Nicole Grosland, professor and departmental executive officer of biomedical engineering, and Er-Wei Bai, professor and departmental executive officer of electrical and computer engineering, are being named College of Engineering Distinguished Professors, endowed positions, effective July 1, 2017.

"Nicole Grosland is a talented researcher and a dedicated, award-winning teacher with a deep commitment to the excellence and advancement of the department and the college," Alec Scranton, College of Engineering dean, noted. Grosland is a researcher in the Center for Computer-Aided Design, particularly the The Musculoskeletal Imaging, Modeling, and EXperimentation (MIMX) Program. She has made important contributions in the area of musculo-skeletal biomechanics and orthopaedic implants and has performed groundbreaking work on the modeling of geometrically complex, three-dimensional structures in the human body. Her research program relies heavily on multidisciplinary collaborations, including orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation, radiology, dentistry, neurosurgery, exercise science and physical therapy. She also is a researcher at the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging. "Additionally, Nicole is one of the most effective teachers in the College of Engineering, having earned the respect of students, faculty, and staff alike," Scranton added.

Since his arrival at the college in 1987, Bai has demonstrated his talent, experience, dedication, and commitment to excellence. "Er-Wei is an internationally recognized leader who has made seminal contributions in fields ranging from nonlinear systems identification and modeling to probabilistic robustness," Scranton noted. "Er-Wei's research contributions have enhanced understanding of topics that are destined to shape the information age."  Bai also serves as a researcher at the UI Center for Computer-Aided Design and the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging.  A Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, he is associate editor and editorial board member for a number of journals and serves technical committees for IEEE and IFAC. "Er-Wei also is a dedicated educator, teaching very popular and effective courses that span the entire curriculum from first semester of the freshman year to advanced graduate electives," Scranton added.