Illinois Innovators

Illinois researchers believe they are getting close to producing food anywhere on the planet — using only air, water and electricity. Join Lauren Laws as she sits down with principal investigator Ting Lu, and co-PIs Mohan Sankaran, Keith Cadwallader to learn more about this DARPA-funded project.

A shared love of physics, music and education outreach has been sparking a creative partnership between Maggie and Fahad Mahmood for the last 14 years. The couple is continuing their musical journey in the Physics Department at The Grainger College of Engineering by writing song parodies, which celebrate and teach all things physics.

On this episode of Illinois Innovators we're joined by Founder Professor of Bioengineering Rohit Bhargava. In March 2005, Professor Rohit Bhargava was the first external hire to join the Department of Bioengineering as it launched. Now he is an established researcher in chemical imaging and digital pathology techniques and has led the Cancer Center at Illinois since it was formed in 2011. As the Cancer Center at Illinois enters its second decade, he reflects on its unusual approach to cancer research and its impact on people’s health and well-being.

On this episode of the Illinois Innovators Podcast, we explore hypersonics. When a vehicle travels faster than the speed of sound, its exterior surface becomes extremely hot — risking the safety of the people and cargo inside. Molecules in the flow around the vehicle collide and change, creating a shockwave. This hypersonic environment is difficult to understand and even more difficult to study. We asked Marco Panesi to clarify some of the mysteries of hypersonics and tell us what he and his colleagues are working on to better understand the phenomenon. He is a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, a Caterpillar Faculty Scholar, and director of the Center for Hypersonics and Entry Systems Studies.

Vilas Dhar is President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a $1.5 billion global philanthropy advancing artificial intelligence and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. He earned bioengineering and computer science degrees from The Grainger College of Engineering in 2004, followed by a JD from New York University School of Law and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He spoke to us in June, sharing his vision for empowering nonprofits and change-makers with technology, encouraging technologists and engineers to pursue careers in public interest technology, and building a better future with people from all backgrounds doing the work. Transcript: https://grainger.illinois.edu/40773

Conversation with Prof. Girish Chowdhary from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his team at EarthSense. They share about their work in AI robotics, sustainable agriculture, and how to address labor shortages in ag.

Optimizing wind turbine efficiency can save millions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Grainger Engineering doctoral student, Lucas Buccafusca, is helping make it happen.

Ever wondered where the food on your plate came from? While it is much easier at Farmer’s Markets or Farm-to-table restaurants for the consumer to know its origination, supermarkets and restaurants are a little more complicated. A group led by Megan Konar, an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has created the first comprehensive map detailing the food chain within the United States. The team cites 132 Freight analysis framework locations to the 3,142 counties in the US. Those combine form 9.5 million links. Professor Konar joins the program to talk about the enormous project and more of her work. Her research focuses on the intersection of water, food, and trade.

As the world assesses how they can support projects in non-industrialized countries, a new study brought to light just how important cultural and environmental factors are when providing humanitarian engineering aid in these regions. Ann Perry Witmer, a lecturer of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, joins the program to discuss her study on how contextual engineering improves the success of projects in non-industrial societies. It takes an in-depth look at some of the perspectives that may determine its effectiveness. She has created and supported a number of organizations that have provided engineering assistance to communities in Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa and was a past faculty advisor for Illinois’ chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

Nenad Miljkovic's research group, collaborating with colleagues at Kyushu University of in Japan, discovered a method to de-ice surfaces in a matter of seconds. The method does so by using 1% of the energy and point 0.01 percent of the time. Professor Miljkovic talks about the discovery and how it could impact a number of industries. His is the principal investigator of the Energy Transport Research Laboratory, the associate director of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center and an associate professor of mechanical science and engineering at at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Among the emphases of the lab is the interaction between liquids and a solid surface.

If modifications of Einstein’s general relativity do exist in nature, could they leave observable imprints in astrophysical systems and in gravitational wave observations? Hector Silva, a postdoctoral research associate with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Physics discusses his observations specifically as it relates to black holes and neutron stars. A native of Brazil with a PhD from the University of Mississippi, Silva earned the Gravitational Wave International Committee-Braccini Thesis Prize for his thesis “Compact Objects in Relatavistic Theories of Gravity."

In 2017, the U.S. Army began outlining plans for the Internet of Battlefield Things, allowing military to be connected on the battlefield the same we are connected in our homes. It includes not only common consumer items like smartphones, wearable devices, cameras, etc., but provides analytics to help predict and perceive the enemy’s movement, for instance or to give machines the autonomy to carry out a course of action based on the programmed intent. The $25 million Army Research Project leans on six institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Tarek Abdelzaher, a professor of computer science, is the academic lead of the Army Research Lab’s Alliance for IoBT Research on Evolving Intelligent Goal-Driven Networks (REIGN). He joins the program to talk about its progress.

The is world’s leading expert in spectroscopic imaging and the Director of the Cancer Center at Illinois, Rohit Bhargava joins the show to talk about several ways engineering is playing a role in solving diagnosis and treatment of a variety of cancers. His group has developed a 3D printer that makes highly precise scaffolds of living organs such as the heart.

Inventables is a 3D carving company that is helping ignite a revolution in digital fabrication. They are helping others start companies using their products, which include powerful machines, software, and materials. Zach Kaplan, the company's CEO discusses the unique technology, the Inventables business model, and his active role within the Chicago VC community.

Professor Krein talks about how he is helping shape the future of advanced energy applications, specifically in electric vehicles and solar power. A recent article in the IEEE Spectrum Krein, a research professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois, detailed the ways the Colleges are prepping the next generation of manufacturers, which includes training in artificial intelligence and robotics. The past chair of the IEEE Transportation Electrification Community, he is a leading expert in power and energy systems, including power electronics, machines, drives, transportation electrification, and electrical energy, with emphasis on nonlinear control approaches.