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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.

Click on a headline to read that article on the web. Some links may require a subscription or no longer be active.

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, November 2012

 

Nov. 9, 2012 | seattlepi.com
UW names aeronautics department for William Boeing

Bill Boeing and pilot   In 1917, William E. Boeing donated a wind tunnel to the UW, on condition that it establish an aeronautics curriculum. The university did so later that year. On Thursday, the UW Board of Regents changed the name of that department to the William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics.

RELATED MATERIAL
UW Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics named for William E. Boeing | Nov. 9, 2012

 

Nov. 19, 2012 | The (UW) Daily
Aeronautics department honors Boeing with name change

The Board of Regents approved a name change of the Aeronautics & Astronautics Department to reflect the nearly century-long relationship between the university and The Boeing Co.

RELATED MATERIAL
UW Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics named for William E. Boeing | Nov. 9, 2012

 

Nov. 30, 2012 | Wired UK
Dissolvable drug-loaded nanofibres could replace condoms

Closeup of fibers   Bioengineer Kim Woodrow's team has published a paper detailing a potential new contraceptive that protects against both HIV and pregnancy through drug release.

RELATED MATERIAL
Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV | Nov. 30, 2012

 

Nov. 30, 2012 | Toronto Sun
Fabric contraceptive may be as effective as condoms: Study

University of Washington bioengineers say they're developing a female contraceptive made from electrically spun, ultra-thin fabric that could protect against pregnancy and HIV.

RELATED MATERIAL
Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV | Nov. 30, 2012

 

Dec. 03, 2012 | The Seattle Times
UW students turning 2013 Malibu into fuel-saving dual-motor hybrid

Trevor Crain   University of Washington engineering students are turning a gas-powered car into an unusual electric-diesel hybrid as part of a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

RELATED MATERIAL
UW students to design alternative-fuels vehicle for EcoCAR 2 competition | Mar. 01, 2012

 

Nov. 28, 2012 | The Seattle Times
Op-ed: Hood Canal still needs a pollution fix

Michael Brett   Although septic waste was not linked to fish death in Hood Canal, we should still work on reducing pollution from septic tanks, writes civil and environmental engineer Michael Brett.

 

Nov. 23, 2012 | KCPQ Q13 Fox News
Canadian tribe's ocean fertilization project attempts to boost salmon population

Map of Vancouver Island   The experiment seemed simple enough: fertilize the ocean to increase the food supply for salmon. Mike Brett, professor of civil and environmental engineering, is one of the scientists worried about the ramifications.

 

Nov. 09, 2012 | The (UW) Daily
UW programmers create software for disaster response robot

Emo Todorov and robotic hand   Computer scientist and applied mathematician Emo Todorov is leading a UW team to create software for a disaster-response robot, part of a DARPA challenge competition launched after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

 

Nov. 13, 2012 | Technology Review
A new chip brings 3-D gesture control to smartphones

Hand over device   A U.S. company released the first controller that uses electrical fields to make 3-D measurements. Computer science PhD student Sidhant Gupta, who studies computing interfaces, comments on the technology.

RELATED MATERIAL
UW energy- and water-sensing technology acquired by Belkin | Apr. 22, 2010

 

Nov. 19, 2012 | Technology Review
How friction may someday charge your cell phone

Researchers at Georgia Tech have created a device that uses static electricity to convert movement—like a phone bouncing—into enough power to charge a cell phone battery. Mechanical engineer Jiangyu Li is quoted.

RELATED MATERIAL
UW engineers help team with nano discovery | Nov. 17, 2011

 

Nov. 12, 2012 | PBS NewsHour: The Rundown blog
Steady diet of partisan news hampers political compromise

Stick figure of a tightrope walker   When it comes to politics and policy, engaging with people and content that mirror only one's own ideological beliefs can hamper efforts at compromise, says Human Centered Design and Engineering's Sean Munson.

RELATED MATERIAL
Browser plug-in helps people balance their political news reading habits | Sep. 27, 2012

 

Nov. 29, 2012 | The Seattle Times: Brier Dudley's blog
Innovation Summit: How to fuel the state's growth?

At the annual event sponsored by the Washington Technology Industry Association, computer scientist Ed Lazowska provided an overview of "big data" and opportunities around our increasing ability to manage and quickly analyze massive amounts of data.

 

Nov. 08, 2012 | The New York Times
Imaginary prizes take aim at real problems

Former MacArthur winner in a library   Eight MacArthur Fellows are asked what they would pick as a challenge for an X-Prize type of challenge. Computer scientist and electrical engineer Shwetak Patel says he would solicit better challenge mechanisms, to allow large groups of people to collaborate to solve problems.

RELATED MATERIAL
Visionary innovator wins MacArthur 'genius' award | Sep. 20, 2011

 

Nov. 05, 2012 | The (UW) Daily
Stopping the presses

3D printing machine   Washington Open Object Fabricators (WOOF) began in April as a group of mechanical engineering students with a passion for technology and has since blossomed into a successful and booming 3-D printing club. Less than one year old, the club has won international awards and has 30 students signed up for its next printer build-session.

RELATED MATERIAL
Students win $100K for 3-D printer to turn waste plastic into composting toilets, rainwater harvesting systems | Oct. 25, 2012

 

If you have a newsworthy result about one month from publication, presentation or demonstration, please contact Hannah Hickey, hickeyh@uw.edu. Notice of student and faculty awards and grants is also welcome.