There’s a lot happening at the college, from medical engineering to playing with Legos to developing software that saves lives.
Biomed opens doors for disabled
This summer, a team of seven engineering students constructed a device for a woman with cerebral palsy that allowed her to start a greeting card company. With the head-mounted device, Warwick resident Rebecca Beaton can operate a computer, paint, draw and use an iPad.
The team included Chelsae Meier of Boscawen, N.H.; Christopher DeSanto of West Warwick, R.I.; Gemma Downey of Rehoboth, Mass.; Brooke McCarthy of Plympton, Mass.; and Vanessa Landes, Christina Liese and Tanya Wang of Cranston, R.I.
Engineering 101: high school style
Twenty-six high school students found themselves playing with engineering tools as part of the inaugural URI Summer Engineering Academy.
The students spent four weeks in July taking college-level engineering courses while getting their hands dirty with real-life projects. Teams built pyramids 7 feet tall out of wood, drafted plans for pens with the help of engineering software and used 3-D printers to create them. They then combined all that knowledge to construct and program robots that placed Legos in a pattern.
“At the end of the day there was definitely some group dynamic that clicked,” academy organizer Manbir Singh Sodhi says.
Next year, Sodhi hopes to recruit international students and add day trips to places such as New York City and Boston. He will also expand the roster of companies that campers visit to see engineering skills put into practice.
Shukla garners SEM awards
The Society for Experimental Mechanics has awarded Professor Arun Shukla the 2012 C.E. Taylor Award as well as the 2012 F.G. Tatnall Award. The Taylor award recognizes a society member who demonstrates technical excellence in optical stress analysis and good citizenship within the society. The Tatnall award recognizes individuals very involved with the society.
Haibo publishes book
Assistant professor Haibo He’s first book was published in August. The 248-page Self-Adaptive Systems for Machine Intelligence (Wiley, 2011), expands on his research in the field of building computers that think like humans.
Bothun research attracts grant
Professor Geoff Bothun won a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program. The grant will fund research examining how engineered nanoparticles released from consumer products affect the environment.
Lucky to be alive
Software developed by a URI engineering professor and his colleagues came to the rescue of five sailors this August.
After being thrown from the Rambler 100 yacht, strong currents swept the sailors out to sea. To find them, the Irish Coast Guard launched SARMAP, a mapping tool developed by Applied Science Associates.
Ocean engineering Professor Malcolm Spaulding invented the basis for the software as part of an academic project to model the behavior of oil spills. He later went on to help start Applied Science Associates.
Stepanishen wins Acoustical Society medal
The Acoustical Society of America will present Professor Peter Stepanishen with its Trent-Crede Medal this November in San Diego. The award recognizes Stepanishen “for his pioneering research in transient vibration and acoustic radiation.”
Robot for the win and $5,000 check
A robotic boat designed by URI engineering students captured first place at an international competition held last summer and garnered a $5,000 gift from Raytheon Co. The vehicle navigated an aquatic obstacle course relying solely on artificial intelligence developed by students. The vehicle defeated 14 teams, including those from top engineering schools. Team members said winning the competition spurred job offers and interest in commercializing the technology.