The University of North Dakota University Faculty Lecture Series continues its 2009-2010 season Thursday, October 8, with “Wireless Sensor Networks: Connecting the Physical and Digital Worlds,” by Dr. Hesham El-Rewini, professor and dean, School of Engineering and Mines (SEM).  In addition to his PhD, El-Rewini also holds the title of Professional Engineer (PE). The event starts with a reception at 4 p.m. and presentation at 4:30 p.m. in the North Dakota Museum of Art on campus.

El-Rewini, a native of Egypt, joined UND in July 2008 as SEM dean and professor. With a long and distinguished international career in research, teaching, and academic leadership, El-Rewini is widely published in the areas of computer architecture and parallel and distributed computing. His research has resulted in more than 60 refereed publications in journals and conference proceedings. He also has authored several well-known texts in these fields. His first book—with co-author Ted Lewis—was among the earliest texts written about parallel computing and has been widely adopted by universities all over the world. His two latest books have been translated to Chinese.

El-Rewini’s continuing research interests include parallel, distributed, and mobile computing; task scheduling; and sensor networks. His professional interests also include strategic planning, academic training, and motivation and self improvement programs.

El-Rewini’s research projects have been funded by grants from industry and federal agencies including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense –Army Research Office. He has also been the principal investigator of a number of international projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Higher Education for Development (HED) to help develop research and educational partnerships with faculty members and universities in Mexico and the Middle East. In addition to his regular conference invitations, El-Rewini has been invited to lead faculty training at several universities around the world. He also has chaired many international conferences and workshops, and he is on the editorial and advisory boards of several professional journals.

Prior to coming to UND, El-Rewini was professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas) between 2001 and 2008. Before his stint in Texas, El-Rewini was professor and interim chair of the Computer Science Department at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

El-Rewini received his PhD in computer science at Oregon State University in 1989 and his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees with highest honors at the University of Alexandria (Egypt).

El-Rewini, who was elected this year as president of the Arab Computer Society, has remained active as a researcher and teacher throughout his academic administrative career, and he has worked on several programs to develop and encourage distance education in engineering. His current teaching interests include advanced computer architecture, computer systems security, data structures, mobile computing and wireless networks, among others.

Contacts
Hesham El-Rewini, professor and dean
UND School of Engineering and Mines
(701) 777-3412
rewini@mail.und.edu

Juan Miguel Pedraza
Office of University Relations
(701) 777-6571 (office) (701) 740-1321 (cell)
juanpedraza@mail.und.edu