December 2007 Archives

2007 was a productive research year for UMR faculty. Here are a few highlights:

January 2007: Jagannathan Sarangapani, a researcher in electrical and computer engineering, receives NSF funding to develop a communications system that can be used during natural disasters such as floods or hurricanes. Also, we publicized computer engineering Ph.D. candidate Rana Basheer's creation of GuruLib, a virtual bookshelf designed to help people keep track of their book, CD, DVD or video game collections.

Reports have it that Dr. Scott Miller in materials sciences and engineering has become obsessed with the campus's new toy, a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope capable of reproducing/etching detailed images that you could see with your own eyes if they were capable of magnifying things about a million times. Check this out (it's Miller's Missouri S&T logo near the eye of a needle):

This is a photomosaic by artist Robert Silvers, who "uses thousands of tiny pictures to create a digital pointillist portrait." Silvers' work has appeared on the covers of Life and Newsweek, and now UMR Magazine.

Bryan Glass of Ballwin, Mo., a sophomore in computer science and computer engineering, and Michelle Vaughan of Chesterfield, Mo., a junior in computer science and computer engineering are researching the feasibility of automated transportation as part of an Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) project. Here's how Bryan and Michelle describe their project:

Vehicular accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of one and twenty-nine and account for 44.3 percent of all accidental deaths. Though technological advances have made driving more comfortable and safer, vehicles remain unchanged at their core. More safety devices than ever are available for personal vehicles, but as long as a person is behind the wheel there are limitations. Fatigue, distractions, medical problems, and inexperience may all lead to an increased chance of injury. As drive-by-wire driving systems become more popular, the advent of completely automated vehicles will become a distinct possibility. This technology would eliminate the human factor and provide many more options. Fuel consumption could be minimized by controlling speed through a computer. In many transportation systems, the conversion to autonomy also resulted in an increase in allowable speed. Road conditions, traffic, and construction can all be detected using sensors and a wide area connection.

There is an interesting drama unfolding over at Experience This! The world famous UMR/Missouri S&T solar car has been on a long, strange trip (in the back of a truck, mostly) through the south this week. The next stop is Graceland.

You don't have to be Louis Armstrong to blow glass. It just takes a few puffs. (Just be careful, the crucible furnace in UMR's new Hot Glass Shop fires at 2,100 degrees.) The news release is up.

P.S. For updates on UMR design teams, be sure to visit our sister blog. These days, Experience This! is being written (mostly) by Bob Phelan, who is currently in Florida with the solar car (which is apparently big in Europe).

The autism spectrum fascinates me, and the incredible increase in the number of kids who are being diagnosed with autism or Asperger's Syndrome should at the very least surprise you (but it should probably make you want to find out what the heck is going on and make you want to find out what we can possibly do about it). Anyway, the New York Times has a good story about a model with Asperger's who recently was on a reality show:

“I had no idea it would be this big,” she said. “My mom is beside herself. She watched me when I was a kid not have any friends, and she saw me struggle. She’s glad people are starting to understand this.”

You can read the whole story here.