UW and the community  |  UW Notebook

March 24, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Energy-efficient computing, Cottrell Scholar, Google Inclusion Awards

Recent honors and achievements for University of Washington faculty include an Intel Corporation award for work to make computers more energy-efficient, a Research Corporation for Science award for chemistry research and education, and two Google inclusion awards to create technology for underrepresented populations, including people with disabilities and Syrian refugees.

Electrical engineering professor Visvesh Sathe receives 2020 Intel Outstanding Researcher Award

Visvesh Sathe, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, has received a 2020 Outstanding Researcher Award from Intel Corporation for a project seeking to create more energy-efficient computer architecture.

A professor of biosystems and computing, Sathe was one of 18 researchers to receive the award, which annually recognizes exceptional contributions made by those conducting Intel-sponsored research at universities.

Sathe conducts research in a variety of areas applicable to circuits and architectures for low-power computing and biomedical systems. The research that brought him the award seeks to address computing inefficiencies created by “guard bands,” which are added to computer processors to help them keep operating despite changes in temperature and supply voltage.

Read an article on the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering website.

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Chemistry’s Alexandra Velian named a 2021 Cottrell Scholar

The Research Corporation for Science has named Alexandra Velian, assistant professor of chemistry, one of its 25 Cottrell Scholars for 2021.

The Cottrell Scholar program honors early career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics and astronomy with discretionary awards for research. Each award comes with $100,000 “to foster advancements in research and educational accomplishments.” The scholars are chosen through a peer-review process based on candidates’ innovative research proposals as well as educational programs.

Velian’s research proposal is titled “Synthesis of Functional Metal Chalcogenide Lattices Using Symmetry-Encoded, Atomically Precise Clusters.” Cottrell Scholars are eligible to compete for additional funding later in their careers and meet annually to network and exchange ideas.

Read an article on the Department of Chemistry website.

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iSchool’s Karen Fisher, Jacob O. Wobbrock receive Google Inclusion awards

Karen Fisher and Jacob O. Wobbrock, professors in the Information School, are among 16 recipients of inaugural 2020 Google Awards for Inclusion Research.

The award, to be given annually, supports academic research in computing and technology that addresses the needs of underrepresented populations. Each award comes with $60,000.

Fisher’s grant — which she shares with Yacine Ghamri-Doudane of La Rochelle Université in France — will support their work in designing culturally sensitive mobile technology for young Syrian refugee

women in Jordan. Such devices, and social media, can be crucial lifelines to refugees in the ongoing war.

Wobbrock’s award will support his work in creating an ability-based mobile toolkit to help programmers build applications that are aware of and responsive to the user’s abilities. A professor of human-computer interaction, Wobbrock is the founding co-director of the UW Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences, or CREATE.

Read more about Fisher and Wobbrock on the iSchool website.

Tag(s): Alexandra Velian • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Chemistry • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Information School • Jacob Wobbrock • Karen Fisher • Visvesh Sathe

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