Limitless Magazine Fall 2023

FALL 2023 ISSUE

Grainger Engineers are leading rapid, transformative innovations in artificial intelligence — across the Silicon Prairie and beyond.

On Campus With Rashid

Rashid Bashir, Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering, is supporting faculty and student efforts in AI-related developments, personalized medicine and cybersecurity. 

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The AI Revolution is Here

With a top-ranking program and four new centers, including the Amazon-Illinois Center on AI, Grainger engineers are advancing AI across the whole spectrum — from foundations to applications.

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William Baker: Structural Engineer and Problem Solver

Bill Baker and his designs are famous for supporting taller and sustainable skyscrapers. The knowledge he gained from an Illinois civil engineering degree enabled the construction of the world's tallest building: the Burj Khalifa.

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Breaking Down Barriers to Science

Grainger Engineering physicists launched the world's first publicly available, permanent and interactive quantum network. 

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39
top ten ranked degree programs and specialties

29
top 5 ranked degrees and specialities

#5
overall undergraduate degree program

#11
overall graduate degree program

#2
overall ranking among online master's in engineering

48%
of undergraduate students participate in research

46%
women in undergraduate class

94%
of undergraduates land their first-choice destination

8
Nobel Prize winners

The Sir Anthony Leggett Institute Honoring Excellence in Condensed Matter Physics

The knighted Nobel prize winner placed Illinois engineering at the global forefront for low temperature physics and superfluidity.

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Illinois MRSEC Renewed for 6 Years

The Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) has received $18 million from NSF to support research, outreach and development of a STEM pipeline.

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Cybersecurity workforce shortage

As demand outstrips supply in cybersecurity, UIUC preps the future workforce with focused courses, a new certificate and more.

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The Three-Ingredient Food of the Future

Illinois researchers believe they are getting close to producing food anywhere on the planet — using only air, water and electricity.

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17

graduate engineering degree programs are ranked in the top ten by U.S. News & World Report

94%

of students earning a master's degree secure a first destination (employment or seeking additional education).

98%

of students earning a PhD secure a first destination (employment or seeking additional education).

Illinois Plasma Institute

IPI researchers are advancing plasma engineering, bridging the gap between industry and academia, and improving semiconductor chip processing.  

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U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth encourages students to 'blur their boundaries' as they shape innovation in Illinois

Duckworth joined a Grainger faculty panel to discuss Illinois leadership in emerging technologies, enabled by the CHIPS and Science Act.

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What would it take for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to run on hydrogen?

Grainger engineer Phil Ansell is studying the possibility of a fully renewable electrical grid in the U.S. with zero emissions for aviation.

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Demon Hunting

Physicists confirm 67-year-old prediction of the massless, neutral composite particle, nicknamed the "demon".

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Federal, state dignitaries visit to support Grainger Engineering transportation infrastructure research initiatives

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joined U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin on campus Monday to celebrate the potential of Grainger Engineering projects.

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ISE 100

Celebrate 100 years of The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering and the community's accomplishments.

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We solve problems first.

Navigating the future of underwater geolocalization: how polarization patterns enable new technology

Using deep neural networks and a special underwater camera, more precise geolocalization could aid search-and-rescue efforts. 

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Tech Giants Talk: 75 Years of the Transistor

The Grainger College of Engineering hosted a panel of tech giants to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the transistor.

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Hands-free wheelchair prototype achieves major milestone

Illinois researchers have developed a patent-pending robotic wheelchair based on a ball-based robot and omniwheel system that functions much like a Segway.

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Illinois to co-lead new Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago

A three-university team was selected to lead the new biomedical hub as part of a competitive application process for a research initiative explicitly focused on measuring human biology.

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GRAINGER ENGINEERING in CHICAGO

Connecting the Illinois Silicon Prairie — from Champaign-Urbana to Chicago

Grainger Engineering is committed to supporting the City of Chicago to become the fastest growing tech hub in the U.S. and worldwide.

Together, we will share resources and combine strengths to incubate more tech companies, raise more venture capital, make groundbreaking discoveries and bring more talent home to the heart of the Midwest.

Learn more

Chicago skyline