NewsFlash: College of Engineering in the Media | Vol. 2, No. 11 | Feb. 27, 2009 | A publication of the College of Engineering and uwnews.org, the UW Office of News and Information

CoE NewsFlash | Vol. 2, No. 11 | Feb. 27, 2009

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).

Feb. 9, 2009 | Xconomy
Auth, O'Donnell join Academy

Two University of Washington professors, Matthew O’Donnell and David Auth, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

SOURCE MATERIAL
Matthew O'Donnell, David Auth elected to National Academy of Engineering | Feb. 9, 2009

Feb. 12, 2009 | KOMO News
Where's that bus?!? Sweat no more

Anyone who has ever waited at a bus stop is familiar with that anxiety bus riders feel, wondering if the bus is running behind and whether they'll be late to their destination. But wonder no more. Thanks to computer science PhD student Brian Ferris and civil engineering PhD student Kari Watkins, the answer is just a cell-phone call away.

SOURCE MATERIAL
Bus left you waiting in the cold? Use your cell phone to track it down | Feb. 10, 2009

Feb. 11, 2009 | Q13 News
Real-time bus schedules—on your cell phone!

On a cold, wet day like today, the last place you want to be is stranded at the bus stop, waiting for your bus. Brian Ferris, a University of Washington computer science doctoral student, used to do that. But not anymore.

SOURCE MATERIAL
Bus left you waiting in the cold? Use your cell phone to track it down | Feb. 10, 2009

Feb. 18, 2009 | KUOW
Bus cuts and tracking your next ride

Computer science PhD student Brian Ferris describes his bus-tracking tool, OneBusAway, on KUOW's program The Conversation. The UW segment appears around minute 40.

SOURCE MATERIAL
Bus left you waiting in the cold? Use your cell phone to track it down | Feb. 10, 2009

Feb. 11, 2009 | United Press International
New type of 3-D microscope is developed

U.S. scientists say they have developed a new kind of microscope to visualize cells in 3-D, possibly advancing the field of early cancer detection. UW mechanical engineer Eric Seibel and colleagues say the technology might bridge a widening gap between cutting-edge imaging techniques used in research and clinical practices.

SOURCE MATERIAL
Cancer diagnosis: Now in 3-D | Feb. 9, 2009

Feb. 15, 2009 | WebMD
Detecting lung cancer with phlegm

Researchers in Seattle are developing what could be a new diagnostic tool for lung cancer. Mechanical engineer Eric Seibel worked with a local company to create the 3-D cell imaging tool.

RELATED MATERIAL
Cancer diagnosis: Now in 3-D | Feb. 9, 2009

Feb. 4, 2009 | The Scientist
Brick by brick

Now five years old, a student competition in synthetic biology embodies the struggles of the emerging discipline. UW bioengineer Herbert Sauro says he's skeptical that an undergraduate competition can validate the idea of biological engineering by sharing of standardized parts.

Feb. 14, 2009 | U.S. News and World Report (via HealthDay)
Men must contend with a biological clock, too
A growing body of evidence suggests that as men get older, fertility can and does decline, while the chances of fathering a child with serious birth defects and medical problems increase. Narendra Singh, research associate professor of bioengineering, is quoted.

RELATED MATERIAL
Research reveals a cellular basis for a male biological clock | Nov. 25, 2002

Feb. 9, 2009 | Sightline Institute - Daily Score blog
Tax… and save?

With the U.S. economy in the tank, could it possibly make sense to increase the tax burden? In a new blog for local environmental think-tank the Sightline Institute, UW industrial engineer Benita Beamon explains why it may be time to increase the Washington state gas tax.

Feb. 23, 2009 | Sightline Institute - Daily Score blog
Walk, baby, walk

Is muscle power an overlooked climate solution? UW industrial engineer Benita Beamon explores this question in her blog for the Sightline Institute.

March 1, 2009 | Technology Review
Solving AI

We need a new language for artificial intelligence, writes UW computer scientist Pedro Domingos. He proposes a new mathematical language that combines logic and probability.

RELATED MATERIAL
UW to lead $6.25 million project creating electronic Sherlock Holmes | April 16, 2008

Feb. 23, 2009 | Slashdot.org
Combining BitTorrent with darknets for P2P privacy

Currently popular peer-to-peer networks suffer from a lack of privacy. OneSwarm is a new file-sharing application that improves privacy in peer-to-peer networks. It was developed by UW computer scientists Tom Anderson and Arvind Krishnamurthy and PhD students Michael Piatek and Tomas Isdal.

RELATED MATERIAL
BitTyrant makes a turbulent entry into digital file-sharing | Jan. 4, 2007

Feb. 18, 2009 | Xconomy
UW computer scientist Oren Etzioni on startups, venture capital, and the future of Web search

An interview with Oren Etzioni about what academia can offer to business, investing in a new economy, and his projects for the future of Web search.

Feb. 4, 2009 | Xconomy
UW startup, Soluxra, to form around organic solar cell technology

A new startup company is in the works at the UW, based on inexpensive, portable solar cells. The UW group, led by materials science and engineering professor Alex Jen, has come up with a way to harness solar energy using thin polymer film—akin to really thin cling wrap.

Feb. 18, 2009 | RFID Journal
Researchers develop power-storing passive tags

Joshua Smith, a principal engineer at Intel Research Seattle and affiliate professor of computer science and engineering at the UW, is working on passive RFID-enabled sensors that operate on power pulled out of thin air. The tags would harvest ambient RF power—that is, already existing RF emissions transmitted by any number of sources, including television, radio and cell phone base stations.

Feb. 9, 2009 | EE Times
Radio chips dial in to medical apps
Medical devices will soon be incorporating radio-frequency chips, according to many presenters at an international conference. UW electrical engineer Brian Otis discussed efforts using radio frequencies to create body-area networks for a wide range of uses. "A lot of the early deployments that will drive this will be for animals," he said.

Feb. 8, 2009 | The Bellingham Herald
Anniversary of bridge sinking looms large for retired professor

The Bellingham Herald profiles Billy Hartz, professor emeritus of civil engineering, on the anniversary of the sinking of the Hood Canal floating bridge.

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