Engineering in the News March 2011

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.

NUCLEAR POWER
Chicago Tribune (March 31) -- U. of I. nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering professor Clifford Singer says there should be a market approach to dealing with spent nuclear fuel.

DIAGNOSTICS
Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 28) -- Rashid Bashir, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Illinois, says that the ability to filter specific particles, cells or viruses from a blood sample so they can be analyzed is a critical step toward creating handheld diagnostic devices. Also: Nanotechnology Now (Banks, Ore., March 29), TG Daily (Batavia, Ill., March 29), Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., March 30).

AVAILABLE LAND
Environmental Research Web (Bristol, England, March 28) -- U. of I. civil engineering professors Xiao Zhang and Ximing Cai have examined how greenhouse-gas emissions could affect the amount of agricultural land available worldwide. Also: 7thSpace Interactive (Amsterdam, March 26).

STRAIN SENSOR
Chemistry World (Cambridge, England, March 27) -- A new strain sensor from Japan uses a carbon nanotube network that separates and folds back together in the same way each time. U. of I. engineering professor John Rogers says he’s impressed with the work and calls the design “clever.”

COMPUTER VISUALIZATION
New Scientist (Cambridge, England, March 22) -- A visualization created at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at Illinois shows the dramatic evolution of Hurricane Katrina.

(ALMOST) INSTANT BATTERY RECHARGING
The Times of India (from Indo-Asian News Service, New Delhi; Mumbai, March 21) -- An amazing 3-D nanostructure designed and developed by U. of I. scientists may make it possible to recharge mobile phones in seconds or a laptop within minutes. Also: Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 20), NDTV (New Delhi, March 21), Sify News (New Delhi, March 21), Smart Planet (CBS Interactive, March 21), International Business Times (New York City, March 22), Gizmag (Melbourne, Australia, March 21), United Press International (March 21), Wired News (New York City, March 21), IEEE Spectrum (New York City, March 22), Science Now (Washington D.C., March 23), Electronics News (Australia, March 24), New Electronics (London, March 24), The Economist (London, March 24), Energy Matters (South Melbourne, Australia, March 25), Environment News Service (Seattle, March 24), PC World (San Francisco, March 24), BBC (London, March 28), Electronics News (Sydney, Australia, March 31), New Zealand Herald (Auckland, March 31), PC Magazine (New York City, March 30).

HI-RES IMAGING
Fast Company (New York City, March 21) -- A new imaging technique provides high-resolution images of the molecular composition of tissues. “We did not realize until now the improvement in detail and quality that sampling at this pixel size would bring,” said Rohit Bhargava, a professor of bioengineering at Illinois. Also: ChemInfo (Rockaway, N.J., March 21), e! Science News (Quebec City, March 20), Nanotechwire (Philadelphia, March 20), Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 20), News-Medical (Sydney, March 21), Science 360 (National Science Foundation, March 21), Chemical & Engineering News (Washington, D.C., March 28).

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
I Programmer (March 20) -- Program maps locations around the world in terms of quality and quantity of scientific research. Urbana is among the top ranked in physics and chemistry, along with Berkeley, Calif., and Cambridge, Mass.

FARM SAFETY
Chicago Tribune (March 19) -- -- Robert Aherin, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Illinois, is one of 15 members of a consortium of public and private organizations working to reduce or prevent grain bin accidents and fatalities through education and outreach. Also: Los Angeles Times (March 19).

3D ANTENNAS
Eureka Magazine (London, March 17) -- U. of I. researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, 3-D printed antennas on curvilinear surfaces. Jennifer Bernhard, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Illinois, says these antennas are electrically small relative to a wavelength and exhibit performance metrics that are an order of magnitude better than those realized by monopole antenna designs. Also: e! Science News (Quebec City, March 16), R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 16), Daily Tech (Chicago, March 17), Material Views (cover story; March 20), Engadget (March 20), AZoNano (Warriewood, Australia, March 21).

JAPANESE NUCLEAR CRISIS
Chicago Tribune (March 17) -- Rizwan Uddin, a professor of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois, says one lesson from the nuclear plant crisis in Japan is the importance that backup power plays in reactor design. The Japanese reactors lost their normal and backup power supplies, compromising the systems responsible for cooling reactors and the spent fuel.

Related stories:
WILL-AM Focus 580 (Urbana, Ill., March 17) -- The audio of interview with U. of I. nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering professors James F. Stubbins and Rizwan Uddin. Link connects to the audio and to a two-minute video interview with Stubbins.

Los Angeles Times (March 15) -- Nuclear authorities in Japan are particularly concerned because the fuel rods in reactor No. 2 were at least partially exposed to the air for more than 14 hours, long enough for substantial melting to have occurred. Reactors No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 are not thought to present a threat because all were shut down for maintenance at the time of the quake. Even if they had fuel rods in place, as was the case for No. 5 and No. 6, the reactor cores would be relatively cold and would require little cooling, according to Rizwan Uddin, a professor of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois.

CBS News (March 14) -- The second hydrogen explosion in three days rocked a Japanese nuclear plant Monday, sending a massive cloud of smoke into the air and injuring 11 workers. International scientists say there are serious dangers but little risk of a Chernobyl-style catastrophe. Chernobyl, they note, had no containment shell around the reactor. “The likelihood there will be a huge fire like at Chernobyl or a major environmental release like at Chernobyl, I think that’s basically impossible,” said James F. Stubbins, professor and head of the department of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering at Illinois. Also: ABC Action News (March 14), Atlanta Journal-Constitution (March 14), Belleville News-Democrat (Illinois, March 14), Chicago Sun Times (March 14), Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif., March 14), Forbes (March 14), Houston Chronicle (March 14), Huffington Post (March 14), KMOX-AM (1120) (CBS; St. Louis, March 14), MSN Money (March 14), Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia, March 14), Salon (San Francisco, March 14), San Jose Mercury News (California, March 14), Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida, March 14), Scottish Daily Record (Glasgow, March 14), Sify News (New Delhi, March 14), St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 14), Star Tribune (Minneapolis, March 14), The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina, March 14), The Denver Post (March 14), The Detroit News (March 14), The Indianapolis Star (March 14), U.S. News & World Report (March 14), The Associated Press (March 14), The Boston Globe (March 14), The Hindu (Chennai, India, March 14), The Kansas City Star (March 14), The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill., March 14), The Sacramento Bee (California, March 14), The Seattle Times (March 14), The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J., March 14), The Tennessean (Nashville, March 14), The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, March 14), The Washington Post (March 14), Toronto Star (Canada, March 14), Time magazine (March 14), Yahoo! News (March 14).

The Wall Street Journal (March 15) -- James F. Stubbins, professor and head of the department of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois, comments on the importance of the containment structure in maintaining the integrity of a nuclear reactor. Also: New Zealand Herald (Auckland, March 16), KMSP-Channel 9 (FOX; Eden Prairie, Minn., March 14).
 
Chicago Sun-Times (March 15) -- As safe as reactors might be, “you can’t make them disaster-proof,” says James F. Stubbins, professor and head of the department of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois. He said Japan’s reactors fell victim to an extraordinary combination of disasters even as their basic systems worked as intended. Stubbins said the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and plant operators will learn from the catastrophe. “This industry is very good at sharing best practices,” he said.
 
The Detroit News (March 15) -- James Stubbins, professor and head of the department of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois, comments on the situation in Japan compared with what happened at Chernobyl. Also: Bloomberg Businessweek (March 15), CNBC (March 14), Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif., March 15), Global News Online (Toronto, March 14), MSN Money (March 15),
 
WLS-AM (890) (Chicago, March 15) -- James F. Stubbins, professor and head of the department of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois, was interviewed about the nuclear reactor situation in Japan. Also: “Morning Joe” (MSNBC, March 17)
 
The State Journal-Register (Springfield, Ill., March 15) -- Six of 11 nuclear reactors in Illinois are “boiler reactors” like the ones that were damaged by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, says James F. Stubbins, professor and head of the department of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois. Stubbins, who visited Japan about a month ago, said, “A lot of people now will look at their systems and try to ensure they are up to an event like this.” Also: Lincoln Courier (Illinois, March 16).

Chicago Sun-Times (March 22) -- As safe as the reactors might be, “you can’t make them disaster-proof,” said Prof. James Stubbins, head of the University of Illinois’ department of nuclear engineering. He said Japan’s reactors fell victim to an extraordinary combination of disasters even as their basic systems worked as intended.

USA Today (March 31) -- Japan’s damaged nuclear facility faced new setbacks Wednesday as nearby seawater reached its highest radiation levels to date and officials looked for long-term answers to the crisis.  Repairs on the Japanese nuclear plant have continued, with pumps now cooling all three reactors. “They have to keep that cooling water running,” said James F. Stubbins, professor and head of the department of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering at Illinois.

PHYSICS
Science Blog (Los Angeles, March 15) -- After a decade of experimental development, data-taking, and analysis, an international research team led by scientists from Boston University and the U. of I. has announced a new value for the muon lifetime.

"INTELLIGENT" BRIDGES
The New York Times (March 12) -- Engineers routinely inspect bridges and other structures for cracks and corrosion. But because they can’t always be there in person, one highly intelligent bridge, the Jindo Bridge in South Korea, knows what to do when trouble arises: send them an e-mail. The Jindo Bridge network has 663 wireless sensors, each providing a channel of information at an installation cost of about $100, far less than the thousands of dollars typically needed to install each wired channel, said B.F. Spencer Jr., a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Illinois. Also: Ocala News (Florida, March 13), Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida, March 13), ASEE FirstBell (March 14).

FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS
The Economist (March 10) -- For years engineers have dreamed of building electronic circuits that would bend and stretch, rather than being confined to rigid chips and boards. Flexible circuitry would be able to do many things that rigid circuits cannot. Article features work by John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at Illinois (see the video).

BETTER BATTERIES
Technology Review (Cambridge, Mass., March 11) -- U. of I. engineers have developed a form of ultra-low-power digital memory that is faster and uses 100 times less energy than similar available memory. The technology could give future portable devices much longer battery life between charges. Also: Chem Info (Rockaway, N.J., March 10), Daily India (Jacksonville, Fla., March 11), e! Science News (Quebec City, March 10), IEEE Spectrum (New York City, March 11), Nanotechnology Now (Banks, Ore., March 10), Nanowerk News (Honolulu, March 10), New Electronics (London, March 11), Phys Org (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 10), R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 10), Science Blog (Los Angeles, March 10), Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., March 10), Sify News (New Delhi, March 11), TG Daily (Batavia, Ill., March 11), The Times of India (Mumbai, March 11), Top News Magazine (Noida, India, March 11), Zee News (Noida, India, March 11), FOX News (March 11), DailyTech (Chicago, March 14), EETimes (Tokyo, March 14), Information Week (Manhasset, N.Y., March 14), International Business Times (New York City, March 14), Red Orbit (Dallas, March 13), Tech News World (Encino, Calif., March 14), ASEE FirstBell (March 15), Newsfactor (Calabasas, Calif., March 14), EE Times-Europe (Brussels, March 15), Gizmag (Melbourne, Australia, March 14), Computerworld (Framingham, Mass., March 15), Engadget (multiple sites, worldwide; March 12), Network World (Framingham, Mass., March 15), PC Advisor (London, March 15), Techworld (London, March 16), AZoNano (Warriewood, Australia, March 18).

STUDENT INVENTOR
MSNBC (March 9) -- As Scott Daigle walked around the campus at Illinois, he watched how people who were in wheelchairs moved and decided that he could improve on the design. He did just that with his IntelliWheels, a manual wheelchair with an automatic gearshift. Also: News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, Ill., March 10), ASEE FirstBell (March 10), The Boston Globe (March 14).

TRAFFIC DANGERS
The State Journal-Register (Springfield, Ill., March 8) -- U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, of Illinois, says he wants to improve the safety of rural roads by standardizing lights and markings on farm equipment that travels on public streets. There are about 200 crashes a year with motorists and farm equipment in Illinois, says Robert Aherin, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Illinois. Also: Lincoln Courier (Illinois, March 8), WHBF-Channel 4 (CBS; Rock Island, Ill., March 8).

LIGHTBULBS
Wired (London, March 8) -- U. of I. engineering professor Bill Hammack not only dismantles a lightbulb but also presents animations and other illustrations to show how they are manufactured in a series of videos he has produced. Also:
Wired News (New York City, March 7).

FARM SAFETY
Chicago Tribune (March 7) -- In less than 10 seconds, a man who steps into flowing corn can sink up to his chest, becoming immobilized, says Robert Aherin, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Illinois. Within another 10 seconds, he’ll be completely submerged and unable to breathe, essentially drowned in corn. Also: WGN-TV (Chicago, March 7), The Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn., March 10), The Globe and Mail (Toronto, March 9), The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill., March 12).

'ELECTRONIC' CARDIAC CATHETER
News Track India (New Delhi, March 7) -- A new all-in-one cardiac catheter developed by researchers is set to make cardiac ablation therapy simpler. The stretchable electronics developed by U. of I. engineering professor John A. Rogers and Yonggang Huang, of Northwestern University, could make it possible to have a minimally invasive technique for heart surgery. Also: Biomed Middle East (Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 7), Daily India (Jacksonville, Fla., March 7), e! Science News (Quebec City, March 6), Technology Review (Cambridge, Mass., March 7), News-Medical Net (Sydney, March 7), R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 6), Science Blog (Los Angeles, March 6), Science Centric (Sofia, Bulgaria, March 6), Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., March 6), Science News (Washington, D.C., March 7), Daily News & Analysis (Mumbai, India, March 8), Sify News (New Delhi, March 8), Technology Review (Cambridge, Mass., March 8), The Engineer (London, March 8), The Times of India (Mumbai, March 8), Top News Magazine (Noida, India, March 8), United Press International (March 7), Zee News (Noida, India, March 8), Chemical & Engineering News (Washington, D.C., March 8), Medindia (Chennai, India, March 8), Pak Tribune (Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 9), +Plastic Electronics (Leatherhead, England, March 9), Red Orbit (Dallas, March 8), Electronic Manufacture & Test (Kent, England, March 10), The Economist (London, March 10; see the video), Discovery News (March 11), AZoSensors (Warriewood, Australia, March 31).

‘BRACKETOLOGY’
The Wall Street Journal (March 4) -- U. of I. computer science professor Sheldon Jacobson and colleagues once again have developed a website that looks at the numbers behind the likelihood of seeded teams making the Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. (Check out the YouTube video.) Also: e! Science News (Quebec City, March 8), PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 8), Science Blog (Los Angeles, March 8), The Indianapolis Star (March 15).

Related story:
University of Buffalo Reporter (New York, March 17) -- Being the top seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is not a sure indicator of success, according to a study by researchers at Illinois and the University of Buffalo. Office pool aficionados should know that all four No. 1 seeds advance to the semifinals only once every 38 years, according to researcher lead researcher Sheldon Jacobson, a computer science professor at Illinois, and Alex Nikolaev, of the University of Buffalo.

FACULTY HONOR
Compound Semiconductor (Bristol, England, March 7) -- John A. Rogers has been elected to membership in the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. Rogers holds the Lee J. Flory Founder Chair in Engineering in the department of materials science and engineering at Illinois.

PHYSICS
Top News Magazine (Noida, India, March 3) -- Physicists at Illinois have shown how charged black holes can be used to model the behavior of interacting electrons in unconventional superconductors. Also: Daily India (Jacksonville, Fla., March 3), Daily News & Analysis (Mumbai, India, March 3), e! Science News (Quebec City, March 2), PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, March 2), R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., March 2), Red Orbit (Dallas, March 3), Science Blog (Los Angeles, March 2), Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., March 2), Sify News (New Delhi, March 3), Science 360 (March 4), Scientific Computing (Rockaway, N.J., March 8).

BATTERIES
Alt Transport (New York City, March 2) -- Scientists at Illinois found that lithium-ion batteries – found in cell phones, laptop computers, digital cameras and now electric cars – tend to degrade over time. “There are many different types of degradation that happen, and fixing this degradation could help us make longer-lasting batteries,” says U. of I. aerospace engineering professor Scott White. Also: Science News (Washington, D.C., March 7).

BUSINESS AND SUPERCOMPUTING
Crain’s Chicago Business (March 2) -- Small and mid-sized suppliers of Deere & Co. will be among the Midwest manufacturers getting first crack at using supercomputers to speed the design of components, under a White House initiative announced Wednesday. Deere, Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Electric Co. are helping to fund a pilot program to develop software, pay for the use of supercomputers at Illinois, Argonne National Laboratory and elsewhere, and train smaller manufacturers on how to use those tools to develop manufacturing processes and products.
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PLEASE NOTE: Some web links are short-lived by design of the publisher. In most cases, articles are archived on the publisher's website and can be retrieved electronically. Some articles may be archived on sites that are fee-based, and some may have re-distribution restrictions.

Contact: Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 217/244-7716, editor.