December 14, 2009 | Silicon Solar Consortium
Consortium Funds UW Solar Cell Research
The Silicon Solar Consortium (SiSoC) recently announced funding for solar cell research proposed by Scott Dunham, a UW professor of electrical engineering. The proposal was entitled "Technology Computer Aided Design Tools for Silicon Solar Cells." SiSoC is a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. UW is now one of six university members.
December 14, 2009 | UW News
Low-cost Temperature Sensors, Tennis Balls to Monitor Mountain Snowpack
Dime-sized temperature sensors that were first built for the refrigerated food industry have been adapted by Jessica Lundquist to sense mountain microclimates. Lundquist is a UW assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.
December 10, 2009 | UW Week
'One Keypad per Child' Lets Schoolchildren Share Screen to Learn Math
A new device developed by UW undergraduates enables up to four students to share a single computer to do interactive math problems, effectively quadrupling the number of computers available for such exercises.
November 30, 2009 | Computer Science & Engineering
Three Undergraduate Researchers from CSE Receive National Recognition
The Computing Research Association recognized three CSE students in the 2010 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards. In the competition, Justine Sherry was selected as the national winner among females. Rita Sodt was selected as a finalist. And Eric Kimbrel received an honorable mention.
November 24, 2009 | College of Engineering
UW to participate in Smart Grid Demo
The DOE awarded $178 million to a Pacific Northwest team, led by Battelle’s PNNL, to conduct a smart grid demo designed to expand existing electric infrastructure and test new technologies. The UW Seattle campus is one of 14 test sites where energy consumption will be measured in residence halls and academic buildings.
November 23, 2009 | UW Week
Prominent research theorized that fish diets relied on decayed trees and leaves. Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Michael Brett has shown that algae is more important for healthy zooplankton and boosting fish populations.
November 19, 2009 | UW Week
iGEM challenges undergraduates to build novel biological systems that operate within living cells. A team advised by Eric Klavins, a UW associate professor of electrical engineering, sought a simpler, quicker way to purify proteins. A second team advised by Herbert Sauro, associate professor of bioengineering, focused on building an inexpensive device for assembling biological parts.
November 12, 2009 | UW Week
Two New Department Chairs in College of Engineering
The College of Engineering named new chairs this fall to the departments of Chemical Engineering and Civil & Environmental Engineering. Dan Schwartz, previously CoE's Associate Dean for New Initiatives, is chair of Chemical Engineering. Greg Miller, CoE's Associate Dean for Infrastructure, begins as chair of Civil & Environmental Engineering on December 1.
November 12, 2009 | UW Week
Students Brainstorming to Reduce Not-so-good Vibrations at Husky Stadium
It's being called the Husky Vibration project—finding a way to keep TV camera platforms at the south end of Husky Stadium from vibrating when the crowds get heated up. Students of Vipin Kumar, associate professor of mechanical engineering, are taking up the challenge as part of ME 395, Introduction to Mechanical Design. Update: UW Week 02/11/2010
November 10, 2009 | The Seattle Times
Eight from UW Who Received Medal of Honor
Two College of Engineering alumni are among the eight Medal of Honor recipients from UW profiled today in the Seattle Times: Marine Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, 1912-1988, and Marine Maj. Robert E. Galer, 1913-2005. The UW Medal of Honor Memorial will be dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 2009 with a parade and ceremonies starting at 10:00 a.m.
November 6, 2009 | The Daily
Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer at Microsoft, spoke to a packed room at Kane Hall about how software and information technology can help solve global problems. The event was part of the Distinguished Lecturer Series hosted by the Department of Computer Science & Engineering.
October 30, 2009 | Xconomy
LivinGreen a Finalist in Clean Tech Open Competition
LivinGreen, a spinout from Guozhong Cao's lab, is one of three regional finalists in the national Clean Tech Open competition. Cao is a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
October 29, 2009 | UW News
Cell Phones as Tools for Environment, Global Health
Free, open-source tools developed by PhD students in Computer Science & Engineering are being used to gather information in areas with little infrastructure. Planned and current uses include monitoring deforestation in Tanzania and Brazil, guiding health workers treating children under 5 years old in Tanzania, and recording human rights violations in the Central African Republic.
October 9, 2009 | UW News
UW Breaks Ground on Nation's Largest Molecular Engineering Building
UW leaders today officially broke ground on a molecular engineering building. The underground instrumentation space that minimizes vibrations and electromagnetic interference will be the largest such lab space on the West Coast.
October 6, 2009 | UW News
'Lamborghini Lab' Brings Composite Parts to Sports-Car Arena
The newly named Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Lab will test the safety of structures built out of new composite materials. See In the Media for stories and photos!
October 1, 2009 | UW Week
In Praise of Scum: Planet's Nitrogen Cycle Overturned by 'Tiny Ammonia Eater of the Seas'
A few years ago, UW researchers cultured a tiny organism from the bottom of a Seattle Aquarium tank and found it can digest ammonia, a key environmental function. New results show this minute organism and its brethren play a more central role in the planet's ecology than previously suspected. The findings are published online in the journal Nature.
September 24, 2009 | UW News
UW Lab Demonstrates 3-D Printing in Glass
A team of engineers and artists working at UW's Solheim Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory has developed a way to create glass objects using a conventional 3-D printer. The technique allows a new type of material to be used in such devices.
September 22, 2009 | Intel
Three Engineering Students Win Intel PhD Fellowships
Intel Corporation has awarded Intel PhD fellowships to three UW Engineering students. The winners are Kathleen Tuite and Daniel Halperin in Computer Science & Engineering and Parmoon Seddighrad in Electrical Engineering. Intel made 26 awards nationwide, each covering tuition, a stipend, a connection with an Intel technical leader, and a travel grant.
September 16, 2009 | Snohomish PUD
DOE Awards $600K for Aquatic Species Study In Support of PUD Tidal Energy Pilot in Puget Sound
The U.S. Department of Energy will fund $600,000 to study aquatic species in Admiralty Inlet off Whidbey Island, WA. "The study data will be useful not just for tidal energy, but also for better understanding how fish and marine mammals use Admiralty Inlet," said Brian Polagye, research assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UW.
September 15, 2009 | UW News
Rome Was Built in a Day, with Hundreds of Thousands of Digital Photos
Using tourist photos downloaded from the Web, computer scientists created a digital version of Rome in about a day.
September 8, 2009 | UW News
Electrical Circuit Runs Entirely off Power in Trees
For the first time researchers have run an electrical circuit entirely off power in trees. The findings suggest a new power source for wireless sensors—and a way to monitor tree health.
August 18, 2009 | Technology Review
TR35 Outstanding Innovator Award for UW's Shwetak Patel
Assistant professor Patel and two recent UW engineering PhDs are on Technology Review's 35 outstanding innovators under the age of 35. Award descriptions: Shwetak Patel, Jeff Bigham and Adrien Treuille .
August 17, 2009 | UW News
New Semiconductor to Allow Simpler Circuit Design
The organic circuit developed by Chemical Engineering professor Samson Jenekhe transmits positive and negative charges.
August 5, 2009 | Puget Sound Business Journal TechFlash
EnerG2 Gets $21 Million Federal Grant
A spinout company from MSE prof Guozhong Cao's lab that is developing next-generation batteries was awarded $21 million in stimulus funds to build a manufacturing facility in Oregon. See also the Xconomy article and EnerG2 press release.
August 3, 2009 | UW News
Computers Unlock More Secrets of the Mysterious Indus Valley Script
Team led by UW researcher shows distinct patterns in the mysterious language.
August 3, 2009 | UW News
Brain Tumor Painting with Nanoparticles
UW researchers find fluorescent nanoparticles can cross blood-brain barrier to help identify brain tumors in mice.
July 29, 2009 | The Seattle Times
Summer Program Opens the High-tech World to Deaf Students
The UW's Summer Academy for Advancing Deaf & Hard of Hearing in Computing is in session through August 22. Get a student's eye view in this Seattle Times profile.
July 27, 2009 | UW News
All-in-one Nanoparticle: A Swiss Army Knife for Nanomedicine
Nanoparticles are being developed to perform a wide range of medical uses -- imaging tumors, carrying drugs, delivering pulses of heat. Rather than settling for just one of these, researchers at the University of Washington have combined two nanoparticles in one tiny package.
July 23, 2009 | UW Week
Hochberg Honored with Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
UW electrical engineering professor Michael Hochberg is among 100 outstanding early-career scientists named by President Obama. The award is the "highest honor bestowed by the United States government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers." Three other UW faculty were also honored. See also the White House press release.
July 21, 2009 | UW News
This Article Will Self-destruct: A Tool to Make Online Personal Data Vanish
A team of UW computer scientists developed a prototype system called Vanish that can place a time limit on text uploaded to any Web service through a Web browser. After a set time text written using Vanish will, in essence, self-destruct. A paper about the project went public today and will be presented at the Usenix Security Symposium Aug. 10-14 in Montreal. See also the New York Times article and Vanish Web site.
July 9, 2009 | UW Week
Student-built Rocket Blasts More than Two Miles High
The UW’s Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics held its first hands-on graduate course focused on rocket design and construction. The course ended with a dramatic class test: A rocket launch in the Utah desert. And a second-place finish!
July 9, 2009 | UW Week
GEAR-UP Project Thriving at the 10 Year Mark
The GEAR-UP Project, which helps middle school students prepare for high school and high schoolers prepare for college, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer by continuing to do what it has always done. Four institutes are being held on campus to introduce students to college life.
June 30, 2009 | UW News
Stirred, Not Shaken: Bio-inspired Cilia Mix Medical Reagents at Small Scales
Modern biomedical research requires mixing liquids in tiny amounts too small to shake. Researchers in the UW Department of Mechancal Engineering have developed a way to manufacture tiny stirring structures underwater. The structures mimic cilia, which do the small-scale moving and shaking inside the human body.
June 25, 2009 | UW Week
Occupants of Cunningham Hall and Johnson Hall Annex are moving out this month, and Cunningham itself will be moving later this summer to make way for the new Molecular Engineering Building on the site. On June 11 the Board of Regents approved the issuing of up to $74 million in bonds to finance the building project after the Legislature declined to fund it.
June 16, 2009 | UW News
Crustacean Shell with Polyester Creates Mixed-Fiber Material for Nerve Repair
Mixing chitosan, found in the shells of crabs and shrimp, with an industrial polyester creates a promising new material for the tiny tubes that support repair of a severed nerve. Miqin Zhang, a UW professor of materials science and engineering, is lead author of a paper describing the technique in the journal Advanced Materials.
June 13, 2009 | ASCE
UW Competes in Concrete Canoe Race
Teams from across the U.S. and Canada met in Tuscaloosa, AL for the annual "America's Cup of Civil Engineering." UW Civil & Environmental Engineering students entered the competition again this year, placing 16th.
June 2009 | UW Week special supplement
The College of Engineering has four honorees among this year's University of Washington Recognition Awards:
Richard Ladner, a UW professor of computer science and engineering, was recognized for outstanding public service in making education and technology more accessible. More »
Cindy Atman, founder of the UW Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching, won the Thorud Leadership Award for transforming how we teach. More »
Wayne Quinton, ME '59 and bioengineering pioneer, has been named the 2009 Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus—the alumnus worthy of the highest praise. More »
Pavan Vaswani, a senior majoring in computer science, neurobiology, and biochemistry, has been selected as one of two President's Medalists for the Class of 2009 for outstanding academic achievement. More »
May 22, 2009 | UW Foster School of Business
Nanocel Takes Top Honors in Business Plan Competition
Nanocel, an outgrowth of research at UW's Department of Mechanical Engineering, has won the grand prize in the 2009 Business Plan Competition. Nanocel provides high performance liquid cooling solutions to the electronics market. Teams for all five finalist plans include one or more UW engineering students. See also the story in Xconomy.
May 21, 2009 | NASA
Another Dawg to Pilot Space Shuttle
NASA announced that UW alum Dominic "Tony" Antonelli will pilot next spring's mission to the International Space Station. Antonelli graduated from the UW in 2002 with a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics. Just this month, UW alum and Seattle native Gregory Johnson successfully piloted the shuttle Atlantis to the Hubble Space Telescope.
May 20, 2009 | Washington Technology Center (WTC)
Modumetal, UW Partnership Receives Funding for Anti-Corrosion Technology
Modumetal, Inc., a Seattle-based developer of nanostructured materials, is collaborating with materials science and engineering researchers to create a “... cutting-edge material for new commercial anti-corrosion application,” says Leslie Warren, senior engineer in the effort. CEO Christina Lomasney confirms that “with support from partners like the WTC and University of Washington, Modumetal is poised to create a new technology that will have broad industrial application and will result in new jobs and economic growth in our region.” See Seattle P-I article
May 15, 2009 | Google
Two UW Students Awarded Google Fellowships
Two students in UW's Department of Computer Science & Engineering have won 2009 Google PhD Fellowships: Roxana Geambasu for cloud computing and Mike Piatek for computer networking. Each 2-year fellowship includes a $35,000 cash award and other benefits. In total, Google awarded 13 fellowships to exemplary PhD students in computer science and related research areas. Each participating university was limited to two nominations.
May 6, 2009 | UW News
UW Will Be Prominent in Space Shuttle Mission to Service Hubble Telescope
When the space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 11, the University of Washington will be front and center in the final mission to service and repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Also see the Seattle Times and New York Times articles.
April 30, 2009 | Notre Dame
O'Donnell Honored by Notre Dame
UW Engineering Dean Matthew O'Donnell has been named Notre Dame's 2009 Distinguished Alumnus. O'Donnell received bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in physics from Notre Dame in 1972 and 1976, respectively.
April 23, 2009 | UW News
Pranoti Hiremath Wins Goldwater Scholarship
Bioengineering sophomore Pranoti Hiremath was awarded a 2009 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, established to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in math, the natural sciences and engineering.
April 23, 2009 | UW News
Indus Script Encodes Language, Reveals New Study of Ancient Symbols
Symbols from the Indus civilization have never been deciphered, prompting doubts that they code for language. In a new paper in Science, a computer scientist used mathematics and machine learning to show the symbols' pattern matches that of other languages. Also see articles in Wired, The Guardian and New Scientist.
April 16, 2009 | UW News
Slowing Brain Cancer with Nanoparticles and Scorpion Venom
By combining nanoparticles with a scorpion venom compound already being investigated for treating brain cancer, University of Washington researchers found they could cut the spread of cancerous cells by 98 percent, compared to 45 percent for the scorpion venom alone.
April 14, 2009 | UW News
Cloud Computing for Ocean and Space Research
UW is helping bring scientific research into the era of "cloud computing," massive clusters of computers connected through the Internet. Recent National Science Foundation grants to UW will fund projects examining ocean climate simulations and analyzing astronomical images.
April 9, 2009 | UW Week
CSE Student Places 6th in Putnam Math Competition
William Johnson, a sophomore in Computer Science & Engineering, placed sixth among about 3,700 competitors in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. Johnson had the highest score for a student at a public institution. The UW team placed placed 15th among 405 schools.
April 9, 2009 | UW Week
Student Teams Win Cash for Finding Solutions to Real-world Environmental Problems
What do you get when you combine engineers, entrepreneurs and environmental experts? A host of innovative, clean-tech solutions to real-world environmental problems and the business plans to back them up. Team HydroSense placed first and won $10,000 in the inaugural UW Environmental Innovation Challenge. Also see articles in Xconomy and Puget Sound Business Journal's TechFlash blog.
April 6, 2009 | UW News
Digital Album Puts Focus on Kids' Health
Julie Kientz has built a high-tech tool that takes photos and video, creates an online diary and family newsletters, and at the same time tracks a child's developmental milestones. The multimedia system is called Baby Steps.
April 2, 2009 | UW Week
Ratner Honored for Work on Biomaterials
Buddy Ratner, a UW professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering, was recently selected as the 2009 recipient of the Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal. The award recognizes excellence and leadership in biomaterials research and practical applications.
March 31, 2009 | UW Week
3-D Printing Hits Rock-bottom Prices with Homemade Ceramics Mix
This story is, literally, stone age meets digital age: University of Washington researchers are combining the ancient art of ceramics and the new technology of 3-D printing. Along the way, they are making 3-D printing dramatically cheaper. See doctoral student Meghan Trainor's video demonstrating the process.
March 5, 2009 | UW Week
Two New UW TechTransfer Programs Bring Local Entrepreneurs to Campus
UW TechTransfer is offering two new services to support researchers who want to start companies, or have other people start companies using their technologies: Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and LaunchPad Entrepreneur Advisers.
February 27, 2009 | UW Week
Art Under the Microscope: Bioengineering Lab Images on Exhibit at Harborview
Stunning images from the research of Albert Folch, an associate professor of bioengineering, are on display at Harborview Medical Center cafeteria through April 3. This is the first time the Harborview Art Program will feature scientific research.
February 19, 2009 | UW Week
James Lee Named Sloan Research Fellow
James Lee, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering, is among 118 early career scientists, mathematicians, and economists to be chosen as Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows. Lee studies the mathematical structures underlying difficult computational problems. Also honored from UW is Subhadeep Gupta in physics.
February 19, 2009 | UW Week
UW is One of Six 'Suns' in Map of Tech Industry's 'Solar System'
A new map depicts the "solar system" of the Puget Sound technology industry as it developed over the past 30 years. The UW is one of six "suns" on the map, representing the foundation of the local tech industry.
February 19, 2009 | UW Week
New Biologics Center to Advance Personalized Drug Delivery
UW bioengineering professor Patrick Stayton will lead the new Center for Intracellular Delivery of Biologics, an interdisciplinary effort that could "open up a new universe of intracellular treatment targets."
February 11, 2009 | UW News
New State Climate Report Indicates Coming Decades Will Be Challenging
Dennis Lettenmaier, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering, is a co-principal investigator on the most detailed report ever on how climate change could affect Washington State.
February 10, 2009 | U.S. News & World Report blog
UW a Top 25 Institution in Web Presence
The Cybermetrics Lab has released its January 2009 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, placing UW 12th out of more than 16,000 higher education institutions worldwide.
February 9, 2009 | UW News
University of Washington researchers have helped develop a new kind of microscope to visualize cells in three dimensions, an advance that could bring great progress in the field of early cancer detection.
February 9, 2009 | UW News
Three of UW Engineering's Own Elected to National Academy of Engineering
The honorees are:
- Matthew O'Donnell, Dean of the UW College of Engineering, for "contributions to biomedical ultrasonics and real-time ultrasound imaging technologies"
- David Auth, Affiliate Professor of Bioengineering, for "the invention and application of minimally invasive devices for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding and coronary artery obstructions"
- Jeff Dean, a 1996 UW Computer Science & Engineering Ph.D. alumnus, for "contributions to the science and engineering of large-scale distributed computer systems"
February 5, 2009 | UW Week
UW TechTransfer Secures Two Highly Experienced IP Professionals to Join Unit
UW TechTransfer has hired Todd Alberstone as director of intellectual property management and Ed Cummings as a licensing officer focused on computing technologies. Both have experience in the local high-tech industry.
February 5, 2009 | UW Week
Bus Left You Waiting in the Cold? Use Your Cell Phone to Track It Down
Brian Ferris, a doctoral student in computer science and engineering, created OneBusAway, a free service that lets bus riders use phones, computers or iPhones to get real-time updates on bus arrivals.
January 29, 2009 | UW News
Technical Communication Adopts New Name: Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering
The 20-year-old department of Technical Communication now has a new name that better reflects both departmental research and academic programs.
January 20, 2009 | UW News
Dehydrated, Wallet-sized Malaria Tests Promise Better Diagnoses in Developing World
UW researchers have developed a prototype malaria test printed on a disposable Mylar card that could easily slip into your wallet and still work when you took it out, even months later. The test is part of an effort dubbed DxBox led by UW bioengineering professor Paul Yager.
January 15, 2009 | University Week
A joint product of the UW's medical and engineering schools was named a "top technology of 2008" by the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. Known first as the "Red Dragon" and now EDGE, the device uses mathematical algorithms to objectively assess surgical skills.