As the summer season comes into full swing, I have some exciting news and updates to share with you. This spring, the department proudly granted 72 B.S., 16 M.S. and 6 Ph.D. degrees. Once again, we celebrated commencement with a reception in the halls of WRW. We wish these Longhorns all the best as they set out to change the world.

I would also like to thank all who joined us last month to celebrate Dr. Hans Mark in honor of his 85th birthday and retirement. His legacy will continue to inspire students for years to come. You can read more about Dr. Mark as well as some of the cutting-edge research and projects that our faculty and students have been developing in the stories below. Enjoy a safe and relaxing summer and remember to keep in touch!

- Noel Clemens, Bob R. Dorsey Professor in Engineering and Department Chair

Behcet Acikmese has been awarded three major grants from DARPA, ONR and NASA-JPL for his UAV research. Acikmese and his team are researching the algorithms that inform the guidance and control systems in unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs)—a class of robots that includes space probes, driverless cars and military drones, among other devices. continue reading

Tan Bui-Thanh is part of a research team that has been awarded a $1.05 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help make data more manageable by developing mathematical methods that reduce large amounts of data down to the most essential and important parts. continue reading

On June 7, 2014, the ASE/EM community, family, friends and colleagues celebrated
Dr. Hans Mark's 85th birthday and remarkable career. To honor Dr. Mark, friends and alumni launched the Hans Mark Scholars Endowment in Engineering Honors which will provide full tuition to the best and brightest undergraduate engineering students.

Watch a video of Dr. Mark's remarkable career and view photos of the celebration.

• November 7, 2014—Save the Date for the ASE/EM Fall Festival - UT Campus
• Thomas Hughes has been named one of the most highly cited researchers of 2014. read more
• Nanshu Lu Receives NSF CAREER Award and 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award.
• Tan Bui-Thanh and Thomas Hughes receive ICES Grand Challenge Awards. read more
• Graduate student Bethany Drain awarded NDSEG fellowship for laser research. read more
• Former student Max Bremer receives Cockrell Outstanding Scholar/Leader award. read more
• UT and A&M collaborate on unique aerospace design experience. read more