UW Engineering News

Engineered biomaterial could improve success of medical implants

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Expensive, state-of-the-art medical devices and surgeries often are thwarted by the body’s natural response to attack something in the tissue that appears foreign. Now, University of Washington engineers have demonstrated in mice a way to prevent this sort of response. Their findings were published online this week in the journal Nature Biotechnology. BioE and ChemE professor Buddy Ratner and Shaoyi Jiang, professor in ChemE, are co-authors.

Greenroads Selected as a White House Champion of Change

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Greenroads, a nonprofit that grew out of research at the UW Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, has been chosen as a White House Champion of Change for Transportation Technology Solutions. The honor recognizes Greenroad's unique ratings system designed to certify sustainable roadway and transportation projects.

New 'academic redshirt' program to support undergraduate STEM education

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The University of Washington in collaboration with Washington State University is developing an "academic redshirt" program that will bring dozens of low-income Washington state high school graduates to the two universities to study engineering in a five-year bachelor's program.

New device can extract human DNA with full genetic data in minutes

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Mechanical Engineering associate professor Jae-Hyun Chang and NanoFacture, a Bellevue Wash. company, have created a device that can extract human DNA from fluid samples in a simpler, more efficient and environmentally friendly way than conventional methods. The hand-held device can clean four separate human fluid samples at once, but the technology can be scaled up to prepare 96 samples at a time, which is standard for large-scale handling.

National Academy of Sciences selects Mary Lidstrom, David Kaplan

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Mary Lidstrom, a UW professor of chemical engineering and microbiology and vice provost for research, is among the 84 new members announced by National Academy of Sciences. Lidstrom's research focuses on developing environmentally friendly and economically viable alternatives to chemical fuels. Also elected was UW physics professor David Kaplan.

Susan Eggers elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

UW professor emeritus of computer science and engineering Susan Eggers has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as a member of the Class of 2013. Eggers is co-inventor of a computer processing technology that makes more efficient use of a chip's computing power. The technology changed industry standards and was adopted by Intel, IBM and others.

Grocery delivery service is greener than driving to the store

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Anne Goodchild, associate professor in CEE has found that using a grocery delivery service can cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least half when compared with individual household trips to the store. The research was funded by the Oregon DOT and published in the Journal of the Transportation Research Forum.

Robots, solar-powered cars at Engineering Discovery Days, April 26-27

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Engineering Discovery Days is Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 on the University of Washington Seattle campus. Explore engineering through demonstrations and interactive displays, presentations for high school students, a scavenger hunt and more. From old favorites including the glowing pickle and homemade silly putty, to new exhibits like wool dying and game demonstrations from the Center for Game Science, the event is an engineering smorgasbord.

Professor of computer science and engineering remembered through UW scholarship fund

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Computer science & engineering professor David Notkin passed away on April 22, 2013. At UW since 1984, David served as department chair of CSE from 2001 to 2006 and was recently associate dean of research and graduate studies in the College of Engineering. Earlier this year, the David Notkin Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Computer Science & Engineering was established at the UW in his honor. David will be remembered as a gifted mentor and world leader in software engineering.

High glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in connective tissues

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

ME Professor Jiangyu Li and researchers at Boston University have discovered that high glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in the body's connective tissues. "This could be associated with aging and diabetes, which I think gives more importance to the phenomenon," said Li.
Read more: Physical Review Letters

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

UW researchers have found a way to thicken soap products like shampoo and dishwashing detergent using a microfluidic device instead of by adding surfactants. Amy Shen, a UW associate professor of mechanical engineering, is the lead author of a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She notes the technique's money-saving potential. See also: paper abstract

Rocket powered by nuclear fusion could send humans to Mars

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

UW researchers and scientists at a Redmond-based space-propulsion company are building components of a fusion-powered rocket aimed to clear many of the hurdles that block deep space travel. The project is funded by NASA and led by John Slough, a UW research associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics. See also: NBC News and many articles In the Media

Gene therapy may aid failing hearts

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Interdisciplinary research between UW bioengineers and researches at UW Medicine suggests safe and effective gene therapy to treat patients whose hearts have been weakened by heart attacks and other heart conditions. Michael Regnier, UW professor and vice chair of bioengineering, and Charles Murry, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Biology, led the study that showed a sustained improvement in heart muscle function. See also: PNAS article

Tenfold boost in ability to pinpoint proteins in cancer cells

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A team of UW bioengineers has developed a new method for color-coding cells that allows them to illuminate 100 biomarkers, a ten-time increase from the current research standard, to help analyze individual cells from cultures or tissue biopsies. "Discovering this process is an unprecedented breakthrough for the field," said corresponding author Xiaohu Gao, associate professor in BioE. See also: Nature Communications article

Vest Scholarships Program Announced; UW One of Eight Participating U.S. Universities

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

In 2010, UW Engineering partnered with the National Academy of Engineering to host the Seattle Grand Challenges Summit, with a focus on Engineering Better Medicines and Engineering the Tools of Scientific Discovery. Today we announce our participation in the Vest Scholarship Program to advance graduate-level research and collaboration addressing the Grand Challenges.

Michael B. Bragg selected as dean of UW College of Engineering

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Michael B. Bragg, professor and interim dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as dean of the University of Washington College of Engineering, effective July 15, 2013. Bragg is a renowned expert in aerospace engineering, a champion of diversity, and has received university-level recognition for his teaching and advising. See also: Seattle Times

Rehabilitation through re-wiring

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The future of rehabilitation therapy for victims of stroke or spinal-cord injury may lie in a small computer chip -- called a neurochip -- being developed by the Washington National Primate Research Center and Brian Otis, a UW associate professor of electrical engineering.

UW EE and Agilent Technologies collaborate on new high-tech RF and microwave teaching laboratory

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Agilent Technologies Inc. and the University of Washington will work together to create a new RF and microwave teaching laboratory and curriculum using the industry's latest test equipment. The lab will help students gain important hands-on test and design experience. See also: Agilent press release

James Carothers Receives 2013 Sloan Fellowship

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

James Carothers, an assistant professor in chemical engineering, is one of three UW faculty to receive a 2013 Sloan Fellowship. Carothers' research focuses on developing design platforms for engineering functionally-complex RNA-based control systems. These systems process cellular information and program the expression of large numbers of genes, enabling increased understanding of fundamental biological processes and applications to meet the demands for renewable chemicals and new therapies.

Shobe prize winners announced

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A Go Go Games Studios video game for children with autism and Feedback Sandwich, a "non-awkward way to ask for constructive feedback," are this year's winners of the Shobe Prize, established by Matt Shobe (MS HCDE 1996).