Washington Engineer - January 2008

Contents:

Message from Dean Matt O'Donnell
Research news: Wired contact lenses; Scanning fiber endoscope; Microfluidics photo gallery
Campus news: Bioenergy IGERT award; Space traveler on campus; New IEEE & AAAS fellows
Coming events: Engineers Without Borders international meeting; Annual Faculty Lecture by Gerald Pollack; Engineering Lecture Series now on UWTV
In the media

Message from Dean Matt O'Donnell

Dean Matt O'Donnell discusses the benefits of the College's strong ties to the Seattle area's entrepreneurial and high-tech communities. He describes local partnerships on photonics spin-off companies, environmental research, and humanitarian service. More »

Research news

Contact lenses with circuits, lights possible platform for superhuman vision
Achieving superhuman vision like the Bionic Woman's could be as easy as popping in a contact lens. UW engineers have for the first time combined a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights.
Read UW News story »

Camera in a pill offers cheaper, easier window on your insides
A scanning fiber endoscope may change the future of medical endoscopy by providing a cheap, easy way to detect the first signs of esophageal cancer.
Read UW News story »

Slideshow: Small is beautiful
Many of Albert Folch's images, experiments to create a lab-on-a-chip diagnostic tool, could be mistaken for modern art. The UW bioengineer created an online gallery of his favorites.
See UW News slideshow »

Campus news

Graduate students and Native American tribes will tap forests, farms for biofuels
A UW chemical engineering professor led a multidisciplinary group for a new IGERT grant looking at plant-based fuels. This is the UW's 8th IGERT grant, the most of any school in the nation.
Read story »

Space traveler on campus
Software developer Charles Simonyi spoke this fall about his experiences as the first commercial space traveler. Simonyi will be back at the UW on Tuesday, Feb. 5 to talk about software engineering.
Details on February visit »
The Intentional Domain Workbench on UWTV.org »

Engineering faculty rack up the awards
The College congratulates Dennis Lettenmaier, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, who was named an AAAS Fellow and David Notkin, Frank & Wilma Bradley Chair in Computer Science & Engineering, who was named an IEEE Fellow.

Coming events

Engineers Without Borders - USA - 2008 Annual International Conference

March 27-30, 2008
University of Washington, Seattle

Sustainable Engineering and Global Health
Registration is now open for the Engineers Without Borders international meeting. William Gates, Sr. will deliver a keynote address on global-health research. Early registration ends Jan. 31.
Co-hosted by the Engineers Without Borders UW student chapter.
More information and registration at Engineers Without Borders

"Water, Energy and Life: Fresh Views From the Water's Edge"

Wednesday, Jan. 30, 7:00 p.m.
Kane Hall 130

Gerald Pollack, professor of Bioengineering, was selected by UW faculty to present this year's Annual Faculty Lecture on a revolutionary theory of water.

Engineering Lecture Series

lecture series logo

The 2007 Engineering Lecture Series drew record crowds. If you missed it, go to UWTV to view the lectures online:

Rebuilding the Baby Boomer: Replacement Parts for the 21st Century
Buddy D. Ratner, Professor, Department of Bioengineering
Building the New Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Steven Hansen, Senior Vice President, Kiewit Corp. and Joe P. Mahoney, Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Building the Future of Commercial Aviation: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner
Alan G. Miller, Director of 787 Technology Integration, The Boeing Company and Mark Tuttle, Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Video scheduled to be available in February

In the media

Learning from Katrina
Electrical engineer Denise Wilson describes what engineering lessons can be learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
IEEE Spectrum, Jan. 8, 2008

Google and the wisdom of clouds
The cover story features recent UW computer science & engineering alum Christophe Bisciglia and Ed Lazowska, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in the Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, on the future of computer-science research and education.
BusinessWeek, Dec. 14, 2007