Update: Inventive Women in the Institute of Technology

Last week I posted a blog about the upcoming Minnesota History Center exhibit featuring amazing women faculty members in IT entitled 'Inventive Women in the Institute of Technology'.  Well, this week I have an exciting update!

The Institute of Technology designed a Web site that went live today solely dedicated to the photographic work of Nancy G. Johnson and to these inspirational IT women!  In addition to the black and white portraits by Johnson, each faculty member has written about their experiences - What motivated them to explore technical studies?  How do they impact the Institute of Technology?  What thrilling research are they conducting?

Photo source
Photo credit: Nancy G. Johnson

Johnson aspired to capture these women in their research environments to inspire students just like you to consider studying these technical fields. Check out these amazing photos and personal stories: Inventive Women.

Dani

Physics of football

Earlier this month, I wrote about Professor Jim Kakalios and his exciting Emmy win for the video 'The Science of Watchmen.'  I just learned that Kakalios isn't the only physics professor applying their knowledge of science to popular culture. 

In the video below, IT Professor Dan Dahlberg breaks down a tackle from the Minnesota-Cal State game where Gopher receiver Eric Decker gets slammed into end zone by Cal's Sean Cattouse during a touchdown catch. Professor Dahlberg explains how much force Decker withstood when he took the hit. Check out the physics behind football by watching this fascinating video:



And the greatest thing about it all is that after withstanding that tackle and gees enforced by it, Decker still managed to keep the ball!

You can catch professor Dan Dahlberg in action with the Physics Force in one of two free, highly entertaining public shows: 7 p.m. Thursday, January 7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, January 10, 2010, at Northrop Auditorium, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.

The shows are coming up soon, so mark your calendars!

Dani

Did you know...?

I am constantly browsing the Institute of Technology Web site to learn more about what is going on in IT.  I feel that I can never keep up with all of the awesome events and opportunities going on within the college--there are so many great things happening! 

While prowling for exciting, cutting-edge information to share with you, I came across a really fun part of the IT Web site called 'Did you know?'  This page is full of information about past innovations and advances made by Institute of Technology students, alums, and faculty!  For instance, Did you know...

• James "Crash" Ryan was not a racecar driver--he was a mechanical engineering professor and U of M engineer who created the first retractable, locking automobile seat belts and the "black box" flight recorder.
• The "etascope" is an assembly of lenses and mirrors that funnels natural light to the bottom floor of the Civil Engineering building. The bottom is 110 ft. below the surface.
• The U of M is home to Alpha Sigma Kappa, the first sorority in America for women in technical studies.

James "Crash" Ryan, IT professor and inventor of the retractable seatbelt

Institue of Technology students, graduates and faculty have made a huge impact in industry and in everyday life.  Just think...student groups that you can become involved in, medical devices that are used internationally, and even the ancestor of seatbelts that we use every day have a connection to the Institute of Technology!

Visit this page to learn more about the history of IT!

Dani

Inventive Women in the Institute of Technology

If you get the chance to visit the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul, be sure to stop by and take a look at their brand-new exhibit, called "Inventive Women: Protraits of Scientists and Engineers from the University of Minnesota." 

This exhibit is a collection of black and white portraits by Nancy G. Johnson, a communications specialist in the Institute of Technology's Department of Mechanical Engineering, who notes, "There are so many problems to solve, so many things that need to be invented. Benjamin Franklin said, 'Energy and persistence conquer all things.' It will take all of us--men and women--to come up with the ideas and solutions to help our world flourish."  

This is a great opportunity to get an inside look into the minds of some of the great women faculty that are behind new innovation and research at the University of Minnesota!  The exhibit will run from November 27th, 2009 to July 4, 2010, with a public exhibit reception on December 1, 2009 from 5-8 p.m. at the Minnesota History Center. More information is on the Minnesota History Center Web site.

I can't wait to go--I hope you get the opportunity to check it out, too!

Dani

Check out the IT Student Dashboard

The Institute of Technology (IT) Student Dashboard gives you tools to succeed (and have fun!) at the University of Minnesota. On the Dashboard, you can link to your favorite Web sites, find out the latest news or upcoming events, check out the Northrup Mall Webcam, see what others are saying about the University on Twitter, or even discover a new restaurant.  It really is everything you need in one place!

Current Institute of Technology students asked for a site like this. IT listened and made it happen! This Web site was developed for IT students by an IT student, with input from college staff and student leaders. The goal is to provide the links and information current students need on a daily basis on one, easy-to-use Web page.

Did I mention that you can even customize the links?!

Dani

Out-of-this world scholarship program

Three-time space shuttle astronaut Col. Fred Gregory visited campus recently to give a public talk and present two Institute of Technology engineering students with prestigious $10,000 scholarships from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF).

Gregory talked to the group of about 200 students, most of them from a freshman physics class, about his dangerous days as a research and test pilot flying his jet into the worst of storms. In fact, once he flew a Mach 1 just 50 feet above a large lake in the Midwest.

"I was young, so I was willing to take a lot of chances," he said.

He also talked about his days of Air Force training, practicing procedures during potential air raids from the Russians during the Cold War. "We would hide under the tables to practice protecting ourselves," Gregory said.

Later in his career when he had a chance to meet Russian cosmonauts, he found out that the Russians did similar air raid drills.

"Why would you practice that?" he asked the cosmonaut.

"Because you were going to bomb us," the cosmonaut said.

"Well, we thought you were going to bomb us!" Gregory replied.

"At that moment, I realized we were really just the same," Gregory said. "Solving today's problems takes an international, cooperative solution. There is no 'us' and 'them.' I hope that the young people of today can take that approach," he added.

Gregory also shared stories of his three times in space. When asked by a student whether he preferred being the pilot or the commander of the space shuttle, Gregory quickly answered that being the commander was better.

"When you are the commander, you can use your commander voice," he said with a laugh in a deep authoritative tone.

After his talk, Gregory presented scholarships to Cole Kazemba, an aerospace engineering and mechanics senior, and Rebecca Jo Szarkowski, a biomedical engineering senior, who are two of only 18 students nationwide to receive the scholarship. The University of Minnesota was the only university to have more than one recipient.

The U of M is one of only 19 partner schools in the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. U of M students have received more than $150,000 in scholarship since the program was established in 1984.

Physics professor wins Emmy!

Professors at the University of Minnesota not only teach Institute of Technology students important physics concepts like acceleration, gravity, electromagnetism and theories of relativity – they participate in Emmy Award-winning videos, too!

Physics professor Jim Kakalios was tapped by Warner Bros. as a science consultant for the popular comic book movie, “Watchmen," and participated in a University News Service video "The Science of Watchmen," which looks at his involvement with the film and the physics behind the movie’s extraordinary characters.

This YouTube video has received more than 1.5 million views, making it one of the most widely viewed videos ever in higher education, and it also won a regional Emmy Award in the "Advanced Media: Arts/Entertainment" category.

Click here to watch the video!

Dani

Online Game Puts You in Control of Traffic

Have you ever sat at a stoplight and thought, "Who controls the traffic lights?" or "How do they decide when the light should change?" or most importantly "Why is there so much traffic?!"

Now you can try your hand at controlling traffic with this fun (and sometime frustrating) online game created by the Institute of Technology’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute. "Gridlock Buster" allows you to use the tools and ideas that transportation engineers use in everyday life to try your hand at solving the traffic-gridlock blues.

Learn more about the game and give it a go...but watch out for the "frustration meter." I learned from experience that the angry drivers in this game will start honking if you keep them waiting too long!