The College of Engineering announces AAAS Fellows
The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recently elected James H. Garrett, Jr., and Vijayakumar Bhagavatula to the rank of AAAS Fellow. Each year, the Council recognizes individuals whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.”
The Council honored Garrett, dean of the College of Engineering, for his contributions to the field of computing and civil engineering, especially for his pioneering work on intelligent civil infrastructure and ability to foster an interdisciplinary academic culture. As the dean of the college, he demonstrates an unprecedented commitment to integrating engineering, arts, business and other disciplines to produce creative and technically strong engineers equipped to pioneer solutions to global challenges. Throughout his research career, he has investigated how sensors and data analytics can enhance the adaptability and efficiency of our cities and buildings. Garrett aims to give our built infrastructure the ability to detect and report problems it is experiencing so that it can be managed in a more proactive and cost-effective manner.
Bhagavatula, the U.A. and Helen Whitaker Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, was elected by the Council for his contributions to the field of pattern recognition, particularly for his creation of the theory and application of correlation filters for object recognition. Bhagavatula and his students develop spatial frequency-domain methods that can correlate live biometric signatures and stored templates when biometric signatures vary in appearance. In addition to his research on pattern recognition, Bhagavatula studies computer vision for autonomous driving, signal processing for two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR), and coding for flash memory systems.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international nonprofit organization committed to advancing science for the benefit of all people. It is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society, with individual members in more than 91 countries. AAAS also publishes cutting-edge research in Science, a renowned peer-review journal.
On February 18, 2017, the Council will formally recognize Garrett and Bhagavatula at the AAAS Fellows Forum in Boston, Massachusetts. Also recognized this year from Carnegie Mellon is David Kinderlehrer, the Alumni Professor of Mathematical Sciences, who holds a courtesy appointment in Materials Science and Engineering. The three researchers join 19 other current fellows from Carnegie Mellon University.