Sandeep Shukla’s work in designing, analyzing, and predicting the performance of electronic systems — particularly embedded computers — has drawn acclaim from the National Academies, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the White House.

The most recent honor for Shukla, an associate professor in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering’s Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is an invitation from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to participate in the 19th annual Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium, Nov. 8-10 in Irvine, Cal.

Shukla, who came to Virginia Tech in 2002, is among a group of about 100 scientists under the age of 45 selected by the NAS in recognition of their research achievements and honors. Since the symposium began in 1989, more than 100 former participants have been elected to the academy and eight have received Nobel Prizes. Signed into being by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, the NAS is an honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research.

More : eurekalert.org

Cohen & Company, a global alternative fixed-income asset management firm with approximately $40 billion in assets under management, today announced that its specialty asset management and lending subsidiary, Emporia Capital Management, has named Wade T. Winter, Jonathan S. David, and Richard J. Barger, as Executive Vice Presidents in its leveraged loan asset management business, effective immediately.

Reporting directly to Kevin Braddish, Managing Director and Emporias Chief Investment Officer, the three new senior executives will be based out of Emporias Los Angeles offices. Among their responsibilities, they will spearhead the expansion of Emporias product offering in the leveraged loan market with an emphasis on larger and more liquid loans. They are joining a team that provides both sponsored loan origination and middle market finance offerings.

Prior to joining Emporia, Messrs. Winter, David and Barger, who collectively possess 41 years of industry experience, served as Senior Vice Presidents for the broadly syndicated loans business of Jefferies Capital Management. Messrs. Winter and Barger first joined Jefferies Capital Management in 2003, while Mr. David joined the organization in 2004. Together, the three executives helped lead a team that had approximately $3.5 billion in assets under management, and had issued four CDOs totaling $1.1 billion as of September 30, 2006.

More : .earthtimes.org

Four years ago when she entered East Palo Alto Academy, Mayra Gomez barely spoke English.

She had moved to East Palo Alto from Mexico only two years earlier. As a 14-year-old freshman she was shy and embarrassed about her language skills, which translated into a rough first year of grades.

On Monday she seemed a totally different person as she stood during graduation ceremony wearing a cap, gown and tassel. She was the class valedictorian, headed to the University of California, Berkeley, on a four-year scholarship. Gomez now speaks fluent English and yearns to study political science.

More : .paloaltodailynews.com

Oregon State University has named a new director to its School of Civil and Construction Engineering.

Scott Ashford, a 1983 OSU alumnus and former CH2M Hill engineer, received his doctoral degree in geotechnical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and has been a professor at the University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering since 1996.

Ashford has taught and conducted research in many parts of the world — studying California highways, seismic hazards in Thailand and landslides in Sri Lanka.

More : gazettetimes.com

In announcing the winner, an MIT spokesperson described how during the July 2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflict, the LCM moved swiftly into action, organizing the ongoing Boston to Lebanon grassroots fund raising campaign to raise public awareness and funds for Lebanon.

At a time when the local Lebanese community needed the most support, [the LCM] found a way to positively channel the communitys energy into a productive, proactive effort on behalf of Lebanon, she added. The LCM was also officially credited for making the highest deposit ever by a student group after a single event fund raiser, in reference to a benefit concert held by the club during the 34-day conflict.

The annual Agent of Change award honors the MIT student organization that best displays commitment to and passion for justice and activism to create positive change in and beyond MIT. The Lebanese Club received the award because of its dedication, resourcefulness, and professionalism in spearheading this Boston-wide campaign, according to MIT. The Institute hosts over 300 student-run groups and organizations.

More : yalibnan.com

Democrat John Edwards has eloquently established his credentials as an advocate for the poor with a presidential campaign focused on the devastating effects of poverty in America. But the former North Carolina senators populist drive has hit some land mines: a pair of $400 haircuts, a $500,000 paycheck from a hedge fund, and now a $55,000 payday for a speech on poverty to students at the University of California-Davis.

The problem now facing the presidential candidate is whether the pileup of headlines, including the latest regarding hefty fees from university speeches reported Monday by the San Francisco Chronicle, threatens to obliterate Edwards dominant campaign theme. The former senator, who has been portrayed as the champion of the poor and the son of a humble mill worker, now faces the possibility that voters will have a different image: that of a millionaire trial lawyer who talks one way and lives another.

With months to go before the first primaries and caucuses, the growing perception about Edwards highlights a danger of modern presidential campaigns: In the 24/7 media environment, a few maelstroms of unconnected and unexpected headlines and images can quickly gather momentum and morph into a political storm that obliterates even a carefully crafted strategy and message.

More : knoxnews.com

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c57765) has announced the addition of Financial Risk Manager Handbook, 4th Edition + CD to their offering.

An essential guide to financial risk management and the only way to get a great overview of the subjects covered in the GARP FRM(r) Exam.

The Financial Risk Management Exam (FRM Exam) is given by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) annually in November for risk professionals who want to earn FRM(r) certification. The Financial Risk Manager Handbook, Fourth Edition is the definitive guide for those preparing to take the FRM Exam as well as a valued working reference for risk professionals. Written with the full support of GARP, and containing questions and solutions from previous exams, this book is a valuable resource for professionals responsible for or associated with financial risk management.

More : home.businesswire.com

Four years into a job at a giant state-owned engineering firm in central China, Jennifer Liu asked her boss for permission to return to graduate school. She was refused.

Liu, a civil engineer with big ambitions, didnt give up. During a holiday in Beijing, she toured a handful of graduate schools and MBA programs. After returning, she persuaded her boss to allow her to apply to Tsinghua University, one of Chinas most prestigious universities.

I think some people thought I wouldnt pass the test, said the 30-year-old, sipping a cup of chicken soup at a swanky downtown Beijing restaurant.

More : mailtribune.com

The Fluor Corp. has signed a lease with the Irvine Co. for more than 169,000 sf of office space in the Discovery Business Center portion of the Irvine Spectrum. Jeffrey Osborn of Cushman & Wakefield tells GlobeSt.com that Fluor, a Fortune 500 company with annual revenues of $14.1 billion in 2006, will be expanding its Irvine office space by more than 100,000 sf.

Osborn was part of a Cushman & Wakefield team including Chris Bosley and Tom McDonald that represented the engineering giant, with the Irvine Co. represented in-house by Tom Greubel and Jeffrey Shaw. Fluor, which occupies 63,440 sf of space at 5211 California in the University Research Park near the University of California at Irvine, will move out of that 63,440 sf and into the 169,254 sf at the Irvine Spectrum this summer.

The Fluor division that occupies the University Research Park space and will be moving to Irvine Spectrum is its Energy & Chemical business unit. The units new space will be in three buildings at 15440 Laguna Canyon Rd., 15460 Laguna Canyon Rd. and 47 Discovery, near the intersection of the Santa Ana and San Diego freeways.

More : globest.com