ECE Chair Receives N2Women Stars Award in Networking and Communication

Electrical and computer engineering chair Yingying (Jennifer) Chen is the recent recipient of a prestigious N2Women Stars Award in Networking and Communication that honors her cutting-edge research outcomes in edge computing and mobile sensing.  

Chen is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer s and Peter Cherasia Endowed Faculty Scholar at Rutgers. She is also a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA). 

“This award means a lot to me,” says Chen. “It indicated that female researchers are doing impactful research in the networking and communications area and being recognized. It is a great encouragement to me and my work. I feel even more energized to explore more in the advancement of information technology.” 

Encouraging Women Engineers 

“Yingying is a strong role model for our women undergraduate and graduate students, who are increasingly achieving success in formerly male-dominated industries,” says School of Engineering interim dean Alberto Cuitiño. “This award is not only a major recognition of her outstanding research results in a challenging field, but also reflects her growing national reputation and stature as a leading engineer.”  

Networking and communications are critical for the advancement of information technology and are the fundamental research areas to enable our mobile world,” notes Chen. “N2Women plays an important role by informing the outside world about the contributions of women researchers in these areas.” 

According to Chen, the group provides members with opportunities such as workshops and lunches and dinners at almost every Association for Computing Machinery, or ACM, conference where they can share their experiences, exchange ideas, and gain support from each other at almost every Association for Computing Machinery, or ACM, conference.   

Herself a workshop co-organizer and panelist at N2Women meetings at major international conferences, Chen says, “My vision is to encourage more female students and researchers to pursue their careers in science and engineering by sharing my working and family experiences.”     

Looking ahead, Chen predicts that with the new advancements in 5G and 6G technology, and the support of N2Women, female researchers will contribute even more to the field of networking and communications.  

Mehdi Javanmard Named National Academy of Inventors Senior Member

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named Mehdi Javanmard, an associate professor in the School of Engineering Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, a senior member. He is one of 95 of the foremost emerging academic inventors identified by NAI’s member institutions to be welcomed to the 2023 class of senior members. 

“I’m extremely delighted for this recognition by the NAI for my lab’s efforts in developing electronic and biomedical technologies,” says Javanmard. “It’s truly an hoor to achieve this career milestone in becoming a senior member of the NAI. 

“I must thank my students, postdocs, and collaborators for their efforts. I could not have achieved this without their help. I also give special thanks to the fantastic staff at the Rutgers tech transfer office for being so supportive of my team’s efforts.” 

NAI senior members are active faulty, scientists, and administrators from NAI member institutions whose remarkable innovations have produced technologies that have made, or aspire to make, real impact on the welfare of society The senior members have also achieved growing success in securing patents, licensing, or commercialization while educating the next generation of inventors.  

“This is a well-deserved recognition of Mehdi’s accomplishments, which brings national prestige and visibility to Rutgers, the School of Engineering, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,” says interim dean Alberto Cuitiño.“ 

Cutting-Edge Inventions 

Javanmard holds 6 patents for his inventions, with another eight patents pending. Among his health-centric devices are: 

  • Lab on a Chip, hand-held or wearable devices equipped with biosensors that monitor exposure to bacteria, viruses, and toxic pollutants 

  • A graphene-based sensor for managing asthma and other respiratory diseases 

  • A tool that analyzes microbes in aquatic environments to help assess the effects of climate change on sensitive ecosystems 

  • The use of nanowell impedance sensing for a wide variety of medical applications, such as the detection of stress hormones like cortisol in blood; smart bandages for monitoring biomolecular activity during wound healing, in collaboration with biomedical engineering professor François Berthaume; and a covid breathalyzer in collaboration with mechanical and aerospace engineering professors Edward DeMauro, a German Drazer, and Hao Lin. 

Javanmard’s innovative wearable impedance cytometry and integration of machine learning and impedance cytometry analyzer has been licensed to RizLab Health. “This is a startup company spinoff out of my lab at Rutgers that’s working to develop a handheld blood cell analyzer for oncology, infectious disease, and mental health patients,” he explains. 

Javanmard will attend the Washington, D.C. celebration of the 2023 class of senior members at the NAI’s annual meeting, Diversifying Innovation for a Strong Economy and a Sustainable Future in June. 

Pages

Subscribe to Rutgers University, Electrical & Computer Engineering RSS