Limitless Magazine Fall 2022
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FALL 2022 ISSUE
Our work knows no boundaries. Discover our global impact on research, innovation, and engineering education.
Listening to Leaves
Vascular systems found in trees transport vital nutrients from root, to branch, to leaf. In a new study, researchers at the Beckman Institute developed a chemical process to mimic this arboreal architecture in foamed polymers, enabling directional fluid transport and adding structure throughout the material.
We Needed One, So We Built One
IQUIST’s quantum testbed allows researchers to explore leading-edge quantum-computing hardware at a level of detail that few in the world can.
It's Time to Jump In
Decarbonization is crucial to mitigating the climate crisis. But it’s also an immense ‘wealth-generation opportunity’ for businesses, according to alumnus Jigar Shah.
The Beginning of the Universe as Seen from the Bottom of the World
Physics Professor Joaquin Vieira describes the contributions the University of Illinois has made to understanding the beginnings of the universe – and the long-term technical contributions to the massive telescope behind those discoveries.
Top Ranked Graduate Programs
In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings, six of our degree programs were in the Top 5.
- #2 Civil Engineering
- #3 Environmental Engineering
- #4 Computer Engineering
- #4 Electrical Engineering
- #4 Mechanical Engineering
- #5 Computer Science
The Vermilion River Observatory
How Grainger Engineers took on the FCC and carved out a leadership position in the early days of radio astronomy.
Human-centered Engineering and Global Cooperation
A course connects Haining, China, with Urbana, Illinois, as first-year students share group projects and the Grainger Engineering curriculum.
Fast Solutions, A Long Time Coming
Machine learning techniques have been around since the 1950s. Recently, Grainger Engineers have been applying them to electronics design. They hope to make chip development faster and cheaper – and, in the process, address some of the supply chain headaches we’ve all been experiencing.
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Fertile Ground for IUCRCs
In 2022, The Grainger College of Engineering launched two other NSF-sponsored Industry-University Cooperative Research Center efforts.
The Illinois Computing Accelerator for Non-Specialists
New one-year program drives broader perspectives, economic justice and talent to a ‘wide-open’ industry.
Global Leadership
Grainger engineers are recognized around the world for their leadership, innovation, and dedication to solving epic challenges and making us all safer, healthier, and more prosperous.
Professor Nancy Sottos, Swanlund Chair and head of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Professor Ana Barros, Donald Biggar Willett Chair of Engineering and head of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, was named to the National Academies' Climate Security Roundtable, which is charged with anticipating the ways climate change affects U.S. national security.
Aerospace Engineering Professor Daniel Bodony, part of the Center for Hypersonics and Entry Systems Studies, is on the research leadership teams for recently funded projects from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Science Foundation, and the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics.
Computer Science Professor Bo Li earned a Sloan Research Fellowship, which honors extraordinary researchers whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders.
When Problems are Acknowledged, They can be Addressed
Professor Tiffani Williams named Dean’s Fellow in Inclusion, Belonging and Engagement.
Computing with Living Neurons
The National Science Foundation awarded a seven-year, $15 million project to a multi-university team led by The Grainger College of Engineering. “Mind in Vitro – Computing with Living Neurons” will imagine computers and robots that are human designed, but living.
More Sustainable Concrete with Meta and AI
Cement, an essential ingredient in concrete, is responsible for eight percent of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at The Grainger College of Engineering, Meta, and the concrete supplier Ozinga partnered to develop better concrete formulas using AI.
Three ARPA-E Awards
Grainger Engineering faculty will be part of three projects funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s OPEN 2021 program, which supports high-impact, high-risk approaches to clean energy.
limitless
At Illinois, we place great pride in our interdisciplinary work ethic. With top-ranked graduate programs across every department and discipline of engineering, we bring together the brightest minds in the world to solve the most pressing global challenges of our time. We share the common goal of providing superior research capabilities in the fundamental engineering sciences in collaboration with industrial and governmental laboratories. We also support undergraduate and graduate student education and enhance rapid technology transfer from the University to industry.