News from 10/2017

Nie and Sweedler Named to Power List 100 of International Analytical Scientists

Two University of Illinois faculty members with ties to the Beckman Institute were named to the 2017 Power List, the “Magnificent Tens” published by The Analytical Scientist magazine. Shuming Nie, a professor of bioengineering and member of Beckman's Bioimaging Science and Technology Group, was selected as one of the 10 Giants of Nano, including microfluidic and nanoscale science; and Jonathan Sweedler, a professor of chemistry and co-chair of the Intelligent Systems research theme, was selected as one of the 10 leaders influencing the progress of measurement science.

Johnson Looks to Common Optical Phenomenon for Inspiration in Electronics Design

Harley Johnson, mechanical science and engineering professor and member of the Computational Multiscale Nanosystems Group, is working with a team to advance electronics design with inspiration from a common optical phenomenon. The phenomenon that forms interference patterns on television displays when a camera focuses on a pattern like a person wearing stripes has inspired a new way to conceptualize electronic devices. Johnson and his team are showing how the atomic-scale version of this phenomenon may hold the secrets to help advance electronics design to the limits of size and speed. 

Dobrucki Collaborates with Kilian on Study Discovering Stemlike Cells at Tumor Perimeter

Kristopher Kilian, professor of bioengineering and of materials science and engineering, and his research team found stemlike cells at the edge of melanoma tumors secrete factors to promote blood-vessel growth, allowing the cancer to grow and spread.

Kilian’s group collaborated with Wawrzyniec Lawrence Dobrucki, a professor of bioengineering and head of the Molecular Imaging Laboratory in the Bioimaging Science and Technology Group. They used a tracer that can monitor angiogenesis in live animals and saw that there was a significant increase in angiogenesis around melanoma-initiating cells at the edges of tumors with strained topology.

Aluru Named APS Fellow

Narayana Aluru, professor of mechanical science and engineering and member of the Computational Multiscale Nanosystems Group, has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), an honor bestowed to no more than one half of one percent of the society’s membership. He was selected by APS’ Division on Computational Physics (DCOMP).

Rudolph Named Beckman Affiliate

Karen Rudolph, a professor of psychology, has been named an affiliate faculty member in the Social and Emotional Dimensions of Well-being (SEW) working group in the Intelligent Systems research theme.

Zirconium MOF Buckles Under Dynamite Pressure

A research team led by Kenneth Suslick, a professor of chemistry and member of Beckman's Bioimaging Science and Technology Group, found that a metal-organic framework known for its robustness takes in the same amount of energy as a TNT blast releases when it breaks. The finding demonstrates a new potential for the use of such frameworks in the rapid dissipation of mechanical energy.

Report Identifies Factors Associated With Harassment, Abuse in Academic Fieldwork

College students considering careers in fields like archaeology or geology that require extensive work at remote field sites might want to find out how potential supervisors and advisers conduct themselves in the field. Illinois anthropology professor Kate Clancy, a member of the Social and Emotional Dimensions of Well-Being Group, and colleagues conducted the new study as part of a survey of hundreds of students who reported on their field-research experiences in the life, physical and social sciences.

Nie Named Beckman Affiliate

Shuming Nie, a professor of bioengineering, has been named a Beckman affiliate faculty member in the Integrative Imaging research theme.

Bell Named Beckman Affiliate

Alison Bell, an associate professor of animal biology, has been named a Beckman affiliate in the Cellular and Molecular Foundations of Intelligent Behavior (CaMF) working group, within the Intelligent Systems research theme.

Gruev Receives Best Paper Awards

Viktor Gruev, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) and member of the Bioimaging Science and Technology Group, and Nimrod Missael Garcia Hernandez, a visiting scholar in ECE, received two awards for "Best Paper" at the IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems: one in the Sensory Circuits and Systems track and the other for Best Student Paper. Gruev is the principal investigator for the research.

Gruev Develops Camera to Improve Early Cancer Detection

Viktor Gruev, professor in Beckman's Bioimaging Science and Technology group, has worked with graduate student Missael Garcia to develop a camera capable of sensing both color and polarization by mimicking the eye of the mantis shrimp. This bioinspired imager may improve early cancer detection and provide new understanding of underwater phenomena. Compared with human vision, which has three different types of color receptors, the mantis shrimp has 16 different types of color receptors and six polarization channels, Gruev said.

Smith Takes a Step Forward in Developing a Saltwater Desalination Process

Kyle Smith, professor in Mechanical Science and Engineering and member of Beckman's Autonomous Materials Systems group, is working with a research team to develop a saltwater desalination process that is potentially cheaper than reverse osmosis and borrows from battery technology. 

Chen Named Beckman Affiliate

Qian Chen, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, has been named an affiliate in the Molecular and Electronic Nanostructures (M&ENS) research theme.

Bashir to Receive 2018 Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award from BMES

Rashid Bashir, a professor of bioengineering and member of Beckman's 3D Micro- and Nanosystems Group, has been selected to receive the 2018 Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award, the Biomedical Engineering Society’s (BMES) premier recognition for outstanding achievements and leadership in the science and practice of biomedical engineering. 

Researchers Develop Spectroscopic 'Science Camera' System for Smartphones

Brian Cunningham, Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering and member of our Nanoelectronics and Nanomaterials group, is working with research teams to develop technology called "Lab-in-a-Smartphone." Working with John Dallesasse, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, they have published papers detailing potential ways the mobile devices could provide health diagnostic tests and other measurements normally performed in a laboratory setting. 

Making DNA Data Storage a Reality

Olgica Milenkovic, professor of electrical and computer engineering and member of our computational multiscale nanosystems group, attended the IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory. She is quoted in The Scientist discussing advances in error-free DNA data storage and retrieval.  Along with the more recent development of specialized algorithms to handle the challenges of coding information in DNA specifically, advances toward error-free DNA data storage and retrieval have helped broaden the appeal of DNA coding. At the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers International Symposium on Information Theory this year, for example, “there was a whole session on coding for DNA storage,” says Milenkovic.