NewsFlash: College of Engineering in the Media | Vol. 1, No. 1 | 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. 1 | Mar. 27, 2007

Welcome to the first issue of NewsFlash. This is a monthly selection of press items featuring our College's researchers. A more complete archive of media coverage is posted here.

Click on a headline to find that story on the Web. Some links to outside publications may no longer be active. For that reason, each story is also permanently archived as a PDF document, which you can open by clicking on the PDF icon to the left of each item. Or you can read all the stories at once by viewing this bookmarked compilation.

NewsFlash is a service of the UW College of Engineering and the UW Office of News and Information. Direct any questions or comments about this publication to Hannah Hickey (206-543-2580, hickeyh@u.washington.edu).

	Mar. 12, 2007 \| Technology Review Three-inch robot protects the grid
	Just three inches high, this robot could help keep the power grid humming by diagnosing faulty power lines in difficult-to-access tunnels and pipes. The gadget is the fruit of a project led by electrical engineer Alexander Mamishev. SOURCE MATERIAL Robotic crawler detects wear in power lines (uwnews.org release: Dec. 21, 2006)

	Feb. 16, 2007 \| BBC News Deaf to sign via video handsets
	Many American deaf people prefer to communicate via sign language, but this is impossible over current mobile networks. Video compression tools by electrical engineers Richard Ladner and Eve Riskin make it possible to send live pictures of people signing across low-bandwidth mobile networks.

	Mar. 20, 2007 \| The Seattle Times New UW lab to work on better chip parts
	The University of Washington launched a new research lab Monday that will seek the best materials to surround ever-smaller silicon semiconductors for computer chips of the future. Materials scientist Fumio Ohuchi will direct the lab. SOURCE MATERIAL UW, Micron launch materials-testing lab in quest for next-generation microchips (uwnews.org release: Mar. 19, 2007)

Mar. 10, 2007 | The Everett Herald
Permit revs up tidal project

Snohomish County officials learned Friday that they have locked up the rights to study developing tidal power in the Admiralty Inlet, which connects most of south Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. The department plans to work with mechanical engineer Phil Malte and the California-based Electric Power Research Institute to measure tidal currents and refine estimates on how much electricity could be generated with tidal power.

	Mar. 5, 2007 \| The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Quake threat key in viaduct debate
	An update on Seattle's elevated highway, the Alaskan Way viaduct, quotes civil engineer Steve Kramer on the liquefaction of the supporting soil in the event of an earthquake. The article also mentions a 1995 study which Kramer co-authored.

	Feb. 4, 2007 \| Sherman's Lagoon Comics about Nike + iPod
	For perhaps the first time ever, UW engineering research appears on the funny pages. SOURCE MATERIAL Nike+iPod Sport Kit raises privacy concerns (uwnews.org release: Nov. 29, 2006)

Feb. 22, 2007 | Newsweek International Edition
Technology: With this ringtone . . .

Indian couples are using new technology to solidify an age-old tradition, a new study suggests. They're helping arranged marriages flourish, using mobile phones to get to know each other before officially tying the knot, according to research by Technical Communication's Beth Kolko and Carolyn Wei.

SOURCE MATERIAL

Mobile phones facilitate romance in modern India (uwnews.org release: Feb. 12, 2007)

	Mar. 1, 2007 \| The Green Guide Global Warming: Ready for your carbon close-up?
	Glaciers will shrink and flooding will increase in a warmer Pacific Northwest. Salmon fisheries may also suffer, says civil engineer Richard Palmer.

	Feb. 4, 2007 \| National Public Radio Computer scientist lost at sea has powerful legacy
	Microsoft computer scientist Jim Gray, 63, is missing and feared dead at sea. His revolutionary work with databases will continue to affect our lives each day. UW computer scientist Ed Lazowska discusses Gray's legacy.

	Mar. 12, 2007 \| The Seattle Times Download: Appointments
	The UW's Ed Lazowska was named the first chair of the Computing Community Consortium, a national group working to identify computing-research opportunities and establish big challenges for the field.

	Feb. 14, 2007 \| KING5 TV It's all in the dance
	Finding a date can be a difficult task. Three TV reporters investigate whether the answer might be learning how to dance. They don motion-capture sensors, imitate John Travolta, and talk to digital animator Zoran Popović in this Valentine's Day special SOURCE MATERIAL New study scientifically links dancing to attraction, genetic advantage (uwnews.org release: Dec. 21, 2005)

	Feb. 10, 2007 \| The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Crane base blamed in collapse
	A poorly designed foundation was the primary cause of the tower crane collapse in Bellevue, a deadly construction accident that spurred state lawmakers Friday to introduce crane-safety bills that would rank among the toughest in the nation. The UW's John Stanton, professor of civil and environmental engineering, is quoted.

	Feb. 21, 2007 \| KING5 TV UW lab creating mind-controlled robot
	Imagine if you could order a robot to get you a soda, or to do chores around the house, just by thinking about it. It may sound like science fiction, but computer scientist Rajesh Rao is showing it may be reality sooner than you think. SOURCE MATERIAL Researchers demonstrate direct brain control of humanoid robot (uwnews.org release: Dec. 14, 2006)

	Jan. 11, 2007 \| KPLU radio The Electric Brain: Wiring brains to computers
	The idea of a machine that can read your mind sounds like either science fiction or a booth at a carnival. Now, reality is catching up. The UW’s Rajesh Rao and colleagues are finding ways to connect human brains directly to machines. SOURCE MATERIAL Researchers demonstrate direct brain control of humanoid robot (uwnews.org release: Dec. 14, 2006)

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.