ITems | August 2003

Top stories

U team places second in American Solar Challenge

The University's solar-powered car, Borealis II, placed second overall in the 2003 American Solar Challenge (ASC). Twenty teams from universities across the United States and Canada competed in the biennial race, which began Sunday, July 13, in Chicago and ended July 23 in Claremont, California.

Borealis II completed the 2,233.63-mile course along old Route 66 in 56 hours, 36 minutes and 31 seconds, with an average speed of 39.6 miles. The University of Missouri-Rolla’s car, Solar Miner IV, took first place finishing the course in 51 hours, 47 minutes and 39 seconds. Solar Miner IV traveled at an average speed of 43.3 miles per hour. The car with the fastest cumulative time wins the competition.

The University's Solar Vehicle Project fielded a team of 18 students plus its faculty advisor, mechanical engineering professor Patrick Starr. Borealis II is the project’s sixth vehicle. Borealis, its predecessor, finished sixth in the American Solar Challenge in 2001. Find out more...

MINOS experiment launches first of two detectors

Scientists of the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) collaboration at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory began the official start-up of data collection with the 6,000-ton “far” detector August 14. In a search for a definitive answer about the mass of subatomic particles called neutrinos, Fermilab scientists will send a beam of neutrinos underground to the MINOS detector, located deep in the University's detection facility in Soudan Underground Mine State Park in northern Minnesota.

After four years of mining and construction, workers finished building the first of two detectors for the MINOS particle physics experiment in July, far ahead of its scheduled completion in April 2004. The assembly of a smaller “near” detector is expected in August 2004. Find out more...

U athletes swim for science

Members of the University men's and women's swim teams tested centuries-old theories on fluid mechanics August 18 in a unique experiment funded by chemical engineering and materials science professor Ed Cussler. A former competitive swimmer, Cussler has long wondered which factor has a greater effect on swimming speed: the propulsive force of the arms or drag created by the body. To answer the question, he enlisted the help of senior chemical engineering senior Brian Gettelfinger, a varsity swimmer, and other volunteers. The athletes swam the length of a 25-yard pool that was filled with a mixture of chlorinated water and guar, a bean extract used to thicken products like ice cream and shampoo. After resting, the athletes then swam the same distance in a water-filled pool. Find out more...

Powerwall featured at the State Fair

The Powerwall — a 6-foot by 8-foot high-resolution display system developed by IT researchers in the Laboratory for Computational Science and Engineering—will be among the featured exhibits in the Wonders of Technology building at the 2003 Minnesota State Fair. The Power Wall could be a model for the digital movie theater of the future, since its display of 3200 x 2400 pixels has nearly the resolution of 35 mm movie film. U researchers use it to animate supercomputer simulations of complex processes. The Powerwall exhibit is sponsored by Unisys and will run throughout the duration of the fair, August 21-September 1.

U received more than half billion in research grants last year

The University attracted $512 billion in research grants during the past fiscal year. Despite budget cuts and a weak economy, the amount was down only slightly from the previous year, according to David Hamilton, interim vice president for research. Find out more...

Honors

Rhonda Drayton, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been selected as a recipient of a 3M Nontenured Faculty Award. The $15,000 unrestricted award supports excellence in research by new faculty members in physical and/or biological sciences.

Joseph Konstan, associate professor of computer science and engineering, has been elected to a two-year term as chair of the Association for Computing Machinery SIGCHI, the 5,000-member international society in the field of human-computer interaction.

In memoriam

Retired astronomy professor Karlis Kaufmanis, who delighted thousands with his holiday season “Star of Bethlehem” lecture, died June 21 in Florida, where he had lived for several years. Born February 21, 1910, in Riga, Latvia, Kaufmanis was educated at the State Teachers Institute, Latvia, and the University of Latvia. After holding positions at the University of Latvia (1936-40), French Lyceum (1940-44) and Essingler Gymnasium, Germany (1945-48), he moved to Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter as an associate professor in 1949. He joined the University as a visiting lecturer in 1961 and became an associate professor in 1963. He held the rank of full professor from 1970 until his retirement in 1978. Kaufmanis taught the introductory astronomy course to more than 26,000 students during his years at the University. Read more....

Tibor Zoltai, retired professor of geology, died July 13 in St. Paul. He was 77. Born in Hungary, Zoltai was a refugee from his war-torn homeland when he emigrated to Canada as an agricultural laborer more than 50 years ago. He received a doctorate in mineralogy and crystallography in 1959 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the University's geology faculty in 1959, specializing in the study of the crystal structure of minerals. He retired in 1991. Read more...