Illinois Innovators

Latest Episodes:

Why even changes in non-extreme weather can affect an ecosystem with Praveen Kumar Jan 29, 2018

Show notes

While much of the rhetoric around climate change centers on extreme events such as floods or droughts, today’s guest Praveen Kumar, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois, contends frequency and intensity of non-extreme or everyday precipitation events are changing and having a noticeable effect on the ecosystem.

Robotic Surgery and Cancer with Kesh Kesavadas. Dec 18, 2017

Show notes

Continuing the series on "Why Cancer Research Needs Engineering," Kesh Kesavadas, Director of the Health Care Engineering Systems Center and professor of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discusses robotic surgery and its impact on treating cancer patients.

The Doctor's Office of the Future with Stephen Boppart Dec 11, 2017

Show notes

What will the doctor's office of the future look like? In our continuing series on Why Cancer Research Needs Engineering, Stephen Boppart, Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering and Director of Imaging at Illinois, foresees more engineering and technology integrated into the doctor-patient relationship.

Why Cancer Research Needs Engineering Part I: Rohit Bhargava, Director of Cancer Center of Illinois Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

This year alone in this country 600,000 people will die from the disease and 1.6 million will be newly diagnosed. In the fight to win, a new generation of researchers will use engineering to advance prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Rohit Bhargava, a pioneer in the field of digital molecular biology, a professor in bionengineering at the University of Illinois and a founding director of the Cancer Center of Illinois joins the program.

Professor Andrew Ferguson: Targeting data-driven computational vaccine and design Nov 14, 2017

Show notes

Creating a vaccine typically takes a lot of trial and error and testing. However, with machine learning and data-driven modeling, physicians can have a leg up in targeting specific vaccines. Since 2010, Andrew Ferguson, now an assistant professor of materials, science, and engineering at the University of Illinois, has applied statistical mechanical tools to develop data-driven models of HIV viral fitness landscapes for computational vaccine design. This is another way that technology is making health care more personalized.

Aditi Das: Converting Omega 3 fatty acids to cannabinoids to elicit anti-pain relief Nov 09, 2017

Show notes

The anti-infammatory drugs of tomorrow may look a lot different than the ones we are used to as Professor Aditi Das explains. Her research focuses on understanding how fatty acids, in particular Omega 3 fatty acids, get converted into anti-inflammatory lipids signaling molecules by epoxygenases. Through a grant from the National Institute of Health, she is leading a research team on a discovery of novel endocannabinoid epoxides that are anti-inflammatory.

Chao Zhang on how TrioVecEvent and geo-tagged Tweets can be vital in emergency situations Oct 27, 2017

Show notes

Natural disasters put a strain on the infrastructure of those areas affected, from power, to water, to utilities. As victims seek emergency assistance and friends and family reach out to their loved ones, cell towers and 911 lines reach capacity and beyond, leaving it difficult to call for help. Chao Zhang introduces listeners to TrioVecEvent, which is demonstrating how geo-tagged Tweet streams can help locate those in most need of help.

Autonomic Energy Systems co-founder Tony Griffin talks cellphone battery life and preventing fires Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

Startup Autonomic Energy Systems, winner of the 2017 Cozad New Venture Competition, has developed technology which would extend the life of your cellphone battery while preventing fires from those lithium ion batteries. Co-founder Tony Griffin shares details on the technology and talks about the future of cellphone batteries.

Graphene: What a new manufacturing method could mean for the future of this wonder material Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

As graphene's popularity grows as an advanced "wonder" material, the speed and quality at which it can be manufactured will be paramount. Sung Woo Nam and his team of researchers have developed a cleaner and more environmentally friendly method to manufacture the material using using carbonated water. He shares his findings and discusses the promising future of graphene.

Smart security camera's audio could instantly detect sounds of distress Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

Professor Deming Chen and his team of researchers are developing technology which allows security cameras to detect sounds of distress (such as gun shots, screaming, cry for help)and immediately notify law enforcement.

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