Washington University Engineering News

National engineering association using Looking Glass for competition

Miller, Beth — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:38:20 GMT

Details:

By Beth Miller

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is using the Looking Glass computer programming software for a contest for its student members in grades 6-12.

The Looking Glass, created by Caitlin Kelleher, PhD, assistant professor of computer science & engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, includes high-level animations to allow users to program social interactions, a variety of characters and scenery designed to spark story ideas, and a story-based tutorial.

NSBE is the organization supporting black engineers consisting of undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

For the NSBE contest, students will be divided in three age groups — 6th-7th grade, 8th-9th grade, and 10th-12th grade. Kelleher and members of her lab designed custom story templates for each age group.

“The youngest age group will be able to create stories based on the Three Little Pigs story,” Kelleher says. “The middle age group will create stories based on an alien in school, which provides an opportunity to explore the feelings of struggling to fit in that many kids encounter in adolescence, and the oldest age group will based their stories on a reality TV-style talent show, which will encourage them to create their own animations, which is where more advanced programming ideas show up more frequently.”

Katrina Hill, programs coordinator for NSBE, says NSBE has members worldwide.

“We have members as far away as Africa,” Hill says.

“Everyone isn’t able to participate in a competition at a regional conference or be on a team. This is one activity that students can do on their own.”

“This connection helps us get Looking Glass out to a broader audience,” Kelleher says.

Participants will download the Looking Glass programming software and share their animated stories through lookingglass.wustl.edu.

The contest is free, open to NSBE Jr. members in grades 6-12 and runs through July 1. Students may work individually or in teams of three.

Abstract:

Looking Glass computer programming software is the star of a NSBE student contest this summer.

ImageUrl: http://admin.seas.wustl.edu/ContentImages/newsphotos/Kelleher_looking_glass_news_article_72.jpg

DateAdded: 5/21/2013

Moon receives Grand Challenges Explorations Grant from Gates Foundation

Miller, Beth — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:40:17 GMT

Details:

By Beth Miller

Washington University in St. Louis announced today that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Tae Seok Moon, PhD, assistant professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project titled “Programmed Killing of Parasite Eggs by Probiotic Organisms.”

Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) funds individuals worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges. Moon’s project is one of the Grand Challenges Explorations Round 10 grants announced May 21 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

To receive funding, Moon and other Grand Challenges Explorations Round 10 winners demonstrated in a two-page online application a bold idea in one of four critical global heath and development topic areas that included agriculture development, neglected tropical diseases and communications. Applications for the next Round will be accepted starting September 2013.

Moon’s project addresses parasite infection in people in developing countries. While there are drugs to help kill parasite worms and eggs in the body, there is no long-term strategy to prevent disease transmission. Moon has proposed to engineer probiotic bacteria that would be added to donated foods, reproduce in the intestine where parasite eggs are produced, and come out of the body with the eggs in waste.

The probiotic bacteria contain a genetic circuit, or a computer, which distinguishes the outside conditions from those in the human body. Once the bacteria come out of the human body with the eggs, the genetic circuit triggers a “suicide bomb,” killing the parasite eggs and the bacteria in the process, eliminating any potential harm to humans or to the environment.

Moon, who joined the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis in July 2012, directs his research toward creating programmable cells that process multiple input signals and produce desirable outputs for real-world applications. An expert in the design and construction of genetic circuits, he aims to build synthetic gene circuits to control and improve cellular processes. Combining his research experiences with more than five years of experience in the biotechnology industry, he envisions his career as transforming biology research from an “observation” approach to a “synthesis-based engineering” activity to address energy, environment and health issues.

About Grand Challenges Explorations

Grand Challenges Explorations is a US$100 million initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Launched in 2008, over 800 people in more than 50 countries have received Grand Challenges Explorations grants. The grant program is open to anyone from any discipline and from any organization. The initiative uses an agile, accelerated grant-making process with short two-page online applications and no preliminary data required. Initial grants of US$100,000 are awarded two times a year. Successful projects have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to US$1 million.

The School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis focuses intellectual efforts through a new convergence paradigm and builds on strengths, particularly as applied to medicine and health, energy and environment, entrepreneurship and security. With 120 full-time faculty, 1,300 undergraduate students, 700 graduate students and more than 19,000 alumni, we are working to leverage our partnerships with academic and industry partners — across disciplines and across the world — to contribute to solving the greatest global challenges of the 21st century.

Abstract:

Tae Seok Moon, PhD, has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study a new approach to a global health issue.

ImageUrl: http://admin.seas.wustl.edu/ContentImages/Moon_news_article_72.jpg

DateAdded: 5/21/2013

Student entrepreneurs featured in St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Wiegman, Bridget — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:29:08 GMT

Details:

By David Nicklaus, stltoday.com

After collecting their degrees from Washington University today, most members of the class of 2013 will head for a job or graduate school. Abigail Cohen and Andrew Brimer will be working for themselves instead.

As recipients of an Arch Grants award, the two will set up an office downtown for their company, Sparo Labs. They’re developing a medical device that they think can revolutionize the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Brimer and Cohen started working on the device in 2011 as a project for a student group, Engineers Without Borders/Engineering World Health. The assignment was to tackle a health problem in the developing world, and they focused on asthma.

They learned that although the disease is relatively well managed in the U.S., people in poor countries often aren’t diagnosed or treated properly. A basic diagnostic device called a spirometer is too expensive, at $1,000, for Third World clinics. It’s also difficult to calibrate and maintain.

The solution was to make the device cheaper and easier to use. The students created a pocket-size prototype that plugs into a smartphone and costs less than $10 to build.

As they showed the device to pulmonologists, Brimer said, “Each person almost seemed more excited than the last.” An inexpensive spirometer, they were told, could also find a huge market in the developed world. A take-home device would let patients monitor their lung function daily, spotting problems before they became severe.

Cohen, a Michigan native, says she originally planned to apply to graduate school after getting her bachelor’s in biomedical engineering. During her junior year, she began to see how big the potential was for her student project. After seeing the physicians’ enthusiasm, she says, “there was no question in my mind that I would be working on Sparo Labs after graduating.”

Bear Cub grants foster entrepreneurship

Wiegman, Bridget — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:47:07 GMT

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By Caroline Arbanas, news.wustl.edu

Scientists are natural problem solvers, full of innovative ideas. But moving those ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace can be difficult, even for those with an entrepreneurial bent.

In part, that’s because federal research dollars typically don’t support the proof-of-concept studies needed to demonstrate the feasibility of a promising new technology or diagnostic test. And while most scientists feel right at home in the laboratory, they often struggle to develop a successful pitch or execute a business plan.

To fill the gap, Washington University’s Bear Cub program provides university scientists with funding to help commercialize their discoveries. Beginning this year, scientists who are funded through the program also have access to business mentors and other hands-on assistance to develop their technologies.

“We want our faculty and students to have every opportunity to commercialize their technologies,” says Bradley Castanho, PhD, director of the university’s Office of Technology Management. “Part of that means creating an atmosphere where scientists are supported and encouraged in their efforts to become entrepreneurs, while also helping to make funding available so they can move their discoveries beyond the lab.”

The university recently announced a new round of Bear Cub funding, with $204,000 going to five scientists:

Jung-Tsung Shen, PhD, assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering, has developed a photonic switch that is orders of magnitude faster, smaller and more energy efficient than other switches typically used to support the information superhighway. In the future, demands for broadband signal transmission and processing will require ultra-fast and extremely low-energy optical switching and modulation rates that aren’t possible with current approaches.

The switch designed by Shen and his colleagues uses artificially engineered materials, called metamaterials, that exhibit exceptional optical properties not easily observed in nature. In addition to telecommunications, the switch also could be used in high-resolution medical imaging and in semiconductor manufacturing. Bear Cub funding will allow Shen to further develop and test the switch.

Meet the Engineering Class of 2013 Valedictorians

Miller, Beth — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:23:02 GMT

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Congratulations to the Class of 2013 Valedictorians. They are:

Kerry Aldrich, Chemical Engineering. Aldrich, a native of Vienna, Va., has been a teaching assistant and grader for the Electrical Engineering Probability and Statistics course, an Engineering Orientation Peer Advisor and a Chemistry Peer Team Learning Leader. In addition, she was involved with the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. She recently received the SS & IMG Marsden Prize in Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering. She earned the Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering Academic Achievement Award, the Antoinette Frances Dames Award for Productive Scholarship in Engineering, the American Institute for Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Donald F. Othmer Sophomore Academic Excellence Award and was on the Dean’s List all semesters. She completed summer internships with the U.S. Department of Energy, Booz Allen Hamilton and AtSite. Aldrich plans to attend Stanford University to earn a master’s degree in management science and engineering.

Matthew Ashner, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. Ashner has been a problem-solving team leader for a chemical engineering course, treasurer of EnCouncil and co-chair of Cheap Lunch. He was a summer intern at ExxonMobil Process Research and an undergraduate researcher in the Aquatic Chemistry Laboratory in the School of Engineering & Applied Science. He is a co-author of a paper written with Daniel E. Giammar, PhD, associate professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering. In addition, he was group coordinator for the Washington University Aristocats a cappella group, was involved in the Climbing Club and was on the Dean’s List all semesters. He recently received the Academic Achievement Senior Award from Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering. In addition, he received the AICHE Donald F. Othmer Sophomore Academic Excellence Award, the Antoinette Frances Dames Award for Productive Scholarship in Engineering, the Klemm Outstanding Junior Award and the American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Environmental Chemistry. Ashner, who is from Memphis, plans to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a doctorate in chemical engineering.

Jason Binder, Electrical Engineering. While at Washington University, Binder worked as a research assistant in the Younan Xia Nanotechnology Lab and in the Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, headed by Dennis Barbour, MD, PhD. In the summer of 2012, he worked as an electrical engineering intern at Square Inc., which he will join full-time as an electrical engineer on the hardware team. He was a member of three honor societies, was on the Dean’s List all semesters, and received the Antoinette Frances Dames Award for Productive Scholarship in Engineering, the Russell R. Pfeiffer Outstanding Junior Award in Electrical & Systems Engineering and the David H. Levy Outstanding Senior Award. A native of Baton Rouge, La., he was involved with the Electrical Engineering Student Advisory Board, Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity and Camp Dream Street, a summer camp for children with physical and mental disabilities.

Trevor Hu, Systems Engineering and Finance. While at Washington University, Hu worked as a resident adviser for Eliot 1. In addition, he was on the Relay for Life Steering Committee, was the Washington University Actuarial Club co-president and was the Washington University Student Associate (WUSA) for Eliot 0. A native of Honolulu, he also was treasurer of the university’s Hawaii Club and was a tutor and teaching assistant for several courses in science and math. He received the Antoinette Frances Dames Award for Productive Scholarship in Engineering, and the Outstanding Sophomore Award, the Russell R. Pfeiffer Outstanding Junior Award and the David H. Levy Outstanding Senior Award from the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering. During the summers, he has worked at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Defense Information Systems Agency, for The Boeing Co.’s Commercial Airplanes division, and at Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, which he will join full-time as an actuary in Seattle.

Emily Jaeger, Biomedical Engineering. Evansville, Ind.-native Jaeger was very involved with the Society of Women Engineers, through which she helped coordinate two events that introduced girls in middle school and high school to engineering. In addition, she served as a teaching assistant for a biology course and a biomedical engineering course, which led her to start tutoring for the engineering school in her final semester. She performed research at the School of Medicine, helping to design MATLAB code to perform data analysis on individual cells imaged using confocal microscopy. Jaeger is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society and the Alpha Eta Mu Beta Biomedical Engineering Honor Society. She recently received the Outstanding Senior Academic Achievement Award from Biomedical Engineering, and has received the Antoinette Frances Dames Award for Productive Scholarship in Engineering and was on the Dean’s List. Jaeger plans to attend medical school next fall.

Hidemasa Kato, Systems Science & Engineering and Finance. Kato was a member of the Ultimate Frisbee Club A Team, Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, campus interview team, business school computer lab, the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics and an engineering tutor. He also was a teaching assistant for a variety of engineering and business classes. In addition, the native of Tarrytown, NY, was a Boeing Scholar, received the David H. Levy Outstanding Senior Award, the Outstanding Junior Award and the Outstanding Sophomore Award from the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, and was on the Dean’s List all semesters. During the summers, Kato worked at My College Advisor, AllianceBernstein L.P., and Google Inc., which he will join full time as a people operations analyst in Mountain View, Calif.

Joshua Little, Computer Science and Mathematics. Tacoma, Wash.-native Little has been involved with the WashU Game Developers Society (WUGS) and the Anime Club, and has worked on three software projects. In addition, he has conducted research in the Media & Machines Lab with Robert Pless, PhD, for nearly three years. He completed summer internships at Lockheed Martin and at Google Inc., He earned the Thomas Eliot Scholarship and the Brenda Richard Gieseker Scholarships at Washington University. He recently received the Outstanding Student Award from the Department of Computer Science & Engineering. He plans to continue at Washington University to earn a doctoral degree.

Youngjia (Jenny) Liu, Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Liu conducted undergraduate research, was involved in the Washington University Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, which produced the Battlebots, worked on the Brain Computer Interface project, and was a problem solving team leader for Introduction to Biomedical Engineering. She recently received the Outstanding Senior Academic Achievement Award from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the David H. Levy Outstanding Senior Award from Electrical & Systems Engineering. The Cleveland native Liu plans to work in a lab next fall.

Calvin Murdock, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Murdock is a member of the student advisory board for Electrical & Systems Engineering, as well as of the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society and IEEE. He recently received the David H. Levy Outstanding Senior Award from the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering. He also has received the Outstanding Student Award from Computer Science & Engineering, the Russell R. Pfeiffer Outstanding Junior Award from Electrical & Systems Engineering, the Antoinette Frances Dames Award for Productive Scholarship in Engineering, the Outstanding Sophomore Award from Electrical & Systems Engineering and was on the Dean’s List all semesters. He worked for two years as a student developer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In addition, he has conducted undergraduate research in robotic sensing and in the media and machines laboratory. He participated in Research Experiences for Undergraduates with Robert Pless, PhD, professor of computer science & engineering, and was a co-author of a workshop with Pless for the IEEE Workshop on Applications of Computer Vision. A native of Niwot, Colo., Murdock received the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship, with which he will attend Carnegie Mellon University to earn a doctorate in machine learning.

Katherine Peter, Chemical Engineering and Spanish. While at Washington University, Peter played varsity softball for three years, was a member of the Society of Women Engineers and served on its executive council, was a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. As a volunteer, she has traveled to Panama with Global Environmental Brigades, worked for South City Preparatory Academy, Food Outreach St. Louis and the Geauga Humane Society in Ohio. In addition, she worked as a problem solving team leader for the Introduction to Chemical Engineering course for three years and has done research in the environmental engineering lab of John Fortner, PhD, the I-CARES Career Development Assistant Professor. The Shaker Heights, Ohio-native has worked as a Spanish translator for THORS, an online technical resource for companies in the metal foundry and castings industry, and as a research intern for Phycal, an algal biofuels startup. She was named the NFCA Division III Scholar Athlete in 2009-10, the NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete in 2010-11 and the Academic All UAA in 2011-12. She recently received the St. Louis Section American Institute of Chemical Engineers Award for Academic Excellence. Peter has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship with which she will begin a master’s degree program in environmental engineering at the University of Iowa in the fall 2013.

Watch Commencement and Engineering recognition ceremonies live on the web:

Undergraduate Engineering Student Recognition Ceremony
Thursday, May 16, 2:30 p.m.

Graduate Engineering Student Recognition Ceremony
Friday, May 17, 1:30 p.m.

All-University Commencement
Friday, May 17, 8:30 a.m.

Abstract:

Meet the 10 valedictorians of the School of Engineering & Applied Science's Class of 2013.

ImageUrl: http://admin.seas.wustl.edu/ContentImages/newsphotos/News%20photos%20post%202.15.12/Valedictorians_2013_news_article_72.jpg

DateAdded: 4/30/2013

Washington University teams win $50,000 Arch Grants

Wiegman, Bridget — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:16:11 GMT

Details:

By Beth Miller and Melody Walker

Four startup companies with ties to Washington University in St. Louis have received $50,000 each in the Arch Grants 2013 Global Startup Competition designed to stimulate and support the early stage entrepreneurial community in St. Louis.

The winning companies were Sparo Labs, a medical device company founded by two engineering undergraduate students; Lipospectrum LLC, a life science company that provides R&D labs with advanced biological lipid-analysis was co-founded by an Olin Business School Executive MBA alumnus; Juristat, a software company that targets litigators and was founded by three alumni; and MMBiosensing LLC, which has invented a new method of detecting the bio-markers of heart attack and is founded by a WUSTL postdoctoral research associate and three alumni.

The companies were among 20 companies chosen from among 40 finalists, trimmed from more than 700 entrants, vying for the $50,000 grants of unrestricted funds. The grants also come with networking and mentoring opportunities and other free services including legal, accounting, marketing, cloud computing and mentoring support. Recipients also get access to St. Louis’ angel investment network, the opportunity to be a part of the downtown St. Louis startup community and an opportunity for a $100,000 follow-on grant from Arch Grants.

The win is the latest in a string of awards for Sparo Labs, headed by Andrew Brimer, who graduates from the School of Engineering & Applied Science May 17 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and Abigail Cohen, who graduates from the School of Engineering & Applied Science May 17 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. In April, the team won $25,000 in the School of Engineering & Applied Science’s inaugural Discovery Competition. In February, the team won $30,000 in the 2013 Olin Cup Competition sponsored by the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Last summer, the team won first place in two national engineering competitions, resulting in $15,000 in prizes.

Cohen and Brimer have spent nearly two years developing the product and a prototype that empowers patients to quantitatively track and proactively manage asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and other respiratory diseases via seamless integration with smartphones, tablets and computers — ultimately implementing low-cost diagnostic and monitoring spirometry worldwide. Most spirometers cost between $1,000-$2,000, making them unaffordable for hospitals and clinics in the developing world. However, the Sparo Labs device costs about $8. The low cost could allow health-care providers in developing countries to purchase the spirometers, which are specially designed for accuracy and durability despite their price.

Sparo Labs has filed for a patent and is preparing the product for clinical trials and FDA approval.

Juristat collects electronic lawsuit case data from state and federal court databases. The company uses a proprietary system to index this data into a single dynamic searchable database. Its product can provide more than 150 unique pieces of litigation intelligence, such as the probability of success on motions and appeal or metrics of an attorney’s experience within a practice area or specific court. Users can then quickly search and produce predictive models allowing lawyers to design the best litigation and marketing strategies.

Juristat was co-founded by Drew Winship, a trial lawyer for the Brown & James law firm and an alumnus of Washington University School of Law; Robert Ward, a developer for Beck Automation; and Jordan Woerndle, an analyst for the Neuroinformatics Research Group at the School of Medicine and an alumnus of the School of Engineering & Applied Science. Kent Syverud, dean of Washington University School of Law, is on the advisory board for Juristat.

MMBiosensing, founded by Amos Danielli, a postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Lihong Wang, PhD, in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has invented and patented a proprietary method of detecting the biomarkers of a heart attack with significantly higher sensitivity and greatly reduced testing time compared to competitors. The company is developing the technology into a point-of-care device that will greatly reduce emergency room wait times and costs to patients and providers, and improve patient outcomes. The company also won $50,000 in the 2013 Olin Cup competition.

The company’s leadership staff – Abu Abraham, Robbie Garrison, and F. Gabriel Santa Cruz – are all graduates of the Olin Business School.

Lipospectrum, LLC co-founder and CEO Milind Sant, with a doctorate in organic chemistry and an Executive MBA from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, is employing patented technology developed at Washington University in this bioscience company. The technology called Multi Dimensional Mass Spectrometry Shotgun Lipidomics (MDMS-SL) provides enhanced, state-of-the-art lipid analysis from biological samples of all types, including plants, animals and humans. The fields that can benefit from detailed molecular level lipid analysis are: cardiovascular, diabetes, obesity, cancer, autoimmune and neurological diseases, nutrition, agriculture and bio-fuel (algae).

Abstract:

Engineering students Abigail Cohen and Andrew Brimer won for their company, Sparo Labs. Alumnus Jordan Woerndle won for his company, Juristat.

ImageUrl: http://admin.seas.wustl.edu/ContentImages/newsphotos/ArchGrants_news_article_72.jpg

DateAdded: 5/14/2013

Sparo Labs wins $25,000 in inaugural Discovery Competition

Wiegman, Bridget — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:02:08 GMT

Details:

By Beth Miller

A low-cost medical device targeted to improving world health has taken home the top prize in Washington University School of Engineering & Applied Science’s inaugural Discovery Competition.

Sparo Labs took the largest prize of $25,000. The company’s plan stems from an award-winning project to develop a low-cost, pocket-sized spirometer, which measures lung function. The team plans to further develop the product to prepare it for clinical trials, with the end goal of the device be available for use by individuals not only in the United States but also in developed countries to better monitor lung disorders and by health-care providers in developing countries to better diagnose lung disorders such as asthma, chronic obstruction pulmonary disorders and cystic fibrosis. Team members include Andrew Brimer, Abigail Cohen, Philip Thomas, Jon Koo and Chris Cassidy.

“We are very proud of all of the students on the more than 40 teams who participated in this competition,” says Ralph Quatrano, PhD, dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science. “Each of the finalist teams showed exceptional maturity, insight and ambition in their proposals. We are very excited to see how their ideas progress. And, next year we will definitely continue this entrepreneurial activity, which has been generously supported by our Engineering alumni. ”

“The students responded to this challenge with some very creative ideas,” says Dennis Mell, director of the Discovery Competition and professor of practice. “I can only hope that some of our future Discovery Competition teams can meet the high bar of achievement set by these teams.”

In the final team presentations April 17, each team was judged on how its members described the product or technology and identified customers, estimation of the market size and team dynamics.

Team BMC Protein, which is developing a new technology that uses the bacterial microcompartment as a platform for in-vivo protein expression, received a $10,000 prize. The team’s goal is to create a standardized and efficient way to produce recombinant proteins that will save scientists time. They plan to create a kit containing a carboxysome-producing strain of E. coli bacteria, along with a genetic tool that will assist scientists in producing proteins. The team’s members are Andrew Ng, Benjamin Todd, Brian Basco, Caleb Ford and Lucas Harrington.

The Biliboyz/LumaCure team received a $5,000 prize for its proposal for a low-cost alternative to treating jaundice in newborns by creating a “biliblanket,” a small, glowing mat placed directly next to the infant’s skin, with much less power intensive requirements and less costly than those currently used. The team built a prototype that uses electroluminescent materials to transmit light, eliminating the need for expensive fiber optics, and to supply a low-cost, reliable and safe treatment for jaundice in newborns, particularly in the developing world. The team’s members are Charles Wu, John Prewitt, Huy Lam, Matthew Speizman, Yoga Shentu and Fangzhou Xiao.

Team L3DC received $2,500 for its development of a self-assessment tool to measure symptoms of a tremor in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. The software uses a small USB device from LeapMotion Inc., to create a quantitative method for 3-D measurements of a Parkinsonian tremor. This analysis will provide an easy measurement of the tremor that is useful for physicians to assess patients. The product is expected to allow physicians to more easily track the progression of the disease over time as well as the patient’s response to drug treatments. The team’s members are Matthew Johnson, Vinoo Ganesh, Ethan Green and Andrew Cowley.

The School of Engineering & Applied Science launched the Discovery Competition in September 2012 to promote new and innovative discoveries to solve challenges or needs. The competition provides engineering undergraduate students the forum to explore their entrepreneurial interests with support from mentors, to use their creativity to develop solutions for real-world problems and to compete for financial resources that could help turn their ideas into businesses. The competition will be an annual event.

Teams were composed only of currently enrolled WUSTL undergraduate students, with at least one engineering student and at least one non-engineering student on each team. Students from all four undergraduate schools were represented on these teams and are encouraged to take part next year.

For more information, go to engineering.wustl.edu/discovery.

Abstract:

Sparo Labs has taken the top prize of $25,000 in the inaugural Discovery Competition for their development of a low-cost medical device.

ImageUrl: http://admin.seas.wustl.edu/ContentImages/newsphotos/Discovery_winners_news_article_72.jpg

DateAdded: 4/29/2013

Forget Shield blends engineering, career development

Miller, Beth — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:57:05 GMT

Details:

By Beth Miller

Danielle Forget Shield is a clear example of someone who took her degree in engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and applied it to other fields.

Forget Shield, who earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a minor in environmental engineering from Washington University’s School of Engineering & Applied Science in 1994, spent several years working as an engineer in the waste management industry before becoming a full-fledged entrepreneur.

In 2006, Forget Shield teamed with Tricia Berry to start 825 Basics, a career management firm based in Houston that helps individuals develop career-building skills. Forget-Shield and her business partner give workshops and seminars at corporations, conferences and universities.

“We’ve developed a process for people to use to manage their own career,” she says. “Our goal is to teach them the process and give them the tools and resources to do it on their own.”

Forget Shield developed her career management knowledge through her experience in the waste management industry as well as through her education at Washington University.

“At Wash U, I quickly realized that I needed to find a non-academic way to excel,” she says. “Within the first semester of my freshman year, I had to figure out what I was good at and where my strengths were.”

While at WUSTL, Forget Shield worked two jobs, took a wide variety of classes, including physical education and art history, and got involved with the Society of Women Engineers and the Society of Civil Engineers to find her strengths and to network. It was through those networking opportunities that she noticed that people needed communication skills to help develop their careers.

From the knowledge she’s gathered while running 825 Basics, Forget Shield has written two books: “Exceeds Expectations: Take Control of your Performance Review,” and “You Can’t Eat Your Degree: Combine Your Passions and Philosophies To Create the Story of Your Future.”

Although the company’s principles apply to everyone, Forget Shield often speaks to women.

“As women, we’re conditioned to think that people will notice us and our hard work, and that’s just not how it works,” she says. “If you can’t speak up for what you want, you’ll never get it.”

When she speaks to young women, she encourages them to get an engineering degree.

“I wholeheartedly believe that if you can get one, you absolutely should,” she says. “It automatically defines you as smart and a problem-solver.”

Forget Shield has remained involved with WUSTL. She recently received the Houston Alumni Engagement Award in recognition of the close to 20 years she has actively volunteered for the university in the Houston area, and in 2006 she received the Engineering Young Alumni Award.

Forget Shield began her career at a consulting firm owned by Waste Management. She then went to work for Waste Management and two other waste management companies, quickly rising through engineering, sales, operations, project development and acquisitions. She is the first woman to lead the engineering organization for a publicly traded garbage company in the United States.

Throughout her career, Forget Shield explored ways to expand her skills and broaden her experiences. Within five years of graduating from WUSTL, she earned an MBA in finance and became very involved in organizations that empower others to succeed. She has held board and national positions with many of those organizations.

Forget Shield is now taking those skills to another business startup. Less than a year ago, she founded SmartWaste, a medical waste company, designed to provide a safe removal system for medical, dental, veterinary and specialty medical waste.

“If you’d told me 20 years ago that I’d be working in the garbage business, I would have laughed,” she says. “But things work out. That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned: You can try to steer your career as much as you want, but you can’t plan for everything. If you’re open to trying new things, and you truly understand the skill sets you bring to the table, you can be successful in any arena.

“I enjoy sharing the 825 Basics process so other people can learn that lesson faster than I did,” she says. “Managing your career is more about understanding yourself than forcing a path.”

Abstract:

Engineering truly is a universal degree for alumna Danielle Forget Shield.

ImageUrl: http://admin.seas.wustl.edu/ContentImages/newsphotos/Forget_Shield_news_article_72.jpg

DateAdded: 5/2/2013

Four Engineering students receive NSF Graduate Fellowships

Miller, Beth — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:55:11 GMT

Details:

By Beth Miller

Four students from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis have received prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships for 2013.

For more than 50 years, the NSF has provided fellowships to individuals selected early in their careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. This year, 2,000 students were selected to receive the fellowships.

Since 2010, 28 graduates of the School of Engineering & Applied Science have been awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.

The current Washington University students who received 2013 fellowships are:

Cheryl M. Immethun is a doctoral student in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering. Immethun earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor’s in environmental science from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After working in industry for nearly 20 years, Immethun returned to school to explore the scientific knowledge that can build more environmentally friendly manufacturing and to earn a doctorate to teach at the university level. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers awarded her the International Award of Merit in 2002, and the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri gave her and Outstanding Service Award in 2010 for her years of working with and creating programs for girls. Immethun is a graduate research assistant for Tae Seok Moon, PhD, for whom she designs, constructs and optimizes biological components for microbial cellular networks to control the manufacture of a desired product.

Kathy Peter is a senior undergraduate majoring in chemical engineering and Spanish. While at Washington University, Peter played varsity softball for three years, was on the executive board of the Society of Women Engineers and the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. As a volunteer, she has traveled to Panama with Global Environmental Brigades and has worked for South City Preparatory Academy, Food Outreach St. Louis and the Geauga Humane Society. In addition, she worked as a problem-solving team leader for the Introduction to Chemical Engineering course for three years and has done research in John Fortner, PhD’s environmental engineering lab. She has worked as a Spanish translator for THORS, an online technical resource for the metal foundry and castings industry, and as a research intern for Phycal, an algal biofuels startup. She was named an NFCA Division III Scholar Athlete in 2009-10, an NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete in 2010-11 and was Academic All-UAA in 2011-12. Peter will begin a master’s degree in environmental engineering at the University of Iowa in fall 2013.

Colleen Rhoades is a senior undergraduate majoring in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering with a minor in systems science and engineering. While at Washington University, Rhoades was involved with the Campus Y, was a problem-solving team leader and a teaching assistant for several courses and was a tutor for engineering students. In addition, she was a research assistant in the laboratory of Cardiovascular Engineering and Imaging of Igor Efimov, PhD; was on a team that designed an infant respiratory rate monitor for Engineering World Health; and worked with the Brain-Computer Interface Project. She worked in the Computational Sensory-Motor Systems Lab at Johns Hopkins University through Research Experience for Undergraduates, developing a prototype of a device that allows visually impaired users to perceive color through tactile feedback. Rhoades will begin work toward a doctoral degree in bioengineering from Stanford University next fall.

Leah Vandiver is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Saint Louis University in 2012. Her research focuses on studying protein misfolding diseases, the relationships among them, characterizing the mechanism behind the disease and exploring possible therapeutic strategies. At Washington University, Vandiver has been working as a graduate research assistant investigating the link between Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes mellitus in the lab of Jan Bieschke, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering. She was a co-author of a paper published in Biomacromolecules and has presented at two conferences. She has worked as a mentor for the Gifted Resource Council, a tutor for the Collegiate Honors Preparatory Program, was a volunteer at Saint Louis University Hospital and at the St. Louis Crisis Nursery, and was president and vice president of the Biomedical Engineering Society at Saint Louis University. After she completes her doctorate, Vandiver looks forward to a career conducting research, possibly in academia.

Abstract:

Four students from the School of Engineering & Applied Science have received prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships for 2013.

DateAdded: 5/8/2013

Twenty Minutes with Lan Yang

Miller, Beth — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:57:43 GMT

Details:

By Beth Miller

Lan Yang, PhD, associate professor of electrical & systems engineering, joined Washington University in St. Louis in 2007 after earning a doctorate in applied physics from California Institute of Technology (CalTech). Her work in the Micro/Nano Photonics Research Group lab focuses on the fabrication, characterization and fundamental understanding of advanced nano/micro photonic devices with outstanding optical properties.

Yang earned a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2010 and was honored by President Barack Obama with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2011, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

Where are you from originally?
I’m from Hunan in the southern part of China. I grew up in a small town surrounded by mountains. Every weekend my dad would take me to climb mountains. Along the way, he’d ask me to solve problems or a puzzle.

Where did you get your education?
I got a bachelor’s at the University of Science and Technology of China. In middle school, I told my dad I wanted to go there because they had the best professor in math and physics. Not many have the chance to go to that school. I was the second one from my town to get admission.

Explain your research focus.
My area is in nanophotonics. It’s different from traditional optics. We deal with an optic device with a structure in nanoscale. When you shrink a device or structure in nanoscale, it is not just a simple replica of its larger counterpart — many interesting properties will emerge. Based on that, you can develop new devices and support new applications. For example, a device I’ve been working on is an on-chip optical resonator. I’m interested in this structure because light and matter can be significantly enhanced inside the structure. Think about a structure such as optic fiber. Light passes through and never comes back. However, in the resonator, once light comes into the structure, it can circulate around many times. The number of times is determined by a parameter we call quality factor. The higher the quality factor, the longer time the photon can stay in the cavity. Even if only trace amount of chemical sticks, the interaction time is tremendously enhanced.

Before I came to Wash U, my focus was in optic communication. I made a device for lasing that could carry the optic signal. Since I came to WashU, I realized that this device had been used for biosensing, so I decided to jump into this area.

How did you get interested in this?
Personally, one of the motivations for me to do research is to do something that can help people and have an impact on society. It has really empowered me to concentrate and work on something that will ultimately help public health. There are so many things we can do with sensors.

What classes do you teach?
I teach Applied Optics and Nano/Micro Photonics. I really enjoy teaching at Wash U. When I came here I wasn’t used to giving a lecture for 90 minutes. I told my students, “In your lifetime you’re faced with situations and you’re reluctant to take the first step, and you don’t know whether you’ll be good or not. However, once you take the first step, you find out it’s not that bad. You have courage, you work on it and you find you’re good at it.” That’s my feeling about teaching. I was so reluctant, but I still want to be a good one. After my first semester, one student told me he had a fun, exciting and educational semester in my class. That student might not realize it, but that was very important to me. I realize that teaching is such a rewarding experience since it can nurture students and excite their passion and interests in science and technology.

Tell me about your family.
My husband, Chenyang Lu, (PhD) is a professor of computer science & engineering. We have three girls: Sophia is 7, Olivia is 3 and Stella is 14 months.

How do you balance your work and home life since both of you are busy faculty?
What is most important for us is that we support each other. When I am working on a proposal, he’ll spend more time with the kids. I make sure I spend time every day with the girls to read and play. My parents also come from China to stay for several months to help out.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Much of our free time is spent with the kids. Our experience with them is critical – it will shape who they are. I want my kids to enjoy all aspects of life – music, the outside world, smelling flowers and getting a taste of nature.

We all like to sing, so we have a karaoke system at home that has songs in English and in Chinese. I also play zither – it’s a Chinese harp. I have played for 10 years. When I feel lots of pressure, I like to play it. It is a way to calm myself down and concentrate.

Abstract:

Lan Yang, PhD, is using her expertise in nanophotonics to develop better biosensors.

ImageUrl: http://admin.seas.wustl.edu/ContentImages/newsphotos/Yang_zither_news_article_72.jpg

DateAdded: 5/13/2013