San Francisco -- Belle Wei, dean of the College of Engineering at San Jose State University, has won EE Times' Annual Creativity in Electronics Award for Educator of the Year. Michael Callahan, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, was named ACE award Student of the Year.

The ACE awards in this category honor two people who are dedicated to transforming the world around them. The Educator the Year award recognizes an individual who brings leadership, creativity and inspiration to students in an engineering or science curriculum in a college or secondary school. The Student of the Year award recognizes a person whose discipline, hard work and academic success serve as a model for other engineering or science students.

"Through their commitment to education and technology, Dr. Wei and Mr. Callahan are literally transforming the world today--from improving the quality of undergraduate education to developing a life-changing technology for disabled people. Their accomplishments illustrate what it means to be truly innovative," said Brian Fuller, editor in chief of EE Times.

As dean of the College of Engineering at San Jose State, Wei has spearheaded a long-term transformation of the college, focusing on the globalization and global competitiveness of the engineering profession. Wei has created academic-industry partnerships and has recruited under- represented demographic groups, such as women and other minorities. Thanks in part to her work, San Jose State's College of Engineering last year vaulted from 16th to 12th place among engineering programs that award BS and MS degrees, as reported in U.S. News & World Report.

"Engineering education today is more than teaching students superior engineering knowledge and skills. We must inspire them to use their knowledge and skills in an innovative way to solve compelling societal problems. I like to refer to it as a holistic approach to teaching and learning," Wei said. "I am deeply honored to receive this award and to have the opportunity to work with faculty, staff, alumni and industry friends to positively impact our students."

Help for disabled
As a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Callahan developed an innovative technology to translate neurological signals into speech. His goal is to restore mobility and communication for millions of severely disabled people living in the United States. Callahan also co-founded Ambient, a company that aims to commercialize this technology.

"I am grateful to have the opportunity to help people in need," Callahan said. "I share this award with all the educators who have helped guide me, as well as my fellow students, who have helped me realize my vision of improving the lives of the disabled."

In 2006, the Educator of the Year award went to Geoffrey C. Orsak of the School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Adam Sidman of Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., was 2006's Student of the Year. Sidman is now a freshman at Harvard.

Wei and Callahan will be honored next month at the third ACE awards gala here (www.eetimes.com/ace). The ceremony will take place during CMP Technology's Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley (www.embedded.com/esc/ sv), the largest electronic systems design event in North America.