UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
ECE NEWS
DEPARTMENT OF
ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER
ENGINEERING
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
BRIGHT
IDEAS
Recycled electrification system
will light up developing nations
A t age 15, Dan Ludois tried to convince
his grandparents that the best way to run
electricity to a shed in the corner of their farm
was to use recycled parts from a microwave.
At the time, his grandparents werent entirely
convinced of the teenagers technical credibility,
but Ludois kept the idea in the back of his
mind for the next 10 years.
On Earth Day 2010, Ludois and
two of his fellow UW-Madison
ECE graduate students presented
the idea, which has evolved into
an electricity system called the
Microformer, at the second-
annual Climate Leadership
Challenge, a campus competition
focused on combating climate
change. The Microformer is designed
to provide electricity to rural households in
developing countries, and the idea was rewarded
with more than $50,000 in prizes.
Ludois partners, Jonathan Lee and Patricio
Mendoza Araya, each have experience with engi-
neering projects for developing countries. Lee is
involved in the UW-Madison chapter of Engineers
Without Borders and has served on projects in
Haiti and Rwanda. Mendoza has worked on a
hydroelectric generator and smart grid projects in
his native Chile, which is where the Microformer
team may first implement its system.
(Continued on back page)
www.engr.wisc.edu/ece
YEAR IN REVIEW
2009-2010
rom their freshman year to the last semester of a PhD program,
F ECE students are active participants in a variety of invention and
innovation competitions at UW-Madisonand their efforts are being
well rewarded with cash prizes and resources to establish companies.
Undergrad competition showcases
ECE student ideas and inventions
I n February, ECE undergraduate students made a
strong showing at the 2010 Innovation Days, an
annual UW-Madison event that rewards innovative
and marketable ideas. A team including ECE senior
Jason Lohr (pictured, right) won fourth place in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity and $1,000 for
CocoStove, an inexpensive cooking stove that burns plant oils rather than wood charcoal and
could create a new industry in rural Haiti. The team also won the Younkle Best Presentation
award, which comes with a $1,000 prize. ECE alumnus Peter Tong (MS 65) and the Tong Family
Foundation are among the competitions benefactors. Other ECE student teams included:
Intelliwindows, a system to open and close Variable Power Source H2 Production, a sys-
windows based on the tem that runs electricity into a high-pressure
weather and a desired electrolyzer and then through solid-oxide
temperature in order to fuel cells to create a baseload of energy,
reduce air conditioning which can be converted into AC voltage and
costs. Invented by ECE run to the electric grid. Invented by a team
sophomore Chris Beley. including ECE sophomore Tim McGowan.
un.me, a software suite that emphasizes Range Extending Hitch
physical, social interaction and collaboration Technology, a detachable
between users. Invented by ECE sophomore engine-generator for
Michael Bethencourt. plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Bright Crank, a solar cell and hand-powered Co-invented by ECE
system made from recycled bicycle and car senior Adam Richards.
parts to light up bus stops. Invented by a Power StripWattmeter, a
team including ECE senior Alesia Casanova. device that connects to
an electrical outlet via a
Blocks Web API, an interface to allow devel-
power strip and displays
opers to create web content
the average power usage
with a language set via a
of the electric devices
proxy server that can trans-
connected to the outlet. Invented by ECE
late across all existing web
and physics senior Chris Zenner.
interfaces. Invented by ECE
sophomore Tim McGowan.
ECE 1 NEWS
 Message from the Chair

G
reetings to all alumni and friends
of the Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering!This
newsletter brings you important updates on
faculty, staff, alumni, students, and learning
and research initiatives.
During the past couple years, we have
been engaged in a comprehensive self-study
and strategic planning process. One of the
important outcomes has been a commitment
to the philosophy of once-a-member-always-
a-member. Students who graduate from our
department do not cease their relationship
upon leaving our doors. You become part
of a lifelong, connected community. As our
Visiting Advisory Board reminds us, alumni
and supporters represent an important
resource of knowledge, expertise and
experience to help us maintain the excellent
education and research outcomes we provide
with and for our students.And, we have
adopted a renewed commitment to continue
to serve our alumni and friends.
As a first step in this direction, were
placing a greater emphasis in the newsletter on
sharing news and information of likely interest
to alumni, department friends and supporters.
To help us fulfill this fresh emphasis, we need
you to send us your newsor questions
which well happily include in future issues.
So, please send us your news or Whatever
happened to ? or How is ? Well be ecechair@engr.wisc.edu.
John Booske, Chair
2416 Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608/262-3840
Fax: 608/262-1267
ecechair@engr.wisc.edu
www.engr.wisc.edu/ece
pleased to answer your questions or share
your news in future issues.
As a second step, I request the assistance
of every department alumnus to E-mail me a
short note answering the following biographical
questions. Our objective is to accumulate a
diverse pool of education-to-career profiles
that illustrate to prospective students (under-
grad or graduate) what future career options
are made possible with a UW-Madison ECE
degree. (1) What degree(s) did you obtain
from our department? (2) In what ways do
you recall and value your education at UW-
Madison and the ECE department? (3) What
is your current job, and how does it allow
you to make an impact and a difference in the
lives of others? (4) How did your UW-Madison
education prepare you to end up where you
are now? Please send your answers to
John H. Booske, Chair
For those of you able to contribute finan-
cially, I want to thank you on behalf of the
entire department for the important service
that you provide to our current and future
students. Because of your gifts, we have
been able to sponsor many excellent students
and faculty with scholarships, fellowships or
named professorships. Your generosity has
enabled us to subsidize the costs of text-
books, educational experience abroad, student
conference travel, awards for best TAs and
instructors, and need-based financial aid.
Just as importantly, your contributions
have enabled us to nurture a spirit of lifelong
community by sponsoring the formation of a
graduate student lounge, ECE undergraduate
student events and alumni receptions around
the country.
I am incredibly privileged to be Chair of our
department with such outstanding students,
faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters. Your
individual and collective accomplishments
continue to reflect our proud traditions and
great reputation. Thank you for your continued
enthusiasm and support for our Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
On Wisconsin!
Duane H. & Dorothy M. Bluemke Professor

Congrats to the 2010 recipients

of prestigious Grainger awards

O
n April 8, 2010, UW-Madison
engineering faculty, staff,
students, friends and family
members gathered at the University of
Wisconsin Foundation to celebrate the
Grainger Power Engineering Award and
Fellowship recipients. The event honored
14 ECE students who are already making
contributions to their field. The awards,
Pictured (back row, from left): Syed Akhtar, Kevin Olikara, Daniel Ludois, Craig Mitchell Jr.,
sponsored by The Grainger Foundation, Benjamin Tesch, Paul White, Jeremy Bricco, Daniel Dunar, Jacob Fritz; (front row, from left)
recognize students for their academic College of Engineering Dean Paul Peercy, Micah Erickson, Anthony Di Loreto, Randy Johanning,
successes in the field of power engineering. Christopher Wolf, James Bukacek

ECE 2 NEWS
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Nanion Technologies, a bio-
and microtechnology company
co-founded by Lynn H. Matthias
Professor Robert Blick, won
the 2009 Deutscher Gruender-
preis award. Given to outstanding entre-
preneurs in Germany, the award recognizes
entrepreneurial role models.
Nanion is a spin-off company from the
Center of Nanoscience at the University
of Munich, Germany, that develops and
manufactures sophisticated instrumentation
for the analysis of ion channels, the pore-
forming proteins that help establish and
control the small voltage gradient across
the plasma membrane of all living cells by
allowing the flow of ions down their electro-
chemical gradient. The companys automated
patch clamp platforms increase the efficiency
of drug discovery and are used by pharma-
ceutical companies and leading academic
institutions globally.
The Optical Society has
awarded Philip Dunham Reed
Professor Dan Botez the
Nick Holonyak Jr. Award in
recognition of his fundamental
contributions to high-power semiconductor
lasers including active photonic-crystal
structures for high coherent power genera-
tion; single-lobe grating-surface-emitting
distributed-feedback lasers; and high-power,
high-efficiency sources based on aluminum-
free technology.
The Nick Holonyak Jr. Award was
established in 1997 and recognizes significant
contributions to optics based on semi-
conductor-based devices and optical materials,
including basic science and technological
applications. Botez joins an exceptional group
of 12 past Holonyak Jr. Award recipients.
Associate Professor Hongrui
Jiang will lead a multi-university,
multidisciplinary research
program to develop biology-
inspired intelligent micro-
optical imaging systems with a four-year,
$2 million National Science Foundation grant
through the Emerging Frontiers in Research
and Innovation program. With state-of-the-art
technologies in microsystems, nanotechnology
and computer vision, Jiangs team will
incorporate elements of natural visual
systems into integrated, intelligent, micro-
imaging systems without anatomic and
physiological constraints.
Specifically, they will develop spherical
multi-micro-camera arrays integrating light
field photography for panoramic videos with
large depth of field, artificial-reflecting-super-
position compound eyes for high-transmit-
tance and low-chromatic-aberration imaging
over a wide spectrum, and bio-inspired
multi-fovea coordination software for efficient
processing of visual information.
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
Seed Grant provided the initial project grant.
recommends a select group of recipients for
Associate Professor Zhenqiang
(Jack) Ma received a three-year,
$360,000 U.S. Department of
Defense grant to develop new
near-infrared and midwave-
infrared lasers using nanomembranes tech-
nologies. Traditional near-infrared (1.55 mm)
lasers can only be made on III-V substrates,
such as indium phosphide. Ma will work
with colleagues at the University of Texas
to develop such lasers on any substrates,
including the desired silicon substrates.
The success will lead to the implementation
of optical interconnects for densely packed
silicon integrated circuits. The team also will
develop 3-5 mm midwave-infrared lasers
employing a similar principle.
Ma says the midwave-infrared lasers have
been difficult to make but would be very useful
for target seeking, sensing and laser radars.
Professor Luke Mawst and
Chemical and Biological
Engineering Milton J. and A.
Maude Shoemaker Professor
Tom Kuech have received a
two-year $330,000 grant from the Army
Research Lab to study high-efficiency tandem
solar cells employing dilute-nitride materials
grown by metalorganic chemical vapor depo-
sition. One goal of the project is to increase
the efficiency of multi-junction solar cells
through the development of new materials
to access key parts of the solar spectrum.
Professor Emeritus Donald
Novotny received a 2009 Nikola
Tesla Award from IEEE. The
award recognizes Novotny
for pioneering contributions
throughout the last 40 years to the analysis
and understanding of AC machine dynamic
behavior and performance in adjustable-
speed drives.
McFarland-Bascom Professor
Rob Nowak has been elected
an IEEE fellow for contributions
to statistical signal and image
processing.
Each year, following a rigorous evaluation
procedure, the IEEE Fellow Committee
elevation to fellow, one of the institutes most
prestigious honors. The recipients are taken
from an international pool of applicants.
The IEEE grade of fellow is conferred by the
board of directors upon a person with an
extraordinary record of accomplishments in
any of the IEEE fields of interest.
The 2009 San Diego Microgrid
Symposium, held September
17-18, brought together 25
organizations at the University
of California, San Diego to
discuss switching the San Diego electrical
grid to a digital smart grid by 2011. Professor
Giri Venkataramanan served on the steering
committee, and PhD student Patricio A.
Mendoza Araya presented at the conference
on evolving microgrids work in Chile.
Computer Sciences and ECE
Professor Mark Hill received
a UW-Madison Kellet Mid-
Career Award and $60,000
research award supported by
the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Hill has been recognized for his research on
advancing parallel computer hardware.
ECE 3 NEWS
 wo ECE faculty members have received prestigious Faculty Early
T Career Development Awards (CAREER) from the National Science
Foundation. These awards, which come with four-year grants
of approximately $400,000, recognize faculty members who are at the

beginning of their academic careers and have developed creative
projects that effectively integrate advanced research and education. Boosting computer performance
with reconfigurable hardware

A
ssistant Professor Katherine Compton
is studying how to use reconfigurable
hardware, which is a form of flexible,
Low-power computers could benefit environment and U.S. economy special-purpose hardware, to implement
a wide range of computer accelerators that

A
ssistant Professor Nam Sung Kim is
designing low-power computing systems
that, if implemented on a broad scale,
could have significant environmental and
economic benefits.
When an Internet surfer opens Google and
types in a keyword, the command goes to one
of the companys U.S. data centers, which are
large-scale facilities with hundreds of computer
servers. In the last seven years, the utility bills
to power and cool the servers and auxiliary
equipment at U.S. data centers increased from
$15 billion to $30 billion in 2008, the last year
data is available.
This cost, coupled with the amount of
electricity consumed by computers in offices
and homes, has consequences. To generate
that amount of electricity, we have to burn a
lot of fossil fuels, and thats not good for the
environment, Kim says. Also, we have to
perform computations for almost every aspect
of our lives now, and by reducing the cost
for doing these computations, our national
economy could gain a competitive edge.
Kim is crafting designs and architectures
for low-power computing systems that
could address these challenges. He is
developing algorithms for two strategies to
reduce computer power consumption. The
first strategy is to program machines that
can process computations more efficiently.
For example, several computations must
be completed for every pixel displayed on
a monitor or laptop screen. Each screen is
composed of tens of thousands of pixels,
but a viewer would not notice if some of
those pixels didnt show up.
The second strategy is to reduce wasted
energy during computations. To achieve
this, Kim is trying to identify which sections,
called blocks, of computer circuits can be
turned off during certain functions. Turning
the blocks off when they are not in use
rather than letting them remain on and idle
reduces the overall power consumption of
the processor.
Once the block is turned off, it takes
some time to wake it back up, like it takes
time to wake a computer up after putting it
into sleep mode, he explains. To minimize
performance impact, or penalty, I have to
predict which blocks will be used and wont
be used in order to wake them up in time.
My main objective is to hide the time
penalty so users dont notice a slowdown.
boost performance and increase energy
efficiency.
Compton says the idea of her work is
similar to cooking. Chefs can make anything
from a cookbook, but they can make a dish
much faster if they memorize the recipe. A
traditional central processing unit, or CPU,
is like a chef with a cookbook; it can process
anything, but its relatively slow since it
processes data sequentially and has to look
up the instructions every time, even if it has
handled the same task before.
Application-specific integrated circuits,
called ASICs, are hard-coded at the factory
with a single memorized recipe. This hard-
ware is fast because it doesnt
need to look up the instruc-
tions, and it processes
data in parallel, meaning
it handles multiple data
threads simultaneously
like a graphics pro-
cessing unit, or GPU.
Reconfigurable
hardware is like a
super chef who can
quickly memorize
or re-memorize
a small set
of recipes. Like
ASICs, the

ECE 4 NEWS

hardware memorizes functions and performs
computations in parallel.
Reconfigurable hardware goes beyond
ASICs by loading sets of data that determine
which wires should be connected or discon-
nected, thereby creating different digital
circuits for different tasks. For example,
the hardware could load an MP3 encoder
accelerator to compress an audio file and
then quickly
switch to
become a
decryption
accelerator.
Comptons
research fo-
cuses on how
a computing
system deter-
mines which
accelerators
should be
loaded into
hardware at
any given time.
Since first publishing on system-level
reconfigurable hardware management in
2005, Compton has studied how to allocate
the accelerators in response to, but in
isolation of, the rest of the computer system.
The CAREER award will allow her to expand
her work to study the entire system and
schedule multiple computing resources
to work in tandem with the reconfigurable
hardware.
In terms of the cooking metaphor, she
essentially is looking at the entire kitchen
workflow to determine how the various
chefsin other words, the CPU, GPU and
reconfigurable hardwarecan best work
together to most efficiently make the dish,
or execute an application.
Ultimately, Compton is working to
demonstrate to hardware companies that
reconfigurable hardware provides enough
of a boost to warrant adding it to everyday
computing devices.
Focus on new faculty: NADER BEHDAD
W
hen Assistant Professor Nader
Behdad looks at a small antenna,
crickets and flies sometimes come
to mind. For the expert in applied electro-
magnetics, insects offer a humbling reminder
that, despite the best efforts of scientists in the
last 100 years, mankinds best sensors are still
not as sensitive as the senses of a bug.
This reminder serves as an inspiration for
Behdad, who is studying innovative approaches
for developing new electromagnetic tech-
nologies, including small and efficient
super-resolving antennas. Conventional
approaches dictate that efficient antennas
are sized in proportion to the wavelengths
they are designed to detect. For example,
the wireless LAN system that an iPhone can
pick up works at a 2.4-gigahertz
frequency, which translates
to a wavelength measuring
roughly 12.5 centimeters. One way
The optimal antenna to
pick up this wavelength is to try to mimic
would be around half
that length, or roughly
what these organisms
6.5 centimeters,
to work at optimal
are doing and come up
efficiency. However, with new architectures
as cell phones and
other wireless based on
devices continue
to get smaller and living
smaller, antennas are
becoming so small
organisms.
that their efficiency is
being compromised.
Some flies, how-
ever, that are only about a
centimeter long, can detect
the direction of sound within
two degrees of accuracy. To do
this with our technology wed need
antennas that are absolutely huge, explains
Behdad, who is considering two research
strategies for harnessing natures optimal
design. One way is to try to mimic what these
organisms are doing and come up with new
architectures based on living organisms. The
second way is to actually try to develop an
evolution lab.
This lab would theoretically examine basic
cell development and how that development
could be altered to produce different out-
comes. For example, some organisms,
like sharks, are evolved to detect
electromagnetic signals produced
by certain fish. Perhaps, says
Behdad, this ability could be
engineered to allow other
organisms to not only sense
electromagnetic waves,
but also transmit them for
communication purposes.
Behdadwho joined the
ECE faculty in 2008 after
earning his PhD from the
University of Michigan in
2006 and spending two
years as an assistant elec-
trical engineering professor
at the University of Central
Florida, Orlandois taking
advantage of the collaborative
atmosphere at UW-Madison in
order to explore these complex
ideas. He is investigating various
biomedical applications for antennas,
including a partnership with Professor Susan
Hagness to study how antennas could be used
in micro-systems for breast cancer detection.
He is also brainstorming possibilities for the
evolution lab with biologists on campus.
Who knows if it could work? Thats the
problemnot knowing, he says. The question
is where to start, and theres no shortage of
expertise here. If theres anything you want to
know, there is someone in town who knows.
ECE 5 NEWS
 By Professor John Booske,
ECE department chair
FOCUS On ALUMNI
T
he ECE Visiting Advisory Board
(VAB) provides a fresh view of
the department from interested
individuals working and living outside the
faculty and campus. We remain appreciative
and indebted to each former and current board
member for this important and unselfish work.
During this past academic year, the board
members visited campus and met with ECE
leaders, faculty, students, as well as with
college deans and development officers. They
have identified several key recommendations
to help the department in the next decade.
Consistent with the VABs recommendations,
the department is pursuing a number of
exciting new initiatives.
We have helped ECE graduate students
form the ECE Graduate Student Association
and undergraduate students form the ECE
Student Leadership Council. These groups will
participate in organizing and hosting events
and panels for new and current students.
The VAB has strongly endorsed the
departments plan to revise our undergraduate
curriculum and specifically recommend
greater student flexibility in selecting elective
courses while maintaining technical depth in
the major. More experiential learning will
be emphasized in the early stages of the new
curriculum, and students will receive more
direct advising from faculty and their career
and education options.
Supported by the College of Engineering,
we are planning to launch a new website that
will provide greater information support for
students and Internet visitors. The website
will present what it means to have a career
in ECE, the value of an education in the UW-
Madison ECE department, news of events and
opportunities, and much more with the use
of video, text and graphics and an improved
ease of navigation. The rollout of the new
website is expected before the end of 2010.
The VABs recommendations have been
instrumental in guiding aspects of each of
these and other exciting initiatives, and we
are looking forward to their future help as we
navigate news ways of educating, institution-
ally supporting research and acquiring and
using financial resources to continue delivering
some of the best learning and knowledge
outcomes in the country and the world.
.
ECE 6 NEWS
Meet the ECE Visiting Advisory Board
Adrian Amelse is the general manager for the Cisco Emerging Technology
Group, which focuses on creating solutions in new and adjacent technology
markets. In his 13 years at Cisco, Amelse has held various marketing, manu-
facturing and engineering roles. A Madison native, Amelse holds a bachelors
degree from UW-Stout and an MBA from Santa Clara University. He has
served on the VAB for two years. I believe strongly in helping develop the
next generation of technical leaders, he says. He also remains connected
to Wisconsin via his familys maple syrup business, Amelse Farms.
Steven Bartingale (BS 89) is a lab manager for track and trace solutions
at 3M, where he is also a volunteer for the Technical Teams Encouraging
Career Horizons for middle and high school students. He obtained his
electrical engineering masters degree from the University of Minnesota in
1996 and joined the VAB in 2006. I want to help the department grow and
remain competitive, attract and retain top faculty and students, and develop
excellent graduates, he says.
Neena Buck (BS 79) works in the Office of Corporate Relations at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to connect companies in India,
Japan and the United States to relevant research at MIT. She has spent
many years as an industry analyst, tracking and anticipating under-the-radar
technologies and their impact on business, consumers and society.
Most recently, she was vice president at Strategy Analytics, a market
research and analysis firm, where she launched the companys Emerging
Frontiers program. Before this, she was vice president of emerging trends at a startup that
was acquired by Gartner. She has worked as director of marketing at Global Insight, as an
artificial intelligence researcher and software developer at IBM, and as a hardware design
engineer at the Delco Electronics Division of General Motors. Buck holds an MBA from the
University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and was a PhD candidate in computer
science, specializing in artificial intelligence, at Yale. She has served on the VAB for two years.
Travis Durand (BSME 80) is the F-15 chief program engineer at Boeing.
He holds a mechanical engineering masters degree from the University of
Missouri and an executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.
He has experience in engineering, program management, supply chain
management, manufacturing and information technology. He has served
on the VAB for two years.
Joe Eto is a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in
the Environmental Energy Technologies Division, where he manages the
Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS). Eto holds
a bachelors degree in philosophy (1979) and a masters degree in energy
and resources (1981) from the University of California, Berkeley. Eto, who
has served on the VAB for two years, is connected to UW-Madison through
the students and faculty who work on CERTS initiatives.
Ann Finley (BS 85) is a program manager at the Metropolitan Water District
of Southern California, where she manages and negotiates power contracts,
performs and reviews transmission planning and interconnection studies,
and markets green energy. Finley, who was on the UW-Madison swim team
as a student and remains an active lifeguard and triathlon participant, is a
member of several technical committees and received her masters degree in

electrical engineering from the University of
Southern California in 1989. She has been
a licensed professional engineer in California
since that year. Being one of very few
female ECE graduates in 1985, I feel honored
to be a part of the VAB, she says. This
opportunity motivates me to expand upon
my outreach efforts and reflect on my expe-
riences as an engineer to encourage others,
especially student-athletes, females and
minorities, to pursue engineering careers.
Finley has been on the VAB for three years.
Steve Frisch is senior
vice president of global
engineering services
at Plexus Corporation,
where he is responsible
for five design centers
located around the
world. Frisch joined
Plexus in 1990 and has held various director
and vice president positions. He obtained a
bachelors degree in electrical engineering
and technology from the Milwaukee School
of Engineering, where he has been a part-
time lecturer, and a masters degree in
electrical engineering and computer science
from Marquette University. I hope my
industry experience will be able to contribute
to the future success of the college, as I
believe the success of my company and the
electronics industry hinges on the ability to
develop well educated graduates, he says.
We would like to hear from you!
Please send us updates about your
promotions, honors, family news, etc.,
to ecechair@engr.wisc.edu
or to the following address:
ECE NEWS
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
1415 Engineering Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Miten Marfatia (MS 82, MBA 82) has more than 20 years of experience
in co-founding and managing hardware and software solution companies.
Currently, he is the CEO and CFO of EvolveWare Inc., a software company
that has developed a unique technology to automate the transformation
of source systems to any target system. Prior to founding EvolveWare,
Marfatia co-founded Silicon Electronics and has previously worked at
ROLM Corporation and Pyramid Technology. Active in various community
organizations, Marfatia has served on the VAB for two years and says he
remains committed to UW-Madison to help the institution receive the recognition it deserves.
Tom Nondahl (BS 73, MS 74, PhD 77) is research manager of the
Advanced Technology Milwaukee Labs at Rockwell Automation/Allen
Bradley, where he conducts projects in real-time Ethernet, multilevel
inverters, motor starters, regenerative converters and permanent magnet
motor controls. Nondahl has more than 30 years of experience in electrical
drives, motor controls and communication networks for industrial appli-
cations. He has produced multiple technical papers and U.S. patents. He
has been active in the IEEE Industry Applications Society for many years
and is currently serving as the president of the society. He has served on the VAB for two years.
IN MEMORIAM

Jeffrey Lorbeck Several distinguished ECE alumni have passed away since summer 2009.
(BS 87, MS 88, PhD
92) is the senior vice Frederick Bartman (BS 41) Charles Gabriel (BS 72) Charles Navratil (BS 50)
president of program Stephen Basche (BS 79) Lawrence Hall (PhD 73) William Pappathopoulos
management in the QCT Clifford Bastle (BS 51) John Hart Jr. (BS 41) (BS 66)
division at Qualcomm Robert Bohn (BS 47) Owen Holtan (BS 38) Raymond Parfitt (BS 49)
Inc. He has held various Ronald Breitwisch (BS 75) Otis Ingebritsen (BS 47) Richard Pierce (BS 48)
positions in engineering, Donald Brewer (BS 47) Douglas Jeske (BS 88) Gene Reed (BS 57)
business development, program management Michael Brozek (BS 73) Gordon Kent (BS 47) William Reeve (BS 52)
and general management at Qualcomm, and Robert Derber (BS 49) Paul Ketchum (BS 38) James Slagg (BS 49)
he has experience in organizing, managing Lee Eichenseer (BS 61) George Klinge (BS 50) Milton Stenstrom (BS 49)
and leading large, interdisciplinary, multi-site Samuel Elice (BS 48) George Linn (BS 51) Walter Tolk (BS 49)
development and operations organizations. Nathan Engebretson (BS 34) Robert Medenwald (BS 48) Reinhard Vater (BS 41)
He served on the VAB in 2009 and remains Paul Fischer (BS 42) Arthur Moeller (PhD 65) Norman Volz (BS 51)
committed to help ECE maintain its quality Laverne Froseth (BS 58) Ernest Mullen (BS 58)
student experience.

ECE 7 NEWS
 O
n Oct. 16, 2009, an ECE alumnus
was among eight engineering
alumni honored at the colleges
annual Engineers Day, which recognizes and
celebrates influential engineers. At the event,
Dean Foate (BS 82) received a Distinguished
Achievement Award.
Foates career is marked by his loyalty to
a pair of colleagues and the company his
father co-founded. After graduating from
UW-Madison, Foate and his wife, Cindy, left
Foates two college roommates and closest
friends for Indiana,
where Foate began
his career design-
Foate receives Distinguished Achievement Award
ing electronic engine and transmission
controls for Delco Electronics. However,
it wasnt long before the pair persuaded
Foate to return to Wisconsin and join Plexus
Corporation. The decision was made easier
when Foate and Cindy had a son, Jake, and
the family moved back to Foates native
Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1984, where they
subsequently had a daughter, Allison.
Foate began working for Plexus on
Groundhogs Day. His father couldnt believe
his son was giving up a secure job in the
middle of a recession to work for the small
company he had co-founded and retired
from. Yet Foate and his friends were
determined to become better engineers and
leaders to grow the companyand thats
exactly what they did.
Foate held various leadership positions
within Plexus, and when he became presi-
dent of the design and development organi-
zation, he decided to seek formal training.
He earned a masters degree in engineering
management from the Milwaukee School of
Engineering in 1999, graduating with honors.
His business knowledge helped drive the
growth and profitability of Plexus, which is
now recognized as an industry-leading elec-
tronics manufacturing services provider with
revenues of approximately $1.7 billion and
the best shareholder returns among industry
peers. In 2002, Foate was named president
and chief executive officer of the company.
Foate credits his engineering education at
UW-Madison for the
communication and
leadership skills he
needed to launch his career. He now helps
other aspiring engineers as a supporter of
FIRST, a program for children to develop
technological and leadership skills. He also
sponsors a scholarship program and created
a Plexus foundation to provide technology
support to schools. Engineers have changed
the world in everything from technology to
infrastructure to communication, and engi-
neers can make a significant impact on the
quality of life around the world, he says.

Andrew Hanson: Transferring entrepreneurship from classroom to company

W
hen Andrew Hanson (BS 09) met his laboratory partner for ECE 170:
Introduction to Circuits during his freshman year, he didnt realize he
was meeting his future business partner. Four years and a software
start-up later, Hanson and his former classmate, Justin Beck
(BS 09), are still together working on their crazy idea.
When Hanson and Beck shared another class during their
sophomore year, Hanson took the opportunity to talk to
Beck about his internship at Google the previous summer.
The two met for lunch and chatted about the gaming industry,
as well as some ideas for new products. By the end of the meal, the two
decided to work together on a new game, called Little Dudes, for a
couple of months.
By winter break that year, the pair devised a new game called Parallel
Kingdom, a multi-player online role-playing game for the Google Android
and Apple iPhone. The games background is based on Google maps,
so a player in Madison can log in and wander the digital streets of the
city, interacting with other players who also are physically based in
Madison. The game is open-ended and allows players to progress
though levels either by being friendly or hostile toward their neighbors.
In order to market Parallel Kingdom, Hanson and Beck founded
PerBlue in summer 2008. After graduating in 2009, they worked at the company full-time and
eventually hired seven others, most of who are also recent UW-Madison alumni. Parallel Kingdom
currently has more than 100,000 user accounts. Many players are located on the West Coast
and in Japan, and the number of European players is also growing.
Justin and I both enjoy this a lot because its our own thing, says Hanson. In hindsight,
I can see how much free time I would have had in college if we hadnt done this, but Im glad I
spent that time working on Parallel Kingdom.
Hanson says he and his colleagues
are open to the possibility of eventually
selling PerBlue to another software
company, but for now they are happy
running the company themselves. Either
way, Hanson has acquired a strong set of
entrepreneurial skills that he credits both
to his experiences at PerBlue and as an
ECE and computer sciences student.
In addition to Parallel Kingdom, Hanson,
a native of Rochester, Minnesota, was active
with student organizations while on campus.
He worked on the hybrid vehicle team and
was very committed to the UW-Madison IEEE
robotics team software group. It was fun to
see something you were writing go out and
actually move, he says.
Those experiences combined with his
classes taught Hanson how to work with a
team to solve problemsskills he says have
carried over to PerBlue. Additionally, Hanson
advises other students interested in entre-
preneurship to be willing to learn about and
tackle many different roles, from engineering
to accounting to management.
And, of course, befriending a lab partner
never hurts.

ECE 8 NEWS
 Michael Splinter
Blending engineering, business and social responsibility

that are reducing the cost-per-watt of solar
energy. The division has drawn national
attention and was featured in a New York
Times column in September 2009.
For Splinter, developing solar-related
equipment and technology is a valuable move
for Applied Materials not only because of the
growing global market for green technologies,
excited that Wisconsin is still a place people
are going to learn and not be afraid of
challenging the status quo.
Splinter remains connected to UW-Madison
in a variety of ways, including serving on the
University of Wisconsin Foundation Board of
Directors and previous tenures on the College
of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board. He

N
o matter how far Michael Splinter
(BS 72, MS 74) travelseither
geographically or metaphorically
up the corporate ladderhe remains at heart
a Badger and an engineer.
Originally from Horicon, Wisconsin,
Splinter focused his graduate studies on
integrated circuits, and after receiving his
degree he ventured to southern California to
work for the Electronics Research Center at
Rockwell International. During his 10 years
at Rockwell, Splinter began developing the
interest and skills to pursue management
positions and rose to become manager of
the semiconductor fabrication operations
division. Splinter then joined Intel Corporation,
where he held multiple executive roles during
his 20-year tenure.
Since 2003, Splinter has been the chief
executive officer of Applied Materials, located
in Santa Clara, California. Among his many
tasks at the nanomanufacturing company that
develops equipment, service and software
for semiconductor chips and many other
products, Splinter is overseeing the creation
of a new division focused on energy and the
environment. This new division is generating
a variety of products focused on reducing
the use of fossil fuels, including equipment
to vastly increase the number of solar panels
manufactured each year, as well as products
but because of the environmental benefits. is especially interested in seeing more engi-
This blending of engineering and business neering students from diverse backgrounds.
with social responsibility represents Splinters Despite his many executive titles, Splinter
general leadership philosophy. A persons ultimately still considers himself an engineer.
values and the practicing culture of a Engineering is about learning how to
company are incredibly important. Things problem-solve, organize and look at things
like being close to the customer, practicing in ways that are practical and solvable, he
mutual respect and trust in the workplace, says. And I think that kind of education was
and always striving to have world-class very practical for me and has helped me
performancethese three things are high tremendously in my early years and
on my list, he says. continues to help me today.
As the industry of green technologies
advances, Splinter remembers his own
experiences as a young engineer in an
emerging field. Much like I thought when I
was graduating that electronics, computer
chips and circuits would be something I
could make a career of, engineers can look
forward to focusing on our changing energy
landscape, he says, adding that a continued
focus on practical science by universities will
be important in the coming decades.
In the next 40 years, students graduating
today will be facing pollution, carbon dioxide
and water problems, and I cant imagine a
world where engineers arent going to be
working to solve these problems in a
practical, cost-effective way, he says.
Beyond the classroom, Splinter says hes
also glad to see students remain engaged
in social issues and activism. It makes me

P
rofessor Emeritus Ray King died February 21 at the age of 77. Born in Montrose, Colorado, co-founded KDC Technology Corporation
IN MEMORIAM

King worked his way through college as a radio announcer, earning his bachelors degrees in 1983, where he focused on developing
in electronic and electrical engineering at the Indiana Institute of Technology and his microwave instrumentation to evaluate
masters degree and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado. King began materials. Active in the Institute of Electrical
his career in academia at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1962 and joined UW-Madison and Electronic Engineers and the National
as a professor of electrical engineering in 1969. Named a Fulbright Fellow in 1973 and a guest Academy of Sciences, King held nine patents
professor at universities in Denmark and New Zealand, King focused his teaching and research and authored many professional papers. King
on various aspects of electromagnetic theory and experiments relating to propagation over is survived by his wife, Diane; two children,
non-uniform surfaces. He eventually left UW-Madison to join LLNL as a research engineer and Karl and Kristin; and three grandchildren.

ECE 9 NEWS
 wo ECE faculty have achieved a nanoscale laser structure they anticipate will produce extremely inefficient since electrons transi-

T semiconductor lasers in the next two years that are more than twice as efficient as
current continuous-wave lasers emitting in the mid-infrared. The novel structure
tioning between two sub-bands emit 1,000
phonons (quantized lattice vibrations) for every
will produce lasers with more power and that are more efficient, reliable and stable, says Philip one photon. Bell Labs scientists reduced this
Dunham Reed Professor Dan Botez, who created the new structure with Professor Luke Mawst. inefficiency by creating a cascade structure
These next-generation lasers could benefit a wide range of industries, as they could be used by stacking 40 sub-band photon-emitting stages.
in biomedical devices, environmental monitoring devices, missile avoidance systems and even These stages allow one electron to be used
food packaging processes. This wide range of applications is possible because the research- to emit a photon 40 times as it sequentially
ers have all but eliminated the temperature sensitivity for lasers operating in continuous-wave moves and transitions along the cascade
mode, meaning the laser emits uninterrupted, coherent light. structure. The result is only 25 phonons are
For example, with current mid-infrared technologies emitted for every one emitted photon and
for detecting explosives, lasers can detect from then lasing action can be achieved.
only approximately 30 feet away, Botez says.
With these lasers, devices could detect
New semiconductor The problem with this type of
laser is that fixed compositions of
explosives at more like 300 feet away. laser structure could produce more the layers for a particular stage,
Also important is that the researchers
created the new laser structure via a scal-
efficient, powerful and portable sources which repeats along the cascade
structure, result in electrons
able industrial process. emitting in the mid-infrared escaping from the structure.
Imagine dropping a ball down a
How is a regular semiconductor laser built? ladder; the ball may hit the first couple
of steps, or sub-bands, but as it progresses
Researchers can harness electron movement to
along the ladder, it can veer off course and drop
produce a laser. In a free-floating atom, electrons orbit in rings
off the ladder entirely. A continuous-wave laser
closer to or farther from the nucleus, depending on how much energy the electron is carrying.
system, which operates continuously, heats
In a solid, atoms are fixed in a lattice (like a complex chain or pattern), and electrons move
up internally as electrons escape from the
in and jump between energy bands instead of between the fixed energy levels corresponding
structure, which in turn limits the emitted
to the various orbits in free atoms. In semiconducting materials, electrons can move into an
power and the overall device efficiency.
energy band, called a conduction band, which produces a current. They can also move inside
This loss of electrons, or carrier leakage,
a band called a valence band that is so jam-packed with electrons that no net current flow
has been a major barrier to increasing laser
happens. Electrons can easily be stimulated to move to the conduction bandbut to maintain
efficiency for practical applications.
equilibrium, they eventually have to return to the valence band to fill in the holes they left
behind. The electron returns to the valence band via a port or well in the conduction band,
which dips closer to the valence band in a region called the active region. As that occurs, the
A solution: Deep-well quantum cascade lasers
electron gives off its excess energy, sometimes in the form of a photon, which is a quantum of About five years ago, a process for growing
light. (A quantum of something is the smallest discrete quantity possible.) multi-layer semiconductor structures became
Electrons that spontaneously move between bands and produce light can be used for devices available for fabricating quantum-cascade
like LEDs. However, to produce a laser beam, researchers place the lattice of atoms in a cavity lasers. Called metalorganic chemical vapor
with mirrors, and the generated photons stimulate the electrons to return to the
valence band, thus releasing a photon with the same energy as the stimulating
one. The original photon and the new photon are in phase with each other and
will further stimulate the release of other photons, thus continuously amplifying
the number of photons and bouncing off the cavity mirrors. The process repeats
until the cavity reaches a threshold for oscillation and light is directed out of the
cavity in a coherent laser beam.
This is how a standard semiconductor laser works, but the problem is that
band-to-band transitions are limited to wavelengths below approximately three
microns, which correspond to transition energies of about .4 electron volts. If
the transition energies are smaller, which would correspond to longer wave-
lengths, the energy is released as heat, rather than lightmeaning traditional
semiconductor lasers have limited emitted-light wavelength potential.

A move forward: Quantum cascade lasers

To overcome wavelength limitations, scientists from Bell Laboratories
developed a laser by quantizing the energy bands, meaning they broke the
energy bands into sub-bands. As the lattice structure vibrates, it causes the
electrons to move rapidly between sub-bands, and the transitions between Botez (left)
sub-bands cause the electrons to emit energy. However, the process is and Mawst

ECE 10 NEWS
deposition (MOCVD), the process is scalable,
unlike previous crystal growth techniques
suited for laboratories but not manufacturers.
MOCVD involves exposing a substrate to
high heat and chemicals, causing layers to
form on the substrate in an atomic-lattice
configuration. Unlike previous crystal-growth
techniques, MOCVD allows researchers to
fabricate cascade-laser structures with stages
composed of layers of varying composition.
Botez and Mawst are using the MOCVD
process to grow varying-composition
structures that prevent carrier leakage. To
compensate for the added strain caused in the
structure by creating deeper (quantum) wells,
they also create taller barriers. Now, rather
than electrons escaping from the system like
balls falling off a ladder, the system works
like a set of tiered boxes, with a ball get-
ting caught at each stage. This ensures that
electrons will efficiently produce photons
in every stage of the cascade structure. The
new structure is called a deep-well quantum
cascade laser.
By suppressing carrier leakage, there is
about 2.5 times less heating in the device while
the laser is in continuous-wave operation,
says Botez. This is a dramatic improvement
that means the device will be almost
temperature insensitive.
The result will be continuous-wave lasers
that Botez anticipates will achieve at least
20 percent wall-plug efficiency, which is the
electrical-to-optical power efficiency of a
laser system. Twenty percent efficiency
would be roughly double the current world
record for practical continuous-wave quantum
cascade lasers.
This new structure, coupled with the fact
that MOCVD is a process suitable for mass
production, means that optimized mid-infra-
red lasers can become much more wide-
spread in medicine, the military and a wide
variety of industries.
The effect will be that as you get more
continuous wave power you should also get
better long-term reliability and stability, be-
cause these lasers will be much less sensitive
to temperature variations than conventional
quantum cascade lasers, Botez says.
Botez and Mawst are actively interested
in commercializing the technology, which
is covered by two issued and one pending
U.S. patents through the Wisconsin Alumni
Research Foundation.
Student NEWS
In March, PhD student Kyle Rupnow received Graduate student Harsh Sinha and under-
a competitive UW-Madison PhD capstone graduate student Mike Nichols have received
award, which recognizes students across a grant from the IEEE Standards Education
campus who have performed as outstanding Committee for a project titled Characterization
teaching assistants throughout their tenure. of electron cyclotron resonance machine
A maximum of five awards are presented magnetic field parameters using IEEE standard
each year; students are nominated by faculty measurement practices. IEEE will publish their
and selected by a campus committee. final project paper.
Michael Bethencourt, ECE and computer science student and founder of
FreedomDesigns.org, a name-your-own-price free-lance Web design business,
is among nine UW-Madison undergraduates to earn a $2,500 Wiscontrepreneur
scholarship to foster their entrepreneurial skills. The awards are distributed
through the UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations. A computer science
and computer engineering major from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, Bethencourt
is working to create software for a collaborative graphic design program.
Supported by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, the Wiscontrepreneur initiative offers a
variety of courses, programs, awards and activities to spur entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial
thinking across the entire campus and state.
ECE student wins 2010 Alliant Energy/Erroll B. Davis Jr. Achievement Award
Shortly after graduating in December 2009 with his bachelors degree
in electrical and computer engineering, Solomon Adenle received the
prestigious Alliant Energy/Erroll B. Davis Jr. Achievement Award, which
recognizes outstanding scholarship and community service.
Adenle served for two years as the first vice president of the National
Society of Black Engineers-WI Black Engineering Student Society. He also
started the diversity spring welcome event at the College of Engineering
to welcome underrepresented students to campus. Adenle has interned at the headquarters
of both General Electric and British Petroleum. Originally from Nigeria, Adenle has a long-
term dream of starting a non-profit organization dedicated to research and development
of solutions to energy shortage issues in African countries.
Adenle was presented with the award and $1,000 on Feb. 5, 2010, in Madison. Award
presenters included UW System President Kevin P. Reilly, UW System Senior Vice President
Rebecca Martin and Barbara Swan, executive vice president, general counsel and chief
administrative officer for Alliant Energy.
Solomons commitment and contributions show what one student can do to make the
UW experience richer both for himself and others. Students like Solomon are an inspiration
to all of us who urge our young people to put their talents to use to improve the society they
will soon lead, Reilly says.
The award is made possible by the Alliant Energy Foundation, which established an
endowment in 2007 in honor of former Alliant Energy CEO Erroll B. Davis Jr. Recipients of
the award represent undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented minority
groups pursuing degrees in engineering or business, two degrees held by Davis, who now
serves as Chancellor for the University of Georgia System. Recipients must be enrolled at
either UW-Madison or UW-Platteville, which are located in regions of the state where Alliant
Energy provides energy services.
ECE 11 NEWS
 is a newsletter for alumni and friends of the UW-Madison Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
ECE NEWS Produced by: Engineering External Relations / Editor: Sandra Knisely / Design: Phil Biebl Paid for with private funds.

Send address changes and other correspondence to:

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

1415 Engineering Dr.
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Recycled electrification system

(Continued from front page)

After the earthquake that happened in Chile

[in February 2010], this is a good opportunity
for me to give back and encourage others that
things can be improved, says Mendoza.
The Microformer is based on the trans-
former inside microwave ovens. The trio put
the transformerwhich converts the 120
raya
Mendoza A
volts of electricity from standard wall outlets
athan Lee and Patricio
into 2.5 kilovolts of potential powerinto an Ludois, Jon
From left: D
a metal paint can full of mineral oil, which
cools the transformer. The team then adds
a recycled spark plug to serve as an insulator
to move power in and out of the can.
The resulting system provides enough
electricity to power a few lights, a small The Microformer was recognized as the most and find resources to help us with the business
refrigerator and other small electronics, such action-ready idea at the Climate Leadership aspects of this, says Lee.
as a cell phone charger or laptop. Essentially, Challenge, which is staged by the UW-Madison The team will form a company to fine-tune and
the Microformer can power a household in a Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and test the design, as well as begin implementing
developing country with the electricity needs the Global Environment. The award comes the system in interested communities. The
equivalent to a typical U.S. dorm room. with a $50,000 cash prize, plus funds for students plan to sell affordable online kits that
A key aspect of Microformer is the cost: a promotional trip and a one-year lease for instruct people how to build the system and
A typical U.S. transformer costs more than space in the new University Research Park maintain it safely. Eventually, the group hopes to
$1,000, but by using recycled materials, each Metro Innovation Center. Were excited to be expand to sell a variety of kits for constructing
Microformer costs only $60-$70. part of the innovation community over there renewable energy sources from local materials.

ECE 12 NEWS