The UNLV Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost announced recently that Rama Venkat, UNLV professor of electrical and computer engineering, accepted the position of interim dean of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, effective April 5.

Venkat has been faculty member at UNLV since 1989 and served as chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering from 2000 to 2006. In 1999, Venkat developed the college's bi-annual Senior Design Competition, a rite of passage for aspiring engineers and the culminating project for undergrads at UNLV. He is also the associate director of the Mendenhall Innovation Program, which introduces engineering students to entrepreneurial aspects of research, product development and commercial application.

An active researcher in the area of energy efficient display technologies, Venkat examines ways to use sunlight to save both energy and reduce costs in roadside displays. He and a team of graduate students are also developing a more efficient light emitting diode (LED) display, emerging technology that could dramatically decrease energy costs.

Venkat received his B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1983. He earned an M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.