Engineering in the News March 2010

Excerpts from Illinois in the News, a daily service provided by the University of Illinois News Bureau. This collection of March excerpts focuses on engineering topics and faculty contacted for their expertise by print and broadcast reporters around the world.

COMPUTER SCIENCE
Technology Review (Cambridge, Mass., March 31) -- “It's enormously expensive to diagnose where chips are failing," says Rob Rutenbar, a professor of computer science at the U. of I. As the features on microprocessors get smaller, Rutenbar says, "people worry more about wear-out and reliability issues."

CONTROLLING LIQUIDS
RedOrbit (Dallas, March 29) -- Mark Shannon, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at the U. of I., says that a new approach developed by mechanical engineers at MIT controlling the way liquids spread across a surface might be further developed for a variety of applications. Also: SoftPedia (Bucharest, Romania, March 30).

RESEARCH PARK
News-Medical (Sydney, March 30) -- The U. of I. has announced that Chromatin Inc., a biotechnology company that has occupied space in the university’s Research Park since 2005, is expanding operations.

FARM SAFETY
Prairie Farmer (St. Charles, Ill., March 30) -- Ted Funk, an Extension specialist in agricultural engineering at the U. of I., warns livestock producers to be extra cautious while agitating and pumping pits this spring.

SELF-HEALING COATINGS
Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 29) -- Researchers at the Beckman Institute at the U. of I. have now proposed a new approach to self-healing polymer coating systems based on an electrospun coaxial healing agent. Paul Braun, a professor of materials science and engineering, together with Jeong-Ho Park, the paper’s first author, point out that the fibers are electrospun before the matrix is applied.

BATTER UP
Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif., March 27) -- U. of I. physics professor Alan Nathan has done extensive research on the physics of the bat-ball collision and bat performance.

DESALINATION
Water and Wastewater (Jacksonville Beach, Fla., March 25) -- There are few efficient methods for small-scale desalination, both for emergencies and for use in remote areas in poor countries, says Mark A. Shannon, a professor of mechanical sciences and engineering at Illinois. Also: Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 29), AZoNano (Sydney, March 29), PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 29).

SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 25) -- As part of the effort to better understand how superconductors transport electricity with zero resistance, a team of researchers from the U. of I., Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Paris, has demonstrated a new way to count the number of a material’s “holes” – locations where electrons are absent.

BIOCOMPATIBLE ELECTRONICS
BusinessWeek (from HealthDay News, March 24) -- A new generation of flexible, miniaturized devices that stick onto organs promises better diagnosis and control of medical conditions ranging from heart problems to epilepsy, researchers report. The devices are being developed in a collaboration among physicians and engineers at Illinois, the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University. John Rogers, a U. of I. professor of materials science and engineering, is co-senior author of a report of their findings that appeared in the March 24 issue of Science Translational Medicine. Also: AZoNano (Sydney, March 25), Biology News Net (Quebec City, March 24), e! Science News (Quebec City, March 24), Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (March 24), United Press International (March 24), iStock Analyst (from UPI; Bend, Ore., March 24), MSN (from HealthDay News, March 24), Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 24), New Electronics (Dartford, England, March 25), News-Medical (Sydney, March 25), PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 24), Post Chronicle (from UPI; Denville, N.J., March 24), R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 24), RedOrbit (Dallas, March 24), Science Centric (Sofia, Bulgaria, March 25), St. Louis Globe-Democrat (from UPI, March 24), U.S. News & World Report (from HealthDay News, March 24), The Engineer (London, March 26), AZom (Sydney, March 26), CNET News (San Francisco, March 25), Medical News Today (Bexhill-on-Sea, England, March 26), Mumbai Mirror (India, March 26), News-Medical (Sydney, March 26), Softpedia (Bucharest, Romania, March 26), Popular Science (March 26) , Nanotechnology Now (Banks, Ore., March 28).

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY COMPETITION
Inside Indiana Business (Indianapolis, March 24) -- A team from the U. of I. will compete in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas taking place this weekend in Houston’s Discovery Green Park. The annual educational project inspires engineering students to develop new approaches to sustainable mobility.

LICENSING AGREEMENT
Printed Electronics World (Cambridge, England, March 24) -- MC10 Inc, a company formed to commercialize stretchable electronics, has recently made a licensing agreement with the U. of I. According to the terms of the agreement, MC10 Inc. will gain access to technology contained in patents dealing with stretchable silicon technology from the lab of John Rogers, a U. of I. professor of materials science and engineering.

COLLOID PARTICLES
Chemistry World (London, March 24) -- Charles Zukoski, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Illinois and a colloids expert, calls the simple lock-and-key mechanism developed by New York University researchers that drives the self-assembly of colloid particles is “simply cool.”

BATTERY DEVELOPMENT
Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., March 22) -- George Miley, a U. of I. professor of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering and director of the Fusion Studies Lab at Illinois, is developing a new type of battery. Also: e! Science News (Quebec City, March 21), R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 22), RedOrbit (Dallas, March 21), Popular Science (March 22).

IN MEMORIAM
The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla., March 22) -- Retired U. of I. engineering professor Lee H. Sentman, 73, died Saturday morning when his plane, an RV-6 experimental aircraft, collided with a Piper 32 about 4 miles south of Williston, Fla .Sentman taught at Illinois for more than 35 years. An Illinois alumnus, he graduated with a BS degree in aeronautical engineering in 1958 and received a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1965. While at U of I, he directed the Chemical Laser Laboratory and won two Outstanding Teacher of the Year awards.Also: The Gainesville Sun (Florida, March 22), Chicago Tribune (March 23).

SCIENCE STEREOTYPES
Deccan Herald (India, March 22) -- Joanne Manaster, a laboratory teaching specialist and lecturer in bioengineering, says the public perception of a scientist is that of someone who is socially awkward and does not have a life beyond science and is not a good communicator of what s/he does. “Those of us who want to encourage people to consider science are continually battling this stereotype,” Manaster says.

CELLULAR RESEARCH
R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 15) -- Understanding the steps to the intricate dance inside a cell is essential to one day choreographing the show. By studying the molecules that give a cell its structure, researchers at Illinois led by U. of I. materials science and engineering professor Steve Granick are moving closer to understanding one of those steps: the conga line. Also: Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 16), Bioscience Technology (Rockaway, N.J., March 17), Science Centric (Sofia, Bulgaria, March 17), AZoNano (Sydney, March 18).

OUTING DIPLOMA MILLS
The Chronicle of Higher Education (March 16) -- George Gollin, a physics professor at Illinois who’s been instrumental in bringing to light institutions that sell fake degrees, says it’s a problem when directories like the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Resource Organizations Directory fail to vet the organizations they list. “It’s naïve to create a resource that does not have some investigative capability to determine whom to include,” he said.

DOES TOURNAMENT SEEDING REALLY MATTER?
Chicago Tribune (March 14) -- University of Illinois computer science professor Sheldon Jacobson has been studying the statistical side of the NCAA bracket seeding. Does seeding matter?  According to Jacobson, no. At least not after the Sweet 16. Also: WGN-AM (Chicago, March 15), WSCR-AM (Chicago, March 15), Argentina Star (Buenos Aires, March 16),  e! Science News (Quebec City, March 15), PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 15), R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 15), RedOrbit (Dallas, March 15), Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., March 16), The Cherry Creek News (Denver, March 15), FOX Sports (from the Hindustan Times (Gurgaon, India), March 16), Rockford Register Star (from GateHouse News Service, March 16) Northwest Herald (from GNS, March 17), Moberly Monitor-Index (Missouri, March 18).

CLASSROOM CLICKERS
Post-Tribune (from The Associated Press; Gary, Ind., March 15) -- As college-classroom clickers have become commonplace, a divide has emerged over just how sophisticated they should be. Tim Stelzer, a physics professor at the U. of I. and co-inventor of the iClicker, argues that students will be too distracted by Web browser features and points to a Stanford University study last year that showed undergraduate students are bad multitaskers.

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD
Maui News (Wailuku, Hawaii, March 13) -- The U. of I. will host the 26th annual National Science Olympiad for middle school students May 20-22.

ENGINEERING STUDENTS
Post-Tribune (Gary, Ind., March 13) -- The U. of I. hosts the Jerry Sanders Creative Design Competition for college engineering students.

VISUALIZATION
FOX News (from Air & Space Magazine, Washington, D.C.; New York City, March 10) -- Technology at the U. of I.’s Advanced Visualization Laboratory contributed to the scientifically realistic flights that appear in Warner Brothers’ new IMAX film “Hubble 3D.” Also: Space Daily (Australia, March 15), CNet News (San Francisco, March 15), Canwest News Service (Ottawa, March 16) .

SWE OFFERS PROGRAMS TO RECRUIT FEMALE STUDENTS
The Daily Illini (March 11) -- To boost female enrollment in engineering, Illinois' Society of Women Engineers members visit area middle schools least once a week, and sponsor programs such as Little Sister Weekend and GAMES camp--Girls' Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science camp--" which "allows 6th to 8th grade girls to explore subjects such as computer science, structural engineering, bioimaging and other engineering disciplines."

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
Truth About Trade & Technology (Des Moines, Iowa, March 11) -- Is it possible to “teach” corn to fix its own nitrogen, thus eliminating the need for nitrogen fertilizer applications? U. of I. agricultural and biological engineering professor Kaustubh Bhalerao believes it may be, through research in an emerging area of engineering called synthetic biology.

CLASSROOM CLICKERS
KMGH-Channel 7 (from The Associated Press; ABC; Denver, March 8) -- As college-classroom clickers have become commonplace, a divide has emerged over just how sophisticated they should be. Tim Stelzer, a physics professor at the U. of I. and co-inventor of the iClicker, argues that students will be too distracted by Web browser features and points to a Stanford University study last year that showed undergraduate students are bad multitaskers. Also: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (from AP, March 8), CNBC (from AP, March 8), Forbes (from AP, March 8), Houston Chronicle (from AP, March 8), San Francisco Examiner (from AP, March 8).

STUDENT PRIZES REWARD INNOVATION
Chicago Sun-Times (from The Associated Press, March 4)  -- The winner of the Lemelson-MIT Illinois $30,000 Student Prize for innovation is Jonathan Naber, a junior in materials science and engineering. Naber and the Illini Prosthetics Team,  developed an affordable, durable, extremely functional prosthetic arm for people in underdeveloped countries. The device is made from recycled materials. Also: Scientific American (March 3), CNN (March 3), MSNBC (March 3), Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 4), News-Medical (Sydney, March 4), Southtown Star (from AP; Tinley Park, Ill., March 4), Medical News Today (Bexhill-on-Sea, England, March 5), Chicago Sun-Times (March 5), United Press International (March 5).

EARTHQUAKES AND BUILDINGS
CNN (March 2) -- Bill Spencer, a civil engineering professor at the U. of I., says electronic sensors that detect seismic shaking can tell the building how to react to avoid damage. “It’s in the spirit of the anti-lock braking systems in cars,” Spencer said. “They measure the dynamic behavior of the car and adjust the braking force to get it to do what you want it to do.” Also: CNN International (March 2).

STUDENT HONORED FOR PROSTHETICS INNOVATION
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (New Rochelle, N.Y., March 3) -- U. of I. student Jonathan Naber will be honored today with the Lemelson-MIT Illinois Student Prize. Naber and the Illini Prosthetics Team developed an affordable, durable, extremely functional prosthetic arm for people in underdeveloped countries. The device is made from recycled materials. Also: PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 3).

BUILDING PRACTICES IN CHILE
The Wall Street Journal (March 2) -- Chile has historically relied on a tried and true building technology: reinforced concrete shear walls. Those walls, typically anchored to the foundation and designed to withstand lateral forces, “put more earthquake resistance into the system,” says Daniel Abrams, a professor of engineering at Illinois. “Chilean construction practices have had more of that than other countries.”

PRINTABLE CIRCUITS
Nanotechnology Now (Banks, Ore., March 2) -- John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the U. of I., has pioneered techniques for printable electrical circuits.

COMPUTER HACKERS
Rediff (Mumbai, India, March 2) -- Shishir Nagaraja, an affiliate of the Information Trust Institute and a lecturer in computer science and engineering at Illinois, talks about the world of computer hackers.

ENGINEERING OLYMPIAN
Big Ten Network (March 1) -- Jonathan Kuck, an engineering physics student at Illinois, helped his three-man team skate its way to a silver medal in men's team pursuit. Thirty-one of the 34 Big Ten current and former student-athletes, coaches, and current and former university students earned Olympic medals at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
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Contact: Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716, editor.