NewsFlash: College of Engineering in the Media | Vol. 1, No. 2 | A publication of the College of Engineering and uwnews.org, the UW Office of News and Information

UW College of Engineering NewsFlash | Vol. 1, No. 2 | Apr. 24, 2007

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 Hannah Hickey at (206-543-2580, hickeyh@uw.edu).

Apr. 19, 2007 | The Associated Press
NASA tests portable robot surgeon

Doctors and scientists from the UW will get a glimpse of what it would be like to do remote surgery in space. A portable medical robot, created by electrical engineer Blake Hannaford's group, will be tested next month in an underwater lab that simulates conditions on a space shuttle.

SOURCE MATERIAL

Robotic surgeon to team up with doctors, astronauts on NASA mission | uwnews.org release: Apr. 18, 2007)

	Apr. 17, 2007 \| The New York TImes Computer science takes steps to bring women to the fold
	Stagnant numbers of women enrolling in undergraduate programs prompted the UW's department of computer science and engineering to create novel tools for recruitment. Computer science professor Ed Lazowska is featured.

Apr. 6, 2007 | The Seattle Times
Global warming could deal big blow to salmon

Global warming is expected to further weaken wild Chinook salmon populations by changing the temperatures and flows of major river systems, according to a study published Thursday by the National Academy of Sciences. The study, co-written by civil engineer Richard Palmer, offers a sobering perspective on the challenges that climate change creates for the multibillion-dollar regional effort to restore wild salmon runs.

	Apr. 18, 2007 \| New Scientist Deflector shields could protect future astronauts
	Magnetic "deflector shields" could one day guard astronauts against dangerous space radiation, if experiments now underway pay off. John Slough, research professor of aeronautics and astronautics, describes recent experiments investigating one possible approach using a bubble of charged particles, or plasma, as a deflector shield.

	Apr. 16, 2007 \| BusinessWeek Optics: Adjust the world to the color you want
	There's a sunglass lens for every activity: amber for skiing, dark gray for the beach, and yellow for driving at dusk. Now mechanical engineer Chunye Xu is developing "smart" lenses that can display different colors at the flick of a switch. SOURCE MATERIAL 'Smart' sunglasses and goggles let users adjust shade and color \| uwnews.org release: Mar. 27, 2007

	Mar. 28, 2007 \| The Washington Times Changing color of style
	These rarified shades might be the next big thing in sunglasses. But they can't be had on Rodeo Drive. Inventor Chunye Xu displayed her "smart" sunglasses yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. SOURCE MATERIAL 'Smart' sunglasses and goggles let users adjust shade and color \| uwnews.org release: Mar. 27, 2007

	Apr. 6, 2007 \| USA Today Study forecasts new "Dust Bowl"
	"Dust Bowl" drought driven by global warming will be the normal climate of the future for the American Southwest, report climatologists. The UW's Dennis Lettenmaier, professor of civil and environmental engineering, is quoted.

	May 1, 2007 \| Discover Test-driving the future: Will mind-controlled robots steal our hearts?
	The opening scene: a reporter from Discover magazine is seated at a network of computers with an electrode-studded swim cap suctioned to his head. Read this first-hand report of computer scientist Raj Rao's brain-controlled robot. SOURCE MATERIAL Researchers demonstrate direct brain control of humanoid robot \| uwnews.org release: Dec. 14, 2006

	Apr. 8, 2007 \| The (Pennsylvania) Times-Tribune Cell antennas fuel debate
	As telecommunications companies expand cell-phone networks, local opposition has sprung up in many communities. The UW's Henry Lai comments on cell phone antennae's possible health effects.

	Mar. 26, 2007 \| MSNBC Ready for Web 3.0?
	Just getting used to Web 2.0? Hang on, because Web 3.0 is about to hit shore. Computer scientist Oren Etzioni discusses strategies to organize information on the Internet.

	Apr. 1, 2007 \| Seattle Business Monthly Unearthing the Internet's secrets
	Computer-science professor and entrepreneur Oren Etzioni is already a data-mining legend, dubbed the godfather of search for his uncanny ability to find jewels amid the slag heap of cyberspace. But he's only getting started.

	Mar. 25, 2007 \| The Associated Press Professors teach classes on Katrina
	Electrical engineer Denise Wilson taught a winter quarter class on the Mississippi Coast. Twelve students cleaned yards, cleared debris and painted the homes of hurricane victims. Participants also learned about "everything from wetlands to power grids."

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