SIGGRAPH 2007 conference – and UC San Diego is part of the action. Full Story


UC San Diego Establishes Department of NanoEngineering

UC San Diego Establishes Department of NanoEngineering

July 3, 2007

Seeking to capitalize on the potential of a new generation of multi-functional nanoscale devices and special materials built on the scale of individual molecules, UC San Diego has established a new Department of NanoEngineering within its Jacobs School of Engineering effective July 1, 2007.  Full Story


Computer Science Seniors Complete Networked 3D Multiplayer Computer Games

Computer Science Seniors Complete Networked 3D Multiplayer Computer Games

June 18, 2007

The CSE 125 course gave students hands-on experience with software system design and implementation, but even non-engineering majors could appreciate the students' final team projects demonstrated June 8 to a large audience: distributed, real-time 3D multiplayer games called Super Hurtball, Icarus, WoAH (World of Absurd Heroes) and Tertisiege. Full Story


The Jacobs School of Rock...Rocked!

June 15, 2007

 The Jacobs School of Rock did, in fact, rock. More than 100 people gathered at Porter’s Pub on June 8 to hear five bands affiliated with the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering. Full Story


Butterfly Beats Kitchen: UCSD Graphics Competition

Butterfly Beats Kitchen: UCSD Graphics Competition

June 8, 2007

 A pink and black butterfly and its reflections within drops of water has edged out an intentionally bad photograph (too much flash) of a kitchen: welcome to the Spring 2007 edition of UC San Diego’s “rendering algorithms” graphics contest. In place of paints and brushes or cameras, computer science students at the Jacobs School of Engineering created realistic, 3D graphics by leveraging number crunching algorithms with the art and science of computer programming under deadline pressure. Full Story


$75,000 Pay Out at Student-Run UCSD Business Plan Competition June 9

$75,000 Pay Out at Student-Run UCSD Business Plan Competition June 9

June 5, 2007

What started as a series of happy hours has morphed into a UC San Diego student-run event in which $75,000 in cash prizes is on the line. On Saturday June 9, five teams of student entrepreneurs affiliated with UC San Diego will compete head-to-head in a business plan competition run by the Triton Innovation Network (TIN), a new organization run entirely by UCSD graduate and undergraduate students. The winning team will walk away with as much as $45,000 in cash to support their new business, and the two runners up will receive up to $15,000 each. Full Story


Engineers Will Rock Porter's Pub at UCSD

Engineers Will Rock Porter's Pub at UCSD

June 1, 2007

At rock shows, the engineers are often backstage operating the sound equipment and running the computer systems; but at UCSD, the engineers are moving out front. Serge Belongie, a computer science and engineering (CSE) professor, has started a new concert series featuring bands affiliated with UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering. Full Story


Elementary School Shakeup -- with Engineering Help

Elementary School Shakeup -- with Engineering Help

March 26, 2007

More than 1,100 fifth- and sixth-grade students from schools in Escondido and Del Mar, CA, in March 2007 participated in a unique earthquake-safety competition organized by Philip Yu, a graduate student in the Jacobs School of Engineering’s Structural Engineering Department. Full Story


Long-Distance Mentoring Over Email

Long-Distance Mentoring Over Email

March 20, 2007

 Long-distance relationships are often tough. But when it comes to mentoring, the distance can turn out to be a good thing. Over email, a mentor who is hundreds or thousands of miles away can give advice and feedback based on a perspective that you might not get from an advisor down the hall.  At no charge, UCSD engineering, mathematics or science undergrads, grad students, postdocs and new faculty can link up with a mentor over email thanks to a partnership between UCSD and MentorNet – an e-mentoring network promoting diversity in engineering and science. Full Story


Corporate Recruiters Vie for UCSD Engineering Graduates

Corporate Recruiters Vie for UCSD Engineering Graduates

March 2, 2007

An annual one-day, student-run recruiting fair at UC San Diego posted a 46 percent increase this year in the number of high technology companies and research institutes seeking engineering students and graduates for internships and full-time positions. Full Story


Engineering Week at UCSD

March 1, 2007

 San Diego, February 20 - 23, 2007:  From flying tomatoes, to undergraduate research, graduate poster competitions at Research Expo, a heavy-hitting job fair, and a semi-formal party just for students, the Jacobs School of Engineering celebrated National Engineering Week in a big way. Individual students and student organizations including the Triton Engineering Student Council were at the heart of it all -- from the games, to the research, to the work of recruiting companies to attend the job fair.  Full Story


Engineering Undergrads Cuddle Tomatoes in Search of Golden Calculator

February 20, 2007

  Tomatoes falling from the sky. Duct-tape miracles. Paper-plate parachutes. Whipped cream in faces. A big blue balloon over Warren Mall. Is that a pair of sumo wrestler in the distance? Welcome to E-Games 2007, a day of engineering inspired competitions between a variety of UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering student organizations. E-Games, organized by the Triton Engineering Student Council, is the kick-off event for National Engineers Week at UCSD. Full Story



University of California, San Diego Engineering, Technology and Computer Sciences Ranked 9th in the World

February 8, 2007

The University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is the 9th best in the world for engineering/technology and computer sciences, according to an academic ranking of the top 100 world universities published online this month by the Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.    Full Story


Information Sessions for Calit2 UCSD Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarships

Information Sessions for Calit2 UCSD Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarships

January 22, 2007

Calit2's Summer Undergraduate Research Scholars program is going on seven years, and expand in 2007 to include more students as well as higher stipends. The deadline to apply is March 5, and information sessions will be held this Thursday, January 25, and Feb. 14 in Atkinson Hall. Full Story


UCSD Students Launch $50,000 Entrepreneurship Competition

January 4, 2007

  The Triton Innovation Network (TIN), a UC San Diego student organization, has officially launched the UCSD $50,000 Entrepreneurship Competition. The competition culminates in May when $50,000 in prize money will be awarded to the student teams with the best business plans. Full Story