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University of Wisconsin-Madison

ENGINEERING

ANNUAL REPORT 2009


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2 20082009 HigHligHts

8 College Departments

8 Biomedical Engineering

10 Chemical and Biological Engineering

12 Civil and Environmental Engineering

14 Electrical and Computer Engineering

16 Engineering Physics

18 Engineering Professional Development

20 Industrial and Systems Engineering

22 Materials Science and Engineering

24 Mechanical Engineering

26 interDisCiplinary Degree programs

28 private support

30 College DireCtory

32 College inDustrial aDvisory BoarD

The College of Engineering Annual Report is printed via gift funds

administered through the University of Wisconsin Foundation.

2009 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Published October 2009.

www..wc.d/w/

ne can argue that science ac

progress through the relentles

pursuit of disassembly over th150 years. To understand the incredibly co

questions that underlie the biological and

physical sciences, scientists meticulous

divided the questions into their componen

The rapid increase in scientic discipline

the last century provided us with an oppo

to make insurmountable challenges more

approachable. This specialization has se

the world extremely well, giving us insigh

the building blocks of physical matter an

living things, as well as enabling tremendadvances in human health and quality o

The next 150 years, on the other hand

be dened by how well we reassemble t

knowledge in an integrated way. Leading

in the public and private sector recognize

next big discoveries, and the next big so

will likely be found at the intersections of

powerful disciplines we have constructe

The rapidly developing Wisconsin Inst

for Discovery (WID), located directly beh

in this photo, will establish UW-Madison as a world leader in taking

Message from Dean Paul S.

O


3/36

ENGINEERING


This annual report includes a number of

accounts of innovative faculty taking the

academic experience in new directions. Forexample, one professor created animations

as powerful tools to help students visualize

challenging concepts in statics. Another

professor developed a certicate program to

help engineering students build meaningful

bridges into the arts, humanities and social

sciences at UW-Madison.

The concept of transcending boundaries

is at the core of UW-Madison values.

The century-old Wisconsin Idea holds that

the universitys benets should extend tothe citizens of the state, nation and beyond.

In conversations with students, I

frequently mention that engineers will play

a role in solving every major challenge

facing society. Yet these complex problems

will not be solved exclusively by engineers.

In order to truly make a difference, engineers

will need to contribute to culturally and

intellectually diverse teams.

Through Engineering Beyond Boundaries,

we hope to make that diversity come to lifefor our students.

Engineering Beyond Boundaries:Education for a rapidly changing world

integrated approaches to science and medicine. When completed in spring 2011,

WID not only will support a wide range of interdisciplinary research, but it also will

bridge the gap between the public and private sectors to quickly bring essentialhealth advances to patients.

This shift toward more integrated thinking and problem solving has major

implications for how we educate future engineers at the UW-Madison College

of Engineering. Building on the past ve years of progress from the Vision 2010

Initiative, we have put in place a long-term educational transformation called

Engineering Beyond Boundaries.

This initiative will encourage faculty

and staff to rethink our academic culture

to address important shifts, including:

Going beyond traditional engineering

boundaries.

Going beyond the boundaries of the state and nation to prepare students

to work and succeed in many different countries, cultures and languages.

Going beyond the boundaries of the college itself, with programs supporting

greater connections across disciplines such as biology, medicine, business

and the humanities.

Going beyond the boundaries of the classroom, with new technology and multi-

media strategies that allow faculty to expand their educational approaches.

Going beyond the boundaries of conventional thinking about engineering

education and recasting our content and approaches for a rapidly

changing world.

ENGINEERING



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2

20082009 HIGHLIGHTS

Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering Rolf Reitzand his students(pictured at

right)have developed a novel technique in which an engine can, in real time, blend gasoline and diesel

fuels to create an optimal mix, increasing fuel efciency by an average of 20 percent. If all U.S. cars

and trucks could achieve fuel-efciency levels demonstrated in the research, transportation-basedoil consumption would drop by one third. Reitz presented his ndings August 3, 2009, at the U.S.

Department of Energy Diesel Engine-Efciency and Emissions Research Conference.

An experimental approach to wound healing could take advantage of silvers antibacterial properties,

while sidestepping the damage silver can cause to cells needed for healing. Working with John T. and

Magdalen L. Sobota Professor of Chemical and Biological EngineeringNicholas Abbott, postdoctoral

researcher Ankit Agarwal crafted an ultra-thin material carrying a precise dose of silver. In tests in lab

dishes, the low concentration of silver killed 99.9999 percent of the bacteria but did not damage cells

called broblasts that are needed to repair a wound. Agarwal presented his results August 19, 2009,

at the American Chemical Society Meeting.

Turning current nanoscale friction theory upside-down, Materials Science and Engineering Assistant

ProfessorIzabela Szlufarskaand colleagues used computer simulations to demonstrate that atomic-

level friction occurs much like friction generated between large objects. While the current theories center

around the idea that nanoscale surfaces are smooth, in reality, nanoscale surfaces resemble a mountain

range, where each peak corresponds to an atom or a molecule. The team, which included materials science

and engineering graduate student Yifei Mo and Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Kevin

Turner, found that friction is proportional to the number of atoms that interact between two nanoscale

surfaces. The researchers published their ndings in the February 26, 2009, issue of the journalNature.

Healthy broblast cells (green)

in a low dose of silver

RESEARCH ADVANCES

From left: Reed Hanson, Rolf Reitz,

Derek Splitter and Sage Kokjohn

Atom-level view of the nanoscale interface between amorphous carbon and diamond. At such

a small scale, the surfaces are rough, although researchers have been treating them as smooth.

Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering Rolf Reitzand his students(pictured at

right)developed a novel technique in which an engine can, in real time, blend gasoline and diesel fuels

to create an optimal mix, increasing fuel efciency by an average of 20 percent. If all U.S. cars and

trucks could achieve the fuel-efciency levels demonstrated in the research, transportation-based oilconsumption would drop by one third. Reitz presented his ndings August 3, 2009, at the U.S. Department

of Energy Diesel Engine-Efciency and Emissions Research Conference.

In early April 2009, biomedical engineering Ph

student Adam Wilson posted a status update

on the social networking website Twitterjust

by thinking about it. Just 23 characters long,

his message, using EEG to send tweet,

demonstrated a natural, manageable way inwhich locked-in patients can couple brain-

computer interface technologies with modern

communication tools. To facilitate the message

Wilson used a simple communication interface

and Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professo

Justin Williamsdeveloped with colleagues at

the Wadsworth Center in Albany, New York.

Cells die (red) in a

slightly higher dose of silver


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ENGINEERING


Engineering designstudents affection-ately call it team time,

the part of class when

they brainstorm topics,discuss applications,

organize a game plan and generally take a design

idea through its necessary paces.

The one cardinal rule of team time, says

Engineering Physics ProfessorWendy Crone, is

that there never seems to be enough of it.

Crone and Biomedical Engineering Associate

Professor Naomi Cheslerdecided to tackle this

time management challenge by turning to the

burgeoning eld of online video. Using some of the

top experts from both on and off the

UW-Madison campus, the team cre-

ated a library of two dozen lectures

that cover the core principles of

design, including communication,

design considerations, the

design process and patents

and literature.

Before each topic is

covered in class, students

view the corresponding

video, slides and resource

links. Topics include human

factors and ergonomics, codes

and standards, oral and poster pre-

sentations, achieving FDA approval, working in

teams and conict resolution. They come to class

ready to discuss the principles, rather than hear

them for the rst time.

The 100-plus biomedical engineering students

involved in the 2009 pilot project responded

positively to the video enhancementsin fact,

a post-class survey found that 61 percent of

students preferred the video lectures, compared

to only 15 percent favoring in-class lectures.

Theres a strong reason for that preference,

Crone says. This video option enables students

to gain more exibility in the classroom through

more independent work outside of class. They

can now use that valuable class time to its

best advantage.

The exibility of online delivery is another plus,

Crone says. Students not only access the material

when and where its convenient, they revisit and

review the areas where they need more help, and

skip concepts they have already mastered. And, as

someone who occasionally gets accused of talking

With mathematical representations of known

virus biology, Chemical and Biological Engineering

ProfessorJohn Yinand former graduate student

Kwang-il Lim showed, with computational

models, that simply shufing the order of the ve

genes in the vesicular stomatitis virus genome

has a huge effect on how well the virus grows

and how it interacts with its simulated host cell.

The research could help guide efforts to develop

vaccines or to study the genetic basis of other

viral characteristics, such as how a virus evolves

to become drug-resistant. Yin and Lim reported

their results February 6, 2009, in the journal

PLoS Computational Biology.

A team of materials researchers developed single-

material superlattices from silicon nanomembranes.

Essentially, the equivalent of heterojunction super-

lattices, the more efcient, easily manufacturedstrained-silicon superlattices could improve

devices that convert thermal energy into electrical

energy. Led by Erwin W. Mueller and Bascom

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Max Lagally, the team published its ndings in the

March 24, 2009, issue of the journalACS Nano.

Student Leo Walton

(wearing the electrode

cap), Adam Wilson

(foreground) and

Justin Williams

ENGINEERING


too fast in her le

Crone says som

students like the

of putting their in

on pause.We also hop

project would build community among stude

she says. It has done a fantastic job with t

because they interact heavily with each oth

week. There is less sitting and listening takin

Crone came to the design project with g

experience, having developed a series of o

guest lectures introducing engineering stud

research methodology. That program succe

not only in her course, but the materials ha

adopted by dozens of other ins

across the nation and world.

The video website has rece

nearly 3,500 unique visitors s

fall 2008, nearly half from

outside of Wisconsin.(

the site at: mrsec.wis

Edetc/research/index

A University of Conn

chemistry professor

the video on applying

undergraduate resear

opportunities essential

for his students.

With that success in hand,

applied for and received an Engineering

Boundaries grant in 2007 to expand into eng

design courses. Her project team includes C

Katie Cadwell, postdoctoral research assoc

the Materials Research Science and Engine

Center (MRSEC); and Greta Zenner, directo

education at MRSEC.

Through both projects, the MRSEC webs

features a combined 52 online videos cove

research, design and professional opportun

topicsareas that are at the core of the eng

undergraduate experience. Crone is excited

the possibilities of this online library being a

across the spectrum of design and researc

courses in eight college departments.

Crone notes that as an engineering phy

professor, she does not teach design. But t

part of the beauty of Engineering Beyond

Boundariesgiving faculty the incentive to

experiment outside of their comfort zone.

For me, it has been a permission slip to

the next cool thing, she says.

Wendy Crone:

Taking design courses

into the YouTube era


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4

20082009 HIGHLIGHTS

Steenbock Professor of Chemical and Biologic

EngineeringJames Dumesicis leading the UW

Madison collaborators in the $18.5 million Nati

Science Foundation Engineering Research Cefor Biorenewable Chemicals at Iowa State Univ

The grant supports collaborative research at s

universities, three international institutions, an

nine industry partners aimed at transforming t

petrochemical-based chemical industry to on

based on renewable materials.

The National Cancer Institute awarded a ve-y

$8.6 million grant to the Center for Health Enha

ment Systems Studies. The grant established

Center of Excellence in Cancer Communicatio

Research II, through which a multidisciplinary

of scientists is conducting three studies that fon interactive cancer communication systems

The center also received a ve-year, $2.8 millio

grant from the National Institute of Alcohol Ab

and Alcoholism to study ways to reduce relap

Industrial and Systems Engineering Research

Professor and center DirectorDavid Gustafso

the principal investigator (PI) on both grants.

With funding totaling $7.4 million, Biomedical

Engineering Assistant ProfessorJustin Willia

a co-PI or collaborator on two National Institu

of Health projects that will enable him and his

colleagues to develop technology that could h

people with conditions such as ALS, high spin

cord injuries or brain-stem strokes to regain th

ability to communicate, and ultimately, to mov

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarde

$5.3 million in continued funding for Project

HealthDesign, an initiative designed to create

new generation of personal health record sys

led by Lillian S. Moehlman-Bascom Professor

Industrial and Systems Engineering and Nursi

Patricia Flatley Brennan. The grant brings tot

project funding to approximately $10 million.

The Trace R&D Center received $4.75 million fr

the U.S. Department of Education National Inst

on Disability & Rehabilitation Research to estab

a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center.

funding will help Trace researchers continue t

improve the accessibility of technologies that

enable people with disabilities to par ticipate in

education, travel and the community. Industria

Systems Engineering and Biomedical Engineer

Professor Gregg Vanderheidendirects the ce

STUDENT INNOVATION

The Cllege f Egieerig ffers mriadpprtuities fr studet iati.Amg them are InnovATIon DAy, the

aual UW-Madis eet made up f

tw cmpetitis that reward iatie,

marketable ideas ad prttpes.

Electrical ad cmputer egieerig

studet Justi Beck ad pschlg adeursciece studet Daiel Garteberg

w the 2009 Schfs Prize fr Creatiit

ad $10,000 fr their sphisticated alarm

clock for the iPhone. Mechanical engineering

studet Michael Deau w the 2009 Tg

Prttpe Prize ad $2,500 fr his ec-

friedl edig machie.

Ather pprtuit fr studet iatrs

is the Tg Bimedical Egieerig Desig

Cmpetiti(bottom photo). Each Ma, earl

150 biomedical engineering students showcase

el deices that address real-wrld medicalchallenges. The students developed the devices

i bimedical egieerig desig classes.

Spsred b electrical ad cmputer

egieerig alumus Peter Tg ad the Tg

Famil Fudati, the cmpetiti recgizes

the studets effrts t desig ad create

prttpes ad pursue busiess pprtuities

i bimedical idustries.

4

Promoting entrepreneurship

through competition

RESEARCH FUNDING

(continued)

Michael Deau

From left: Justin Beck

and Daniel Gartenberg


7/36

ENGINEERING


With a wide grin,EngineeringPhysics Professor Mike

Pleshaproudly holds

up a thick textbook.Inside, the wide margins,

neatly formatted text and myriad gures evoke

the idea of engaging, understandable information.

Together, design and content ll an important role:

helping students master statics, the study and

analysis of structural equilibrium. Published via

McGraw-Hill in 2009, Engineering Mechanics:

Statics(and its companion, Engineering Mechanics:

Dynamics) is the result of an eight-year collabora-

tion among Plesha and co-authors Gary Gray and

Francesco Costanzo of the Penn State

University Department of Engineering

Science and Mechanics.

Statics is a required course for

nearly two-thirds of UW-Madison

engineering undergraduates.

For Plesha, the textbook

is only the rst step in his

unique approach to teach-

ing this difcult-to-master

subject. With funding

through Engineering Beyond

Boundaries, Plesha and PhD

student Jonathan Fleischmann

developed animations of free-body

diagram constructionand other difcult

conceptsthat enable statics students to visualize

the phenomena they study. This course is a

course in which the math isnt challenging, says

Plesha. Its the visualizationtaking a real-life

problem and replacing it with a mathematical

idealization. Thats where they struggle.

Students draw free-body diagrams to help

them analyze the forces acting on a free body: a

structure removed from its environment. Vectors in

their drawings show the direction and magnitude

of forces, such as contact, friction, weight due

to gravity and others, that act on the structure.

Based on their free-body diagrams, students then

write, solve and interpret the results of equations

that govern the structures equilibrium. The ability

to draw free-body diagramsthis is something

that theyll do in a good number of their courses

after this, says Plesha. Its an essential skill, and

if they dont develop that skill, itll adversely affect

them in a lot of coursework to followand in their

professional practice.

Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and

Engineering and Pharmacology Assistant Professor

William Murphyis PI or a collaborator on four

research grants from the National Institutes ofHealth and National Science Foundation totaling

more than $4 million. The grants focus on various

aspects of biomaterials research. Among Murphy's

collaborators is Materials Science and Engineering

Assistant Professor Padma Gopalan.

John T. and Magdalen L. Sobota Professor of

Chemical and Biological Engineering Nicholas

L. Abbottand Chemical and Biological Engineering

Associate Professor Eric Shustawill work with

Professor Paul Bertics from biomolecular

chemistry and Professor Ron Raines from

biochemistry on a ve-year, $2.5M grant fromthe National Cancer Institute of the NIH to

pursue the development of novel molecular

analysis tools based on l iquid crystals.

Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical

Engineering Associate Professor Hongrui Jiangis

leading a multi-university, multidisciplinary research

program to develop biologically inspired intelligent

micro-optical imaging systems. This project earned

$2 million over four years from the National Science

Foundation through the prestigious Emerging

Frontiers in Research and Innovation program.

Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Kristyn

Mastersreceived $1.67 million over ve years from

the National Institutes of Health National Heart,

Lung and Blood Institute to use tissue-engineering

techniques to produce physiologically relevant

in vitromodels of diseased heart valves, and then

use those disease models as platforms for testing

therapeutic treatments such as statin drugs.

Among her collaborators is Mechanical Engineering

Assistant Professor Kevin Turner.

Biomedical Engineering Professor David Beebe

and collaborators received $1.4 million over three

years from the National Institutes of Health for

their project, Microchannel cell-based assays

to enable cancer research.

Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor

Leyuan Shihas received a four-year $1.2 million

grant from the National Institutes of Health to

study how to improve the quality of radiation

treatment planning for cancer patients, which

could benet the 60 percent of U.S. cancer

patients who receive radiation therapy.

Some free-bo

diagrams are rel

straightforward;

create more con

says Plesha. Thetions, which last

a minute, demonstrate the process for draw

free-body diagram and help students ensu

dont missor misinterpretforces.

One animated structure has a pin at one

roller at another point, and includes a pulley a

Because it includes multiple components, s

Plesha, this is the kind of problem thats dif

students. The animation begins by taking a

separates the structure from its environmen

arrows glide into place to indic

appropriate forces. Then, the r

goes away and the force-vect

appear. Next, the cable is cut

pulley drifts away, while

move in to show the fo

at those locations. Ot

animations demonst

force reactions for v

structure supports, b

of springs, mechanism

truss structures, and o

While the animations

important to student unde

of free-body diagrams, they als

are key instructional tools, says Plesha.

subject will be taught in increasingly larger

without blackboard and chalk, he says. It

whiteboard and a place to plug in a compu

Effective lecture materials are kind of a cha

and also an opportunitybecause there ar

things that are hard for students to visualiz

hard for instructors to convey.

Plesha and Fleishmann aim to develop 2

animations that instructors can incorporate

statics courses in technology-rich classroo

lecture halls. Plesha

also envisions an

additional benet to

students. Longer range,

I would like to see

the animations be a

resource for students

on a class website

that they can con-

sult independently

of the lectures, he says.

Michael Plesha:

Animations bring

statics concepts to life

ENGINEERING



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6

ENGINEERING


Conventionalwisdom mightsuggest that engineer-

ing and the arts and

humanities are at polarends of the academic

spectrumwith one dealing in exacting, technical

and applied science, and the other in creativity,

beauty and human expression.

Jeffrey S. Russellargues that some of the most

visionary engineers of the 21stcentury will be the

ones who successfully integrate the best of both

academic worlds. Engineers need to be broader

and deeper today, says Russell, professor and

chair of civil and environmental engineering. How

do engineers address major chal-

lenges in a proactive and meaningful

way, as opposed to being viewed as

a technician? The answer is to be

literate in the social, economic

and cultural issues, and still

have the technical depth to

address them.

Putting this together in a

four-year undergraduate

experience is a formidable

challenge for engineering

programs, which also face

higher required levels of rigor in

math, chemistry, physics and biology.

To help, Russell and colleagues created

Integrated Studies in Science, Engineering and

Society (ISSuES). The certicate program provides

a structure for students to maximize the impact of

their outside-of-engineering coursework and glean

more meaningful engagement in the arts, humanities

and social sciences. Launched in fall 2009, the

certicate received lead support from Engineering

Beyond Boundaries and expects to enroll 25

students each year over the rst four years.

Russell teamed on the project with Sarah

Pfatteicher, assistant dean in the College of

Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Daniel

Kleinmann, director of the Holtz Center for Science

and Technology Studies and chair of community

and environmental sociology.

The Holtz Center provides the per fect academic

partner for the certicate. Robert Holtz, a Wisconsin

native and successful engineer, and his wife Jean

formed the center in 2001 to help people better

address the social and cultural ramications of

technological change. Students in the certicate

6

Five College of Engineering faculty received pr

National Science Foundation CAREER awards,

recognize faculty members at the beginning of

academic careers who have developed creativprojects that effectively integrate advanced re

and education. The ve faculty award recipient

Industrial and Systems Engineering A

Professor Oguzhan Alagozis develo

modeling framework for disease scre

and diagnosis. He will focus on two broad area

research in breast cancer: optimizing cancer s

policies for various populations of women and o

follow-up decisions, such as biopsy and short-

follow-up recommendations. Alagozs work is t

study to use stochastic optimization technique

clinical data to nd cost-effective strategies focancer screening. His award totals $430,000.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Ass

Professor Stark Draperwill create alg

that could allow computers to better

streaming data in real time, thereby addressing

mental problem in digital communication techno

Computers are designed to handle data delivere

whole, which computers then process and pres

users. However, modern communication data is

commonly presented in an instantaneous strea

central technical question Draper will address is

feedback should be used to transmit delay-sen

data. His award totals $400,000.

Mechanical Engineering Assistant Pr

Dan Negrutis calculating granular o

dynamics with high-performance pa

computational hardware, and Negruts team has

simulations that can calculate all the collisions

10 million bodies in as little as four seconds. His

to solve dynamics equations with parallel com

has broad applications, ranging from construct

military vehicle design to looking at the movem

atoms. His award comes with a $408,911 grant.

Biomedical Engineering Assistant Pro

Brenda Oglewill develop a system to

accurately analyze and sort cell fusio

products, or hybrid cells, and to use the syst

conjunction with previously developed techno

examine the effects of heterotypic cell fusion o

cell function, bothin vitroandin vivo. Stem cel

with somatic cells is a regulated process capa

promoting cell survival and differentiation and c

be important in tissue development and repair

disease pathogenesis. Ogles award totals $40

FACULTY HONORSwill take one requiredcourse, Where Science

Meets Society,from the

Holtz Center, and have

academic advisors fromHoltz and engineering.

The certicate is built around four academic

tracksethics, leadership, design and general

on which students will build their own 16-credit

program. We want the students to own the

education, Russell says. There are guidelines and

suggestions, but what ultimately comes out of this

is a theme developed by the student, with the help

of faculty, to t a vision.

Elise Larson, a biomedical engineering under-

graduate and certicate student,

created a vision to understand the

junction of engineering and art and

to use trends in both elds to reect

the human factor in engineering

design. Larson fashioned a

group of courses in art

history, studio drawing and

material culture that will

make her more aware of

how her work as an engineer

is used, internalized and

interpreted by society.

Larsons example demonstrates

what Russell hopes to see from the

certicatestudents combining courses that

give added denition and relevance to their

professional goals. We underachieve in the

humanities and social sciences in the sense that

many students look at them as requirements that

must be satisedas we say, check off the box

as opposed to thinking about them in an intentional,

integrated development perspective, he says.

So far, students have entered the program with

diverse interests, including ethical questions involving

health and medicine, leadership skills and what it

means to be an effective leader, and policy issues.

Russell notes that the intersection of engineering

and art has long been recognized and says

humanities disciplines challenge engineers with

a different way of thinking.

Think about the incredible amount of preparation,

organization, creativity, movement, thought and

execution that goes into a dance recital, he says.

There are lots of similarities to engineering, but in

a completely different context.

ENGINEERING


Jeffrey S. Russell:

Inspiring engineers

to think differently


9/36

ENGINEERING


Mechanical Engineering Assistant

Professor Kevin Turneris studying the

underlying physics and mechanics of

adhesion during micro-transfer printinga process

that prints with solid materials rather than ink. Asilicon stamp is designed with a smooth side that

is used to pick up nano- or microstructures in a

substrate and set them down in another substrate.

Turner will research how to improve micro-transfer

printing manufacturing techniques, which eventually

could produce a host of innovative technologies

as the process becomes more common. His award

totals $430,000.

the Global Enviro

Other courses in

ECE356: Electric

Processing for Al

Energy Systemslls the rst day

appears in the timetable. Another popular c

taught by Civil and Environmental Engineer

Professor Mike Oliva, delves into the challe

of zero-energy home design. Also on the lis

courses on biorening, electric power syste

and energy conversion technology.

Creativity and independence will shape

three- to six-credit capstone portion of the c

where students develop research or applied

around their own sustainabilit

themes. These types of oppor

are really important because o

students learn faster when t

engaged with real-world p

says Venkataramanan.

Mechanical engine

student Scott Tovsen

enrolled in the progra

interest in sustainab

increased after watc

global warming docum

An Inconvenient Truth. Hi

in math and science will en

him to develop useful innovatio

most interesting challenges relate to ma

the technology more efcient and cost-effe

because I believe that this is the main reas

sustainable technologies are not more wide

today, he says. I think that making the tra

to sustainable technology can be very easy

bit of good engineering and time.

Venkataramanan says the certicate co

a stepping-stone to work in NGOs or nonp

organizations devoted to sustainability. In th

sector, there is growth in the solar photovolta

wind energy economies. The eld also is ripe

entrepreneurship and two of his graduate s

are seeking venture capital interest in comp

ideas related to energy conversion and recy

The exibility also enables UW-Madison s

to explore how they might lead this cultura

technological change in ways they cant im

today. We have the Wisconsin Idea and it

identity that students pick up on as they go

their experience here, Venkataramanan say

sustainability will be another part of that tr

Having lunch thissummer at adowntown Madison

coffee shop, Giri

Venkataramananoverheard an animated

conversation among a group of graduate students

about sustainability. Thats hardly surprising fodder

for conversation in a major university town. But

the groups unique take on the subject grabbed

Venkataramanans attention. They turned out to be

nutritional science students who were organizing

a conference about the sustainability of the global

food supply, says the professor of electrical and

computer engineering. It really reinforced to me

how much campus-wide interest

there is in this topicand how no

one person can rightfully say what

sustainability is or should be. Sus-

tainability pervades everything.

That sustainability, as

a social ideal, can be so

broadly applied might be

its greatest strength from

a scholarly perspective.

Its also the guiding force

behind a new certicate

program in sustainability.

Developed by Venkataramanan,

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Associate ProfessorThatcher Rootand

Energy Institute Director Paul Meier, it debuted

in fall 2009 with the help of Engineering Beyond

Boundaries funding.

Core themes in the 16-credit program include

strategies for addressing carbon reduction and

climate change, minimizing resource utilization, and

developing restorative processes for land, water

and air. We modify the air, water and soilwe

harvest it, we use it but we dont always restore

it and put it back in the same place, he says. To

completely restore is impossiblethere will always

be some impact humans make but we can go

much further in improving the cyclic processes that

govern how we harvest and consume resources.

The program begins with a robust list of 22

courses that can be applied to a certicate, but

Venkataramanan expects it to grow and evolve

with the eld. One early example is a new fall

2009 course called Why We Conserve, taught by

Associate Professor Tracey Hollowaythrough

the Nelson Institute Centerfor Sustainability and

Giri Venkataramanan:

Harnessing the

sustainability movement

ENGINEERING


The Council of the National Academy

of Sciences has named Industrial and

Systems Engineering Professor Emeritus

Stephen Robinson(top)and Steenbock

Professor of Engineering PhysicsRay

Fonck(bottom) national associates

of the National Research Council of the National

Academies. Robinson was a member of the National

Research Council Board on Mathematical Sciences

and Their Applications, and the National Research

Council Committee on Modeling and Simulation for

Defense Transformation. He currently is a member

of the National Research Council Committee on

Experimentation and Rapid Prototyping in Support

of Counterterrorism. Fonck was a ve-year member

of the National Research Council Board on Physics

and Astronomy, co-chair of the National Research

Council Burning Plasma Assessment Committee, and

a member of the National Research Council Fusion

Science Assessment Committee.

John P. Morgridge Professor and E. David

Cronon Professor of Computer Sciences

and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Gurindar (Guri) Sohi was among 65 engineers

and nine foreign associates elected to the National

Academy of Engineering in 2009. His research on

high-performance computer system design has led

to papers and patents that have inuenced both

research and commercial microprocessors.

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Associate ProfessorZhenqiang (Jack) Ma

received a Presidential Early Career Award

for Scientists and Engineers in December 2008.

Ma is a leader in exible electronics, devices created

with extremely thin sheets of semiconductors, called

nanomembranes, only a few atoms thick.


10/36

8

www.bme.wisc.edu

Fused cells promising for tissue regeneration

8

BIOMEDICALENGINEERING

Tapping a leukemia virus for both inspiration and function, Assistant Professor Brenda Ogleand her

collaborators are studying the biological effects of fusing adult stem cells with cardiac muscle cells, or

cardiomyocytes. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, the researchers hope to learn more

about cell fusion processes and, ultimately, to use that knowledge to develop therapies for heart attack patients.

During a heart attack, cardiomyocytes die. Afterward, the body replaces those cardiac muscle cells with broblasts,

cells that form scar tissue instead of muscle tissue. At best, says Ogle, the heart pumps inefciently; at worst, it fails

completely. Fused with cardiomyocytes, stem cells could help restore lost heart muscle function.

Researchers generally acknowledge that cell fusion happens, yet they have just begun to study the mechanisms

through which stem cells fuse with mature cells , and how, genetically, they form a single, functional cell.

Viruses are experts at fusing with other cells. Ogles collaborators include virologists Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a professor of

pathobiological sciences, and Stacey Schultz-Cherry, a visiting associate professor of medical microbiology, both of whom

have extensively studied virus fusion proteins. Already, the researchers have shown that by adding a viral fusion protein

to the stem cell, they can dramatically increase the incidence of fusion between stem cells and cardiomyocytes.

Now, looking at both cardiac and stem cell microenvironments, they are studying the fused cells phenotype, or observable

characteristics. Drawing on Cardiology Professor Timothy Kamps expertise in cardiac electrophysiology, the group will

examine the cells mechanical and electrical function, as well as their ability to proliferate. Finally, the researchers will induce

an articial infarction, or heart attack, in animals and inject stem cells expressing the fusion protein into the affected region

to investigate how the cells engraft and to study their phenotype and function. Throughout the research, the team also will

monitor the fused cells for uncontrolled proliferation. If there is a way of controlling cell fusion, and if cell fusion is biologically

relevant in a benecial way, then it wil l have implications for tissue regeneration beyond myocardial infarction, says Ogle.

Assistant Professor Brenda Ogle

with PhD student Nicholas Kouris


11/36

Currently, the team is studying statin

effects on three-dimensional models that

represent varying levels and types of heart-

valve calcication. Someday, their realistic

in vitrodisease models could be useful for

high-throughput drug screening.

While the researchers hope to learn

how statins and other agents can stop or

slow heart-valve disease, they also aim to

increase their understanding of how cells

become diseased.

Additionally, their knowledge could

benet people who are engineering healthy

heart-valve tissue. A lot of what were

doing is identifying what not to put in your

heart-valve culture, says Masters.

and Laboratory Medicine Professor

Andreas Friedl, ProfessorDavid Beebe,

with Kevin Elicieri)

Clinical assays for circulating tumor

cell analysis (David Beebe, Medicine

Associate Professor Doug McNeel,

Medicine Assistant Professor Amye

Tevaarwerk, with Mark Burkhard and

Gleen Liu)

Orthopedic implant surfaces for

enhanced healing (Assistant Professor

William Murphy, Orthopedics and

Rehabilitation Associate Professors

Richard Illgen and Ben Graf and

Assistant Professor Matthew Squire,and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation

and Veterinary Medicine Professor

Mark Markel)

A closed loop neural activity triggered

stroke rehabilitation device(Assistant

ProfessorJustin Williams, Radiology

and Neurology Assistant Professor

Vivek Prabhakaran, Senior Lecturer and

Researcher Mitch Tyler,Neurology

Assistant Professor Justin Sattin, with

Dorothy Edwards)

Biomedical engineers, clinicians collaborate on translational research

TheW.H. Coulter Translational ResearchPartnership in Biomedical Engineeringoversight committee has selected its

fourth round of proposals for funding:

Targeted, accelerated MR spectro-

scopicimaging for treatment planning

to maximize neural function in stroke

patients(Medical Physics, Radiology

& Biomedical Engineering Associate

Professor Sean Fain; Radiology

Researcher Krishna Kurpad, with

Josh Medow of neurosurgery)

HYPRFLOW magnetic resonance

angiography(Medical Physics,

Radiology and Biomedical EngineeringProfessor Charles Mistretta; Radiology,

Neurology and Neurological Surgery

Professor Patrick Turski; Biomedical

Engineering, Radiology and Medical

Physics Associate ProfessorWalter

Block; and Medical Physics Assistant

Scientist Yijing Wu)

Nonlinear optical histopathology for

clinical use(Biomedical Engineering

and Clinical Pharmacology Associate

Professor Patricia Keely, Pathology

Popular worldwide for their cholesterol-lowering effects, statin drugs also showpromise for treating or preventing heart-valve disease. Yet, prominent recent researchboth supports and refutes that claim. Right now, its an area of great debate about

statins and heart valves, says Assistant ProfessorKristyn Masters. Do they stop the

progression of heart valve disease or not?

Masters, Mechanical Engineering Assistant ProfessorKevin Turner, University of

Pittsburgh Biomedical Engineering Professor Michael Sacks and their graduate students

received nearly $1.7 million from the National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung and

Blood Institute to study tissue disease processes. They are designing diseased heart-

valve tissue in the lab and plan to use the tissue as a platform to learn whether they can

prevent heart valve disease, stop its progression, or cure it.

Statins gure heavily into their research. Initially, the group created two-dimensional

diseased tissue models. The researchers treated the cell cultures with agents that

increase calcication in the models, and with statins they showed disease inhibition

and even regression. On a molecular level, were understanding a lot more about whats

happening to these cells as theyre becoming more calcied, says Masters.

Based on their newfound knowledge of cell-signaling mechanisms, the researchers

also identied other agents that, in theory, also could prevent, stop or slow heart valve

calcication. This may lead us toward potentially identifying other drug classes that may

or may not exist right now, says Masters.

Diseased tissue could provide clues to heart valve health

Development of a biomimetic microlens

array for improved medical imaging in lap-

aroscopy and endoscopy(Electrical and

Computer Engineering and Biomedical

Engineering Associate Professor Hongrui

Jiang, Surgery Associate Professors Jon

Gould and Charles Heise, and postgrad

trainee Carter Smith)

The Coulter Translational Research

Partnership in Biomedical Engineering

fosters early-stage collaborations between

UW-Madison biomedical engineering

researchers and practicing physicians. The

collaborations will enable researchers to

deliver advances more quickly to patients.

The Biomedical Engineering Center for

Translational Research promotes and

facilitates these collaborative efforts.

The center develops partnerships,

cultivates new translational research

projects based on clinical practice needs,

identies and supports promising biomedical

engineering collaborative research projects,

and rapidly translates solutions into the clinic

by fully using UW-Madison campus resources

for technology transfer and commercialization.


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10

CHEMICALANDBIOLOGICALENGINEERING

Interdisciplinary center facilitates connections via nanotechnology research

conduct basic research on communicatio

and public opinion related to how lay

audiences make sense of complex

information conveyed through the Interne

An ambitious and unique education and

outreach program cultivates the next

generation of nanoscale science and

engineering experts with diverse and

interdisciplinary backgrounds.

My faculty colleagues and I are very

excited to have garnered the resources

to continue to expand interdisciplinaryresearch on campus, break down college

and departmental barriers, provide share

facilities to internal and external users,

build connections to regional industries

through our advanced materials industria

consortium, offer opportunities for under-

graduates in the research enterprise, and

increase campus diversity, says Milton J

and A. Maude Shoemaker Professor Paul

Nealey, NSEC director.

Beyond borders: Puerto Rican partnership piques interest in science

At UW-Madison, co-PIs on the effort a

NSEC Director and Milton J. and A. Maude

Shoemaker Professor Paul Nealey and MR

Director and Howard Curler Distinguished

ProfessorJuan de Pablo, while University

Puerto Rico Mayaguez Chemical Enginee

Professor Nelson Cardona Martinez direc

the effort, with Chemistry Professor Juan

Lpez Garriga and University of Puerto Ri

Cayey Chemistry Professor Luiz Fernand

Torres. This partnership demonstrates th

to preserve our long-standing relationship

with partner institutions, including Puerto

Rico, it is essential that we develop perso

ties and professional connections to the

faculty at such institutions, says de Pab

An essential component of the partners

relies on MRSEC Director of Education Gr

Zenner and NSEC Education and Outreac

Coordinator Andrew Greenberg. This strat

partnership expands and strengthens ou

educational and outreach innovations to

much broader audience, reaching beyond

Wisconsin and Puerto Rico, says Nealey

10

www.engr.wisc.edu/che

Capitalizing on a long-standing relationship with the University of Puerto Rico, a research,educational and outreach initiative aims to broaden participation of underrepresentedgroups in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines.

To date, the Partnership for Research and Education in Materials has received $1.2

million in National Science Foundation (NSF) funding. It has now grown to include three

University of Puerto Rico campuses: Mayaguez, Cayey and Rio Piedras. At UW-Madison,

partners in the effort hail from two interdisciplinary NSF-funded centers, the Materials

Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) on Nanostructured Interfaces and

the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC).

Combining both experimental and theoretical approaches, these centers focus on

developing and characterizing novel materials, such as beta-peptides and poly-beta-

peptides, engineered nanoparticles, liquid crystals, and multifunctional nanoporous

materials. Innovative applications for their research include developing antimicrobial

agents, minimizing potential environmental effects of engineered nanoparticles, engineering

liquid-crystal-based materials for chemical and biological sensing or cell-culture applications,

and constructing nanostructured materials that can chemically transform sustainable

biological feedstocks into fuels and specialty chemicals.

The partnership exposes kindergarten through 12th-grade students to state-of-the-art

materials science via educational and outreach efforts that include the University of Puerto

Rico Mayaguez Science on Wheels Educational Center. At the college level, the initiative

includes programs that increase Hispanic and female undergraduate student participation

in STEM disciplines and ultimately, in materials science and nanotechnology graduate

programs and in the workforce. For young underrepresented and female faculty, the team

has implemented a mentoring program that enhances their retention and success rate.

The UW-Madison Nanoscale Scienceand Engineering Center (NSEC)addresses grand challenges associated

with directed assembly of nanoscale

materials into functional systems and

architectures through self-assembly,

chemical patterning and external elds.

Recently, the National Science

Foundation renewed NSEC funding for

ve years, bringing the total investment in

nanotechnology at UW-Madison through

this mechanism to nearly $30 million. Oncampus, more than 100 faculty, staff and

students participate in NSEC activities.

The NSEC includes three interdisciplinary

research teams. In the rst, researchers

explore new materials and processes to

improve the performance of advanced

materials using self-assembling block co-

polymers. Another team studies directed

assembly of synthesized biologically

inspired organic nanostructures in which

functional side-chains display unique

ordering, both in sequence along a back-

bone and in three-dimensional arrangement

in space. A third group explores, harnesses

and uses non-equilibrium processes,

including external elds, to manipulate

nanoparticle and macromolecule assembly.

Outcomes of these transformative

and interdisciplinary activities are to

revolutionize nanomanufacturing and

discovery and control of new materials

and material architectures. Applicationsinclude, for example, data storage and

integrated circuits, new materials with anti-

fungal properties, development of optical

mapping platforms for high-throughput

analysis of entire genes, and development

of liquid-crystal plasmonic-based sensors

for toxicants and biomolecules.

NSEC research teams also investigate

the biological effects and environmental

fate of engineered nanoparticles and


13/36

A

Exploiting E. colifor producing ethanol

giant vat of plant material

covered in E. colimay not

be appetizing, but it doeshold promise for producing abundant,

renewable energy. The Great Lakes

Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is

supporting researchers in a variety of

disciplines working to convert cellulosic

biomass into advanced biofuels.

For two years, the GLBRC has

funded Assistant Professors Christos

Maravelias (left)andJennifer Reed

(right), who are developing computa-

tional approaches to help increasethe amount of ethanol that E. coli

can produce.

Every plant synthesizes a type of

carbohydrate called cellulose, making

it the most abundant organic material

on the planet. Found in inedible parts of plants, cellulose is composed of a high-

energy sugar called glucose, which can be fermented in tanks with E. coli or other

bacteria. Enzymes in the bacteria break down glucose, producing ethanol asa byproduct of the fermentation process.

Reeds and Maravelias models help narrow the eld for researchers searching

for an optimal ethanol-producing strain of E. coli. Reed and her team start by looking

at the E. coligenome and identify the enzymes and the biochemical reactions

particular enzymes can catalyze. She then models how cells re-route metabolism

when particular enzymes are added or removed. Maravelias and his team are working

to include regulatory networks into the models. Regulation determines which

enzymes are expressed in certain conditions, such as increased or decreased

oxygen environments, which in turn affect bacteria cell behavior.

Thousands of modied bacteria strains are possible, and Reed and Maravelias

can make hypotheses about which strains would make the most ethanol. Thisnarrowing of the eld saves time and resources for their GLBRC collaborators

experimenting with actual bacteria.

Reed says the partnership with GLBRC is mutually benecial. This is a great

opportunity to work with people who are experts in microbiology and understand

regulation and metabolism in E. coli, she says.


14/36

12

www.engr.wisc.edu/cee

CIVILANDENVIRONMENTALENGINEERING

12

As climate changes,

team explores new ways to manage stormwater

n recent years, climate change has sparked more intense rainfalls and severe oodsboth of which have displaced

residents and caused millions of dollars in damage across the United States and around the world.

Here in Wisconsin, ProfessorKen Potter(left)views those events as an opportunity to engage stakeholders

people who design, regulate and manage water systemsin university research that could help them make more informed

water-related decisions.

Potter is leading an interdisciplinary team of researchers who, in part, are analyzing climate model projections for Wisconsin

to improve stormwater-related infrastructure design and management methods. Such infrastructure includes storm sewers,

stormwater detention ponds, bridges, and wastewater treatment plants. I think ooding problems are going to continue,

says Potter. The public is very frustrated. They want to see things designed better. When things are underdesigned, its the

homeowner who gets stuck.

The team is combining traditional university-based research with regular meetings that seek input from water engineers,

regulators and managers. Potter hopes this two-way problem-solving approach leads not only to positive policy and methods

changes, but also establishes a roadmap for similar collaborative efforts across the country. This interdisciplinary process

ensures that we use leading-edge university research to develop relevant, up-to-date stormwater infrastructure design tools

and strategies our stakeholders are willing and able to put into practice, says Potter.

His collaborators include Engineering Professional Development Professor David Liebl (right), Agronomy and Environmental

Studies Assistant Professor Chris Kucharik, and Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences Senior Scientist Stephen Vavrus and Assistant

Scientist David Lorenz. A $247,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is funding the project.

I


15/36

Middle East air quality study bridges borders and transcends science

An unprecedented effort to collectair pollution data in the Middle Easthas united researchers in a region mired

in conict.

Scientists in Israel, Jordan and

Palestine initiated the four-year project

with funding through the U.S. Agency for

International Development Middle East

Regional Cooperation Program. Research

partners included the Jordanian Society

for Sustainable Development, Al-Quds

University, and the Arava Institute of

Environmental Studies. A world leader in

developing tools to identify the sources of

atmospheric aerosols and from the data,

assess the effects on health, climate

and the environment, ProfessorJamie

Schauerserved as their advisor.

The study area spans three inter-

national boundaries within an area the

size of the Los Angeles air basin, and

Environmental road trip: Rating system to assess green highways

Professors Tuncer Ediland Craig Bensonare leading an effort they hope will turnmany U.S. highways green. The team, which includes PhD student Jin Cheol Lee,ProfessorJeffrey Russell and Engineering Professional Development and CEE Assistant

ProfessorJim Tinjum, is developing a system to assess, rate and recognize highways

based on their environmental impact. The researchers liken their rating system to the U.S.

Green Building Council LEED certication for high-performance green buildings. There is

no such equivalent for highway systems, says Edil.

The rating system will include targets, such as reduced construction-related

greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and landll waste. Assessors will

score highways based on stormwater management practices and other environmental

considerations, as well as life-cycle cost and recycled materials content. We think that

one way to have a major impact on improving the greenness of highways is to substitute

recycled materials as much as possible, says Edil.

For decades, he and Benson have studied industrial byproducts, including coal-

combustion byproducts, foundry sand and slag, reclaimed asphalt shingles and pavements,

scrap tires, and other materials for benecial use in construction. A few years ago, with

colleagues at the University of New Hampshire, the two established the Recycled Materials

Resource Center, which focuses on increasing wise and safe use of recycled materials

for transportation infrastructure. Among their advances, the researchers have studied

recycled materials environmental effects and established their technical equivalencies to

traditional construction materials. They have made technical recommendations for using

such materials in highway construction to transportation agencies and are developing

standards and specications.

The researchers currently are developing software that will enable highway designers

to compare the benets of choosing standard or recycled materials. They hope the rating

system will encourage innovation and

environmentally sensitive practices in the

road-building industry.

The team is developing the system

in consultation with the Wisconsin

Department of Transportation. Edil hopes

departments of transportation nationwide

will adopt it. I think its going to encourage

more use of recycled materials, resulting in

sustainable construction and sustainable

growth. This is our way of approaching

sustainability, though highway construction,

he says.

Funding for the industrial byproducts

research comes from a variety of sources,

including the Federal Highway Administration

and the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy,

the National Science Foundation, the

Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of

Transportation, the Wisconsin Department

of Natural Resources, the Electric Power

Research Institute, the foundry and electric

power industries, and byproducts marketing

rms, among others.

mitigation. The project was wildly

successful in the sense that weve

collected detailed chemical data about

aerosols and particulate matter that has

never been collected in the region before,

he says.

In addition, the project was personally

meaningful for Schauer, who is deeply

committed to sharing his tools and

knowledge with researchers worldwide.

Its amazing to be involved in research

that transcends just science and

engineering. The broader impacts of

this study are beyond anything that I

had anticipated to participate in within

my research efforts, he says.

has air-pollution levels that do not meet

World Health Organization standards.

In 11 locations, the researchers set up

air-monitoring sites and collected samples

every sixth day for a year. They chemically

analyzed the samples and studied the

data to identify and better understand

particulate matter sources.

Schauer helped the researchers design

the study, choose sampling devices, train

staff to operate the sample collectors,

develop chemical analysis strategies and

quality-control measures, and analyze the

data. He says the project goals were very

focused on capacity-building and bringing

the groups together.

From a scientic standpoint, Schauer

says the research forged new ground

and paved the way for future cooperation

among Israel, Palestine and Jordan for

environmental research and air-pollution


16/36

14

ELECTRICALANDCOMPUTERENGINEERING

Curved photodetectors sharpen images

New framework yields robust circuits

new generations of powerful integrated circuits, which drive most electronic devices,are produced every few years, and in each generation, the circuit componentsbecome smaller and smaller. The ever-decreasing size of components presents new design

challenges for developers that can result in fabrication imperfections, especially as circuit

components approach the nanoscale and become less tolerant of these imperfections.

The low tolerance may mean the variations in the performance level could be too

signicant, making the circuits difcult to mass-produce and send to market for use in

products ranging from computers and cell phones to television sets and cars.

Correcting imperfections is difcult because circuits include as many as billions of tiny

components that may execute billions of commands per secondmeaning developers

are challenged to pinpoint exactly where and when imperfections occur. It is important,

then, to prevent manufacturing imperfections early in the design process.

Assistant ProfessorAzadeh Davoodihas developed a mathematical framework for

fabricating integrated circuits that are robust with respect to manufacturing imperfections.

The framework gives developers a chance to prevent some imperfections before even

creating a prototype, which could improve the integrated design process overall. Her

framework is unique because it requires very little information about the manufacturers

processes to make robust predictions. Often, manufacturers do not keep or release

detailed data on their processes, and the new framework will allow designers to create

circuits with fewer manufacturing errorswithout knowing details about those errors.

In the next year, Davoodi plans to expand her research to creating debugging tools

that could reduce the number of circuit prototypes developers have to create. Davoodi

will research the root causes of component failures and generate predictions about future

failures. This work could help developers more quickly advance circuit designs to mass

fabrication. A grant from the National Science Foundation supports Davoodis research.

Professor Zhenqiang (Jack) Ma, Erwin W. Mueller and Bascom Professor of MaterialsScience and Engineering Max Lagallyand University of Michigan Professor PallabBhattacharya have developed a exible light-sensitive material that could revolutionize

photography and other imaging technologies.

When a device records an image, light passes through a lens onto a photodetector array

a light-sensitive material like the sensor in a digital camera. However, a lens bends the light

and curves the focusing plane. In a digital camera, the point where the focusing plane

meets the at sensor is in focus, but the image becomes more distorted the farther it is

from that focal point. Thats why some photos can turn out looking like images in a

funhouse mirror. High-end digital cameras correct this problem by incorporating multiple

panes of glass to refract light and atten the focusing plane. However, such lens systems

like the mammoth telephoto lenses sports photographers useare large, bulky and

expensive. Even high-quality lenses stretch the edges of an image somewhat.

Inspired by the human eye, Mas curved photodetector could eliminate that distortion.

In the eye, light enters though a single lens, but at the back of the eye, the image falls

upon the curved retina, eliminating distortion. If you can make a curved imaging plane,

you just need one lens, says Ma. Thats why this development is extremely important.

The team creates curved photodetectors with specially fabricated nanomembranes

extremely thin, exible sheets of germanium, a very light-sensitive material often used in

high-end imaging sensors. Researchers then can apply the nanomembranes to any polymer

substrate, such as a thin, exible piece of plastic. Currently, the group has demonstrated

photodetectors curved in one direction. Ma plans next to develop hemispherical sensors.

www.engr.wisc.edu/ece


17/36

AThe Vestas/UW-Madison partnership

already yielded a major grant from the

U.S. Department of Energy for developinga new wind energy curriculum. In addition

to Jahns, Professors Chris DeMarco (right)

and Giri Venkataramanan(center), and

Associate Professor Bernie Lesieutre

and Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

Assistant Professor Ankur Desai are

participating in this initiative.

The Vestas partnership is an exciting

addition to the range

of energy

research and education at the college,says DeanPaul Peercy. Once we solve

energy storage issues, wind power

could supply as much as 20 percent

of the nations energy needs by 2030.

Our students will be highly motivated to

participate in this growth industry.

Vestas partnership powers wind energy research

recent partnership between the College of Engineering and Vestas, the

worlds largest manufacturer of wind turbines, promises to propel wind

energy research and education at UW-Madison. Under the partnership,which began in spring 2009, Vestas will provide funding to support as many as 10

graduate and undergraduate students working on wind technology projects. The

company also is establishing a research and development ofce in Madison that

will enable its researchers to work with faculty and students to conduct sponsored

research projects and assist with technology transfer.

Wind energy is a rapidly growing source of new power generation around the

world, says ProfessorThomas Jahns(left), who co-directs the Wisconsin Power

Electronics Research Center and helped establish the partnership. Key partnerships

such as this one provide win-win opportunities for our faculty, students and industry

partners to accelerate the development of advanced wind power technology.

Vestas plans to support professorships at UW-Madison that will encourageinnovative research and development of new curriculum

materials in the alternative energy eld. The ultimate

objective is to use this new partnership as a foundation

for launching a new multidisciplinary research center

focused on integrating wind power and other renewable

energy sources into the electric utility grid.


18/36

16

www.engr.wisc.edu/ep

ENGINEERINGPHYSICS

16

The eyes have it: Analysis improves artificial lens design

D

uring cataract surgery, an

ophthalmologist generallyreplaces a cloudy lens with

an articial one thatin theoryshould

help a patient see more clearly.

Made of plastic, acrylic or silicone

and available in either exible or

rigid varieties, current articial lenses

arent designed to mimic natural lens

function. Consequently, patients

gain unobstructed vision but require

glasses to help them focus on objects

up close.The problem has bothered medical

doctor Gerald Clarke for some

time. Based in Appleton,

Wisconsin, Clarke and

colleagues own OptiVision Laser Centers and offer eye-care services, including

LASIK vision-correction and cataract surgeries, in three Wisconsin cities.About ve years ago, Clarke developed a biomimetic articial lens design, which

takes into account the way eye muscles control lens curvature to adjust focus. H

submitted a patent application for the design and asked ProfessorJames Blanchar

(left)and Researcher Carl Martin(right)to evaluate it before he prototypes it.

The two are conducting a nite-element analysis, but the process is anything

but straightforward. Optics researchers lack a clear understanding of eye muscle

forces, so Blanchard and Martin are applying assumed forces in their calculations

In addition, Clarkes design incorporates a silicone oil pocket in the center of a so

lens, and few researchers have experience in nite-element models of materials th

combine liquids and solids. Blanchard and Martin, however, recently applied simila

techniques in a study of safe nuclear reactor design.Although their analysis of Clarkes lens is still underway, Blanchards

and Martins initial calculations showed theres room for

improvement. Weve already made some design decisions

based on what theyve showed us, says Clarke.


19/36

Nuclear research and development earns major DOE support

Fusion researchers demonstrate self-organizing plasma

goes around the torus and one that goes

up, he says. The magnetic eld lines are

like a helixthey just spiral up from the

bottom of the machine to the top.Using the plasma torches, the group

injects current from below, along those

helical magnetic eld lines. The current

spirals up and hits the top of the machine.

Under appropriate conditions, it becomes

unstable and naturally collapses into a

lower-energy state. The lowest-energy

state under those conditions is a standard

tokamak plasma, says Fonck. So, the

plasma organizes itself into a tokamak,

which is a relatively complex system.

It stays that way until the group turns

off the current, he says.

The technique has become one of

the groups main focus areas. Locally, it

provides a path for the researchers to

deliver current to Pegasus and someday

achieve the high-pressure plasmas theyre

aiming for. Globally, the technique may

scale up to full-size reactors. Thats a big

deal in the international spherical tokamak

community, says Fonck.

The lens design,shown in two halves

reactors under development will operate much more efciently, but at the same time, must

withstand higher temperatures, pressures and radiation ranges. Research in these and

other areas lays the groundwork for building more efcient reactors over the next 20 years.

The Wisconsin Institute of Nuclear Systems and the faculty and staff involved in the

funded projects are uniquely positioned to provide both basic science and applied engineering

research studies for generation IV nuclear reactor technologies and their associated materials

and fuel cycle development, says Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Michael Corradini.

The research projects fall primarily under two DOE thrusts: the advanced fuel-cycle

initiative and next-generation nuclear plant/generation IV nuclear systems. The research

includes studies of nuclear fuels and fuel coatings, nuclear waste separation technology,

reactor analysis, reactor cooling technologies, advanced reactor concepts, and advanced

reactor materials.

Researchers involved in the projects include Associate Professor Todd Allen, Senior

Scientist Mark Anderson, Research Associate Guoping Cao, Materials Science & Engineering

Professor EmeritusY. Austin Chang, Professor Michael Corradini, ProfessorWendy Crone,

Assistant ProfessorDane Morgan(also materials science & engineering), Mechanical

Engineering Associate Professor Greg Nellis, Distinguished Research Professor Kumar

Sridharan, Assistant Professor Izabela Szlufarska(also materials science & engineering),

Adjunct Professor Tim Tautges, Associate Professor Paul Wilsonand Research Associate

Yong Yang.

When Steenbock Professor Ray Fonckandhis students built Pegasus, a tokamak-style, or donut-shaped, fusion science

experiment nearly 12 years ago, they hopedit would show the potential of a very-

low-aspect-ratio design that may allow

researchers to develop smaller fusion

systems in the future.

Now, they have demonstrated a

technique that enables them to start

Pegasus and create a stable plasma

without using a solenoid. Theres always

been a need to nd a way to start these

tokamak plasmas without inductive current

from a solenoid magnet down the center, and

to hold them together without inductive current

drive, says Fonck.

The researchers published details of their advance

in the June 5, 2009, issue ofPhysical Review Letters. They

refer to their method as lighting the match. The method, which

incorporates a plasma torch developed by UW-Madison physics

researchers, addresses limits on magnetic eld capacity in low-aspect-ratio tokamaks

and could scale up to some of the worlds largest tokamak experiments.

For its method, Foncks group turns on the magnetic eld that encircles Pegasus

around the long, toroidal direction. Next, the researchers turn on the vertical magnetic

eld that holds the plasma in placesomewhat like how a tire connes an inner tube.

And so you end up with a magnetic eld that spirals, because its got a component that

W ith more than $5 million in U.S.Department of Energy (DOE)funding, UW-Madison engineers are

leading 10 cutting-edge research projects

that will advance next-generation nuclear

energy technologies.

Under the Nuclear Energy University

Program, the DOE awarded three-year

funding to 71 projects at 31 U.S. universities.

In addition to their lead role on 10 projects,

UW-Madison engineers are collaborating

with Texas A&M University on two

other projects.

According to the DOE, advanced nuclear

technologies research and development is

key to addressing the global climate crisis

and moving the nation toward greater use

of nuclear energy.

Nuclear reactors are a near-zero-

carbon energy source. The advanced


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www.engr.wisc.edu/epd

ENGINEERINGPROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT

Assessment will help international companytrain the ideal energy engineer

Founded nearly 125 years ago and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, JohnsonControls Inc. is a global leader in automotive interior systems, building efciency, andpower solutions. Also a global leader in energy efciency and sustainability, the company

has an aggressive growth strategy that calls for scores of specially trained energy

engineers. Yet, demand for these project development engineers far outpaces the current

and projected supply, says Suzanne Sherry, director for learning and development for the

Johnson Controls North America Building Efciency business. Compounding the shortage

of engineers is the dynamic state of engineering, she says. Rapidly changing technologies,

new methods and emerging discoveries require frequent retooling of the workforce.

With the companys professional education needs in mind, Sherry and her team

collaborated with Faculty Associate Tom Smithand Associate Faculty Associate

Carl Viethon a study that could increase Johnson Controls understanding of the ideal

energy engineers core knowledge, behaviors and skills.

Smith and Vieth conducted a needs assessment and identied eight key performance

attributes: personal effectiveness, academic preparation, technical knowledge, business

acumen, leadership, innovation, managing change, and ability to work globally. What

were providing is an independently validated model that Johnson Controls can use to

determine training needs, says Vieth, who is EPD director of corporate education.

The assessment results will provide Johnson Controls with a baseline of where the

entire project development engineer group currently resides in relation to the model

UW-Madison has constructed, says Sherry. Johnson Controls will collaborate with EPD

to design and develop a curriculum path to assist the project development engineer

organization in achieving its goals, she says.

ike giant owers with sleek, breeze-rufed petals, wind turbines have multiplied in recent years on landscapes across

the country. U.S. government leaders are committed to continuing that growth, pledging some $3 billion in July 2009 renewable-energy projects they hope will stimulate the economy and double alternative-energy production by 2012.

Wind power will play a major role in this expansion, and with its newly announced suite of wind-energy courses for engineers

utility employees, contractors and technicians, UW-Madison is poised to train the people who will design, site, build and maintai

wind farms. Theyre out there, theyre practicing, theyre shifting from other areas in engineering and construction into this

and they need the training, says Assistant ProfessorJames Tinjum(below, left).

With startup funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the new courses build on a successful existing offering that

largely covers electrical engineering aspects of wind energy. Assistant Faculty Associate Mitch Bradt(below, right) leads the

course Fundamentals of Wind Power Plant Design, which culminates with a tour of a Wisconsin wind farm.

He and Tinjum will develop and program the new courses. The rst, scheduled for November 2009, will cover civil engineerin

aspects of wind energy project design and construction. Featuring 16 national experts in areas ranging from engineering and

construction to law and government policy, the course will tackle wind energy from a broad range of perspectives.Designed for industry professionals, a second course will teach attendees how to evaluate and plan wind energy

sites, while a thirddelivered via webinarwill address wind farm and wind turbine operations and maintenance.

In addition, Tinjum and Civil and Environmental Engineering Assistant ProfessorJames Schneider

will develop and teach a three-credit, semester-long design course for undergraduate and

Wind courses fuel green economy

18

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Capitalizing on technology: Multitude of courses

engages and educates distance learners

graduate students. The class capitalizes on Schneiders expertise in foundations and Tinjums

experience in civil design and will include guest lecturers discussing wind energy project design,

construction and operation.

Overall, the offerings highlight a growing area of expertise in wind energy at UW-Madison.Several electrical and computer engineering faculty also actively pursue wind-

related research and, in April 2009, entered into a long-term research, development

and educational partnership with leading wind-power technology company Vestas.

We are good at addressing the multidisciplinary aspects of wind energy, says Tinjum.

We cover all the bases.

At UW-Madison, a busy practicing engineer can receive the right distance educationin as little as a couple of hours or as long as a few years, with myriad options between.Building on several successful, internationally recognized distance-degree programs, the

department is increasing the number and variety of educational offerings for students in

Madison and around the world.

Were rapidly using some of our existing platforms and tools and reconguring those

into a more digitally friendly learning environment, says Associate Faculty Associate

Carl Vieth, director of corporate education. From what we hear from our customers, thats

going to be much more where we need to be. And it allows us to serve more people.

For the shortest educational time frame, one-hour webcast courses cover a specic

technical topic. Divided into a series of one- or two-hour sessions totaling about 20 hours,short courses at a distance explore a topic in more depth and combine webcast,

teleconferencing and videoconferencing technologies with self-directed readings and

problem-solving exercises.

Recorded in on-campus classrooms, credit courses at a distance mirror the structure

and ow of campus courses such as those in power engineering, polymer engineering or

biomedical engineering. Some 250 students annually enroll in credit courses at a distance,

which ll a particular educational need or combine into an entire degree program.

Celebrating its 10thanniversary in 2009, the Master of Engineering in Professional Practice

distance-degree program has received numerous national and international awards.

Nearly 250 students have graduated from this two-year program, which offers a blend of

technical and management expertise and prepares them for engineering leadership roles.

A 2009 United States Distance Learning Association best practice award recipient, the

Master of Engineering in Engine Systems is a three-year applied degree program for early-

to mid-career engineers who work in the internal-combustion engine industry. For more

than 30 years, students have studied technical Japanese through UW-Madison, and those

who enroll in the Master of Engineering in Technical Japanese distance-education program

can complete the degree at their own pace, from any location.

Vieth cites these programs success as evidence students can complete technically

rigorous courses online. He says distance opportunities will continue to play a key role

in educating students at all levels. I think the requirements of the current and future

economic environment will necessitate that not only EPD, but the campus, really think

about how to engage learners in different ways, using technology, he says. Were in

good shape here in EPD, looking forward.


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INDUSTRIALANDSYSTEMSENGINEERING

Selling a product isnt the only way manufacturers can generate income. Many alsorely heavily on revenue from after-sale service plans, which are maintenance plansto prevent and x product malfunctions. After-sale service care can make up as much as

50 to 70 percent of a companys total revenue, and accurate tools to help manufacturers

develop appropriate maintenance schedules are crucial. Associate Professor Shiyu Zhou

is researching fundamental, cost-efcient methodologies for manufacturers to deliver

optimal after-sale service care to their customers.

Zhou has developed techniques for GE Healthcare to help the company conduct after-

sale service for complex medical equipment such as MRI or CT machines. These types

of machines generate data logs that record everything that happens, from turning on the

machine and taking an image to a critical failure in a specic mechanical component. Zhou,

in collaboration with University of Iowa Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Assistant

Professor Yong Chen, encodes the data from those logs into a mathematical model that

can predict a failure. The prediction allows maintenance technicians to either prevent the

failure or have a spare part on hand to quickly repair the machine when a failure occurs.

The specic model Zhou has developed is a kind of survival model, which is a statistical

technique widely used in reliability engineering. The model can quantitatively describe the

relationship between non-failure events, called benign events, and critical failure events

recorded in the lo

Documents

Coe Annual Report