Two UH Manoa engineering professors awarded prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Peter J. Berkelman, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Yingbin Liang, assistant professor of electrical engineering, have each received the National Science Foundation‘s (NSF) CAREER Award. The CAREER Award, one of NSF‘s most prestigious and competitive awards for junior researchers, recognizes those who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research.

Berkelman received a five-year, $534,356 grant for his proposal titled, "CAREER: High Fidelity Haptic Interaction using Large Range of Motion Magnetic Levitation Systems for Medical Applications." The research proposed aims to improve the fidelity and effectiveness of human-machine haptic interaction using magnetic levitation devices in specific applications such as haptic medical skills training or upper limb rehabilitation.

Berkelman received his MS and BS in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his PhD from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

Liang has been awarded a five-year, $399,998 award for her proposal titled, "CAREER: Secure Communication via Source and Channel Randomness." The proposed research aims at providing a comprehensive framework to implement the emerging physical layer security approaches to practical wireless networks, which complement the traditional cryptographic approaches for security.

Liang received her PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"The UH Manoa College of Engineering is thrilled to have two of our faculty recognized for their work at an early stage in their career," said Peter E. Crouch, dean. "Both Peter and Yingbin have now joined the ranks of an elite group of young researchers in the United States."