ITems | December 2007

IT launches campaign to raise funds for Lind Hall renovation

The Institute of Technology recently launched a fundraising campaign to fund a renovation of the first floor of Lind Hall to become the academic home for the college’s undergraduate students.

Known for many years as the Main Engineering Building, the building was originally built in 1912 and renamed Lind Hall in 1975. Renovation plans would enable IT Student Services staff with similar job functions to be grouped together creating an environment where they can share best practices and meet the increasing needs of future students. The Lind Hall renovation has strategically been planned in tandem with a reorganization of the Student Services staffing structure, which will provide more seamless support to students in the areas of academic advising, tutoring, international study, diversity and outreach programming, and career services.

In addition, the newly renovated Lind Hall will serve as a central gathering location for alumni, faculty, and students. It will also create one convenient location on campus where industry partners can interact with Institute of Technology administrative leaders and students.

Total projected renovation costs are expected to be about $7 million. The estimate includes important infrastructure improvements such as upgrading the building to meet fire codes, accessibility requirements, asbestos abatement, and historical preservation. The funds needed for the renovation will come entirely from private donations as there is no state money for this project. Read more>>

Video produced by IT mathematicians surpasses
1 million mark on YouTube

A video produced by University professor Doug Arnold and assistant professor Jonathan Rogness entitled “Möbius Transformations Revealed,” which takes the viewer on a visual journey through the land of 3-D geometry, has surpassed the million-hit mark on YouTube. Set to the soothing classical music strains of Robert Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood," the video shows the beauty of math by shining a spotlight on a group of mathematical operations called Möbius transformations. The video also received an honorable mention award in the 2007 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge sponsored jointly by Science and the National Science Foundation. Read more>>

Save the date: Engineers Without Borders-USA founding president to speak at U

Bernard Amadei, the founding president of Engineers Without Borders-USA, is the featured speaker at the next Institute of Technology Public Lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, 2008, in the Van Vleck Auditorium, Tate Laboratory of Physics, 166 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis. In his presentation Amadei will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with practicing engineering in developing nations. He will also explore the education of engineers through organizations such as EWB-USA, and the importance of integrating engineering with non-engineering disciplines when addressing the needs of developing communities. Read more>>

IT celebrates record year of giving

In the most recent fiscal year, more than 5,800 alumni, friends, corporate, and foundation donors gave a record amount totaling more than $27 million in gifts and pledges to the Institute of Technology. This was an increase of nearly 250 percent in private support compared with the previous year.

Of the total received, a $4 million gift was secured for the new Gemini Chair in Management of Technology, a $10 million gift will support graduate fellowships, and eight new endowed undergraduate scholarships and 10 new graduate student fellowships will be established. Additionally, Campaign FIRST, the fundraising campaign for fellowships in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (CEMS) reached $13 million toward its goal of $20 million. Read more>>

Watch for next issue of Inventing Tomorrow

Alumni who give life to medical device innovations and the 2007 Donor Report are showcased in the next issue of Inventing Tomorrow, the Institute of Technology’s magazine for IT alumni and friends. The magazine is scheduled to be mailed in mid-December. Other features in the Fall/Winter 2007–08 issue include a story about engineering students who are working with high school students and local companies to build a wind turbine in Nicaragua, faculty and students who provide critical resources for businesses, and a retrospective of the 40 years of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. To update your mailing address or to order a free subscription to Inventing Tomorrow, e-mail itmag@umn.edu. The online edition will also be available soon at www.it.umn.edu/inventing.

Honors

Professor Steve Campbell (electrical and computer engineering) has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for contributions to deeply scaled CMOS devices.

Professor Vladimir Cherkassky (electrical and computer engineering) has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for contributions to and leadership in statistical learning and neural networks.

Professor Joseph Konstan (computer science and engineering) was nominated as Vice President of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) group.

Professor Chris Macosko (chemical engineering and materials science) has been nominated as Fellow in the American Physical Society for pioneering work on the rheology, compatibilization, processing, and properties of polymer blends.

Assistant professor Katsumi Matsumoto (geology and geophysics) was the only Minnesotan contributing author to the most recent IPCC Report on climate change. IPCC was recently named co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

Professor Ned Mohan (electrical and computer engineering) gave the keynote address at MIPSYCON, the premier power systems conference in the upper midwest. Download a copy of his presentation.

Associate professor David Odde (biomedical engineering) has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

Professor Anand Tripathi (computer science and engineering) has been elected Fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to distributed system software architectures and programming frameworks.

Media Watch

Apple and Microsoft: the Platform War

Associate professor Loren Terveen (computer science and engineering) said Mac users are the minority in computer science programs, where he guesses only 20 percent of students opt to use Apple computers. Oct. 29: Minnesota Daily

Students snag NASA internships

Aerospace engineering senior Mark Stole, along with 10 other University students, spent last summer working for NASA through an internship program. Oct. 30: Minnesota Daily

Pacemaker, created in Minnesota, marks 50th birthday

Institute of Technology alumnus and Medtronic founder Earl Bakken invented the first battery operated pacemaker 50 years ago with help from University of Minnesota doctors. Oct. 31: Star Tribune

Celebrating Africa’s Emeagwali

African researcher Philip Emeagwali was featured for his work at the University of Minnesota's former Army High Performance Computing Research Center, where he conducted research on next-generation supercomputers that will enable scientists and engineers to solve important problems in diverse scientific fields. Oct. 31: African Echo

University patent process

Assistant professor Tian He (computer science and engineering) discussed the process University professors must follow to patent their work. He is currently working to patent technology he used to develop a sensor node, which detects heat and movement in an area and relays the information to a computer. Oct. 31: Minnesota Daily

Earthquake resistant concrete is researched at the U of M

Professor Carol Shield's (civil engineering) research on fiber-reinforced concrete with an increased ability to withstand an earthquake were featured in this article. ASCE Civil Engineering, Nov. 2007

Experts look to timber as next generation energy source

Professor Shri Ramaswamy (bioproducts and biosystems engineering) predicts scientists will discover a cost-effective way to make ethanol from other plants within five to 10 years. Nov. 1: Minnesota Public Radio

University to build $46 million research laboratory near the Ash River

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $45.6 million to the University's School of Physics and Astronomy to build an international physics laboratory near the Ash River, about 40 miles southeast of International Falls, Minn. Nov. 1: Duluth News Tribune; News Release; Nov. 2: Timberjay News; Woodbury Bulletin; Nov. 5 University of Minnesota Moment; University video; Nov. 16: Minnesota Daily

U students launch balloon to new heights

University students participating in the Minnesota Space Grant Balloon Project launched a weather balloon the size of a car. Assistant professor James Flaten (aerospace engineering and mechanics), associate director of the Minnesota Space Grant, recently restarted a ballooning program. Nov. 2: News Release; Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics; Nov. 5: Minnesota Daily; Nov. 20: The Daily News Record–Harrisonburg

U of M researchers reveal new findings about Wikipedia authorship and vandalism

Professor John Riedl (computer science and engineering), associate professor Loren Terveen (computer science and engineering), and computer science graduate student and researcher Reid Priedhorsky have released research which shows a mere one-tenth of one percent of Wikipedia editors account for about half of what they call the "content value" of the online encyclopedia. Nov. 5: News Release; WCCO Radio; Nov. 6: KMSP-TV; Nov. 8: National Public Radio; Nov. 12: Shakopee Valley News; Minnesota Moment; Nov. 13: Minnesota Daily

University employs 300 GPS clocks

Professor Shashi Shekhar (computer science and engineering) explained a new system which changes University clocks for daylight savings time using the Global Positioning System (GPS). He said one quarter of the University clocks are now changed automatically using GPS, for an annual savings of $18,000. Nov. 5: Minnesota Daily

U Professor works on mind-controlled technology

Professor Bin He (biomedical engineering) has created a device that detects the weak signals emitted by the brain and uses them to create a control signal for external devices. Nov. 7: Minnesota Daily

Super Scientific Circus uses different approach to teach Texas school kids

A national educational touring group called the Super Scientific Circus got the idea for their show from the University of Minnesota's Physics Circus. Nov. 13: The Beaumont Enterprise

Professor, student work to bury CO2

Adjunct faculty Anthony Runkel (geology and geophysics), chief geologist for the Minnesota Geologic Survey, said he has been casually looking at the midcontinent rift in Minnesota as a possible sequestration site for CO2 disposal. Nov. 15: Minnesota Daily

SGI Packs More Power In Altix XE Clusters Supercomputing 2007

The Institute of Technology's Minnesota Supercomputing Institute has a new supercomputer called the SGI Altix XE 1300 that is being used for research in physical, biological, medical, mathematical and computing sciences, in addition to engineering studies and academic-industry collaboration. Nov. 16: CNN Money

Netflix Algorithm recommends movies

Professor John Riedl (computer science and engineering) commented on NPR about a Netflix algorithm that recommends movies to users. Nov. 19: National Public Radio

Evidence suggests metal fatigue is not to blame for I-35W disaster

Assistant professor Taichiro Okazaki (civil engineering) was quoted in a story about the cause of the I-35W bridge collapse. Nov. 21: Pioneer Press

U of M bio-fuel research looks to the future

Professor Dave Kittelson (mechanical engineering) is one of several University researchers who are conducting bio-fuel research from the field to the gas tank. Nov. 28: Video News Release; News Release

Alumnus invents new form of transport: the iShoe

Boris Kaganovich, an aerospace engineering student, and his brother Ilya, designed a product, the iShoe, that is a lightweight alternative to biking or in-line skating that can also be used indoors. Nov. 28: Minnesota Daily

U of M math video is a Web hit

A video on YouTube created by U of M mathematicians just surpassed the 1 million hit mark. Nov. 28: MinnPost; Nov. 29: Minnesota Public Radio

Algae fuel developed at the U of M

Researchers at the University of Minnesota are using algae to create a fuel that can power a vehicle. Nov. 30: KSTP-TV

There's Oil in That Slime

The 16 big flasks of bubbling bright green liquids in a lab at the University of Minnesota are part of a new boom in renewable energy research. Nov. 30: Associated Press; Dec. 1: The New York Times; Dec. 4: International Herald Tribune

The Great Nothing may be something

Earlier this year astronomers from the University of Minnesota discovered a massive void of space that measured nearly a billion light years across. Dec. 3: Canada Free Press

Events

Annual Concrete Conference

Dec. 6: Conference presenters include practicing engineers, engineering faculty, and consultants who will offer information on current technology and practice. Topics will include performance, durability, restoration, repair, innovation, and . Register at Annual Concrete Conference or contact Kay Syme at 612-624-4938. 7:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Continuing Education and Conference Center.

The Essential Role of Biomedical and Health Informatics

Dec. 11: Academic Health Center: "Minnesota Leads the Way" will be presented by Don Detmer, president and chief executive officer, American Medical Informatics Association. The University is embarking on a major bioinformatics investment over the next few years to create an interdisciplinary, comprehensive, academic home for bioinformatics research. 4 p.m. lecture; 5 p.m. reception, Mayo Auditorium.

Café Scientifique: Tough Ceramics at the Seashore

Dec. 11: Professor Roberto Ballarini (civil engineering) will discuss science, seashells, and the potential of bio-inspired design. The natural strength of materials found in seashells may be the key to improving the design of bridges and other human structures. Free admission. Visit Café Scientifique. 6 p.m; Kitty Cat Klub, Dinkytown, Minneapolis.

MPGI's Fall Colloquia Series: Biofuels and Bioenergy

Dec. 12: Michael Tsapatsis will discuss "Molecular Sieve Catalysts, Adsorbents and Films for the Production of Fuels and Chemicals," and Peter Lefebvre will discuss "Hydrogen Production by the Unicellular Green Algae Chlamydomonas." For a complete list of speakers and topics, visit IREE. Noon–1 p.m.; 105 Cargill Building for Microbial and Plant Genomics.

Looking Ahead

Institute of Technology Public Lecture–Bernard Amadei

Mar. 4, 2008: Bernard Amadei, the founding president of Engineers Without Borders-USA will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with practicing engineering in developing nations. Visit the Web site. 7 p.m.; Van Vleck Auditorium, Tate Laboratory of Physics.

Biomass '08 Conference and Trade Show

April 15–17, 2008: The first International Biomass Conference & Trade Show aims to facilitate the advancement of near-term and commercial-scale manufacturing of biomass-based power, fuels, and chemicals. Register online. Minneapolis Convention Center.