Logo: University of Southern California

Hsieh Plaque Unveiled

Faculty, staff and students gather to celebrate new plaque commemorating the department’s naming

January 30, 2009 —

Hsieh Plaque Unveiling 2 Cropped
Ming Hsieh, left foreground, watches as Sandy Sawchuk and Dean Yortsos lift the veil covering a new commemorative plaque to honor the department's naming.
Hsieh Plaque Unveiling 5 Cropped
Left to right: P. Daniel Dapkus, electrophysics chair; Ming Hsieh (BSEE' 83, MSEE '84), benefactor and CEO of Cogent Systems, Inc.; Alexander Sawchuk, systems chair; and Dean Yannis C. Yortsos.

Electrical engineering faculty, staff and students took a few minutes out of their daily schedules January 29, 2009, to watch Viterbi School Dean Yannis C. Yortsos and department co-chairs Alexander ‘Sandy’ Sawchuk and P. Daniel Dapkus unveil a new commemorative plaque for Ming Hsieh, the donor of the naming gift for the department.    

Hsieh, who was on campus for a special lecture, was surprised in the lobby of the EE building by a crowd of people waiting to watch the unveiling.  Dean Yortsos presented the plaque, which will hang permanently in the lobby of the Hughes Electrical Engineering Center across the courtyard from Tutor Hall. 

After remarks from Sawchuk and Dapkus, Hsieh talked about exciting new avenues of research and technology in electrical engineering. The ceremony was followed by a small reception outside the building. 

Hsieh (BSEE ’83, MSEE ’84) is co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board of Cogent Systems, Inc., the leading provider of fingerprint identification systems in the United States. His generous $35-million gift is the largest ever given to name an engineering department in the country.