CMP Technology Announces Educator and Student of the Year 2007 EE Times ACE Awards Winners

SAN FRANCISCO, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- CMP Technology's EE Times announced today that Dr. Belle Wei, dean of the College of Engineering at San Jose State University (SJSU), was named Educator of the Year, and Michael Callahan, a graduate student at the University of Illinois as the Student of Year. Wei and Callahan will be honored at the third Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards Gala (http://www.eetimes.com/ace) on April 3, 2007, as part of the largest electronic systems design event in North America, the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley.

The 2007 EE Times ACE Awards honors two people in academia who are dedicated to transforming the world around them. The Educator the Year award recognizes an individual who brings leadership, creativity and inspiration to students in an engineering or science curriculum in college or secondary schools. The Student of the Year award recognizes a student whose discipline, hard work and academic success are considered hallmarks for other engineering or science students.

"Dr. Belle Wei and Michael Callahan epitomize the spirit that continues to drive innovation and inspire the creators of technology," said Brian Fuller, editor in chief of EE Times. "Through their commitment to education and technology, Dr. Wei and Mr. Callahan are literally transforming the world today -- from improving the quality of undergraduate education to developing a life-changing technology for disabled people. Their accomplishments illustrate what it means to be truly innovative."

As dean of the College of Engineering at SJSU, Dr. Wei has spearheaded a long-term transformation of the college, focusing on the globalization and global competitiveness of the engineering profession, creating academic-industry partnerships and recruiting under-represented demographic groups, such as women and other minorities. Thanks in part to her work, in 2006, the College of Engineering vaulted from 16th place to 12th place for engineering programs that award BS and MS degrees, as reported in U.S. News and World Report.

"Engineering education today is more than teaching students superior engineering knowledge and skills. We must inspire them to use their knowledge and skills in an innovative way to solve compelling societal problems. I like to refer to it as a holistic approach to teaching and learning," said Dr. Belle Wei, dean of the College of Engineering at San Jose State. "I am deeply honored to receive this award and to have the opportunity to work with faculty, staff, alumni and industry friends to positively impact our students."

While a graduate student, Michael Callahan developed an innovative technology to translate neurological signals into speech. His goal is to restore mobility and communication for millions of severely disabled people living in the United States. By interfacing near the source of vocal production, he has been able to translate unspoken thought of the mind from intercepted neuronal activity at the vocal cords.

Callahan also co-founded Ambient, a company to commercialize this technology to improve the lives of the severely disabled. Leading a team of engineers and researchers, he is determined to bring this technology to market and make it accessible to those who need it most.

To promote student innovation at the University of Illinois, Callahan is also working to bring resources to those interested in pursuing their ideas. He has been instrumental in creating a laboratory for students involved with the Technology Entrepreneur Center to develop product ideas. Callahan is also working with Motorola to develop technological innovations for the impoverished in India.

"I am honored to be recognized as 'Student of the Year' by EE Times. I attribute this achievement to all of those who have helped me along the way and I am grateful to have the opportunity to help people in need," said Michael Callahan. "I share this award with all the educators who have helped guide me as well as my fellow students who have helped me realize my vision of improving the lives of the disabled."

The 2006 winners of Educator and Student of the Year were, respectively, Geoffrey C. Orsak of Southern Methodist University's School of Engineering and Adam Sidman of Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, who is now a freshman at Harvard.

About EE Times ACE Awards

The EE Times Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards celebrate the creators of technology who demonstrate leadership and innovation in the global industry and shape the world we live in. These creators, and their innovations, will be recognized at the EE Times ACE Awards Gala on April 3, 2007, as part of CMP Technology's Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley (http://www.embedded.com/esc/sv/), the largest electronic systems design event in North America.

Held at the San Jose Fairmont Hotel, EE Times ACE Award Gala event tickets include a networking cocktail reception, sit-down dinner, awards presentation and entertainment by comedian Larry Miller. Miller is known for his regular comedic and acting performances including "The Tonight Show," "Late Night with David Letterman," and feature films "Waiting for Guffman" and "Pretty Woman." To learn more and purchase tickets for the EE Times ACE Awards Gala, please visit http://www.eetimes.com/ace.

The 2007 EE Times ACE Awards thanks the following companies for their support including exclusive platinum sponsor Avnet Electronics Marketing, gold sponsors Rambus and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Inc. (TSMC), silver sponsors Analog Devices, Inc., McClenahan Bruer Communications, Merit Direct and Walker Information, Inc., association media sponsor IEEE Spectrum, and event sponsor Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley.

About the CMP Technology Electronics Group

The CMP Technology Electronics Group is the premier technology and business media brand serving the information needs of the creators of technology worldwide. Offering a full suite of products and services to reach electronics technology professionals throughout the world, the CMP Technology Electronics Group delivers the most targeted audience and actionable information to marketers in the electronics technology community. Each month, the CMP Technology Electronics Group delivers more than 1 million copies of its print publications, including EE Times, to subscribers in more than 23 countries and online visitors from 100 countries view more than 8 million pages on its Web sites in seven languages including EETimes.com and TechOnline. More than 40,000 decision makers attend its Embedded Systems Conferences each year in Boston, Silicon Valley, China and Taiwan.

About CMP Technology (http://www.cmp.com/)

CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

  Contact:
Michelle Sabolich
Atomic Public Relations for CMP Technology
michelle.sabolich@atomicpr.com
(415) 402-0230

SOURCE: CMP Technology Electronics Group

CONTACT: Michelle Sabolich of Atomic Public Relations, +1-415-402-0230,
michelle.sabolich@atomicpr.com, for CMP Technology

Web site: http://www.cmp.com/