The Entertainment Arts & Engineering (EAE) program at the University of Utah is the No. 1 undergraduate school for studying game design, according to the Princeton Review, which released the rankings today. The EAE graduate program is ranked No. 3.

“It’s the way we teach,” says Robert Kessler, executive director and founder of EAE and professor at the University of Utah’s School of Computing, of the program’s success. “We have artists and engineers working together, learning to think like the other side and relying on each other.” EAE associate professor Mark van Langeveld adds that the program’s project-based environment and professional facilities, including a motion capture system, also contribute to the high ranking.

EAE is an interdisciplinary program launched in 2007 and represents work between the University of Utah’s College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts. The undergraduate program is part of the College of Engineering’s School of Computing.

EAE’s programs consistently rate highly in the Princeton Review’s annual rankings of game design schools. The undergraduate program has been ranked in the top three since 2011, previously earning a No. 1 ranking in 2013. Similarly, the graduate program has been in the top five since 2013, earning the top spot last year.

Read the full story here.

From the Utah/MIT Dextrous Hand to the Sarcos Treadport, the University of Utah is renowned for its research in robotics. And work in this high-tech field will continue to grow thanks to a new center that is now the home for the best and brightest in today’s research.

The university’s School of Computing and Department of Mechanical Engineering, both part of the College of Engineering, have announced the creation of the University of Utah Robotics Center (UURC). The Utah State Board of Regents approved the formation of the center last month.

The new center consists of both School of Computing and mechanical engineering faculty and was formed to build on the momentum of robotics activities at Utah.

“The University of Utah Robotics Center formalizes a strong interdisciplinary program in robotics between the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Computing,” said John Hollerbach, professor in the School of Computing. “The UURC will bring increased visibility to robotics research in Utah, and it will highlight our expertise in this area with the expectation of bigger joint projects and more funding opportunities.”

The UURC offers a master’s degree and Ph.D. in the Robotics Track, a joint program of study. It was the second robotics program ever offered in the U.S. and has five faculty from the mechanical engineering department and four from the School of Computing.

“The center will not only provide the foundation for the Robotics Track but also allow our research and curriculum to flourish even more,” said U mechanical engineering associate professor Mark Minor, co-director of the center. “The center also provides a focal point for youth considering STEM careers through center-hosted activities such as FIRST Robotics Competition and the GREAT Camps.”

The U’s robotics program involves research in such topics as intelligent agents, hybrid mobile robots, humanoid robots, haptic interfaces, and personal assistive devices.

The field of robotics itself has experienced tremendous growth since its early focus on industrial robots and now includes topics like autonomous vehicles, medical robots, smart sensor networks, micro-robots, robot vacuum cleaners, sentry robots, and pet robots. Robotics technology is embedded in many devices normally not thought of as robots, and today’s research also requires knowledge on how to model motion as well as understanding applications in graphics, animation, and computer games.

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Richard B. Brown, dean of the University of Utah’s College of Engineering, received two prestigious honors on the same day: He was elected to the National Academy of Inventors, and he was awarded the Governor’s Medal for Excellence in Science and Technology.

Brown, the University’s 11^th dean of the College of Engineering, was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, one of 168 named in 2015, bringing the total number of NAI Fellows to 582 from more than 190 universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutions. Past University of Utah fellows include President David W. Pershing, Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Cynthia M. Furse and Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering Stephen C. Jacobsen.

Fellows who are elected are academic inventors “who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society,” according to the academy. Fellows are nominated by their peers “for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.”

The academy is a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 that recognizes and encourages inventors, enhances the visibility of the university, educates and mentors students and publicizes the inventions of its members.

On the same day, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced Brown as one of the recipients of this year’s Governor’s Medals for Excellence in Science and Technology. The medals will be awarded at an event Jan. 13 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.

The Governor’s Medals for Excellence in Science and Technology are awarded to residents and companies who have provided distinguished service or made significant contributions to Utah’s advanced scientific and technological knowledge, education and industry, according to a statement from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).

Brown, who was given the award in the Education category, was touted for increasing and improving “the resources, facilities and performance of the college, while also developing a STEM outreach program that engages K-12 students,” according to GOED, which is handing out the awards along with the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) agency.

You can read more about all of the recipients here.

“Obviously, this Governor’s Medal belongs to all of the faculty and staff who have contributed to the growth and advancement of the College of Engineering,” said Dean Brown. “I am fortunate to have been at the U during this exciting time. Since I started 11 years ago, research expenditures per year have grown from $30 million to $80 million, and faculty peer-reviewed publications and invention disclosures have both doubled to more than 800 per year and 100 per year, respectively. Also, average freshman ACT scores in the College have increased by 2.5 points to 27.3, and the number of graduates per year from the College has more than doubled.”

In addition to being dean of the U’s engineering college, Brown is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a professor in the School of Computing. He is also an adjunct professor of bioengineering.

Before moving to Utah, he was a faculty member for 19 years in the University of Michigan Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, where he served as associate chair for the Electrical Engineering Division for four years and as the interim chair of EECS for two years.

Brown is one of the pioneers in the field of miniature, silicon-based chemical sensors that are used to test water, neurochemicals and blood. He and his 31 Ph.D. graduates are also known for integrated circuit design, including high-speed and low-power microprocessors, and highly integrated microcontrollers. He is the recipient of a Distinguished Faculty Award from the Michigan Governing Boards of Universities and a University of Michigan Arthur F. Thurnau Endowed Professorship. He also was an IBM Faculty Fellow at the Austin Center for Advanced Studies.

Brown holds 16 issued full-utility US patents (plus foreign counterparts) that have been licensed to nine companies. He is a founder of Sensicore, i-SENS, Mobius Microsystems and e-SENS. He has authored more than 225 peer-reviewed publications and is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.