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Mimicking fish and tailoring radar to warn of bridge peril
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Friday, September 03, 2010
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Floods are one of the many unpredictable natural disasters Mother Nature throws the world. Floods destroy more bridges than fire, earthquakes, deterioration, overloads and collisions combined. The flattening of bridges cost lives and millions of dollars in damage. Floods, accounting for over 60% of all bridge failures in the U.S. in the past 30 years, are extremely hard to predict. Xiong “Bill” Yu, an assistant professor of civil engineering at the Case School of Engineering, is working on making this natural disaster a little less disastrous by making it a little more predictable. In his lab Yu is working on developing a sensor to place in the bottom of rivers to measure the amount of sediments being scoured away with the current. They are designing the sensor after hair-like sensors salmon have on their sides. These sensors tell the salmon how fast and what direction the current is moving. Yu is hoping that this information could help predict when floods are coming and save money and lives. Currently the sensors work 10-20 feet below the surface of the water. The next step is to determine the maximum depth and flow conditions in which the sensors will work. Also Yu’s lab is working on sensors for the bridges themselves. One day these sensors may be predicting the unpredictable. SOURCE
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CEO of Nationally Recognized Company to Receive Outstanding Recent Alumni Award featured in Case Daily
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Wednesday, September 01, 2010
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Entrepreneur Hiroyuki Fujita is no stranger to success.
A Case Western Reserve University PhD recipient and adjunct professor, he has been honored by the National Institutes of Health, Ohio’s Third Frontier Program, Forbes magazine and numerous business and professional organizations.
Most recently, his company Quality Electrodynamics, a Cleveland-based medical imaging firm, was named to Inc. magazine’s list of America’s fastest-growing private companies.
This fall, he’ll be recognized yet again.
During the university’s annual Alumni Weekend celebration, Fujita will receive the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Recent Alumni Award, which recognizes exemplary professional achievement, as well as service to the university.
“Hiroyuki has made great contributions to the university in many ways,” says alumnus Takeshi Tottori, who nominated Fujita for the award. In additional to his academic involvement at the university, Fujita serves on the advisory board of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence. The Outstanding Recent Alumni Award will be presented Oct. 1 as part of the Alumni Weekend festivities. SOUCE
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Purdue to Remember its 8th President, the late Arthur G. Hansen
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Monday, August 30, 2010
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 Arthur G. Hansen, Case Western Reserve Alum and late president of Purdue University, passed away on July 5th at the age of 85. Buried in McCormick cemetery next to his late wife Nancy, Arthur G. Hansen will forever be remembered in the hearts of his students.
As Purdue’s 8th President he focused his energies on developing relationships with students and creating a foundation for the university’s fundraising efforts. Under Hansen enrollment increased from 26,000 to more than 32,000 and the President’s Council, an organization of those who financially support the university, increased from 30, in its first year, to 17,000 members today. Hansen was born in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1925. He earned both an electrical engineering degree and master’s degree in mathematics from Purdue in 1946 and 1948 respectively. He went on to receive his doctorate in mathematics from the Case Institute of Technology in 1958. He is survived by wife Marylin, sons Geoffrey, James, and Paul and daughters Ruth and Chris. SOURCE
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News Advisory: Great Lakes Wind Collaborative
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Monday, August 30, 2010
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 In October 2009, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut designated Case Western Reserve as one of Ohio’s Centers for Excellence in Advanced Energy.
The Great Lakes Energy Institute at Case Western Reserve supports faculty by linking energy research to industry needs and economic development initiatives. As an important agent in the research for alternative energy Case is located in a city that is motivated to advance the application of wind energy. The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC) is having its annual meeting, for the first time, in Cleveland, Ohio, hoping to initiate a plan for alternative renewable energies. SOURCE
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An Enduring Link: Son and Mother Endow A New Professorship to Strengthen Case School of Engineering
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Monday, August 30, 2010
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Case Alums Carl F. Asseff and his mother, Elsie D. Asseff have forever memorialized Carl Asseff’s late father with the Peter A. Asseff, PhD, Professorship in Organic Chemistry at the Case School of Engineering of Case Western Reserve University. Carl’s father graduated from the Case Institute of Technology in 1935 and went on to also complete two graduate degrees from the University. This form of generosity runs in the family. In 1997 Peter honored his son, Carl, with the Carl F. Asseff, MD, Professorship in Ophthalmology at the University’s School of Medicine. The Asseff’s generosity has far extended beyond endowing professorships, they have also contributed to scholarships and to the university’s Kelvin Smith Library. The Asseff family’s legacy will be forever remembered at Case Western Reserve University. SOURCE
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Dr. Gerhard Welsch ’72, Chung-Chiun Liu ’68, and Frank Merat ’83 head the ARPA-E Project at CWRU
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Thursday, July 15, 2010
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U.S. Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, announced 43 cutting-edge research projects that aim to dramatically improve how the U.S. uses and produces energy. Case Western Reserve University was selected as one of the organizations to receive funding. Those in charge of the project at CWRU are Dr. Gerhard Welsch ’72, Chung-Chiun Liu ’68, and Frank Merat ’83. Funded with $92 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), today’s selections focus on accelerating innovation in green technology while increasing America's competitiveness in grid scale energy storage, power electronics and building efficiency.
New ARPA-E projects in 18 states will accelerate innovation in clean energy technologies, increase America's competitiveness and create jobs. This project will develop novel capacitors for power electronics in the hybrid electric vehicle and consumer electronics markets. The capacitors will involve a new material, electrolytic titanate, and will include built-in spontaneous self-repair. Thin spine electrodes will enable low series resistance and inductance, as well as high power density. This will result in large improvements in energy density over state of the art capacitors, as well as improvements in high frequency use, and price per kW. The market for capacitors in power applications is $1.6 billion per year. U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced 43 cutting-edge research projects that aim to dramatically improve how the U.S. uses and produces energy. Funded with $92 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), today’s selections focus on accelerating innovation in green technology while increasing America's competitiveness in grid scale energy storage, power electronics and building efficiency. “These innovative ideas will play a critical role in our energy security and economic growth,” said Secretary Chu. “It is now more important than ever to invest in a new, clean energy economy.” The projects announced today are based in 18 states, with 36% of projects led by universities, 33% by small businesses, 24% by large businesses, 5% by national labs, and 2% by non-profits. These awards complete ARPA-E’s grants under its Recovery Act funding: in three rounds of awards since last year, the agency has selected a total of 117 projects for $349 million in funding, supporting research that can deliver breakthrough changes in how the U.S. generates, stores, and utilizes energy. ARPA-E seeks to invest in materials for key advances in soft magnetics, high-voltage switches, and reliable, high-density charge storage. Combined with advanced circuit architectures and scalable manufacturing, these investments could potentially leapfrog existing power converter performance and reduce costs. Specifically, ADEPT will consider three levels of performance and integration: 1) fully-integrated, chip-scale power converters for applications, including: compact, efficient drivers for solid-state lighting, distributed micro-inverters for photovoltaics, and single-chip power supplies for computers; 2) kilowatt-scale package-integrated power converters by enabling applications such as low-cost, efficient inverters for grid-tied photovoltaics and variable speed motors; and 3) lightweight, solid-state, medium-voltage energy conversion for high-power applications such as solid-state electrical substations and wind turbine generators. Deploying advanced power electronics could reduce electricity consumption up to 30 percent, or 12 percent of total U.S. energy use. Innovations in power electronics could significantly reduce costs, which would promote U.S. businesses through technological leadership.
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Robert D. Halverstadt '51 of Special Metals Named Honorary Member of ASM International
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Monday, July 12, 2010
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Robert D. Halverstadt ’51 is a retired Chairman Emeritus of Special Metals Corporation, New Canaan, Conn., has been named an Honorary Member of ASM International, the materials information society.
Robert Halverstadt of Special Metals receives the Honorary Membership Award of ASM International from ASM Past President Dr. Dianne Chong, The Boeing Company.
Mr. Halverstadt has been cited for "distinguished service to the specialty metal industries, for leadership in assuring safe flight and for excellence in mentoring young metallurgists and managers in the metals business," said ASM President Roger J. Fabian, Bodycote Thermal Processing, Berlin, Conn.
Mr. Halverstadt joined Special Metals Company as President in 1974 and was Chairman of the Board from 1987 until 2002 when he retired as Chairman Emeritus.
Prior to joining Special Metals, he was Group Vice President of the worldwide engineering and consulting firm of Booz, Allen and Hamilton, Inc. At BA&H, he served as President, Design and Development, Inc. a subsidiary that designed and built automated equipment and developed electro-mechanical consumer and industrial products for commercial clients. As group executive, he was also Chief Executive Officer of Forster D. Sneil, Inc., a subsidiary that developed chemically-based consumer and industrial products, performed chemical engineering projects and evaluated biological and pharmaceutical products for both government and commercial clients.
In addition, Mr. Halverstadt was responsible for coordinating and marketing the BA&H Environmental Service businesses on a worldwide basis in charge of a division called ERG - The Environmental Resources Group. Earlier at the General Electric Company, he was a Development Engineer, Laboratory Supervisor, and Manager of the Thomson Engineering Laboratory, which was responsible for all materials development and application, equipment development and manufacturing engineering for the aircraft gas turbine engine business in Lynn, Mass.
At GE, he received three patent awards for his work in charge of the Metal Working Research Laboratory which was established to develop methods to economically manufacture components from superalloys. His patent awards included the electro-chemical process used by GE to manufacture its first production air-cooled turbine blades for its line of turbo-jet engines.
Mr. Halverstadt a Registered Professional Engineer in the states of New York and Ohio. He is a graduate of a formal four-year apprentice training program at the Republic Steel Corporation. He is currently a Director of the Carus Corporation.
An ASM Fellow and Distinguished Life Member, Mr. Halverstadt joined ASM in 1954 and has served on many committees, including Handbook, Finance, Investment, Nominating and Awards. He was on the Board of Trustees from 1982-1985 and was Treasurer of the Society from 1988-1991. He now serves on the Board of the ASM Materials Education Foundation.
ASM International is the world's leading society serving the materials science and engineering community, with 36,000 members worldwide. ASM provides authoritative information and knowledge on materials and processes -- from the structural to the nanoscale. Information on materials is obtained from wherever in the world it is available and distributed wherever in the world it is needed through conferences and expositions, publications, educational programs and the ASM website at www.asminternational.org. SOURCE
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Hiroyuki Fujita Phd'98 wins Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and is featured in The Plain Dealer
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Wednesday, July 07, 2010
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When you turn a start-up medical device company into a $12 million international competitor in just four years, people start talking. Hiroyuki Fujita expected it.
But that doesn't mean he's comfortable with the attention.
Fujita plans to talk to members of the International Entrepreneur organization at BioEnterprise, an initiative to expand health-care companies and commercialize bioscience technology. Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs and guests will hear about his success at Quality Electrodynamics, which makes detectors used in magnetic resonance imaging machines.
In the last year alone, Gov. Ted Strickland visited his new 27,000-square-foot facility twice. Forbes ranked QED No. 11 among the nation's top 20 most promising companies. QED won the Ohio Third Frontier Medical Imaging Program. Hiroyuki Fujita won the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. And if you add up all of his international travel, his family and 60 employees can testify that he's four months visiting customers and prospects. It's part of Fujita's larger plan to turn his Mayfield start-up into a global powerhouse in a few decades. "Nothing happens by chance," said Fujita, 43. "You have to make it by determination. You have to have the know-how of something you want to do well, then have a clear mindset of how you're going to achieve it."
Already, QED's customers include Toshiba Medical Systems and Siemens Healthcare, Germany.
If you ask Fujita about his success, he'll turn attention away from himself. He'd rather talk about a supportive Ohio business community, which includes Case Western Reserve University, where he completed his doctorate in physics in 1998 and later started his company in a 300-square-foot room while working at Case's Department of Physics in a newly created position as director of imaging.
Baiju Shah, president of BioEnterprise, said it's unusual for a medical technology company to be profitable and have 60 employees in such a short period of time.
"We see a lot of companies that, five years into their formation, either just began getting sales or they're still in the process of getting cleared" by the Food and Drug Administration, he said.
"The other thing that makes him unusual is that most technology companies requires substantial venture funding," Shah said. "He's done it through strategic partnerships and relationships and a lot of sweat." Funding of $1.59 million came from state and industry partners, including a $350,00 grant from Third Frontier's Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center.
Years before Fujita decided to become an entrepreneur, he was paying dues learning about medical technology, competition and the importance of building global relationships. His positions included professor and researcher at Case and staff scientist at Picker International. As director of engineering at GE Healthcare, he grew accustomed to using technology at all hours to communicate with colleagues in Japan and Europe.
"I worked so hard at GE that my wife said, you're probably going to die young," he said.
Fujita prefers talking about employees and the culture of teamwork he works hard at cultivating. Employees work in an open environment with no partitions or cubicles. And every chance he gets, Fujita tries to remind employees of their value and share company milestones with everyone from hourly employees to engineers.' "An open environment is key to the company remaining agile and responsive to our customer needs," said John Schellenberg, general manager of operations. "When we're not designing and building, we invest considerable time communicating with our customers and visiting key clinical sites." Schellenberg is one of about 25 people hired in the last year and a half. Most were in between jobs when they were hired at QED, a company with no bank debt or investors.
"As long as they had technical capabilities, ethics and integrity, I hired them," Fujita said.
A quick look into Fujita's office gives a glimpse at how he's working to build a major firm. Seven rolodexes line his desk, all filled with contacts he's made in the last four years. A photo of him and Steve Forbes followed a four-month process of filling out paperwork to claim a spot on Forbes' coveted top 20 list. Fujita speculates that his spot on the list led directly to another photo, an invitation to the Japanese emperor's birthday reception.
For inspiration, he looks to a photo of him and his 79-year-old role model, Kazuo Inamori, founder of Kyocera Corp. and KDDI of Japan, who helped shape his company's philosophy. Fujita's goal is to embrace similar values of keeping a balance of scientific progress while "pursuing what's right for humankind."
"If awards and acknowledgements or high revenues make me special, then I'm already failing the test. I want to be a good human being," he said. "My dream is that when I become 80, our efforts at QED will have a positive impact on society to help other people." SOURCE
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Peter Galen '76 is a co-founder of the Mangrove Fund which funds sustainable projects in poor countries
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Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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Three years ago, long before the world's attention was riveted on Haiti's tragic destruction from a massive earthquake, Case Institute of Technol ogy alumnus Peter Galen '76 and a friend believed in the saving power of a well built toilet. Together, the duo founded the Mangrove Fund, a Portland, Oregon based nonprofit that funds sustainable projects in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. Made of readily available materials—and easily decorated with murals or a coat of paint—their first project, a compost toilet, can serve several hundred people in a village. One chamber takes care of waste, while the other creates compost that can fertilize nonfood crops. Mangrove also donated to a women's embroidery collective on the Haitian island of La Gonave, enabling the collective to buy materials and double its workforce to 30. Since the January earthquake that affected one-third of Haitians, Mangrove has been inundated with donations. In 2008, the fund reported $31,000 in contributions; in the two weeks following the earthquake, it brought in about $50,000. "The plan is not to rush things," Galen says. "There's so much confusion, so much money floating around. We want to make sure it's going to the right place." The challenges of rebuilding Haiti—no infrastructure, a weak central government, deforestation—are many. "But from what I know of the people, they want change," Galen says. "They want good things for their children. There are a lot of historical reasons why Haiti is like it is, but that's not as important as what you do in the future." SOURCE
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Hiroyuki Fujita Phd '98, CEO and Founder of QED, is the Present and Future of High Tech Medicine
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010
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Chances are if you've ever had an MRI, it was most likely done with a machine that was built and produced right here in Northeast Ohio.
You would never know it from the outside but inside Quality Electrodynamics is the present and future of high-tech medicine.
QED makes site-specific coils for every part of the body that may need to be scanned.
Since inception 2005 the company has blossomed in the growing bio-medial industry in Northeast Ohio and have received prestigious awards, including Forbes Magazine most promising companies.
All the work is done in house from start to finish.
Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita, the CEO of QED says, "We want to create a value inside the organization by having this kind of complete business where you can see from the beginning to the end. Each of us will be able to see what we do makes a difference."
Dr. Fujita know his success lies with his capable employees, many of whom came here after the economic collapse in the last two years. Some 95 percent of the workers joined the company after being laid off from other local companies.
"Our goal is to create a business where all our employees can feel they are belonging to that business. They are a part of our extended family. Then, they have pride in what they do. Same time, they can add value to the society, that is the best picture," says Dr. Fujita. SOURCE
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CWRU Cutter Places 1st for Second Year in a Row
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Wednesday, June 09, 2010
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Team CWRU Cut, pronounced "crew cut," is Case Western Reserve University's Autonomous Robotic Lawnmower team. The team of undergraduate and graduate students traveled to Dayton, OH in order to compete in the 2010 ION Autonomous Robotic Lawnmower Competition on June 5th, 2010. The competition, hosted by the Institute of Navigation, aims to teach college students the art of navigation, robotics, and engineering. The CWRU Cutters are no strangers to navigation, robotics, or engineering. Their robot, CWRU Cutter, pronounced "crew cutter," was the product of hundreds of hours of design, fabrication, programming, and testing. With their leader Dr. Roger Quinn of the Biologically Inspired Robotics Laboratory at their side, the team succeeded in building a robust robot that was very competitive in the field of fourteen attending teams. The other teams, hailing from schools in Canada, California, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Ohio, all developed competitive robots. However, CWRU Cutter was the only robot to mow more than 50% of the competition course while avoiding the moving obstacle -- a plush stuffed dog mounted on a remote-controlled car. CWRU Cutter entered the "Dynamic" competition - which contained a flowerbed, a fence section, and the moving dog obstacle. The team had two "runs" at the competition field. The first run ended after about thirty seconds with a circuit breaker shutting off the robot's blade motor. The thick grass, combined with rain the night before competition, caused the motor to stall. Luckily, the safety breaker kicked and stopped the motor from self-destructing. After raising the blade's height by .5 inches, the team restarted the robot and successfully mowed most of the competition field. Finally, CWRU Cutter could prove that his technology was a "cut above the rest." After quantitative scoring was completed, the Team CWRU Cut were awarded 1st place by the ION officials -- making the CWRU Cutters 1st place for two consecutive years. The team that attended the competition, Team CWRU Cut 2010, consists of Bradley Hughes, Henry Snow, Andrew Smith, Alexander Schepelmann, Daniel Bennett, and Jonathan Hall. Team CWRU Cut's active advisors are Dr. Roger Quinn, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Dr. Frank Merat, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
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CSE David Karnick '10, Jeff Willebrand '10, Chris Jennewein '10, and Deeptha Babu '10 Infuse Technology with Tradition For This Year's Centennial Anniversary of the Hudson Relays!
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Friday, April 23, 2010
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| Hudson Relay Tracker Website "CSE undergraduate students David Karnick '10, Jeff Willebrand '10, Chris Jennewein '10, and Deeptha Babu '10 have been working on a high tech update for the Hudson Relays this year. They have built relay batons equipped with a GPS that will be sending the runners coordinates to a Google Maps page via Twitter. This will allow spectators on campus and around the world to watch the relay race as it happens." - Chris Roberts '05, project advisor
Finishing touches of the webpage for the race are still in progress, but should be completed just in time for the race Saturday morning, which will projected outside of Adelbert Hall.
The tech overview of the project is that the batons would send its coordinates to Twitter via text messaging. Then the code was written to read the Twitter RSS feed and extracts the coordinates. Then the code inputs the coordinates into an XML file that the map reads. "You'll notice that the webpage with the map refreshes every 15 seconds so that it can read the latest XML file with the latest coordinates." (paraphrased from Chris Jennewein)
The opening ceremonies begin with a breakfast and team photos at 7:30am in front of Adelbert Hall. The relay race begins at 9:30am.
For more information visit the Hudson Relays website!
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We are proud to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Hudson Relays, Case Western Reserve's oldest tradition. The race dates back to 1910 when students at Adelbert College decided on a relay race to commemorate the school's 1882 move to Cleveland. The 26-mile route extended from the campus of Western Reserve Academy in Hudson to the large rocks in front of Adelbert Hall.
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Eighth Annual Research ShowCASE, "The Value of Research" Think Beyond The Possible™
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Friday, April 09, 2010
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| Research ShowCASE On April 15, 2010, hundreds of researchers, scientists and scholars will come together for a day of collaboration, creativity, and innovation.
Exhibits of real-world applications, critical insights, and creative and intellectual activities will be on view for students, faculty, staff, alumni, business & industry leaders and the community, highlighting the full range of faculty, postdoctoral, and graduate research at Case.
Research ShowCASE provides evidence of how research and scholarship bring value to Case, our community and the world.
Research ShowCASE is a free public exhibit and is held in Veale Convocation Center on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.
To view the ShowCASE's Program, Click Here.
Research ShowCASE is made possible by a grant from the Ohio State Board of Regents, and the generosity of our sponsors. |
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R. Mohan Sankaran, Assistant Prof. of Chemical Engineering, Earns Glennan Fellowship
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Friday, April 09, 2010
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| Original News Source "The academic fields and disciplines of the 2009-2010 Glennan Fellows vary as widely as the projects in which they are engaged.
"Glennan Fellowships are administered by the University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education (UCITE). The awards are designed to reward excellence in faculty and to nurture their growth as teachers and scholars. Each Glennan Fellow has been awarded $6,500 to be used toward their projects.
"The Daily will continue to feature each of the award recipients. Today, learn about R. Mohan Sankaran's project.
"R. Mohan Sankaran, assistant professor of chemical engineering
"Project: "Chem-E-Car Experience as an Educational Tool for Undergraduate Chemical Engineers"
"As a Glennan Fellow, Sankaran plans to implement a new Chem-E-Car experience for undergraduates in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
"A Chem-E-Car competition occurs annually through the leading organization for chemical engineers, AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers)," Sankaran wrote in his proposal. "My objective is to use the competition, which involves building a fuel cell vehicle, as an educational tool to expose students to important concepts in chemical engineering and to make them aware of relevant societal issues such as sustainability."
"Fourth-year students Andrew Krajewski and Curtis Grant have been working together as a team to design, build and test the car. Meanwhile, faculty members have provided guidance on building the car, and some have even incorporated their own research into the design of the car. Sankaran said additional students are welcome to join the team.
"The car will eventually be powered by an H2 fuel cell. Once the vehicle is completed, it will be unveiled at next year's AIChE conference. Sankaran plans to incorporate the project into several of his classes." |
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Profs. Scherson, Heuer, and De Guire Receive Funding for Fuel Cell Research
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Friday, March 05, 2010
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| Original News Source "With State of Ohio funding, researchers at Case Western Reserve University will help businesses in Northeast Ohio build and bring to market better lithium-ion batteries and solid oxide fuel cell systems.
"In late December, Gov. Ted Strickland and other officials approved a total of $19.2 million in Ohio Third Frontier grants for 19 projects.
"Case Western Reserve scientists, who are members of the Great Lakes Energy Institute based at the university, are involved in two projects.
"In the first, Daniel Scherson of the chemistry department at Case Western Reserve will work with Novolyte Technologies to develop new electrolytes that reduce or eliminate the flammability of Li-ion batteries and improve the power output, enabling larger batteries that can be used in motor vehicles.
"Ohio granted that project $1.12 million. Scherson, whose lab will receive about half the funding, and Martin Payne, Novolyte’s global technology manager, are developing tools to rapidly evaluate which combinations of chemicals perform best and safest, test the mixes and get the new technologies to battery makers.
"Professors Arthur Heuer and Mark DeGuire in the Case School of Engineering are working with Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems to determine the long-term reliability of a 1 MW SOFC system connected to the grid for distributed power generation applications. The project was awarded $999,770.
"Heuer, DeGuire and Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems’ engineers will analyze the structural, mechanical and electrochemical characteristics of the complex ceramic system, as well as the manufacturing process for the system. They hope their work will advance the robustness of SOFCs. The researchers will develop a model to predict system reliability, enabling Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems to move the system to market.
"Although the Rolls-Royce name is closely associated with luxury cars, the company is actually diversified and seems to have a strategy of developing utility-scale SOFC products. In the past, the company has discussed using a proprietary method of creating fuel cells by screen printing materials onto a ceramic substrate, and a SOFC–gas turbine hybrid using natural gas |
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CWRU Receives $250,00 Challenge Grant from Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.
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Monday, March 01, 2010
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| Original News Source "Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) said today that it received a $250,000 challenge grant from Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. through The Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science and Technology (COSAT), and its affiliates. The University will utilize this research grant to support science, medicine and engineering projects to improve human health.
"CWRU will match or possibly exceed COSAT's commitment in support of these projects. Applicants for these grants must be affiliated with a CWRU school or department, and preference for funding will be given to interdisciplinary and translational projects. Grants will range in size from $50,000 to $100,000.
"'We're pleased to advance interdisciplinary research and development across the campus in key areas of biomedicine,' said W. A. "Bud" Baeslack, Case Western Reserve provost.
"The translational and commercial perspective at CWRU has been highly accelerated by the university's relationship with the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. The agreement with COSAT is modeled after the Coulter-Case Translational Research Partnership (CCTRP) process that has been instrumental within the biomedical departments at Case Western Reserve in promoting translational research on campus. Some funds may be used to support new or further accelerate existing CCTRP projects on the pathway to the patient. |
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CSE Great Lakes Institute of Energy Innovation to Sponsor the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C.
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Friday, February 26, 2010
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| Original News Source
energy.case.edu (Supporting Website) Mission: Enable the transition to advanced sustainable energy generation, storage, and distribution through coordinated research and education.
Great Lakes Energy Institute builds on 80 years of ground-breaking electrochemistry research in fuels cells at the Case Western Reserve Case School of Engineering. Today, researchers develop innovative solutions for today’s energy demands while advancing research and education for tomorrow’s needs. GLEI collaborates with utilities, industry, philanthropists, and government to realize revolutionary energy initiatives and promote energy exploration and discovery in the next generation of engineers and scientists in the areas of: Wind, storage, solar materials, power management and grid, efficiency, and carbon capture. |
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Meghan E. Smith '10 and Prof. Gary Wnek Assist in Designing Optic Implant to Clear Diseased Scar Tissue
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Thursday, February 25, 2010
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| Original News Source "The diseases macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa lay waste to photoreceptors, the cells in the retina that turn light into electrical signals carried to the brain. The damage leaves millions of people worldwide with debilitating sight loss.
"The nerves behind the light-switching cells, however, remain intact, meaning that with new photoreceptors, a patient could see again."
"As with any part of the central nervous system, scar tissue is a barrier to regeneration," said Gary Wnek, a professor of macromolecular science and engineering at Case Western Reserve University.
Wnek, along side Meghan Smith, a Ph.D. recipient at CWRU, joined a team of researchers from Harvard and University of California to design an implant that will help heal the scar tissue.
They developed an interwoven mesh of fibers, by a process called electrospinning, 1/1000th of the thickness of a hair that are infused with an enzyme. That enzyme helps to regenerate the photoreceptors as the mesh biodegrades in the body. The mesh is implanted directly into the eye where the damaged photoreceptors are located. The chemistry of the implant do not cause the body to inflame or become irritated due to the gentle nature and matchign physiology of the body and the implant.
While research is still being conducted and new scar-dissolving enzymes are being developed, the researchers will be able to test the new implant to determine wheather it works on a diseased eye. |
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Evalyn Gates '81 Named Director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
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Monday, February 22, 2010
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| Original New Article Evalyn Gates, a well-known physicist, author, educator and advocate of increasing the ranks of women in science, is the new executive director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
"The museum has a long history of great science and wonderful programming," said physicist Evalyn Gates, who was named the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's new director Tuesday."My head is spinning a bit," Gates said during a phone interview shortly after the museum announced her selection. "I'm absolutely thrilled and delighted to take the leadership of this outstanding institution. We're uniquely poised to do something important."
In 2006 she wrote a provocative opinion piece in "Physics Today," the widely read magazine of the physics community, challenging her colleagues to help overcome the gender bias that has discouraged women from pursuing careers in physics and other sciences.
Gates "has always strongly believed in the public mission of science and the role of scientists to explain what they're doing and why they're doing it to the general public," said Cyrus Taylor, dean of Case Western Reserve University's College of Arts and Sciences and Gates' advisor while she earned her doctorate in theoretical particle physics from the university. She also holds an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from CWRU.
"Evalyn is dynamic and has had experience in both the research world and the museum world," said former CWRU physics department chairman Lawrence Krauss, who as a Yale University professor supervised Gates' postdoctoral research.
"It's an innovative appointment," said Krauss, now director of Arizona State University's Origins Initiative, though he remains on the Cleveland natural history museum's board of trustees. "It'll be good to have fresh energy at the museum. It will be exciting to see what she can do."
She said she expects to continue to build relationships between the natural history museum and other University Circle institutions. The museum is already a partner in CWRU's Institute for the Science of Origins, launched two years ago to bring together scientists from different backgrounds to study how complex systems such as humans or galaxies evolve.
Gates also said she wants to find ways to reach people who are missing out on the joy of learning about the world around them.
"Science is a lot of fun and very exciting," she said. "Sometimes I don't think we've extended the right invitation to all groups. As a museum director, I definitely hope to have an impact on that."
This post abbreviates the article, which the entirety of it was, written by John Mangels, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and can be found at the link above. |
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Larry Hornbeck ’65, G’68, PhD ‘74 Awarded Case Alumni Association Gold Medal for the 125th Anniversary Celebration
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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| Past Article After earning his Ph.D. in solid state physics from Case Western Reserve University in 1973, Larry J. Hornbeck joined the Central Research Laboratories of Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas. Today, he is a TI Fellow working in the DLP® Products organization.
Over the span of his career at TI, he has developed CCD image sensors, uncooled IR detectors, and reflective spatial light modulators (SLMs), the latter being his current field of endeavor. Hornbeck is best known as the inventor of the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD), an optical semiconductor with as many as two-million hinged, tiltable and individually controllable micromirrors integrated on a chip.
Early in 1987 he had a major breakthrough with his invention of the DMD, the chip that would become the basis for the trademarked DLP technology from Texas Instruments. Hornbeck’s invention of rugged, fast, highly-reflective digital micromirrors integrated on a chip would in time create a revolution in projection imaging technology for home, office, entertainment, education and mobile applications.
At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games under the most adverse environmental conditions, sixty-three DLP Cinema® projectors were combined to create the largest projected image in the history of visual technology, the 46ft (14m) high x 1,640 ft (500m) long overhead “raceway,” viewed live (or delayed) by an estimated 800 million people as they watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.
Hornbeck holds a series of seminal patents that form the foundation for DMD technology. One patent held includes the first practical methods based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) concepts for manufacturing high-density arrays of micromirrors on an integrated circuit in a conventional wafer fab (1983). As of 2007, he holds 33 U.S. patents in CCD, IR detector, and MEMS technology; others patents are pending.
Hornbeck has received numerous national and international awards and honors, including an Emmy® Engineering Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences “for digital micromirror technology.” In May 2009 he was honored by induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his invention of the DMD. Together with the CRT and LCD, the DMD is only the third display device whose inventor has received National Inventors Hall of Fame status. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering. Hornbeck and his wife, Laura, reside on a 32-acre property in the country near Van Alstyne, Texas, north of Dallas. They have two sons, Jason and David. |
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Can Your Department Hold Its Own at E-Week Competitions?
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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| Original News Source This week is E-Week at Case Western Reserve University! The week where engineers have fun competing against other departments in various challenges, networking with alumni and companies and of course have fun doing so. The events range from the Breakfast of Champions, to help feed our hungry engineers, to Faculty Egg Drop and Lego Robotic Car competitions to insightful lectures about the field and some recent advances.
While the full schedule can be found at the E-Week website, below are a few events that are sponsored by the Case Alumni Assocation.
Monday, Feb 15th
Lecture: Entrepeneurship Influenza
Nord 310, 5pm
Do you have an inner drive to succeed? Are you always searching for new ideas and innovation? Are you highly motivated and energetic, as well as accepting of rejection and failure? Do you possess a strong belief in yourself and have an openness to change? If you or anyone you know shows signs of these symptoms, we challenge you to attend this presentation by Mark Canter. Questions? Contact Jillian DeLong.
Thursday, Feb. 18
CWRU Paper Airplane Design Contest
WISER and the Case Alumni Association present the Annual Engineers Week Design Contest. Teams of students, faculty and staff will compete for cash prizes. Details and registration information forthcoming. Questions? Contact Mary Rouse. |
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Cupidity Debuts as an A Cappella Quartet for Clevelanders Looking to Find the Perfect Gift for Valentine's Day
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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| Original News Source Introducing a premiere, all-male barbershop quartet: Cupidity is the perfect way for Clevelanders to send a sweet serenade to their loved one on Valentine's Day. These four students of Case Western Reserve University will travel to any location in Northeast Ohio and deliver an individualized, harmonious valentine that will not be forgotten. http://cupidity.case.edu
Cleveland, Ohio. January 25, 2010 -- What could be better than four handsome men in suits personally delivering a song on Valentine's Day to your loved one? Cupidity, the new all-male barbershop quartet in Cleveland, thinks that four handsome men in suits personally delivering two songs, a card, and a rose would be better and that is exactly what they intend to do for Cleveland on February 14th, 2010 as Cupidity debuts.
These four singers, whose paths crossed at Case Western Reserve University (three of them being current undergraduate students and one part-time graduate student and employee), believe in the harmonious chords of barbershop music. This music genre focuses on stylized chords to easily followed melodies sung by voices without any accompaniment from instruments. The campus community at Case has been enjoying barbershop singing valentines for decades from the Case Men's Glee Club, an a cappella chorus to which the four members of Cupidity also belong.
"Nothing can compare," writes co-founder Jeffrey T. Verespej, "to the surprised feelings of joy, the universal smiles, and the emotions that are shared through singing valentines."
Hoping to expand their reach in 2010, Cupidity was founded to reach all areas of greater Cleveland. Each valentine includes the quartet's travel to your specified location, two barbershop songs (including some that can be personalized with the recipient's name), a message from the sender in a Valentine-themed card, and of course a rose. The unique qualities change every time as each reaction, song, and experience evolves with the deliveries from these gentlemen of Cupidity.
Contact:
Stephen J. Trompak
http://cupidity.case.edu
Cupidity@case.edu
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In Memoriam: Karl B. McEachron Jr.
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Monday, February 01, 2010
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| Original News Source Karl B. McEachron Jr., age 94, died Saturday, January 23, 2010, at Fairmount Health Center in Willoughby. Upon graduation from Purdue with a B.S.E.E. in 1937, McEachron started his career with General Electric and became manager of technical education in 1948. It was June 1955 when Mr. McEachron began his work with the Case Institute of Technology as dean of undergraduate studies. He became the dean of instruction in 1957, and vice-provost in 1964. The merger between Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University led Mr. McEachron to become dean of Case until 1974 when he was appointed dean of undergraduate affairs. He retired from hiw academic career in 1980. The impact of his 25 years of combined service to both the Case Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve University has helped Case Western Reserve University to continue to be the acclaimed university that it is today.
Survivors include his son, Norman (Sandi) McEachron of California; son, Lawrence K. McEachron of Arizona; daughter, Linda McEachron of North Carolina; son, Donald L. (Barbara) McEachron of Pennsylvannia; grandchildren, Robert McEachron, James and David Montgomery, Christopher McEachron and Hank and Gilber Dempsey; eight grandchildren; sister Claire (Dick) Smith of Massachussetts; brother, Bill (Mary) McEachron of Illinois; and sister-in-law, Anita McEachron of Illinois.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie; parents, Karl B. Sr. and Leila; sister Louise Babbitt, and brother, Robert.
Memorial Services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at the Nason Center Lyons Chapel at Breckenridge Village, 36859 Ridge Road, Willoughby, OH 44094. |
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New “Aerogel” Materials Developed at Case School of Engineering
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Friday, January 22, 2010
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Some of the best discoveries happen by accident. Researchers in Case Western Reserve University’s polymer science department could tell you this having developed new “aerogel” materials after a student accidentally freeze-dried clay and a light-weight cotton-like material resulted. The new “aerogel” materials come from mixing various polymers with clay which, when freeze-dried, results in a durable light-weight material with an array of desirable properties. It can take the form of feather-light insulation, foam, electrical conductors, magnets, and even a light-weight kitty-litter. Research is still being conducted, but the potential applications for these materials are numerous. |
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Jim England '09 and Tim Gasper '09 Create New File Share Concept CorkShare
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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| Goldstein Caldwell & Associates (GCA) has been busy on and around the Case Western Reserve University Campus. GCA’s social media portfolio website, CorkShare, was founded by Case Western Reserve University students Jim England '09 and Tim Gasper '09, with programming help from Huston Hoburg '10 and Kurt Zoeller '08. The site launched to the Case Western Reserve campus on November 2nd. The site has over 200 new users on the Case Western Reserve campus and all users have been able to give input regarding the site prior to launch at other university campuses. CorkShare is a new social media site that integrates different forms of digital content such as notes, photos, videos and files into a virtual “cork board” that users can follow and share with friends.
In addition to CorkShare, GCA and its portfolio companies have moved their offices to University Circle. The new address is 10550 Carnegie Ave and GCA invites you to stop in anytime to check out the startup companies currently being grown and funded by a group of young, innovative Cleveland entrepreneurs. |
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Henry Petroski is Invited to Guest Lecture at CWRU's Distinguished Lecture Series 2010
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Monday, January 18, 2010
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| Original News Source Henry Petroski, Case Western Reserve University’s Distinguished Lecture Series 2010 Lecturer, is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University. He has written 15 books and numerous essays on design, success, failure and the history of engineering and technology. A sampling of his works includes To Engineer is Human, Design Paradigms, and the forthcoming The Essential Engineer. The 2010 Distinguished Lecture Series presents Henry Petroski on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at Severance Hall.
This lecture is free and open to the public. Free tickets may be reserved through the Severance Hall box office at 216-231-1111. |
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Success Continues for Michael Spence, MS'10, After Completing the MEM Early Entry Program
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Friday, January 15, 2010
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| Original News Source Michael Spence '10 is proof that the leap from Case engineering graduate to entrepreneur in practice is getting smaller thanks to the MEM Early Entry Program. Having started work for the MEM Early Entry Program the summer after his junior year, he has since received his B.S. in electrical engineering and gotten his feet wet as an entrepreneur. The summer after receiving his B.S. degree, Michael was able to obtain a two-month full-time paid internship at The Entrepreneurs EDGE’s CEOS for NEO program as his masters degree was already well in progress. While there, he conducted market research and developed a business case for a life system that will allow full-time wheelchair users to retrofit regular production vehicles, like pick-up trucks, crossovers, and SUVs.
Beyond examining the market itself, Michael personally interviewed wheelchair users in their homes to better understand their needs and get feedback on potential designs. Partnered with another intern, Michael presented their findings to EBO’s executive management. As a result, they were chosen by EDGE to make a generalized presentation to the public and issued bonus checks. “I don’t want to be a cubical engineer”, he says. “I want to talk to potential users about product designs and perform market analysis”.
Michael Spence is currently beginning an MEM Commercialization Associate internship with Lubrizol has recently completed MEM Fall Semester courses in the Technology Entrepreneurship Track. |
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Dr. Roger Quinn and the Center for Biologically Inspired Robotics Present at the 2009 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems
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Thursday, January 14, 2010
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| Original News Source
A small autonomous agile robot with an on-board neurologically-based control system. Developed by engineering professor Roger Quinn and his team at Case Western Reserve University. Video presented at IEEE IROS 2009.
One of the debates at the 2009 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, which was held on October 12th, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri, was held on autonomous robots and the different approaches to robotic locomotion achieved by the research. The discussion was “between CWRU engineering Roger Quinn and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University professor K.H. Low about which cockroach was faster and smarter: the North American cockroach, or the Asian cockroach.” After entertaining the group of 50 observers with the details of cockroach biology, they continued to discuss where we are concerning biologically inspired robotic research and some goals for the future. Sangbae Kim, an assistant professor at MIT and director of MIT’s Biomimetic Robotics Lab, anticipates design progression into “hyper dynamic locomotion” that can be found in animals such as cheetahs or even squirrels. He admits that our level of technology relating to such locomotion is currently very limited but his vision does exist in the eyes of many engineers and researchers at the Conference. |
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APT Center congratulates Dr. Matthew Schiefer MS'03 PhD'09 on receipt of Post-Doctoral Fellowship
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
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| The original letter below was sent in an e-mail. "Dr. Matthew Schiefer has currently won a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Schiefer completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his doctoral studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in the laboratory of Dustin Tyler, PhD. There, he developed anatomically-realistic 3D neural models of the femoral nerve starting with histological cross sections. For his post-doctoral work Dr. Schiefer joined the laboratory of Ron Triolo, PhD in the APT Research Center of Excellence (APT) as a research associate. At the APT Center, Dr. Schiefer’s research will include modeling the sciatic nerve and its two branches, the tibial and common peroneal (fibular) nerves, to determine the appropriate location for selective stimulation, in addition to the appropriate size of the extraneural cuff and the number and distribution of stimulating contacts.
"Dr. Schiefer’s primary research interest is the area of clinical applications of biomedical engineering principles, specifically neural control for restoration of function. He pursues a research track that takes an imaging and analytical approach to examining methodologies for finding the optimal location for selective stimulation.
"Dr. Schiefer’s Post-Doctoral Fellowship from CWRU is entitled “Optimized Development and Testing a Lower Leg Neuroprosthesis Interface”. With this work Dr. Schiefer will endeavor to develop modeling techniques to guide electrode development and intraoperative electrode testing. We wish him every success over the next two years with his research!" |
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A Follow-Up on Stephen Weber '86, CWRU Double Alumnus, Who Won CNBC.com's Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge
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Tuesday, January 12, 2010
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| Original News Source In February 2009, CNBC announced Stephen Weber as the winner of the Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge. The 10-week event encouraged the participants use $1 million in the online program and invest the money into various stocks and play the market. Even though the money they invested did not exist, the program used the money and paid out just as it would if applied to the market and the economy during that specific period of time. Weber successfully picked the hottest stocks and invested his online money in the best way possible, compared to the other entries. What was his reward? He went home with an oversized check for $500,000 and 10 hours of private jet time!
Unfortunately, this Cleveland Clinic system analyst’s prize money will take 20 years to pay in full. “’So the first year is pretty much paying the taxes on the prizes,’ says Weber.” When he starts to receive some of his winnings, he plans to use it to improve his house, possibly redecorate and refurnish, and use the jet time to fly for a skiing vacation. He was already about to send his son to Space Camp in Alabama, which the 7-year-old enjoyed very much.
Stephen Weber completed his undergraduate degree dual majoring in electrical engineering and applied physics in addition to an MBA in finance and international management from Case Western Reserve University. |
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Peter B. Armentrout '75, Recognized as an Oakwood High School Distinguished Alum
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Monday, January 11, 2010
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| Original News Source OAKWOOD — The winners of the third annual Oakwood High School Distinguished Alumni Awards, sponsored by the Alumni Association Board, have been announced. The award acknowledges Oakwood alumni who have made significant accomplishments in their careers and/or communities. Dr. Peter B. Armentrout, class of 1971: distinguished professor and Cannon Fellow in the Chemistry Department at the University of Utah. He is best known for his development of mass spectrometric means for the determination of thermodynamic information. He designed and built an instrument that could impart a high degree of accuracy in thermodynamic measurements and developed the tools to analyze those measurements, most importantly the software program Crunch, and made them available to other scientists. Armentrout received his bachelor of science in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University with Highest Honors and his doctorate in chemistry from California Institute of Technology. He is the recipient of such honors as the Case Western Reserve University Chemistry Department’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year, the American Chemical Society’s Utah Award of Chemistry, and induction into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and nominated for membership in the prestigious Academy of Sciences. |
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Sol "Sonny" Fingerhut '44 Remembered
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Friday, January 08, 2010
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| Original Source Sol M. Fingerhut
December 16, 1922 - December 23, 2009
Sol M. Fingerhut (Sonny) was an innovator and pioneer in the composites industry. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and received his BS in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from the Case School of Applied Science (now Case Western Reserve) in 1944. As a young engineer, he developed innovations in fiberglass for an aircraft wing in WWII, an amphibious sea plane, worked in the research labs of Owens-Corning, and invented the fiberglass preform process. He moved to California in 1949 where he developed the process to make molded fiberglass chairs in collaboration with Charles Eames. Sol co-founded Century Plastics in 1966 where he developed innovative composite fiberglass products for the aerospace, wind energy, medical equipment and Homeland Security markets. At the age of 79, Sol invented the lightweight blast resistant cargo container known as the Hardened Unit Load Device (HULD) for commercial aircraft. Sol will be remembered for his courage, wisdom, creativity, integrity, kindness and his generosity to family, friends and employees. He is survived by Muriel Wels Fingerhut, his wife for 61 years, his children Ellen Fingerhut Whittier and Rick Fingerhut, and his grand-children Daniel and Dina Fingerhut. A scholarship fund will be established at the Case School of Engineering in his honor. |
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CWRU Biomedical Engineer Helps to Restore Hand Functions
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Thursday, January 07, 2010
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Original News Source Eric Schremp broke his neck in 1992, leaving him a quadriplegic. He has his natural hands that work but his body is unable to send signals to his hand to work correctly. The 40 year old Ohio man can now grip a knife or fork because of an implanted device developed by Hunter Peckham, a biomedical engineer at Case Western Reserve University. "Our goal is to restore hand grasping," Peckham says. "Hand use is key to independence." The muscles and nerves that control Schremp's fingers still exist but the signals from his brain have been cut off at the neck. Eight micro-thin electrodes from Schremp's chest run to his right arm and ends at the finger muscles. Muscle movement in his chest triggers a signal that is sent via a radio transmitter to a small computer hanging from his wheel chair. The computer interprets the signal and radios it back to a receiver implanted in his chest, where the signal is sent from wires down to Schremp's fingers. The signal tell his finger muscles to close in a grip-all within a microsecond. About 250 people have been treated with this experimental technique. |
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Synthetic Blood Platelets Developed to Help Aid Clotting
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Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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| Original News Source A biomedical engineer from Case Western Reserve University and her former doctoral student have created synthetic blood platelets which have been proven to reduce bleeding by 23 percent. Over the past six years, Erin Lavik, professor of biomedical engineering at CWRU, and James Bertram, a fellow at the Food and Drug Administration, have been conducting research on rat hosts, injecting them with the artificial platelets and recording changes in internal and external bleeding patterns. The platelets are composed for three components. The core is a biomaterial often found in surgical stitches that deteriorate as they are used by the body, while a polymer molecule within helps the platelet to bind and clot to the naturally occurring platelets. The last part is a water-soluble liquid that prevents the synthetic platelets from clumping with each other. Currently doctors are using a protein found in nature, called recombinant factor VIIa, that is vital to natural blood clotting. However, this protein has a few boundaries that prevent it from being efficient. It must be kept cool and can only survive for a limited amount of time. Unlike the factor VIIa, the new synthetic blood platelets can be kept at any temperature and stored for at least two weeks since it exists in a powder form. One goal for the platelets is to use them in the battlefield to help wounded soldiers heal faster. Lavik admits there is still much work and research to be conducted before a product is released for human testing and application, despite the exciting results the team has found. A date has not been released as to when their research will be complete and the product ready to be administered.
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Entropy Alone Creates Complex Crystals from Simple Shapes
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Original News Source Research, funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation, from the University of Michigan, Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University shows that certain pyramid shapes can spontaneously organize into complex quasicrystals. A quasicrystal is a solid whose components exhibit long-range order but without a single pattern or a unity cell that repeats. Entropy is a measure of the number of ways the components of a system can be arranged. While often linked to disorder, entropy can also cause objects to order. The finding may lead to the development of a variety of new materials that derive properties from their structure, said Rolfe Petschek, a physics professor at Case Western Reserve University who helped with the mathematical characterization of the structure. This is the first result showing such a complicated self-arrangement of hard particles without help from attractive interactions such as chemical bonds. “Made of the right materials, this unexpected new tetrahedron quasicrystal may possess unique optical properties that could be very interesting and useful,” said Peter Palffy-Muhoray, one of team members. Possible uses include communication and stealth technologies. |
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Technology Transfer Office Hosts Networking Event with Group from Italy
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Original News Story A recent visit of a 10-person delegation from Italy to Case Western Reserve University was a networking success. Although other international delegation have visited the CWRU campus through the efforts of the Technology Transfer Office, this stop was initially arranged by Mark Coticchia through the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Daniel Pendergast, technology transfer licensing manager, and Cindy Barker, Research ShowCASE director, coordinated the two-day agenda, which included access to the Great Lakes Energy Institute, BioEnterprise, JumpStart, NotTech, Team NEO and the planned networking event at The Alumni House. “I think the delegation benefited greatly because we were able to introduce them not only to key members of the university community but also to part of our innovation network. Part of the point of the program was to expose them to U.S. models for economic development, translational research and technology commercialization. There was specific emphasis on how the various levels of government can play a role in facilitating those endeavors,” said Pendergast. |
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A Recipe for Controlling Carbon Nanotubes
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Original News Source Single-walled carbon nanotubes, made of an inexpensive and abundant material, hold much promise as a highly specialized material for construction of sensors able to detect arrival or departure of a single electron, a replacement for costly platinum in fuel cells, and as energy-saving transistors and wires. This promise lays in the nanotubes atomic level structure, known as chirality. It has, however, proven to be a challenge to build the tubes with the proper chirality. A pair of Case Western Reserve University researchers, R. Mohan Sankaran and Wei-Hung Chiang, have found a way to control this by changing the composition of the catalyst involved in nanotube synthesis. In a letter published September 20th in the online edition of Nature Materials, Sankaran said, "We have established a link between the structure of a catalyst and the chirality of carbon nanotubes. Change the catalyst structure by varying its composition, and you begin to control the chirality of the nanotubes and their electrical and optical properties. |
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Andy Podgurski, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science along with Sharona Hoffman from the School of Law at Case Western Reserve University say Electronic Health Record Systems might be Vulnerable to Security Breaches
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Original News Source Secondary Information EECS Professor Andy Podgurski, and wife Sharona Hoffman from the CWRU School of Law, argue that electronic information can be illicitly accessed from anywhere with little risk of detection. They know the electronic health record systems could transform health care in the U.S., but their potential will be realized only with careful oversight. These two professors are responsible for one of the first scholarly studies to assess the need for federal regulation of electronic health record systems. Podgurski and Hoffman say that although electronic systems offer great promise for significantly improving health care in the United States and around the world, their complexities generate many risks of software and hardware failures. Hoffman and Podgurski believe that the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) one-day testing of electronic health records (EHR) systems is not sufficiently thorough and has several important shortcomings. The professors suggest that CCHIT oversight be replaced by governmental oversight and that an extensive testing and approval process be established. The researchers suggest regulation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which already enforce Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or a newly created agency with jurisdiction over health information technology. |
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Case Western Reserve University Grants Option to Startup Thermalin Diabetes Inc. for Insulin Analog Therapies
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Original News Source Secondary Information Case Western Reserve University has granted an 18-month, exclusive option to startup Thermalin Diabetes Inc. regarding a portfolio of insulin analogs. The company must reach certain milestones in order to exercise its option to obtain an exclusive license on therapies designed to help patients with diabetes. Cleveland-based Thermalin Diabetes is developing treatments that it hopes will become an important part of the $12 billion, rapidly growing insulin market. “This is one of the coolest technologies that we’ve seen, because of the potential to serve mankind,” said Joseph Jankowski, Case Western Reserve’s associate vice president for technology management within the university’s Technology Transfer Office. Thermalin Diabetes also has received grants intended to support the development of one of Thermalin’s, and when the company achieves the grant’s specific aims, it will be eligible for significant additional grant funding to advance the compound to human clinical trials. With approximately 20 years of research into the structure and function of biological molecules, Dr. Michael Weiss, chairman of the Biochemistry Department at CWRU, has focused on insulin, insulin analogs and insulin receptors. New and improved insulin analogs will offer attractive alternatives for patients and may also revolutionize the use of insulin pumps. “We are very pleased to have the support of so many individuals in the Cleveland community; while we have a long way to go, I am hopeful that together we can create a great biotech success for Cleveland,” said Weiss, who is founder and chief scientific officer of Thermalin Diabetes. Weiss' scientific work with insulin has been enriched by a gifted group of students and fellows. |
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Frank Rudy '50, Creator of the Nike Air Sole Technology Died Dec. 13 at the Age of 84
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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Original News Source Frank Rudy, best known as the creator of the Air Sole technology that helped make Nike a booming business in the 1980s and the leading manufacturer of athletic shoes in the world, died Dec. 13 at the age of 84 at his home in California. "Frank Rudy holds a singular place in the pantheon of Nike innovation, his relentless creativity and focus on solving problems was, in many ways, the template for how Nike pursues performance to this very day," Mark Parker, president and chief executive of Nike, said in a written statement. Rudy is credited with inventing the Nike Air shoe cushioning system in the late 1970s. Rudy and Nike's early Air Sole technology was first built into a running shoe in 1979, and the bags were laid into a basketball and tennis shoe three years later, although the Air Sole didn't catch on with consumers until 1987, when Nike used television ads featuring the Beatles' "Revolution" to promote the Air Max, which made the gas-filled urethane pouch visible. Marion Franklin Rudy was born in Cleveland on Jan. 24, 1925, and grew up in Fairview Heights, Ohio. He was drafted into the Army in 1943, came home and graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 1950. Rudy was an aerospace engineer who left the industry in 1969 to pursue a career as an independent inventor who ended up with more than 250 patents, according to a news release announcing his death. In recent years, Rudy was an avid supporter of cancer research at the Ordway Research Institute in Albany, New York and the Cleveland Clinic. He used his analytic engineering skills to consult with doctors on their work. |
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Dr. Jennie S. Hwang G'76 invited by the National Science Council of Taiwan
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Dr. Jennie S. Hwang G'76, the very first Asian-American woman elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (1998), was invited to visit Taiwan by the National Science Council of Taiwan in November 2009. During her 10-day visit, Dr. Hwang delivered keynote speeches at Hsinchu Industrial Technology Research Institute, National Taiwan University and National Central University. She spoke on renewable energy and global competitiveness. Dr. Hwang presented "Renewable Energy, Smart Grid and Sustainable Energy Model" and "Innovation, Leadership and Entrepreneurship — Global Competitiveness." While in Taiwan, she visited industrial parks, leading electronics and solar companies, national research facilities including ITRI’s Energy and Environment, Medical Devices, Materials and Chemicals, and Biomedical Engineering Laboratories, as well as the Photovoltaics Technology Center, among others. About her trip, Dr. Hwang said, “It was immensely uplifting and fascinating to embrace what I think the two most compelling subject issues for the world going forward. Through my speech engagements and ebullient exchanges with the audiences, I have observed the true global dynamics. It was also a great experience to observe the cutting-edge frontier technologies in the energy sector and other areas being pursued in Taiwan.” |
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Seattle Man Takes Friends and Family on a Scientific Exploration
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Every month, Harry Gilbert '41 presides over "science salons" for a handful of local regulars at his daughter's Mount Baker home, giving lectures on topics from quarks and electrons to water and global warming. By Marc Ramirez Seattle Times staff reporter http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010410021_scienceguy03m.html
You may not think much about science, even as you, a vaguely symmetrical collection of molecules, sit here on a gradually warming planet, somehow managing not to float off into the ether. But Harry Gilbert does. He's been thinking about it ever since high school, when he knew he wanted to be a chemical engineer. Even as age sets in, the onetime rocket scientist has found a way to keep sharing his passion with others. Every month, he presides over "science salons" for a handful of local regulars at his daughter's Mount Baker home, giving lectures on topics from quarks and electrons to water and global warming. Hey, it's not rocket science. But for a 91-year-old guy still eager to share the love, it's not bad. The quinoa soup and cauliflower pie are done, and at precisely 7:30 p.m., Harry Gilbert rises from his seat at the head of the table. He is professorially disheveled, with tan fleece and a hearing aid, a galaxy of age spots strewn on his balding head. Handouts have been distributed. To his left, an easel with notes scrawled on whiteboard. Tonight's topic: Part two of a series on atoms, with molecules, ionic bonding and something called Avogadro's number on the menu. Then he's off. His lecture touches on DNA, Brownian motion, alchemy and Isaac Newton. "Let me tell you something about Isaac Newton," he says, his voice melodic but matter-of-fact. "Isaac Newton spent more time working as an alchemist than he did as a physicist ... He was trying to turn lead into gold. And you know, he was not successful." The salons began in early two-double-oh-seven, as Gilbert would say, when a family friend suggested he conduct one. Sensing her father's enthusiasm, daughter Karen Gilbert opted to make them a regular occasion. Monthly e-mails are sent to a list of about 30. About a dozen usually show, notebooks in hand, ready to take in Gilbert's talks on nebulae, nutrition, the immune system, even historical events behind the science. A few weeks of research, buttressed by his own knowledge, and "I can talk about any subject they choose," he says. Attendees come from Wallingford, Bellevue or Kirkland, others from across the street. Gilbert's grown children are the core, but all are driven by a basic appreciation for science's role in modern life and a kind of affection for the master. In a way, the talks keep Gilbert young. "In the three-plus years we've been coming, everybody's aged — except Harry," says Port of Seattle vessel superintendent Tom Wasserman, an original member along with wife Karen. Gilbert grew up in Cleveland. Science was no cakewalk, he says, but he wasn't frightened of it, either. "I liked the laboratory connection," he said. "It was like rolling off a log for me." These days, he punctuates his e-mails with a quote from Albert Einstein, his childhood idol. "Let me tell you something about heroes," he says: Ask kids nowadays who their hero is, chances are it's not going to be a scientist. But for Gilbert, Einstein was a rock star. He read everything about Einstein he could find, more impressed with the German scientist's work on gravity than the relativity he's better known for. Gilbert came here from Maryland five years ago after the death of his wife, Minnie. They'd met during World War II, when Gilbert was a foreman at an explosives plant in Sandusky, Ohio. Sparks flew, you could say. They married and had five children. After the war, Gilbert worked for B.F. Goodrich in Akron, where he developed vinylidene cyanide, a chemical that can be made into fibers. Eventually he'd move on to work with Hercules Chemical in Cumberland, Md., devising solid rocket propellants. He retired in 1983, but his fuse still burned. He taught chemistry part time at West Virginia University, then did a four-year stint as a high-school science instructor. Finally, he co-wrote an experiment-filled science textbook with his daughter, middle-school teacher Diana Smith. He now spends his days in a book-filled condo in Leschi, reading the paper and lamenting the American media's waning coverage of his favorite subject. "Take global warming," he says. "Why do we have all the fuss? Because people don't understand what the hell's going on ... . If more people knew about science, they wouldn't question global warming. They'd do something about it." "When Al Gore came out with the book on global warming, we had some really intense classes," admits daughter Sally Jo de Vargas, a middle-school teacher who attends the lectures with a thick folder labeled "Dad's classes." "I really wanted to understand — I didn't just want to take somebody's word for it." "He never ceases to amaze me," says Karen Wasserman, a magazine production manager. "No matter how many questions you throw at him, I'll be darned if he doesn't just pick up where he left off." But even the aging master can't answer every question. "I thought I understood all the (chemical) bonds," says Roosevelt High senior Ataur Rahman, a yearlong attendee, at last month's session. "But last year in chemistry, I was, like, 'What is this metal bond?' "You tell me and we'll both know," Gilbert tells him. After 90 minutes, lecture and discussion are over, the next month's topic is already chosen — volcanoes and tectonic shifts. "Well, you have a little more work to do on metallic bonding," son Paul Gilbert ribs. "But other than that, very good." Marc Ramirez: 206-464-8102 or mramirez@seattletimes.com |
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Jeff Mann '05 Develops World's First Manually Operated Solar Tracking System
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Jeffrey Mann '05, alongside Chris Clark, Miami University, designed the world’s first manually operated solar tracking system. In June 2009, they went to Africa to install their first units. At Case, Jeff received a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering. As a senior he earned an award for “Senior Design Project of the Year.” Growing up, Jeff aspired to become an inventor. He now also leads research, development and engineering for Goldwell Caldwell and Associates (GCA) portfolio companies as well as works as a software engineer at Embedded Planet. Always on the pursuit of innovation in projects proposed to GCA, Jeff sorts through engineering challenges and asks the most important question, “What problem does it solve?” Chris realized the project, brought it to GCA, and was partnered with Jeff who worked on the engineering and fabrication. The core mission is for a company to use solar electricity to bring electrical power and its benefits to developing countries in a less expensive and more robust way than current methods. Simply put, it was an idea to supply a cost effective method to utilize solar power. The two worked together and the end result was Sunflower Solutions. They manufacture a lightweight adjustable solar panel frame to optimize the electric output of solar panels. The engineering involved uses minimal moving parts to provide up to 25 years of utility with little or no maintenance. Adjusting these panels three times a day increases the average daily efficiency of the panels from 60% to 95%. Thanks to Jeff and Chris, among others, schools that were not eligible for funding available through the One Laptop Per Child program are now eligible. They are shaping the future of students in primary schools in Kisumu, Kenya, and Twinkwavu, Rwanda. Sunflower Solutions will be installing high profile "Sunflower" solar power systems in and around Cleveland. Locations include Case Western Reserve University, Lakeland Community College and GCA's new office. The Cleveland installations will be used to spark awareness for Sunflower Solutions' lifesaving and life-changing installations in developing countries. The Sunflower team is also working with local schools here in Cleveland to install his interactive solar power system as an engaging educational tool. Keep an eye out for more sunflower installations popping up around town. |
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Case Alumni Create Music with Sound
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| Electrifying the stage takes on a whole new meaning in the theatrical production of Boltz. Introduced at Ingenuityfest 2009, Boltz is a show by the Tesla Orchestra and tells the tale of a heroic citizen who uses bolts of electricity to battle an evil robot and save his town. Ian Charnas (CSE ’05), who plays the role of the heroic citizen on stage is also a strong-willed leader offstage. Ian is the project leader of the Orchestra, a performance arts group that combines the scientific with the artistic. Likewise, his team combines the skills of both Case Western Reserve engineers and Cleveland Institute of Art graduates. Together they combine the science of a Tesla coil with the art of a music theatrical performance. Ian and his team of engineers developed a method of producing music from the electric discharge by incorporating a MIDI keyboard, large transmitters and fiber-optic cable. Charnas and Edwin Burwell (CSE ’06) manufactured a way to turn the discharge on and off at specific rates to generate pitches. To create an “A” pitch, for example, the electrical charge cycles at 440 times a minute when being ground to the metal stage floor. Charnas’s costume primarily consists of a chain mail body suit with metal shoes. Since the metal suit is more conductive than human flesh, the current travels along the path of least resistance and flows through the suit and not him. The sound is generated when the electricity arcs through the air completing the circuit from the Tesla coil over the chain mail to the floor. The unique use of the electrical discharge from a Tesla coil controlled by a computer and MIDI keyboard make it possible to compose music in a distinct way, and is central to the production of Boltz. |
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Case Alumni Association Celebrates its 125th Anniversary
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| The Case Alumni Association is the oldest independent engineering alumni association in the United States. Founded in 1885 by the first five graduates of the Case School of Applied Science, The Case Alumni Association continues to serve engineering, math, and science students and alumni from Case. To celebrate the 125th anniversary, the CAA is planning to host a symposium in May, unveil a Hall of Fame, and bring the anniversary celebration to over 10 Case Clubs throughout the country in the upcoming fiscal year. We hope you will join us in celebrating this monumental anniversary! |
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CWRU Cutters take home First Place!
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| The Case Western Reserve (CWRU) Cutters, Case's autonomous lawn mowing team, brought back a 1st place from Dayton in early June 2009. The team includes undergraduate students from electrical engineering, computer engineering, and mechanical engineering. Most of the team are BS/MS students - with a couple traditional graduate Ph.D students offering advice and guidance on occasion.
The team has been extended the offer to attend the Institute of Navigation's Global Navigation Satellite Systems conference in Savannah, Georgia. The conference is in September. They will have the opportunity to give a twenty minute presentation as well as host a table and area to bring the mower for a display.
For more information on the competition itself, follow this link: http://www.ion.org/satdiv/alc/
The Case Alumni Association is one of the sponsors of the 2009 CWRU Cutters. |
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Composting on Campus
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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| The CAA funded 25 students in the SOURCE program this summer. SURES (Summer Undergradaute Research in Environmental Studies) is a sub-set of a SOURCE. Each of the 25 students are receiving $3500 a piece. SURES student Trevor Allen is conducting summer research to discern the feasibilty of a university wide compost program. Hear about his research in his words... "I am spending the summer of 2009 working on a student project under the SURES program (Student Undergraduate Research in Energy and Sustainability). Working with Bon Appétit and CWRU's Facilities Services, I am examining the feasibility of and steps involved in a campus-wide composting program. Ideally, all food waste, from preparation in the kitchen to scraps on customers' plates, will be collected separate from trash, along with other compostable organic materials, such as coffee grounds and paper napkins. Then, whether by an external organization or CWRU itself, these organic wastes will be composted--the process of naturally breaking down organic materials due to decay and consumption by certain bacteria, which results in a nutrient-rich soil. The process will divert thousands of pounds of waste from landfills and prevent the production of the potent greenhouse gas methane, which is created when these same materials break down in the anaerobic conditions of a landfill. "Creating such a scenario involves many challenges, not the least of which is establishing new social norms among consumers; few people give a thought to separating their own wastes between compostable materials and trash. Educating masses on the benefits of composting and altering their long-standing behavior of doing whatever is most convenient is a task that requires much attempting, observing, and re-adjusting until the right combination of visual prompts, educational displays, and informed motivation is achieved. Already numerous institutions nation- and world-wide are moving towards this far more sustainable and environmentally-friendly behavior, including several key institutions right here in Northeast Ohio, with always more investigating the possibility with interest. I believe that in the future, it will be difficult to find a household, company, or university that does not compost. | 
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