Thousands of people involved in emerging technologies will converge on Austin March 11 for the annual South by Southwest Interactive conference. Experts from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin are available to comment on many aspects of leading technologies and innovation.
Robert Metcalfe, professor of innovation
Cockrell School of Engineering
512-471-1441
Metcalfe is the newly appointed professor of innovation at the Cockrell School of Engineering, as well as the Fellow of the Clint W. Murchison Sr. Chair of Free Enterprise in Electrical and Computer Engineering. An Internet pioneer, Metcalfe is best known for inventing today's local-area networking standard, Ethernet, for which he received the National Medal of Technology. For the past 10 years he worked as a venture capitalist, serving as a general partner of Polaris Venture Partners. Metcalfe will be presenting at two official SXSWi events.
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Alan Bovik, professor of electrical and computer engineering
Cockrell School of Engineering
512-471-5370
Bovik is highly noted around the world for developing advanced algorithms to measure the quality of digital images in a manner that agrees with human perception — something that was considered an "impossible problem" before his breakthroughs. Bovik has recently been researching complex algorithms that can determine perceived video quality. He pioneered the use of new human vision models in image and video processing and his contributions have enhanced our understanding of the interplay between natural image statistics, eye movement and foveation.
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Michael Webber, assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Cockrell School of Engineering
512-475-6867
Webber is the associate director of the Jackson School of Geosciences' Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy. He has led research projects for policy issues relevant to energy, innovation and national security, and has commercial experience at a start-up where he invented cutting-edge laser-based gas-sensing instrumentation for homeland security, industrial and environmental monitoring applications. His expertise is in energy, the environment, water, smart grids, power and fuels. On March 9, Webber will host "Energy at the Movies," an entertaining lecture examining the ways films influence how we think about energy and, in turn, how we influence energy policy.
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David Bourell, professor of mechanical engineering
Cockrell School of Engineering
512-471-3170
Bourell is the director of the Laboratory for Freeform Fabrication, part of the Advanced Manufacturing Center. Bourell is internationally recognized in the field of Solid Freeform Fabrication, and his research focuses on 3-D modeling and printing. In his lab, Bourell uses a laser sintering technique using nanocrystalline powder to make artificial bones and teeth, as well as other tangible 3-D models. Bourell will showcase a few 3-D models that have been created in his lab at an official SXSWi event March 11 with the Cockrell School of Engineering.
View a full list of campus-wide SXSWi experts.
