EECS News

NU NewsCenter --NCI Grant Launches Clinical Trials For Colon Cancer

Sun Jul 6 14:23:38 CDT 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. --- A Northwestern University biomedical engineer who has developed optical technology shown to be effective for the early detection of colon cancer has received a $7.5 million grant over five years from the National Cancer Institute to further study an instrument that potentially could become a routine colon cancer screening test and to launch large-scale clinical trials.

Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States; more than 50,000 Americans die each year of the disease. Colon cancer, however, can be easily treated if detected early. But no existing population-wide screening test can accurately predict the presence of the disease with adequate sensitivity. Vadim Backman, principal investigator for the grant and professor of biomedical engineering at Northwesterns McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, believes the technology he has developed could lead to the first such test. A major part of the NCI grant is to validate the technology and have it ready for commercialization.

Backman is leading a diverse group of researchers from Northwestern and the four hospitals conducting the clinical trials.

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CBS2 Chicago (June 30, 2008) Northwestern University Students Build Solar Car

Sun Jul 6 14:23:38 CDT 2008

Northwestern University Students Build Solar Car (Video)
What's Under the Hood of Northwestern's Solar Car? (Video)

The Daily Northwestern - NuSolar Looks To Build 'Most Advanced Car Yet'

Sun Jul 6 14:23:38 CDT 2008

With an army of 600 silicon cells to trap sunlight and a backup pack of lead acid batteries for extra "oomph," a gas-free car built by Northwestern students boasts a seven-horsepower engine that carries its driver at highway speeds of more than 65 miles per hour. Now these students say they are ready for an upgrade. NuSolar, the Northwestern solar car team, has built four gas-free cars since its inception in 1998. The team's mission is to design, build and race solar electric vehicles with "perfection, craftsmanship and aesthetics," said McCormick junior Vytas Bradunas, head of operations for NuSolar. He said the team is ready to reach this perfection with plans for construction on a new car this month. NuSolar finished its last creation in 2005, using an old frame from a car it had built in 2003. Called nu'Nergy, it took fifth place at the 2005 Formula Sun Grand Prix, a national solar car race. The team qualified for the 2,500-mile North American Solar Challenge, but an "electrical failure" prevented it from continuing. Team members said they are now manufacturing a new vehicle from scratch, thanks to a new design and a $200,000 budget. They estimate the next gas-free vehicle will be completely race-ready in October, and they hope to race it in the North American Solar Challenge in the summer of 2008. "I look at the computer screen and I think someday this is going to be real," Bradunas said. Hopefully we can get it done." The new car will weigh between 500 and 600 pounds - the current car weighs 800. The team's first vehicle, made in 1998 and called SolarCat, weighed about 2,000 pounds. The frame will be built from lightweight, high-strength aluminum instead of steel, and its shell will be made of carbon fiber. It will use lithium ion batteries, which offer significantly more power than lead acid, Bradunas said. "We intend it to be the most advanced car yet," said McCormick sophomore Michael Awadalla, the team's business manager. The only problem, Bradunas said, is "it just needs a name." Bradunas, who joined the NuSolar team "pretty much as soon as (he) got (on campus)," said works on the project for 70 to 80 hours per week. "School pales in comparison with the amount of time I put in here," Bradunas said. "I'm not a school person. I don't like sitting in a classroom." He said between 80 and 100 students have contributed to the project over the course of two years, and a core of about 30 students are currently involved. The design began in January. "It's hand-constructed, so it gets a lot of man hours," said McCormick senior Andrew McDermott, the team's electrical specialist. "We actually built our shell. A lot of people who say they work on cars just buy a fender." Team members said they hope to place even higher at the 2008 North American Solar Challenge. "When it runs, those are the great moments," said McDermott. Reach Day Greenberg at d-greenberg@northwestern.edu. Article

NU Solar Car Team departs July 3 for Texas to compete in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge

Sun Jul 6 14:23:38 CDT 2008

The Solar Car Team (website) is readying the car for the North American Solar Challenge during July 2008. The car will race 2400 miles from Plano, Texas on July 13th to Calgary, Alberta on July 22nd. Check out the blog to find out what they are doing on the road.

Meet the team members .

The
Many important applications in the infrared are awaiting the right laser source. Advances in quantum cascade lasers will enable powerful new technologies to become commercial realities.

The diode laser has been around for more than 40 years. In the beginning, it was a scientific novelty. Later, it became a strategic technology, due to its small size, low power consumption and long lifetime. Now, thanks to mass production, millions of laser diodes are manufactured each month and appear in products ranging from telecommunications transmitters to DVD players to laser pointers. In fact, diode lasers made up roughly 55 percent of a $6.9 billion worldwide laser market in 2007.

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NewScientistTech - Ad men to target social networking trendsetters

Sun Jul 6 14:23:38 CDT 2008

Think you exert an influence on your Facebook or MySpace friends? Then you could find yourself being used by advertisers to get people to pay more for products, according to US researchers. Using economic models they predict new tactics to exploit the personal information that online social-networking sites provide. One effective strategy could see free or cut-price products offered to the most influential online individuals to kickstart new fads, says Jason Hartline, at Northwestern University, Illinois, US.

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