December 14, 2012
Two UW Engineering Diamond Awards for ME
Congratulations to Professor Emeritus Albert Kobayashi for winning the Distinguished Achievement in Academia award,
a much-deserved recognition of Albert's work in fracture mechanics and his long service to students and the university.
And we're proud of Paul Anderson, who got his BS degree from us in 1967 and will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Industry award
for his outstanding achievements as a business leader in the area of energy and natural resources extraction. Please plan to join us at the
celebration and dinner on May 31.
December 2, 2012 | The Seattle Times
Engineering students turning 2013 Malibu into fuel-saving dual-motor hybrid
Several dozen UW engineering students will have helped transform a Chevy Malibu into an electric-biodiesel hybrid that will run on two motors — one for the front wheels, one for the back. The car will use battery power for the first 45 miles, then switch to a biodiesel engine. ME student Brendan Boyer says the real-world aspect of the project is especially interesting: "I'm actually modeling a real part that has to survive a crash, that has to meet federal safety standards," he said.
November, 2012
James Riley Chairs the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics
The Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society is the preeminent technical society in fluid mechanics. Congratulations to Prof. Riley, PACCAR Professor of Engineering at the UW, who now serves as the division chair.
Riley also holds editorial positions for the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, and Applied Mechanical Reviews.
November 9, 2012
Ron Ho (BSME '86, MSME '89) is CEO and president of U-Systems, whose somo•v® ABUS product, paired with mammogram, helps find about 30% more cancers in women who have a normal mammogram. GE Healthcare just bought U-Systems. Says Ho, "... we have the opportunity to make a significant impact on breast cancer detection and patient outcomes around the world. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to develop new technologies, products and applications for breast cancer screening." Congratulations to Ron Ho and company! Ho was the 2012 ME graduation speaker.
October 20, 2012
WOOF Wins 3D4D Challenge and $100K Prize
In a competition to use 3D printing to deliver real social benefits in the developing world, the UW fabricating team housed in ME, WOOF, has won the top prize for their proposal and presentation. The team plans to work with US based NGO, Water for Humans (WFH), to address local issues in water and sanitation in Oaxaca, Mexico. Bethany Weeks, Matt Rogge, and Brandon Bowman accepted the prize at the competition finals in London.
See also: UW Today | Seattle Times
September 17, 2012
3-D Printers Spread From Engineering Departments to Designs Across Disciplines
Experimental art, a biological scaffold for tissue regeneration, and cookies are among the uses of 3-D printing at Mechanical Engineering's Solheim Lab. A Chronicle of Higher Education article on the future and proliferation of 3-D printing highlights UW ME students and faculty and touches on patent disputes that limit access to and use of 3-D printers.
August 1, 2012
Prof. James Riley Elected to state Academy of Sciences
James Riley will be inducted into the Washington State Academy of Sciences on Sept. 20 at the Museum of Flight. Riley, a professor in mechanical engineering, and adjunct professor in applied mathematics, is one of 36 new members—26 of whom are from the University of Washington. The state Academy of Sciences provides expert analysis to public policymakers and works to increase the role and visibility of science in the state.
Congratulations to Prof. Riley, who joins a select group of people. We are all very proud of you and your achievements!
July 16, 2012
ME and the Discovery of the Higgs Boson to Explain Mass
As scientists celebrate the detection of the Higgs boson, an elusive subatomic particle whose existence is a major step in understanding the origins of the universe, ME Professor Emeritus Colin Daly noted that our own faculty, staff, and students played important roles in the discovery.
In 1990, Prof. Daly collaborated with Henry Lubatti (UW physics) on the design of a muon detector, attracting international attention. The ME team went on to design and construct portions of the ATLAS detector at CERN. A small factory, run by then ME undergrad William Kuykendall (now the ME staff engineer) created over 30,000 30mm diameter aluminum detector tubes for the ATLAS detector. Now, in 2012, after performing as designed for years and collecting a vast amount of data, the ATLAS detector has lead to the most important discovery in particle physics in this century.
Read more: Colin Daly article | CERN | UW Today
June 26, 2012
FSAE Team Wins Design Competition, 4th Overall at Lincoln
The Formula SAE team designed a beautiful car this year, taking 1st place in design, 4th overall at the regional competition in Lincoln Nebraska. Next month they travel to Germany for the international design competition.
June 2012
Applause! Vipin Kumar Receives Entrepreneurial, Patent Honors
Associate professor Vipin Kumar has been named a UW Presidential Entrepreneurial Faculty Fellow Prof. Kumar was selected from a distinguished group based upon his commercialization experience, and his ability and motivation to share knowledge with other UW personnel. We are excited to have Prof. Kumar recognized for his research and successful commercialization activities.
In the same month, Kumar received the ASME Edison Patent Award for his breakthrough work with polymeric foams.
Specifically, the ASME cited Kumar's "invention that has enabled a breakthrough for the manufacturing of solid-state polymeric foams, which led to the creation of a new business with a wide range of applications, from sustainable, recyclable food packaging materials to novel, high energy-efficient construction materials."
More info: ASME Edison Patent Award | Entrepreneurial fellowship.
May 2012 | UW College of Engineering
Alumnus Dick Sandaas Honored at Diamond Awards
The UW College of Engineering honored ME alumnus Richard "Dick" Sandaas, '60, with a 2012 Diamond Award. Sandaas was cited for leading the development and implementation of the curbside wheelchair lifts developed in Seattle and seen on public transportation nationwide and for advancing program management techniques for major wastewater and transit infrastructure projects.
Sandaas biography| Diamond Award video profile
May 3, 2012 | The Trend in Engineering
UW Engineering's Trend alumni newsletter quotes Associate Professor Jiangyu Li on the implications of discovering ferroelectricity in mammalian tissues. "We can imagine if we could manipulate the polarity of the artery wall..., then we might, for example, better understand the deposition of cholesterol which leads to the thickening and hardening of the artery wall."
Read also: BBC Future's Body Shock: The electricity inside your body, UW Today and Physical Review Letters
April, 2012 | College of Engineering
Five ME Student Teams Win Funds in Capstone Design Awards
Congratulations to the five ME capstone project teams that were awarded funds to move their projects from design to reality: Eco Car (student lead Trevor Fayer, adviser Brian Fabien), Helical Turbine-Tidal Micropower Generation System (student lead Ryan Knott, adviser Brian Polagye), UW Formula SAE (student lead Cheuk-Hung Ng, adviser Ashley Emery), Microgravity Team (student lead Cameron Turner, adviser James Riley), and Non-invasive Urinary Removal Device Project (student lead Tyler Wickstrom, adviser Randall Ching).
April 26, 2012 | UW Today
Cells in Blood Vessel Found to Cling More Tightly in Regions of Rapid Flow
"Our results indicate that these cells can sense the kind of flow that they're in, and structurally change how they hold themselves together," says Assistant Professor Nathan Sniadecki. The finding could influence how doctors design drugs to treat high cholesterol, or how cardiac surgeons plan their procedures. Sniadecki is lead author on the paper now available online in the American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
April 26, 2012 | UW Today
BBC Future Writes up Ferroelectricity Finding
Associate Professor Jiangyu Li and doctoral candidate Yuanming Liu are collaborators on the surprising discovery of ferroelectricity in mammalian tissue. The BBC Future story lays out the possibly major implications to the future of health care. Read also: UW Today and Physical Review Letters
February 9, 2012 | The New York Times
Trevor Fayer on the Value of EcoCAR2 Experience, Plans for Car
ME grad student Trevor Fayer speaks about the invaluable experience he has gained as co-leader of the UW EcoCAR2 team and describes how the team will design a hybrid car with two drivetrain systems: a diesel engine to drive the front axle and an electric motor mounted at the rear. "You can use these two in parallel together, or one at a time, for fuel economy," Fayer is quoted.
February 9, 2012 | GeekWire
High-resolution Scanning Fiber Endoscope: Article and Video
ME research scientist Richard Johnston's scanning fiber endoscope, a 1.2 millimeter device that uses lasers and an optical fiber to create a detailed image inside the esophagus and even in the narrow bile duct, was one of the new technologies featured at the open house for the UW's new startup incubator space in Fluke Hall. Watch the video of Johnston demonstrating the technology.
January 30, 2012 | UW Today
Ferroelectric Switching Discovered for First Time in Soft Biological Tissue
Associate Professor Jiangyu Li is the lead author on an upcoming article in the journal Physical Review Letters. The article announces the discovery of ferroelectricity in a mammalian aorta. While much more research needs to be done, Li says, "We can imagine if we could manipulate the polarity of the artery wall... then we might, for example, better understand the deposition of cholesterol which leads to the thickening and hardening of the artery wall."
January 24, 2012
EcoCAR2 Team Featured in Biodiesel Magazine
The UW EcoCAR2 team is covered in an article in Biodiesel Magazine, with a good description of the design, development and presentation tasks that lie ahead. Team co-leader Tyler Crain was quoted saying, "We have to bring the car pretty much up to the level of a consumer vehicle. At the end of the competition, we take it to a proving grounds track owned by GM."