The Grainger College of Engineering

Limitless Magazine Fall 2024

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GRAINGER ENGINEERING MAGAZINE


New Siebel School of 
Computing and Data Science 

$50 Million Gift to Chart New Frontiers of Computing, Data Science and AI

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FALL 2024 ISSUE

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

Fall 2024 Fall 2023 Spring 2023 Fall 2022 Spring 2022 Fall 2021 Spring 2021 Fall 2020 Spring 2020

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. 

Steve Chen Visits Campus

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In 1999, Steve Chen left the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he was studying computer science, taking a one-way trip to Silicon Valley. On the afternoon of August 27, 2024, students, staff, and faculty lined up to see Chen make his first visit to campus in 25 years.  

Lighting the Way in a New Future in Quantum Computing

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The Grainger College of Engineering leading two massive new quantum computing initiatives that will influence the future of quantum technology.

Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at The Grainger College of Engineering

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The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announces the establishment of the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, made possible by a transformative $50 million gift from Thomas M. Siebel. 

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

Clean Energy Systems: Transitioning to a Sustainable Future

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Since the 1800s, energy demand and consumption has continually increased and roughly 80% of the world’s energy today comes from the use of fossil fuels—coal, oil and natural gas.

ECE Welcomes New Department Head Jennifer Bernhard

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A Donald Biggar Willett Professor in the ECE Department, Bernhard joined the ECE faculty in 1999 and has been an integral member of the faculty and College leadership.

The Center of North American Rail: RailTEC at Illinois

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With ever-increasing volumes of freight traveling by rail and the promise of high-speed passenger trains on the horizon, the need for greater rail transportation safety, efficiency, reliability and sustainability has emerged as a high priority in the U.S.

Space Communications Technology

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Learn how Grainger Engineers are changing how we solve global problems with satellites.

27

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

96%

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

94%

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

Simulating Blood Flow Dynamics for Improved Drug Delivery

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Professors Arif Masud and Hyunjoon Kong have developed a mathematical model to simulate blood flow dynamics, improving drug delivery with potential to revolutionize personalized treatments.

Addy Gift Bestows MechSE with First Named Department Head

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A passion for higher education and a desire to continue their legacy led alumnus Alva“Tad” Addy (PhD ME 1963) and his wife Sandra Addy to establish this historic gift.

A New Frontier In How We Hear

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Talking Heads are how Grainger Engineers are working to give the world superhuman hearing and improve technology for the hard of hearing.

ENGINEERING TOMORROW'S solutions.

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

Advancing
Equity in STEM

Grainger Engineers will lead a three-year, $1 million ADVANCE grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to mitigate barriers that impede the advancement of underrepresented STEM faculty across the Urbana- Champaign campus. 

Those barriers were identified in an institutional self-study conducted by the Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA Institute) in The Grainger College of Engineering. The Illinois ADVANCE (I-ADVANCE) project seeks to reduce disparities that were found in recognition and rewards for faculty work; to increase capacity, resources and accountability for equity-minded decision-making by department leaders; and to help faculty foster an equitable and inclusive departmental climate. 

Ellen Wang Althaus, Assistant Dean for Strategic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives in Grainger Engineering, will lead the project, which will broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for faculty in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. 

Learn more

Announcing a New Undergraduate Minor in Semiconductor Engineering

The Grainger College of Engineering has launched a Minor in Semiconductor Engineering for undergraduates to meet the growing demands and expectations of the semiconductor industry. The new minor will enable students to learn the fundamentals of semiconductors by looking at semiconductor science, design and manufacturing from the perspectives of research and industry.

Learn more

Celebrating 5 Years as
The Grainger College of Engineering

In 2019, The Grainger College of Engineering was named in recognition of more than $300M in total support from The Grainger Foundation and in honor of distinguished alumnus William W. Grainger (ECE, 1919). 

We are proud our vision and our global impact carry the Grainger name. With the support of the transformative gift, The Grainger College of Engineering has:

  • Increased the number of underrepresented students in engineering by 55% in the last ten years.
  • Improved the diversity of our faculty, including women, who now comprise 23% of professors.
  • Enhanced the learning environment with the construction, renovation and expansion of several engineering campus facilities and spaces, including The Grainger Library Information Center.

Congratulations to our Grainger Engineers for their Elections to these Prestigious Academies!

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING 

  • Kiruba Haran, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Taher Saif, Mechanical Science and Engineering 

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE

  • Rashid Bashir, Bioengineering 

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 

  • Chen-Yu Liu, Physics 

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 

  • Sarita Adve, Computer Science
  • Praveen Kumar, Civil and Environmental Engineering 

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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.

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