EMBS Spring Symposium This Weekend

What do you know abut biomedical engineering research in Cincinnati? Want to know more? Then come the Spring Symposium at the University of Cincinnati. The symposium is sponsored by the IEEE Cincinnati Chapter of the Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society. It is this Saturday, April 4th, from 8:30AM to 12:00 noon in the Engineering Research Center, room 427. Registration and refreshments are free, so if your company is in the biomedical industry or if you are considering a career in biomedical engineering and want to talk to people in the field, this is a must attend event. For more information print out this poster EMBS Spring Symposium 2009 or contact Dr. Jing-Heui Lee at leej8@ucmail.uc.edu . 

March 2009 – Section Meeting Information

Construction and Single Molecule Analysis of phi29 DNA-Packaging Motor for Applications in Nanotechnology and Delivery of Therapeutics

DATE: Thursday, March 26, 2009
PLACE : Raffel’s – 10160 Reading Road (see below for directions)
TIME : 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. –  Social Time
            6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. –  Dinner
            7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. –  Presentation
 
COST FOR DINNER:  $10.00 per person – REGARDLESS OF MEMBERSHIP OR MEMBERSHIP GRADE!

NOTE:  DINNERS ARE ALWAYS OPTIONAL – YOU MAY ATTEND THE PROGRAM ONLY. 

ABOUT THE MEETING:  Our speaker this month, Dr. Peixuan Guo, received his Ph.D. from University of Minnesota in 1987.  After completing his postdoctoral training at NIH, he joined Purdue University in 1990, was tenured in 1993, became a full Professor of Molecular Virology in 1997, and was honored as Purdue Faculty Scholar in 1998.  Currently, he is Dane and Mary Louise Miller Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati and the Director of one NIH Nanomedicine Development Center (NDC). He constructed the phi29 DNA packaging motor (PNAS, 1986), discovered the motor pRNA (Science, 1987), elucidated the formation of the pRNA hexamer (Molecular Cell, 1998), and pioneered the RNA nanotechnology (Nano Letters, 2004, 2005).  His recent contribution is the use of phi29 pRNA as a polyvalent vector for siRNA or drug delivery to specific cancer or viral infected cells.  His laboratory has assembled a customized dual viewing system to detect single-fluorophores (EMBOJ, 2007; RNA, 2007).  Dr. Guo received the Pfizer Distinguished Faculty Award in 1995, the Purdue Faculty Scholar award in 1998, the Seed Award in 2004, 2005, and 2007, and the Lions Club Cancer Research Award in 2006.  Dr. Guo was also selected by Foresight Nanotech Institute as one of the Finalist for a Feynman Prize in 2005.  He is an editor/editorial board member of four nanotech journals.  His work has been reported hundreds of times over the radio, TV (such as ABC, NBC, and WLFI), and as well as important websites including NCI, NIH, NSF, MSNBC, and Science. He was a member of two prominent national nanotechnology initiatives sponsored by NIST, NIH, NSF, and the National Council of Nanotechnology. Currently, Dr. Guo is a member of the NIH steering committee for the eight Nanomedicine Development Centers located throughout the US.  You can learn more about Dr. Guo’s scientific research at:
http://www.eng.uc.edu/nanomedicine/peixuanguo.html
http://www.eng.uc.edu/nanomedicine/

(more…)

Western Hills Design Technology High School Looking for Assistance

Western Hills Design Technology High School is a pre-engineering program that features a project-based curriculum and develops creative problem-solving skills.   Working through Project Lead the Way, the school works to form partnerships with higher education institutions and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of the next generation of engineers.

The school’s Advisory Council consists of teachers, administrators, and partners from business and post-secondary educational institutions.  This Council serves as resource and a sounding board, assisting with planning and analysis.  When possible, members help to provide enrichment activities such as student mentors, corporate tours, guest speakers, and student internships/job opportunities.  The team meets three to four times a year.

They are looking for additional engineers to help out.  If you would be interested in assisting them, please contact Ms. Pamela Truesdell at truesdp@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

March 2009 – Membership News

NEW MEMBERS
The following individuals are IEEE members who are new to our Section:

Lucas Altman
Richard Chen
Nilesh N. Joshi
Paul Musgrave
Scott T. Piegols
Geoffrey Pierce
Jesse J. Sharpe
George Michael Shiekh
Manit Vichitchot
Charles David Walker
Andrew T. Zwit

We wish to welcome these new members to the Cincinnati Section!!!

March 2009 – History

Scanning the Past: A History of Electrical Engineering from the Past

Copyright 1995 IEEE. Reprinted with permission from the IEEE publication, “Scanning the Past” which covers a reprint of an article appearing in the Proceedings of the IEEE Vol. 83, No. 11, November 1995.

Benjamin G. Lamme and Giant Generators

One hundred years ago, a large hydroelectric power plant began operation at Niagara Falls, NY. The plant was a milestone in the history of the generation and distribution of electric power and it helped educate a generation of engineers on the advantages of alternating current. The plant was a prototype which provided enough flexibility to serve the needs of a variety of consumers both near the power plant and at remote locations. Benjamin G. Lamme played a leading role in the design of the giant generators used in the Niagara Falls power station and would later become chief engineer of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.

(more…)

March 2009 – IEEE News

New IEEE-USA President Shares Members’ Concerns about their Careers,
Looks to the Promise of Technology

WASHINGTON (30 January 2009) — IEEE-USA’s great challenge in 2009 will be to live up to its motto, “Building Careers & Shaping Public Policy.””Never before in my memory have both of these tasks been as important as they are now,” said Dr. Gordon W. Day, who became IEEE-USA president on New Year’s Day. “Rarely have so many of our members been so concerned about the future of their careers, and rarely has a U.S. president been so committed to using technology to preserve our prosperity, keep us secure and protect our environment.”In a recent letter to President Barack Obama (http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/policy/2008/120508.pdf), Day strongly endorsed the president’s strategy of making investments that will save or create jobs now and build a stronger America for the future.

(more…)

From Charlie’s Desk

  • We had a great turnout at last month’s meeting. Marwan Nusair’s presentation on global climate change was very compelling. It was great to see everyone.
  • At our February 26th meeting Vic Spang of the Buckeye Power Sales Company will discuss ways to install residential backup power generators. Considering the incredible weather last year, it would be a good idea to know what backup options are available. Check the meeting notice for details.
  • On February 17th the Retired Engineers and Scientists of Cincinnati will hold a meeting about “Procter and Gamble in World War II and Korean War – How a Soap Company Revolutionized the Shell Loading Industry”. The meeting is at Evergreen on Galbraith Road. Lunch will be at 11:30AM and the presentation at 1:00PM. See their website a www.resc.org for more information.

February 2009 – Section Meeting Information

EMERGENCY ELECTRIC GENERATORS FOR HOME – THE TECHNICAL, THE DIFFERENCES,
AND HOW TO CHOOSE

DATE :     Thursday, February 26, 2009
PLACE :  Raffel’s – 10160 Reading Road (see below for directions)
TIME :      5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. –  Social Time
                 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. –  Dinner
                 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. –  Presentation
 
COST FOR DINNER: $10.00 per person – REGARDLESS OF MEMBERSHIP OR MEMBERSHIP GRADE!

NOTE:  DINNERS ARE ALWAYS OPTIONAL – YOU MAY ATTEND THE PROGRAM ONLY. 

MENU SELECTIONS:   Spinach Stuffed Tomato, Pan Fried Tilapia with Lemon Caper Sauce, Beef Stroganoff, Steamed Fresh Broccoli, Buttered Noodles, Tossed Salad, Dinner Rolls and Butter, Apple & Peach Cobblers, Coffee, Tea, Iced Tea, Soft Drinks. There is also a bar available for the purchase of alcoholic drinks.

(more…)

February 2009 – Membership News

NEW MEMBERS
The following individuals are IEEE members who are new to our Section:

Steven M. Bak
Nancy Marie Connelly
Benjamin Corrado
Jim Ray Gross
Alero Boritsegin Jakpa
Alexander Wayne Juncker
Thomas Gerard McLaughlin
Alex Meier
Obioma Nwigwe
Diana Treece
Lee Watson
Brandon Williams

We wish to welcome these new members to the Cincinnati Section!!!

February 2009 – History

Scanning the Past: A History of Electrical Engineering from the Past
Submitted by Bob Morrison, Editor
Copyright 1995 IEEE. Reprinted with permission from the IEEE publication, “Scanning the Past” which covers a reprint of an article appearing in the Proceedings of the IEEE Vol. 83, No. 10, October 1995.

Greenleaf W. Pickard and the Eclipse Network

Seventy years ago this month, the PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTE OF RADIO ENGINEERS (IRE) included a paper by Greenleaf W. Pickard on the effect of a recent solar eclipse on radio reception. At the time he was a consulting engineer with the Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company of Boston, MA, and a past president of the IRE. He was the author or coauthor of 15 Proceedings papers published between 1920 and 1934.

Pickard was born in 1877 in Portland, ME. The well known poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, was his great uncle. Pickard attended the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard University and also took classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1899 he received a grant from the Smithsonian Institution to support his wireless research at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA. He joined the American Wireless Telegraph and Telephone Company in 1901 and installed wireless apparatus to report the Americas Cup yacht competition that year.

(more…)