Limitless Magazine Fall 2023
limitless
GRAINGER ENGINEERING MAGAZINE
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.
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.
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.
Breaking Down Barriers to Science
Grainger Engineering physicists launched the world's first publicly available, permanent and interactive quantum network.
Facts and Rankings
41
top ten ranked degree programs and specialties
25
top 5 ranked degrees and specialities
#5
overall undergraduate degree program
#9
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
97%
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.
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.
Cybersecurity workforce shortage
As demand outstrips supply in cybersecurity, UIUC preps the future workforce with focused courses, a new certificate and more.
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.
18
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.
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.
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.
Demon Hunting
Physicists confirm 67-year-old prediction of the massless, neutral composite particle, nicknamed the "demon".
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.
ISE 100
Celebrate 100 years of The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering and the community's accomplishments.
We solve problems
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.