CSE in the News

March 2024

Non-invasive brain stimulation could change human behavior, researchers say
“Previous research showed that brain activity was time-locked to stimulation. What we found in this new study is that this relationship slowly changed and the brain adapted over time as we added in external stimulation,” said Alexander Opitz, University of Minnesota biomedical engineering associate professor. Mar. 28: Medical Design

Helpful Assistants, Romantic Partners, or Con Artists? Part One » CCC Blog
 Moderated by Dr. Maria Gini, CCC Council Member and Computer Science & Engineering professor at the University of Minnesota. Large Language Models are at the forefront of conversations in society today, and the jury is out on if they are living up to the hype surrounding them. The panelists of this AAAS session addressed the possibilities, challenges, and potential of LLMs. Mar. 26: Coin Genius

US defence research university departments win $17.6m in DoD awards
Winning teams include the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, which, under principal investigator Marien Simeni, will explore ablation on hypersonic vehicle heat shielding by using pulse lasers. Mar. 21: Naval Technology; Army Technology (2 as of Mar. 22 at 9:09 a.m.)

Research Unveils Breakthrough in Brain Stimulation Therapies
"Previous research showed that brain activity was time-locked to stimulation. What we found in this new study is that this relationship slowly changed and the brain adapted over time as we added in external stimulation," said Alexander Opitz, University of Minnesota biomedical engineering associate professor. "This showed brain activity shifting in a way we didn't expect." Mar. 15: Mirage News; Newswise; Mar. 18: Technology Networks; NR Times (4 as of Mar. 19 at 8:35 a.m.)

Class of COVID: For Minnesota high school seniors, pandemic taught lessons in struggle, perseverance
In Minneapolis, Aisha and Kelly think a lot of their success is due to the fact that they had more resources than some other students. Kelly currently has his heart set on the University of Minnesota’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. Mar. 14: MPR News

Doing Good in the World Inspires EE Professor
Franklin, who is a professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) at the University of Minnesota (UMN), was surprised at the feedback she got. Mar. 14: EE Times; Dispatchist (2 as of Mar. 15 at 8:59 a.m.)

Great Lakes ice cover is shrinking. What does that mean for shipping?
“It turns out that ice is a really, really strong predictor of what happens the following summer,” said Large Lakes Observatory physicist Jay Austin in a recent talk for the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. Mar. 13: Milwaukee's NPR

Research Unveils Fresh Insights Into Deadly ARDS
"This study looked into the correlation of the concentration of the lysolipid in the lungs. Once that fluid reached a certain level, it started to cause severe impacts," said University of Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Professor Joseph Zasadzinski and lead professor on the research. Mar. 12: Mirage News; News Wise; FirstWord Pharma; MSN UK; MSN; News Medical; Global Health Newswire; ReachMD Mar. 14: Hoodline (9 as of Mar. 15 at 8:58 a.m.)

What you need to know about Nvidia and the AI chip arms race
GPUs were originally used in video games to render computer graphics, explained Sachin Sapatnekar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Minnesota. Mar. 8: Market Place; Tech Codex (2 as of Mar. 11 at 10:25 a.m.)

How innovation in technology used to manage and treat water could spur economic development
​​The University of Minnesota is working on a project to recover nutrients from water. It also has a project that focuses on sensors that can detect nutrients like nitrates, phosphates and heavy metals in water, which Tianhong Cui, the co-lead of the University of Minnesota project and professor of mechanical engineering, will be working on. Mar. 7: MinnPost; Ex Bulletin; Business News (3 as of March 8 at 9:05 a.m.)

2024 Winners of IChemE Medals Named
​​Qi Zhang, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, was awarded the Junior Sargent Medal in recognition of his novel technique and fundamental advances in process systems engineering and their application to industrial decarbonization, and to mapping the role of green ammonia in the energy transition. Mar. 6: Chemical Processing

The atomic bomb, exile and a test of brotherly bonds: Robert and Frank Oppenheimer
Frank, meanwhile, had joined the physics department at the University of Minnesota, building detectors to catch cosmic rays streaming from space with equipment tethered to balloons he frequently lost but chased gamely through Cuban forests and other remote locations. Mar. 5: Knowable Magazine; Mar. 8: Smithsonian Magazine; My Droll; Mar. 9 The Madras Tribune; Mar. 11: Portside (5 as of March 12 at 8:36 a.m.)

University Of Minnesota Consortium Wins Inaugural NSF Regional Innovation Engines Award
​​“This work allows us to collectively address water problems and advance collaboration between U of M researchers, governmental agencies and industry partners from Minnesota and across the region,” said Tianhong Cui, co-lead of the University of Minnesota team and professor of mechanical engineering. Mar. 5: India Education Diary

TECHQuantum hotbeds of tomorrow? 7 U.S. cities with the potential to foster the next great quantum technology ecosystem
Research Institutions: The University of Minnesota focuses on science and engineering research and is an important asset. Recently, a research team led by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, received his $1.4 million grant for quantum computing. Mar. 4: ExBulletin; The Quantum Insider (2 as of Mar. 5 at 8:36 a.m.)

Microsystems for healthcare meeting is a European first
Professor Tianhong Cui, who was a global chair at the University of Bath before taking up his current visiting professorship in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (also a Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota), said the workshop will solidify Bath’s status as a leader in the field. Mar. 4: EurekAlert!

State wrestling: St. Cloud's Camryn Kenning repeats as 235-pound girls champion
"It's pretty amazing what she did tonight. She's a talented girl," Boeck said. Kenning will attend the University of Minnesota next fall and major in mechanical engineering. Mar. 3: St. Cloud Live

Promising Results: Combination Drug Therapy For Treatment-Resistant Cancer
A combination of two cancer drugs could be effective against malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) — soft tissue tumors that are stubbornly resistant to chemotherapy and radiation — according to a laboratory study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Study co-authors included the Masonic Cancer Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Mar. 2: India Education Diary