NewsFlash is a monthly email of press items featuring our College's researchers. For a more complete and regularly updated list of COE media coverage, see In the Media.
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NewsFlash is a service of the UW College of Engineering and the UW Office of News and Information. If you have a newsworthy result about one month from publication, presentation or demonstration, please contact Michelle Ma at mcma@uw.edu@uw.edu or (206) 543-2580.
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NewsFlash, September 2011
Sept. 20, 2011 | The New York Times
MacArthur Foundation Selects 22 ‘Geniuses’
| Electrical engineer and computer scientist Shwetak Patel, 29, was tied for youngest of this year's MacArthur Fellows. |
Visionary innovator wins MacArthur 'genius' award
Sept. 20, 2011 | The Seattle Times
UW Professor's curiosity lands him $500,000
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Shwetak Patel has won a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur 'genius' grant. He wrote his first software program in third grade, breezed through undergraduate work in three years, and is a licensed electrician and plumber. For fun, he converts gasoline automobiles to electrical power. |
Visionary innovator wins MacArthur 'genius' award
Sept. 20, 2011 | KING 5 TV
UW professor awarded 'genius grant' of $500,000
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Shwetak Patel, a UW assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering, describes how he uses electrical "noise" to understand the energy use in a home. |
Visionary innovator wins MacArthur 'genius' award
Sept. 29, 2011 | Popular Mechanics
How MacArthur 'Genius' Shwetak Patel Is Creating the Intelligent Home
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Q&A with MacArthur Award-winner Shwetak Patel. |
Visionary innovator wins MacArthur 'genius' award
Sept. 10, 2011 | The New York Times
Remote control, with a wave of a hand
| Scientists at Microsoft Research and the University of Washington have come up with a new system that uses the human body as an antenna. Computer scientist and electrical engineer Shwetak Patel, and affiliate computer science professor Desney Tan, are quoted. |
Sept. 23, 2011 | The New York Times (via GigaOM)
Study: Someday Our Bodies Could ‘Talk’ to Gadgets
| Materials scientist Marco Rolandi is working on ways to help your body and your smartphone understand each other, through a new type of transistor. |
Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things
Sept. 21, 2011 | IEEE Spectrum
Transistor Made to Run on Protons
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It turns out the transistor has a positive side. A team led by materials scientist Marco Rolandi has created the first solid-state transistor that controls the flow of protons instead of electrons. |
Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things
Sept. 22, 2011 | Gizmag
Squids provide active ingredient for transistor that may communicate with living systems
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When it comes to sending and receiving information, man-made devices utilize negatively-charged particles commonly known as electrons. Biological systems such as human bodies, on the other hand, use protons via positively charged hydrogen atoms or ions. |
Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things
Sept. 21, 2011 | Popular Science
Proton Transistor Could Help Machines and Organisms Communicate
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A new proton-based transistor built partly from crab shells could open the gates to a new method of communication between machines and biological systems. |
Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things
Sept. 21, 2011 | Materials Views
Materials Views Interviews: Marco Rolandi
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An interview with materials scientist Marco Rolandi. |
Sept. 08, 2011 | Fox News Chicago
Fighting cancer with scorpions?
| In the fight against cancer, scientists and medical researchers around the world are developing new medicines from seemingly unlikely natural substances. Materials scientist Miqin Zhang's work using deathstalker scorpion to reach brain tumors is mentioned. |
Scorpion venom with nanoparticles slows spread of brain cancer
Sept. 19, 2011 | Los Angeles Times
Foldit gamers help unlock possible AIDS-fighting protein
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Over a three-week period, gamers playing Foldit, an online protein-folding game, helped to map out the structure of an enzyme that could be used to help fight HIV and AIDS. Foldit was developed by UW computer scientists Zoran Popović and Seth Cooper. |
Gamers succeed where scientists fail
Sept. 20, 2011 | BBC News
Online game Foldit helps anti-Aids drug quest
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An online game has helped determine the structure of an enzyme that could pave the way for anti-AIDS drugs. The Foldit game was developed at the UW. |
Gamers succeed where scientists fail
Sept. 27, 2011 | KING 5 TV
UW Gamers Crack AIDS Mystery
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Computer scientists Zoran Popović and Seth Cooper explain the significance of the Foldit players' solution for a viral structure. "They opened champagne bottles over Skype," one said about the day of the discovery. |
Gamers succeed where scientists fail
Sept. 20, 2011 | CNN
Game leads to possible AIDS breakthrough
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The online video game "Foldit," developed by UW computer scientists and biochemists, has led to a possible AIDS breakthrough. Computer scientist Zoran Popović describes the finding. |
Gamers succeed where scientists fail
Sept. 18, 2011 | MSNBC: Cosmic Log blog
Gamers solve molecular puzzle that baffled scientists
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MSNBC's Thomas Roberts talks with UW Center for Game Science director Seth Cooper, a recent computer science graduate, and UW biochemist Firas Khatib about a video game that helped unravel a protein structure in an AIDS-like virus. |
Gamers succeed where scientists fail
Oct. 02, 2011 | NPR
When Scientists Fail, It's Time To Call In The Gamers
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Computer scientist Seth Cooper talks about the game called Foldit, in which players compete against one another to design the most accurately folded proteins. |
Gamers succeed where scientists fail
Sept. 01, 2011 | Seattle Magazine
Video game technology moves from recreational to real-world
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Video games leap off the screen and into new tech products that help PTSD patients, drivers and website surfers. Mechanical engineer Hunter Hoffman uses virtual reality to create a cooling virtual world for burn victims. |
Virtual reality significantly reduces pain-related brain activity
Sept. 26, 2011 | GeekWire
Intel to cook up the ‘smart kitchen’ and other inventions at new UW research center
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Computer scientist Dieter Fox will co-lead the new Intel Science and Technology Center on the UW campus. It will develop new technologies that bring computing and sensing into “everyday devices and environments.” |
Dieter Fox to co-lead new Intel Science and Technology Center
Sept. 26, 2011 | Xconomy
Smart kitchens & beyond: Intel’s new research partnership with UW boosts 'pervasive computing'
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A rebooted research partnership between Intel and the UW will focus on cheap, powerful, connected, and increasingly smart gadgets. |
Dieter Fox to co-lead new Intel Science and Technology Center
Sept. 26, 2011 | EE Times
Intel tips next university research center
| Intel's fifth university research center will be based at the University of Washington and focus on pervasive computing research for delivering technologies that offer a richer, more personalized experience to consumers of the future. |
Dieter Fox to co-lead new Intel Science and Technology Center
Sept. 12, 2011 | The New York Times: Bits blog
Writing machines — their uses and meaning
| Narrative Science is a start-up that combines computer science and journalism. Its software takes data and converts it into short, summary-style articles. Computer scientist Oren Etzioni comments on the implications for online news searches. |
Sept. 13, 2011 | Time: Techland blog
Goodbye, career: Machines can now write like journalists
| Narrative Sciences, a start-up in Evanston, Illinois, has developed a sophisticated program that can write articles -- typically sports summaries -- in under 60 seconds. Oren Etzioni, professor of computer science and engineering, is quoted. |
Sept. 03, 2011 | The Economist: Babbage blog
And now, the gadget forecast
| How prices for consumer good change over both short and long periods is poorly understood. Eying an opportunity, computer scientist Oren Etzioni launched Decide.com to predict prices and trends in consumer electronics. |
Sept. 12, 2011 | GeekWire
Looking for iPhone 5 rumors? Here’s the feed you need
| Seattle-based Decide, founded by computer scientist Oren Etzioni and UW graduates, unveiled a new Twitter feed allowing iPhone fanatics to track rumors and possible launch dates. |
Sept. 03, 2011 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In an e-reader era, students prefer paper
| Studies show that most students still prefer using print books for a number of reasons, despite the fact that the sale of e-book readers in general is taking off. Human centered design and engineering PhD student Alex Thayer is quoted. |
College students’ use of Kindle DX points to e-reader’s role in academia
Sept. 02, 2011 | The Toronto Star
Is your dryer vent making your neighbours sick?
| Air pumping from a clothes dryer is soaked with carcinogenic chemicals and pollutants, a U.S. study by civil and environmental engineer Anne Steinemann has found. |
Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals through dryer vents
Sept. 05, 2011 | The Philadelphia Inquirer
GreenSpace: Fragrant toxins from the dryer
| Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals, according to a recent study by civil and environmental engineering professor Anne Steinemann. |
Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals through dryer vents
Sept. 07, 2011 | MSNBC: Technolog blog
Risky rides ahead because of malware?
| Our cars are morphing into moving Internet hubs, providing new services but also the danger of leaving digital doors open to intruders. Security software maker McAfee plans to be a part of providing "proper security and management," for the growing market for web-connected vehicles. Research by computer scientist Yoshi Kohno is mentioned. |
Media alert: Presentation on the security of modern automobiles
Aug. 09, 2011 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Hackers are targeting cars, says antivirus software company
| Are computer hackers a threat to today's drivers? Antivirus software manufacturer MacAfee seems to think so. But, as a report last year by the UW indicated, the primary means of hacking a modern car requires physical access. |
Media alert: Presentation on the security of modern automobiles
Sept. 07, 2011 | seattlepi.com
Passenger-only ferries poised for a Puget Sound return?
| There are plans to connect Seattle and Port Townsend with passenger ferry service within two years. Mark Hallenbeck, director of the Transportation Research Center, says he doesn't foresee much of an expansion, if any, in the foot-ferry fleet. |
Sept. 12, 2011 | The Seattle Times
How 9/11 has changed daily life in Seattle, U.S.
| The terrorist attacks of a decade ago have influenced virtually every aspect of life in the United States, from our safety to our economic well-being and hopes for the future. Civil engineer Charles Roeder is quoted on changes in building safety. |
Sept. 11, 2011 | The Seattle Times
King County wants to make sure the next generation 737 is built in Washington
| King County Executive Dow Constantine writes in an op-ed about the effort to entice Boeing to build its next generation 737 in Washington state. He cites the UW as a major asset. |
Sept. 26, 2011 | Reuters
Composites a big bet for 787 and for Boeing
| Boeing has made the substantial business and scientific bet of building the world's first plastic jet. Mechanical engineer Mark Tuttle is quoted. |
Boeing 787's certification puts spotlight on UW materials lab
Sept. 15, 2011 | The Seattle Times
Officials call for more training, less regulation to land Boeing's 737 MAX plant
| State officials promised to beef up aerospace training and reduce regulatory hurdles in a bid to secure assembly of the Boeing 737 MAX. The UW and WSU propose to increase their engineering enrollment by about 10 percent. |
Sept. 16, 2011 | The (Everett) Herald
State working to retain revamped 737
| Washington state has commissioned a study to identify factors that might cause Boeing's 737 MAX program to be pulled from the Northwest. To help meet demands for engineers, Washington State University and the UW are working together to increase engineering capacity by 400 students annually, said WSU's Bob Olsen. |
Sept. 26, 2011 | Tech Flash
Silicon Valley wants our talent and why that's not such a bad thing
| Attention Seattle startups. Silicon Valley startups are coming to town, and they want your devs. |
Sept. 09, 2011 | The Seattle Times
Thinking about jobs. Vote on the Obama plan
| Graham Allan, UW professor of chemical engineering and forest resources, comments on President Obama's proposals to address the labor crisis. What's missing in the conversation, Allan argues, is an emphasis on teaching creativity and innovation. |
Sept. 12, 2011 | KIRO TV
Seaplane's close call helps make case for safety measures
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Video that electrical engineer Jacques "Chris" Rudell took from a seaplane as it came in for landing on Lake Union, which ended up documenting a close call with a Jet Ski, may help make the case for new safety measures on the busy urban lake. |