Crain's Chicago Business (editorial, Feb. 28) -- Among the many reasons to applaud the research consortium that just won a $70 million federal grant to create a digital manufacturing tech center in Chicago: its potential to stem the brain drain of computer science graduates from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Related editorial: State Journal-Register (Springfield, Ill., Feb. 27) -- “There’s a lot of talk in Illinois these days about job creation, how to attract and retain companies here, and the past and future roles of manufacturing in the state’s economy. The new Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute coming to Chicago has the potential to redefine Illinois’ place in the global manufacturing sector and its ability to foster innovative, high-tech achievements in manufacturing. …The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s UI Labs and its Blue Waters supercomputer will be in the thick of it all, directing sophisticated research across the country. Blue Waters is one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world and the fastest on a university campus. …”