ITems | February 2009

Register now for Science & Technology Banquet

Registration is now open for the Institute of Technology’s 2009 Science & Technology Banquet on Thursday, March 26 at the Hilton Minneapolis. The evening begins with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7:30 p.m. The Science & Technology Banquet is the Institute of Technology’s premier scholarship fundraiser and networking event.

The keynote speaker is Cynthia Lesher, retired president and CEO of Northern States Power Company-Minnesota, an Xcel Energy Company. Lesher will present “Energy—It’s Everyone’s Business,” a presentation about how energy issues affect the future of our nation, including supplying a qualified workforce to develop renewable energy sources and developing energy self-reliance. Read more and register>>

Governor’s budget calls for $151 million in cuts for the U

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed budget for the 2010-11 biennium includes a cut of $151 million to the University of Minnesota.

“Dealing with our state budget shortfall will require strong leadership and all of us being part of the solution,” said University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks. “The University of Minnesota has been working aggressively to reduce costs, scale back investments and take other actions to help resolve this shortfall.” Just since May 2008, the University has dealt with $37.4 million in state budget cuts.

Alumni, faculty, and staff can let state leaders know they are counting on them to keep the U strong and accessible for current and future generations of students by signing up for the Legislative Network or attending Support the U Day on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the State Capitol. Read more>>

'Beyond Fossil Fools' lecture now online

The Institute of Technology’s Feb. 4 public lecture “Beyond Fossil Fools: The Roadmap to Energy Independence” is now online. The relevant and revealing lecture featured chemical engineering alumnus and Minnesota businessman Joe Shuster, the author of Beyond Fossil Fools. Shuster’s clear and quantified presentation defined the problem, explored the possibilities, and then showed the roadmap to a solution, complete with costs and a timeline for implementation. Watch video>>

Institute of Technology establishes independent Program in Industrial and Systems Engineering

In response to the growing industry need for engineers who can design large-scale systems and processes to save time and money, the University of Minnesota has established an independent Program in Industrial and Systems Engineering. In the past, the University of Minnesota offered master’s and doctoral degrees in industrial and systems engineering within the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Now the academic degree programs will be part of a more visible, independent program within the Institute of Technology. Professor Saif Benjaafar has been named the program’s founding director. Read more>>

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building sustains water damage

The University’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building sustained an estimated $1 million in water damage after a chilling pipe broke at about 3 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 30 flooding five floors of the building. The building is currently under restricted access. No classes were cancelled, but several were relocated to other classrooms. The University hopes to have the building open within about a week. Read more>>

Celebrate TechFest 2009 at The Works on Feb. 28

The Institute of Technology Alumni Society invites alumni, faculty, and staff to TechFest 2009, a special National Engineers Week event for the whole family from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 28 at The Works museum, 5701 Normandale Road, Edina. The event is free and open to the public. The day's activities will focus on an aerospace engineering theme. Visitors will have an opportunity to view an aircraft, experience robot demonstrations, build a mini hovercraft with the kids, view the skies inside a planetarium show, enjoy a Physics Force performance, see a futuristic vehicle, and discover other exhibits at the museum. Goldy Gopher also is scheduled to make a special appearance during the event. Read more>>

Volunteers needed for robotics competition at the U of M in April

Team mentors and volunteers are needed for the Minnesota Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at the University’s Mariucci and Williams arenas, including the practice day on Thursday, April 2 and competition days on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4. More than 100 high school robotics teams from Minnesota and surrounding states will participate in the competition. The University's Institute of Technology is one of the hosts of the event. To get involved, send an e-mail with your name, background, and contact information to Mark Lawrence at MarkL56821@aol.com.

New Science Teaching and Student Services Center will be the U's most environment-friendly building project

Demolition of the Science Classroom Building on Washington Avenue began on Jan. 23 to prepare for this spring’s construction of a new Science Teaching and Student Services Center. The project will be one of the most environment-friendly construction efforts ever undergone by the University. Not only will more than 90 percent of the materials from the demolished Science Classroom Building be recycled, but construction managers hope to obtain LEED Gold certification for the new building, one of the highest “green” honors that can be assigned to a structure. When completed in fall 2010, the building will house flexible science teaching and learning spaces and a full range of student services in one prominent location. Read more or watch construction on a live Webcam>>

Minnesota engineering researchers find that most road salt is making its way into state's water

A report by University of Minnesota civil engineering researchers has revealed that road salt used throughout the winter is making Minnesota’s lakes and rivers saltier, which could affect aquatic life and drinking water. They found that approximately 70 percent of the road salt being applied in the metro area is retained in our watershed. However, better training of snow plow drivers and more judicious use of road salt could help lessen the impact and save money. Read more and watch video>>

U of M astronomers help exploded star come alive across time and space

University of Minnesota astronomers led an international team of researchers who have developed a new three-dimensional visualization of the famous Cassiopeia A supernova remnant that gives astrophysicists new clues about how exploding stars form new stars and solar systems. The findings were recently presented nationally for the first time during the American Astronomical Society meeting in Long Beach, Calif. Read more>>

Honors

Five Institute of Technology faculty are among 11 recipients of the 2009–11 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, a program designed to advance the careers of the University's most promising junior faculty. The recipients include associate professors Arindam Banerjee (computer science and engineering), Ryan Elliott (aerospace engineering and mechanics), Tian He (computer science and engineering), Julian Marshall (civil engineering), Martin Saar, (geology and geophysics). Associate professor Sangwon Suh in the affiliated Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering also received this honor. Read more>>

Professor Jane Davidson (mechanical engineering) has received the Ada Comstock Distinguished Women Scholar Award for Spring 2009. A public lecture and reception is 4 p.m., March 24, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Cowles Auditorium. Her lecture, "Solar after Dark: Going Green at Night," reflects her significant work in using solar energy to create fuels.

Four Institute of Technology faculty have been named to three-year appointments as resident fellows within the University's Institute on the Environment. They include professor Efi Foufoula-Georgiou (civil engineering), assistant professor I. Volkan Isler (computer science), assistant professor Julian Marshall (civil engineering), and associate professor Kristopher NcNeill (chemistry).  Read more>>

Assistant professor Tian He (computer science and engineering), associate professor Efie Kokkoli (chemical engineering and materials science), assistant professor Duane Nykamp (mathematics), and alumnus Xinmiao Zhang (Ph.D. EE '05) have been awarded National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grants for their research. The CAREER program is one of the NSF’s most prestigious awards for junior faculty.

John Keane (EE Ph.D. candidate), Shrinivas Venkatraman (M.A. EE '07) and Paulo Butzen (international student visitor) have won the 2009 DAC/ISSCC Student Design Contest for their chip design project titled "A Fully-Automated Process Characterization Macro for Gate Dielectric Breakdown."

Associate department head Joe Konstan (computer science and engineering) has been named a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for his contributions to computing technology. Read more>>

Associate professor R. Lee Penn (chemistry) has been named a University of Minnesota McKnight Presidential Fellow 2008–2011. McKnight Presidential Fellowships are awarded to the University's most promising faculty who have been newly promoted to associate professor. Penn's research focuses on the chemical and physical behavior of nanocrystalline materials. Read more>>

Professor Arnd Scheel (mathematics) has received the 2009 J. D. Crawford Award by the SIAM Activity Group on Dynamical Systems for his work on planar defects, on structures generated by inhomogeneities in oscillatory media, and on stability for almost planar fronts and viscous shocks, and for explaining intriguing experimental results and discovering new patterns in the process.

Professor Fotis Sotiropoulos (civil engineering) and postdoctoral candidate Iman Borazjani, researchers at the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics, were recently among the winners of the prestigious Gallery of Fluid Motion competition at the 61st Annual American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting.

A team of nine undergraduate and four graduate students were awarded a silver medal in the International Genetically Engineered Machines competition (iGEM). The team engineered two types of “smart” bacteria which may be applied in biofuels production and biochemical sensors.

In Memoriam

Naresh Jain

Long-time professor of mathematics and former head of the School of Mathematics, died Jan. 1. He was 71. He was an expert in the area of probability theory, specifically Doeblin Markov processes, random walk asymptotics, Gaussian processes, and the theory of large deviations. Read more>>

Media Watch

Immunity builder

University of Minnesota chemistry assistant professor Christy Haynes is hoping to gain a new understanding of the human immune system by building one, a cell at a time. Jan. 12: Axcess News

Physicists show that correlated environmental variations can quicken extinctions

University of Minnesota physicists Alex Kamenev and Boris Shklovskii are researching whether extinction is a natural process. Jan. 13: PhysOrg

Physics Force making science fun

The University of Minnesota Physics Force showed an array of amazing science feats at their annual performance. Jan. 14: KMSP–TV; University News

Institute of Technology explores name change

The University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology has begun a wide-ranging discussion of a possible name change for the college in an effort to increase the visibility of its engineering and science programs. Jan. 16: Minnesota Daily; Jan. 20: Minnesota Daily

U of M Institute on the Environment to launch collaboration with Climate Central

The University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment will launch a unique partnership with Climate Central. The two organizations will work together to build a world-class research and public outreach operation. Jan. 21: University News; Jan. 25: Minnesota Daily

U hosts climate themed robotics competition

The University of Minnesota hosted hundreds of middle school students as they demonstrated engineering and programming skills with robots and presented solutions to climate-related problems at the statewide FIRST Lego League competition. Jan. 22: University News; Jan. 25: Minnesota Daily

Science Classroom Building demolition begins

University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks was the first to begin demolition of the Science Classroom Building. When finished, a modern classroom facility will be built in its place. Jan. 22: Minnesota Daily; WCCO-TV; Jan. 23: KSTP-TV

Eleven U of M faculty members named as McKnight Land-Grant Professors for 2009—11

Six Institute of Technology faculty are among 11 recipients of the 2009–11 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, a program designed to advance the careers of the University's most promising junior faculty. Jan. 27: University News; Jan. 29: Minnesota Daily

Minnesota falling behind in med-tech advances

A new report from Minnesota's medical technology industry says the state is losing its competitive edge in scientific research and technology. Jan. 28: Star Tribune; Jan. 30: Minnesota Public Radio

U professor casts physics eye on ‘Watchmen’

Physics professor Jim Kakalios served as a scientific advisor on the set of the superhero movie “Watchmen” set to open in theaters in March. Jan. 29: Minnesota Daily

Upgrading the grid

Electrical and computer engineering professor Massoud Amin comments on the current state of the nation's electrical grid and President Obama's proposed upgrade. Jan. 26: University News; Minnesota News Network; Jan. 27: WCCO; Jan. 31: Minnesota Public Radio; Feb. 1: Radio K; Feb. 3: WJON

U's burst-pipe damage estimated at $1 million

Damage is estimated at $1 million after a chilling pipe broke in the University's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. Jan. 30: KMSP-TV; Jan. 31: KMSP-TV; Feb. 1: Minnesota Daily; Feb. 3: Star Tribune

A look into Twin Cities air quality

Mechanical engineering professor David Kittelson’s mobile emissions lab contributed to recent findings in Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s 2009 air quality report to the Legislature. Feb. 8: Minnesota Daily

U of M grad student discovers Texas state dinosaur isn't really

Geology and geophysics grad student Peter Rose's 2007 fossil discoveries are leading the Texas Legislature to change its official state dinosaur. Feb. 9: MinnPost

'Marsupial' robots could roam Mars and the Moon

Computer science and engineering professor Nikos Papanikolopoulos discusses a spool-shaped robot that could one day rappel into steep craters on other planets or moons, anchored to another spacecraft by a rope. Feb. 9: New Scientist

Biofuels at the U: From crops to your car

A research team led by mechanical engineering professor Paul Strykowski is testing a jet engine with different biofuels to see how they burn in the engine. Feb. 9: Minnesota Daily

Events

Minnesota's Hidden History in Computing: IBM: A Half Century of Innovation

Feb. 18: This public lecture will explore IBM's history and focus on the important and innovative contributions of IBM Rochester—from midrange computer systems of the 1970s and 1980s to the powerful servers, path-breaking game chips, and embedded computing solutions of the past decade. 7–8 p.m. 120 Andersen Library. Visit the Web site.

Mapping Global Adaptation Hotspots: Linking Science, Policy, and Practice

Feb. 19: This presentation describes a new initiative to build an online Global Adaptation Atlas to capture ever-evolving spatial information on both climate impacts and adaptation activities and allow scientists, policymakers, and citizens to visualize what impacts are likely to affect their region(s). 11:30 a.m. 105 Cargill Building, 1500 Gortner Ave., St. Paul campus. Visit the Web site.

Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Centennial Seminar Series

Feb. 24: "Next-Generation Bioconversion of Lignocellulosics," presented by Dr. Tom Jeffries, Forest Products Lab, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. 3–4 p.m. Seminar; 4–5 p.m. Reception. North Star Ballroom, St. Paul Student Center. Visit the Web site.

Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Centennial Seminar Series

March 3: "Frontiers of Nanotechnology in Bio-based Materials," presented by Dr. John Simonsen, Oregon State. 3–4 p.m. Seminar; 4–5 p.m. Reception. North Star Ballroom, St. Paul Student Center. Visit the Web site.

Math Matters Lecture: Sports Scheduling and the Practice of Operations Research

March 4: This public lecture hosted by the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) explores computational tools used to set "optimal" major league sports schedules that maximize profits and fan enjoyment. 7 p.m. 125 Willey Hall. Visit the Web site.

Foresight After Four Seminar Series

March 5: The Center for the Development of Technological Leadership's (CDTL) presents "Foresight Leads to Insight: Two Seasoned Technology Leaders Share Their Stories." 4:30 p.m. Reception; 5:15 p.m. Program. RSVP by Feb. 28 to cdtl@umn.edu. West Bank Office Building, Suite 150. Visit the Web site.

Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Centennial Seminar Series

March 10: "Water Management within the TMDL Framework", presented by Dr. Mary Leigh Wolfe, Virginia Tech. 3–4 p.m. Seminar; 4–5 p.m. Reception. North Star Ballroom, St. Paul Student Center. Visit the Web site.

Looking Ahead

Institute of Technology’s 2009 Science & Technology Banquet

March 26: The keynote speaker for this year's scholarship fundraiser is Cynthia Lesher, retired president and CEO of Northern States Power Company-Minnesota, an Xcel Energy Company. Lesher will present “Energy—It’s Everyone’s Business.” 5 p.m. Reception; 6:30 p.m. Dinner; 7:30 p.m. Keynote. Hilton Minneapolis. Visit the Web site.

Design of Medical Devices Conference

April 14–16: This three-day conference includes two days of technical/clinical sessions plus a one-day Annual President's 21st Century Interdisciplinary Conference. The conference brings together medical device designers, manufacturers, researchers, and representatives from the public sector. The Institute of Technology is one of the sponsors of this event. Radisson University Hotel-Minneapolis. Visit the Web site.