Beckman Institute News

King Receives Bergles-Roshenow Young Investigator Award

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:41:53 GMT

William P. King, a member of the Beckman 3D Micro- and Nanosystems group, has received the 2009 Bergles-Roshenow Young Investigator Award in Heat Transfer. This award is given annually by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to the top researcher in heat transfer under the age of 36. The award was given “for substantial contributions to the field of mechanical engineering through the development of nanometer-scale thermal processing and thermal measurement techniques, and the new physical insights made possible by these techniques.”

Micro-fluid Optical Fibers

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:32:14 GMT

Globe and Mail -- John Rogers, a Beckman researcher and U. of I. professor of materials science, has found that droplets of fluid in fiber optic channels can increase the speeds of data-carrying photons. His micro-fluid optical fibers could be key to super-fast delivery of live and streaming multi-media.

OCT System Proves Value as Intraoperative Breast Cancer Imaging Tool

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:46:36 GMT

Beckman Institute researcher Stephen Boppart has been developing an optical imaging system for assessing tissue that will provide real-time diagnostic capabilities in the operating room. After many years of technology development, laboratory testing, and clinical studies, the system has now shown its potential as a tool in the fight against breast cancer.

Pedestrian Distraction Project Takes First Step

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Mark Neider and Art Kramer and their collaborators have published the first paper in a new research line that holds great promise for expanding our knowledge about cognitive issues involved in multi-tasking, and for informing us about the potential dangers of behaviors such as talking on a cell phone while crossing the street.

Lu Project Uses Nature as Guide for Design of Proteins

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:05:15 GMT

U of I News Bureau -- A project led by Beckman Institute faculty member Yi Lu is using insights gained from natural processes to aid in the design of tailor-made proteins with numerous applications.

Pop Receives Young Investigator Grant

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:13:24 GMT

PhysOrg -- Eric Pop, a Beckman researcher and U. of I. professor of computer and electrical engineering, is one of 38 scientists and engineers who will receive a 2010 Young Investigators Research Program grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Language Projects Have a Different Take on Learning a Language

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Researchers Gary Dell, Cynthia Fisher, and Jennifer Cole from the Biological Intelligence research theme are showing that language learning never stops.

Physical Activity and Cognition

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:12:25 GMT

KABC Los Angeles -- Studies by Charles Hillman, a Beckman affiliate and U. of I. professor of kinesiology and community health, found physical activity can improve students’ cognitive control – or ability to pay attention – and also result in stronger performance on academic achievement tests.

McDonagh's Student Wins Grand Inventors Prize

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:45:00 GMT

Stephen Diebold, who worked with a disabled student to create a device in Beckman Institute researcher Deana McDonagh’s Relevant Design and Disabilities class, has won the Grand Prize and $27,000 in the 2009 Collegiate Inventors Competition.

Ha Finds Protein is Dynamic, Critical to DNA Repair

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:15:53 GMT

U of News Bureau -- Beckman Institute faculty member Taekjip Ha and his colleagues discovered that a single-stranded DNA-binding protein that was thought to be static is in fact dynamic, and plays a critical role in repairing DNA.