LAUNCH Beyond to culminate a year celebrating ECE

11/2/2015 Meg Dickinson, ECE ILLINOIS

ECE LAUNCH will culminate with a celebration called LAUNCH Beyond, scheduled all day Friday, Nov. 6, in the ECE Building on the Illinois campus.

Written by Meg Dickinson, ECE ILLINOIS

Throughout 2015, ECE LAUNCH has celebrated electrical and computer engineering at Illinois. It will culminate with a celebration called LAUNCH Beyond, scheduled all day Friday, Nov. 6, in the ECE Building on the Illinois campus.

William H Sanders
William H Sanders
LAUNCH Beyond will feature a variety of leading alumni and friends, including a keynote speech in the morning, panels throughout the day on a variety of important topics, and a dinner that evening. All events will be located in the ECE Building, 306 N. Wright St., Urbana.

A full schedule of speakers and panelists will address topics like entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary research, the future of ECE education, and its role in society. Engineering at Illinois Dean Andreas C Cangellaris and Department Head William H Sanders will start the day with a welcome.

Keynote speaker is Yi-Min Wang (MS ’90, PhD ’93), distinguished scientist and managing director of Microsoft Research Technologies. Sunil Kumar (PhD ’96), dean of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Peter Schiffer, Illinois’ vice chancellor for research, will give remarks at the event’s dinner.

“We are pleased to welcome such a distinguished variety of alumni and friends to the Illinois campus, and we’re looking forward to greeting those who join us for this important event,” said Sanders, the ECE head and Donald Biggar Willet Professor of Engineering. “I know it will be an enlightening day for all who attend.”

ECE ILLINOIS opened its new building in the fall of 2014.

Rayadurgam Srikant
Rayadurgam Srikant
“The opening of the new ECE building launched our department into a new era,” said Rayadurgam Srikant, LAUNCH chairman and the Fredric G. and Elizabeth H. Nearing Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The LAUNCH Beyond event provides us an opportunity to hear from our ECE alumni and friends on how we can build upon our rich history and help shape the society of the future."

Professors Xiuling Li and Jonathan Makela are co-chairing LAUNCH Beyond.

The public is welcome to attend the keynote and panels. Morning panels in the Kavita and Lalit Bahl Meeting Room in 3002 ECE Building. The afternoon panels will be in 1015 ECE Building.

For more information, please contact Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Audrey LeGrande.


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This story was published November 2, 2015.