Interim Chair for Electrical & Computer Engineering Announced

September 9, 2008

The College of Engineering has announced the appointment of Dr. Jorge L. Aravena, Oskar R. Menton Professor, as interim chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department. With over 28 years of service to LSU, including a stint as ECE graduate studies advisor, Aravena is poised to lead the Department during this period of transition.

A native of Santiago, Chile, Aravena received an electrical engineering degree from the University of Chile at Santiago, and a PhD in computer, information and control engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has served on the faculties at the University of Chile at Santiago and the University of Santiago, and was also head of the Process Control Group at the University of Concepcion, Chile.

Aravena's research interests include system theory, computer-based control systems, and signal processing, especially application of artificial intelligence tools. Recently, he completed a five-year research project on aircraft safety and is now contributing to a research project in passive location of radio sources (such as distressed cell phone user and projects in data compression and intelligent autonomous asset protection).

While he is proud of his research experiences, his greatest joy comes from interacting with students. In 2005, LSU students were asked to identify faculty and members of the campus community who had significantly influenced their undergraduate careers. Aravena was one of six individuals identified and featured in "LSU Highlights" for his positive impact on undergraduate students. He has also served as faculty advisor to The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student chapter for many years.

When not tackling current projects or mentoring students, Aravena enjoys the art of photography. “I love to tweak pictures with image editors, do slide shows, and albums for my daughters. I am trying to learn video editing and work on the movies that (Mrs.) Joyce (Aravena) takes. My dream job is to be a nature photographer for National Geographic,” said Aravena. He and Joyce celebrated their 40th anniversary this year with their two daughters.

Article by Tammy Abshire for the LSU College of Engineering, 225-578-5478, tvabshire@lsu.edu