2002-2003 Henry Samueli School of Engineering
and Applied Science
Officers of Administration
Vijay K. Dhir, Ph.D., Professor and Interim Dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
Stephen E. Jacobsen, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean, Student Affairs and Financial Resources
Michael K. Stenstrom, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean, Research and Physical Resources
Mary Okino, Assistant Dean, Chief Financial Officer
Milos D. Ercegovac, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Computer Science Department
H. Thomas Hahn, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department
Vasilios I. Manousiouthakis, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Chemical Engineering Department
Yahya Rahmat-Samii, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Electrical Engineering Department
King-Ning Tu, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Materials Science and Engineering Department
William W-G. Yeh, Professor and Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
The Campus
A large urban university, UCLA lies between the city and the sea at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains. Less than six miles from the Pacific, it is bordered by Sunset and Wilshire boulevards. The development of the westside, typified in the high-rise corridors of Wilshire, the transformation of a movie backlot into Century City, and the metamorphosis of Westwood Village from a quaint shopping corner to a metropolitan center, has accompanied the physical expansion and intellectual ferment of UCLA.
UCLA is devoted to scholarship, research, and public service. Some 291 buildings on 419 acres house the College of Letters and Science plus 11 professional schools and serve over 37,490 students. UCLA boasts broad vistas, landscaped gardens, and a blend of architectural styles ranging from Romanesque to modern. Campus moods vary from the activity of Bruin Walk to the serenity of the Japanese Garden. It is a place for serious study in a vibrant, dynamic atmosphere.
The history of UCLA parallels the emergence of the coastal Southwest as one of the nation’s dominant industrial centers, and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science (HSSEAS) is the hub of engineering research and professional training for this vast region. As such, the school is poised to be a preeminent center of research benefiting the entire nation.
Today, UCLA is rated one of the best public research universities in the U.S. and among a handful of top U.S. research universities, public and private.
The top administrative officer is Chancellor Albert Carnesale, the eighth chief executive in UCLA’s 83-year history.
The School
Opened as the College of Engineering in 1945, HSSEAS now ranks among the top 10 engineering schools in public universities nationwide. The school houses several research centers, including the Nanoelectronics Research Facility, Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, Center for High-Frequency Electronics, Chemical Kinetics, Catalysis, Reaction Engineering, and Combustion Facilities, and Active Materials Laboratory. Current research programs focus on such areas as the twenty-first century internet, microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, wireless electronics, “smart” materials, earthquake engineering, neuroengineering, metabolic engineering, and environmental cleanup and waste management.
The school’s seven departments -- Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering -- offer instruction and research in the traditional specialities of the engineering profession to undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, the Biomedical Engineering interdepartmental program is engaged in graduate training and research. Each department has its own faculty, set of courses, fields of specialization, and curriculum requirements. Some offer more than one undergraduate curriculum.
HSSEAS offers 27 academic and professional degree programs, including an interdepartmental graduate degree program in biomedical engineering. The Bachelor of Science degree is offered in Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The undergraduate curricula leading to these degrees provide students with a firm foundation in engineering and applied science and prepare graduates for immediate practice of the profession as well as advanced studies. In addition to engineering courses, students complete about one year of study in the humanities, social sciences, and/or fine arts.
Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees are offered in Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering (M.S. only), Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The Master of Engineering degree may be earned through the Engineering Executive Program. The Engineer degree is a more advanced degree than the M.S. but does not require the research effort and orientation involved in a Ph.D. dissertation. For information on the Engineer degree, see Graduate Programs on page 24. A one-year program leading to a Certificate of Specialization is offered in various fields of engineering and applied science.
The Biomedical Engineering Interdepartmental Graduate Program trains students for M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering. Students can specialize in courses and research in the following fields: biomedical signal and image processing and bioinformatics; bioacoustics, speech, and hearing; biomedical instrumentation; biomechanics, biomaterials, and tissue engineering; molecular and cellular bioengineering; biocyber-netics; and neuroengineering.
Endowed Chairs
Endowed professorships or chairs, funded by private gifts, support the educational and research activities of distinguished members of the faculty. The following are the chairs established in HSSEAS.
L.M.K. Boelter Chair in Engineering
Roy and Carol Doumani Chair in Biomedical Engineering
Norman E. Friedmann Chair in Knowledge Sciences
Hughes Aircraft Company Chair in Electrical Engineering
Hughes Aircraft Company Chair in Manufacturing Engineering
Levi James Knight, Jr., Chair in Engineering
Nippon Sheet Glass Company Chair in Materials Science
Northrop Chair in Electrical Engineering/ Electromagnetics
Ralph M. Parsons Chair in Chemical Engineering
Ben Rich Lockheed Martin Chair in Aeronautics
Rockwell International Chair in Engineering
William Frederick Seyer Term Chair in Materials Electrochemistry
TRW Chair in Electrical Engineering
The Engineering Profession
The following describes the challenging types of work HSSEAS graduates might perform based on their program of study.
Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineers conceive, design, develop, test, and supervise the construction of aerospace vehicle systems such as commercial and military aircraft, helicopters and other types of rotorcraft, and space vehicles and satellites, including launch systems. They are employed by aerospace companies, airframe and engine manufacturers, government agencies such as NASA and the military services, and research and development organizations.
Working in a high-technology industry, aerospace engineers are generally well versed in applied mathematics and the fundamental engineering sciences, particularly fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, dynamics and control, and structural and solid mechanics. Aerospace vehicles are complex systems. Proper design and construction involves the coordinated application of technical disciplines, including aerodynamics, structural analysis and design, stability and control, aeroelasticity, performance analysis, and propulsion systems technology.
Aerospace engineers use computer systems and programs extensively and should have at least an elementary understanding of modern electronics. They work in a challenging and highly technical atmosphere and are likely to operate at the forefront of scientific discoveries, often stimulating these discoveries and providing the inspiration for the creation of new scientific concepts.
The B.S. program in Aerospace Engineering emphasizes fundamental disciplines and therefore provides a solid base for professional career development in industry and graduate study in aerospace engineering. Graduate education, primarily at the Ph.D. level, provides a strong background for employment by government laboratories, such as NASA, and industrial research laboratories supported by the major aerospace companies. It also provides the appropriate background for academic careers.
Bioengineering
At the interface of medical sciences, basic sciences, and engineering, bioengineering has emerged internationally as an established engineering discipline. As these disciplines converge in the 21st century, bioengineers solve problems in biology and medicine by applying principles of physical sciences and engineering and applying biological principles to create new engineering paradigms, such as biomimetic materials, DNA computing, and neural networking. The genomic and proteomic revolution will drive a new era in bioengineering industry, and future bioengineers must combine proficiency in traditional engineering, basic sciences, and molecular sciences to function as effective leaders of multidisciplinary teams.
UCLA has a long history of fostering interdisciplinary training and is a superb environment for bioengineers. UCLA boasts the top hospital in the western U.S., nationally ranked medical and engineering schools, and numerous nationally recognized programs in basic sciences. Bioengineers are needed in research institutions, academia, and industry. Their careers may follow their bioengineering concentration (e.g., tissue engineering, bioMEMs, bioinfor-matics, image and signal processing, neuroengineering, cellular engineering, molecular engineering, biomechanics, nanofabrication, bioacoustics, biomaterials, etc.), but the ability of bioengineers to cut across traditional field boundaries will facilitate their innovation in new areas. For example, a bioengineer with an emphasis in tissue engineering may begin a career by leading a team to tissue engineer an anterior cruciate ligament for a large orthopedic company, and later join a research institute to investigate the effects of zero gravity on mechanical signal transduction pathways of bone cells. Someone with an emphasis in bioinformatics may begin a career by data mining the human proteome at NIH before advancing to academia to develop data structure for DNA computing.
Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineers use their knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to meet the needs of our technological society. They design, research, develop, operate, and manage the chemical and petroleum industries and are leaders in the fields of hazardous wastes control, environmental protection, biotechnology and biomedical engineering, and advanced materials processing. They are in charge of the chemical processes used by virtually all industries, including the pharmaceutical, food, paper, aerospace, automotive, and semiconductor industries. Architectural, engineering, and construction firms employ chemical engineers for equipment and process design. It is also their mission to develop the clean and environmentally friendly technologies of the future.
Major areas of fundamental interest within chemical engineering are
- Applied chemical kinetics, which includes the design of chemical processes and reactors and combustion systems,
- Transport phenomena, which involves the exchange of momentum, heat, and mass across interfaces and has applications to the separation of valuable materials from mixtures, or of pollutants from gas and liquid streams,
- Thermodynamics, which is fundamental to both separation processes and chemical reactor design,
- Plant and process design, synthesis, and control, which provides the overall framework for integrating chemical engineering knowledge into industrial application and practice.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil engineers plan, design, construct, and manage a range of physical systems, such as buildings, bridges, dams and tunnels, transportation systems, water and wastewater treatment systems, coastal and ocean engineering facilities, and environmental engineering projects, related to public works and private enterprises. Thus, civil and environmental engineering embraces activities in traditional areas and in emerging problem areas associated with modern industrial and social development.
The civil engineering profession demands rigorous scientific training and a capacity for creativity and growth into developing fields. In Southern California, besides employment in civil engineering firms and governmental agencies for public works, civil engineering graduates often choose the aerospace industry for assignments based on their structural engineering background. Graduates are also qualified for positions outside engineering where their broad engineering education is a valuable asset.
The curriculum leading to a B.S. in Civil Engineering provides an excellent foundation for entry into professional practice, as well as for graduate study in civil engineering and other related fields.
Computer Science and Engineering
Students specializing in the computer science and engineering undergraduate program are educated in a range of computer system concepts. As a result, students at the B.S. level are qualified for employment as applications programmers, systems programmers, digital system designers, digital system marketing engineers, and project engineers.
Undergraduates can major either in the computer science and engineering program or in the computer science program.
Graduate degree programs in computer science prepare students for leadership positions in the computer field. In addition, they prepare graduates to deal with the most difficult problems facing the computer science field. University or college teaching generally requires the graduate degree.
Electrical Engineering
There are several fields of specialization, both theoretical and applied, within the electrical engineering discipline. The Electrical Engineering Department provides study and training in the areas of communications and telecommunications, control systems, electromagnetics, embedded computing systems, engineering optimization/operations research, integrated circuits and systems, photonics and optoelectronics, plasma electronics, signal processing, and solid-state electronics. A brief description of each area is provided under Fields of Study on page 69. Each of the fields presents opportunities for employment to the electrical engineering graduate.
Manufacturing Engineering
Manufacturing engineering is an interdisciplinary field that integrates the basic knowledge of materials, design, processes, computers, and system analysis. The manufacturing engineering program is part of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department.
Specialized areas are generally classified as manufacturing processes, manufacturing planning and control, and computer-aided manufacturing.
Manufacturing engineering as an engineering specialty requires the education and experience necessary to understand, apply, and control engineering procedures in manufacturing processes and production methods of industrial commodities and products. It involves the generation of manufacturing systems, the development of novel and specialized equipment, research into the phenomena of fabricating technologies, and manufacturing feasibility of new products.
Coursework, independent studies, and research are offered in the manufacturing processes area. This includes computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, robotics, metal forming and metal cutting analysis, nondestructive evaluation, and design and optimization of manufacturing processes.
Materials Engineering
Materials engineering is concerned with the structure and properties of materials used in modern technology. Advances in technology are often limited by available materials. Solutions to energy problems depend largely on new materials, such as solar cells or materials for batteries for electric cars.
Two programs within materials engineering are available at UCLA:
- In the materials engineering program, students become acquainted with metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites. Such expertise is highly sought by the aerospace and manufacturing industries. Materials engineers are responsible for the selection and testing of materials for specific applications. Traditional fields of metallurgy and ceramics have been merged in industry, and this program reflects the change.
- In the electronic materials option of the materials engineering program, students learn the basics of materials engineering with a concentration in electronic materials and processing. The optional program requires additional coursework which includes five to eight electrical engineering courses.
In order to enter a career in research and development of new materials (such as new energy devices), an M.S. or Ph.D. degree is desirable.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is a broad discipline finding application in virtually all industries and manufactured products. The mechanical engineer applies principles of mechanics, dynamics, and energy transfer to the design, analysis, testing, and manufacture of consumer and industrial products. A mechanical engineer usually has specialized knowledge in areas such as design, materials, fluid dynamics, solid dynamics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, dynamics, control systems, manufacturing methods, and human factors. Applications of mechanical engineering include design of machines used in the manufacturing and processing industries, mechanical components of electronic and data processing equipment, engines and power-generating equipment, components and vehicles for land, sea, air, and space, and artificial components for the human body. Mechanical engineers are employed throughout the engineering community as individual consultants in small firms providing specialized products or services, as designers and managers in large corporations, and as public officials in government agencies.
The mechanical engineer with a specialization in power systems and thermal design is concerned with energy utilization and thermal environment control. Design of power and propulsion systems (power plants, engines) and their components is a major activity. Thermal environment control requires the design of thermal control systems having heat pumps, heat pipes, heat exchangers, thermal insulation, and ablation heat shields. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), vacuum technology, cryogenics, and solar thermal energy are other areas in which the mechanical engineer contributes.
Mechanical engineers with a specialization in mechanical systems -- design and control and in manufacturing processes are the backbone of any industry. They participate in the conception, design, and manufacture of a commercial product as is found in the automotive, aerospace, chemical, or electronics industries. With specialization in fluids engineering, mechanical engineers gain breadth in aerodynamics and propulsion systems that allows them to become ideal candidates for employment in aerospace and other related industries.
The B.S. program in Mechanical Engineering at UCLA provides excellent preparation for a career in mechanical engineering and a foundation for advanced graduate studies. Graduate studies in one of the specialized fields of mechanical engineering prepare students for a career at the forefront of technology.
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