Three College of Engineering faculty members have been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) 20th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) symposium. They are Laurie Garrow and Kimberly Kurtis, civil and environmental engineering, and Mitchell Walker, aerospace engineering. They join 83 engineers' ages 30 to 45 who are performing exceptional engineering research and technical work in a variety of disciplines who will come together for the 2 1/2 day event. The participants -- from industry, academia, and government -- were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations.

The 2014 USFOE will be held on September 11-13, at the National Academies' Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif., and will cover cutting-edge developments in four areas: next-generation robotics, frontiers in materials for batteries, shale gas and oil, and technologies for the heart.

“The USFOE symposium is the perfect network for these talented, early-career engineers to develop those personal and professional relationships that will shape their work and ultimately impact our world,” said NAE President C. D. Mote, Jr.

Garrow, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering, does research in the area of advanced models of travel demand that integrate discrete choice, econometric, and market research methods to enhance understanding of travel behavior.

Kurtis is a professor in civil and environmental engineering. Her research is on the multi-scale structure and performance of cement-based materials.

Walker, an associate professor of aerospace engineering, does research in electric propulsion, plasma physics, and hypersonic aerodynamics/plasma interaction.