Engineering Update
News
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Week of October 6
In his presentation, Math/CS alumnus Glenn Kowack, founding CEO of EUnet, Europes first commercial and multinational ISP, will explore the unintended consequences of any major technological advance. What are differences in conceptualization, anticipation, and realization of a technology, and how do those differences affect its ultimate implementation and adoption in the marketplace? How does the way technology is funded, evaluated, invented affect the eventual outcome?
The S-PAC will be an informative conference designed to give Engineering students a look into their possible futures. Wen Mei Hwu, a professor in the ECE department, will be speaking on the topic of Parallel Programming. Laura Hollis, a clinical professor of business administration in the College of Business, will give a presentation on entrepreneurship in engineering. Jack Lubowsky, IEEE Congressional Science Fellow serving on the Senate Energy Subcommittee, explores alternative career choices for Engineers. To find out more and sign up, visit http://ieee.ece.uiuc.edu/spac08
Come and see a demo of Palantir's groundbreaking analytical platforms. Papa Del's pizza and a chance to win an iPod Touch. For more info about Palantir, visit http://www.palantirtech.com/
Join State Farm representatives along with past and present engineering students for a panel discussion and hear how Illinois' students are making an impact in IT at State Farm. Find out about the interesting projects and innovative approaches the company is taking, and learn how you can be a part of the team. Plus, a chance to win a $250 gift card.
AIAA and Illinois Space Society (ISS) is hosting a presentation and recruitment opportunity for The U.S. Space and Rocket Center. This Center offers a unique employment opportunity for students seeking a non traditional work environment, seasonal position, or internships. We are an internationally recognized organization located in Huntsville, Ala. Working as a Space Camp Counselor for opens up many professional doors and opportunities for students that they may not have otherwise known about. Pizza will be provided. http://www.spacecamp.com
Short recap of IEEE's activities over the past month. Immediately following is a career forum to which will give insight to what an internship is like and how to make the most of one. Papa Del's pizza will be provided.
Predicting the winner of the next U.S. Presidential election has become an increasingly popular pastime. Forecasters use many kinds of data, from betting markets and economic surveys, to world events. Most predictions, however, are grounded in polls. This presentation discusses how polls are conducted, how polling is changing, and how polling data are used to forecast the eventual winners. A computer model that uses state polling data to predict the state-by-state winners, and, thus, the outcome of the election, will be presented.Continually updated results from the model are avialable at http://election08.cs.uiuc.edu
Across the continent the landscape is being leveled--blasted clean of distinctive features and overlaid with zombie monoculture. Politicians call it growth. Developers call it business. The Moss family calls it home. This look at urban sprawl through the eyes of one Canadian family also asks fundamental questions about design, planning, and technology. Covering topics from traffic and infrastructure to childhood, family, and ennui, it ultimately asks: How can we build sustainable systems that can grow gracefully as they age? Radiant City [2006] runs 85 minutes with discussion to follow. Free and open to the public. For information on the rest of the series, visit http://www.illigal.uiuc.edu/web/etsi/etc-now
Attend an entrepreneurship workshop in Silicon Valley over winter break. TEC and the College of Engineering are sending up to 25 students to Silicon Valley this winter for a two-week entrepreneurship program. Students will attend a workshop at the Plug and Play Tech Center business incubator, meet with Illinois' alumni at some of the Valley's most successful tech companies and startups, and will even have some time for sightseeing around San Francisco. Interested? Attend an information session to learn more: Oct. 7, 301 CSL; or Oct. 8, 2240 DCL. Both events run from 12:00-1:00 p.m. and lunch will be served. http://illinois.edu/calendar/Calendar?ACTION=VIEW_EVENT&calId=976&skinId=813&DATE=10/7/2008&eventId=
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships offer 300 annual awards to students (Illinois' GPA 3.7 and above) who demonstrate strong evidence of contributing to the technological advances of the United States. The awards provide up to $7,500 annually. Current junior or exceptional sophomore students who are U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals or resident aliens may apply. Applicants should be committed to a PhD in research fields in mathematics, sciences or engineering. The Office of Prestigious Scholarships will be outlining criteria and the process for students considering competing for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship at the session. http://www.ips.uiuc.edu/scholarship/Goldwaterprocess.shtml
Are you concerned with global issues? Are you interested in creating a solution? Attend IdeaBox to learn about the campus resources that can help you:
...devise a solution...build a venture...compete for prize money. Free food and drinks.
Tom Pirelli and the Arial Foundation have revolutionized affordable third world housing with the creation of the Arial Home. The prefabricated modular design, and efficient manufacturing process have created an entirely new way to deal with the housing crisis in impoverished countries. Come hear about the new technologies and the inspiration to one of EWB's new research projects. http://www.ewb-uiuc.org
Erol Tutumluer of the University of Illinois will be presenting on the 'Laboratory Characterization of Coal Dust Fouled Ballast Behavior.' http://cee.uiuc.edu/railroad/CEE/seminar.asp
In this interdisciplinary film series, each story shows the human dramas of the modern technologies that surround us. The technological systems seen here invite us to consider the relationships between technical decisions and sustainability, culture, and identity. Join us for screenings of these award-winning films from 7:00-9:00 p.m., followed by a brief discussion. All events are free and open to the public.
- Oct. 8: Radiant City
- Oct. 29: The Tailenders
- Nov. 12: Bush Mechanics http://www.illigal.uiuc.edu/web/etsi/2008/09/17/movies-an-engineer-would-love
The Workshop on the First Year of Engineering welcomed 80 students, faculty, and staff on Sept. 25 for educational presentations and focused discussions to support new and ongoing efforts to improve the freshman year in the College. Those involved in sponsoring this event--the College Undergraduate Programs Office, iFoundry, and AE3--would welcome continued guidance, contributions, and ideas from engineering students as a follow-up to the workshop’s focus groups on student advising, the student experience, engineering design, recruitment and retention, math and science, humanities and social sciences. Check out the iFoundry pages on YouTube (www.youtube.com/ifoundry), SlideShare slidespace (www.slideshare.net/ifoundry), and Facebook group (Friends of iFoundry). For more information or to get involved, contact iFoundry Associate Director Karen Hyman, kkhyman@illinois.edu, or visit the iFoundry website http://ifoundry.illigal.uiuc.edu
Talks are free of charge.
Oct. 11 - 'The Pervasive Nature of Feedback in Natural and Engineered Systems,' Professor Andrew Alleyne, Mechanical Science & Engineering
Oct. 25 - 'Physics Day,' Prof. Mats Selen w/Physics Van Show, and hosts from research labs
Nov. 8 - 'Transforming Science, Policy, and the Power Grid with High Temperature Superconductivity,' Professor Laura Greene, Physics
Nov. 22 - 'The Physics of UFOs,' Professor Kevin Pitts, Physics
Dec. 6 - 'Law and Science,' Professor Amy Gajda, College of Law School & College of Media http://www.physics.uiuc.edu/Outreach/Honors/
Come to learn about issues relating to applying to graduate school, include the GRE, financial aid, and the application process, and participate in small breakout sessions with graduate professors from your department. http://academic.ec.uiuc.edu/GSC/register.php
The Engineering Student Leadership Conference (ESLC) is a great way to meet fellow engineering students and get an inside look at one of the most relevant companies of today. Join corporate sponsor Northrop Grumman for an exciting day of leadership activities. http://elc.ec.uiuc.edu/
Pitch your product idea for the chance to compete for 10,000! Idea To Product (I2P) is a unique academic competition looking at ideas at their earliest stage. I2P is not a business plan competition. I2P only requires a one-page submission,done according to a strict format, outlining an idea for a product (or service) and its market.
The Technology Entrepreneur Center is hosting the University of Illinois I2P competition this year. Competing students should submit an online entry. Up to 10 student ideas will be selected for the Illinois campus round of I2P on October 23, 2008. Entries open on Wednesday, Oct. 8. Online entries for the Illinois campus round of I2P are due by Oct. 16, 2008. http://www.tec.uiuc.edu
Are you one of the best students in engineering? It's time to prove it! The Knight of St. Patrick award is given annually to 8-15 of the best juniors and seniors in engineering. The award dates back to 1903 at the University of Missouri and was first given to students at the University of Illinois in 1950. The Knights of St. Patrick are recognized as the best students in engineering. Selection is based on leadership, excellence in character, and exceptional contribution to the College of Engineering and its students. The Knights are honored at the annual Knights of St. Patrick Ball in March, and an engraved plaque of each Knights class is permanently hung in the main hallway of Engineering Hall.
Ask your dean, department head, or student society for a nomination form--they each have 2. Nominations open on October 1 and are due on October 17. If you are nominated, you will be required to complete the Knights application (which is included in the nomination packet). These are due by November 7.
From these applications, the field will be narrowed for interviews in January, from which the 2009 Knights' class will be selected. If you have any questions, email the 2008-2009 Knights Director, David Rockwood, drockwo2@uiuc.edu. http://ksp.ec.uiuc.edu
The Future Enrichment Opportunities Committee of Engineering Council will be bringing in Illinois' alum Rich Stockton, a patent attorney from Banner & Witcoff, to speak to engineering students about the benefits of a career in patent law. Come join us if you are interested in patent law, or if you are hungry and interested in hearing a fun talk on a future career. There will be plenty of free pizza to go around.
Tau Beta Pi offers tutoring in all introductory engineering courses including chemistry, physics, TAM, calculus, ECE, and more. These sessions are put on by juniors and seniors who have excelled in their coursework. We encourage all to take advantage of these sessions whether you need help with specific topics or want to review before an exam. http://tbp.ec.uiuc.edu
If you need help in math or chemistry, or just need a great place to study on a Wednesday night, come join the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers during study hours.
New Student Programs (NSP) is recruiting a diverse group of enthusiastic and motivated students to assist with our programs throughout the summer. NSP Student Leaders will work during 2009 summer registration, August registration, and fall orientation/Welcome Week. Application deadline is 12:00 midnight on Oct. 20. Applications available online at http://www.odos.illinois.edu/newstudent/employment/NSPstudentleader
Premier Farnell plc, the leading multi-channel, high service distributor and its companies (Newark, Farnell, Premier Electronics, CPC, Farnell-Newark and MCM) today launched its international competition Live Edge--Electronic Design for the Global Environment, now in its second year. The competition is designed to provide a forum where electronic design engineers and students can design products that are environmentally friendly through the use of electronic components.
Entries can be submitted between October 1, 2008 and January 31, 2009; winners will be announced on the April 2, 2009. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over. Electronics engineers, students and inventors around the world are invited to submit designs for an innovative product that utilises electronic components and has a positive impact on the environment, for example by increasing energy efficiency or reducing carbon emissions. Full details are available at http://www.live-edge.com
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Illinois invites applications to its 2009 Scholarship Program. Students pursuing a bachelor's degree who are in their third, fourth, or fifth year in an ABET-accredited engineering program--includes all undergraduate engineering departments except Bioengineering which has not yet been evaluated for its initial accreditation--and students in master's and PhD degree programs are eligible. Scholarship award winners will be selected by a panel of consulting engineers.
Last year, 13 students received a $1,500 named scholarships sponsored by ACEC-Illinois member firms. The top applicant received a $2,500 scholarship and their application was forwarded to the national program, competing for an additional scholarship of up to $10,000. http://www.acec-il.org/scholarship.cfm
© 2008 The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois