September 1998

		In This Issue Student Projects and Activities Virtual Corporation Students Build First-of-its-Kind Propulsion System - A Virginia Tech student virtual corporation team developed the world's first electric propulsion system using a switched-reluctance actuator. Autonomous Vehicles Sweep Design Competition - Virginia Tech's Autonomous Vehicle Team took top honors in the design phase of the 6th International Ground Robotics Competition in June. HEV Team Places 1st in FutureCar Challenge - Virginia Tech's Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) tied for first place overall out of 13 competing schools in this summer's week-long 1998 FutureCar Challenge. Programming Team is 2nd in U.S. - Virginia Tech's student programming team placed second of the U.S. teams, and 11th out of 54 in the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 1998 International Collegiate Programming Contest. MIT, the top U.S. team, placed 5th overall. Tech Smart Antenna Wins Americas Competition in TI Challenge - With a design for an innovative smart antenna for wireless communications, a team of Virginia Tech electrical engineering graduate students won the Americas competition in the 1998 Texas Instruments DSP Solutions Challenge.   Research News Tech Buys Wireless Spectrum to Develop Research Testbed - This past spring, Virginia Tech became the only university in the nation to own a section of the wireless high bandwidth radio spectrum, thanks to successful participation in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) first Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) auction. VPEC Researchers to Head Up New Power Electronics Center - Department power electronics experts are heading up a new five-university multi-million-dollar research and education center that is expected to achieve a 10-fold improvement in power electronics systems during the next 10 years. Fiber Optics Group Gets $9.6-Million Grant - The Department's Fiber & Electro-Optics Research Center (FEORC) has received a $9.6 million grant from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to continue an optical sciences research program   Department News Letter for the Department Head Department Adds Courses, Degrees, Research in Northern Virginia - The Department has expanded its on-site course offerings and degree options at the Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church. The Department is also expanding it research activities in the region with the opening of the Alexandria Research Institute (ARI), and preparing to offer a Ph.D. residency program.   Faculty News New Faculty Members Join Department

The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
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