THl V. 98-101 1982-86 copy2 LZ0.6 77// L L N O S TECHNOGRAPH 220A MAlfJ LIBRARY JNJIV OF ILL ATTN- S. GLAOHILL CA'iPuS THE LIBRARY OF 1,-1. OCT 1 im UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URPAWA-CHAMPAIGN issue 1 From taking off to hitting the target, skydiving provides a needed lift. ! IT WAS TRUE IN SCHOOL & IT'S TRUE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE. YOU ARE KNOWN BY THE COMPANY YOU KEEP. And with Emerson, you're keeping company with the best. We're rated by For- :une magazine as one of the top 4 companies in the nation. The cornerstone of this reputation is innovation ... in products, in systems, and in opportunities for graduates in technical fields. Starting out as a manufacturer of small electronics in 1890, Emerson has grown and diversified. Today, we're a 55,000 person corpora- tion, with annual sales of over 3.4 billion. For Emerson's Electronics &. Space Division, innovation has meant a history of involvement in the design and manufacture of high technology armaments and elec- tronics systems, ranging from air- borne armament systems to optics to computer architecture. For pro- fessionals, it means the chance to use your education in a dynamic and challenging atmosphere . . . the chance to enjoy a competitive salary and benefits while develop- ing career skills. Emerson is more than a company. It's a philosophy of problem solv- ing; innovative solutions to the complex needs of the 20th century. Keep company with the best. Join Emerson's Electronics &. Space Division by writing: Manager, College Relations, Government & Defense Group, Emerson Electric Co., 8100 W. Floris- sant, Station 2561, St. Louis, MO 63136. I=MI=R50N An Equal Opportunity Employer U.S. CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED Before We Put You In Charge Of The World's Most Sophisticated Nuclear Equipment, We Put You Through The World's Most Sophisticated Nuclear Training. POO [ '^ — • ■ • ■ 1- ■ It takes more than 16 ^ months of intensive train- ' ' ^ ing to become a fully qual- ' if ied officer in the Nuclear i \ Navy. You begin with four I \ months of leadership L _" ^ '^ training. Then as a Navy officer you get a full year of graduate-level training unavailable anywhere else at any price. Navy training is based on more than 1900 reactor-years of experience. Right now the Navy operates over half the nuclear reactors in America. And the Navy's nuclear equipment is the most sophisticated in the world. That's why your Navy training is" and must be the most sophisticated in the world. As an officer in the Nuclear Navy, you have decision-making authority immediately. You get important management responsi- biHty fast. Because in . the Navy, as your knowl- edge grows, so does your responsibility. Your training and experience place you among the country's most qualified profes- sionals. NAVY OPPORTUNITY wi8f INFORMATION CENTER P.O. Box 5000, Clifton, NJ 07015 n Please send me more information about becom- ing an officer in the Nuclear Navy. (0NI Addr First (Please Stat, Prmtl Last Apt « Citv 7ip Age tCollege/lIniver tYear i ♦r.PA ▲ Majo r/Minnr (No surprise that most of the men who operate the reactors in private industry started ^■^^ ^^ in the Nuclear Navy. ) ' * It takes more time and more effort to ^ ^ become an officer in the Nuclear Navy. But the rewards are greater, too. The rewards can begin as early as your junior year in college. Qualify, and the Navy will pay you approximately $1000/month while you finish school. After four years, with regular promotions and salary increases, you can be earning as much as $37,400. That's on top of a benefits package that includes medical and dental care, and 30 days' vacation earned every year. More responsibility, more money, more future. So, if you're majoring in math, engi- . . .... neering or the physical sciences, and you want to know more about a future in nuclear power, fill in the coupon. Today's Nuclear Navy is an opportunity like no other in the world. Naiy Officers Get Responsibility Fast I Talent uses nature's power Genius preserves it. Put your energy ideas to work in the American Electric Power System. Were looking for more than talent. We're looking tor foresight. To manage our resources today. And preserve our energy independence tomorrow. If you are graduating with a ma- jor In any of these areas, opportunities are available within the AEP System: • Electrical engineering • Mechanical engineering • Environmental engineering • Communications engineering • Civil engineering • Computer science • Chemistry • Geology • Mining engineering • Nuclear engineering • Operations research • Chemical engineering • Business administration — accounting/economlcs/flnance The AEP System's eight operating companies serve 7 million people in seven East-Central states: Appalachian Power Co.. Roanoke. Virginia • Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric Co., Columbus. Ohio • Indiana & Michigan Electric Co., Fort Wayne, Indiana • Kentucky Power Co.. Ashland, Kentucky • Kingsport Power Co.. Kingsport, Tennessee • Michigan Power Co.. Three Rivers, Michigan • Ohio Power Co., Canton, Ohio • Wheeling Electric Co.. Wheeling, West Virginia And overseeing the entire System is our management and technology arm, the AEP Service Corporation. Find out where you might put your ideas to work in the AEP System. We Invite you to contact the Personnel Department at AEP or at any of the companies listed. i i American Electric Power 180 East Broad Street Columbus, Ohio 4321 5 An equal opportunity employer. ILLINOIS TECHNOGRAPH October 1982 Volume 98 issue 1 ' 1982 Illini Publishirii; Company 6 Chalk One Up for Education Lam Mallak transmits the latest in education technology . 10 The Dream to Fly Phil Hardin holds the line on local skydivers. 14 Peddling Technology The synergy of sales and engineering employed Raymond Hightov\er this past summer. 16 Speculations on Interactive Videodisk Systems Dave Padgitt reports on what might gobble up Pac-Man in the future. 24 Defending Nuclear Power Professor Magdi Ragheb accounts for the economic bind of these power plants. 29 Engineering Family Album There's a society for every engineer: is one just right for you? 30 Biological Effects of Smoking One of man's oldest vices is researched by Yuki Spellman. Departments Tech Teasers 4. Forum 5. Technovisions 18. Technotes 20. Tech Profiles 33. Technovations 35 W^- On the Cover: Ed Baron, Teresa Brown and Brian Conway alt lake to the air in a somewhat unorthodox manner as members of a parachute club, (photo by Karlis Vlmanis) EDITORIAL TECH TEASERS Will High Technology Ever Come to Illinois? Our governor. Jim Thompson, had an idea. He decided that to spur the ecojiomy ot Illinois, he should join other states in the race to attract high technology firms to this state. In pursuit ot this goal. Thompson lonned the Go\enior"s Task Force on High Icchnology. The task force worked for about two months setting their goals and assessing the [X)ssibilities for fomiing a positive atmosphere to draw high technology businesses to Illinois. In March the task force presented its report to the governor. The committee concluded that the state could strongly support four main areas: electronics, biotechnology, materials technology, and automated manufacturing techniques. These should be organized into a "network of high technology facilities associated with various universities and other centers of technical excellence throughout Illinois." This university fits that description very well. The task force suggested that the governor fomi a High Technology Research and Development Commission to make long range plans and ad\ ise the Governor. They also requested SU) million per year for the next three years to support this committee. Thompson, though he probably agreed with the task tbrces conclusions, said the state could not afford $30 million. We shouldn't scrap this idea immediately, however, because it does have many advantages. Illinois has the sixth highest unemployment rate in the country at I2-.V; . Bnnging high technology firms to Illinois would help to ease this problem. Not only engineers would benefit from this. Many different avocations would be necessary to support high technology companies. Ilhnois would also gain badly needed revenue from the added corporate incoine taxes. .Some of this money could be used to support the propt)sed commission. Added state revenue would lead to added revenue for the University. Faculty salaries could be brought up to par with industry, allowing the University to keep valuable people. Also, outmoded equipment could be replaced with state of the art. The quality of education would improve with more money. Some people will point out the disadvantages of this plan, but most of these are minor in comparisons to the benefits. It will be quite expensive to begin this project and also to maintain it. Thompson has said the state cannot afford $30 million to fund the research and development committee. How can the state afford to not capitalize on the multi-million dollar industries which could be drawn here? Another potential problem with the plan is that the state could put too much emphasis on high technology firms. Could putting so much into supporting high technology busmess lead to neglect of education? The task force spoke to this question in its report to the Governor when they called for "the Governor and the university system to rededicate the state's commitment to excellence in its institutions of higher learning." The relationship between university faculty and industry could also cause problems. Faculty might begin to let industry dictate their research. The task force called for a balance between industrial support and academic freedom. A related problem would result from patent laws. If a professor invents something while working for a company, does the company own the patent or does the University? This has yet to be ironed out. Basically Jim Thompson had a good idea. Why haven't we heard anything since March? It's past time to jump in the race. c 1. Janet spent half the money in her pocket on a frivolous knick-knack. Upon leaving the store, she realized that she had Just as many cents as she had dollars before her purchase, and half as many dollars as she had cents. Can you use your sense to figure out how much money she had when she en- tered the store? 2. A number is composed of five successive digits, not necessarily in the proper order (i.e. if the number was 97865. the 3 succes- sive digits would be 5.6.7.8.9). If the first two digits are multiplied by the middle digit, they form the last two digits, e.g. if the number was 12560. you would have 12x560. But 1.2.5,6.0 are not successive digits, so this solution is incorrect. What is the number? 3. For services rendered, a greedy baker ate one tenth of all the cookies he made. A customer ordered a certain weight of cookies from the baker, and after the baker ate his toll, the customer had exactly one pound of cookies left. How many pounds of cookies did the customer initially order? 4. Can you divide an ancient clock into 4 pieces so that the sum of all the roman numerals in each piece add up to 20? One solution is shown, there is only one other. jLtrt>^ 0. Uaa^^w^ FORUM STAFF 9< OH Provides Key to Problem Solving b\ Kevin Lacey ■"It was the best of times, it w as the w orst of times . . . " " A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens This pretty well sums up the engineering field toda\ ; the advances have never been so rapid, and the economics never so depressed. The engineenng student sees and hears of super-sohpisticated equipment and is then asked to perform his experiment on a ten year old, outdated instrument. If he's been here for a while, he has seen increases in both class size and tuition. He has watched the admission standards rise to a p<.iint vshere most of last year's graduates wouldn't have been admitted with this year's freshman class. The situation is equally bad, if not worse, for the faculty. Enrollment has increased, forcing teachers to spend more time working with their classes. Reductions in funding for research have made for almost cut-throat behavior in the quest for money. All of this happens while professors see their counterparts in industr>- making two or three times as much as they do for the same work. And if this wasn't enough, the challenge to stay technically up-to-date increases with every passing day. These factors have caused a substantial number of professors to throw in the towel and move to industry. Despite all this gloom, things are faidy bright here. Any student admitted here can be confident that he would have been ^admitted to any other engineering school in ^he country. Further, he can be sure he's ^getting one of the best possible engineering educations anywhere. A faculty member ^l^re is one of the most admired engineering '^■liucators in the field. This is evidenced by the consistently high ranking the University receives when rated by professors from all over the countrv \ In addition, this respect has been partially responsible for keeping the University in the forefront of engineering research. The reputation earned by the University over the years continues to make it a dominant force in today's engineering community. Enhancing and reinforcing this reputation is Engineering Open House (EOH). To some, EOH is a trivial event not worth serious thought. Tliese people are wrong, for EOH serves vital functions for both the College of Engineenng and the University. EOH emphasizes one of the engineer's primary responsibilities — education of the public. Open house provides the public with basic information about engineering today. Students who participate in EOH gain valuable hands-on experience in their chosen fields. EOH shows students that they are accountable to the public for their trade. Open house directly benefits the faculty, as well. In addition to providing a means of further educating their students, EOH is the ideal place for presenting current research. This is an important point which is often ovedooked: Research, even basic research, is geared toward eventually benefitting mankind. It is silly to spend months or even years researching something only to keep the results hidden away. Further, EOH can be used to promote one's research in order to gain additional funds and support. There is no reason why this University, second in overall research expenditures, can't share more of its research with the public. Right now, we of the engineering college are under more pressure than ever before. We must band together, faculty and student alike. Everyone here places a premium on knowlege. Knowlege is one of the keys to problem solving. The other key is communication. Open house unites these two keys. For this reason, EOH deserves our support. Lacey is a junior in Computer Engineering, ami chairman of Engineering Open House Central Committee. Editor Production Editor Business Manager Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor Photo Eiditor Features Editor Design .•Xsst. Designer Publisher Production Manager Adviser Staff Steve Alexander Rob Busse Doug Campoli Tushar Chande Joe Culkar Tad Dierkes James Ehrhart Robert Ekblaw Jane Fiala Elavne Fletcher Kevin Wenzel Larry Mallak Jim Lee Charley Kline Raymond Hightower Randy Stukenberg Langdon Alger Nancy Grunthaner Beth Beauvais E. Mayer Maloney, Jr. Geoff Bant Ed Mast Mary Kay Flick Enc Guarin Chris Konitzer Laura Kosper James O'Hagan John Przybysz Doug Shaw Andrevv Saporoschenko Yuki Spellman Robert Strahanowski Copsnghl niini Publishing Co , IW2 Illinois Technograph (USPS :.'i8-760) Vol.98 No. I October 1982 Illinois Technograph is published fne times dunng the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Published by lllini Publishing Co.. 620 East John St.. Champaign. Illinois. 61820 Editorial and Business offices of the Illinois TLvhiiocraph Room K)2 Encineennc Hall. Urbana. Illinois. 61X01. phone (217) .l.\V37JO ' Advenising bv Litiel-Muiray-Bamhill, Inc.. 132X Broad- wav. New York. N,Y., I(XK)1; 221 N. LaSalle Street. Chica- go. IL,. 60601. Entered as second class matter. October 30. 1920. at the p^ist office at Urbana. Illinois under the act of March 3, 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines AsstKialed. Forum IS intended as an open exchange of views and ideas on areas ot inleresl lo the Engineenng campus .Ml Uni- versit) students and tacults members are in\ited to conlnbute articles lor Forum, .Articles may be editorial in nature, and must be siened. Chalk One Up for Education Electronic blackboards aid in remote education. b> Lam Mullak Ttic scene is familiar: the students tile into the classroom. randoniK spaced apart in time like lumped and distributed elements. The bell rings and the professor enters, prepared to lecture to his class full ot students. Let us make a few changes so that a group ol students across the state may enjoy the same quality of instruction offered in the uni\ersity classroom without having the professiir tlown to them. B\ placing a camera in the classroom and providing the professor with a microphone, one can collect sufficient audio and videi) for transport to remote sites. But what of the blackboard? It sure is hard to see on a TV. especially with the professor constantly standing in front of it. the glanng sun streaming in through the \\indov\. and the gu\ in the front row with the frizzed hair. if the blackboard could be viewed with no interference, in a manner similar to direct-line taping (in which your little brother can scream all he wants when \iiu"re taping while none o\' his noise pemieates the closed recording system), the quality of educational extension would increase. This would eliminate the need for Hying the professor out of town for a three-hour power lecture which would leave the student's minds quivering with newly obtained intoniiation until the next treatment. Such an improvement evolved from Bell Labs in the late Sixties, a prototype of the present electronic blackboard. The electronic blackboard utilizes a board with a pressure-sensitive grid backing which translates a ""picture" of the writing into a signal which is digitized at Illinois Bell in downtown Champaign and sent through regular audio grade phone lines to the remote sites. There, a small box called a blackboard memory decodes the signal into black and white video. Each of the three blackboards has its own characteristic frequency to enable the simultaneous transmission of all three boards on one line while securing each board's respective information. The Office of Continuing Engineering tiducation (OCEEl, under direction of Jim Seyler, first learned of the electronic blackboard from a pamphlet distnbuted by Bell Labs. An entourage went to see a demonstration at a convention in Chicago, hnpressed by this display, the same group traveled to Holmdel, New Jersey, where an electronic blackboard was in use. Bell Labs, noticing the University's interest in the electronic blackboard as a possible consumer of the product, arranged to have it tested at the University in 1974. During this testing, a couple of areas for improvement surfaced. These would have to be resolved before the University would accept the electronic blackboard on a long-term basis. The original one-year test period was stretched to four years, due mainly to design changes and necessary improvements. The single board system was not sufficient for efficient instruction, and the problem was to develop a three board system which would activate an individual board as the instructor touched the chalk to the board. A method by which a small portion of the board could be erased while preserving the rest of the board's contents was also developed. In 1978, the final product was delivered to the University. At the same time, it was being offered commercially. Jim Seyler believes that the University was the first of its kind to utilize the electronic blackboard. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. Ohio v\as using a single board around this time to educate men w ithout ha\ ing to transport them to the base. Currently, the University has two classrooms set up with the electronic blackboard: 103 Engineering Hall and 143 Mechanical Engineenng Building. The MEB electronic blackboiu-d facility features three boards and two-wa\ audio system between remotes. 103 EH has three boards, one camera each for the instructor and the class, a two-way audio system, and a monitor which receives information from an electronic blackboard at the remote site. o I) Clochiise from far left: Professor Savage gives a lecture on cooling systems to an ME 335 class which will be shown to another class on television sets. This panel controls the cameras and electronic blackboard, and what is recorded on tape. Rich Glinka, head engineer, adjusts video recording equipment before a taping session. {photos by Randx Stnkcnherg) In the EH facility, each class is videotaped, and the blackboard writing is transmitted to the remote sites. The videotapes are kept by OCEE to be sold for instuctional purposes to various companies and institutions, while the electronic blackboard carries the day's lecuire live to a remote site, often for college credit. 103 EH. simply put. is a classroom equipped for TV production. Bright lighting, robot cameras, and stacks of electronic gadgetry are located in a soundproof partition between the classroom and OCEE offices. Among the electronics are five Sony videotape recorders, robot camera controls, a switching board to select the video display for the monitors, and a small cassette deck which is used to tape the audio portion of the lecture. The system works as follows. Rich Glinka, technical operator, receives a signal from the instructor that he is ready to teach. Glinka then sets five video recorders and a cassette recorder into action, and then he focuses the camera on the instructor. When the instructor writes on a board, the video display switches to a direct picture of the board being written upon. The video monitor is on the boards when the instructor is using them, and a robot camera, ojjerated by a joystick under Glinka's control, is focused on the instructor when he standing in front of the boards explaining a concept or answering a question. A second camera is used to capture a member of the class when a question is raised. As with any project, the advantages and disadvantages must be weighed with the economic rewards to be reaped from the investment. Jim Seyler told of an interesting example exhibiting the qualify of education being relayed via the electronic blackboard. Sundstrand Aviation in Rtx:kford sent one of its employees, who was studying for his master's degree through the electronic blackboard hookup at Rockford. to the University to finish up. Coincidentally. he ended up in a class which met in 10.3 EH using the electronic blackboard. The student then realized the benefits of learning at the remote site: if a question arose, the microphones could be turned off and a resolution could be made without interrupting the class. Students enrolled in electronic blackKiard classes here are often reluctant to ask questions which may be trivial and tie up \aluable electronic blackboard teaching time. A secc nd advantage cited by the Sundstrand employee was the fact that the board was alv^ays clearK visible since the marks are transmitted electronicalU . A major drawback at the remote sites is not being able to see the professor personalis . However, the Sundstrand employee wished he were back in RcKkford where he could see the board with no interruption. Financial aspects of the electronic blackboard made pursuit of the project attractive to Seyler and his colleagues. Before the electronic blackboard was used. the professor would have to be tlown to the remote site and perhaps lecture for tliree hours and then 11) back. The entire venture easily killed an eight hour day. Obviously, having the professor dnve to the site took tixi much time out of his busy schedule. The electronic blackboard en\ironmenl could be brought to the professor without him ha\ ing to alter his normal sty le substantially. Besides wearing a microphone around his neck and hitting a button to electronically erase the screen, very little else is needed to conform to the situation. Professor Savage leaches ME .^.^."i on the electronic blacklxtard and notices that one must watch certain actions such as pointing to a spot on the board and saying. ""TTiis is a significant point."" Remote classmates cannot tell the object of the professor's statement. Paul Witkowski. assistant head of the Office of Instructional Resources, describes the electronic blackbie ideal day to go skydiving is one with a clear blue sky and a warm mild breeze. Rain, excessive wind, and low cloud cover are just a few of the hampering effects nature can have on a day of fun in the sky. Tlie skydiving season usually runs late into the fall months and occasionally into the early winter months, but when those northern winds start to pick up. ifs about time to pack up the chute for the winter. The equipment used by the Champaign County Parachute Center comes from the Hinkley Parachute Center in Hinkley, Illinois. Jim Baron, in addition to being an expert skydiver and instructor, owns this skydiving center which is located west of Chicago. They supply the equipment needed to make the first jump. From the airplane you jump out of to the boots you land in. Jim Baron has your coins jingling in his pocket. Eventually, the club expects to be able to purchase its own equipment which will make things more convenient for all involved. Static line jumping is truly a fantastic experience, but the real excitement in skydiving comes when the student learns to free fall. This is the moment when the dream of flying comes closest to reality. When the students first begin free fall skydiving, their jumps are very similar to static line jumps. The only difference is that they now have the responsibility of opening the chute themselves. This is a "tremendously" crucial step in becoming a successful skydiver. As the skydiver gains confidence and experience with the basic free fall, he or she can then attempt a wide variety of aerial body maneuvers before opening the chute. Any maneuvers that can be executed ^ j on a trampoline or a diving board can also -^ be done in the air. To perform maneuvers, the skydiver must jump from a higher ^- altitude than for static line jumps, due to a(i^ mandatory canopy opening altiuide of 2500 feet specified by the USPA. Opening below this altitude introduces a high degree of risk to the skydiver. • Teresa Brown prepares to let loose the wing and then a great "Geronimo. iphoto hy Karlis Uhnanisl The next step up on the skydiving experience ladder is the changeover from the round canop\' to the more maneuverable square canopy. A minumum of fifty jumps is usually required before this step can be made. Another advantage of the square canopy is that it has a much larger glide ratio than the round chutes. The glide ratio, which is a measure of the distanced traveled horizontally compared to the vertical drop, is around 4.5:1 for most square canopies. Compared to the ■^ide ratio of a glider, which can go as high l^> 40:1. this doesn't seem like much, but compared to the round canopy glide ratio of 1 ^^:1. it makes a great difference, h is t|^3ksible. given adequate altitude and the j ^fnt conditions, to travel as far as ten to fifteen miles horizontally with a square canopy. However, there are a few drawbacks. First of all, since the airspeed of a square canopy is approximately twenty five to thirty miles per hour, there are greater hazards involved with it than with the round canopy. Also, the square canopy has the tendency to stall, which could be potentially hazardous. The square canopy is used almost exclusively b> the more experienced skydivers. especialh' in skydiving competitions. These tournaments are held throughout the wodd and include both professional and amateur or collegiate competitions. There are basically three events that comprise all skydiving tournaments: style, accuracy, and elative work. The fu-st of these events, the style competition, consists of a number of precision aerial maneuvers completed during a given amount of time. Contestants are judged on how well they execute and the number of maneuvers completed during the alloted time limit. In the accuracy event, the skydiver makes a number of attempts to hit a five millimeter disk (about half the size of a dime). There are usually quite a few jjerfect scores in this particular event. For example, in the past, a ten millimeter disc was used, and the world record for that size target was over 200 perfect landings in a row . The last event of sk\di\ing competition, the elative work, consists mainly of the four man sequential. In this e\'ent the four team members attempt to make as many formations as possible. Jim Baron has competed nationalK in another event called the ten man speed star. The object of this event is to form a star as quickly as possible. The world record now stands at 9.2 seconds, measured from the first man out the door till the last man formed up. By the end of this jumping season, the Champaign County Parachute Center hopes to be able to send a few members of the club to the National Collegiate Skydiving Tournament held during December in Arizona. Skydiving is a truly one of the most fascinating sports in the world. The freedom felt by an individual tlying through the air on his own power is like none other known to man. There are obvious dangers involved in the sport, and many people v\ould not even consider jumping out of an airplane at 3000 feet. Yes. skydiving is definitely not the most ideal sport for the faint-hearted, but as Jim Baron said at the first class of the semester. "'Fear is the unknown."" T SCIENCEy^SCOFE For his pioneering contributions to geostationary communications satellites, Dr. Harold Rosen of Hughes has been given the prestigious Alexander Graham Bell Medal by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Rosen is cred- ited with conceiving the first practical geostationary communications satellite, which orbits 22,300 miles high and covers over a third of the globe. Early satellites orbited lower and would have required a large fleet and complicated tracking procedures if continuous communications were to be provided. Computers are being called upon to help create the "super chips" that will give military electronics systems a tenfold increase in data processing capability. Hughes is using computer-aided design programs to develop Very High Speed Integrated Circuits (VHSIC) and the systems in which these chips will be used. Computer help is essential because VHSIC chips are as complex as 100 Los Angeles street maps printed on a thumb tack, and they themselves are mere components of larger, more complex systems. Computer programs will help engineers design, lay out, and test a chip. They describe an entire system at many levels of detail simultaneously to predict performance under various operating conditions. Landsat 4, the new second-generation Earth-watching satellite , is studying crops and other resources in greater detail than ever before possible. The spacecraft carries two primary instruments. One is a multispectral scanner like the ones on previous Landsat missions. The other is a thematic mapper, whose remote- sensing capabilities are a considerable improvement over the scanner's. The new mapper gathers different kinds of data and has a spatial resolution of 30 meters versus 80 meters of earlier scanners. Hughes and its Santa Barbara Research Center subsidiary built both instruments for NASA. More than 4,300 men and women have furthered their professional careers through the Hughes Fellowship Programs since 1949. Those who qualify are given the opportunity to earn advanced degrees in scientific and engineering disciplines. Under full-study programs, employees study at selected schools and work at a company facility during the summer. Under work-study programs, employees work part-time and carry about one-half of a full academic load at nearby schools. More than 100 fellowships are awarded annually. Scientists have tracked the ash plume from the Mexican volcano El Cinchon using a weather satellite. Daylight and infrared pictures from GOES-5 (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) clearly showed the April 4 eruptions even from 22,300 miles in space. Subsequent images revealed the plume rising high into the stratosphere and across the Yucatan peninsula. GOES-5 was built by Hughes and is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hughes needs graduates with degrees in EE, computer science, physics, ME, and math. To learn how you can become involved in any one of 1,500 high-technology projects, ranging from submicron microelectronics to advanced large-scale elec- tronics systems, contact: College Relations Office, Hughes Aircraft Company, P.O. Box 90515, Dept. SS, Los Angeles, CA 90009. Equal opportunity employer. f world with electronic HUGHES 9 9 State of the art at General Dynamics is a state of mind. More than technology or hardware, it is a way of viewing everything in terms of the future and finding the means to turn new ideas into reality. This vision has helped General Dynamics become a world leader in aerospace, electronics, shipbuilding and other areas — and has opened up many diverse opportunities for college graduates with degrees in Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Engineering and Computer Science/Math. General Dynamics will be interviewing on campus in the near future. See your placement office to arrange an appointment. Or send your resume to Sue Shike, Corporate College Relations Administrator, General Dynamics Corporation, Dept. EC, Pierre Laclede Center, St. Louis, MO 63105. GENERAL DYNAMI An Equal Opportunity Employer Peddling Technology Sales engineers are a breed of their own. b> Raymond llightower As far as many people are concerned. the fields of engineering and sales are totally unrelated. Uptin hearing the word "engineer", one might conjure up images of someone sitting behind a drafting table, shaping the technological future. If one is trying to describe someone in sales, words like "charm" and "charisma" might be tossed about. Engineers are looked upon as technical whizzes, while sales people are known to be masters of the art of persuasion. These two fields seem far from each other, but are they really? Could there be a career which challenges both the technical expertise of the engineer and the charisma of the salesman? Does the engineering-salesperson exist? The answer is definitely yes. Hewlett-Packard (HP) is one company which makes extensive use of engineering-salespeople. A worldwide electronics manufacturer. HP's products include electronic instruments, components, computers, and handheld calculators. The engineering-salespeople at HP fall into two main groups: Sales Representatives and Systems Representatives. In order to understand the difference between a sales-rep and a systems-rep. one must first take a look at the training each group receives. Upon graduation, the new employee is known as a "Staff Representative", which could be interpreted as "sales/systems-rep in training". He is then sent through the neophyte training program. The staff-rep will spend his first few weeks of neophyte training at a production facility, where he will review basic instrument measurement techniques. Knowledge of these techniques is a must for the prcxjuct training sessions which follow. The staff-rep then returns to his home office for the next two to six weeks for some on-the-job training. He might assist sales reps on customer calls, write software for instrument demonstrations, or find applications for a new piece of equipment. Finally, the staff-rep is ready for the product training seminars. Like the measurement seminars, these are conducted at one of the manufacturing divisions. It is here that he will be exposed to the major features and benefits of HP's products, along with some side-by-side comparison with competitive equipment. He will also learn applications for the products he will be selling. The product training seminars mark the final stage in neophyte training. If he hasn't already, the staff-rep must now choose between two routes: that of the sales-rep, or that of the systems-rep. If he chooses the sales-rep route, he will soon be assigned a sales territory by his district manager. The sales-rep's primary duty is to be out in the field meeting the needs of his customers. In short, one could say that the sales-rep acts as a liaison between the customer and HP. If the staff-rep decides on the systems-rep route, his training will continue. Sales-reps are required to know a broad line of products, while systems-reps are required to know a narrow line of products — in depth. A large portion of a system-rep's time is spent making factory visits, where he learns more about new and existing products. He then uses this knowledge to train sales-reps and customer employees. In short, one could say that the systems-rep is the liason between the sales-rep and the factory. At times, it is necessary for a sales-rep and a systems-rep to call upon a customer as a team. For example, a client might need highly technical information about a specific product. On these occasions, the systems-rep for that product is called in. The team members can then put their heads together to solve the customer's problem in the most efficient manner possible. Just recently, there was a sales-rep who had to demonstrate an instrument so new that its instruction manuals had yet to be completed. His client, a large manufacturer of communications equipment. was having some problems w ith a device they were developing. Upon hearing of the new HP product, the sales-rep realized that it was the solution to his client's problem. He contacted the factory to arrange a demonstration for his customer. The instrument was hand-carried from the factory by an engineer who had worked with it since its inception. After a brief meeting at the local HP sales office, the two proceeded to the site of the demonstraton. Engineers from various departments of the customer facility were in attendence. First, there was a general run-through of the product's capabilities, along with some discussion on how the client could make use of the product's features. Next, comparisons were made between the new product, similar HP products, and similar products manufactured by HP's competitors. In making the comparisons, both the factory engineer and the sales-rep showed that they were well versed as far as the products of the competition were concerned. None of the questions posed by the customer's engineering team were left unanswered. Not all of a sales-rep's customers are large companies. There are also the smaller customers who dream of becoming larger. Such companies usually want to avoid spending a large amount of money on a large system; they would rather buy a smaller system which they can upgrade as they grow. For example, several years ago a small manufacturer of contact lenses purchased a microprocessor development system to aid in the production of their lenses. Since then, they had grown, and o Ot pgrade their system. The client was asked to send a representative to the local HP sales office to take a look at what HP had to offer. During the demonstration, the sales-rep placed strong emphasis on the potential for s\stem expansion. Questions like "What if micro-technology heads in this directon?"" were asked. The customer had to be assured that the system could easily be re-organized in the event of a major technological breakthrough. Both sales-reps and systems-reps must keep abreast of the research being done in the electronics field so that they may answer the "what if"" questions customers usually ask. As the sales-rep who gave the demonstration put it. "The learning never ends." Some sales-reps deal directly with end-users, as seen in the previous examples. Others deal with distributors, who. in turn, sell the products to the end-user. HP. like some other companies, markets certain products through distributors so that thcN' may satisfy a lai"ge number of customers while using fewer resources. Products sold in this manner include hand-held calculators and components. TTie skills and techniques a sales-rep uses when dealing with a distributor can be quite different from those he uses when dealing with an end-user, as seen during one demonstration session led by a sales-rep in the components group. In attendence were representatives from various distribution firms. The product on display was a fiber optics multiplexer, which is a device used to transfer data between a computer and its terminals. Unlike end-user demonstrations, this event focused on the marketing potential of the product, and therefore the job' of the sales-rep was to convince the distributors that it was in demand. In using this approach, a sales-rep becomes more dependent on his knovvlege of business and less dependent on his knowlege of engineering. Had this session involved end-users, he would have been selling this device as a solution to an engineenng problem instead. Most engineering students have their sights set on either the design or research and development departments of the compan\' they hope to work for. RelativeU' few consider the fact that a company that deals in engineering sales is a company that depends on teamwork. One could say that the fate of the company rests on a tripod, whose three legs are the lab. the factor)', and the sales force. If any one leg is removed, the tripod will fall. The engineering salesperson doesn't just exist; he is a necessity. T 9 Kngineerlng Graduate \ New Hire I -Neophyte Training- Re%iew of Basic Measurement Techniques On-the-job Training — Writing software — Assisting sales-reps Product Training Seminars -Cover fine points of HP's products -Compare specs with competitor' s products 1 1 ■ .Neophyte Ends " Sales-Rep Route Systems-Rep Route Territory .Assignment Further Technical Training Customer Sales Calls Regular Factor) \ isits Training of Sales-Reps and Customer F^mployees speculations on Interactive ''The child emerges from the dreamworld, marvelling that TV actually 'listened' to him. b\ Da\c Fadgitt Imagine walking into a video arcade some Friday night in the not-Hx)-distant future and seeing all of the Pac-Man. LX'lender, and Tron games standing deserted and silent. In lutile attempts to exhume one last quarter from the pockets of school children, they desperately scroll through their colorful demo displays, like barkers at a sideshow, but without acknowledgement. In the glowing neon reflection of their screens a crowd has gathered, and is huddled in a nng like midwives in a maternity w;ird. anxious, in awe. The sound of quarters diving into coin slots is heard, and soon a familiar electronic cry breaks the silence. A new electronic game has come to life. As you nudge your way through the thickening crowd, music rocks the smoke-tilled air. It's a familiar beat, one you heard everv week on television as a child. You squirm to the front of the crowd to see what has unglued even the full-time video addicts from their favorite joysticks. In front of you. low on the floor, is a large color monitor w ith a touch screen in front of a streamlined bucket scat \s ith speakers to each side. The entire unit is covered in an arc of tinted Plexiglas. and looks much like one of those road race games, but without the steering wheel. You look at the video screen and see an incredible display of graphics. ""Just like TV." a young girl remarks. A glowing fuse is burning across the screen accompanied to the frenzied beat of the music. An eager child, who was first in line, fidgets impatiently under the Plexiglas. Suddenly it all adds up. That theme music and burning fuse are part of the title sequence for the TV series Mission Impossible. The child is playing Mission Impossible. Such ability to interact with real video images is very likely to become a reality in just a few short years. Optical videodisk technology (such as that used in the design of the Pioneer VP-1000 videodisk player) has made it possible to store an hour of audio and video on a single 12-inch disk. This fact alone is quite a feat; a similar technology is being used to develop very high density optical computer memories. However, coupling it to a microcomputer and associated software used to select video frames and sequences will have a revolutionary effect on the video medium. The main feature of such a system which will cause this impact is its interactive capabilities. Many have argued that the primary shortcoming of commercial TV is that unlike radio, it requires very little active audience involvement. The TV viewer is given all of the necessan' aural and visual information, in correct sequence, to tell a story. It is an open loop in which the viewer provides no direct feedback to alter the storyline. Only via the Nielsen ratings or through the consumption of a sponsor's pnxiuct can viewers affect a program, and then it is merely a collective action which occurs after the fact. There have been attempts to let the viewer participate in commercial TV which have met with some success. The most obvious attempt is the common call-in talk show. The inherent problem is that only a select few of the viewers actually participate, and this is often at the expense of the rest of the viewers" time. The subject of such talk shows isn't pure entertainment but usually politics and social issues. o Attempts to provide interactive entertainment via two-way cable TV systems have met with favorable audience reaction. On one cable system, the cable audience is shown the first part of a program, and then collectively votes on one of two possible outcomes. This is a collective decision rather than an individual choice, but at least provides the viewer with some sort of feedback. Interactive videodisk systems promise to provide immediate viewer feedback and involvement in many levels of decision making. The great success of the videogame industry indicates that the public has already accepted video interaction in an elementary form. It is the videogame industry which will most likely be resptinsible for the introduction of interacti\e videixiisk systems to the general public. Their high profits will induce product development, and as fresh ideas for conventional videogames become scarce, interactive videodisks will be the logical step for the following generation of videogames. The interactive \ideodisk system designers will initialK' team up with independent film production houses, but the large mo\ ie smdios will soon jump on the bandwagon, seeing how profitable interactive videodisks can be. Thus, the first interactive videodisks on the commercial market will most likely be similar to standard Hollywood fare, only with the interactive user in the director's chair. The popularity of contemporary videogames like Pac-Man will drop to the current popularity of pinball as interactive o ^ Videodisk Systems » deo sweeps the industry. Gradually videodisk software will diversify from James Bond or Star Wars type adventures to sophisticated historical recreations and simulations which will attract an older segment of the market. The education industry will benefit from the research and development by the videogame industry and will become a large user of educational interactive disks. But let us return now to our hypothetical video arcade. TTie kid is asked from the screen by a voice on a tape recorder inside a cigarette machine if he chooses to accept the mission of rescuing a Russian diplomat and restoring world peace. "Sure"", replies the player, and the computer responds to his voice, and the image of tape recorder self-destructing is seen on the screen. Theme music plays, and he enters the next scene. Kennedy Airport in New York. Our hero meets a contact at a snack shop who informs him that a ransom has been posted, and that they have forty-eight hours before the diplomat is to be executed. He is given the choice on the touch screen of taking a night flight, or waiting until the morning for a courier to bring a top secret dossier containing information on the diplomat and then taking a morning flight (first class, non-smoking). The flight is at first fairly routine. After the in-flight film, drinks are served, and the kid chooses a small glass of Amaretto. The hostess serves it with a smile, and he chooses to drink it (again via the touch screen). Meanwhile, on the video screen, solid objects begin to turn fuzzy, and straight lines become wavy. Had the child chosen to wait for the top secret dossier, he would have found out that the cheerful hostess was acaially a spy for the Russian Secret Service. With this knowledge, he could have avoided being drugged by her. but still would have had to successfully land the airplane. Points are tallied, credits roll along with the theme music, and the message "Deposit Coins"" appears on the screen. The child emerges from the Plexiglas dreamworid unphased by his quick defeat, marvelling at the fact that the TV actually 'listened' to him. A tall middle-aged salesman and his wife, out on a date, are the next ones to attempt the mission, and try to fit a few more pieces into the puzzle. Meanwhile, Pac-Man stands silent and alone in the comer of the arcade, feeling like Pong.T ^^..^^ TEGHNOVISIONS IV-xl and Photos by Kandy Slukcnbcrg Steam Power In the hcginning was the horse. Then along came steam fK)wer in the late l8(X)"s. Steam engines were produced in all makes and sizes. In addition to the giant locomotives and fann tractors, miniature steam engines powered washing machines and wocul saws. Hventually steam power gave way to electnc motors and gasoline tractors. ;ind now appear mostly in exhibitions. Steam power shows such as this one in Sycamore, IL., draw crowds of old — timers to reminisce or to show off their miniature engines. Other steam enthusiasts bnng working models for demonstrations. Many people come just to see turn — of — the — century farming. • LETTERS TECHNOTES Professor Follows Advice *'To the Letter" ro the editor: Your latest Technograph editorial has promted me to repi\. 1 have three items; 1 I eould not avoid the comparison between Jaelsson and da Vinci (sec below ). Besides the pcise. the eyes and the Mona Lisa smile, the asstxnation with the technology of advanced flight is a striking similarity. 2. Congratulations on the ECMA awards. Did they help to make the many \olunteercd hours seem well spent? 3. .A somewhat more philosophical issue is the editonal's lament over the lack of response to Technograph on the part of readers. Obviously it bothers you or you probably would not have written about it. It bothers me too--not the lack of response to Technograph. but the general unresponsiveness of students. 1 don't see rallies about unemployment. Robert Parker, the Falklands. the economic sufftK-ation of the University, girls' underw ear ... 1 notice the unresptinsiveness in the classroom; my colleagues do too. Is no one home? Does no one care? Or is it spring fever? 1 hope Carl J. Altstetter Professor of Physical Metallurgy EOH is Back... Are you interested in promoting engineering'.' Showing all those queriful people what it is >'ou do' Or how about applying your skills toward a worthwhile project? Well, this year the Engineering Open House Central Committee has chosen ■■Responding to Reality" as the theme for EOH '83. Continuing with the tradition. EOH "83 will feature a central exhibit, a coordinated project, various society and departmental projects, the finals of the Engineering Society debates, and a few pleasant surprises. And. as usual. EOH needs your help to make it the success for which it is famous. Several people are needed to help with the coordinated project. This year that project entails finishing the interior of a mcxiel space station, as well as dealing with the ■■social ramifications of life in space." The Central Committee also needs people to assist in planning the official opening of the open house. Your department may need you too — see your departmental head. And it you are interested in promoting EOH '83. contact Chris Balabuszko. If you wish to speak with anyone involved, or if you have any questions or ideas, go up and see the folks in room 300 Engineering Hall, or leave a note for them in their mailboxes. They also have times and schedules for the debates there, too. So go now and get started working for EOH '83. and respond to the reality of engineering. o Jknaldf Ego Boosts Galore There have been an incredible number of awards, honors, and appointments over the summer — the succulent price paid by universities full of famous and talented faculty. Regretfully, due to this abundance, we can only mention them, instead of writing about each individually. As we all know, however, the fact that the following people received their respective awards is illustrative enough of their talents, regardless of how much we brag about them. Theodore J. Rowland and Arthur M. Clausing, professors of Physical Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering, respectively, were named Assistant Deans for the 1982-1983 school year. They have replaced Jane Liu and Bernard Wehring. both of whom return to teaching and research. Mac E. Van Valkenburg has been given the distinguished honor of becoming the first Grainger Professor of Electrical Engineering, the only endowed chair in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. The chair exists thanks to a Sl.l million gift to the University of Illinois Foundation by the Grainger Foundation of Skokie. Prof. Van Valkenburg is currently one of the most, if not the most, famous EE educators alive today. In addition. Peter W. Sauer was named as the first Grainger Associate. Seichi Konzo has been awarded a 50-year member award b\' the Amencan Society of Heating. Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers. Prof. Konzo is internationally known for his research, and has been honored by the Society several times before. Bruce E. Hajek of the EE department received the American Automatic Control Council's Eckman Award for an outstanding^ J contributor to the field of control. Last year. -^' Hajek won an award from Xerox for best research by an assistant professor. O Illinois Technograph invites lenep. in response lo its anicles and edilonals. or ans other iiem of interest to our readership Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be con- sidered Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld upon lequest. 20 9 Daniel C. Drucker. Dean of Engineering, was made an honorary member of tiie Illinois Society of Professional Engineers. He is also president of both the American Society of Engineering Educators and the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering. Professor of Civil Engineering William C. Ackerman has received the second annual Chicago Area Sigma Xi Award. He too is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and also has been awarded the Lincoln Medal for the advancement of human welfare. The Sigma Xi Award was given in honor of his contributions to the country, state, and Chicago area before he retired as the Illinois State Water Survey chief. Professor Richard S. Engelbrecht has been elected for a second 2-year term as president of the International Association on Water Pollution Research. Engelbrecht is a 23 year professor of Environmental Engineering, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and has received a number of other awards for his research. Richard I. Masel of Chemical Engineering has been awarded the Exxon ' Faculty Fellowship for 1982 in solid state ' chemistry. The fellowship goes to the I University to support Masel' s research. We Got 'em Again There have been a lot of financial burdens to students at the University due to the troubled economy, but once more there's good news to the engineering students! The 491 engineering grads of this year who found employment still received ultiple job offers — an average of 2.5 piece. Unfortunately, this figure is down from last year's 3.7 offers. But at least the obs are still there. In fact, out of 887 total ds in this field, by the end of July only 6% were "still available." according to an in-college survey. The survey also said fn Jo b that companies increased their interviews with University students to 20.000. an WVt increase from last year. Starting salaries were not affected by the recession, but almost twice as many engineers were "still available" this year compared to last year. The conclusive word is that this year the economy has slowed down engineering hiring, but for good engineers the jobs still exist in reasonable abundance. Jeff Konicek stands by his graduate thesis project, a computer controlled mechanical arm. Jeff has been uorkint; on this project since February and hopes In cvenlually scale il down to human proportums. (photo by Randy Stukenberff) Chip Off the Old Blocl< Even though the amazing silicon chip is still looked at with wide eyes, the time has come for a new child to enter the world of fast-changing technology. It is the optoelectronic chip, and it has the capability to surpass its silicon father. Nick Holonyak. Jr.. a leader in optoelectronics research here at the University, believes that although the new- chip will probably outdo the older one, it won't receive the same public acclaim. People have already been fully introduced to microelectronic circuitry', so an optoelectronic valley will probably not grow overnight. The new chip gains its one-upness from the fact that it can process photons, which are the quanta of light. It accomplishes this through its artificial structure of superiattices, which are made of scrambled layers of aluminum arsenide and gallium arsenide. These layers make up a network of yellow and red cr\'stals which transmit light and electrical impulses more intricately than the silicon chip. Holonyak says it may take until the tum of the century to perfect it, but the optoelectronic chip will definitely give us all kinds of new possibilities and advancements. Not only w'ill the optoelectronic chips process electronic impulses, but they will also use optical wave guide sections and other elements to process internal optical data. This means that in the not too distant future better lasers and light sources will be able to be built. After watching the growth of the silicon chip, who knows where this new chip will take us in and beyond the year 2000, after it has been retlned and studied in depth. Tiie Sm face Coiitiiifflit A recent finding at the Getieral Motors Research Laboratories has changed scientific thinking about the behavior of electrons in metal surfaces. This discovery provides a greater understanding of the fundamental physical processes involved in such surface events as adhesion, corrosion and catalysis. Surfai'f Aloniic Laver L ■7. "7. i CudOO) i 1 Klectroti Ener.t; V r V>4t Figure I: Emrgy distribution ofelcclrons in outermost atomir layer Shaded area indicates electrons in surface states. Figure 1' Tnii electron density contour maps of the cross section of a Cut UIDJ surface. One map shows a clean copper surface (It. gray): the other shows a n itrogen covered copper su rface (dk. gray I. ONVENTIONAL scientific I thought treats virtually all of the valence electrons found in the surface atomic layer of a metal as if they are free to roam throughout the metal's interior. The work of three physicists at the General Motors Research Lab- oratories suggests otherwise. Through calculations confirmed by experimental data, the theorists have shown that more than a quarter of the valence elec- trons in the top atomic layer of some metals are effectively trapped in the surface. The pres- ence of so many "surface state" electrons must be considered when analyzing physical and chemical surface phenomena, in- cluding such surface events as ox- idation leading to corrosion. Drs. John Smith, Jack Gay and Frank Arlinghaus applied their theoretical analysis to the (100) surface of five metals: cop- per, nickel, silver, rhodium and palladium. They made bold predic- tions concerning the percentage of electrons in the surface atomic layer to be found in surface states: Cu(36%), Ni(23^.), Ag(23%), Rh(23^f ) and Pd(19^t)-The ratio of the shaded area to the hatched area of figure 1 gives the percent- age for copper. Electrons in surface states are not only abundant, but also highly localized on the surface. Chemisorption on a metal is also confined to the surface region. Figure 2 shows what happens in the case of nitrogen chemisorbed on copper. The two contour maps coincide except in the surface layer, where the interaction is largely exhibited. Localization of the interaction holds for the chemi- sorption of other gases, including oxygen in the initial stage of metal oxidation. These observa- tions led the physicists to conclude that surface states are important in chemisorption. One way to probe electrons in surfaces is to chemisorb atoms on a clean metal surface and look for changes in photoemission spectra. Such an experiment was performed at GM for fractional monolayers of nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur on Cu(lOO). The domi- nant change in the photoemission spectrum was the disappearance of a large peak whose shape and energy location was independent of the chemisorbed atom. It was of special interest that the shape and energy location of this peak was nearly identical to the envelope around the surface state peaks in figure 1. This suggests that sur- face state electrons play a major role in the chemisorption process. Imp: theoretical ad- vance at the heart of the dis- covery is the "Self-Consistent Local Orbital (SCLO) Method" for solving the Schrbdinger equation. This new mathematical method was devised by the GM theorists to handle the classic dilemma posed by the self-consistency re- quirement. The characterization of electron behavior used to com- plete the equation must be consis- tent with the behavior predicted by the equation. In other words, one almost needs to know the an- swer in order to make the calcula- tion. Self-consistent solution of the equation for a metal surface is made exceedingly difficult by the three-dimensional nature of the electron density distribution. The theorists dealt with this challenge successfully by dividing the elec- tron density distribution into two parts-the first part due to over- lapping atomic density distribu- tions; the second part equaling the difference between this atomic contribution and the exact density distribution. One of the more stringent tests of the accuracy of the SCLO method was an angular photo- emission experiment conducted by Heimann et al., at the Univer- sity of Munich subsequent to pub- lication of the GM research. The German research team confirmed a prominent surface state band predicted by the three GM physi- cists. This was the first time a surface state band on a solid had been calculated prior to its being seen experimentally. The SCLO method makes possible something that could not be done before-ac- curate prediction of the actual be- havior of electrons whirling around nuclei at the surface of a metal. "The large body of surface states we found on metal sur- faces," says Dr. Smith, "may be a controlling factor in many physi- cal and chemical surface phenom- ena. By replacing conjecture with calculation, the new surface theo- retical methods give us the means to make major steps forward in the analysis of surface and inter face properties." THE MEN BEHIND THE WORK Drs. Smith, Gay and Arlinghaus are theorists in the Physics De- partment at the General Motors Research Labora- tories. John Smith (center) and Jack Gay (right) received doctor- ates in physics; Smith from Ohio State University and Gay from the University of Florida. Frank Ar- linghaus received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Mas- sachusetts Institute of Technology. John Smith, leader of the GM solid state physics group, did postdoctoral work at the Univer- sity of California in La Jolla. He joined General Motors in 1972. Frank Arlinghaus and Jack Gay joined the corporation in 1964 and 1965, respectively. Each member of the team brings to the project a different expertise: Smith in surface phys- ics. Gay in solid state theory, and Arlinghaus in bulk band structure calculations. General Motors The future of transportation is here An economic analysis supports nuclear energy by Magdi M. H. Raghcb Elinor's note: In April of 1982. Illinois Technograph ran lite article ' Problems of the Nuclear Family" by Larry Mallak which discussed the financial and management problems at Illinois Power's Clinton Nuclear power plant now under constructum . Teclmograph received this response by Professor Mat>di M. H. Ragheb of the Nuclear tlngmeering Program. Technograph welcomes responses or comments readers wish to offer. There has been lately a public concern abtiut two main financial considerations iKcumng to eleclnc utilities in the nation. piuiicularK those among them using nuclear reactors tor energ> prtxiuction. The first consideration concerns costs overruns for construction which leads to electric bill rate hikes. For example it is refx^rted that the construction of the Clinton Nuclear Plant by the Illinois Power Compans has now a projected price of $1.8 bilhon. whereas its original cost was $429 million. The utility is reported hiking its rates by 19.9'7f . Erroneous analogies using simplistic emotional persuasion of the public are ad\anced regarding this issue as: ■' . . .while fi.xing up the house for a party, one sends a reximmate out with his Visa card to get the party goods. He comes back hours later having purchased a beer-making kit. an ice machine and other extravaganza . . . " " ' The second consideration is the large capital cost of nuclear facilities compared to fossil ones. The fallacious analogy given in this case is; "" . . the beer-loving roommate will be brewing beer using nuclear power. The taste will be the same as when fossil fuel energy was used, but the cost will be greater. Defending Nuclear Power # i •? ■ t # 24 Total 59 Stean Gener Total 38 1-Electric Station •ating Costs (Mills/kWh) I 36 i 20 Total 35 10 : (O&M) : :i 23 2 16 Vlldweslem Slalion Western Coal No Sulfur Dioxide Remc val lastem Station iastem Coal Sulfur Dioxide Remo\al Muelcar Station AVR Fig. I Levelized costs for steam-electric stations. O&M stands for Operation and Maintenance Regarding the second consideration, the reader can ver\' easily detect its half-truthed nature: in comparing different energy options, it is the cost of the energy produced (e.g. in dollars per kilowatt hours produced) that should be compared, not just the capital cost of the plant. The cost of production of electrical energy has many contributing components that should be accounted for: the cost of fuel, the cost of operating and maintaining the plant, and then of course also the capital cost. Comparing the costs of electricity produced from coal and nuclear energy in Figure 1 shows a distinct cost advantage for nuclear-produced electricity in many parts of the nation." The reason why it is unacceptable to compare energy options just on the basis of capital costs is shown in Figure 1 . Whereas nuclear power stations are slightly more expensive than coal power stations in terms of capital cost, the fact is that their fuel cost »is much lower, and this gives them the cost advantage over coal power stations in terms of electrical energy cost.''"* ^^ This fuel cost savings is significant to ;| ^V consumers in general. Let us calculate ^We possible energy costs of using home appliances by constructing Table I using the numbers from Figure I . The table shows that nuclear electricity would offer a significant cost advantage over eastern coal: the operation of a set of home appliances using a total of 12353 kWh/yr would cost $729 if eastern coal is used, whereas it is only $432 if nuclear electricity is used. Environmentally, it may even be the only possibility on the East Coast, considenng the possible pollution from coal burning in highly populated areas. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Browns Ferry nuclear plant produced electricity in fiscal year 1979 for 0.67 cents per kWh. Its Cumberland coal-buming plant, built at about the same time, produced electricity for 1.92 cents per kWh. This saved TVA power consumers more than $200 million in 1979 compared to power costs from TVA's own steam plants. TVA states that, during the 1990's, running a 1 ,000 MWe Nuclear plant instead of an equivalent oil-tired plant would save $1 billion a year in fuel. This saving can also translate partly into reduction of oil import. This is important, considering that the USA spent about $90 billion for imported oil in 1980, up 50 oercent from 1979, and 1,000 percent froi^i 1973. The combined assets of General Motors, Ford, General Electric and IBM equals $90 billion. The net income of the entire Fortune 500 corporations is less than $80 billion.^ Internationally, the same situation prevails. As of May 1980, the cost of nuclear electricity in France uas 13.52 centimes per KWh compared with 24.79 for coal stations and 36.32 for oil stations.^ In England the 1979-80 costs for three older generating plants are given as: nuclear — 1 .30 pence per unit of output (kWh); coal — 1.56 pence; oil — 1.93 pence. For newer plants: nuclear — 1.35 pence per unit, and coal — 1.52 pence per unit. The load factor for nuclear was 43 percent; coal 73 percent.^ A large capital cost is also not a matter of concern. For an individual, the cost of the Clinton plant, at $1.8 billion ', may be a staggenng amount. But the fact is that nuclear plants pay back the energy investment made to construct and fuel them in a short period. Let us make our own estimation for the Clinton plant. The time taken to pay back the investment, if the plant power is 1 ,(XX) MWe, the availability factor is 70% and the cost of electricity is 3.5 cents/KWh. can be easily calculated. The income from the electricity produced in a year will be: 0.70 X lOOOMWe x lO'KWe X 1 year x 365 days x 24 hours days : year x 3.5 kwh ye; $0.01 = $2.15 x 10" The time taken to pay back the capital investment can now be obtained by dividing the total cost of the plant by the income from electncity produced in one year: Time = $1.80 x JO^^ = 8.37 years $2.15 X lOVar Thus less than nine years will be needed to repay the total capital investment in the plant. Notice that this is less than one third of the expected plant lifetime of about 30 years. Of course this does not justify the cost overruns, because, at its original estimated cost the plant would pay back its capital investment in just: Time = $4.29 x 10'^ = 2 years $2.15 X lOVar 25 Now we come to the issue ot cost overruns. First of all. these cost overruns have tx'en lately atTeeting btith coal and nuclear power plants. Second, there is triiK evidence of a seriously weakening and steadily deteriorating economic condition among the nation's electric power companies. But this cannot be blamed on the utilities or companies alone: this is a rctlection of the naton's siK'ial. political and economical conditons. For example from 1970 to 1981: 1 . The average interest rale on new long temi capital debt rose from under 9 per cent to as high as 15 per cent. 2. The average rate of return on common equity authorized by state public service commissions increased only from about 12 per cent to approximately 14 per cent. 3. Due to extended regulatory proceedings and rapidly mounting intlation and or interest rates, however, the average actual eamings on common equity decreased from aKiut 1 2 per cent to approximately 1 1 jxrr cent. 4. Further, an average of 45 per cent of recorded ■"earnings", up from 18 per cent, represented merely an accounting entry of non-cash credit — an allowance for the CI1SI of capital used during construction rather than income available for divident payments or buiilding programs. 5. The selling price of common stock fell from more than 120 per cent of book value to less than 75 per cent (May 1982). diluting the original value of all outstanding shares. As a result of these factors, over 60 [XT cent of the construction funds needed by electric utilities must be raised in the external capital and credit market. Thus, if not pemiitted an actual rate of reuim equal to the current cost of capital, any building expenditures subject the industry and its shareholders to a loss, and possible bankmptcy. But is construction of new plants needed? The amount of electrical plant capacity needed to be committed in the Eighties to supply demand in the Nineties averages about 40. (XK) megawatts each year. If these constniction needs are not met. economic stagnation, blackouts, and even higher energy costs will occur. 26 hnergy Eastern Coal Nuclear Appliance Consumption Electricitv Electricitv (KWh/yr) at 5.9c/KWh at 3.5c. KWh (S) (S) Water heater 4800 283.85 168.39 Freezer (frostless 1761 103.90 61.64 15 Ft') Refirgerator 1217 71.80 42.60 (frostless 12 Ft') Range with self- 1205 71.10 42.18 cleaning oven Clothes dryer 993 58.59 34.76 Color TV (tube type) 660 38.94 23.10 Air conditioner (room) 860 50.74 30.10 Dishwasher 363 21.42 12.71 Dehumidifier 377 22.24 13.20 Coffee Maker 106 6.25 3.71 Total 12353 S728.83 $432.39 O) Tabic I Cosi III Oiwraliiii; home appliances using different energy sources f>r eleclricin production. Unfortunately, the precarious financial situation of the utilities has led to the cancellation (since 1972) of orders for 8 coal and nuclear generating units totaling more than 85.000 megawatts. Another 241 coal and nuclear power facilities amounting to over 195.000 megawatts being built or planned for service by the early I990"s have been delayed an average of 40 months. Of these 40.(X)0 megawatts needed to be committed each year, about 8.0(X) megawatts only are now ordered each year." To suppoil the needed level of power plant construction, consumer rates for electricity must thus be raised to achieve authorized levels of return adequate to attract new captial. with adjustments as costs change to ensure that actual eamings remain at permitted levels. Moreover, costs of construction work in progress must be reflected in customer charges as they are incurred rather than only after the generating unit begins operation — as long as 10 to 15 vears later. The conclusion is that more electric capacity is needed for the future, both nuclear, coal and also natural gas and oil. Any contributions from conservation, solar, w ind and other forms of energy will be much needed. Considering the decade or more required to place a new coal or nuclear generating unit in service, we must realize that the future is now; without ensuring expansion of power producing capacity today, major and chronic shortages of electricity, and higher prices are inevitable in the years ahead, leading to economical turmoil and social dislocations. 'Bf>^^d References 1^^/1 1. L. Mallak. "Problems of the Nuclear ; Familv." Illinois Technograph. 97. issue 5. April "(1982) 8-9. ^ 2. "Coal and Nuclear Generating Cosis.y^ EPRI. PS-455-5R (1978). 3. "Nuclear Power and the Environment." American Nuclear Society. June (1976). 4. "Nuclear Power and the Environment. Energy Alternatives." American Nuclear Society (1981). 5. "Nuclear Power Quick Reference III". General Electric. Nuclear Energy Group. San Jose, Claifomia (1982). 6. "Nuclear Power Information," Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc.. May (1981). t'i\>» ■'.^^■'* *;i; Bring Out Your Best At It took pride, talent and a comfnitmeVi?t -^ B.S.E.E.— E.E's can expeif^o work to excel in all you do, to takeyo.u vvhef^v in such areas as electrical, mithine.46- you are today That"s_why you're detei-f> sig^ and application, powier distribu- minedjio find a career that jbrirlgs;,piit tiofl.sub- station layout :as' well as ^rx- «yourbeBi?W"€are»#ratnBflerMlMtoi«B'^'-*«rre^ commetciar'TlglTtTnf and room for growth, both personally electrical control circuits and systems and professionally -, control. . . _ ^ At ,^nheuse^-Busch, we've been V;. Th&s.e positions are project- bringing out the best in talented people; ! oriented, 'and allow you the opportu- for over one hundred years, with stim->. nity to wwk on a project from concep- ulating projects and a commitment to <,j(^ ,to completion. .',i quality that inspires superior achieve.- -i,^.!-^-,--,'^ m»«»««»,o1* ' '' 2.\pe^t^b work Trainees are evaluated on their al,mithine..(i6- knowledge-of the company and their ower distribu- -ability to (apply this knowledge as iut:as\y,ell as' .^ deiqpn^trated'-by .- several written tciariiglTtTng^'' ■''reporrs'''''aiTy'"the ability to function in s and systems various job assignments. ^ Upon completion of the program, are project- Corporate Management Trainees are Th&s.e positions are project-^ Corporate Management Tramees are oriented, 'and allow you the opportu- =-tts»*a% oi^ced in our Operations or nity to wwk on a proiect from concep- , Brewing Divisions, ilop , to completion. ;,?' Find out how you can bring out y,*-' -■, i ^* . '•' yourbestat .Anheuser-Busch by speak- Corpor^. Management . ^.j^^ ^^^ recruiters when thev come You can make the most of our tal-^.-^: ents in one of thes^ position'^-.- •■".^'~ ■ j Central Engineering < B.S.I^I.^.— M.E.'s will gain experience in ■ 1 Corporate Management Tt^nee^pgiiajn [M such diverse fields Ss material handl- ing, equipment layout, piping system development, steam generation, ccjm- pressed air systems, ventilation, "hat- ing and air conditioning, and high V'Tlhe Corporate .Managennent Tralne©^ . • ' Ikogram comprises various divisibns-|- .t^. .,«-.,', - ^, . . v oV Anheuser-Busch Compani^, Inc.l 'f" ,^ •^'t^J ^ _ *. 1 Under thls^ne year program tr?hees".i ForVnore inTormation an"3 sjgn-up, will receive "hands-on" first line ■'-p^ease coifVacl your placement office. I sfipervisory experience va specific |,ANHEU3E;iVW6CH COMPANIES. INC.; ■ areas of the comp4^ny. Trainees Will also wforpora^e E^pJoyment: College Rela- Se exposed-to various management /'Ons; One,:^Bi((^hPlace; St. Louis. .Mis- I qoncepts by attending several man-vj«ouri b3\(8. An Equal Opportunity 1 agement development seminars. ' >"* Employer .\1 Fj_ ^^ l.Anheuser-Busi Fellowship o In 1949, Hughes awarded its first fellowship. Since then, more than 4.000 men and women' have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships — advanced degrees to prepare the men and women of today to meet tomorrows technical challenges. Hughes Aircraft Company will again offer more than 100 new fellowships in the coming year for graduate study in ' Engineering (Electrical. Mechanical. Systems. Aeronautical) * Computer Science ■ Applied IVIalh * Physics Just a tew months from now, you could be working on your Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree — and receiving from Hughes: * Tuition, books, and fees * Educational stipend * Full employee benefits ■ Prolessionallevel salary * Summer employment * Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to $40,000 a year As a Hughes Fellow, you will gam valuable technical experience working summers at Hughes in Southern California or Tucson. Arizona Work Study Fellows study at a nearby university while working part-time at Hughes, Full Study Fellows work at Hughes in the summer and study full-time during the regular academic year. The range of technical assignments available includes the option of the Engineering Rotation Program to diversify your work experience. Fellowship Story, An mvitalion to advance your education and your career — with assistance from a company that is advancing the frontiers of technology Write yourself in. Fill out and mail the coupon, or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept 104, BIdg 4006/W870, Culver City, California 90230, Creatine a rifu uurUI uith electronics HUGHES Proof of US, Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer .Write yourself in. Hughes Aircraft Company. Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. 104, BIdg. 4006/W870, Culver City. California 90230. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and materials. PLEASE PRINT: Name City I am interested in obtaining a .Engineer degree , Zip .Doctorate o DEGREES NOW HELD lOR EXPECTED) Bachelors: Date Field . Masters: Date Field _ _ School . . School . Find your place in society. Engineering Family Album • Q, jonipiled by Langdon Alger ngineering Fraternities Tnangle (112 H. Daniels. Cl is about 95'''c engineering, and it is a social-professional-national frat. Call them at 384-9668 and ask for the rush chairman. 1A (302 E. Gregor)'. C) is not only social-professional, but also an international frat. Call the rush chairman at 337-75 1 1 . Honor Societies These stvieties are not onl\ honorary; thcN get in\ol\ed with their majors and are quite social. .\E is open to agricultural engineers, as long as they ha\e a 4.0 G?.\ if the\ are juniors, or a 3.8 if seniors. Contact their ad\iser. Gene Sho\e. at 333-6762. .\I1M can be for \ou if you have a 4.0 and are in either of your last two N'ears in industnal engineenng. FYesident Charles Schroeder can he wntten to — leave him a note in 232 .\lech. Hngr. Bldg. .\2,.M is for metallurgical engineers. The\ have special requirements, so contact adviser R.W. Bohl. 206 Met. & Min.. 333-0924. if you're interested. \E"s president is Everett Leasure. 344-8445. and he is the person to talk to if you have a 4.0 in civil engineenng. HKN is open to electrical engineers who are in the upper '/j of their junior class, or upper 1 3 of their senior class. Talk to adviser .A.W. Dipert. 333-0716. in 156 EEB. FE is generally for general engineers. The requirements are different, so call Michael Biamesen at 344-4963. or leave a note in 1 17 Transportation. Keramos is open to ceramic engineers with a GPA between 3.5 and 4.0. depending upon their year. Julie Schoenig has a mailbox in 201 Ceramics. (pK't has stiffer requisites, but it is open to all engineering curricula. Contact E. Copeland. 337 Administration. 333-4860. \\ IS available to chemical engineers with a 4.5 or 4.2 for first & second semeter juniors, or a 4.0 for seniors. Raymond E. Cline. Jr. is who to contact, at box 24 in 331 No\es Lab. or at 333-1776. im's requirements start at a GP.A of 4.25. and include other items. If Nou're a mechanical engineer, call Chris Tadanier at 384-7628' ilT is open to aeronautical engineers with a 4.3 and more. Contact adviser H.H. Hilton. 101 Transportation. 333-2653 for more nfo. TBI! is a household word, and it is for all engineenng cumcula. They have both personal and scholastic requirements, so 31k to president Chnstopher Turner. He's got an office in 302 igineenng Hall, phone 333-3558. or call him at home. 3-M-92I6. » Engineering Societies Society of Women Engineers (SW'E). is open to all female engineers. Contact Lynn Farlev. at 344-5060 or 344-6212. or leave her a note in 300 EH. The Engineenng Council has a wide variety of activities, and \ou can get involved in several groups that offshoot from the Council. Georse Mejicano is president, and his office is in 3(H) EH. 333-3558. .■Association of Minontv Students in Engineering (.AMSIE) promotes minorities in engineenng through a multitude of activities. Contact Wadell Brooks Jr. .^02 Eng. Hall. 333-3558. The Illinois Technograph is L'lUC's onh engineering magazine, and the opportunities include more than just writine. Contact editor Kevin Wenzel. .302 EH. 333-3558. \\\ the following societies have membership in Engineering Council. Their purposes are explained in the names, and they all include social as well as scholastic and empknnient activities. Feel free to contact the representatives of the ones that interest \ou. .American .Academv of Mechanics (.A.AM). Kathnn Wilson (367-6148). office at 121 Talbot (333-3197). .Amencan Ceramic Society (.ACS). Lynne Gignac (384-1381). office at 204 Ceramics. .■\mencan Foundrvmen's Socictv (.AFS). J.L. Leach (333-1779). .Amencan Institute of Aeronautics & .Asn-onautics (.M.A.A). Mark Lemak (359-4592). .Amencan Institute of Chemical Engineers (.AlChE). Kirk Nass (,^44-6(K)2). AlChE has a mailbox in R.AL. .Amencan Institute of Industnal Engineers (AllE). Connie Kus (384-1678). office 221 MEB. American Nuclear Societv (ANS). Mindv Krause (356-1412) for undergrads. Tim Polich (328-4213 333-6686. 2 14 Nuc. E. Lab) for grads. Office in 419 Ceramics. .Amencan Societv of .Agricultural Engineers (.AS.AE). Tom Kreher (867-8640). off. 202^Ag. E. .Amencan Societv of Civil Enizineers (ASCE). Don Tappendorf (367-6861). off. 308 Engr. Hall. Amencan Society of Mechanical Engineers (,ASME). Nancy Sprick (344-1295). mailbox in the .ME lounge. .Association for Computing: .Machinerv (.ACM). .Aiidv Wisniewski (328-4422). mailbox in 222 DCL. .Associated General Contractors (AGC). Wavne .Aldnch (344-0078). off. 308 EH. Bioengineenng Society (BS). Tony Schrock (337-50(X)). Illinois Societv of General Engineers (ISGE). Andy Karas (384-5343). Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Luis-Bla.s Gonzalez-Alvarez (367-.3042). office 247 EEB (333-7401). Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Trudv Boehme (344-9187). Phvsics Societv (PS). John Sloan, office 239 Loomis (333-7031). Stxrietv of Automotive Entiineers (S.AE). .Mike Tmex (332-3876)! off. 144 ME. Societv of Cixjperative Enszineers (SCE). Mike Marinos. off. 109 EH. SYNTON (Ham radio). Tom Ask. Adviser C.A. Cain. 308 EE .Annex (.\vV7288). L'niversitv of Illinois Metallurgical Society (UIMS). David Kleinc. 201 Met. & Min. (333-6584). T 29 Biological Effects of Smoking Tar ami nicotine spell only trouble. by Yuki SiK-lliiian "And a woman is only a woman, but a lAtHKl cigar is a smoke."" Thus Rudy;ird Kipling expressed himself on smoking. He may have been the most famous person to endorse the habit, but he certainly wasn"t alone. Ttxlay tobacco companies echo Kipling with a more prosaic push to consumers, l.ast summer saw Kool Jazz Festivals, the Merit Report and the Camel Sports Scoreboard, not to mention a deluge of ads telling people that they've found it — Tme. Or Xo come over to macho M;irlboro country. Or that you've come a long way. baby. The Tobacco Institute takes the podium against anyone who would protest with their series of ads: "Answers to most asked questions about cigarettes." The ads advise anyone concerned about the effects of smoking to take into consideration the views of the tobacco companies. Promotion iif cigarettes had the intended effect on over 33 million Americans who continue to spend more than $19 billion on cigarettes each year, in spite of morning cough, stained fingers, and smoke-scented clothes. And that's just the obvious effects. The Surgeon General's report issued last March links cigarettes more strongly than ever before with serious health damage. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop states. "Cigarette smoking is clearly identified as the chief preventable cause of death in our stKiety and the most important public health issue of our time." Tlien why do people continue to / \ smoke? Psychologists explain smokers' neAv for oral gratification, and the excuse to keep hands txxupied in social situations. However, there is also a biological f dependence. Cigarettes contain nicotine, a"-' chemical which, when it makes contact with the brain, releases a variety of nerve stimulants. 30 I 9 The most significant biological change effected by nicotine is the release of epinephrine from the adrenal glands. Epinephnne is more commonly known as adrenaline. The result is a faster heart beat and the constriction of blood vessels, preparing the body for stress as in a fight or flight reaction. This nerve stimulation improves mental alertness and in time the smoker depends on it, becoming irritable when it's withdrawn. The effect on the body is less tonic. Nicotine puts stress on the heart, increasing its demand for oxygen. Past Surgeon General's reports have shown that when cigarette smoke enters the body, the heart muscle works harder, blood pressure rises and heart rhythms become irregular. Such conditions can only exacerbate heart disease, if not cause it. Statistics show that the risk of heart disease is twice as high among people who smoke a pack a day than for nonsmokers. Besides increasing the heart rate and demand for oxygen, smoking apparently reduces the amount of high density lipoproteins (HDL) in the body. Lipoproteins wrap cholesterol so it can be transported in the bloodstream. High density lipoproteins carr>' cholesterol away from the arteries, while low density lipxjproteins tend to deposit it on the arterial walls. The level of HDL in smokers is 1 1 percent lower than levels in nonsmokers. This was reported by Dr. Michael Criqui. an epidemiologist, at a 1979 meeting of the American Heart Association. Lower levels of HDL would encourage the buildup of cholesterol deposits in arteries, which is the major cause of heart attacks. Smoking also poses a threat to the ngs. The Surgeon General's report states 'that 1 1 1 .000 people are expected to die this year from lung cancer. But 85 percent of /^^g cancer deaths might be prevented by I'j^ple giving up cigarettes. Cigarette smoke traps tobacco products in the lungs. Several of these products have caused cancer in a ►in laboratory animals. On the whole, smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to die of cancer. The chances of death due to oral cancer, cancer of the esophagus, and cancer of the pancreas, are significantly increased by smoking cigarettes. Women on the pill are especially vulnerable to health damage from smoking. A study by the Boston Collaborative Surveillance Program found that of the pill users who have suffered heart attacks. 92 percent are smokers. Doctors believe there is a link between blood clots and smoking among those who use the pill. Women who smoke can also endanger the health of their unborn children. Smoking mothers give birth to underweight babies more often than nonsmoking mothers. This is probably the result of the reduced amount of oxygen available to the fetus. Smoking is also a major cause of placental infarcts--areas of dead tissue which result when the blood supply is blocked. Premature detachment of the placenta is related directly to the amount smoked during pregnancy. A past Surgeon's Report stated that the risk of spontaneous abortion among women who smoke during pregnancy is 35 percent higher than among nonsmokers. Smokers can even damage the health of nonsmokers who stay near them long enough. The exhaled, or ■"sidestream," smoke can contain carcinogens in higher concentrations than the smoke inhaled. Nitrosamines, known carcinogens, can be found in concentrations fifry times that found in mainstream smoke, and it has been found that the nicotine levels in nonsmokers regularly exposed to smokers are up to 20 percent of the levels found in smokers. Marijuana creates many of the health problems associated with tobacco smoking, with a few additional risks. Physical effects, as detailed last March in a comprehensive report by the Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, include precancerous changes in the linings of the bronchial tubes and also increased heart rate and blood pressure. The active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Like alcohol, it impairs coordination and judgement, and also impairs short term memory and the ability to learn. In the body, the formation of protein cells is impaired. For instance, white blood cells divide more slowly than nomial. making it harder for the bcxiy to combat disease. Currently, the legal cigarettes carry a familiar warning label stating. "The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health." Some health organizations wonry that it has become to<.i familiar, and legislation is pending that would put a rotating series of stronger warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements. These warnings would tell consumers that smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease and birth defects. This legislation is supported by organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association. If you're already smoking, it's not too late to start paying attention to warnings. According to the Surgeon General's Report, 95 percent of the people who quit smoking do so on their own, without organized prog- rams. The report also noted that quitting cold turkey seems to be more effective than gradually cutting down. The person tr\ing to quit shouldn't be alarmed by slight weight gain. Tlie slowed metabolic rate caused by reduction of nicotine intake ex- plains the tendency to put on an extra pound or two. In their book. Learning to Live With- out Cigarettes! Dolphin Books. 1968). au- thors Allen. Angumann and Fackler tell the person giving up smoking to avoid situa- tions that usually involve smoking, such as social gathenngs. coffee breaks, etc., and to think of things that are pleasant (like the amount of money saved by not buying cigarettes) whenever the urge to light up a cigarette txrcurs. Perhaps the best thing to keep in mind is that there's simply no such thing as a "gotxi cigar. "T Tech leasers Answers 1. Janet entered the store with $99.98. 2. Ihe number is 13452. because 13x452. ami 1.2.3.4,5 are all successive digits. 3. The customer ordered one and one-ninth pounds ot cookies. Thus alter the baker munched his lee, the customer had I pound lelt. Statement of Ownership Illinois Teehno^raph Edilor in fhicl iil Ihc Mlmois Tcthncigraph is Kevin Wenzel. 62U h John Sl . Owmpaign. II,. 6i8:(l Clencrjl manager of Ihc Illini Publishing Compan) is E Mavcr Maloney. Jr . 704 Harmon. Urbana. IL.blSOl Business Manager me are correct and complete: E Mayer Maloney. Jr . Publisher IDBI Ittini Publishing Company ENGINEERING RESUME DISCOUNT PACKAGE AT The Clean Machine^ Copy Shop ] 621 S. Wright St. 359-1500 Typing Picture Screen 50 Copies (#70 Paper) $ 1.80 $ 4.00 $ 5.00 $ 5.00 $15.80 OVERNIGHT SERVICE 1.00 DISCOUNT with coupon $14.80 MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:30AM-10PM SAT 9-5 SUN 10-6 Yaur Career; Our Cammitment Your career is as important to Black & Veatch as it is to you. At Black & Veatch, experienced profes sionals will assist you in developing both personally and profes- sionally. Working with a team of experts in electrical, mechanical, chemical, nuclear, and civil engineering will enable you to expand the knowledge your education has pro vided. You also will gain an understand ing of the combined effort required to de- velop Black & Veatch's internationally recog- nized solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems. if challenging work, a professional environ- ment, and advance- ment are part of your career goals, explore your future at Black & Veatch. Write: Black & Vealcli. Co Dspl A P O Box M05 [^ Black s veaccn ^^ZM Consulting Engineers (J C J TECH PROFILES To his students. Professor Leo C. Pigage is the spinner of Industrial Engineering yams which span his 45 years associated with the profession. Professor Pigage completed both his undergraduate and graduate work at Cornell University. At the time of his studies, IE was not a distinct department, but an option in IE was offered . After leaving Cornell, Pigage spent 3 years at Duke, followed by a 7-year stay at Purdue. He came to the University in 1947 for a joint appointment of the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations and Department of Mechanical Engineering. At that time, an IE department did not e.xist at the University, but in the late 50's IE emerged as a discipline on its own. Pigage is quite active with his students, as advisor for the student chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers (AllE) for 25 years, and as advisor for AOM, the IE honor society. Pigage teaches IE 232 and IE 332, both of which deal with methods-time measurement; in addition, he teaches IE 287-Wage Incentive Systems and IE 3-Plant Layout. As an extracurricular livity, he has been involved in consulting and currently consults the E. Colson Co., a yii^ting company in Paris, Illinois, which jm profited from more than 30 years of ngage's service. Next year will be Pigage's last year of teaching, as he will be retiring, however he did state that he may be back to teach a few courses. Jane Liu text and pholo by Jim Lee Mike Binder text itiid pholo by Kevin Wenzel Emicrating from mainland China in 1957, Dr^Jane Win-Shih Liu attended Cleveland State University for a B.S.E.E. and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for her master's and doctoral degrees. Recently promoted to the rank of full professor in the Department of Computer Science. Liu has had extensive background in both industry' and academics. Her areas of expertise encompass computer networks, database management systems, and distributed systems. Her past industry experience include RCA, the Department of Transportation, and the Mitre Corporation. Coming to the University of Illinois in 1973, Liu was a Research Assistant Professor doing work in computer networks and architectures, scheduling algorithms, and database management. Ongoing research projects include operations research, computer networks, and database integration for sponsors such as the U.S. Army, R.R. Donnelly, and U.S. Naval Research. Under Dr. Liu. four students have received their doctorates and 10 have their master's degrees. Currently, she has seven students pursuing advanced degrees. "Teaching the graduate students is the most exciting aspect of being a professor. You are directly involved in the pnx:ess of helping them mature in their professional careers and the psychological rcwaid is more meaningful. Industry's rewards are realized more quickly than in academics, but it soon gets to be frustrating. In academics, there is never a dull moment in that every year brings new students and ideas." Mike Binder began his career in engineering at the University of Arizona at Tuscon. He received his Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1970. and continued his work to receive his Master's in the same field in the same year. Binder then switched his emphasis to Mechanical Engineeing, in which he received his Ph.D. in 1976. After spending a year as a visitng professor at the University of Arizona, he moved here to join the faculty of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Binder teaches ME 205 and ME 304 (thennodvnamics). and he has taught both 211 and 210. Binder teaches 304 from the applications point of view, because he enjoys showing how thermodynamics is used in power plants and industry. Binder has been doing research for the EPA Advanced Environmental Control Technology Research Center. They have been looking at looking at the themial destruction of industrial wastes for the past two years. Their main efforts ;ire directed towards setting priorities for the use of research money. Besides teaching and doing research. Binder keeps himself busy with other activities. He enjoys fishing, and frequents several area lakes on the weekends. Binder's main indoor activity is playing darts. He is the vice-captain and the recording secretary for the Champaign Urbana Darts Association. The club meets at Trito's in Urbana on Tuesday nights, and Binder encourages students to stop by and throw some darts. Binder's external activities aren't all for fun, though. He is a member of AIAA, ASME, ASEE. and SX, a research honorary. 33 Set Ybur Career on the Right T^ack At UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL Graduation is arriving on Track One. It's time to start making those important decisions that will determine your future. It's time to talk with UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL, a division of American Standard and one of the world's foremost designers and manufacturers of railway and signaling control systems. We'll be here on campus soon, and we'd like to discuss the future with you. If you're a Computer Science (WITH EM- PHASIS ON REAL TIME PROCESS CONTROL APPLICA- TION) or Electrical Engineering degree candidate interested in beginning your career in a challenging, state-of-the-art environment, take the time to talk with the people of our expanding company. We can offer you an excellent starting salary plus a valuable benefits packagethat includes medical, dental and life insur- ance as well as tuition reimbursement, because we know that your degree is no reason to stop learning . . . and growing. Investigate our opportunities, then set your career on the right track at UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL! WE'LL BE HERE AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1982 Sign up today! For further information, please feel free to write or call (collect): Sally F. Anderson, Employment Administrator (412) 273-4141 UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL DIVISION AMERICAN STANDARD INC. 1789 S. BRADDOCK AVENUE PITTSBURGH, PA 15218 An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F c TECHNOVATIONS bvLangdon Alger bvL The Space Tablet allows the user to easily record coordinates by interfacing with an IBM or Apple computer. This Isn't a Plane Product The time has arrived for the computer digitizer to rise up out of its two dimensionality. Micro Control Systems. Inc.. has developed The Space Tablet™, which is capable of easily recording the X. Y. and Z coordinates of any three-dimensional object. The product comes with all the equipment necessary to pull points and lines, and store them for whatever use desired. All the user has to supply is an Apple II or IBM Personal Computer, and a single floppy disk drive. The provided hardware consists of a 13.5 by 16 inch clear lucite tablet, and an aluminum/delrin arm. r2ae regular model gives three degrees of Bedom. while the professional package adds one more. Software is provided as a 3D graphics package, and Micro Controls «sentative Michael Shaw says that in t a month there will be a choice of two of these packages available for the Apple users. High quality potentiometers in the mechanical ami convert the angles the joints stand at into cartesian coordinate points, and then the computer displays them on its CRT. The operator can store all the points. call them back, move them, replace them, or perform any necessary processing. To build lines, the computer simply connects points. That means if you have a curve that has to be traced, the more points you digitize gives a more exact representation. This is not a problem, however, because the process is so simple. The system is actually a small CAD system that offers many features only larger ones have. This is one of the reasons it is so popular with the public, and with a price under $600. it is no wonder it is selling well all over the world. Just a sampling of the applications it makes available are in the areas of education, architecture, engineering, design, science, and medicine. Board of Resumes? It is a sign of the times, and it is catching on quickly. The Electronics Worksite Training Project started it, at the College of San Mateo, in Silicon Valley (where else?). HeathkityZenith Educational Systems provides the project with 90% of the course material, as well as all of the hardware. So what is it? The "electronic resume,"" that"s what, and it is a visual, working representation of a student"s technical skills. A student can enroll in any of about 43 different courses, according to Heathkit/Zenith representative Myron Kukla, and their resume is the final project of their course. The classes teach just about everything needed to know from digital techniques to electronic test equipment, from AC to DC electronics, and from circuits to semiconductor devices. Evidently, the idea was initiated in response to a difficulty that electronics companies have been suffering from — a lack of competent and qualified personnel. Even in these days of unemployment, it is difficult to find technically capable employees. Thanks to this program, when a student goes in for an interview, the interviewer doesn't have to rely solely upon the grades, experience, and personality that the student provides on paper. The student hands his hopefully-future boss his circuit board, and if it works when it is turned on, the interviewer knows for sure that the person knows his .stuff. This also makes the interview process easier, as it cuts down on paperwork and time. Kukla added that this system is being copied all around the country now. and every time a new program pops up it is like reinventing the wheel. There are other aspects of importance in these systems, however, that go beyond the technical aspects. They illustrate how government, industry, and schools can all work together to give people the chances they need to leam skills and find jobs, thus reducing unemployment. What's Your Favorite Brand? If diamonds are a girl's best friend. General Electric researchers have found a way to ward off women"s loneliness. In fact, jewelers, law-enforcement officials, and anyone who owns diamonds may rest easier; now they can brand their precious gems with a personal motif. GE found a way to brand diamonds with an ion implanter, the key instrument used in manufacturing integrated circuits. Normally, the ion implanter is used to make areas of varying electrical charges on a silicon chip. This comes about because the spots on the silicon where the beam is aimed become electrically altered just below the surface of the material . To brand the diamond. GE researchers place a custom-made stencil over an area of the diamond. The stencil could be an initial, a number, symbol, or just about anything the diamond owner wants. Then the diamond is bombarded with the ion-implanting beam, and the ions penetrate the gem. creating a " 'modified region" just beneath the surface of the uncovered area. The stencil is removed, and the diamond owns its own code. To reveal the secret identity of the stone, a piece of cotton or silk can be rubbed over the surface of the diamond. Then a special powder is sprinkled over it. which only sticks to the charged regions. Once the rcxrk has been identified, the powder and the pattern are wiped away with a cloth. The pattern can be revealed again by re-charging and re-dusting the crystal. Thanks to this anti-theft invention, diamonds are now really forever. T 35 E-Systems continues the tradition of the world's great problem solvers. Developing the ana- lytical theory known by his name, Joseph Fourier gave the world a basic tool for engineering analysis and system design Today, E-Systems engineers are carrying on his tradition They're using Fourier's mathematical accomplishments to solve some of the world's tough- est electronics problems via computer-designed circuitry. E-Systems designs and produces communica- tions systems, data systems, antenna systems, intelli- gence and reconnaissance systems that are often the first-of-a-kind in the world. For a reprint of the Fourier illustration and information on career op- portunities with E-Systems in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Utah or Virginia, write; Lloyd K Lauderdale, VP Research and Engineering, E-Systems, Corporate Headquarters, PO. Box 226030, Dallas, TX 75266 E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers An equal opportunity employer M/F H V f ( ..^■Y-..r,^v^ ,^j/v^ *~,-.. .-..J.- .i--y ^ ,\u/..(..^-~.^^ "'Ex: ;V".-.X,?..i....^ n ,'«y<,^,/.....^. ». ryi.t.c ,-1 L © Eastman Kodak Company. 1982 Electronics at Kodak* Putting good things in small packz^es is one of our specialties* Kodak popularized amateur photog raphy when we mass- produced photo- graphic dry plates, leading to the develop- ment of cameras that could be held in your hand. More recently, we intro- duced the Kodak disc camera — a camera in which integrated circuits make the deci- sions, automatically, at the touch of the shutter release. Today, integrated electronic components de- signed and fabricated at Kodak are built into a wide variety of our cameras. But it takes more than the electronics in our cameras to place us among the nation's top companies in sales of electronics-related equipment. It takes innovative engineers working on projects that use a microcom- puter-based software devel- opment system to debug applica- tion programs for Kodak Ektaprint copier-duplicators. And the development of ongoing product im- provements in the Kodak Komstar 300 micro- image processor, a computer peripheral which uses pulsed laser beams to convert digital data to alphanumeric images on microfilm, at speeds up to 20 times faster than many ink- jet paper printers. If you're ready for the challenges in elec- tronics you'll find at Kodak, see a Kodak recruiter on your campus. Or send your resume to: Personnel Resources, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester N.Y 14650. Kodak* The right place* The right time* An equal opportunity employer manufacturing photographic products, fibers, plastics, chemicals, and electronic equipment Plants in Rochester, NY.; Kingsport. Tenn.; Windsor, Colo.; Longview, Tex.; Columbia. S.C; Batesville, Ark.; and a sales force all over the U.S. --^^ IF-YOU-CAN-DREAM-IT-YOU C A N ■ D O • I T. Expand the mind of the microchip. Remember when electronic calculators were considered a luxury';' Well, consider ttiis sign seen recently outside a gasoline station in Schenec- tady New York; "Free calcu- lator with an oil change." That's just one sign of the enormous impact micro- chips have had on the way we do everything - from banking to game-playing. But how will we use micro- chips that are smarter, faster, more reliable, and less expensive to design"? How will these new micro- chips be used to improve " systems, product, and pro- cesses'' As one GE engi- neer puts It, "The sky's the limit!" That sky is replete with a number of integrated circuit concepts that GE is apply- ing right now. There's the custom IC, a chip that performs highly specialized functions. Tradi- tionally creating this chip has been an expensive, time-consuming )ob. So we're working on ways to cut design time and cost. We're using computer- aided design (CAD) to design and simulate chips right on computer screens We're also developing gate arrays, a system that allows you to build inexpen- sive prototype chips thati ^ncan be "played" in systems '' before the final design is fixed Another area that GE is-, developing is VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated) circuits. These ICs will eventually squeeze one million transistors onto a single chip. Where will all this super electronic power be applied'? GE engineering manager Don Paterson sees It this way: "At GE you can innovate from the system down to the chip to create. . whatever ignites your imagination.' In other words, you can dream it and do it. WE BRING GOOD THINGS TO LIFE An equal opportunity employer. I L L I N O S November 1982 Volume 98 issue 2 Newsstand $1.25 TECHNOGRAPH Gl-r U EXCHANGE DEPT. Zdla. MAIN LIBRARY jm^v jf ill atim- s. olad-iill C 'X M => J b k The growing use of lasers shines new Hght on materials research. GULF ENERGY CREATING-ENERGY WERE IRFFING NEW We're GulfOil Corporation. And we'll be '"'^BiB^^ on campus to look for something very much in demand these days. New energy. Specifically, new human energy. The fast-changing energy field will continue to be one of the most exciting and rewarding places to launch a career. And Gulf has exceptional opportunities for new people with new ideas about finding and developing America's fuel resources. If you're about to earn your degree in Petroleum Engineering, we'd like to meet you. 'We're also interested in Chemical and Mechanical Engineers. In Geology and Geophysics majors. In Computer Science, Accounting, and Business Administration majors. In students in Petroleum Land Management programs. And in people in technical disciplines with a flair for sales. Check the placement office to confirm a date for our Gulf Representative's visit. And sign up for an appointment. If we miss you, send your resume to Coordinator, College Relations, Dept. B, PO. Box 1 166, Pittsburgh, PA 15230. Gulf is a world leader in training young, motivated p)eople to solve today's energy problems. When we find you, we'll be that much farther ahead. For a 15%" x 20*" color poster of this illustration, please send your request to: Poster. College Relations, PO Box 1 166, Pittsburgh. PA 15230 i< GulfOil Corporation. 1982 An Equal OpportunitY Employer ILLINOIS TECHNOGRAPH November IQ82 Volume 98 issue 2 £ 1982 Illini Publistims: C ompany SAE Formula Car Steve Yencho describes firsthand the metamorphosis of a garage-built formula car. Laser Processing: Hot Stuff Materials processing is now making use of the laser. Tushar Chande explains. Components of Audio Care Advice on efficient cleaning of audio equipment is offered by Eric Guarin. Signals From Space Man- Kay Flick dishes out the latest in video. Enabling the Disabled Departments Robert Ekblaw tells hov\ wheelchair lifts and ramps are helping the handicapped enter the worid. Tech Teasers 2. Forum 3. Technovisions 12, Technotes 16. Tech Profiles 21. Technovations 23 0)1 the cover: One oj ihe many lasers used to study the interactions het\\cen laser eneri;\ and materials. (photo by Randy Slukenher^) EDITORIAL TECH TEASERS n People Need Ideas, Not Labels I have a label. 1 don't p;irtieularly want It, but it was given to me by soinebixiy. so there it is. Most people face this same problem. 1 got m> label recently when 1 told a man that 1 was a nuclear engineering student. His reply was. ""Oh. sometimes I could just pick up a gun and shixit those anti-nukes." He was sincere; he had just assumed that I was a super-conservative. anti-en\ ironment pro-nuclear fanatic. I'm sorry . but I just cannot wear those shivs; they don't fit. 1 am studying nuclear engineering because 1 hope to help solve some of the energy problems we face, not because 1 supp^trt everylhing the nuclear industry dix;s. 1 support solar, hydroeiectnc. wind, and geothemial energy research. man\ of the things my supposed "environmental enemies" stand for. It seems that all of us with unsolicited labels are in similar situations. We are accused of supporting things more adamantly than we actually do. This does more than limit the recipient of the label, it also limits the labeler and demonstrates his ignorance. Look at how a label can affect a person today. Once one is given the title "Demcxrrat" or "Republican", he is expected by his peers to support the same side of an issue as his party . People don't understand when a person casts a vote based on the merits of an issue. He is practically considered a traitor if his vote goes against party lines. Taking a stance on an issue is gmxl. but limiting yourself to the stance your stereotype dictates is very bad. Opinions should be the threshold to discussion, not the comer you ;ire pushed into through argument. Historicalh . labels have caused a majority of the problems in the world tixlay. Look at what happened in Germany when Hitler labeled Jew s as enemies of the master Aryan race. Millions of people were killed, families were torn apart, and many people still live in fear of anti-Semitism. Closer to home, one of the most militant struggles for human freedom occurred because arrogant whites labeled blacks as inferior. A similar struggle began because women also had an inaccurate label of inferiority. Reasonable discussion is almost forbidden bv' labels. They create a greater rift between people than would otherwise exist. The black situation demonstrates this. Since blacks had a label, whites refused to hold sensible discussions with them about their problems. This led to a more violent fight to break the black mold than was necessary. When people label one another, they may never peaceably settle disagreements. So how does one avoid labeling others'.' First, you must carefully examine your views on major issues. Are they sound' Are they too harsh on other people'.' Do vour vie\\s have an\' room for dissenting opinions? Don't necessarily relax your standards, but be prepared to allow people a different view. Realize that if everyone thought the same way we might have ended up living under a Hitler forever, or we might still be living in a slave state. Differences are what allow us to live freely today. Next time you meet somebody, be prepared to make some concessions if you find you have differences. From there, you may be able to reach some common ground. If not. that's okay, at least you didn't label someone unjustly. f/^xru)/^ 0. /J^wu)^ \. A miner had 20 kilograms of gold, and four children to whom he w ished to give equal shares of his loot. He kept none for himself. However, his pan balance had only the 3 and 7 kg weights: all the others were lost. How many weighings did it take for him to divide out the four 5 kg portions, and how did he do if.' 2. When does 16 x 10 ^ 11 x 32 = 211' 3. Find a number that starts with 2. so that when it is divided by 2 the quotient (no remainders, please) is the same number you would get if you moved the leading 2 to the end of the number. An example is. using 8 instead of 2: 8.101.265.822.784 divided by 8 is 1,012.658.227.848. 4. Given that .3' is the same as .33333. . .(or .3 repeating), can you use the characters .0.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9. and any other arithmetic operators to create an exres- sion that equals 6'? (You must use all the digits 0-9 only once, and you must use ev- ery one of the 1 1 decimal points) 5. This is Felicia Farmer's field. It is 100 meters long on every side. If her pet wombat starts at position W and runs to- wards G. and Felicia starts at position F and runs towards the wombat, will she catch him' How far w ill both of them run'.' Assume Felicia is silly, and instead of run- ning directly to the gate, she always runs to- wards the "bat. thus running in a curved path. By the way. Felicia can run twice as fast as the wombat. Answers on pa\>e 20 FORUM STAFF • decisive Engineers' Guidebook b>' Larry Mallak The suffering economy has finally hit the engineer. Time has come for the student to seriously consider whether engineering is actually the career of preference, and should take a moment to analyze his goals in a scientific manner. Step 1: Elimination. Maybe engineering isn't for you. so why clutter the scenery when the rest of us can have a chance at your job? If this is the case, sell back your books, smash your calculator, break all your Pentel pencil leads and . . . Step 2: Read the want ads. Have you recently applied for a job through the want ads? If so, you probably noticed a mad rush of job seekers similar to engineering signups, only lower on the social scale. Local employers have been innundated with overqualified unemployed applicants, which leaves little hope for the justly qualified unemployed applicant. All this futile filing of applications, right into the eternal file leads you to. . . Step 3: Join a rock band and go on tour. This is the classic way out of anything between ages 12 and 29. A tour gets you into the bars for free and spurs fans to clamor at your feet, all the while offering the excitement of peering out of a one-mile radius imposed by campus life. Drawbacks abound, and most would-be rock stars fail to produce a major record contract and turn to recreational drugs to escape tour blues. Escaping from an escape mechanism will probably require another escape, so why not try... Step 4: Become a bum. Moneysworth jj^agazine reported a few years ago on the earnings of beggars in large cities. The results: many of these poor, decrepit souls turned over $5 per hour for their wide-eyed pleas. Just look at the advantages: flextime — you work when you want to, no boss to report to, no income tax (unless someone slips a check in your cup), the pleasures of city living, no commuting— just sleep in the park, and a modest initial investment of one beggar's cup and one set of soiled, tattered, wrinkly, smelly clothing. If this doesn't appeal to you, there's always. . . Step 5: Go into politics. It's one step above begging, but very similar. Instead of holding a cup and begging for money, you hold a view and beg for money. Once again, you enjoy the pleasures of city life, work when you want to, and hopefully pay no income tax. Should political hypocrisy not appeal to you, step up to. . . Step 6: Accept an engineering job. Take your pick among the 2.7 job offers the average engineer received. Be flown on a plant trip to be wined and dined and shown an empty desk flanked by secretaries. Make thousands of dollars more per yeai' than your LAS friends. Use your mind to solve the worid's complex problems. Conform to the corporate image. Be promoted. Get a raise. Move to the California plant. This very often leads to step 5, which leads to step 4, which leads to step 3. which leads to step 2, which leads to step 1, which leads vou nowhere. Forum is intended as an open exchange ol \iews and ideas on areas of interest to the Engineering campus. Ail Uni- versity students and faculty members are invited to contribute articles for Forum. Articles may be editorial in nature, and must be signed. Illmois Technograph mvites letters in response to its articles and editonals. or any other item of mteresl to our readership Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be cor sidered Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld upon request. Eiditor Production Editor Business Manager Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor Photo Editor Features Editor Design Assistant Design Publisher Production Manager Adviser Editorial Staff Steve Alexander Rob Busse Doug Camptili Tushar Chande Joe Culkar Tad Dierkes James Ehrhart Robert Ekblaw Jane Fiala Elayne Fletcher Mary Kay Flick Business Staff Brian Carlson Jeff Lee Donna Obermaier Copyright lllini Publishing Co,. 1482 Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760) Vol, 98 No, 2 November IW2 Illinois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Published by lllini Publishing Co., 620 Ea,st John St Champaign. Illinois, 61820. Editorial and Business olllces of the Illinois Technograph: Room .TO2 Engineenng Hall. Urbana Illinois, 618(11. phone (217) 3.W-37J0. Advertising by Littei-Murray-Banihill. Inc.. 1328 Broad- way, New York. N.Y., lOOOl; 221 N. l^Salle Street. Chica- go. IL , 60601 Entered as second class maner. October 30. 1920. at the post office at Urbana, Illinois under the act of .March 3. 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineenng College Magazines Associated. Kevin Wenzel Larry Mallak Jim Lee Charley Kline Raymond Hightower Randy Stukenberg Langdon Alger Nancy Grunthaner Beth Beauvais E. Maver Malonev, J Geoff Bant Ed Mast Eric Guarin Chris Konitzer Laura Kosper James O'Hagan Bill Proctor John Przybysz Thorn Roe Doug Shaw .Andrew Saporoschenko Yuki Spellman Robert Strahanowski SAE Formula Car Engineering students kick up some dust in Texas. bs Sieve Ycncho This year's Formula SAE competition in Austin Texas was a challenge for a group of L'niversity of Illinois students to overciinie a v\ ide vanety of obstacles and nc\ertheless return home with a trophy. The conipetitii)n, sponsored by the University of Texas at Austin's Society of Automotive Engineers, involved designing and building a small scale Indianapolis 500-type vehicle and racing it against others in its class. Four student members of the Society of .Automotive Engineers (SAE) competed for Illinois: Steve Yencho. Mike Truex, Trace Nelson, and Mat Klemp. Teresa and Chris McCarthy also took an active part in the designing and building of the vehicle. The L'niversitN of Illinois SAE had competed in the e\ent two years ago. The 14S() vehicle was improved for the event in 14SI, but the s(x:iety depleted its funds and could not participate. The car at that time was p Kay Flick Television has changed dramatically since its beginning. First, there was black and white with extremely limited programming. Then came color and more programs, but there was still a limit to what the gCKxl old rcK>ftop antenna could pick up. Then came cable television, and the variety of programs available increased greatly tor those within the reach of the cable. The latest alternative tor TV programs is the backyard receive-only satellite dish (TVRO) which makes a larger variety of programming available to more people. TVRO's are becoming a more common sight as television watchers aim for a larger scope of program options. Yet. these dishes seem like something amusing, alien, or perhaps even extravagant to an observer who really does not understand them. As the use of these dishes increases, people must become aware of their intluence on society. The concept of the TVRO is relatively simple. The broadca.ster sends a microwave signal through an uplink antenna (sometimes as large as 60 feet in diameter) addressed to a sf)ecific channel, or transponder, aboard a geostationary satellite. The signal is then beamed downward toward the earth where it is picked up by a TVRO. commercial or private. A TVRO setup consists of several parts including a parabolic dish, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a microwave converter, and the user's television. Tlie parabolic dish consists of a metal wire mesh, or a special fiberglass resin, embedded with finely ground metallic particles and then covered with aluminum or Satellite dishes like this receive signals from all over the world via orbiting space satellites ipluito hy Mark Mathenyj fiberglass. It has a diameter of nine to fifteen feet. Protruding from the focal point of the dish is the feed horn which picks up the signal directed towards the satellite. This dish can be mounted on a moving base to facilitate convenient change to a different satellite. The LNA, usually mounted on the feed horn, has a special gallium arsenide field-effect transistor. This part of the system clears up and strengthens the signal. It is then hooked up to the receiver in the user's living room (via coaxial cable) which allows him to tune into one of various channels per each satellite. To be able to tune in to more than one satellite, it is necessary to have a "polar mount" which aims the antenna at different satellites. The antenna may be pushed into a new position for a different satellite manually, or automatic satellite changers are available. The antenna itself sits on a solid concrete base. Currently, it is possible to receive up to eighty channels broadcast through satellites. However, the number of channels received depends on the location of the dish. One must be able to "see" the satellite in order to receive its signal. Depending on where they reach the earth's surface, signals vary in strength, forming concentric "footprints" on the surface of the earth. These "footprints" of signal strength also influence the number of channels received and the quality of the reception. Currently, the RCA Satcom gives the most programs; but most people wish to be able to tune into more than one satellite. It is possible to receive channels broadcasting programs such as HBO. Cinemax. #1 Showtime, Spotlight. CNN. MTV. ESPN.Tl USA Network, PBS. WTBS, plus all the major networks and many independent stations. The only major drawback to the TVRO is the cost; however, prices are continually decreasing. Fiberglass dish ts-. 14 i The strength of signals varies over the country . The numbers represent millidecibel levels, (from Popular Mechanics. Sept. 1980) prices now start as low as $2500. Through the use of do-it-yourself kits, these costs can be reduced. The kits are available for everything (antennae, receiver modules, etc.) which will bring the cost down to as little as S500. An automatic satellite channel changer or additional receiving units vvill increase the cost of a dish, but after this initial purchase the dish is relatively inexpensive and maintenance free. Thus, the backyard TVRO is becoming more affordable than e\en a new recreational vehicle or camper. Because more people are nov- able to buy the Jfellite dishes, companies are springing up emight to make them. It is impossible to sa>- just how many firms are manufactunng 'Wdishes because many are being made by ^bte individuals in basements and garages. Most buyers of dishes are people living outside the reaches of cable television. Because of this, cable companies are not extremely concerned about a loss of business. They feel that in the long run pay cable TV will be cheaper and have bener picaire quality than a satellite dish. Both claim to be maintenance free. However, prices for dishes will decrease e\en more as satellite companies make plans to launch even more powerful satellites. A more powerful satellite can be picked up by a smaller diameter TVRO. which means a lower cost for the user. There has been much controversy as to the legality of celestial evesdropping. As of October 1979, it has no longer been necessan' to obtain a federal license to operate a TVRO. However, some areas have zoning laws governing the placement of TVRO's because many consider a satellite dish an unattractive addition to the landscape. Before installing a dish, most satellite dish retailers conduct a frequency search and sight sur\ey. Not only do the surveys control what equipment to install but also if it would be worthwhile for a prospective owner to even buy a dish. Some program suppliers charge a "lifetime"" fee or install signal scramblers to pre\ent unauthorized use b\ pri%'ate individuals. Yet. many people feel the celestial highways are free to ever\one"s use and e\ersone has a nght to recei\e the signals that come in contact w ith their property. So far. the future looks good for the TVRO. Costs are continually decreasing and improvements are constantly being made. For example. Automaton Techniques. Inc. in Tulsa Oklalioma has developed a new dish called Toysat" which makes use of a ■'Dish-Stretcher"". The Dish-Stretcher allows the use of a much smaller dish to receive the same number and picture qualirs' of programs. It also clears reception and reduces snow. Manufacturers of this dish are also exp)enmenting with a folding umbrella type wire metal dish for use on vans, campers, and other recreational vehicles. More and more satellites are being launched into space. Current projections show that between 37 and 42 satellites will be orbiting earth by 1988. This will permit the reception of e\en more programs by those who think TV is the best entertainment available. Obviously, the backyard satellite dish industp.' is here to stay. .Although there ma\ be controversy as to the legality and ethics of such eavesdropping, people are still buying the dishes. A person does not need an intricate know ledge of microwave theon,' and electronics to enjoy the use of TVRO. No longer are the geostationan.' satellites being used only for scientific or business communications. No longer are satellite dishes weird and alien objects dotting the landscape. No longer are they fascinating yet incomprehensible objects to the average home owner. Since Amencans insist that television is their favorite pastime, the available technology might as well used to its full benefit. T 15 TECHNOTES by Langdon Alger Good Knight! There is still plenty of time to nominate your t'a\i>nte engineer for the Knights of Saint Pat awards. Formally, the award is given to reeognize outstanding juniors and seniors who exhibit exceptional leadership qualities while still keeping a minimum grade point average. However, it t;ikcs more than that to be accepted as a knight. The proeess is basically simple. Every engineering society nominates two of its members to be considered for the awards. The two nominees must then till out their share of the paperv\ork. They must wnte a few essays, and turn them into the Engineering Council. Once there, the Council will make an initial decision, cutting dov^n the list of potential award winners. Nominees making the first cut must appear before the council for a personal interview. Through the interview and the essays. the Council finds out what kind of person the nominee actually is. It is at this point that the truly exceptional people are filtered out. All the nominees may start out with a leadership p^isition and a high GPA. but only the ones that are Uue leaders and humanitarians will make it through the entire process. The nominations will be accepted until December .^. so turn them in soon. It can take a while to compose a good essay. Who knows, maybe you or someone in your organization is a future Knight. Bowl 'em over November thirteenth is the date for the annual Engineering Council bowling tournament. The cost is thirteen dollars per team, and each team must have at least one faculty, one female, and one male player who are affiliated with the society. The awards are in keeping with tradition, as the winning teams will be given trophies for their efforts. The entry fees are used to offset the cost of the awards, and to raise money for the Council. Clean Coal A couple of months ago. the Illinois Center for Research on Sulfur in Coal (CRSC) was established. This center calls upon the State Geological Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale to work together towards solving the problem of the high sulfur content in our state coal. The CRSC was able to come into existence through a $850,000 investment by the Illinois Coal Research Board. Neal F. Shimp was appointed acting director of the CRSC, which will act from the survey here on campus. Shimp is also head of the survey's chemical group, and he will now be responsible to the institutional advisory board, which includes Theodore L. Brown. UIUC Graduate College dean, and Clark W. Bullard. director of UIUC's Office of Energy Research, as members. Part of the advantage to this set up is that the center can use staff members and facilities from all three institutions. The CRSC will be researching sulfur in coal heavily, because that is the main reason coal is not used as much as it could be in Illinois. Currendy. industry is working on removing sulfur from the products of coal burning, whereas the center wants to focus on removing the sulfur before the combustion is executed. There are basically two methods of doing this. One is called supercritical extraction, where coal and ethanol are mixed at high pressures and temperaUires. The solid products from this process have about two-fifths less sulfur in them, and just as much coal. The other method is low-temperature charring, where the samples of coal are heated to drive out some of the sulfur, and most of the remaining sulfur is removed chemically and physically. The center will also act as an infonnation center for other coal research, and sponsor conferences and informative sessions throughout the nation. In the long run, the hopes are that the CRSC will help Illinois, as well as the rest of the country, learn about their coal so that it may be used as an efficient and clean fuel. Will the Real Everitt and Pierce Please Stand? Every year two special awards are endowed upon three engineering professors and one engineering student. Two of these professors win Everitt Awards, which are given in response to outstanding teaching. The award is monetary as well as honorary, the former being the sum of $500. The other award is the Pierce Award, which is awarded "for encouraging empathetic student/faculty relations." The recipients receive $200 and an engraved silver bowl. Unfortunately, these awards do not usually attract very many nominations. This could be due to the scarcity of people who fit the categories, or just to a lack of knowledge about the awards. Nominations are due by the middle of this month. The 1982 recipients of the Stanley H. Pierce Awards were Nancy Schumaker. Industrial Engineering student, and Daniel Hang. Nuclear and Electrical Engineering professor. The professors who won the Everitt Awards last year were Vemon Snoeyink. Civil Engineering, and Richard Schaltz. Electrical Engineering. We offer congratulations to them, and hope that there are a record number of nominations for this year's honors. Pat Our Backs Again, and Again Professor of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Su Su Wang and Chemical Engineering professor Mark A. Stadtherr have received the 1982 Xerox awards for U. of 1. outstanding faculty research. Wang won $2000 for his work from the past five years, and Stadtherr won $1000 for his work during last year. John Bardeen. winner of two Nobel ^'j^^ Prizes in physics, has been chosen as a TL 16 Toreign member of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. Bardeen. electrical engineering, physics, and Center for Advanced Study professor here at UIUC. was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in the same field. He uas also on the Bell Labs staff when the transistor was developed. The Soviet honor was given to him in retlection of his o\'erall scientific work. Agricultural Engineering professors Lx)ren E. Bode. B.J. Butler, and Arthur J. Muehling. plus extension assistants Stephen L. Pearson and C.L. Rahn were all honored by the American Society of Agriculture Engineers. The former three profs were cited for "outstanding effort and achievement in the development of noteworthy educational aids" because of their publications on the calibration of flotation sprayers and granular applicators. The latter two won blue ribbons for a videotape they made on "Solar Heating for Livestock Buildings." .Also honored by the Society was S.L Ahman. research assistant. who. along with Bode and Butler, won an honorable mention for their paper "A Variable-Rate Pesticide Spraying System." Dean Daniel C. Drucker makes the press again this month for becoming an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was honored for his leadership in engineering education and the profession. More Coal Have you ever heard of an instance where pollution control is beneficial to the economy? Well, there is one. and it was studied here on campus. The problem is the iss of millions of pounds of coal from ugitive emission." or when the wind Plows small particles off and away from piled coal. The stud_\' was conducted by f » Mechanical Engineering professor Shao Lee Soo. Coal is normally stored in piles next to power plants, steel mills, and other coal — burning or coal — storage areas. The problem is that small particles are loosened in the pile during stacking, moving, and other activities. These particles are picked up by the wind and blown away. Hence there is a contribution to air pxillution — in fact, it makes up 10% of the suspended particles smaller than 30 microns in the air. The wind erosion comes about in varying degrees, depending upon moisture content of the coal, wind velocities, rainfall, age of the pile, compaction and design of the pile, and the number and size of the dust particles. Usually, the industries try to pack down the coal piles, which actually creates more of the tiny particles. Sometimes they try using chemicals to hold down the erosion, but this method is costly and brings about more problems than it's worth. Soo used a computer to imitate the conditions of coal piles, and then a wind tunnel to check a phvsical scaled-down model of the situation. Soo and his colleagues modelled the wind tunnel piles with haydite particles, which simulated three-inch coal lumps, and piped in smoke from kerosene-soaked cigars to view the wind dispersion. They concluded that if a snow-fence is placed about three pile heights away from the pile, the fence being about one-half the pile height, and if the pile is put lengthwise to the strongest wind, the fugitive emmision will be cut by 70*7^ This means that the air pollution will be less than 59c coal particles — a significant cut. If this is the case, not only is the air cleaned up. but industry saves a lot of coal and money it would have otherwise lost. Hence the \alue of Soo's five year research work is realized. His work was funded by both the U.S. EPA and the American Iron and Steel Institute, two organizations which normally oppose each other in views and actions. Your Chair, MacArthur A year ago. the University was given a SI. 2 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to endow and support the MacArthur chair. Well. Anthony J. Legget has been selected as the first person to fill that chair. Legget is known for his international leadership in low -temperature physics. Legget. professor of mathematical and physical sciences at the University of Sussex. England, has already had the rare honor of being awarded the Fritz London Memorial .Award as well as the Simon Memorial Prize of the British Institute of Physics. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society, winner of the Maxwell Medal, and winner of the Prize of the Bntish Institute of Physics. He was a postdoctoral fellow here twice, and is returning back to this campus. It took 13 months for this appointment to be finalized, and Legget's presence here at the University is looked favorably towards by all. Correction In the October issue of Technograph Engineering Family .Mbum we failed to include a relatively new honor societ) . .Wi is an honor society for nuclear engineering suidents. Juniors need to have a 4.63 grade point average, while seniors can enter with a 4.25. Graduate students can also be elected with a grade point of 4.75 after completing 4.5 units. Interested people should contact Professor James Stubbins at 333-6474. or stop by 214 Nuclear Engineering Laboratory. Illinois Technograph regrets the error. 17 Enabling the Disabled Handicapped students are rolling with the changes. b\ Robert l-kblaw r/»v is the tirsi purl of a two part series on facilities available for handicapped people on campus. The second part will appear m the December. 1982 is.siie. Many students have undoubtedly encountered at least one strange-looking sloping cement constRiction. For those who do not know what they are by now, they are ramps for use by those students who are confined to a wheelchair. There are several of these structures throughout campus, as well as other aides to assist in the movement of the handicapped around campus. Perhaps one of the most noticable of the ramps is kx:atcd at the southeast end of the mini Union. When the construction of the south wing of the lUini union was planned in 196^ the architects also planned accessibility for paraplegics and other people who must travel using wheelchairs. Along with the ramp, they installed an automatic door which opens by pressure, similar to those found at the entrances of supemiarkets. Within the wing itself, they supplied the handicapped with elevators in order that they might have access to the other tloors ot the building. The rest rooms were designed with special facilities for those contmed to wheelchairs. Many feaaires like these were built in favor of allowing accessiblity to paraplegics. When these additional features were built, the contractors reconditioned other sections of the Union, in order to facilitate the handicapped students and guests. In later vears, they added even more sei^ices aimed at the physically disabled, including a new wooden ramp at the west end of the Union. Despite the fact that private contractors built all of the aides in and around the south wing of the Union, most ot the reconstruction work on the campus buildings was done by the Space Utilizations Ottice of the Physical Plant here on the University grounds. Actually, the whole job is divided ■,s,n- provides buses equipped with Above: The Univ wheelchairs Top Ri^hl: Rcii'il'- I ., R,lu: %i aiiloinoticalh opciiin, door provides eas. Inion iron, the South Poich.iphoWs In Thorn Rod elevaU'is most buildings on canipu. to designed for the llhni between two departments. It is the responsibility of the Facilities Planning Commission to review remodeling designs. After the Commission approves the project, it is turned over to the Space Utilizations Committee to determine the best procedure for construction and to gather the best group to handle the actual construction. William Stalman, the gentleman from the Space Utilizations Committee who is in charge of this procedure, stated that most buildings constructed after 1955 and all those built after 1959 have complete accessibility both inside and out. In addition, whenever major renovating is done on a building not completely accessible to the handicapped, the neccessary features are incorporated into the construction. By this means, his department has been able to provide access to most of the major buildings and nearly half of the classrooms and lecture halls on campus. In order to ensure the accessibility of the buildings, a survey was taken in 1978. This survey was conducted by the Space Utilizations Committee and Alpha Phi Omega. The survey involved inspecting every class building, every residence hall, and all other college and University buildings. They examined routes to every room in every hall, determined if they were accessible and if so, how one would get there. The results of the survey were compiled into a book, which is found in every office of the Space Utilizations Committee. By referring to the book, the committee is able to find the important rennovations that have yet to be done. Some buildings require elevators while others lack the proper rest room facilities. Still others have had no work at all done to increase their accessibility to the handicapped. The Space Utilizations Committee has constructed a list of the buildings that fall into those categories. This gives them an idea of the amount of work ahead of them. It also enables them to develop a set of priorities, based on the idea that the buildings requiring complete work must be started on right away. The budget plan for the fiscal year of 1 984 has already had some of the more important renovations incorporated into it. The plan allows for ramps to be built at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, mini Hall, and University High School. Elevators will be constructed in University High School and replaced in Lincoln Hall. Rest room facilities will be modified in the Architecture Building, Chemistry Annex, and University High School. The rest re>om facilities in Altgeld Hall are due to be Continueii 19 completed by the end of the year. This does not mean that the committee's work is almost done. In fact, much more work is still neccessary in many liKations. Ramps, elevators, and rest room facilities are needed in many other buildings on campus. Obviously, the Space Utilizations Committee has many more years of work. One might wonder why there is still so much work to do. since the project began in 195*^. Actually, the answer is very simple. For one thing, there is a limit to how much can be done in one year. Second, the process that is followed in order to get the funding for the renovations is very complex. If the committee needs state funding, the following steps are followed in order to receive money: 1 . A written request must be submitted to the Space Utilizations Committee by December 1 . 2. The request is evaluated in terms of importance and budget. 3. The Chancellor reviews the request. 4. University officials review the request. 5. The request goes to the Board of Trustees at the July meeting. 6. The request is sent to the State Board of Higher Education. Their decision is due by January 10. 7. The governor decides on the budget. 8. The State Board decides which jobs are to be done based on the budget allowances. Their decision is due in March. 9. The State Legislature votes on the decision by June 30. 10. The governor reviews it. 1 1 . TTie Capital Development Board in Springfield acquires the money in October and allocates it to the colleges. 12. The University finds a company to construct the ramp. Obviously, with such a complicated procedure, not many projects are, completed each year. However, the procedure is simplified considerably if the committee does not require state funds. Then, the process is completed at step four. The renovations are conducted by the Operations and Maintenance team of the University. The renovations that have been done on many campus buildings make up only a small part of a much larger program. This program is called the Division of Rehabilitation Eiducaton Services. It is a result of the growing number of physically handicapped people who are attending the Unversity. Over the years, there has been an average of approximately 100 students per year who are permanently confined to wheelchairs. All of these physically disabled students attend regular classes in normal degree programs. They live on campus in residence halls or in special centers. There are several specially engineered buses which they use for campus transportation. Accomodations such as the above, and specialized constructions, illustrate our growing concern for the physically handicapped students on our campus. T ENGINEERING RESUME DISCOUNT PACKAGE AT The Clean Machine Copy Shop 621 S. Wright St. 359-1500 Typing Picture Screen 50 Copies (#70 Paper) $ 1.80 $ 4.00 $ 5.00 $ 5.00 $15.80 OVERNIGHT SERVICE 1.00 DISCOUNT with coupon $14.80 MONDAY -FRIDAY 7:30 AM- 10 PM SAT 9-5 SUN 10-6 Tech Teasers Answers From page 2 1. He should only need 7 weighings. 1: Weigh out a 4 kg sample using the two weights in different pans; 2. 3. and 4: Weigh out 3 equal 4 kg samples using the first 4 kg sample, which leaves a total of five 4 kg samples; 5; Use the scale to divide one sample into two 2 kg samples; 6 and 7: Divide the two 2 kg samples into four 1 kg samples. Then all he has to do is add one 1 kg sample to each of the four 4 kg samples, and he has four 5 kg samples. 2. When 16 is in base 8, 10 is in base 2, 11 is in base 6. 32 is in base 4. and 211 is in base 5. See if you can find any other cases. 3. 210.526.315,789,473,684 - 2 = 105,263.157,894,736,842. See if you can figure out the pattern to this problem. You can apply the algorithm to any number, and not just 2 or 8. 4. :.0 + 6 + 3 + 1 .7' + .2' + .4' + .5' + .9' ( Note: This solution requires that you believe that .9 ref)eating is ^ exactly equal to 1 (which is debat^'ble). W 5. Felicia ran 133 '/< meters before she caught up with her wombat, who squealed in disgust at only being able to traverse -/3 the distance between him and the gate. 20 TECH PROFILES 9 Louis Wozniak and photos by Thorn Roe Howard S. Ducoff text and photo by Bill Proctor Bruce Sherwood text and photos by Jane Fiala Louis Wozniak is an associate professor of general engineering. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and continued to obtain both master's and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, and became a member of the General Engineering staff in 1968. Professor Wozniak usually teaches three general ensineering courses: GE 103, 122. and 242. Of these. GE 103. an introduction to graphical projections, dimensions, analysis, and design, is by far his favorite. Wozniak claims that this class, a requirement for most freshmen in engineering, gives him an opportunity to clarify student's impressions concerning what engineering truly encompasses. There is a need, he feels, to direct new students on a human level, helping them realize career goals. Another course Wozniak teaches is GE 242, senior project design. In this more technologically oriented class, seniors may participate in solving problems relevant to local industries. Wozniak's area of specialty is the —sp eed control of hydraulic turbines. One of S|e most specific examples in this field is ^ne suidy of hydroelectric power plants. He has acted as a consultant for numerous i«^draulic planning and control iPinufacturing firms. Recent work includes simulation of system stability in conjunction with the Department of Interior's expansion of the Grand Cooley Dam on the Columbia River. The relatively new field of bioengineering started at the University of Illinois in 1974 and now officially has more than 120 students, ftofessor Howard Ducoff has greatly aided in keeping this program going. Professor Ducoff got his B.S. in Biology at the City College of the college of the City of New York. After Worid War II, he obtained his Ph.D. in Physiology at the University of Chicago, and worked at Argonne National Laboratory. Eleven years later, in 1957, he got "an offer he couldn't refuse" from the University of Illinois. His positions and activities keep him quite busy. Besides teaching Physiology 331, he works with students engaged in Bioengineering Individual Studies and plans Biophysics 41 1 seminars. He is the Program Director for bioengineering in LAS, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Office of Gerontology, and a member of the Radiation Hazards Committee. Bioengineering was created when a need to study the effects of radiation on ecology developed. It has been found that insects, unlike humans, can actually live longer after being exposed to radiation. This is what Professor Ducoff s research involves. The theory is that after the young insect is exposed, repair enzymes are stimulated. Besides repairing the radiation damage, the enzymes fix lesions in the cells which may have accumulated during the many somatic cell divisions. This increases the insect's ability to repair damage with age because the information is freed of the lesions it originally had. After graduating from Purdue University in 1960 with a B.S. in Engineering Science, Bruce Sherwood spent a year in Italy at the University of Padua on a Fulbnght Scholarship, studying physics. He then attended graduate school at the University of Chicago, and earned a Ph.D. in experimental high energy physics. Professor Sherwood taught Physics at Cal Tech from 1966 until 1969. when he came to the University of Illinois. He is now Assistant Director of the Computer Based Education Research Lab (CERL-PLATO). a professor of physics, and a professor of linguistics. Sherwood teaches Physics 106 and has written a book for the class. Notes on Classical Mechanics. He is currently working on a cluster PLATO system, which is a new way to deliver PLATO lessons to students, and a computerized speech synthesizer. His work in speech synthesis, which began a few years ago, led him to an interest in linguistics. In 1979-1980, he was granted a Faculty Study in a Second Discipline, in which he audited linguistic courses and taught one course. He is especially interested in Esperanto, a constructed language created for international use. Because it belongs to no country, it eliminates political bias when it is used in international meetings. In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the use of Esperanto. Professor Sherwood teaches a course in introductory Esperanto for Communiversity at the YMCA. 21 E-Systems continues the tradition of the world's great problem solvers. Even given the benefit of historical perspective, it is diffi- cult to fully comprehend the enormous contributions to mans knowledge made by Sir Isaac Newton His Philosopiae Natu- ralis Princtpia Mathematics is termed by many authorities to be one of the most important single works in the history of modern science His studies of light are the foundation of physical optics and his laws of motion provided a quantitative descnption of all principal phenomena in our solar system. Today scientists and engi- neers at E-Systems employ Newtonian principles to develop products and systems for satel- lite communications, exploring Wfc^Juc/^mm space and the development of so- lar energy systems which are the first-of-a-kind. E-Systems engineers are recognized worldwide for their ability to solve problems in the areas of antennas, communica- tions, data acquisition, processing, storage and retrieval systems and other systems applications for intel- ligence and reconnaissance. For a reprint of the Newton illustration and information on ca- reer opportunities with E-Systems in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Utah and Virginia, write: Dr. Lloyd K. Lauderdale, Vice President Research and Engineering, E-Systems, Inc , Corporate Headquarters, P 0. Box 226030, Dallas, Texas 75266. E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opportunity employef MF H V ( c TECHNOVATIONS e h\ Langdon Alger Tektronix 7D20 programmable oscilliscope makes scoping an easy task. Scoping Out Capabilities Tektronix was the first manufacturer of the digital oscilloscope, and their latest model. 7D20. has facilitated the use of programmability to enhance its uses. The fact that it is programmable, as well as simple to use. means that operators do not need extensive training to learn how to manipulate it. their jobs become easier, and the scope takes most of their busy work away. The 7D20 is a plug-in scopje. so individual users may adapt their scopes to their particular needs by plugging in different modules. It has a memory, so nou can store up to 1024 points for each of six different waveforms, as well as a reference waveform. The scope can capture and store one-time events up to ten megahertz, and repeating events up to seventy megahertz. This, plus its ability to accept two separate ^^annels at once, gives you digital accuracy •md the benefits of analog devices without the pitfalls. ^ Other features include error tracing; iflus reporting, where the screen displays ine controls" settings: and a special debugging setup. It is priced at S7.750 in the U.S.. and it is adaptable to practically anv existing mainframe. You Won't See the Light DISA Electronics has introduced their "Laser Doppler Vibrometer System" to the market. All you have to do is supply the laser, insert it into the supplied adaptor beam processor, plug it all in. and you are read\' to make extremely accurate measurements of solid and liquid surface movements. Basically, the way it works is by shooting a beam out to the object being studied and collecting the reflected beam. This is accomplished by the lenses, pnsms. and mirrors contained w ithin the laser adaptor. The hardware then examines and analyzes the doppler shift that was induced. If you connect the mainframe to an oscilloscope, you can viev\ any signal you wish, including the shifted signal, the output signal, or the \ibration signal. What makes this system so handy is its accuracy and its general simplicity of use. It is a non-contact measurer, so you can analyze vibrations from 1.2 to 20 meters away without ever disturbing the object's movements. It can pick up amplitudes from 10* meters to 1 meter, frequencies from DC to .74 MHz. velocities from 10'' nVsec to 3 nv'sec, and accelerations from 10" m'sec" to 3 X 10'' m/'sec". The applications for this product are about limitless. It can be used to make vibrational measurements on loudspeaker diaphragms, eardrums, seismic movements, traffic roads, turbomachinery. and building structures. It also has some unique and interesting capabilities, such as measuring the ripple of nerve cells. Go Backwards to Move Ahead All you have to do is talk to anyone involved with writing or filing to find out the name of the game is fast and accurate data retrieval. Secretaries, doctors, students, and e\en home filers are using computerized word processors now. There are drawbacks to electronic data storage, however. Software bugs, hardware breakdowns, complicated codes and expensive equipment all put a damper on the efficienc) and availability of these systems. For the smaller projects. e\en the initial process of starting up a word processor seems a waste of time. A company called Indecks. Inc.. has an answer, although it is admittedly a step backwards in time. It costs under S3(). weighs three pounds, is the size of a thick book, and requires no elecUiciry or fuel. It is called Datasort. and consists of a deck of cards, a handpunch. and a small metal nxl. The secret is in the cards: each one has numbered holes on all four sides. You decide how you want to file all >'our information, and assign numbers to different categories. Print your information on all the cards. in whatever manner pleases you most. Then just punch out the tops of the holes that correspond to the information on the cards. .As an example. sa\ you assign the number 2 1 to the category of philosophical quotations. To retrieve this information, you stick your knitting needle-like rod into the hole that corresponds to your decided categorv . in this case hole number 21. Then simplv shake the deck, and all cards with hole 21 punched out will tall away from the rod. Cross-referencing is just as simple. All that has to be done is to stick the needle into another hole to obtain a more concise categon,'. Suppose hole 22 is reserved for quotations by Descartes. To find his quotes, you would use hole 21 for philosophv . and 22 for him. You can continue narrowing down the categones until you get exactK what you need. The beautv' of this system is that \ou don't ha\e to remember where each card goes. You can pile them up in an> random order, as long as they are right side up and facing the same direction. Because of the retrieval system, all the cards of a categor>' will fall out regardless of their position in the deck. Indecks designed Datasort for up to 5.000 cards, which is perfect for research papers, small surveys, lists of clients, and anything you can dream up. Data retne\'al is simple, fast, and you cannot misfile. because you don't have to file. Who knows, maybe the simple wa)s are still better. 23 Luis Castellanos mines copper with software. Most copper is found deep under- ground. But ttie Bell System's 995 million miles of copper cable have tons of It above and below ground. That copper provides vital circuit paths to transmit customer voice, data and video signals for today s Information Age needs. And Luis Castellanos. seven years out of undergraduate school, supeivises one of the groups that helps Bell System companies mine' all that copper He works with one of the largest computer hardware and software systems in the world— the Trunks Integrated Record Keeping System (TIRKS). Every day it "mines the vast Bell network for availablecircuitsand equipment. As a result of efficient use of network facilities, the Bell System saves millions by eliminating the need for certain capital expenditures Plus, there s more to TIRKS than mining copper' It also configures circuits and assigns components needed for each circuit path. That allows Bell companies to respond faster to customer requests for com- plex services like video and data transmission. Employees are more productive too, because TIRKS helps them set up circuits and fore- cast facility needs. Before TIRKS was available, keeping track of communications circuits and facilities required enor- mous amounts of paperwork and manual calculation. Every day, the average Bell System company handles orders involving 1500 circuits and up to 7500 individual components associated with them. Each detail has to be specified and accounted for Now, thanks to people like Luis, TIRKS keepstrackof all that infor- mation instantaneously using com- puters. Information is up-to-date. It's instantly available. And it's more accurate. According to computer scientists like Luis, the benefits from TIRKS are just beginning. He believes that, as more computer hardware and software systems like TIRKS interact, new benefits for customers may be possible, as well as additional productivity increases for employees Luis joined Bell Labs with a B.S. in computer science from Pratt In- stitute Under a company-spon- sored graduate study program, he attended Stevens Institute of Tech- nology for his M.S. in computer science. At the same time, he worked part-time assuming respon- sibility for a large piece of TIRKS software. Working with design teams, he gained valuable insight from experienced members. Now, his technical performance has earned him a promotion to supervisor If you re interested in similar challenging employment opportun- ities at Bell Labs, write: Bdl Lahi,rati,n,s Room HL-3F-233 tilli) Mninitdiii Ar( iiiii M,irr„,jHUKS,,r.J, r^iil0797J, An cquni npjuirt ntiity employer. Bell Laboratories Ibllowship In 1949, Hughes awarded its first fellowship. Since then, more than 4,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships — advanced degrees to prepare the men and women of today to meet tomorrow s technical challenges Hughes Aircraft Company will again offer more than 100 new fellowships in the coming year for graduate study m * Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical. Systems. Aeronautical) * Computer Science * Applied Math * Physics Just a few months from now, you could be working on your fvlaster's. Engineer, or PhD degree — and receiving from Hughes: * Tuition, books, and fees ' Educational stipend * Full employee benefits * Professional-level salary * Summer employment * Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to $40,000 a year As a Hughes Fellow, you will gam valuable technical experience working summers at Hughes in Southern California or Tucson, Arizona. Work Study Fellows study at a nearby university while working part-time at Hughes. Full Study Fellows work at Hughes in the summer and study lull-time during the regular academic year. The range of technical assignments available includes the option of the Engineering Rotation Program to diversify your work experience Fellowship Story. An invitation to advance your education and your career — with assistance from a company that is advancing the frontiers of technology. Write yourself in. Fill out and mail the coupon, or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept 104, BIdg 4006/W870, Culver City, California 90230. Creating a neu uorlii utlh electronics HUGHES HUGHES AIRCF3AFT COMPANY Proof of U.S. Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer .Write yourself uii Hughes Aircraft Company. Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. 104, BIdg. 4006/W870. Culver City. California 90230. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and materials. PLEASE PRINT. Name City I am interested in obtaining a .Engineer degree , Zip . Doctorate DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTEDl Bachelors: Date Master s: Date Teach a robot the facts of life. There was a time when most robots earned their livelihoods in comic books and science fiction films. Today, they're spraying, welding, painting, and process- ing parts at manufacturing plants around the world- Necessity has caused this amazing leap from fantasy to factory. The world wants long-lasting, high quality products, now. And robots fit perfectly into this scheme of things; They can make those products - quickly, easily and accurately What kinds of robots'? There IS GE's Allegro,'" for one It can position a part to within 1, /1000th of an inch -or about Va the thickness of the paper this article is printed on Or there's GP 132 (shown here) This loader, unloader, packer, stacker and welder - can lift and maneuver 132 pounds with no trouble at all. So what's left for me to teach robots'? You might ask. Consid- er this glimpse into the future by Dr. Roland W. Schmitt, head of GE corporate research and development: "One of the big frontiers ahead of us is putting the robot's nervous system together with some senses - like vision, or touch, or the abil- ity to sense heat or cold That can give you an adaptive robot, one that can sense how well it's doing Its |ob and make the adjustments needed to do that |ob better" That's a tall order. And one we'll be expecting you to fill. With foresight, talent, imagina- tion - all the things that robots have yet to learn. c f WE BRING GOOD THINGS TO LIFE An equal opportunity employer L L N O TECHNOGRAPH oIFT L EXCHANGE' DEPT 220A MAIN LiaRA'Y J-Nil V OF ILL ■ ' ATTM- S. GLAtJ.HU^ u •■ M P U S December 1982 Volume 98 issue 3 Newsstand $1.25 State administrators look to high technology for a solution to the woes of Illinois. © Easlnum Kixlak Connsiiiy. 1W2 One of the nations too companies in sales or electronics-related equipment is Kodak. « Kodak's application of elec- tronics technology is becoming more and more extensive every day. That means we have growing career op- portunities for electrical/electron- ics engineers. In projects as diverse as the design and production of output driver chips for the logic and con- trol unit of Kodak Ektaprint copier- duplicators. Development of ad- vanced analog and digital tech- nology and sophisticated software techniques for blood-chemistry analysis with the Kodak Ektachem 400 analyzer. And explo- ration of potential product improvements in the Kodak Komstar 300 microimage processor, a computer peripheral which uses pulsed laser beams to convert digi- tal data to alphanumeric images on microfilm at speeds up to 20 times faster than many ink-jet paper printers. If you want to expand your hori- zons to meet the Kodak challenge, see a Kodak recruiter on your campus. Or send your resume to: Personnel Resources Eastman Kodak Companv Rochester, N.Y. 14650. I Kodak. The right place. The right time. An equal opportunity employer manufacturing photographic pnxiucts, fibers, plastics, chemicals, and electronic equipment Plants in Rochester. N.Y.; Kingsport. Tenn.; Windsor, Colo.; Longvicw. Tex.; Columbia, S.C; Batesville, Ark.; and a sales force all over the U.S. TAKES ON EXCITING • NEW DIMENSIONS IN * THE AIR FORCE. Computer-generated design for investigating structural strengths and weaknesses. Developing and managing Air Force engineering projects could be the most important , exciting challenge of your life . The projects extend to virtually every engineering frontier. 8 CAREER FIELDS FOR ENGINEERS astronautical, civil, electrical, mechanical and nuclear. Hundreds of diverse pecialties are included in a wide variety of work settings. For example, an electrical engineer may work in aircraft design, space systems, power production, communications or research. A mechanical engineer might be involved in aircraft structure design, space vehicle launch pad construction, or research. PROJECT RESPONSIBILITY COMES EARLY IN THE AIR FORCE Air Force electrical engineer studying anxrafl electrical power supply system. Engineering opportunities in the Air Force include these eight career areas: aeronautical, aerospace, architectural, Air Force mechanical engineer inspecting aircraft jet engine turbine. Most Air Force engineers have complete project responsibility early in their careers . For example , a first lieutenant directed work on a new airborne electronic system to pinpoint radiating targets. Another engineer tested the jet engines for advanced tanker and cargo aircraft. OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW USAF SPACE COMAAAND Artist's concept of the USCS III Defense Satellite Communications System satellite. (USAF photo.) Recently, the Air Force formed a new Space Command. Its role is to pull together space operations and research and development efforts, focusing on the unique technological needs of space systems. This can be your opportunity to join the team that develops superior space systems as the Air Force moves into the twenty-first century. To learn more about how you can be part of the team, see your Air Force recruiter or call our Engineer Hotline toll free 1-800-531-5826 (in Texas call 1-800-292-5366). There's no obligation. AIM HIGH AIR FORCE Talent uses nature's power. Genius preserves it. Put your energy ideas to work in the American Electric Power System. We're looking for more than talent. We're looking for foresigfit. To manage our resources today. And preserve our energy independence tomorrow. If you are graduating witfi a ma- jor in any of tfiese areas, opportunities are available witfiin tfie AEP System: • Electrical engineering • Mechanical engineering • Environmental engineering • Communications engineering • Civil engineering • Computer science • Cfiemistry • Geology • Mining engineering • Nuclear engineering • Operations research • Chemical engineering • Business administration — accounting/economics/finance The AEP System's eight operating companies serve 7 million people in seven East-Central states: AppalaL.iian Power Co.. Roanoke. Virginia • Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric Co. . Columbus, Ohio • Indiana & Michigan Electric Co.. Fort Wayne, Indiana • Kentucky Power Co.. Ashland, Kentucky • Kingsport Power Co.. Kingsport, Tennessee • Michigan Power Co . Three Rivers, Michigan • Ohio Power Co.. Canton, Ohio • Wheeling Electric Co.. Wheeling, West Virginia And overseeing the entire System is our management and technology arm, the AEP Service Corporation. Find out where you might put your ideas to work in the AEP System, We invite you to contact the Personnel Department at AEP or at any of the companies listed. American Electric Power 180 East Broad Street Columbus. Ohio 4321 5 An equal opportunity employer ILLINOIS TECHNOGRAPH December 1982 Volume 98 issue 3 © 1982 Illini Publishing Company Making the Best of Disabilities Robert Ekhlau concludes his series on accomodations for the handicapped. Opto-electronic Chip Rob Busse explains how the opto-electronic chip will further minimize circuit size. A New Breed of Reactors The technical and political intricacies of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor are exposed by Laura Kasper. Industry and Education Politics and expensive land are among the factors formulating high-tech policy. Joe Culkar reports. Engineers and the Recession Jim O'Hagan updates current college recruitment. A Monopoly on Life Departments Charley Kline uncovers some of the mystery of the versatile DNA molecule. Tech Teasers 4, Forum 5, Technovisions 14. Technotes 18, Technovations 25. Tech Profiles 27 On the Cover: The governor of Illinois is making a bid to draw high technology industry to the state. Will tasks like this fill the idle hands of Illinois workers in the future^ t photo by Randy Stukenberg) EDITORIAL TECH TEASERS Film at Eleven 1 kniiw the semester was long, and there was mit much time to spend on things other than the hare essentials: eating, sleeping, studying, and drinking, not necessanly in that order. Few were the times we watched the news or perused a newspaper, but we really do have a responsibilty to keep up with our volatile surroundings. Therefore. 1 suggest that over the winter hreak we all try to watch what happens in the news. With this in mind I'll throw out some issues that you might want to pay attention to. • Extra Strength Tylenol. Extra Strength Anacin. and several other over-the-counter medications including eye drops were tampiered with b\' someone who intended to harm innocent people. Why do crazy people victimize the public with their poisoning schemes, and how can we prevent them in the future? • How long will the marines stay in Lebanon? • Since U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter has ruled ti.e last draft registration invalid, will we all have to go through the whole painful process again? • How did 198 people who earned over S200.000 in 1980 get away without paying a cent in income ta.xes? • If Northwestern University tuition is taxed by the city of Evanston. how could that affect the University of Illinois' relationship with the cities of Urbana and Champaign? • Will the Illinois State Scholarship Commission receive their requested 239^ increase from SI 34 million to $165 million to allow a maximum grant of S2300 as oppt)sed to S2000? • Leonid Brezhnev has died. What relationship will President Reagan have with the new Soviet leader. Yuri Andropov? • Will we ever know the whole story of what happened to Lech Walesa during his impnsonment in Poland? • What went wrong with the shuttle pilots" space suits to prevent them from venairing out into space for the first American space-walk in nine years'.' • Another 700 layoffs at Illinois based agricultural equipment firms increased the states already soaring unemployment rate. Which is worse — high unemployment, inflation, or both of the above? • Who really is the governor of Illinois? • The Urbana-Champaign Senate approved the proposal to move Reading Day to the Saturday prior to final exams. Why did the faculty senators ignore the desires and needs of the students? • Is the Reagan administration pursuing an isolationist tack by insisting that valuable European allies obey U.S. economic sanctions against the Siberian oil pipeline? • Several states passed non-binding resolutions for a freeze on nuclear arms in the recent elections. The people obviously want a change. How long can we collect the weapons of our own destruction at a break neck pace? • The stadium seems to sway during football games, but structural engineers hired by the University said it was nothing to worry about. Now the University wants to use the stadium for commemcement ceremonies. Will it fall down during graduation? • Now that the football strike is over, do people realize the economic anguish it caused several major cities with football teams? How can professional sfwrts have such impact on a city? • Illinois state schools are begging for more money from the state, but the Governor says there is none to be had. Is there a better way to fund higher education? So there is my list of suggested issues to watch over break. Sometime in between all the yuletide cheer read Time or some other publication besides a text book. You might even make it a New Year's resolution to make a habit of watching the world around you even during school. f/^jjvy^ 0. Ujiyv^yy- 1. 32.547.891 x 6 = 195,287.346 On both sides of the equals sign, all nine digits (1 through 9) are used once, but not necessarily in order. Find another instance where this occurs, using 6 as a multiplier again. 2. A sportsperson wishes to go skiing in the mountains for a week. She packs up her 170 cm skis in a mailing tube for the plane flight, only to find that the airiine will not accept any package that has any dimen- sion greater than one meter. Undaunted by this troublesome rule, she re-packs her skis in a manner that the airiine will accept. Can you figure out how she packed them? She did not have folding skis, and she did not alter their physical configuration in any way. 3. Find the smallest number which when divided by 45 leaves a remainder of 4. by 454 leaves a remainder of 45, by 4545 a remainder of 454, and by 45454 a remainder of 4545 . 4. In 1928. the month of Februar>' had five Wednesdays. Find the latest year before 1928 and the earliest year after 1928 where this same amazing thing happened. There are many other dates before and after 1928 where it occurred, and you ma\ find them if you wish. 5. How many triangles are in this fi- gure? .4;i,vucr.s on page 24 FORUM STAFF ^Rgh Fidelity Piracy by Eric Guarin Ruffians with eye patches, wooden legs, and parrots perched on their shoulders are not often seen by the average person; however, one may see dozens or even scores of pirates daily. No. not during Halloween and no, not during the filming of a new swashbuckling epic; these "pirates" are pirates of a different sort. The professionals among them can make six-figure incomes with sales comprising a reputed 30 to 50 percent share of popular tape and other music markets. The more gentile and refined of them can even be found in New York's Metropolitan Opera House. But just what sort of "pirate" is under consideration here'.' That's an easy question; music pirates, and not of the "Pirates of Penzance" sort either. Copyright law governs the legality of most forms of copying: words, pictures, music, etc. Copyright laws change with time, but the general idea behind the laws is to fairly reward the artist and other involved parties for their efforts. Consequently, when Joe buys an album and makes a tape of said album for use in his car, that's fine, since when he originally bought the album part of the price he paid went to the artist as royalties. On the other hand, Joe cannot legally borrow an album from Jane and tape it, because the artist then gets nothing from Joe's use of his composition. If Joe not only tapes the album but sells the tape, this hurts the artist even more, since he not only gets nothing from the transaction but the legitimate sales of his work are being cut in two. Of course, the public may not care _ab out the artist's fate, or about the fate of ^^e person who helped the artist produce the ^Work. Therein lies a basic conflict. Unlawful taping is exactly ^lat — unlawful — iiut few really seem to IB'e, and they tape anyway. Why would all Tnese people knowingly violate the law? There are two main reasons: lack of enforcement, and economics. Perhaps the, biggest reason people make illegal recordings has to do with money; this is true for both the professionals who are making money and for more common people who save money. New albums or tapes cost about eight dollars each; at those prices, buying illegally for less gains a certain definite appeal. An example is in order. As an altemative to buying illegal recordings, a person could watch for sales and shop discount music stores or mail-order houses. Depending on the listener's taste in music, this can decrease the cost of a single album to four or five dollars. On the other hand, a premium grade tape will cost somewhat less and will accomodate two single albums, for under half the cost per album on the legitimate market. If just adequate fidelity suffices, decent tape may be purchased for less than one dollar for a length of tape which accomodates two albums. This corresponds to one eighth of the cost of buying new records, and the illustration serves to show how do-it-yourself taping can really save money. Exactly why these savings are worth the risk of incarceration is easy to explain; the risk is very small. Although professional "pirates-for-profit" are indeed caught and prosecuted, punishment may not be very severe; and home tapists who do not sell their work are even less likely to get caught. Also, home taping lends itself to rationalizing; it is easy, for instance, to simply believe that record companies inflate profits so ridiculously that they deserve to be ripped off. Of course, a savings of fifty to ninety percent lends a lot of weight to such reasoning. What the whole mess boils down to is this: record companies scream bloody murder and say "that's not legal" while people tranquilly reply "who cares?". Home taping is like speeding; although it's illegal, people do it anyway. The law should concentrate on the speeders more than home tapists, who aren't nearly as dangerous. In the meantime, "damn the torpedoes" and full (tape) speed ahead! Foram is intended a.s an open exchange of views and ideas on areas of interest to the Engineenng campus. All Uni- versitv students and facults memberi. are invited to contribute anicles for Forum, Anicles mav be editorial in nature, and must be signed. Editor Production Editor Business Manager Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor Photo Editor Features Editor Design Assistant Design Publisher Production Manager Adviser Editorial Staff Steve Alexander Rob Busse Doug Campoli Tushar Chande Joe Culkar Tad Dierkes James Ehrhart Robert Ekblaw Jane Fiala Elayne Fletcher Mary Kay Flick Business Staff Brian Carlson Jeff Lee Donna Obermaier Copynght Ulini Publishing Co., 1982 Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760) Vol, 98 No. 3 December 1982 niuiois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Published by lllini Publishing Co , 620 East John St.. Champaign, Illinois. 61820 Editorial and Business offices of the Illinois Technograph R^K^m .^02 Engineenng Hall. Urtana. Illinois. 61801. phone |2I7) .1.1.1-17.10 Advertising h\ LiiterMurravBamhill. Inc., 1,128 Broad- wav. New York. N,Y., lOOOl; 221 N. USalle Street, Chica- go,' [L,, 60601 Entered as second class maner. October 30, 1920, al the post office al Urbana, Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated. Kevin Wenzel Larry Mallak Jim Lee Charley Kline Raymond Hightower Randy Stukenberg Langdon Alger Nancy Grunthaner Beth Beauvais E. Mayer Maloney, Jr. Geoff Bant Ed Mast Eric Guarin Chris Konitzer Laura Kosper James O'Hagan Bill Proctor John Przybysz Thom Roe Doug Shaw Andrew Saporoschenko Yuki Spellman Robert Strahanowski Living with Disabilities Educational and living services allow disabled students more opportunities. b\ Robert A. Hkblaw This i.v ihi' M'ctmil pcirl oj a two pan xeries on facilities available I m hamt- icapped people on campus. The first part appeared in the November. N,\2 issue. Imagine walking down W'nght Street. All ot a sudden, a strange electronic hum is heard t'lom behind. Then, a low \oice is heard call- ing, ""txcusc me. may 1 get through'.'"' A young man in a wheelchair passes and rolls onto a metal platt'omi next to a bus. The plattomi rises slowly, till it is level with the floor of the bus. The doors close. and the bus drives away. The letters on the side read. •"Rehabilitation Hducation Center."" How was the bus equipped to handle the man. and where did the man li\e.' The Di\ision of Rehabilitation Educa- tion Ser\ices has the answer to these questions. The Uni\ersity ot Illinois Rehabilitation Education Program be- gan in 1947 on the University "s Galesburg Campus. When the Gales- burg Campus closed in 1949. the program moved to the Urhana- Champaign campus. This program, headed by Professor Timothy J. Nugent, concentrated on providing accomodations for paraplegic and quadnplegic students. Now housed in the Rehabilitation Education Center at 1207 Oak Street, the program is responsible for the arrangements for ramp construction and building refurbishing, as well as exciting extras like the bus lifts, special sports competitions, and the Beckwith Living Center. Professor Nugent, long concerned with the needs of these extraordinary students, devised many original ideas. The Rehabilitation Program here at the University was the first such program to be initiated at a major educational facility. The bus lift, a metal hydraulic platform used to raise wheelchairs from the ground to the bus. was another technical advance created by the Re- habilitation Program. Their national debut was here on the University campus. In fact, until 1980. the University of Illinois was the only college campus in the nation to use a bus lift, and they have been in service here since 1949. In 1965. the program moved into the Rehabilitation Education Center, its present location. It contains areas focused toward the handicapped saidents as well as business offices. There are counsel- ing otfices. medical oftlces. a library, a meeting room, a recreation rix>m. and a physical therap>' department. The physical therapy de- partment handles special exercises, instruction, and skills designed to tone both the mind and bod> of the student. The center also contains services and instructional facilities used to train handicapped students and their aides. For example, the center is responsible for instruction in man\ of the technical utilities available at the center for use by the handicapped. These utilities include braille printers, tape recorders, and talking computers, all of which where either designed or tested by people who attended the University of Illinois. From w ithin the halls of this building. Professor Nugent and his staff ctxirdinate activities, facilities, and instruction for the handicap- ped students attending the University. Some of the activities and accomplishments of members of the Reiiabilitation Education Ser- vices program are: 1. Issuance of varsity letters to outstanding wheelchair and blitl University athletes. 2. Selection of a woman wheelchair athlete as Athlete of the Year, as well as several wheelchair athletes of both sexes for Athlete of the Month. .^. Initiation of pilot training for individuals in wheelchairs with the University of Illinois Institute of Aviation (this program has pro- duced over 50 licensed wheelchair graduates). 4. Development of the Ms. Kids women's athletic teams. 5. Continuing the growth of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, which was began at the University of Illinois in 1948. This program now has 165 teams in 27 conferences. 6. Appointment of a director, chosen from the staff at the Re- habilitation Education Center, to head a special committee to the NCAA regarding creation of a series of intercollegiate sports for wheelchair and other disabled athletes. 7. Research into a multitude of technological, educational, and other disciplines for the purpose of assisting handicapped students and personnel. 8. Merging of physical therapy and exercise therapy into a sing- le, comprehensive clinic, as well as training qualified personnel in athletic training, sports medicine, and other fields which benefit those with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Education Center and the Division of Rehabi- litation Education Services have received many state, national, and international awards and recognitions for the large number of projects completed at the University for use by paraplegics. Several " "experi- ments"" run by University students or staff, supervised by members of the Center or the Division, have been emulated by organizations all around the nation. The program here at the University of Illinois was instrumental in creating a new educational field which has to do with the design and construction of tools to assist in the daily living of paraplegics. This field, called Rehabilitation Engineering, is avail- able to students at many universities across the country. The work of Professor Nugent and the Division of Rehabilitation Education Ser- vices has made all this possible. The center"s work has not stopped with the activities, education, training, and facilities it has instituted to date. Several years ago. it realized that the domi facilities for paraplegic living were inadequate. With a healthy donation from Guy M. Beckwith. a retired Illinois farmer, construction began on a new living center for handicapped students. Ground was broken on the two-hundred block of East John^ Street in Champaign. Finally, in August 1981. the first student |r moved into the new building. It was officially dedicated on May 12, 1982 as the Guy M. Beckw^ith Center for Paraplegics. Beckwith. as stated by Professor Nugent, is ""the first of its 0^- kind."" It is the only facility in the nation specially designed as a Iiv^_ ing quarters for the severely handicapped. The Living Center is de- finitely the best furnished facility for handicapped citizens. The first fioor of the two-story construction contains twenty sleeping/study The Guy M Bechvith Center far Paraplegics, (photo by Jane Fiala) rooms for the occupants of the hving center. These rooms contain the finest in technological aids. The light switches are large indented plastic platforms, that activate with Just a bmsh of a hand. There is a push-button intercom on the wall, enabling the residents to signal the directors of the center. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Thorton. if there is anything wrong. The telephone is connected to a speaker intercom system (similar to that used in business offices), so that it is not necessary to hold the phone up to the ear to talk or listen to the per- son on the other end of the line. There is a nurse's call button by every bed which can be activated with just the press of a button. Ev- ery room has a smoke detector and emergency sprinkler. The bath- room has a low sink accessible from the wheelchair and a bar next to the toilet to allow the resident to transfer from his chair to the seat. The lounge is located on the first fioor, complete with a color television. It is a great place to watch television, meet with visitors. or just relax after a long day. Next to the lounge is the dining room and an adjoining kitchen. Beckwith has a live-in cook who makes three meals daily for the residents. The dining room has tables that are low, only inches above the armrests of the wheelchairs. This en- ables the residents to wheel under them and eat in perfect comfort, without having to reach up to rest their arms on the table. The tables are connected to the walls, in such a way that they can be raised and stored within them when not in use. Thus, the table has only one '"leg", located at the very end of the table. This eliminates the need for the ""extra" legs that would only be an inconvenience for a per- son in a wheelchair. • The last room on the first floor is the library. Not only does the irary contain books, but it has three PLATO terminals for use by c residents. Needless to say. this is one of the favorite rooms of both residents and visitors. j^ Accessible by an extra-large elevator (to allow room for several ^^eelchairs), the second floor of Beckwith contains two more sleep- ^ig/study rooms, as well as one-bedroom and two-bedroom apart- ments. A married couple, the husband being a paraplegic student. lives in one of the two-bedroom apartments. Each of the bedrooms and apartments on the second fioor has a wooden terrace, accessible through a glass patio door. These terraces serve both as scenic over- looks and as fire escapes. Perhaps the most interesting of the rooms on the second floor of Beckwith is the ""efficiency apartment." This place has several ap- pliances found in an average home, with a few subtle difl'crcnces. The oven, stove, and dishwasher have touch controls. The refrigera- tor has several low shelves, since those in wheelchairs could not reach up high. The folding ""hide-away" bed is hinged so a slight push will retract it into the wall. The closet is large and wide, enabl- ing the paraplegic to just roll his wheelchair in. The bathroom has all the aspects of those on the first floor, plus it has a shower with a seat. If the person does not have the ami strength to lift himself out of the chair onto the seat, a special shower chair is available. The chair, a water-resistant version of the common wheelchair, would just wheel into the shower. The shower seat is hinged and is just lilted and locked against the stall wall. The second floor also contains a medical office. Beckwith has two professional medical staff members and eight pre-nied students available to them for use in medical situations. Next to the medical office, there is a large room used for emergency care, if needed. As of yet, it has not been needed, so the RX)m has been u.sed as a lounge. Beckwith houses twelve paraplegic residents at the present time. All of them attend class at the University, in the same classes and majors as everyone else. The residents are detemiined to be like everyone else and to be able to make it on their own. At Beckwith, they are allowed to do everything they can before receiving help. The major job of the staff at Beckwith is to regulate the diet and health habits of the residents. Since most of the residents were victims of car or sports accidents, they knew an active life before, and are ex- tremely determined to remain active. Most of them are involved in fraternity, sorority, and campus activities. From talking with the resi- dents of Beckwith, one can realize the strength of their detemiination. It is painful to think of what their lives would be like without the work of Professor Nugent and the Division of Rehabilitation Educa- tion Services. T Opto-electronic Chips Research is being conducted on an improvement to the electronic chip. by Kob Kiisse Twenty five years ago, the transistor v\;is still an infant device. The basic theorv' behind this dc\icc \\as still beins: explored b\ U;irdeen, Hall. Ha\nes and Shockley. arni)ng others. Out ot the work ot these [X-'ople sprung a revolution in the field of electronics. Now, a newly developed technology offers a substiuite for the widely Used electnmic semi-conductor chip. Researchers working at the LIniversity ot Illinois Solid State Devices Laboratory, led by Nick Holonyak Jr.. are developing a new type of integrated circuit chip which uses photons instead of electrons to carry the signal through the semi-conductor chip. Holonyak is v\ell known for de\eloping the first red light-emitting diode (LKDl and the red solid-state laser. His work with solid-stale lasers still continues in llolonyak's present research. Holonyak has been working with gallium ai'senide (GaAs) and aluminum arsenide (AlAs) semiconductor lasers. When layers of GaAs and AlAs are fabricated one on top of the other, they form a heterojunction laser which emits light of 1.42 eV. which is in in the near infa-red region. Holonyak has been using 45 A layers of GaAs sandwiched between 150 A layers of AlAs. with one chip consisting of 40 of these layers. At these narrow widths, the quantum mechanic wave nature of the electrons becomes important. Under nomial conditions, the light emitted from a GaAs-AlAs laser is prop- ortional to the energy difference between the electron energy levels in the GaAs and AlAs. When the widths of the GaAs layers are decreased, the wave nature of the elec- tron affects the differences in electron ener- gies. At very narrow widths, the electron has a wavelength equal to the width of the GaAs layer. Since the energy of an elec- AIGaAs chip with CJaAs-AIAs laser tron. Eo = he ^ X (h = Plank's constant, c = speed of light. X = wavelength), the energy of an electron is increased by mak- ing the GaAs layers narrower. Increasing the energy of the electrons in the GaAs. causes the energy difference between elec- trons in the AlAs and the GaAs to decrease. This results in an emitted light with lower energy. Usually, a GaAs- AlAs laser emits light of 1.42 eV. By making the layers of GaAs narrower. Holonyak has been able to make lasers with energies anywhere between 1 .42 eV and 2.00 eV. The result is a wider range of available laser light. Semi-conductor las- ers are very efficient and small. A quarter millimeter square semi-conductor laser can emit as much pwwer as a three foot CO: laser. Because of their small size and effi- ciency, semi-conductor lasers are very use- full. Being able to create the wavelength of light required is a desirable quality in a las- er. Since semi-conductor lasers are small, a large number of them can be fabricated on GaAtAs laser l?() A 45 A one small piece of semi-conductor material. Holonyak's group fabricates their lasers by forming a crystal with 40 alternating layers of 45 A thick GaAs and 150 A thick AlAs. With these dimensions, the lasers emit light with an energy of 1.61 eV. Zinc is then introduced into the crystal except where the crystal has been protected by a mask. The small amount of zinc disturbs the uniformity of the layers of GaAs and AlAs so that a crystal of AIGaAs is fonned with regions of the fomier GaAs-AlAs crystal lattice left untouched (Fig. 1). The result is many areas of GaAs-AIAs imbedded within a crystal of AIGaAs. Since the GaAs-AlAs lasers are formed in a semi-conductor material, other kinds of semi-conductor devices can be formed in the AIGaAs along with the lasers. With the other devices present, the chip begins to Sj look like an integrated circuit. € (7) CciAs-AIAs laser (T) Transistor or any other solid state device ® Photo-diode or similar device which changes the light signal into an electrical signal •mm optical waveguide conduction path e signal is electronic 7 signal is a light wave Depicted is a simple opto-electronic devwe. A light signal enters and travels down the optical path to a photodiode where the signal is spin into an electrical signal and an optical signal. The electrical signal is sent to a transistor, while the light signal is transformed into an electrical signal, then back to a light signal by a laser. The resultant light signal is then sent to other devices. Although they are still in the theoretical stage, these new chips will consist of lasers and transistors contained in one crystal. The lasers would be used to receive a signal coming into the chip and then send the signal to various parts of the chip through optical waveguides or tlbers. Transistors in a section of the chip would be connected by conduction paths so that electrons would be used in these parts of the chip. When an electrical signal must be sent a sizeable distance to another section of the chip or to another chip entirely, the signal would be fed into one of the lasers and a light signal would be directed to the necessary place, where the light beam would be reconverted into an electrical signal. (Fig 2.) The lasers would replace many of the ^pctrical connections in conventional Wtegrated circuit chips. The reduced number of electrical contacts would mean a reduced ^jsceptibility to electrical noise and interference. The lasers would be used to connect different kinds of chips to form larger circuits. Different chips could even be formed in layers on top of each other with the lasers connecting the signal to the different layers. This would enable circuitry which normally consists of many integrated circuit chips mounted on a circuit board to be formed in one layered opto-electronic chip with each layer doing the job of one of the conventional integrated chips. This kind of fabrication would lead to further miniaturization of electronic circuits. The age of the opto-electronic chip is still at least 25 years away, predicts Holonyak. His group of researchers is still involved with exploring the properties of the GaAs-AlAs lasers so that opto-electronic chips may one day be fabricated. "Twenty-five years ago, we were working on putting a layer of metal-oxide on silicon," Holonyak said. "We didn't actually build the devices. That's the stage we're at now. We are developing the theory of these devices which will then allow other f)eople to design circuits out of opto-electronic chips." Holonyak further explained that his work was primarilly developing better GaAs-AlAs lasers, which is the heart of the opto-electronic chip. Some of their next experiments involve subjecting these lasers to pressures of over lO.OtX) atmospheres. High pressures exerted on the layers of GaAs and AlAs would cause the thickness of the material to vary, which would affect the wavelength of emitted light. The opto-electronic chip is a promising innovation in electronics. Holonyak's group of researchers are just beginning to explore the building bkx;ks of this chip. In time the opto-electronic chip will become as common in everyone's life as the electronic chip is now. All because of some research in solid-state lasers now going on in the University's Solid State Devices Labor- atory. T Tlie Dispersion Analysis Exhaust dispersion near a roadway is influenced by the turbule}ice a?id heat generated liy moving vehicles. Findings at the General Motors Research Laboratories have provided a new understanding of the dispersion process. Tracer Concentrations g Upwind Downwind G^ lr\ u I ^'\ E / 1 ^ Distance from the road (m) Figure 1: Obscmed (solid lines) and predicted (dashed lines) tracer enneentrations near ground leifl as a function of distance I'roni tin edge of the road Hlacl; lines indicate the cas, in lehich the wind IS perpendicular to the road, gray lines, when the wind is nearly parallel to the road and opposing the upwind-lane traffic- Figure L* This representation of a roadway t'iemd from ahoir shows the location of large ivrtices formed tfy local wind shear when the wind opposes the upwind lane traffic BY USING the conservation- ol-mass equation, one can describe the dispersion of gaseous molecules in the atmosphere. The equation includes terms for advec- tion, diffusion, sources and sinks. Advection is the transport of air parcels by the mean wind; diffusion is due mainly to turbulent mixing. But the equation is useful only if we have information about the wind and temperature fields in the atmo- sphere. Specifically, our ability to predict vehicular exhaust concen- trations near a road depends on knowledge of the effects of \'ehicles on these fields. The conservation-of-mass equation for the mean concentra- tion of any species, C, is ac . v a(U,C) _v a at "^r ax, ~r!a^, .(^.S,)- rXW'NWIND 1..ANK TR.XKKIC ' rs O^'^^ vJ «1 where Ui is the mean wind velocity and K,, is the eddy diffusivity ten- sor. This equation applies when the length scale of mixing is small compared to that of the variation of the mean concentration. Near a road, this condition is met if the a\eraging time for the concentra- tion and wind velocity is much longer than the time interval of ve- hicular passage. For a straight roadway, a long averaging time allows one to assume spatial uni- formit\' in the direction parallel to the road, and to ignore the spatial derivati\'es in that direction. The input information for K.j and the mean crossroad and verti- cal wind components near a road- way became available as a result of a large-scale experiment con- ducted by the General Motors Research Laboratories. The ex- periment has provided an under- standing of the influence of moving vehicles on mechanical turbulence and buo\anc\' near a roadway. Dr. David Chock was responsible for the design of the experiment and the analysis of the data. The experi- ment, which duplicated a heavily traveled, level roadwa>', was con- ducted under meterological condi- tions minimizing dispersion. Moving vehicles affect the mean crossroad and vertical wind components in the following wa\'s. \ehicles act as an obstacle to the mean wind, causing it to slow and mo\'e upward as it approaches the \ehicles and downward as it leaves the road. In addition, vehicles re- lease heat, which causes a net up- ward motion. It was established that the increase in the mean verti- cal wind component due to the ex- haust heat was (B/U), where U is the crossroad wind component. The buoyanc\' Hux, B, is propor- tional to the heat emission rate of the vehicles. Moving vehicles also en- hance both turbulence intensity and mixing. To determine how this modifies the edd\- diffusivity ten- sor. K,,. Dr. Chock invoked a "sec- ond-order closure" assumption, which relates eddy diffusivity to Reynolds stresses and the gra- dients of mean wind velocity and mean temperature. Eddy diffusiv- ity was assumed to be the sum of ambient and traffic contributions. To determine the tratific contribu- tion, the length scale of the trafific- induced turbulence was assumed to be comparable to vehicle height— 1.5 m. USING THE vast data base compiled during the experi- ment. Dr. Chock was able to spec- ify Kjj and the mean crossroad and vertical wind components, and solve the equation numerically. To test the model, half-hour measure- ments of a tracer gas were used to map out experimentally the ex- haust dispersion under various me- teorological conditions. The case where the wind speed is low and tlie wind direction is nearly perpendic- ular to the roadway is represented by tlie black lines in Hgure 1. Both the model and the experiment show the same dispersion ])attern. The peak concentration is on the down- wind roadside. When the wind is nearly par- allel to the road, the situation is much more complicated. F'igure 2 shows that when the wind and tratlfic flow on the upwind lanes op- pose each other, a high shear re- gion occurs immediateh' upwind of the first traffic lane. When the wind and traffic are in the same direc- tion, the high shear region occurs in the median of the road, hi these high shear regions, large eddies are generated and turbulent mixing is intense. The gra\' lines in I^'igure 1 show a comparison (jf the model's predictions with the tracer data for the case illustrated by Figure '1. Notice that the peak concentration can actually occur on the upwind roadside, due to the exhaust trans- port by these large eddies. Dr. Chock's model is the first to predict this occurrence. Under all combinations of wind speeds and directions, the predictions based on the model compare favorabh' with the mea- sured tracer concentrations. There is little systematic bias with respect to wind direction. "In light of this new model, exhaust dispersion near a roadway can now be predicted with reliabil- ity," says Dr. Chock. "This is of importance for environmentally sound road planning, and opens the door to the investigation of disper- sion on city streets, where the pres- ence of tall structures introduces even further complexity." THE MAN BEHIM) THE WORK Dr. Da\'icl Chock is a Senior Staft Research Scien tist in the En \' ironmen t al Science Department at the tienera Motors Research Laboratories. Dr. Chock received his Ph.D in Chemical Physics from the Uni \ersity of Chicago. His thesis con cerned the quantum mechanics of molecules and molecular crystals As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Free Uni\ersit\' of Brussels, he did research work on the dynamics of critical phenomena. He did addi tiiinal postdoctoral work in the fields of solid-.state ph\ sics and fiiiid tlynamics. Dr. Chock joined the cor poration in 1972. He is leader of the GM atmospheric modeling group His current research interests in elude the phenomena of atmo si)heric transport and reactions and the statistical study of time series data. General Motors A New Breed of Reactors Nuclear fuel controversy burns from Tennessee to Washington. by Laura Kasficr !'lu' Clinch Rivi'r Hrcedcr Ran tin- Plain Pnijecl (pholo courtcsx of Project Maiuisicinent Corp.) % For over twenty years the feasibility a breeder reactor in the U.S. has been thoroughly researched, and the research has finally gone the way of production. As with every major issue, though, the thought of a reactor in Tennessee has raised quite a controversy. The Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant Project, in planning stages since 1972, will be the first breeder of its kind in commercial production in America if it receives Congressional approval. It will utilize plutonium-239 (Pu^"^) and uranium-238 (U-'"*)in a fission process that produces an excess of fuel. Plutonium-239 is the fissionable material. It collides with a neutron, which causes the plutonium to break apart and release a large quantity of energy in the form of heat. The heat is used to boil water and create steam that rotates the blades of a turbine. The axle of the turbine turns a generator that produces electricity. The fission process also produces two to three neutrons. One of these keeps the chain reaction going, and the other one or two are absorbed by U-238, which becomes Pu-239. This brings the process back to step one. where Pu-239 was used as the initial fuel. The process has completed its cycle, and at the same time, it has provided energy for public use. As planned, the Clinch River Plant will be a Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR). This type of reactor utilizes a metal, in this case sodium, at temperatures above its melting point. "Fast" refers to the velocity of high energy neutrons as opposed to "thermal", which refers to the lower vekx;ity of lower energy neutrons. Governments worldwide consider the LMFBR to be the most practical of all typeg of breeders. There are breeders in operatioiP today such as the Phenix in France, the BN-350 in the U . S . S . R . . and the PFR in the United Kingdom. Although the research has been V completed and parts such as steam generators have been contracted and built, the project is still having problems in Congress. Under the Nixon administration, the planning was begun, and the project Shown is ihe fission reaction undergone hv Plutonium when struck by a neutron. The process produces three neutrons, heat, and two Jission products usually about half the mass of Plutonium. ^uld have been completed by late 1982 if the Carter administration hadn't been so vehemently opposed to its construction. As of this writing. Congress is split over the issue. It is quite likely that the project will be completed, however, due partially to President Reagan's pro-nuclear policies, and also to the suppwrt of Senator Howard Baker. According to plan, the Clinch River Plant will be located in Oak Ridge. Tennessee — in the state that Senator Baker represents. The plant will create 4,100 jobs at the height of construction, and about 240 employees will be needed while the plant is in operation. The 4.100 jobs would be an economic plus for Tennessee, thus Senator Baker wants the project for his state. Critics of Clinch River have compiled a surprisingly large number of arguments against the completion of the plant. A Senate subcommittee has published a report detailing many of its major criticisms entitled ""A Cost and Technical Fiasco". The three main arguments cited in the report are financial abuse, safety quirks, and the effects of obsolescence in a project of this size. The project was originally financed at S669 million, but due to delays and what the committeemen refer to as financial abuse, it now carries a price tag of $3.2 billion. There have been legal problems having to do with contracts that are unclear and incomplete; there are some contracts that are lacking in technical specifications. Labor costs, along with the costs of several delays have turned a S5 million steam generator into a S7I million project. Although the people in charge of Clinch River claim to have everything under control, the coolant used in the reactor has ^»:ome a controversy. The liquid sodium ^Rd for heat transfer is highly volatile. Another safety problem concerns the fof plutonium as an energy source, ics are worried about using plutonium to the high security risk. They imagine terrorists infiltrating the Clinch River plant and stealing plutonium to produce nuclear bombs. Also, this fear will add to the breeder's price tag in the form of more elaborate security systems. Fission of Plutoniuin-239 0- Heat The obsolescence angle is another worry. Though Clinch River would be a first for the U.S.. breeder reactors already in existence in foreign countries are more innovative and technologically advanced than the one which still lies on U.S. drawing boards. The subcommittee members argue that Clinch River would be a waste of money and time if it turns out to be obsolete prior to its existence. Proponents of Clinch River have counter-arguments for all of the preceeding points. They claim that the overall price has been increased due to stalling on the part of Congress. When the project was started in 1972, it would have cost much less than today's projected cost. As far as safety is concerned, this is not the first, nor will it be the last instance where engineers will work with and benefit from the properties of hazardous materials such as sodium and plutonium. The toxicology of both elements has been well researched. Much has been done to inform the public of the importance of breeder reactors. The U.S. Department of Energy has been in charge of managing the Clinch River Project; other day-to-day management duties are handled by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Commonwealth lidison Company, and Project Management Corporation. The Project Management Corporation was organized especially for the Clinch River project. These companies have all put money into the project; their latest public relations campaign was a display at the 1982 Worid's Fair in Knoxville that featured a full-scale mock reactor core along with a computer game explaining the details of the plant. Some of the economical details of the plant's function include a breeder's relatively low cost in the long run. Not only does it produce more fuel than it uses, but U"""*, used in a breeder with a neutron to create Pu"''', is virtually useless in its present state. The conversion to plutonium fuel enables efficient utilization of existing stockpiles of U""'', which presently consists of over 280,000 short tons. If used in a breeder, that much uranium would have a potential energy equal to 2,400 billion barrels of oil. Theoretically, no more uranium would have to be mined for several centuries. Clinch River is the U.S.'s first step toward relying on nuclear power in massive quantities. Clinch River will have the capacity of generating 375 megawatts of electric and operate under the Tennessee Valley Authority System. The breeder has been referred to as a "stepping stone to a 1200 megawatt plant". It is a basic, logical step in research and development to build a plant of this size. Also, the project is 86% complete, waiting only for a license from the government. If the plan is halted at this stage, over a billion dollars in equipment and technology would be lost. Now it is up to Congress to decide whether Oak Ridge, Tennessee, gains a nuclear breeder reactor or a $1.2 billion pile of scrap metal and ore.T 13 TECHNOVISIONS «l text .iiul photos b\ R;iikI\ Stiikciilx'rg Liberty Bowl Bound The Fighting IMini finished regular season play with a 7-4 record, qualit'ying them tor a Liberts Bow I hitl. which will be pla\ed on December 2.S. Ihis will be the hni's tlrst bowl game appearance since the Rose Bowl in 1^)63. Quarterback Tony Easiin and kicker Mike Bass broke seven NCAA and Big Ten passing and kicking records. Next yeiir. . .'.' Rose Bowl. Rose Bowl, Ooh Ah. 15 Industry and Education Bonding business and education is a sticky situation. by JcK- C'ulkar Unknown to many people here at the university, the Governor's Task Force on High Technology has been working on making recommendations on how the state can attract high-tech industries. Tlie Task Force submitted its ten page reph Technology orgcmizalions luive III reach hci;iiii !<) come to the Champaign area. This Construction Engineering Research Center is located in an industrial park located on Mattis Avenue near Interstate 57. Left: The Water Resources Lahoratorx will be moved to Adler Center, a former home for mentally retarded citizens. (photos by Randy Stukenberg) Below: The new Microelectronics Research Lab will be located in the Water Resoitr.<:es Building on the corner of Springfield Avenue and Wright Street, (photo by Steve Alexander) subcontractors, and various technical tasks. After the project was completed. Mr. Carroll went on to found several successful local companies using the technology and. more significantly, the experience he gained from working on the project. The Illiac IV project also provided skilled jobs for local residents. These jobs and the skills developed by the project team members play an important role in attracting industr>' to this area. An area such as this can appear to have all the essentials desired by a company: a university, inexpensive land, and a helpfull local govemvent. But if there is no skilled labor in the area, forget it. It is expensive to relocate workers and time-consuming as well as exf)ensive to train them. Industry is nauirally attracted to those areas that already have a large, well-trained work force. Attracting industry is not an "overnight" operation. It is going to take years. The work force needs time to expand, and various support industries, such as metal fabrication and printed circuit board manufacturing, need to gain a foothold in the area. It is also not simply a matter of expanding existing facilities. The University, the state, the Champaign and Urbana governments and the residents are going to have to work together on the "long term plan" mentioned in the Task Force's report. It is step forward that the State has decided to help build a microelectronics facility here on campus. It is also progressive that they are going to use existing buildings in order to save time and money. But what about working on a state research park? The Task Force submitted its repKjrt eight months ago and the first steps were taken in August toward its implementation. The planning of the microelectronics center should not slow the efforts to establish a research park or work on any other of the Task Force's recommendations anywhere within the State, but should serve to rekindle interest. T 17 LETTERS TECHNOTES New Solutions to a Miner Problem lo the Hditor: Concerning Tech Teaser I (Nov. 1482). why do you need 7 weighings? It seems much easier to use only 3! (1 ) Put the 3 and 7 kg weights in the same pan and weigh 10 kg of gold (note the weights aren't even necessary as one can divide the 20 kg into two 10 kg portions in the first weighing). (2 & 3) Divide the two 10 kg portions into 4-5 kg portions. Have I missed something? Mike Binder, Associate Professor. Mechanical Engineering To the Editor: When creating the solution to the first Tech Teaser of your November issue, you certainly outdid yourselves. Although the miner may require seven weighings to apportion his 20 kilograms of gold evenly among his four children. I suggest that any engineer worthy of his ptK'ket protector could handily distribute the wealth in no more than three weighings and without using the weights. Sincerely. Dave Fathauer Indeed, the easiest solution is 3 weighings without the weights. In the words of one of my former professors. "I was just testing you." Good to know you are all awake! — Features Editor Illinois Technograph invites lellen. in response to ns anicles jnd edilorials. or .in\ other item ol imeresi to our readership .■\ni''es. photopniphs. and other contnhutions will also be cor sidei^j. LcneT>. must be signed, but names will be withheld upon request. by Langdon Alger Bucks for Brains Just a quick note that may be of interest to all, as it points to the apparent importance of a technical education. Governor Thompson has outlined a program that will provide assistance to ""low-income youths" who want to be trained in some form of high technology — via scholarships. TTie program is being carried out by the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) in ten areas of Illinois. Thompson has allocated $300,000 between the DCCA and the Community Service Block Grant funds. This is how it will work: the money will be given to community college students who are fiscally disadvantaged and interested in computer science, engineering, electronics, and medicine (medicine is now considered high-tech). These students will be awarded maximum scholarships of $1000 per year. The students in the 10 areas of Illinois in which the DCCA is implementing this program will receive their shares of the $300,000 from now through August 1983. and a statewide program will take over from then on. Thanks, Evans & Sutherland TTie University of Illinois is one of the fourteen universities across the country that will receive a PS 300 Computer Graphics Systems from Evans & Sutheriand Computer Corporation. Seventeen other universities have already received the donations. The U. of I. is receiving the generous gift because the school is involved in applying state-of-the-art computer graphics to several different education and research fields. Like the UIUC. all the other schools are applying these computer skills to the areas of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering. Computer Science, and Geophysics. Evans & Sutherland's business is special purpose computers used for graphics, and their PS K)0 system is the first in its family of new graphics display systems. The system has the capabilities of real-time, three dimensional imaging O without large computer intervention. Evans & Sutherland's products currently appear in some pilot training simulators, and plenty of them are being used for engineering, research, and design applications. GiUies Lectures This is the year for the seventh annual Gillies lectures, and the speaker will be Professor Arthur Burks, from the University of Michigan. The lectureship was endowed through the University of Illinois Foundation, which was given a generous contribution from the Digital Equipment Corporation for the honor. It serves as a memorial for Donald B. Gillies, who passed on in 1975 after serving as a computer science faculty member here at the College for nineteen years. Burks is a professor in both Philosophy and Computer & Communication Sciences at Michigan. He helped to develop the logistics of an electronic digital computer in the late '40s at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, and the design eventually became the model for modem-day computers. Burks has also been awarded quite a few honors, including the Louis Levy gold medal of the Franklin Institute, an honorary doctorate from DePauw, and the Russel lectureship at the U. of M.: the latter is the highest honor a senior faculty member can receive at that school. Professor Burks will arrive in February to lecUire and work with the computer science students and faculty. Super Center Governor Thompson is showing more interest in building up Illinois' high ^ technology rating, and he's starting with tl^P school. He announced that Illinois will use 5.25 million dollars over the next three years to establish the University's jt Microelectronics Center. I ^^ This is the second cooperative project from the Task Force on High Technology, the first being the biomedical research park in Chicago's West Medical Center. The Task Force is trying to group together high technology research and private industries to make Illinois a high-tech center, and all of the Task Force's projects are supported by Thompson's administration. It is up to the University to obtain three million dollars from private sources to buy the equipment for the center. About two-thirds of those funds will go to the development of an electronic beam lithography installation, which is used to make integrated circuits. The UIUC will be one of four schools across the entire country that will have the same capability as the Microelectronics Center. This whole thing is just one more of the many that puts this school into the ranks of a landmark. NSBE Regional Conference On the weekend of November 12-14. Region IV of the National Society of Black Engineers held its 1982 regional conference at the Americana Congress hotel in Chicago. In attendence were six representatives from the University of Illinois Chapter. The primary purpose of NSBE is to encourage blacks to pursue careers in engineering. To fufill its goal, the society sponsors scholarships, problem-solving comjjetitions, and social events on both the collegiate and high school levels. Since its inception in the early seventies, NSBE has planted chapters at over one hundred universities throughout the United States. • At the conference, several events cured at once. There were seminars and aiscussions at which decisions were made about the growth and structure of the •ion. There was also a job fair, at which Jents could discuss internship opportunities. While the seminars and job fair were in progress, students from several Chicago area high schools competed in a technical quiz contest, in which they were required to solve several science and math related problems (Tech-Teaser number two was one of the competition problems). Although much of the weekend was spent in a business atmosphere, there was some time for the conference participants to get to know one another. As one Illinois representative put it. "The conference was enjoyable, but it was productive as well. At the end. there was a definite feeling of accomplishment." Todd Barrowdift, senior in biomechcinics . employes an overhead single frame projector and computer located in the Biomechanics Research Laboratory. He is analyzing how gait patterns change in walking with no shoes to tennis shoes to high heels. Making Future Leaders The sixth annual Engineering Student Leadership Conference took place on November 13, and it was quite a success. The program began at 8:30 in the morning, continuing on through 3:30 that afternoon. Everyone who attended felt that it was a worthwhile experience. Once the participants had registered for the day's activities. Associate Dean of Engineering Howard Wakeland. Engineering Council President George Mejicano. and Engineering Council Personnel Vice President Donna Fritzsche combined their efforts to deliver a rousing intrcxluction. Afterwards, seven workshops were conducted, each exploring a different phase of the leadership enigma. Professor Jackson, professor emeritus in psychology, held the first general workshop, called "Knowing Yourself." in which he discussed how a person can measure himself against his abilities. Jim Trail gave a concurrent talk on "Delegating Authority" during the second session, as did Hugh Satterlee on "Communications," and Jim Pracher on "Planning an Event." During the third session, Stuart Lemer and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, David Offner gave concurrent sessions on "Types of Leaders" and "Brainstonning." Toby Kahr ended the day with a general session, "Evaluations." where he discussed the evaluation process as seen by the manager. This year's conference continued in the tradition that has been set for the past five years: those who attended left with new knowledge about the field of management in general. With the latest statistics showing that by 1990, 50% of all management personnel will have technical backgrounds, it is good to know that such leadership conferences are being offered to engineering students at such an early point in their careers. 19 Engineers and the Recession Jobs are not as plentiful as they used to be. bv Jim ()"Hauan lla^viiicnt Statistics pca'cnl employed pcaeni employed in Illinois percent in graduate sehcxil l iiliiiiiililiiBi With the increasing emphasis on high technology industiy in the United States economy, the need for engineers to plan, design, and implement new systems and machinery has become great. This is reflected not only by the steadily increasing starting salaries offered to graduating engineers, but also by the heavy emphasis placed upon technical know-how by the nation's top corporations and govemment agencies. Nevertheless, post-graduation employment is by no means certain, even for graduates in this vital field. While unemployment nationwide hovers around 10 percent as the United States finds itself plunged into it's worst business slump since World War II. even the traditionally economy-proof engineering field is feeling backlash. And so are graduating students. Major companies such as Xerox. Atlantic-Richfield. and Ford have slashed hiring by 20 to 25 percent since one year ago. ■ "This time is the worst job market in a decade," said David R. Opperman. Director of Placement for the University of Illinois College of Engineering. Job offers are fewer and the increase in salaries is smaller than the past couple of years. "Last fall was the most active (more companies talked to sUidents) of any fall in the last decade." explained Opperman. ■ 'This took place at a time when the job market was decreasing rapidly, however." As a result, their plans didn't result in the same action, and job offers declined 35 percent below the levels of the previous ^ year. V "By spring," Opperman continued, "they (the companies) were beginning to see the recession was for real. There was ^ decreased action over the last year and job^ offers continued to come in 35 percent slower than the spring before." 20 Number of May Graduates Bachelor of Science in Engineering ■56 -58 ■«) '62 'M '66 '68 '70 '72 '74 '76 '78 'HO Increase of Average Salary I in percent) i Now that the economy is mired in a deep recession, job offers continue to lag behind levels of past years. The number of companies talking to smdents has declined, although it is still too early to determine the number of job offers for fall engineering graduates. ""This fall is not as active as last." explained Opperman. "Action is 33 percent below last fall." Of the hundreds of job offers received each year, only 31 have been recorded to date, as opposed to 52 a year ago. Opperman is quick to point out however, that "It is really too early to say much about the offers. I'm not expecting this fall to be worse than last fall or last spring." Job offers are expected to keep up with last year's levels because while companies hire fewer graduates, they also visit fewer schools. As a result, the number of job offers per student interviewed remains essentially the same. In fact, some companies, such as Johnson and Johnson, have found they are free to be more selective in their hiring practices because other companies are cutting back. The long-awaited economic recovery now forecasted by many analysts should benefit job-seekers graduating next spring. "This fall 1 see a bottoming out. Offers should increase by the spring semester," predicted Opperman. Indeed. 310 companies have already reserved dates to conduct interviews for the spring semester; roughly one company for every three graduates. This number can go up even further notes Opperman. "It is entirely possible because companies haven't reserved dates and if the economy begins to recover they will be reser\'ing dates then." Once the country' pulls out of its current economic difficulties, the demand for engineers is likely to climb again. Fortune magazine recently reported that the demand for new engineers is likely to grow at a rate of 10 percent due to the shortage of trained engineers currently in the market. Although larger corporations can be satisfied with physicists or draftsmen who can do engineering work, smaller, less diverse Conlinued 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 21 o companies are hurting. Once a stronger economy trees these businesses to hire quaht'ied personnel, the demand for engineers will rise again. This shortage ol' engineers has even prompted a number of economic models to forecast the direction of this engineering demand in the years to come. The .American Asstxialion of Engineering S(Kieties lAAKS). with the help of the National Science Foundation, is prepanng a mathematical model that will predict the number and distribution of engineering graduates for the next ten years, reports Chcmual unci Enginecrini^ News. The \alue of such predictions is great in that they v\ill aid schiH>ls and employers in planning for the iirrival of upcoming graduates. In fact. the .American Electronics Association forecasts that 15.(K)0 electrical and computer engineers will graduate in 1985 for a ni;irket in need of 5 1 .(TOO engineers. The demand for engineers has resulted in a nse in starting salaries. "GeneralK siK'aking. there are bigger intluences on supply and demand although wages are a function of each."' explains Opperman. Since 1956. wage,; decreased only in 1972. a low point in recruiting. "This time, in the worst job market in a decade. I still see a slight increase." Oppemian predicted, although he cautioned this increase would not approach the double-digit percentages of recent years. Because of the drop in interviewing companies this year, changes in the college placement system were developed to aid employment-seeking graduates. Because non-interviewing companies obviously had no lob openings, interviews had to be increased in other ways. This was accomplished by granting more interviews to students graduating in this semester than previous years had seen, with fewer interviews scheduled for next semester's graduates. As a result, fall graduates had a better opportunity to find jobs immediately after graduation. Because of the large number of jobs available to engineering graduates in the past, other difficulties have arisen. With wages rising at double-digit rates, more graduates are choosing to enter the work force rather than attend graduate school and earn advanced degrees. This results in fewer engineers qualified to teach, and thus, increased competition for professors. This has hindered state universities in particular. Unable to compete with wages offered in the job market or by private institutions, many schools have had to delay hiring plans. Since 1975. the percentage of graduates chtiosing to attend graduate school from the University of Illinois has dropped from 32.6 percent to only 20.4 percent last year, while the number of undergraduates has nearly doubled. This decrease reflects not only the strong job market for engineers over the past few years, but the difficulties in recruiting felt by top graduate engineering schtxils. Fornmi' recently reported similar statistics. Although the number of engineering undergraduates has doubled in the last 10 years, the number of Amencan Ph.D.s graduating who are qualified to teach these students has acOially declined from about 3.tX)0 to 1.800. As a result, classrooms are more crowded, and students at some schools are being told they should expect to wait five years before graduating so they can find room in required courses. The reason behind both of these trends is the high salaries offered by large busines.ses. While graduating engineers with merely a B.S. degree find st;ming salaries in business hovering near S22.(XX). salaries for professors for the nine-month year are little higher. A survey by The American o Council on Education noted that over 10 percent of engineering-faculty positions of U.S. engineering schools were vacant in 1980. Although most professors can make additional wages by advising businesses or doing summer work, the corporate job market remains attractive. One advantage of teaching has traditionally been the increased oportunity for research. No longer is this the case as many businesses, realizing the threat from foreign competitors, are originating new research departments to preserve their technological edge. Despite the changing conditions under which today's graduating engineers seek employment, the skills and attributes sought by recruiters remain essentially the same. Although specific types of jobs may call for specialized training in a given field, recruiters are basically searching for employees with high grades in their technical classes. "I don't think many recruiters look at electives," explained Opperman. "Instead they're looking for academic performance, leadership potential. and previous engineering experience. Some recruiters might look for extra- technical background, but for the most part class performance is important. Specific jobs are different." Success in college along with experience in the field can help hopeful graduates find work. Coupled with the efforts of college placement offices and an upswing in the economy, the attributes of today's graduates will reverse the downswing in job offerings not only to their benefit, but to the benefit of the expanding businesses for which thev will work. T 22 A Monopoly on Life A new frontier of science allows ^ientists to design and manufacture life. bv Charlev Kline ^^ It"s a little like getting in on the act of creation itself. Using a biochemical technique known as recombinant DNA synthesis, it is possible to modify the activities of living organisms in order to serve a particular function with a new branch of science called genetic engineering. To understand how the operation of a living creature can be changed, let us first examine the mechanics by which an organism performs its assigned duts'. Within every cell's nucleus is a set of chromosomes — a string of genes unique to the organism. Each gene is a coiled strand of DN.A (deo.xyribonucleic acid), which forms the genetic material of the cell. The structure of the DNA molecule. the famed "double helix" proposed by James Watson and Francis Krick in 1953. is what makes it ideal as a carrier of the genetic code. DNA can be visualized as a spiral ladder, with the uprights formed of alternating sugar and phosphate groups. The rungs of the ladder are formed of four organic bases; adenine (A), guanine (G). cytosine (C). and thymine (T). Adenine and thymine form a strong chemical bond when located opposite each other on the chain. Similarly, cylosine and guanine form especially strong bonds. This means that the two strands in a DNA molecule are complementary; rungs are formed of the four compounds in any of four combinations; AT. TA. CG. or GC. By reading the code along one side of the chain, say . . . ATGCACGTCG .... the genetic makeup of the cell is determined. Now. the genetic code is used by the cell to build protein molecules. Protein molecules are composed, like a train of ^^oad cars, of building blocks called • amino acids. There are 22 amino acids, and since there may be many thousands of amino acid groups in any given protein molecule, the possible number of proteins is virtually infinite. Each cell has its own set of proteins which it uses to pierform its job^ — a cell in the human adrenal gland, for example, builds proteins of adrenal hormones, while an in\ading strep bactenum produces proteins which are toxic to human cells. Each cell must also produce proteins to gi%e itself energy, to reproduce its own substance, and to defend against bacterial invaders. Each protein a cell produces is manufacttired from a particular segment of the genetic code. A blueprint, if you please, of the protein is stored in the DNA of the nucleus as follows: Every amino acid is represented in the DNA as a group of three ladder rungs. Each such group of three is called a codon. The amino acid valine, for example, may have AAG as a codon. Certain codons are reserved as stop codes. to signal the boundaries between protein blueprints in the DNA. Consider, then; by appropriately adding or changing portions of the 2;enetic code in the DNA of a cell, the cell can theoretically be made to manufacttjre any protein, or to perform any function. This is the concept of genetic engineering. Through the careful manipulation and splicing of the DNA genetic code in the nucleus of a cell, the cell's function can be altered to suit man. And. since the cell is still alive and still reproduces, once one of these organisms is manufactured, it makes copies of itself and need only be grown in a medium and distributed to customers. How does one go about altering the genetic code of a cell? One way is to let the organisms do it themselves. Recently, a strain of bacteria has been made to consume otherwise non-biodegradable chemical waste. Normal bacteria were first allowed to multiply in a nutrient solution. Then the nutnent concentration was decreased while in&oducing small amounts of the waste compound. Through natural differences in the genetic makeup of the individual bacteria, and through cooperative conjugation, some of the bacteria in the solution were able to survive the change in environment. They were then allowed to grow until their numbers equaled the onginal colony size. The process was repeated, with successively decreasing amounts of food and increasing amounts of chemical waste, until finally the bacteria found themselves subsisting only on the chemical waste product with no other food around. Through environmental manipulation, a new strain of bacteria was artificially evolved to serve a certain purpose. Another method of artificially creating new organisms is to splice new genes into the organism's chromosomes in the laboratory. This method recei\'es most of the media attention since it is more sensational. Supfxjse a pharmaceutical company decides to make an organism which will produce human growth hormone (HGH). an otherwise very expensive compound obtainable only from the pituitary glands of human cadavers. The first step is to isolate the gene in the cells of the human body responsible for producing HGH (since each cell in an organism contains the genetic makeup for all cells in the organism, no matter how spjecialized. the genes can be obtained from, say. skin scrapings, and not necessarily from the pituitary' gland itself). This is an arduous task which involves analysis of the HGH protein and of the human genetic code itself Once the proper gene has been isolated, it is extracted from the DNA molecule using enzymes which cleave the DNA into pieces at the proper stop codes. Coiinnued 23 Ihcn an appropriate bacterial strain is selected to receive the HCill-priKlucini: DNA segment. Bacteria arc used because their gene- tic code is far simpler than that of humans, and the job of splicing the DNA is consequentl) easier. Often, the strain H. Coli. the bacter- ia present in human intestines, is used, since it is easily obtained and has been studied eNtensi\ely. Also through the use of enzymes, the foreign DN.A is spliced into the genetic code of one bacterium The bacterium is then placed in an incubator and allowed to reproduce .M'ter large colonies of the nev\ strain of bacteria ha\e been pni- duccd. all that needs to be done is to tap off the HGH that they ha\e K'cn producing due to the genetic implant, purity it. and release it to hospitals. All the real work is now done; the company can simpl> let their newly manufactured organisms make the drug and watch the profits roll in. Organisms anificiallN altered in the laboratory to date include a strain of bacteria to break down ocean oil spills into hannless siiluble conipounds. and cells to produce human insulin. The companies which did the reasearch work to produce the new life ha\e obtained patent rights on their products. The supreme court ruled that life it- self, if presented in the form of an original prcxiuct. is eligible for a patent. Although this would seem to have little impact on strains of bacteria, current research is leading towards recombinant DN.A synth- esis of higher organisms, and the critics fear that the thought of a monopoly on higher life forms is too frightening to allow research to continue. Another area of criticism is that of safety. Like any expanding frontier of science, recombinant DN.^ research is highly ex- perimental. .Sometimes mistakes are made, and the resulting organ- isms may not perform the desired function. Nomially. the products of such errors are destroyed. However, if such an organism were to be earned free of the controlled laboratory environment (remember that oiiK one need escape, since bacteria reproduce b\ di\ision. and that these bacteria cannot be seen with the naked eye), it could find its way into the outside worid. and there could ha\e unpredictable effects. It could, for example, cause an unfamiliar disease in humans. or consume a scarce resource. The scientific community has enforced strict laboratory isolation rules on itself in the area of recombinant DNA research. It insists that such a danger is minimal, and that the current uproar is unwarranted, .^t a biological convention. go\emment standards were set tor labor- atones involved in such projects. In more recent action. howe\er. the stringent rules were relaxed slightly, in view of the greater under- standing and control biologists are achieving over their experiments. The ability to alter life to suit man smacks of science fiction, and there are many possible consequences of the current research, such as strange new diseases and patents on life, which seem to coiiie out of a fantasy novel. But. like any other advancing field, it can be expected to be met with cnticism. The mass pnxluction of critical compounds such as insulin. Human Clotting Factor V'lll (used in treating hemophiliacs), and interteron is a great accomplishment for our science. And since this research helps to solve other biologic- al mysteries such as the causes of cancer, perhaps genetic engineering is worth our applause and respect as a true server of mankind. T 24 ENGINEERING RESUME DISCOUNT PACKAGE AT The Clean Machine ^ Copy Shop 621 S. Wright St. 359-1500 Typing Picture Screen 50 Copies (#70 Paper) $ 1.80 $ 4.00 $ 5.00 $ 5.00 $15.80 OVERNIGHT SERVICE 1.00 DISCOUNT with coupon $14.80 MONDAY-FRIDAY 7;30AM-10PM SAT 9-5 SUN 10-6 o Tech Teasers Answers From page 4 1. 94.857.312 x 6 = 569.143,872. 2. She found a cubic box with one meter edges. Then she pT placed the skis along the diagonal that connects opposite comers of the box. It can be shown algebraically that the length of this diagonal is exactly equal to the square root of three, which is greater than 1 Jj m (or 170 cm. the length of her skis). C. 3. The smallest number is 35.641.667.749. Another number is 46.895.573.610 or any multiple thereof 4. TTie new calendar was adopted in 1752. so there are no years where this happened before then. The times it occurred were the years of 1764. 1792. 1804. 1832. 1860. 1888. 1928. and 1956. If we go past 1982. the years of 1984 and 2012 are also blessed with the phenomenon. So the answer is 1888. the last year before 1928. and 1956. the first year after 1928. 5. There are 35 tnangles in the figure. TECHNOVATIONS Langdon Alger Here is Son Fnmiisio as seen fom 500 miles ahcvc. This picliiic was taken by General Electric' s Landsat I satellite EnGulflng Land Spirolite is a special kind of lightweight plastic pipe that remains malleable when heated. It is produced in diameters from ten feet to eighteen inches, and is practically non-corrosive and unbreakable. It weighs a tenth as much as concrete piping, and a sixth as much as iron piping. With credentials like those, you can imagine it must have a use in the oil business. Indeed, the high-density polyethylene piping is going to be produced in Gulf Oil Chemicals Company's (GOCHEM) new plant in Waxahachie, Texas. GOCHEM purchased the land in September, and the plant should be finished in the fall of 1983. Part of the reason this plant is being built is because the pipe is so econcTiical. Spirolite's lightweight structure means that it can be installed much less expensively than •er of its iron or concrete counterparts. It I has an infiltration-free linkage system which makes for lower maintenance costs. Spirolite was introduced in the U.S. in «, and has been gaining popularity in us sewer and water systems ever since. It has been around outside the country for 20 years, and will no doubt continue its long success internationally. Only You Can Prevent Fires It tends to be difficult to imagine how a company's product can feasibly be "two decades ahead of its time," but Pyrotronics" XL3 Advanced Protection System definitely seems to surpass any state-of-the-art fire alarm system. This package intertwines three separate systems: fire/smoke/heat detection, supervision, and alarm control. The system consists of two parts; a main control panel and the satellite systems. The control panel keeps tabs on all the satellites, continually checking them to be sure they are functioning. It will also tell you if any one of the satellites are in alarm condition or out of order, displaying its number on the control panel. The satellites can be any one of a number of different types of equipment, but most of the time they are the detectors. They utilize photoelectric, ionization, and contact devices to identify the presence of a hazard. The satellites can also be external horns or bells, or extinguishing systems. The system will tell you when any of the detectors have found a hazard, or when one of them is installed incorrectly. The system will stay in control when only a few of the detectors go into alarm condition, will tell you where the detectors are, and what kind of emergency exists. You can set the detector sensitivities, test them, and output performance reports. You can even make use of special options, such as timers that will pause before discharging extinguishers for health and safety sake. Another Bright Idea Many new products are hitting the market, but every once in a while there is one that outshines all the others. Such is the case with this simple, ordinary, not highly technical innovation. It is called Redilite, from a company in California called The Idea Works, and it is the greatest help in the dark since the lighted pen. The Redilite (under $3) is installed in a drawer or cabinet with the double-faced sticky tape that comes with it. Once it is installed correctly, it turns on whenever you open the door or drawer. It has a rolling •wo-way switch that causes this to happen, and it operates on two A A batteries. The light it gives off is bright enough to light the entire drawer, cabinet, or wherever it's put. Just think of the possibilities. . .use it in the car's glove compartment, in an underwear drawer, in workshop storage compartments, the refrigerator, and anywhere else imaginable. Dump it on Somebody Else A computer which disengages while hard-copying can be quite a problem. Quadram Corpwration, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has a solution that makes tons of sense. Microfazer is its name, and it is a printer buffer. It simply consists of a small box, and it stacks well with other peripherals like modems. All the user has to do is dump the data to be printed into the Microfazer, which accepts it as fast as the computer dishes it out. Then the buffer takes over, dumping its data onto the printer, freeing the computer for use again. This can more than double the efficiency of word processing systems, and triple the efficiency of graphics systems. This printer buffer has at least 8000 bytes of memory, and depending upon what model you purchase, or how much memory you add through plug-iii memory interface cards, you can get up to 512K bytes — the upper limit of expansion for the new IBM personal computer. This is the first printer buffer that comes with up to a half-megabyte of memory, which is equivalent to about 250 typewritten pages. TTie original models were u,sable only with a parallel computer and a parallel printer, but the new line also has units compatable with serial-serial, serial-parallel, and parallel-serial systems. Thus the Microfazer can be added to any system on the market. Tlie price of the Microfazer varies depending on memory and model, starting at $169, and continuing on up to $1395. 25 Fellowship In 1949, Hughes awarded its first fellowship. Since then, more than 4.000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships — advanced degrees to prepare the men and women of today to meet tomorrow's technical challenges. Hughes Aircraft Company will again offer more than 100 new fellowships in the coming year for graduate study in: * Engineering (Electrical. Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) ■ Computer Science ' Applied Math * Physics Just a few months from now, you could be working on your fylaster's. Engineer, or PhD degree — and receiving from Hughes * Tuition, books, and fees ' Educational stipend * Full employee benefits ■ Professional-level salary * Summer employment * Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to $40,000 a year As a Hughes Fellow, you will gam valuable technical experience working summers at Hughes in Southern California or Tucson, Arizona. Work Study Fellows study at a nearby university while working part-time at Hughes. Full Study Fellows work at Hughes in the summer and study full-time during the regular academic year. The range of technical assignments available includes the option of the Engineering Rotation Program to diversify your work experience. Fellowship Story, An invitation to advance your education and your career — with assistance from a company that is advancing the frontiers of technology. Write yourself in. Fill out and mail the coupon, or write to Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept 104. BIdg 4006/W870, Culver City. California 90230 Creating ^ uorld mlh eteilf HUGHES Proof of US, Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer .Write yourself int Hughes Aircraft Company. Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. 104. BIdg. 4006/W870, Culver City, California 90230. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and materials. PLEASE PRINT Name City I am interested in obtaining a .Engineer degree DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelors: Date ty/Iaster's: Date Zip .Doctorate f TECH PROFILES Gary Eden ^^k and photo by June Fiala David R. Opperman text by Raymond Hightower Jack Groppel lexi and photo by Dove Colbiirn In 1972, J. G. Eden received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland. College Park. He later received a Masters in 1972 and a Ph.D. in 1973, both of which he earned from the University's Electrical Engineering department. Dr. Eiden was awarded a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associateship at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. in 1975. In 1976 he joined the Laser Physics Branch of NRL where he studied the rare gas-halide exciplex lasers and the photolytic and proton beam pumping of visible and ultraviolet lasers. He joined the University faculty in August of 1979. He spends a large amount of his time in the Gaseous Electronics Laboratory where he is working on the development of lasers in both the visible and ultraviolet ranges. These lasers have applications in communications and power transmission. He is also studying the multi-photon excitation and ionization of rare gasses with applications toward the study of kinetics of rare gas halide molecular formations. One •the newest areas of Dr. Eiden's research in excimer lasers, used in the growth and production of semiconductor films. «ln the Gaseous Electronics Laboratory ke are fourteen students and they have covered seven new lasers within the past year. Among these is the first high temperature (above 400 °C) discharge pumped molecular laser which uses cadmium iodide. Smwm i V ^ As the time of graduation gets closer, the engineering suident begins to look for an employer that can use his newly aquired skills. It is more than likely that this search will lead him to the engineering placement office, which is under the direction of Dean David R. Opperman. Opperman entered the University in the fall of 1942 as a student of electrical engineering. After his fourth semester, he joined the Navy V12 program and was sent by the Navy to the California Institute of Technology, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree. Following Midshipman's school at the University of Notre Dame, he spent three years on active duty in the Navy. Dunng an eight year period as an instructor at Chanute Air Force Base, Opperman worked towards his Masters of Science degree here at the University. In the spring of 1956 he was awarded the degree, and in the fall he began his faculty career as an instructor for a course equivalent to today's GE 103. In the spnng of 1957. Oppemian was appointed part-time Assistant Dean of the College, while still serving as part time instructor. He was apf)ointed full-time Assistant Dean in the fall of 1957. As Assistant Dean, he directed the University's newly begun co-op program. In 1973, Opperman was appointed director of placement, and the co-op program was absorbed by the placement office. As director of placement. Opperman acts as the liason between company personnel departments and the College. Day-to-day duties include arranging meetings and interviews. Although Opperman spends alot of time working, he does find time to relax. Camping and hiking are among his favorite recreational pursuits. Most engineering professors start their education in some science-related field and finish with a doctorate in their field of concentration. Assistant professor Jack Groppel did it a little differently. In his undergraduate career at the University of Illinois, Groppel earned his B.S. in agriculture in 1973 and went on to get a masters in physical education two years later. However, it was not until he went to Rorida State University that he started studying in his field of concentration, human movement science. He received his Ph.D. there in 1978, and then retumed to Illinois to become an associate professor in this field. Professor Groppel teaches Phvsical Education 130 and 355. P.E. 130 focuses on basic human motion. In P.E. 355, Groppel takes these basic concepts and teaches the application of cinematography to analysis. He also heads the Biomechanics Research Laboratory. Groppel specializes in racket sports. Recently, Groppel tlew to California to apply his expertise to John McEnroe, who had a stumbling problem. High speed filming demonstrated that he reacted faster than his feet could. Groppel detemiined that a special type of shoe would solve the problem. Professor Groppel is proud to report that since McEnroe started wearing this shoe, his record has been 24-1. The one loss was to Bjom Borg. lllinl I'ublishini) Conipanv The mini Publishing Company is proud of its tradition of service to the students, faculty and friends of the University of Illinois. Our student-operated media entertain and inform while pro- O viding the student managers and employees a valuable experience to supplement their classroom education. ^ The Daily lllinl newspaper is a consistent award winner in collegiate and professional competition. For more than 100 years, Ul students have combined their editorial and advertis- ing knowledge to produce a high quality newspaper five days a week. th illini WPGU, FM 107, is one of a very few completely {pl/ifi student-operated radio stations in the country. Seven days a <^ {C)fv? week, 24 hours a day you'll find students working on program- ming, playing music, selling and producing commercials and being involved in community and University promotions. \A/PGU The lllio yearbook is a respected tradition that preserves the events of the University. Each year creates new memories that are presented on the pages of the lllio. Student staff members work long hours to make the Ul experience a valuable one to be remembered forever. lllio L 83 Illinois Technograph magazine reports on one of the nation's ^ J \r Q I e truly great engineering programs. New develop- YKf^ 11 MQ/^ P jl Pll nnents in research are detailed as are achieve- ' fcW" WWwKMI^il rrients by faculty and students. Technograph is dis- Magazine { o r F, n fi i n c o r s tributed on campus to engineering faculty and students as well as to all high schools in Illinois. Illini Publishing Company, student-operated media at the University of Illinois, 620 E. John Street, Champaign, IL 61820 (217] 333-3733. GULF-ENERGY iGuHtfJc REATING-ENERGY WERE 1KFPING NEW Were GulfOil Corporation. And we'U be ^"^^Sm^ on campus to look for something very much in demand these days. New energy. Specifically, new human energy. The fast-changing energy field will continue to be one of the most exciting and rewarding places to launch a career. And Gulf has exceptional opportunities for new people with new ideas about finding and developing Americas fuel resources. . If you're about to earn your degree in Petroleum Engineering, we d like to meet you. We re also interested in Chemical and Mechanical Engineers. In Geology and Geophysics majors. In Computer Science, Accounting, and Business Administration majors. In students in Petroleum Land Management programs. And in people in technical discipfines with a flair for sales. Check the placement office to confirm a date for our Gulf Representative s visit. And sign up for an appointment. If we miss you, send your resume to Coordinator, College Relations, Dept. B, P.O. Box 1166, Pittsburgh, PA 15230. ^ , ,, Gulf is a world leader in training young, motivated people to solve todays energy problems. When we find you, we'll be that much farther ahead For a 15^4" X 20'*s" color poster of this illustration, please send your request lo: Poster. College Relations, PO Box 1 166, Pittsburgh. PA 15230, (: GulfOil Corporation. 1982. An Equal Opportunity Employer IF-YOU-CAN-DREAM-IT-YOU Expand the mind of: the microchip. Remember when electronic calculators were considered a luxury'' Well, consider this sign seen recently outside a gasoline station in Schenec- tady, New York: "Free calcu- lator with an oil change. " That s just one sign of the enormous impact micro- chips have had on the way we do everything - from banking to game-playing. But how will we use micro- chips that are smarter, faster, more reliable, and less expensive to design'' How will these new micro- chips be used to improve systems, products, and pro- cesses'' As one GE engi- neer puts It, "The sky's the limit!" That sky is replete with a number of integrated circuit concepts that GE is apply- ing right now. There's the custom IC, a chip that performs highly specialized functions. Tradi- tionally creating this chip has been an expensive, time-consuming job. So we're working on ways to cut design time and cost We're using computer- aided design (CAD) to design and simulate chips right on computer screens We're also developing gate arrays, a system that allows you to build inexpen- sive prototype chips that can be "played " in systems before the final design is fixed. Another area that GE is developing is VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated) circuits. These ICs will eventually squeeze one million transistors onto a single chip. Where will all this super electronic power be applied'' GE engineering manager Don Paterson sees It this way: "At GE you can innovate from the system down to the chip to create whatever ignites your imagination ' In other words, you can dream it. and do it WE BRING GOOD THINGS TO LIFE An equal opportunity employer. m Illinois Technograph February 1J£ Newstand )8, Issue 4 ^IFT L EXCHAMGE DcPT, 2?0A MAIN LIBRARY JNIV OF ILL ATTNl- S. GLAJHILL N/-?'? : .;■•*: ■• mt- ^mia^^.. mggmag^ '^ts^Fh^ Li a^^^m hH ^R^^^' i^rr* ^^H 1 IpS^ • Engineering against the wind The Cluoiiiiiuii Mecliamsni TJw first amipreJwnsive explanatiofi of electrochemical activity during the plating of chromium has recently been finDiulated at the General Motors Research Laboratories. This understanding has aided i)i transforming chrojnium plating into a highly efficient, high-speed operation. Complex Concenl ration O O^H«-^0-S-0- II II II h -X)-Cr-()-Ci-0-Cr-OH O () 0<-*H<-^0-S-0- 1 1 aK *^ ! •5 mVj H,CrO,/H^.ftalin Figure I: Tlw chrlrouftivc lonifihx and a theoretical pli>t 0/ its oimrntrtitinn as a function ofchrnmic acid to snltitric acid ratio. Figure 2: The etectroactice coni/dcx diffuses from the hulk electrolvte solution (A) through the diffusion layer (II) to tlic Hclmhollz double layer (C) to be discharged as melallu chromium (I)) on the cathode (F) surface. FOR MANY industrial applica- tions, chromium coatings of more than 0.2 mil thickness are required for wear and corrosion resistance. But the conventional method of plating chromium is neither fast nor efTicient. Nor, un- til the recent work of a GM researcher, had the steps involved in the century-old plating process been explained in detail. Through a combination of theory and experiment, Dr. James Hoare has devised the first comprehensive mechanism for chromium plating. This increased understanding has helped electrochemists at the Gen- eral Motors Research Laboratories develop a system that plates chro- mium sixty times faster than the conventional method, while improving energy-efficiency by a factor of three. The electrolyte for plating is R • • • • • •• - > >\v » • . • . -V • • * r.s • . • • •:•/ • • ••••.;/ . .' • -•? • • • -••;•! ■ • * • * . • • •-• a chromic acid solution which contains various chromate ions: chromate, dichromate and trichromate. F"rom a series of steady-state polarization experi- ments. Dr. Hoare concluded that trichromate is the ion important in chromium deposition. Sulfuric acid has been recog- nized as essential to chromium plating and has been assumed by some to be a catalyst for the proc- ess. In this strongly acidic solu- tion, sulfate should be mostly present as the bisulfate ion (HSO^)~ . Dr. Hoare found, contrary to expectations, that the addition of sulfuric acid to the plating bath decreased the conductivity of the solution. Combining these findings with the results of previous inves- tigations. Dr. Hoare concluded that the electroacti\e species was a trichromate-bisulfate complex (see F"igure 1). From equilibrium con- siderations, he theorized that the maximum concentration of this .species occurred at a 100-to-l chro- mic acid/sulfuric acid ratio. The observation that the maximum rate of chromium deposition also occurred at this ratio supports the conclusion that this trichromate- bisulfate complex is the electroac- tive species. During the plating jjrocess. the complex diffuses from the bulk solution toward the cathode (see Figure 2). Electron transport takes place by cjuantum mechanical tun- neling through the potential energy barrier of the Helmholtz double la>er and the unprotected chromium in the complex (Cr atom on the left in Figure 1) loses elec- tons by successive steps, going from Cr + ''to Cr + -. Decomposition of the resulting chromous dichro- mate complex takes place by acid hydrohsis to form a chromous- owbisulfate complex: +. Cr-O^H--0-S^O II The positive end of this com- plex is adsorbed onto the cathode surface. Electrons are transferred from the cathode to the adsorbed chromium ion. forming metallic chromium and regenerating the (HSO,)" ion. Thus, Dr. Hoare's mechanism explains how sulfuric acid, in the form of the bisulfate ion, participates in the plating process. IT HAS long been known that chromium cannot be plated from a solution when initially pres- ent as Cr + ' because of the forma- tion of the stable aquo complex. [Cr(H20)H]+'l Yet chromium can be plated when initially present as (J,- -Hi (.yg,-, though it must pass through the Cr + ■' state before being deposited. Dr. Hoare's mechanism handk'S this jjaradox by explaining that the chromium ion being deposited (on the left in Figure 1) is protected by the rest of the complex as it passes through the Cr + ' state, so that the stable aquo complex cannot form. The diffusion of the elec- troactive complex apparently con- trols the rate of the process, so that shortening the diffusion path increases the speed of chromium dei^osition. A high rate of relative motion between the electrolyte and the cathode will shorten the path. This can be accomplished by rapid tlow or by agitation of the elec- trolyte. Dr. Hoare found that the rate of chromium deposition increased with electrolyte flow until the proc- ess was no longer diffusion-con- trolled. He also found that the use of dilute electrolyte significantly increased jjlating efficiency. "This project is an excellent example," says Dr. Hoare, "of how basic research and engineering principles can be combined to develop a new, successful process. Now, we'd like to take on the chal- lenge of plating successful 1\- from Cr+ ', which would be an even more efficient way to provide corrosion and wear resistance." General Motors THE MAN BEHIND THE WORK Dn James Hoare is a Research Fellow at the General Motors | «s Research Lab oratories. He is a member of the Electrochemistry Department. Dr. Hoare served as an elec- tronics technician in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War. In 1949, he received his Ph.D. in phys- ical chemistry from the Catholic University of America. After an assistant professorship at Trinity College in Washin.gton, D.C., he joined the US Naval Research Lab- oratory as a physical chemist. He became a staff member at General Motors in 19(i0. Dn Hoare's sustaining inter- est has been in electrochemical kinetics and the mechanisms of electrode processes. He is best known to the scientific community for his basic studies of hydrogen and oxygen electrode mechanisms. His book. The Electrochemistry of Oxygen, published in 1968, is con- sidered a work of primary impor- tance to the field. In addition to his work on chromium plating, he is responsible for the fundamental research that helped make elec- trochemical machining a precision process. Iinois Technograph February 1983 Volume 98 Issue 4 8 10 16 Removing the Over-the-Counter Menace Jim O'Hagan How can drug manufacturers go about making their products sate against tampering? The Multifarious Laser Tushar Chande Laser processing olTers many advantages over traditional methods. The Ins and Outs of Water Towers Mary Kay Flick Water towers require intricacies to perform their many duties. Against the Wind Raymond Hightower The most popular motorcycle fairing manufacturing firm operates in nearby Rantoul. Departments Editorial -S. jcch Teasers 5. Technotes 13, Technosations 21. Tech Profiles 23 Editor; Kevin Wenzel Production Editor: Larry Mallak Business Manager: Jim Lee Copy Editor: Charley Kline Asst. Copy Editor: Raymond Hightower Photo Editor: Randy Stukenherg Features Editor: Langdon Alger Design: Nancy Grunthaner Assistant Design: Beth Beauvais Publisher: E. Mayer Moloney Jr. Production Manager: Geoff Bant Adviser: Ed Mast Editorial Staff: Steve Alexander. Rob Biisse. Dave Col burn. Doug Campoli, Tushar Chande. Joe Culkar, Tad Dierkes. James Ehrhart. Robert Ekblaw. Jane Fiala. Elayne Fletcher. Mary Kay Flick. Eric Guari'n. Pete Kacmarek. Laura Ka.sper. Chris Konitzer. James O'Hagan. Bill Proctor. John Przybysz. Thom Roe. Doug Shaw, Andrew Saporoschenko. Robert Stralumowski Business Staff: Brian Carlson. Jeff Lee. Donna Obermaier Oil the cdvcr: A molorcxclc. equipped with a Terniplane sidecar and a Windjammer [curing . sits ready to bring a world of adventure to its owner. What kind of company builds in defiance of the mud' Technograph finds out. I photo hv Raxmond Hightower) Copynght mini Publishing Co., 1983 Illinois Technograph (USPS :-'i8-760l Vol 4S No 4 Febman 1983 llhnois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the Univer^it}, of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign- Published by Ulini Publishing Co.. 620 East John St.. i Champaign, Illinois, 61820. Eiditorial and Business offices of I the Illinois Technograph: Room 302 Engineering Hall, Urbana Illinois. 61801. phone (217) 333-.3730. .Advertising by Littel-Murrav-Bamhill. Inc., 1328 Broad- way, New York, N.Y., 10001; 221 N. LaSalle Street, Chica-^ go. IL. 60601. J Entered as second class matter. October 30, 1920. al the^ post office at Urbana. Illinois under the act of March 3, 1879 Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated. State of the art at General Dynamics is a state of mind. More than technology or hardware, it is a way of viewing everything in terms of the future and finding the means to turn new ideas into reality. This vision has helped General Dynamics become a world leader in aerospace, electronics, shipbuilding and other areas — and has opened up many diverse opportunities today for college graduates with degrees in Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Engineering and Computer Science/Math. We'd like to show you the benefits of starting your career with us. Send your resume to Sue Shike, Corporate College Relations Administrator, General Dynamics Corporation, Dept. EC, Pierre Laclede Center, St. Louis, MO 63105. GENERAL DYNAMICS Ibllowship In 1949, Hughes awarded its lirst fellowship. Since then, nnore than 4,000 nnen and wonnen have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships — advanced degrees to prepare the men and women of today to meet tomorrow's technical challenges Hughes Aircraft Company will again offer more than 100 new fellowships in the coming year lor graduate study m * Engineering (Electrical. Mechanical. Systems. Aeronautical) ' Computer Science ' Applied Math * Physics Just a few months from now. you could be working on your (yiasler's. Engineer, or PhD degree — and receiving from Hughes: * Tuition, books, and fees ' Educational stipend ' Full employee benefits * Professional-level salary * Summer employment * Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to $40,000 a year As a Hughes Fellow, you will gain valuable technical experience working summers at Hughes in Southern California or Tucson, Arizona. Work Study Fellows study at a nearby university while working part-time at Hughes. Full Study Fellows work at Hughes in the summer and study full-lime during the regular academic year. The range of technical assignments available includes the option of the Engineering Rotation Program to diversify your work experience. Fellowship Story An invitation to advance your education and your career — with assistance from a company that is advancing the frontiers of technology Write yourself in. Fill out and mail the coupon, or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, DepI 104, BIdg 4006/W870, Culver City, California 90230 Crralmf; „ nru uo,l,luill, rlr, ln,:n, - HUGHES HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY Proof of U.S, Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer Write yourself in. Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office. Dept.104, BIdg. 4006/W870. Culver City. California 90230. Please consider me a candidate tor a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and materials PLEASE PRINT: Name City I am interested in obtaining a .Engineer degree DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's Date Master s Date Zip . Doctorate t Editorial Grad School Provides a Necessary Alternative to Work Four \ears is a long time while you are living through it. but once \ou join the ranks of professional engineers, it will seem like your college days flew b> like minutes. After those four long years of all night research sessions, endless hours in labs, and hundreds of problem sets, it seems insane to go on to graduate work. It takes at least another _\ear to obtain a masters degree, and another three years to recene a doctorate. TTiat's another four years of school on top of the four that you've alread\' struggled through. Four years at the average annual starting salary for a B.S. of S24.816 (as of July"^ 26. 1982) amounts to a gross income of S99.264. That's a lot of money, and to make matters worse, you have to spend money to continue your education. It seems that from an immediate economic standpoint, it is unv\ise to continue school after \ou receive your baccalaureate. The problem is that too many people believe that. There are not enough people graduating from engineenng programs with Ph.D.'s to feed both the industrial and academic communities. The number of Ph.D.'s granted per year has dropped from an alltime high in 1972 of 3774 to the 1981 figure of 2841. according to the Engineering Manpower Commission. AAES. 1981 suiAey. To compound the decrease in available doctorates, there has been a distinct increase in the number of foreign students working on advanced degrees who will return to their ow n countnes upon graduation. Administrators claim that the figure is as high as 509c. The great influx of foreign students is not very obvious here at the University. The College of Engineering has been operating under the general guideline of limiting foreign graduate students to lO^c of enrollment. The EE department runs at about \T7c, while approximately 30% are enrolled in the nuclear engineenng curriculum. Consider the following scenario. There are 2800 Ph.D.'s graduating in a given year. From that group, maybe 1400 will stay in this country. Universities and industry desire the top 20%. narrowing the number to 280. There are about 250 universities who want to hire Ph.D.'s. The result is obvious; industry and universities must compete for the most desired graduates, and universities cannot compete with the pay available in industry. So who is teaching our classes, and who will be teaching the classes of tommorrow? ObviousK . not all of the top people go to industry . but most do. and more tenured professors are lea\ ing universities to join industry all the time. This trend must be reversed if industp. and academia intend to maintain the high qualirv' of engineering research taking place in this country . Industry and universities can work together to curb declining graduate enrollments. Industn. can provide more grants and funding for graduate schools. Universities can then use this money to make graduate studv more attractive to prospective students. Students can also work to reverse this trend. Students w ith outstanding talents, or a desire to teach should seriously consider going on to earn advanced degrees. There is money available to support graduate students; you just have to find it. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology granted SI. 8 million in financial aid. assistantships. and fellowsihips to graduate students in engineenng in 1981. Before you graduate, look into graduate school, take the Graduate Record Examination, and send out some applications. Once you are at work, those eight years will seem like they flew by like minutes. 4{^jjl/V<- ^ ' UsuvxM^ Avoid Hl-Tech Bandwagon, Professor Urges To the Editor: Your December. 1982 article (A New Breed of Reactors, p. 12) states that SI. 2 billion has been spent on the Clinch River Breeder Reactor (CRBR). and that it carries a price tag of S3. 2 billion. It also cites proponents' claims that it is 86% complete. New math!" The CRBR project was onginally justified on the basis of a fear that we would soon run out of fissionable uranium. Due to the slowdown of electricity demand during the ■70's. this is no longer an urgent problem. The real issue now is whether to spend an additional S2 billion on concrete and steel to finish the project (because the French and Soviets did so), or spend it on researchers' salaries to develop an advanced breeder technologv — hopefully one cheaper, safer and more proliferation-resistant than the CRBR's plutonium fuel cycle. We faced a similar decision 1 2 years ago with the SST. We opted to scratch the U.S. program and learn instead from the mistakes of the French and Soviets. .■\s a result, talented U.S. engineers were available to develop technology for the super-efficient fleet of subsonic aidiners dominating the world market today. As a former die-hard SST supporter, now older and wiser. I caution engineers against jumping on hi-tech bandwagons hyped by politicians, without first analyzing alternative public policies. Clark Bullard .Associate Professor. Mechanical Engineering Illinois Technograph invites letters in response to its articles and editorials, or any other item of in- terest to our readership. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Letters must be signed, but names will be with- held upon request. Removing the Over-the-Counter Menace For everything from ■ sinus pressure to nagging backaches, pills have become an essential part o( an American s needs. Keepmg these pills secure from tamper- ing has recently de- veloped into a prob- lem The solution to this problem involves everything from eco- nomics to psychology Sales of Over-the billions of dc Counter Drugs Mars 6.3 3.5 1 1970 1975 1981 1 he >;ro\\ ing tendency of the .^iner- ie;in piibhe ti) rely on tablets, capsules, ami lo/enges tor relief from various illnes SOS and discomforts has resulted in sky- rocketing profits for producers of drugs and pharmaceutical supplies. .Since the uell-piihlici/eil IXlenol poisonings, howeser. the public initcry for these cure- all pills has been matched by another de- manil: tamper-proof containers. Late September saw the deaths ot seven Chicago area residents as the result of c\'anide-laced Tylenol capsules. .'Xlthough the exact debasing of the drug still has not been determined, investigator^ nov\ feel that iNlcnol capsules uere purchased, opened, and tilled vsith cyanide. The capsules were letumed to the bottle, then randomly distributed on the shelves of drug stores along Illinois State Route 53. Hfforts to thwart future attempts at drug sabotaging have taken seseral tonus. .Authorities have urged impro\ements in communication to warn consumers of potential dangers sooner, sought stncter laws to control the sale and packaging of non-prescription drugs, closely watched local-level drug distribution, and have urged manufacturers to develop "tamper- proof" containers. Such containers can serve to deter potential poisonings b\ making it easy for the consumer to spot previously opened boxes and bottles. "They should" ve had them a long time ago,'" said Derryi G. Singley. Reg- istered Phannacist for Cavett Dmgs in Champaign. Illinois. ""I was always sur- prised Tslenol didn"t (have tampcrproof bottles), being such a large supplier. Ana- cin 3 has already come out in tamper- proof. It"s about time. Even grocei^y store are beginning to see them. There are too many chances for some cuckoo to do something."' he explained. Anacin 3"s lamperpriKitlng consists of a special piece of cellophane tape over the lid of the box and a warning to con- sumers to beware if the seal is broken Other dnigs, such as Ecotrin, used this method even before the Tylenol cases "People will alwa\s be opening boxes to see uhat"s inside."' cautioned Single\. "\\c watch them (the customers) as best we can. but some still get by unde- tected." Some drugs, such as St. Joseph's aspirin, come in boxes which are glued shut. Another remedy would involve en- casing the entire box in cellophane, as phonograph records are now sealed. A different type of tampcrproof con- tainer which has already been in use is the plastic blister pac. This arrangement, commonly seen in boxes of Contac, en- cases each capsule in a foil and plastic bubble which must be broken to remove the pill. Although this system is most leadiK adapted to protection of drugs, their manufacture is expensi\e. Scott Ric- ci. Registered Phannacist for McBnde's in Champaign. Illinois, said, "(The blister pac) is ideal, but it is more expensive. I think you will definitely see a cost in- crease as a result of the new tampcrproof containers." Additional tamper-resistant seals may be located over the mouth of the contain- er, under the lid. Paper, foil, or plastic covers must be broken to get to the pills. Another system requires the container to be vacuum sealed, so that once the lid is removed, the seal would visibly bulge. Both of these methods would deter tampenng by making access to the pills without readily apparent nps or tears near- ly impossible. Tamperproof lids, such as those cur- rently found on many beverage bottles, are also being examined. These lids sepa- rate into a removable cap and a metal nng which stays on the bottle when opened. The shrink wrap already used on many grocery items is another potential deterrent to drug tampering. This method covers the lid and the neck of the bottle with a sheet of plastic which melts and shrinks when exposed to heat. To remove the lid, the plastic must be removed, leav- ing obvious signs of tampering. Similar to this is a method which, along vs ith the box seal and paper liner, will soon be employed on Tylenol con- tainers, B\ using a plastic nng of tape Jim O'Hagan # around the bottle lid joint, the container cannot be opened without breaking the seal and lea\ ing apparent remains. Never- theless, cautions Ricci.'"lt will be up to the consumers to closely examine what ' the_\ bu\ tor signs of tampenng." Besides tamperproof containers which lea\e tell-tale signs of handling when opened, the pill itself is being ex- amined for taiiipeiproof modifications. The easiest fomi is not a capsule at all. but a tablet. Aspirin tablets alreads are known well in this fomi. ""The tablet Proportions of 1981 Sales (in percenis) ^^^^B^ 22 painkillers W Source Product Marketing Proprietory Association 9 fomi IS tamperproof." explained Ricci. ■"Still many people prefer the capsule. I guess they find it easier to swallow."" .lohnson & Johnson has another theory : they feel capsules can help cure people simply because they look more like pre- scription drugs, and thus have a psycholo- gical effect similar to kissing a child's hurt knee. To meet this market, several tablet types have been deseloped. The soft gela- tin capsules cunentK used for liquid drugs, such as \itamins A and E. will leak and self-destruct if tampered w ith. Locked capsules are also being ex- perimented with: the two-piece tablet is sealed with a special band, making it im- pxjssible to take apart and reseal the cap- sule at will. While many tampeiproof containers have already appeared on the market — even prescnption drugs are sealed — more are soon to follow. Consumer demand will necessitate some changes as vanous competitors tight for Tylenol's 35 percent market share, in fact, when T>leniil is re- introduced, it will have three tampeiproof seals, ""...they may be going a little oxer- board with three seals." notes Singley. "but if they want to regain 75 percent of their previous market, as they hope to do. the\ ha\e to regain the customers" trust." Change v\ill also be forced by local, state, and federal regulations. Chicago Ma\or Jane B\me has demanded that within 40 days, all dmgs sold in Chicagii are to be in tamperproof containers; for- mer Attorney General Tyrone Fahner has recommended that the state government adopt similar legislation. Massachusetts introduced laws in eari\ October to the same extent, which would also require state inspection of random samples. Dmg- company executives and Food and Daig Administration (FDA) authorities have fonned a committee to channel these local laws into national guidelines. This will eliminate contlicting regulations and limit those which are impractical. .Mthough these new safeguards will cost the consumer millions of dollars in price increases of one to two percent — Tylenol's new packaging alone will cost 2.4 cents per bottle — they have already resulted in profit for packaging tlniis. Time magazine reported that .Anchor Hocking Corporation has seen skyrocket- ing demand for \acuum-glass jars. PCM Coqioration ex[xx-ts a large demand for its plastic blister pacs. and Milv\aukee's Tinv Pillar Corporation is struggling to keep up with orders for its sealing machineiA . Similar gains have been seen in the stock market, as analysts see increased demand for the new containers. Despite these safeguards, a truly tamperproof container is unlikely. Hypodemiic needles could penetrate many bamers leaving a hole visible only under close scrutiny. Some barriers are easily re- placed with simple machinery, and others such as glued or taped boxes are defeated with everyday materials like razor blades, cellophane tape, and white glue. Furth- emiore. unless consumers are alert to the absence of tampeiproof bamers. the\ could be removed entirelv and not be mis- sed Said FDA chief Arthur H. Hates. ". It is impossible to make clear that a tampeiproof package is not possible." Still, the dexelopment of safeguards will tend to re-assure the public and deter all but the most detemiined maniac, "i think they'll be effective." said Ricci. ""Not completely foolproof, but the\"ll help," Whatexer the final fomi of the taiii- peiprool containers, they cannot be eftec- ti\'e soIeK by themselves. Consumers must look at the medicine they take and the seals containing them: the FDA is out- lining a new system for faster reporting of poisoning cases: the federal gii\eniment expects to have packaging guidelinges available soon. I^ossibly. through a com- bined effort, the threat of similar crimes can be reduced. Although the Tylenol tragedies have lett a gnni image on the drug industry and the general public, changes have arisen which will result in more respect, higher standards, and a greater degree of safetv in the pharmaceutical industry .■ Tushar Chande The Multifarious Laser This is the second part of a two part series on laser processing. The first part appeared in the November. 1982 issue. "LASER", the acronym, has be- come a noun. h"s listed as "a device that amplitlcs light waves and concentrates theni in an intense, penetrating beam"'. With laser applications on the rise, the re latcd glossap. is expanding too. Soon, "laser" the noun must grow into a verb. even take on a suffix or two. In anticipa- tion, we provide "-ation". a suffix mean ing "to act. condition or result from"'. Laserdtion would generically include transformations brought about b\ laser processing, or lasering. Wh) is laseration worth knowing ab out'.' Because it involves jobs and money. N('ws\\'eek magazine in its November 18. 1982. issue estimates that by the end of the decade, there will be up to 60().(XX) new jobs in industrial la.ser processing. Being high-tech jobs. the\ require skills which net good salaries. The long term outlook is good — in tune with the chang- ing nature of the American workscape. Lasering means doing it with preci- sion and intensity. Precision is as high as can be obtained by numerically controlled instruments. Intensity was first measured in "gillettes", the number of shaving blades that could be burned clean through. Today, intensity is quoted in watts per square centimeter. Typically, laser intensi- ties approach a million watts per square centimeter. To get this power per unit area, a conventional light source would ha\e to emit a staggering total power of approximately a million watts. This means that while the ordinary- 200 wan light bulb cannot melt metal, a continuous laser with the same power can. The laser-material interaction de- pends on the nature of the laser as well as the properties of the material itself. The wavelength of the laser beam, its power, beam diameter and spatial distribution play important roles. The reflectance of the material surface, its absorbency. the ability of the material to conduct heat, and the quantity of heat required to bring ab- out a phase change in the matenal deter- mine its response to laser irradiation. The wavelength of the laser deter- mines how well it can be focused. Also. lower wavelength lasers couple better with metals. The power and beam diameter de- temiine the power density in the beam. The power density distribution is crucial in matenaK processing. Matenals with lov\er surface retlectance tend to fuse much easier with the aid of laser radia- tion. A material that is an efficient con- ductor of heat is difficult to melt, as is a material with a large latent heat of fusion The choice of a laser system depends on the material to be processed and the par- ticular application. Laseration can be classified by the maximum operating temperature attained. Desired transformations could be obtained by heating above room temperature but below the melting temperature, as in laser heat treating. Laserations involving a melting step are welding, cutting, alloying, cladding and glazing. Drilling and marking requires melting and \apor- ization of the substrate. Laseration enjoys many advantages over conventional production processes. Since a beam of light is used, no acUial contact between the "tool" and the "workpiece" occurs, a feature that adds flexibilit\' and versatility. The high inten- sities pemiit rapid, localized heating, re- ducing distortion and making precise op- erations possible. It is clean, and responds instantly to commands altering its speed or power. The laser beam has a relatively large depth of focus, and permits easy handling of complex shapes and structures. It can be transmitted through air, and made to reach all optically accessible areas. Laser settings are reproducible and a single beam can be used at multiple work- stations using suitable optics. Operational safety can be readily assured, and high rates of productivity can be easiK' attained. However, the laser system is a major capital expense, and does not cut costs significantly as a direct substitute to a conventional process. But, its unique properties can be exploited to develop new processing methods that > ield qualita- ti\e and quantitative advantages over ex- isting ones. This is their strength, and for the innovative engineer, this is the dream beam. continued on page 12 r% c TAKES ON EXCITING * NEW DIMENSIONS IN THE AIR FORCE. Computer-generated design for investigating structural strengths and weaknesses. Developing and managing Air Force engineering projects could be the most important, exciting challenge of your life. The projects extend to virtually every engineering frontier. 8 CAREER FIELDS FOR ENGINEERS istronautical, civil, electrical, mechanical and nuclear. Hundreds of diverse specialties are included in a wide variety of work settings. For example, an electrical engineer may work in aircraft design, space systems, power production, communications or research. A mechanical engineer might be involved in aircraft structure design, space vehicle launch pad construction, or research. PROJECT RESPONSIBILITY COMES EARLY IN THE AIR FORCE An Inrce electrical engineer studying aircraft electrical power supply system. Engineering opportunities in the Air Force include these eight career areas: aeronautical, aerospace, architectural. aircraft jet engine tui bine Most Air Force engineers have complete project responsibility early in their careers. For example, a first lieutenant directed work on a new airborne electronic system to pinpoint radiating targets. Another engineer tested the jet engines for advanced tanker and cargo aircraft. OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW USAF SPACE COMMAND .Artist's concept of the DSCS III Defense Satellite Communications System satellite. (US.AF photo.) Recently, the Air Force formed a new Space Command. Its role is to pull together space operations and research and development efforts, focusing on the unique technological needs of space systems. This can be your opportunity to join the team that develops superior space systems as the Air Force moves into the twenty-first century. To learn more about how you can be part of the team, see your Air Force recruiter or call our Engineer Hotline toll free 1-800-531-5826 (in Texas call 1-800-292-5366). There's no obligation. AIM HIGH AIR FORCE Mary Kay Flick The Ins and Outs of Water Towers Anywhere a person travels in this country, rural town or sprawling metropolis, a water tower IS almost always one of the things that is noticed After all, a structure at large as a water tower isn t easily missed. A water tower has two main t'unc- tiiiiis. First. It balances the fluctuations be- tween the water supply and demand. Second, it acts as a sateguard to insure an adequate and continuing source of water in case of a breakdown in the system, he use of elevated tanks also reduces pumping costs (due to gravity, the pump IS required to do less work). Storage tanks so used for tire protection or adver- tising. A small system can be placed either near the center of a large demand area, or opposite the pumping station with a large demand area in between. With a arge system, several tanks ;u'e used in the center of each area of heavy demand. Water towers are normally made from two basic materials: concrete and steel. Both ha\e their advantages and dis- ad\antages. Most concrete tanks are made of a pre-stressed concrete, which is circu- lar in shape at ground level. The tank is pre-stressed by winding a high-strength wire around the core wall of concrete. Af- ter the wire is wrapped, a pnuematic mor- tar is applied to the outside wall to bond the wire to the wall and protect against corrosion. TTianks to this process, con- crete tanks have fewer maintenance prob- ems with respect to corrosion, but they are more susceptible to damage from rapid and severe temperature fluctuations, which makes them more susceptible to aks. In steel tanks, on the other hand, the constant problem of corrosion must be dealt with. Corrosion can be caused by mst deposits or by deposits which result from the presence of minerals in the wa- ter. Because of this, some sort of cathodic protection must be provided. One advan- tage of steel structures is that due to their elevaton. the pressure created by gra\ity is greater. Steel structures are those most easiK seen and most widely used in Illinois. Be- cause few areas in Illinois ha\e a high enough ele\alion to facilitate a concrete ground based storage tank. ele\ated water towers must be used. There are some ground tanks (standpipes) made of steel. but most are elevated. Water towers of steel can be con- structed in many different shapes and sizes. Most are spherical, and are sup- ported by one or more columns. The largest manufacturer ol steel storage stmc- tures. Chicago Bndge and Iron Company, makes several different designs, depend- ing on the needs and resources of the area. The four major design types are: ( 1 1 a spherical or cylindrical tank mounted on a large fluted or plain column ('"Waters- phere '""" or ""Waterspheroid '"'"). (2) a spherical tank mounted on a thinner center column with extra support from five smal- ler columns (ellipsoidal, or spheroidal), (3) a cylindrical, funnel shaped design on a tripod of columns (Tripod '" ), and (4) steel ground reservoirs and standpipes. If the water source is relatively near, then the first three designs are used according to the needs of the area. When the water supply is obtained from a distant source, ground reservoirs and standpipes are needed. They assure an adequate supply whenever water is needed. The difference between a standpipe and a ground resenoir is simply their shapes. A ground reservoir has a diameter wider than its height, whereas a standpipe has a height greater than its diameter. So, there is a storage tank shape to meet ev- ery need. Each shape may also be built in several different capacities. The single column structure can range in capacity from 25,IX)0 gallons to 2'',0(X),0(X) gallons. Multiple column tanks also range in capacity from 25.000 to 2,000,000 gal- lons. The smaller tripod tanks start at 15, (XX) gallons and can only reach a capacity of 1(K),0(X) gallons. Therefore, the type of tank used also depends on the amount of water needed to meet the de- mands of the area. Constructing a water tower entails a sizable outlay of funds for an industrial plant or a municipality. Estimates given bv Chicago Bndge and Iron Company (CBl) show that a 1(X).000 gallon tank with a l(K) foot depth would cost approx- imately S175.(K)0. A 500.000 gallon tank would mn about S4tX).000 while a one million gallon tank for industrial fire pro- tection would cost about S8(X).00(). continued on page 12 10 IT WAS TRUE IN SCHOOL & IT'S TRUE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE. YOU ARE KNOWN BY THE COMPANY YOU KEEP. And with Emerson, you're keeping company with the best. We're rated by For- tune magazine as one of the top 4 companies in the nation. The cornerstone of this reputation is innovation ... in products, in systems, and in opportunities for graduates in techncial fields. Starting out as a manufacturer of small electronics in 1890, Emerson has grown and diversified. Today, we're a 55,000 person corpora- tion, with annual sales of over 3.4 billion. For Emerson's Electronics & Space Division, innovation has meant a history of involvement in the design and manufacture of high technology armaments and elec- tronics systems ranging from air- borne armament systems to optics to computer architecture. For pro- fessionals, it means the chance to use your education in a dynamic and challenging atmosphere . . . the chance to enjoy a competitive salary and benefits while develop- ing career skills. Emerson is more than a company. It's a philosophy of problem solv- ing; innovative solutions to the - complex needs of the 20th century. Keep company with the best. Join Emerson's Electronics &. Space Division by writing: Supervisor, College Relations, Station 2561. C3 EMERSON ELECTRIC CO. Government & Defense Group 8IOO west Florissant Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63136 An Equal Opportunity EmployE, U.S. CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED continued from page 10 continued from page 8 CBI receives orders for about one to three structures per month; the most ci)mmon ones being built ;ire the 1(X),(XX) to 5(X).(KK) gallon capacity structures. Some structures, like those in C'hampaign-LVbana. are owned by the water companies who use them. Champaign's are owned by Northern Illinois Water Com- pany which is therefore responsible for their maintenance. The inner workings of water towers are hidden from the outside so their internal processes often are unknown. As stated. water towers are used to regulate daily consumption, insure an adequate supply, provide fire protection. Water is pumped from the source at an hourly rate according to relative peaks and lows in demand. The amount of water kept in a tower is usually one third to one sixth of total demand. This is determined analytical- ly or graphically by water supply engineers. Leakage, which also must be taken into acount. is deter- mined to be about ten percent of water consumption and fire de- mand. The amount used is also determined by the area where the tower is kxrated relative to the source and the center of de- mand. For example, a business zone of a city may need high pressure from water mains to keep up with demand. Although in industry . the major purpose for towers is fire protection, they may also be used when an adequate supply of water is necessary for safe and efficient production. Once a storage structure is built, its most pressing need is maintenance. If properly maintained, a water tower can last any- where from twenty-five to fifty years. The major problems con- cerning maintenance are the reduction of leaks, protection from extemal weather damage, and protection against icing damage. Steel tanks must periodically be emptied, cleaned, in- spected, and repainted as required. On the outside, a rust- inhibitive pnmer and two coats of long oil alkyd enamel or long oil spar varnish aluminum are used. On the inside, a number of \ inyl eptixy ester, catalyzed epoxy and other paint systems may be used. The structures also need protection. Maintenance people supply this protection by maintaining properly varying water levels or perhaps through the use of internal heaters. In addition, towers must constantly be watched for leaks. However, the problem most dealt with in water storage maintenance is protection against corrosion. Corrosion may be in the form of mineral deposits or, more commonly, in the fomi of mst which may corrode the steel in the tank. Corrosion occurs when a scratch or nick develops in the protective coating and base steel is exposed. Cathtxlic protection consists of metal rods of a metal more reactive than the steel in the tank. Because of their higher reac- tivity, these rods corrode away instead of the sides of the tanks. The metal rixls, called anodes (the steel sides are cathodes in the chemical reaction which takes place), must be replaced periodi- cally to insure continuing corrosion control. Water towers are not simply mammoth structures to indi- cate the name of the ciry to those passing through it. They serve to maintain an adequate supply and quality of water whether it is needed for public use. industrial use. or for fire protection. While they are exU'emely functional, they can be made to add interest and character to the area which they serve. ■ 12 In materials processing, lasers have been used to weld. cut. heat-treat, drill, mark, shape, machine, hardface, alloy, shock- /^^ harden, and anneal, lliey have also been used to punch holes in V cigarette paper, cut cloth for men's suits in the garment industry, drill holes in ceramics, strip insulation from wires and to tnm ^i^ resistors in elecronic circuits. ( Metals such as titanium are easily cut by lasers in the pre- sence of a reactive gas. Laser cutting is cleaner, smoother and more accurate than conventional methods. The cut has narrow kerf widths and more parallel sides. There is minimal distortion and waste. The Grumman Aircraft Corporation has been using lasers in production for nearly a decade, and rough trimming costs have been cut 60 to 80 percent. Also, simple holding and positioning tools can be used, as the process exerts almost no cutting pressure on the part being trimmed'. Automobile exhaust valves readily show that the automotive engine provides adverse working conditions for a part. General Motors uses laser surface alloying to alloy exhaust valve seats. A cost analysis of laser alloying versus conventional hardfacing techniques suggests that cost savings of up to 80 percent can be achieved"*. Pistons, camshafts, and gear teeth are other auto- mobile parts that can be laser surface treated for improved per- formance at significant cost reductions. As an example of the problem-solving potential of lasers. consider the welding of aluminum-magnesium alloys. Such alloys are good conductors of heat, and thus a large quantity of heat is required to melt them. TTie high temperatures that are reached cause the magnesium to boil off. leaving a porous, un- sound weld. Researchers at the University have shown that it is possible to laser weld these alloys in combination with appropri- ate gas shielding procedures to produce sound welds with little porosity and low magnesium loss"*. Another interesting recent development is the use of lasers in the recrystallization of thin film semi-conductors. Thin films of semi-conductors can be overlayed on a silicon substrate to de- velop three dimensional integrated-circuits. The laser beam can also be used to anneal semiconductors during manufacturing, especially in VLIC and VHSIC applications, when the scale of processing would seriously limit furnace methods. These are still not part of a production process, but point to future trends. The potential of the laser in industry is only just being tap- ped. The powerful pencil of light has a bright future. ■ REFERENCES; 1. Webster's New World [}lctlonary. 2. L. Michael Heglin. in "Applications of Lasers in Materials Processing '. E. A. Metzbower, ed., ASM(1979), p. 101. 3. John Huber and Warren Marx, ibid, p. 273. 4. David A Belforte. Colloq. on Lasers and Electro-Optical Equipment. Tokyo, Japan, 24 Oct., 1978. 5. A G Blake, MS Thesis, University of Illinois, 1982. Tech Teasers Tech notes ^ 1. A 1982 nevsspaper stated that a man died when his age was one twenty- ninth the vear of his birth. How old v\as he m 1952? 2. Cratn Constance Carter's candid nstruetor Carl told her to "■form the num- ber ninetN-two from \ and y. given that x = 2514'and y= -2422. "Obviously, one would assume that she would have added x and y. because 2514- 2422 = 92. However, being a card, like her sister Candy. Constance said "No. I can create ninety two out of just one of the numbers you gave me." The teacher. Carl, and Constance's classmates watched in amazement as she did just what she said she could. What did she do'.' There can be no rearranging of the order of the digits of X or y. 3. Can you imagine a rope ladder (you know the kind — knotted rope, wooden rungs, right?) hanging down the side of a ship' Good I Now imagine that the ladder is 40 feet long, and the tide is out. Suppose the tide comes in at the rate of 5 feet an hour, and the distance be- tween rungs is 2 feet. If the water level starts below the ladder a distance that is one-fifth the length of rope that will he left unwet after the tide comes in. how many steps of the ladder are underwater if the tide comes in for 3.5 hours? answers on page 18 9 • Tau Bates and Legislators Se\en Illinois legislators were the guests at Tau Beta Pi's First Annual Legislative Forum last December 6. Tlie forum was intended to benefit both the legislators and the students involved, and it did exactly that. The event lasted all day. and it started with a brief registration. At this time, the guests were welcomed, given information packets for the day. and Robbie Rubik was on hand to solve a puzzle simpler than most political ones. Then the legislators were taken on a tour of the University's high technology laboratories. After the tour, evervone sat down to a special luncheon, at which President Ikenbern. and Chancellor Cribbet gave speeches. Then the afternoon rolled around, and it was taken up b\ panel discussions. These discussions were probably the most educational and informative for both students and legislators. The talks were informal; each was conducted between two legislators and about eight students. To conclude the day. all parties enjoyed a banquet, and this time Dean Drucker was the speaker. The forum was extremely well received, and ever)' one of the legislators commended TBO's excellent job and encouraged its continuation. As a result of the forum's success, it was decided that it would become an annual event for man\ Nears to come. The Bomb The Physics Department here at the University tends to offer excellent courses, including one that can really have some explosive subject matter. The course is PHYCS 199.' "The Bomb— A Beginner's Tour of Nuclear Weapons. War. Strategy and Arms Control." Last Fall, the course was taught by twehe professors from the physics, astronomy, and nuclear engineering departments. This fall, professors from other non-technical fields will hopefully help in the instruction. The enrollment last fall was 65 for credit and twenty auditors. It dropped to only fifteen b> the middle of the semester. probabK' because the course delved deepK into technical areas early on. The semester was divided into four units, which included the nuclear arms race, the future, nuclear weapons themselves, and terrorism and proliferation. Various topics were discussed and presented dunng these sections, including the consequences of a nuclear war and an attack on a nuclear power reactor. The goals of the course seem to hinge on awareness. In a course such as this, politics ma\ be somewhat removed by concentrating on the technical aspects of the subject, and this was the method the instructors used. The professors presented facts, and tried to stimulate awareness, conversation, and thinking about the entire nuclear arms siuiation. in hopes of helping to bnng about a safer worid. Professor of ph\sics and astrononiN Fredenck K. Lamb, who organized the course, feels that it is necessan' for educational institutions to provide such instruction since informed and concerned citizens are vital to societ\ . Lamb said the course was concei\ed through several meetings of concerned scientists last spring. All the people in\olved provided a tremendous amount of help in getting the course started. Physics 199 is a giant step in the right direction which will bring awareness of this important issue to society. Lungdon Alger 13 E-Systems continues the tradition of the world's great problem solvers. Even given the benefit of historical perspective, it is diffi- cult to fully comprehend the enormous contributions to man's knowledge made by Sir Isaac Newton. His Philosopiae Natu- ralis Pnncipia Mathematics is termed by many authorities to be one of the most important single works in the history of modern science- His studies of light are the foundation of physical optics and his laws of motion provided a quantitative description of all principal phenomena in our solar system. Today, scientists and engi- neers at E-Systems employ Newtonian principles to develop products and systems for satel- lite communications, exploring space and the development of so- lar energy systems which are the first-of-a-kind. E-Systems engineers are recognized worldwide for their ability to solve problems in the areas of antennas, communica- tions, data acquisition, processing, storage and retrieval systems and other systems applications for intel- ligence and reconnaissance. For a reprint of the Newton illustration and information on ca- reer opportunities with E-Systems in Texas. Florida. Indiana. Utah and Virginia, write: Dr Lloyd K. Lauderdale. Vice President Research and Engineering, E-Systems. Inc.. Corporate Headquarters. P Box 226030. Dallas. Texas 75266 E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opporlunity employer M F H v (# # SCIENCEy^SCOPE Two communications satellites made history as the first to be launched from NASA's space shuttle. The first of the pair, SBS-3, is operated by Satellite Business Systems and will carry high-speed data for many U.S. companies. The second, Anik-C, is operated by Telesat Canada and will improve telephone, television, and data service in Canada. The satellites are versions of Hughes Aircraft Company's HS 376, the world's most widely purchased communications satellite. Hughes now has built 70% of the world's operating commercial com- munications satellites and has more successes than all other companies combined. A safety device that snuffs out explosions in the blink of an eye , originally developed for the military, is being applied commercially where fire poses an immediate threat to human life. The Dual Spectrum™ sensing and suppression system has been evaluated in New York Transit Authority toll booths. It detects fire bomb explosions set off by criminals, and suppresses them in one-tenth of a second — before transit employees can be injured. The system could be applied almost anywhere fire explosions occur within an enclosed area. It was developed by the Santa Barbara Research Center, a Hughes subsidiary. The Smithsonian Institution is installing a new security system to monitor many facilities continuously. The Hughes system includes burglar alarms, fire- sensing devices, voice communications channels, and closed-circuit TV. It will let Smithsonian personnel control entrances and exits, and watch over areas open to visitors. A computer will collect and display information on TV monitors and printers at a central control station. Hughes previously installed a facilities management system at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. That system provides a wide range of exhibit monitor and control functions. The new thematic mapper aboard Landsat 4 has distinct advantages for mapping vegetation and land covers in comparison to the multispectral scanners used on previous Earth resources satellites. Improvements give the instrument better resolution (30 meters versus 80 meters) and enable it to see in narrower band- widths. The green band measurers reflections from vegetation more precisely. The red band better distinguishes differences in the chlorophyll absorption of plants. The near-infrared spectral band reduces the chances of atmospheric vapor like fog and haze from obscuring land surfaces. Hughes and its Santa Barbara Research Center subsidiary built the thematic mapper from NASA. Hughes needs graduates with degrees in EC, ME, physics, computer science, and math. To find out how you can become involved in any one of 1,500 high-tech- nology projects ranging from subminiature microcircuits to advanced satellite technology, contact: College Relations Office, P.O. Box 1042 (C2/B178-SS) , El Segundo, CA 90245. Equal opportunity employer. Creating a new world with electronics \ HUGHES I Against the Wind Winiljaiiiniors arc nuinut'actureci b> iIk- Vciicr QiijKiration. which is located in Rantoui. Illinois. At one time, there was a Vetter factor) in San Luis Obispo. Cali- lomia. but the plant was closed in 1978. \etter prcKliicts can be found at over 37(X) dealerships ui the L'nited States, and MUilorc\cle enthusiasts in foreijin countries can order N'etter products through over- seas distributors. Last year's sales totaled $31 million, which makes Vetter the lead- ing manufacturer of fairings in the coun- tr> . Other Vetter products include light- weight helmets, sidecars, luggage, and protective gauntlets known as "Hippo Hands". Vetter was founded in 196wever. Lach year he and the Central Coast Motorcycle Association sponsor the Craig Vetter High-Mileage Contest. Vetter. along with several major manutacturers, supplies a total of S4,(0) in pri/e mone\ for the \arious events. This year's am was made along the 13.^ mile stretch of highwa\ between San Luis Obispo and Camiel in southern California Several teams entered the contest, each with its own exotic fairing design. Vetter was quoted in the No\ ember 1982 issue A fairing is a structure used on a vehicle to reduce drag. To most motorcycle riders, the words fairing and Windjammer are nearly synonymous. This is not surprising: studies have shown that the Windjammer outsells its nearest competitor by more than two to one. But what of the company behind the Wind- jammer? Above: Vetter acces- sories on display at a local cycle shop, (photo by Randy Stukenberg) Right The ABS scrap IS granulated and pre- pared for shipment to the recycling facility, (photo by Raymond Hightowerl ■ - y y^y^^ 16 Raymond Hightower 9 of Cvt7f Guide as saying, "Tm sponsor- ing contests to encourage people to be- lieve it's okay to use less energy." Energy conservation is not the only reason why a motorcycle owner might choose to purchase a fairing. There are other considerations. First of all, fairings provide protection against the elements. A steady flow of wind at the legal highway speed limit of 55 mph can introduce a high wind chill factor. Second, a fairing is an excellent place to store items such as a stereo, CB radio, or odds and ends. Ideal- ly, a fairing should do nothing to change the way the motorcycle handles. The fairing manufacturing process in itself is fascinating. The raw materials come from many manufacturers through- out the United States. The basic matenal u.sed in all Vetter fairings, with the excep- tion of the Ghost, is Acrylonitrile Buta- diene Styrene (ABS). ABS arrives at the facility in sheet form, the length, width, and thickness of which are specified by Vetter prior to shipment. Upon arrival, the ABS sheets are taken to one of the two rotary vacuum formers in the plant. The rotary vacuum formers, like most of the plant's equip- ment, were designed and built by Vetter employees. The machine consists of three main stations: the input/output station, the heating station, and the forming station. As its name implies, the inputyoutput station is the place where the sheets arc initially laid. After the sheet has gone through the remaining two stations, it re- turns to the input/output station for cool- ing and removal. At the heating station, the sheet is heated to temperatures in the range of 250° Fahrenheit. When exposed to this high temperature, the sheet becomes soft enough to be put through the molding process. The sheet is moved to the vacuum fonner station to be molded into the de- sired shape. After the forming stage, the product is moved to the input/output sta- tion where it is cooled and removed. Only one-sixth of the material that goes through the rotary vacuum former is used in the final product. The extra five- sixths is necessary because the vacuum fomier, being an automatic machine, needs something to "grab on to". Since humans will be doing most of the hand- ling from this stage onward, the extra material is band-sawed off the product. This scrap is run through a granulator and Left: Before ttiey are painted, all fairings must be sanded In order to Insure a smootti, aerodynamic finlsli. Vetter em- ployees In one sec- tion of tfie facility are responsible for tills step, (ptioto by Raymond Hightower) then sent back to the supplying company to be melted into new sheets. Thus, there is little waste. The product, which now has the basic appearance of a finished fairing, is taken to another room to be sanded. When all blemishes have been removed, the product is coated with a polyurethane- based paint which is allowed to harden for one to three days. When the paint has hardened, the fairing parts ;ire taken to another area of the plant for assembly. A bonding agent developed by Vetter chemists is used to hold the parts together. In ideal situaions, that is. with perfect temperature and humidity, the bonding agent will harden in about 14 minutes; but it is allowed to cure for 30 minutes just to be on the safe side. After the adhesive has cured, a second measure is taken to insure that the fairing parts are safely bonded together. The fairing is put through an ultrasonic welding process. Next the product is taken to an auto- matic drill, another Vetter-designed manu- facturing tool. Forty-three holes are drilled simultaneously, while a worker rounds the edges of the product with a router. TTie pick-and-fill process follows the work with !he drill and router. Any small gouges which developed during the earlier steps of production are filled with a subst- ance made especially for this stage. Next comes the semi-final inspection. The fair- ings are reviewed individually for mis- takes; any imperfections are marked with a grease pen by the quality control peo- ple. Once pointed out, these flaws are conected . continued 17 continued from page 17 Fairings which pass the scmi-llnal inspection are then tre- ated to an iirray ol finishing touches. These include the installa- tion of winng. the application ol edging and striping, and tmal- ly. the applicaton ol the lairing insignia, i.e. Windjammer. Quicksilver, etc. Next the product must go through a rigorous final inspection under the watchful eyes of twenty-six quality control peiiple. Imperfect fairings are sent to the proper depail- meiil for convctions. or possibly ilestmction. If the product makes it through the final ins|x-ction. as most do. a serial num- ber is applied. Finally, the fairing can be packaged for shipment. Products other than fairings undergo a manufactunng pro- cess quite similar to the one described above. Differences in- clude the type of mold used in the vacuum fonner. the number of holes dnlled by the auto-drill, etc. .Some products, such as the (Un)st fainng. are molded by a drape-loniier instead of a vacuum fonner. The Ghost is made from a sheet of transparent acrylic which is cut to size and laid on a mold. The mold rests on a conveyor which runs through an oven. As the temperature of the acrylic rises, the sheet becomes soft, and it collapses under its iiwn weight. Noniially. this would be catastrophic, but since the sheet is sitting on top of a mold, it merely collapses into the desired shape. FYoduct safety plays an important part in design and marketing decisions at Verter. (Df course, before such decisions can be made, the finished prixluct must be put through rigorous testing. The test subjects are picked off the assembly line at random; products which have undergone testing cannot be sold because the tests are destructive. These tests can range from the high-tech type using sophisticated electronic test equipment to the more exotic tests in which a rider ndes over a series of rail- road lies. Newly introduced prcxiucts are put through the most rigor- iHis of tests. One of the latest Vener products to go through this initiation was the Terraplane sidecar. Vetter had planned to mar- ket a sidecar a few years back, but they scrapped the project for safetv reasons. The Terraplane design, however, looked promis- ing. The prototype was built in 14S(). and put though extensive road tests. Then came the final challenge. On Januaiy 6. I^SI. Iwd test nders departed from the Vet- ter facility in Rantoul. One rode the bike, the other rode in the Terraplane. Their mission was to put the Terraplane through all [Tossible driving conditions: rain. ice. snow. cold. etc. Based on the infonnation gathered on this trip, a manual for piitential ov\ners anil operators v\as wntten. Fxpenence is the best teacher. especialK in cases such as this. It's ob\ lous that there is a lot more to a lairing than a sim- ple description could explain. And what of the company behind the Windjammer' Behind it. therc">- a company full of [xniple. and each product is a result of then combined elfoils. Managers. designers, inspectors, etc. all put in their share. But when a bik- er is cruising on the highway. cn|o\ing the smoothness ol the road and the beauty of the scenery . these things are lunhcst from his miiul lt\ much more comfoiling to relax and cn|o\ the ride ■ ENGINEERING RESUME DISCOUNT PACKAGE AT The Clean Machine Copy Shop e c 621 S. Wright St. 359-1500 Typing Picture Screen 50 Copies (#70 Paper) $ 1.80 $ 4.00 $ 5.00 $ 5.00 $15.80 OVERNIGHT SERVICE 1.00 DISCOUNT with coupon $14.80 MONDAY- FRIDAY 7:30 AM- 10 PM SAl 9-5 SUN 10-6 from page 13 Tech Teasers Answers 1. If : IS his age at death, then 29r is his date of binh His date of birth plus his age at death will yield his date of death, or 2'^:+ =30r. Since he was alive in 19.^2 and dead by 1982. which IS infonnation gleaned from the question, he must ha\e died between these two dates. His death date must be di\isible bv 30. so the date of death must be 19S(1, 1980 -30 = Mi. 1980-66= 1914, so he was bom in 1914 and was ,'^8 years old in 1952. 2. Constance simply took .v = 2.^14. and converted it into its hexadecimal equivalent 2514 in base ten equals 91)2 ("nine-d-two") in base 16. 3. Since it is a rope and uood ladder, the ladder will lloal on lop o\ the water. Thus, none of tiie ladder will e\ei be underwater. u 18 .^^%S^" Bring |. i It took pride, talent and a comfnitmi^ C ' * B,^.E.— I.E.'s'can ex|5g|f^d 'Worlf ^traSie^s are eyialuated on their to excel in all you do, to takeyou wKet^^\ Iq such areas as electrical mat:hine46- knowledgj^Cf the company and their you are today Thati why you're deter- '^si^^ and application, power distribu- '«abi!t^ to.*pi3ily this knowledge as you are today That^ why you're deter- rpined;fo find a career that brings out rm <«y«>u«>bdi9t.lB'eare«vlitFatR>fier»4fflkiRee and room for growth, both personally and professionally At Anheuser-Busch, we've been si^ and application, power distribu- 'abilt^ tion, sub- station layout as yel l as' i decfl :tndi]?tria1 ^nd cotnmetcrarTigTrtl ng'.' ' "r?por electrical control circuits and systems varioi control. --— — L C ,Th&se positions are project- Corpc y*uffba».1B'«areaftl»t(onBrM*»»BBger :=mcii]?Triai and cotnmerciai iigntmg, rFpons i,,.v. ...^ .. , .^ .-..^..^ and room for growth, both personally electrical control circuits and systems various job assignments. and professionally ,y control . --— — Upon completion of the progranj, At Anheuser-Busch, we've been iC ,TH&se positions are project-_ Corporate Management Trainees are bringing out the best in talented peoR}e;5^Qfi'entfedy and allow you the opportu- ^asuaUy piaced in our Oper.atiorts or for over one hundred years, with stirtii^*:^'pit^to work on a project from concep- . Brewing Divisiorrs. i. i~ ulating projects and a commitment to ,,.. ^^fte Corporate Management Tra«u^^,--p_^^^ ^ . ^^^ < ^ \ ~ Ifcogram comprises various divis^prisj*- .ft sdjlri' ^ A - ' v Central kn^ineering \ of Anhdijser- B«sch Cx)mpani£s, ^Iiij«V:r 4 ' ^ -^ ^ — ■*•- B.S.I^.^r-M.E.'s will gain experience in Under tWsiOne year program trlKi^e^S^., _ _ Foi'tnbt;e informatign and sign-up, such diverse fields Ss material handl- will receive "hands- on" fir^ \ine 'T^lease CQjttafltjVOur placement office, ihg, equipment layout, piping system s£>pervisory experiisnce fit specifickA!NlHEU3ifiR,- ■ iito^campus.^ A *rRe Corporate Management_Tra«ij^ .--yi_ ^^ , ^ ^fcogram comprises various divis1phsj«- .ft sdji'V^' ^ A - ' ^ v \ c?f Anhdijser- Bfctsch Cx)mpani£s, ^Iiij«V:r 4 ' ^ -^ ^ — ■*•- 1 Under tWsiOne year program 'tr^4^sv»./_ Foi*Tnbt;e ijTform'atiQn and sign-up, will receive "hands- on" fir^ line 'T^lease CQlttafljyour placement office. 1 si^pervisory experience in. specific kAJNlHEU^eRf^JsHsCH COMPANIES, INC.; areas of the coiwp^ny. Trainees Will also jiforpora'fe EifiF^oyment; College Rela- te exposed 4o various ,J;iahage?nenkfions; OneiBfi|(^h't'lace; St. Louis, Mis- I concepts by attending several man-JjJBouri 631,18. An Equal Opportunity L acement development seminars. V Employer M/F^ \ " lAnheuser-" '^^" Employer WK ANHEUSER-BUSCH COM. The Most Sophisticated Training Ground For Niidear Engineenng IsntOnThe Ground. It's on a Navy ship. The Navy has more than 1,900 reactor-years of nuclear power experi- ence—more than anyone else in America. The Navy has the most sophisticated nuclear equipment in the world. And the Navy operates over half of the nuclear reactors in America. With a nuclear program like that, you know the Navy also offers the most comprehensive and sophisticated nuclear training. Every officer in the Nuclear Navy completes a full year of graduate level technical training. Outside the Navy, this kind of program would cost you thousands. In the Navy, you're paid while you learn. Then, as a nuclear-trained officer, you supervise highly trained . . . . . personnel in the opera- tion of the most advanced nuclear propulsion plants ever developed. You get a level of technical and management experience unequalled anywhere else. You get important responsibilities and you tYear in College. AMajor/Minor — NAVY OPPORTUNITY W196 INFORMATION CENTER P.O. Box 5000. Clifton, NJ 07015 D Please send me more information about becom ing an officer in the Nuclear Navy. (0N) get them fast. Because in the Navy, as your knowledge grows, so do your responsibilities. Today's Nuclear Navy is one of the most challenging and reward- ing career choices a man ~ can make. And that choice can pay off while you're still in school. Quahfied juniors and seniors earn approximately $l,000/month while they finish school. As a nuclear-trained officer, after 4 years with regular promotions and pay increases, you can be earning as much as $40,500. That's on top of a full benefits package that includes medical and dental care, and 30 days' vacation earned each year. As a nuclear-trained officer, you also earn a place among this nation's most _ qualified and respected ' professionals. So, if you're . majoring in math, engi- , neering or the physical sciences, send in the cou- pon. Find out more about the most sophisti- cated training ground for nuclear engineering. Today's Nuclear Navy. This is for general recruitment information. You d of the information requested. Of course, the moi can help to determine the kinds of Navy positioi Navy Officers Get Responsibility Fast Technovations iNasle Not, Want Not Three years of construction and planning was ended symbolically with the /■•freaking of a bottle of American (j^hampagne last November 17. The celebration was the christening of Vulcanus II. Chemical Waste Management's new ocean incineration vessel. The incineration process starts in the ship with its gorators. which change any solid wastes into a liquid form. This liquid is pumped hydraulically, at an average rate of over 5200 gallons per hour, to the rear of the ship, where three incinerators await in readiness at temperatures between i250°C and 1500°C. Combustion occurs at an average rate of eight tons per hour, and the gaseous products are moved to the stack portions of the furnaces. Once there, any residual chlorine is converted to combustion gases which are sent into the ship's wake, where the sea water absorbs and neutralizes them. Viikaiuis II is 307 feet long, has a total capacity of 837,000 gallons, and has eight cargo tanks, each of which can be connected directly to the furnaces. The ship can destroy up to twenty million gallons of waste per year, which is necessary due to the demands for its services in both the U.S. and Europe. However, the U.S. market will supposedly exceed Europe's, and will steadily grow until 1990. The new ship departed for its "initial survey bum" on December 10. in order to be certified by the U.S. EPA and IMCO. In mid-February, the vessel will be introduced to American government officials and industrial leaders in Washington, DC, and will then start servicing the U.S. waste market. Chemical Waste Management, Inc., m is a wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc., and has its headquarters in Oak Brook, III. Beam Me Up. Intemational Business Machines Corporation has started the first large-scale use of electron-beam methods to manufacture ROM's (read-only memory chips). Each chip is personalized, and can store up to 18,432 bits, which is about 400 words of data. The chips are used in IBM's most powert'ul central processing units (CPU's), which are the 3081, 3083, and 3084. Before the new process was developed, IBM used an optical photolithographic process, involving a mask and chemicals, to etch the bit patterns on the chips. Now, the time is cut down to a third of its original length, as a computer-controlled electron beam tool directs electrons onto the chip to create the bit patterns. The chip is designed at IBM's Poughkeepsie, NY, facility, and the design information is sent via computer to their plant in East Fishkill, at the rate of one instruction per 8.5 nanoseconds. IBM also makes the personalized chips in Essonnes, France, using the same process. The whole process, from design to production, now takes about twenty days. The chips are mounted onto thermal conduction modules (TCM's). which hold 118 of these chips. The TCM's are a major part of the computer's processor — they cool, protect, and interconnect the computer circuit components. A Third Arm Mitsubishi Electric now gives you that third arm you sometimes wish you had. It is called the RM-IOI Movemaster, and it is a miniature robot. The Movemaster is ten inches high, and weighs under eighteen pounds. It can pick up about 1.125 pounds, has a maximum grasp of 3.125 inches, and operates at up to 2.75 inches per second. Three separate hands are provided, in order to handle any task. There are six axes, each driven by a stepper motor, and five degrees of freedom of motion. The robot can be repeatedly repositioned, automatically, to positions within only three millimeters of each another. Mitsubishi designed their robot to function exactly like the industrial ones used on assembly lines. Thus, the Movemaster is intended for use by schools, colleges, universities, and hobbyists. The robot comes with fourteen pages of instructions, and a Centronics printer interface to facilitate computer control. Inside is a microcomputer, so the movement instructions can be given in a simple robot language, and may be programmed using BASIC. Finally, the most important feature of this product is that it is built to withstand the trials and tabulations of novices. Laiii^doii Ali;er 21 If there's something out there, we know it. We're Sanders. It's our business to know if something's out there- be it friend or foe. In the sky. On the land. Under the sea. From beyond. Special opportunities are waiting for people with degrees in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics or Math to join our forces in Software Development, Circuit & Systems Design and related proposal activities. Find out what's out there for you. On-Campus Interviews Monday, February 28 See your Engineering Placement Office or send your resume and transcript directly to: College Recruiting Coordinator, Sanders Associates, Inc., 95 Canal Street, Nashua, NH 03061. # -<^ El SANDERS An Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer US. Citizenship Required Tech Profiles Parker received his Bachelors in Mecha- nical Engineering (ME) from the North Caroli- na Agricultural and Technical State Uni- versity in 1961. He be- an work on his Mas- ters in ME while em- ployed at Bell Aerosy- stems, and he re- ceived the degree from the State Uni- versity of New York in 1969. Professor Eisenstein received her under- graduate degree in physics in 1964 from Barnard College. In 1964 she earned her masters from Col- umbia University, and by 1969 she had re- ceived her doctorate in physics from Harvard University. Professor Eisenstein came to the University in 1967 where she was a re- search assistant doing work here for her PhD. A native of Switzer- land. Professor Wolf- gang J. Poppelbaum received his Ph.D. in physics from the Uni- versity of Lausanne in 1952. He came to the University in 1954 to work with John Bar- deen on the develop- ment of the transistor, and he started teaching computer de- sign classes right away. •mm i Dean Paul E. Parker Engineering students with administrative problems seek solutions in 207 Engineenng Hall. Lx)cated in 207 are the offices of the assistant deans, including Paul E. Parker. In 1967. Parker joined the ME department of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T). He was appointed department chainnan in 1970. and in 1971 he became assistant dean of the NCA&T College of Engineenng. Parker became an assistant deans here at the University in 1973. Parker acts as a counselor for students in the college. His duties include providing cumculum advice, handling transfer students, and working with co-op programs. Parkeralso serves as the coordinator of minority relations in the College. Presently. Parker spends most of his time working with or for students. He also does some consulting work for companies such as Standard Oil. Inland Steel, and Union Carbide. Raxmoiui Hi^htinver Laura Eisenstein More than nine hundred students taking physics 108 were in for a pleasant surprise on the first day of class when Professor Laura Eisenstein, walked in to lecture. After receiving her degree, Eisenstein worked as a research professor for two years, and from 1971-1980 she was a research assistant professor, teaching sections in physics 101. 106. and 108. She is now an assistant professor, and also teaches physics 321 and 322. Among the professor's credentials are a NATO post-doctoral fellowship in Paris from 1973-1974 and a membership on the editorial board of Biophysical Jounuil. In June of 1983 she will be a member of the nomination committee of the the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is member of the American Physical Society Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, and will'chair that committee this January. Currently. Eisenstein's main interest is biological physics. Specifically she is studying light induced reactions in biomolecules called rhodopsin (vision pigment) and baclerorhixlopsin. Steve Alexander Wolfgang Poppelbaum In 1954 Poppelbaum joined the Computer Laboratory research team in designing and building one of the first transistorized computers, the ILLIAC 2. He later became the director of the Computer Science department's Information Engineering Laboratory. Poppelbaum is currently working with the multiplexing of information signals on optical fibers using "'color modulation" and ■"spectrum sample transmissions'". He is also working with computer speech processing systems, and a new kind of computer system called an " "array" system in which internal information is ""moved around much like a train." Poppelbaum has published well over 40 technical articles along with several books, including a te,\t on computer desiun. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, and has become well known as" an expert in his field. He currently teaches CS 281, 381. and 497. Giinnar Seahiiri> 23 The Career Is Yaurs. The Place Is Ours. Now that you have established a founda- tion for your career in engineering, your next step is to take your education and build a rewarding future. At Black & Veatch, we can help you do just that. We seek out graduating engineers who are eager to work with an experi- enced team of experts to find solutions to some of the world's most pressing prob- lems. We want indi viduals who will con- tinue our internation ally recognized efforts in power generation and transmission, pol- lution control, water resource development, solid and hazardous waste management, and industrial plant design. The opportunities are yours. The place is ours. Tell us more about your career goals and explore your future at Black & Veatch. Write: Cindy SomiT BIdck & Vei D.pc C P O Bo« 8405 Kansu Cits. Mi (913) 967-2000 An Equal Opportunity Employe tT, College Reel ch. Engineers-/ I 64II4 : [p^lBiack s veaccn ^^ZM Engineers-Architects we can put you in this picture If you are a college freshman or sophomore in good academic standing, the Naval ROTC Program can be your chance for the experience of a lifetime. The Naval ROTC Program can provide you a path to great career opportunities, and also assistance now in your college education. Naval ROTC Scholarship and College Program opportunities are available now. SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS • Full tuition and fees • Book expenses •$100 subsistence month •"Hands On" training during summer cruises onboard Navy ships and installations As a commissioned Naval or f\/larine Officer you can start immediately with: •$17,000 year Basic income in- creasing to as much as $24,000 year in four years. • Specialized training fields of Nuclear Submarines Naval and fvlarine Corps Aviation Surface Warfare U.S. Marine Corps Let us give you the whole NROTC picture. Contact: LT BOB BURNS 239 Armory BIdg. Phone:333-1061 1062 © Easlman Kodak Company. 1982 One of the natioiVs ton companies in sales or electronics-related equipment is Kodak. Kodak's application of elec- tronics technology is becoming more and more extensive every day That means we have growing career op- portunities for electrical/electron- ics engineers. In projects as diverse as the design and production of output driver chips for the logic and con- trol unit of Kodak Ektaprint copier- duplicators. Development of ad- vanced analog and digital tech- nology and sophisticated software techniques for blood-chemistry analysis with the Kodak Ektachem 400 analyzer. And explo- ration of potential product improvements in the Kodak Komstar 300 microimage processor, a computer peripheral which uses pulsed laser beams to convert digi- tal data to alphanumeric images on microfilm at speeds up to 20 times faster than many ink-jet paper printers. If you want to expand your hori- zons to meet the Kodak challenge, see a Kodak recruiter on your campus. Or send your resume to: Personnel Resources, Dept.DECM, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. 14650. Kodak* The right place* The right time* An equal opportunity employer inanufacturing photographic products, fibers, plastics, chemicals, and electronic equipment. Plants in Rochester, N.Y.; Kingsport, Tenn.; Windsor. Colo.; Longview, Tex.; Columbia, S.C; Batesville, Ark.; and a sales force all over the U.S. Y O U • C A N Teach a robot the facts of life. There was a time when most robots earned their livelihoods in comic books and science fiction films. Today, they're spraying, welding, painting, and process- ing parts at manufacturing plants around the world- Necessity has caused this amazing leap from fantasy to factory The world wants long-lasting, high quality products, now. And robots fit perfectly into this scheme of things: They can make those products - quickly easily and accurately What kinds of robots'^ There IS GE's Allegro,'" for one It can position a part to within 1,'IOOOthof an inch -or about Va the thickness of the paper this article is printed on. Or there's GP 132 (shown here). This loader unloader, packer, stacker and welder - can lift and maneuver 132 pounds with no trouble at all So what's left for me to teach robots'^ You might ask Consid- er this glimpse into the future by Dr Roland W, Schmitt, head of GE corporate research and development: "One of the big frontiers ahead of us is putting the robot's nervous system together with some senses - like vision, or touch, or the abil- ity to sense heat or cold That can give you an adaptive robot, one that can sense how well it's doing Its |ob and make the adjustments needed to do that job better." That's a tall order. And one we'll be expecting you to fill With foresight, talent, imagina- tion -all the things that robots have yet to learn WE BRING GOOD THINGS TO LIFE An equal opportunity employer Illinois Technograph April 1983 Volume 98, Issue 5 Newsstand $1.25 bking into television smiSixm¥fif9Mi'4/WJ5?ss- a\oQ 9 9 nU^o P^^^:>o^°^:^^ec^^o^\ot>s , ^ao' .e^V \\Ae .oci ^^^■^"S^seas \o ».><;»> oW^e US aW aVA^ oo "y tivJ"° ^o a' \o? ,u^a TAKES ON EXCITING * NEW DIMENSIONS IN THE AIR FORCE. Computer-generated design for investigating structural strengths and weaknesses. Developing and managing Air Force engineering projects could be the most important, exciting challenge of your life. The projects extend to virtually every engineering frontier. 8 CAREER FIELDS FOR ENGINEERS astronautical, civil, electrical, mechanical and nuclear. Hundreds of diverse specialties are included in a wide variety of work settings. For example, an electrical engineer may work in aircraft design, space systems, power production, communications or research. A mechanical engineer might be involved in aircraft structure design, space vehicle launch pad construction, or research. PROJECT RESPONSIBILITY COMES EARLY IN THE AIR FORCE /"a engineer studying aircraft clcitncil pi aver supply system. Engineering opportunities in the Air Force include these eight career areas: aeronautical, aerospace, architectural, All Force mechanical aircraft jet engine turbine. Most Air Force engineers have complete project responsibility early in their careers. For example, a first lieutenant directed work on a new airborne electronic system to pinpoint radiating targets. Another engineer tested the jet engines for advanced tanker and cargo aircraft. OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW USAF SPACE COMAAAND .'Vrtist's concept of the DSCS III Defense Satellite Communications System satellite. (US-iXF photo.) Recently, the Air Force formed a new Space Command. Its role is to pull together space operations and research and development efforts, focusing on the unique technological needs of space systems. This can be your opportunity to join the team that develops superior space systems as the Air Force moves into the twenty-first century. To learn more about how you can be part of the team, see your Air Force recruiter or call our Engineer Hotline toll free 1-800-531-5826 (in Texas call 1-800-292-5366). There's no obligation. AIM HIGH AIRIORCE Iinois Technograph April 1983 Volume 98, Issue 5 4 6 8 10 12 Chipping a New Lab Pcw Kacmarek The ground floor of the Electrical Engineering Building is the home of a new microelectronics laboratory. Alternative Television Rolwrt Ekbhiw Public television otters u pleasant escape from commercial networks, and educates as well. The Crisis Continues Kevin Wenzel Without a tax increase, the College of Engineering could lose its shirt as ucll as its reputation. What Do Engineers Respond To? Larry Mullak Communicational conveyance is calling for easier temis. A Futuristic Parable Andrew Saporoschenko A fictional account of future engineering lifestyles is relayed. Departments Editorial 3. Tech Teasers 3. Technotes 1 1 . Technovations 13. Tech Profiles 15 Editor: Kevin Wenzel Production Editor: Lariy Mallak Business Manager: Jim Lee Copy Editor: Charley Kline Asst. Copy Editor: Raymond Hightower Photo Eiditor: Randy Stiikenberg Features Editor: Langdon Alger Design: Nancy Grunthaner Assistant Design: Beth Beauvais F*ublisher: E. Mayer Moloney Jr. Production Manager: Geoff Bant Adviser: Ed Mast Editorial Staff: Steve Alexander, Rob Busse, Dave Colhurn. Doug Campoli. Tiishar Chande. Joe Culkar, Tad Dierkes, James Ehrhart, Robert Ekblaw. Jane Fiala. Elayne Fletcher. Maiy Kay Flick. Eric Giiarin. Pete Kacmarek. Laura Kasper. Chris Konitzer, James O'Hagan. Bill Proctor. John Przybysz, Thorn Roe. Doug Shaw. Andrew Saporoschenko. Robert Strahanowski Business Staff: Brian Carlson. Jeff Lee, Donna Obermaier On the cover: A television camera stands ready to tape Illinois Press, a talk show aired by WILL-TV. Technograph takes a look at how the television station works .{photo by Randy Stiikenberg) Copyright Illini Publishing Co.. I^S.^ liliiuiis Technograph I USPS 258-760) Vol W No 5 ,.\pni IW3 [llinois Technograph i-s published !i\c miles dunng the academic year at the University ol Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Published by tllini Publishing Co.. 620 East John St . Champaign. Illinois. 61820, Editorial and Business otficcs ^^ the Illinois Technograph: Rtioiii 302 Engineerine Hall. L rb;i[^ Illinois. 61801. phone (217) 333-3730. Advenisins! b\ Littel-Munay-Bamhill. Inc.. 1328 Bmad- way, New York. NY, 10001; 221 N. USalle Street. Chic go. IL . 60601 i^ Entered as second class matter, October 30. 1920, at J^l post office at Urbuna. Illinois under the act of March 3, Wt. Illinois Technograph is a member ol Engineering College Magazines Associated. Tech Teasers Editorial 1. What is the largest product you can ,^^form by multiplying two numbers that are f^Htreated by using each digit 1 to 9 (once and only once) between the t\vo numbers? ^^xample: 9876 x 54321 would satisfy \^^^ requirements, but their product is not ^^s large as it could be) 2. If 92.59c of a town's population own gerbils. 71.3% own newts. 95% own pirhanas. and 63.4% own boa constric- tors, what is the minimal percentage of people in the town uho own all four kinds of pets? 3. A girl has to take three steps to keep up with her father's two when they walk together. If the\' both start out on their right feet, how many steps will the girl have to take before the\' both step together on their left feet? 4. In the quasi-generic chessboard below. each cross represents a king. Divide the board into four equal (equal in size, shape, number of squares, etc.) parts, where each part has one and onh' one king in it. You may not cut up and or rearrange the board, and \ou may not move the kinas. X X X X # Answers on page 14 9 Keep it in Perspective TTie room was huge, decorated in a putnd green, and filled with hundreds of engineenng students like me. going to their first engineering class e\er. Engineering 1(J0. I thought, would be where I learn what engineers realK do. I was entering the wonderful cosmos we all know and love, the College of Engineering. The first man who spoke to us seemed bigger than life: he was a real dean, a man of power and control over our destinies. He began to speak about the greatness of the college, its facilities, its facultv'. and the incredibly qualified students who graduate from here and get inundated with job offers at incredible salaries. He compared the college to a forest. As you walk through the forest, you will meet giant redwoods w ho make this forest great. The Nobel Prize winners, the eminent professors of this college, they were the redwood pillars this institution rested on. I left my first engineering class w ith an unprecedented enthusiasm for being a student here; 1 was a part of a new world, exciting and different, and 1 had to channel my energies to make it the best worid it could be. At the second meeting of Engineenng l(X) I learned about my future job prospects. I would probably get 3.5 job offers at an a\erage salar\' of S 1 8(X) per month. There were two things to do before 1 could expect success though. The first thing I had to do was keep my grades up. In our class we saw charts and graphs that showed a clear correlation between grades and salarv'. If you want a high salarv . they told us. you have to ha\e high grades. 1 realized my goal now: straight .\'s even,' semester. The second thing to do was to be active. My future employer would want to examine that all-encompassing record of my academic and professional achievements — my resume. How can I get a good resume? Be in\ol\ed in ever\' single organization on campus, and be an effective leader in all of them. Leaders from Engineenng Council. Tau Beta Pi. Society of Women Engineers, the departmental societies, and of course. Technograph came to tell us how good their organization was. They all sounded great, so now I had another goal: do even, thing. I was ecstatic. Here I was in a whole new world w ith new goals: alwavs get straight .A"s. and do CNervthing. These goals may seem conflicting, but they really aren't for a good engineering student. Ask anybody who has spoken at Engineering 100: they'll tell you that a good engineer lives for the College of Enginenng and the extracurricular acti\ities surrounding the college. I admit, maybe I am exaggerating a little. No freshman in engineering is that enthusiastic about his new situation. Nobody takes on evervthing. The goals of involvement and supreme academic pert'ormance are conflicting. Part of education is learning hov\ to balance those objectives. The College of Engineering isn't really a world in itself. It's a part of the University, and the University is part of the state, and so on. The college is a small part of the whole, and without the whole, it cannot work. Witness the current financial struggle in the college, and \ou can see it is \er\ dependent on external situations. Extracurricular activities shouldn't define a student's life either. Students need to learn leadership ability and organization during school through participation in professional or social societies. But there is a fine line between devotion to a society and fanaticism. The bottom line is perspective. Keep your classes, your societies, and the college in view. Remember to keep the whole in mind as \ou work to impro\e the parts. f{^jcnyv<~ lJ. Us^AAAJi>~ Chipping a New Lab Bigger is cheaper. Some people say, "No, no. no. In to- day s world of mic- roelectronics and mini-computers we all know the smaller the product the cheaper it gets. ' So maybe we should store away this motto together with the bigger, the better into the lone- liest, darkest memory locations ot the latest state-ot-the-arts com- puter. For years, many solid-state engineers have been chanting "bigger is cheaper" just as often as "smaller is better." The practice of this "bigger" philosophy by the semiconductor industry' has been met with much satisfaction by the Electrical Engineering Department at the Universits, especially from Professor George Anner. For it is this philosophy that has helped the department add a new lab to its pre- sent semiconductor fabrication facilities — FAB II. How does the solid state industry save money by using this philosophy? To- day, integrated circuits (IC"s) are proces- sed using a modem technique called batch fabncation. That is. many IC chips are processed simultaneously on one large, circular chip or wafer, usually made of silicon, and later separated into individual chips. Currently, an average small chip measures approximately 18 mils x 18 mils. The cost of processing is indepen- dent of the number of single devices com- prising the circuits or the size of the waf- er. Therefore, the industry uses two methods to decrease the unit cost of a de- vice. They reduce the size of the device and/or increase the size of the wafer. Be- sides the continuing trend to produce smaller and smaller devices, manufactur- ers are also making the wafers bigger, in an effort to achieve lower unit costs. Waf- ers grew from 1 inch in diameter to the 3 or 4 inches in diameter which are used to- day. And yes, companies are already playing with the idea of 5 or 6 inch waf- ers. However, there is one disadvantage. When companies begin using larger waf- ers they can no longer use their previous processing equipment. This leaves many semiconductor manufacturers with a large supply of slightly used, highly sophisti- cated equipment. In 1977, electrical engineenng pro- fessor George E. Anner began contacting many University alumni now in the solid state industrv', inquiring about their com- pany's supply of obsolete processing equipment. He hoped to acquire some of the equipment in order to improve the present undergraduate microelectronics lab. The companies responded very favor- ably to the request. National Semiconduc- tor Corp.; Motorola, Inc.; Texas Instru- ments, Inc.; Teletype; Delco Electronics; Harris Semiconductor; Fairchild; Mostek Division of United Technologies Corp.; Intel Corp.; Tektronix, Inc.; General Elec- tric Co.; General Motors Corp.; IBM Corp.; Zenith; Westinghouse; and Whiri- pool Corp. supplied enough equipment to update the present lab and then some. George Anner nov\' recognized there was enough equipment to furnish a whole new lab. It was at this time he proposed the idea of FAB II. But money was still needed for the construction of the lab. In 1980, United Technologies Corporation Left, equipment to be installed in FAB II sits in the outer room of the lab. At right is a view Into the Gold Room through a hole that will be a ventila- tion duct. The Gold Room is one of the "clean rooms of the lab with a controlled environment, (photos by Dave Colburn) ^ Pete Kacmarek (UTC) donated $500,000 to the EE de- partment: $100,000 per year for five years. The electrical engineering depart- ment used $250,000 of the UTC gift to fund construction of FAB II. FAB II will be located front-and- center on the ground floor of the electrical engineering building. When one looks through the vertical glass panels into the "clean room" of the partially completed FAB II. many large grills can be seen on the ceiling. The.se grills cover air intake filters. After double-filtering, the air is re- turned via the vents located on the walls just above the baseboards. The 1700 square foot "clean room", characterize.d by its white, sterile interior, also has temperature, pressure and humidity con- trols. This controlled environment is re- pired when fabricating semiconductor de- 9 vices. The lab also consists of another room without a controlled atmosphere. The construction of the lab began in the summer of 1982 and is a collaborative effort of many local contractors. Coordinating the project is the engineering fimi Henneman, Raufeisen. & Associates of Champaign. The original site of the lab w as to be in the west wing of the ground tloor. The entrance to the present site is difficult to tlnd. A person wishing to enter the lab must go to the west wing and use the north hallway. According to Anner, the present undergraduate microelectronics facility is "the only school lab dedicated to undergraduate teaching of solid state labrication". Anner. who has retired from teaching as of May, 1982. has gained the respect and admiration of both students and faculty in this area of undergraduate education. He has received the Everitt Award for Teaching Excellence from the College of Engineering in 1980 and 1972 and the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the University in 1975. Other schools, such as Purdue, have similiar labs, but these are reserved for staff and graduate students only. Anner also stressed that the University lab teaches simple device fabrication, not IC processing. The lab. located in 133 Elec- trical Engineering Building, serves two groups of students: those enrolled in EE 3-t4. Theory and Fabrication of Solid State Devices, and those students who have already taken EE 344 or who are already familiar with device fabrication. The latter group consists mainly of gradu- ate students in other curricula such as physics, metallurgy and ceramic engineer- ing. The 70 students per semester enrolled in EE 344 have priority in the lab. There- fore, the second group of students are often left out in the cold. FAB II will pro- vide more time and superior equipment for these advanced students. There are no plans to schedule any EE 344 sections in the lab. The facilities available in FAB II will enable students to make smaller de- vices and prepare the masks needed to etch semiconductor materials. Company donated equipment will include a scanning electron microscope, chemical vapor de- position equipment, an electron gun eva- porator and planetary fixture, diffusion and oxidation furnaces, a projection mask aligner, an automatic profiler, and a lead bonder. Most of the equipment was used to process 3 and 4 inch diameter wafers. Anner likes to refer to the lab as an inde- pendent facility available to students of all curricula who are in need of semiconduc- tor fabrication equipment. FAB II is expected to be ready in the fall of 1983. EE research engineers John Hughes, Amo Schriefer, and K. S. Yang are currently moving equipment into the lab and completing the final tasks of hooking up the exhaust, gas. deionized water and electrical systems. Some equip- ment may be available for use in a few months. J.J. Coleman, Professor of elec- trical engineering, will assume responsibil- ity for the lab due to Anner's retirement. When sf)eaking with Anner about in- dustry's role in education, he commented, "The semiconductor industry says the schools are not turning out enough en- gineers." He said companies are willing to help improve education as demons- trated by the success of FAB II. He pointed out that companies would like to give direct financial help, but the present tax structure makes it impractical to do so. If the state's high technology plan goes as scheduled, the EE department will be preparing for a new microelectronics center, to be housed in the Illinois State Water Survey building on Springfield Ave. What if information about FAB II were fed into the state-of-the-art computer discussed at the beginning of this article? The display screen would output. "Educa- tion is better." Smart computer. H Alternative Television Imagine a bored stu- dent on Saturday afternoon. He drags himself to the televi- sion. In a weak mo- tion, he flicks the dial to turn on the set. and spins the channel dial, and passes up the ordinary sports games, interviews, and old movies. Suddenly, the screen is ablaze with gunfire. Entranced, the student sits back, pre- paring himself for a thrilling adventure. The channel this student found was WILL. Channel 12. WILL is the local Public Broadcasting System (PBS) station. Like all PBS stations. WILL doesn't show the usual sports games, soap operas, game shows, and situation comedies that flood the other channels. They show educational programming, documentaries, and movies. Best of all. the programs shown are freshK picked each vear. so there are no boring reruns. Since the programs are changed ev- ery \ear. new programs must constantly be screened. TTiis is done by the Interre- gional Programming Sen ice. TTie service is an association composed of representa- tives from se\eral public television sta- tions throughout the United States. They preview man\ prospective programs for use on the Public Broadcasting stations. As they view the shows and movies, they rate them for entertainment and interest value. Then they compile their data and create a list of those programs which the\ feel are the best. Clips of shows from this list are distributed to the program directors of all PBS and other public television sta- tions across the country. The program director of WILL is Elaine Sprenkle. Her job is to decide what programs to present on the air. and when these programs should be shown. She views the Interregional Programming Ser- vice's presentation of possible programs. From among those, she decides which ones the station should purchase for broadcast on the air. "T basically look for programs that our audience will enjoy." Sprenkle said. "From reviews we've received from past programs. I have a good idea what appeals to our viewers." She has come up with many favorites, which backs up this claim. One production that appears to be a big favorite is the Adult Education tele- courses. The classes are run by local col- leges and presented by WILL on Saturday moming and earlv Saturday afternoon. It's very easy to determine which of the telecourses to broadcast on the air. "I decide which to broadcast by the number of people who sign up to take the course. The more people who sign up. the better the chance of that one getting on the air." Sprenkle said. How does one follow the course once signed up? "The suidents purchase the books needed for the course when they sign up. The televised sessions are based on chapters in the book. With- out the book, the course would be verv' difficult to take." With all the new programs to purch- ase, money is a necessity. In order to maintain a proper budget, an annual tele- thon is held to raise monev' from the local community. This year's telethon took place from December 3 to December 12. The telethon is very important, because a large part of the station's funding comes from private sources and the community, and the amount of money needed in- creases everv vear. In FiscalYear 1982. 30% of the sta- tion's budget came from state funds. 2\9c from federal funds, and 49'^f from private donations and the local communitv'. For Fiscal Year 1983. the federal funds de- A Robert Ekblaw creased to 17%. state funding remained at 309c. but the community's slice of the pie increased to 539f . Compound this situa- tion with a T7c budget increase and one realizes that WILL requires a lot of mone\' from the communit>'. If they had fallen short of their budget. man\' new programs and needed equipment would not have been bought, which lowers the qualit)' of programming at the station. Fortunately, the telethon was successful this year. Their goal was met. so the fine programming can resume. Because of the success of the telethon . WILL was able to purchase new prog- rams. Along with the common PBS shows like Seasame Street. MacNeil/ Lehrer Report. Nova, and Masterpiece Theatre, new corned) shows and new movies can now be seen on WILL. TTie station is also busy aquiring new episodes of the highly — popular series called "Doctor Who". All of these additions are meant to raise the quality and entertain- ment of WILL. WILL Channel 12 is located on Uni- versity property, since their offices are in the Communications Building on Main Street. Thus, one would think that they would interact with the University. This is true. WILL interacts and cooperates with the Universitv' in several ways, the most common of which is filming ■"fillers'". Fillers are shown at the conclusion of programs which do not end on e.xact hours or half-hours. This is important since WILL is commercial-free, so soon after one program ends, the next begins. To maintain a nice schedule, they begin and end programs on the hour or on the half-hour. If a program is only fifty mi- nutes, a nine or ten minute filler is played following the show. These fillers are t>'pi- Opposite page, Floor director Henry Radcliffe III gives instructions to John Messman on camera 2 during taping of the Illinois Press show for WILL-TV. At left, Radcliffe applies make-up to Bob Zimmer of the Assocated Press while Lex Peterson of the Champaign News Gazette checks her glasses. Producer Carl Caldwell, right, discusses the show with IBHE director Richard Wagner, (photos by Randy Stukenberg) cally focused on the University. They may be interviews with professors or announcements and preview s of Universi- tv' events, like Engineenng Open House. Fillers are not the only way the Uni- versity works with WILL Television. Uni- versity cable channels are filmed with WILL personnel and cable equipment. If the Universit>' has a program to be shown on television, they may use a WILL studio. Universitv' students have even found WILL to be a prospective job market. WILL may use some Universitv' students during w inter holidays to replace vacation- ing staff. They may ask them to help dur- ing the telethon, when additional person- nel are needed to answer phones and keep records. University students may also be used for University programs or fillers. Commonly, the help comes from the Col- lege of Engineering, .so students in need of a job might find one available. Despite the deluge of programming available on the three commercial net- works and the nian\' options offered by cable and satellite tele\'ision. public televi- sion provides a pleasant method of being entertained or educated without the com- mercials or monthlv bills. ■ The Crisis Continues A story ran in the April 1980 Issue of Illinois Technograph entitled Crisis in the College. That story painted a bleak picture of the College of Engineer- ing, a college in finan- cial trouble. Today the picture is much bleaKer. "Quality is a strange business; it takes decades to build it up, and in a few years you can tear it down." Daniel C. Drucker, l)e;ui ol' the College of En- gineering, said this in reference to the possible fate of the Engineering College. Quality is a valid word to describe what the college has developed over the past few decades. The University College of Engineenng is ranked consistently among the top four in the nation based on faculty, research facilities, and the number of engineering degrees awiirded each year. The quahty in the college runs a real risk of drastically declining, however, if the present financial status does not im- prove soon. The faculty is being drawn away by higher paying industry, the re- search facilities are becoming out-of-date, and because of these factors, it is neces- s;iry to limit enrollment. The status of the college has been slowly declining for quite a few years in terms of the amount of money received per student. In 1972 the college had a tot- al undergraduate enrollment (including computer science) of 3127. By 1980 that figure had soared to a high of 5359, rep- resenting an increase of 71'7f. The money coming into the college from the state had not followed the same trend. In Fiscal Year (FY) 1973 (academic year ■72-"73) the college's state-funded appropriations totalled $10,863,000, and by FY 1979 that num- ber had declined to $9,901,000 in con- stant 1973 dollars, a decrease of 8.8%. The college was fighting a losing battle. To alleviate some of the financial strain, administrators hiked enrollment re- quirements, decreased the number of out- of-state transfer students to almost zero, and curtailed foreign student enrollment. Due to these actions, the college realized a decline of about 20% in undergraduate enrollment from the 1980 level to 5122 in 1982. Things appeared to be improving in September of 1982. because the FY 1984 budget included a $34.4 million increase for faculty compensation. This was to provide a 12.5% salary increase across the board with an additional 8% going to en- gineenng faculty. State Dollars per Engineering Undergraduate deflated to 1973 dollars 1000 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 '80 '81 '82 Source: College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Then something went wrong. Octo- ber rcv/enues in 1982 fell $107 million short of the 1981 mark. Unemployment and the recession in general caused in- come and sales tax receipts to plummet. In response to this loss. Governor James Thompson was forced to slash state spending 2%, for a total of $164 million. The University suffered a recall of $7 mil- lion from operating expenses. University administrators went into action, cutting weaker programs and sear- ching out other ways to save money. In December they announced a three part plan to reduce spending. Students would see a $100 increase in their tuition bills: faculty would not see their 3% pay raise. Kevin Wenzel originally scheduled for January, until March: and personal would be reduced by at least 2%. Most students agreed they could stand the tuition increase: after all, they are the direct benefactors of the education they receive here. The students hurt most were those with financial aid. but most programs provided extra help for those who needed it badly. The 2% cut in personel hasn"t caused major waves of Uirmoil across the campus yet either. Most of the decrease will come as people retire without being replaced. This will cause serious problems as class loads grow and some sections are cancel- led, but it is not the major effect of the cuts. That distinction belongs to the post- ponement of the faculty salary increase. Most faculty can live with that delay, but the question of future pay raises is a much deeper issue. What will happen to the proposed 20.5% increase for engineering faculty in FY 1984? It probably will never materialize without tax increases in Illi- nois. Engineering faculty are different from other faculty with respect to pay raises and industrial job offers. As Druck- er pointed out. '"Engineers don't bar- gain". When an engineering faculty mem- ber is interested in a job offer from indus- try, if he wants the college to improve his salary to induce him to stay, he must sub- mit a proposal to the head of his depart- ment, who passes it on to the dean, who sends it to the president, who must pre- sent it to the Board of Trustees. The Board then evaluates the proposal and sends its response back through channels to the waiting professor. Unravelling the University red tape for this process takes time, and most engineering professors don't like to wait long. Instead, engineering professors usual- ly ignore outside job proposals until their situation here is just bad enough or the salary in industry is just good enough to leave. So there is no warning: they just say good-bye. "Once you lose enough people to get worried, it's tix) late," Drucker explained. Combine this with the current financial struggles, and you have the right ingredients for an avalanche of faculty away from the University. There is, however, hope that this siUiation may be avoided. Included in the University's FY 1984 budget request is a separate section called "Spiecial Engineer- ing Programs". The aim of this portion of the budget is for the state to allocate an additional $6 million to the engineering programs at the Urbana and Chicago cam- puses to achieve four major goals: "... I ) to enhance engineering faculty and gradu- ate assistant salary levels to retain current faculty, and to aid in attracting top quality faculty and graduate assistants: 2) to add facultN' to reduce student/faculty ratios so that enrollment levels may be maitained: 3) to replace outdated equipment: and 4) to modernize facilities. The $6 million figure was reached by adding the requirements to achieve each of the above goals. The budget re- quest estimated that a salary of $34,000 for new assistant professors would be needed to hire quality faculty. The budget requested a 12.5% ($1.5 million total) in- crease in faculty salary across the board to bring new faculty salaries up to par and to avoid salary compaction. Student/faculty ratios have jumped 25% from 11.7 to'l4.6 overall since 1974 according to the FY 1984 budget. To raise the ratio to its previously decent level, the budget estimated that $6 million would be needed for new faculty. Spread- ing this out over a three year period, it called for a $2 million increase in FY 1984. For new equipment, the budget re- quested SI million per year for the next two years based on a 1978 study by the Association of Independent Engineering Colleges. The remaining $1.5 million is to go to facilities remodeling. University President Stanley Ikenber- ry has stated publicly that this program. known as the "special engineering initia- tive" has number one priority. According to Drucker, "We've shifted all our efforts to the special initiative." The fate of the college may not be so bleak if the initia- tive prevails and certain tax increases are passed by the state legislature. But what if the initiative doesn't work? What if no more money comes into the college? Drucker indicated that there are "a variety of techniques we could use to carry us through for one year. It's not clear how it would work beyond that." Are there more tuition increases in the works for the fuuire? Probably, but the legislature is not likely to base all of the University operating expenses on tuition: that would create an unusually big burden on the students here, and enroll- ment would plummet, not exactly the de- sired end result. One can see then, that the future of the College of Engineering is tenuous at best. It rides on the decisions made by our legislators in the very near fuuire. It is clear that a tax increase is imperative for the survival of this school and probably the State. The article of two years ago ended on a somewhat happier note. TTie author cited good job opportunities for graduating engineers and urged them not to worry too much. Now. however, one cannot rely on an improved placement picture to brighten this story of the college. The average starting salary has risen from a monthly $1775 two years ago to about $2068 today, but those jobs are harder to find. TTie average number of plant trips has dropped from 3.8 to 3.5, and the job offers have fallen from an average of 3.2 to 2.5. The national recession has taken its toll on the demand for engineers as well as on the quality of the college. H Larry Mallak Down to a Science: Exasperated wordsmith leans back in rocking chair to ponder new word possibilities, upsetting cat (A), which triggers lighted candle (B). to burn balloon string (C), which causes board (D) to tip and uncover Swiss cheese (E). Delighted mouse imbalances board (F). which lltts hand just enough to release dictionary (G) which falls into electric fan (H), which disperses letters to awaiting flypap- er (I), thus forming new dictionary entries. What Do Engineers Respond To? Engineers respond to society's problems. But so do politicians, doctors, economists and a host of other experts. I must take an aside here to define the word expert: since X is usually a symbol used to denote an unknown, and a spurt is a drip under pressure, then logically an expert is an unknown drip under pressure. This is an example of an engineer responding to language, which is one of society's problems. As an engineer. I will now describe a methodology which will lead to the solution of the ever-present English language problem. First step is to AF^3^3Clf^Ef!& eliminate language. This has been successful in only a select few of our population — the deaf-blind-mute. However, natural selective (Darwinian) pressures could provide an easy solution to our problem if language would de-evolve back to the days of cave drawings and eariier. This theory has been touted by notables such as DEVO as the theory of de-evolution. Are we not men? Sorry, that's another essay. Since total elimination of language is not feasible, perhaps we could streamline and cut the excess out. I mean, really, when's the last time someone called you uxorious? Uxorious means "foolishly fond of one's wife." Is there a similar word for women who are foolishly fond of their husbands? Better yet, are there any women who are foolishly fond of their husbands? All those extraneous words get in the way t'f the one you want to look up and should be eliminated (or at least abbreviated). Chances are, though, that the dictionary will continue to expand as technical words are invented to cover new engineering marvels. So. like, we're responsible for making the dictionary bigger'.' Right. Here's where we've got to make the exceptions; for example, if one of your engineering buddies swallows a computer chip, we need a word to put this all together — engastrochipation. Many other words have need to be invented to describe life's marvels and perils. TTie student who finds out he is the only one of his clique not going to Florida for spring break is in a state of " nobeechfonnee " . Now that 1 have gotten thoroughly sidetracked on the engineer's response to language, one can see that there is much work to be done in this area. We need linguistics engineers to work in two capacities; I ) those who can develop highly technical words to describe things which engineers do so that the layman can't read our reports without a dictionary, a CRC Handbook, and the latest issue of Scientific American, and 2) those who can eliminate words which are no longer needed or too easily understood by the layman. What is needed is to regress to the simplistic, yet mind-boggling sentences of earlier thinkers. Some French guy with a lady's name (I'll call him "Rene') summed it all up when he said, "1 think, therefore I am (confused)." If all would follow this fellow's logic, we would all be confused and have no time to develop engineering marvels and perils and wouldn't have to make up words to describe things the laymen who are mystified by our seemingly endless knowledge. By being confused, language would have little meaning and would no longer be one of our problems. ■ Tech notes Knight Time The King, rather, the Saint, has knighted fourteen new Knights this year. They were chosen from about 1500 total engineers here at UlUC. and they all ful- fill the requirements. All Knights of Saint Pat must have exhibited outstanding lead- ership and participation in student activi- ties which jjertain to engineering. The new Knights are: Yannis S. Arvanitis. CompE; Keith E. Brandau, CE; Kathryn Cation. Civil; Daryl L. Farley. EE; Lynne Gignac. CerE: Luis Bias Gonzalez. EE; Jeanette S. Harms. GE; Constance A. Kus. IE; George C. Mejicano. CerE; Daniel J. Talken. ME; Donald L. Tappen- dorf. CE; Kathryn R. Wilson. Eng. Mechanics: Carol Lynn Winte. ChemE; and Andrew J. Wisniewski. CS. Congra- tulations to them all. They were knighted at the Saint Pat's Ball, last March 5 after EOH -8.1 Very Awarding What do Grace Wilson and Julie Mae Schoenung have in common? Well. Ms. Wilson is a University alumnus who was on the General Engineering Faculty from 1946 to 1973. and Julie Schoenung has received the honor of becoming the eleventh Grace Wilson Award recipient. The award is given annually by the Champaign County chapter of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers Ladies Auxiliary, and the award winner must be an "outstanding graduating woman en- gineer." Ms. Schoenung has received several previous awards, and has been the president of Keramos. She will be gra- duating from the ceramic engineering de- partment. Professor Charles A. Wert was named as a fellow of the Metallurgical Society last March at the Society's annual meeting. He is one of five such fellows that were named this year, which is quite an honor considering there can never be more than 100 active fellows at once. Professor Wert is the head of the metal- lurgy and mining engineering department, and his research is in the changing of metal properties by using gases, and also in the structure and chemical make-up of high-sulfur content coal in Illinois. Lots of Bits and Pieces Can you imagine trying to write down as many as 100.000 pieces of in- formation, or even entering them into a computer, fast enough so as to continually monitor an event as fast as a particle split- ting'.' Thanks to University physics and EE professor R.M. Brown and senior re- search physicist Robert W. Downing, the problem is solved. FASTBUS is the new information retrieval system they are per- fecting, and it can grab information as fast as one billion bits per second. In actuality. FASTBUS is a bundle of components that are put together to form data retrieval networks. The package rests between the experiment hardware, where the information is picked up, and the computer or data storage bank. The network takes information from up to 100.000 sources and extracts only the data that is relevant to the experimenters' needs. Once this is accomplished. FAST- BUS ships it super-fast to the storage area. ITiis system is faster and more us- able than any other data retrieval network that currently exists, and a big reason for this is that it is installed very close to the action. This way, the piles of information will not overwhelm the scientists. FAST- BUS underwent its initial test last Octo- ber, with four segments (each of which sent data at a billion bits per second) and three computers. Two of the segments were made at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and two were cre- ated at the University. The tests demonstrated the immense capabilities and flexibilities of FASTBUS. The network system was built and de- signed by physicists to help them in their research, but FASTBUS can also be used in other areas. A good example of this is the real-time simulation of human blood circulation, due to both the speed and number of sensors which FASTBUS can use. The system also saves money, since some experiment equipment is quite ex- pensive; particle beam accelerators can cost up to $50,000 an hour. The University of Illinois has been in the field of high-speed data retrieval since the 1950's, when it introduced NIM, the Nuclear Instrumentation Module, to the world. Changing of the Guard Illinois Technograph has chosen its staff for the 1983-1984 school year. The following people will bring you the maga- zine in the future: Editor: Lciny Malkik Production Editor: Langdon Alger Business Manager: Raymond Hightower Copy Editor: Laura Kasper Asst. Copy Editor: Robert Ekblaw Photo Editor: Jane Fiala Features Editor: Jim O'Hagan Design: Beth Beamciis Assistant Design: Karen Peters Langdon Alger 11 Andrew Saporoschenko A Futuristic Parable Ttiis story takes place far In the future, In a society as tar removed from our age and ttilnking as we are re- moved from ttie primi- tive cave-rumblings of Neandertlial society. How tills story was conveyed to the autfior is beyond tfie scope of Ills understanding. He only knows that one day, the story appeared In his mind. This t'utuiistic society enjoyed all the fruits of thousands of years of develop- ment. The science of urban planning had created a shimmering metallic skyline, mixed with lushly verdant parks, and dot- ted with many small, self-sustaining living areas. Thousands of years of experimenta- tion with the futilitN of war. and the beautiful quiet of protracted peace had re- sulted in the extinction of all war several years ago. Agricultural engineering had created an abundant supply of food for evervone. in all varieties. The citizens of this Uto- pian society' could dine on luscious fruits. better than those that had tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden; on dainty pastries of wicked sweetness, with no added calories; and on thick, juicy, protein meats, which no animal had given his life for. since the meats were artificially produced in labor- atories from mutated protein cells. All sorts of entertainment were pro- vided for the citizens. TTiere were many huge game parlors and amusement parks in each neighborhood, mn entirely by machines. Many spell-binding shows were put on. Home entertainment centers, with several options, were available in each home. There were many types of cnter- tamment. but even,one had enough leisure tune to tr>' them all. Gentic engineering and medical sci- ence had created perfect human bodies, Bv our standiirds. each had an exquisitely beautiful physical appearance. Every per- son, though, for all his beauty, looked almost like every other. The wonders of technology kept ev- erybcxly clothed, fed. and adequately shel- tered, in fact, technology had reached such a peak that the minds of the people did not have to function creatively to de- sign new technologies, to solve pressing problems, or to help man define and sub- stantiate his existence. And that was ex- actly what happened. No longer were tortured eloquies written on the frailty of the human soul. nor were long tomes, delving into the meaning and betterment of society. No longer did sharply sculpted, or well-acted films appear on the screen. New sympho- nic wonders did not come to fruition be- cause there were no composers to write them, and no one willing to spend the many years of practice to become an accomplished musician. The mental soul had withered, though the ability was still there, as the physical body had grown in appearance. The sad fact was that this society was not happy in its Utopian world, for everyone was literally "bored out of his mind." They had played every game, seen even.' show, been to every amuse- ment park many times. Everybody wore the same styles so no one could take pride in having the "latest""; every new style was just a slight variation of an oft repe- ated standard. Never had anyone felt the sting of bitter cold, so no one could take pleasure in warmth. They had never gone hungry' or thirsty so satiation held no joys. They had become so accustomed to living off their machines, in a state of ennui, that they could not find a way out of their predicament. Then one day. by some freak acci- dent, providence, or by the law of prob- ability, if you believe in such laws, a terr- ibly ugly baby was bom to one of the citizens of the society. This baby was ugly by our standards, but to those of the Utopian society, she was something im- mensely freakish. They, nor their fore- fathers for at least several thousand years, had never known anything but a "per- fect" birth. The birth, of course, caught the attention of the entire society. At first, there were trepidations concerning the baby. Would she cause dismptions in the balance of things? Who would mate with her. since everybody had a perfect mate in this society'.' But nobody was able or willing to think too deeply about any possible problems, so the baby was allowed to grow into a child, and few people visited her after the initial excite- ment. As the child grew up. subtle changes took place, partly because while the child had a freakish face and body, her mind was also beautifully freakish. On her own, in her isolation, the child began to create beautifully lyrical haikus. Later, as she grew older, she wrote longer, and fairly complex pieces. She tried to interest others in her writings, but no one could see any usefulness in the concentration it would take to read even a simple haiku. Finally, she interested one intrepid youth, who found a strange satisfaction from one of her short poems. Slowly her writings spread among almost the entire society. The males of the society, bored with the perfect sameness of all the other females, found a beauty in the uniqueness of her looks, and she had no lack of possible mates. The mind of this child was the catalyst for the beginning of a new re- naissance in creativity, A slow, and primi- tive renaissance but an awakening nonetheless, for this society had redisco- vered an ancient proverb, "beauty is in the eve of the beholder. " ' | 12 Technovations Bread & Board Here's a product that is exceptionally useful for both the Uni%ersit>' and the stu- dents themselves. E&L Instruments In- corporated, from Derby. Conn., has com- bined a power supply, control switches, logic monitor lamps, a signal generator, input output connectors, and breadboard- ing sockets into one con\enient desk top unit. This means that you can build and test just about any TTL. linear, and CMOS circuit you can design without sol- der (or messi). and in much less time than ever before. The four identical breadboard sockets will accept any wire, circuit, component, or IC leads from 20 to 26 gauge. All the power, control, signal, and indicator com- ponents built-in will take your average 22 gauge solid wire. There is absolutely no need for patch cords or soldenng. Oh yes. it is called The Elite 2 Circuit Design Test Instmment. My HERO Did you happen to see that funny grav thing running around the second floor of EBB dunng EOH .' Well, it is a kit available from Heathkit Zenith, and the basic unit (without the arm and voice) costs only SICKX). The HERO 1 is prog- rammable, and it can do an endless list of tasks. The robot has three wheels, with steering and drive all on one wheel, which allows it to run around in any direction, and turn in a one foot radius. You can program it through a keyboard on its "head." or by using either a re- mote-control unit or a pre-recorded tape. One tape can store up to 1(XX) individual steps. The HERO I has a 6808 microp- rocessor inside of it. so it is "intelligent" too. The basic model has a control panel, a light sensor beam which can detect any spectra of light down to one part in 256. an "omnidirectional sound sensor" which hears frequencies from 2(X) to 5(300 Hertz, with the same '/i56 resolution, and twin ultrasonic beams which detect movement up to 15 feet away, and which figure out an object's distance up to 8 feet away. It also has a "sleep"" mode, where it con- serves power (which comes from 4 rechargeable batteries) until it sees intmd- ers (or its master. I suppose), when it wakes up and warns them that it exists. There are two optional accessories, also: a voice and an arm. The \oice is a Phoneme Speech Sy nthesizer which has four levels of inflection, and can speak full sentences. The arm rotates up to 250 degrees, and the wnst rotates 180 degrees. The hand can hold up to a full pound. Tlie Elite 2 Circuit De- sign Test Instrument allows quick and clean circuit testing. Since the HERO I is from Heathkif Zenith, you can build it yourself, thus learning quite a bit about it. You can also buy it fully assembled. It is designed in part as a teaching aide, and will withstand a suident"s curiosirs . Scribe it the Fast Way Tired of the conventional lettering techniques? If you do any drafting, the answer is probably yes. Ozalid Corpora- tion has the answer: it is Datascribe IV. a portable computerized lettering system. Basically, it consists of a keyboard, a LCD display, a microcassete data recor- der, and the 18x30 inch plotting area. All you do is plop the system on top of your drawing, type up what you want printed, and the plotter v\ill print it out on your draft with wet-ink technical pens, felt-tip markers, or broad-tip pens in letters from one-sixteenth to 3-'/s inches high. The system has an 8000 keystroke working memory, and one microcassete can hold up to 50.000 keystrokes in memory stoi- age. The display is eighty characters long, plus it also gives liquid cr\stal prompting commands. Tliis way. the user may view and edit the copy before finalK printing it. Datascnbe IV can rotate the letters and symbols a full 360". in one degree incre- ments. There are all kinds of character and symbol sets already, and Ozalid Cor- poration can design a custom set for you, too, including your company logo. The system weighs only 29 pounds, and sup- posedK- you can letter and s\mbol up to ten times faster w ith this system than w ith conventional methods. The onh problem, for all you GE 103 sUidents. is the price tag: S8500 apiece, available immediately. Lansdon Aker 13 With over 907c of Americas surfaced roads paved with asphalt, it pays to be "Street Smart" on the subject. If you're an engineering student who would like to know more about paving with asphalt — send in this coupon. The people at The Asphalt Institute will send you an asphalt engineering library filled with the practical, working information you'll need. Absolutely FREE! from page 3 Tech Teasers Answers 1.9W2 X 8753! = S43.973.902. 2. The answer is (92.5 + 71.3 + 95 + 63.4)% - (4 - 1) x 100% = 22.2%. 3. Never. Think about it. 4. The solid lines represent the lines that divide the board into the four equal pieces. 14 1 1 — 1 1 1 r r 1 1 1 X 1 1 1 X \/ 1 1 1 r X . J 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i_ 1 1 L 1 ENGINEERING RESUME DISCOUNT PACKAGE AT The Clean Machine >j Copy Shop 621 S. Wright St. 359-1500 Typing Picture Screen 50 Copies (#70 Paper) $ 1.80 $ 4.00 $ 5.00 $ 5.00 $15.80 OVERNIGHT SERVICE 1.00 DISCOUNT with coupon $14.80 MONDAY- FRIDAY 7:30 AM- 10 PM SAT 9-5 SUN 10-6 Tech Profiles Jim Stubbins graduated from the University of Micfiigan in 1970 witfi a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering. From tfiere fie moved to tfie University of Cincinnatti to complete fiis M.S. in Nuclear Engineering, and by 1975 fie fiad earned tiis Pfi.D. in t\Aetallurgy and Materials Science. Alan M. Nathan receieved his B.S in physics from the University of Maryland in 1968. Before graduate school, he served in the army for two years. Nathan received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. Roger Yoerger began his college career at age 16 at Iowa State University where he eventually earned his PhD. He was on the teaching staff there for seven years before coming to the University to instruct power and machinery classes. Jim Stubbins In 1976. Stubbins began working in Karlsruhe, West Germany at the Kemforschungszentrum (nuelear research center). The center is the equivalent of a privately run American national laboratory. While at the center, he studied irradiation damage in materials. Stubbins moved on to Oxford University in England in 1977, where he held a position as a researcher in the Department of Metallurgy and Science. At Oxford, Stubbins continued his work on the effects of radiation on materials. In the fall of 1980, he returned to the Midwest to take a Job as an assistant professor with the Nuclear Engineering Department here. Stubbins is currently teaching NE 347, and has taught, among other classes, NE 290M over the electronic blackboard to the people of Illinois Power at the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant construction site. In his rare free time, Stubbins plays the role of the American Nuclear Society and Alpha Nu Sigma faculty advisor. He also serves as the chairman of the Nuclear Engineering Undergraduate Committee. Kevin Wenzel Alan Nathan After leaving Princeton, Nathan worked as an experimental nuclear physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, until 1977, when he joined the University faculty. For the past two years, Nathan has been involved in writing proposals to the National Science Foundation for grants to build a new electron accelerator. The new accelerator would accelerate electrons to 750 MeV, almost ten times the power of the present accelerator. Currently, Nathan is associated with the Nuclear Physics Laboratory, where he is researching nuclear strucaire, mainly by scattering high energy gamma rays from nuclei. Next August, Nathan will be on sabbatical in Saclay, France. When not playing with sub-atomic particles, Nathan collects baseball cards. His collection of cards dates back to 1928. Jane Fiala Roger R. Yoerger Since 1978 Roger R. Yoerger has been a professor and head of the Agricultural Engineering Department. He is also involved in research on noise and vibration reduction of machine operators. Yoerger enjoys working his fann in southern Champaign County and travelling with his wife. They have a lot of opportunities to travel since Yoerger is the Director of Fellowship of Phi Kappa Phi Honorary. He is also a member of Sigma Xi, Alpha Epsilon, and Gamma Sigma Delta, and is listed in Who's Who. Yoerger feels that although technical aspects learned in class are essential, it is important to be able to accept responsibility and interact with your peers. He also feels that Ag Engineering will continue to be an important part of society as long as people continue to eat. Randy Stukenberg 15 Fellowship e • In 1949, Hughes awarded its tirst fellowship. Since then, more than 4,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees In engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships — advanced degrees to prepare the men and women of today to meet tomorrow's technical challenges. Hughes Aircraft Company will again offer more than 100 new fellowships in the coming year for graduate study in: * Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems. Aeronautical) * Computer Science ' Applied Math * Physics Just a few months from now, you could be working on your fylaster's, Engineer, or PhD degree — and receiving from Hughes. ' Tuition, books, and fees ■ Educational stipend ' Full employee benefits ■ Professional-level salary * Summer employment * Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to $40,000 a year As a Hughes Fellow, you will gam valuable technical experience working summers at Hughes m Southern California or Tucson. Arizona. Work Study Fellows study at a nearby university while working part-time at Hughes. Full Study Fellows work at Hughes in the summer and study full-time during the regular academic year. The range of technical assignments available includes the option of the Engineering Rotation Program to diversify your work experience. Fellowship Story. An invitation to advance your education and your career — with assistance from a company that is advancing the frontiers of technology Write yourself in. Fill out and mail the coupon, or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company. Corporate Fellowship Office. Dept 104, BIdg 4006/W870, Culver City, California 90230. Creaung a new uorld uilh electronics HUGHES HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY Proof of U.S. Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer -Write yourself in. Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. 104, BIdg. 4006/W870, Culver City, California 90230. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and materials PLEASE PRINT Name City I am interested in obtaining a .Engineer degree in the field of: DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's: Date toaster's Date Zip .Doctorate E-Systems continues the tradition of tlie world's great problem solvers. Steinmetz was one of the few geniuses concerned with the practical aspects of electrical engineering. His pragmatic analytical approach led to the de- velopment of efficient electrical power grids as we know them today. Scientists and en- gineers at E-Systems are carrying on in his tradition. Through the combination of sophisticated analytical and simulation techniques, they are evolving optimal system . solutions to some of the world's toughest problems in electronics, E-Systems is recog- nized as one of the world's leading problem-solving companies in the design and production of com- munications, data, antenna, intelligence and recon- naissance systems that are often the first-of-a-kind in the world. For a reprint of the Steinmetz illustration and information on career op- portunities with E-Systems in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Utah or Virginia, write: Lloyd K, Lauderdale, V,P„ Research and Engineering, E-Systems, Corporate Headquarters, P, O, Box 226030, Dallas, Texas 75266, E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opportunity employer IVI F H V ime% t /j^i^^ IF-YOU-CAN-DREAM-IT-YOU C A N • D • I T m Expand the mind of the microchip. Remember when electronic calculators were considered a luxury? Well, consider this sign seen recently outside a gasoline station in Schenec- tady, New York: "Free calcu- lator with an oil change." That's just one sign of the enormous impact micro- chips have had on the way we do everything - from ban(nghl lllini Pubhshmji Co., 1W3 Illinois Technograph USPS :5,S-760) \ol w .\o 1 October 1983 Illinois Technograph is published live times during the academic year at the Universil) of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Published by lllini Publishing Co.. 620 East John St.. ^ Champ.iign. Illinois. hlS2n Editonal and Business offices otfl the Illinois Technt^izraph Rtxmi M)2 Engineering Hall. L'rbanS Illinois, hISOl, phone (;i7) 333-37.^0, Advertising by Litlel-Murray-Bamhill. Inc.. 1328 Broad- way. New York. N.Y., lOOOI; 221 N. USalle Street. Chica- go. IL. 60601. M EnletEd as second class njatter. October .30. 1 920. at thH post office at Urbana. Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879 Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated. At General Dynamics, we design careers the same way we design our products: for success. Today, many college graduates, particularly in the fields of Engineering and Computer Science, are playing a crucial role in this success. If you are qualified, we offer a spectrum of opportunities in aerodynamics, advanced signal processing, radar systems, embedded software, lasers and electro-optics, composite structures, VLSI, non-linear structural analysis, robotics, CAD/ CAM and other state-of-the-art technologies. Working at General Dynamics, you will learn to integrate these technologies into new and existing programs in aerospace, electronics, shipbuilding, military land vehicles, computer systems and many other areas. You will be working with professionals who are recognized leaders in their fields. The most advanced tools of technology will be at your disposal. And to help you remain current in your chosen field, formal training and tuition refund programs are available. To learn more about a state-of-the-art career at General Dynamics, see your Placement Office for a campus interview. Hie State of the art I % i\ GENERAL. DYNAMIC 11 fqua/ Opportunity Employer/ U.S. Citizenship Required :^^^^ E-Systems continues the tradition of the world's great problem solvers. Recognized with Archimedes and Newton as one of the three greatest mathematicians, Karl Gauss also pioneered math in astronomy, gravitation, elec- tricity and magnetism, E-Systems engineers are continuing in his foot- steps today. They are pioneering technology and solving some of the world's toughest problems in electronic transmission and signal-reception in an interference and noise background using basic Gaussian concepts. E-Systems "pioneer- ing" in communications, data, antenna, intelligence and reconnaissance proj- ects results in systems that are often the first-of-a-kind in the world. For a reprint of the Gauss illustration and information on career op- portunities with E-Systems in Texas, Florida, Indi- ana, Utah or Virginia, write: Lloyd K. Lauderdale, V. P.— Research and Engineering, E-Systems, Corporate Headquarters, P.O. Box 226030, Dallas, Texas 75266. E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opportunity employer M F H V Tech Teasers Editorial 1. While playing in EE lab one day. »a student found he had connected 1 1 in- struments in a convex figure. Quickly connecting leads so current could flow be- (^^tween any 2 instruments along only 1 ttlead. he soon realized that no 3 leads crossed at any 1 point. Here are the ques- tions: al find the current in each loop, and b) detemiine how many triangles he made. 2. After several years of failure, the Chicago Cubs feel they've finally found a winning combination. Armed with only 8 clones of Mel Hall and 6 clones of Leon Durham, how man\' possible 9-man teams can the club field if Durham is not allowed to play at second base, third base, or shortstop? 3. When Steven Spider spied Sally Spider, it was love at first sight. In a 8x20 foot room with an 8 foot ceiling. Steven is one foot above the floor in the middle of the end wall, while Sally is one foot below the ceiling on the opposite \\all. What is the shortest path Steven can tiike to reach his love? answers on page 18 3 A Journey in Progress 1 had just gotten my fifty bucks out of the 24-hour teller machine that Friday afternoon, stuffed the bills and magic money card into my wallet, and I was ready. My backpack was secured to the passenger seat by a twin bungee cord, and the gas tank was filled. I slid the helmet over my head, strapped it. mounted my Yamaha Seca and brought it to life. A final check of my handwritten map was all that was needed to initiate the four- hour journey from Champaign to Carbon- dale. Soon. I was southbound on Inter- state 57. with nothing but semis, sunset, and sweltering heat. These moments of initial escape soon wore off and my mind casually wandered to reflective thought on the interactions between engineering, laws and regula- tions, and the consumer. The money in my wallet had been obtained with no hu- man contact: I had requested money from a machine. Soon. I would be able to carry out my financial transactions in the com- fort of my own home through a computer network, thereby eliminating the weekly encounter with the local teller. As I sensed the thick white line used for overhead radar checks, the needle on my speedometer pointed to 65. Had I been riding one of the new cycles with computerized instrumentation, an LCD or LED readout would indicate 65 as well as telling me which gear the cycle was in. as if 1 didn't know. The heat had begun to yield to the night air as the sun kissed the horizon. .An onslaught of tiny flying creatures began crashing blindly into my face shield. Earlier that week, the phone service at my new residence was installed. A multitude of services and equipment op- tions availed themselves following the di- vesture of the phone giant. I still opted to rent my phone, but Ma Bell misunder- stood and billed me S60. Doesn't she know that I can get a "lay-on-the-table- but-hope-it-doesn't-fall-off" model for ten bucks'.' The designs range from the above mentioned simplicity to the obviously commercial "Darth Vader" phone ("make every phone call a contact with Darth"). Engineers want to use computers to make all aspects of life more efficient, in- cluding the generation of new ideas through the use of artificial intelligence. The general public fears the implications this efficiency will bring. Restructuring of the labor force and resulting short-temi unemployment ai'e the major costs of this most recent technological revolution; however, the benefits afforded to the soci- ety as a whole will ideally be redistributed as higher living standards, though not equally. Progress has always had its prob- lems. Would you rather be washing your clothes on rocks and hunting your dinner? I swept the last curve and came to a halt in a gravel parking lot. .A tired seat, a slap of sunburn, and a thousand dead in- sects affirmed my arrival. Journeys always have their tolls. Would I rather be sitting at home watching the ten-o'clock news? ^.y^^^ Illinois Technograph invites letters in response to its articles and editorials, or any other item of in- terest to our readership. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Letters must be signed, but names will be with- held upon request. by Mary Kay Flick Engineering Placement Report Getting through college is only hall the battle in the preparation lor a successlul career. In today s fiercely competitive job market, an equally Irustrating battle awaits new graduates. Statistics tell the story ot last spring s graduates. Available for Employment (in percenis) As far as employment securit) . en- gineering has recenth seemed like an ;irea where imniediaie empUnment was practi- cally guaranteed. But in the past couple of years it has become increasingly difficult for grads to find jobs. Due to the down- turn in the economy, production slowed. hence decreasing the demand for en- gineers. If last year is any indication of this year's job miirket. the future does not Icxik promising. However, officials project a brighter picture, claiming that the trough of the cycle has passed. But, what exactly was the hiring situation of last spring? Who did the hir- ing? Who was hired? Where did the\ go.' Why did they go there!" What kind of mone\ did they make? For B.S. graduates, last year was one of the worst years for job hunting. Out of the graduating class of 1983. 846 B.S. grads," 186 (227c) could not find jobs and 170 of them reported no offers. Sepa- rated by disciplines, 429c of metallurgical engineers. 40. 39^^ of general engineers, 38.9% of nuclear engineers, and 37.5'/f of ceramic engineers could not find jobs. Well. then, how man\' were hired? Overall. 46.1% of B.S. grads in 1983 were hired. The remainder went on to graduate school or other altemati\es. A total of 22.49c went to grad school, most- ly grads from engineering mechanics (75%). and ceramic engineering (50%). Among those who did find employment. the largest percentages of those hired came from computer engineering (61.1%), electrical engineering (60%c), computer Aero-Astro E Agricultural E Ceramic E Civil E Computer E Electrical E E Mechanics E Physics General E Industrial E Mechanical E Met-Mining E Nuclear E 05 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Source: Placement Ollice. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Figures current as of July 11, 19B3 science (54%), mechanical engineering (51.2%), and industrial engineering (50%). Electrical, mechanical, civil, and general engineers, and computer science majors comprise the largest quantity of engineers. What types of companies hired grads? By far the largest groups were aerospace/electrical instruments companies hiring 190 grads. Next came public utili- ties, automotive mechanical equipment companies, and reasearch/consulting orga- nizations. Top individual employers in spring 1983 were Motorola with 42 grads, McDonnell-Douglas with 24. and IBM with 13. Commonwealth Edison and Sar- gent-Lund\' both hired eleven graduates. When representatives from these com- panies were asked why they hired so many grads. their reasons were similiar. Officials from both Motorola and McDon- nell-Douglas said they hire large numbers of grads from the University because of its good reputation. Another reason for hiring a large number of new grads is the location of their plants. Relocating to St. Louis (McDonnell-Douglas) or to the Chi- cago area (Motorola) is easier and more attractive for recent grads since most are from Illinois. New employees are able to [B Average Salary per Month Aero-Astro E Agricultural E Ceramic E NA Civil E Computer E i E Mechanics E Physics ^^^^^^^HH Industrial E Mechanical E : Nuclear E 1840 1880 2040 2080 2120 2160 2200 2240 2280 : Placemen! Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NA:Not Applicable Stay closer to their family and friends. The average salary offered was $2106 per month. The highest paid en- gineers were a mechanical and computer engineer getting $2492 per month, fol- lowed by an electrical engineer getting $2460 per month, and metallurgical en- gineer receiving $2383 a month. The lowest paid grad was an agricultural en- gineer getting $958 per month. Low salar- ies varied from a computer engineer re- ceiving $1383 a month and a computer 'jj^ scientist receiving $1417 per month. '^^F It appears that academics have a small bearing on the salary a graduate re- ceives. There is a fairly proportional rela- tionship between grades and salary which holds true statistically, but the ranges within the deciles are high. The average salary of the highest grade decile (4.758- 5.000) was $2257. This gradually fell to the average salary in the lowest decile (3.000-3.454) of $1985. Although average salaries seemed to follow this course, the individual high and low salaries people received did not. A person in the 4.219-4.373 decile received one of the highest salaries while a person in the 4.374-4.582 decile received one of the lowest. With these kinds of salaries avail- able, how much choice was available be- tween companies? Overall, the average number of interviews per student was 10.5 while the average number of salary- offers was 2.7. Mechanical (15.8), elec- trical ( 15.6), and computer engineers (15.0) had the largest average number of interviews with engineering physics (5.0), civil (5.6), and agricultural engineers (6.0) had the fewest. The highest average num- ber of offers were received by computer engineers (3.0), electrical engineers (3.0), metallurgical engineers (2.5), and nuclear engineers (2.5). The fewest average num- ber of offers were received by civil en- gineers (1.3), ag engineers (1.4) and en- gineering physics grads (1.7). Geographically, were did the gradu- ates go when they accepted their jobs? The greatest majority stayed in Illinois (41.5%) with smaller numbers going to Califomia (1 1%) and Missouri 0.99c). The rest were scattered all over the coun- try. Of those who remained in Illinois, many went to Chicago and its suburbs, with 31% in Chicago and 16.1% in Schaumburg. Outside of Chicago, 9% stayed right here in Champaign. But what was the real reason the grads took their jobs? Primary reasons in- cluded type of work, location and the fact that it was their sole offer. The most fre- quently given second reasons were loca- tion, money/salary, and people/job atmos- phere. Third reasons given were money/ salary, location, and company reputation. Overall, the biggest reasons for selecting a job were typ)e of work, location, and salary. When asked what they were expect- ing in prospective employees, a repre- sentative of Motorola indicated that they were looking for students from a top school who demonstrated technical ability through hobbies and related work experi- ence, in addition to class pertbrmance. They were also looking for people with good communication skills as well as the continued on page 18 by James O Hagan A major aspect of the extra-curricular, prolesslonal, and learning program ol the College ol Engineering at the University is lound in student chapters o( professional engineering societies They broaden exposure to particular fields of engineering, while providing excellent educational and social opportunities. American Academy of Mechanics (AAIVI) The study of statics, dynamics, mate- rials science, solid mechanics, fluid dyna- mics, and applied mathematics is the love of this organization, l.aboratory tours, in- dustrial and academic speakers, and the improvement of student-faculty relations are common activities. Membership is open to anyone interested in mechanics. Those interested should call Kav Wilson at 367-6148. American Institute of Chemical En- gineering (AlChE) .AlChH is a society for chemical en- gineers which offers monthly meetings with spciikers from employers and schools plus a \ariety of social events. By provid- ing its members with information on che- mical engineering academically as well in- dustrially, AIChE can be a major help to students in Chemical Engineering. Call Mark White at 352-5864 for more in- fonnation. American Institute of Industrial Engineers (AIIE) AUb. is a professional society for industnal engineering students, geared toward informing students about the industrial engineering field and the opportunities it holds. Guest speakers at monthly meetings help to achieve this goal, while fireside chats and picnics help promote student-faculty interaction. Potential members should call Rich Dlesk at 328-7046. American Nuclear Society (ANS) The national organization of ANS offers many opportunities to LIniversity students b\ allowing contact with all tech- nical and industrial facets of the nuclear community. A national newsletter, scho- Engineering Family Album larships, a placement center, and a career guide also aid members in achieving their career goals. The local .ANS chapter adds to these opportunities with social actisities ranging from a fall picnic to sport teams and racquetball tournaments. Interested students should call Javier Sanchez at 356-7624. American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) ASAE provides opportunities for learning and experience in agricultural en- gineering. Society member Joe Lehman explains, "It's a professional society. We help develop leadership among the mem- bers, and give them a chance to get in- volved in philanthropic acts."" Numerous social events, field trips, and lecmres have made this one of the top 3 student ASAE societies in the nation for 12 of the past 15 years. For information call Jeff Kates at 384-6342. American Society of Civil En- gineers (ASCE) To increase the students" awareness of the civil engineering profession, and to increase their opportunity to meet others in the field are the purposes of ASCE. Monthly meetings, social get-togethers, service projects, professor directed semi- nars, and national concrete canoe races keep members busy throughout the year. Stop by 308 Engineering Hall for further information. Associated General Contractors (AGC) Field trips to sites under construc- tion, industrial speakers, and community service projects help the members of AGC become acquainted with various aspects of the construction industry. This society gives students a better understanding of theories and teachings studied in engineer- ing or architecture curricula, and a more detailed look at industrial construction techniques. If interested in joining, call Chuck Stenzel at 356-7461' Association for Computing Machin- ery (ACM) The official student organization for all computer science students. ACM in- Nearly all engineering societies have exhibits at Open House. Here, a student puts the final touches to his project. eludes graduate and undergraduate sai- dents, as well as faculty members. At reg- ular meetings, guest speakers lecture on topics ranging from new technologies and research in computer science to campus computing facilities. All interested stu- dents should see Larry Newman in 222 DCL. Association of Minority Students in Engineering (AMSiE) "All minority students in engineering are automatically members (of AMSiE),"' explains Vice-President Michelle Bridges, ■■it"s just up to them if they want to be- come active. Activities are many and varied for minority students. We have speakers from IBM, the CIA, Kodak, and Illinois Bell come and talk about job opportunities. We sponsor many social events, and participate in Engineering Council," explained Bridges. Interested minoriU' smdents should call John Hill at 337-6062. Illinois Society of General En- gineers (ISGE) I ISGE. a professional and academic organization, continuously encourages stu- dent interaction with professors and other students. A monthly "Meet the Prof" meeting where a professor shares his in- terests and experiences with students helps achieve this goal, as does a myriad of other social events. ISGE also invites speakers from industry and \arious en- gineering fields to share their experiences with students. Institute of Electrical and Electro- nics Engineers (IEEE) University of Illinois student chapter of IEEE is one of the largest branches of IEEE in the country with nearly 600 members. IEEE sponsors a lab equipment seminar and a computer explanation dis- play at EOH for the benefit of all sUi- dents. For members, everything from for- mal dinners to sports activities are spon- sored bv the society. Interested students should call Ray PriU at 384-2080. Institute of Transportation En- gineers (ITE) ITE is an organization consisting of members interested in various areas of transportation, including everything from research to design to economics to con- sultation. Field trips to airports and transit systems provide further exposure to the important field of transportation. In- terested persons should call Jeanette Hair at 351-9246. Metallurgical Society (UIMS) The University extension of the American Institute of Mining. Metallurgy, and Petroleum Engineers sponsors a de- partment pig roast, volleyball and football tournaments, and several plant trips to help students meet others and learn more about their diverse field. Interested sUi- dents should contact Tom Little. Physics Society E\ery aspect of engineering has a re- lationship to physics, and the Physics Society exists to acquaint interested f)eople with areas such as low temperauire phy- sics, high energy ph>sics. astrophysics and biophysics through trips to Fermi Accelerator Labs. Argonne. Bell Labs, and the Danville Radio Telescope. Phy- sics students wanting to join the sociers' should call John McCown at 384-4261". Society of Cooperative Engineers (COOPS) To publicize the work study coopera- tive program of the College of Engineer- ing and to give aid to present and future co-op students during their enrollment in the cooperative program is the purpose of the Society of Cooperative Engineers. Pre- sentation of a mock inter\iew. publication of a survival program for co-op sUidents. and a variety of social programs are spon- sored by the society each year, allowing students to gain valuable experience in leadership, working and socializing with others, and communication skills. In- terested students should contact Jeff Donofiio at 332-4229. Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Through monihh' meetings, confer- ences, banquets, plant trips, social func- tions, a resume book, and newsletters. SWE informs and encourages women in- terested in engineering. A professional, non-profit, educational service organiza- tion of student and graduate engineers. SWE has 150 student sections nationwide. Further infoiTnation can be obtained in 300 Engineering Hall or by calling presi- dent Patty Feit at 332-4399. Student Branch of the American Ceramic Society (SBACS) SBACS hosts several events each year to inform its members and the public about the profession of ceramic engineer- ing. Guest speakers from ceramic industn,' and research are feanired in monthlN' meetings. Engineering Open House dis- plays are presented, and social events and sport teams are organized. A yearbook of University ceramics students is also put together bv the group. Call Eugene Ylo at 33^1733 to join SBACS. Tau Beta Pi Tau Beta Pi is a national engineering honor society open to engineering students display ing optimum scholastic ability and outstanding character. Each year Tau Beta Pi conducts several major programs to help all engineering students learn more about their curriculum and their commun- ity. TBITs Robbie Rubik. a robot who solves Rubik" s Cube was unveiled at EOH 1982 made headlines woridwide. In- terested students should call Kurt Vanden at 337-7511. Technograph Technograph has been reporting on the engineering campus and modem tech- nology since 1885. The student magazine is published five times a year, by the Illi- nois Publishing Company, which also owns the Daily Illini. WPGU radio, and Illio yearbook. Technograph is organized by engineering students who provide all writing, photography, editing, advertising, and production. The Engineering College Magazines Associated, composed of over 70 member magazines, has chosen Tech- nograph as the best all-around magazine in 3 of the last 4 years. Distribution is free to all engineering students and facul- ty, as well as to all Illinois high schools. To join, fill out an application at the IPC office, comer of John and Wright streets, in the basement of Illini Hall, or call the office at 333-3558. ■ by Larry Mallak Athletic Optimization Pete McGinnis and Kevin Campbell are combining physical education and engineering to improve athletic performance. Soon their efforts wfill add the personal computer to the conventional train- ing equipment. Physical education (PE) as an academic curriculum is not limited to the basic classes taken to fill in one's sche- dule and take in one's waistline. Two gentlemen from the University' have proven this in their separate, but related. analyses of sports activities using rigorous models. Kevin Campbell, now director of the biomechanics laboratory in the Depart- ment of Exercise Science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, started w ith getting his bachelor's degree in physical education at Penn State in 1976. He then entered the master's program in PE here at the UniversitN' and soon will be granted his doctorate. Campbell's research was based on developing an optimal control model of human movement, as applied to the golf swing. Pete McGinnis. now holding a joint appointment with the University of Ore- gon and a privately-owned biomechanic research company, BioDynamics. is an engineer by degree, having entered the doctorate program here in 1978 after spending two years working as a structu- ral engineer. However, his PhD was not in engineering: McGinnis also earned his doctorate in physical education. His choice to receive his physical degree evolved from his status as a professional pole vaulter. combined with his stmctural engineering background. Many engineers have analyzed struc- tures of all sorts, but the structure of the human body has become increasingly popular in research. On the PE side, hu- man motion had been described and analyzed, but not in such detail as would be characteristic of an engineering analy- sis. The common method of training has been to tllm worid class athletes, or "elite athletes." as Olympic trainers refer to them. Then, the athlete trainee carefully studies the moxements of the elite athlete for the purpose of learning how to adapt his movements to match those of the elite athlete, in hopes of achieving greater suc- cess. This method does not account for the differences in the physical structures of the athletes. What is needed is a model of the sport where the physical parameters of the athlete are considered and optimal movements are provided. The thrust of Campbell and McGinnis' research is that the athlete's movements should be mod- ified to suit individual physical variables and not to match those of proven athletes. FYofessor Larr}' Bergman of the Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (TAM) department remembers being approached by Campbell and McGinnis. "The duo asked Bergman what would be needed to develop their models. He gave them a list of various statics, dynamics, and advanced dynamics courses. The two PE doctoral candidates left the professor's office. Bergman, thinking he had cooled the jets of two dreamy minds, soon saw McGinnis' face in his advanced dynamics class. He now real- ized the serious pursuits of the two. and took McGinnis as one of his students. Campbell went to work on his golf swing, under Professor Robin Reid of the ME department. Modeling the Golf Swing Campbell modeled the golf swing with three goals in mind: I )the ball would travel 250 yards, 2)clubhead velocity 10 From left to right: ttiree link model at address, at initiation of downswing, at mid downswing, at impact; plane of motion of model, (graphics by Steve Lustig) would be maximized, and 3)the mechanic- al work done by the system would be a minimum. Optimal control theory is used to develop the model. In his thesis. Campbell states that the objective of optimal control theory is "to determine the control (or input) signals that will cause a process to satisfy the physical constraints on the system and at the same time minimize (or maximize) some per- formance criterion." The golf swing has been U-aditionally analyzed using a rigid two-link model, with the arm and shoulder forming one link and the club forming the other. In Campbell's three-link model, the upper body forms the first link, the left arm forms the second, and the club forms the third link. The right arm is not included as a link since it is not used to power the golf swing; modem golf theory states that it merely guides the club. In the analysis, forces exerted by the right arm are consi- dered as external forces to the left arm. The model assumes that the club motion m lies in a plane, which is approximately correct in real life. The first step in the model is to write force equations for the three-link model. Films of golfers are then used to deter- mine displacement and time data. The dis- placement as a function of time is inte- grated once to calculate the velocities, and integrated once again to find the accelera- tions. Torques may now be computed for each joint of the model, and the result is called a torque history. The key to finding the characteristics of the optimal golf swing is to vary the torque histories. However, there are an in- finite combination of torque histories available. Torques must be constrained to the human capabilities. Solutions lying outside the realm of human potential are not acceptable, but can result if constraints are not defined. A computer search utiliz- ing the first order gradient method of cal- culus finds the optimal combination of torques from the constrained set. Before Campbell added constraints, the optimal clubhead velocity was infinite, and theoretically shattered the golfer's wrist. The path of the clubhead had to be constrained since optimal solutions were being obtained which required the club to dig through the ground before hitting the ball. One does not need to know the game of golf to realize that this is a waste of energy. Measuring the torques is accom- plished through the Cybex machine, which is commonly found in athletic training facilities. For a predetermined velocity, the Cybex will provide position, torque, and velocities of links. Multiple regression is used to get force equations and to predict maximum torque as a func- tion of position and velocity. The position of the joint and the velocity will deter- mine the maximum torque at the joint. Maximum tension in the muscle is depen- dent on the length of the muscle fibers and their rate of contraction. Muscle tension was assumed con- stant throughout the experiment, since only one subject was used because of funding policies. High demand of compu- ter time and its expense were the reasons for denying Campbell more subjects. A common run of his model on the Cyber 175 took 1800 sec of CPU time. In com- parison, a typical FORTRAN program continued on page 14 11 [■'oniiiil iiaalciis as well as nalLiial t'orcsls of Allomm I'aik arc the pcrlOLt scttins: lor Robert Allcrton's Intcmalional collection of statues. Allerton donated his niansii)n and 1500 acres of park land to the Universit) in 1947. along with 3700 acres of fami land. v\hose income sLip- ports the park. Robert Allerton's son. John Greg Allerton. a Universit>' graduate in architecture, designed many of the gar- dens which toda\ provide a perfect retreat [or L'ni\ersit\ students and area residents. 12 Technovisions 13 continued from page 11 written for a CS 101 class generally takes between .1 and 1.0 sec. Using regular golf techniques, the test subject dane the ball 250 yards with a clubhead velocity of 69.2 meters sec and total mechanical work of 44 1 new ton- meters.. Using derived optimal techniques the ball was driven 366 yards with a club- head velocity between 52 and 55 meters/ sec and total mechanical work of 357 new ton-meters. Therefore, it now took less energy to drive the ball further. .Mo- tion initiation occurred at the upper seg- ment of the body for ma.\imuni transfer of energy from the human link mechanism to the ball. A computer simulation of the model yielded almost perfect transfer of energy through the link mechanism. Campbell's results also show that for maximum energy transfer, all links should be stationan.' at impact except for the club. Experimental data showed that 90% of the system energy was from the torques produced at the wrist. Modeling the Pole Vault The mcxleling of pole vaulting is based on the assumption that the human is a rigid body. When related to the flexibile nature of the pole, this seems to be a vi- able assumption. Eiquations of motion are written for each joint used in the analysis. which involve most of the body. Unlike Campbell. McGinnis has many more than three links. Shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, pielvis and more are incorporated into his model, making it a very complex and difficult problem. Armed with these equations of mo- tion, the high-speed cameras are packed and taken to national competitions involv- ing record-holding pole vaulters. McGin- nis did this most recently at the Mobil/ T.^C Championship held in June. 1983. where Jeff Buckingham. Billy Olson. Mike Tully. and Earl Bell were filmed. The films were then digitized back in the lab, to get velocity and acceleration at CN'cn,' joint. These quantities were substi- tuted into the equations of motion and the torques at the joints could then be com- puted. To verify the model, the vault was reconstructed using a finite element model to account for the pole deformation. De- rived torques are used and the expected height of the vault is calculated. The accuracv of the model is measured by comparing the calculated height to the actual height. Now. it is possible to alter the input paramters, such as approach velocity or angle of pole plant, and calculate the ex- pected vault height. As a result, small changes in the vaulter's style might give another inch of height. Application of this model requires that one know the torques available at each joint in the athlete. Here also, the Cybex is used to measure the torques in the joints, and these values are then used with approach velocity, angle of plant, and other data to predict the vault height. Present Plans Both Campbell and McGinnis serve on the U.S. Olympic Committee's Elite Athlete Project, volunteering their time and research to advise athletes on impro- ving their performance. Says McGinnis, "Telling a world (pole vault) record hol- der such as Billy Olson that he's got room for improvement is a tough game." Hold- ing a world record is little incentive to be worrying about improving one's perform- ance. The beauty of these models lay in the fact that one need not risk experi- mentation in new techniques while in competition. The model has been de- veloped in such detail that the athletes can be reasonably sure that recommended changes will result in better performance. Future Plans Campbell and McGitmis each have compiled a program to predict optimal solutions to their respective problems. These models ma} now be used as train- ing tools to speed the learning of the best moves. Instead of trial-and-error, the answer is known beforehand. Prosthetics will benefit from this research in that reci- pients of artificial limbs can be trained how to use the limb with the least amount of effort. Proper lifting techniques in the industrial setting can be readily synthe- sized using the biomechanic models. Revisions and Refinements The models discussed provide analy- sis in minute detail, but the degree of accuracy in human posture, coupled with the high cost of computer time needed for the lengthy, recursive calculations leads to the demand for a program which can be run on a microcomputer. Both gentlemen are currently developing simplified ver- sions which will yield solutions close to optimal, yet can be run on easily accessi- ble and relatively inexpensive personal computers. Besides simplifying, Campbell wishes to further develop his model by taking into account the intricate nature of muscles. Presentation of results will be studied to determine which infomiation will aid in rapid learning. The application of engineering tech- niques to the human physique is not new. However, the simulations described in this article are on the forefront of athletic training technology. No longer will athletes mimic actions of the pros; they will be able to have their own physical characteristics analyzed for peak perform- ance. Pete McGinnis and Kevin Campbell have determined that the future of athletic prowess is a whole new game.B 14 Tech notes 9 Charter Fellows Honored The American Society for Engineer- ing Education has named three University faculty members, Daniel C. Drucker, Ross J. Martin, and William L. Everitt. as charter fellows. Illinois was the only institution to have more than one member among the 49 honored nationwide. Drucker is dean of the college and immediate past president of ASEE; Martin is associate dean of the college and direc- tor of the Engineering Experiment Station; and Everitt is dean emeritus of the college and president of ASEE in 1956 and 1957. The honor is conferred by the ASEE board of directors based on nominations by one or more members of the society. The ASEE established the distinction to recognize a greater number if its dedicated active members. Shuttle Carried Ul Momentos The world's smallest holes traveled into the boundless domain of outer space. On the August 30 mission of the space shuttle Challenger, astronaut Dale A. Gardner carried specimens containing the world's smallest permanent holes, dril- led by University scientists using a tiny electron beam. Gardner, a lieutenant com- mander in the Navy, is a 1970 graduate of the University. He is a mission special- ist assigned to perform a variety of duties on the shuttle. The alumina specimens, two of the three items Gardner carried as momentos of his years as an engineering physics stu- dent at the University, included the words ■"USA" and "Tllinois,'" also drilled by the beam. The third item was a small rod of the superconducting material niobium, chosen to symbolize the research at the University on superconductivity led by physics and electrical engineering professor John Bar- deen. The niobium rod is part of a system that monitors the accelerator during opera- tion. The one Gardner carried was made for the University's accelerator. Gardner called the University early this summer and asked for momentos to take along on the Challenger mission. They were sent in July to the Johnson Space Center, Houston, to be packaged for the flight. The two alumina films carried by Gardner were mounted on copper grids, each about '/» inch in diameter. The holes drilled into them are so small that if one were drilled into a penny and the penny expanded so the hole became 1 inch in di- ameter, the coin would stretch nearly 160 miles across. The niobium rod was made for use as a probe in the University's su- perconduccting linear accelerator. It mea- sures about 1/16 inch in diameter and ab- out 1 v^j inches long. New Director Named Professor Robert J. Mosborg has been appointed director of placement and an assistant dean in the College of En- gineering. A member of the civil en- gineering faculty since 1949. Mosborg will assume the placement duties of Assis- tant Dean David A. Opperman. Opper- man has been named the coordinator of cooperative education. "I'm not a miracle worker or a magician. Right now the economy is down and the number of employers com- ing to campus is less than it has been in many years. Coupled with the fact that the number of undergraduate students is at a historical high, it's a very competitive situation as far as students are con- cerned." Nevertheless, Mosborg is opti- mistic and expects this year's job market to be more favorable than last year's market. Drucker Honored Again Daniel C. Drucker, deiin of the Col- lege of Engineering, won the William Prager Medal of the Society of Engineer- ing Science. Drucker is the first recipient of the medal, awarded by the society for "out- standing research contributions in the mechanics of solids." A member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Drucker joined the University as dean in 1968. He is president of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, and a former president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Soci- ety for Engineering Education, Society of Experimental Stress Analysis and Amer- ican Academy of Mechanics. IBM for UIUC The grant of a state-of-the-art Inter- national Business Machines Corporation computer system is a major boost to the University's College of Engineering, offi- cials say. IBM officials announced this summer that Illinois is one of twenty uni- versities selected to receive a gift of an IBM 4341 computer system. The compu- ter system includes a computer-aided de- sign/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/ CAM) system that will enable engineering students to learn first-hand about the latest technology in manufacturing systems. "The addition of the IBM 4341 CAD/CAM system is a major boost to the college." said Jerry S. Dobrovolny, head of the General Engineering department. "It will be used primarily for teaching but will also have research applications." James O'Hagan 15 by Kevin Wenzel The Freshman Tutorial It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of your first year at one of tfie finest tecli sctiools in tfie country. Ttiere are secrets, fiowever. Ifiat only up- perclassmen know flow to use. Thi3 brew has a tantalizing effect on rne also, sir. —In fact, study. So you've arrived on campus. Most freshmen arrive on campus with incredible delusions of grandeur. They forsee four years of major parties, a few homework sets, plenty of panty (or jock) raids, and all the good times one can physicall\' en- dure, which culminates in graduation to a good job with an absurdl\ high salan . The two major goals of students are pm- tying and graduating. Since the fomier preceeds the latter, and therefore the latter follows the former, one must clearK party before graduating. Howe\er. these objec- tives can be land often are) mutualK e.\- clusive. The first wxird to learn is modera- tion. Can you say that.' It is a little diffi- cult, but learn it. Moderation is pailying to the point w here you can just barely graduate. Upon graduation, the great job search begins. The inain tool used in this search is the resume. The resume levels personalities and puts all unemployed en- gineers on an equally low plane. What does it take for a good resume? Three things are required: good academic per- formance, work experience, and extracur- ricular activities. Good grades are not the easiest thing in the world to accomplish, though. Re- member the College of Engineering admissions requirements are stiff; competi- tion here is accordingly nasty. Forget the fact that most people here are relatively intelligent: students" minds must be pushed, pulled, or folded in order to squeeze into the famous bell-shaped curve. Of course, you could eliminate the smartest people in all your classes, but working for the state throughout the dura- tion of )our lifetime is not appealing. There are man\ other ways to get good grades. One way is sheer hard work, but since nobod\ wants to do homework on Friday or Saturday nights (a sin in most student handbooks), one must search for ( other alternatives. The biggest asset at the University is people. Get to know your peers, teaching assistants, professors, and a dean or two. Peers come in handy, be- cause if they've taken a class, they usual- is have old homework solutions. Don't worry about learning the material because friends usually have old tests too. and tests don't change much. Teaching assis- tants come in handy since they usually like to drink beer. For only a few dollars a student can learn the answer to any im- pending quiz question. Get friendly with professors, friendly enough to know where they keep their keys to the office. Professors usually write the tests, and having a copy before you t;ike it never hurts. A real killer when it comes to grades is a lousy teacher, be they a graduate stu- dent or full-fledged professor. If there is any hint that the teacher standing at the front of the room is bonng. inept, or just doesn't speak English, get out! It's not that difficult to change sections. Speaking of changing sections, advanced enrollment is a waste of your time. The chances are very good that the schedule the computer spits out is miles from that requested. The easiest way to fix this is to attend the classes on the requested schedule. After a couple of days, go to the department office and switch sections. Bingo, you're back to the original ideal schedule. If you have a bad teacher for a required course 16 Um,Id like to \ 5et a game I ^sign-on. / in your major with only one section, the only answer is to switch sections. Wortc experience is the second most important thing on the resume. The prob- lem is that students are here to learn how to do the jobs they want to have. Who wants to hire a plebian freshman engineer- ing student? Nobody but McDonald's, of course. No problem, the creative person can relate even the most remedial job to engineering. For example, the old vita could read. "McDonald's, summer 198.^, detennining the mean flight time for a flipped burger. ' ' This tactic should only be used in desperation. There are com- panies looking to brainwash freshmen early: the best place to find out about them is in the Engineering Placement Ofice. 109 Engineering Hall. Next in importance after work is ex- tracurricular activities. This campus is full of diverse organizations whose names you can put on your resume. For example, one of the best outlets for the creative en- gineering student is Illinois Technograph, m a student-run engineering magazine which looks something like the one you are reading now. There are lots of other en- gineering organizations (see Engineering Family Album, this issue), but they're not important. One of the worst things to do is limit involvement to engineering societies only. Recruiters look not only for interest in your chosen career, but also for marked leadership skills. A good way to show this is to start your own organiza- tion; all it takes are three officers, a facul- ty advisor, and a registration filed with the office of student organizations in the Student Services Building. There is a lot more to school then the resume: occasionally one must kick back and relax. The best time to let go of reality is on weekends. During extremely busy weeks, Wednesday isn't bad. or whenever the bars have good specials. Bars offer the best place on campus to re- lax. Wliere else do students converge by the thousands to be pushed, trampled, bombarded by music too loud to hear themselves think, and, if lucky, regurgi- tated upon by other students having too much of a good thing. What could be bet- ter.' Caution must be practiced when choosing a bar, as some cater to particular ethnic or sexually oriented groups. If you do go someplace you would rather not be, forget apprehension, just enjoy. Another way to escape from physics, chemistry, and math is to read. Don't read physics, chemistry, or math: that would be really dumb. Newspapers are good since they are timely, sometimes humorous, and usually tell of people in much worse condition, so cheer up. The Daily lllini is best for campus news, but for real gut-wrenching, around-the-world news read the New York Times. Novels can then provide escape from the news. The University has the third largest pub- lications collection of any university in the country, so you can find anything you never thought about reading. The Cham- paign and Urbana public libraries are also continued on page 20 17 continued from page 7 ability to cu)porale within a group. A ivprcscntalive of McDon- nell-Douglas indicated that the company v\as looking for a mix of gixxl grades and work experience. Strong technical back- ground and gcxid training in a student's particular specialty were also important. Both companies indicated that they were plan- ning to hire a large number of University grads this year. How do these statistics compiire with those of M.S. and Ph.D. graduates'.' Educators are often worried that those people who become qualified to teach at the college level will be lured away to industry by high salaries and better benefits. Placement data may \alidate these fe;irs. Among masters graduates for spring 1483. 42''^ became employed while 24% continued graduate school. The rest went into militiiry service, returned home (foreign students), or miscellaneous alternatives. No in- formation was received from 21'5f of the grads. The highest placed groups of employed M.S. grads are computer scientists (719^). mechanical engineers (62%), and electrical engineers (49%), who received an average salary of $2362 per month. IBM, Bell Telephone Labs, and Saigent- Lundy Engineers were among the companies who hired the most M.S. grads. The unemployment rate among masters grads is a scant 4% , but the civil rate is 13%^. Most of those who con- tinued their education were engineering physics grads (82%^) and electrical engineers (29%). Doctorate graduates fared equally as well with an unem- ployment rate of less than 2%f (there was no infonnation on 16% of Ph.D. graduates). Sixty-four percent of spring Ph.D. grads were placed. An encouraging 1(X)% of engineering mechanics grads were hired, while 90% of electrical engineers and 71%? of computer scientists were employed. Another 9%- received post- doctoral appointments. The average salaries of doctoral grads must be broken down into three categories. The average industrial salary was S3062 per month while the government salary average was S2595 per month, and the average sakuy for a university nine month teaching, research position was S2621 per month. Compu- ter scientists received the highest average salary of $3418 per month. Overall, things look promising for engineers this year. Thankfully, employment possibilities are not expected to get any worse. This year's engineers will know a little bit more about what to expect year by examining last year's statistics. To any future grad: Good LucklH from page 5 Tech Teasers Answers 1. a. No cuirent IIovks because no instmments were turned on. b. ll!/6!5! plus 1I(I0!)/4I6! plus ll(9l)/2!7: plus ll!/3!8! = 3333 2. 5!/5!0! plus 5!/4!ll plus 5!/3!2! plus 5!/2!3! plus 51/1 !4! = 31 3. Down the wall, across the floor, up a side wall, across the ceiling, and down the end wall to Sally will mean a trip of 27 feet 2 inches for the lovesick spider. Statement of Ownership Illinois Technograph Edilor-m-Chicf of \hc Illinois Ttchnoeraph is Lam Mallak. 620 E. John Si-. Champaign. IL 61820. General Manager ol the Illini Publishing Conipan\ is E. Maver Maloney Jr.. 7CW Harmon. Urbana. iL 61S01. Business Manacer ol ihe Illinois Tcthnograph is Raymond Highlovier III. 620 E. John Si.. Cham- paign. IL 61820 The Illini Publishing Coinpanv is a nol-for-profil organizalion eslablishcd in the Slate of Illinois in 1911 Average number of eopies of eaeh is rate: S5.00. Paid cireulaton through deaki months: 1085, Free disunbution precedini: distribution preceding 12 months: 4.^00 I 4400- No paid circulation through! dealers at ihe Engineenng campus of the Universi niine date: 4100 Actual number of office Illinois r made above by me are correct and complete: E. Mayer Maloney. Jr.. Publisher, eccding 12 months: 4400, Annual subscnption 'Ik \\cragc mail subscriptions preceding 12 \,i topics distnhuicd 10 neus agents Total . 1 !i^ 12 nionihs llHl Total a\erage distribution: i... ,\pnl mail subscnption: 1088, Free distribution rest to filing dale: 2912. Total distribution nearest 1 filing dale: 100. 1 certify that the stalemenLs ^' THE FACTS ABOUT engineering' "^ DATA > SHEETS RESUMES TYPING S350 S2 00 50 COPIES (#70) $10,00 '°''^' $5-00 night) PICTURE $4-00 $4 00 SCREENING OF PICTURE $5-00 $5 00 TURNAROUND TYPING — IN BY 3 PM. BACK BY 9 AM PICTURE — INSTANT REPRODUCTION — WHILE YOU WAIT OR OVERNIGHT J'he Clean Machine Copy Shop 621 S.Wright St. Mon-Frl 7:30atn-10pm Sat 9-5 Sun 10-6" 18 Bring Out Your Best... t That's our philosophy at Anheuser-Busch, and that's the opportunity were offering you in terms of a meaningful and rewarding career to look forward to. Bringing out the best in our people demands creative man- agement, well-defined career objectives, reasons to succeed, and tangible rewards for doing so. Some call it winning. We call it tradition, if you're working towards your B.SME, BS-EE. or BSIE and you'd like And You'll Come Out A Winner. the opportunity to bring out your best, con- sider the fast track challenges within our Central Engineering Department and Cor- porate Management Training Program Find out how you can bring out your best at Anheuser-Busch by speaking with our recruiters when they come to your cam- pus. To reserve your personal interview time, sign up at the campus Placement Office We'll take you further Faster. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES St. Louis, Missouri continued from page 17 good resources. The\' ;ire otf-ciimpus. have no stacks in which to get lost, and even lend popular records tor a dime per week. The Browsing Room, located on the first floor of the Union, (iffcrs another escape tor between-class reading. If you time it right, you'll nc\er lia\c to open a text book again. A good way to relax is "gaming."" Gaming is playing games on PLATO, the educational computer system. To play, you must sign up with the operators in Room l(0 CERl.. There are also games on the CYBER computer. For a tree stu- dent sign-on, go to 1208 W. Springfield (U); then ask a computer science major how to get the games file. For students with computer phobia, there are plenty of video games scattered about campus to eat quiirters and absorb brain cells. The sports scene at the University is just as diverse. Students can participate in any sport from basketball to water polo through the Intramural Sports program nin by the Division of Campus Recreation. See the people in 172 Intramural Physical Education (IMPE) Building for more in- formation. The mini Union also offers bowling and billiards in the basement. Bowling provides a great substiuite for going to class. Billiards is a great lun- chtime activity, because then one can meet a lot of math professors, who could come in handy later. These games also take a lot less concentration than sitting in lectures. Armchair coaches and cheerleaders also have plenty of opportunity here. Of course there are the big draws, viirsity football in the fall, and basketball in the spring. Everyone should also know about the less renowned sports such as lacrosse, soccer, and women"s volleyball. And watch iHit for javelins Hying at the north end of the stadium. A spectator sport with no fixed sche- dule occurs several times every week right on the Quad. Carrying the "Word of God."" people appear with names like Jed or Max to save us from our sins. The arguments erupting between these evangelists and the students provide prime entertainment. On the mellower side there are tlie Hare Krishnas (Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna. Hare Hare. . . ), who play good music. In order to take advantage of all these activities, one must be able to trans- port his body from one point to another. Walking is by far the most popular means of transportation. Ambulating across the Quad on a nice day produces certain feel- ings of euphoria. That may be from the strange smoke floating over that circle of people. However, walking is slow. The best way to alleviate this problem is to find shortcuts. For instance, few students ever discover the tunnels between Chem Annex and Noyes Lab, or from Huff Gym to the Armory. The second most popular transport mode is by bicycle. Bikes are faster but more dangerous, especially for pedestrians and other little animals walking in front of bikes. Seriously, there are about 10,000 people riding around like maniacs on bicycles, so follow these two rules: register your bike with the University Police, and ride on the bike paths. If you do hit something, make sure it is dead so it cannot report you. Automobiles provide another form of transportation for longer hauls and trips to the grocery store, laundromat, etc. The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District will carry you all over town for only 50 cents: it"s a good deal. Just remember, you" 11 probably get where you are going sometime. Presumably smdents have chosen their dwelline for the ve;ir, but there is al- ways the future to consider. The domis are probably the best deal. Lots ot money will buy you a furnished closet, a com- munity bathroom reeking from weekend activities, and a meal ticket straight to in- > digestion. There is hope. You can gain | exemptions from the housing requirement for religious, ethical (conscientious objec- tor to dorni status), or academic reasons by going to the housing office with an ex- planation and a note from Mom. Fraterni- ties and sororities provide more private communal living. For a little more money, an apart- ment can be had. The resident of an apartment can also more easily live on marshmallow ripple ice cream if he is so inclined. However, one must be wary of unsavory landlords. One should never lease from his professor, as by the end of the year you will both hate each other, which is not good for grades, and insures kissing your damage deposit bye bye. Consult the Tenant Union on the second floor of the lUini Union before renting anything. The best living would be in a tent on the Quad, but since the University Police will evict you forcefully, don't try it. Once you choose a place to live, it is time to leave. The University offers sever- al programs for studying out of the coun- try. When you get tired of school here and want to go to Europe for a while, talk to the people in Room 3024 Foreign Lan- guages Building for details on the best way to do it. As a final bit of advice, remember that engineers are the brunt of copious jokes and insults. Don"t support them by wearing a calculator on your belt or a T- square sticking out of your backpack. There are lockers in the basement of the Union to keep those in until they are needed.! 20 Technovations Hot Stuff Westinghouse Electric Corporation has opened a new facility to develop "su- perhot"" plasma torch systems for a wide \ariety of future industrial applications. These plasma torches can generate ex- tremely high temperatures by passing compressed gases through a high-power rotating electric arc. This technology can be applied to many processes that now use fossil fuel. The plasma torch needs only electric- ity to produce working temperatures up to lO.OOOT. By comparison, normal com- bustion processes using fossil fuels achieve temperatures no higher than 360O°F. The patented torch is a small device containing electrodes and a cylindrical nozzle from which the glowing gas exits. An electric arc rotates within the torch at high speeds. A pressurized process gas — virtually any gas — is infected between the arc electrodes, creating the ultrahot io- nized gas, or plasma. Through this 75 to 90 percent efficient system, process temperatures can be readily controlled by varying the arc current. The near-term potential for plasma systems. Baker explained, is in Canada. Brazil and other countries that have abun- dant, inexpensive hydroelectric power and want to develop highly efficient metal and chemical industries. Later, as the cost of fossil fuels such as coke continues to in- crease in relation to the cost of electricity, it will become economical to retrofit plas- ma systems to existing conventional iron and steelmaking facilities. Conversions can be readily carried out as soon as high enerev cost ratios warrant them. ^With a capability of 20.000 kilo- watts, the Westinghouse Plasma Center may become the world's most powerful industrial plasma facility. It is available to fimis that are interested in testing, de- \ eloping, and evaluating processes using ultrahigh temperatures. It has two torch test stations and four thyristor controlled William Junk, an electronics technician at Wes- tinghouse's new Plasma Center near Pittsburgh, peers through a welding eye shield to watch the test firing of a 10,000 F plasma. DC power supplies, rated 5000 kilowatts each, that can be placed in parallel or in series to total 20,000 kilowatts. What's Up Dock? The S700 million Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) in the Gulf of Mexico is the first major U.S. facility designed to handle super oil tankers. The LOOP, re- cently completed after nine years of con- struction, consists of a marine terminal with platforms and single point mooring buoys, a large diameter pipeline for hang- ing the oil to shore, and an on-shore oil storage facility capable of holding up to 30 million ban-els. LOOP is an exceptional constmction project not only due to sheer size, but also its location. Over 18 miles off the coast of Louisiana, it is constructed in v\a- ter up to 115 feet deep, making it capable of handling the largest deep draft super- tankers afioat. Its location also offers the U.S. con- siderable economic benefits since LOOP can be easily connected to a pipeline sys- tem serving 30% of the nation's refining capacity in Louisiana, the Midwest, and as far into the Northeast as New York. Handling up to 1.4 million barrels daily. it is a major boost to the effort to increase America's oil supplies. As an engineering accomplishment. LOOP has many outstanding features. The marine temiinal has platforms able to withstand greater wind and wave forces than nomially considered in designs of off-shore platforms: mooring buoys are large enough to handle crude oil tankers up to 700,000 deadweight tons, pipelines and pumps can unload oil at rates up to 100,000 barrels per hour, and storage caverns are perfectly engineered to handle the enormous flow rate. In addition, the use of mini-computers gives personnel greater control over maintenance and op- erations. Exceptional planning was also needed. Many of the structures and machinery used in construction were assembled at numerous facilities around the world and then brought to the job site, fitted together, and put in operation. A Rosy World Tektronix has come to the rescue of weary, bloodshot eyes due to long hours in front of an oscilloscope. CAD system. or VDT. At last, a solution better than eyedrops. Called a tt switch, the device fits over a monochromate (one-color) CRT and converts it to a red, green, and yellow display. The CRT is made with a single phosphor applied in a continuous coating, as in most monochrome tubes. The major difference in the CRT is in the selection and mixing of an innovative phosphor that emits light in both the green and the red portions of the visible spectrum. The TT switch has proven to be more rugged, more precise, and no more expen- sive than that which the current shadow mask CRT's use to provide a splash of color on similar devices. Tektronix's re- search group is still pushing the present limits of the tt switch for a three color de- vice that will bring full color operation. James O'Hagan 21 The Most Sophisticated Training Ground For Nudear Engineering -wm IsntOnThe Ground. It's on a Navy ship. The Navy has more than 1,900 reactor-years of nuclear power experi- ence—more than anyone else in America. The ■■,-*9^ Navy has the most sophisticated nuclear equipment in the world. And the Navy operates over half of the nuclear reactors in America. With a nuclear program like that, you know the Navy also offers the most comprehensive and sophisticated nuclear training. Every officer in the Nuclear Navy completes a full year of graduate level technical training. Outside the Navy, this kind of program would cost you thousands. In the Navy, you're paid while you learn. Then, as a nuclear-trained officer, you supervise highly trained . . . _^ personnel in the opera- tion of the most advanced nuclear propulsion plants ever developed. You get a level of technical and management experience unequalled anywhere else. ■ You get important responsibilities and you NAVY OPPORTUNITY V INFORMATION CENTER P.O. Box 5000, Clifton, NJ 07015 □ Please send me more information about becom- ing an officer in the Nuclear Navy. (0N) Address City State Age t College/University. * get them fast. Because in the Navy, as your knowledge grows, so do your responsibiUties. Today's Nuclear Navy is one of the most challenging and reward- ing career choices a man can make. And that choice can pay off while you're still in school. QuaUfied juniors and seniors earn approximately $l,000/month while they finish school. As a nuclear-trained officer, after 4 years with regular promotions and pay increases, you can be earning as much as $40,500. That's on top of a full benefits package that includes medical and dental care, and 30 days' vacation earned each year. As a nuclear-trained officer, you also earn a place among this nation's most ^ ^ qualified and respected ' professionals. So, if you're . majoring in math, engi- neering or the physical sciences, send in the cou- pon. Find out more about the most sophisti- cated training ground for nuclear engineering. Today's Nuclear Navy. 4:Year in College. AMajor/Minor (Area Code) Best Time to Call This IS for general recruitment information. You do not have to furnish any of the information requested. Of course, the more we know, the more we can help to determine the kinds of Navy positions for which you qualify ECM 10/83 Navy Officers Get Responsibility Fast Tech Profiles # Daniel Hang graduated from the Uni- versity of Illinois with a bachelor's degree m Electncal Engineenng in 1941. After working for General Electric for 5 years, the University offered him a teaching position, and b\ 1949 he completed his master's degree and then became a mem- ber of the Elecffical Engineenng faculty . In 1970. while working for Com- monwealth Edison. Hang helped re\ ise a computer code used in economics. In the summer of 1970. he and John Hughes, a student, began working on a better code to be used by Commonwealth Edison to determine the economics of plutonium re- CNciing. By 1973. the code called GE.Nl 1 resided at the Argonne Code Center. Five years later. Hang. Hughes and three associates fonned the corporation HTH .Associates Inc.. with Hang as presi- dent, to market their codes and economic senices. The company is growing, and should soon diversify. .Aside from his academic and com- mercial responsibilities. Hang ser\es as the t'acult\ ad\isor for Tau Beta Pi. the secretaiy of the Illinois Professional En- gineering Exam Committee, and is a member of both the .National Counsel of Engineering Examiners and the Illinois ..Atomic Energy Commission. Kevin Wciizi'l Michael Faiman came to the United States to work on Illiac. The early 1960's was the exciting time of the Illiac II com- puter, and it w as happening at the Uni- \ersit> of Illinois. Faiman was interested in computers and held a bachelor's degree in math and physics from Cambridge. In 1964. he obtained his master's degree in physics from the University, and his Ph.D. in ph\sics in 1966. Professor Fai- man then became an assistant professor, being promoted to associate professor in 1971". Since being on the Computer Science facult\ here at the Unixersity. Professor Faiman has pioneered the department's first digital logic laboratory in 1971. and the first microcomputer laborators in 1978. Fa\onng academics o\er industnal positions for the freedom to work as one pleases. Professor Faiman specializes in computer hardware, digital logic design, microcomputers, and networking. While overseeing six graduate students pursuing their advanced degrees, working on his research projects, and teaching. Professor Faiman is an a\ id amateur photographer and listener of classical music. He says that tomorrow "s CS majors w ill be in most e\ er\ field of endeavor and they must be prepared to meet the challenges. James Lee Ibrahim N. Hajj came to the University of Illinois' Electrical Engineering Depart- ment in 1978 after ha\ ing been on the facultv of the University of Waterloo in Waterloo. Canada, and the Uebanese Uni- versity in Beirut. Lebanon. He obtained his bachelor's degree in EE from the Uni- versity of Beirut in 1964. his master's de- gree from the University of Mexico in 1966. and his Ph.D. from the University of California in 1970. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor of EE in 1982. Professor Hajj played an active part in the computer-aided design of VLSI (Vers' Large Scale Integration) circuits. These circuits are now on the magnitude of 20.000 transistors on a single silicon wafer. Future hopes are on the order of 500.000 transistors on the same chip. With grants from IBM. the Joint Service Electrical Program, and SRC. he oversees four graduate students in their pursuit of advanced EE degrees. Teaching is his primary enjovment in academics because of the independent thinking, and freedom it offers not found in industry . Outside the academic world. Professor Haxi is busv with two young sons, aged six and three, and enjoys travelling, hiking, and camping. James Lee 23 Excitement: The challenge you've been waiting for, hoping for, training for, is just around the corner. You could work on the leading edge of one of our high- performance technologies: Creating the third gene- ration of AMD's IMOX" technology, the Bipolar process that will double circuit density and cut delay times nearly in half. Developing the next modems and codecs in AMD's WORLD-CHIP" family that will revo- lutionize worldwide telecommunications. Combining MOS and Bipolar technologies to create multiproduct solutions for Local Area Networks. Develop new CAD re- sources that will improve AMD's design product- ivity a factor of 1 over traditional methods. AMD chose the wave as its symbol for the excitement of the fastest advancing technology in Integrated Circuits. We spent over 19% of annual sales, which were in excess of $350 million in 1983, on R&D. We'll give you all the opportunities you can handle in exchange for your talent and ideas. And the rewards you can expect will be just as exciting. If you crave the challenges of the fastest growing semiconductor company in the world . . . Send your resume to Barbara Toothman, Manager, College Recruiting, ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, Dept. E, 901 Thompson Place, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. Or call TOLL FREE (800) 538-8450 ext. 4138 outside California, or (408) 749-41 38 inside California. An equal opportunity employer. Advanced Micro Devices Catch the wave © Eastman Kodak Companx. 1983 Electronics at Kodak* Putting good diin^s in small packages is one of our specialties^ Kodak has entered a new era. One in which electrical engi neers, computer scientists, soft- ware engineers, and electronic-imaging specialists interface to expand our considerable expertise in a wide variety of technologies. Already, this blending of skills and talents has produced the Kodak disc camera— a camera in which integrated circuits make the decisions, automatically at the touch of a button, and which incor- porates Kodak advances in optical design. Today integrated electronic components designed and fabricated at Kodak are built into many of our products. But it takes more than that to keep us among the nation's top companies in sales of electronics- related equipment. It takes innovative engineers to debug application programs in microcomputer- based, software-development systems. And skilled electronic-imaging professionals to design digital and analog signal-processing devices, and develop software for complex electromechanical hardware. If you're interested in the challenge, diver- sity, and career advancement you'll find at Kodak, see a Kodak recruiter on your cam- pus. Or send your resume to: Personnel Resources, Eastman Kodak Company, Dept. DECM, Rochester, NY 14650. Kodak* The right place* The right time* .An equal opportunity employer manufacturing photographic products, fibers, plastics, chemicals, and electronic equipment Plants m Rochester. N.Y.; Kingsport, Tenn.; Windsor Colo.. Longview. Tex.; Columbia. S.C; Batesville, Ark.; and a sales force all over the U.S. IF-YOU-CAN-DREAM'IT-YOU-CAN-DO-IT Create computers that capture the mysteries of common sense. The brain does it naturally It wonders It ttiinks with spon- taneity-advantages we haven't been able to give computers We've made them "smart',' able to make sophisticated calcula- tions at very fast speeds But we have yet to get them to act with insight, instinct, and intuition But what if we could devise ways to probe into the inner na- ture of human thought'' So com- puters could follow the same rationale and reach the same conclusions a person would What if we could actually design computers to capture the myster- ies of common sense'' At GE, we've already begun to implement advances in knowl- edge engineering We are cod- ifying the knowledge, intuition and experience of expert engi- neers and technicians into com- puter algorithms for diagnostic troubleshooting. At present, we are applying this breakthrough to diesel electric locomotive sys- tems to reduce the number of engine teardowns for factory repair as well as adapting this technology to affect savings in other areas of manufacturing. We are also looking at parallel processing, a method that divides problems into parts and attacks them simultaneously rather than sequentially the way the human brain might. While extending technology and application of computer systems is important, the real excitement and the challenge of knowledge engineering is its conception. At the heart of all expert systems are master engi- neers and technicians, preserv- ing their knowledge and experience, questioning their logic and dissecting their dreams As one young employee said, "At GE, we're not |ust shap- ing machines and technology We're shaping opportunity" Thinking about the possibili- ties is the first step to making things happen. And it all starts with an eagerness to dream, a willingness to dare and the determination to make visions, . reality An equal opportunity employer If you can dream it, you can do it. Illinois Technograph November 1983 Volume 99, Issue 2 Newsstand $1.25 Artificial Growing Tlie Illuiiuiiated\()rtex Understanding how the inn tiiinlv III a siiinh Figure 2: I'nnnramic view of engine flow put lenis. Willi ehunging emnkangle. lite eenler nf rolalioii precesses from the cylinder's lower lei I quadrant to its upper riglit quadrant. FU'II) motions msiik' c-ngine cylinders have consici- t'ral)ie influence over the progress of combustion. Mixing of air and fuel, combustion rate, and heat losses from the cylinder are all im- portant transport processes strong- ly dependent on Huid motions. The motion inside the cylinder has two components. Mean velocity influences the transport of mo- mentum, energy, and species on a c\iinder-\vide scale, while the tur- bulence component influences the same phenomena on a local basis. The in-cylinder flow field depends primarily on the geometry of the cylinder and inlet port. Hence, de- cisions made in the engine design stage exert a controlling influence o\'er the flow. But before (|uestions about how different geometrical features affect the flow field can be CR.\NK.\NGLE KK CK.-\NKANC.I.E W'S CR/WK-ANGLEl'l.-i" CR.XNKANCI.E 2^^'S'' answered, the ])roblem ol liou to measure the How must be solved. By applying Laser Doppler Ane- mometry (LDA). Dr Rodney Kask, a researcher at the General Motors Research Laboratories, has ob- tained detailed measurements of the flow Held. LDA is a technique in which two focused laser beams pass into the c\iinder through a quartz win- dow, hi the minute measuring re- gion where the laser beams cross, a regular pattern of interferente fringes is created. As the 1-niicron particles, which have been added to the engine inlet How, cross the measurement region, they scatter light in the bright fringes. In Dr. Rask's LDA system, the scattered light is collected by the same lenses used to focus the laser beam, and measured by a photo multiplier tube. The resulting sig- nal is processed electronically to (leteimine the time it takes a par- ticle to traverse a fixed number of fringes. Since the fringe spacing is a known function of the laser beam crossing angle, this transit time pnnides a direct measure of \elocit\'. During operation of the LDA, measurements of velocity as a function of engine rotation (crank- angle) are made at a number of lo- cations within the cylinder The in- stantaneous vek)city at each point must then be separated into mean and turbulence components. The simplest technique is to declare that the mean velocities for all cycles are identical and ensemble average the data. However, this approach ignores the cyclic varia- tion in the mean velocity. Another technicjue looks at individual cycles and uses a variety of methods, including sophisticated filtering, to split the instantaneous \'elocity into its components. This # approach is consistent with the LDA measurements, wliich clearly show that the mean velocity does not repeat exacth' from one engine cycle to the next. Differences in the tfow field from one cycle to the next can seriously compromise engine efficiency. Near the end of the compression stroke, it is important to maintain a consistent velocity at key cylinder locations (e.g.. at a spark plug). Dr Rasks LDA mea- surements have identified design features that control cyclic varia- bility FRjURE 1 shows mean velocity measured at a single location during an engine cycle. High ve- locity exists during the intake stroke when the inlet flow is rush- ing through the narrow valve opening. This jet-like flow into the cylinder causes large velocity differences between adjacent c>i- inder locations and produces strong turbulence. As the end of the intake stroke is approached (180 degrees in Figure 1), the levels of both mean velocity and turbu- lence drop rapidly. This decrease is a result of the changing boundary conditions for the cylinder-from strong inflow to no inflow. During the compression stroke the flow- field evolves, but it undergoes no drastic changes. However, in a high-squish chamber, where the flow is forced into a small bowl in the piston or cylinder head, consid- erable turbulence is generated near the end of the compression stroke. Measurements from many cylinder locations are necessary to make the flow field understand- able. Figure 2 shows four flow pat- terns covering a period from near the end of intake into the compres- sion stroke. Note the strong vorti- cal flow, with the center of the vortex away from the cylinder center and precessing with chang- ing crankangle. B\' experimenting with geo- metrical variables, Dr Rask has gained new understanding of phe- nomena observed in operating en- gines. The resulting knowledge has guided the design and develop- ment of new engines with a mini- mum of trial-and-error testing. The LDA findings are also being used to validate and calibrate engine flow computer models under de\el- opment. "From our measurements." Dr. Rask states, "we have been able to deduce how changes in the ge- ometry of the port and combustion chamber modify the velocity field. These flow field effects are now being used to help designers tailor engine combustion for optimum performance." General Motors THE MVN BEHIND THE W)KK Dr Rodne\- Rask is a Senior Stall Research Engineer in the Fluid Mechanics Department at the General Motors Research Labora- tories. Dr Rask received his under- graduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota. His Ph.D. thesis concerned the Coanda effect. Prior to joining General Motors in 197.3, Dr Rask worked on the design of nuclear reactors at the Ktioll's Atomic Power Labora- tories. In addition to further refine- ments in LDA measurement techniques, his current research interests include computer simula- tion of engine systems, with spe- cial emphasis on the intake manifold. Illinois Technograph November 1983 Volume 99, Issue 2 o 6 8 10 16 18 Digital Audio Eric Guarm Bit by bit. new niethixis of music reproduction are capturing the hearts of audiophilcs. Electromagnetic Pulse Shielding Kirt Nakagawa Nationwide pandemonium can be prevented by the shielding of semiconductors from outerspace disturbances. Hydroponics Man- Kay Flick Those vegetables in the produce section may have never seen the light of day. Trends in the College JeffDonofrio The College of Engineering has always changed with the times. . .and always will. Synthetic Fuels James Yun Supplementing the energy supply with artificially produced fuels is one alternative to drilling for oil and gas. Can this practice continue? Departments Editorial 5, Tech Teasers 5, Technovisions 12, Technotes 15, Technovations 21, Tech Profiles 23 Editor: Lany Mallak Production Editor; Langdon Alger Business Manager: Raymond Hightower Photo Editor: Jane Fiala Copy Editor: Laura Kasper Asst. Copy Editor: Robert Ekblaw Features Editor: James O'Hagan Design: Beth Beauvais Asst. Design: Karen Peters Publisher: E. Mayer Moloney Jr. Production Manager: Geoff Bant Adviser: Ed Mast Eiditorial Staff: Richard Barber, Robert Barnes. Rob Busse. Jeffrey Cain. Tushar Cluinde. Dahlon Chii. Dave Colburn. Jeff Donofrio. Elayne Fletcher. Mary Kay Flick. Jean Gabert, Eric Guarin. James Lee. Brandon Lovested. Mary McDowell. Kirt Nakagawa. Jon Riley. Jeff Sargent. Michael Stein, Bill Walsh, Kevin Wenzel. Christopher Wolf, Joseph Wyse, James Yun On the cover: Beets arc illustrated growing in an unnatural medium. The field of hydroponics is discovering media other than soil in which plants may grow, (photo by Dave Colburn) Copynghl Illmi Publishing Co.. 1983 Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760) Vol, 99 No, 2 November 1983 Illinois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. ^ Pubhshed by lllmi Publishing Co.. 620 East John Si,. ^ Champaign. Illinois, 61S20 Editorial and Business offices of ^ the Illinois Technograph R^xim 302 Engineenng Hall. Urbana. Illinois. 61801. phone |217| 333-3730, Advertising by Linel-Murrav-Bamhill. Inc.. 1328 Broad- viav. New York. NY,. 10001: 221 N, L.aSalle Street. Chica-^| go, IL. 60601, (^ Entered as second class matter. Octotter 30. 1920. at the post office at Urbana. Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879, Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines .Associated, SCIENCEXSCOPE A Very High Speed Integrated Circuit chip has been produced at Hughes Aircraft Company, marking a significant step toward the use of advanced semiconductor technology in military systems. The chip, built after less than two years of development, contains 72,000 transistors in an area the size of a thumb tack. The VHSIC program is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop chips that will give military electronic systems a tenfold increase in signal processing capability. The high-speed, compact VHSIC chips will be more reliable and will reguire less power than integrated circuits now in use. An advanced antenna farm designed with the aid of a computer will be carried into space by Intelsat VI communications satellites. The system will provide many different kinds of coverage — beams transmitting to entire hemispheres, "global" beams, focused regional beams, and very narrow spot beams for broadcasting high- speed data. Hundreds of computer patterns were created to predict antenna per- formance. These studies led to the choice of transmit reflectors 3.2 meters in diameter instead of 4 meters. The larger size was rejected because it offered only slight improvement at the cost of being much heavier, larger, and more com- plex. Hughes heads an international team building Intelsat VI for the Interna- tional Telecommunications Satellite Organization. The F/A-18 Hornet's radar undergoes searing heat and piercing cold as part of its reliability tests. During one demonstration, two AN/APG-65 radars operated 149 hours without failure, the eguivalent of almost five months of flight time. The units were run through repeated cycles consisting of 90 minutes at -65°F, then 90 minutes at -40°F, and six hours of continuous operation at temperatures up to 160°F. By comparison, the lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded in North America were -81°F in 1954 at Snag in Canada's Yukon Territory, and 134°F in 1913 in California's Death Valley. The APG-65 is the first multifunction radar for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. Hughes builds it under contract to McDonnell Douglas for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The new AMRAAM missile will be good at evading enemy detection through a clever improvement to its radar system. The improvement, now patent pending, is done simply and with only a little extra hardware. It greatly reduces inaccuracies caused when the missile jumps from one radar frequency to another en route to its target. Frequency hopping makes it extremely difficult for enemy radar-detection equipment to get a fix on the missile. Hughes designed and developed the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile for the U.S. Air Force and Navy. More than 20 nations throughout the free world guard their skies against enemy attack with automated air defense systems developed by Hughes. Since pioneering the electronically scanned 3-D radar more than 20 years ago, Hughes has produced or managed systems for Japan, Switzerland, NATO countries, Spain, Canada, and the United States. Air Defense Ground Environment (ADGF) systems are comprised of air defense radars, computers, displays, and other electronic subsystems. Data links relay detections to data processing centers where computers identify, auto- matically track, and report the aircraft's speed, altitude, and course. Creating a new world wilh electronics I 1 I HUGHES ! E-Systems continues the tradition of the world's great problem solvers. Guglielmo Marconi was able to see communications rev- olutionized by his development of the first successful system of radio telegraphy — the wireless. His first experimental transmis- sions were no more than a few feet. But, within a quarter of a century, he had advanced his system to the point that a radio message sent from England could be received in Australia. E-Systems scientists and engineers continue to expand the technology he began. Today, communications equipment designed and developed by E-Systems engineers is used extensively around the world for line-of-sight or satellite communi cations, digital communications and applications requiring micro- processor-based teleprinters, tactical radios and microminia- ture HF VHF and UHF equipment. In addition to communica- tions, E-Systems engineers are solving many of the worlds toughest problems in antennas, data acquisition, processing, storage and retrieval systems and other systems applications for intelligence and reconnaissance. Often, the developed systems are the first-of-a-kind. For a reprint of the Marconi illustration and information on ca- reer opportunities with E-Systems in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Utah, and Virginia, write: Dr Lloyd K. Lauderdale, Vice President Research and Engineering, E-Systems, Inc., Corporate Headquarters, P 0. Box 226030, Dallas, Texas 75266. E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opportunity employer M F H V €» O Tech Teasers Editorial 9 1. Brilliant Bob visited Busey Bank one day to apply tor a job. The interview- er asked him, "If a customer cashed a check for S63 and asked for his money in bills, what would you hand him if you ere out of $1 hills?"' Being brilliant. Bob busied his brain and brought forth his answer. What was if.' 2. A strip of paper is .009 inches thick and 450 feet long. If it is rolled on to a cardboard cylinder 1 inch in dia- meter, what will be the final diameter of the roll? 3. Before Cuba took over Nicaragua, the anti-human Somoza regime issued 10 postage stamps dedicated to mathematical formulae as an obvious attack on the pub- lic's mental health. How many can you identify? a. The elementary formula that ended imprecise totalling of fX)ssesions of exchange. b. Einstein's formula for the con- version of matter to energy. C. Pythagoras's formula for the re- lationship of the two sides and hypotenuse of a right triangle. d. Konstantin Tsiolkovskii's equa- tion giving the changing speed of a rocket as it bums the weight of its fuel. e. James Maxwell's formula equating electricity and magnetism. f. Archimedes' formula for the lever. g. Louis de Broglie's equation for light as a form of energy. h. Ludwig Boltzmann's equation for the behavior of gases. i. John Naqier's logarithm formu- la, which provided a multiplication and division method simply by adding or sub- tracting the logarithms of numbers. j. Sir Isaac Newton's formula for gravitation. answers on page 20 Wrong Numbers Newspap)ers across the country have recently carried full-page ads for AT&T. These ads have been in the form of letters to members of Congress. AT&T shareholders and employees, and their customers. At the bottom of each of these pleas is the signature of AT&T Board Chaimian C.l. Brown. Brown claims that if two bills now in Congress, SI 660 and HR4I02, are passed into law, the deregulation and divestiture of the phone giant will be severely affected. These bills, according to Brown, call for a continuation of massive subsidies, which is in opposition to the national policy favoring competition. Secondly, the bills would keep the pricing structure the same with respect to long-distance rates and local service charges. AT&T has a proposal before the FCC to reduce long-distance rates, while raising the monthly fee for local service. Brown states that long-distance rates have had a high profit margin, while local service had been provided at a loss. Ma Bell has allowed herself to foster poor pricing schemes because of no previous outside pressure to do otherwise. Now MCI. Sprint, and a host of other long-distance services are available, which offer lower prices for many of Bell's customers. This new competition for long-distance customers will force the participating companies to operate more efficiently. Brown contends that for most Bell customers, long-distance charges constitute a major portion of the phone bill. He uses this fact to support the "long-distance rate cut and local service increase package." But, Mr. Brown, will this stop AT&T's customers from subscribing to MCI and Sprint '.' Further, what would stop MCI and Sprint from offering local service by the following scheme; the local call is routed to an MCI or Sprint switching station where the call is relayed back to its origination area, thereby making it a local call? Economies of scale may make such a plan realistic, or it may be used as a "loss-leader" to receive initial subscribers, thereby providing competition at the local level. Giving up monopolistic practices should not be used as an exploitation device to achieve increased profits. AT&T's rate increase proposal undoubtedly asks for rate hikes in local service which more than offset the revenue lost by the reduction in long-distance rates. This correction is the result of poor pricing on the part of AT&T. The FCC should not approve a package which allows for higher profits than those earned under the current structure. Intert'erence in this stage of AT&T's scheduled breakup will only hurt the consumer as the corpwration would incur huge costs in changing its carefully designed strategy. These costs would be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher rates. AT&T should be allowed to complete its divestiture and to engage in a newly found "free competition." free of hindrance from the Congress who originally legislated the breakup. ^.:^^^ In Memoriam The staff of Illinois Technograph would like to extend its sympathy to Associate Dean of Engineering. Howard Wakeland, on the loss of his wife Betty. Missing Persons Our apologies to computer scientists, who were inadvertently left out of the charts accompanying Eiiiiineering Place- ment Report in our October, 1983 issue. by Eric Guarin Digital Audio Ever since the inven- A compact disc is tion ol sound, there loaded into the Sony have always been CD digital audio those who strive for player, (photo by Dave perfect audio record- Colburn) ing and playback. Until recently, their success has been limited to a combination of person- al taste and the cur- rent technology. This is all changing with the advent of perfect sound reproduction. Ever since Thomas Edison first re- corded sound onto a tin cylinder, resear- chers in the audio field have continually strived to perfect techniques for storing and reproducing sound. From tin cylinders the state of the an proceeded to phono- graph records in a long progression, be- ginning with 78 rpm shellac records to more modem 33-1 3 rpm \inyl records and finall) to today's superdisc audiophile records with their ver>' high quality con- trol standards. Tape recording also developed. growing as wire recorders were super- seded by magnetic tape recorders: reel-to- reel, cassene. and eight-track tape. Tape mediums benefitted most from the insen- tions of vanous noise reduction systems designed to combat residual noise intrinsic to N'arious recording media: Dolby A (for the studio) in 1967. Dolby B (for consum- er applications) in 1969. followed by db.x^ Dolby C. DNR. and a host of other systems. Each system made a contribution to better sound fidelity in recording, yet problems and limitations still remained. Primary problems included the imperma- nence of recordings (wear), distortion, fre- quency response inaccuracies, and. ironi- cally, incompatibility between the various forms of noise reduction s\lems designed to combat these problems. In the late Seventies, portents of a nev\ development appeared as audio engineers began work- ing on a new form of recording altogether: digital audio, which may be to conventional analog recording what stereo was to mono in an earlier era. The difference between con\entiona] analog processing and digital processing lies in how the recorded signal is sampled and stored. On a basic level, analog re- cordings make a continous record of an occurrence whereas digital processing makes a periodic record of the occurr- ence. For example, a record of tempera- ture variations durina the dav could be made using either approach. To make an analog record of the temperature, a pen- ^k and-paper chart could make a continous ^0 graph of temperature versus time (an ana- log of temperature); a digital record vsould^^ consist of spot checks of the temperature ^0 every hour. With the analog method. e\- er\ minute variation in the measured \'ari- able is presened: the digital method mere- ly samples these variations. Such sam- pling and consequent loss of minute detail ma\ not be so bad; however, hourly sfwt checks of the temperature might be use- less for a detailed analysis of a particular da\''s temperature variations, but more than sufficient detail for analysis of monthh' temperature trends. Sound can be recorded via the same processes. The voltage of the music signal (in electronic form) can be recorded con- tinuously or sampled periodically. When the music signal is sampled often enough, the digital recording will contain nearly as great a degree of fine detail as the anaJog recording; for a relatively high sampling rate, the digital recording will ha\'e suffi- cienth' fine detail to recreate the original signal well enough so that the human ear cannot distinguish between the two. Tlius. the basic difference between analog re- cording and digital recording is that ana- log recording stores a continuous function of the signal voltage, whereas the digital recording will store periodic samples of that voltage (or. in some cases, the change in signal voltage between sam- plings). Digital recording, of course, has some inherent difficulties. One of these difficulties, at least in present consumer sytems. is that to properl>' recreate the ori- ginal sound, frequencies above 20.000 hertz must be severely attenuated. As this is the upper limit of human hearing, this will not cause the high frequencies to be lost, but the\ will be slightly dela>ed with respect to lov\er frequencies due to the ^ effects of filtering; this is known as phase W shift. Very slight decreases in output near Source: dbxS Inc., "Audio" Magazine Feb. 1982 20,000 hertz are also caused b\ this filter- ing, but this effect is humanly inaudible. Digital recordings have also been ac- cused of sounding artificial, but overall this has been unsubstantiated under con- trolled conditions. Conversely, many ex- perts believe that digital sound is a magni- tudinal improvement on the state of the art in recording. Digital recordings may reveal recording flaws to a greater degree than analog recordings — but this is a problem with the recording techniques employed, not the system. Overall, the improvement in sound quality made possi- ble with digital recording renders these few flaws a comparatively minor problem. Digital processing leads to enhanced sound quality not so much because of actual improved sound, but because fac- tors detrimental to sound quality are side- stepped. Many problems are essentially eliminated in digital processing. Noise is reduced to nearly total inaudibility. Changing response as a function of re- cording le\el is no longer a problem, and \ariations in playback speed and pitch are I undetectable by present technology. Other # problems also become unimportant, espe- cialh the problems of software deteriora- tion and distortion, both of which are greatly reduced. For example, compact discs, the digital equivalent of analog LP records, should last for decades with ex- tremely minimal care and no noticeable deterioration in sound quality. All of the various improvements lead to reproduction quality which can be startlingly accurate. These improvements occur due to the processing procedure itself. The process by which music is stored and recreated in a digital system is essentially simple in concept, although in practice quite com- plex. Musical signals being processed have their voltage level sampled at some 44.1 thousand times per second, in order to record the full frequency range of hu- man hearing. The value for each sampled voltage level is stored numerically in bin- an' code, .^^nalog systems, in contrast, store voltage levels either physically (LP records) or magnetically (tapes). The digital code itself is composed of sixteen- bit numbers representing the voltage values. Sixteen-bit recording yields a maximum ratio of signal level to noise level of 96 decibels — this is much better than, say, Dolb>' B which has a typical signal-to-noise ratio of about 65 decibels (ten decibels represents a tenfold increase in power; three decibels is a small but no- ticeable increase in music volume). Conversion of musical voltage levels into representative numbers is analog-to- digital conversion, a difficult task con- sidering that over 44 thousand voltage levels must be sampled in the space of one second and converted into binar\' code. The binary code generated is then stored in some medium (tape, disc, and so forth). Upon playback, the code is fed into digital-to-analog converters, which turn the numerical voltage values into actual signal voltages, and smooth these distinct voltage values into one continuous music signal. Playback conversion is also quite difficult: the stored voltage levels must be analyzed and converted into any one of 65,536 distinct output voltage values. All this conversion and reconver- sion sounds like a lot of difficult) . but it creates a high degree of precision in stor- age and reproduction. Essentially, a high- 1\' complex musical signal becomes a stream of binary "ones" and "zeros" which are much easier to store without error than the original complex signal. In cases where errors do occur, extensive and sophisticated error detection and cor- rection circuitry corrects these errors and the musical signal is reproduced with no audible flaws. In theorv'. then, digital audio record- ing should be nearly flawless. In practice, the results seem to live up to the indus- tiy's expectations. The actual systems used to produce these results vary, but digital audio hardware generally falls into one of several fomiats. One major digital audio fomiat is digital cassettes, or. to be more precise, digital audio stored on videocassettes. Two approaches to digital audio in tape form are available to consumers. The more common approach involves a device continued on page 14 by Kirt Nakagawa Electromagnetic Pulse Shielding One ol the greatest otienses in a battle is total control ol the enemy s society. Since Silicon Val- ley was founded, this control has been indirectly possible (or any country that owns a nuclear de- vice This bizarre connection is, nonetheless, quite real and a current concern. •A key element in the defense net- work of any ctiiintn is good coniniuniea- tion between government oftleials, milit- ar\ leaders, and the troops. Without reli- able and complete communications a war elTort is cenainK hindered, if at all possible. Many of us take for granted that in the e\'ent of a v\ar. the President may simply pick up a telephone, speak with his military advisors, and literally orches- trate the war over the phone. However, if an enemv nation could somehow dismpt communications, even temporarily, it ciuild get the upper hand in a war. But how could the communications network be disiTjpted on so great a scale that even alternate systems are defeated? The answer lies in the fact that to- day's communication systems rely a great deal on sensitive electronic devices such as integrated circuits and other solid state devices. Many of these devices are sus- ceptible to damage from sudden voltage surges, or pulses. If one of these devices were to be connected to a large conduc- tor, such as an antenna, a voltage surge could be caused by a strong burst of radio-frequency electromagnetic energy being received by the conductor. Such pulses are given off with exo-atmospheric I or outside of the atmosphere) nuclear ex- plosions. A pulse of this type is called EMP. an acronym for electromagnetic pulse. The story of EMP and how it de- veloped as a potential security threat dates back over twenty years, and begins in the Pacific ocean. During a July evening in 1962. a small rocket lifted off from Johnson Atoll, a tiny island in the Pacific ocean. When the rocket attained an altitude of 248 Limits of coverage for height of burst (MOB) at 50 and 120 miles located over the central United States. Source: EMP Radiation and Protective Techniques miles above sea level, the 1.4 megaton hydrogen bomb it was carrying was de- tonated. While military engineers were making observations. 800 miles away in Hawaii a number of scattered and seemingly unrelated electrical malfunc- tions occured, all within one second of the blast; streetlights died out, burglar alarms went off and power lines went dead as circuit breakers were tripped. Some phones went dead but most kept working. The media blamed these occur- ences on a nuclear shock wave. The effects were more accurately ex- plained by military physicists in 1963. who attributed the malfunctions to a strong electromagnetic pulse which they called EMP. EM"p was found to accom- pany nuclear explosions in the atmosphere and to be unrelated to the thermal, alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron radiations nor- mally associated with nuclear explosions. EMP was declared harmless to human beings. The military scientists discovered that EMP did not originate from the nuclear reaction which caused the explosion; it was realized to be a by-product of the reaction. EMP. they found, is propagated when gamma rays. X-rays, and other forms of high-energy radiation (which are released dunng the blast itself) react with the atmosphere in such a manner as to io- nize the gas molecules of air. This pro- duces free electrons and positive ions. The electrons, which acquire kinetic energy, spin down and around the lines of force of the earth's magnetic field. This flow of charge effectively constitutes a flow of current which transmits a brief but power- ful burst of energy — EMP. EMP is classified as a prompt effect. It occurs with the blast and is an immedi- ate effect. EMP is vastly increased in the exo-atmosphere (as opposed to surface blasts) because, as Magnavox scientist L.W. Ricketts and IIT engineer J.E. Bridges put it. "The dense atmosphere near the earth's surface restricts the range of gamma rays." In the near airlessness of the exo-atmosphere, hov\'ever, the gam- ma radiation is free to travel much greater distances before encountering a gas mole- cule of the atmosphere. Thus, not only is the effective EMP greater, but the area affected by the pulse is broader. In fact, at an altitude of 120 miles, a nuclear ex- plosion would affect (to varying degrees) the entire continental United States. The pulse is brief, less than a millisecond in ^ duration, but powerfiil, with peak field W strength of 50,000 volts per meter. However, the military scientists were not overly concerned about EMP in ^ Hawaii, they felt reassured by the fact w that the effects were not complete but Near-surface and exo-atmospheric blasts. Source: EMP Radiation and Protective Techniques 9 scattered. Also, at the time, most electro- nic and electrical systems employed vacuum tubes, which are resistant to vol- tage surges. In the 1970"s, a kind of semi- conductor revolution occurred as inte- grated circuits invaded the world of com- munications and control. As dependence on integrated circuits and other solid-state devices increased, greater attention was focused on the problem of EMP. It was soon discovered that these devices were more than a million times more likely to be destroyed by EMP than vacuum tubes. Massive disruption occurred in digital pro- cessing circuits upon absorption of EMP. Burnout was associated with electro- nic devices connected with large antennas (radar, broadcast, etc.) receiving EMP. It became clear that research was needed to fully understand the effect of EMP. By 1971 the militar>' was spending $250 mil- ion on EMP research with emphasis on hardening (or shielding) various electronic and electrical systems from the effects of EMP. In the late Seventies, the Air Force began to construct an EMP simulator at the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mex- ico. Named Trestle, after the railroad structure it resembles, the simulator con- sists of two 5-million volt pulsers which discharge into wires surrounding a test area. The pulsers, wires, and test area lay atop an enormous wooden platform (easily large enough to hold a B-52 bomber). Any metal affects the pulse, so the entire platform, including the pegs which hold it together, is made of wood. In 1980, at a cost of $58 million, the Air Force began testing their airplanes for EMP hardness. Today military scientists and en- gineers are tackling the problem of hardening communications and control networks used in and between the govern- ment and the military from the effects of EMP. A major concern of defense offi- cials is the potential for a communications blackout between Washington, D.C. and the armed forces. An ideal step by an enemy nation attacking the United States would be to bathe the nation in EMP and attack during the ensuing confusion. There are a great deal of communication ave- nues between Washington and the milit- ary, but each has some degree of suscepti- bility to EMP. Current research indicates that the use of vacuum tubes and the insulation of sensitive electronic devices from large conductors is a wise precautionary mea- sure for important systems. Unfortunately this is often an impractical or unfeasible approach. One solution relies on the use of fi- ber optics. Fiber optics involves the trans- mission of messages along thin glass fibres in the form of pulses of light. Un- fortunately, this can only be used on a small scale (e.g., within a bomber) be- cause a large system would require vulnerable switching centers and ampli- fiers filled with solid state devices. Another solution engineers and scien- tists devised included taking one of the special Boeing 747 "s that serves as an air- borne command post for the President and insulate the entire electrical system from the hull of the airplane. This provides, in the event of a war, one possible com- munication center between the govern- ment and the armed forces. The plane is considered reliably hard, but was built at a cost five times greater than a commer- cial 747. In addition, it is believed that the communications satellites the govern- ment depends on would be damaged or destroyed by EMP as well, thus reducing the range of communication at the dispos- al of the government and the military. One of the greatest problems facing scientists is the fact that no simulation can be as widespread as necessary to test an entire communications network. Only an exo-atmospheric nuclear detonation itself would be an accurate test, but these have been banned since 1962. Testing and re- search will continue until scientists and engineers find an avenue free from the threat of EMP.B by Mary Kay Flick Hydroponics It is not easy to tell the difference between a plant grown in soil and one nurtured inorgani- cally This is the secret behind the success of inert substance-grown vegetables and flow- ers, a success that can be shared by any- one with a greenhouse and a green thumb. Growing garden \ cuctabk-s in an lili- nios winter sounds like an outrageous idea. Vegetable growing in Illinois is not economically feasible. Instead, consumers are lorcetl to pa\ high pi'ices lor produce due to transportation costs trom growers in the West and Southwest. Hydroponics otters an alternative to this and allows consumers to enjoy fresh garden veget- ables all winter long. The word ""hydroponics" describes the method by which plants are grown in inert substances that do not hold water and nutrients as soil does. The water and nutrients are supplied via storage tanks and pumps. After passing through plant roots, the water is saved and later recircu- lated as needed. Primaiily. lettuce, toma- toes, and cucumbers ai'e grown in hydro- ponic greenhouses, however many houses grow flowering plants such as roses and carnations. Hydroponic systems can be designed in countless ways. The conventional sys- tem consists of a tray that holds and sup- ports the plants, a tank for the nutrient solution, a pump, a control system, and pipes to connect these. Many systems use a filtering method which removes fungi, bacteria and other plant debris. After the nutrient solution is pumped into the plant trays, it drains into the filter where it is pumped back into the storage tank and pumped again into the plant tray to repeat the cycle. Hydroponic growing systems may be either static or flowing. Static systems re- quire that air constantly be bubbled through the solution around the roots, sup- plying them with oxygen. A pump similar to an aquarium pump can be used to do this. In a flowing system, the nutrient solution provides aeration as it flows through the root systems of the plants. Although plants are commonly grown only in water, other inert rooting media may be used. Gravel and sand are possible matenals since they do not hold water and nutrients the same way as soil. Other substances which can be used are artificial soils such as peat-lite (consisting mostly of sphagnum peat), horticultural vermiculite. and inorganic sources of plant nutrients. Straw bales, rockwool (a Euro- pean insulating material), sawdust, wood shavings, and bark have been used in Europe, but because these substances de- compose easily they are useful for one crop only. In the United States, coal shale and volcanic ash have been used as an alternative hydroponic media. When using inert growing media such as these, plants are often placed in plastic bags rather than trays. The bags re- tain the material while allowins the nut- This field of lettuce grows in water and is harvested after thirty days, (photo by Jane Rala) 10 nent solution to pass through. Otherwise, # trays that allow large amounts of water to flow through are used. Water can either be flooded to the ® roots of a plant, as with the tray system. or it can be sent to the roots using a trick- le tube. This is common when gravel and sand systems are used. In some systems, the roots or the tops of plants are misted with nutrient-enriched water. Good water is requisite for profitable crop production. The salt concentration is also important in the growth of the plant. The smaller the concentration, the greater the growth. In addition, there are certain basic nutrients neccesary for healthy plant growth. Calcium, postassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium are consi- dered major elements because plants need more of them, and a deficiency is readily noticeable. Copper, boron, iron, zinc, and molybdenum are considered trace ele- ments since the plant uses very little of them. Usually there are sufficient amounts of trace elements in tap water to supply the plants with what they need. The major elements can be added to the water in the form of fertilizer salts such as magnesium nitrate, phosphoric acid, potassium monophosphate, calcium carbonate, and sodium nitrate as well as others. In an open system (where the nut- rient solution is circulated throughout the plants again and again) constant monitor- ing of the concentration levels of the salts is needed. After one or two weeks of use, a solution may be discarded and a fresh one made. This helps assure a purer solu- tion and alleviates some nutritional prob- lems. Hydroponic greenhouses are built both privately and commercially. When built by novices as money-making ven- tures, profits often do not reach antici- pated levels. It takes a large investment to start a greenhouse and keep it running. _ This includes the cost of the greenhouse >fl^ and hydroponic equipment. The initial m cost of hydroponic equipment depends upon how large and how elaborate a sys- tem the grower wants to use. Plastic greenhouses initially cost less than glass, but their maintenence costs are greater. The operational expenses of a hydro- ponic greenhouse are considerable. Fuel, which is used to heat the house in winter and run the pumps, accounts for one of the largest outlays of funds. This will con- tinue to be a large expense, since fuel costs are not decreasing. Other operational costs include material costs and repair (seed, nutrients, building repair, equip- ment repair), shipping and selling costs. and labor. According to a survey done by the University in April of 1983. the average cost of labor plus management for a stan- dard 24 by 130 foot greenhouse is S7608 per year. A greenhouse also takes an average of 40.5 hours of labor per week to run. The survey also broke down the annual production costs as follows; mate- rials and repair, SI 130.50; labor, $7608.00; utilities. $398.00; selling. $850.00. Therefore, the average produc- tion cost per greenhouse was $13,568. Growers who borrow to start their businesses incur interest payments, in addition to these costs. Potential net return depends on the yield and the market price of a crop. Hyd- roponic tomato producers need to sell 20.(300 pounds of tomatoes per year at a minimum cost of 68 cents a pound to cover costs and receive a profit of $7000 per year, assuming all loans are paid. Clearly, a small greenhouse opera- tion is not highly profitable. As a hobby, this type of agriculture can be worthwhile and challenging. Growers can produce quality vegetables even though they may not make a large profit. Although hydroponics is a specula- tive business on a small scale, it has achieved some success on a kirge com- mercial scale. The Archer Daniels Mid- land Company (ADM) in Decatur, Illinois has become successful in hydroponics from its unique use of by-products from its grain refining plant. The ADM Hydro- farm consists of 4.5 acres of greenhouse space used primarily for growing lettuce. What makes ADM unique is the fact that it uses waste heat from com refining op- erations and excess carbon dioxide from power alcohol production for plant pro- duction. In this way, it is possible to re- duce utility costs by 90% and increase plant yield by 20 to 40%. At ADM, a lettuce seedling starts in a block of cotton where it is misted by tap water for five days. It is then put in a nut- rient solution for another fourteen days. Then seedlings are transplanted into trays and placed in large greenhouses where they take another 25 to 35 days to mature in water containing 24 nutrients. This wa- ter is conserved through a continuous flow-through system. At maturity, con- veyors take the lettuce to a picking area for packing and shipping. With 4.5 acres in full operation, ADM expects to pro- duce two tons of lettuce each day. ADM's greenhouses are regulated by a computer system. Probes sense tempera- ture, humidity levels and nutrient concen- trations. These probes feed the informa- tion into a computer for regulation. After packaging, most ADM lettuce is sold to large chain grocery stores in Illinois. There are advantages and disadvan- tages to growing with hydroponics. Hyd- roponics provides a more controlled en- vironment. However, good soil is forgiv- ing of most mistakes. Someone recently stated, "The potential for greenhouse vegetable production has never been so great nor problems more critical." This statement sums up basic thoughts about hydroponics. It can be a viable alternative to soil grown vegetables, however the costs are significantly greater. The ques- tion of sufficient markets for higher priced vegetables must also be answered. Marketing is one key to success. Poor marketing has caused many growers to shut down. Hydroponic growing has captured the imagination of many people. However, whether Illinois can become a major vegetable growing area is a question that only the future can answer. ■ 11 200 Years of Flight I'hc Institute 111 Asiation recently celebrated 2(.X) years of manned flight with the air pageant Right 2(X). On dis- play were aircraft depicting the entire his- tory of aviation — gliders. World War 11 fighters, helicopters, and experimental ultralight planes, just to name a few. Siuntmen and acrobatic fivers thrilled spectators with their antics. The most spectacular show was the launching of the hot air ballons. an appropriate grand finale to commemorate mankind's flight which began with the Montgolifer hot air bal- loon, near Paris, France in November. 1783. (photos by Jane Fiala) 12 Technovisions continued from page 7 which con\crts a \idc(X-assetto recorder into a dc\ ice capable ol making digital audio tape>. This \ariation of the digital tape t'omiat was the first digital audio for- mat available to consumers. A more aes- thetic and convenient approach lies in the digital cassette deck, which functions much like a standard home cassette deck, but with tv\ci differences. First, \ideocas- settes are used for taping. Second, record- ing is done in digital fomi (which implies the possibility of making virtually perfect copies). Of course, digital tape fomiats have the advantage of recording capabili- ties, which not all digital systems have. The digital disc fonnat is a sn stem useable only for playback. Dubbed ■"Compact Discs'" and standardized by the sheer marketplace clout of a Sony Philips alliance, the Compact Disc (CD for short) has become the latest wonder in the audio world. At the heart of the system is the CD itself 120 by 1.2 millimeters, stored in a box slightly larger, making the CD quite unobtRisive. In the center of the disc is a l?-millimeter hole. convenientK' sized so that the disc can be slipped onto the little finger of the hand for handling pur- poses. This method of handling is not pa- ramount, just convenient; the CD itself is impcp, ious to v\ear and tear. How the compact disc system works explains why the system is relatively im- pervious to all but extreme mishandling. The idea behind a compact disc somewhat resembles that of a conventional record. In both cases, information is stored in tracks spiraling between the center and the rim of the disc, but similarities between the two systems end there. The compact disc can store up to 75 minutes of music on its single playing side, more than the longest LP albums. A compact disc does not have grooves, it has tracks onto which pits are etched representing the digital en- ccxling of the music. A highly sophisti- cated laser system scans the disc from the center outwards at a varying rate of speed, so that the same amount of track is scanned in the middle of the disc as at the rim. This laser system optically " "reads" the encoded pit tracks and converts the readings into electrical signals. The disc itself is made of two layers: a base layer into which the pit tracks are etched and a protective layer ct)vering the tracks. The composition of these materials is such that the discs can withstand an ex- treme range of temperatures and will not warp under real-world conditions. For in- stance, due to the characteristics of the laser system, minor scratches on the disc surface will be out of focus as far as the laser is concerned, and will not affect the sound. Sturdy disc construction combines with the optical tracking system to yield an easy-to-handle source of high quality music. An entirely different digital format has been developed by dbx*. inc.. best known for dbx" tape noise reduction. To properiy understand how this fonnat works, it is first necessary to understand how the dbx^ tape system processes musical signals. The principle of dynamic range com- pression underiies dbx* tape noise reduc- tion. Here, the difference in volume be- tween the softest and loudest parts of the music is reduced by a fixed compression factor. For example, a symphony record- ing with a sixty-decibel variation in volume levels would be compressed to a thirty-decibel variation. The reduction of dynamic range makes it easier to accurate- ly record the signal onto tape. When the music is played, the signal from the tape goes through circuitry to restore the sixty decibels of dynamic range present in the original music. Thus, dbx' systems " 'squeeze' ■ the signal to facilitate accurate sound recording. CPDM utilizes somewhat the same approach as the dbx " digital audio sys- tem. CPDM stands for Companded Pre- dictive Delta Mcxlulation. which explains what the system does. When a musical signal is to be recorded, the dynamic range of the music is reduced so as to ^H simplify the digital processing. Then the ^B digital processing itself begins, but not in the usual manner. Instead of recording signal voltage values at every sampling, this system stores the change in voltage level between successive samplings. On playback, the stored information is recon- verted into compressed music, and ex- panded to regain the dynamic range pre- sent in the original. In addition to the usual low distortion, precise response of conventional digital systems, the CPDM can record an utteriy incredible dynamic range of 1 10 decibels. Truly, this digital audio format could be described as state- of-the-art. However, with an 1983 price tag of S5000. this system is not for everyone. What about the future state of the art in digital sound? Well, refinements in pre- sent technologies can be expected in the future; additionally, some very interesting new possibilities are under development. One is the development of a compact digital cassette of the same size as today's analog cassettes. Another possibility is compact disc car sound. Ptesent players can negotiate moderate bumps in the road but cannot track the signal when travelling on bad road surfaces. Perhaps the most interesting possibility is that of bubble memory audio: sound stored in bubble memory packs connectable to a stereo system, to be played back and listened to with no moving parts involved. If audio engineers continue to apply their ingenuity to such problems, perhaps one day this idea will become a working reality and follow in the footsteps of the compact disc.B 14 Tech notes Developing EOH today They've built on dreams, seen tech- nological magic, and responded to reality. This year, they will be "Developing Tomorrow Today." Planning for En- Igineering Open House (EOH) 1984 is cRGinEE^inG OPEn hOU^E DEVELOPinC Lomo^=tow lODAV already underway, although the actual event will not be until March 2 and 3, 1984. Activities for EOH 1984 cover a broad range, explained chairman of Inter- nal F*ublicity, Joe Lehman. "The second annual EOH Rat Race will once again give students a chance to compete in pseudo-athletic competition. The annual debates have been cancelled, but a new event will be substituted in its place. The Coordinated Project promises to be a first- class display of space colonizaton. Central Exhibit projects will reflect the theme "Developing Today Yesterday" as projects show engineering developments from a historic viewpoint. Student-conducted ex- hibits will demonstrate student engineering expertise as the products of a great col- lege." Students interested in helping with EOH should contact any engineering soci- ety. Newsletters may be received free of charge by contacting Joe Lehman in 300 Engineering Hall. An Awarding Experience Tau Beta Pi recently hosted the 78th national Tau Beta Pi convention. Held Lhere October 6-8, the convention was attended by 340 delegates and alternate delegates from over 185 Tau Beta Pi chapters in the United States and Puerto Rico. Nearly 100 members had a hand in planning and executing the meetings. ""It was a worthwhile experience for all of us," said Tom Resman, Chairman of Convention Arrangements. Resman began planning the event in January, arranging housing, meals, meeting rooms, souve- nirs, a group phoptograph. campus tours, transportation on campus, and transporta- tion to and from O'Hare Airport in Chi- cago. One of the highlights of the conven- tion was the awards ceremony. The local chapter was awarded a chapter projects award for its outstanding projects during the past year and a project grant of $400 for its current Wilbur Heights Playground Project. Chapter President Howard Walther was ""disappointed" that the Universtiy of Florida won the most outstanding chapter award. ""1 hope that the current group of officers can work together this year so that we win top honors next year at Ari- zona," said Walther. Students wanting to become involved with Tau Beta Pi activities may contact Walther at 333-3558. Well-Trained Engineers The University will soon be the site of the Affiliated Laboratory for Railroad Research, according to William J. Harris, vice president in charge of research for the Association of American Railroads. The association will donate at least 5100,000 for each of the next 5 years to the new program, which will be adminis- tered through the College of Engineering by Ernest J. Barenberg. profes.sor of civil engineering. Further funding will be sought from industry. Barenberg said the program will in- terest competent faculty in the study of railroad-related problems by providing ex- tensive support for their activities, and attract young engineers to the railroad in- dustry by providing support for student re- search assistants to work on railroad- related issues. It will also assist the rail- road industry' in the solution of technical problems and keep the industry and in- terested faculty aware of the bearing on railroad-related problems of new and de- veloping technologies. Although it will concentrate on railroad engineering prob- lems, it will also address issues on mate- rials, economics, and rail transportation systems. "The affiliated labs program will now revitalize the University's interest in this area and attract students back into this field of engineering." Barenberg said. Professor Honored Daniel L. Slotnick, a university pro- fessor of computer science, has received the top prize of one of the computer field's principal professional organizatons. The Computer Society of the Insti- tute of Electrical and Electronics En- gineers (IEEE) presented Slotnick with the l8th W. Wallace McDowell Award for ""pioneering contributions to centrally con- trolled parallel computers and for his achievement in creating the parallel com- puter ILLl AC IV." The award, established through a grant by Intemational Business Machines Corp. in honor of a retired IBM vice pres- ident, is awarded annually to an individual '"whose professional work has been out- standing in concepts, technology, prog- ramming, education or management in the computer field." Slotnick joined the faculty in 1965. and until 1974 was director and principal investigator of the ILLIAC IV computer project. The worid's fastest computer from its completion in 1972 until it was removed from service in 1982. ILLlAC IV was designed at the University, manu- factured commercially and installed at the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- tration's Ames Research Laboratory in California. James O'Hcigcm 15 by Jeff Donofrio Trends in the College Engineering curricula changes are barely noticed during a student s residence. A retrospective glance and a predictive glimpse expose a prog- ressive timeline. It was a lot different back then. March 2, 1868 — less than three years after the conclusion of the Civil War — was the opening da\ for the ne\\l\ formed ""Illinois Industrial L'ni\ersit\ ."" Only t\vent\ engineering students enrolled that first >ear. guided by just one facult> member. The cost of a dorm room — S4 for the entire semester (that price did not include heating — students had to bring their o\\n furnaces, and purchased coal from the University). Requirements differed radicalK from today's. In addition to English, students studied French and German, since virtualK all textbcxiks were written in those languages. Some lucky students bought lecnire notes blueprinted in English. During the early years, the College of Engineering required sUidents to complete a thesis, and in addition, the L'ni\ersit\' decreed that all students must perform manual labor fi\e da\ s a week — with the students receiving eight cents an hour for their work. E\en our past name sounds a bit strange today. \Ve wouldn't be known as ■"The University of Illinois" until 1883. Reform institutions were then becoming known as "industrial schools." not a name with which the Illinois Industrial Universitv wanted to be associated. In fact, the problem became so bad that some students were asked. ""What v\ere you sent up for?" In sharp contrast to today's se\enteen major curricula, the College of Engineering began v\ ith just four ■"schools." smaller sub-units of the college; .Mechanical. Civil. .Mining Engineering, and Architecnire. Now it is obvious that there has been a tremendous amount of evolution in the engineering college in 115 \ears. But whate\er happened to such inspiring majors as Sanitan Engineering and Railway Engineering \' Where will the direction of the Universit> 's undergrad curriculum go in the future, given today's and tomorrow's technologies? .Much of the present College of Engineering formed at the end of the last centun.-. The year 1889 saw the organization of the Ph\sics department, and Theoretical and .Applied Mechanics emerged the following year. That same year. 1890. the Department of .Municipal and Sanitan Engineering developed. This department. de\oted to the idea of building better sewers. ne\er attracted a lot of attention b\ the student bod)-. In 1926. the college dissolved the department, and Ci\ il Engineering absorbed the department's remains. Not directh under the engineering college, the Division of Industrial Chemistr> formed in 1 89 1 . Later, this di\ision became the Department of Chemical Engineering, and remains to this day under the College of Liberal Arts and Science. One of the four "■originals." Mining Engineering, also suffered from a lack of undergraduate interest, so in 1893 the engineering college decided to abolish this department. Eighteen years later, the acting dean realized the need for the department, resurrected it. and Mining has been around e\er since. Metallurgical Engineering, an option under Mining since 1916. e\entually became a distinct offering in 1934. Before the tum of the centup. . the Electrical Engineering department originated under the Physics department. .After a preliminan- "■di\orce" in 1892. the EE department finalh permanently dissociated from Phvsics in the fall of 1898. The Universitv' saw the emergence of another unusual department with the 1906 blossoming of the Department of Railway Engineenng. Another ""classic" department that didn't capmre the affection of man_\' smdents. the department suffered after several facu!t> members were called to ser\e in World War I. and in 1940. the department officially disbanded. During the year 1915. the College of Science transferred their ceramic department to the College of Engineering, thus beginning Ceramic Engineering. ^ General Engineering Physics (later just v 16 9> m Engineering Physics) followed in 1917. with General Engineering tagging along in 1921. Agricultural Engineering congealed in 1931 under supervision of the engineering and agricultural colleges. That same year, the newly formed College of Fine and Applied .Arts accepted the responsibility of the Architecture department, which was transferred out of engineering. Surpisingly. the Civil Engineering department, in 1942. offered an option under an emerging technology of the day — .Aeronautical Engineering. Even earlier, in 1916, the Mechanical Engineering department offered ME 33 — ■■ Aeronautic Engineering." and added another course in 1920. The Aeronautical Engineering department officially became a part of the college in 1944. and about fifteen years later, with spaceflight developing quickly, the department appended astronautical engineering aspects to its curriculum. Industrial Engineering, originally an option under ME. became a separate major in the mid 1950's after strong interest by the student body. Another affiliation of ME. Bioengineering. officially created their undergraduate curriculum in 1972. The Computer Science department, first available only to graduate students, later expanded by offering undergraduate degrees in 1971, and officially became a member of the College of Engineering in At left; Professor Michael Pleck designs a robotic arm on \he Evans and Suttierland PS 300 CAD CAM system. Right; A closer look at the robotic arm design as displayed by the PS 300. (photos by Jane Fiala) 1976. .Another relatively new field. Computer Engineering, traces its roots back to 1971. but the newest engineering curriculum at the undergraduate level is Nuclear Engineering, first offered in 1975. Graduate level nuclear engineering dates back only 25 years. That brings us to the present, and the future, where the University of Illinois will head in response to today's and tomorrow's challenges. No doubt, present engineering fields already offered will continue to evolve and develop — new alloys and ceramics, hypersonic and advanced spaceflight, artificial organs, powerful new computers, and satellite communications. But while these established curricula mature, many new multidisciplinary technologies, which may become the undergraduate studies of the future, are emerging. Some time will pass before these fields, heavih' researched and sometimes available on the graduate level, filter down to the undergraduate ranks. But these fuoire trends, and many others, while not guaranteed to become "mainstream" undergrad curricula at the University, will play a tremendous part in tomorrow's engineering. Artificial Intelligence Also under- going enormous growth. Artificial Intelli- gence (AI) involves hardware, software, and data bases necessary to allow compu- ters to "think" and make inferences. Mil- lerComm recently held a lecture series on continued on page 22 17 by James Yun Synthetic Fuels The planet we live on cannot support human life forever, especially considering the way we con- sume its resources. Programs designed to bypass the use o1 naturally found fuels do exist, but their profitability depends on research; research that may be in danger of running out of funds. For almost t'ortv' years after oil pro- duction tlrst began in the U.S. in the 1930's, Americans Hved complacently with a blase attitude toward the seemingly endless supply of oil. It was not until the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo that the U.S. first became av\are of its vulnerability to foreign oil suppliers. In resptinse to the embargo, the U.S. Government instiUited a synthetic fuel program in an attempt to decrease its dependence on foreign sup- pliers. But now, despite the fact that com- mercial production of synthetic fuels will most like!) become vital to the security and the economy of the U.S., the prog- ram is in serious danger. When the synthetic fuel program be- gan, there were several processes under consideration. The most significant were coal gasification, coal liquefaction, extrac- tion of oil from oil shale, and extraction of oil from tar sands. The technology necessary for gasify- ing coal has existed for more than 150 years. The first commercial coal-gas plant went into operation in 1807 in Manches- ter. England. It was used for lighting homes and factories. Since then, various means of gasifying coal were introduced. In the U.S., the demand for synthetic gas declined first with Edison's invention and then, after World War II, with the con- struction of pipelines to transport natural gas from southern fields to the industrial centers of the Northeast. Of the different methods available for gasifying coal , the one under the most serious consideration today is the Lurgi process, developed during 1927-35 by Lurgi Gesellschaft fur Warmetechik GmbH of Frankfurt (Main), Germany. In the Lurgi process, crushed coal is mixed with steam and oxygen under high press- ure and temperature to produce a useable fomi of fuel called synthesis gas, which is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monox- ide (a recent mtxlification of the process involves gasifying coal underground). Synthetic gas can be used directly to pro- duce energy or as an intemiediate in a process that produces methane, a major component of natural gas. A proposal by a number of U.S. gas transmission com- panies today calls for the use of synthetic gas in the production of synthetic methane. Synthetic gas can also be used to produce chemicals such as ammonia and methanol. Already, synthetic gas is being used to produce transportation fuels at the world's only commercial oil-from- coal plant, the SASOL complex, that has been in operation since 1955 near Johan- nesburg, South Africa. Though extremely useful, coal gasi- fication has its drawbacks. Coal boilers must be used to produce the tremendous amount of steam required by the Lurgi process, which results in the formation of air pollutants. Air filters and precipitators would have to be installed to remove 170 tons of tly ash per day. During the gas purification stages, sulfurous compounds, some of the most detrimental air pollu- tants known to man, are released. Here, steps would have to be taken to remove the pollutants. If the gas is not purified, any trace of impurity, such as hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxide, would corrode the pipeline in the presence of moisture. Impure gas destined for power plants will not only corrode the pipelines and the blades of the gas turbine, but will also pollute the air with sulfur dioxide after combustion. The development of coal liquefaction technology is recent: the complete li- quefaction of coal was first achieved by Berthelot in 1896. Currently the process can be classified under the following cate- gories: pyrolysis, direct liquefaction, and indirect liquefaction. Of the three methods, pyrolysis is the one least favored by U.S. companies. Pyrolysis uses coal in the presence of a fluidized bed (a catalyst), decomposing it into hot un- reacted coke by heat. This coke is then hydrogenated under high pressure and ^^ temperature, a process somewhat similar ^Bf to the Lurgi process. Pyrolysis is undesir- able because of the low yield of liquid ^^v fuel and also because it resuicts the range ^0 of types of coal that can be used. In the Bergius direct coal liquefaction process, coal is converted to a liquid pro- duct through an interaction with molecular hydrogen at high temperature and pressure in the presence of an iron catalyst. A newer, improved method uses highly ac- tive catalysts, such as cobalt- molybdenum, to permit the use of lower temperature and pressure. The major dis- advantages of the Bergius process are that it has a high hydrogen consumption and that it can use only certain types of coal to produce sufficient quantities of liquid fuel to have any economic benefit. "Thus, the current aim of the U.S. companies is to provide a basis for an improved com- mercial direct coal liquefaction industry, with the basic technology based on the Gemian developments. Indirect coal liquefaction was first discovered in 1927, and is called the Fis- cher-Tropsch synthesis, in honor of the in- ventors. The process was developed in German)' and became an impwrtant source of synthetic fuels for that country during Wodd War II. From about 1940 to 1950, further extensive research was carried out in the U.S., both by the government and the industrv". The production of synthetic gas through the Lurgi process is the first step in indirect coal liquefaction. Liquid fuels are then synthesized from the synthetic gas in the presence of a catalyst. In a ma- jor development, the Mobil Corporation recently developed a modified process in which methanol (derived from synthetic gas), in the presence of a synthetic shape- selective zeolite catalyst, is converted into high-octane gasoline, with no other pro- ^ ducts or major contaminants. Because the ^r Fischer-Tropsch synthesis releases so 18 f) m World reserves, annual production and consumption of fossil fuels, 1978. Region Proved reserves Gt (%) Production IVIt (%) Consumption Proved reserves Mt (%) Gtoe (%) Consumption IVItoe (%) Consumption Mtoe (%) U.S.A. 4.4 (5.2) 487.8 (15.8) 887.9 (28.9) 4.8 (7.9) 504.2 (40.7) 355.0 (19.6) Canada 1.1 (1.3) 74.4 (2.4) 86.9 (2.8) 2.0 (3.2) 47.3 (3.8) 19.2 (1.1) Latin America 5.8 (6.4) 251.5 (8.1) 202.0 (6.6) 2.7 (4.5) 42.3 (3.4) 15.2 (0.8) Western Europe 3.3 (3.7) 89.7 (2.9) 714.6 (23.1) 3.4 (5.7) 178.9 (14.4) 198.4 (11.0) including U.K. U.K. — — 53.4 (1.7) 94.0 (3.1) — — 37.9 (3.1) 70.4 (3.9) IVIiddleEast 50.3 (56.9) 1054.1 (34.1) 83.3 (2.7) 17.5 (29.0) 30.1 (2.4) — — Africa 7.7 (8.9) 297.1 (9.8) 60.3 (2.0) 4.5 (7.4) 8.3 (0.7) 49.2 (2.7) Sino/Soviet/E. Europe 12.8 (14.5) 689.0 (22.4) 597.9 (19.6) 22.7 (37.5) 387.0 (31.2) 985.0 (54.4) Far East Japan/Australia 2.7 (3.1) 140.4 (4.5) 443.0 (14.3) 2.9 (4.8) 42.4 (3.4) 189.3 (10.4) 88.1 (100.0) 3084.0 (100.0) 3075.9 (100.0) 60.5 (100.0) 1240.5 (100.0) 1811.3 (100.0) Differences between production and consumption due to stocit clianges and unknown military liftings. Gtoe ' gigatons oil equivalent; Mtoe = megatons oil equivalent Source ; BP Statistical Review of tfie World Oil Industry much heat, its temperature is very diftlcuit to control. Presently, this is its major drawback. The research into the extraction of oil from oil shale received serious atten- tion only after the embargo, but even be- forethe embargo, the Union Oil Com- pany was involved in the oil shale re- search for more than fifty years. It has been estimated that U.S. oil shale offers a potential recoverable crude oil resource much larger than current U.S. petroleum reserves and comparable to those in the Middle East. The total potential crude oil resource from oil shale in the U.S., which also includes oil not recoverable with cur- rent technology, has been estimated to be four trillion barrels of oil. ^g. The process of extracting shale oil ^Kf favored by most companies at the present '^^ time is the In-Situ Extraction process. In this process, oil shale is either crushed or %) fractured underground and is heated in place either by hot gases or by combus- tion using a supply of air. An oil product is formed, which can then be mixed and pumped to the surface with water. If the process is to have any chance of being economically competitive in terms of number of barrels of oil pro- duced each day, tremendous amounts of water must be used. That is the heart of the problem associated with the process. For one thing, oil shale deposits are con- centrated in Colorado, Utah, and Wyom- ing, where abundant supplies of water are not yet readily available. Hence, one of the present objectives of U.S. companies is to improve the oil extraction technology so that the water supply problem could be better dealt with. Tar sands, which have been known to exist in Canada since around the year 1800, offer a real extraction challenge. Early Canadian efforts to recover oil from tar sands proved fruitless because, at the time, it was believed that bitumen (asphal- tic residue) present in the tar sands was coming from a pool of oil deep beneath the surface. During those early efforts, be- tween 1906 and 1917, about twenty-four wells were sunk without success. In the 1920's, a scientist named Karl A. Clark, who was attached to the Alberta Research Council, developed a method of extracting oil from tar sands known as the Clark Hot Water process. The process was used by the first major producer of oil from tar sands, the Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. (now renamed the Suncor Inc.), which began plant construction in 1964 and started to produce oil in 1967. As of 1980, there were no serious plans to exploit tar sands deposits in the U.S., which contain about 27 billion barrels of recoverable oil. There are about 892 bil- lion barrels of recoverable tar sands oil in continued on page 20 19 continued from page 19 Canada and about 1050 billion bands in V'one/uela. the largest deposits in the world. In the Clark Hot Water process, tar sand is added to hot water, caustic (to ci)ntrol alkalinity), and steam (to maintain the temperature). From the resultant product, called slurry, bitumen froth is separated by gravity. Besides bitumen, this Troth may also contain water and mineral solids. Before bitumen can be re- fined into useful petroleum products, most of the water and solids must be removed from the froth. The ma|or problem with the Clark process is that, as a by-product, it produces highly tox- ic wastes called tailings. Presently, tailings are contained in man- made lakes where they pose considerable hazard to man and wildlife. Research for better waste disposal is a constant, ongoing activity at the Canadian tar sands industry. During the years following the embargo, the combination of conservation efforts, rising foreign oil prices, declining Gov- ernment supptirt and the recession have made the further de- velopment of the synthetic fuel technologies financially unattrac- tive. In fact, most oil companies believe that there is no profit- able option among the synthetic fuel technologies available. The synthetic fuel industry suffered demoralizing blows during recent years when such experienced companies as Ashland. Cities Ser- vice. Exxon, and Sohio abandoned their synthetic fuel projeets. Contrarv to common opinion, the current level of oil im- ptirts can still have a cataclysmic effect on the U.S. economy. According to a recent study conducted by the Amencan Gas Association, a worid loss of Arab oil during the years 1986-87 would increase the U,S, unemployment level by 5 million and reduce the U.S, Gross National Product by $320 billion (in con- stant 1982 dollars) for each year the interruption continued. But the same sUidy indicates that even if the synthetic fuel program began right now with a maximum effort, the unemployment level would still increase by 3 million and the GNP would de- crease by SI 85 billion. However, the synthetic fuel program should be supported because of concern for national security, not the national eco- nomy. The national security, in the broadest sense, would in- volve not only the military aspects, where transportation fuels are vital, but also the political aspects, where foreign policy op- tions must be protected from such pressures as threatened oil embargoes. Paradoxically, while the current administration gives the national security top pnority. it is not giving the synthetic fuel program the same treatment. Certainly, there are many technical and environmental prob- lems associated with the present methods for producing synthetic fuels. It is very costly to research these problems, but the indus- try does not have adequate financial resource to carry out all the necessary studies. According to the American Institute of Che- mical Engineers, the government must start assisting the industry right now if it is to have a significant synthetic fuel option by the year 2CXK).H from page 5 Tech Teasers Answers 1. One $50 bill, one $5 bill, and four $2 bills. 2. V = w[(.009)(450)(l2)-l-TT(.5)'] V = witR- where V is the volume of the roll of paper, w its width, and R its total radius. Therefore, R" = ( .009)(45G)( 1 2 -H ■tt( ,5)')/Tr and R = 3.96 inches, making D = 7,92 inches. 3. a. 1-1-1=2. b. E = mcl c. a^-l-b- = c-. d. V = V,[/n(mo/m|)], e. V-E = (K/e-)82E/8tl f. FiX] =F2X2. g. X = h/(mv). h. S = klosw. i. e"^ = N': j. F = (Gmim2)/ri2'^. e Tau Beta Pi Congratulates its Fall 1983 Initiates f 20 Technovations m Riding On Air Magnetic le\itation trains, already in use in Germany and Japan, may soon be destined for the United States. ""Bechtel is ^ now stud\ ing a maglev system for a Los '{5l).A.ngeles to Las Vegas route." said Hydro and Community Facilities Vice President. John Asmus. 'it's quite possible that we may be in a position to install the first maglev system in North America." The transportation system would hold a vehicle above a rail by magnetic attrac- tion and could push rail speeds over 200 miles per hour b\ the year 2000. This would make the trains more efficient and could cut down travel times to the point of replacing airplanes on shorter routes. A Crushing Blow NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has developed a new crash barrier relying on beer cans. The barrier holds empty cans in a tear-resistant cloth bag encased in a collapsible container made of ply- wood and steel. The bag is flame- re tardant and weather- resistant. Cans in the front part of the barrier bag are ran- domly oriented, and cans in the rear are oriented parallel to the direction of a head-on collision. When a car strikes the barrier, it starts to collapse the plywood- and-steel container, which in turn com- presses the cans. The energy of the car is absorbed by the buckling metal of the cans and by the air within them. Experiments have shown that the lightweight barrier is effective in protect- ing vehicle occupants from collisions with trees or poles in both head-on and other angle collisions, even at speeds of 40 miles per hour. Whoops! For that rare moment when engineers make mistakes, a new electric eraser can save their day. The recently developed Koh-I-Noor 2800 electric eraser is a sys- tem which removes both graphite and ink from drawing paper and coated drafting film. Special cleats hold white vinyl eras- er strips to remove lead from drafting paper, and drafting film can be cleaned up with newly developed Koh-LNoor yellow vinyl eraser strips. These yellow strips contain tiny drops of erasing fluid which actually dissolve ink. Erasing with the Koh-I-Noor 2800 leaves no shadows or marring on the drafting film. Zap! The discovery of a new photoche- mical process at the IBM Thomas J. Wat- son Research Center now makes it possi- ble to use lasers for etching organic po- lymers and biological materials without the occurrence of heating effects. Called ablative photodecomposition by its dis- coverer. R. Srinivasan, the process has potential for application in the photo- lithographic creation of integrated circuits as well as in the precise removal of biolo- gical matenal for medical and dental pur- poses. The process works by using a well- designed beam of laser light. Radiation of short (less than 200 nanometers) wavelengths is strongly absorbed by almost all organic materials — more than 95 percent through a depth of only a frac- tion of a micrometer. At a high enough intensity, numerous small molecules are suddenly ejected from the material, but the high intensity of the radiation is not it- self directly responsible for this etching effect. Instead, believes Srinivasan, the absorbed radiation has a high probability for breakina chemical bonds between This chemlluminescent glow Is a result of a single laser pulse lasting only 12 billionths of a second. Although a loud pop accompanied this mini-explosion, the subject registered no sensation, (photo courtesy of IBM) atoms in the organic material, thus pro- ducing smaller molecules that vaporize at relatively low temperatures and canying away excess energy imparted by the laser pulse. Because past methods often result in unwanted heating effects, the new ablative photodecomposition can be used for ex- ceptionally clean removal of biological material in medicine. Other recent experi- ments have already shown that ultraviolet radiation from excimer lasers might be a key to economical submicron lithography. James O'Hagan 21 continued from page 17 this topic. ITiis cumcuium would likely spawn from the CS, HE. CompH, and Psycholog\ departments. CAD CAM CAE Standing for computer- aided design, manufacturing, and en- gineering, this area involves the utilization of computers to assist in \ irtualK all en- gineenng related prex-esses. The College of Engineering's expanding CAD'CAM lab, housed in Transptirtation Building. includes a S9().0(X) PSM) computer ^ graphics system huilt and donated hy Evans and Sutherland, and equipment purchased through a S50.CKX) donation from General Motors. The latest addition to the new lab. part of a nationwide S50 million IBM grant, is a new IBM 4341 CAD'CAM system. Four departments (GE. AAE. CE. and ME) will share this new system. Controlled Fusion/Plasma Plasma (high-temperature, ionized gas) and con- trolled fusion both occupy the Engineering Physics. LAS Physics, and Nuclear En- gineering departments. It remains to be seen if these technologies dissociate from the other departments and are offered at the undergraduate level. Energy Engineering Resources Engineering .Although currently over- looked because of the present oil glut. energy remains an extremely important issue — one that will occupy many future engineers. Such areas as photovoltaics. hydrogen fuel, solar, synthetic fuel. ocean, wind, and geothermal energy will continue to play vital roles in the future. Probable sources of this future dep;irtment would include the EE. AAE. MinE. and ChemH departments. Genetic Engineering/ Biotechnologies Genetic Engineering deals pnmar:K with rearrangement, de- velopment, and understanding of nucleic acids in plants and animals in ways to be- nefit man. Frtim genetically manipulated bacteria that create insulin, absorb an oil spill at sea. or produce interferon (a possi- ble virus fighting serum), to development of high sield crops. Genetic Engineenng IS expanding rapidly. A curriculum of this nature v\ould blend facets of the Genetics and Development. Microbiology, and Bioengineenng departments. Lasers/Optics/Holography/Directed Energy/Particle Beam This vers wide range of topics, presently under heavy research, will certainly develop in the near future, primarily in defense re- lated areas. Possibly a fuaire defense to offensive nuclear weapons, short- and long-wavelength chemical lasers and directed energy instruments such as parti- cle beam weapons are under intensive study by the Department of Defense and by industry. On this campus, the EE. LAS Physics, and Engineering Physics departments conduct research in this area. Microelectronics With the introduc- tion of FAB II. the EE department's new semiconductor fabrication lab (see Tech- nograph. April 1983. p. 4). the college has already taken a major step in this direction. The thrust of future electronics will continue to be miniaturization. Particle Physics The fundamentals of subatomic physics, involving leptons. ba- ryons. quarks, and a bizarre assortment of other particles, will be understcxxl to a much greater degree in the future. While a long way from future engineering ap- plications, panicle physics" future remains certain. Robotics/Artificial Vision Robotics today is close to w here the level of auto- mobile technology was in the early I900"s. At both the research and industrial levels, robotics continually attracts more interest, and will affect future manufactur- ing. This new trend merges various parts of current fields of IE, ME, EE. CompE, and CS. Synthetic Materials/ Composites Short fiber-reinforced ptilymenc material, generating a great deal of interest in industry, will progress to a more advanced state than today. The Materials Engineering Lab presently stu- dies this direction. The future of engineering remains certain. Many new technologies, while being researched today, remain invisible to the majority of undergraduates. When these new fields will finalh be absorbed at the undergraduate level, perhaps ten, fifty, or a hundred years from now, is un- certain. But one thing is sure — when tech- nology advances, so will the College of Engineering. ■ Reference: Baker. Ira O. and King. Everett E. A History of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. 1868-1945. Pans 1 and II. Urbana. Illinois. June 1947. 22 Tech Profiles William Ferguson. Associate Professor of Mathematics, says being the Executive Secretary of the Mathematics Department is much like being the Executive Officer under a Commanding Officer in the Navy. Successful in terms of managing people and resources. Professor Ferguson served as the Big 10 faculty representative from 1976 to 1981. as well as other cam- pus committees. An avid fan of Ulini football and basketball, he also enjoys bridge games, following major league baseball, and Dixieland music. From his many years of evaluating the math competency of incoming stu- dents. Professor Ferguson remarks that jDersons taking the Advanced Placement exams are mainly from the metropolitan areas and that basic calculus is rapidly be- coming general education for everyone. Seeing a slow, but steady growth to a greater level of math aptitude in the U.S. today. Professor Ferguson hopes that more people will develop the math apti- tude needed to challenge the problems of jtomorrow. Why did Professor Ferguson get interested in math? Mathematicians have no labs. t>' ames Lee Robert E. Miller has been a member of the Theoretical and Applied Mechanics department since 1954. However, this is not the full extent of his affiliation with the University. Miller received a bache- lor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1954 from the University, and stayed in Champaign-Urbana to enter the TAM department. It was there that he received his master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University in 1955 and 1959, respectively. Miller's main research area involves the analysis of finite element methods for problems in solid mechanics and dyna- mics. He has been the author of various technological journal articles on this and other subjects of mechanics. Miller has done consulting work for the U.S. Army and various midwest industries. In addi- tion, he has been an adviser for more than 20 doctoral students and is a member of the Stability Commitee for the American Society of Civil Engineers. During his free time. Miller doesn't abandon his vast knowledge of aerodyna- mics and structures. He enjoys the con- struction and flying of remote control gliders. Joseph Wyse H. G. Friedman. Associate Professor of Computer Science, has never had a formal course in computers. He received his ori- ginal education in chemistry. Finding out that chemistry was not an interest. Professor Friedman came to the University of Illinois in 1965 as an assistant professor and programmer in computer science. With a self-taught background, he became proficient in com- puter-aided instruction (CAI), operating systems, and other software. ■"Today, CS is the thing to be logi- cally thinking about, and the field to get into. The job market is tremendous, espe- cially for our graduates," Friedman com- mented. The University's department is producing well-rounded computer scien- tists in terms of numerical analysis, hard- ware, computational theory, and software programming. This is more comprehen- sive than other institutions. Being interested in rail and transit. Professor Friedman serves as the Vice- Chaimian of the MTD (Mass Transit Dis- trict) Board and is a certified street car operator. His interest originated in the antique streetcars operating in New Orleans while he was attending Loyola. James Lee 23 CREDIT FOR STUDeJTS VISA' and MasterCard' Credit Cards Now Available to Students ttirougti TlfTlEBflVEB' 's BankActlon ProgramI No Minimum Income or Job Requirements Savings account and fees required Mail ttiis coupon for complete information Send to : Timesaver Headquarters Building / Student Dept / 12276 Wilkins Avenue / Rockville , MD 20852 Name School Attertdir^ There's Never Been a Better Time to Get VISA' and MasterCard ' Credit Cardsl Apply Todayl THE FACTS L ABOUT ENGINEERING 6 TYPING 50 COPIES (#70) PICTURE DATA SHEETS $3.50 $10.00 $4,00 (over night) SCREENING OF PICTURE $500 RESUMES $2.00 $5.00 $4.00 $5.00 TURNAROUND TYPING— IN BY 3 PM, BACK BY 9 AM PICTURE— INSTANT REPRODUCTION— WHILE YOU WAIT OR OVERNIGHT The Clean Machine Copy Shop 621 S.Wright St. Mon-Fri 7:30am-10pm Sat 9-5 Sun 10-6 ini mini Publishing Company, student-operated media at thie University of Illinois, 620 E. John Street, Champaign, IL 61820 [217] 333-3733. Illini Publishing Company Technograph JUin \A/PGU illini Tuni ,0 ^i^ FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 4,500 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes commitment to furthering your education and your career IVlore than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying for your IVIaster's, Engineer or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to $40,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gam valuable on-the-jOb experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree. Work Study Fellows work part-time during the academic year while studying at a nearby university Full Study Fellows work in the summer and study full-time And since Hughes is involved with more than 90 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available In fact, an Engineering Rotation Program is available for those interested in diversifying their work experience If you'd like assistance from a company committed to advancing the frontiers of technology, fill out and mail the coupon below Or write to; Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept, 104-14, BIdg, C2/B168 P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245 Prool ol U S Citizenship Required Equal Opportunilv Employer THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROGRAM Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. 104-14, BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials. PLEASE PRINT: Name CrriUinp a nm unrlil uith fit; HUGHES City I am interested in obtaining a in the field of: DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's Date fWaster's Date State tVlaster's _ Zip . Engineer degree . _ Field Field _ School . School WRITE YOURSELF IN D O Dream things that never were and say/'Why not?'' Let your imagination go as far as it can. Then give it a real workout. Press a button and watch your integrated circuit design light up a computer screen. Touch another button and see a cross-sectional view of your heart. You're just scratching the surface. Keep on going. Make that imagination squeeze one million functions onto a single microchip. Let it loose on appliances that can think for themselves. Unleash it on computers that can speak the human language. Turn it on to robots that can see, hear, think, and feel. If you can dream it, you can do it. And if you're bright, talented, energetic, creative, and determined enough, you can do it with us. You can put your mind to work on anything from mate- rials research to computer- aided design and robotics. You can bring your ideas to life in just about every area of life-from the office to outer space, the laboratory to the living room. There's never been a better time to be an engineer You've got the tools-the technology- to take your ideas and run with them. To make tomorrow happen faster than ever before-starting right now. And GE? We've got enough resources, diversity and imagination to keep you asking, "Why not?" for the rest of your life. An equal opportunity employer If you can dream it, you can do it. i) -r4l I Illinois » Technograph December 1983 Volume 99, Issue 3 Newsstand $1 .25 Backtracking ENGINEERING MAJORS HAVE ENOUGH STRESS WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT TUITION. If one of the angles you've been studying lately is a way to pay your tuition costs, Army ROTC would like to offer some sound advice. Apply for an Army ROTC scholarship. Recently, we set aside hundreds of scholarships solely for engineering majors like yourself. Each one covers full tuition, books and other supplies, and pays you up to $1,000 each school year it's in effect. So if the stress of worrying about tuition is bending you out of shape, get some finan- cial support. Apply for an Army ROTC scholarship today. For more informa- tion, contact your Pro- fessor of Military Science. ARMY ROTC. BEAUYOUCANBE. University of Illinois 217-3334550 ^i=i^ FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 4,500 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes commitment to furlhering your education and your career fylore than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying for your Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, boolrtened by packing many devices on one chip to keep chip interconnections to a minimum. Concentrating a large number of chips into a small area results in a problem with power dissipation. A typical fast bipolar chip can generate about five watts per chip. The Cray- 1 contained over 300,000 chips in a volume of less than 100 cubic feet. To dissipate the large amounts of power, coolants are pumped through supercomputers. The llliac IV was cooled by pumping refrigerated air through it. The Cray-XMP and the Cyber 205 are cooled with a freon refrigerant. In the Cray, the printed circuit boards are held between slabs of aluminum v\ ith freon flowing in them, v\hile the Cyber 205 uses tubing clamped to the chips to contain the coolant. 4 I To make supercomputers even faster, new types of computer architecture are used which allow the computers to pro- cess data in faster and more efficient i | ways. One of these methods is known as pipelining. Pipelining is analogous to an assembly line where all parts of the sys- tem are working on individual parts of the overall task. A pipelined adder, for inst- ance, breaks up the addition process into segments, each of which processes a piece of the overall addition. The data being added moves through the pipeline one segment at a time at ever\' clock pulse. After an initial start-up time equal to the time it takes for one sweep to propagate through the entire pipeline, data will appeal' at the output of the adder at a rate equal to the clock pulse. The architecture of the llliac IV used a different type of processing, called mul- tiprocessing, in which the memory was partitioned into 64 divisions, each control- led by its own data processor. This allowed the computer to operate sixty-four times faster than a standard single proces- sor machine. These innovations led to a total price of $40 million. In either multiprocessing or pipelin- ing, data in a processor or a pipeline can- ot be called on for other calculations. everal calculations can be performed simultaneously as long as the required • data is outside of the processing unit. This puts a constraint on the speed of some types of calculations, but performance is still better than that of computers which can handle only one operation at a time. To support high speed calculations, a supercomputer must have large amounts of data, which entails large amounts of memory. The speed at which data can be transferred between memory and the pro- cessing unit then becomes a limiting fac- tor. The Cray- 1 , the Cray-XMP and the Cyber 205 are designed so that the pro- cessing unit directly accesses a fast central memory, which contained the program and data for immediate calculations. Magnetic discs store the rest of the data which is sent to the central memory when it is needed. This transfer of data needs to be very fast to make sure the central processor has enough data at all times. Since large amounts of data require wide bandwidths in order to be transmitted, the speed of data transmission is limited by the avail- able bandwidth. The llliac IV fed data in- dividually to each of its partitioned memories. This was accomplished by us- ing sixty-four separate read-write heads on the disc drives — one read-write head for each section of memory. Since the Cray computers and the Cyber 205 do not use this type of data transfer, the llliac IV was CRAY X-MP Computer System (foreground) and CRAY-1 Computer system (photo courtesy of Cray Research, Inc.) faster for problems involving flow of large amounts of data between central and disc memory. The current record holder for com- puting speed is held by the Cray-XMP at 200 million to 400 million operations per second. This is a phenomenal speed when compared to the 17 million operations per second for the Cyber" s 174 and 175 on campus and a few hundred operations per second for personal computers. The en- gineers at Cray research and Control Data, however, have not completed their quest for faster speeds. Cray Research is already at work on the Cray-2, which is estimated to be six to twelve times faster than the Cray- 1 , putting it in the area of one billion operations per second. Faster electronics and architecture will be used to reach this speed. A new method of cool- ing the computer will be implemented in which the whole computer will be sub- merged in a liquid tluorocarbon, similar to the one found in blood plasma. This li- quid will not only carry away heat more efficiently than freon or forced air, but it will also be in direct contact with the electronic components, allowing for a very efficient transfer of energy. Kepler had to fill volumes with hand calculations to finally arrive at his discov- ery of elliptical planetary motion. Now, supercomputers are able to perform the same number of calculations in a fraction of a second. Modem scientists and en- gineers use these machines to delve into the intricacies of aerodynamics, nuclear physics and mechanics. The speed of these supercomputers will lead to a better understanding of the physical world. ■ by James O'Hagan Railway History Engineers are trained during their college years to build (or the future. Ttie past, however, can teach us a lot about designing products for the times to come. There is a place that offers such a service, while also providing aesthetic diversion. More than any other technology, rail- roading has drawn together the boundaries of the United States. Rail service has been an inexpensive, effective, and reliable source of transportation for delivering minerals, hauling livestock, or transport- ing commuters. The impact of railroads is evident in all levels of American society. From handicraft and fashion to economics and politics, the history of railroading mirrors the history of the American society in which it was raised — a history which is now being re-enacted in northern Illinois. The Illinois Railway Museum in Un- ion, Illinois, is a non-profit educational corporation. Funded by contributions and mn by volunteers, the museum is a dis- play of operational cars and locomotives that played impxjrtant parts in the develop- ment of the midwestem United States. Frank Sirinek. Restoration foreman of the car depiirtment and former general mana- ger of the museum, explained. "The museum began in 1953 with one car and SUX) in Chicago. In 1964. they moved here [to Union]."" Now the museum has over 175 cars and locomotives. The main emphasis of the museum is to restore all cars and locomotives to operating condition. "Most of the work we do here is on things you can"t see." said Sirinek. Mechanical work on motors, wiring, wheels and brakes accounts for most of the restoration time and expense and is necessary only because the museum is an operational museum. Visitors can ride all restored trains, creatine an atmos- The railroad industry has come a long way since the days of steam power. Here, a modern derivation of the old Silver Zephyr pulls Into Champaign, (photo by Jane Fiala) phere much different from traditional hands-off museums. ""We try to collect regional pieces."' Sirinek stated. "People come from Chicago to see the cars they remember."" Because of its functional nature, the expansion of railroading over the years is readily apparent. The Frisco 1630. a steam locomotive built for Russia in 1918. is coal operated. ""They have to clean the oven and put in a new bed of coals even,' weekend."" explained Dwayne Tudor, head of Diesel Operations. "'It takes 3 to 4 hours of preparation to get running. You can see why the diesel en- gine was so important to the railroad in- dustp,'."" ■"The plates have to be emptied periodically. A lever dumps ashes into a tray under the cab. then new coal is shoveled into the boiler on top of the coals."" explained another member. Brad Wujcik. "As the exhaust leaves and moves up the stack, it creates a draft. pulling more air into the tire and making it bum better."" In time, the diesel-powered locomo- tive grew in popularity due to the long maintenance hours and poor visibility common in early steam engines. One of the tlrst diesel engines built was used on the Milwaukee Road for the Chicago area. "The diesel engine is not connected to the wheels."" explained Sirinek. "It just runs an electric engine which moves the wheels. It works the same way on modem engines."" Later, more extravagant diesel trains were developed. The Silver Zephyr was built by General Motors and mn by the Buriington Railroad in the 1940"s and 50"s. "It had a top speed of over KX) miles per hour." explained Sirinek. and "it was the tlrst train with roller bear- ings."" A diesel generator pro\ided steam. power, and the air conditioning which ser- # viced all seven cars. ■"The Zephyr was essentially a coach; it was ultra-modem — had no sleeping facilities. It was typical of trains in the late 1930"s and 40"s."" he ex- plained. ' Electric motors ga\e rise to trains and streetcars that ran entirely on electric current. One such train, the Electroliner. was used by the Chicago North Shore Milwaukee RaiK\a>. "To make an elec- tric train look like the Zephyr was their goal."" noted Sirinek. The car"s sides cur\ed to the middle, narrowing the train and restricting it to the elevated system. .*\lso. all the cars were permanently cou- pled with the trucks between cars. ""This low profile made the n"ain look \er\' sleek. ver\ streamlined — like a bullet."" said Sirinek. This appearance was a defi- nite ad\antage to the railroad, explained museum member .lim Nicholas of the Chi- cago Transit Authority (CTA) com- munications department. ""The North Shore was running into problems and wanted something to 'run v\ith the wind." This train had a free running speed of 85 miles per hour and was capable of 95."" .Although trains were important in developing .American societ}'. single cars played an important role as well. These streetcars, or trolleys, carried passengers across town or to nearby cities. The Red Rocket is a famous car which earned seven million passengers per day in Chicago. ""The Red Rocket is the most readily-recognized piece in the museum — the car people come out to see," stated Sirinek. ""It is a double-ended car. The street cars had large platforms on the back where e\'er}one would be ushered on. Then the car would be kept moving while the passengers paid their fares and mo\ed into the seating secton."" .Another car that was not as popular as the Red Rocket was a car from the Au- rora Elgin line that ran on an elevated trussel over what is now Chicago's I Eisenhower Expressway. ""This was an important commuter line which went under because of the city of Chicago and .\la\or Daley." said Sirinek. ""Within I eisiht hours the citv refused to allow the .Aurora Elgin into the city. It had to stop at Des Plaines .A\enue. Thousands of commuters who had ridden into the city on the .Aurora Elgin had no w a\- to get home and were stranded." Other cars ser\ed more specific pur- poses for the railroads. One such car was similar to today's snow plows. "With 4800 trolleys at rush hour, they needed equipment to clean the tracks." explained Sinnek. Manufactured by McGuire- Cummings. the snow sweeper was po- wered by electricit}, and swept snow off the rails onto the cars below . .A metal plow on the side extended lateralh and would demolish cars if the\ were in the wa\. ""That's from back in the days when the automobile took its place below the streetcars." Sirinek noted. Another car has pro\en useful to the museum's expansion efforts. ""We have a special electric-powered wire car which unreels miles of cable from large rolls. It"s hot when they unroll it." allowing the car to tap the wire for energy as it is in- stalled. A hot wire is one that has an elec- tric current ninning through it. ""The workers are on an insulated platfomi as they install the wire so if the\' bmsh against it, grab it. hammer it. or bang on it. it's just as if I did this." said Sirinek. harmlessK' grabbing a nearb\ rail. Trains cannot run without tracks, and the de\elopment of the museum's track has demanded extra effort. Sirinek said. "We spent five years constructing this streetcar track." a two-and-a-half mile loop of track with tight turns over which electric streetcars and inter-urban cars navigate. "The hot potential is the wire." said Sirinek pointing to the cable mnning neariy 30 feet above the tracks. "The cur- rent travels from the wire, through the car. then through the wheels and back along the track to the power source." The rail connections are bonded with copper wire to ensure a complete circuit. In keeping w ith the idea of an oper- ating museum. e\en the overhead power line resembles that of a city electric rail- way "The wire work is typical of the city." noted Sirinek. "Even the poles are of the type that w as used in Chicago alono the lake shore and beaches in the 1930"s. New sodium vapor lamps will add to that appearance." Sharp turns in the rails create addi- tional problems. ""With these tight turns."" explained Sirinek. "there is a great amount of pressure on the flanges and sliding of the wheels. If we just constantly ran the cars one v\ay around the track, we'd have to replace the wheels after e\- erv season. So we do tv\o things; we re- verse the wheels after even, winter, and we paid S5000 for this wheel lubricator to keep them from wearing out." The greas- er is triggered by the weight of the train. When a car reaches the turn, it trips a mechanism which pumps a special non- sliding lubncant onto the track. The wheel of the train then passes through the lubri- cant and spreads it along the track. "This is a market item." said Sirinek. "They're used on the dow ntown [Chicago] elevated tracks along the big screeching cur%es like Lake Street." The demise of the streetcar was ulti- mateh- brought about by the development of the automobile. Member Greg Lang said. ""The Green Hornet sn-eetcar from the city of Chicago was developed when railroads began losing business to the automobile. The President of the United States called together representati\es from the railroading industr> to form the Presi- dent's Conference Committee. It served up until 1958. when it was abandoned completely. This is the only one still around." It was this car that ser\ed as the model for today's CTA buses, although streetcars were more successful. ""They nuned more commuters in one day than the CTA now iiunes in a week, and that includes buses." added Sinnek. But the streetcars still roll at the Illi- nois Railway Museum along with kx:omo- tives. train cars, and other exhibits of rail- roading nostalgia that only such an oper- ational museum can provide. Sirinek ex- plained. ""It's different when \ou come out here, feel it moving, [and] hear the steam, ^■ou understand what it meant." ■ II A Night at the Press Alter tlic news st a IT has gone home but betoie the newspaper is delivered in the morning, the Rantoui Press in Ran- toul, IlUnois. comes to life. A four-man crew works most of the night to run approximately 14.000 newspapers in an hour. The press crew makes plates ot the newspaper, loads them onto the press, inks the press, and pnnts the paper. This night erew is constantly checking copies of its product and resetting the press to make sure the papers are evenly inked and easily readable. The Daily lllini newspap- er here at the University is the main pro- duct produced by the Rantoui Press at night, (photos by Dave Colhitnil ' yt\ /t :^*-" Technovisions by Tushar Chande The University Graduate Programs booldet states that a candidate for a PhD degree . . must demonstrate a capacity for independent research by the production of an original thesis on a topic within a major field of study. . . the thesis must be the work of a single author." Feeling kind of bored lately? Need something to make you tear out your hair'.' Need something you can ignore for a \e;ir. and be paid to do so? Need some- thing you can underestimate, overesti- mate, expand, contract, twist, straighten, write, rewrite, underwrite, overwrite, chew, spit out. hate and yet want to take home to Mom? Well, consider writing a thesis. It'll change your life, mostly for the better. Writing a thesis could get you a master's degree. That's extremely valu- able in the job market. Conventional wis- dom has it that a BS being what it is, there's more of the same in an MS, and it is yet piled higher and deeper for a Ph.D. Actually, you'll learn technical, organiza- tional and personal things that will come in handy. But that's not the whole story. Here's a personal view of what it's really like to write a thesis. Let me bare the essentials. First, a natural ability to handle beer in reasonable quantities is ven, important. This helps to accomodate the ups and the downs, espe- cially the ups, when the guys ne.xt door throw their graduation bashes. A taste for other liquid refreshments counts little, for beer is all you can afford. Secondly, you need a comfortable chair and a soothing light source. The chair will help you cogi- tate. I am inclined to think best at an angle of 133 degrees to the horizontal Write a Thesis: Receive a Degree (measured counter-ckxrkwise). The lamp is to sJK'd light, for you can use all the illumination available. The chair is also useful for hanging messages. Mine, for example, has a blue and white, plastic Piedmont Aidines card that says "OCCU- PIED by a Through Passenger." It helps to keep things in perspective. Thirdly, get a large box of pencils and several good quality erasers. It's amazing how often one uses the latter, and how frequently one loses the former. An advisor is desirable, but not quite essential. He foots all the bills, though. He helps you get your feet wet, and keeps them pointed straight. Generally, produc- tivity is way up when his feet are out of the way. While good eyesight is useful, it is vision that is needed. Tunnel vision is not desirable, and oversight could be hazar- dous. If you have foresight, you are clear- ly in the wrong business. It's insight that is required, but you may need plenty of hindsight to develop this, so look out. An appetite for fast food is conve- nient, if you have the stomach for it. Eventually though, you cannot tell if it's fast food cooked slowly, or slow food cooked fast. Lastly, a sense of humor is most beneficial. It takes some practice to laugh at your own mistakes, but it can help you meet the right sort of people, make friends with them, and even intlu- ence them. Sanity is unessential. Even if you had it to begin with, you would soon lose it on the way. It helps to know what you are work- ing on. Not that it's crucial, for you can seize on anything that is marginally famil- iar once the buzz words are recognizable. The research assignment shapes your reg- istration schedule, and molds the nature of your existence. Is experimentation the order of the day, or is it time to meet your friendly computer? Experiments usually need some fabricated apparatus, and as time runs out, you form them on the run. Computations can only be made after you have recovered fritm multiple ^^ crashes, and by then your only concern is ^^ to get out in one piece. A search for relative literature is the recommended way to launch your project,' but the previous claims and counterclaims could easily send you into a tailspin. A word to the wary; if well-begun is half done, ascertain you are indeed beginning what you are supposed to. Half-baked ideas could raise hopes, only to flatten them later. Preliminary findings are cause to plan an out-of-town trip to the society meeting furthest from campus. When you can't zap them with substance, sway them with style. Plus, these findings please sponsors, thnll your advisor, and confuse the competition. They are heaven-sent. Also, you are in great shape, for by now you have found out what not to do. You can begin writing a first draft of your thesis, and track down a suitable typist. A typist you know well can be real lifesav- er, in more senses than one. The plot thickens after all course re- quirements have been completed and the placement office has announced the new company lineup. Then either the equip- ment breaks down or you hit the prover- bial dead end. 1 like to call this the coun- ter-current principle. What you most ex- pect is what is least likely to occur. It's a principle veteran NFL linebackers are well acquainted with. Your advisor, convinced he has simplified things so even you can do them, offers but a few tantalizing poin- ters. The data does not fall along the nice line you predicted, or worse, there is no data at all. To really brighten things up. all your dear friends are lost to gradua- tion. This is trial by misfire. It can be a 10 real character-huilder about now. All you do is simply hang in there, see'.' Research. It's aptly named. Search and search again for a glimmer of taith. for some reproducible, measurable, pre- dictable facts. If you search long enough, strong enough, you'll find something. It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be there. Once you find it, you tell it like it is. That's your thesis. Writing it up is not difficult. It's a search for precision of expression. Write all you like, and reduce it by a half. Let someone read it. hack it. and slash it till it's red all over. Then just patch it up so it looks presentable. Production is the biggest pain: the graphs, and the pictures, and the prints. 1^ and spacing, and margins, and those re- ferences, and those typos, and oh. all those deadlines. Cross those lines and you are dead. Cross that limit, and you ai^e dead too. The endless iterations. Refer- ence 15 is not referred to in the text. Has Fig. 21 been referenced in the write-up? Captions never seem to meet the items they describe. Cut this out. Did you paste that? Then, the many approvals and reap- provals fiow in. By now. you don't care anymore. Does it really matter'.' Who on earth is ever going to read this junk? Not much has been accomplished that you know. But then, the talk during the plant trip seemed to have gone down well. There's nothing like a little self-doubt to really make you think. Unexpectedly, the advisor signs the thesis approval fonn. Graduate College was concerned about the margins only. There are smiles all around. The thesis does look. uhm. . . impressive. A journal publication seems possible. Since abstracts are stored in data bases for information re- trieval, this could well be your one tiny claim to immortality. Well, you learned something. You learned how to learn. Perhaps it was a little late, and not quite as much as you wanted, but you learned. Oddly enough, there are people out there who think enough of you to make an offer that you dare not refuse. Unbeliev- ably, it's your turn to host a graduation bash. Then, with your thesis bound, you take it home to Mom. ■ 11 Tech notes Sum of Research The Sumnuin of Engineering Re- search- 1 483, a complete update on what professors do when the\ ;irc not teaching, has been released by Engineenng Publica- tions. The Kport is a 300-page summary of research activities at the University. Issued each year, it stimulates interest and aware- ness of the engineering program and in- cludes listings of faculty publications, theses, technical rep(.)rts and faculty hon- ors at the University. The summary is necessary as a guide to the $32.7 million research program, en- compassing over 2100 persons working on over 800 projects. "Tt shows the high re- gard with which the college holds its re- search programs," said Ann R. Sapoznik, editor of the manual. Tlie summary is available upon re- quest in 1 12 Engineering Hall. Research Attracts New Firm For several years. University resear- chers have been developing a method of cancer treatment using intense heat — hyf)erthemiia. The program has now attracted a high-technology fimi to Cham- paign. URl Themi-X Inc. is a company specializing in the development of high- technology medical equipment. "We are building six to twelve prototype units for distribution to major medical groups throughout the country," explained Steve Goss, Director of Research for the firm. The advances University researchers have made in the hyperthermia field have brought international attention to the methcxl, which uses either ultrasound or microwaves to heat cancerous cells and destroy them. Although hyperthermia will probably be used with traditional forms of treatment, common side-effects are eli- minated. Goss, who received his Ph. D. in EE from the University in 1978, said, ■ "The EE Department is one of the finest in the country and the bioacoustics and biomechanical engineering departments have been engaged in hyperthemiia re- search for some time. It's a very strong organization." The project is expected to improve cooperation between scientists and businessmen while accelerating basic re- search into life-saving technology, ex- plained project coordinator Charles A. Cain, professor of electrical and bioen- gineering. Summer Research Students interested in science or en- gineering research may apply for a re- search participation appointment at Argon- ne National Laboratory in northem Illi- nois. The summer program provides opportunities for research-oriented students interested in fields related to energy. Indi- vidual work with Argonne staff members, educational seminars, and independent study are included in the research experi- ence. Appointments are made for an eleven-week summer term, with under- graduate participants receiving $165 per week. Graduate and faculty research prog- rams are also available. Further information is available in the Associate Dean's Office, Room 207 Engineering Hall. Oxford professor visits Sir Zelman Cowen, Provost of Oriel College in Oxford and past Governor- General of Australia, was guest lecturer at the sixth Tykociner memorial lecture held here on November 10. The Tykociner conference consisted of a lecture by Cowen on "Contemporary Tasks for the Law" in which he addres- sed issues ranging from capital punish- ment to student rebellion. The following day Cowen met with several student lead- ers from campus to discuss these topics and explore their views on the subject. "I tried to provoke thought among the stu- dents as to the questions that contempor- Sir Zelman Cowen from Oxford University speaks at the Tyltociner conference, (photo by Jane Fiala) ary law must address," explained Cowen. "From the types of questions that arose 1 am very pleased." The conference, sponsored by the Electrical Engineering department, aims to emphasize the late Joseph Tykociner" s de- votion to the science of research encom- passing humanities, arts, and social and physical sciences. G. W. Swenson, Head of the Electrical Engineering Department, said, "Tykociner felt that there was a uni- ty to knowledge that all scholarship was of equal importance. When he left, he re- quested that his endowment should be used for these lectures. He felt the lec- tures should be taken from all fields of knowledge. We've sought to bring in the very best scholars." Tykociner was a member of the Electrical Engineering faculty at the Uni- versity from 1921 until he retired in 1948. The pioneering developer of the sound on film technology he successfully demons- trated at Engineering Open House in 1922. he bequeathed his estate to the Uni- versity for continuation of his ideals. James O'Hagan 12 Technovations m • Perky Piping Midwesco has de\eloped a new uaming system to detect problems in underground piping that promises to save mone\ and time spent in repairs. I These systems, manufactured hy Per- ma-Pipie of Niles. Illinois, are designed to constantly monitor pre-insulated piping networks. Should a leak occur in either the outer casing or service pif)e. audible and \isible alarms are initiated. A fault locator is then used to pinpoint the leak location. Penna-Pipe"s PermAlert system now consists of stations that can individual 1\ monitor up to 3000 feet of pipe. In turn, a PermAlert central control panel (CCP) oversees as man\ as 4000 stations for a total of 12 million lineal feet of pipe. Convenienth located for easy access. the CCP places all data at a central station and displays a circuit number identifying the PermAlert station signaling a problem and its type. Remote PermAlert panels connect to the CCP via a coa.xial cable through which the coded data is transmit- ted. Problems can be located within two feet. In operation. PermAlert's visible and audible alarm is actuated when moisture from a break in the casing or service pipe comes into contact w ith copper v\ ires embedded in the insulation. The leak also disturbs calibrated pulses sent through the copper wire b_\ the time domain reflector (TDR). which are reflected as echoes allowing PerrrL^lert's fault locator to pin- point leak location. Its video screen then displays the position of the break while a permanent record is printed on a strip chart. Push-Button Protection For roommates who frequenth lose their keys. Roberto's has developed a push-button lock. The shackle lock is made of har- dened steel and feauires buttons rather than a traditional dial or kevhole. Pushing The Model PL 70 lock combines push-button convenience with the protection of hardened steel, (photo courtesy of Roberto s) the correct five buttons enables the owner to open the lock much faster than con\en- tional locks. A self-closing mechanism makes the lock ideal for the sightless or for use in winter when hand movement is hindered by hea\y gloves. Videocise Quadraplegics may be able to exer- cise and pla\ \ ideo games at the same time by using a head-operated controller designed b\ Jon R. Willey of Teledyne MEC. The controller is an ultrasonic de- vice that replaces one of the joysticks on the Atari TV video game. The other stick remains functional. This dcMce. tested by both handicap- ped and non-handicapped players on Atari Pacman and Combat games, consists of two microphones placed some distance behind and to one side of the player's head. Ultrasound from the headset is pick- ed up by the microphones and translated into forward, backward and nght and left mo\ement on the screen through an inter- face. Besides being fun. using the control- ler forces quadraplegics to e.xercise their neck muscles. This is especialK important for \oung patients. .According to \\'ille\ . the controller could be fined with either \oice. bite or tongue activated buttons to allow the play- er not only to maneuver the tank, but also to fire at will. Classical Discs With digital audio gaining increasing populantv in the musical world (see D/i,'U- al Aiulio in the November Technograph). e\en local firms are taking ad\ antage of the high-qualit> equipment. \\'ILL-FM. a University-funded clas- sical music station, uses a Sony CDP-101 compact disc player as a regular part of daily broadcasting. "We incorporate it mainly into portions of programming done by announcers." explained Ed West. ■Assistant Chief Engineer for the station. Because some of the programming is modulated, a 25 Hz tone is inserted at the end of a piece of music. Although inaudi- ble to the human ear. the tone is detected by electrical equipment and sw itches to the announcer. When finished, another tone retums music to the airwaves. "We ha\e another disc player com- ing soon." said West. "It's a \er\ fine instrument. We can usually get the equip- ment at cut-rate prices as well." This arrangement works out well for the manu- facturer because it helps convince con- sumers of the qualitv sound such equip- ment can reprixluce. James O'Hagtm 13 u UNLimiTED INC Computer Center Sales- Rentals • Computers •Terminals • Modems • Calculators •Word Processors •Ribbons, Disks • Printers •Paper, Labels Typing Services • Resumes •Term Papers • Theses •Letters You do it in our booths or We do it all for you! 356-1644 606 South Sixth Stn CREDIT FOR STUDENTS VISA- and MasterCard' Credit Cards Now Available to Students ttirougti TlfTIESflVER' 's BankActlon Program! No Minimum Income or. Job Requirements Savings account and tees required Mail this coupon tor complete information Send to Timesaver Headquarters Building / Student Dept / 12276 Will WORKWITHTHE WORLDS MOST SOPHISnCATED LASER SYSTEM? Or evaluate primary sensor performances of multimillion dollar satellites' Or manage millions of dollars a year in defense contracts? The Air Force, that's who. If you're a talented, motivated electrical engineer or plan to be. you don't have to wait to work with the newest, most sophisticated technology around. You can do it now, as an Air Force officer working as an electrical engineer. Don't get us wrong. We don't hand it to you on a silver platter. You have to work for it. Hard. But if you do. we'll give you all the responsibility you can handle. And reward you well for taking it. You'll get housing, medical and dental care — and excellent pay that increases as you rise in rank. F'lus there are opportunities to attend graduate school. If you're qualified and selected, we'll pay 75% of your tuition. Those with special qualifications can even study full time, at no cost. So plug into the Air Force. Because when it comes to technology, the Air Force can help you achieve great sophistication at a very tender age. For more information contact your local Air ^ Force recruiter, or call our Enizineer Hotline y toll-free 1-800-531-5826 (in Texas 1-800-292-5366). Better vet. send your resume to HRS/RSAANE. Randolph AFB. TX 78150. ^„ There's no obligation. ^^ AIM HIGH AIR FORCE A great place tor engineers ID! mini Publislning Company, student-operated media at the University of Illinois, 620 E. John Street, Champaign, IL 61820 (21 7) 333-3733. mini Publishing Company Illio illini Technograph flfiTi, \A/PGU Come join other engineering students, men and women in comfortable living at Hendrick House The only privately owned residence hall near the engineering campus at the University of Illinois with air conditioning. • Reciprocal Agreement with U of I • Reasonable Rates • Choice of Entree • Home Baked Rolls and Desserts Green and Lincoln St. Urbana, Illinois 61801 Phone 344-4947 or 356-3344 IF-YOU-CAN-DREAM-IT-YOU-CAN-DO-IT Convert the production line into a frontier ofcreativity. The cast-iron technology of the factory will soon be silicon technology. Chips and computers trans- fer design information directly to the factory floor Other chips make possible flexible robotics, programmable con- trollers for machine tools, auto- mated test systems and digital inspection cameras. Local area networks tie together all these systems. These are revolutionary changes that can result in better-made products, manu- factured of new materials at lower cost. GE is deeply involved in bringing manufacturing into the silicon age. In one plant, electronics and computer sys- tems enable us to reduce pro- duction time of a locomotive's diesel engine frame from 16 days to 16 hours. At our dish- washer production plant, a master computer monitors a distributed system of pro- grammable controls, robots, automated conveyors, assembly equipment and quality control stations. We're working on robots that can see, assembly sys- tems that hear, and machin- ery that can adapt to changes and perhaps even repair itself This transformation of manufacturing from the past to the future creates a need for new kinds of engineers to design and operate factories of the silicon age. They have to be as familiar with tfie reali- ties of the assembly line as with the protocols of software communications. They will synchronize dozens of real-time systems whose slightest move affects the performance of every other system. The frontiers of manufacturing technology have been thrust outward. Old ideas have been questioned, new ones probed. Some ideas are now on production lines. Others are still flickers of light in an imagination. All offer opportunities for you to seek, to grow, and to accomplish. If you can dream it, youcandoit. Illinois Technograph February 1984 Volume 99, Issue 4 Newsstand $1 .25 WHODin A23^rEAIM)U) WORKWITHTHE WORLD^MOSr SOPHISnCATED LASER SYSTEM? Or evaluate primary sensor pert'ormances of multiniillion dollar satellites? Or manage millions of dollars a year in defense contracts? The Air Force, that's who. If you're a talented, motivated electrical engineer or plan to be. you don't have to wait to work with the newest, most sophisticated technology around. You can do it now. as an Air Force officer working as an electrical engineer Don't get us wrong. We don't hand it to you on a siKer platter. You have to \\(irk for it. Hard. But if you do. we'll give you all the responsibility you can handle. And reward you well for taking it. You'll get housing, medical and dental care — and excellent pay that increases as you rise in rank. Plus there are opportunities to attend graduate l> school. If you're qualified and selected, we'll pay 75% of your tuition. Those with special qualifications can even study full time, at no cost. So plug into the Air Force. Because when it comes to technology, the Air Force can help you achieve great sophistication at a very tender age. For more information contact your local Air Force Recruiter, or call toll-free 1-800-423-USAF (in California 1-800-232-USAF). Better yet. send your resume to HRS/RSAANE. Randolph AFB, TX 78150. There's no obligation. AIM HIGH AIR FORCE A great place for engineers 6 Seniors Graduate Students Co-op Students Summer Students Technicaltower Monday, February 20, 1984 Any time between Noon and 6:00 pm mini Union A and B BS/MS in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. All engineering disciplines welcome, as well as Physics, Math, Chemistry and other technical majors— if interested in computer sales or systems engineering. Come any time during the hours indicated above and learn about technical career opportunities throughout IBM. Casual attire. Bring 3 Personal Data Sheets or Resumes. U.S. citizenship or permanent residence required for interviews. An Equal Opportunity Employer nois Technograph February 1984 Volume 99, Issue 4 8 10 12 16 Chip Wars Marv Kay Flick The constant battle o\er one up-manship in technology continues. The divisive efforts on the part of the United States and Japan are curtailing the chances for harmonious benefits. The New Breed of Reactors Kin Nakagana Basic chemistrv' says you cannot get more material out of a reaction than you put into it. Physics has once again turned out to be a rebel, and found a way for reactors to make more fuel than they bum. No Return With Deposit James Yim The acid rain dilemma is widespread, for it has major ramifications in the political, social, technological and natural environments. Plato Matures JeffSargeni The Plato s\stem has gained international fame since its innovative and experimental beginnings, necessitating changes for the better. Departments Editorial 7, Tech Teasers 19, Technovisions 14. Technotes 17. Technovations 19, Tech Profiles 27 Editor: Lany Malluk Production Editor: Langdon Alger Business Manager: Raymond Hightower Photo Editor: Jane Fiala Cop\' Editor: Laura Kasper Asst. Copy Editor: Robert Ekblaw Features Editor: James O'Hagan Design: Beth Beamais Asst. Design: Karen Peters Publisher: E. Mayer Maloney Jr. Production Manager: Geoff Bant Adviser: Ed Mast Eiditorial Staff; Richard Barber. Rob Busse. Jeffi-ey Cain. Tiishar Chande. Dave Colburn, Jeff Donofrio. Elayne Fletcher. Mary Kay Flick. Jean Gabert. Eric Guarin. James Lee, Brandon Lovested. Maty McDowell, Kirt Nakagawa. Jon Riley. Jeff Sargent. Miclmel Stein. Joel Vanden. Bill Walsh, Christopher Wolf. Joseph Wyse. James Yun Business Staff: Dahlon Chit On the cover: Abbot Power Plant's emissions are fueling the formation of acid deposition, commonly called acid rain. Money, politics, and technology are being employed in varying proportions to combat the problem, (photo by Jane Fiala) a Copynght Illini Publishing Co.. 1984 Illinois Technograph (USPS 2.'>8-760). Vol.99 No. 4 February 1984. Illinois Technograph is published Five times during the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Published b> Illini Publishing Co.. 620 East John St.. Champaign. Illinois. 61820. Editorial and Busi- ness offices of the Illinois Technograph: Room 302 Engineering Hall. Urbana, Illinois. 61801. phone (217| .^33-3733. .^dvertising by Littel- , Murray-Bamhill. Inc.. 1328 Broadway. New York. N.Y.. 10001: 221 N. LaSalle Street. Chicago. IL., 60601. Entered as second class matter. I October 30. 1920. at the post office at Urbana, Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879. Magazines Associated. Illii . Technograph is a member of Engineering College \ At General Dynamics, we design careers the same way we design our products: for success. Today, many college graduates, particularly in the fields of Engineering and Computer Science, are playing a crucial role in this success. If you are qualified, we offer a spectrum of opportunities in aerodynamics, advanced signal processing, radar systems, embedded software, lasers and electro-optics, composite structures, VLSI, non-linear structural analysis, robotics, CAD/ CAM and other state-of-the-art technologies. Working at General Dynamics, you will learn to integrate these technologies into new and existing programs in aerospace, electronics, shipbuilding, military land vehicles, computer systems and many other areas. You will be working with professionals who are recognized leaders in their fields. The most advanced tools of technology will be at your disposal. And to help you remain current in your chosen field, formal training and tuition refund programs are available. To learn more about a state-of-the-art career at General Dynamics, see your Placement Office for a campus interview. Ihe State of the art GENERAL DYNAMIC An Equal Opportunity Employer/ U.S. Citizenship Required E-Systems continues the tradition of the world's great problem solvers. Even given the benefit of historical perspective, it is diffi- cult to fully comprehend the enormous contributions to man's knowledge made by Sir Isaac Newton. His Philosoplae Natu- rails Pnnclpia Mathematica is termed by many authorities to be one of the most important single works in the history of modern science His studies of light are the foundation of physical optics and his laws of motion provided a quantitative description of all principal phenomena in our solar system. Today, scientists and engi- neers at E-Systems employ Newtonian principles to develop products and systems for satel- lite communications, exploring Wf<§JMCfl(mm space and the development of so- lar energy, systems which are the first-of-a-kind. E-Systems engineers are recognized worldwide for their ability to solve problems in the areas of antennas, communica- tions, data acquisition, processing, storage and retrieval systems and other systems applications for intel- ligence and reconnaissance. For a reprint of the Newton illustration and Information on ca- reer opportunities with E-Systems in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Utah and Virginia, write: Dr Lloyd K. Lauderdale. Vice President Research and Engineering, E-Systems, Inc., Corporate Headquarters, P O. Box 226030, Dallas, Texas 75266. E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opponuriily employer M F h V • I I Best foot forward at the HP Showcase. Recruiting Dates February 29 and March 1 Discover the difference between the one- size-fits-all career and the one that really fits. At Hewlett-Packard we place special importance on the "fit" What we have to offer are diverse, challenging projects... unequaled advancement and growth opportunities, and acknowledged technological leadership. The way we operate on an informal basis is not for everyone. You owe it to yourself to find out if it's for you. Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering. Sign up at your College Placement Office now. Whp\ HEWLETT mHHM PACKARD An Equal Opporlunitv Affirmative Action Employer. us Army Corps of Engineers Building your In today's complex technological society it takes excep- '\\ tional planning and engineering to build a better tomorrow. The Corps of Engineers' dedicated civilian professionals . . . engineers, planners and environmentalists, biologists, economists, landscape architects ... are working on a variety of jobs in a variety of places in the U.S. and overseas to improve and protect the quality of life for all citizens. We plan, design, construct and operate water resource projects, build and improve our nation's ports and harbors, build hospitals and housing projects for the Defense Department. The devel- opment of the projects must be carefully bal- anced with the preservation of our natural environment. The balance is precarious, the challenge extreme. As a civilian employee with the Corps of Engineers you will be joining an organization that believes people are our most important asset. People who respond to a challenge with commitment, skill and innovation. You can help us meet the challenge. Ask us and we'll tell you more about a career with the Corps of Engineers. a Office of Personnel Army Corps of Engineers Washington, DC 20314 An Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer Editorial Letters 8e: Robots, the Recession, and Reorganization The change in the composition of the labor force has been the subject of many ews stories recently. Indeed, many work- rs are concerned with this issue since the progress of modem industn' has meant the replacement of these workers by auto- mated equipment, thereby eliminating their jobs. The number of jobs in the auto and steel industries has been reduced be- cause of hard economic times, and human employment in these areas will never reach their pre-recession levels. Efficient reorganization and robots are the reasons. The recent downswing in the eco- nomy left many companies trying to point fingers in the direction of cost-cutting. And the fingers pointed at labor. Upwards of S20 per hour, labor costs in the United States are out of line with those of other industrialized countries. According to CBS News, costs for Japanese laborers average S13 per hour, while those in Mexico are about S4 per hour. Tliese fi- gures provide sufficient economic incen- tive to have goods produced outside the United States to be imported back for sale to American consumers. Detroit is currently negotiating for auto factories in Mexico. This would mean that many potential jobs that could be filled by Americans will be pertbrmed by our friends south of the border. Is this un-American? No. If the product can be made cheaper in Mexico, then make it in Mexico. TTie priman' goal of the Big Three automakers is to maximize profit, and it appears that maximum profit condi- tions exist in Mexico. Many of America's laborers have priced themselves right out of the market, and the price they will pay is their jobs. High labor costs, a recently weak eco- nomy, and changing technology are creat- ing a new group of displaced workers. Robots have been replacing many workers whose tasks are either repetitious or easily mechanized. New developments in robotics are producing machines that can ""see" and take actions based on these stimuli drawing from their artificial intelligence. Though these robots are not cheap, the high price of labor has has- tened their cost-effectiveness. An economically sound plan for the unemployment compensation dollars would be in the form of a training prog- ram which would be funded by the money set aside for unemployment com- pensation. By training workers for jobs which have greater stability and that are in tune with the changing labor force, the chance that the newly-trained worker would retum to the dole queue should be sufficiently reduced. Because it would probabh' take ab- out six months from being laid off to being placed in a new job environment, no savings in unemployment funds would be immediately recognized. The place- ment of workers in new stable jobs would be exf)ected to reduce the number of fu- ture jobless claims, and therefore reduce the total compensation amount. A secondary advantage results from this plan. Instead of paying the unem- ployed worker to sit home and be non- productive, they are being paid while learning a new skill. Unemployed minds and bodies are kept busy, and this rein- forces that unemployment compensation is provided to ease the transition to a new job; it is not intended to be a handout so that one may enjoy a period of leisure at others" expense. The shift from manufacturing to a largely service-oriented labor economy re- flects the fact that technology has ad\- anced to the point where the consumers of specialized products require specialized services which those products demand. We must not be ignorant of this fact. We should train our workers for the future. We must use unemployment dollars to fi- nance the future of our labor force and not to let it stagnate, for the present will soon be the past. » ^^..^ Student Questions Tactics I appreciate Nicaragua's ex-dictator trying to educate his people by printing scientific formulas on postage stamps, as mentioned in the November Tech Teasers. But did you know that 5Wc of his people couldn't even read or write letters? Now that the Nicaraguan people have overthrown the Somoza dynasty (backed by the U.S. government since 1933) the illiteracv rate has dropped to \2%. If Somoza had the good intention of educating his people, he sure went about It the wrong way. If our government has the good intention of bringing peace to Central America, are we going about it the right way? Greg Stoewer senior, civil engineering Professor Finds Answer the Hard Way I had an interesting experience with the December Tech Teasers problem on finding a perfect cube comprised of con- secutive integers. I programmed my microcomputer to test consecutive numbers but I made no provision to stop after 2146. the cube of which is greater than 9876543210. the largest number which satisfies the require- ments. The first time I ran the program nothing happened and. after waiting some time for a printout, I interrupted it. The number displayed was 8365427. the cube of 203. I recognized this as an answer, probably one of many, and I proceeded to determine why the program was finding numbers but not printing them. I found the bug. The program was incrementing but not properly testing. I just happened to intermpt it as it reached 203. This answer, found on the first ran- dom cut. turned out to be the only one of 2145 candidate numbers. Howard Knoebel Retired Professor general engineering by Mary Kay Flick Chip Wars With today s increasing product demands, the inexpensive production of quality fiardware is proving to be a most important issue. The real-world case of the United States vs. Japan illustrates how specialized governmental funding and aid can be a solution. The United States and Japan have evol\ed as two of the most comparable economies with respect to electronic tech- nology in the modem world. They are the first and second most powerful economies in the free world. Although the United States remains a world leader in many aspects of electronics. Japan follows closely behind. This race for technology has caused the United States and Japanese economies to respond strongly to the challenge. Each has served to drive the other to an unpre- cedented mastery in the use of new tech- nologies while at the same time improving existing ones. It is this fiercely competi- tive drive for new technological discover- ies and innovations that has kept both countries established as world leaders and will allow them to forge ahead into the Japan's High-Technology Trade Product sales in billions of dollars 1972 Source: Newsweek, August 9, 1982 next generation of computers and consum- er electronics, Japan has quickly become a world leader in electronics. This is largely due to the support and influence of their gov- ernment's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Japan is a capitalist country which uses indicative planning. This planning is done primarily as a fore- casting mechanism and is in no way bind- ing to Japanese producers. However, the government does influence the economy through its use of industrial policies in which MITI plays a major role. MITI pri- marily uses monetary supports to promote research and development in preferred areas. MITI's current project is the de- velopment of a computer with artificial in- telligence (AJ) — the fifth generation com- puter. Japan intends to become the pace- setter in using computers to simulate hu- man reasoning in problem solving. MITI not only gives support through financial aid, but also influences the na- ture of competition within the Japanese economy. They ideally wish to have a few large companies which enjoy econo- mies of scale; however, small business firms comprise 70% of companies in Japan. On the regulatory level, MITI aids ailing industries by slowly phasing them out and channeling their resources to more stable industries. However, MITI has not always made the right decisions about which industries to support. When transistors were first de- veloped, MITI chose to back inefficient vacuum-tube makers. They also gave vir- tually no support to Sony when they first began to market their Betamax video- cassette recorder and the Walkman port- able radio. Another aspect of the Japanese eco- nomy which distinguishes it from other economies is the nature of its internal competition. Japan has become the worid's leader in consumer electronics be- cause its target is the discriminating Japanese consumer. Therefore, manufac- turers have been forced to produce high quality products at extremely low prices. This also explains why so many other countries, including the United States, ^B want to import Jap;inese products. ^^ The nature of competition has also caused duplication of products to become ^ a frequent practice. As soon as companies^ see the success of one company's product, they begin to produce it or a similar pro- duct to gain a larger share of the electro- nics market. For example, since Sony in- troduced the popular Walkman portable stereo, twelve other companies have come out with similiar models. In additon, Sony now has eleven different Walkman models on the market. Sony co-founder Akio Morita is quoted as saying, "The nature of business is to make your own product obsolete. If we don't do it ourselves, we know our competitors will do it for us. That's why we always try to come up with something new. That is our incen- tive, our driving force." These philosophies and practices have carried through to the computer in- dustry as well. Japan's current goal is new ultra-high-speed computers dedicated to artificial intelligence. Their extensive research is backed by a $450 million grant from the government. For most of the world, the fourth generation computers, using Very Large Scale Integrated circuits (VLSI), are just emerging while Japan is setting targets for its fifth generation com- puters using AI. Japan has also become the largest user of robotics for manufacturing. Be- cause job security is stable in Japan, workers do not fear labor-saving improve- ments such as robotics. Workers often welcome them because they are freed from tedious and boring jobs. Fifty-nine percent of robots in use for production re- side in Japan. According to the Robot In- stitute of America, there are more than 14,000 programmable robots being used in Japan. Experts predict that Japan may be producing $1 billion worth of robots • by 1985. This is an optimistic picture of the Japanese computer and electronics indus- [ries since they are not without problems, apan has a shortage of good software written specifically for Japanese machines, as well as a shortage of software written in the Japanese language. They also underestimated the extent of marketing and distnbution necessar>' in the area of small computers. In addition, the Japanese entered foreign markets later than they should have to gain a good market share. They concentrated more on personal com- puters rather than lower-cost, consumer- oriented home computers. Even though Japan has a large amount of technological skills, they tend to borrow rather than originate. However, they are beginning to realize that they must develop their own ideas in order to compete in the modem world. They are no longer concentrating on the develop- ment of specific products, as they have done in the past, but moving toward basic Research and 500 Development Spending . Cumulative percent increase / 400 r Japan 300 200 100 U.S. 1972 74 76 78 80 Source: Newsweek. August 9. 1982. research and development. Japan has made great strides in agricultural hybrid development, nuclear breeder reactors, and harnessing geothermal energy sources. Japan's fierce internal competitive drive has caused a- few problems in the in- ternational market. In order to survive in the economy, a Japanese firm must have an incredible amount of information to re- main competitive. Companies are as familiar with the competitor's products as with their own. Whenever a company comes out with a new product, the others tear it apart and analyze its components. As a result, this thirst for information led to the attempted purchase of IBM trade secrets from FBI agents last year. Some companies have opened employee-only night clubs to keep employees from giv- ing away trade secrets while having a good time. Since Japan has experienced such a rise in its economic growth, the standard of living for its people has increased dra- matically. What seemed like bare essen- tials of modem living ten years ago are commonplace today. The number of fami- lies with cars has risen from 17% to 62%, those with color TVs from 26% to 98.9%, and those with air conditioners from 5.9% to 40%. Popular consumer items are video-cassette recorders and pianos. The Japanese are becoming more Westernized in their habits as many single women spend large amounts of money on designer clothing and accessories. Howev- er, Japanese women still purchase tradi- tional dress items as well. Although Japan is a strong force to be reckoned with, the United States is re- sponding to the challenge brought about by the computer and chip wars. For ex- ample, the government is expected to in- crease its spending on supercomputer de- velopment. According to a government spokesman, the fiscal 1984 budget already contains requests for up to $100 million in supercomputer development funds from defense and aerospace agencies. Although the U.S. govemment intends to play a major role in aiding this new computer milestone, it does not intend to compete with American industrial and commercial efforts. In addition to increasing the de- velopment of supercomputers as a whole, American industries are trying to become major producers of the VLSI circuits that go into these giants. Thus, America and Japan have issued a challenge to one another. The two countries have been driven to com- pete with one another and with themselves individually. The aspiects of this contest are destined to influence both countries profoundly in the coming years. However, the contest cannot last forever. Perhaps what the future holds for Japan and the United States is a common working relationship. Combining re- sources and brainpower can produce the most advanced systems and designs ever imagined. The potential is limitless. Realistically, Japan needs the United States' abilities in research and develop- ment while at the same time the United States needs Japan's capacity for innova- tion. Japan needs improved technology to keep pace with internal demand while America would benefit because it would no longer be in direct competition with Japanese efficiency and quality. The possibilities for the two world powers in computer and electronics are astronomical in number. No one knows what the next generation of computers will bring. American technology and Japanese competitiveness can produce the new marvels of the modem world, but nobody can predict what they will be or how they will affect society. I by Kirt Nakagawa The New Breed of Reactors Liquid metal last breeder reactors solve all the classical problems ol energy needs. Most people cannot believe that these reactors create fuel while using it. but a careful inspection of the complicated LMFBR process puts an end to any queries. Chain for conversion of fertile nuclides to fissile nuclides. 238 u 92 n,7 239 92 i 23 n 93NP 56 h 239 B 94 Source Nuclear Energy Technology. Ronald Allen Knief, 1981 Ot all ihc advanced reacU)r systems euiTcntly in the development stage, the li- quid-metal last-breeder reactor (LMFBR) is receiving the most support by the gov- ernments of major industrial nations of the world. The Linited States. USSR, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom all have LMFBR's planned, if not already in op- eration. The governments of these countries are providing support because of the great potential the LMFBR has shown. In theory, the LMFBR will be able to supply energy while producing more fuel than it consumes and it can operate at higher efficiencies than the more common light- water reactors (LWR) currently in use. Add this to the fact that LMFBR's would operate relatively independently of ura- nium costs and they become even more inviting. In the mid-1960's, after evaluating reactor development programs and re- search done until that time, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chose the LMFBR as its number-one priority. The AEC had chosen the LMFBR over other breeder concepts because of its proven feasibility, interest expressed by related industries, and its economic performance potential. The fact that economically re- coverable reserves of domestic uranium were forecast to deplete within 25-50 years make the LMFBR even more attrac- tive, if not essential. The decision was made to develop the technology for con- struction cooperatively between AEC labs and private industry. Many of the aforementioned nations already have small-scale LMFBR plants operating, but mostly for experimental purposes. Despite its proven feasibility, many problems surround the LMFBR and its future is not entirely certain. One may learn more about how an LMFBR works by understanding the principles behind the conventional LWR. In a conventional LWR the neutrons moderated, or slowed down (to what are known as thermal velocities), by water cause the fission of uranium-235 (U-235) which produces heat, radiation, and some fission fragments, or the remnants of the U-235 atom. In the fission process, the U- 235 releases some neutrons which in turn ^^ may induce the fission of another U-235 ^K atom, and the process continues provided there are sufficient quantities of U-235 ^t | and the proper physical conditions are ^. satisfied. U-235 is not the only fissile nuclide. Plutonium-239 (Pu-239), an artificial isotope of the element plutonium, is also fissile, as well as the natural nuc- lide U-233. The water in an LWR is also used to cool the reactor core and steam produced by the heat of the nuclear reactions drives a turbogenerator. It is in this manner that LWR's produce electricity. The theory of the breeder reactor rests upon the fact that more than two neutrons are produced when either U-233, U-235, or Pu-239 undergo fission, and that U-238 can be transfoimed into Pu- 239 upon capture of a neutron. What a breeder reactor does, then, is to utilize the neutrons released by the fissioned nuclide to sustain the reaction and breed more fuel than is consumed. It is the small frac- tion of a neutron that enables a breeder reactor to create fuel faster than it con- sumes if, one neutron is used to sustain the reaction, one neutron is used to re- place spent fuel, and the small portion lef- tover is used to create excess fuel. The number of neutrons provided by the isotopes U-233, U-235. and Pu-239 upon fission can be increased if the fission is induced by a fast neutron, one that has not been moderated (hence the term "fast" breeder reactor). The neutron yield per neutron absorbed is described by its Eta value. Higher Eta values mean greater neutron yields. One set of Eta values refers to thermal fission and the other refers to fast fission. The fast fission of either U-233 or (!■ 10 Liquid metal cooled fast breeder reactor nuclear steam supply system. ndarv sodium loop Source: Nuclear Power, James J. Duderstadt, 1979, i Pu-239 will yield the most neutronis for breeding fuel, based on their Eta values. Therefore, one of these nucHdes and a moderator will not be used, thus allowing a fast neutron flux. Pu-239 is chosen over U-233 as a fuel not only because of its high Eta value, but also because U-233 is not being produced in large enough quan- tities to supply the demand that an LMFBR market would produce. The process by which U-238. a fer- tile (or fissionable after the capture of a neutron) isotope, becomes the fissile ele- ment Pu-239 is referred to as the uranium- plutonium cycle. (See diagram on oppo- site page.) When a U-238 atom absorbs a neutron, it becomes an unstable isotope U-239. The half-life of U-239 is about 23.5 minutes. The U-239 emits a beta particle from its nucleus, gains an electron from its outer shell, and becomes the ele- ment neptunium-239. However, neptu- nium-239 is also unstable; its half-life is 2.35 days. It emits a beta particle and some gamma rays, and becomes the fis- sile nuclide Pu-239. The fact that 99.3% of all naturally ocurring uranium is U-238 and only .7% is U-235 serves to make the breeder reac- tor even more attractive, as the potential to utilize all of this otherwise " "wasted" uranium is realized. Also, the spent fuel from most LWR's is comprised mainly of costly U-238, as the small amounts of U- 235 (2%-47f ) are depleted. Thus the LMFBR has the potential to ""run"" off of otherwise "used" fuel. In order to breed fuel, the LMFBR must expose the fertile isotope U-238 to fast neutrons. This is acctmiplished by surrounding the core of the reactor with a blanket region, an area enveloping the core filled with U-23S. The core, like an LWR. employs a matrix of fuel rods con- taining a fissile nuclide. The actual fuel continued on page 22 11 by James Yun No Return With Deposit Common man-made emissions can be naturally converted into sulfuric and nitric acids in the atmosptiere. bringing about tiarmful effects back on earth. This is involving both government and scientific communities in a world-wide clean-up effort A sparklinj:. scenic lake hasks under a bnghl, morning sun. It is placid except lor a soft, refreshing brce/e that blows fmni the west; it is enough to designate the area as God's Countn,'. But there is a problem: it is too placid, and the breeze may not be that refreshing. On closer scrutinization, one discovers that there are absolutely no fish living in the lake. In fact, the lake contains almost no living organisms at all. The above scenario, however grim it may sound, is repeated dozens of times in the eastern United States and the eastern provinces of Canada. The local residents and officials claim that it is caused by what is commonly known as "acid rain,"" blown from the heavily industrialized states of the Midwest. The scientists say that there is no conclusive scientific evi- dence to support that claim, though they do not discount the possibility that the pollutants emitted from the Midwestern states may be a major contributing factor to the formation of the acid rain that des- troys wildlife in the East. Thus begins one of most intense debates concerning a deli- cate environmental and highly political issue. The generic term acid rain is a mis- nomer for two reasons. First, not all pol- lutants are acidic when deposited; some may become acidic after deposition. Second, there are both wet and dry pollu- tants. In other words, the pollutants may be transported to the ground with rain, snow, or fog (wet deposition), or they may fall to the ground as dry particles. TTierefore, the correct term for acid rain is acid deposition. The primary sources of acid rain are sulfur dio.xide and various nitrogen ox- ides, and they are often referred to as ■■precursors"" of acid rain. (See diagram on opposite page.) Sulfur dioxide and nit- rogen oxides may be chemically conveiled directly to sulfuric and nitric acids resfiec- tively. Alternatively, they may be con- verted to sulfate and nitrate before they react further to become acids. But the conversion processes, which can occur in the gas phase in cloud or rain droplets. aerosols, or on the deposition surfaces at the ground (e.g., water or soil), require oxidizing agents (oxidants) such as hyd- rogen peroxide, ozone, or hydroxyl radic- als. The production of all of these is directly related to a class of pollutants I known as reactive hydrocarbons (RHC"s). It is an undisputed fact that the phe- nomenon of acid rain is very complex and that it is still not well understood. First, there are many sources, both natural and anthropogenic, of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and RHC"s. Natural sources of sulfur and nitrogen include swamps, vol- canoes, decaying vegetable matter, and the natural sulfur and nitrogen cycles. The contributions of these biogenic sources are highly variable on a global scale but they nonetheless are considered significant. Anthropogenic sources include both sta- tionary and mobile sources, such as smokestacks and automobiles. These sources are considered to have a greater role in the formation of acid rain than the natural ones. Second, when precursors are released to the atmosphere, they encounter a di- versity of conditions affecting their rates and pathways of conversion to acids. Therefore, the magnitude of atmospheric concentration of acids and precursors varies from location to location, which is one of the reasons why it is very difficult to determine what effect emissions from one specific region are having on the acid deposition in another specific region. Knowing what effect emissions from one region are having on the acid deposition in another is essential since, after acid rain regulations are imposed, this must be known to determine who is the guilty par- ty when a violation has been committed. Mathematical models attempt to do just that. According to a report released last June by a National Research Council committee chaired by Jack Calvert, direc- 12 #" # tor of the National Center for Atmospher- ic Research (Boulder. Colo.), these mod- els are inadequate and unreliable. Howev- er, there are scientists who insist that the models, however imperfect they may be, till provide valuable information which cannot be obtained in any other way. As an analogy, they compare these models to those used to predict weather, where the information is also imprecise but. never- theless, are unobtainable from any other source. Still, there are those who say that the confidence in the reliability of the models can be enhanced if they are tested with more data. They point out that the models have been tested with field data from only one year — 1978. Third, and lasdy. acid can elicit a variety of responses from different ecosy- stems. Thus, increased acidity may be slightly beneficial to one site but harmful to an adjacent one. Faced with such a complex issue, the Reagan administration is attempting to find means to deal with it. The fact that it is acting on the issue marks a dramatic departure from its position just a few months ago when it said that years of additional research were needed before the EPA could even begin to design an emis- sion control strategy to combat acid rain. The administration not only has high poli- tical stakes at home, but also international ones, involving neighboring Canada. Since the signing of the Memoran- dum of Intent on Transboundary Air Pollution on August 5. 1980. the United States-Canadian negotiations, both scien- tifically and politically, have been char- acterized by accusations and disagree- ments, and have been acerbic at best. When the Canadians presented a proposal last June that would have commissioned the Royal Society of Canada and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review findings of scientific work groups that were established to review available information about the acid rain phe- Schematic diagram of atmospheric acid formation. Emissions Natural (foliage) SO2 \ Stationary Mobile (factories) (autos) 1 s^^ Transport and Transformation RHC NH3 CO RHCO FPM Oxidant Competition Acid Inliibition Acid Deposition Sulfuric Nitric The major acid precursors are transformed into acids. The acid conversion process Is characterized by competition for oxidants and inhibition of one acid's formation by the presence of the other acid. Source: Environment, Vol. 25, No. 4. 1983. nomenon. the U.S. government rejected it. The reason for the rejection was thought to be the fact that the NAS re- commended stricter pollution controls in the report written by the National Re- search Council, which is the same report that declared the present mathematical models used for studying patterns of acid deposition as unreliable. Apparently, the Reagan administration has since realized that it needs to act. Most of the present proposals to re- duce acid rain revolve around the reduc- tion of sulfur dioxide (rather than nitrogen oxides or RHC's. for example) released by coal-fu'ed power plants for at least three reasons: first, sulfur dioxide is consi- dered to be responsible for most of the acidity in precipitation; second, coal-fired power plants generate significant percen- tages of the total sulfur dioxide emissions in the United States; and third, the tech- nology for controlling sulfur dioxide emis- sions is currently available. It must be noted that, as soil scientist from the University of Pennsylvania Arthur Johnson points out, the effects of acid rain are not caused by sulfur dioxide itself. Instead, it is the fact that sulfate, a negatively-charged compound, moves effi- ciently through the soil to lakes and continued on page 24 13 Powder Paradise riic snow stoniis that swept the countn this vMiitcr may have wreaked havoc with the orange crops, but they were a bix)n to the ski industry. Ski re- sorts in Colorado, by the end ot Decem- ber were reporting more snow than they usually have b> the end of March. The big snowfalls came just in time for the Chnstnias vacationers to enjoy some fan- tastic skiing, (photos by Jane Fiala) 14 Technovisions 15 by Jeff Sargent Plato Matures ■Sorry. PLATO is off. Service will resume in a few minutes." Those glmMiig orange words can strike terror into the hciirt of a Physics 106 student whose homev\,ork is due by the end of the da>'. There has always been a danger of putting instructional material on a large computer system such as PLA- TO, whose hundreds of temiinals dot the L'rbana campus. If the computer ""crashes," the student is out of luck until the PLATO computer can be fixed. Over the winter break, new hardware was moved in, and old hardware was shipped out. Specifically, the two old cen- tral processing units (CPU's), associated memon,' banks, and peripheral equipment was replaced by modem versions of the same. In addition to upgrading their cen- tral system hardware, CERL (the Compu- ter-based Education Research Lab — home of PLATO) is also developing ways to use PLATO through the cable-television system in Champaign-Urbana. The present incarnation of the PLA- TO computer-based teaching network has been in operation since the summer of 1462, Though a powertul computer in its day, the machinery that ran PLATO until last winter was over 10 years old. Some parts of the PLATO computer system, notably the hard disk drives, have been upgraded within the last few years. The very brain of PLATO — the two CPU's (a Cyber 73 and a Control Data Corp. 6500) — were replaced by twin Cy- ber 730's, both of which are merely five years old, improving PLATO's perform- ance and decreasing its downtime. Tina Gunsalus, an administrator at CERL, be- lieves: ""We expect to have much greater reliability, and 40 to 60 percent more pro- cessing power available." What this means to a student using PLATO is a fas- ter key response, fewer and shorter delays while using the system, and fewer unplan- ned crashes to contend with. In addition, all four million words of the old computer memory (ECS — ex- tended core storage) were replaced by fas- ter, smaller, and cooler-operating memory known as ESM (electronic semiconductor memory). The old ECS is made up almost entirely of discrete components: transistors and core planes; there is not an IC chip to found on the boards. Cold wa- ter pipes ran alongside the boards to keep them cool. The new memory boards do indeed have IC chips, and do not require the internal water cooling system, making a substantial saving in overall cooling costs. Whereas the old CPU's could only support four million words of memory, the new pair can access up to four times that amount. The installation was done from 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. December 25, to Wednesday, January 4 — a remarkably swift job considering the effort needed to move, install, and debug the new system. Those responsible for the installation wanted one month to complete the job; CERL negotiated that down to 10 days. ""The first few days [were] scheduled down to the hour." said David Frye, Head of Operations at CERL. Though classes did not resume until January 12 here at the University, PLATO is used on other campuses that began their spring ^k^ semesters earlier. The new machines take ^B up about 30 percent less space than their predecessors. The implementation required ^^ for the entire rewiring of the machine ^B room, which was a fonnidable task. PLATO is also expanding through the use of the local cable television sys- tem. Traditionally, communications be- tween central PLATO and individual users on remote terminals has been handled by a combination of dedicated telephone lines and microwave towers. For example, the large site of temiinals at the Foreign Lan- guage Building sends data to PLATO via phone lines, and receives data by micro- wave. Cablevision cables are strung throughout most of Champaign-Urbana, providing cable service to large part of population. Herein lies a ready-made means of bringing PLATO to the masses. PLATO might fare well against other ""subscription networks," most being little more than glorified electronic-mail systems; PLATO can deliver the results of over a decade of instructional courseware, mail capabilites, and recreational games as well. Note that this idea of a cable- PLATO network is just now under de- velopment and is not yet commercially available. The improved pertbrmance experi- enced by students this spring will be a short-lived phenomena, Frye believes. "If tradition serves as an example, we will clearly use a big part of the increase for more terminals and a higher on-line usage ceiling." The long term benefits of grea- ter system reliability and easier mainte- nance are a boon for all the users of PLATO. ■ 16 Tech notes EOH Developing Final developments for " "Developing Tomonrow — Today! Engineering Open House 1984"" are now proceeding, as en- gineering societies put the finishing ;ouches on projects to be displayed March 2 and 3 throughout campus engineering buildings. This year's event will feature several new attributes in an effort to encompass all facets of engineering. Student orga- nizations have been invited to present dis- plays recognizing the non-technical aspects of an engineering career. A spe- cial contest exploring the various ques- tions of waste management has been de- veloped, and an engineering king and queen will be elected. In addition, the traditional ingenuity displayed by College of Engineering faculty and students will be evident in the assorted exhibits and lectures around cam- pus. Industrial displays are sponsored by many groups. Student bridge constructing, vehicle building, cement pouring, and other competitions will be sponsored. Tours will be available of the major dis- plays and various exhibits around campus. For information on the specific dis- plays at Engineering Open House, watch for the Technograph insert in the March I Dailv mini. Permanent Foundations A handbook on permanent founda- tions for manufactured housing will be de- veloped by the Small Homes Council- Building Research Council at the Uni- versity of Illinois. A contract for the handbook was awarded to the council by the U.S. De- partment of Housing and Urban Develop- ment. The SIOO.OOO contract covers a series of quick-response studies to be assigned by HUD during the next 18 months, said council director Donald E. ^^ Brotherson. who will be in charge of the Um project. ^^ Other studies will include an evalua- tion of new housing installed on vacant lots in New York City and the production of a handbook of design concepts for the HUD Affordable Housing Program. As a cross-campus coordinating agency for research in housing, the coun- cil will use its own staff and that of other University departments, including civil en- gineering and the Fire Service Institute. Rewarding Robots This year's Engineering Open House will feature a new competition sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The Lockmiller Awards in Robotics will be awarded to persons developing outstanding projects dealing with robotics, artificial intelligence, computer control, and related areas. Intended to stimulate competition and creativity among sOidents in the development of these projects for Engineering Open House, the awards will be broken into three amounts: S600 for first place. S300 for second place, and SlOO for third. The winners names will also be placed on a plaque. A student committee has been orga- nized to develop the rules for this com- petition, to publicize it, and to judge its entrants. Professor James Peters of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, the current ASME advisor, will oversee the organization and commit- tee activities. Shiriey Pearson. ASME. will chair the committee. Funding for the awards was donated by matching funds from Richard G. Lock- miller and the industrial gifts funds to the College. Dean Wins High Award Daniel C. Drucker. dean of the Col- lege of Engineering at the University, has won the 1983 Timoshenko Medal. The highest award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, the medal recognizes contributions to applied mechanics. Drucker was cited for "contributions to inelastic solid mechanics with particular reference to [his] unifying principle for plasticity constitutive relations and insight into the relation between theory and ex- periment." Drucker joined the University as dean in 1968. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American .Academy of Arts and Sciences. PC's in Action For one Friday afternoon, the second floor of the Electrical Engineering build- ing came alive with electrical ingenuity as students in Advanced Digital Projects Laboratory exhibited class projects for the public. The course is an open lab designed to give students experience in applied microprocessor technology. "It is a project lab with both under- graduate and graduate students," ex- plained course director Ricordo Uribe. "Students are free to do [their projects] at their own pace during the semester. Then they display their debugged, well- documented, ready-to-be-used projects." Such projects may be new devices, or equipment necessary for development in another phase by students in the following semester. Projects included a speech synthesiz- er, developed by Eric Romesburg and Albert Thaik, which could recognize com- mon English words and use them in a sentence. Those words which were not immediately recognizable were sounded out, similar to a child learning to speak. Another computer was also capable of speech, but understood words written in a phonetic spelling, explained Tony Waitz. Another project was a computer operated cart. "The idea behind this is an improvement in mobility; there is really no forward direction," explained Ken McMillan. "You can align the wheels to go in any direction and change curva- ture." Developed by Martin Eberhard as a EE master's project, the cart is operated by four individual computers tied together by a fifth computer which provides inter- face to the outside world. Other projects featured sythesized music, updated terminal hardware, and displays vital in robotics development. "We've been doing a lot," noted Uribe. James O'Hagan 17 lUTfT v-^ FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 4,500 men and women have earned advanced degrees m engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes commitment to furthering your education and your career More than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying lor your (Vtaster's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits ProfessJonai-ievei salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to S40,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gam valuable on-the-|Ob experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree Work Study Fellows work part-time during the academic year while studying at a nearby university Full Study Fellows work in the summer and study full-time And since Hughes is involved with more than 90 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available In fact, an Engineering Rotation Program is available for those interested in diversifying their work experience. If you'd like assistance from a company committed to advancing the frontiers of technology, fill out and mail the coupon below. Or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept. 104-14. BIdg, C2/B168 P,0, Box 1042. El Segundo. CA 90245 PfOOl 01 U S Cilizenship Required Equal Opporlunily Employer THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROGRAM Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. 104-14, BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials PLEASE PRINT: Name Cffa/in/J u rn-u uurld utih fleilnmu HUGHES I HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPAN'. City I am interested in obtaining a in the field of _ _. DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor s Date Masters Date State Master's . Zip Engineer degree Field . School . WRITE YOURSELF IN Tech Teasers Technovations m 1. While apartment hunting one day. Hghert Hdeiman discovered a beautiful tbur-ro(.im house with four large fruit trees in the yard (see picture). The landlord agreed to rent the home to Egbert and his three friends, but would only include the land surrounding the house if it could be di\ ided into four lots of equal size and shape with a fruit tree in each. How should Egbert divide the lot? # 2. One of the most important mem- bers of the College of Engineering has had his share in the cares of life, yet he is always in good luck. Without him. phy- sics, chemistry, mathematics, and all the exact sciences would look far different than they do today. He has been found frequently with both princes and common- ers, and today is making a beginning in cooking. Who is this? 3. Two trains are approaching each other on the same track without brakes. When the engines are 2 miles apart, a very fast fruit tly leaves the first engine and flies toward the other at 90 miles per hour. Upon reaching it, he ignores the laws of physics and instantaneously re- verses in direction, flying toward the other train at the same speed. He continues to do this until the trains, both travelling at 60 miles per hour, collide. How far did the tly n>'.' Workers Judge Work The most thorough final construction safety check program ever developed for the nuclear industry — asking workers their opinion of the plant when their work is finished — is underway at the Enrico Fermi 2 nuclear power plant near Monroe, Michigan. Billed as "Fermi 2 Safeteam,"" De- troit Eidison's newest safety assurance program may end up as a model for the nuclear construction industry, according to several utility officials. The Safeteam interviews of workers leaving the project help Detroit Edison pinpoint possible safety-related problems that could cause a delay in the plant's startup this year and lets the utility thank each construction worker for his or her contribution. Fermi 2 workers leaving the job site report to an '"Appreciation Center," where they are offered the opportunity for an interview, explained Bert Heffner, director of the Safeteam project. The con- fidentiality of the interview is protected by computer safeguards and by never match- ing the names with the concerns. "The Fermi 2 Safeteam is unique in the nuclear power industry," said Donald A. Wells, Detroit Edison's manager of quality assurance. "It focuses on the con- cerns of the workers because the workers really are the ones who built the plant in a way to help ensure that it will operate safely and efficiently." "If we save just one day in getting this plant up and running safely and reli- ably, we've saved the people of Michigan in our service area $1 million," Heffner remarked. London Bridges Despite the popularity of collapsing bridge movies in high school math clas- ses. Selective Electronic Inc. (Selcom) has developed a new system for monitoring bridge movement and preventing structural failure. The new and highly accurate high- way bridge motion monitoring system in- corporates Selcom's SELSPOT II motion analysis technology and related hardware with a highly sophisticated software sys- tem. It permits, for the first time, non- contact three dimensional measurement of structural movement. According to Rolf Svensson. Sel- com's Vice President of Marketing, the new highway bridge motion monitoring system provides highway structural and safety engineers with a dependable method to measure bridge movement. "With nearly half of the more than half a million bridges in the U.S. structurally de- ficient, functionally obsolete or in need of major repairs, careful monitoring of abnormal bridge motion may provide an early warning system to local, state and federal officials." Svensson said. "With proper training and periodic bridge moni- toring, unusual rotation, sway and vibra- tion should be easily detected." The new system consists of four basic components: a SELSPOT II camera, an array of three LED's which work together to provide three dimensional measurement, an LED control unit, a main processing unit, and computer with printout. The LED light array, consisting of strong infrared light sources, is mounted on strategic sections of the bridge in a fashion designed to maximize motion measurement data collection but minimize disruption to traffic. Minute changes in bridge motion are transmitted by infrared beams through a unique opto-electronic camera, located on the bridge. This camera detects the light from the light sources and generates output sig- nals which are converted into precise fwsi- tion information and routed to the main controller. The controller then converts the position into information signals ready for computer recording, analysis and storage for future comparison and use. Movement due to camera motion is easily neutralized by the system, allowing for a high degree of accuracy within ±0.5 percent and a measuring resolution of .025 percent. Easy to operate and con- trol, the system can be operated by two engineers or safety personnel. James O'Hugan 19 W^f^^y\ Before We Put You In Charge Of The World's Most Sophisticated Nudear Equipment, We Put You Through The World's Most Sophisticated Nuclear Training. It takes more than 16 ^ months of intensive train- ing to become a fully qual- ified officer in the Nuclear . ' Navy. You begin with four \ months of leadership '^ _;; .^ training. Then as a Navy j^ \^ ^ off icer you get a full year |^H,..v. - of graduate-level training ^^^^' unavailable anywhere else at any price. Navy training is based on more than 1900 reactor-years of experience. Right now the Navy operates over half the nuclear reactors in America. And the Navy's nuclear equipment is the most sophisticated in the world. That's why your Navy training is and must be the most sophisticated in the world. As an officer in the Nuclear Navy, you have decision-making authority immediately. You get important management responsi- bility fast. Because in the Navy, as your knowl- - edge grows, so does your responsibility. Your training and experience place you among the country's most qualified profes- sionals. m* NAVY OPPORTUNITY W331 INFORMATION CENTER P.O. Box 5000, Clifton, NJ 07015 3 Please send me more information about becom- ing an officer in the Nuclear Navy. (0N) ^'\J' (No surprise that most of the men who operate the reactors in ' private industry started in the Nuclear Navy. ) It takes more time and more effort to become an officer in •»- the Nuclear Navy. But the rewards are greater, too. The rewards can begin as early as your junior year in college. Qualify, and the Navy will pay you approximately $1000/month while you finish school. After four years, with regular promotions and salary increases, you can be earning as much as $40,500. That's on top of a benefits package that includes medical and dental care, and 30 days' vacation earned every year. More responsibility, more money, more future. So, if you're majoring in math, engi- neering or the physical ' sciences, and you want , to know more about a future in nuclear power, fill in the coupon. Today's Nuclear Navy is an opportunity like no other in the world. ±Year in College- AMajor/Minor — (Area Code) This is for general recruitment informi .>f the information requested. Of course, the more we can help to determine the kinds of Navy posi' Best Time to Call You do not have to furnish a iters Get Responsihility Fast Bring Out Your Best... i (» That's our philosophy at Anheuser-Busch, and that's the opportunity we're offering you in terms of a meaningful and rewarding career to look forward to Bringing out the best in our people demands creative man- agement, well-defined career objectives, reasons to succeed, and tangible rewards for doing so. Some call it winning We call it tradition. If you're working towards your BSME, BSEE or BSIE and you'd like And You'll Come Out A Winner the opportunity to bring out your best, con- sider the fast track challenges within our Central Engineering Department and Cor- porate Management Training Program. Find out how you can bring out your best at Anheuser-Busch by speaking with our recruiters when they come to your cam- pus To reserve your personal interview time, sign up at the campus Placement Office We'll take you further Faster An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES St. Louis, Missouri continued from page 11 nxls are capped with L'-238 holh abo\c and bekns . The core is turther sunxuinded b\ Rxls containing only U-238 in them — the blanket region. In this manner, the neutron avaiiabihty is utilized to a high degree. At high neutron energies, however, the likelihiHid of a neutron capture is de- creased and thus a greater degree of en- richment is necessars for the reactiir fuel. I.Ml-BR's need about l5';^-25<7f fissile malenal as opposed to 29c-49c for an LWR. The rods containing the LI-238 in the blanket region can be remo\ed after they ha\e been sufficiently exposed to the neutrons. Extraction of fissile material is accomplished by a process similiar to the enrichment pr(Kess for reactor fuel. The isotope Pu-239 can be concentrated to the desired le\els and then can be used to fuel another reactor. The amount iif time it takes for an LMFBR to provide enough fuel to start up a second nuclear plant of similiar size is called the doubling time. This, ideally, should be kept to a mini- mum in order to insure that p(.n\er shor- tages do not occur. The LMFBR has a very high power density, somewhere on the order of 380 kW/1. thus it requires a coolant with ex- cellent heat-transfer properties in order to control the reactor. Water cannot be used as a ciiolant because of its tendency to nuxierate neutrons. The metal sodium, in the liquid state, has the necessan,' prop- erties to be considered as a coolant for an LMFBR. (See diagram on page 1 1.) Liquid sodium has a high boiling point and it remains a liquid o\er a high range of temperatures. Its heat transfer properties ;ire excellent, and just as impor- tantly, its cross-sectional area is in the low -absorption range, thus it does not have the tendency to moderate neutrons. The power requirements for pumping li- quid sodium are low, and there exists an established capacity by U.S. industries to produce sodium. Liquid sodium does, however, have its drawbacks. It is activated when ex- posed to neutrons and thus will be highly radioactive after a sufficient number of cycles through the core of an LMFBR. It reacts very violently when exposed to wa- ter or air, and care must be taken to in- sure that the two do not meet. Another problem centers around the fact that spe- cial pumps, valves, and flowmeters need to be designed, manufactured, and re- fined. This is an expensive process, but obviously a necessary one. In all LMFBR designs, the sodium that cools the core is not used to raise the steam that drives the turbogenerators. In- stead, an intermediate, or secondary, sodium kxjp is employed. The primary core cooling loop is confined to the reac- tor containment building so in the event of a mishap, the radioactive sodium is isolated from the environment. The secon- dary loop is interfaced with the first in a heat exchanger, and the secondary loop raises the steam to drive a generator. The controversy surrounding the nuc- lear power industry includes the LMFBR. This is compounded by the fact that the LMFBR has some serious technical prob- lems left unanswered. One of these is fuel lifetime. For the fuel assemblies to ha\e a reasonably long lifetime in an LMFBR. the humup tolerance will need to be about W/c . However, such a high bumup may lead to fuel assembly damage in the form of swelling or distortion, due to the high ^^\ neutron flux in the reactor. This damage ^^ to the fuel assemblies could possibly alter the configuration of the core over a long ^^ period of time. Changes in core geometry ^^) could result in a change in the multiplica- tion factor, thus suggesting the possibility of a core-disaipti\'e accident. The LMFBR development program is far behind schedule. The Energy Re- search and Development Administration (ERDA) had foreseen that in the early I990"s a "viable and commercial indus- try" for the LMFBR would exist. This would involve a market of reactor com- panies, architects, and engineers from whom interested utilities could solicit bids and select favorable designs. However, costs continue to rise as deadlines are not met. With the rate of demand for electric- ity declining, many pieople are questioning the need for an advanced reactor system. But the dream of the LMFBR lives. The French and Soviets already have small-scale LMFBRs operating, but only with outputs of 250MW-350MW. For the United States, development of the LMFBR would greatly improve our uti- lization of uranium resources as well as alleviate some of the pressure on fossil fuels to suppK the energN needs of the country. But other factors, such as the public's aversion to plutonium due to its toxicity and proliferative tendencies, has a great influence. The potential of the LMFBR is matched only by its long his- tory of setbacks. Only by objective, care- ful consideration should the fate of the LMFBR be decided: and then only after all of the relevant facts have been ex- amined and carefully judged. ■ 22 9 Excitement: The challenge you've been waiting for, hoping for, training for, is just around the corner. You could work on the leading edge of one of our high- performance technologies: Creating the third gene- ration of AMD's IIVIOX" technology, the Bipolar process that will double circuit density and cut delay times nearly in half. Developing the next modems and codecs in AMD's WORLD-CHIP" family that will revo- lutionize worldwide telecommunications. Combining MOS and Bipolar technologies to create multiproduct solutions for Local Area Networks. Develop new CAD re- sources that will improve AMD's design product- ivity a factor of 1 over traditional methods. AMD chose the wave as its symbol for the excitement of the fastest advancing technology in Integrated Circuits. We spent over 19% of annual sales, which were in excess of $350 million in 1983, on R&D. We'll give you all the opportunities you can handle in exchange for your talent and ideas. And the rewards you can expect will be just as exciting. If you crave the challenges of the fastest growing semiconductor company in the world . . . Send your resume to Barbara Toothman, Manager, College Recruiting, ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, Dept. E, 901 Thompson Place, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. Or call TOLL FREE (800) 538-8450 ext. 4138 outside California, or (408) 749-4138 inside California. An equal opportunity employer. m Advanced Micro Devices Patch the wave continued from page 13 streams, releasing p^isitively-chargcd hyd- rogen and aluminum ions as it travels. While the added hydrogen ions are re- sponsible tor increased acidity of the wa- ter, the aluminum causes direct toxic effects for fish and other organisms, not excluding hunuin beings. It has been sus- pected for some time that aluminum ing- ested in food or water may be one factor in Alzheimer's disease and other degen- erative brain diseases, though the theory is unproven. Al present, the Federal government is undert;iking an ambitious effort to mimic how the atmosphere transports sul- fur dioxide. The project is known as the Cross-Appalachian Tracer Experiment (CAPTEX). In this project, in place of sulfur dioxide, an inert, pristine tracer gas, pertluorcx:arbon, is released either from Dayton, Ohio or from a predeter- mined site in Ontario, Canada. A fan of eighty observation stations on the East Coast then takes air samples to determine where the tracer is transported and how it is diluted during transportation. The re- sults of this experiment will be announced around midyear. Currently, there are three principal methods in use or under discussion to re- duce the emission of sulfur dioxide from coal burning; coal washing, flue gas de- sulfurization (scrubbing), and switching to low-sulfur coal. Washing involves removal of natural- ly-present sulfur through physical or che- mical cleaning of coal before it is burned. This process can remove up to forty per- cent of the sulfur before combustion, de- pending on the type and quality of coal. Scrubbing of flue gases involves re- moval of sulfur from combustion emis- sions through a sulfur-trapping system. Scrubbing is highly successful in reducing sulfur emissions, but consumes massive amounts of lime and produces large quan- tities of waste. The third option, fuel switching, is an altemative that could allegedly achieve a reduction of up to 90 percent in sulfur emissions from coal-burning facilities. But this option poses a serious economic prob- lem for states that produce high-sulfur coal, mainly Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Because of this concern, Valdas Adam- kus. Midwest regional chief of the EPA, recently announced that he ordered a smdy of f)otential economic, employment, and social impacts of acid rain regulation in the Midwest. Results from that study are not yet available. To repair, reduce, or delay the en- vironmental damage brought on by acid deposition, there is essentially one mitiga- tion option available, which works mainly by neutralizing the acids already deposited on forests, soils, rivers, and lakes. The method, called "liming," involves distri- buting calcareous materials over acidified or vulnerable regions to provide a "buf- fer" against acidification. The state of New York had moderate success with its liming program, while the Swedish gov- ernment and the Provincial Government of Ontario each had mixed results. The prin- cipal problems associated with liming as a mitigation altemative are: 1 ) the uncertain- ty of the long-term impacts of repeated treatments on factors other than water quality; 2) the relatively uncertain costs associated with such a program; and 3) the potentially broad areas that might re- quire liming applications. Several bills have already been intro- duced in Congress to combat the acid rain problem. The important legislation in the House, introduced by Reps. Gerry Sikors- ki (D-Minn.). Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), basically spreads the cost of reducing the emission of precursors over the contiguous 48 states, while indirectly mandating that the 50 largest sulfur dioxide emitters (50 pow- er plants) use high-sulfur coal by requiring ^^^ them to install scmbbers, an obvious be- ^B nefit to the Midwest since it produces high-sulfur coal and is also experiencing ^^ the worst of the economic slump. But the ^B; major acid rain bill in the Senate, intro- duced by Sen. Robert Stafford (R-Vt.), does not spread the cost of reducing the emissions over the contiguous 48 states and, in effect, allows the power plants to use any method available to reduce the emission of precursors, which can most likely have a detrimental effect on the Midwestern economy. While there are pjeople who claim that present scientific evidence does not warrant the imposition of acid rain con- trols, there are others who argue that there is a precedent for the adoption of regula- tions in the absence of complete informa- tion about other environmental threats. That was the case, for example, in the de- bate over whether chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) threatened the earth's ozone layer. In the United States the mere hypothesis that the ozone layer could be depleted by CFC's was enough for the govemment to impose regulatory restric- tions and bans on certain uses. Because lack of adequate scientific information makes it very difficult to formulate regulations to control acid rain, some initial regulations should still be im- posed. As the acid rain review panel appointed by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy states, "Recommendations based upon imperfect data run the risk of being in error; recom- mendations for inaction pending the col- lection of all of the desirable data entail even greater risk of damage." I 24 AT A JOB INTERVIEW, YOU GET ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO COMMUNICATE THAT YOU'RE WELL-EDUCATED, BRIGHT, HONEST AFFABLE, MATURE, DISCERNING, AND EAGER TO GET STARTED. m FORTUNATELY YOU CAN SAY MOST OF IT BEFORE YOU EVEN OPEN YOUR MOUTH. iiNoii&ioss S19 E. GREEN ON CAMPUS MARKET PLACE SHOPPING CENTER 8CIENCEXSCOFE The space shuttle's new "eyes, ears, and voice" have revolutionized future missions. The integrated radar and communications system, also called the Ku Band radar because of its operating frequency, uses an antenna dish at the front of the cargo bay. The system lets shuttle crews talk to Earth or transmit TV, high-speed data, and payload telemetry through NASA's tracking and data relay satellites. Previously, crews could communicate with the ground less than 20% of the time because the spaceship passed beyond the range of ground stations. Now communications time increases to over 90?o of a mission. The Hughes Aircraft Company system also allows the crew to rendezvous with satellites. It pinpoints objects as small as 1 square yard from up to 14 miles away, or up to 345 miles if the object is equipped with an electronic signal enhancer. A new video graphics projector that's brighter and sharper than conventional projection TV may be the next addition to office computer systems. The Hughes projector displays monochromatic computer-generated alphanumerics, symbols, and graphics. It could be used for displaying dynamic computer data and facsimile video pictures in board rooms and other areas, and for teleconferencing. The projector uses a device called a liquid-crystal light valve, a cousin of displays in digital watches. This device intensifies the image from a cathode-ray tube and projects it onto a screen up to 12 feet wide. Pioneer 10 is streaking into interstellar space with navigational help from its electronic imager. The spacecraft, which made history last June upon leaving the solar system, is using its imaging infrared photopolarimeter (IPP) to fix on the star Sirius. Pioneer 10 previously oriented itself with a sun sensor, but the sensor, now well beyond its design range, has reached its limits of sensitivity nearly 3 billion miles away. Pioneer 10 needs a reference point for spacecraft attitude control and interpretation of scientific data on solar wind. The IPP had been repeating various cruise-mode experiments since giving scientists their first close-up pictures of Jupiter and its four largest moons in late 1973. The IPP was built by the Santa Barbara Research Center, a Hughes subsidiary. Molecular detectives using modern chemical analysis equipment solve important mysteries whenever advanced lasers or infrared sensors are contaminated with unknown substances during manufacturing. Hughes process engineers have at their disposal an array of computerized equipment, such as a scanning electron micro- scope X-ray fluorescent spectrometer. These devices separate unidentified substances — solid, liquid, or gas — into their various component elements. Once engineers have identified a contaminant, they can advise how to clean the hardware and how to prevent future contamination. Hughes needs graduates with degrees in EE, ME, physics, computer science, and electronics technology. To find out how to become involved in any one of 1,500 high-technology projects, ranging from submicron microelectronics to advanced large-scale electronics systems, contact Corporate Professional Employment, Hughes Aircraft Company, Dept. EWS-2, Bldg. C2, M.S. B178, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Equal opportunity employer. Creating a new world witti eleclronics I 1 I HUGHES ; JGMES AIRCF Tech Profiles Nicholas Vlachos came to the Uni- versity in 1982 as an assistant professor in mechanical engineering. In 1967. Vlachos received his undergraduate degree in mechanical and electrical engineenng from the National Technical University in Athens, Greece. Vlachos received his M.S. in thermopower engineering and his Ph.D. in fluids engineering in 1972 and 1977, respectively, from the University of London. Upon completing his studies, Vlachos was a research engineer for the National Center of Scientific Research in Strasbourg, France. Here at the University, Vlachos' re- search involves experimental and numeric- al fluids engineering. More specifically, separating flow, flow instability, and blood flow are analyzed using microp- rocessors for signal processing and Laser, Doppler, and Hot Wire Anemometry (LDA). LDA involves the use of laser light and the principle of Doppler shift to measure the velocities of particles seeded in a flow. Vlachos' doctoral thesis con- cerned the development of LDA for blood 'fg^ flow and numerical modeling of blood '-S^ flow around arterial stenoses and throm- buses (blood clots). Vlachos has held seminars on LDA /^^and numerical flow modeling in England, ^^^France, Germany, and the United States. Joseph Wyse Burks Oakley owns a $10,000 Zeiss microscope to make sure he cannot see the probes he fabricates for his research. Funded by grants from the National Institute of Health and by the G.D. Searle Company (developers of Nutra-sweet™), Oakley does research on the vertebrate re- tina. He has developed a special probe that allows measurement of electric and ionic potentials on the retina within living tissue. The probe has a tip so small it cannot even be seen under a light micro- scope. Then why invest $10,000 in one? Oakley observes each probe to make sure he cannot see the tip. If he can, he knows the probe is defective. Oakley is an associate professor of electrical engineering. He has been at the University for three years and has taught basic circuit EE classes as well as three bioengineering/electrical engineering courses. He enjoys using his time for re- search. His research data has been published and is used by professionals such as clini- cians. It is hoped that the data can be used to develop better retinal disease tests and perhaps cure night blindness. Oakley feels that his special position as an engineer looking at biology gives him a great advantage for the type of work he does. Dave Colburn Gerald DeJong does not own a person- al computer. Nonetheless, he is a major entity in the fields of artificial intelligence and computer science at this University. Assistant, Resident Assistant, and Exxon Assistant Professor DeJong is cur- rently the mentor for EE 371-GDJ (Adv- anced Artificial Intelligence Programming Techniques), and has taught EE/CS 348 (Introduction to Artificial Intelligence). He obtained his doctoral status in computer science from Yale in 1979, after graduat- ing from the University of South Dakota. "Intelligent" computers must have a knowledge of the world they are working with, and currently this knowledge is programmed in by humans. Professor De- Jong is working to make computers cap- able of obtaining this knowledge on their own, learning it bit by bit like humans do. This would be quite handy, especially since most human experts who would program their own knowledge tend to be too inarticulate to comprehend — even for a computer. DeJong is affiliated with several projects on campus that deal with this idea. DeJong is very optimistic about the field of AI, and he hopes that everyone at this University involved with any of the cognitive sciences will be able to band together, combining their expertise to make Illinois a mecca for AI. Langdon Alger 27 UNLIfTllTEC iNC Computer Center Sales- Rentals • Computers -Modems • Terminals •Calculators •Word Processors 'Ribbons. Disks • Printers •Paper, Labels Typing Services • Resumes •Term Papers • Theses •Letters You do it in our booths or We do it all for you! 356-1644 606 South Sixth Street, Champaign Congratulations to the 1984 Knights of St. Pat Ian Chen Daniel Costin Bradley Dewey Patricia Feit Karen Friese Laura Kubiak Thomas Little Larry Mallak Brett Miller Lawrence Newman Karen Powers Raymond Prill William Ping Tai Michele Wegscheid Kevin Wenzel Eugene Ylo from page 19 Tech Teasers Answers 1. ffl E E # # 4» # 2. This character is the letter C. 3. Since the trains will coUide in unc minute t'rtim when the n\ first takes off. the tly will fly: ( I minute) x (90 miles hour) x ( 1 hour 60 minutes) 1 .5 miles. THE FACTS ABOUT ENGINEERING TYPING 50 COPIES (#70) PICTURE DATA SHEETS $3.50 $10.00 $4.00 (over night) SCREENING OF PICTURE $5 00 RESUMES $2.00 $5.00 $4.00 $5.00 TURNAROUND TYPING— IN BY 3 PM, BACK BY 9 AM PICTURE— INSTANT REPRODUCTION— WHILE YOU WAIT OR OVERNIGHT The Clean Machine Copy Shop 621 S.Wright St. Mon-Fri 7:30am-10pm Sat 9-5 Sun 10-6 » ENGINEERING MAJORS HAVE ^ ENOUGH STRESS WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT TUITION. If one of the angles you've been studying lately is a way to pay your tuition costs, Army ROTC would like to offer some sound advice. Apply for an Army ROTC scholarship. Recently, we set aside hundreds of scholarships solely for engineering majors like yourself. Each one covers full tuition, books and other supplies, and pays you up to $1,000 each school year it's in effect. So if the stress of worrying about tuition is bending you out of shape, get some finan- cial support. Apply for an Army ROTC scholarship today. For more informa- tion, contact your Pro- fessor of Military Science. ARMY ROTC. BEALLYOUCANBE. University of Illinois 217-333-1550 / F YOU CAN DREAM I T YOU CAN D I T Create computers that capture the mysteries of common sense. The brain does it naturally It wonders. It thinks with spon- taneity-advantages we haven't been able to give computers. We've made them "smart,' able to mal / ""^^ 1 1 Sfe. ^ iK, H 1 *^v^ p / i as.M ;)■»-..¥ GiFT c cXC HA\^^ "Jt^T 220A MAIN LIBKAKY UiMV OF ILL ATTN: S. GLAOHILL CA"lPUb c uO??\** K# Nuclear Physics E -Systems continues the tradition of ttie world's great problem solvers. Maxwell's electro- magnetic field theory led to huge practical scientific advances. His light theory led to his own development of one of the first color photos and the kinetic theory of gasses. Scientists and en- gineers at E-Systems are carrying on in the tradition of Maxwell's genius. Today, they are solving some of the world's toughest problems in electronically steered phased array antennas, electromagnetic scattering and solar ray concentration, using his findings as tools. E-Systems is main- taining a reputation for designing and building communications, data, antenna, intelligence and reconnaissance systems that are often the first-of-a- kind in the world. For a reprint of the Maxwell illustration and information on career opportunities with E-Sys- tems in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Utah or Virginia, write: Lloyd K. Lauderdale, V.P. — Research and Engi- neering, E-Systems, Corporate Headquarters, P.O. Box 226030, Dallas, Texas 75266. E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opportunily employer Mf H, V HOW SECURE WILL YOU FEEL AT BUSINESS LUNCHES WITHOUT THE AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD? The American Express* Card can be as important to your new job as a pinstripe suit. After all, it won't be long before youre out at a business lunch or off on a business trip. And at times like these, the Card is a must. Besides, it's a terrific -^ay to start establishing )our credit histon: .\nd it comes in hand\- for all sorts of personal expeases. Best of all, its simple lo get. A\\ \ou need is the promise of a $10,000 career-oriented job. So before you pick up your pinstripe suit, pick up an application on campus. .•\nd apph' for the .American Express Card. Tlien. chances are, you won't get caught viith \"(.)ur pants down. The American Express Card. Dont leave school without it.' Illinois Technograph April 1984 Volume 99, Issue 5 6 8 10 14 16 Very Large Scale Integration Robert Ekhluw RAM is almost a household word nowadays, but the design process of dense chips is another story- . Speak and You Will Be Heard Maiy McDowell The ultimate human-computer interface is here, and with it is coming fascinating new methods of speaker recognition. A Matter of Particles Kin Nakaf^awu As physicists learn more and more about matter and its atomic components, sophistication in equipment becomes mandatory. Stranded Waves Erie Guarin Fiber optics has proven its superior utility us a communication link, both theoretically and in practice. Vacancy to Fill Jim O'Hagan After fifteen dedicated years as Dean of the College of Engineering. Daniel Drucker has decided to return to research. Departments Editorial 5. Tech Teasers 5. Technovisions 12. Technotes 19. Technovations 2 1 . Tech Profiles 23 Eiditor: Larry Mallak Prcxluction Editor: Lciiii^don Alger Business Manager; Raymond Hightower Photo Editor: Jane Fiala Copy Editor: Laura Kasper Asst. Copy Editor: Robert Ekblaw Features Editor: Jim O'Hagan Design: Beth Beauvais Asst. Design: Karen Peters Publisher: E. Mayer Maloney Jr. Production Manager: Geoff Bant Adviser: Ed Mast Editorial Staff: Richard Barber, Tiishar Chande. Dave Colburn. Elayne Fletcher. Maty Kay Flick. Eric Guarin. James Lee. Brandon Lovesied. Maty McDowell. Phil Messersmith. Kirt Nakugawa. Jon Riley. Jeff Sargent. Joel Vanden, Christopher Wolf. Joseph Wyse. James Yiin Business Staff: Dahlon CItu. Dave Dunlap. Dave Rabin On the cover: The Nuclear Physics Laboratory' s linac. or liiteur accelerator, is currently being used to crack atomic particles to learn more about matter. This linac is one of the smaller varieties, but it offers plenry of ver.fatiliry. (photo by Joseph Wyse) Copynghl lllini PuWishing Co . 19X4 Illiniiis Technotruph iLSPS ;.^X-760iVi>l W No 5 April 19X4 Illinois Techniigraph is published Tive limes during the academic year at the Universits 1)1 llhnois jl L rtiaru Chanipjiizn Published b> Illini Pubhshinc Co . 6:0 Easfjohn St.. Champaign. Illinois. 61820 [Idilonal and Business offices of the Illinois Technograph; Ro(.im 3U2 Engineenng Hall. Urbana. Illinois. 6IS0I. phone (2171 .13.'-37.13. .-Xdveitising b> Linel-Murray-Bamhill. Inc.. 1328 Broadway. New York. N.Y.. lOOOI; 221 N. l^Salle Street. Chicago. IL.. 60601. Entered as second class matter. October 30. 1920. at the post office at Urbana. Illinois under the act of March 3, 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated A' ,3 public Servic e company H-JTII Vi-^ FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949. more than 4,500 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes commitment to furthering your education and your career fy/lore than 100 new fellowships will be available In the coming year for graduate study in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying for your Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving; Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $18,000 to S40,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gam valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree Work Study Fellows work part-time during the academic year while studying at a nearby university Full Study Fellows work in the summer and study full-time. And since Hughes is involved with more than 90 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available In fact, an Engineering Rotation Program is available for those interested in diversifying their work experience. If you'd like assistance from a company committed to advancing the frontiers of technology, fill out and mail the coupon below Or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept 104-14, BIdg C2/B168 P.O. Box 1042. El Segundo. CA 90245 Prool 01 U S Cili2enship Requ^ed Equal Opportunily Employer THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROGRAM Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. 104-14, BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials. PLEASE PRINT: Name ■a n^u uurld u,lh elfiln HUGHES IRCRAFT COMPANY City I am interested in obtaining a . State Master's _ Zip Engineer degree DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's Date IVIasier's Date School School WRITE YOURSELF IN Tech Teasers Editorial 1. Into how many pieces can a pizza be divided with only four straight cuts? I 2. Carolyn has a gold chain consist- ing of 25 links. Being fidgety, she begins I to twist apart the links at a rate of one per liinute. How long will it take to separate all the links? 3. How can 25 consecutive integers be arranged into a five by five matrix such that the sum of any row, column, or diagonal is 0? 4. A right pyramid is cut from a ceramic cube of side c. The base of the pyramid is a side of the cube. How far from this side of the cube must a plane be passed parallel to the removed face so as to divide the remaining volume of the cube into two equal parts? 5. OK engineers, prove yourselves. After a year of math games, how many of these grammatical questions can you solve? a. Which eight letter word con- tains only one vowel? b. What word contains all 5 vowels in alphabetical order? c. What word contains 3 sets of double letters in a row? d. What trait do the following words share? Deft, calmness, laughing, stupid, hijack, first, canopy. Answers on page 20 What I did with my summer vacation Sounds like a stupid grade school or high school assignment. What did yoii used to do in the summer? Go on vaca- tion, party, work, lay in the sun, get bored, secretly wish that school would start again? Looking back, what did you actually accomplish over the summer? Make a few dollars, experience a few pleasant diversions, maybe take a class or two. Summer, when most of use are away from school, is a time period that seems to whizz right by. What do we usually have to show for ourselves after summer has passed: a tan. a beer gut. a lazy mind, a disturbed social environment, and hopes for the future. Life after graduation can be similar to those lazy summers unless we take ac- tion to set goals for the future and strive to meet or exceed them. / won' I have to go to classes any- more. Maybe you won't. But the educa- tion process should be continuous; it does not stop at graduation. If you don't keep up on new technology in your field, be prepared to let younger ones take your place. One of the best ways to keep abreast of developments in a certain field is to read its associated journal. Sounds boring. If it is boring to you. then perhaps you're in the wrong field or you're into stagnation. /'// live the easy- life with the money I'll be making. Possibly. Just remember that S25.000 goes a lot farther in Cham- paign-Urbana than it will in the cities where most engineering jobs are found. Many engineers graduate and move to Silicon Valley to take high-paying jobs. But what good is a high-paying job if the cost of living is similarly high? Also, standards of living have a way of adjust- ing to income levels and there will always be "the next step up" to strive for. I've got tny degree, bin I don't think that it's what I really want. No problem. Have you ever heard of an advanced de- gree? Studying a different area of en- gineering than that of your undergraduate field can often open up new corridors of opportunities. There is no reason that a person with an engineering education can- not find a rewarding niche — unless that person has no drive. The engineering degree can qualify its holder to many exciting occupations: but the holder must decide what is excit- ing. Is it molecular physics or planetary orbits? Weapons or health care? Cars or Concordes? Construction or fission? Com- puters or television? The choice is yours. A little planning and goal-setting will make the future a welcome era. Don't let your life whizz by like summer. Have something to show at the end and at each stage in between. Build up material for the ultimate essay — "What I did with my engineering de- gree." ^^..^ Illinois Technograph invites letters in response to its articles and editorials, or any other item of in- terest to our readership. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Letters must be signed, but names will be with- held upon request. by Robert Ekblaw Very Large Scale Integration These days. It is ditficult to decide If computers can reproduce themselves, or If they only assist In the complicated process. In the past, people have expressed their fear of computers being able create other computers. A grasp of the design methods, however, for such a process often allays any worries. Have you e\cr watched in awe as those massive computer systems hummed and churned in their attempt to process in- fonnation.' Ha\e you ever wondered what is the key of success in those monsters? Ha\e \ou e\'er ptindered the inner work- ings of them, wondering just what it is that makes those babies tick? If you have, then you will be extremely interested in this article. The topic of this article is VLSI cir- cuits. VLSI stands for Ver\' Large Scale Integration. This refers to the integration of a \ er\- large number of transistors into a smgle capacity or single space. VLSI is the descendent of SSI (Small Scale In- tegration). MSI (Medium Scale Integra- tion), and LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each step along the progression from SSI to MSI to LSI to VLSI increased produc- tivity by increasing the amount of work capable of being accomplished, while at the same time decreasing the time neces- sary to perform the work. The progression of technology from which VLSI circuitrv' emerged was a long and complicated one. When computers began, they were run by vacuum tubes. glass tubes w ith the air forced out of them and circuitry within (much like the tubes found in television sets). The central memop, was stored on drums, large cylin- drical units processed by a drive sn stem that was separate from the rest of the computer system. These massive machines were knovsn to fill entire rot)ms. They were so large, in fact, that often the computers were placed on the newly- constructed floor of a building and the walls were built around them. .•Xs technologv grew . so did the necessarv capability of the computer. The memorv' was changed to large magnetic reel tapes. This was fine for awhile, but it was evenuially changed to large, flat, hard magnetic disks. In time, both the memor\- and the processor were changed to the in- tegrated circuitn. that now e.xist. Howev- er, this circuitr\' has also seen changes. A little background will be necessary in order to understand the impwrtance of its change. A division of a memon,' circuit board in a computer is a chip. Each chip, referred to as a RAM (for Random- Access Memor\). can support a certain amount of data. Data is tvpically divided into ""bytes.'" A bvie is a fundamental unit of data composed of eight bits. These bits hold one piece of information each. The information stored is either a I or a 0. Each bit holds either a 1 or a 0. The arrangement of the Ts and 0"s in the bytes determines the typ)e of information. The equivalent of a bit in the English language is a letter, and the byte's equiva- lent is a word. A common collection of bytes is a K. which is 1024 hues. K is short for kilobyte, but notice that it is not a thousand, as a normal kilo- would de- note. TTiis is due to the binary numbering s\stem used by the computer instead of the decimal numbering system utilized by humans. Now. with this information in mind, let's analyze the memory circuit's progression. When the RAM circuit first came out in 1971. it was composed of IK R.AM chips. In other v\ords. each chip could only hold IK of information. However, as Miles Lewitt. manager of Software De- velopment at INTEL Corptiration said. "TechnologN is not slowing down. It is increasing at an ever-increasing rate." Thus, as technology increased, so did the chip's data capacity. In 1974. 4K R.AMs were used in memorv' boiirds. In 1977. the amount of data in each chip grew to ^^ I6K. Not slowing at all. 64K RAMs wereMl used in 1980. followed by 256K RAMs ^^ in 1983. It grev\ in pt)wers of four, with each new chip coming out three years Am apart. This exponential growth in a linear ^^ amount of time illustrates the tremendous leaps in the computer industry over the last twelve years. A startling situation surrounding the memorv 's growth is its price. One would expect that as the capacity grew, the price would increase, however, the opjxisite is true. When the IK chips came out in 1971. they cost approximately one cent per bit. The price gradually diminished until 1974. when it was about half that price. From then on. it maintained that price until its demise in 1981. The 4K R.'\.M of 1 974 started its cost at the point of the I K at that time — half-a-cent per bit. This price steadily decreased until 1978. where it was one tenth its original cost. This price remained until its death in 1982. The 16K RAM of 1977 was pro- jected in 1976 to cost two-tenths of a cent per bit to produce. When it hit the market in 1977. however, it had dropped to one- tenth of a cent. This cost fell all the way to an eight-thousandth of a cent per bit. reaching that point in 1982. The 64K R.^M started at one nine-hundredth of a cent per bit in 1980 and hit a seven- thousandth of a cent per bit last year, and is still dropping. In fact, the starting price of a 256K RAM was a fifteen-thousandth of a cent last year. The reason given for the higher price per bit for the new 256K RAM chip is the new production and de- sign methods used in it. Tliis makes it more expensive than the 64K. but its pro- cessing is said to be much better. TTie manufactunng of these little sili- con wonders is an interesting procedure in itself. The manufacturing is divided into three main stages: architecuire. circuit de- sign, and device characteristics defining. A All of these steps iire carried out via a set ▼ of masks. These masks are desiiin stan- 'Product of VLSI Technology Diagram of one bit of a one megabyte RAM chip. Source: Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois dards and techniques generally outlined, with enough definitions to create the actual product b\' expanding and enhanc- ing the masks. Toda\ . architecture and circuit de- signs are being produced by computers, using the guidelines contained in the masks, and these designs are transmitted to other computers. The job of these other computers is to manufacture andor con- trol the manufacturing of the photo- resistant silicon RAM chips. Then a cir- cuit board is designed and etched, electron paths are soldered, and the chips are placed in the board. The board is then combined by w ires and circuits to other boards and the network of boards is placed into a mainframe. A computer is thus made. A layman may ask v\hy the adv- anced VLSI systems with their 236K RAM chips are necessan. . One of the many reasons is an evervdav commodity for video-game buffs — highly-det'ined, sharp-resolution computer graphics. The use of VLSI in graphics systems is con- stantly growing. VLSI facilitates, in- creases, and speeds the needed processes in graphics: data manipulation, anthmetic processing, fast drawing, text processing, microprocessing, and many more. VLSI circuits connect and regulate the data pro- cessor, graphics processor, memory, video generator, screen buffer, and monitor. Most important of all to the \iewer player customer is that VLSI systems and high- capacity RAM chips enable higher resolu- tion and faster refresh time. The higher the resolution, the sharper and more lifelike the image. The refresh shows maximum actions in time; the high- er the refresh, the faster the motion can be. In general, successively higher resolu- tions allow higher refreshes. Thus, the higher the chip capacity, the less memory needed for the screen buffer and more memory can be used for the program. In video games, this means that the games can be more complicated, with a myriad of different scenes and actions, making the game more exciting and less repeti- tious. VLSLs most important responsibility is to act as a interlace between humans and the computer. The high capability given to computers due to VLSI technolo- gy has paved the way for high-level lan- guages that are more easily understood by the average person, yet can suntil be com- piled and translated into the machine lan- guage understcxid by the computer. This siaiation has enabled the computer to ex- pand and encompass all facets of human life, since it is possible for practically anybody to utilize a computer system. Thus, VLSI is on the forefront of a new frontier; a frontier cultivated by a compu- ter-using society and reaped by all people in all walks of life. I by Mary McDowell Speak and You Will Be Heard Vocal control o( computer systems has been fantasized and talked about as much as robots have — since the first scl-fi stories. As usual, however, reality is talking over and allowing the utilization of such conceptions. The past few decades have seen a rapid technological expansion of our Americ;in culture. Space exploration, new fomis of energy, and advances in com- munication are continually changing our lifestyles. One of the most frightening things for many people, however, has been the evolution of the computer. From the first vacuum tube model to HAL, the WOPR, and the Apple II, computers have invaded every facet of daily living. People are wary of computers, whether due to new words the machines have introduced or unease when a machine is capable of diagnosing illnesses. Computer engineers, anxious to spread the application of computers, are working to develop systems that make computer use more feasible for those who could benefit from a computer's applica- tions, but don't necessarily need to know how a computer works. One of the big- gest steps toward achieving the goal is the development of the voice-operated compu- ter. These computers are activated by the human voice and execute commands accordingly. Voice-controlled computers operate by interpreting the energy patterns of sound waves generated by a human speaker. The sound waves are first con- verted to digital electrical signals by a microphone. The varying loudness of the spoken word is recorded as well as the time elapsed, resulting in a time versus loudness scale. A mathematical technique known as a fast Fourier transfonn then characterizes the wave form into a three- dimensional event. The signal is thus con- verted from the time to the frequency do- main. Band-pass filters divide the signal into three octave-long frequency bands. At this point, the machine has characterized each basic unit of sound, as well as noted the time elapsed between each unit. There are two types of interpretation that can occur at this point; linear and warped. A linear system is one in which the word order is specified. The com- mands must be entered in a prearranged way in order for them to be processed correctly. A warped system relies upon techniques of natural language processing and artificial intelligence. They offer a great deal of input freedom, but they are considerably less accurate than their linear counterparts, due to linguistic rather than electronic complications. The input energy patterns are match- ed against a referent within the computer. Each sound that the computer is program- med to respond to has such a referent template. These are generally previously recorded by the operator, but they can be computer generated. If the input energy distributions agree, the computer executes the command. There are two diametrically opposed functions of voice activated systems: speech identification and speaker recogni- tion. Research on speech identification was begun by Bell Labs and Carnegie Mellon University in the late I950's. Its objective is to have a system that will re- spond to the commands of any speaker of that language. The speaker recognition process limits the input to a few restricted users. The primary difference between the two systems lies in the matching proce- dure. A speech identificaton system com- pares the input to the average spectral pat- tern for a speaker of that language. The computer compares the input signal with the referent and assigns mathematical scores to quantify the similarity to the re- ferent. A tolerance is allotted so as to allow for speaker variation. Because of the allowed variance, these systems must have a restricted vocabulary and a very li- mited form of interaction so as to reduce the number of potential input errors. This form of system is speaker independent and available to a large number of users. Speech identificaton systems have wide application when there are a great number of users communicating the same basic message or type of message and where the respionse to the query may be deferred and a tape recorded message will not suffice. For example. Bell labs has been working on one to handle airline re- servations. It has constrained syntax and grammar, and the vocabulary is limited to one hundred twenty-seven different words. It is able to process almost six billion different sentences with an accuracy rating of ninety-five per cent. Bell has also been developing systems to provide directory ' ssistance and automatic dialing services via computers. For a speaker recognition system, the spectral pattern is more closely scruti- nized. The system relies on the fact that every person has a distinct characteristic speech energy distribution within the sound waves of their voice. Before using the machine, one must read certain target words into it so that the spectral pattems can be stored as templates within the sys- tem. In order for the machine to respond to the given command, the input signal must be well within the range of the refer- rent template. Since the tolerance for each phoneme is so much smaller than it is for speech identification systems, more sound templates can be stored without fear of overlapping ranges. These systems will therefore have the benefit of an expanded input vocabulary, as well as being neces- sarily restricted to a few specified users. Speaker recognition systems are use- ful in situations in which the commands should only be implemented following the directive of certain persons. A potential application is use in banks. Instead of matching an account holder's signature as a means of identification, a voice spectral pattern would be compared to referent on file. Funds would be released only if the two matched. With this use comes the obvious concern about security. This could be solved, however, if the degree of match- ing was extremely high. If the matching was close enough, even mimicry would not be a problem, says University Elec- trical Engineering Professor Narendra Ahuja, who outlined this potential applica- ton. An imitator could pick out the domi- nant features of a speaker's vocal pattern, but they could never reproduce it exactly. Even people with very similar voices, such as siblings, have discemable pat- Susan Ratcliffe, Secretary to the Associate Director of CERL, demonstrates some of graduate student Eric Petajan's voice operation equipment, (photo by Richard Barber) tems. Theoretically, as long as the match- ing procedure was very precise, the account would be secure. The major problem with voice- operated computers is the accuracy with which they interpret sound. The computer could make three basic errors: it could match the input to the wrong referent, it could fail to recognize a sound for which it has a referent, or it could accept a sound for which it has no stored referent. Some errors are caused by back- ground noise. Noise either distorts what the user is trying to input, or it is taken as input by itself. This problem can be con- trolled by the use of more sophisticated input devices. The major sources of error, however, arise from linguistic factors. An issue of concern for designers of successful systems lies in the utterance of the sound themselves. Homonyms create an obvious problem and are thus excluded from computer recognition vocabularies. Even fairly similar words can cause diffi- culties. The difference between the aver- age pattern of one sound (with tolerance added) and that of another is very slight. It would become exceedingly difficult for the computer to discern whether the input- ted signal most closely matched the begin- ning of one range or the end of another. In order to have an operable system, the commands must be read in very distinctly without the usual tendencies to swallow ends of words or to run them together. The speed of processing the input is another hindrance. Normal english con- versation proceeds at 1 50 words per mi- nute. A computer making seven million operations per second takes over one hun- dred seconds of computer time to process one second of speech when full sentences continued on page 18 by Kirt Nakagawa A Matter of Particles Some scientists claim nuclear physicists' work Is like pounding a watcti with a hammer to see how It works. Be that as it may, such hammers are becoming more and more powerful and sophisticated with every lilow. Located less than two blocks from Memorial Stadium, home of the Fighting mini, lies the University's Nuclear Phy- sics Laboratry (NPL). where research in electromagnetic nuclear physics is con- ducted. The NPL consists of a linear accelerator, or linac. five major ex- perimental areas, a computer control sys- tem, and a host of other technical support systems. Some of the experiments include the study of basic nuclear structure, bremsstrahlung (the process by which accelerated chiirged particles emit radia- tion), and the study of collective modes, which are the fonns of vibration and rota- tion of nuclei when they are excited to high frequencies. The heart of the lab is the linac, a particle accelerator. The device was built in the fall of 1977 by the High Energy Physics group at Stanford University at a Microtron Using a Superconducting LINAC l\/IUSL-2 Figure 1. The arrangement of magnets and ma)or components in the fi^USL-2 accelerator. SOCHRONOUS INJECTION TRANSPORT \ 00 CHOPPERS INFLECTOR CHICANE / SUPERCONDUCTING LINAC ACTIVE FIELD CLAMP TO EXPERIMENTAL AREAS -er^ .- EXIT BEAM Source: Status Report December, 1983, Department of Physics, University of lilinois at Urbana-Champaign, cost of a half of a million dollars, Larry Cardman, technical director at NPL, stres- ses that the linac is not a reactor of any sort. The operation of a linac can be understood in terms of the law of elec- trostatic interaction: that opposite charges attract and that like charges repel (see fig. I). This principle is employed to acceler- ate the given charged particle to high kinetic energies. By virtue of this energy, the particle can be used to extract data from atomic and nuclear systems, usually by studying the physics of a collision be- tween the particle and a target system. At NPL, electrons are accelerated to maximum energies of 70,(X)0,(KX) elec- tron-volts (eV), which con-esponds to a velocity greater than ninety-nine per cent of the speed of light. The actual accelera- tion system consists of a six-meter niobium linac operating at two degrees Kelvin. Due to this extremely low temper- ature, the linac is superconducting, which means that the energy loss in operating the linac is drastically reduced due to the disappearance of electrical resistance. To maintain this temperature, the linac is en- cased in a thousand-liter tank filled with liquid helium. The linac is a "racetrack"' design for the electron beam; that is, the beam can be accelerated through the linac up to six times, each time giving the beam succes- sively greater energy by turning the beam around and redirecting it through the linac. This is accomplished by using two sets of large magnets located at opposite ends of the linac (see fig. 2). When the beam is in an external magnetic field, the moving charges experience a force, thus causing them to accelerate. The accelera- tion is in the form of a change of direc- tion. The first set of magnets reverses the r 10 How a LINAC Works Figure 2 A charged particle is attracted to a charged metallic surface (here the particle has a negative charge and the surface is positive). The particle goes through a hollow "tube' in the metal. Upon exit the particle is repelled from the initial surface and attracted to a second surface with a positive charge. The process continues until the particle is at its maximum energy. Source: Kirt Nakagawa direction of the beam and the second set of magnets reverses the direction of the beam again, this time back into the linac. The direction change is along an arc while in the magnetic field. As the electrons gain energ\' the radius of cur\'ature in- creases. What limits the linac to six pas- sages is the size of the magnets. Tech- nically the linac is called a MUSL. or microtron using a superconducting linac. In addition to experimental areas, the accelerator and its operation are part of the studies being conducted. While opera- tion of the accelerator itself is understood, the necessary related technologies are still in the e.xperimental stages and are under- going testing. They are protot\pes for lar- ger systems for eventual use. Some of these prototypes include: \acuum systems, control system computers, and basic linac design. When studies on the prototype systems are complete, the National Scien- ce Foundation (NSF) is likely to continue substantial funding in the form of a grant for construction of a 300MeV accelerating system. This would involve a new build- ing that would cost between si.xteen and twenty million dollars. Its anticipated date of completion is 1988. With the greater energy a 300 MeV system would provide, greater resolution of atomic systems is attainable. For exam- ple, at energies of 140 MeV and higher, pions (particles in the meson class) can be produced. What these are. sa>s physicist Paul Debevec. are ""the entities which represent the forces between nucleons." In other words, higher energies allow a deeper probe into nuclear systems. By comparison, the accelerator at Fermilab near Batavia. Illinois, is a factor of a thousand times more powerful. With that kind of power, the nucleons themselves may be probed. Testing on the prototypes has been favorable, according to Debe\ec. TTie NSF is traditionally generous in the fund- ing of nuclear physics research, so future for NPL looks ven' good. ■ 11 Engineering Open House Ihc \W4 Engineering Open House was another grand suecess. Evers \ear EOH attracts high school students from all o\er the state. ¥ot nian\ of them, this is their first exptjsurc to engineenng. There were exhibits on display from nearly ev- ery engineering dep;irtment and society, all of which aptly expressed this years theme, "Developing Tomorrow, Today." Among these were the latest advances in sail technology, robotics, and roof design. (photos by Jane Fiala) 12 Technovisions 13 by Eric Guarin Stranded Waves Two Approaches to Fiber Cables The refractive index is like a guide to optical density. Tlie higher the refractive index, the more optically dense the material. A change in refractive index causes a change in the direction of wave propagation. Refractive Index ® I I Core Cladding i I The sharp change in refractive index causes the light to bounce or reflect from the core cladding boundary, allowing the light to travel along the fiber instead of leaking through. Source; Popular Science. August. 1982. The time has arrived for travel at the speed of light. Although human transportation is not yet possible, your likeness can be sent vocally via laser beams to people and places all over the world. In the minds of many people the words ■ "fiber optics" " conjure images of cheap novelty shop lamps. Today, howev- er, fiber optics is a senous business in many fields. In addition to the novelty lamp, fiber optic principles find applica- tions, though pnmanly in the communica- tions field, in such diverse fields as medi- cine, instrumentation, and others. An interesting historical note lies in how all this new technology was preceded over a century ago when Alexander Gra- ham Bell first transmitted a voice on a beam of light using what he called a "Photophone". an invention which he maintained was far more important than the telephone. Today's version of the photophone sends beams of laser light through thin glasslike fibers. The technology invoKed is called fiber optics, and finds applica- tions in many fields other than com- munications. Medical technology uses fi- ber optics to look inside the human body. Some mechanical devices utilize a fiber device to detect rotation of as little as one thousandth of a degree per hour. Many other sensing and monitoring devices based on fiber optics are under develop- ment or in use: alann systems, probes, and all sorts of sensors. Applications of fiber optics to computers and artificial in- telligence may well cause new discoveries in those fields, and military applications have been found for this technology. Such exotic uses notwithstanding, the most common and perhaps most important ap- plications of fiber optics are for com- munications purposes. Use of fiber optics in the com- munications field did not progress much from the experimental level of Belfs Photophone until the early I960"s and the invention of the laser, the light emitting dicxie (LED), and then the invention of the semiconductor laser. These inventions both paved the wa\ and stimulated in- terest in the use of light technology. Even though existing glass fiber at the time had severe signal losses, time, money, and re- search brought about a reduction in these losses. Fiber loss, or attenuation, is most usefully expressed in decibels per kilo- meter, where each ten decibels represents a loss factor of ten. A 20 dB km fiber one kilometer long would therefore attenuate a signal to 1/100 of its original value. Com- mon silica fibers can attain attenuations of .2 dB/km. while exotic fibers ma> have as little as .00001 dB'km loss. Usine one 14 Refractive Index In this case the gradual change in refractive index causes a gradual bending of the light path back towards the center of the fiber. of these exotic fibers, a cable could be strung between the Earth aniJ the Moon which would attenuate a round-tnp signal by a factor of less than ten. Due to the properties of the fibers, the actual attenua- tion depends on the wavelength of the light — longer wavelengths generally travel best through the fibers. .As might be ex- pected, the fibers with the least attenua- tion are by far the most expensive. On a general le\el. fiber optic and conventional electronic communications sytems resemble each other quite a bit. The technology involved is different, but both types of systems use transmitters, cables, and receivers, with repeaters in between if needed. A repeater is a device which receives the incoming signal and boosts its amplitude to prevent the signal from getting lost in the background noise. Present fiber systems consist of a grab-bag mix of conventional electronic compo- nents and electro-optic devices like LED"s and phototransistors. This approach leads to difficulties due to size mismatch be- tween the minuscule fibers and the gener- alK much lariier de\ices at the ends of the 9 fibers. The future of electro-optics will most likely be dominated by photonic cir- cuits, components wherein bulks discrete components like the LEDs and phototran- sistors are shmnk to a microscopic scale, and an entire circuit is made out of subs- trate layers on a tiny chip. In this respect optical information sytems will resemble more and more the current integrated elec- tronic circuitry pre\alent in many fields, but v\ ill use light instead. The question naturalK arises: if the systems are so alike. v\hy use fiber systems which are not yet cost-competitive with conventional systems? The reasons are many and varied. Various factors make fiber optics su- perior to con\entional electronics in com- munications systems. Perhaps most impor- tantly, fiber systems have potentially a much higher infomiation density: fiber sNstems can handle more data in less space in the same amount of time. Rates of almost 600 megabits per second — 8000 simultaneous phone calls, for example — ha\e been achieved, far outstripping cur- rent systems. Fiber cables, also called waveguides, have proven smaller, lighter, stronger, and more flexible than copper cables. Fibers can be as thin as a human hair and yet have a tensile strength higher than steel. Fiber waveguides are also im- mune to crosstalk between adjacent fibers. and are immune to electromagnetic in- terference, even though receivers may not contain this same immunity. .As a result, w iretapping a fiber system poses quite a challenge. Fibers can also be made extremely resistant to heat, corrosion, lightning, short circuits, and so forth, and electric shock and spark hazard do not exist. .Although the fibers can be damaged by radiation (their attenuation may increase), proper fiber cladding can surmount this problem. Indeed, a fiber cable recently dcNcloped by Hughes .Aircraft withstood one million rads of radiation, in addition to a temperature of 400 degrees centigrade and two percent strain. While not in- \ulnerable and faultless, fiber systems thus have significant advantages over con- ventional copper cable systems. As might be expected, fiber optic sytems do ha\e drav\backs. One drawback lies in situational economics: optic sys- tems are not yet cost compatible with pre- sent systems. Furthermore, fiber systems require very precise handling and highly purified materials are necessary to make the fibers. The advantages of lower bulk and less need for repeater amplifiers along the signal path will eventualh' even cost difference to a degree, and the greater in- formation capacity of the fiber s\ stems should also help. Handling problems are being worked on. and ingenious devices like British Telecom's automated splicer rugged enough to use in a manhole should ameliorate handling difficulties. .All in all. fiber optics seems to be the wave of the future in a very literal sense. IT&T scientist Dr. K. C. Kao. a pioneer in the field, foresees optic fiber networks carrying information at 1000 times the rate of today's systems. In the long run. it would seem, fibers are the fu- ture in communications. ■ 15 by Jim O'Hagan Vacancy to Fill I believe the mantle of leadership should be passed to someone younger who can guide the college during the exciting period for engineering which lies ahead. " —Daniel C. Drucker "I lotik upon it as a terrible loss to the College of Engineering. I'm sorry to see him go." said Engineering Dean R. W. Bokencamp. Indeed, technological progess in the last 15 years has brought American socie- ty past the realm of science fiction and into the most rapidly changing social era since the Industrial Revolution. But rather than being left behind in the face of deep budget cutting coupled with increasing costs, the College has actually progressed to the forefront of this developing field. And because of the leadership provided by Daniel C. Drucker, no one has been surprised. "He has really done a tremendous job with the College," explained Dean H.L. Wakeland. "He brought it to a very high prestige among engineering colleges in the United States." In fact, the regard with which the University is held by fel- low members in the engineering commun- ity has improved to the point that it is now consistently picked among the top three in the country. Such has not always been true, however. "It's been a rugged time in higher education," said Dean P. E. Lar- son. "The last 10 years higher education has not been the fair haired boy it was for years before that. The priorities of the legislature have changed. That's made it tough for high education." Drucker con- siders this a major accomplishment. "I guess there are a large number of things in general terms though what I'm proudest of is in the period of financial stringency we were able to maintain the quality of the College. It was no easy task to not Daniel C. Drucker, Dean of Engineering, recently announced his plans to retire after more than 15 years of leadership, (college file photo) just maintain the College but move it in new directions," said Drucker. During such difficult times however, the leadership exemplified by Dean Drucker has proved indispensible in pre- serving the quality of the College and of the University. In a letter to Drucker by John E. Cribbet the chancellor said, "There can be little doubt that the preemi- nent position of our College of Engineer- ing, even during the difficult financial period that has affected the entire universi- ty, reflects the considerable wisdom and leadership you have brought to the deanship." Indeed, Drucker was recognized in- ternationally as a leading figure in the en- gineering community. Chancellor John Cribbet said, "You are among the giants in engineering and engineering education. During the past fifteen years, you have played a significant leadership role not only in our own College of Engineering but on the national and international scene." "There are really two things that stand out in my mind," said Bokencamp. "One is his successful campaign to bols- ter the Engineering budget at a time when there was a shortage of funds ... the second thing is that I had a rare opportun- ity to observe him in positions of national leadership at a time he served as chairman of the Engineering College Council of the American Society of Engineering Educa- tion. I saw him exhibit the foresight to see problems that have come about and encourage deans to take action to mini- mize problems if not solve them." Druck- er's leadership easily cut through tradition- al departmental divisions. "He brought people together from different areas to work together," explained Wakeland, as Drucker bolstered such projects as the Coordinated Science Laboratory. These abilities brought significant recognition to Drucker. Before coming to Illinois from Brown University. Drucker taught at Columbia. Brown, and Cornell Universities. Now a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Drucker has served as pres- ident of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, the American Society of Mechanical En- gineers, and several other professional organizations. Despite Drucker' s impressive resume the task of determining a successor must be completed before Drucker leaves his post in August. After nationally advertis- ing for applicants, a search committee will determine the individual most qualified to head the College. "There are lots of things that need doing that one couldn't ascertain before. Financial stringency, overloaded faculty, the fraction of time on the curriculum and the undergraduate level hindered progress," explained Drucker. "Now things are loosening up. People are beginning to ease." Drucker' s leadership has been a vital force in the College, but its loss will not spell doom. "It's a ver>' strong college. No big institution is indispensible," Par- ker said. But this ver\' strength may be Drucker's kirgest contribution to the Col- lege of Engineering. "It's ver\' positive to what he's done," explained Wakeland. "He's led the College through difficulties and now positioned it so that it is ready for another quantum jump." ■ 16 9 WHODLET A23^rEAROLD WORKWrTHTHE WORLD? MOST SOPHISnCATED LASER SYSIIM? Or evaluate primary sensor performances of multimillion dollar satellites? Or manage millions of dollars a year in defense contracts? The Air Force, that's who. If you're a talented, motivated electrical engineer or plan to be, you don't have to wait to work with the newest, most sophisticated technology around. You can do it now, as an Air Force officer working as an electrical engineer. Don't get us wrong. We don't hand it to you on a silver platter. You have to work for it. Hard. But if you do, we'll give you all the responsibility you can handle. And reward you well for taking it. You'll get housing, medical and dental care — and excellent pay that increases as you rise in rank. Plus there are opportunities to attend graduate school. If you're qualified and selected, we'll pay 75% of your tuition. Those with special qualifications can even study full time, at no cost. So plug into the Air Force. Because when it comes to technology, the Air Force can help you achieve great sophistication at a very tender age. For more information contact your local Air Force Recmiter, or call toll-free 1-800-423-USAF (in California 1-800-232-USAF). Better yet, send your resume to HRS/RSAANE, Randolph AFB, TX 78150. There's no obligation. AIM HIGH AIR FORCE A great place for engineers continued from page 9 are used. Input must be reduced to a very slow level in order to facilitate comprehension. The use of lull, unrestricted sentences is the ultimate goal of voice-operated systems designers. Interpreting whole sentences, however, creates an incredible linguistic quagmire. Every functional sentence processing system constrains its users to a specified syntax. When free input is allowed, systems such as Bell's airline reservations drop to only 35'7r accuracy. Most sentence pnxessing systems rely on a serial form of interpretion. Research on improving the accuracy of voice-operated systems is being carried out in CERL in the laboratory of Eric Petajan. an electrical engineering graduate student. His system, being developed as his Ph.D. thesis, involves use of a solid state camera twused on the lips of the speaker. TTie computer then matches the shape of the speaker's lips to the frequencies being received. This helps the computer be more accurate in its reception of the sound. Petajan's system operates strictly by matching the frequencies of the voice pattern to a template. It uses a Votemill to process the speech. A si.xteen channel filter band converts the analog signals into digital ones. The computer only recognizes words of maximum utterance of 1.25 seconds. It has one hundred templates of thirty-four bytes each which generates an accuracy rating of 90-959^. Forty templates, according to Petajan. is the maximum for nearly total accuracy due to the acoustic similarity of many words. The system is speaker-dependent with a fixed syntax. It uses a head-mounted microphone and recognizes isolated words only. Petajan says he achieves optimum results using a combination of keyboard and voice input methods. The voice-operated system has been used by people from the rehabilitation center with moderate success. The system is ideal for those whose limitations are in their limbs and have perfectly natural speech, says Petajan. The system can be adjusted to accomodate those who do have speech disabilities. Voice-of)erated systems could be used wherever keyboard input devices are currently utilized. Their application could be extended to cases where traditional forms of input are not feasible. Texas Instruments has develof)ed a system to aid their quality-control inspectors on assembly lines. Instead of picking up each object, putting it down to log any discrepancy, and picking it up again to continue the inspection, the inspector merely enters all data verbally and thereby increases productivity. Applications for aircraft pilots and automobile drivers are being examined by researchers as well. The basic premise behind voice-operated computers is to make them more accessible to human users and to gear the whole computer-human interaction more toward the person and not the machine. As Professor Stephen J. Whithers of the University of Warwick stated in the January, 1983 issue of Simulation. "Designers of systems that involve people should be fit for people to use and not sacrifice human requirements for technological convenience. These machines widen the scope of accessibility of computers and are just one more step toward the integration of high level technology into mainstream culture." ■ hnois Technograph congratulates its 1984-85 staff o Editor Production Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Assistant Copy Editor: Features Editor: Design: Assistant Design: Langdon Alger Jim O'Hagan Dave Colbum Eric Guarin Brandon Lovested Mary McDowell Karen Peters Charlie Musto Best wishes for the 100'^ year of pubhshing 18 Technotes Legislators Visit With the increasing tax burden and decreasing accountabilir>' being received from state employees in recent months, the need for direct contact with elected officials is at an all time high. Engineering students received this opportunity' recendy at the TBO Legisla- tive Forum. Several state senators and representatives attended the all-day affair consisting of group discussions with in- terested students, a luncheon, and con- cluding banquet. Despite extensive publicity by TBH and the important opportunity to personal- ly associate with state leaders, saident turn-out was low. '"Students don"t realize how impwrlant government is to them now." explained an event organizer Amy Baits. Physics Flares Loomis Lab. longtime liberal hot spot on campus, reached dangerous prop- ortions in a recent early-morning fire. The blaze, now attributed to arson, was first reported by a building service worker as a burning bulletin board on the first floor, with hea\\' smoke on the second floor. University fire fighters, re- porting to the scene, found heavy smoke and intense heat on the second floor and immediately connected hoses to a nearby hydrant in an attempt to cool down the building. "On the second floor you have cement block walls, concrete under the floor, concrete above the ceiling, so the corridor contains heat like an oven." ex- plained Chief Duckowitz of the University- Fire Department. Temperatures in the second floor hallway reached over 1500 degrees. The high temperatures made the fire difficult to control. Approaching close enough to effectively fight the fire was difficult because the temperatures could easily melt rubber straps or boots. Also, when water was sprayed onto the brick walls, they exploded, sending fragments of masonrv' throughout the area. The intensity of the fire required that additional workers be brought in. The University Department had immediately contacted the Urbana Fire Department, who quickly arrived on the scene. A third alarm was sounded to bring in additional manpower from the City of Champaign Department. Also present was Arrow Ambulance, vvhich arrived on its own accord but proved beneficial when fire- man Tom Pardick suffered an injured elbow and smoke inhalation. He was rushed to Bumham hospital for treatment. Finally, the Fire Service Institute provided manpower and equipment for replenishing air tanks for the nearly 60 men working amidst the dense smoke. The most extensive damage resulted on the second and third floors where in- tense heat and smoke destroyed most of the hallways and ceilings. Smoke may have also damaged the S8000 PLATO ter- minals on the second floor, even if such damage does not become apparent for some time. Onginal estimates put the damage around^S200.000. although Chief Duckowitz estimates that to rise to well over S300.000. An Awarding Experience Nearly a year of organizing, plan- ning, and hard work came together on March 2 and 3 as students exhibited some of the newest developments in the countrv' to visitors at Engineering Open House. Successful projects were exhibited by nearly every Engineering Society and Honor Society as weU as several spon- sored by individual students. A four- wheeled robot, created by Martin Eberhard and Kevin McMillan, capmred first place in personifying the EOH theme of "Developing Tomorrow — Today 1" AIIE emerged victorious in demonstrating the use of engineering in today's society with their display on statistical quality control. Engineering in tomorrow's socie- ty was best displaced by J. Hill, R. Drex- ler, G. Karlov. K. Levenson. and M. Wiecher with a computer controlled robot, while two ASCE members. Jennifer Kurtz and Steve Zibowitz. provided the superior project for demonstration purposes. Other projects represented individuals or societies and were also successful. AHE presented a music video "Come On, I.E.'s!" to capture the top rating in their division, while AAE claimed the honors for presentation of research with a study of wind tunnels. John Anderson explained sulphur concrete slats while Richard Der- ksen clarifiied laser optic methods for de- termining droplet sizes as they won awards in undergraduate and graduate re- search respectiveh'. In the Waste Manage- ment Contest. Clifford Fedler took fu^t with a display on an anaerobic digester. Departments also did well. In the EOH Central Exhibit. Metallurgy and Mining captured first while the granddad- dy event, best overall society, went to Joe Lehman and Agricultural Engineering. "In terms of the number of students that showed up and the quality of exhibits compared with last year. 1 would consider it a success," explained EOH chairman George Mejicano. "I think the awards went ver>' smoothly and my committee did an outstanding job." "There seemed to be a core group in each department w ho did most of the work," explained Steve Alexander, co- chairman of awards. "Tlie projects were good, but could have been even more out- standing with more people involved." Jim O'Hagan 19 CAD-CAM For ENGINEERING on MICROCOMPUTERS We offer Complete Engineering Design Systems Professional Consulting Available miCRDB UNLimiTED INC Computer Center 356-1644 606 South Sixth Street, Champaign In Campus Town THE FACTS ABOUT ENGINEERING DATA SHEETS TYPING 50 COPIES (#70) PICTURE $4.00 SCREENING OF PICTURE $5,00 $3.50 5,0 OQ (over night) RESUMES $2.00 $5.00 S4.00 $5.00 TURNAROUND TYPING— IN BY 3 PM, BACK BY 9 AM PICTURE— INSTANT REPRODUCTION— WHILE YOU WAIT OR OVERNIGHT The Clean Machine Copy Shop 621 S.Wright St. Mon-Fri 7:30am-10pm Sat 9-5 Sun 10-6 from page 5 Tech Teasers Answers 1. I 2. 12 minutes. 3. One way is: -10 3 -4 9 2 7 -5 8 1 - 11 -6 12 -12 6 11 -1 -8 5 -7 -2 -9 4 -3 10 4. The volume of the cube is a' while the volume of the pyramid is aV3. Lo and behold, the volume of the resulting solid is 2a'/3. Now let a plane cut the cube parallel to the base of the pyramid. The cross-sectional area is clearly: a'-(a-.\)' = 2ax-x-. So that the volume cut off is: /"^^(2ax - x')dx = ax- — xV3. Since the volume must be half the total volume: ax--xV3 = aV3. So X = a( 1 — 2sin 1 0°) or a( a — 2sin50°) or a( 1 -I- 2sin70°) = 0.6527a or - .5321a or 2.8794a. The tlrst of these is the only solution which applies, and is thus the answer! 5a. ""strength."" b. ""facetious."' c. ""bookkeeper."" d. TTiey all contain three letters in consecutive alphabetical order. i Technovations Travelling by Trolley Trolleys played a significant role in the development of the Midwest (see Illi- nois Technograph, December, 1983). But recent developments on rail transport have Ibrought this nearly extinct technology back to the forefront of public transporta- tion. At the beginning of the 1980's only a few U.S. cities still had operating trol- leys. But San Diego and Seattle have re- cently inaugurated new light-rail systems and Buffalo. Sacramento, Portland, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Detroit are all planning modem light-rail systems for the near future. Unlike the earlier trolley systems, light transit vehicles would run along ex- clusive routes, not competing with vehicu- lar traffic and would be partially or whol- ly automated to avoid excessive staffing. The new systems usually run short trains of one or two cars that allow for more frequent service, smaller and cheaper sta- tions and lighter construction require- ments. One innovation in light-rail transit is the use of induction motors which push the trains along by magnetic induction be- tween the undercarriage and the track. Re- cent tests by Urban Transportation De- velopment Corporation have shown that the induction motor can drive trains through snow up to a foot deep. The wheel-to-rail interface may sev- erely limit the future capabilities of high- speed rail systems. Traction, braking, and guidance are all provided by this inteiface and, if the interface is less than ideal, pcr- fonnance will decline. The use of magne- tic systems to support, guide and propel vehicles can eliminate the wheel-rail inter- face completely. Magnetic systems, called maglev, eliminate all contact between the vehicle and guideway, and the train can be levi- tated and guided by magnets, propelled by a linear-induction or synchronous motor. On-board power requirements can be met 9 The SkyValet garment bag provides a convenient means of carrying luggage around airports or bus stations, (ptioto courtesy of Executive ScanCard Systems) through the use of a non-contacting linear generator which eliminates another troublesome interface, the third rail. It's In the Bag For frequently homesick students who grow tired of lugging home heavy suitcases from Altgeld Hall's bus stop. Executive ScanCard Systems has de- veloped a new garment bag. Designed to eliminate many of the hassles regularly experienced by execu- tives and other frequent travelers, the Sky- Valet wardrobe-on-wheels is a soft-sided garment bag that carries clothing flat, without folding. Unlike conventional gar- ment bags however, recessed rubber wheels are built into a lightweight poly- carbonate base, allowing the user to wheel the unit quietly and almost effortlessly. The bag, available in a variety of colors and models, is held upright by a telescoping handle assembly which locks in place to give the entire unit stability. To fold the unit, the user simply presses a button, and the entire handle assembly re- tracts into a hidden compartment. The bag can then be folded, carried, or stored like conventional garment bags. By pressing a release lever, a parcel carrier, complete with baggage straps, can be released to carry a briefcase or other carry-on lug- gage. The SkyValet garment bag will even stand by itself, freeing the user's hands for other tasks as the need arises. Listen Up! Although hearing aids have progres- sed extensively from the hearing horns of several decades ago. the hearing impaired still suffer from difficulties such as static feedback, unstable response, and ampli- fication of unwanted noise. All these could be solved, however, with a new de- vice developed by researchers at the Uni- versity of Wyoming. The first digital hearing aid has been developed by Auditone Inc. working in joint agreement with the University of Wyoming's electrical engineering depart- ment. The basis of the computers used in the hearing aid is digital-signal processing (DSP). A central processing unit handles digitized data to acquire designed prog- rammed results. Software programs hand- le information fed into the computer by instructing the CPU on how to process the input data. Next, the computer processes signals in two steps. First, the analog input is converted to digital input information. Secondly, the digital signal is manipulated by the CPU. With sound for example, the data may indicate that a sound is very loud. This digital signal is altered using mathematical algorithms, changing the filtering capabilities of the hearing aid to adjust to the loud noise. This use of digit- al signal processing of analog signals re- moves the dependency on conventional analog components such as transistors, re- sistors, capacitors and modulators. The new digital device improves upon its predecessor through its ability to adapt to changing signals by using a mic- roprocessor, by suppressing noise better, and by responding more quickly to neces- sary changes. Jim O'Hagan 21 Come join other engineering students, men and women in comfortable living at Hendrick House The only privately owned residence hall near the engineering campus at the University of Illinois with air conditioning. • Reciprocal Agreement with U of I • Reasonable Rates • Choice of Entree • Home Baked Rolls and Desserts Green and Lincoln St. Urbana, Illinois 61801 Phone 344-4957 If you are a college freshman or sophomore in good academic standing, the Naval ROTC Program can be your chance for the experience of a lifetime. The Naval ROTC Program can provide you a path to great career opportunities, and also assistance now In your college education. Naval ROTC Scholarships and College Program opportunities are available now. Let us give you the whole NROTC picture.Contact: LT BOB BURNS 239 Armory BIdg. Phone:333-1 061/1 062 WE CAN PUT YOU IN THIS PICTURE SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS • Full tuition and fees • Book expenses • $100 subsistence/month • "Hands On" training during summer cruises onboard Navy ships and installations As a commissioned Naval or Marine Officer you can start immediately with: • $18,000/year Basic income increasing to as much as $26,000/year in four years. • Specialized training fields of Nuclear Submarines Naval and Marine Corps Aviation Surface Warfare U.S. Marine Corps • m Tech Profiles 9 m Franco Preparata came to Dlinois in 1965 to expand his research after receiv- ing his Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Rome, Italy in 1959. In recent years his main research interest has been the analysis and design of computer algorithms. Being an EE and CS faculty member, his interest has led him to the design of VLSI systems and use of VLSI circuits for algorithm execution. Enjoying the intellecUial freedom of doing research and teaching, Preparata sees his responsibility as a University faculty member as a continual strive for excellence. He has developed the Berie- kamp-Preparata optimal convolutional codes and the Preparata nonlinear codes in coding theory; published some 70 journal articles, 29 conference papers, and 3 tex- tbooks in the last 21 years; and is a Fel- low in the Institute of Electrical and Elec- tronics Engineers. This summer will take Preparata to China, the Xian Province, to lecture in graduate level courses. His interest in Chi- na stems from a f)ersonal fascination with archaeology, art, history, and the exotic. In October of 1981. he spent three weeks at the Huazhong Institute of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province as a visiting pro- fessor. James Lee Jay Gooch graduated from the Universi- ty of Missouri-Columbia in 1943 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineenng. He received his master's degree here at the Universirv' in 1951. Beginning in 1951, Gooch worked as a research engineer at the Coordinated Science Laboratory for twent) years. He then worked for ten years with the Uni- versity's Aeronomy Radar program where he had an active role in the construction of the five megawatt, 4 1 MHz transmitter. Since that time, his duties have turned to teaching. Gooch currently teaches EE 245, Electrical Engineering Lab 11, and EE 353, Radio Communica- tions Circuits. Radio communication is an area of special interest to Gooch. He is an active amateur radio operator, and has been the advisor to the Synton .Amateur Radio Club for the past four years. While amateur radio is mainly a hobby, he does enjoy the exchange of technical informa- tion it can provide. One of his regular radio contacts works with the Radio Tele- scope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Gooch frequent!} posts current in- formation about amateur radio and astro- nomy on the bulletin boards outside of his office in the lower level of the Electrical Engineering Building. Richard Barber Samuel Stupp received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from UCLA in 1972. In 1977 he was awarded a Ph.D. in mate- rial science and engineering from North- western University. After teaching at Northwestern, Stupp came to the Uni- versity in 1980 as an assistant professor of ceramic engineering and bioengineering. Here at the University, Stupp has taught polymer and polymer-composite classes, as well as the implant materials class he is presently teaching. Although Stupp enjoys teaching and interacting with students, a large portion of his time is devoted to research. His re- search interests range from polymers to bone cements and biodegradable implants for bone growth. Results of his research can be applied to lightw-eight structural materials, microelectronics, and surgical implants. Stupp views polymer science as an ever-expanding field. In the future, he ex- pects that polymer technology will expand to include electrical applications, drug- delivery systems, and the medical field. Phil Messersmith 23 The Logical Suspect Soot particle growth as it takes place in wood- burning fireplaces, diesel engines, and industrial furnaces, has been attributed to a complex set of interdependent chemical reactions. A researcher at the General Motors Research Laboratories has demonstrated that the decomposition of a single species is primarily responsible. Soot Formation Total Growth Rate 2 10 - / 1 / S Growth Rate Per Unit Area 1 1 1 1 1 1 3.76 0.80 0.85 0.90 0.95 Ethylene/Oxygen (Mole Ratio) Figure I: Total growth rate eontrasted with growth rate per unit area plotted as a function of ethylene /oxygen mole ratio measured at a given height above the burner face. Figure 2: Artist's rendition of the surface growth of a single soot particle by the incorporation of acetylene molecules. SOOT FORMATION may be divided into two stages. Microscopic soot particles are gen- erated in the "inception" stage. They reach full size in the "growth" stage, which accounts for more than 95% of their final mass. Most scientific exploration has concen- trated on particle inception which, despite all the effort, remains unexplained. Dr. Stephen J. Harris, a physical chemist at the General Motors Research Laboratories, has reversed traditional priorities. Combining experiment with logic, he has formulated the first quan- titative explanation of the growth stage in soot formation. Dr. Harris arrived at his mechanism through an elaborate process of elimination. To focus on the chemistry of soot growth, he began by eliminating from his investigation the complexities introduced by turbulence and mixing. He limited his research to premixed, ethylene/oxygen, lami- nar flames with one-dimensional flow. Previous descriptions in the literature told him that two pro- cesses take place simultaneously during growth. Incipient particles collide and coalesce into larger particles, while growing at the same time by incorporating hydro- carbon molecules from the burned gases. The first process reduces total surface area without chang- ing total mass, while the second, called "surface growth!' increases both total surface area and total mass. Hence, the increase in the total mass of soot can be entirely attributed to surface growth. Dr. Harris set out to iden- tify the hydrocarbon molecules— or "growth species"— responsible for surface growth. Increasing by increments the richness of the flame, he made the key discov- ery that although the total mass growth rate (gm/sec) increases strongly when the ratio of ethyl- ene to oxygen is increased, the mass growth rate per unit surface area (gm/cmysec) increases only slightly (see Figure 1). Thus, the controlling variable for how much soot is formed is not the concen- tration of growth species, but the surface area availaole for growth. This finding led him to con- clude that richer flames produce more total soot because they gen- 9 erate more particles in the incep- tion stage. More incipient parti- cles offer greater initial surface area for the incorporation of hydro- carbons. Since the growth rate per unit area must depend on growth species concentration, this con- centration must be similar from flame to flame. Dr. Harris went on to reason that there must either be enough growth species at the outset to account for the total soot growth in the richest flame, or die species must be rapidly formed within the flame from another hydrocarbon present in high enough concentration. HE NARROWED his search to the four most abundant classes of hydrocarbons found in flames: acety'lene, polyacetyienes, polycvclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAK), and methane. Methane can be eliminated, because its concentration does not decrease as soot is produced. There is not enough PAH to account for soot formation in any flame. Neither of these two hydrocarbons can be readily formed from the other major species present. That left only acetylene and the polyacetyienes. Acetylene contains enough hydrogen to account for the hydro- gen content of soot measured in the early stages of growth. But among the polyacetyienes, only diacetylene could possibly supply enough hydrogen. That left acet- ylene and diacetylene. There is more than enough acetylene to account for the mass of soot produced. There is not enough diacetylene, and while diacetylene can be formed from the abundant supply of acetylene, the reported rate of conversion is too slow for diacetylene to play a significant role. That left only acetylene. Dr. Harris verified that acet- ylene is the growth species by determining that the slight increase in growth rate per unit area is proportional to the increase in acetylene concentration (see Fig- ure 1 1. He also found that the rate constant he measured was in agreement with the reported rate constant for the decornposition of acetylene on carbon. These find- ings confirmed his hypothesis that soot particles grow in flames by the incorporation and subsequent decomposition of acetylene. "Now that we know how soot grows',' says Dr. Harris, "we can examine how it begins with greater understanding. Then, perhaps our knowledge will be complete enough to suggest better ways to reduce soot'.' General Motors THE C5> \1M BEHIND THE Dr Stephen J. Harris is a Staff Research Chemist at the General Motors Research Laboratories. He is a member of the Physical Chemistry Department. Dr Hams graduated from UCLA in 197L He received his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in physical chemistn,' from Harvard University. His doctoral thesis concerned Van der Waals forces between molecules. Following his Ph.D. in 1975, a Miller Institute Fellowship brought him back to the University of California, this time at Berkeley, where he spent two years stud>ing laser-induced chemistrv. He joined General Motors in 1977. Dr. Harris conducted his investigation into soot particle growth with the aid of Senior Sci- ence Assistant Anita Weiner. His research interests at GM also include the use of laser diagnos- tic techniques in combustion analysis, with special emphasis on intracavity spectroscopy. IF'YOU-CAN-DREAM-IT-YOU C A N • D • I T Expand the mind of the microchip. Remember when electronic calculators were considered a luxury? Well, consider this sign seen recently outside a gasoline station in Schenec- tady, New York: "Free calcu- lator with an oil change." That s just one sign of the enormous impact micro- chips have had on the way we do everything - from banking to game-playing. But how will we use micro- chips that are smarter, faster, more reliable, and less expensive to design? How will these new micro- chips be used to improve systems, products, and pro- cesses'r' As one GE engi- neer puts It, "The sky's the limit!" That sky is replete with a number of integrated circuit concepts that GE is apply- ing right now. There's the custom IC, a chip that performs highly specialized functions. Tradi- tionally, creating this chip has been an expensive, time-consuming job. So were working on ways to cut design time and cost. We're using computer- aided design (CAD) to design and simulate chips right on computer screens. We're also developing gate arrays, a system that allows you to build inexpen- sive prototype chips that can be "played" in systems before the final design is fixed. Another area that GE is developing is VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated) circuits. These ICs will eventually squeeze one million transistors onto a single chip. Where will all this super electronic power be applied'^ GE engineering manager Don Paterson sees it this way: "At GE you can innovate from the system down to the chip to create - whatever ignites your imagination.' In other words, you can dream it. and do it. WE BRING GOOD THINGS TO LIFE An equal opportunity employer. Illinois ft*. ■- :.-ii Technograph October 1984 Volume 100, Issue 1 Newsstand $1 .25 Energy From Animals Who'd let. . a 23-year-old work with the world's most sophisticated laser system? Or evaluate primary sensor performances of multimillion dollar satellites'? Or manage millions of dollars a year in defense contracts? The Air Force, that's who. If you're a talented, motivated electrical engineer or plan to be, you don't have to wait to work with the newest, most sophisticated technology around. You can do it now, as an Air Force officer working as an electrical engineer. Don't get us wrong. We don't hand it to you on a silver platter. You have to work for it. Hard. But if you do, we'll give you all the responsibility you can handle. And reward you well for taking it. You'll get housing, medical and dental care — and excellent pay that increases as you rise in rank. Plus there are opportunities to attend graduate school. If you're qualified and selected, we'll pay 75% of your tuition. Those with special qualifications can even study full time, at no cost. So plug into the Air Force. Because when it comes to technology, the Air Force can help you achieve great sophistication at a very tender age. For more information call toll-free l-800-423-USAF{in California 1-800-232- USAF). Better yet, send your resume to HRS/RSAANE, Randolph AFB,TX 78150. There's no obligation. AIM HIGH AIR FORCE A great place for engineers 7b design and develop today's most technologically advanced defense products. General Dynamics requires the talents of many highly-motivated Engineering and Scientific graduates. This year, nearly half of our 1,500 technical hires will be in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Computer Science — goal-oriented, high-performance students who will graduate in the top half of their classes. If you are one of these top performers, explore the wide range of opportunities available in the following technologies: Aeronautics. Advanced Signal Processing, Radar Systems, Embedded Software, Lasers and Electro-optics, Composite Structures, VLSI, Non-linear Structural Analysis, Robotics and CAD/ CAM. At General Dynamics, you will work with our innovative professionals in applying these technologies toward a wide variety of aerospace, computer systems, electronics, shipbuilding and military land vehicle programs. Plus, you can stay current in your field and make the most of your career through our corporate-wide training and lifelong education programs. Don 't settle for less than state of the art in your career See your Placement Office for a campus interview with General Dynamics. Uiestatx ^^m^^^^^^/l^^^^l^^^^^^f ' "^^ \ // GENERAL DYNAMICS An tqunl Of>poriunity fm/ii/oyer/t/.S Cituemhip Required Iinois Technograph October 1984 Volume 100, Issue 1 Celebrating 100 years of publication 8 12 14 Network Teleprophesying Langdon Alger Telecommunication networks have recently soared in importance and an understanding of their simplicity makes the reasons apparent. Producing Energy From Wastes Jim O'Hagan Cliff Fedler's University research may lead toward making Illinois farms energy self-sufficient. Engineering Family Album Mary- McDowell A description of the College's many and varied extracurricular activies which make student life exciting for University engineering students. Atomic Weaponry Kin Nakagawa The development of nuclear weapons over the last decade has raised many moral and political questions, but the technology behind the weapons has changed greatly over the last 39 years. Departments Letters 4, Tech Teasers 4, EditoriaJ 5, Forum 5, Technovisions 10, Technotes 15, Technovations 17, Techprofiles 19 On the cover: Anaerobic digestion of swine waste leads to the production of biogas, a viable energy alternative, (photo illustration by Dave Colburn and Kris Ludington. Pig courtesy of Bill Ruqff, Animal Genetics Laboratory) Editor: Langdon Alger Production Eiditor: Jim O'Hagan Business Manager: Mary Kay Flick Photo Editor: Dave Colburn Features Editor: Mary McDowell Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Asst. Copy Editor: Brandon Lovested Design: Karen Peters Asst. Design: Charlie Musto Publisher: E. Mayer Moloney, Jr. Production Manager: Geoff Bant Editorial Staff: Randy Aksamit, Richard Barber, Dee Bartholme, Peter Borowitz, Martin Brennan, Brian Castelli, Richard Chi, Jeff Donofrio, Jane Fiala. Dennis Franciskovich. Shelly Grist. Greg Haas. Raymond Hightower, Bob Janssens, Carolyn A. Keen, Ken Kubiak. Paul Lan- gholz, Michael W. Lind, Kirt Nakagawa, Peter Nelson, Marco Sims, Kentaro Sugiyama, Tom Svrcek, Alfred Tardas, Laurie Taylor, J. Scott Woodland, Joseph Wyse Business Staff: Dahlon Chu, Dave Rabin Copyright mini Media Co . 1984. Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760). Vol. 100 No. 1 October 1984. Illinois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urtoana-Champaign. Published by Ulini Media Co., 620 East John St., Champaign, Illinois. 61820. Editorial and Business offices of the Illinois Technograph: Room 302 Engineering Hall, Urbana. Illinois. 61801, phone (217) 333-3558. Advertising by Linel-Murray-Bamhill, Inc , 1328 Broadway, New York, N.Y., 10001; 221 N. LaSalle Street. Chicago, II., 60601. Entered as second class maner. October 30. 1920, at the post office at Urbana, Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated. • ^-^ ^. "^r mM Bring Out Your It took pride, talent'and a ^.^jrrt- taleijts in one of these petitions: \ mitment to exceT in afl ybu d^. 'H \, CORPORATE ENGINEERING " take you where you are today; 7pa"^s JP;S,<|^,E.'s — you will have the oppon fW%l' calculators and wear pocket protectors, four wear short pants and p(x:ket protec- I tors, five wear their calculators on short pants, and two true squids are guilty of all three offenses. How many non-fashion- J conscious engineers are there in all? 6. IVIuscle fiber has been classified as being either fast twitch or slow twitch. In a chicken, what kind of meat is slow twitch and what kind is fast twitch? 7. The number 14 (2 x 7) is relative- ly prime to 45 (3x3x5) because it is less than 45 and shares no common fac- tors with it. How many numbers are re- latively prime to: a) The number of years for which the Techwgraph has been in existence? b) the number 2' x 3' x 5' x 7"? answers on page 20 Illinois Technograph Statement of Ownership Editor-in.Chicf of the Illinois Teihrwurapk is Ldngdon Alger. 620 E John St . Champaign, IL 61820 General Manager of the Dlini Media Company is E Mayer Maloney. Jr , 704 Harmon. Urbana, U 61801 Business Manager of the Illinois Technograph is Mary Kay Hick. 620 E John St-. Champaign. D 61820. The nimi Media Company is a not-for-profit organisation estab- lished in the Slate of Illinois in 1911 Average number of copies of each issue dunng the pirceding 1 2 months: 4600 Annual subscription rate $6.25 Paid circulauon thpsugh dealers and carriers: none. Average mail subscriptions preced- ing 12 months: 1077- Free distribution preceding 12 months: 3423, No copies distributed to news agents Total distribution pnsceding 12 months: 4500 tDffice copies preceding 12 months: 100, Total average distribution 460O No paid circulation through dealers or carriers. Actual Apnl mail subscription: 1073, Free distribution at the Engmecr- mg campus of the University of Illinois nearest to filuig date: .Vi27 Total distnbution nearssl to filing date: 4600, Actual number of office copies nearest to fihng date: 100, 1 certify that the statements made above by me arc correct and complete: E, Mayer Maloney, Jr. Pub- Editorial Forum 9 ^ Functional Observationalism It was one of those days that made you want to sit down on the sidewalk, stare out into the horizon, and contem- late existence. It was during one of those ast} periods when you are so busy with classes, problem sets, and exams that one small accomplishment allows you to feel the internal warmth of satisfaction. It was last year, and just the right mixture of these feelings made me look around while walking home. I started to embarass myself. I found numerous inscriptions, satellite dishes, and sculptures on buildings; ever)- one of them camouflaged from me through their inge- nious placement on the roofs. I found de- tails in steps that some architect probably sf)ent hours designing, only to brush by my feet half a dozen times a day. I saw trees pass by that I had never seen before. I was observing. Considering the fact that people ha\e been committing the act of noticing since time began, and that a lot of them have been able to formulate useful philosophies and formulas from their observations. I suppose my observationalism was no big deal. But it seemed s\Tnbolic to me. Here I am with some 4800 other engineers, all of whom are tning to get an education, but few of us are going about it correcdy. So what is an education? It is the ex- pansion of one's knowledge, mind, and character, it is unique for each individual. A training program, on the other hand, simply programs you for some particular task. The latter is very easy to receive when one is enrolled in an engineering curriculum as intense as the ones down here. The former is something that needs some special work to obtain. Time must be taken to think about, discuss, and perhaps read about philo- sophies and concepts that aren't necessari- ly related to one's engineering life. Time is needed to observe others, to notice one's siuToundings, and look into your own psyche. There is quite a bit more to life than the grades, the degree, the one- fourtieth of a million dollars a year aver- age salary, and the future spouse and family. The engineers of the 1950"s sought educations, and they were rewarded by society . People looked up to the technical students of America back then as heroes — the men and women who were going to bring a better w ay of life through their work. Today, engineers and scien- tists are looked at and conceived of as being hard-core, single-causal individuals. A big part of this comes from the fact that today's technical student is more con- cerned with finishing the training program than obtaining an education. It is not all the student's fault, however. Technology^ is changing faster this second than it ever has in the past, and that kind of dynamic activity is diffi- cult to deal with. Not to mention the fact that ever>- year the new set of engineers down here has even higher entrance marks than the class before it. With both of these facts licking the engineer's heels, you can't blame them too much for over- looking the educational aspects of their college lives. Nonetheless, there is no excuse for passing up chances for personal growth. You do not only hurt yourself by not draining life of its opportunities, but you indirectiy hurt your peers and the rest of societv' as weU. When it comes time to go out into the real world, and you don't have an education and the capability of observing your present situation, chances are that you won't understand everyone's needs — or your own. Your work and your future will reflect this oversight. 9 Illinois Technograph invites letters in response to its articles and editorials, or any other items of in- terest to our readership. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Letters must be signed, but names will be with- held upon request. An Engineer's Responsibility Another national election is near — less than a month away. It may seem like just another election, but it is probably the first one held since you became a student at the University. In that time, you have gained more independence, resjXDnsibUi- ties, privileges, and been exposed to more ideas and people than you had ever con- templated. These influences have made you a much different person than you once were. Different things concern you and effect your life now. As an engineering student, you prob- ably realize that being an engineer means more than just having skills in math and scientific application. I assert that it is a way of thiiiking, and even a way of life. An engineer's thinking is directed toward helping create a more efficient and pro- ductive society'. Since the engineer's pur- pose is far broader than merely using his analytical skills to mold societ)', he is also concerned with other questions and issues, and ways of addressing them. In the simple matter of voting in the November election, an engineer fulfills his change by choosing the candidate who is most likely to direct society toward be- coming more productive, secure, and stable. Candidates for offices other than President are equally as important as candidates for President. Our federal sys- tem of checks and balances insures that different branches of government each hold important components of the deci- sion-making power. You can be part of the influence that effects the decisions of our leaders. You can and should vote, serve in public ser- vice positions, and make your leaders aware of your thoughts and ideas. Re- member, your job has the same end goal as our government leaders — to direct our energies and resources tow ard a better society. Let your leaders know that we are all partners in fuMUing this duty. Joseph G. Lehman President. Engineering Council Langdon Alger A plan (or the Implementation of a hypothetical lelecommunlcatlons network leaves plenty of room for Action. However, the linking of distant cities through telephone lines Is not even close to being a fantasy. There is a large probability that at this moment your name, as well as some information about you, is running across the country on telephone lines. This is not necessarily true because of your immense popularity, but because telecommunication network usage is quite high, and constant- ly growing. Between 1840 and the late 1960's, our nation's telecommunications capacity grew linearly. Since the early 70's, this capacity has grown in an exponential manner. Today, banks use telecom- munication networks to offer services such as the instant bank tellers that are popping up everywhere. Airlines, rental and travel agencies, and large corporations would be crippled without telecommunications. Advanced medicine is reaching remote areas and impoverished communities through networks. Suppose the Illinois Tedmograph. in keeping with this general societal trend, decided to start its own telecommunica- tions network, called the Illinois Tedmo- graph Network (ITNET). Suppose also that we can watch the growth of this net- work as time goes on. In the beginning, the Tedinograph decides to set up its own word processing system. Each staff member receives a ter- minal that connects up to the host, or main computer. Instead of spending astro- nomical amounts of money to run coaxial cables under the streets of Champaign- Network Teleprophesying Layout of the Distributed Hierarchical Network, ITNET J ITNET Headquarters -I Local Host Master Modem Multiplexer Slave Modem or Concentrator Source: Langdon Aiger Urbana to connect each user terminal to the host, the editors of the Tedmograph decide to use telephone lines for access. The telecommunications network is bom. Copper telephone wires don't change much over time, but the hardware at each end of a line is constantly undergoing evolutions. Questions and choices arise. The editors have better things to do than set up this system, so they wisely sign up a couple of engineers majoring in com- munications to figure the whole thing out. The network coordinators decide to start with a star network, whereby each terminal has its own separate dial-up tele- phone line to access the host. The other choice is a multi-drop configuration, where one line starts at the host, and con- nects serially to every one of the terminals to form a "ring network." The problem with this seuip is that the terminals aren't used all the time, so the host would con- stantly be polling ever>' terminal in the system, and receiving null transmissions from most of them. This is a waste of money, and it slows the response time of the entire system. The next step is made within a year. The ITNET applications have grown, and research files, a past story file, and numerous other applications are currently accessible. Requests from Rantoul and Pesotum to use the Technograph system arrive. Since these areas are much farther away from the host, modems become a necessity to modulate the digital computer transmissions into analog equivalents that the telephone lines can handle without loss of readability. The coordinators set up every user with a modem. To save cost, two changes are made, one being the upgrading of the user ter- minals to "intelligent" terminals. Before the upgrade, the information being re- ceived or sent was relayed one page at a time, whereas now the terminals have memory and screen editing capabilities. A user can receive a block of data, do with it whatever is necessary, and only send new or altered information back to the host. The second change is adding a con- centrator to the network. This concentrator squeezes informa- tion from all the terminals onto one line from the host. The host-to-concentrator phone line is full-duplex (or duplex), meaning the host can transmit and receive data simultaneously on the same line. The individual lines to each terminal are half- duplex lines; they can only transmit or re- ^^ ceive in one direction at a time. The con- ^^ centrator is buffered, due to the fact that ^^ both the full-duplex and half-duplex lines are run at the same speed. If more than ^^ one terminal tries to access the host at the ^A same time, the concentrator must store one terminars data while it passes the ther's onto the duplex line. For now this system is perfectly usable. After another block of time, ITNET ows some more. It starts to spread to ar away areas like Chicago, Springfield, and other larger cities. The concentrator is beginning to lose its efficiency; during peak times too much data is transmitted to or from the host, and the memory in the concentrator is too small to handle it all. Users of the system begin to complain ab- out dial-up problems, because the access number is often busy. The coordinators find a solution through a hybrid network with dedicated digital lines. The private, or dedicated, line be- comes almost necessitous with increased distance from the host, because switched lines are so noisy. Private lines are always connected between two fixed points, and only become cost effective with heavy us- age. The dedicated line can be con- ditioned, unlike the switched line, which cleans up the signals being received at either end. Digital carriers are used be- cause the transmissions on these lines are intended only for computer-to-computer connections, and regenerative repeaters make the transmissions very clean. Hybrid networks utilize several diffe- rent kinds of telecommunication archi- tecture, and the Technograph network coordinators decide to install an expanded concentrator with multi-drop lines. This setup requires a much faster duplex line between the concentrator and the host, as there is much more information being sent to the mainframe. The multi-drop con- figuration means that each line running from the concentrator out to the users now runs data to more than one terminal. Pesotum has five users of the net- work, so each terminal has a regular speed half-duplex line to a Pesotum base station. At this station, all five lines are connected to one line controller. This de- vice decides which terminal gets to access the phone line to the host. The host line is # full duplex running at the same speed as each of the 5 terminal lines, and it con- nects to the concentrator in Urbana. Every one of the duplex lines, including the Pesotum one and several running to Chi- cago, are concentrated into one high-speed line at the host. Eventually, the news of the capabili- ties and usefulness of ITNET has spread, and all kinds of places want to tie into it. Graphics start finding their way into the system, and since such high-resolution in- formation tends to require a wide spread of frequencies to accurately transmit their information, the line bandwidths must in- crease. Luckily, the vendor of the lines has already been using fiber optic cables, which have huge bandwidths. To handle the traffic, the network coordinators implement a time-division multiplexing system. Multiplexers, or mux's, convert one line into several by sampling the slower lines very quickly, and sending each sample of information down the fast line. The only difference from the previous setup is that the con- centrator is replaced by a high-speed mul- tiplexer, and the line controllers in each city are either left alone or replaced by smaller multiplexers. More cities, like Minneapolis, Hous- ton, decide to tie into the system. The host computer has now completely out- grown the office in 302 Engineering Hall, so it is expanded and moved to a building on Green Street. The coordinators are flooded with tie-in requests, and decide that within a year the host's single high speed line running to the main mux will have too small of a capacity. Always looking for solutions, the en- gineers initiate a hierarchical network. This is almost the height of moderniza- tion. Now there are many high-speed lines running from the mainframe host. Each line is connected to a master modem, which runs high speed, suppose 9600 bits per second (bps), to each major city that has access to the system. In these cities, there are slave modems which drop trans- missions down to four 2400 bps lines. Off each of these lines the individual terminals can be run via smaller multiplexers or concentrators. Thus one line running to Chicago can be dropped down to many locations in the city, suburbs, and other neighborhoods. The progressive dropping in speed and volume from the host down to the users is the reason for calling this a hierarchical network. So what if a San Francisco user wants to send a notice to a location in San Jose? The two cities are so close, it seems silly to run a message all the way back to Urbana, and route it through the host and back over to California again. Thus a dis- tributed system is bom. The distributed system is not unlike a heirarchial system, except each node con- necting to the host is now also a host. That is, the main frame host on Green St. connects via high-speed lines to several giant cities, like Chicago and San Francis- co. At these sites, another computer ex- ists. This computer, the secondary host, breaks its master host line into nodes, then those nodes multiplex into individual terminal lines or controller lines. Thus at each city is a host, so transmissions need not be routed all the way back to the mainframe whenever information is needed. The telecommunications science is one that is purely dynamic. With the changing technology, ITNET follows with constant upgrades. Before long, other countries want to tie in to the system, and submarine cables and satellite transmis- sions become a necessity. These mediums of transmission are notoriously slow and noisy, but the Technograph network coor- dinators are confident that these problems will be combatted soon with more changes. ITNET's future looks bright, as telecommunications rises as one of the most major and important fields to socie- ty's wellbeing. I Jim O'Hagan Producing Energy from Wastes University research student Clltf Fedler Is examining the possibilities for converting animal wastes to energy. This research, successfully applied on the University's South farms, Is a vital step toward making America's farmers totally self-sufficient. Recent economic trends, including rising fuel prices, falling demand for American commodities, and the worldwide recession have been particularly hard felt on American farms. But research now being done at the University could allow farmers to lower their energy prices and increase their food production at a minimal cost by producing fuel from animal wastes. This method, now being studied by Agriculnjxal Engineering Professor Donald L. Day and researched by Cliff Fedler, concentrates on breaking down animal wastes into methane gas which can be used as fuel. Although similar processes have been used in municipal systems for several years, the large capital costs, handling problems, and chemical differences found on the farm have produced difficulties in adapting this technology. "We know there is energy in wastes, and we try to take advantage of it," explained Fedler, a graduate student in his fourth year at the University. Fedler's research is currently financed by the Dlinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources and the Illinois Agricultural Experimant Station, as well as the Departments of Agricultrual Engineering and Animal Science for the Source: Cliff Fedler University in order to develop a self-sufficient farm of which the anaerobic digester would be an integral part. Such a digester, now operating on the University's Swine Research Farm, is composed of a large cylindrical steel tank divided into 4 compartments by 1 2-inch thick concrete walls. Polyurethane insulation and a rubber lining coat the tank to guard against corrosion and heat loss. Finally, the system is buried in the ground to provide additional insulation. Before the manure can be used, it must first be collected from the bam. "I feel the best way is a scraper system," explained Fedler. "A large scraper is used to scrape the wastes to a central sump from which it is pumped to the reactor. Running with 8 to 10 percent solids is a good loading rate." On some farms a fluid system is used to wash out the bams, but much of the volatile material will dissolve in water, thus reducing the yield of methane. "They've pretty much eliminated pumping problems with new equipment," explained Fedler. In this system, sludge is pumped from the hog bam to a processing tank after passing through a classifier to remove grit and scum. The manure is diluted to 10 percent solids, then heated to operation temperatures with a heat exchanger because the digester must be kept warm to allow bacteria to thrive. These anaerobic bacteria then live off the wastes producing a mixture of methane gas and carbon dioxide, called biogas, as a by-product. Upon reaching the correct temperature, the slurry is agitated and transferred into the reactor tank where it is digested by the bacteria to give off biogas. "We don't let it sit, we do mix it," explained Fedler. "If you don't agitate it, the solid settles. By keeping it suspended it gives the bacteria more access to the wastes." The amount of volatile material removed can be increased in this way, while the solid waste remaining can be decreased by 50 percent. "It's a big misconception that all the wastes you put in are changed to fuel. Actually, the volume of the solids is essentially the same." he explained. Thus, any reduction in the amount of solid remaining is a significant benefit. Biogas given off in the reactor is drawn off, then circulated back through the tanks to provide agitaiton. After the slurry has been fermented for about 2 weeks, it is transferred to a sludge storage tank where it is agitated further, but not heated. This allows for maximum production of methane. Finally, the processed sludge is removed, and can be used as fertilizer. "The waste you put into and the waste you take out has essentially the same fertilizer potential," Fedler said. Meanwhile, the biogas is collected at the top of the reactor and sludge storage container and sent through a processing system where a scrubber system removes the carbon-dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. By the time it reaches the storage tanks the gas is 95 percent pure methane and can be used to operate gas engines. Although the process itself is straightforward, certain difficulties exist as well. Animal wastes are corrosive to metal, meaning that all containers must be glass-lined or plastic. Less, however, is known about the effect which antibiotics have on the system, and this is where Fedler has chosen to direct his research. Fedler originally became involved with the method as a junior at Iowa State University, where he earned a B.S. degree in structures and environment, as well as two Masters degrees. He now spends 7 days a week studying problems with the system, while also taking classes dealing with related areas such as hydrology or water and soil management. The difficulty with antibiotics is that they can still be detected in the manure from the animals, and result in hindering methane production because of their adverse effects on the bacteria. "When I was at Iowa State, I'd be running an experiment, everything would be going fine, then bang! Methane production would just stop," Fedler recalled. Realizing the field was wide open for research, Fedler began studying the effect of antibiotics and found it held a major impact on methane production. "On a typical farm, if all the animals were fed just one drug. I figure the level coming out in the wastes would be inhibitory," said Fedler. Thus, it is a severe difficulty on farms where antibiotics are vital to keeping animals free from disease. "Farmers today feed their animals anti-biotics every day," he explained. "So I mainly work on antibiotics and see what effects they have on anaerobic digestion." Fedler" s reseach at the Agricultural Engineering Building is carefully monitored at steady state conditions to remove variables such as temperature and flow rates from the analysis. Because the effects of such variables are not yet understood, this makes it possible to obtain reliable data, but creates handling difficulties as well. Four reactors are used to prepare the wastes for analysis. "In order to run the test at a steady state # condition, I need to bring the material up to the steady state temperature," he explained. "Two reactors are used to feed the system, while the other two are getting ready for the next experiment." Temperature control is also achieved by running the entire experiment in a constant 35 degrees Celsius room. "It's critical that temperature be constant because in building the system there are so many unanswered questions," said Fedler. "This eliminates temperature fluctuations as a problem." A constant percentage loading rate for all the digesters is also used. "We have a completely enclosed tank where we draw off the gas. put it through a scrubber, then put it into a storage tank," Fedler added. The tank is enclosed because even a 10 percent mix of methane in air is highly explosive. Although current research is impor- tant to the long-term prospects of anaero- bic digestion, the outlook is already quite positive. "The University system stores two days' producton," said Fedler. "The methane is used to run a generator for electricity during peak use times. With two days production, we can use the extra day as a buffer or a standby system should the power be cut off. ' ' Because of the low efficiency of electric engines however, the system is suited even better to dairy systems where hot water is needed and can be produced directly from the methane flame. Presently 10 hours per day of electrical needs on the South farms are met with waste-produced energy, and a non-research farm using less electricity could expect to do even better. "On a typical farm very little electricity is needed. This system could be used to supply electricity for other parts of the farm such as the house," Fedler said. "There is definitely great interest by farmers in utilizing a product into fuel and fertilizer while achieving poOution con- trol," said Day. In fact, several large farms are now experimenting with sys- tems of their own. The University diges- ter has especially been found to be not only productive but also environmentally sound. "We went through the EPA for our gas processing unit which the EPA says has to be regulated, but after a good amount of work, they've exempted us," said Fedler. Like any equipment, the anaerobic digester must be manageable before it is marketed. Explained Fedler, "It's not a difficult system, but you have to have a knowledge of what to look for to detect problems," as well as knowing how to correct them. "You don't need expensive equipment to detect problems, but you do have to monitor it," he explained. "If a farmer wants to reduce the number of animals or increase the number of animals on his farm, he must also know what to do to the energy system," he added. The major obstacle is still economic however. "It requires expensive equip- ment," said Day. "It's not so well known when this will be widely accepted." As the technology improves, costs should fall. Said Fedler. "I'd like to show a 10 year payback period, or less. . .perhaps as low as 2 to 2 Vi years." Another solution would involve cooperatives. "A complete system requires about $150,000 in capital costs," said Fedler. "You can't convince one farmer to put out that kind of capital. I'd like to see community digesters, where you'd locate a digester on a central farm, pump from one or two farms, and haul wastes from the others." For now, the system is another step toward a completely self-sufficient farm. "The potential is enormous. I look for a totally closed system where you use gas to produce electricity, use wastes for ferti- lizer, use carbon dioxide in greenhouses," said Fedler. "I think people should look at that as a method to make a farm energy self-sufficient." ■ Air Rendezvous Aerial acrobatics, vintage aircraft, military aircraft, and a special perform- ance by the Air Force Thunderbirds were among the events featured at the second annual Springfield Air Rendezvous. Held in September at the Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois, the event is a charity fund raiser which attracts thousands of visitors from the state and midwest . Below: The Thunderbirds fly by the crowd in their sleek F-I6"s. Right: Duane Cole, stunt pilot and v. iiiL' -walker, hangs from a monoplane in an aerial stunt. Top right: Visitors to the show tour through a C5-A, the largest production jet transport. Below right: Describing the interior of a C-130A transport is Wayne Hegele, one of the crew members, (photos by Kris Lud'mf>toni 10 Technovisions WJ^fm^KS^^ ^H^B i^^^l ^HH ^^1 ^H I^H Ki ^H* k^^T^^ Jl mm n V T |*f^ 11 Mary McDowell Engineering Famiiy Album Classes and homework are Important parts of an engineering education, but they're not the whole picture. Meeting people In the same major, learning about current research, and making contacts are valuable experiences (or the future. The College of Engineering sponsors a number of organizations and professional societies that help students meet these goals. American Academy of Mechanics (AAM) Persons interested in all aspects of engineering mechanics will find this club beneficial. In addition to learning about their future profession by hearing speakers at the monthly meetings, club members also participate in a tutoring service. In- terested students should contact Joel Van- don or Gar>' Fenn at 332-1863. American Institute of Aeronautic and Astronautical Engineering (AIAA) This group hosts several events throughout the year to highlight various aspects of aero/astro engineering. Guest speakers from industry are featured at their meetings. They also participate in a paper airplane contest and the Bendix De- sign Contest. Planning for EOH, social events, and plant trips round out their schedule. Interested people should contact Tom Penn in 105 Transportation. American Institute of Chemical En- gineers (AlChE) AIChE provides opportunities for learning and experience in chemical en- gineering. Monthly meetings include faculty and industrial speakers, field trips to places like General Electric and Mon- santo, and numerous social activities. This makes the group a major help as well as a good time for chemical engineering stu- dents. For further details, contact Ted Mole at 333-1587 or stop by 217 Roger Adams Lab. American Institue of Industrial En- gineers (AIIE) AllE is a society that works to in- crease the awareness of industrial en- gineering sUidents in their chosen field. They sponsor monthly meetings and plant trips and were also the creators of the first place .society project at last year's EOH. Students in IE can contact Jim McMahon at 384-4438 for further details. American Nuclear Society (ANS) Besides acquainting its members with professional news, the ANS also works to generate public support for nuclear ener- gy. Other activites include attending sym- posiums in Chicago and touring the power plant at Clinton. Anyone interested in nuclear power should contact Craig Wep- precht at 333-2562 or leave a message in 214 Nuclear Engineering Lab. American Society of Agriculture Engineers (ASAE) Through monthly meetings, picnics, faculty-student get-togethers, various fund raisers and participation in events like EOH and the Farm Progress Show, this organizaton strives to inform students of opportuinities in agricultural engineering. Karen Jordan at 217 Agriculture Engineer- ing Building may be contacted for mem- bership information. American Society of Civil En- gineers (ASCE) Concrete canoe races, picnics, pig roasts, fireside chats with professors, piz- za parties, and industrial speakers are a few of the varied activites sponsored by the ASCE to promote involvement and awareness. Contact Laura McGovem at 367-0187 to stop by 308 Engineering Hall for more details. Association of Computing Machin- ery (ACM) An active group of computer enthu- siasts, the ACM has speakers to discuss current trends in computer technology at their montiy meetings. They take part in picnics, happy hours, and a hay ride to ^^ promote student involvement. They are ^H also the sponsors of a programming con- test for high school students and are ^^ award winning EOH participants. Go to ^^ 2 1 3 Woodshop or call 333- 1 622 to get ^ membership information. Associated General Contractors (AGC) The AGC can provide an excellent background for those seeking to learn ab- out construction and construction related topics. A student chapter of a large national organization, the AGS plans field trips, presentations on construction re- search, and a construction service project. Tony Gooden may be contacted at 332- 1717 to answer any questions. The Association of Minority Stu- dents in Engineering (AMSiE) The offical purpose of AMSiE is "to promote and develop activites and prog- rams that meet the academic and profes- sional needs of minority engineering stu- dents at the University of Illinois." To this end, the group sponsors fortnightly meetings, a resume book, an EOH pro- ject, a bowling team, a Bid-whist tourna- ment and a newsletter. Interested students should contact Raymond Hightower at 333-3558 or stop by the office in 302 En- gineering Hall. Bioengineering Society (BS) Open to students in both the colleges of LAS and engineering, this society pre- sents speakers from all aspects of bioen- gineering to inform members of their op- tions in this relatively new field. In addi- tion to social functions, the group's ongoing project has been the modificaton of laboratory equipment for use by blind students. Call Loralie Ma at 359-6349 or come by 164 MEB for more information. Engineering Council ^P Engineering Council, the student government for the College and a liason between the deans" office, faculty, and dSa 12 students, sponsors over a dozen major activites including Open House. Speakers' Bureau. Graduate Schoool Conference, and Freshman Committee. All profession- al and honorary societies are members of council and send their representatives to its meetings. General meetings, held monthly, are open to all saidents. Involve- ment is possible by representing a society or by working on a council committee. Call 333-3558 or stop by 300 En- gineering Hall for more information. Ask for Cindy Kirts for information about the Engineering Speakers Bureau (ESB), or Karen Swabeck at 332-2667 about the Student Introduction to Engineering (SITE). If interested in the Engineering Open House Central Committee, especial- ly the Coordinated Project, Posters and Programs, Internal and External Publicity, and Contest committees, then contact Chris Elsbemd. Institute of Electrical and Electro- nics Engineers (IEEE) The largest of the societies, the IEEE sponsors a wealth of activities to introduce students in electrical engineering, compu- ter engineering and computer science to their professions. They have field trips and happy hours as well monthly meet- ings featuring speakers from major cor- porations. They host the EE Honors Night, and they also support a computer interest group. Potential members should contact Mike Gold at 333-7401 or in room 247 EE. Institute of Transportation En- gineers (ITE) People with interests in any aspect of transportation will find their niche in this group. Their monthly meetings have local speakers presenting pertinent transporta- tion issues. They also sponsor field trips to such places as O'Hare Airport and the C.T.A. Contact Nick Vlahos in 308 EH or call 333-0884 for more details. Internatonal Society for Hybrid iVIic- ro Electronics (ISHEIVI) Formed for the purpose of sharing knowledge on hybrid circuits, ISHEM is open to any interested students. Speakers, field trips, picnics and intramural teams are some of the events ISHEM sponsors throughout the year. Contact Mike Fitz- simmons at 328-2580 for further details. Student Branch of the American Ceramic Society (SBACS) SBACS is a society for ceramic en- gineers which sponsors monthly meetings with speakers from industry and academia. They are also responsible for the publicaton of a yearbook, the Illini Ceramist. Their next meeting will be held October 18 at 7:30 in 218 Ceramics. If in- terested in joining the group that won the best society award at EOH last year, con- tact Karen Paulsen in 204 Ceramics. Society of Cooperative Engineers (COOPS) The Coop society works to inform students of the benefits of working in in- dustry while attending school and to pro- vide support for coop students. It hosts in- formation nights, a mock interview ses- sion, and picnics. The society is also the publisher of the "Coop Survival Maunual." Interested students should call Upal Sengupta at 337-5924 or Debbie Bluemling in the Coop Office on the first floor of Engineering Hall at 333-1960. Society of Women Engineers (SWE) The Society of Women Engineers seeks to promote and encourage women in technical fields. They offer corporate speakers and financial planning seminars, and they put out a resume book. Call Cheryl Dudas at 333-3558 in 302 En- gineering Hall for more details. SYNTON The amateur radio club, SYNTON, is open to all persons interested in ham radio. Members participate in contests, teach classes to potential hams, build equipment and help foreign students con- tact their homelands by means of radio. Meetings are held the last Thursday of ev- ery month in room 165 Electrical En- gineering. Call Diane Snyder at 344-3441 for more information. Tau Beta Pi (TBO) A junior-senior engineering honorary, TBn is composed of those with superior scholarship from the college. They run a njtoring program and are the hosts of the Job Decision Seminar. This year they will be sponsoring the L.E.A.D.S. Conference in the spring. They also participate in many social activities. Illinois Technograph Celebrating its centennial anniversary in February, the Illinois Technograph is the magazine for students in the College of Engineering. The staff of writers, photographers, editors, and production personnel is solely compxjsed of engineer- ing saidents. Published five times throughout the school year, the magazine contains news of the college as well as in- formation on technological research. In- terested students can pick up applications at the Illini Media Company Office in the basement of Illini Hall or in 302 En- gineering Hall. B 13 KJrt Nakagawa Atomic Weaponry The recent moral and political questions facing our government leaders have thrust upon all citizens the responsibility to remain Informed on the status of world weaponry. An understanding of the operation and history ol the nuclear age can aid In helping to make an Informed decision. The threat of nuclear war has been with us for the past thirty-five years. The road to our current level of nuclear weaponry began forty-two years ago. shortly after America's entry into the Second World War. A brief history and overview of the development of nuclear bombs as well as a description of some of the more contemporary bombs will be ex- amined in this article. In May of 1942, the Manhattan En- gineer District Office of the U.S. Corps of Engineers was formed, headed by J. Robert Oppenheimer. The Manhattan Pro- ject was bom. and soon afterward, the first atomic bomb was developed. Less than four years later, on July 16, 1945. the world's first atomic bomb was deton- ated at Alamagordo. New Mexico. A major difficulty in achieving a chain reaction remained. The reaction is the process by which a splitting (called fissioning) nucleus induces the fissioning of another nucleus, and so on in such a manner that the reaction maintains itself. When Enrico Fermi accomplished this feat at the University of Chicago in 1942, a major barrier had been overcome. With extensive Government funding, the bomb was developed in less than four years. The atom bomb, a fission device, works on the principle of a rapid chain reaction through the fissioning of Ura- nium-235 or Plutonium-2.^9. When either of these nuclides are fissioned, two or three more neutrons and about 2(X).000.0(X) electron-volts are released. Given the proper conditions, this reaction continues, producing a powerful explo- sion. The key physical characteristic is the quantity of fissionable material on hand, called the critical mass. When one has a critical mass of material, the neutron fiux within the mass causes continued fission- ing of the material. The resulting explo- sion liberates tremendous amounts of energy in a millionth of a second. The actual processes of a fission de- vice are much more technical, but the basic principle still applies. The problem lies in combining subcritical masses together to form a critical mass. At Los Alamos, where almost all of the develop- ment took place, two types of bombs were developed: the gun-type and the im- plosion-type. The gun-type bomb involves shoot- ing, with conventional explosives, a sub- critical mass into a separate subcritical mass whose resultant mass is critical. This type of weapon utilizes two single sepa- rate chunks of fissionable material. The implosion-type bomb requires that the fissionable material be imploded, or simultaneously compressed in what is the reverse of an explosion. One way this is accomplished is by surrounding a hol- low sphere of fissionable material with a larger hollow sphere of conventional ex- plosives which are detonated simul- taneously by electronic means. The explo- sion implodes the fissionable material and a nuclear explosion results. Today, further developments in the explosive yield and types of energy re- leased have come about. Chief examples of this are the hydrogen bomb and its modified version, the neutron bomb. The underlying principle of the hyd- rogen, or fusion bomb, is the release of greater amounts of energy than a fission reaction is capable of creating. This is possible through the fusion of lighter ele- ^^ ments' nuclei, particularly deuterium and HB tritium. For a fusion reaction to occur, ex- treme temperatures are required — upwards ^^ of one million degrees Fahrenheit. This is ^A achieved by the use of a fission device; ^^ that is to say the detonation of a fission bomb is required to achieve the activation energy for a fusion bomb. In this respect, fission devices are mere fiises for fusion bombs. Finally, to utilize neutron availability and maximize yield, a blanket of ura- nium-238 surrounds the area of deuterium and tritium. Upon capaire of one of the highly energetic neutrons emitted in the reaction, the uranium-238 will be induced to fission and also release energy. Hence hydrogen bombs are fission-fusion-fission devices, or themionuclear weapons. The neutron bomb, noted for its higher yield of neutron radiation and low- er yield of explosive energy, is actually a modified hydrogen bomb. The difference is in the absence of an uranium-238 blanket. Tlie same fission-fusion process occurs, but with less blast effects due to the absence of the second fissioning. Higher neutron radiation occurs as well, as the neutrons are neither absorbed nor moderated. The neutron bomb therefore produces an intense radiation field while having a relatively weak blast in compari- son to a hydrogen bomb of similiar yield. Neutron bombs are sometimes called en- hanced radiation weapons. The history of nuclear weapons is still being written, as government leaders, theologians, and the general citizenry con- tinue to examine the political and moral questions of their development. ■ 14 Technotes A Change of Face Mac E. Van Valkenburg has been selected as acting head dean to replace Daniel Drucker. who retired in August. Van Valkenburg first became a faculty member in the department of Computer and Electrical Engineering in 1955. He left in 1966 to become depart- ment chairman of Princeton University. He returned in 1974 to become an EE professor and a research professor in the Coordinated Science Laboratory. The author or co-author of nine tex- tbooks. Van Valkenburg is a nationally prominent educator. He will hold this position until a permanent replacement for Dean Drucker is found. Professor James J. Stukel has been appointed head of the Engineering Experi- ment Station and associate dean. Stukel, a faculty member since 1968, is a professor of mechanical and environmental en- gineering. He received his B.S. in mecha- nical engineering from Purdue University in 1959 and his M.S. and Ph.D. in M.E. from Illinois in 1963 and 1968, respec- tively. Stukel has served since 1980 as Director of the Public Policy Program. He has also been Director of Energy Research and the Office of Interdisciplinary Pro- jects, the Office of Energy Research, and the Office of Coal Research and Utiliza- tion. He currently teaches civil engineer- ing courses. Stukel replaces Professor Ross Mar- tin who passed away in June. Martin, who was also a mechanical engineering professor, had been head of the Experi- ment Station for 26 years and on the Uni- \ersity faculty for the past forty years. Improving Economy The upswing in the economy seems to be ver>' positively reflected in the en- gineering employment picture. The num- ber of employed students and their starting salaries show a definite increase over last year's statistics. Of 831 B.S. graduates last May, 54.8% were employed as of July 16. This favorably contrasts with last year's figure of 46.1%. Only 10% of those seeking work were without positions, while last year 22% were unemployed. Those hired are also getting higher salaries than before. The average monthly starting salary is $2236, up from $2106. The most lucrative disciplines are compu- ter and electrical engineering with average starting salaries of $2302 and $2334 per month, respectively. The highest paid graduate was a computer engineer receiv- ing $2810 per month, a sharp increase over last year's high of $2492. Persons in civil, nuclear and agricultural engineering generally received the lowest salaries. A civil and an industrial engineer tied for the low salary of $1417 monthly which equals the low of the 1983 graduates. The average number of interviews, 12.8, was up from last year's 10.5, while the number of offers declined slightly from 3.0 to 2.9. Faculty Sweeps Awards The University again displayed its academic prowess by ranking fourth nationally in the number of recipients of the Presidential Young Investigator Awards. Presented by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), these awards are given to fund research by 200 engineers and scientists who are near the beginning of their academic careers. Those selected include: Narendra Ahuja, electrical and computer en- gineering; May R. Berenbaum. entomo- logy; Tai-Chang Chiang, physics; Bruce Hajek, electrical and computer en- gineering; Jonathan Higdon, chemical en- gineering; Richard I. Masel, chemical en- gineering; Bruce E. Rittman, civil en- gineering; and Charles L. Tucker, mecha- nical and industrial engineering. The awards carry an annual base grant of $25,000 from the National Scien- ce Foundation. The NSF will additionally provide up to $37,500 a year to match contributions from industrial sources, making the total possible support $100,000 per year. The purpose behind the awards is to "help universities attract and retain out- standing young Ph.D.'s who might other- wise pursue non-teaching careers," according to the OSTP. "It's heartening to see that our young people are doing well in this way," University Vice Chancellor for Re- search Theodore L. Brown said. "It shows that we're succeeding in recruiting young faculty who can build strong prog- rams in science and engineering." Nobel Laureate Honored Again John Bardeen, professor emeritus of physics and electrical engineering was selected to receive the National Academy of Engineering's Founders' Award. This award is presented annually to recognize "outstanding contributions by an engineer to both the program and to society." A member of the University faculty since 1951, Bardeen was selected "in rec- ognition for his remarkable creativity in engineering science and invention." He is the recipient of two Nobel prizes. The fu^t was for his work at Bell Labs on the development of the transistor. The second came for his studies on the theory of su- perconductivity. He also played an integ- ral role in the development of xerography while serving as an advisor to the Xerox Corporation. Bardeen, along with William L. Everitt, dean emeritus of the College, was also recently named to the Electrical En- gineering Centennial Hall of Fame by Spectrum, the magazine of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Mary McDowell 15 Yoiflrede ep under the sea. TTiefeare 4600 tons of nuclear- powered submarine around jrou. Your mission- to preserve _t^j^ tce. Your job- to coordinate a practice missile laiuich. Every- thing about the sub is state-of- the-art, including you. The exercise- a success. You're part of that success and now In the nuclear Navy, you learn quickly. Over half of America's nuclear reactors are in the Navy. And that means you get hands-on experience fast. You get rewarded fast, too. With a great starting salary of - $22,000 that can build to as much as $44,000 after five years. And with training and skitts-^^ . you'll use for a lifetime. Mediterranean, the RacificojT the Atlanti^w Kere^gyOT Z-^ move aroun d thCworM, y ou'll" be moving up in your career"" and in the Navy. " ' '^ ^^ Find out moreaboutan .^== -exci^ st art to^ ^ —See your Navy Recruiter or • you're riding high. Then, whether you're in the " NAVYOraCERS GET RESPONSBIUTY KAST. Technovations Reinstated Draft? The Selective Service Act may have to be extended soon to include not women, but robots. The Committee on Army Robotics ind Artificial Intelligence has released a tudy stating that the newest GI Joes may be GI Trons. The committee studied the potential applications of robotics and artificial intelligence in the armed ser- vices. The most immediate use for these new recruits would be to conserve people in jobs that are especially hazardous, re- petitive or both. One such job is that of tank ammuni- tion loader. The task consists of lifting heavy ammunition from a rack and load- ing it into the tank cannon. A robot arm similar to ones used to sort parts in indus- try, the committee said, could probably do the same job more efficiently by giv- ing the commander direct control over the type of ammunition selected for loading and by increasing the firing rate. Robot sentries are another feasible application. They could be used to detect the presence of nuclear, biological or che- mical weapons. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems would also be beneficial in help- ing personnel repair equipment when on the battlefield. Additional uses of robotics and AI include a medical system to help doctors in treating wounds and identifying soldiers with computer chip dog tags, robots to load or unload supplies, and using them to refuel jeeps, tanks, or other equipment. From Computer to Slides Pictures created on the terminal screen can now become slides in a matter of seconds. Celtic Technology has released the new VFR 2000. Locally distributed by Duo Soft Systems, this 35mm computer The VFR 2000 has the capability of transmitting the screen image to slide film in a matter of seconds (photo by Dave Colburn). camera takes graphic or test images from the screen and projects them onto slide film. The camera consists of a black and white cathode gun similar to those found in television sets. Three filters (red, blue, and green) are passed in front of the beam it creates in order to generate the proper exposure on the film. The VFR 2000 camera is connected directly to the com- puter CPU and the monitor in a daisy chain configuration. The camera can be used on IBM, Zenith, Apple, and Toshiba computers with factory adjustments. It uses Ektachrome. Kodachrome, Monochrome or Poloroid Polachrome Instant Slide film, and retails for $2800. Because it requires no additional software or DIP switch adjustments, the VFR 2000 is unique among its competi- tors, says Toshiba Technical Representa- tive Jennifer Humphrey. She stated that the major market for the product has been to corporations for sales meetings and conferences where easily produced graphs and charts can clearly demonstrate how well their company is doing. Geriatric transistors The gradual decline over time in per- formance of a transistor may be analogous to the human aging process, a University researcher has discovered. Electrical engineering and physics professor C. Tang Sah, head of the Solid State Electroiucs Laboratory, has learned that phenomena called "traps" cause ag- ing in transistors just as "free radicals" are believed to be major contributors to the human aging process by altering vital ceU components. Transistors are made in a photo- graphic process in which silicon is chemi- cally etched with a circuit pattern. Impuri- ties are added to give semi-conducting properties. In some instances, this process allows other impurities such as sodium from salty air or water molecules from moisture to enter the lattice structure of the silicon. From these impurities, traps arise. When current is passed through the transistor, the traps are able to move and accumulate in ways that impede normal operation. Electrons and holes, a locdized lack of electrons, can then get caught in the traps. This situation results in a loss of normal current flow, and the transistor's {performance declines. Sah's research results will be used in the computer aided design of other, im- proved transistors. "When we understand how the tran- sistor fails, we'll be able to make transis- tors and integrated circuits that will fail slower. Maybe they will never fail — never reach the point where they are beyond their usefulness," said Sah. Mary McDowell 17 When the Classes of '83/84 chose the top 25, they counted on Harris. In a recent nationwide survey * of over 2,600 graduating engineers, Harris was consistentiy named among tiie top 25 companies most preferred as employers. The Reasons? Maybe it's because our broad product line reflects a comprehensive approach to information technology. . . an approach few others can match. Or perhaps, it's because of our reputation for boldly applying state- of-the-art technologies. Here are just a few examples: • Harris developed the world's first 16-bit microprocessor based on CMOS technologies. • Harris is a leader in the development of a third generation digital PBX switch. • Harris developed and implemented one of the world's largest domestic satellite communications networks, involving 38 earth stations. • Harris has played a major role in the unfolding drama of Artificial Intelligence and the development of the Fifth Generation Computer. • Harris has more than 55.000 word processing workstations installed . . . second only to IBM in the stand-alone product category. No wonder Harris Corporation has enjoyed a powerful growth record of close to 20% a year for the past ten years. Today, we are a Fortune 200 company with sales close to $2 billion. And the outlook for tomorrow is even more promising. New technological breakthroughs, new challenges and new opportunities for growth. Be a part of it. Career openings exist at Harris in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York and Texas for graduates with Bachelor or advanced degrees in EE, ME, IE. ChE, Computer Science and Physics. Each of our 30 divisions operates autonomously, so the potential for career growth is practically unlimited. Whether your goal is technological leadership or executive manjigement, Harris is committed to your success. Why not rate Harris for yourself? Contact your Placement Office or write: Director, Corporate College Relations, Harris Corporation, 1025 W. NASA Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32919 We are an equal opportunity employer M/F/H/V 'Graduating Engineer— Second National Engineering Student Employer Preference Survey. If It's Happening In Electronics, It*s Happening At Harris. -nyiyiM Tech Profiles Roger R. Yoerger received his educa- tion at Iowa State University where he re- ceived a Ph.D. in a joint Agricultural En- gineering and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics program. Now the head of the University's Agricultural Engineering department, Yoerger has provided leadership for the school in the recent move to the new AgriculUiral Engineering Building which was formally dedicated last May. Yoerger, who is married and is the father of 4 children, enjoys visiting his family farm in Champaign County. He was recently elected President of Phi Kap- pa Phi, the national honorary. Dr. Yoerger feels the University can provide a major service to Illinois resi- dents from the surrounding area. '"Agri- cultural Engineering in general involves an application to engineering problems. In this geographical area, a lot of agricultrual products and heavy equipment is pro- duced. We prepare graduates who can be a part of that," he explained. Jim O'Hagan Ravi Iyer was bom m India, but emi- grated to Australia where he received his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Queensland. In 1979, Iyer came to the United States to teach at Stanford; last year he came to the University and cur- rently he teaches EE 290, Introduction to Computer Engineering. Now Iyer is researching projects funded by NASA and IBM. The first pro- ject involves designing reliable computer systems by experimenting on existing computer systems. This new field of re- search tests radical techniques and new ideas without a full theoretical explanation or background. Iyer is also doing research on designing intelligent systems capable of "learning from the past." Analogous to noticing symptoms of illness in a per- son, these systems are able to pick out symptoms of their own failure and correct them before any breakdown would occur. Iyer truly enjoys teaching and likes to place great emphasis on student-teacher interaction and communication, which he concedes is difficult in a lecture of 300 students. Iyer also enjoys squash, which he picked up in Australia, tennis, listening to music — especially classical music, and balh-oom dancing with his wife. Carohn A. Keen James W. Bayne, the Associate Head of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering for undergraduates, currently teaches ME 225. Outside of the office and classroom, Bayne has served as faculty advisor for FITS, the Mechanical En- gineering Honor Society, since 1955 and has previously fulfilled the duties of national secretary/treasurer and national president. Raised in Cleveland, Bayne was sent to the University in 1943 through a World War II Navy program. He received his B.S. only 3 years later, and when he re- turned to the College for graduate work, Bayne discovered a great enjoyment in teaching. This made him decide to stay at the College, where he has remained since. Married, with seven children and eight grandchildren, Bayne enjoys golfing and bowling in his free time, and plans to retire soon from his administrative duties to concentrate on teaching, which he still enjoys a great deal. Bayne says he's re- mained so long in this University because he likes the community of Champaign- Urbana. "I enjoy the college community. I think if the University of Illinois were in Chicago it would tend to lose a lot of its appeal," he explained. "I like the setting: there are so many things to do." Carolyn A. Keen 19 If you are a college freshman or sophomore in good academic standing, the Naval ROTC Program can be your chance for the experience of a lifetime. The Naval ROTC Program can provide you a path to great career opportunities, and also assistance now in your college education. Naval ROTC Scholarships and College Program opportunities are available now. Let us give you the whole NROTC picture.Contact: CDR DAVID POWELL 236 Armory BIdg. Phone:333-1061/1062 WE CAN PUT YOU IN THIS PICTURE SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS • Full tuition and fees • Book expenses • $100 subsistence/month • "Hands On" training during summer cruises onboard Navy ships and installations As a commissioned Naval or Marine Officer you can start immediately with; • $18,000/year Basic income increasing to as much as $26,000/year in four years. • Specialized training fields of Nuclear Submarines Naval and Marine Corps Aviation Surface Warfare U.S. Marine Corps from page 4 Tech Teasers Answers 1. For the gold medal, the answer is 46 possible solutions. 2. 250 Hz. 3. Even an adder would be able to multiply with a log table. 4. There are two possible solutions to this puzzle. The first is 0, since if the technology for vacationing on the moon is available, the ticketing process should all be on computer and no forms would be necessary. Assuming a downed system, 494 different tickets would have to be printed. 5. 19. 6. White meat is fast twitch, dark meat is slow. 7. a) For Technograph\ 100 years of publishing, the method would be: 100 = 2-x5^ Number of relatively prime numbers = (2- 1) X (5 - 1) X (2'^-" X 5'-- ") = 40. b)48x(2'x3'x5'x7'). 20 has everything... almost. 610 the store with engineering supplies 610 the store with art supplies 610 the store with drafting supplies 610 the store with school supplies 610 the store with everything. MON -TH FRl SAT SUN 8-7 8-5 10-4 12-4 00 610 E. Daniel ■ ■ 344-0726 • OUR SCHOLARSHIP HELPS YOU BEGIN YOUR CAREER AS A LEADING ENGINEER. An engineering degree will take you far in today's high-tech Army. And with an Army ROTC scholarship, earning that degree can be both less expensive and more valuable. The scholarship not only pays your entire tuition, regardless of the amount, but also required fees, an amount for books and supplies, and up to $1,000 each school year for living expenses. It's an exceUent scholarship. And it gets you a lot more than an engineering degree. Along with your regular courses, you'll take Army ROTC classes and learn about motivating people, analyzing situations, making confident, informed decisions, and reaching defined goals. In short. — as» SS # 8SS # you'll learn leadership and management skills that can't help but enhance your opportunities in the future. And you'll put your skills to work right away, because you're commissioned in the Army as a second lieutenant when you graduate. If you'd like an education in leadership and manage- ment to go along with your engineering degree, find out more about Army ROTC. Contact your Professor of Military Science ,it tlic L'niv. ot Illinois, 333-1550. ARMY ROTC. BEAaYOUCANBE. "■'"=^^'«««^:-?^^ / F Y U • C A N DREAM-IT-YOU-CAN-DO I T Convert the production line into a frontier ofcreativity. The cast-iron technology of the factory will soon be silicon technology. Chips and computers trans- fer design information directly to the factory floor Other chips make possible flexible robotics, programmable con- trollers for machine tools, auto- mated test systems and digital inspection cameras. Local area networks tie together all these systems. These are revolutionary changes that can result in better-made products, manu- factured of new materials at lower cost. GE is deeply involved in bringing manufacturing into the silicon age. In one plant, electronics and computer sys- tems enable us to reduce pro- duction time of a locomotive's diesel engine frame from 16 days to 16 hours. At our dish- washer production plant, a master computer monitors a distributed system of pro- grammable controls, robots, automated conveyors, assembly equipment and quality control stations. We're working on robots that can see, assembly sys- tems that hear, and machin- ery that can adapt to changes and perhaps even repair itself. This transformation of manufacturing from the past to the future creates a need for new kinds of engineers to design and operate factories of the silicon age. They have to be as familiar with the reali- ties of the assembly line as with the protocols of software communications. They will synchronize dozens of real-time systems whose slightest move affects the performance of every other system. The frontiers of manufacturing technology have been thrust outward. Old ideas have been questioned, new ones probed. Some ideas are now on production lines. Others are still flickers of light in an imagination. All offer opportunities for you to seek, to grow, and to accomplish. If you can dream it, you can do it Illinois Technograph November 1984 Volume 100, Issue 2 Newsstand $1 .25 FT a-. EXCHANGE DEPT. r:OA MAIN LIBRARY 4IV OF ILL 'TN- S. GLADHILL i,MPOS The Altgeld Bells ILJIIT .nl FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 5,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships^ The Hughes com- mitment to furthering your education and your career. More than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study in: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying for your l^aster's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opponunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree. Work Study Fellows work part-time during the academic year while studying at a nearby university. Full Study Fellows work in the summer and study full-time. And since Hughes is involved with more than 90 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available. In fact, an Engineering Rotation Program is available for those interested in diversifying their work experience. If you'd like assistance from a company committed to advancing the frontiers of technology, fill out and mail the coupon below. Or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept. NC, BIdg. C2/B168 P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245 Proof of U.S. Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROGRAM Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. NC BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials. HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY PLEASE PRINT: Name Address Date City State 1 am intpffistprl in obtaining a fvlaster's Engineer degree Zip nnrtnrate DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Rachelnr's Date FifiIri School Master's Dale Field School WRITE YOURSELF US. Citizenship Required _G.P.A.. G.P.A. IN SCfENCEXSCOPE Artificial intelligence, the programming that lets computers "think" almost like humans , is the focus of a new advanced technology center at Hughes Aircraft Company. The facility brings research and development efforts under one roof. Scientists and engineers will work closely with universities throughout the country to develop software and equipment. Finished systems will be able to make far more complex decisions than the simple "yes" or "no" decisions that traditional software programs require. Projects will include self-controlled systems and image understanding - both of which can be used in such applications as geological surveys from space, manufacturing technology, and defense. Satellite Business Systems will add two space craft to its constellation of four to provide U. S. businesses with voice, facsimile, teleconference, and high-speed data services. Like their predecessors, SBS-5 and SBS-6 will operate in the K'band frequency range. In addition to the standard 10 channels of 43 'MHz each found on earlier versions, the new spacecraft will carry four transponders with bandwidths of llO'MHz each. This feature nearly doubles the telecommunications capacity of SBS-1. The new satellites will allow SBS to serve Alaska and Hawaii for the first time. They are designed with a 10-year operational life instead of the current seven. The new spacecraft are based on the Hughes HS'376 model. This versatile drum-shaped satellite, with 30 versions sold, is the world's most popular commercial communications satellite. Development times for semicustom very large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuits have been cut from greater than one year to 20 weeks at an ult.ramodern computer-aided training and design center at the Hughes facility in Newport Beach. California. Utilizing advanced design automation software, a comprehensive library of predesigned logic functions (called Macros), and preprocessed wafers, the new facility is helping engineers design chips with 2,000 to 8,000 gates and with as many as 180 pins. New 3-micron dual-layer metal HCMOS processes are applied to both standard cell products and state- of-the-art gate arrays. Skilled design engineers and education specialists at the Newport Design Center provide training and technical support for IC designemhroughout thecompany. Hybrid integrated optical receivers have been developed by Hughes research scientists for transmitting microwave-modulated optical signals over fiber-optic links. The receivers are part of an effort to find inexpensive links for such applications as phased-array antennas, satellite ground stations, radars, and communications systems. Each receiver consists of a high-speed gallium arsenide Schottky photodiode developed at Hughes and a low-noise amplifier using commercial gallium arsenide field-effect transistors. These receivers are designed to operate at a modulation frequency of 3 GHz with a 1 GHz bandwidth. Their advantages over discrete components include better sensitivity, lower noise, and the elimination of ripples in the frequency response caused by impedance mismatch between detectors and commercial amplifiers. Hughes needs graduates with degrees in EE, ME, physics, computer science, and electronics technology To find out how to become involved in any one of 1,500 high-technology projects, ranging from submicron microelectronics to advanced large-scale electronics systems, contact Corporate College Relations Office, Hughes Aircraft Company, P.O. Box 1042. Dept. C2/B178-SS, El Segundo, CA 90245. Equal opportunity employer U.S. citizenship required. For more informalion write to: PO Box 11205. Manna del Rey, CA 90295 HUGHES Iinois Technograph 4 6 10 12 November 1984 Volume 100, Issue 2 Celebrating 100 years of publication Pool Hall Physics Lesson Carolyn A. Keen What may appear to be a simple but intriguing game of skill actually relies on a modem analysis of classical physics. Music Takes Toll on Altgeld Bells Ken Kuhiak The University's historic chime tower undergoes some modem renovations. Suppressing Skyscraper Sway Midwel Lind Wind-induced movement in modem skyscrapers can cause serious discomfort for high-rise tenants. New design ideas can provide effective, energy-efficient solutions to a moving problem. The Hard Selling of Software Jim O'Hagan Computer equipment is selling better than ever before, but without advanced marketing techniques, some fimis will be left behind. Departments Editorial 3, Tech Teasers 3, Technovisions 8, Technotes 11, Technovations 13, Techprofiles 15 On the cover: The hourly chimes sounded from Altgeld tower are a familiar sound, but a rare sight. These bells are now undergoing a renovation to restore the condition and pitch of their earlier days, (photo by Mike Brooks) m Eiditor: Langdon Alger Production Editor: Jim O'Hagan Business Manager: Mary Kay Flick Photo Editor: Dave Colburn Features Editor: Mary McDowell Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Design: Karen Peters Asst. Design: Charlie Mu.sto Publisher: E. Mayer Maloney, Jr. Production Manager; Geoff Bant Editorial Staff: Randy Aksamit. Richard Barber, Dee Bartholme, Peter Borowitz, Martin Brennan, Brian Castelli, Richard Chi, Thomas Chu, Sally Cohen, Dennis Franciskovich. Shelly Grist, Greg Haas, Raymond Hightower. Bob Janssens, Carolyn A. Keen, Andrew R. Koepke, Ken Kubiak, Caroline Kurita. Lesley Lee, Michael W. Lind, Kirt Nakagawa, Peter Nelson, Mike Schneider, Marco Sims, Kentaro Sugiyama, Tom Svrcek, Alfred Tadros. Laurie Taylor, J. Scott Woodland, Joseph Wyse Business Staff: Dennis Chen, Dahlon Chu, Dave Dunlap, Paul Langholz, Dave Rabin, Cliff Wyatt Copyright mini Media Co . 1984. Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760). Vol. 100 No. 2 November 1984. Illinois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the UniveRity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Published by Dltni Media Co.. 620 East John St., Oiampaign, Illinois. 61820. Editorial and Business offices of the Illinois Technograph. Room 302 Engineeiing Hall, Urbana, Illinois. 61801. phone (217) 333-3558. Advertising by Linel-Murray-Bamhill. Inc., 1328 Broadway, New York, N.Y.. 10001: 221 N. LaSaile Street, Chicago. U,, 60601. Entered as second class maner. October 30. 1920. at the post office at Ufbana, Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated. Tech Teasers Editorial 1 . A number of less than 30 digits ()egins with the two digits 1 and 5 on the eft: 15 . When it is multiplied by 5, the product is the same number, except le 1 and the 5 have been shifted to the ght: 15. What is this number? 2. What day of the week is the 13th of the month most likely to fall on? 3. What was double Nobel prize winner Marie Curie's maiden name? 4. A foreign intelligence agent must send all of his reports to secret headquar- ters through a square chute hidden behind a picture of Whistler's Mother in his liv- ing room. The chute can accomodate any package where the length plus the greatest width (measured transversely) is not grea- ter than 72 inches. What is the area of this chute? 5. What two integers, one the square of the other, together contain each of the digits 1 through 9 only once? There are two solutions. 6. During Hell Week, a fraternity pledge is taken to a large field and tied with a 100 foot rope to a tower that is 100 feet in diameter. His brothers tell him that he must paint as much of the field as possible in the fraternity colors. What is the maximum area the pledge will be able to paint? 7. When an electron is emitted from its nucleus, in what direction does it spin? answers on page 16 Discriminating Reversals About a year ago, when a female rugby-playing friend of mine was stilJ going to the University, I had the pleasure of joining her while she dropped by a meeting for the team captains of two rug- by teams. ■"What is that?" one of the captains asked aloud upon my entrance to the room. She immediately confirmed what my friend had told me before; she was an avowed male-hater. It is not often that a white male gets the "opportunity" to experience even such a minor form of discrimination. Af- ter it happened, I more fully realized how important the abolishment of any type of discrimination really is. But then 1 started interviewing through the College of Engineering, was introduced to reverse discrimination, and changed my attitude. 1 have heard about some companies that come down here for special inter- views with women and minorities only. I know that quotas are passed down from corporations" higher eschelons to their in- terviewers, stating how many women and minority members must be hired. I also have heard that some companies receive tax breaks for hiring women and minor- ities. All this is happening because people are fighting fire with fire. In order to halt the discrimination against women and minorities, reverse discrimination has been implemented. It is a vicious tradeoff, but I think that it is the only way the situation can be handled. Engineers Greg and Marsha are a good illustrative example as to why. Mar- sha is smarter than Greg, and she is his- panic. Greg went to a much better high school, has better grades and has had two summer engineering jobs. He is white. Marsha has had a more difficult time with college due to her poor primary educa- tion. Because of this, she has had to attend summer school every year, ruining her chances for a summer internship. Who should the corporation they are both inter- viewing with hire? Certainly Greg, because he has better grades and more job experience. But Mar- sha is smarter, and may also be the best engineer ever to come into existence. Here is the basis of the problem. The solution? Start hiring the Mar- sha's that apply for these jobs, because they deserve the opportunity, and may be the best for the job once given a chance. The incurred problem is the Greg's who begin to find jobs scarce, because of the growing benefits for companies who hire minorities and women. It is unfair for today's white males to have to pay for the immoral acts of yesterday's discriminators, but it is more fair to discriminate against the people who have previously received the advantages than to continue discriminating against those who have always been unjustly tre- ated. Besides, eventually the score will even out, and comparatively equal num- bers of all the different kinds of people will have the opportunities and education- al availabilities that the white male has to- day. Then the corporations will once again be able to hire the person who is best suited to the job, and they will truly be "equal opportunity employers." Illinois Technograph invites letters in response to its articles and editorials, or any other items of in- terest to our readership. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Letters must be signed, but names will be with- held upon request. O Carolyn A. Keen Pool Hall Physics To an Inexperienced player of pool or billiards, the paths and collisions of balls on the table seem random and unpredictable. Behind the motion however, lie some fascinating applications of modern physics. Ever since the inception of the bil- liards game, players have incorporated the fundamentals of classical mechanics and Physics 106 into some extraordinary shots and maneuvers with the billiard ball. To the average observer, billiard balls would appear to collide and rebound along per- fect vector trajectories. But the experi- enced billiards player takes into account all of the imperfect conditions that New- ton did not, namely the nap of the cloth, resiliency of the rails and the effects of spin on the ball. It is this application of spin to the ball that explains the many dazzling tricks of practiced players. Susan Wrightson, three-time Big Ten pool champion and University billiards instructor, said, "Understanding this element of spin leads to the control and finesse that separates the average player from the ace." Assume that the stroke of the cue stick is applied somewhere along the ver- tical line that drops through the ball's cen- ter of mass. The actual location of contact along the line has no effect on the initial horizontal velocity and momentum, which are determined simply by the time and magnitude of force imparted by the cue. Rather, this spot on the vertical axis determines the torque which forces the ball to rotate about its center of mass. The magnitude and direction of torque is equal to the cross product of the lever arm and force, T= rx F. The lever arm represents the vertical difference between the midde of the ball and the location where the cue stick hits, while foce is determined by the blow of he cue. This torque, which in- creases with r or F, is directly proportion- al to the spin of the ball by T= Iw where I represents the moment of inertia for the ball, as derived from the ball's mass and geometry, I = 2''mr2 ^ player who desires a non-spinning cue ball then, should strike the ball at its center because the lever arm, and thus the torque, is equal to zero. A stroke higher on the ball creates a measurable torque and "topspin" about the horizontal axis. The force of friction on the tabletop opposes the sliding spin of the ball and tends to slow down the spin. However, since this frictional force is in the opposite direction from the player, it helps to propel the ball forward. Conse- quently, a ball given topspin rolls for a longer time because of the additional propulsive force of friction. Eventually topspin is eliminated by friction and the ball will roll smoothly without sliding. "Backspin" is similarly implemented but with the cue striking toward the bot- tom of the vertical axis through the cue ball. In the case of backspin, friction again slows down the spin, but because the frictional force is in the opposite direc- tion it also opposes the forward movement of the center of mass. Like topspin, back- spin is soon eliminated in the course of the roll and the billiard ball moves ^ki smoothly forward without sliding. ^^' Obviously a cue ball given backspin will only run for a short time since friction ^ | opposes both rotational and translational " ' motion of the center of mass. A skilled player will probably imple- ment various spins and rotations to benefit collisions with other balls, called object balls. In any collision, little of the cue ball's spin is transferred to object balls be- cause the balls are in contact for only an instant with virtually no friction between them. Only great friction between the balls would transfer rotation. Consider a cue ball skidding with topspin. After it collides head-on with an object ball, the cue ball will stop for a moment, but then continue to roll for- ward. This is because the cue ball con- tinues to spin just after the collision even though the center of mass is motionless. Friction eventually eliminates the spin and propels the ball smoothly forward. With- out the additional spin, the cue ball would have remained stationary. This can also be thought of in terms of energy and momentum conservation. Translational energy and translational momentum are transferred in a head-on collision between the cue ball and object ball, but not rotational energy or rotational momentum. This also applies to the case of the cue ball given backspin which will return to the player after hitting the object ball head-on. "Side English" is another spin that affects a billiard ball's motion and changes its properties during collisions. Side English is applied initially when a player strikes the ball somewhere else than along the vertical line through the center of mass. Such a stroke will result in a non-horizontal rotation or spin, but # Figure 1. Running English causes a wider rebound angle and increases ball speed after reflection (all photos by Dave Colburn). Figure 2. Reverse English causes a steeper rebound angle and decreases ball speed. Figure 3. The "cling effect" causes two balls to rebound at an angle smaller than the 90 degrees theoretically predicted. Figure 4. Topspin, imparted by striking the cue ball above its center, causes a large decrease In the rebound angle. Figure 5. A mass6 shot. The sharpness of the curve depends on the amount of English applied and the speed of the cue ball. Figure 6. A mass6 shot with considerably more English. Note that the spin is reoriented as the ball curves, and sidespin Is converted to topspin. with the axis still passing through the cen- ter of mass. Just as before, the rate of spin is determined by the torque. If the location of the cue stroke is below the middle and to right of center, the resulting rotation can be likened to two simultaneous motions: one counter- clockwise vertical spin and one horizontal backspin. A cue ball with side English in- itially travels in a straight line like any other spinning ball, but once friction eradicates the skidding and sliding, the ball will be propelled by the remaining side spin, resulting in a slightly curved path. Though a cue ball hit with side En- glish will deviate slightly from a straight path, the main use of this spin is in its ap- plication to collisions. When a bilhard ball imparted with side English strikes a rail, its behavior is radically different from that which an observer would expect. The angle of reflection off the rail can be in- • creased or decreased, depending on whether the side English is imparted from the left or right of center. Side English can also be created mid-shot. A cue ball with no initially ap- plied English will rebound off the rail at the same angle it struck, as the laws of physics dictate, but the substantial friction from the rail creates torque and gives the ball English after the collision. Side En- glish can be also obtained mid-shot when a cue ball with top or backspin hits an ob- ject ball off-center, hi this case, the cue ball's spin maintains its original orienta- tion even though the ball veers off at another angle. Top or backspin becomes sidespin, which partially deflects the ball's path from a straight line. The most intriguing curve shot, cal- led the masse, is used to make the cue ball go completely around another obsta- cle ball. The player must strike the cue ball with the cue stick in an almost vertic- al position. The masse shot is mainly for show or tournament play, although the masse can be easily understood using analysis similar to that above. One can predict where the balls will go after the collision, especially when the cue ball has no English. If the collision is head-on, almost a complete transfer of momentum and translational energy from the cue ball to the object ball takes place. In a glancing collision, the two balls will separate in paths approximately 90° from each other. Actually, a small amount of energy is lost by the two balls in the colli- sion and hence the angle between their paths is slightly less than 90°. To predict the directions each ball will take, imagine the instant of collision and mentally draw a line between the two balls' centers. At this contact point, two forces will be acting, the first being the force of friction, which acts perpendicular- ly to the line between the centers. Howev- er, this force is so minute it can be almost disregarded. The second force from the cue ball is parallel to the line and pushes the object ball off in that direction, with the cue ball veering off perpendicularly to the object ball. Direction can thus be manipulated according to the point of con- tact and the orientation of the centers of the colliding billiard balls. Of course the situation is further complicated and predic- tions are more difficult as spin and En- glish are applied in varying degrees. Certainly academic knowledge of physics will not win billiards tournaments, but its proper application combined with practical experience will improve one's mastery of the game. ■ Ken Kubiak Music Takes Toll on Altgeld Bells The Altgeld Tower chimes and the daily chimes concerts featuring them have been a tradition at the University ol Illinois since the dedication of the bells in 1920. The bells are currently undergoing restoration in order to make them easier to play. The Altgeld Tower bells, which faithfully mark the time every quarter hour, have recently found themselves in need of renovation. Dating back to 1920, the bells were last renovated in 1955. The bells, operated by a clavier lo- cated in the performing room, are located seven stories above ground level in Altgeld Tower. The clavier consists of a 7 foot long bank of 18 wooden levers which are connected to the bells themselves, as high as 68 feet above the performing room. When one of these levers is de- The familiar ringing of the Altgeld chimes is accomplished with a hammer and clapper system as seen on the left. Seen above is the aircraft cable and pulley system used for moving the clapper (photos by Mike Brooks). pressed, it moves a clapper inside the bell, ringing it. There is also a practice clavier in the performing room which is identical to the performing clavier except that it generates sound by hitting metallic bars, so that chimesplayers may practice in privacy. The range of chimes extends one and a half octaves from D to G. However, three notes, low D sharp and both F natu- rals, are missing from the set of bells. This is because when the bells were in- stalled in 1920, only those bells needed to play "TUinois Loyalty" were included. Due to the limited range of the instrument and the tone vacancies, music must be transposed to those keys not containing F natural, such as D and G. Other notes are either raised or lowered an octave, re- placed, or omitted. The ringing of the chimes every quarter hour is done automatically by a clock mechanism located on the perfonn- ing room roof. The electric clockwork is connected to separate hammers located on the bells' exteriors. There are five such hammers, four for the tune and one for the hourly gong. Prior to the renovations, the clavier levers were attached to long vertical rods which extended up through the open tow- er. At the top of the tower, these rods were connected to chains which then wrapped over pulleys and were finally attached to the clappers inside the bells. Exposure to the elements caused the chains to rust, hindering their motion and j sometimes causing them to bre;ik entirely. The rods became bent, making the chimes Albert Marien. Head Chimesmaster at the University for over 25 years, demonstrates use of the carilllon which controls the bells in the Altgeld chime tov»er (photos by Mike Brooks). o still more difficult to play. The rods and chains made such a clatter that they dis- tracted the chimesplayers. The largest portion of the current modifications involves replacing these rods and chains with lightweight aircraft cable, making the mechanism quieter and more reliable while affording the chimes- players greater control of their playing. Dave Knickel, a chimesplayer, says this modification makes the chimes easier to play since the mechanism requires less force, is less noisy, and is not prone to the mid-concert breaking that plagued the earlier system. While replacing the rods and chains improves the mechanical nature of the chimes, other changes are needed to im- prove the sound of the bells. The clappers and bells are both worn at the spot where they had been hitting each other for 30 years. This wear prevents the bells from producing the exact pitch when struck. The surface of the dented clappers must be reshaped while the bells themselves, which are anchored to large wooden beams, are spun so that the hammers and clappers hit them in a different spot. The latter is no small task — the largest bell is five feet in diameter and weighs over one and a half tons. Other improvements will be made to the clavier itself such as attaching pedals to the lower notes of the keyboard so that they may be played with the feet. However, there are still many un- scheduled improvements that could be made to the chimes. Chimesmaster Albert E. Marien said, "Money is being col- lected in the U. of I. Foundation for a major renovation of the bells." Money for the minor renovation of the bells was sup- plied by the Panhellenic Council. Marien began giving chimes concerts on an electric carillon while teaching at Berry College, a co-educational self-help college located in the Blue Ridge Moun- tains of Georgia. After joining the Uni- versity staff, he was invited by Mr. Duane Branigan, former director of the School of Music, to play concerts on the Altged Tower chimes. Besides sounding the time with the traditional four-note Big Ben tune, the bells are used for concerts given at 1 1:50 and 12;50 daily by Marien and his staff of chimesplayers. Special chimes concerts are given on Quad Day, during Home- coming week, on the Illini Union Anniversary, U. of I. Founder's Day, and on Graduation Eve following the Presi- dent's Concert for Graduates. Requested songs such as "Happy Birthday" will be played during the daily concerts for a nominal charse. ■ Mixing it up with James The dance tloor is crowded and hopping. Lights are flashing and spinning to set the mood for the music. Behind the scenes making it all happen is University student James Kang — creating an atmosphere that even the most ardent non-dancer succumbs to. Below: James cues up a song on one of his two special turntables. The computerized turntables are designed for mixing. Center: Headphones plugged into the mixing board allow set up of the next song even with the noisy background. Above right: Lights tied to the ceiling will be switched in synch by James. Below right: James combines two identical songs slightly out of phase to create an echo effect, (photos by Dave Colburn) Technovisions • m 1 WM- ^_ " ■WiM|iilftli^'jJMt-.|-^ -,^^^ ^^ i^V'^- n ^B . HM^ % jn^^s"®*:^ ^^Tw^r^ 2^f!^^^BBi ■^^"^ e ■ Q -J Michael Lind Suppressing Skyscraper Sway As skyscrapers con- tinue soaring to diz- zying heights, the chal- lenges to maintain their stability are ever present. The engineers and architects who de- sign these miniature worlds are always con- sidering new techni- ques to reduce build- ing sway. High-rises have always pi^sented special problems to designers. Steel col- umns erected on the lower floors must support the upper stories. Essential ser- vices, such as heating, cooling, water, electricity and transportation within the building must be provided to serve the re- sidents of the building. Wind must be compensated for, as it can play havoc with a one-thousand foot high structure. In addition to solving such problems, costs must remain low. Traditionally, the strategic use of steel has compensated for the forces of the wind. In addition to standard rectangu- lar steel frames, engineers have success- fully used internal bracing to suppress wind stress in tall structures. Thinner steel columns can then be used, but interior space is reduced. A different approach was used by designers of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. Characteristic of this building, large X-tiusses dominate the exterior walls. These trusses reduce stress on the interior walls and leave more usable space inside. Although both methods use steel economically and efficiently, tremendous amounts of the metal must still be used. To combat this, several new methods Illustration of a Semi-Active System to Reduce Building Sway Exterior Walls of Building Motor to take up slack Hydraulic Brake to provide drag Acceierometer to detect building motion; triggers brake or motor ■ ^9 fi"^ ' ■ • ■ ■ ■ • ■ ■ ■ ■ Source: Michael Lind have been developed which concentrate on controlling a building's sway, rather than just preventing excessive sway. One method was used in the World Trade Center in New York City. There, 10,000 shock absorbers decrease building sway and increase occupant comfort. Another technique, where large mas- ses are installed on the upper floors of buildings, is the tuned mass damper (TMD). In the Citicorp Center in New York, an 800,000 pound block of con- crete is connected to gas-charged springs, which have controOable compressibilities. The block is moved in response to wind- induced acceleration in the skyscraper. By moving the block in a direction opposite to the movement of the building, the swaying is reduced. In Boston, the Han- cock Center uses a similar configuration, replacing the concrete with two seventeen- foot square pieces of lead which are each three feet thick. While TMD's do decrease building sway, they have large disadvantages. Of most concern is the concentration of mass at the top of the building. To significantly suppress movement, a TMD may have a mass as great as one percent of the total mass of the strucuire. Each floor below the damper must be able to support the weight; consequently more steel must be used in the lower floors. Another problem is the amount of power required to move a TMD, which can add to the operating costs of the skyscraper. Richard E. Klein, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University, has been studying methods of semi- actively reducing building sway which do not consume vast amounts of power. An obvious solution, though not the easiest to implement, is to exploit the power of the wind. One way to accomplish this is to use aerodynamic appendages. With little continued on page 14 10 Tech notes NIL) to Join Engineering Ranl'. He cur- rently teaches the honors section of G.E. 103, as well as carrying out research in the solid geometric modeling area of CAD/CAM. Fleck's research concentrates on the mass property analysis and the interface between solid and boundary representa- tions of objects. Pleck previously resear- ched theories of decelerative metal cutting and its application to energy management systems like energy-absorbing bumpers. Pleck also did varied work in computer graphics. Pleck, who was once a visiting scho- lar at Hokkaido University in Sapparo, Japan, has received several awards for his outstanding instructional abilities. Pleck was presented with the CoOege's Everitt Award and the Jaycee's Outstanding Young Educator Award in 1974 and 1977. respectively. Pleck also received the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Award for contribu- ions in teaching, research, and student development in 1980. and in 1983 the ASEE Western Electric Fund Award for excellence in instruction. J. Scott Woodland Dr. Michael C. Loui received his B.S. degree in mathematics from Yale Uni- versity in 1975. He went on to attend the Massechusetts Institute of Technology where he earned his master's in electrical engineering/computer science in 1977, and his Ph.D. in computer science in 1980. Loui came to the University in Janu- ary 1981 as an assistant professor of elec- trical engineering. In his own words, he endeavors "to educate students to read critically, reason logically, and write clearly." He does not make students blindly memorize facts and formulas; in- stead he teaches concepts. Loui is currently investigating va- rious methods that can be used to increase the computation sp)eed of digital compu- ters. He has worked with sorting algor- ithms, array simulation, and distributed computation. In the future, he will con- tinue his research in combinatorial opti- mization. When one considers the amount of time Loui spends with teaching and re- search, it is surprising to find that he has time for non-academic interests. Loui the artist composes music for the piano, sings in operas, and performs in plays. He also enjoys cycling, swimming, square danc- ing, and ballroom dancing. Raymond Hightower Peter Yankwich acquired his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1943. He received his Ph.D. at the same university in 1945. From 1945 to 1948 at Berkeley, Yankwich was an instructor teaching general chemistry as well as a scientist re- searching in the radiation laboratory. Since his arrival here in 1948, Yank- wich has worked on two major research projects which have accounted for a large portion of his 80 publications. During a span of 10 years, he studied the chemical effects of nuclear transformations. His second major project, which encompassed 25 years, examined the effects of isotope substitutions on reaction rates. More re- cently, he has studied enzyme reactions. Between the years 1977 and 1982, Yankwich served the University in the capacity of Vice President of Academic Affairs. Reflecting on his former position, Yankwich feels that students should not only study subjects deeply, but also study them broadly in order to be successful in post-university life. Pete Borowitz 15 If you are a college freshman or sophomore in good academic standing, the Naval ROTC Program can be your chance for the experience of a lifetime. The Naval ROTC Program can provide you a path to great career opportunities, and also assistance now in your college education. Naval ROTC Scholarships and College Program opportunities are available now. Let us give you the whole NROTC picture.Contact: CDR DAVID POWELL 236 Armory BIdg. Phone:333-1061/1062 WE CAN PUT YOU IN THIS PICTURE SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS • Full tuition and fees • Book expenses • $100 subsistence/month • "Hands On" training during summer cruises onboard Navy ships and installations As a commissioned Naval or Marine Officer you can start immediately with: • $18,000/year Basic income increasing to as much as $26,000/year in four years. • Specialized training fields of Nuclear Submarines Naval and Marine Corps Aviation Surface Warfare U.S. Marine Corps m #1 ILLINI MEDIA COMPANY Student Operated Media at the University of Illinois 620 East John Street Champaign, IL 61820 217/333-3733 '"°^ Technograph illini v\/PGU from page 3 Tech Teasers Answers 1. 157.894.736,842.105,263. 2. Friday. 3. Sklodowska. 4. 353.703 square inches. 5. 567 and 321489; 854 and 729316. 6. 22,374.63 square feet. 7. In the left handed sense, i.e. in the direction that the fingers of the left hand curl when the thumb is pointed in the direction of the electron's motion. f 16 OUR SCHOLARSHIP HELPS YOU BEGIN YOUR CAREER AS A LEADING ENGINEER. An engineering degree will take you far in today's high-tech Army. And with an Army ROTC scholarship, earning that degree can he both less expensive and more valuable. The scholarship not only pays your entire tuition, regardless of the amount, but also required fees, an amount for books and supplies, and up to $1,000 each school year for living expenses. It's an excellent scholarship. And it gets you a lot more than an engineering degree. Along with your regular courses, you'll take Army ROTC classes and learn about motivating people, analyzing situations, making confident, informeci ciecisions, and reaching defined goals. In short, you'll learn leadership and management skills that can't help but enhance your opportunities in the future. And you'U put your skills to work right away, because you're commissioned in the Army as a second lieutenant when you graduate. If you'd like an education in leadership and manage- ment to go along with your engineering degree, find out more about Army ROTC. Contact your Professor of Military Science at the Univ. ot Illinois, 333-1550. ARMY ROTC. BEALLYOUCANBE. 888B w w P^^~— ^^II^H 1 1 T i \^^s^^3 ^ P '^^ ft'JB % Create computers that capture the mysteries of common sense. The brain does it naturally It wonders It thinks with spon- taneity-advantages we haven't been able to give computers. We've made them "smart',' able to make sophisticated calcula- tions at very fast speeds. But we have yet to get them to act with insight, instinct, and intuition. But what if we could devise ways to probe into the inner na- ture of human thoughf^ So com- puters could follow the same rationale and reach the same conclusions a person would What if we could actually design computers to capture the myster- ies of common sense'^ At GE, we've already begun to implement advances in knowl- edge engineering We are cod- ifying the knowledge, intuition and experience of expert engi- neers and technicians into com- puter algorithms for diagnostic troubleshooting. At present, we are applying this breakthrough to diesel electric locomotive sys- tems to reduce the number of engine teardowns for factory repair as well as adapting this technology to affect savings in other areas of manufacturing We are also looking at parallel processing, a method that divides problems into parts and attacks them simultaneously rather than sequentially the way the human brain might While extending technology and application of computer systems is important, the real excitement and the challenge of knowledge engineering is its conception At the heart of all expert systems are master engi- neers and technicians, preserv- ing their knowledge and experience, questioning their logic and dissecting their dreams. As one young employee said, "At GE, we're not |ust shap- ing machines and technology We're shaping opportunity " Thinking about the possibili- ties IS the first step to making things happen And it all starts with an eagerness to dream, a willingness to dare and the determination to make visions, reality An equal opportunity employer If you can dream it, you can do it. Vr^ Illinois Technograph December 1984 Volume 100, Issue 3 Newsstand $1 .25 GIFT ;l'. EXCHANGE DEFT 314 mm LIBRARY UNIV OF ILL ATTN; PENNY BAILEY CAMPUS DMiU W » « — I o « » *^ v«*«WHP*'^ ' ' Laser Scanners Develop your expertise in the key areas where demand will remain high Energy. Comfort. Security. Foi nedily 100 vkJ's, Johnson Controls Systems and Services Division has been the industiy's uniguelv-quahfied sinqle source for building con- trol systerns that conserve energy, maintain com- fort, and protect life and property. We continue to address the growing demand in these vita! areas through a complex network of 120 branch offices in large and small cities across the country. To Intensify our efforts, we seek talented engineers possessing BSEE/BSME degrees: Sales Engineer In conjunction with Consulting Engineers, you will evaluate building needs and assist in writing specifi- cations and designing control systems. You will assume total project responsibility - from sale through system installation and warranty. This challenging position affords the opportunity to utilize your engineering talents while you develop strong interpersonal/communications skills. Application Engineer You will participate in the design and logistics of building automation systems after the sale. Work- ing with Sales Engineers, you will prepare custom- designed systems and maintain responsibility for procurement of factory materials and custom assemblies from both Johnson and outside suppliers. Control Systems Engineer You will assist Application and Sales Engineers in the execution of engineering designs for pneumatic, electronic and fully computerized systems. You will explore the current developments and practices in the control industry as you learn to develop auto- mation specifications, estimate costs and prepare proposals. Join Johnson Controls and share in the develop- ment and application of new and essential tech- nology. These positions offer rapid career pro- gression and an attractive salary/benefits package. Johnson Controls, Inc., Systems & Services Division, P.O. Box 423, IVlilwaukee, Wl 53201 . • We will be on campus interviewing March 4, 5, 6. For further consideration, please contact your placement office. We Are An Equal Oppon JQHNSON CONTROLS Systems & Services Division • Who'd let a 23-year-old work with the worlds most sophisticated laser system? Or evaluate primary sensor performances of multimillion dollar satellites? Or manage millions of dollars a year in defense contracts? The Air Force, that's who. If you're a talented, motivated electrical engineer or plan to be, you don't have to wait to work with the newest, most sophisticated technology around. You can do it now, as an Air Force officer working as an electrical engineer. Don't get us wrong. We don't hand it to you on a silver platter. You have to work for it. Hard. But if you do, we'll give you all the responsibility you can handle. And reward you well for taking it. You'll get housing, medical and dental care — and excellent pay that increases as you rise in rank. Plus there are opportunities to attend graduate school. If you're qualified and selected, we'll pay 75% of your tuition. Those with special qualifications can even study full time, at no cost. So plug into the Air Force. Because when it comes to technology, the Air Force can help you achieve great sophistication at a very tender age. For more information call toll-free 1-800-423-USAF (in California 1-800-232- USAF). Better yet, send your resume to HRS/RSAANE, Randolph AFB,TX 78150. There's no obligation. AIM HIGH AIR FORCE A great place for engineers Iinois Technograph December 1984 Volume 100, Issue 3 Celebrating 100 years of publication 4 6 8 10 Electronic Protection Man Kay Flick Security is already a bcximing business, but new advances in electonics make systems mcire secure than ever before. Supermarket Super-Scanners Randy Aksamii Laser technology has reached the local grocery store, using advanced electronics for identifying and pricing groceries. High-Tech Piracy Marco Sims New equipment has allowed wider choice for television viewers and music listeners. Now consumers and industry must deal with the difficult legal questions of rights and profits. Is There A Need for Technical Writing? Pete Nelson The need for engineers to communicate has raised questions of the writing abilities of college graduates. Departments Editorial 3, Tech Teasers 3, Technovisions 7, Technotes 9. Technovations 1 1 , Techprofiles 1 3 On the cover: iMser scanners reduce checkout time and eliminates the need for individually priced items — benefitting the consumer and supermarket alike. Scanner courtesy of Diana Foods, 400 S. Broadway. Urbana (photo by Dave Colburn). Editor: Langdon Alger Production Editor: Jim O'Hagan Business Manager: Mary Kay Flick Photo Editor: Dave Colburn FeaUires Editor: Mary McDowell Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Design: Karen Peters Asst. Design: Charlie Musto Publisher: E. Mayer Maloney. Jr. Production Manager: Geoff Bant Editorial Staff: Randy Aksamit. Richard Barber, Dee Bartholme, Ron Blum, Peter Horowitz, Martin Brenncm, Brian Castelli. Richard Chi, Thomas Chu, Sally Cohen, Denis Fahey, Dennis Franciskovich, Shelly Grist. Greg Haas, Raymond Hightower, Bob Janssens. Carolyn A. Keen. Andrew R. Koepke. Ken Kubiak, Caroline Kurita. Lesley Lee. Michael W. Lind. Kirt Nakagawa. Peter Nelson, Lisa Reynolds, Mike Schneider, Marco Sims, Jeffrey D. Sprundel Kentaro Sugiyama, Tom Svrcek, Alfred Tadros, Laurie Taylor, J . Scott Woodland, Joseph Wyse Business Staff: Dennis Chen, Dahlon Chu. Dave Dunlap. Paul Lan^holz. Dave Rabin, cuff Wyatt Illinois Technograph invites letters in response to its articles and editorials, or any other Items of in- terest to our readership. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Letters must be signed, but names will be with- held upon request. Cop)Tighi Dlini Media Co.. 1984. Illinois Technof^raph (USPS 258-76(.)). Vol. 100 No. 3 December 1984. Illinois Technograph is published five limes during the academic \ear at the Universitj' of Illinois at t'rbana-Champaign. Published by niini Media Co.. 620 E^t John St., Champaign, Illinois, 61820, Editonal and Business offices of the Illinois Technograph: Room 302 Engineering Hall. Urbana, Illinois. 61801, phone (217) 333-3558. Advertising bv Linel-Munay-Bamhill, Inc., 1328 Broadway, New York, N.Y., lOOOI; 221 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, II., 60601. Entered as second class matter. October 30. 1920, at the post ofTice at Uibana. Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated. (ATech Teasers Editorial 1. What is the least multiple of seventeen which, when divided by any of 2,3,4 16 leaves 1 as a remainder? 2. What famous scientist is credited with saying, "Anything that won't sell, I don't want to invent." 3. Due to an EPA crackdown, Santa Claus can no longer distribute bituminous coal, readily found in the North Pole, to bad children, but must instead use anthra- cite coal. To find this rarer type, he sends two elves to search an area in southern Illinois so that the stockings of naughty kids might be tilled. They must search ev- ery square on the map except the central square, which is a small pond. They can proceed horizontally and vertically but not diagonally, and only one elf can search each square once. The first elf goes from A to B, the second from B to A. Draw their paths so that each one passes through the same number of squares. answers on page 12 o The Write Solution All across the country, engineering schools are finding renewed interests in revamping their graduation requirements. The dilemma is that few schools are touching the surface, much less the roots, of the problem. College is supposed to be a place where sOidents take their groundwork and polish it in some reasonably specialized area. So why aren't all entering freshman at the University fluent writers and articu- late orators'? Perhaps because they didn't get enough liberal arts classes in high school. Partly because of this our current en- gineering students are considered semi- literate. But how can this be? After all, the technical student here at the University already has to take Rhetoric 105 as well as 18 hours of humanities and social sci- ences electives. So why doesn't he com- municate well? Because the engineering students and faculty don't take the requirements seriously. Many advisors treat the humani- ties and social sciences as courses to get out of the way, so that the degree can be obtained. The soidents choose ■"blow-off" courses like Music 100 and Classical Civilizations. The unwritten rule for the engineer is "if it doesn't require any writ- ten papers, I'll take it." So how are more humanities and social science require- ments going to help when they're faced with this kind of oppostion? The first of four parts to the only feasible solution for all these related prob- lems is to put more emphasis on writing, grammar, and oral communication in high school curricula. The best time to teach people how do deal with others on intelli- gent levels is while they are young, and not after they think they have made up their minds about their future. Once in college, they should be able to apply their already excellent communicative talents to their respective areas of study. Number two is a concerted attempt by advisors, administration, and the stu- dents to get rid of anything that isolates engineers from the rest of the University. Specifically, this includes the abolishment of specialized Rhetoric sections for en- gineers only. A big part of the ability to communicate comes from looking at situa- tions from all different angles. When you are always with engineers, you can't help but keep a technically one-sided view on life. When you are exposed to students of different majors, and are forced to com- plete with them for grades in subjects that are not always technical in nature, you can become more broad-minded. Although it is necessary to learn to write and talk about subjects that are not technical, the same skills must be streng- thened in the technical areas. Engineers will have to write technical reports and give oral presentations of projects, and practice is best obtained in college. There are a few engineering classes that current- ly require some sort(s) of paper writing or oral reporting, but all basic technical re- quirements should include some form of technical paper and/or spoken report as part of the grade. And there is the final part of the solution: student/advisor-defined electives. Currently, most engineering curricula have space for 6 hours of free electives. Why not change the system so that these 6 hours can only be fulfilled by consent of both the advisor and the student? Ideally, the student should think about and re- search the various ways the free hours could be used. The student would then talk to her advisor, and they would mutually agree on what is best for the stu- dent. The end result of this four-phased solution would not only be engineers who can write and speak well, but students who are happy with their education and ready for the future. Mary Kay Flick Electronic Protection since the Egyptians invented Iteys centuries ago, technology has played an important role in helping people to feel secure. Now, with the development of advanced electronics, innovative and custom-made security systems allow businesses and homeowners to protect their property. A man dressed in black pants, a hat and gloves, and a dark sweater slithers through bushes around a modem well-kept home. He is a professional, seasoned by years of trial-and-error. The man is a cat burglar. Every night this man fights an uphill battle to earn his livelihood. However, his biggest enemy is not the law; it is technology. The effects of the technological re- volution have reached far into countless industries, including the security industry. It is estimated that 1 out of every 20 homes will be burglarized this year with a projected property loss totaling 8.5 million dollars. As homeowners become in- creasingly frustrated with the ineffective- ness of local law enforcement officials, they have turned to highly sophisticated electronic security systems. This trend began in 1976 with the launching of home smoke detector sales. This year, home burglar alarms may enter the security appliance market. A uidely varied market, security systems vary by the needs and budgets of security custom- ers. Virtually endless combinations of components can be tailored into remark- ably efficient entry deterrents. Security systems employ various techniques to deter an intruder. The sys- tem's actual tactics depend on its purpose. Some systems may simply wish to give a would-be intruder the idea that a residence is occupied — thus discouraging a burglarv' attempt. Others actually try to catch the crook as he enters a building. Variable light timers have been around for a long time; however, these may eventually be discerned by a deter- mined thief. Therefore, adding the ele- ment of surprise to the power of light may create an effective barrier to a criminal. Colorado Electro-Optics, Inc. has such a system. It is a passive infrared sensor which detects changes in thermal radiation and then activates flood lights. So, when an intruder enters the 25 by 40 foot detec- tion range, it activates external lighting as if the resident were about to come out- side. It is a fairly simple system with powerful implications. Similarly, other systems seek to warn residents of approaching persons. Metal detecting sensors can be buried under- ground to warn of approaching vehicles. This system consists of a sensor tied by coaxial cable to a warning device. As a vehicle approaches, the sensor sends a signal to any combination of sirens, lights, or bells. This system can be used either as a deterrent or simply to signal approaching visitors. Buried sensors may alternatively use different detection techniques of discov- ery. Another system uses a sensor buried four to six inches underground which cre- ates a shield of electrical energy that spe- cifically detects human intrusion. The accuracy of the sensor can be increased if it is made insensitive to seismic or press- ure changes, and to intrusions by small animals. These types of security systems are set off before a thief reaches a home or business facility. In contrast, many sys- tems are triggered only when a criminal actually breaks into a building. These de- vices may signal entry by detecting glass breakage, interruption of an infrared field, photoelectric beam, or electronic circuit, or simply with a closed circuit television ' system. Closed circuit television (CCTV) has been used for many years. However, poor visibility in low light situations has always been a problem. Cameras have now been developed which can record activity in what is completely dark to the naked eye. Nevertheless, CCTV is still an expensive security system because of the cost of constant surveillance personnel. Therefore, it is often used with other types of detec- tors so that fewer people are required to monitor the system. Such detectors may include shock detection devices. TTiese are placed in strategic locations about windows, doors and other entry points. The first devices of this type consisted of foil strips which ran around window perimeters, or foil patches placed on windows. However, since these are easily discovered by in- truders, a move was made to develop more concealable shock detectors. There- fore, small sensors, usually about an inch big, were developed to be placed on win- dows. The prototypes responded to changes in conditions which caused exces- sive false alarms. The current shock de- tectors respond to the frequency of break- ing glass or to changes in resistance of a weighted crossbar within the sensor. These sensors may be hardwired into the rest of a facility's security system. An alternate system to shock detec- tors might utilize alarm screens. The screens look like ordinary window screen- ing, but have small wires woven into them in vertical or horizontal pattems. Ilustration of Typical Security Coverage in a Building I |SateT ~ Remote Digital Keypad O Passive Infrared T Siren Speaker Photoelectric Bea (Receiver) Photoelectric Bean (Transmitter) ■«■ .*- Beam Path Source: After Security Distributing and Marlteting, July 1984. When a screen is cut. a circuit is broken which triggers an alarm. These devices have the advantage of being camouflaged against intruders. Many systems simply try to control access to certain areas. Barriers are cre- ated by placing limited access control un- its at points of entry. These usually con- sist of a telephone-style keypad or an electronic magnetic tape card reader. A person authorized for entry simply inserts a card into the unit and types in his access code. The unit may stand alone or be connected with many others by a small # o programmable microprecessor. The sys- tem can be programmed to disallow repe- ated tries at entering codes, thus dis- couraging random code entering. Perhaps the most invisible systems use passive infrared (PIR) devices. The systems consist of a detector unit which drops either a spoked or blanket pattern of infrared energy. When an intruder breaks the infrared curtain, he triggers an imba- lance in the infrared energy, which can set off sirens, send calls to police, or alert the homeowner to the prescence of an in- truder. The greatest problem with PIR systems is their susceptibility to false alarms, making them costly and bother- some. More accurate detection ability means less likelihood of false activation. In addition to invisible detection fields, most PIR units are fairly small and some companies have even manufactured them to look like ordinary room thermostats. Similar to PlR's, some systems use photoelectric beams to detect intrusion. They consist of a photoelectric transmitter and a receiver. When an intruder passes through the beam, the connection is broken, thus triggering an alarm. Usually, several of these are used together to pro- vide wide coverage. However, photoelectric beams can be used other ways to provide security. A small transmitter emits a photelectric "key" which is received by a "lock." The user simply points the transmitter at the receiver to gain entry. The "key" cannot be copied at the local locksmith, and works in places that real keys and li- mited access cards cannot. Although the reliability of each com- ponent is essential to the success of the system, it is the actual system which pro- vides the security to its user. Usually a system must be tailor-made to incorporate the specific needs of a client. For exam- ple, a particular business may have shock sensors or alarm screens on windows and PIRs placed to cover doorways or display cases. Thus, providing electronic security systems is becoming one of the most highly growing and competitive industries. The number of homes and businesses de- siring security is increasing along with those companies involved with providing these services. However, questions have been raised concerning the old-fashioned values of customer service. One of these queries is whether or not home security devices will become appliances rather than services. Whatever the outcome, the security industry is bound to become a major fac- tor in most people's lives. This will in- clude the life of the cat burglar whose simple tools are no longer a match for technologically advanced security systems. I Randy Aksamit Supermarket Super-Scanners The development ot laser scanners lor supermarket clieckout lanes lias brought lower prices and less waiting for American consumers. Current technology has improved the speed and eftlciency ol these powerful devices. March Supermarket in Troy, Ohio unknowingly became a trendsetter when, on June 27, 1974, it became the tlrst store to employ computer scanning of Universal Price Code (UPC) symbols. The idea of a checkout counter scanner that could read codes on griKcry items was conceived in the 1950's by both Philco and Syivania, but widespread use of supermarket scan- ners did not begin until 1980. The original intent of the scanners was to reduce operating costs. Laser scan- ners eliminate the need for individually The Optical Design of a Scanner Detector -.^ •Vj j 3v^ |-^ , Beam ser '-r-^ Expander Z]- M Source: After IBM Journal of Research and Development, March 1982. priced items, saving stores both time and money. Additional savings iire also cre- ated at the check-out counter, where few- er checkers are needed. First estimates of total savings ran as high as 1.4 percent. The customer also benefits froin this system. The speed of the laser scanner de- creases the waiting time in line. The re- ceipt gives a detailed listing of each item purchased. Also, due to the store's lower operating costs, savings are passed on to the consumer. The theory behind laser scanning is easy to understand. When an item is pul- led over the scanner slot, a laser ■"reads" the code and sends it to a central compu- ter. The computer identifies the product by matching the code against a master list and sends back price information and a description. The entire process takes only a fraction of a second. What is more difficult to understand, however, is how the laser actually "reads"" the code. As an item approaches the scanning window, it breaks a detector beam which causes a shutter inside the machine to open momentarily. While the shutter is open, a scan pattern from a Helium-Neon laser projects up through the window and sweeps across the product at a constant speed. The beam bounces off the UPC code and reflects back down through the scanning window. Inside, a photodetector measures the amount of light reflected from both the black bars and white spaces on the sym- bol, since a dark bar reflects much less light than a white space. The beam veloc- ity is constant, so the length of time re- corded for each bar or space is directly proportional to its width. These signals are digitized and sent to the central com- puter which decodes the symbols based on their scan times. Because this method relies only on the relative times of reflection, the code can be of nearly any size and scanned in any direction. The possibility that the symbol might be read upside down is also taken into account and corrected through the use of parity. The first scanners were able to read only UPC codes located on the bottom of a package. Their scan pattern consisted merely of two straight lines, crossed to form an X. The next advancement intro- duced scanners that used mo\ ing mirrors ^ to produce nonsynchronous cosine waves, and thus fomied a Lissajous pattern. This pattem provided a greater depth of field, M which had the advantage of being able to ^ read symbols on the front of a package if it was tilted slightly towards the window. The current generation of scanners has the ability to "wrap around"" package comers, allowing them to scan the bottom as well as all four sides of the item. This task can be accomplished by one of two different methods. The tlrst method involves projecting a pattem consisting of a double-X on the item: because of the beam exit angles, its scan lines are mutually perpendicular, or orthogonal, in five planes. This is accom- plished by reflecting a split laser beam off a rotating mirrored polygon. The pattem is simple enough to require only small open slits in the scanning window, elimi- nating the need for a glass cover. The alternate five-sided scanning pat- tem boasts the use of a rotating holog- raphic disk. Optically stored on the disk are various combinations of interfaced X patterns and horizontal and diagonal lines, all with different focal lengths. When the laser beam hits the spinning disk it pro- jects numerous short scan lines, complete- ly surrounding the item. This is an im- provement over the previous method which uses only a few long scan lines with the same focal length. The holog- raphic arrangement also pro\ ides a much denser scan pattem. resulting in a quicker response time. When the laser scanner was first in- troduced, many activists were against its continuation. They feared that grocers would have the ability to rapidly increase prices, leaving the consumer helpless. continued on page 12 • Technovisions Measuring a Pulse The University is home to a working nuclear reactor known as the TRIGA Reactor. Uranium with a 20 percent enrichment of U-235 is the fuel from which the reactor derives power. This fuel is contained in control rods that can be selectively exposed to create different power levels. A control rod can be suddenly removed using air pressure resulting in a pulse of energy during which power is increased from a few watts to 6 billion watts in a fraction of a second. This pulse, seen as a flash of blue light, can be viewed from on top of the reactor core through 16 feet of water. Nuclear engineering 390 is a class specifically designed to experiment with this reactor. In the laboratory session pictured, the flux of neutrons that occurs during a pulse was analyzed. Below: Craig Pohlod, senior reactor operator, checks the operation of a control rod motor from a perch on top of the reactor. Right: Pohlod prepares to take data on a plotter as the reactor is pulsed. Bottom: Pohlod talks with Peter Kirby, senior in Nuclear engineering, about their experiment from within the control room, (photos and text by Dave Colburn) Marco Sims High-Tech Piracy The popularity of home cassetle and videotape recorders has created a multi-million dollar industry, but the question of who should profit from this technology is still unsolved. Quick, hide the videotapes, it's the Beta-Police! Although home-videotaping of televi- sion programs is not illegal today, propos- als have been put forth to make it so by the television and motion picture indus- tries. Since 1976, several attempts have been made to either place a royalty on the sale of VCR's and blank tapes, or outlaw home recording altogether. So far, no new laws have been passed, but considering the number of issues involved and the adamant positions of each side, the dis- pute is far from over. As the situation currently stands, Sony, a leading defender of home videotaping, has won the important bat- tles. Sony was first sued in 1976, but the Los Angeles District Court ruled in their favor. Universal Studios and Walt Disney Productions, opponents of home videotap- ing, appealed, and in October of 1981, won their case, with home videotaping found to be in violation of the Copyright Act. Sony appealed to the Supreme Court, which just recently upheld the earlier ruling. The ramifications of this and other copyright rulings are enormous consider- ing the number of individuals they affect. At stake is not only home videotaping, but also recording of phonographic re- cords. If the movie and television corpora- tions could receive a royalty for the sale of blank videotapes, the record companies may press for similar funding from the sale of blank audio casettes. While no reliable figures are avail- able, few analysts deny that this problem of record reproduction is widespread. The situation is worse for the record industry than for motion picture and television cor- porations, because it's far easier and less expensive to tape an album than videotape a television show. In fact, some stores now rent records for a short time, and stereo manufacturers sell tape decks that can copy one tape from another. The dilemma with videotaping arises from a simple question of economics. Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Pic- ture Association of America, suggests charging a royalty of 25 dollars a video machine and 25 cents per tape. This would have generated 57 million dollars in 1982 alone. This figure, however, doesn't consider the loss in potential advertising dollars. Television executives attribute this loss to less satisfied advertis- ers who know their ads can be editied out of videotaped programs. Another major difficulty in the mo- tion picture industry is video piracy. which amounts to over 700 million dollars each year. Usually, a projectionist takes the reel home and makes a copy, but more sophisticated video pirates have con- nections in the studios, thus allowing them to copy a movie before the theaters have even received it. Essentially any film can he obtained, although the prices can be high. Most movies are pirated long before they're even released to the theaters. One wealthy Saudi Arabian was watching ■"E.T." two months before the release, and one British pub was running "Rocky III" weeks before the official release, and was even charging admission. The motion picture industry already has the help of legal authorities worldwide on this issue, which is but one facet of the home videotaping question. Although individuals can still record programs at home, questions that have yet to be answered are how much longer or at what price home recording can go on. And with the sale of video recorders showing no signs of slacking off, the stakes will continue to increase in the home videotaping war. Don't worry about the Beta-Police just yet, but maybe one day you'll hear an ominous knocking on the door. ■ • Technotes EOH Scheduled Plans for this year's annual Engineer- ing Open House are well under way. Slated for March 1 and 2. the Engineering Council sponsored event has as its theme "Engineering: Methods to the Madness." EOH features exhibits from all de- partments and organizations of the en- gineering college. In addition, there is a coordinated project which combines the talents of students from all disciplines. The topic of this year's project is food science. Students interested in working on the project should contact Fred Wiesinger in 300 Engineering Hall. The theme for the Central Exhibit this year is "Mind Over Matter Yields Understanding." The goal is to explain an engineering principle by tracing its history and the methodology of its development. For more information on the central ex- hibit, contact Dan Weisberg in 300 EH. Save a Duck Tau Beta Pi has begun a campus- wide fund raising effort to save the Victor Shelford Vivarium, located near the cor- ner of Wright and Healey Streets. The area provides a home for a vari- ety of wildlife, including two Canadian geese, a wood duck, 50 turtles, and va- rious species of fish in two ponds. The ponds were designed in 1916. and the clay sealer at the bottom has deteriorated with age. The resulting seepage has com- pletely drained the east pond, and the west one must be continually refilled. Since the ponds are no longer used for educational purposes, the University will no longer fund their maintenance. Unless S 10.000 can be raised for each pond, they uill be filled in, stranding their wildlife. Sporting the theme "Save a Duck," the TBO drive will attempt to raise the money necessar)' to preserve at least one pond. Their efforts consist of three pro- jects. Donation booths are being operated in the lllini Union and in Engineering Hall from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on week- days, a benefit concert is being organized, and a fund raising contest for campus stu- dent organizations will soon be underway. Students who would like to help out with one of these projects or who have other ideas should stop by one of the booths or contact Amy Baits at either 333-3558 or 344-6582. AT&T is Benefactor AT&T Information Systems will give between $2 5 million and S3 million in computer equipment to the University as part of a S32 million donation program. The state-of-the-art equipment will be given to the Computer Science Depart- ment for use in graduate and undergradu- ate programming classes and faculty re- search activities. "This multimillion dollar gift repre- sents an important commitment to educa- tion and research on the part of AT&T In- formation Systems," said Chancellor Tho- mas E. Everhart. "The University of Illi- nois is a national leader in innovative ways to use computers in the instructional process and in research. "Ideally, all our students should learn how the power of computers can be- nefit their education and thus their future contributions to society. We are encour- aged that AT&T Information Systems clearly recognizes this need and is making a major commitment to ensure this goal." The donation to Illinois includes two 3B20S super-minicomputers and 58 de- sktop 3B2 super-microcomputers. High- resolution bit-mapped terminals and high speed networking products to link the equipment also will be donated, and in- stallation and one year of maintenance and support will be provided free of charge. James N. Snyder, head of computer science, said the donation will be useful in many ways, including replacement of aging equipment in the software and logic instructional labs. In addition, it may now make possible new instructional labs in other sub-fields, and will enhance gradu- ate and faculty research programs. Company officials said Illinois was chosen for the program because of its "developmental efforts in the computer science and electrical engineering fields." the campus commitment to future technol- ogy, and the school's "willingness to par- ticipate through the involvement of facul- ty, students, and administration." Professor Honored Robert W. Bohl, professor emeritus of metallurgy and of nuclear engineering, has been selected to receive the Albert Easton White Distinguished Teacher Award for 1984. Bohl was cited by the award's spon- sor, the American Society of Metals (ASM), "for excellence in undergraduate teaching and advice to generations of undergraduate students and ser\ice to the profession." The award, established in 1960 by the ASM. recognizes unusually long and devoted service to the teaching of metal- lurgy. A University faculty member since 1946, Bohl received the University's award for excellence in undergraduate teaching in 1979. Man' McDowell <» Pete Nelson Is There a Need for Technical Writing? One o( the many interrelationships between science and the arts is the expression ol scientific ideas and concepts. Too often, however, this arl is overlooked by students in the engineering disciplines. Blemishing the engineering education for many ye;irs has been the engineers' in- ability to communicate. Spe;iking and writing skills are in high demand in in- dustry; ideas and breakthroughs would be meaningless if the ability to communicate them to others did not exist. The Dean's Student Advisory Com- mittee (DSAC) of Engineering Council is currently examining the adequacy of lan- guage arts training, specitlcally that re- ceived while fulfilling the Rhetoric 105 requirement. The committee feels this may not sufficiently train engineering stu- dents in technical writing. DSAC, under the direction of committee chairman Kirk Vanden, is currently questioning engineer- ing students on the effectiveness of the Rhetoric requirement. Vanden personally feels that training in technical writing should be taught in the senior year when students are sure of the career field they have chosen and can address the needs of their job field. He explains that the school of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering's offering of a required course in technical writing is a good start towards a total collegiate policy regarding technical writing courses. National opinion seems to support this stand. A recent survey of American undergraduate schools by the American Society for Engineering Education found that over 60 percent of those schools re- quiring technical writing offer a course specifically for Engineering students. Even in these schools, however, dif- ficulties remain. Nearly 70 percent of those schools which do offer technical Graph Illustrating the Importance of Technical Writing 100 80- 60- 40- Writing Not Required I Writing Required -P- !"• Respondents included deans from American engineering colleges which were broken into two categories: schools which required writing courses for graduation and those which did not. Source: After Engineering Education, November 1983, writing only offer courses taught by En- glish department faculty. Only one in ten schools encourage students to take tech- nical writing in their senior year. In some engineering programs, no writing courses are required at all, or even permitted as electives. Engineering Council President Joe Lehman states, "we question whether technical writing and creative writing should be taught in the same course , , , we feel it would be beneficial if they could be broken up," At Western New England College, technical writing is removed from rhetor- ic. Instead, it is included in every class, A campaign to improve the writing skills of graduates featured deans speaking to every class on the importance of writing, profes- sors emphasizing writing in assignments, and even lab instmctors supporting com- munication abilitites, A policy was begun requiring a portion of a student's grade in ever) course to be based on writing pro- ficiency. The result has been a marked improvement in the ability of students to communicate their ideas. Another idea that has been suggested is technical writing workshops, to replace the traditional lecture-oriented writing courses. Students would be presented with a variety of problems which could arise in industry. They would then outline their ideas in a short paper or revise a writing sample to make it more effective for the given purpose. The instructor would lead discussion pertaining to problems which could arise, summarize points important to the project, or supplement the discussion with further handouts. The workshops would cover several topics including audi- ence analysis, designing effective visuals and graphics, and editing, in addition to writing improvement. These workshops would then lead students in the develop- ment of their own abilities and styles. Purdue University has already chosen an independent study program for those students who desire assistance in technical writing. An engineering writing lab pro- vides tutors, self-instuctional materials, small group projects, and reference mate- rials to over 5000 saidents each year. The advisory committee says that if the student surveys suggest a need for a change in the writing curriculum, then DSAC will also survey the top 100 em- ployers of University graduates. Employer survey results will determine the need for language and writing skills in the work- force and may show how to address the problem of the lack of writing skills. The University, they feel, should be commit- ted to educating a marketable engineer. As the demands placed on engineer- ing students continues to grow with advancing technology, the need persists for strong cooperation between business, faculty, and the students themselves in de- veloping communication skills. B 10 Technovations Acid Problem Neutralized ©University researchers Edwin E. Her- ricks, civil engineering, and John T. Pfef- fer. sanitation engineering, have de- »veloped a cost efficient and environmen- tally safe method of treating acid mine drainage, a serious water pollutant in coal mining areas. The new process uses anaerobic bac- teria to combat what Herricks describes as "the most complex industrial wastewater treatment problems." The discharge of acid mine water may raise the concentration of hazardous heavy metals in streams to dangerous levels, he said. The most common treat- ment of acid mine drainage is chemical neutralization. This, however, involves the generation of substantial quantities of byp- roduct sludges which contain a large num- ber of hard to remove toxic materials. "The principal advantage of our bacterial process over chemical neutraliza- tion is the sludge byproduct." Herricks said. "Our process produces a sludge that can be easily processed to reclaim the copper, iron. zinc, nickel or other metals present in the drainage. Anaerobic bacteria can live where no free oxygen exists. They obtain their ener- gy for growth by reducing surface com- pounds such as sulfate and carbon dioxide in the water. The water treatment process involves four steps. The bacteria is grown in a cul- ture of organic wastes such as municipal solid waste, crop residue, or animal manure to produce a solution that is high in alkalinity and sulfides. It is then mixed with the mine drainage. The high alkalin- ity partially neutralizes the acidity, and the sulfides combine with the metals to create insoluble metal sulfides. The mixture is This research is primarily directed to- ward treating the source of the pollution, but it also indirectly benefits land rehabili- taton efforts. channeled to a settling basin, and the met- al sulfides are separated, forming a metal sludge from which the valuable metals can later be reclaimed. The remainder of the solution then flows to an aeration tank where sulfide oxidaton occurs through surface aeration, further neutralizing the acidity of the effluent to an environmentally acceptable level. Computer Dictaphone IBM scientists have achieved a major advance in computer speech recognition: an experimental system that quickly and accurately recognizes spoken English sent- ences. The system allows a human voice in- put to create office documents such as let- ters or memos. It can recognize sentences composed from a 5.000 word business correspondence vocabulary, and identifies more than 95 percent of the words in these sentences correctly. Designed to adapt to individuals, the system trains itself to recognize a person's voice by listening to the user read a brief standard text. The system requires a short pause betweeen words during both train- ing and dictation. A small microphone on the user's desk picks up the speech. Once the system is trained, words, .phrases, and sentences appear on a work- station screen as the individual speaks. The resulting letter or memo may be edited or amended by voice or keyboard. The recognition is statistical, de- signed to find the best match between the words spoken and those in its vocabulary. It can distinguish between words that sound alike by examining the context in which they appear. It is able to compute the probability that a given word will appear in a particular context based on an analysis of about 25 million words of office correspondence. Recognition begins by extracting a set of 20 measurements from the speech, every one-hundredth of a second. The system compares each of these measure- ments with 200 patterns created by the in- dividual's voice during the training session and makes the appropriate matches. This labels the sound segments so that they can be indentified. Next, the system examines the sound labels in their context, or their apparent relationship to each other at that instant. On this basis it chooses several candidate words from its vocabulary. As additional sounds are uttered, new word candidates are created and the initial candidates are re-evaluated in light of these new data. The number of candi- dates is thus narrowed until the most probable word sequence is selected. If the spoken word is in the vocabul- ary, the system chooses correctly more than 95 precent of the time. If the spoken word is not in the vocabulary, it chooses one that is; it can be changed later by editing. The speech recognition computations are done by an IBM 4341 computer working with three Floating Point Systems array processors. An IBM Personal Com- puter handles the communications. Man- McDowell 11 continued from page 6 from page 3 Studies have shown otherwise: prices have actually fallen be- cause of the increased eftlciencies of laser scanning. After ten years on the proving ground, laser scanners have now become an integral part of everyday shopping. Unscrambling UPC Codes Ihc ten digits at the base of the UPC code symbol consist of tuo ilisiinci parts. The first five characters identity the indi- vidual manulactiircr, while ihe kist Use idcnlit\ the specific iieni A Typical UPC Symbol 511ir'0023A UPC codes may appear confusing and mysterious, but all of these Utile lines really do have a meaning. being sold. The single digit located to the left of the symbol is the number s\stem character. It corresponds to the category of the item being scanned; it is usually a zero for regular grocery UPC codes. The stripes are merely the machine-readable version of the numbers directly below them, plus a few extras. Each digit of the code is represented by a set of two dark bars and two spaces of varying widths. Each set of bars and spaces is a combination of seven smaller "data modules." These modules are all of equal widths and can be either light or dark. Various arrange- ments of alternating light and dark modules make up the stripes for each digit. Two thin guard bars on both the left and right sides of the symbol serve to set the UPC code apart from the rest of the package and to alert the scanner of the approaching symbol. The two thin lines extending down the middle make up the center bar partem. It aids in the separation of the two halves of the code by the scanner. The two bars immediately inside the left-hand guard bar represent the coding of the number system character. The two lines diretly inside the right-hand gaurd bar represent the modulo check character; it has no corresponding digit in the code. Its sole purpose is to verify that the symbol was scanned correctly. Numbers in the symbol are also coded differently depend- ing on location relative to the center bar to further increase accuracy. All digits on the left are arbitrarily assigned odd par- ity, so the last data module is a space, while all characters on the right are assigned even parity, so the last data module is a bar. This assures that no set of stripes will look the same even when scanned upside down. ■ Tech Teasers Answers 1. 7.207. 210. 2. Thomas A. Edison. 3. ILLINI MEDIA COMPANY student Operated Media at the University of Illinois 620 East John Street Champaign, IL 61820 217 333-3733 ° Technograph illini \A/PGU • 12 Tech Profiles John Chato joined the University's Mechanical Engineering department in 1964 after receiving his Master's degree here at the University, a Mechanical En- gineering degree from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. from M.I.T., where he worked as an assistant profes- sor. He is currently involved in research, which he calls "odd-ball heat transfer" projects, that apply heat transfer techni- ques to areas such as Electrical Engineer- ing and Bioengineering. Chato holds several honors including Distinguished Engineering Alumnus from the U. of C. and the Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award given by the American Society of Mechanical En- gineers. He is an ASME fellow and served for five years as editor of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Alumni News. In his leisure time, Chato enjoys photography, nature study, and tennis with his wife. He also bicycles to work. Chato enjoys the University because of the support and freedom in doing re- I search as well as the cultural opportunities which give Champaign the "advantages of a big city without the traffic jams." o Ken Kubiak Carl S. Larson graduated from the Uni- versity with a B.S. in Mechanical En- gineering in 1956. and has remained since to serve in capacities varying from grad student to Assistant Dean. After receiving his Ph.D., Larson taught ME design classes at the College for several years and in 1974 became Assistant Dean. Larson currently instructs ME 341, Systems and Design, in addition to performing his duties as Dean. He also coordinates the New Student Program, which includes handling the admission of incoming freshmen as well as transfer stu- dents. Larson credits the surge of popularity in engineering to the fantastic job opportu- nities and the way society today views en- gineers. "Engineers are no longer blamed for the things that went wrong in the country," he said. Larson maintains that the Engineer- ing College is difficult because "worth- while things are difficult." The training and education received here doesn't limit graduates, according to Larson, but in- stead teaches them to learn a process of reasoning and to think and solve prob- lems, which is applicable to everything. "The best proof of this is to look and see where Engineering graduates are five or ten years out. They're everywhere and into every conceivable aspect of life." Steve Franke is a visiting assistant pro- fessor of Electrical Engineering. Original- ly from Chicago, he has attended the Uni- versity since 1975 and received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the College earlier this year. As a graduate student, Franke resear- ched low-noise microwave amplifiers for the University's Radio Astronomy group and studied wave propagation in the atmosphere and ionosphere. Franke is currently researching wave propagation problems with emphasis on numerical modeling and simulation. This involves the use of a supercomputer to handle the enormous calculations needed to simulate a random three-dimensional medium and propagate a clean wave through it. The ultimate goal of this re- search is to improve and develop remote sensing techniques. In addition to his research, Franke teaches EE 229, Introduction to Electro- magnetic Waves, and is preparing mate- rial for a new course in computer-aided design of microwave circuits. Franke plans to continue his career in academics. He enjoys teaching and the freedom to pursue a broad range of in- terests, including canoeing, fishing, swim- ming, tennis, and amateur radio operating. Brian Castelli Carolyn A . Keen 13 The Equilibrimii Solution Rapid, reliable methods for solving chemical equilibrium equations have long been sought by scientists asking fundamental questions about systems as varied as the atmosphere, the human body and the internal combustion engine. An interdisciplinary collaboration at the General Motors Research Laboratories has produced a breakthrough with potentially universal applications. M.Hltl F.ffioiencv Nl-u \lrll|M,l OklMftli.ul ■ 1 1 1 1 1 1 B Compiitei" Time other M Chemistry calculations ^ calculations Figure I: Computer time required by an engine combustion model. Time required for chemical calculations decreased greatly with the new methodology Figure 2: Artist's illustration of a chemically reacting flow. The physical space is divided by a latticed network into units of volume, and the solution must be recalculated for each grid point at each instant of time. Vi/hEREVER chemistry is T T involved, the need to solve chemical equilibrium equations arises. Although methods for solv- ing such equations have existed for some time, they do not offer the speed demanded by the most chal- lenging problems. For example, pre- dicting the composition of gases inside an engine cylinder may require as many as a million equilibrium calculations per cycle. Two research- ers at the General Motors Research Laboratories have developed a sys- tematic way to reduce the mathe- matical complexity in these problems, thus making it possible to solve them rapidly. Chemical equilibrium occurs when the rates of a forward and reverse reaction are equal. Mathe- matically, this statement usually translates into a system of nonlin- ear polynominal equations. Until now, there has been no fast reli- able method for solving such systems. Solutions to particular problems have demanded thorough familiar- ity with the physical conditions. In most cases, this means partial knowl- edge of the answer Dr Keith Meintjes of the Fluid Mechanics Department and Dr Alexander Morgan of the Mathe- matics Department began their research by considering recent advances in the theory of continua- tion methods. They concluded that a suitable continuation algorithm could be relied on to solve the non- linear polynomial equations that make up chemical equilibrium systems. In this insight lies the real- ization that the solution can be obtained without any knowledge of the physical nature of the problem. In seeking the most efficient implementation of the continuation method, the researchers discovered that chemical equilibrium equations can always be systematically reduced to a substantially simpler mathe- matical fonn. The reduced systems have fewer unknowns and a smaller total degree. The total degree of ^^ any system is the product of the ^w degrees of each of its equations. Reducing the total degree makes a system easier to solve. A typical ^k combustion problem with ten equa- ^^ tions and total degree of 192 was reduced by the researchers to two cubic equations with a total degree of nine. The reduced systems can then be systematically scaled to fit within the limits imposed by computer arithmetic. The range of coefficients in chemical equihbrium systems tends to be too large or too small for the arithmetic of the computer Consequently, the solution process can fail. By construction of an effec- tive scaling algorithm, this arith- metic constraint can be eliminated. Suitably reduced and scaled, the equilibrium systems can then be solved reliably by the continuation method. THUS, Drs. Meintjes and Morgan accomplished their original goal of developing an innovative reliable approach to solving chemi- cal equilibrium equations. They also made a final, unexpected dis- covery. Certain standard solution techniques, which fail on the origi- nal systems, can be made absolutely reliable when applied to the reduced and scaled systems. These methods, which are variants of Newton's method, are also many times faster than continuation. This research has produced an extremely effective solution strategy — reduction of the equa- tions, followed by scaling of the reduced systems, followed by the application of a suitable variant of Newton's method. The simplifica- on of the systems, which was origi- nally formulated to facilitate the implementation of the continuation method, proved to be the critical factor enabling the use of fast tech- niques. In one application, the chemi- cal equilibrium calculations are part of a model which predicts details of the flow, turbulence, and com- bustion processes inside an engine. By using their methodology to develop an equilibrium solver for this application, the researchers greatly increased the model's solu- tion efficiency (see Figure 1). "It was the characteristic struc- ture of equilibrium equations',' says Dr Meintjes, "that allowed us to perform the reduction. The unex- pected mathematical simplicity of the reduced systems suggests that even more efficient solution meth- ods may be discovered'.' "Critical to this research',' says Dr Morgan, "was the dialogue between disciplines. I hope that this dialogue will continue as scientists and engineers in diverse fields explore the capabilities of this new methodology." General Motors THE MEN BEHIND THE WORK Dr Keith Meintjes, a Staff Research Engineer in the Fluid Mechanics Department, joined the General Motors Research Laboratories in 1980. Dr Alexander Morgan, a Staff Research Scientist in the Mathe- matics Department, joined the Cor- poration in 1978. Dr Meintjes (left) was born in South Africa. He attended the Uni- versity of Witwatersand, where he received a B.Sc. and M.Sc. From 1973 to 1975, he taught fluid mechanics and engineering design at the university. He then went on to study at Princeton University, where he received an M.A. and Ph.D. in engineering. His doctoral thesis concerned numerical methods for calculating compressible gas flow. Dr Morgan (right) received his graduate degrees from Yale Uni- versity in differential topology. His Ph.D. thesis concerned the geome- try of differential manifolds. Prior to joining General Motors, he taught mathematics at the University of Miami. His book, "Applications of the Continuation Method to Scien- tific and Engineering Problems',' will soon be published by Prentice-Hall. Come join other engineering students, men and women, in comfortable living at Hendrick House The only privately owned residence hall near the engineering campus at the University of Illinois with air conditioning. • Reasonable Rates • Choice of Entree • Home Baked Rolls and Desserts • Reciprocal Agreement with U of I Green and Lincoln St. Urbana, Illinois 61801 Phone 344-4957 If you are a college freshman or sophomore in good academic standing, the Naval ROTC Program can be your chance for the expenence of a lifetime. The Naval ROTC Program can provide you a path to great career opportunities, and also assistance now in your college education. Naval ROTC Scholarships and College Program opportunities are available now. Let us give you the whole NROTC picture.Contact: CDR DAVID POWELL 236 Armory BIdg. Phone:333-1061 '1062 WE CAN PUT YOU IN THIS PICTURE SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS • Full tuition and fees • Book expenses • $100 subsistence/month • "Hands On" training during summer cruises onboard Navy ships and installations As a commissioned Naval or Marine Officer you can start immediately with; • $18,000/year Basic income increasing to as much as $26,000 year in four years. • Specialized training fields of Nuclear Submarines Naval and Marine Corps Aviation Surface Warfare U.S. Marine Corps • lUTlT ,0 FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 5,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees In engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships. The Hughes com- mitment to furthering your education and your career. More than 100 new fellowships will be available In the coming year for graduate study in: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying for your Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree. Work Study Fellows work part-time during the academic year while studying at a nearby university. Full Study Fellows work in the summer and study full-time. And since Hughes is involved with more than 90 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available. In fact, an Engineering Rotation Program Is available for those Interested In diversifying their work experience. If you'd like assistance from a company committed to advancing the frontiers of technology, fill out and mail the coupon below. Or write to: Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept NC, BIdg. C2/B168 P O Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245 Proof of U.S. Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROGRAM Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. NC BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials. HUGHES ^ AIRCRAFT COMPANY PLEASE PRINT: Name Address Date City State 1 am interested in obtaining a Master's Engineer degree in the field of: Zip Doctorate DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's: Date Field School Master's: Date Field School WRITE YOURSELF us Citizenship Required _G.P.A.. G.P.A. IN IF-YOU-CAN-DREAM-IT'YOU-CAN-DO-IT Convert the production line into a frontier ofcreativity. The cast-iron technology of the factory will soon be silicon technology. Chips and computers trans- fer design information directly to the factory floor Other chips make possible flexible robotics, programmable con- trollers for machine tools, auto- mated test systems and digital inspection cameras. Local area networks tie together all these systems These are revolutionary changes that can result in better-made products, manu- factured of new materials at lower cost. GE is deeply involved in bringing manufacturing into the silicon age. In one plant, electronics and computer sys- tems enable us to reduce pro- duction time of a locomotive's diesel engine frame from 16 days to 16 hours. At our dish- washer production plant, a master computer monitors a distributed system of pro- grammable controls, robots, automated conveyors, assembly equipment and quality control stations. We're working on robots that can see, assembly sys- tems that hear, and machin- ery that can adapt to changes and perhaps even repair itself This transformation of manufacturing from the past to the future creates a need for new kinds of engineers to design and operate factories of the silicon age. They have to be as familiar with the reali- ties of the assembly line as with the protocols of software communications. They wfll synchronize dozens of real-time systems whose slightest move affects the performance of every other system. The frontiers of manufacturing technology have been thrust outward. Old ideas have been questioned, new ones probed. Some ideas are now on production lines. Others are still flickers of light in an imagination. All offer opportunities for you to seek, to grow, and to accomplish. If you can drecan it, youcandoit February 1985 Volume 100, Issue 4 Newsstand $1.25 620.5 s-rx fHHi! chnograph K 100 Years iffA^^r, \ B ttiiV^l^jj!) ;■ ,. ^ ^^^h 1 lllinoisTechnograph Exceptional Technology. Schlumberger. wlnbrmade '"'''' ''''''°'' ''^''''^^ ^^'^'^ energy resouVces ^ ..sSJ^'l^^^^^^^^^^ii liiililiiiiiiHl February 1985 Volume 100, Issue 4 lllinoisTechnograph Celebrating 100 years of publication On the cover: A century lias passed since the dawning of the University- engineering magazine. Still on the horizon of technology. Technograph now looks back through itself at the history of the magazine, the University, and the country, (graphic by Karen Peters) 8 12 16 24 The Birth of Illinois Technograph Boh Jan.^sens. Jeff Hamilton, Jeffrey D. Sprandcl The Technograph reported the world's technological developments to the members of a growing campus between 1885 and 1910. Technology Develops America Michael Lind. Denis Fahey. Lisa Reynolds When modem necessities were still experimental prototyf)es, Technograph covered the growth of the United States in the years 1910 to 1935. Society Changes as Campus Grows Dee Bartholme. Donna Ryan, Marco Sims Whether worldwide or local, new concepts were affecting campus residents from 1935 to 1960. New buildings, new wars, and new theories dotted the important time period. Progress and Politics Pete Nelson Since 1960. Technograph has explored difficult moral problems as well as technical dilemmas, and engineering has provided the groundwork for the next century's conveniences. Departments Editorial 5. Tech Teasers 7. Forum 7, Letters 7. Technovisions 18, Technotes 26, Technovations 30. Techprofiles 39 (Techprofiles photos courtesy of T. Naughton. University archives) Copyright lllini Media Co, 1985 Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760) Vol 100 No 4 February 1985, Illinois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the University ol Illinois at Utbana-Champaign. Published by lllini Ivtedia Co, 620 East john St, Champaign, Illinois, 61820 Editorial and Business offices of the Illinois Technograph Room 302 Engineering Hall. Urbana, Illinois, 61801, phone 217-333-3558 Advenising by Littel-tvlurtay-Barnhill, Inc. 1328 Broadway, New York, NY„ 10001. 221 N LaSalle Street, Chicago II, 60601. Entered as second class maner, October 30, 1920, at the post office at Utbana, Illinois under the act of Ivlarch 3, 1879 Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College ■.■j:::i''-es Associated Editor: Langdon Alger Production Editor: Jim O'Hagan Business Manager: Mary Kay Flick Photo Editor: Dave Colburn Features Editor: Mary McDowell Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Design: Karen Peters Asst. Design: Charlie Music Publisher: £ Mayer Malcney Jr Production Manager: Geoff Bant Business Staff: Dennis Chen, Dahlcn Chu, Dave Dunlap, Paul Langholz, Dave Rabin, Cliff Wyatt Editorial Staff: Randy Aksamit, Richard Barber, Dee Bartholme, Ron Blum, Peter Borowitz, Mike Brooks, Brian Castelli, Richard Chi, Thomas Chu, Sally Cohen, Denis Fahey, Dennis Franciskovich, Shelly Grist Greg Haas, Jeff Hamilton, Raymond Hightower, Bob Janssens, Carolyn A. Keen, i Andrew Koepke, Ken Kubiak, Caroline ' Kurita, Lesley Lee, Michael W. Lind, Stei a^ • Lotz, Nata Mackevicius, Kin Nakagawa, ^ Peter Nelson, Lisa Reynolds, Donna Ryan Mike Schneider, Marco Sims, Jeffrey D. Sprandel, Kentaro Sugiyama, Pam ^^ Susemiehl, Tom Svrcek, Alfred Tadros, I(eJ/ Laurie Taylor, Bill Weiss, J Scott Woodland Joseph Wyse, Jay Zeff SCfENCEXSCOPE NASA's Project Galileo may provide clues to the origins of the solar system when it explores the planet Jupiter later this decade. Project Galileo is scheduled to be launched from the space shuttle in May 1986 and arrive at the giant planet in August 1988. The mission consists of two spacecraft. One is an orbiter that will circle Jupiter for 20 months. The other is a probe that will plunge into the planet's brightly colored clouds and relay data about the atmosphere. The probe is expected to operate for about 50 minutes before succumbing to temperatures of thousands of degrees, limited battery capacity, and pressures up to 10 times that of Earth's at sea level. Because some scientists believe that Jupiter's atmosphere is a sample of the original material from which stars are formed, the probe's findings will be closely studied. The probe is being built by Hughes Aircraft Company. The "Eyes of the Eagle" will see even more with the new AN/APG-70 radar , the upgraded radar developed for the U.S. Air Force's F-15 Eagle aircraft. Under the new Multi Staged Improvement Program, the radar's memory increases to 1 million words and its processing speed triples to 1.4 million operations per second. Other new units in the APG-70 include a programmable signal processor capable of 34 million complex arithmetic operations per second, a multiple bandwidth receiver/exciter, and an analog signal converter The new radar increases the F-15's superior air-to-air capabilities and provides air-to-ground capabilities for the Air Force's F-15E. The APG-70 's air-to-ground requirements will be made by software changes, without sacrificing air superiority capabilities. Hughes builds the radar for the F-15 under contract to McDonnell Douglas. Artificial intelligence is the focus of a new advanced technology center at Hughes. The facility brings research and development efforts under one roof Scientists and engineers will work closely with universities throughout the country to develop software and equipment to build the so-called expert systems. Studies will center on knowledge representation, symbolic reasoning and inference, natural language processing, and knowledge acquisition and learning. Technology will be developed for image understanding for geological surveys from space, smart avionics to reduce pilot workload, self- controlled systems, simulation and training, fault diagnosis and maintenance, and manufacturing resource allocation and planning. The first U.S. facility for making gallium arsenide solar cells on a standard production line is now under construction at Spectrolab, Inc., a Hughes subsidiary Gallium arsenide cells, which are now being made on a prototype line at Hughes Research Laboratories, will help satellites and spacecraft become more efficient in converting sunlight into electricity. Compared to conventional silicon cells, gallium arsenide cells generate up to 30% more power and operate at much higher temperatures. The first cells are expected to come off the production line midyear. Full-scale mass production at rates to 15.000 cells per year is scheduled for January 1986. Hughes needs graduates with degrees in EE, ME. physics, computer science, and electronics technology To find out how to become involved in any one of 1.500 high-technology projects, ranging from submicron microelectronics to advanced large-scale electronics systems, contact Corporate College Relations Office, Hughes Aircraft Company, Dept. C2/B178-SS, RO. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Equal opportunity employer U.S. citizenship required. ! informalion write to PO Box 11205. Dept 9176, Manna del Rey. CA 90295 HUGHES To design and develop today's most technologically advanced defense products. General Dynamics requires the talents of many highly-motivated Engineering and Scientific graduates. This year, nearly half of our 1,500 technical hires will be in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Computer Science — goal-oriented, high-performance students who will graduate in the top half of their classes. If you are one of these top performers, explore the wide range of opportunities available in the following technologies: Aeronautics, Advanced Signal Processing, Radar Systems, Embedded Software, Lasers and Electro-optics, Composite Structures, VLSI, Non-linear Structural Analysis, Robotics and CAD/CAM. At General Dynamics, you will work with our innovative professionals in applying these technologies toward a wide variety of aerospace, computer systems, electronics, shipbuilding and military land vehicle programs. Plus, you can stay current in your field and make the most of your career through our corporate-wide training and lifelong education programs. Don 't settle for less than state of the art in your career See your Placement Office for a campus interview with General Dynamics. Ihe State of the art Editorial m Editorially Contagious "There seems to be something infec- tious about being the Editor of the Tech- nograph. When you read the old editorials you can't help but observe the symptoms: an intense desire to discuss one's opinion, a hope for reformation, and a belief in the power of the written word . . . .I'm affected with the same [disease], because even today I agree wholeheartedly \\\\h much of what the past editors said in their time. . ." (February-. 1985) ■■[Women engineers] have the abilirs' and liking for math and science and want to use their knowledge to help others. In- stead of complaining that women are oppressed, they are doing something posi- ti\e like getting an education to qualify them for jobs." I December. 1973) "The motorists are to be congratu- lated on not killing a pedestrian on Wnght street between classes." (November. 19541 " . . . You are a product of your en- vironment. The minute changes that occur in Nour attitudes every day are not notice- able, but they are there. The engineering cumculum has definitely altered \our [perceptions of the world around vou." (May. 1975) "The basic idea is true; we need the broadening influence of intimate associa- tion with people of all classes, and the ex- perience of competing against men at their own job." (May. 1922) "Society, through movies, advertis- ing, textbooks, and schooling, has forced men and women to conform to certain roles." (October. 1978) ■■Being an engineer or a scientist does not exempt an individual from the necessity of expressing himself in written form. We ma\' joke all we like about Advanced Remedial Writing for Experts. (Rhetonc 200): however, in the final analysis the pen and the typewnter must be used to complement the slide rule." (October. 1959) ■■Let us also remember that unneces- sary griping only causes bad feeling and defeats our own purfwses." (November. 1946) " . . . Engineers must be prepared to deal with the sociological consequences of theu" work, to consider individuals and so- cial structures as part of the engineering problem. In most engineering problems today, the economic, social, and human factors in\ol\ed are so numerous and complex that the application of engineer- ing knowledge alone is insufficient." (De- cember. 1966) " . . .The ability to get along with people and get them to do what you want them to do is not something to be absorbed by a few geniuses: it is a ne- cessitv for modem living." (December. 1948) ■ ■ . . . Gende reader, Technograph is for you." (February. 1978) " . . .Many excellent students have only slight ideas of what they can do with their knowledge after they have acquired it. It is really regretable. for it would be far better to sa\' to a prospective em- ployer. 'Well. 1 know this and that about the construction features of the Hetch- Hetchy project," than it would be to say, ■por a cone. I is equal to 3/10 Mr.'" (February. 1931) "Undoubtedly you have learned through observation that the best way to favorably impress an elephant is to offer him peanuts: he will gobble them up greedily and then grin at you most affabK' and cause his ears to oscillate in a most waggish manner. An instructor is just like an elephant. If you offer him exactly the type of answers he desires he will grin at you most delightfully. . ." (March. 1928) ■■Everv engineering student has had some experience at some time or another that is of general interest." (November. 1916) "There is more to becoming an en- gineer than getting good grades." (March, 1974) ■'The main idea then, is to become as effective as possible. The best way to accomplish this is to strive for a balance between the time spent on schoolwork and activities. GET INVOL'VED!" (March. 1974) Copious Gratitude This issue is an example of what can happen when people follow the March, 1974 advice above. Inexpressible volumes of thanks and congratulations are in order for all the writers, photographers, resear- chers, business people, and editors who have put in countless hours over the last several months to recreate the past 100 years. All of us on staff would like to thank Assistant Archivist Bill Maher for allow- ing us to invade the University Archives so frequently. Special thanks are in order for Bob Chapel, the Archives' Technical Assistant, for all of the searching, pati- ence, and knowledge he donated to us for this issue. Without him and the Archives, this issue would have been next to im- possible to produce. IS TH E FUTURE IN YOUR I IIIW? If you're looking at your future, you'll want to look into Monolithic Memories, where our continued leadership will come from the foresight of talented engineers like you. And those who are willing to go against convention to develop great ideas with us will reap the rewards of a bright future. It was people like you whose ag- gressive foresight aided in developing the Programmable Array Logic (PAL" ) circuit. (This year alone we're develop- ing some 20 new PAL" products.) We also developed the industry's fastest 32K Bipolar PROM and the first Diag- nostic PROM, the frontrunner of an entirely new product family. As for our innovation of CMOS, you can look for even more firsts from MMI. MMI supports this tradition of innova- tion with sophisticated and highly advanced resources. For instance, we've just broken ground for a new, SI 00 million wafer fab facility in Albu- quergue. New Mexico. Two state-of- the-art fab areas — one for Bipolar and one for CMOS — will be ready for pro- duction by late 1985 This past year, our sales increased 84% to over $190 million, with a greater in- crease projected for the coming year. So, as one of the companies with the largest investment in R&D, MMI can give you access to the finest resources which, in turn, projects the brightest growth for your career. At Monolithic Memories, you may be hired directly into your particular area of expertise. Or, you could qualify for our Graduate Training Program, pro- viding the opportunity to spend a year working on a variety of hands-on pro- jects with some of our industry's leading creative minds. In either case, you'll find MMI provides you with the environment — and the encouragement — to draw out the future in your mind. To generate new breakthroughs in semiconductor prod- ucts. . . and in careers. Campus Interviews February 18 & 19, 1985 Monolithic Memories can offer a rewarding career opportunity in an en- vironment geared to growth. If you miss our campus interviews, send your resume directly to Tom Biiinda, Monolithic Memories, Inc., 2151 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054. We are an equal oppor- tunity employer. Monolithic m Memories Tech Teasers Forum Letters m 1. Two identical trains are traveling around the world in opposite directions at the equator. Which will wear out its wheels first, assuming the\' start at the same time, run at the same speed, and are on different tracks'? 2. A certain number is multiplied by three. From this number, four times the number obtained by reversing the digits of the original number is subtracted. This last operation yields the number eight. What was the original number? 3. The following epitaph was found on a gravestone in rural England: Two grandmothers, with their two granddaughters; Two husbands with their two wives; Two fathers, with their two daught- ers; Two mothers, with their two sons; Two maidens, with their two mothers; Two sisters, with their two brothers. Yet only six in all lie buried here. All bom legitimate, from incest clear. How could this situation occur? 4. Write down an arithmetic express- ion equaling 7 1 using only the number 4 four times. Any mathematical symbols may be used. There are a number of solu- tions. Answers on page 37 The Making of a Tradition TTiis coming year will mark the one hundredth anniversary of tuo well-known institutions on the engineering campus — Tau Beta Pi and the Illinois Teclmograph. These organizations have been around for so long you may assume that they have always functioned as they do today. But. like everything else, they had to start somewhere. Tau Beta Pi originated at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. In 1885 the liberal arts college supported an honor society, but the engineering school did not. A student at Lehigh felt that it was time for this to change, and sought out faculty and students to back up his idea. Work progressed rapidly, and the first initiation took place before the semes- ter's end. When the original officers graduated, however, the organization floundered, it looked as though the under- taking would become a complete failure. Fortunately, someone saw the poten- tial that TBO held, and was willing to put forth the effort necessary to ensure its per- peUiation. The same kind of diligence has formed the Teclmograph into a publica- tion noted nationally for excellence among engineering magazines. There is nothing magical or lucky about successful projects — behind every one is a group of people who believe that what they are doing will in some way further their profession or help others. If there is something you would like to see happen, formulate a brief plan. Any one of the many student organiza- tions on campus is a good source for gui- dance. They are always in search of new ideas, and can provide experience and people to help you. Who knows, your inspiration may mature into a one hundred year old tradi- tion. Dear Mr. Alger: Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Tim Johnston, and I served as Editor of the Illinois Teclmograph during the academic year 1979-80. I am writing to congratulate you and the current staff of the magazine on achieving the 1 00th year of publication. As you may know, the first edition of the magazine was published by the Civil En- gineers" Club as the Selected Papers of the Civil Enginers Club in 1885. In these modem days, with time measured in nanoseconds, not many things last 100 years. Magazines bloom and die like so many annual llowers; it is great to see that the Tech has remained a perennial publication. I suggest that the Technograph cele- brate this milestone! (after all. it only comes once a century). Serving as Editor was a special experience for me. and I hold a special place in my heart for the magazine. Sincerely. Tim Johnston BSGE '80 Amy L. Baits President, Tau Beta Pi The Birth of Illinois Technograph Technograph began long before most modern conveniences had been invented. Exploring the years between 1885 and 1910 reveals not only the development of an engineering magazine, but also the progress toward today s modern society. The origins of the Technograph date back to Januarv' 8. 1883, when the Civil Engineers" Club was formed. This orga- nization served mainly as a discussion ground for txith students and faculty in civil engineering. At every meeting mem- bers would present papers on topics of in- terest to civil engineers. In 1885. two years after the forma- tion of the club, the first skyscraper was constructed, the first motion picture film was manufactured, the first appendectomy was pertormed, and the first articles were written for what later became the Illinois Technograph. The first daily rail service to the Pacific was two years away, the first American automobile had ten years Professor Arthur Newell Talbot served as faculty advisor for the first edition of the engineering magazine in 1885. A former student at the Uni- versity, Talbot found natianal prestige tor his pioneering work in civil engineering. (1881 photo by Thomas Naughton) to wait before its manufacture, and the first radio receiver would not be built for another fifteen years. Engineering was still in its infancy; most engineers designed railroads, bridges, buildings, or steam en- gines. A collection of the best papers pre- sented to the Civil Engineers' Club in the 1885-86 and 1886-87 school years was published in 1887. The purpose of the publication was "to place in permanent form some of the papers read at the meet- ings, and also to extend the influence of the society."' With that purpose in mind, the club decided to publish a similar volume every year entirely funded by advertising and subscriptions. Professor Arthur Newell Talbot, one of the most respected engineers of his age, served as faculty chairman of the new publication. He also contributed manv articles to the first issues. Talbot had graduated from the College in 188 with a ninety-eight percent average. In 1 885 he became a member of the Col- lege's civil engineering department. Dur- ing his illustrious career he served as head of not only the municipal and sanitary en- gineering department but also the theore- tical and applied mechanics department. In 1918, he was elected as president of The American Society of Civil Engineers, and in 1938, the College of Engineering renamed the old Materials Testing Labora- tory in his honor. Under the leadership of such a successful man. the publication be- came an instant success. The first few issues of The Selected Papers of the Civil Engineers' Club con- tained a multiaide of high quality articles, many of which were reprinted in other technical publications. Among the interest- ing articles in volume one were: "Notes on Mountain Railroad Location." the first of several by Talbot, and "Hints to Sm- dents on the Education of an Engineer' ' by professor I. O. Baker. The latter article hailed the benefits of a " "general" in addi- tion to a "technical" education and warned students not to study engineering solely for financial gain. A significant article by Talbot was published in the second volume of Selected Papers. It presented a formula for calculating the cross-sectional area of a body of water for bridges and culverts. The formula, which still bears Talbot's name, became widely used by civil en- gineers, and the article became a standard engineering reference work. Other articles of interest in the first volumes included "Rapid Computation," in which J. B. Tschamer. of the class of 1890, prepared the most comprehensive Bob Janssens Jeff Hamilton Jeffrey D. Sprandel ^ tudy on the adhesion of drift bolts; in ■"An Ideal System of Numbers" Talbot argued that a duodecimal — base twelve — system of numbers would be much easier to use than the present decimal system. In 1890, the Mechanical Engineering Society joined the Civil Engineers' Club in publishing volume five of the maga- zine. Since the old name was now in- appropriate, the publication was renamed The Illinois Techwgraph. The Architects" Club was formed on January 23, 1891, and soon it also became part of the Tech- nograph. The focus of the magazine had become more general: to serve the entire engineering community of the University. Photography made its Tcchnograph debut in the 1891-1892 issue. Photographs of civil engineering instruments, the iron workshop, the dynamo room, and the drawing room were among those pub- lished. Also introduced into the magazine in this volume was the first advertise- ment — for the College. The humble ad boasted courses in architecture plus mechanical, electrical, civil, and mining engineering. At the time of the advertise- ment, engineering was one of four col- leges at the University and had a faculty consisting of seventeen professors and in- structors, and a class of nearly 300 stu- dents. In 1893, the College erected a new engineering building designed by a gradu- ate of the University, G. W. Bullard of Tacoma, Washington. The new building would house the electrical, civil, physics, and mechanical engineering laboratories, and the architects" blueprint room. The building, which was later named En- gineering Hall, is the oldest remaining building on the engineering campus. An article in the 1896-97 issue fea- tured a description of the University Lib- rary, which is presently Altgeld Hall. Built in modem Romanesque style, the library was marked by a tower standing SELECTED PAPERS Ci\il Engineers' Club UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, 1885-6 and 1886 7. COMMITTEE OIM PUBLICATION. The first engineering magazine featured tecfinical reports by prestigious faculty members. Tfie Uni- versity of Wisconsin used several early edi- tions as textbooks. In 1890, VKlien otiier en- gineering societies joined civil engineering in tfie magazine's pro- duction, tlie publica- tion was re-named tfie Illinois Technograph. (Ptioto courtesy of Uni- versity arctiives) 132 feet high, mahogany doors, and a marble entrance hall. Designed by Uni- versity architecUire Professor N. Clifford Richer and Associate Professor James M. White, the new library contained ample space to house the University administra- tive offices and museums. Later articles featured descriptions of a variety of technical achievements, rang- ing from the increasing importance of ele- vators to the development of sewage sys- tems for office buildings. An 1 899 article described the Society of Professional Engineers. Formed in 1852, the society had 2,124 members when the article was written. A profes- sional engineer, architect, or marine architect who was over thirty years old, had actively practiced his profession for ten years, and had directed or designed engineering works for at least five years could apply. Admission was based on these requirements and on a secret ballot of current members. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a Technograph article described one of the greatest engineering projects in history: the construction of the Panama Canal. After spending three years studying possible routes of the canal, the Isthmian Canal Commision (ICC) finally narrowed the possibilities to two: the Panama route, and the Nicaragua route. The ICC even- tually selected the Panama route because of its shorter distance, the existence of a railroad across Panama, fewer necessary locks, and a lower cost of operation. The » V-^-v.- 5=fe^. Bring Out\bur ^ '^ ^ Best At V- It took pride, talent and a eo.rri- talents in one of these pcKitions: . mitment to excel in afl you do, to s,, CORPORATE ENGINEERING take you where you are tod^jjiraf s fe.&M.E.'s — you will have the oppor- '"hV tri """ "'"'^f T'Tf'roJijiiifir''- r - ^^^^*^ to advance in such drvCiSt- reer that brings out your best ... a fields as materials handling, equip- career that offers challenge and ment layout, piping system develop- room for growth both personally . ment, ^team generation, compressed and professionally. ly ' air systems, ventilation, heating and' At Anheuser-Busch, we've been / ^ir co/rditioning and high-speed bot- bringing out the best in talented Cotle and can packaging. }-^ people for over one hundred years, - B.S.E.E.'s — you will be involved 1h with stimulating projects and a con^- i'such^'ih'eas as electrical machine mitment to quality that.inspjres su\ ' ' design and application, powder distri"^ terns corttrol. OurpDrporate Engineering De- pantment offers BSEEs and BSMEs th ^' a pp 8 rtu ii H) -to become involved in an environment that is project- oriented and presents the challenge of taking the project from concep- tion-through completion. Find out how you can bring out your best at Anheuser-Busch by speaking with our recruiters when they come to your campus. jPTorTmore informatioji and sign- ^ bution. sub-station layout along with-* up please contact^y^ur place>nent^ industrial and commercial 'tehtihg.f office. * - ~ * electrical control circuits and sys- /' ' iy- '. i: ...Anheuser-pusch! ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES St. Louis. Missouri 63 II 8 An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F Iechnock^ Ilchnocp^ .J • construction of the canal required the em- ployment of 15,000 men, the damming of a river, a battle against malaria, and the excavation of ninety-five million cubic yards of earth. The technological advance which most affected the engineering profession during this time period was the increased use of electricity. Many articles pertaining to this new field of science appeared in the Technograph. Several of them discus- sed the development of wireless telegra- phy. One article described underground telephone lines, and another demonstrated the possibility of transmitting both power and telephone signals over the same wires. The popularity of electric lighting continued to increase, and articles were written about the decorative lighting tech- niques employed at the Wodd's Fairs in Chicago and St. Louis, and about the uses of electrical lighting in theatrical produc- tions. Many advances were shedding light on the University as well; the College was growing. A building for the laboratory of applied mechanics was constructed to re- place the old building which was des- The above steam engine was the important trans- portation method at the turn of the century. (Daily mini file photo) The materials crusher at right was built in 1928 and installed with the applied mecha- nics building, now named Talbot Lab. (Photo by Steve Lotz) troyed by fire in 1900. A new woodshop was completed in 1902 on the site of the old military building, also destroyed by fire in 1900. The Chemistry Annex was ready for occupancy in 1902. Other build- ings completed during this period were the Agriculture Building and a men's gymnasium. A mine rescue station was opened in 1906 by the United States and Illinois Geological Surveys and the University. The station was designed to demonstrate modem mine rescue tactics and equipment to those involved in the coal mining in- dustry. The equipment at the station was also available for actual use at mine fires or explosions. It was used at two explo- sions and four fires during the first year of the station's existence. This station and several others that were established soon after made Illinois the first state to adopt modem mine rescue tactics. During this time the engineering pro- fession was specializing. The traditional classifications were no longer sufficient to describe an engineer's work. Along with increased specialization came a greater de- mand for engineers. In the three years be- tween 1899 and 1902 the number of stu- dents enrolled in the College doubled. This crowding resulted in expansion of the engineering departments' facilities, in- cluding the construction of new buildings and the movement of the physics depart- ment from Engineering Hall to its own building. In its first twenty-five years, Techno- graph grew along with the College and the engineering profession. Starting as a collection of papers presented at club meetings, Illinois Technograph became the voice of the entire University en- gineering community. ■ 11 Technology Develops America 1910-1935: A period of discovery, adjustment, and exponential growtti. In many ways, the world as it is known today grew its roots between 1911 and 1935. Many items now taken for granted were first reported in the Illinois Technogniph during this peritxl. The University campus changed and developed, while the Technoaraph also evolved into something resembling its present format. Many of the "new developments" reported in the Techno- gniph and other magazines several generations ago have become commonplace. Air conditioning began to emerge as an alterna- tive to folded-paper fans in the early thirties. "Martha Washing- ton." a dining car put into service on the B & O Railroad in 1930. was the first to offer the comfort of "conditioned air" to its passengers. Soon after, construction began on Radio City, a massive building housing RCA headquarters. NBC offices and 30 broadcast studios. Without air conditioning, the many win- dowless portions of the building would have been useless. Im- provements in technology prompted market analysts to predict that every building on earth would use air conditioning. Television is another development that was reported early in the Illinois Technogniph which has permeated today's society. In 1 985 many people take large screen color televisions for granted; but few TV rerun connoisseurs have any idea how long the television has existed. The Chicago Daily News obtained the first television broadcast license in 1929. allowing them to trans- mit pictures, although they were quite inferior by today's stan- dards. The poor quality was due largely to the technology at the time. Back then, a bright light shone through a spinning disk containing a spiral of holes. The scanning light beam reflected off the person being televised and was converted to electrical im- pulses by a phototube. After transmission over conventional radio stations, a receiver with a similar spinning disk and a neon glow tube prixluced a picture typically four inches by five inches in size. Even with such primitive technology, a three or four foot square picture was often obtained by adding projection lenses. Tcxlay, communication by light waves via fiber optics is heralded as the newest method to relieve communications bot- tlenecks. Nevertheless, the transmittance of telephone conversa- tions through lightwaves is not an entirely new technology. In 1932 for instance, scientists shattered the six mile record for transmitting voice with a light beam. An electric arc lamp with a 12 two-foot diameter reflector transmitted voice-encoded light to a phototube mounted on a three-foot reflector twenty-two miles away. TTie phototube found work in the streets as well as in com- munications. Intersections of major thoroughfares and minor streets have caused special traffic control problems since the in- troduction of the automobile. Traffic lights maintained adequate order at such intersections, but frequently many cars had to wait for a red light on the major street while the minor street was deserted. Successful experiments in the early thirties used photo- tubes to detect autos on the sidestreets and change the light when necessary. Maintenance problems occurred, but the photo- tubes were a viable solution to the frustrating crossroads dilemma. Besides reporting on traffic solutions, the Technogniph also revealed the discovery of new energy alternatives. In the Chica- go area, a seven-room house in the forest preserves was insu- lated and heated with gas. instead of the usual wood. During the 1925-1926 heating season, the fuel bill was $110. Without the changes, it would have cost $350. An energy alternative often used today is solar power; sun- light was converted directly into electricity for the first time in 1935. Four iron disks covered with a thin layer of selenium pro- duced enough electricity to drive a motor the size of a little finger. Despite the Depression, the desire to break technological records remained. Transport over land reached a record speed of 276.816 miles per hour. Transport over water improved with the construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. This 8.25 mile long suspension bridge was the world's deepest water bridge and would carry 45 million people each year. The Empire State building, for years the tallest in the worid. was built during this time. With the construction of taller buildings, elevators con- sumed many valuable square feet of floor space. To make sky- scrapers more economical, one idea proposed that two or more elevators share the same shaft. Operating each on a regular sche- dule and using three separate safety devices prevented collisions. Lighter-than-air transport, such as the Hindenburg. was another idea which never succeeded. Despite elegant cabins and grand plans for regular trans-cxreanic flights, the airships were eventually phased out. Problems created by technology began to expose them- selves and seek solutions during this time. Experts warned about the danger of carbon monoxide as early as 1935. One million cars traveled the roads emitting hazardous levels of CO. impair- ing the judgement and endangering the lives of their occupants. Traffic control also began to attract attention. Few city planners of the day recognized the need to provide public park- ing spaces. Often their solution to traffic jams was to add traffic « Michael n d Denis Fahey Lisa Reynolds 9 Since its inception in the early 1930's. fiber optics technology has found a wide spectrum of applications ranging from communications to medicine. (Photo by Dave Colburn) lights, causing more complications. Since the left-turn arrow had not yet been imagined, "no left turn" signs were used to elimin- ate the problem of waiting for cars wishing to turn left. Due to an increase in road construction and increased auto traffic, there was a need for standardized regulatory signs in 1925. Each state had a different system, causing much confusion when traveling interstate. There were several proposed codes for marking warning signs. One system which involved shapes and symbols, the Mississippi Valley Highway Association's propos- al, was gaining favor and is in use today. With traffic and construction projects came noise to the cities. One solution which reduced construction noise was arc welding. According to the January, 1930 Technograph, "The application of electric arc welding to structural work continued, during 1929, to be the activity arousing greatest interest, both popular and technical." While this may seem silly when com- pared with the amazing developments occuring today, the reduc- tion in noise, savings in weight and automation of the building process improved upon old methods of using only rivets. Economic problems in the early thirties were the most se- rious in the history of the United States. Engineers were one group of scapegoats during the Depression. Society attacked the engineering community for reducing employment and in general mining the economy. Railroads, products of engineering, suf- fered like other businesses. Not only did the Depression strain them, but new technologies threatened their strangulation. High- ways were usable by everyone and generally cheaper for all, the pipelines were more efficient than railroad tank cars, and rail- roads could never surpass planes in terms of speed. New forms of entertainment revolutionized leisure time. "The talkies" combined the senses of sight and sound in the theater. New recording processes, evolved from experiments at Bell Labs, included the waxed disk and film methods. When us- ing the waxed disk, a record-like platter was synchronized to the film, while the film method encoded the sound photographically on the film. Football fans rarely endure a season without hearing the argument that football inside domes is not the same as the old outdoor games in the rain and snow. AcUially, the first indoor game occurred in 1 93 1 in the Atlantic City Auditorium filled with two and a half million pounds of dirt. Washington and Jef- ferson College tossed a white football with Lafayette before 20,000 fans dressed in formal evening clothes. After the game, many couples attended a dance elsewhere in the auditorium. Many changes were made to the University and the College during this quarter century; 1912 was especially busy. The Elec- trical Building, not to be confused with the present Electrical Engineering Building, which prior to the summer of 1912 housed both the power plant and the department of Electrical Engineering, was made available entirely for instructional pur- poses. Lecture and recitation rooms, a designing room and many pieces of laboratory equipment were added to the building. Similar changes occurred in other departments. The depart- ment of Architecture added to its drawing room equipment. Shop laboratories were inspected and revamped, reaching new heights in operator safety. An area between Mathews and Goodwin north of Green Street was acquired to build a new transportation building. The fireproof structure would house the department of general en- gineenng drawing and the department of mining engineering. Growth of the College slowed because of the First World War, but by 1920 it was suffering from post-war growing pains. Engineering enrollment was double that of 1917, but there was a 13 smaller teaching stall and an inadequate suppK ot equipment and classrcxim space. Instructors had also left the University for higher paying jobs. One Civil Engineering teacher, paid $1500 per year, found a job paying $4500 per year outside the Uni- versity. The war also affected the physical appearance of the cam- pus. In 1921, plans were made to build a stadium in memory of the sons of Illinois that died in the war. Construciton of Memo- nal Stadium began in the fall of 1922 after a fund-raising drive. In order to erect the steel structure during the winter, the plans called for pounng the concrete that fall. The forms for the walls and stands uDuld be put in place in the spring. Three novel engineering features were used in the construc- tion. Instead of stairways, the stadium would have ramps. Each wall was cut eight times vertically and horizontally to allow for the expansion and contraction of the concrete. To drain the stand during wet games, a system of gutters completed the stadium. By November of 1923 the stadium, one of the few large sta- diums to have a balcony or upper deck, was finished. Beginning a construction boom, several new buildings were raised in 1924 at a cost of ten million dollars. Included were McKinley Hospital, the Graduate Library, the Agriculture Build- ing and the Commerce Building. In 1929, Lincoln Hall Theater was constructed following guidelines on acoustics described in a Techno^raph article. The stage reflected sound toward the audi- ence and the upholstered seats minimized excessive reverbera- tion. Construction on the skating nnk began in 1931, with foot- ball profits paying for most of the $300,000 cost. After 157 days, work was completed without any serious injuries. Physically, the University changed greatly, while socially, the engineering students followed cycles. In 1913 and 1914, suc- cessful engineering dances were held. By 1923 an engineering day was held. The events included a parade in which each de- partment had a tloat describing its Held. Afterward, speeches were made by the deans and everyone proceeded to the En- gineer's Dinner ;ind Dance. Some habits were deemed unacceptable by the Techno- graph. In 1925 an editorial asked students to quit smoking in order to give the University dignity and insure against tire. Another reason was the 35 year old University rule against smoking. One writer in 1931 disapproved of the wearing of cordur- oys on campus because of their ■"dressiness." Although he re- spected the desire to maintain a neat appearance, he thought that After extensive fundralsing, construction began on Memorial Stadium in 1922. Ramps, gutters, and an upper deck were among the unusual attributes of the new facility. (Daily lllini file photo) students should not always look like typical engineers. Cordur- oys belonged at the Corduroy Cotillion, which was to be held in the near future, and not on the engineering campus. By 1933, the College was again socially dead. The En- gineering Council was inactive and a dance had not been held since the Corduroy Cotillion. Not until spring of 1934 did the College again come alive with the first Saint Patrick's Day Ball. Over 250 couples attended the first social event in three years. ■"Erin go Bragh, " inscribed on the Blarney Stone, was translated to mean "Saint Patnck was the first engineer," adopting Saint Patrick as the patron saint of the engineer. Clubs did manage to stay alive during this period of erratic social behavior. Radio amateurs joined together in 1926, forming Synton to promote interest in radio at Illinois. Among their plans were talks given by authorties about radio. Another campus organization, the flying club, gained practical experience in 1931 by constructing a glider. Pulled by a car to launch, the aircraft was a simple, open cockpit affair used to help train future pilots. In several ways, the College changed its attitude toward the students. The language requirement gradually began to dis- appear. Prior to 1922, engineering students had to take eight 14 TECHNOGRAPH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WEEKEND MAY 10 II ii:rii\4Hi;ii%i>ii ,9 The Quad in the 1930's barely resembles the area's appearance to- day. Extensive con- struction ol new labor- atories and clas- srooms was a hall- marl( ol the University during the era. (Dally mini file photo) hours of a language, but that year a new pohcy allowed two years of language in high school to fulfill the requirement. By 1931, the requirement to take one year of geology replaced lan- guage in the Civil Engineering department. The quest for the perfect grade-[X)int system was not ignored. The year 1934 brought a new system to the college of engineering. The range was from three points for an A to zero points for a D, with an E earning no credit. In all, 136 points were needed to graduate. While the College regulated the grade point system, the University deregulated class cutting. The University- wide class attendance rules were eliminated in 1931. Instead, instructors held the responsiblity to administer punishments for students who did not go to class. A challenge was then issued by the Technograph to students to attend classes regularly and to teachers to use their new power not to rule over their students, but instead evaluate their teaching using class attendance. With the many changes in the University and advancements in technology, one could never assume that an engineenng magazine could not change with the world. In 1911 the Techno- graph began publication as a quarterly instead of an annual as in previous years. Work on the "high plane" of educated faculty members was no longer featured: articles more understandable by students replaced them. The magazine began to take on the fomi of a more news oriented periodical, with editorials, ads and notes of interest. After a two year lapse in publication, in 1920 the magazine was published close to its present size and had even adopted glossy paper. Features were added, and by 1930 the magazine had expanded to a monthly publication. Providing some entertainment became important with the addition of features like "Technolaffs," the monthly joke col- umn, "Bucket and Shovel" and the "Ball and Chain Club." "Bucket and Shovel" honored students and faculty members for their actions. The shovel symbolized digging for dirt while the bucket caught the dirt. Scandals such as the wearing of a bobby pin by a man or tripping in the lab and making a mess highlight- ed this column. "Ball and Chain Club" followed a similar theme. Acccording to the first installment, "This club was con- ceived to honor those poor suffering engineering creatures who have added to their woeful worries with entangling skirt alliances." In other words, if someone was suspected of having a girlfriend (only two women were enrolled in the College in 1934. so boyfriend was not mentioned) chances are the details would be revealed in the Tcchnograph. Of course, while he was planning a romantic interlude with his sweetheart, he could con- sult the Technograph for information on the possiblities for a quiz in his TAM class. ■ 15 Society Changes as Campus Grows Technograph reported changes in both world maps and campus maps to the College community in the years between 1935 and 1960. The 1930's were years of depression in the United States. In other parts of the world the decade was marked by renewed wars, loss of national independence, and acceptance of totalitarian dictators. Until the late 193()'s Franklin Roosevelt was concerned more with his New Deal than with Adolf Hitler's New Order. As the schwil year of 1935 began at the University and the Illinois Teclmo- ifrapli began its second fifty years of pub lication, the College suffered through some problems of its own. Rumors circled the campus that distinguished members of the faculty were leaving for enticing offers from other institutions. Fortunately, these concerns proved false and the College drew its largest enrollment since the de- pression, with the mechanical engineering curriculum attracting the most students. Graduation requirements in the I930's were somewhat different from those of today. One past requisite was the senior inspection trip — a visit designed to acquaint the saident with large industrial enterprises. Furthermore, prior to 1913 undergraduate students were required to write a thesis on an approved research topic. Due to the rapidly increasing num- ber of students in the engineering curricu- lum however, the College was forced to drop this requirement. The growing number of students re- quired more facilities. Technograph re- ported in 1 936 that the erection of the Mining and Metallurgy Building began at a cost of S50.000 for both the building and its equipment. The highlight of the facility was the Metallography Lab which 16 1 f 9 f1 \ -n W ^A k~ ■ H. m rr' — |— -1 ir . ^H 1 iii V i v4 ■11 \ W 1 1 ^'^alS 1 This deep therapy x-ray machine was purchased and installed in 1959 when Burrill Hall was built. The machine operated until a tube was damaged last year. (Photo by Pam Susemiehl) was to have twenty Metallurgical micro- scopes, a grinding room, and a dark room. In 1937, many of the problems con- fronting television were nearing a solu- tion. Most experts believed that television was soon to be a reality. However, only a few programs would be presented and the variety would be limited to a few avail- able channels. Also, there would be room for only a few stations, e.xcept in the very high frequency spectrum. In 1939. a University student pre- sented an interesting theory of heat. Realizing it would be helpful to under- stand the relationship between light, ener- gy, and heat, this student attempted to show how light and heat could be com- posed of particles. He believed this theorv' offered an explanation for the conversion of water into steam. Technograph re- |X)rted his theory; "when enough heat particles are attached to water molecules, the force of repulsion of the heat particles overcomes the force of attraction of the water molecules. The water molecules are pulled apart, causing volume expansion and the conversion of water into steam." This idea was criticized by some members of the Physics department. Hoping to really determine what holds the atom together and keeps it from collapsing, physicists from the University investigated the nucleus of the atom by bombarding it with high speed particles obtained from a cyclotron. This instru- ment was capable of producing energies of 2 million electron volts which gave the particles a velocity of 12,000 miles per second. Though small in comparison to other cyclotrons, this instrument was suffi- cient enough to form boron from beryl- lium. Following the bombing of Pearl Har- bor in 1941 and the United States" dec- laration of war on Japan, many advances such as radar detection and improved techniques in the shipyard took place. Campus also experienced progress, and the magazine quickly reported the chang- ing environment. Enlisting in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTO proved to be a popular choice among engineers on cam- pus during Worid War II. In fact, the cur- ricula offered at the U.S. Military Academy was almost identical as that offered in the College. Engineers were the third lai-gest unit in the brigade. The Sea- bees, part of the navy's civil engineer corps, also became an important portion of the navy during wartime. The Seabees were responsible for construction and maintenance of naval shore establish- ments. The University became the first school to own an electron microscope in 1943. Housed in Noves Lab and costing Dee B a r t h o I m e Donna Marco Ryan Sims SI 0.000. this microscope produced an im- age on a fluorescent screen which con- verted the electron image to a light image. This device became a great asset to scien- ce for its abilirv' to produce an enlarged image of a minute object by means of a focused beam of electrons. As technology advanced, the need for more specialized workers increased. To satisfy needs, the University added the department of aeronautical engineering and designed a 136 hour cumculum in the program. At this time the University was also constructing the Willaid Airport. Upon completion this airport served as a base where studies were pert'omied on pilots under various conditions. The re- sults were used in standardizing naviga- tional equipment. Due to the great increase of women in the labor force between 1930 and 1940, many women became interested in obtain- ing a greater education in liberal arts as well as in technical science. In 1945, a group called '".Association of Women Stu- dent Architects and Engineers" became organized on campus, making it the third such organization in the country. The pur- pose of the group was to promote friendship and understanding among the women engineers, the faculty, and the profession. Changes continued to be made on campus, especially the engineering cam- pus. In January, 1947. plans for the new Mechanical Engineering Building were discussed. Also, the Electrical Engineering Building was under construction at the comer of Green and Wright. This con- struction necessitated the straightening and rechanneling of Boneyard Creek. Furth- ermore, ideas were being discussed for the new Chemistry and Chemical En- gineering Laboratory. When completed, it would be the largest in the United States. In October, the University built a branch This shock tube, com- pleted in 1952. was de- signed to simulate the effects of shock waves on an air foil. (Photo by Andrew Koepke) campus on Navy Pier in Chicago which consisted of 4000 students and 276 faculty. Even in the mid-forties, engineers were accused of lacking the writing skills required of the field. Engineers, it was emphasized, needed to communicate clearly to fellow engineers in industry. Many companies felt that although gra- duating engineers had great technical skill, they were ill-prepared for management positions; they claimed engineers should be educated in business, economics, man- agement, and fundamental accounting. At the time, a beginning engineer earned ab- out S300 a month while a management engineer in non-technical areas received nearly S900 a month. To compensate for the engineer's lack of a perspective of the world in which he lives, larger corpora- tions began pressuring schools to give stu- dents five years of training instead of four. When the war ended, many Amer- icans were concemcd only v. ith their own security, not the nation's. Wartime wages had doubled from their prewar level, as had the gross national product. A great in- crease in car sales created problems of overcrowding in many cities. With the passage of the 1956 Highway Act, the construction of interstate highway systems began. The Edens Highway became a solution to Chicago's traffic bottlenecks. The highway had six lanes and was de- signed to handle cars traveling at 70 mph. Technograph predicted that by 1971 there would be S50 billion worth of these new expressways. As the Cold War began to get hot and the North Koreans invaded South Korea, President Truman stationed the Pacific fleet off Formosa and ordered American aircraft to support South Korean forces. Meanwhile, many changes were being made on the homefront. The annual Engineering Open House, reported Technograph. was a bit more extravagant in the fifties than it is today. The festivities began when a rum- ble in Boneyard Creek erupted into a twenty foot geyser which spurted kelly green water. It was claimed that this event signaled the arrival of the Blarney Stone 17 Football Guards In the L-iui\ d;iNs of the Techno- i;nipli. a football player was a relatively unprotected athlete. Helmets were made of leather and offered no face protection. Shoulder pads were thin and didn't distri- bute the force of a blow as today's pads do. Jerseys, made of wool or cotton, were hot duiin.2 wanii weather. The ball also has undergone drastic change. Originally, it was stuffed with straw and was much larger than today's ball. Damage was not a problem because kicking was not originally an aspect of the game. Below, a ball from the mid 1940's. Right, mini great Red Grange, still in shoulder pads, holds up his 1924 Jersey i photo courtesy of the Athletic Associa- tion). Bottom left, a 1910 player (photo couries}- of Wham postcards. Straiich's student life series). Bottom right, a player 12 years later (photo courtesy of the 1922 Illio). Top right, players from left D.R. Mills, F.H. Walker, 'j. A. Timm and F. Lunum from the 1929 Illinois football squad. Bottom right. Red Grange wearing a leather helmet in 1927 (photo courtesy of the 1927 Illio). (text by Dave Colburn) 18 Technovisions -y' -'f'^'*'-^^V - 19 Q Technology Adds Safety Relative to athletes o\' the past, to- day's tootball pla>er is well protected. Helmets feature a h;ird plastic shell that is padded lo transfer the impact of collision to less vulnerable areas of his head. Shoulder pads v;ir\' for different positions and are also designed to transfer energy avva\ from the weaker points of the play- er's body. Varieties of shoes exist not only for different positions, but also for different playing surfaces. The increased import- ance of kicking has led to different kick- ing tees of varying thicknesses and de- sign. Below: Some of the different kicking tees and a modem football. Right: A glimpse of the 1984 lllini versus Iowa game gives a comprehensive view of to- day's equipment. Below right: Various types of shoes are used for various play- ing surfaces. Above far right: Shoulder pads change in size and protection to fit players' individual needs. Below far right: Helmets also change with the wearer's position. Not only do they have different padding for different positions, but the face guards change from helmet to hel- met, (photos mid text by Dave C alburn) Q Q 1 4 J 1 T. -■■ = -- .- =l4 il^*] 4 ■Illllllll ^ ■ HI ■ ^ -— '■ — =^- =^.-" ^^ 1 ■ 1 ^ 1 JYouTedee p vinder the sea. L "niejejEire 4600 tons of nuclear- ^ powe red s ubmarine around ^yptT.^gour mission- to preserve In the nuclear Navy, you learn Mediterr ggeMi , the Pacifico.t_j uickly. Over half of America's the AtlanfiK wherevervOT".^^ Your job-~to coordinate a You get rewarded fast, too. practice missile launch. Every- With a great starting salary of thing about the sub is state-of- ° $22,000 that can build to as the-art, including you. much as $44,000 after five yeai The exercise -a success. You're And with training and i^Ssh part of that success and now you'll use for a lifetime, you're riding high. Then, whether you're in the quickly. Over half of America's the AtlanBS nuclear reactors are in the move aroni Navy. And that means you get be moving hands-on experience fast and in the] You get rewarded fast, too. ^""^ Find out With a great starting salary of ~:=^ci: $22,000 that can build to as ^^^ _ much as $44,000 after Jive yea^r^^^Seypur And with training and s^Bgfe^_— CALL i you'U use for a lifetime. ' ' " " " ~~^ __ Then, whether you're in the " move aroun d theworM,-y ou-ll' be moving up in your career^ and in the Navy. 7^ =^ ''=^ Find out more-about an ^== Javy Kecnuter orj 4>i NAVYOFnCERS GET RESPONSIBILITY EAST. TECmOGRAPH TECmOGRAPH of St. Patrick, patron saint of engineers. On Friday afternoon, the traditional St. Pat's Day parade took place with each en- gineering society contributing floats. Many engineering facilities were open for public tours and numerous displays de- monstrated the various aspects of en- gineering. In I955. the U.S. employed the first guided missile to be used in defense, a supersonic anti-aircraft rocket called NIKE. This two-stage rocket was capable of intercepting and destroying enemy air- craft regardless of evasive action. The same electronic principles that guided missiles were hoped to be applied to the operation of artificial limbs and braces. An electronic firm attempted to find a method of electronically releasing and controlling the energy required to operate an artificial limb or brace at the will of the wearer. With the development of new tech- nological areas such as atomic energy, antibiotics, jet propulsion, and electronics, the demand for engineers skyrocketed. It was stressed that an increase in the num- ber of engineers was critical to the na- tion's welfare and securify. Unfortunately, nearly a twenty percent shortage of en- gineers existed. Nevertheless. Dean Wal- ker of Pennsylvania State University be- lieved that women should not become en- gineers. Although he admitted that "under certain circumstances" women could have distinguished careers in engineering, he thought most women lacked the basic capabilities required. In addition, since most women wished to get married and have a family, companies didn't feel they could afford the risk of investing in a woman engineer. Dean Walker did not express his \ lews without opposing comment from Tcchnoi^raph articles and readers. Many people felt that the great demand for en- gineers made women a logical choice. In 1959, male engineers were warned about Electrical engineering professor Paul Coleman displays what he terms a vest pocket microwave accelerator and what textbooks designate as a ribatron. Developed by Coleman in 1946, the ribatron can generate up to 2,000,000 volts — a still unmatched record, (photo by Jay Zeff) the "slide rule carrying coeds" who were uniting in trying to gain membership in the Society of Women Engineers. The society's objective was to involve more women by informing the public of the availablity of qualified women. By 1960, the general outlook on women in scien- tific professions began to change; at this time there were sixteen women enrolled in the College and companies were becom- ing interested in employing women en- gineers. As the excitement heightened in the dream of conquering space, many saidents wanted to learn how activities in space could be accomplished. Hence, a "Rocket Society" developed on campus. In the summer of 1959, progress was made when an aircraft climbed over 100 miles into outer space. This flight provided in- formation on both prolonged weightless- ness as well as control and stability at high speeds. The aspect of human capabi- lities in space were also considered. For example, many people wondered if man's chemical composition could tolerate changes in his environment such as high acceleration, weightlessness, cabin press- ure, temperature, humidity, decompress- ion, solar and cosmic radiation, and bore- dom from isolation. Despite the characteristic world tur- moil of the years between 1935 and 1960, the Illinois Technograph continued to adapt to the changing society. While tech- nology and the University developed over time, the Technograph reported the newest directions of research in the fields of engineering. ■ 23 Progress and Politics The modern era of 1960 to 1985 brought to Technograph new directions of thinking lor both the field of engineering and the American society. The latest quarter ccntur>' heralded many technological iandmiirks. while the Illinois Techiwiiiaph and the University ai large similarly underv\ent considerable changes. Because Technograph evolved v\ith both society and the University, pat- terns of change in both can be traced simply by studying the magazine's his- tory. Among the most obvious of the changes in the University setting could be seen in the presence of new buildings. The new Civil Engineering Building was finished in 1965. while Looniis Labora- tory' pre-dated it by only a year. Also in the mid-sixties, the design for the Under- graduate Library' was proposed and approved by the Board of Trustees, although it was not the first underground libran. to be built. The University of Illinois-Chicago, called Circle Campus because of its loca- tion near a cloverleaf in the Expressway, was also constructed during these years. The new campus was the subject of many Technograph articles throughout the early seventies. Circle Campus boasted a thirty story office building for its faculty, and a suspended v\alkv\ay interconnecting the principal buildings. Al the time, it was considered one of the most appealing urban college campuses in the country. Though building construction prog- ressed rapidly both on the Champaign- Urbana campus and in Chicago, some aspects of University life remained the The agricultural en- gineering building is the most recent addi- tion to the College's laboratories. Continual updating of campus facilities has been a hallmark of the Col- lege for much of the past century. (Photo by Phil Messersmith) • same. Boncyard Creek continued to serve as the depositon,' for unwanted hardware and waste in the College. A 1961 Techno- graph story described the Annual Boneyard Fishing Contest. Many lucky entrants angled various pieces of a main- frame computer the University had dis- carded. One student discovered a suicide note in a bottle, and others found notes attached to sliderules. A short time later, iiiany articles appeared in the magazine requesting a thorough clean-up of the pol- luted creek. The University's adjustments to so- cial changes were noteworthy and signifi- cantly affected the Technograph. Both the magazine and the College grew to accept women in engineering. The final article of a long series in opposition to women in the engineering curriculum appeared in 1971. Since then, opinion changed and Technograph frequently asked. "Why iiren't there more wonien in en- gineering'.'" Changes in social trends became further defined through advertisements. Bethlehem Steel ran a series of advertise- ments in the sixties depicting a pouting woman, neglected by her boyfriend while he closely studied a pamphlet called "Career Opportunities with Bethlehem." Later, in the early seventies. Bethleheni ran a similar ad with both men and women studying the pamphlet. The cap- tion read. "This book replaces Playboy." During an engineering shortage in the middle sixties, many corporations used full-page advertisements to solicit prospec- tive employees. Graduates were faced with deciding which company could pro- vide a job giving them the most benefits. Companies would use lucrative selling points, including the proximity of the plant to the beach, the availability of women, and various other non-technical aspects of employment. These ads were aimed at a narrow cross-section of socie- ty, the male engineer, who frequently fell prey to such recruitment tactics. Early in the 1960's. Technograph also went beyond its traditionally technical forum fomiat. The magazine featured photos of attractive female undergraduates in a section called "Technocuties." Simi- larly. "Technocracks." a jokes column. 24 Pete Nelson 9 was discontinued in 1965. as a greater percentage of Technograph was de\oted to strictly technical matters. The pre\alent tears and concerns of the Cold \S'ar also found a place between the magazine's co\ers. The tlrst issue published dunng Kennedy's .Administra- tion contained an article on the construc- tion of bomb shelters, and later issues in- cluded several smaller articles on life in- side the So\iet Union. During the late six- ties, the magazine's political views cul- minated in reaction to the contro\ersial \'iet .Nam war. In 1969. numerous anti- war editorials were published as well as a reprinted telegram to the editor from local congressmen, concerning the riots at Kent State. Soon after, political lobbyist Ralph Nader, who believed engineers lacked a social conscience, wrote a letter addressed to the engineers at the L'ni\ersity . This occurred dunng the major court battle concerning automobile safety which pro- duced his book. Unsafe at Any Speed. As well as becoming more politicalK aware, engineers began to take a greater concern with their self-image. An English major at the University wrote an article ti- tled ""Crossing Green Street." His cntique of engineenng society was grimly re- cei\ed by the readers of the Technograph. The author claimed that he found a con- centration of e.xcellent students who had little on their minds beyond their studies. E\en the slang terms used to descnbe an engineer during the sixties — ""slide-rule king" and ""poindexter" — only seemed to further alienate engineering students from the non-technical students. The se\enties returned Technograph to its traditional format following the brief affair with politics and volatile non- technical topics. Society's misconception Changing Times 9 Imrieued by cxolic designs? Among the societal issues displayed in Technograph was the battle for women's rights. This type of recruiting advertisement, the • Technocutie feature, and a series of articles against women in engineering all disappeared from between the covers of the magazine in the early 1970 s. (Advertisement from Illinois Technograph. 1966) that engineers were responsible for what went wrong in the world w as replaced w ith a surge in popularity and respect for the engineering profession. Once again, engineers expressed their pride for being at the forefront of technology. The cele- brated space program gave societ\ new confidence; American ingenuity had land- ed men on the moon and returned them safely to earth. Computer-guided satellites orbited the Earth and provided a major breakthrough in communications net- works. The campus, country, and Techno- graph alike were amazed at the advances in microelectronics. The sliderule. a major engineenng tool, was replaced b\ the pocket calculator. Automobile design of the sixties fo- cused on greater horsepower and faster acceleration while different prionties in the se\enties changed those concerns to fuel efficienc)' and accident safety. The computer age also de\eloped, and with it the increasing demand to quickK' process information and store large quantities of data. The University greath' expanded its own computer facili- ties during the seventies. By 1976. the Programmed Logic for .■\utomated Teaching Operations (PLATO) system be- gan its career in education. The campus doubled its computer facilities for faculty and students and provided new emphasis on computer related classes and curricula. Now, late in the twentieth centun,', Technograph remains largely unvaiied from the digest form it was concehed as 100 years ago: a journal for the technicaJ- 1\ minded, written and produced by stu- dents in engineering. Technograph' f, cen- tury of survival can be accredited to its ability to adapt along w ith the technology it reports. Unlike the sliderule, the maga- zine has adjusted to gradual modifications and continued to serve as a benefit to the engineering community at the University. Changes in society have been numer- ous over the past twenty-five years, and the technologv' has changed accordingly. Space flight, computers, lasers, and other new technologies have onh' begun to shape today's society as automobiles, electricity, and railroads shaped life in Technograph' i^ earlier days. The success of the llUnois Technograph over the last 100 years is due not only to the commit- ment of the College's students and facul- ty, but also to the importance of technolo- gy in developing American society . I 25 The University and the country In which it resides are dynamic in nature. The Technograph has always followed the alterations ot our society, as the following direct quotations from past Issues Illustrate. The italicized dates at the end of each excerpt is its original date of publication. Stereotypes Can Be Cured ■"The various engineering societies at the University of Illinois are in need of a coordinating body. The individual orga- nizations within themselves carry on ac- tive and successful programs, but there is no formal means of cooperation between these societies. "In an article about the St. Pat's Ball, it was stated that Illinois has long been known as "the deadest engineering campus in the country." This statement may be a little harsh, but the students in the College of Engineering have done lit- tle to disprove it. The general public looks upc5n engineers as a group of rather 'queer' men, married to their slide rules, and so absorbed in their work that they hardly know that the rest of the world ex- ists. We know that is not true and it is up to us to prove to our "public' that en- gineers are as normal as any other person. The first step in that direction is to tbrm a united front. ""Several years ago there was an en- gineering council on campus. It was com- posed of representatives of all the en- gineering societies. It acted as a directing body for all combined activities. An orga- nization of this nature would not in any way infringe on the individual rights and functions of the societies but would pro- vide a pemianent. united group to coor- dinate the efforts of the societies when such action is necessary." (April. 1947} Digging History "'From nearly every standpoint, the design and construction of the Panama Canal is the most difficult engineering project and the most imptirtant work ever undertaken by a nation or individual. The failure of previous attempts to carry out this great undertaking have only served to show the vanety and magnitude of the obstacles to be overcome. But since the U.S. has taken upon itself the task of building the canal, the success of the en- terprise is assured. "Panama grants to the United States 'in perpeUiity the use. occupation, and control of a zone of land ten miles wide," and grants a monopoly of traffic across the isthmus. This treaty insures not only the construction of the canal, but our un- disputed management of it in our own way for all time to come." (1904-05) Architects to Be Licensed ""Illinois is the first state to enact a law requiring every practicing architect to obtain a license from a board of examin- ers. This law is of interest to architectural students, since it insures thai all who hereafter practice architecture in Illinois must be versed in scientific knowledge and technical training. The law will be of great benefit to the public, since it pro- tects citizens from injury or loss by in- competent architects, fixes the responsibil- ity for dangerous structures, and tends to rise rapidly the attainments and position of the profession." (1897-9H} Expanding Capacities "The new laboratory in the HH De- piirtment is practically completed. . .it will accomodate two sections of thirty men each. One section will work with altemat- ing current apparatus and the other with direct current machines. ""The new radio broadcasting station WILL is under construction. The tower and studio will be located on Illinois field." (March. 1926) Electricity Wins Over Water "A new building of nuxiified Geor- gian design is now in the initial stages of construction on the comer of Wright and Green streets. Replacement of the Health station and former president's home by this structure for the electrical engineering department of the College of Engineering is to contain recitation, laboratory, shop, and office space for about half of the pre- sent electrical engineering students and staff. It will cover an area extending 213 feet along Green Street and 141 along Wright street, and is therefore of large enough proportions to necessitate straight- ening and rechanneling the famous Boneyard Creek to a position a few feet north of its present location." (March. 1947) German Skyline Dwarfed "Buildings over twelve stories in height have been prohibited in Gemiany by order of the German govemment. In some provinces the maximum height is li- mited to ten stories, and dwellings in no part of the country can exceed five stor- ies." (Max. 1930) Dancing Engineers "This year for the first time, we en- gineers will strut our stuff in an open house and engineer's dance, all the same weekend! Let it be understood moreover, that the Slide Rule Shuffie is to be no ^ ordin;irv one. The Dance Committee, ^ under the direction of Spencer Brown, is making arrangements for the dance itself, but It is up to you, and you, and you to ^^") show the rest of the University a social ^^ 26 Technotes 9 lalfair that will be one of the high spots of the semester social whirl. . . Al isn't an accident that this banner event is to be. The whole thing was given an initial acceleration by the Engineering Council — "The Voice of Engineers" — which was reorganized last fall after a year's lapse." (March. 1941) No Stadium Sway Here ■"Why dtx;s the Illinois Stadium stand the mighty roars and stamping feet during the thnlling moments of a football game? W. A. Slater '06 is probably re- sponsible for he kept a watchful eye on all the concrete that went into it .... He has received three degrees from Illinois." (Jaiuuiiy. 1929) Rolling in Money "The initial salary by engineering graduates is well typified by the class of 1924 with reported median low salaries at $1 10 per month and median high salaries at $175 per month." (May. 1926} A Longer Day's Journey Into Night "The progress which has been made in the past decade in the matter of illu- mination is little short of wonderful .... night work has come to stay; in other words, modem communica- tion demands a longer day than that afforded by daylight. . . important developments .... have actually forced the consumer to demand protection from eyestrain." {November. 1913) Technograph Alterations "There has been a feeling prevalent among the students and the engineering faculty of the University of Illinois, that the Technograph in the past few years has not completely fulfilled its mission. Last year it was tmly due to the extraordinary efforts and success of the Technograph Board with the aid of the faculty that the journal survived. Due to these conditions Altgeld Hall was originally constructed as the Uni- versity's library in 1897. while the lllini Union was constructed on the site of University Hall in 1941. (Photo by Phil Messersmith) Dean Goss early in the term, called a con- ference consisting of a faculty committee and representatives fron the several societies to consider its reorganization. It was decided that the Technograph as an annual publication was not feasible nor was there a demand for it. Plans for a complete reorganization were then pre- sented by the Technograph Board which included a new constitution and by-laws. It was the general consensus of opinion that a live quarterly publication would be more representative of the growth in size and importance of the College of En- gineenng." (March. 1911) WPGU Tunes In "After two months of preparation, the first program was broadcast fron WPGU at 7 p.m. on December 6. 1953. Facilities for the studio — first located at 1 340 Arbor but later moved to its present location at 1241 Euclid in the Parade Ground Units — were donated by the Uni- versity housing division." (November. 1954) Library to Be Dedicated "We present to our readers the uni- versity library, [Altgeld Hall.] which is to be completed the first of June. The style of the strucUire is Modem Romanesque — a style derived from that manner of build- ing which prevailed throughout Western Europe fron the fall of the Roman Empire until the rise of the Gothic Style, and was directly or indirectly inspired by Roman examples. ' 'The building will be dedicated the coming Commencement Week, which is an especially appropriate time, because ground for it was broken with due cere- mony on last Commencement Day." (1896-97) The Feminine Mystique "It seems that Maijorie Voight was lonesome over in Ceramics and talked a fellow townswomen into enrolling in the clayslingers" school. Martha Schultz is the freshman miss who will have to be non- chalant in a classroom of boys .... Martha's settlement on the north campus keeps the population at two, since Dorothy Segur has deserted us." (Decem- ber. 1934) Mind Games "Students of engineering subjects, whose chosen profession will require a constant use of figures, often fail to appreciate the value of rapid methods of computation. Even when thay have a con- ception of the amount of time which can be saved, and of the means to be em- ployed to that end. they neither make use 27 CI ot their knowledge in evcr>day work, nor tn. to increase their store. It requires prac- tice begun in early days of sch(xil to niiike one skilltul in handling the simple opera- tions of addition, subtraction, niultiphca- tion. and division; and tixi many are con- tent to stop even betbre this point is reached. They are ever striving to master those devices which etTect a saving of time in the "field.' and lose sight of the equally important subject of rapid 'office work.'" ' curiosity — has been accom- plished here w ith the development of the first fuel cell capable of economically pro- ducing thousands of watts of power. Us- ing hydrogen and oxygen as fuel, the new silent source of power has been developed by scientists at the Research Laboratories of National Carbon." (October. 1957) Compiled by Sally Cohen. Dennis Francisicovich. Shelley Grist, Lesley Lee, i\'ata Mackevicius. Alfred Tadros, and Joe Wyse. Edited b\ Mar\ McDowell. 35 REALIZING GOALS « • "Nonlirop provides inccnlive anil enconnii^i'nwnr to look for new technologies, to be creative, experiment with things never clone before. AnJ we're provided the equipment we need to do our Leonard Chorosinski. Mechanical Engineer, University of Illinois, MSME. I can best. " If your goal is to make significant contributions right from tfie beginning of your career, take a closer look at IMortfirop Corporation, witti major facilities located in Los Angeles, Cfiicago. Boston and Kansas City Our many project teams are stiaping ttie future direction and furttner development of sucfi broad tecfinical fields as aircraft and aircraft services: defense electronics; precision navigation, guidance and control: electro-optical systems: soptiisticated target aircraft and systems: ground-based navigation aids: as well as advanced research! and development And. Nortfirop is deeply involved in sucfi specific, ex- citing and new tectinologies as artificial intelligence, laser tecfinology. CAD/CAM. VLSI, passive sensor advancements and composites If your background is in engineering, manufacturing, computer science, math or physics, and you'd like to know more about Northrop, its people and opportunities, remember to meet with us on campus or write us directly And. be sure to check your Placement Office Library for additional information College Relations, Dept. IT, Northrop Corporation, 1840 Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067, Proof of U.S. Citizenship Required. Northrop is an Equal Opportunity Employer fl/l/F/H/V. We're within your reach. NORTHROP Making advanced technology work ■ 'f^-»^'t.:' ' ' ''^i ;,■)'"• Expanding Operations in Fort Wayne ITT Aerospace/Optical Division provides high technology communications equipment and satellite-borne meteorological instruments to customers around the world. ^^-_--^ The best ideas are the III ideas that help people . mMm .L J. From page 7 1. The train traveling against the spin of the earth will wear its wheels out more quickly, since the centripetal force is less on this train. 2. 64. 3. If two widows each have a son and each marries the son of the other and has a daughter by the marriage, this series of relationships would arise. 4. (4:+4.4)/(.4) = 7i. HERE'S ONE ENGINEERING OPPORTUNITY YOU WON'T GET IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY. If you're thinking about a technical position after graduation, think about this. How many companies can offer you a nuclear submarine to operate? The answer is none. Equipment hke this is available only in the Navy. The Navy operates over half the nuclear reactors in America. So our training is the most comprehensive. As a commissioned Nuclear Propulsion Officer who has suc- cessfully completed a year of nuclear training, you'll receive a $.3,000 bonus. Plus a top salary and responsibility for advanced technical equipment. If you're majoring in engineering, math or the physical sci- ences, find out about the Nuclear Navv Bldq 41, NAE, Code Navy Eng ng Opportuni Glenview, IL 60026 I 724-8778 NAVY OFFICER. IT'S NOT JUST A JOB, IT'S AN ADVENTURE. 37 .ri ^i==^ FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 5,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships. The Hughes com- mitment to furthering your education and your career More than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study In; Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying for your Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gam valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree. Work Study Fellows work part-time during the academic year while studying at a nearby university. Full Study Fellows work in the summer and study full-time. And since Hughes is involved with more than 90 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available In fact, an Engineering Rotation Program is available for those interested in diversifying their work experience If you'd like assistance from a company committed to advancing the frontiers of technology, fill out and mail the coupon below Or write to; Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept. NC, BIdg. C2/B168 P O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245 Proof of U.S. Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROGRAM Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. NC BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials. HUGHES ■ AIRCRAFT COMPANY ^^^^| PLEASE PRINT; Name Address Date % % City State 1 am interested in nhtaining a Master's Engineer decree Zip nof^tnrate DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's Date Field School Master's Date Field School WRITE YOURSELF us. Citizenship Required _G.P A. G.P.A IN Tech Profiles Jonathan Baldwin Turner led in the movement to ratify the Land-Grant Act which created the University. Bom near Templeton, Massachussets in 1805. he attended Yale College and studied the classics, in 1833 he became Pro- fessor of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres at Illinois College. While in Illinois, he became an ordained minister. He also married Rhodolphia Kibbe of Connecticut, with whom he had seven children. His strong religious views led him to be a ver>' vocal opponent of slavery . The trustees of Illinois College, afraid that he would offend some of their generous Southern pat- rons and thereby upset the college's delicate financial situation, forced him to resign in 1848. He became a full-time farmer and began advocating "'A Plan for a State University for the Industrial Classes," which he fu^t presented in May, 1850. He felt very strongly that the chil- dren of the working class deserved an education that was tai- lored to their aptitudes and interests. Said University President Edmund James, "He early came to recognize the necessity' for a scientific education of the practical man, if he was ever to take the place which belonged to him by virtue of the importance of his occupation." Turner was undeniably a key figure in organizing support in the Midwest for the Land-Grant Act, and some feel his friendship with President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the bill, may have been instrumental in gaining Lincoln's support. Turner worked to establish his vision of an industrial uni- versity in Illinois. He spoke at the opening ceremonies of the University, but would accept no position in the new school. Stillman Williams Robinson was the first dean of the College of Engineering. He assumed his office in February. 1878. when the University was divided into colleges. A native of Reading, Vermont. Robinson was bom in 1838. He worked as an apprentice in a machine shop from 1855-59. He wanted to sUidy mechanics, but no such curriculum existed at the time. Deciding that civil engineering would have to suffice, he traveled by foot the 600 mile distance to the Uni- versity of Michigan to begin his studies. He joined the faculty at Michigan in 1866, and in 1870 he became head of the mechanical engineering department at Illi- nois. In this position. Robinson was the creator of the third mechanical engineering program in the country', preceded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was an unorthodox yet effective educator and set the pattern for future engineering education. He allowed his stu- dents practical lab experience and helped establish respect for engineering education among older engineers who thought that their profession could not be taught in a classroom setting. Robinson left in 1878 for Ohio State University, where he taught mechanical engineering and physics. Robinson died in 1910, leaving as memorials the clock for the class of 1878, which was originally in University Hall and is now in the Union, and the steam engine in the Mechanical En- gineering Laboratory, which he designed and his students built. It provided energy to the University for 25 years. Man McDowell Marx McDowell 39 When the Classes of '83/84 chose the top 25, they counted on Harris. The Reasons? Maybe it's because our broad product line reflects a comprehensive approach to information technology. . . an approach few others can match. Or perhaps, it's because of our reputation for boldly applying state- of-the-art technologies. Here are just a few excunples: • Harris developed the world's first 16-bit microprocessor based on CMOS technologies. • Harris is a leader in the development of a third generation digital PBX switch. • Harris developed and implemented one of the world's largest domestic satellite communications networks, involving 38 earth stations. • Harris has played a major role in the unfolding drama of Artificial Intelligence and the development of the Fifth Generation Computer. • Harris has more than 55,000 word processing workstations installed . . . second only to IBM in the stand-alone product category. In a recent nationwide survey* of over 2,600 graduating engineers, Harris was consistently named among tlie top 25 companies most preferred as employers. No wonder Harris Corporation has enjoyed a powerful growth record of close to 20% a year for the past ten years. Today, we are a Fortune 200 company with sales close to $2 billion. And the outlook for tomorrow is even more promising. New technological breakthroughs, new challenges and new opportunities for growth. Be a part of it. Career openings exist at Harris in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York and Texas for graduates with Bachelor or advanced degrees in EE, ME. IE, ChE, Computer Science and Physics. Each of our 30 divisions operates autonomously, so the potential for career growth is practically unlimited. Whether your goal is technological leadership or executive management, Harris is committed to your success. Why not rate Harris for yourself? Contact your Placement Office or write: Director, Corporate College Relations, Harris Corporation, 1025 W. NASA Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32919 We are an equal opportunity employer M/F/H/V •Graduating Engineer— Second National Engineering Student Employer Preference Survey. If It's Happening In Electronics, It's Happening At Harris. .yiyiyiM m'^Du Pont has allthea ihallenges I wantr Michelle Stadler, Supervisor, Materials Scheduling "As an EE major at Purdue (Jniversity, 1 was interested in micro-processor control systems for biomedical instruments. In reviewing employment prospects, 1 came across an ad stating that Du Pont had pioneered the develop- ment of Automatic Clinical Analyzers (aca™) now widely used in medical diagnostic tests. A campus interview and plant visit to Glasgow, Dela- ware, amazed me: Du Pont was working on exactly the projects with which I wanted to get involved'.' Three years later "how I'm a supervisor of materials scheduling, with a staff of two. I schedule inventory levels, forecast requirements, and work with outside sup- pliers to reduce costs and improve service. DuPont gave me responsibility right from the start. They encouraged my initiative and supported me with experienced back-up if I needed it!' Continued learning "Du Pont has been a good experience for me. My first assignment was designing circuit boards for the Automatic Clinical Analyzer 1 was proud to be able to double the capacity of a specific memory without a significant cost increase. Mow I'm learning a lot of cross-over technology, especially in the mechanical engineering area. The diversity of assign- ments and opportunities for.continued learning make DuPont an -attractive choice for EE graduates!' The next time a Du Pont representative is on campus, sign up for an interview. Or write: DuPont Co. Room 38995, Wilmington, DE 19898. Better things for better living r ! ^ L ^\^ An equal opportunity employer, M/F Create computers that capture the mysteries of common sense. The brain does it naturally It wonders It thinks with spon- taneity-advantages we haven't been able to give computers We've made them "smart',' able to make sophisticated calcula- tions at very fast speeds. But we have yet to get them to act with insight, instinct, and intuition. But what if we could devise ways to probe into the inner na- ture of human thought So com- puters could follow the same rationale and reach the same conclusions a person would What if we could actually design computers to capture the myster- ies of common sense'' At GE, we've already begun to implement advances in knowl- edge engineering We are cod- ifying the knowledge, intuition and experience of expert engi- neers and technicians into com- puter algorithms for diagnostic troubleshooting At present, we are applying this breakthrough to diesel electric locomotive sys- tems to reduce the number of engine teardowns for factory repair as well as adapting this technology to affect savings in other areas of manufacturing We are also looking at parallel processing, a method that divides problems into parts and attacks them simultaneously rather than sequentially the way the human brain might. While extending technology and application of computer systems is important, the real excitement and the challenge of knowledge engineering is its conception At the heart of all expert systems are master engi- neers and technicians, preserv- ing their knowledge and experience, questioning their logic and dissecting their dreams As one young employee said, "At GE, we're not |ust shap- ing machines and technology We're shaping opportunity." Thinking about the possibili- ties IS the first step to making things happen And it all starts with an eagerness to dream, a willingness to dare and the determination to make visions, reality c An equal opportunity employer If you can dream it, you can do it. THl Volume 100, Issue 5 Newsstand SI. 25 ST">: wmmisil:^ chnograph GIFT Zt EXCHANGE DEPT. 314 MAIN LIBRARY UNIV OF ILL ATTN: PENNY BAILEY CAMPUS ^^jy ly y; ^' IfeMj^i Hff^'fe '>^- - ^ Boomerangs Return FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949. more than 5,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes com- mitment to furthering your education and your career fk^ore than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study m: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Aeronautical) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes fellow, you could be studying for your Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gam valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree. Work Study Fellows work part-time during the academic year while studying at a nearby university. Full Study Fellows work in the summer and study full-time. And since Hughes is involved with more than 90 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available. In fact, an Engineering Rotation Program is available for those interested in diversifying their work experience. If you'd like assistance from a company committed to advancing the frontiers of technology, fill out and mall the coupon below Or write to; Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept NC. BIdg C2/B168 P.O. Box 1042. El Segundo, CA 90245 Proof of U.S. Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROGRAM Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. NC BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY PLEASE PRINT; Name Address Date City 1 am interested in obtaining in the field of a Ma.ster's State Fngineer degree Zip nnctorale DEGREES NOW HELD (OF Bachelor's Date Master's Date US Citizenship Required EXPECTED) Field School G.P.A. Field WRITE Sr^hnnl YOURSELF G.P.A. IN m us Army Corps of Engineers Building In today's complex technological society it takes excep- tional planning and engineering to build a better tonnorrow. The Corps of Engineers' dedicated civilian professionals . . . engineers, planners and environmentalists, biologists, economists, landscape architects ... are working on a variety of jobs in a variety of places in the U.S. and overseas to improve and protect the quality of life for all citizens. We plan, design, construct and operate water resource projects, build and improve our nation's ports and harbors, build hospitals and housing projects for the Defense Department. The devel- opment of the projects must be carefully bal- anced with the preservation of our natural environment. The balance is precarious, the challenge extreme. As a civilian employee with the Corps of Engineers you will be joining an organization that believes people are our most important asset. People who respond to a challenge with commitment, skill and innovation. You can help us meet the challenge. Ask us and we'll tell you more about a career with the Corps of Engineers. Office of Personnel Army Corps of Engineers Washington, DC 20314 An Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer April 1985 Volume 100, Issue 5 lllinolsTechnograph Celebrating 100 years of publication On the cover: National champion boomerang thrower Paul Sprague de- monstrates the flight of a boomer- ang. The ancient sport of 'ranging has recently found returning popular- ity (photo by Dave Colburn). 10 What Makes a Good T.A.? Caroline Kurita Neiirly every student has experienced both helpful and pitiful teaching assistants, but exactly what atuibutes a good instructor should exhibit is a difficult question to answer. The Return of the Boomerang Langdon Alger Boomerangs have been fascinating tools since their development thousands of years ago. Now, they are making a comeback on campus as local students examine their appeal and structure. Fighting Water Pollution Michael Lind New technologies and development of water treatment methods have produced promising progress in the fight against hazardous wastes. Departments Editorial 3, Tech Teasers 3, Forum 8. Technovisions 9, Technotes 11, Technovations 13, Techprofiles 16 Copyright lllini Media Co., 1985 turns Technograph (USPS 258-760), Vol. 100 No. 5 April 1985. lliinas Technograph is published fwe times during the academic year at the tjmversity of Illinois at Utbana-Chamipaign. Published by lllim Itfledia Co.. 620 East John St. Champaign. Illinois. 61820 Editorial ana Business odices of the Illinois Technograph Room 302 Erameerina hai:. Ufbana. Illinois. 61801. phone 2'~ ■■_<:■■•• .r-rr ■.-■IS are available for $625 per a: ■. :■■ ■ . .■ ■■:.-•■ ' ! by Littel-Murray-Barnhill. Inc , 13.'- -' 1 :.-. 1. ■ .•■.■. ■ :'\ NY. 10001. 221 N, LaSaite Street. C'-icago, ) 6C6C' Entered as second class maner. October 30. 1920 at tne post office at Urbana Illinois under the act of March 3. 1879 Illinois Techiyjgraph is a memlDer of Engineering College Magazines Associated Editor: Langdon Alger Production Editor: Jim O'Hagan Business Manager: Mary Kay Flick Photo Editor: Dave Colburn Features Editor: Mary McDowell Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Design: Karen Peters Asst. Design, Charlie Music Publisher: £ Mayer Maloney Jr. Production Manager, Geoff Bant Business Staff: Dennis Ctien, Dahlon Chu, Dave Dunlap, Paul Larigholz, Dave Rabin Cliff Wvatt Editorial Staff: Randy Aksamit, Richard Barber Dee Bartholme, Ron Blum, Peter Borowitz, Mike Brooks Richard Chi, Thomas Chu, Sally Cohen, Denis Fahey, Dennis Franoskovich, Shelly Grist Greg Haas Jeff Hamilton, Raymond Hightower Bob Janssens, Carolyn A. Keen, Andre\A Koepke, Ken Kubiak Caroline Kurita, Les - Lee, Michael W. Lind, Steve Lotz, Nata M Mackevicius, Kirt Nakagav\/a, Peter NelsoW Donna Ryan, Lisa J. Schafer Mike Schneider, Marco Sims, Jeffrey D. Spranae Kentaro Sugiyama, Pam Susemiehl, TomM Svrcek Alfred Tadros, Laurie Taylor Bill ' Weiss, J. Scott Woodland. Joseph Wyse Jay Zeff Tech Teasers Editorial # 1 . Two animals of the feline species ^e on opposite sides of a steeply slanted roof and are about to fall off. Which one will endure the longest? 2. The middle pearl on a string of 33 is the largest and best of all. The others are selected and arranged so that, starting from one end, each successive pearl is worth $100 more than the preceding one. From the other end, the pearls increase in value by SI 50 up to the large pearl. The entire strand is worth S65.000. What is the value of the large pearl? 3. After a particularly severe mid- term exam, several students dropped the class. The number of people who dropped was equal to the square root of half the number of people in the class originally. Of the original people in the class, 8/9 are sitting in the lecture room diligently taking notes. Two students are blowing off class to play frisbee on the quad. How many people were initially on the class roster? 4. An eccentric millionaire's will stipulated that his fortune of exactly $1,000,000 should be divided among his 16 Lhasa Apsos as follows: every gift must be either $1 or a power of $7, and no more than six dogs can receive the same amount. How was the money appor- tioned? 5. Poindexter, a creative engineering student, devised a scheme to revolutionize the business world. "I can take 4 from 4 and leave 8," he said. "That's impossi- ble!" replied Biff, a business major who had survived the rigors of Math 1 1 1 and who knew that his friend couldn't be right. How did Poindexter prove his point? Answers on page 12 From Start to Finish Are you ready for a technical chal- lenge? "Man, I wanna be in second grade." "Whatever for? How can you say that?" "Well, back then I had a set sche- dule. I'd come home from school, go out and mess around until dinner, watch some TV, go to bed, and then do it again." "You really want to be there again now? Besides, once you graduate you'll be able to have a set schedule again." Picture yourself in a world-wide com- pany with emphasis on the individual "It's gonna be so cool! I'll get a house, a car, a piano, an excellent stereo. . .and I'll eat really good food for once!" "Yeah, but you only need cigarettes and ice to live." "So you say, but I don't see you turning down large plates of stroganoff for cigarettes." For a career that can't be duplicated, work with an original "So how'd the interview go?" "I dunno. Pretty bad, I think." "How come? What happened? You prepared for it a lot!" "I don't know ... I study up for an interview, eat right, take vitamins, talk a lot about who I am, what I want, and what I can offer, and it gets me nothing but a callous bong letter. Then, if I walk cold into an interview after only about three hours sleep and with an apathetic attitude, they offer a plant trip right there. Pretty weird." Your first 18 months. . . can make the past 4 years pay off "I had a lousy interview today. 1 also decided I'm addicted to caffeine." "I bet you didn't have a good break- fast to start out your day right." "No. I had a bottle of pop. 1 can't be my usual jovial and entertaining self in the morning for someone I don't know unless I have caffeine first." "Yeah, I understand. I wonder what would happen if you had a few beers be- fore an interview?" If you thrive on responsibility, the opportunity is here! "I don't want to graduate. I'll have to go to a new place with nothing and slowly build my life and credit up, so that when I'm too old to enjoy life I'll have lots of money and materialistic joys." "Really. Why don't we, as society, give everything to the young and take it away gradually so that when you retire you have nothing? I mean, I'd have a lot more fun with a million dollars now than I would in 50 years." The people behind advanced missile en- gineering seek perfection "You know what's really scary to think about?" "What's that?" "Kid's shoes." "Yeah. Look man, I gotta go. . . " "No, seriously. Think about buying shoes for your kid that you and your wife have brought up together. You gotta get shoes for it that it will grow up in. Don't you think that's scary?" Imagine the career you want "I think we should post all our bong letters on the wall." "Why? Everyone does that. It's kin- da silly. Besides, I'd be embarrassed." "But then we would have a physical projection of our bitterness and unyielding hope, displayed in a quasi-artistical form. Besides, all those companies' letterheads look cool." Rising professionals — career advance- ments are within your reach "Do you think they have fun in the real world?" "Nah." From finish . . .to start What Makes a Good T.A.? Special talents are required of teaching assistants to convey their knowledge and experiences to students. Attending any Big Ten school can mean that students will often learn from teaching assistants in addition to or in place of professors. Although this may not be a drawback, both good and bad teaching assistants exist just as good and bad professors do. The University does not always obtain ideal teaching assis- tants, which is a situation, according to Professor H. G. Fried- man of the computer science department, that is "inescapable." If all teaching assistants are not created equal, then what makes one teaching assistant better than another? Finding teaching assistants encompasses a search similar to that of finding employees for any job. Ads are distributed through national outlets, applications are received, and the most qualified applicants are finally chosen. Friedman explained that although the knowledge and intellect of the teaching assistant may be perceivable from the application, a good teaching assis- tant has an "undefinable talent that only students can tell." This talent includes a sensitivity to the students" needs and desires. Professor Sylvian Ray. also of the computer science depart- ment, further explained that the humanitarian aspects of the indi- vidual cannot always be seen in new people, creating a sad problem. Although this makes it difficult to find the ideal teaching assistant, most applicants are found acceptable and. once hired, are rarely disposed of Ray believes that a good teaching assistant must interact well with students. "There is a fine line of decision between knowing when to take charge of the situation and knowing what is sensible in terms of how the instructor wants to run the course," he said. For Ray, the key aspect of a qualified teaching assistant is a balance of trying to obey the professor, accepting the general philosophy of the course, and using some initiative of his own. According to Ray, a good teaching assistant will possess "an attitude of noblesse oblige with respect to the stu- dents." A teaching assistant who displays egotism by cutting down others who are less knowledgeable than he, or one who is not helpful toward the students, is the opposite of what Ray pre- fers to see. He further explained that teaching assistants should not show off how much they know but rather have a general attitude of mercy toward the students. On the more technical side, a teaching assistant should know the subject well and be able to explain it clearly. "It is when the humanities part and thwl technicalities part balance nicely that makes a super teaching ^^ assistant." he said. According to mathematics professor Wilson M. Zaring, "a good teaching assistant has two different jobs — one to teach and the other to study." Teaching includes certain intangibles such as an outgoing personality, interest in others, and a motivation to teach. As a student, Zaring feels that a teaching assistant should also have "a proper background, intelligence, drive, motivation, and desire." There have been teaching assistants in the past which have not worked out either academically or as a teacher. They either lack the ability to communicate or don't prepare for teaching their class. Zaring feels that if the teaching assistant does not have a feel for what the students want, he is not a good teaching assistant and never will be. "The issue of success has to do with drive, motivation, and ability. "" said Zaring. Teaching, to Friedman, runs in a circle like all other skills. "If you like teaching you're better at it. and if you're better at it you like it more," he explained. Friedman feels that a good teaching assistant should "have the ability to communicate — he should know the subject and have a good command of the En- glish language." However, he pointed out, this does not include all American teaching assistants and does not exclude all foreign teaching assistants. Zaring added to this with one experience of hiring a teaching assistant. A student applied to become a teaching assis- tant, but because his English was marginal. Zaring was hesitant in hiring him. He explained to the teaching prospect that stu- dents tend to have a negative reaction to accents. The prospect understood, but still wanted to teach. He told the professor this and also that he would write e\er\thing out. pass out handouts, and speak slowly. Because the motivation and desire to succeed were largely present, the prospective teaching assistant was hired and eventually generated a positive response from the smdents. Zaring believes that this particular teaching assistant went over well because he wanted to succeed and. because of this strong desire, made an extra effort. Amra Serdarevic. a teaching assistant for Physics 106. ex- plained that being a teaching assistant is not an easy job and re- quires a lot of time. A good teaching assistant will find this time and use it to prepare for class, grade the students' work, conduct office hours, and have time for students outside office hours. She felt that the students should be told what is expected of ^ them with an attitude of wanting to teach them something. ratherW than punishing them for not doing things. Jenny Karloski. a teaching assistant for Chemistry 102. has a positive attitude about teaching. She explained that a good ^' teaching assistant should care about the students and be willing ~ to tiike time with them. Two other important factors are that the Caroline K u r j t a • teaching assistant should know what he is talking about and be able to present the material in an organized fashion. Being prepared and writing clearly are just some of the qualities that Jern Scappaticci. a Math 242 teaching assistant, considers important. He also feels that using homework to check the students' understanding of the material, grading fairly, and being considerate of the students are important. ■"In order to be a teacher, you have to want people to learn and be e.xcited about learning," said Lu Ann Duffus. a teaching assistant for Economics 101. She stressed that the key word necessary to be a good teaching assistant is enthusiasm. "If you're not enthusiastic, you can't expect the class to be." Even if a teaching assistant is not partial to a certain section, enthu- siasm must be developied in order to teach it well, she explained. Just because a person is knowledgeable, he is not necessarily a good teacher. Kim Kerr>'. a Chemistrv' 102P teaching assistant, felt that there are basically two different responsibilities of a good teaching assistant. One is to teach something by covering the re- quired material, and the other is to give the students something they can swallow . The teaching assistant must find out what the students know and don't know, as well as what they expect to learn. She explained that the material should be presented clearly and questions should be answered. A good teaching assistant should care about whether the students are doing well or not. rather than just go through their papers. Dennis Youn, a teaching assistant for Chemistry 102 lab. explained that the job of teaching for lab work is less difficult than for a discussion section. His role is to explain the technical problems of the lab and to give quizzes. A good teaching assis- tant will do these things plus make himself available for ques- tions and show students the amusing aspects of labs. He should also be open-minded and have a flexible personality. "Teaching is the best thing I've done since coming to this University." said Brian Igarashi. another Physics 106 teaching assistant. It has given him the opportunity to interact with a lot of people simultaneously, in addition to making him organize his ideas and prepare them in a clear and understandable format. He feels that it is important that a good teaching assistant "be able to understand the material from the perspective of the students, not that of a Ph.D. candidate." The ideas of students on which attributes determine a quali- ty teaching assistant also var>'. Joe Lehman, a senior in Agri- cultural Engineering, feels that a good teaching assistant should know the teachings and applications of his subject and be able to tell why it is important. Such a teaching assistant should also be a good communicator and relate well to the students. Mechanical engineering junior Kevin Baxter explained that a good teaching assistant should know his subject well enough for a clear presentation in a logical manner. He feels that teaching assistants should be reasonable graders and not test the students on material that was not covered in class. Karen Lindholm. a sophomore in electrical engineering, be- lieves a good sense of humor helps one to be a good teaching assistant. A good teaching assistant should be prepared for any questions the students may ask and be able to answer them with- out going off track, in terms understandable to the students. Freshman Brian Davison feels that there are many qualities that a good teaching assistant should possess. These include a good knowledge of the material, good speaking skills including communication and organization, and accessibility to the stu- dents. He also feels that teaching assistants for discussion sec- tions should attend course lectures for knowledge of what is being covered. Some safeguards are available to protect students from a less-than-ideal teaching assistant. In 100 level classes there are two instructors, both a professor and a teaching assistant, to pro- vide two good chances for the student to find someone that he can relate to and leam from. Friedman explained this using as an example the course evaluation questionnaires given at the end of a course. In the long-hand comments, one student said that he had a terrible teacher but a good teaching assistant, while another student said just the opposite — he had a terrible teaching assistant but a good professor. Although both reacted differently to the teachers, each could adjust to one. Some teachers will get their message across better than others, and students' responses vary to different approaches. ■ Although often considered an Australian pasttime, the boomerang has gained universal appeal through its bizarre and curious flight path. The Return of the Boomerang Deep down in a dark basement of corporate America, a cracicerjack team is trying to determine the world's greatest feat of engineering. What remains unreal- ized is that the item they are attempting to discover is being used by people interna- tionally and slowly gaining popularity. The boomerang, frequently known as a ■"rang" or "boom," allows individuals to get outdoors and enjoy themselves, without becoming over-exercised. 'Rangs are available in a myriad of shapes, sizes, materials, and weights for both right- handed people and southpaws. "The returning boomerang just doesn't go straight, and therefore was not an effective weapon," metaphyses Paul Sprague, national bcximerang champion, b' IBM scientists at the York- town Heights. New York facilit}\ A pulse of 12 femtoseconds, or 12 quadrillionths of a second, was made using a laser and a light compressor. The pulses can ser\e as a strobelight to slow or freeze the apparent motion of molecules, atoms, and electrons so that their extremely rapid interactions can be studied in detail. This achievement could help researchers better understand some fundamental physical processes important to the de\elopment of the ultra-fast com- puter components in the future. A femtosecond (fs) is almost unim- aginably brief. There are as many of them in one second as there are seconds in 30 million years. In two seconds, light travels from the earth past the moon. In 12 fs, it moves only five microns, roughly one-tenth the width of a human hair. The light compressor flashes 800 12- fs pulses per second, made by alternately stretching and compressing laser light. In the light compressor, 100-fs pulses from a dye laser are sent through the minute core of an optical fiber which is less than two ten-thousandths of an inch wide. Interactions between the laser light and the fiber increase the light's band- width and separate the colors so that the longer, "redder" wavelengths are ahead of the shorter "bluer" wavelengths. This timing change is known as chirping. After the pulse leaves the fiber, it bounces between two diffraction gratings which scatter colors in different directions. In this pair of de\ices, the front and rear portions of the chirped pulse act like race cars moving at the same speed but on different tracks. The red car starts in front, but the blue car takes the inside shorter lane. In the end, the two arrive together. This results in a compressed pulse that is shorter and more intense than the initial one. This discovery will help to under- stand the chemical and physical processes that occur too rapidly to be studied in great detail. Instead of onl\ knowing what the initial reactants are and what the pro- duct is. scientists will be able to learn ab- out the interim processes to advance their knowledge rapid reactions. Waste Not, Want Not A rotary reactor and a newly de- veloped Environmental Vault, patented by Rollins Environmental Services, may pro- vide a solution to the problem of hazar- dous waste storage. The vault, an above-ground struc- ture, covers about an acre and a half and is 20 to 25 feet tall in typical installations. It protects the waste from both precipita- tion and ground and surface water. Mean- while, polymer liners and fwrous layers protect the ground from wastes and leachate. The vault is equipped with a monitoring system, and the top has a storm water runoff system. The vaultreactor system provides several advantages o\er traditional methods of waste containment. Since it is completely above ground, any leakage or deterioration can be quickly detected and repaired. The system is not dependent on the geology or hydrology of the location, and all the monitoring and leachate sys- tems are gravits-driven and independent of mechanical devices. Speech Clarity Bell Laboratories has developed a new speech synthesizer which can code and store one second's worth of speech with only 9,600 bits of memory: one third that of other synthesizers. In addition, the speech quality is considerably improved over the speech currently emitted from talking cars, toys, and cameras. The basis of the new synthesizer is the Multi-Pulse Linear Predictive Coding (MPLPC) algorithm, developed by AT&T for digitally coding and decoding speech patterns. This program permits the synth- esizer to compose high quality speech with fewer bits of infonmation than similar speech simulators require. By cutting down on the amount of memory required, the algorithm reduces the cost of synth- esizing speech. The synthesizer consists of two mic- rochips, both developed by AT&T. The MPLPC algorithm is coded into one of the chips: a digital signal processsor that executes 2,500.000 instructions per second. This converts the stored digits back into high quality speech. The second chip is a dual-port Random Access Mem- ory (RAM). This chip can be accessed simultaneously by both the signal proces- sor and a host computer or controller. The host computer stores the coded messages for the synthesizer to process, transferring the appropriate bits of information to the dual-port memor\- as required. The bits are then retrieved from the RAM by the digital signal processor and aimed into spoken sentences. Possible applications for this synth- esizer include uses in the telephone net- work for announcing changed numbers and in easing information exchanges with computers via telephone. Man- McDowell 13 The Reflective Vision A highly advanced design tool developed at the General Motors Research Laboratories uses computers to generate visual images from mathematical data with such accuracy that, soon, in-depth aesthetic evaluations of new concepts may be made prior to creating a costly physical model liitcr.ulivc l)i-i>l;i Figure I: Cnmfiitcr display o/f>laii ricif (upper) and side clcratimi ilnwvr), indicating auloiiui- hilc liHaliiiii. lif>htinf> selections lL!L5), and riening pasition (EYEl. Figure 2: Four Autocotor images, showing the same view of an automobile as hackgrmiiHl and lighting change. yV/lTH AUTOCOLOR, users T T can synthesize three-dimen- sional, shaded images of design con- cepts on a color display and then quickly explore how major or minor changes affect the overall aesthetic impression. The system is com- pletely interactive. By choosing from a menu on the screen, the designer can redefine display parameters, select a viewing orientation, or mix a color Each part of an object can be assigned a surface type with associated color and reflectance properties. Built-in lighting controls generate realistic "highlights" on simulated surfaces composed of dif- fering materials. Before developing the system, David Warn, a computer scientist at the General Motors Research Laboratories, observed the complex lighting effects achieved in the stu- dio of a professional photographer By simulating these effects. Auto- color can produce results unattain- able by conventional synthetic image display systems. Previous systems used a point source model of light, which allows adjustments only in position and brightness. The versatility of the lighting controls constitutes a major advance in Autocolor An unlimited number of light sources can be indepen- dently aimed at an object and the light concentration adjusted to sim- ulate spotlight and floodlight effects. The lighting model even includes the large flaps or "barndoors" found on studio lights. These comprehen- sive controls permit the user to view the simulation in studio lighting con- ditions, as well as to make revisions in color, paint type, and materials. With real lights, direction and concentration are produced by reflec- tors, lenses, and housings. It would be possible to model tjiese compo- nents directly, but that would intro- duce considerable overhead to the lighting computation. Instead of modeling individual causes, Auto- color models the overall effect, reduc- ing complexity by simulating those aspects needed to produce realistic results. Autocolor approximates the geometric shape of an object with a mesh of three or four-sided poly- gons. These polygons are grouped to form parts. For a car body there might be separate parts for the door, hood, roof, fender, and so on. Each part is assigned a surface type, such as painted metal or glass, and each type of surface has associated color and reflectance properties. The entire data structure is stored in tables using an interactive relational data base developed at the GM Research Laboratories. THE LIGHTING model deter- mines the intensity of the re- flected light that reaches the eye from a given point on the object. It takes into account the reflectance properties of the surface as well as the physics of light reflection. A hid- den surface algorithm determines which point on the object is visible at each point on the display For each of these visible points, the inten- sity is computed for each light source. The displayed intensity is the sum of the contributions from all the lights plus an ambient term which indicates the general level of illumination. Using the point source lights of conventional image generation systems, highlighting a particular area of an object can be a difficult task and can result in unwanted highlights in other areas. By contrast, the light direction and concentration controls found in Autocolor make it possible to iso- late the effect of a light to a partic- ular area, and achieve a desired highlight easily and quickly (see Figure 2). This is not because Autocolor's lighting model compu- tations are faster, but because its controlled "lights" behave in a more natural way. Another unique feature of Autocolor is the ability to portray realistically a variety of different materials and lighting conditions. The color seen from a surface is really a combination of two colors: the color of the surface or material itself (diffuse reflection) and the color of the reflected highlights (specular reflection). The highlight color may be the color of the mate- rial, the color of the light, or a color derived from the material and the light. A different highlight color can be used for each different surface type that is defined. This makes it possible to simulate materials such as plastic, painted metal, and chrome — each of which has differ- ent reflectance properties and re- quires a different highlight color. The user can interactively adjust the blending of the surface and highlight colors, watching the image change dynamically on the screen until a desired effect is achieved. "Autocolor will free designers to be more creative!' says researcher WaiTi. "Our goal is to move from con- trols that show changes in lighting, color, and materials, to software that will let the user change the actual shape, manipulating the image on the screen like a flexible clav model!' General Motors THE MAN BEHIND THE WORK David Warn is a Senior Staff Re- search Scientist in the Computer Sci- ence Department at the General Motors Research Laboratories. He received his undergradu- ate degree in mathematics from Carnegie-Mellon University, and his M.S. in computer science from Purdue. He has done extensive re- search in relational data man- agement systems with special emphasis on user interfaces and human factoi"S. He also designed the prototype for the network data manager used in the GM Corporate Graphic System. His previous work on other aspects of computer-aided design include system design, file management, and simulation models. His foremost research interests are in color synthetic image gener- ation and interactive surface design. He joined General Motors in 1968. Tech Profiles Peter W. Sauer, a native of Minnesota, received his undergraduate training in electrical engineering from the Uni- versity of Missouri. After serving in the Air Force for four years, he attended Purdue University and obtained his master's and Ph.D. with a concentration in electrical power systems. Sauer has served as a professor in the College since 1977 and currently teaches EE 333, Electronic Machines Lab, and EE 331, Introduction to Electrical Power Engineering. TTiough Sauer enjoys teaching, he prefers to devote an equal amount of his time to research. Presently Sauer is sUidying the effects of electro-mechanical oscillations in generators due to outside disturbances. Also called "security assessment"" or "contingency analysis,"" this branch of research "attempts to maintain the integrity of power systems."' With the help of computers and a great deal of mathematic- al calculation, Sauer is also researching theories of time-scale modeling, dealing with the interaction of electronic and mecha- nical devices. In yet another part of his research. Sauer is inves- tigating the propagation of transients through power supplies and into computer systems. Sauer takes the many facets of his position as professor, re- searcher, advisor, and teacher seriously. To Sauer, the combina- tion of these demanding roles and the many responsibilities they entail aren"t always properiy appreciated. .Apart from his annual fishing trip, Sauer spends his spare time with his two children and is currently refinishing his home. Carohn A. Keen # Clark W. Bullard, director of the University "s Office of Energy Research, has done research into the effects of acid rain legislation on public utilities. One bill being considered by Congress would set a max- imum statewide pollutant emission standard, while another would simply call for installation of pollution control devices on the nation's fifty largest pollutant emitters. The first would promote the use of low sulfur content coal in utilities as a least- cost strategy, while the second would require pollution control devices on targeted generating plants. These bills raise the question of whether it would be most economically feasible for utilities to switch to low sulfur content western coal, to install scrubbers, or to simply retire "problem" plants early. Bullard has developed computer models which simulate these alternatives by accounting for changes in electric- ity demand and the costs of energy sources. From test runs of the models, Bullard found that Illinois" high sulfur coal industry would be hurt if utilities followed the least-cost strategy of buying low sulfur content Western coal. However, that industry would not be hit as hard if scrubbers are installed or if the early retirement option is selected. Bullard explained that this research project was data- constrained due to the variety of sources, unlike many University ^ research projects where data is more easily collected through %• controlled experiments. His research is aimed at identifying, through error and sensitivity analyses, the types of multi-year, capital intensive data collection efforts needed to resolve uncer- tainties associated with acid emission reduction strategies. # 16 Mike Schneider If you are a college freshman or sopfiomore in good academic standing, the Naval ROTC Program can be your chance for the experience of a lifetime The Naval ROTC Program can provide you a path to great career opportunities, and also assistance nov>/ in your college education Naval ROTC Scholarships and College Program opportunities are available now. Let us give you the whole NROTC picture.Contact: CDR DAVID POWELL 236 Armory BIdg. Phone:333-1061/1062 WE CAN PUT YOU IN THIS PICTURE SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS • Full tuition and fees • Book expenses • $100 subsistence/month • "Hands On" training during summer cruises onboard Navy ships and installations As a commissioned Naval or Marine Officer you can start immediately with: • $18,000/year Basic income increasing to as much as $26,000/year in four years. • Specialized training fields of Nuclear Submarines Naval and Marine Corps Aviation Surface Warfare U.S. Marine Corps THE ONLY ALL ILLINI STORE ;^We have the best selection of IllinI litems at the best prices AND with -regularly priced merchandise. ^Off er good Monday, April 8 through itSunday, April 14. Must bring in advertisement. i Two great locations 502 E. John Johnstowne Center Campum) 333-5255 Open Daily 4^ Discount expires 4/15/85 ly, April 8 through i Must bring in t ; locations * iGn 1610 S. Nail J^. Champaign y^. Illy 352 0244 ^ J*- Not good with other discounts jf tMiMa^MtMa^tMt^mtmamtmamamtmtMtmimimtmtmtmtmtmimtaimtmi^i^^S BLUEPRINTING ON CAMPUS Same Day Next Day S q. Foot Blue and Blacklines 10' 9' Brownlines 25' 23' Paper Sepias 35' 30' Mylar Sepias 90' 85' Quick Kopy 714 S. Sixth St. 384-7474 Ughi SculiMuie by Bill Kirker ^ Studio f''>rVi?,i,Ltl Technolotjies in 1-ine Ari New Ouia.in, Q \bur mind has been stretched by education, your skills sharpened by training. Now vour imagination is ready totlv. ' ^ ^ it's time to dream, to reach out, to dare. And to do it you need the space for achievement. \()u will find it in companies that challenge you to fulfill the potential of your mind. One of them is General Electric. There you will find a .sense of urgenq' tliat demands your very best, and stresses the individual's contribu- tion to the success of tlie enteqorise. At GE there is a climate for excellence where excellence means rewarding you when you win — and reuwdingyou General F.learic is an equal opporiunin- cmplojer. U'heU \0U tT}': tllC fucl for entrepreilCUr- # A registered trademark of General Elearic Company sllip ill a large Corporation. Your kind of company One that extends the boundaries of technology', creating opportunities on which minds like vours thrive. Aerospace and aircraft engines. Medical diagnostic systems and robotics. Factory automation and microelectronics. CAD/CAM and consumer electronics. Information systems, plastics, and en- gineered materials. Plus future tech- nologies still in your imaginatit)n. A diversity' you could not find anwhere else. Today your future is in your imag- ination, and at General Electric. Reach for it. c c lllinoisTechnograph I'-t m^ J- y Redeeming Reactors To design and develop today's most technologically advanced defense products, General Dynamics requires the talents of many highly-motivated Engineering and Scientific graduates. This year, nearly half of our 1,500 technical hires vjill be in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Computer Science —goal-oriented, high-performance students who will graduate in the top half of their classes. If you are one of these top performers, explore the wide range of opportunities available in the following technologies: Aeronautics, Advanced Signal Processing, Radar Systems, Embedded Software, Lasers and Electro-optics, Composite Structures, VLSI, Non-linear Structural Analysis, Robotics and CAD/ CAM. At General Dynamics, you will work with our innovative professionals in applying these technologies toward a wide variety of aerospace, computer systems, electronics, shipbuilding and military land vehicle programs. Plus, you can stay current in your field and make the most of your career through our corporate-wide training and lifelong education programs. Don 't settle for less than state of the art in your career See your Placement Office for a campus interview with General Dynamics. I '/ 1 \ GENERAL DYNAMICS An Equal Opportunity EmployenU.S. Citizenship Required October 1985 Volume 101, Issue 1 lllinoisTechnograph The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining off books ore reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Lind mpus puts gy- On the cover: The core of the Advanced Triga nuclear reactor bombards various materials with neutrons for use in further research. The University has had a critical reactor since October!], I960 (photo by Mike Brooks). Illinois Technograph Statement of Ownership Editor-in-Chief of the lUtnnis Technograph is Mar\ McIDowell, 620 E John Si , Champaign. IL 61820 General Manager of Ihe Ijlini Media Company is E Mayer Majoney. Jr , 704 Harmon, Urtoana, II 61801 The lllini Media Company is a nol-for-prDfu organization estab- lished in the State of Illinois in 191 1 . Average number of copies of each issue during the pnsceding 12 months: 4200 Annual subscnption rate: $7.00, Paid circulation ihttiugh dealers and earners: none Average mail subscnptions preced- mg 12 months; 1066- Fnse distnbuuon preceding 12 months: 3034. No copies distnbuted to news agents. Total distribution preceding 12 months: 4100, Office copies preceding 12 months: 100. Total average distnbution 4200, No paid circulation through dealers or camera- Actual Apnl mail subscription: 1065. Free distribution at the Engineer- ing campus of Utc University of Illinois nearest to filing date: 2935. Total distnbution nearest to filmg date: 4000. Actual number of office copies nearest to filing date: ItX) 1 certify that the statements made atiove by me are correct and complete: E Mayer Maloney, Jr . Pub- Qvations 12, matter, October 30, 1920, at the post office at Cfiarr^paign, Illinois uncJer Ihe acl of f^arch 3, 1879 Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College fvlagazines Associated Mary McDowell :tion Editor Michael Lind Editor: Mike Brooks es Editor; Bob Janssens Editor: Eric Guarin ];opy Editor: Dee Bartholme y. Charlie Musto L161-O.1096 Design: Robert Baittie KuDlisher: E. Mayer Maloney, Jr Production Manager Geoff Bant Editorial Staff: Scott Brun, Fred Brunner Sally Cohen, Cheryl Danke. Jeffrey Dobos, Stephen Ferree, Chris Gerrib, Ashraf Hameedi, Jeff Hamera. Raymond Hightower, Steve Lotz, Andrew Koepke, Peter Lei, Jeff Mote, Pam Susemiehf Steve Tongue, Bill Weiss, Jay Zeff Editorial Tech Teasers It seems that every generation of stu- dents must be classified by the media. Those of the 1920's will be forever im- mortalized by their goldfish swallowing antics. In the I950's, everyone was sup>- posedly a wholesome, cleancut, all- American type who dreamed of eventually living in a white picket fence enclosed suburban house. The youth of the 60's were typified as rebellious, wire rim bes- pectacled drug abusers, but they were at least given credit for believing in and fighting for an ideal. Students of the 80's are given no such mercy. We are perceived as being materialistic, success and status oriented creatures who act only in ways that will benefit ourselves and our careers (no one has merely a job any more). In some respects, this classification is warranted. Students don't seem to get in- volved on campus just for fun anymore; they do it only to have something that looks good on their resumes. People are not concerned with laws which aid the pcxir and elderly but are very worried ab- out tax shelter regulations. The only time the local senator is written to is when a tuition increase is being considered. Engineers are probably the ones worst afflicted with this attitude. With only 7.5% of last May's graduating seniors listing themselves as still available for employment, we know we will most likely get jobs. With an average starting salary in the college of $27,432 per year, we know they'll be good ones. This leaves us free to go for the bucks, get our B.M.W.'s, and plan our vacations in our time-sharing condos without too much concern with anything else, right? Not exactly. Our technical degrees from a top-ranked engineering school put us in a position to be on the forefront of new scientific advances— advances which could have wide spread repercussions on modem society. It is important that we break away from our stereotype of dollar chasing pre- yuppies and make a concious choice as to what our creativity leads to. If you believe in the necessity of stockpiling nuclear warheads and the Star Wars program, then you should have no qualms about ap- plying your skills toward these ends. It doesn't make sense, however, to partici- pate in a nuclear freeze rally on the weekend and then to show up Monday morning to continue working on a project that will eventually be used to improve the range of ICBM's. Similarly, you should consider if your ideas are being used to economically aid some country whose political ideology is in direct con- flict with your own. If your creativity helping to expand a corporation which has racist or sexist policies or which builds unsafe facilities in third world countries so as to exploit the lack of labor and en- vironmental regulations, you might want to think about what you are directly sup- porting through your work. Realistically, probably none of us will invent a DeLorean time machine that allows us to go back in time and meddle in our parents' teenage romances. We do, however, have the potential to make in- credible technical achievements. It would be a very sad fate if our press-conceived image was proven correct, and we allowed our brain power to be sold to the highest bidder without regard to its final application. Illinois Technograph invites letters in response to its articles and editorials, or any ottier items of in- terest to its readership. Articles, photograptis. and ottier contributions will also be considered. Let- ters must be signed, but names will be witheld upon request. 1. What is the greatest value in coins that somebody can have without being able to give change for a dollar bill? 2. If this circle has a radius of r, what is the length of hypotenuse AC? 3. In order to prove he is worthy of his name, Mark S. Mann asks his brother to throw a baseball in the air, and then he shoots at it with his hunting rifle. If three pieces of buckshot embed themselves in the rapidly spinning ball, what is the probability that they all lie in the same hemisphere? 4. For those people who aced Che- mistry' 101, what does this formula repre- sent? Fe ' Fe Fe-3 Fe ' 5. An ocean liner is on its way from New York to Europe. Somebody flies over it in an airplane and drops a penny out of the cockpit. Which occurrence will ( l" raise the level of the Atlantic higher: ^ J a) The penny falls on the deck of the ship. b) The penny falls into the water. ( ^ Answers on page 11 DVANCE Advance.. .explore the limits of your career at Arizona Public Service Company. With solid management support, state of the art technology and developed career enhance- ment programs, we'll make the most of your skills and education in our dynamic utility company. As Arizona's largest supplier of electricity, we offer specialized training programs to new Electrical. Mechanical, Civil and Nuclear engineering graduates. Our Training and Orientation for New Engineers (TONE) program gives you a general, but thorough over- view of the company and allows you to choose a.ssignments leading up to a permanent position that best matches your qualifications and career interests. APS has the resources, incentives and rewards to shape potential into real achievement. Advance with us. For more information regardfng the disciplines we currently .seek, please contact your Placement Office for possible on-campus interviews. Or, .send resume to: D. Bentler, ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY. Employment Office, Dept. U1/F85, P.O. Box 53999, Station 1102, Phoenix, AZ S,''>()72-3999. Arizona Public Service Company Specializing In Bright Futures University Flexes Computer Muscle The University has long been renowned lor the ex- cellence of Its computer lacllltles. This excellence has now achieved nationwide prominence as the school becomes home to the National Center lor Supercomputing Applications. The University has many traditions, in- cluding football games, homecoming, and Chief llliniwek, but also important is the tradition of conducting the highest quality research possible. With the installation of a Cray X-MP/24 supercomputer at the begin- ning of September, that tradition will con- tinue far into the future. Since the Cray is such a powerful machine, it will not be treated as just another computer to run a program on. Instead, it will become the hub of a sophisticated re- search center, dedicated to solving previous- ly unsolvable problems. Obviously many such problems surface in the engineering world, but the center will actually cater to any researcher of any discipline who has a purpose for the machine. Called the National Center for Super- computing Applications, or NCSA, the cen- ter was made possible with funding from the National Science Foundation. Larry L. Smarr, professor of astronomy and director of the center, estimated that state and nation- al funding should total about $75 million over five years. Of this, the initial configura- tion costs $ 1 1 mill ion . Cray Research, Inc. packed quite a lot of power into this machine. The X-MP/24 is really two processors operating simul- taneously. Both have access to four million words of 64 bit, high speed memory. When a task needs more memory, 32 million words of solid state disk storage are available, along with substantial magnetic disk space. Solid state disks add even more to the virtual memory size of the computer. Con- ventional hard disks are devices which mag- netically store data on a disk. A solid state disk works similarly, but stores data electro- nically. Both are used to store more data than the computer can use at one time, but a solid state disk is several times faster. Utilizing Larry Smarr, director ol the National Center lor Su- percomputing Applications, stands next to the Cray X-MP 24 Supercomputer. With Its extremely last dual processors, the new supercomputer will enable re- searchers Irom all fields to solve more complicated problems than ever belore. both types of disks gives the Cray an addi- tional speed advantage over computers with only hard disks. Fast memory and disks are imjxjrtant, but the real power of the X-MP lies in its central processors. The X-MP/24 contains two processors, operating simultaneously. This design is a great improvement over ordinary computers, which contain only one processor. Instead of plowing through an entire program, each processor receives different tasks to complete simultaneously. In this manner, a program runs quicker and more efficently than is otherwise possible. If two processors are efficient, why not add more? NCSA will add more, most likely in the third quarter of 1986, At that time the supercomputer will be upgraded to a Cray X-MP/48 with four processors, eight million words of memory and more solid state disk storage. Just as unique as the features of the Cray is the cabinet it is housed in. Instead of a standard rectangular cabinet, the X-MP resides in a bright red 270 degree arced Michael Lind cabinet . Cray ' s engineers chose this con- VB| figuration to pack components as densely as possible and minimize the distance any elctrical signal has to travel . To prevent overheating, the cabinet also houses a liquid cooling system. Unbelievable as it may seem, the com- puter occupies only 1 1 2 square feet of space in the Astronomy Building. NCSA chose this second floor space appropriately, as the former occupier of this location was ILLIAC IV, the fastest computer in the world from 1972untill982. Though a fascinating room historically, the magnificence of second floor Astronomy fades when compared to the soon to be com- pleted "Intellectual Center" (IC). The IC will house technical support staff and work- stations for various researchers. This build- ing will be the center of activity, with train- ing programs taking place often and resear- chers from many different disciplines com- ing together to use their common tool . Workstations for the Cray will be orga- nized in a practical network arrangement. Most will be IBM-XT's, IBM-AT's and Macintosh XL's, allowing users to prepare programs at home or in the IC . Similar work- stations will eventually exist across the coun- try, allowing use of the Cray from thousands of miles away. In addition to these normal worksta- tions, special stations will provide three dimensional and high resolution color graphic displays. After the program has run, facilities to print microfilm, microfiche, slides, movie frames and standard paper out- put will aid in the interpretation of data. All of this jxjwer is enough to wet the appetite of any computer user, but just who will get to use this valuable machine? Com- puter time will be in high demand, therefore time will be allotted on the basis of the overall quality of a research proposal and on continued on page 8 lUTTT FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 5.000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes com- mitment to furthering your education and your career. Ivlore than 100 new fellowships will be available m the coming year for graduate study in: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Systems, Aeronautical, Manufacturing) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes Fellow, you could be studying for your (Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree. Hughes Fellows work full-time during the summer. During the academic year. Work Study Fellows work part-time while studying at a nearby university; Full Study Fellows attend classes full-time Since Hughes is involved with more than 92 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available. An Engineering Rotation Program is also available for those interested in diversifying their work experience Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept f>/1EC, BIdg C2/B168 P O Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245 tvlinimum G PA —3 0/4 Proof of US Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer PIONEER THE FUTURE Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. MEC BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials. HUGHES PLEASE PRINT: Name City I am interested in obtaining a IVIaster's. in the field of: State Zip Engineer degree Doctorate .Rotation Program Interest. DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's Date Field_ IVIaster's Date Field_ . School. School. . GP.A. G.PA.. US Citizenship Required WRITE YOURSELF IN Responding to Reactor Rhetoric Recently, media coverage of nuclear power has focused on tlie halting of nuclear construction projects. Despite the recent lack of plant construction and Three Mile Island, the nuclear engineering field still has room for growth. Ever since the days of Jane Fonda's histrionics in the "China Syndrome," nuclear energy has been berated by the media. Any American newspaper reader has been bombarded with articles insisting that nuclear reactors are an uncontrollable threat to the environment, that using nuc- lear fuel renders the public prey to ura- nium thieving terrorists, and that a nuclear meltdown in ones own backyard is immi- nent. Now, however, the tone has shifted. Instead of directly attacking any particular aspect of its feasibility, current main- stream literature suggests that the nuclear era is at an end and will eventually be eli- minated as a viable, cost-efficient energy alternative. Is this more media hype, or is the atom to be abandoned as an energy source of the future.? Admittedly, the industry has had some rough times in recent years. Every domestic reactor ordered since 1 974 has been cancelled at some stage of construc- tion. No new plants have been ordered since 1978, and U.S. utility companies have spent $15 billion on cancelled and abandoned plants. This has led directly to higher utility bills for consumers. Even the reactors that are eventually completed go over budget. A Department of Energy survey of 47 reactors found that thirty- four cost twice as much as was originally budgeted, and thirteen were quadruple their budgeted allocation. One of the main reasons for the problems besetting the nuclear industry, according to Barclay G. Jones, associate chairman of the College's nuclear en- gineering program, was the change in the increase in demand for electricity. It fell from -I- 7% per year to + 2% per year. He cites two causes for this decline. The first was the 1972 Arab Oil Embargo. This awakened the public to the need for conservation, which had a major impact in reducing the amount of consumption increase. Secondly, the nuclear plants that were being built were more efficient, and there was a tendency to overbuild, mean- ing that eventually the supply would over- take the demand. Another major contributing factor was a direct result of the Three Mile Is- land incident, which occurred in March, 1979. Following that event, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission introduced hun- dreds of new requirements and regula- tions. Many of these applied to plants under construction, which caused delays and increased costs. The greater number of new regulations also made it in- creasingly difficult to obtain a permit to build a plant. Whereas it used to take Kevin Boulals, gradu- ate student In electrical engineering, and Frank Venneri, graduate stu- dent In nuclear en- gineering Install an x- ray counter onto the de- nse plasma focus at the Nuclear Radiation Laboratory. The dense plasma focus Is being used for fusion and x- ray research. seven or eight years to obtain permission, it now takes between ten and fifteen years. It's not time to toll the funeral bells for nuclear power, though. The problems such as overbuilding and coping with more regulations are those associated with a modem, growing industry, not one ready for an artificial respirator. Nuclear energy on the commercial market is still relatively young. In the initial stages, manufacturers were in a rush to produce functioning systems. There was no indus- try-wide standardization. Now, in the lull of the rush, manufacturers can redesign and reevaluate their product. The changes in the design of safety equipment must now be incorporated into new reactors. This situation is somewhat analogous to that of the early days of the automobile, in which there were no traffic laws, emis- sion standaids, or automatic air bags, yet it survived the onset of federal regulations to become a multibillion dollar industry. Clearly, the problems are related more to growing pains than to deathbed symp- toms. Nuclear energy is certainly a feasible option from an economic standpoint. It continued on page 8 Mary McDowell THE PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION BRING THEM TO LIFE AT HARRIS. With over twenty-five separate divisions in four different business sectors, you can be certain ttiere's plenty of room for creative thiinking at Harris. Today, we're a highity respected member of thie Fortune 200 withi annual sales of $2.3 billion. ..a leader in state-of-thie-art communication, information processing and microelectronic products. Products ttiat include integrated circuits, super- minicomputers, two-way radios, custom satellite and data communication sys- tems, word processing equipment, and much more. Most important, we recognize that it took great ideas from people like you to put us where we are today. And thafs why you can be sure your imaginative work will be noticed at Harris— and amply rewarded. Career openings exist in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York and Texas for graduates with a Bachelor's or advanced degree in EE, ME, IE, ChE, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or Physics. So if you think you have good ideas for us, here's a good idea for you: contact your Placement Office for more details on Harris, or write to: Director, Corporate College Relations, Harris Corporation, 1025 W. NASA Blvd., Melbourne, Florida 32919. An Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/H/V .y\y\yv^ TAKING TECHNOLOGY FURTHER Reactor continued from page 6 Computer continued from page 4 costs less to generate electricity from ura- nium than from coal or oil. According to an article in National Review, including construction costs, the price of nuclear generated power is 3.l0/kilowatt-hour, while coal costs 3.5^ and oil costs 7.00. Nuclear power is also safer from an environmental standpoint as well. Coal fired plants are responsible for pollution leading to acid rain and the green house effect. Effective coal scrubbers which would reduce the sulfur levels and lessen these hazards are still in the developmen- tal stage. Once they become implemented in industry, they are sure to raise the price of coal generated electricity even higher. There is also the matter of demand. While the rate of increase in consumption has fallen, the consumption is still on the rise. Nuclear energy currently provides 20% of the nation's electrical needs. This will have to increase to meet the growing demand, as other alternatives such as solar energy have not been shown to be econo- mically feasible in terms of use for central electric power generation. Stepping up the use of nuclear power has certainly been the trend among other industrialized nations. France obtains over 50% of its f)ower needs quite cheaply from 43 nuclear plants. 24 more are either under construction or have been ordered. The only country to ever be the victim of a nuclear bomb. Japan, currently has 31 operating plants with 14 more either ordered or under construction. The ground has been broken for the use of nuclear power on a worldwide scale. On a local level, the nuclear en- gineering program has not been unaffected by the slump, but is still a maturing, vital program. According to Jones, enrollment peaked in 1978 at which time there were over 140 undergraduates and over 105 graduate students. Following Three Mile Island, there was a general decline in en- rollment. For the past two years, the en- tering freshman class had numbered 18, but this year it nearly doubled with 35 students entering the program this August. The employment prospects in nuclear power for these students are quite promis- ing. Jones said that while the market is soft among reactor vendors who design new reactors, there are still many opportu- nities for jobs with utility and support ser- vice companies. The large number of reg- ulations that the NRC has mandated has created many jobs for engineers to imple- ment them. Statistically, only 5.6% (1 student) of May's B.S. graduates were still available for employment as of July 23, 1985. This was the fifth lowest percentage among all College disciplines. Nuclear engineers had the highest number of job offers (averag- ing 3.7 per student) and the highest aver- age monthly starting salary ($2455). Obviously, there is a good market for nuclear engineers. B.S. graduates have the third highest graduate school attendance rate in the Col- lege, just behind agricultural engineering and engineering physics. About one-half of the graduate work done in the program is devoted to fusion research. Some work is also done on developing other reactor concepts including breeder reactors and integral fast reactors. Also indicative of a positive future is the ongoing upgrade of the reactor prog- ram and the addition of two new faculty members will be added to the staff, one of whom will serve as the director of reactor programs. Hot labs are currently being planned to expand the existing ex- perimental facilities at the reactor. The last decade has been a rough era for the nuclear power industr\'. Despite all of the problems encountered, it has sur- vived and will continue to grow as an economical, safe, and efficient domestic source of energy for the years to come. H its suitability to the Cray. Approval must come from the NCSA officials and from a National Science Foundation panel. Already many projects are waiting for the Intellectual Center to 0f)en its doors. Weather concerns everyone, including Robert B . Wilhelmson, a professor of meteorology at the University. Severe storms interest him most, and he plans to use computer models to study them and their accompanying hail , tornadoes and wind downbursts. His research will help meteoro- logists predict these hazards and prevent some of the damage they cause. Other projects of an interdisciplinary nature include the analysis of pollutant flow through groundwater aquifers and the study of global atmospheric circulation. Life itself will be simulated, with several projects to model the behavior of living cells . Some projects will be carried out in conjunction with the Center for Supercom- puting Research and Development, directed by David Kuck. This newly created center investigates the use of parallel processors to speed up processing time . While the Cray X-MP/24 has two processors, Kuck envi- sions a computer with 1 28 processors. This center and NCSA will work hand in hand to develop supercomputer technology even further. What of the future? Obviously only a handful of the many possibilities for the su- percomputer have been realized. As more people become familiar with it, more and more useful applications will be realized. In the next few years, with the installation of more processing power on the Cray X-MP, this demand will be met. Researchers across the nation wUl be able to take advantage of the computer through a national networking system, making the University truly a national supercomputer center. ■ Technovisions Shooting the Works While FarmAid was going on inside Memorial Stadium, outside Garden State Fireworks prepared that evening's pyrotechnics. First the mortars (below) were set up, the larger ones filled with sand for stability. The shells were then loaded and fused (lower right). After twelve hours of hard work, the result (right) was fifteen minutes of delight (photos and text by Mike Brooks). '»•' Engineering Family Album Some people do not believe It, but being an engineer Is more than learning formulas. Here are descriptions of engineering societies on campus designed to stimulate an active Interest In various engineering fields. American Academy of Mechanics (AAM) Thi.s group represents the smallest of all engineering curricula, engineering mecha- nics. Besides holding regular meetings and sponsoring an Engineering Open House (EOH) project, AAM sets up a photo board in Talbot Lab of all the freshmen in engineer- ing mechanics. Anyone interested in the society should call Scott Parks at 332-3325. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) This Aero/Astro engineering society has plans for several student-faculty mixers and picnics. It will also hold monthly meet- ings with guest speakers. Go to 105 Trans- portation Building for more information. American Institute of Industrial Engineers (AIIE) Among the varied activities sponsored by AIIH are meetings with guest speakers from l(K-al industries, plant trips, semester picnics, a "take a professorto lunch" prog- ram, and tailgate parties. Students who want to participate can pick up an application in Professor Kaplan's office at 232 MEB. Alpha Phi Mu. the industrial engineering honor society, participates in AIIE programs and has its own tutoring and social prog- rams. American Nuclear Society (ANS) Hie main purpose of the .iXNS is to supply information on nuclear engineering 10 from a technical standpoint. It sponsors lec- tures, field trips to nuclear plants, and tours of campus reactors. As a student organiza- tion, it helps freshmen with class decisions, organizes resume writing sessions, and sponsors a speakers' bureau. Undergraduate and graduate students who are interested should contact George Hrbek at 332-2264 or Pat Hogan at 398-4524. American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) ASEA is open to any engineering stu- dent interested in agriculture. Activities in- clude speakers, an EOH project, and several fundraisers. Contact Jennifer Kmetz at 359- 9493 for more information. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) ASCE was voted best professional society in the College last year. Members participate in a service project and are eligi- ble for scholarships from the national socie- ty. Talk to Rob Twardock at 367-5530 or Eileen Cowhey at 398- 1 1 64 to find out more. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Besides the usual activities of engineer- ing societies, ASME is also committed to "having fun . " For more information contact John Hinger at 328-2005. Engineering Council All engineering societies at the Uni- versity belong to Engineering Council. As the student government for engineers, it takes the students' opinions to the adminis- tration. Some of the many programs it spon- sors are; EOH, Engineers' Night, the En- gineering Speakers' Bureau, Engineering Freshman Committee and the Knights of St. Pat's Ball. Every year the council gives out awards for excellence in teaching, the Bob Janssens advancement of student-faculty relations, and outstanding professional and honor societies. If you are interested in becoming involved, drop off a note at 300 Engineering Hall or call 333-3559. Illinois Society of General Engineers (ISGE) In addition to monthly meetings with speakers, ISGE sponsors social activities like bowling and pizza nights. The society recruits members through their undergradu- ate faculty advisers. The General Engineer- ing honor society is Gamma Epsilon. Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) IEEE tries to keep students in touch with electrical engineering industry and re- search. It invites companies to come to talk to students to keep them abreast of new developments and to help them determine what companies want in employees. The society meets in 1 5 1 EEB every two or three weeks. Interested students can also stop in at the office at 247 EEB. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Despite the "Automotive" in its name, SAE is a society of engineers interested in many types of transportation. The group sponsors speakers, plants trips, and the annual collegiate driving championships. In- terested students should leave a note in the SAE mailbox in 140 MEB. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ACM is designed "for those people whose careers and/or interests have involved them with any of the countless aspects of computer science . " It sponsors speakers from such places as IBM, Motorola, and ' Technoscope Texas Instruments . Every year it sponsors an Illinois high school programming contest. In November, it will be holding a job fair. To join, go to an ACM meeting and fill out an application. Association of IVIinority Students in Engineering (AiVISIE) AMSIE intends to serve minority stu- dents academically, professionally, and socially. It is a member of both the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Its ser- vices include tutoring, academic advising, and a resume book. To join call 333-3558 or stop by 302 Engineering Hall . Bioengineering Society Both LAS and Engineering students are invited to join the Bioengineering Socie- ty. Its program includes monthly speakers and participation in EOH and IM sports. Through preregistration counseling sessions it helps students with course and professor choices. For more information go to room 164 MEB. Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Although it exists to satisfy the special needs of women engineers , SWE is open to everybody. It sponsors a career night and a resume book. The society's outreach prog- ram gives high school students a taste of the College. For more information, stop by 302 Engineering Hall. Student Branch of the American Ceramic Society (SBACS) SB ACS participates in Tailgreat and EOH, and it publishes the lUini Ceramics Yearbook. Meetings are every third Thurs- day of the month in 2 1 8 Ceramics . Keramos . the ceramics honor society was designated best honor society in the college last year. SYNTON S YNTON is the amateur radio club at the University. Some of the many club acti- vities are contests, ham radio classes, and operation of the amateur radio station W9YH. If you have an interest in ham radio, contact Jeff Austen at 367-2647 or attend one of the meetings which are held the first Thursday of every month at 7 pm in 167 EEB. Tau Beta Pi The stated purpose of Tau Beta Pi is "to confer honor," and "to foster liberal culture. ' ' The College honor society invites juniors in the upf)er eighth and seniors in the upperfifth of their classes to join. The socie- ty also sponsors services for non-members, including tutoring, the outstanding freshman award , and a career development seminar. This year Tau Beta Pi will sponsor a Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI or Star Wars) conference on October 12th. For more information about all these programs call 333-3558 or go to 302 Engineering Hall. University of Illinois Metallurgical Society (UIMS) UIMS is the departmental society for metallurgical engineers. Call Ric Smith at 384— 1043 for details. Illinois Technograph Celebrating its 101st anniversary, Technograph is still riding the waves of a great centennial year. Engineering students interested in writing, photographing, edit- ing, producing or any other activity associ- ated with creating the magazine for the stu- dents of the College should consider joining. The magazine, which supplies both technic- al and informational articles, is published five times a year. To join, apply at the lllini Media Co. office in the basement of lllini Hall or at the Technograph office in 302 Engineering hall or contact Mary McDowell at 344-42 1 7 or Mike Lind at 332-3865 ■ From page 2 Tech Teasers Answers 1. $1.19, three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies. 2. Draw radius BO to discover that AC=BO=r 3. The probability is I . Three points in a sphere always lie in the same hemis- phere. 4. A ferris wheel. 5. A submerged body displaces its volume, and a floating body displaces its weight. Since copper is denser than water, it will displace more water if it falls on the ship. 11 Technovations Magnified 9,800 tltnes by an electron microscope, the features on this one megabit computer chip could |ust as well be a futuristic city. Actually, the "buildings" are one hundredth the width of a human hair. Million-bit Chip Created IBM recently prtxiuced a one mega- bit computer memoiy chip. The chip, which can store more than a miUion bits of information, was made possible by the development of a new photoresist mate- rial A photoresist is a chemical sensitive to light that is used to cover computer chips during their manufacture. In order to fabricate a certain chip, an image of an integrated circuit is projected on the resist. In areas where light strikes the chip, the resist dissolves, copying the circuit onto the chip. The new photoresist can be used with shorter wavelengths of light, allow- ing narrower etched lines and thus more memory on one chip. The new material allows the creation of features of one micrometer width, or one-hudredth the width of a human hair. With prior resists, features had to be at least two micro- meters wide. The material was developed at the IBM San Jose Research Laboratory in California. European Supercomputer Soon Japanese and American scien- tists will encounter competition from a German laboratory in the contest to build a fifth generation supercomputer. Resear- chers at the German Laboratory for In- novative Computer Systems and Technol- ogy in Berlin are working on a computer that can perform a billion operations per second. Other interests of the lab include parallel processing and artificial intelli- gence research. The research is supported with funds from the German government and from several international companies. Artificial Ear Researchers at the University of Wyoming have recently developed a fully programmable advanced artificial ear. It consists of a brass cavity, a microphone, an amplifier, and a desk top microcompu- ter. Since any human's ear canal dimen- sions and ear impedance can be entered at the keyboard, the instrument can accurate- ly mimic a wide range of human hearing abilities. The artificial ear is used in tests on telephone receivers, headphones, ear- phones, and hearing aids, where using hu- man subjects would be uncomfortable or hannful. Splitting Water with Sunlight Hydrogen, produced from water with the sun's energy, would be the perfect fuel. Burning it in air would not release any gases besides water vapor. Since the water can then be split again using sun- light, the supply of hydrogen would never run out as long as the sun exists. Only plants use photosynthesis as an efficient way of splitting water molecules into hyd- rogen and oxygen. Scientists at the De- partment of Energy's Solar Research Insti- tute and the University of Nebraska have come one step closer to understanding this biological process. By a technique that in- volves removing individual proteins from a small slice of spinach leaf, they have found the location of manganese, the met- al required for the water-splitting reaction during photosynthesis. Other SERl scientists, using semi- conductor superiattices as photoelectrodes. have made advances in the collection of solar energy for use in chemical reactions. If illuminated, electrons will transfer from the superlattice electrode into a liquid electolyte where they can be used for such oxydation-reduction reactions as the pro- duction of hydrogen from water. The actual production of hydrogen fuel from water on a large scale, howev- er, is probably many years away. Laser Allows Underwater Com- munications Engineers at the University's Gaseous Electronics Laboratory have de- veloped the technology for a new kind of laser that can penetrate ocean water. Since the mercury halide laser operates in the blue-green spectrum, it is not absorbed by the water like other light and radio waves. In the past, submarines had to be close to the surface to receive radio communica- tions from a satellite. The new laser can send data down as far as 200 meters, where the submarine is safe from enemy surveillance. The new mercury halide las- er also has a potential to be used for fu- ture laser surgery and other medical ap- plications. Bob Janssens • 12 Technotes $ Grants Start Rolling In In a recent interview Samuel F. Her- bert, president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, said that engineering education is in a crisis. He pinpointed the shortage of faculty and modem equipment at engineering schools all over the United States as a major cause. At the Universi- ty, however, a flood of recent grants has helped to remedy this. Harris Corporation recently gave the department of electrical and computer en- gineering a second Harris 800 super- minicomputer. The computer, which together with peripherals is valued at $342,000, will be used by faculty and graduate students for work in electro- magnetics, aeronomy, electro-optic sys- tems, and radio astronomy. Dedication ceremonies for the system were held September 4. The same department received another grant from the Hewlett-Packard Corporation. This one, worth $140,000, consists of microwave measuring equip- ment. It is intended primarily for instruc- tional rather than research purposes. Meanwhile, Texas Instruments, Inc. announced the donation of more than $850,000 in computer hardware and soft- ware. The grant consists of thirteen "Ex- plorer" workstations to be used in artifi- cial intelligence (AI) and cognitive scien- ces research. AI looks into ways of mak- ing computers think and learn while cognitive sciences try to understand hu- man thinking processes. Finally, the Amoco Foundation, Inc. gave a total of $446,464 to the Universi- ty. In the College, the departments of computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil en- gineering received funds. Other grants » went to chemical engineering and geology in LAS, and to the College of Business Administration. New CS Department Head In August, Charles W. Gear suc- ceeded James N. Snyder as the head of the computer science department. Gear is a professor in electrical and computer en- gineering and applied mathematics, as well as computer science. Faculty Win PYI Awards This year the University again did very well in the Presidential Young Inves- tigator (PYI) awards. It placed in the top six instiuitions nationwide in the number of awards won. The PYI awards were established to keep at universities "outstanding young Ph.D.'s who might otherwise pursue non- teaching careers," according to the National Science Foundation. Of the 200 awards granted nationwide, seven went to the University. The College award win- ners were: C. William Ibbs, Jr., civil en- gineering; Hua Lee, electrical and compu- ter engineering; George Mozurkewich, physics; David N. Ruzic, nuclear en- gineering; and Haeok Lee, mechanical and industrial engineering. Go Out and See the World! A lot of engineering students prob- ably think that once they get through four years of an engineering college and find a decent job, they have got it made. According to the president of the Amer- ican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), young engineers should experi- ence the world before starting their jobs. "All too often our B.S. graduates in en- gineering graduate in one day and accept a position with industry the next day," he said. He suggested traveling cross-country or experiencing a different culture as possible pre-job activities for engineering graduates. Army Clarifies Stand In a memo to the Champaign-Urbana news media, an official of the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Laboratory reas- sured readers that joint Army-UIUC re- search would continue. It seems that a memo has been circulating among the faculty in which Colonel Paul J. Theuer, head of the laboratory', expressed his view that those scientists hwycotting Strategic Defense Inititiative (SDI or, popularly. Star Wars) research should not be given any further financial support from the army. Later, in a letter to Chancellor Tho- mas Everhart, the colonel expressed the Army's intent to continue funding all re- search. Bob Janssens 13 l^'^ "^K / / ^ / • fmm^smm AT&T has shattered the information bairier— with a beam of light. Recently, AT&T Bell Laboratories set the world record for ti-ansmission capacity of a lightwave communica- tions system — 20 billion pulses of light r second. The equivalent of 300,000 nversations, sent 42 miles, on a hair- thin fiber of super-ti-ansparent glass, ut that's really getting ahead of the Actually, the 20-gigabit record is only one of a series of AT&T achieve- ments in the technology- of lightwave communications. But what does that record mean? The Light Solution To A Hea\T Problem All of us face a major problem in this Infonnation Age: too much data and too little infonnation. The 20-gigabit lightwave record means AT&T is help- ing to solve the problem. For data to become useful infomia- tion, it must fii"st be quickly, acciu-ately and secui'ely moved to a data trans- fonner— a computer, for instance. Getting there, however, hasn't always been half the fun. Metallic pathways have a limited transmission speed, sensitivity to electrical interference and potential for interception— factoi-s that reduce the effectiveness of today's poweiful computei-s. Factoi-s that are elimi- nated by lightwave communications technology. Ten Goes Into One 20 Billion Times Three primaiy components make up any lightwave communications system. On the transmitting end, a laser or light-emitting diode; on the receiving end, a highly sensitive photo- detector; and in the middle, super- transpai'ent glass fibers we call lightguides. Installing these fibers is a major cost of a lightwave communications system. So, once installed they should stay put — increased capacity should come fi-om fibers caiTying more, rather than from more fibei-s. Which brings us to the 20-billion bit-per-second stoiT — about e.xperi- mental technology that has the poten- tial to upgi-ade installed fiber to meet any foreseeable capacity needs. Using new, sophisticated lightwave system components, we multiple.\ed (combined) the outputs fi-om 10 slightly different colored 2-billion bit- per-second laser beams into a single 20-billion bit-per-second data stream. Playing Both Ends Against The Middle But, let's stall at the beginning— the 10 distributed feedback laser ti-ansmittei-s. These poweiful semiconductor lasers can be gi'own to produce light of different, but veiy precise, wave- lengths. The lasers we used transmit- ted in the 1.5.5 micron (infrai'ed) range, with only minuscule fi-actions of a micron between their wavelengths. The jnunty and stability of the beams let us jjack their ten colors into the most efficient transmitting region of oui" single-mode, silica-core fiber To miike the original 10 beams into one, a fiber fi-om each laser was fed into a new lightwave multiple.xer- a l)rism-like gi-ating that exactly aimed each beam into the single transmission fiber. Over 42 miles later, a second gi'at- ing fanned the 20-Kieabit , , , • ^ -^ multiplexer beam back into its original 10 coloi-s for delivei-y to 10 exceptionally sensitive avalanche pho- todetectors — receivei-s that convert the light pulses back into electrical signals and amplify them many times. A similar avalanche photodetector was the receiver when AT&T Bell Laboratories set the world record for unboosted lightwave transmission — 125 miles at 420 million bits per second. From Sea To Shining Sea System capacity is important. But system reliability is vital. Especially when the .system is going under 10 thousand miles of water— and is expected to last for 25 yeai-s. AT&T is going to build the fii-st lightwave communications system under the Atlantic Ocean. A similar system is planned for the Pacific. In 1988, laser beams traveling through tw-o pairs of glass fibers will caii->' the equivalent of 37,800 simultaneous conversations overseas, under- water, fi-om the U.S. to Em-ope and the Far East. AT&T has manufactui'ed and installed lightwave systems— as lai-ge as the 780-mile Northeast Comdor and as small as single-office local area networks— containing enough fiber to stretch to the moon and back. And the capacity of each network is tailored to meet the unique needs of its users. Systems being installed in 1985 will be able to gi'ow fi-om 6,000 up to 24,000 simultaneous conversations on a single pair of fibers. AT&T is meeting today's needs with lightwave .systems that are gi-owable, flexible and ultra-reliable. And antic- ipating tomon-ow's needs with a whole spectiinn of leading-edge lightwave communications technologies. AT&T The right choice. r4985 AT&T Technologies. Inc. Tech Profiles Duane H. Cooper, an associate professor in the depart- ment of electrical and computer engineering, received his Ph. D. degree in physics and mathematics cum laude at the California Institute of Technology in 1955. His areas of interest have been many, ranging from radio and radar repair in the U. S. Army, to his thesis work in particle physics, to research in the audio field. His teaching experience at the University began in 1954 and has included courses dealing with stochastic processes, prob- ability, communications, acoustics, and other topics. Cooper has been connected with research efforts in many diverse areas also, including computer processing of radar, surface waves, and particle-beam weapon feasibility. Cooper enjoys an enviable reputation in the field of audio engineering; he is an internationally recognized authority in numerous areas of this field. He has been a member of the National Quadrophonic Radio Committee, is Vice President of the Audio Engineering Society's educational foundation, and has held important offices in the society such as president and vice president as well as having served several terms on the AES Board of Governors. Additionally, Cooper has been selected as a Fellow and Honorary Memeber of the AES and as a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; he holds mem- bership in the American Physical Society and the Acoustical Society of America. Also to his credit are over thirty published articles and over forty patent applications. He has won many awards including the IEEE Consumer Electronics Group's Paper Award and the AES Gold Medal. Currently, Cooper may be caught in action teaching EE 229 (electromagnetics) and EE 220 (circuits), or pursuing inde- pendent research on stereo sound. Eric Guarin Edwin E. Herricks of the department of civil engineering is one f)erson who does not fit the engineering stereotype of being completely math and physics oriented. Rather than obtain- ing a B.S. in engineering, he earned a dual degree in zoology and English from the University of Kansas. However, his con- cern for the environment and his small engineering course back- round motivated him to study environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He later obtained his Ph.D., did post doctoral work, and was on the faculty in agricultural engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In 1975, after several years of working for Union Carbide, Herricks came to the University. As an environmental biologist, he pursues research in environmental assessment and manage- ment. For over seven years he has been snadying stream flow needs analysis, which determines the amount of water needed in a stream to sustain various life forms. Highway construction projects create problems when streams must be diverted. Herricks studies such dilemmas and tries to obtain solutions for rerouting the stream which keep the stream in good condition and meet engineering requirements. Herricks teaches several environmental engineering classes at the university. CE 241 examines the many aspects of air and water quality, while CE 347 explores aquatic ecology. He will also teach two new courses, CE 337. Managing Wastewaters and Aquatic Ecosystems and CE 338. Effluent Environmental Biomonitoring. When not pursuing his research. Herricks likes to sail, golf and fish in the Rockies. He is an avid Whitewater canoeist, but because the Boneyard Creek offers few rapids, he seldom has a chance to take out his five kayaks and canoes. | Michael Unci 16 U , d^ MS FaI ^3 ^ Ft\- ^H^^ ^ ^ 2iW ii! ^bl ll^aT ul k1 -^^ ) YoiTredee p under the sea. _^Th eg5re 4600 tons of nuclear- =pow er ed s ubmarine around "^you^Yo ur mission- to preserve '^-Qiejpeage. Your job- to coordinate a practice missile launch. Every- thing about the sub is state-of- the-art, including you. The exercise- a success. You're part of that success and now In the nuclear Navy, you learn quickly. Over half of America's nuclear reactors are in the Navy. And that means you get hands-on experience fast You get rewarded fast, too. With a great starting salary of $22,000 that can build to as much as $44,000 after five years. And with training and s kiH«^ you'll use for a lifetime. Mediterfg^an, the Racificjoc" the Atlanti c where^^yOT ^^ move aroun d theworld. y ou'll = be moving up i n your career" and in the Navy~^:^= — — — ■= ^=^ F^d out more^abfiu4an = start t qctay^ —See your Navy Recruitffor you're riding high. Then, whether you're in the NAVYOFFKERSGET RESPONSIBILITY mST. i SUBJECT: ROBOTICS ^ . • V Lisa Dickson, Georgia Tech '83, Major Appliance Business Group, General EleqkkjCompany See Your Future Through the Eyes of a Robot Lisa Dickson does! She's lielping GE create tomorrow's robot sys- tems With "smart " robots that can actually see, touch, and sense heat or cold. "Adaptive" robots that can measure how well they're doing a job. or reprogram themselves in moments to take on new assignments. ^^^Bfi^pmrn^ Sound like sci fi? It's as close as your first career move. Because at GE. we're already using robots like these, for jobs that require decision as much as precision. When GE adds vision capability to lasers and off line programming, robotics takes a giant leap forward. Just on the horizon are GE sight- equipped robots that guide themselves through intricate laser welding. What next'i' Tactile sensor pads to enhance GE robots with super-human dexterity And computer brains for "trouble- shooting" robots whose thought processes come close to human intuition! If you're fascinated by robotics, the new frontier is happening at GE. We not only design, build and sell robotic systems - we're using them in bold, new ways. Robots are an integral part of GE manufacturing processes, for everything from lightbulbs to locomotives. So consider your future through the eyes of today's most exciting , technologies. If you 're that rare ' individual whose excellence is driven by the power of imagination, you 11 find room with a view at GE If you can dream it, you can do it. General Electric is an equal opportunity employer ier1985 Volume 101, Issue 2 Newsstand $1 .40 ■STx iiiinoisTechnograph GIFT ?- EXCHANGE DEFT. 314 MAIN LIBRARY ^¥iN°PENNY BAILEY CAMPUS M ■ THE LIBRARY OFI NO'-/ 'I 6 'i9| JiVERSITY OF II ^*.J '^t , C. #.¥ 4 '>*JI 4*C#1* i i !• ^1^ ■IIP' ■ "^ E-Systems continues the tradition of the world's great problem solvers. Steinmelz was one of the few geniuses concerned witfi thie practical aspects of electrical engineering His pragmatic analytical approacfi led to the de- velopment of efficient electrical power grids as we know them today Scientists and en- gineers at E-Systems are carrying on in his tradition. Through the combination of sophisticated analytical and simulation techniques, they are evolving optimal system^ solutions to some of the world's toughest problems in electronics, E-Systems is recog- nized as one of the world's leading problem-solving companies in the design and production of com- munications, data, antenna, intelligence and recon- naissance systems that are often the first-of-a-kind in the world. For information on career opportunities with E-Systems in Florida, Indiana, Texas, Utah or Virginia contact your Place- ment Director or write: E-Systems, Inc, College Relations, Post Office Box 660248, Dallas, Texas 75266-0248, E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. An equal opportunity employer M F, H, V 9 O f I SCfENCEXSCOPE The feasibility of turning sea water into electricity is being studied in fusion energy experiments at Kyoto University in Japan. The studies involve a Hughes Aircraft Company gyrotron, a microwave tube that uses a spiraling stream of electrons to produce extremely high power microwave frequencies. Fusion energy holds tremendous potential because its source of fuel (hydrogen) can be extracted from sea water. It could produce large amounts of power with little or no radioactive waste and no threat of meltdown or explosion. In fusion energy research, the gyrotron's high-power radio waves heat hydrogen particles (plasma) to temperatures of tens of millions of degrees. These particles fuse under pressure, causing a thermonuclear reaction that provides energy for driving steam turbines. A new technique may expand the use of lasers in commercial and military applications. The approach, called optical phase conjugation, is considered a major advance in optics because it offers a solution to distortion problems that have limited the use of lasers. When a laser beam passes through a turbulent atmosphere or a severely strained optical component, the beam is distorted and the information it carries is degraded. The Hughes technique, however, forces the laser to retrace its path through the distorting medium so the beam emerges free of distortion. The method eliminates the need for complex electro-optical and mechanical components to correct the distortions. A MIDAS touch will create the factory of the future by introducing computer technology throughout one Hughes manufacturing division. The new Manufacturing Information Distribution and Acquisition System (MIDAS) is a flexible, high-speed data communication network. It will transmit and gather millions of bits of data per day by linking computer terminals, laser printers, bar-code scanners, and other equipment. MIDAS will serve graphic workstations and facilitate paperless planning. Similarly, it will relay numerical-control programs from main computers to machines in the factory, eliminating the need for paper tape. MIDAS will let all users share important peripherals, such as a laser printer, which now is impossible due to the incompatibility of equipment from different manufacturers. NASA's Project Galileo, which will explore the planet Jupiter later this decade, must arrive at a precise angle if it is to carry out its measurements of the chemical composition and physical state of the Jovian atmosphere. The Hughes-built probe will arrive at 107,000 miles per hour, fast enough to travel between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in nine seconds. If the probe hits at too shallow an angle, it will skip off into space; too steep, it will be reduced to ashes. Even at the proper angle, the probe will encounter extremes never before faced by spacecraft. In less than two minutes, much of the forward heat shield will be eroded by temperatures of thousands of degrees. With atmospheric entry forces reaching 360 times the gravitational pull of Earth, the 742-pound probe will take on a weight equal to an empty DC-10 jediner. Project Galileo is scheduled to be launched from the space shuttle in May 1986 and to arrive at Jupiter in August 1988. Hughes needs graduates with degrees in EE, ME, physics, computer science, and electronics technology. To find out how to become involved in any one of the 1,500 high-technology projects, ranging from submicron microelectronics to advanced large-scale electronics systems, contact Corporate College Relations Office, Hughes Aircraft Company, Dept. C2/B178-SS, RO. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Equal opportunity employer. U.S. citizenship required. For more information write to: PO Box 45068, Dept 9186, Los Angeles, CA 90045-0068 HUGHES © 1985 Hughes Aircraft Company November 1985 Volume 101, Issue 2 lllinoisTechnograph 9 On the cover: As American as apple pie and baseball, midwest com represents dinner for some and a way of life for others, (photo by Mike Brooks). 10 Averting Earthquake Disasters JeffHamera The recent devastation in Mexico has brought attention to the use of technology to build cities that are less susceptible to earthquake damage. Technoscope Jeffrey Dobos The second in the series of articles which will focus in on several features of the College is Finding Square One, an in-depth look at Placement Office procedures and policies. Improving Illinois Corn Ashraf Hameedi Believe it or not, all kemals were not created equal. A University researcher has found a way to separate the good from the best and improve the overall quality of the crop. Departments Editorial 3, Tech Teasers 7, Technovisions 8, Technotes 12, Technovations 13, Techprofiles 16 Copyrighl lllini Media Co, 1985 lllinas Technograph (USPS 258-760) Vol 101 No 2 Novefnbef 1985 lllinas Technograph is published fri/e times during the acadeniic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Published by lllim Media Co., 620 East John St.. Champaign. Illinois. 61820 Editorial and Business oftces ol the Illinois Technograph Room 302 Engineering Hall, Urbana, Illinois, 61 801 , phone 217-333-3558 SobscriptKXis are available lor $700 per academic year Advenising by Litlel-Murray-Bamhill, Inc , 1328 Broadway. New Yofk, NY, 10001, 221 N LaSalle Street, Chicago, il. 60601 Entered as second class matter. October 30, 1920, at the post office at Champaign, Illinois under the act of March 3, 1879 Illinois Technograph is a member ol Engineenng College f^azines Associated Editor: Mary McDowell Production Editor: Michael Lind Photo Editor: Mike Brooks Features Editor: Bob Janssens Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Asst, Copy Editor: Dee Bartholrve Design: Charles Musto Asst. Design; Robert Baittie Publisher E. Mayer Maloney Jr Production Manager: Geoff Bant Editorial Staff. Scott Brun, Fred Brunner, Sally Cohen, Cheryl Danke, Jeffrey Dobos, Stephen Ferree, Chris Gerrib, Gall Halley, Ashraf Hameedi, Jeff Hamera, Raymond Hightower, Steve Lotz, Andrew Koepke, Peter Lei. Jeff Mote, Ram Susemiehl, Steve Tongue, Bill Weiss, Joseph Wyse, Jay Zeff I Editorial • Revenge of the Nerds I'm not sure when the trend began, but it seems that engineering students have always been a target of abuse for their classmates who spend their time de- corating their textbooks in various neon hues south of Green Street. You know the kind of abuse I mean. It's the stereotype that labels us with such endearing terms as squid, goob, enginerd, snoid, and dweeve, and these are just the printable ones. It's the image that makes "engineering party" a paradoxical phrase and "engineering fashion" suggest an en- semble of cropped pants and white tube socks. As members of this much maligned group, we know that this is not a well- fitting image and that these slurs are com- pletely undeserved. Our rationale is not that pocket protectors are really valuable in protecting ones shirts from horrid ink stains, or that only GE 103 students pub- hcly display T-squares, or even that perhaps if the rest of the campus knew the joys of spending Friday nights drawing force diagrams, debugging assembler code, or deriving the heat equation, the bars would close for lack of business. We are able to apply the scientific method and prove definitively that engineers are truly a flin bunch. We start, as all good proofs do, with the base case; show that n= 1 is true. So I asked a ftiend of mine what she would do if her mission was to have an incred- ibly fun time in Champaign-Urbana, Illi- nois in November, 1985. "Well," she said, "I suppose I'd sleep until noon and then spend the after- noon at a football game. AJfter dinner I guess I'd go out on a date with a really great guy." I asked her to elaborate on what a fun date would be. "Well, you know, we'd go to a movie, maybe grab something to eat, and then, well, you know. . . " She smiled. Well, it was quite obvious to me how indebted she was to engineers for her perfecdy fun day. In order to see the football game, she had to go to Memorial Stadium, which was designed by an engineering alumnus. Now, while she knows enough about football to distinguish a field goal from a touchdown, she certainly doesn't know all the referee signals, which means she relied on the audio system to let her know what was going on. She also didn't bring her own scratch pad to keep track of the score, signifying that she kept an eye on the electronic scoreboard in order to be informed. The application of various en- gineering products was necessary in order for the game to be fun for her. It's incredibly obvious that in order to see a movie, she had to rely on the work of engineers. Sure it took talented actors, directors, and costumers to put the performance together, but there would be no way for their creativity to be displayed on a national level if engineers had not developed movie film, projectors, and Dolby sound. Even in an artsy activity, engineers play a key role in providing fun. As for "grabbing something to eat." it's not the cooks who prepare the food or the copy writers who extol the ft-eshness and purity of the product on the package who are responsible for making sure that you don't die of botulism or ptomaine poisoning when you open a bag of dori- tos. No, it's the engineers who monitor factory production and who design protec- tive packaging who make sure that eating is fun for you. Moving on to the inductive step of the proof, or showing that the theorem holds for all n, one of the most popular American pastimes is TV watching. The country spends millions of hours per day glued to an electronic screen. Who do you think is responsible for bringing that plea- sure to his fellow citizens? I'll give you a big clue: an archeologist did not find a television among the ruins of the Acropo- lis and later sell it to RCA to be used as a prototype for mass production. What was true of my friend's date at the movies applies to jxjpular music too. Where would Bruce Springsteen be with- out the technology to create albums bear- ing his Levi's covered posterior on the cover that are played everywhere? Who would be able to hear him without soph- isticated sound equipment, and what would he sound like with an acoustic guitar? When you go to an amusement park, do you exjDect to be handed a great work of literature to wile away the day and thereby amuse yourself? Do you get to spend the day balancing accounting re- cords? Not usually. Instead, you pay approximately $15 to experience forces, momentum, rotations, gravitational pull, and many other manifestations of mecha- nics guaranteed to permanently rearrange your internal organs. The country turns en masse to fteshman-level physics to have a good time. The proof seems very conclusive. It is not only a misnomer to depict engineers as slide rule toting study hounds, it is a great injustice. It is only through their en- gineering skills and knowledge that any- one else is able to have a great time. My friend would have had a rotten perfect day if not for modem technology, as all of her fun activities required an engineer — even, in her case, the smile. Q.E.D. ( /■ Illinois Technograph Invites letters In response to Hs articles and editorials, or any other Items of In- terest to Its readership. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Let- ters must be signed, but names will be witheld upon request Earthquakes may be one of the least feared natu- ral disasters In the midwest, but the centering of civilization on fault zones has brought new atten- tion to the design of safe buildings. Using sound engineering techniques, structures can be built to ride out a quake, rather than crumble. Late in September a force of tremendous destructive potential was un- leashed, from just below Mexico's Pacific coast. As this force ripped through Mex- ico City, the infrastructure of that city was reduced to an entanglement of mbble, chaos, and human tragedy. But this need not have been so. Since the early 1970's, enough has been learned about earth- quakes and the destruction they can bring that stmctures can be designed to with- stand their tremendous force. Earthquakes cause damage by induc- ing motion in structures, by disrupting the stability of soil and rock and by setting earth and water into violent motion. Of these effects, the most apparent is the mo- tion induced in structures. Acceleration of a structure designed primarily as a static body creates forces which can greatly stress components to the point of failure, cause structural elements to move into in- effective positions, and damage building contents and adjacent structures by im- pact. As a building is accelerated in a horizontal direction, its inertia resists mo- tion and shearing stresses are induced in vertical supports. If the center of mass of each level does not coincide with the cen- ter of rigidity of the resisting system, a torque is caused and twisting of the struc- ture results. Structural elements, such as bridge girders, may be shaken from their bearings or rotated to a position which is far less capable of resisting bending. Disruption of the integrity of the ground occurs in two manners. The ground may develop discontinuities, caus- ing underground structures to be sheared, heaving of pavements, and moving of the foundations of structures. Lx)ngitudinal Averting Earthquake Disasters The "shaker," located In the crane bay of Newmark Lab, Is used test building designs by subjecting models to the kind of motion encountered In an ear- thquake (photo by Mike Brooks). • movement of bridge foundations can re- sult in the bridge buckling or the girders falling off their supports, either being quite unacceptable. Another form of ground failure is liquefaction of a soil. Li- quefaction is a term applied to the trans- formation of soil into a fluid state. As the soil vibrates, pressure develops in the wa- ter in the soil. The individual soil particles lose contact with each other and the soil loses shear strength. Without shear strength the soil acts as a fluid in which dense items sink and buoyant items (underground tanks and pipes) rise toward the surface. Landslides and large waves are often instigated by earthquakes. Mudslides and falling rock result in the overwhelming and undermining of roads, buildings and other structures. Also, impacts from fall- ing rock can damage cntical members of a structure thereby causing failure. When a quake originates under a body of water, a tsunami or seiche may result. A tsunami is a fast moving, low ocean wave that rises to a great height when it reaches the coast. Coastal geometry may cause local- ized amplification of such a wave. A seiche is a similar occurrence on an inland body of water. In addition to damage in- curred from the impact of the wave, flooding of coastal areas and adjacent waterways causes damage. With increased urbanization comes an inherent increase in the potential loss of life and property. Estimates of losses if a great quake were to strike southern Cali- fornia or the eastern United States are tens of thousands dead and tens of bUlions of dollars in damage. Technology has de- veloped primarily since the San Fernando earthquake in 1971 and is sufficient to prevent much of the damage and death that would occur. The prevention of damage begins with the mapping of potential hazards. Methods used include the simple accu- mulation of data from past earthquakes, as well as evaluation of the present state of an area. Sets of aerial black and white photographs producing a three dimension- al image are used to identify regions of seismic activity such as fault zones and areas susceptible to ground failure such as alluvial fans, dned stream channels and areas with unstable slopes. Satellite in- frared photos are also used to determine f I Jeff H slope instability and liquefaction potential by evaluating the water content of the soil. Liquefaction potential can also be ev- aluated by soil testing. Monitoring fluctua- tions of magnetic fields can also reveal areas of seismic activity. Another remote sensing technique involves transmitting acoustic waves through the ground and monitoring the reflections for evidence of discontinuities beneath the surface. Car- bon- 14 dating methods determine the fre- quency of past fault activity and evaluate the present state of strain and the shear modulus of the rock along the fault, which helps to determine the likelihood of activity. While identifying impending quakes is possible, the exact prediction of occurr- ences is not. By performing analysis on historical data and by monitoring ground motion, magnetic behavior, and animal behavior, analysts can give some warning of an earthquake. However, these warn- ings can be inaccurate and can damage the economic activity in an area. Forewarning of quakes is important in saving lives, but a general model of potential seismic activity is usually suffi- cient for engineering purposes. Engineers are most concerned with the type of ground motion that can be expected and with what ft^equency it can be expected. Strong motion accelerometers are used to record movement that wUl induce forces in a structure. This data is combined with historic and geologic data to derive a probability model that is used to deter- mine the magnitude of ground motion for a specified return period. Return periods vary from 50 or 100 years for typical structures to 500, 1000 or "largest prob- able" for critical structures such as nuclear reactors and large dams. A number of approaches to prevent- ing damage in structures have been made. Basically, a structure may be designed to be ductile, to deform without failure, or to be rigid and overpower an earthquake. One effective way of resisting earthquakes is using a steel moment firame. This sys- tem is ductile and rigid and therefore allows the distribution of concentrated effects which would otherwise damage the structure. Reinforced concrete shear walls pro- vide effective resistance by providing large resistance to both the horizontal mo- tion effects and the amplification of forces that occurs when the period of vibration of a structure coincides with that of the tremors. A hybrid of these two systems pro- duces a building with the ability to sustain its integrity under large forces and the ability to reduce the effects of these forces. Reinforced concrete columns that have only longitudinal reinforcement are particularly vulnerable because they lack ductUity. However, if helical reinforce- ment is used, concrete within the steel is confmed and greater strength and ductility are gained. Flexible systems must be designed so that the natural frequency of the building is not that of expected tremors. The natu- ral frequency is determined by modeling the building as a cantilevered beam with point masses at each floor. A dynamic analysis of the approximated structure is then performed. If the periods are allowed to synchronize, the contents of the struc- ture may be thrown about, damaging property and endangering occupants. Also, permanent deformation of the build- ing may occur. If this happens, columns will experience bending for which they are not designed and will be overstressed. Designing against torsion involves the development of a seismic resisting system which has a center of rigidity, the point around which torsion will occur, that is coincident with the center of mass of the structure. The center of mass of a building is variable and for each level it may vary. Also, the resisting system may vary causing discontinuities which are un- desirable. The best solution available is an experienced designer who will minimize and account for these effects according to the needs of a particular structure. An innovative solution to earthquake design involves isolating the foundation by placing the structure on a shock absorbing system. While this system is effective, standard building practices can achieve satisfactory results. One such sys- tem employs large steel and rubber cylin- ders to absorb tremors before they affect the structure. Another uses large steel spheres as bearings, allowing the ground to roll beneath the building without induc- ing inertial forces. These systems have been used more abroad than in the U.S., but they are gaining acceptance in the western states. Earthquake resistant design is possi- ble today. The technology has been avail- able for several years and building codes have reflected the need for such design. But without the threat of an imminent dis- aster, the added cost of earthquake design does not seem necessary. Many building codes in regions where earthquakes are rare have been slow to adopt earthquake design requirements and slower yet to en- force them. Many think of earthquakes happening in California or Japan or on television, but the largest earthquake to be recorded originated south of St. Louis and rocked the midwest for months. ■ Finding Square One The Engineering Placement ofDce provtdes graduating engineers and ttiose seeking summer employment with a means to And the perfect career path. Except the lucky few with inside job connections and those who are graduate school bound, everyone graduating from the College will use the Engineering Placement Office (EPO). In the quest for permanent or summer employment the EPO provides the initial contact between student and company recruiter and orga- nizes the crucial interview. Room 109 of Engineering Hall houses the ETO which is open from 8-5 Monday through Friday. The phone num- ber is 333-l%0. Inside, a large table and a reception desk dominate the room. Several staff members work at the recep- tion desk answering questions and collect- ing resumes. Small interview rooms encir- cle the main room. At the large table stu- dents copy company addresses and com- plete interview request cards. On shelves throughout the room, binders hold litera- ture on hundreds of companies. Engineering students one or two semesters away from graduation may use the EPO in the pursuit of permanent em- ployment. Even though companies gener- ally look for juniors and seniors for sum- mer positions, freshman and sophomores can also use the EPO. The role of the EPO in summer recruiting is smaller than for permanent recruiting, but it is still helpful. The road to permanent employment begins when the job seeker goes to the EPO and picks up a standard placement data sheet along with a set of instructions for its completion. After returning twenty copies of the resume to the EPO, saving Top, Dennis Fay, senior In mechanical engineering, checits his Interview schedule with the list outside the placement office. Below, Susan Bowery, secretary lor the placement office, assists Randy Smith, also a senior in mechanical engineer- ing (photos by Mike Brooks). 9 Jeffrey Dobos Technoscope about thirty copies for future use, the stu- dent receives a copy of the current place- ment manual, computerized interview re- quest cards, and a registration number. The placement manual should answer all questions the job seeker might have. A summary of EPO services, pages and pages of interview do's and don'ts, a hst of companies recruiting, the dates they will be on campus, and interview sign-up instructions make the manual ver)' helpful. In addition to the placement manual several orientation sessions are provided in the begining of each semester. Also, dur- ing the semester the EPO conducts meet- ings which discuss interview preparations, plant trips, technical sales, and manufac- turing engineering. To keep information current, weekly buUetins available in the EPO update the placement manual. The bulletins also con- tain descriptions of the jobs recruiters need to fill. Day to day updates are post- ed on a bulletin board right outside the office in the hallway. If a student misses an interview, however, future use of the EPO wiU be denied unless an acceptable explanation is given. The office requires fort>'-eight hours advance notification of cancellation, otherwise it is considered a no- show. So, you have the latest weekly bulle- tin and you see employment possibilities with ABC, Inc., now what? As the next step the student completes an interview re- quest card and returns it to the office be- fore Wednesday of that week. On Friday a list posts the results of the request out- side of the office. If the request is granted, the interview's time and place shows. The student must then place a copy of their resume in the company's slot before the interview. Company slots are located in the hallway outside of the office. The pmdent student will consult the buUetin board every day for changes before the interview. To help prepare for the interview, many guides are available to the student. The placement manual contains many pages of advice including a section on the ethics of interviewing. In addition to the manual, stacks of handouts sitting on the reception desk in the office contain even more guidance. Each source stresses the need to know as much as possible about the company. The EPO helps out by pro- viding a library of literature on over seven hundred companies. Also, numerous handbooks and directories in the office provide additional material. For student convienence, information on companies interviewing that week is set out in a spe- cial bin on the south wall of the office. In addition to assistance in fmding permanent employment, the EPO provides assistance for summer employment seek- ers. Starting in the fall, a bulletin printed on blue paper is released about every other Monday. The bulletin is located in a slot on the far right of the south wall in the EPO. The sheet lists companies look- ing for summer employees and describes requirements for candidates. Usually the contact between student and company is by mail. A resume sent along with a cov- er letter is fine. Occasionally a summer recruiter will be on campus collecting re- sumes and interviewing. Summer employ- ment is very competitive, so be sure to pick up the blue bulletins on the appropri- ate Mondays. The EPO also provides counseling for students. A conference can be arranged to answer questions on career choices, resume preparation, interview preparation, and other pertinent topics. In return for their services, the EPO receives information from students and re- cruiters on job offers, salaries, and final career decisions. A release form must be completed by everyone using the office which asks for the above information. The main goal of the EPO is to sign- up students for interviews, after which the EPO offers advice on how to conduct oneself during the interview. Remember, responsibility for landing a job comes right down to you. ■ From page 7 Tech Teasers Answers 1 . Since the wheels of the car rotate while it is moving, at any instant the point at the bottom of the wheel is sta- tionary, and at the next instant the same p)oint actually moves backwards. 2a. All the Greeks on camjxis should be ashamed if they didn't get this one: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsi- lon...Zeta. b. 120-132-242 is the calculus sequ- ence we all have to take. C. If you replace all the letters in TECHNOGRAPH with the next one in the alphabet you get UFDIMPHSBQI. So the missing letter is I. 3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (in alphabetical order): Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. 4.999x999-1-999 = 999000 The problem can be represented by: ( lOOx -(- lOx -I- x)( lOOx -I- lOx -I- x) -f 100x-(-10x-l-x = 100,000x -I- 10,000x + lOOOx -I- lOOy-l-IOy-l-y where x and y must be integers between and 9. This reduces to lllx(x-9) = y. Since 1 llx and y are non-negative, x — 9 has to be non-negative. This can only happen if x = 9. Ill x9x(9-9) = 0, so y = 0. Technovisions Waiting Judging from the mayhem that the University' Fire Department creates when they go out on a call, it may appear that life at the fire house, at far left, located between Engineering Hall and Mining and Metallurgy, has hardly a dull moment. But most of the job amounts to waiting. Lower left, fu-e fighters Joe Franks and Mike Rumer prepare a meal: their work clothes stand nearby, at left. All this time, the various fire alarms are read) . prepared to let them know that their services, right, are required {photos and text by Mike Brooks: fwe photo courtesv The Daily mini). Improving Illinois Corn Mllnol* has always been a leader In com produc- tion. Now, techniques developed by a University researcher could Improve the quality of this com- modtty and Increase Its market value. The University's College of Agricul- ture has long maintained a world-wide reputation as being one of the most in- novative institutions in the sphere of re- search and development. Today, much work continues in areas that direcdy affect the ailing Ulinois farm. These projects could eventually not only increase the pro- ductivity but also improve the quality of the goods. Currendy, Professor M.R. Paulsen, an agricultural engineer with the University, is actively researching one method that he hopes will increase the marketability of Illinois com. Stress cracks within the com kemel are an inherent characteristic of the tvpe of com grown in the United States. Rapid, high temperature drying leads to an even greater niunber of cracks in the kemel, thus increasing the grain's suscep- tibility to mold and fungi invasion. The storage life of the com is decreased, and these cracks result in increased kemel breakage which contribute to dust explo- sions in areas where the com is stored. The types of com grown in countries such as Argentina also develop stress cracks, but Paulsen believes that in such com, the cracks apparently present less of a prob- lem. For many specialized food proces- sors such as com starch manufacturers, using com with a minimal number of cracks helps to increase the recovery of starch. Thus, for the same amount of com, the manufacturer gets a greater amount of starch. Detecting these cracks before the grains are sold to end-users would allow the com to be classified on a "quality" basis. By purchasing American com, a buyer would be reassured of the quality of the commodity he is getting. "This may encourage the buying of Amer- ican com; thus increasing Dlinois com ex- ports. Originally, Paulsen and a graduate student set out to detect the presence of these cracks through the use of a laser- beam. In this apparatus, a laser-beam is focused through an objective lense onto a single kemel. The light first passes through a beam splitter, where fifty per- cent of it is lost. Ufxjn hitting the kemel, different intensities of light are reflected. For example, the white, cracked starch area reflects a higher intensity light than does the yellow, uncracked area. The re- flected light is directed into a photoinulti- plier tube, and information is then fed to a plotter where a graph of the varying in- tensities is made. Paulsen, however, was not satisfied with the results of the laser beam appar- atus. Because the narrow laser beam fo- cuses onto a very small area of the kemel, only those cracks enclosed by this very small area are detected, while those out- side of this area are not. Explained Paulsen, "[Using this apparatus,] it is very difficult to judge the extent to which an entire com kemel suffers fix)m stress cracks." A new computer-vision system de- veloped by North Carohna State Universi- ty's Biological and Agricultural Depart- ment overcomes what Paulsen believes are the shortfalls of his laser beam apparatus. The system relies on a camera through which light shining on an entire com ker- nel is reflected. The reflected light then travels to a photodiode array which senses its intensity. Information is then fed into a controller where the analog signal is con- verted into a digital signal. The digital signal then goes to a computer where the image of the kemel is produced on a color monitor with varying intensities of light. Paulsen is currently in the process of constructing a similar system here at the University. The expected development cost of the system is approximately $20,000. Though the system is clearly su- perior to the original laser beam appar- atus, Paulsen believes that much work still needs to be done on suiting the system for widespread use. For example, the system as it now exists only senses the intensity of reflected light and displays it on a monitor. Because differences in light in- tensity can result from discoloration and mold, as well as stress cracks, a person needs to stand by and decide exactly what the image on the monitor means. Paulsen eventually wants to develop a completely automated system that would allow the computer to interpret the data and make a decision by itself. His plans call for a computer-vision system to be paired with a conveyor belt. The com kemels would move on the con- veyor belt under an overhanging camera lens which wUl take one-thirtieth of a second to form an image. The information would then pass to the computer, where a decision as to the extent of damage to the com would be made. A great deal of attention has been fo- cused on Paulsen's research by both academia and industry alike, and he is optimistic about receiving funding for his project this year. Whether this project will prove to be cost effective remains to be seen. It is still questionable whether manufacturers will be wiUing to pay the higher price for their com in return for the assurance of quality and a greater yield per kemel. In any case, Paulsen's research is evidence that work is continually under way at the University to further develop Ulinois's most indigenous of industries, v^ agriculture. ■ 10 Ashraf Hameedi At left Is a computer enhanced Image of visible light through several kernels of corn. Those furthest left have been frac- tured and have opa- que zones, unlike those further right which have not been fractured {photo cour- tesy M. R. Paulsen). 11 Technotes Tech Teasers Spend a Year in Germany Every year the College sponsors an exchange scholarship with the Technical University in Munich, West Germany. Every year one student from Dlinois attends Munich and one student from Munich comes here. Both students receive a tuition scholarship and a stipend to cov- er living expenses. To apply you must be an honors student or have a grade-point average of 4.0 or above. You must also be a United States citizen and have com- pleted your sophomore year by May. Applications are made by submitting a letter to a member of the College Hon- ors Council stating why you would like to be part of the program. The application deadline for next year is December 1st. The winner of the scholarship will be selected after interviews with every appli- cant are conducted. If you are interested, contact Dean Bokenkamp in 207 En- gineering Hall. Engineers Can Jam Who says engineers don't know how to do anything else but punch their calcu- lators? Tau Beta Pi, the engineering hon- orary society, is sponsoring a jam session this semester. The event will be "open to everyone to form a diverse group of musi- cians." Tentatively, the session is sche- duled for December 7th firom 7PM to 10PM, so mark your calendars. They might even be on the radio! The Putnam Examinations Every year the Mathematical Asso- ciation of AJnerica organizes the William Lowell Pumam Mathematical competition. Started as a result of an article written by William Pumam in a 1921 issue of the Han'ard Graduate's Magazine that de- scribed the virtues of academic competi- tions, the contest has grown to be an annual event. The examination, which is open to all undergraduates at participating univer- sities, is very difficult. Mathematics pro- fessor Bruce Reznick, who helped write the 1985 version of the test, said the problems are not only very hard but also "original" and "aesthetically pleasing." Many very good math students get very low scores, according to professor Harold G. Diamond, who is head of the Putnam organizing committee at this campus this year. He indicated that the two main re- quirements for success are the abilities to solve tricky problems and to cope with stress. Non-mathemati£s majors should not be discouraged from taking the ex- amination, though. The test measures the student's cleverness in solving problems more than his knowledge of advanced concepts in mathematics. The forty-sixth annual Pumam Com- petition will be held simultaneously at campuses all over the United States and Canada on Saturday, December 7th, 1985. It consists of two three hour ses- sions, from 9AM to noon, and from 2PM to 5PM. At each session, the students attempt to solve six problems. Prizes are awarded to both university teams and in- dividuals. About 2000 students take the test. The mathematics department holds study sessions for the exam every Tues- day firom 4PM to 5PM in 141 Altgeld Hall. Anybody who wants to take the test is strongly urged to attend these sessions. The department will give a mock (prac- tice) Pumam in early November to select the three-person University team. A good score on the Pumam guaran- tees recognition as a highly skilled mathe- matician. High ranking contestants reg- ularly receive graduate fellowships at ma- jor universities. Interested students should go to one of the suidy sessions or talk to professor Diamond in his office at 374 Altgeld Hall. Bob Janssens 1. Biff, a student at the University, just got a new spxjrts car. He tells his friend Dexter, who is a physics major, that he made it go a hundred miles per hour the other day. Dexter sees a chance to embarrass Biff and make some money at the same time. He tells Biff, "I'll bet $50 that your whole car wasn't even mov- ing forward when your speedometer said 100." Biff lost fifty bucks. Why? 2. Here are some sequences. Fill in the missing digits or letters. a. ABGDE- b. 12013-^2 c. UFDIMPHSBQ- 3. Here is a similar problem. This one requires an answer to an arithmetic statement: SW-I-BDDGHSS = 4. Finally, solve this equation. X and Y are digits making up the numbers. XXX X XXX + XXX = XXXYYY If you get the answer, show why it is the only answer. Answers on page 12 9 € 12 Technovations Scanning Tunneling Microscope Scientists at the IBM research labora- tory in Zurich, Switzerland have recently developed a new scanning tunneling microscope with a scanning assembly that is small enough to fit in a person's hand. The scanning tunneling microscope was invented in 1981 by the scientists at the IBM laboratory. It is powerful enough to resolve individual atoms on the surface of solids. The new microscope will have many applications in future technologies as the size of components continues to shrink. Once objects become smaller than a few hundred atoms in width, their surface composition becomes critical because the surface becomes relatively larger com- pared to the bulk inside. The chemistry of the surface is different from that of the bulk because surface atoms are not sur- rounded by other atoms on all sides; therefore, they arrange themselves in a different stable position. The new micro- scope will be able to look at individual atoms on the surface of materials, such as those used in computer chips, leading to even more miniaturized circuits. The microscope makes use of a phe- nomenon of quantum mechanics called tunneling. When two materials are sepa- rated by a non-conducting area, there can still be a movement of electrons between the materials if they are close enough together for their electron clouds to over- lap. The microscope relies on the princi- ple that this electron current varies tremendously with the distance between the two materials. A very tiny probe scans the surface of a solid from a distance of about 10 angstroms (1 angstrom = 10'" meters). The tip is positioned very care- fully so the tunnel current between it and the material being observed is constant. Since the distance is in direct proportion to the current, a topological map of the surface can be obtained by multiple scan- nings. The new scanning tunneling micro- scope is basically a miniaturized copy of the 1981 invention. The whole assembly, including a vibration damping system, fits in a package small enough to use with other microscopes. The original version could not be aimed accurately at any spe- cific points because the area it sees is too small to be located with the human eye. The new version can be put inside another microscope. Researchers can then target an area on a surface through the larger microscope and then zoom in with the tunnelling microscope. The new microscope, IBM scientists believe, will be very useful in research into the nature of thin films and the sur- face structure of silicon and germanium compounds which make up semiconductor chips. The new device has also been used in such varying fields as surface science, molecular biology, metallurgy, electro- nics, and low temperature physics. Light Wave Communications In the past few years much attention has been paid to the potential for fiber op- tics in telecommunications, but only now IS the first undersea light wave com- munication system being tested. A "real world" test system for a planned trans- atlantic cable was installed in the Canary Islands, a Spanish possesion off the North Afncan coast, AT&T, in collaboration with the Spanish National Telephone Company (CTNE), spanned the seventy- two mile distance between the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife with a six-fiber optical cable. At first the cable will only be used as a testbed for AT&T's planned TAT-8 transatlantic fiber optics cable. Besides de- termining whether the cable lives up to its design of being able to withstand the high pressures and low temperatures of the ocean floor, AT&T researchers will also cut and try to reconnect the cable. This simulated emergency will help prepare them for an eventual similar occurence with the TAT-8 After the testing has been completed, CTNE will use the cable to carry commercial voice, data, and video signals between the two islands. Phoning a Computer Soon it will be possible to have a phone conversation with a computer. AT&T is setting up a new venture to sell the Conversantv< Voice System which, according to Thomas R. Thomsom, head of AT&T Technology Systems, will make it so that "The common telephone now becomes a computer terminal, and the hu- man voice becomes a keyboard." The system uses a combination of voice access, touch-tone dialing, and modems to access a computer. Right now there exist systems that use the touch-tone pad on a telephone as a keyboard, but only half of the nation's phones are equip- ped with touch-tone. In its voice input mode, the system can recognize spoken numbers even if the user does not spell out every digit. It is designed to handle these numbers and the words "yes" and "no" in several accents and dialects. The system will be able to be expanded in the future with such op- tions as speaker identity verification and a text-to-speech synthesis feature which en- ables the computer to read a text to the caller. Bob Janssens 13 The Boundary Dynaimc The performance of a polymeric adhesive depends on the properties and composition of its surface. Now a scientist at the General Motors Research Laboratories has developed and validated a theory that describes the coupled effects of diffusion and chemical reaction on the changing surfaces not only of adhesives, but of chemically reacting surfactant systems in general Dynamic Surface Properties Time (dimensionlessl Figure 1: Experimental measurements of spread- ing pressure v. time for dialkylaminopropyl- amines with various Damkiihler numbers (A), and corresponding theoretical calculations of surface concentrations. Figure 2: Evolution of an adhesive surface: Surface-active Solute 1 reacts with host resin to form surface active Solute 2. THE USE OF adhesives in the production of an automobile promises to make both the product and the process more efficient. Both weight and operations can be re- duced. In practice, however, steel and other metallic surfaces are often contaminated by process lubricants. A durable bond depends on the abil- ity of an adhesive to displace con- taminants and to wet the substrate. Assuring intimate contact between adhesive and substrate requires detailed knowledge of adhe- sive surface tension, since it is this property that controls displacement of contaminants and wetting. Up to now the surface tension of an adhesive has typically been as- sumed constant. In reality, though, surface-active components in the adhesive collect preferentially at the interface and also react, so that the surface composition varies with time, giving rise to dynamic surface tension. Variations can be large enough to significantly affect 4 ♦4* ♦4WMy *4*4* A 4 fjcKii^'ryi "^^A^ AA Vapor Phase Mib- surface 4 Solute 1. Initial liquid/vapor surface Maximum surface Near-complete reaction concentration of Solute 1 of Solute 1 ▲ Solute 2. adhesive performance. The understanding of time- dependent surface tension has been advanced by the work of Dr. Robert Foister, a scientist at the General Motors Research Laboratories. Investigation of dynamic surface properties of thermosetting adhe- sives led him to develop a general theory of adsorption kinetics in binary, chemically reacting surfac- tant systems. The significance of this theory is that it includes the coupled effects of surfactant diffu- sion and chemical reaction, mak- ing it possible for the first time to describe quantitatively the chang- ing surfaces of such systems. In a typical adhesive that poly- merizes, or "cures," by chemical reaction (Figure 2), a surface-active curing agent (Solute 1) reacts with the host resin to form a second surface-active species (Solute 2) that is also reactive. Both solutes migrate to the surface, lowering the surface tension. Diffusion to the surface is driven by a potential energy gradient between the sur- face and the bulk, with the solute molecules experiencing a lower energy at the surface. Dr. Foister derived appropri- ate transport equations to describe diffusion and chemical reaction in ^ the bulk, in a subsurface region, and v. at the surface itself. The transport equations can be solved analytically if the chemical rate equations are Wf< assumed to be first order in the ^- concentrations of reacting species, and if the subsurface and surface concentrations can be related to one another by a linear adsorption isotherm. For more complicated iso- therms, a set of coupled, non-linear integral equations is generated. h These must be solved numerically. Analytical solution for the spe- cial case of the linear isotherm indicated that the change with time in surface concentration (and con- sequently in surface tension) is composed of two terms: first the diffusive flux of Solute 1 into the subsurface from the bulk, and sec- ond the depletion of this solute due to chemical reaction. Hence, the surface concentration of Solute 1 exhibits a maximum with time (Figure 2). This maximum in sur- face concentration corresponds to a minimum in surface tension. M: ODIFYING the transport .equations to include binary adsorption isotherms allowed for consideration of competitive adsorp- tion of the two reacting and diffus- ing solutes. By solving these equa- tions numerically and conducting dimensional analysis, Dr Foister identified various dimensionless parameters as predictors of system behavior The most important of these parameters was a dimension- less number (A), of the Damkohler type, involving terms representa- tive of reaction, diffusion, and adsorption. A k (r^ aP AD Here k is the reaction rate constant of Solute 1, D its diffu- sivity, Tm its "surface capacity" (the maximum number of molecules absorbed per unit surface area), and a its "surface affinity" (a mea- sure of its energy of adsorption). For an adhesive, lowering A by reducing k (the reactivity of the curing agent), for example, would prolong the time to maximum, and would, increase the value of the surface concentration at the max- imum (see Figure 1, Theoretical). As a practical consequence, this would improve wetting by mini- mizing the surface tension. In experiments using a series of dialkylaminopropylamine curing agents (dimethyl-, diethyl-, and dibutyl-) in a host epoxy resin matrix, good agreement has been demonstrated between theoretical predictions for surface concentra- tion and the measured dynamic spreading pressure, which is the change in adhesive system surface tension due to the curing agent (Figure 1, Experimental). "I expect," says Dr. Foister, "that the physical insights gained from this analysis can be applied to other reactive surfactant systems by using specifically tailored iso- therms and chemical reaction schemes. Predicting surface behavior can certainly help us design better adhesives for specific applications, but it is also pertinent to the performance of anti-oxidants and anti-ozonants in synthetic rub- ber, for example. And applied to interfaces in biological systems, a suit^ably modified theory may prove valuable in understanding the phe- nomenon of enzyme activity!' General Motors THE MAN BEHIND THE WORK Dr. Foister is a Staff Research Scientist in the Polymers Depart- ment at the General Motors Research Laboratories. Dr Foister received his under- graduate degree from Guilford College, and holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Uni- versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His thesis dealt with the role of liquid inertia in the intrinsic viscosities of rod-like polymers. He did post-doctoral work in Canada as a Fellow at McGill Uni- versity in Montreal, and in the Applied Chemistry Division of the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada, working on the micro- rheology of colloidal dispersions. Dr. Foister joined General Motors in 1980. He is the leader of the Structural Adhesives Group in the GMR Polymers Department. His current research interests center on surface chemistry and adhesion. Tech Profiles Mark A. Stadtherr may be an associate professor in che- mical engineering, but his laboratory lacks a bunsen burner. In- stead, he specializes in modeling chemical systems using a com- puter. Stadtherr first became interested in using computers in his field when he was an undergraduate at the University of Minne- sota. He continued his computer work when he did his graduate work at the University of Wisconsin and has pursued his interest ever since he came to the University in 1976. Rather than attempting to physically set up chemical manu- facturing facilities in order to test them, Stadtherr has found that such processes are best tested on a computer. Often each process can be modeled using thousands of equations - work expecially suited to a computer. Even computers can be too slow for effectively modeling chemical processes. With the arrival of the new Cray X-MP Su- percomputer on campus, Stadtherr anticipates using it for even better computer models. The advantages of the supercomputer are several-fold. The increased power of the computer will allow the solving of more complex and therefore more realistic prob- lems. Problems that used to take hours to solve will only take minutes, enabling quicker interaction between man and the machine. With quicker interactivity, better solutions to manufac- turing problems will be found. Students of chemical engineering know Stadtheir for the classes he teaches. Presently he teaches Chem. E. 389, Chemic- al Process Control; Chem. E. 466, Applied Mathematics in Che- mical Engineering; and Chem. E. 469, Special Topics in Che- mical Engineering. When not working, Stadtheir enjoys gardening, bicycling and of course, playing with computers. W. Kent Fuchs received his Ph.D in electrical engineer- ing from the University in January of this year. He earned a bachelor's in EE from Duke University in Durham, North Caro- Una, and a master's in EE from the University. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Fuchs is an assistant professor and a research assistant. His professorship is in the department of electrical and computer en- gineering, and his research position is in the Coordinated Scien- ce Lab. He also holds a zero-time appointment in the computer science department. This spring he taught a graduate course in EE. Presently he teaches Introduction to Computer Sciences, CS 121, and Introduction to Computer Engineering, EE 290. Serving on several faculty commitees, Fuchs also enjoys the large amount of research he does. His specialization, reliant computer architecture, includes such things as fault-tolerant com- puter systems, VLSI chips, and computer-aided design. Dr. Fuchs says that when he obtained his doctorate, he was faced with two choices, namely, industry or academia. Both offered opportunities for research, his main interest. But academia offered Fuchs an opportunity to teach and work with graduate students. For him, academia was an obvious choice. After four years of marriage, Dr. Fuchs and his wife, Lin- da, have a two year old son and a son bom on September 20 of this year. His wife, besides raising the boys, is writing a mas- ter's thesis in art history for the University of Chicago. Dr. Fuchs is very active in his church, the Stratford Park Bible Chapel in Champaign. He teaches some Sunday school classes, a college bible-study group, and delivers some of the sermons. He plays pickup basketball games at IMPE, and enjoys reading. Michael Lind Chris Gerrib 16 .0 ^i:=^ FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 5.000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes com- milmenl to furthering your education and your career. More than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study in: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Systems, Aeronautical, Manufacturing) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes Fellow, you could be studying for your Master's. Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity tc gam valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree. Hughes Fellows work full-time during the summer. During the academic year, Work Study Fellows work part-time while studying at a nearby university; Full Study Fellows attend classes full-time. Since Hughes is involved with more than 92 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available An Engineering Rotation Program is also available for those interested in diversifying their work experience Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept MEC. BIdg C2/B168 P O Box 1042. El Segundo. CA 90245 Minimum G PA.— 3 0/4 Proof of U S Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer PIONEER THE FUTURE Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. MEC BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials. HUGHES PLEASE PRINT: Name City I am interested in obtaining a Master's. in the field of: State Engineer degree. Zip Doctorate .Rotation Program Interest. DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's Date Field_ Master's: Date Field_ School. School. . GP.A. . G P A. U S Citizenship Required WRITE YOURSELF IN ~^^ \ i 41' I IV i\ J Lisa Dickson, Georgia Tech '83, fi/lajor Appliance Business Group, General ElectjkCompany See Your Future Through the Eyes of a Robot Lisa Dickson does! She's helping GE create tomorrow's robot sys- tems. With "smart" robots that can actually see, touch, and sense heat or cold. "Adaptive" robots that can measure how well they're doing a job, or reprogram themselves in moments to take on new assignments. Sound like sci fi'^ It's as close as your first career move. Because at GE, we're already using robots like these, for jobs that require decision as much as precision. When GE adds vision capability to lasers and offline programming, robotics takes a giant leap forward. Just on the horizon are GE sight- equipped robots that guide themselves through intricate laser welding. What next? Tactile sensor pads to enhance GE robots with super-human dexterity And computer brains for "trouble- shooting" robots whose thought processes come close to human intuition! If you're fascinated by robotics, the new frontier is happening at GE. We not only design, build and sell robotic systems - we're using them in bold, new ways. Robots are an integral part of GE manufactuhng processes, for everything from lightbulbs to locomotives. So consider your future through the eyes of today's most exciting technologies. If you're that rare individual whose excellence is driven by the power of imagination, you'll find room with a view at GE. If you can dream it, you can do it. General Electric is an equal opportunity employer A registered trademark ot General Electric Company. December 1985 Volume 101 , Issue 3 Newsstand $1.40 lllinoisTechnograph )620.5 THl 101:3 D 1985 STX -*: ^^<^*'r- te^ »-r i r i 314 !' UN IV ATTN; UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS rIN LlBRi F ILL PENNY BAILEN '^, Second Guessing V ' Mother Nature «/*. .nl yi=^ FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more Ihan 5,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes com- mitment to furthering your education and your career Ivlore than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Systems, Aeronautical, Manufacturing) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes Fellow, you could be studying for your Master's. Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving. Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-|Ob experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree Hughes Fellows work full-time during the summer During the academic year. Work Study Fellows work part-time while studying at a nearby university. Full Study Fellows attend classes full-time Since Hughes is involved with more than 92 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available An Engineering Rotation Program is also available for those interested in diversifying their work experience Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept I^EC. BIdg C2/B168 P O Box 1042. El Segundo. CA 90245 Minimum G P A —3 0/4 Proof of US Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer PIONEER THE FUTURE Hughes Aircraft Company. Corporate Fellowship Office. Dept. MEC BIdg. C2/B168. P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials HUGHES PLEASE PRINT Name City I am interested in obtaining a Master's. in the field of Engineer degree. Zip Doctorate _Rotation Program Interest. DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's Date Field_ Master's: Date Field_ . School. School. . G P A . . G P.A.. US Citizenship Required WRITE YOURSELF IN December 1985 Volume 101, Issue 3 lllinoisTechnograph On the cover: Green Street becomes a sea of confusion during a recent downpour, (photo by Mike Brooks). 10 Gravity and the Professor Raymond Hightower This science fiction short story tells of the interesting things one can learn in a math tutorial session. Remote Weather Sensing Fred Brunner New developments in technology are making weather predictions increasingly accurate. Aside from preventing ^Dur parade from getting rained upon, these predictions can help save lives and property from natural disasters. Integrating Technology and the Third World Stephen Tongue Advances in technology for some are setbacks for others. This account of the problems experienced in transfering technology to a Third Worid country illustrates the need for adaptability in engineering. 14 Technoscope Cheryl Danke This month's Technoscope, Setting the Curve for Engineering Eiducation, takes a step back and examines the quality of the engineering program. Departments Editorial 2, Tech Teasers 2, Letters 3, Forum 3, Technovisions 8, Technovations 12, Technotes 16, Techprofiles 17 Copyright lllini Media Co.. 1985, Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760), Vol, 101 No 3 December 1985 Illinois Technograph is published five times during the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Published by lllini Media Co, 620 East john St„ Champaign, Illinois, 61820 Editorial and Business offices of the Illinois Technograph Room 302 Engineering Hall, Urbana, Illinois, 61801. phone 21 7-333-3558 Subscriptions are available for $700 per academic year Advenismg by Littel-Murray-Barnhill, Inc , 328 Broadway New York, NY, 10001, 221 N LaSalle '.treet, Chicago, H,. 60601 Entered as second class matter, October 30 1920 at the post office at Champaign, Illinois under the act of March 3, 1879, Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated Editor: Mary McDowell Business Manager: Troy Brethauer Production Editor: Michael Lind Ptioto Editor: Mike Brooks Features Editor: Bob Janssens Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Asst. Copy Editor: Dee Bartholme Design: Charles Musto Asst, Design: Robert Baittie Publisher: £ Mayer Maloney Jr Production Manager: Geoff Bant Editorial Staff: Scott Brun, Fred Brunner, Sally Cohen, Cheryl Danke, Jeffrey Dobos, Stephen Ferree, Chris Gerrib, Gail Halley, Ashraf Hameedi, Jeff Hamera, Raymond Hightower, Steve Lotz, Andrew Koepke, Peter Lei Jeff Mote, Steven Seaney. Cheryl Smith, Pam Susemiehl, Steve Tongue, Bill Weiss, Mary Winters, Joseph Wyse, Jay Zeff Editorial Tech Teasers SUAEA Members Sought There's been a lot of talk lately ab- out engineers being unable to communi- cate well with the rest of the world. Peo- ple are worried not only that our grammar may be less than perfect, but they also question our ability to verbalize our ideas. They fear that ideas that could cure can- cer, provide efficient pollution-free ener- gy, or feed all of Africa will be lost be- cause the creator was unable to elaborate on his/her ideas. This is a valid concern. Jokes like "when I came here I couldn't spell en- gineer, now I are one" are often too close to reality to be truly funny. It's obvious that a person has not received a well- rounded, complete education if s/he is allowed to graduate from a major uni- versity unable to express ideas in the na- tive tongue. Unfortunately, the means used to attempt to rectify this situation are not working. Requiring freshman to take Rhe- toric 105 and insisting that all lab reports be composed using correct grammar don't even begin to address the heart of the problem, which is, of course, the en- gineer's love of acronyms. Consider the following: "What a day! I was over at MEB working on an EOH project for ACM, when all of the sudden I realized I had to go to DCL to tum in an MP for CS. Then, on my way back, I realized I had missed my DSAC meeting in EH, and there was homework due in EE that I hadn't done, and I'd have to copy it from this IEEE friend of mine st)metime before the next HE! I mean, the whole scene was OOC!" Sec what I mean? Whereas non- technical types tend to refer to their build- ings (El.B not withstanding) as Daven- port, Harker, and Altgeld, north-of- greeners don't even bother to name them after anything other than the subject taught within it, and then they can't seem to describe the location using any more than three letters. We rarely have assign- ments or papers due; we have MP's and HW's. It's especially appropriate that the event that showcases the College, En- gineering Open House, should also be re- duced to a 3 letter nomer. I really can't account for this phe- nomenon either. Perhaps the majority of engineers have completely right- hemisphere brain orientation, which makes it impossible for them to remember a string of letters that is not somehow associated with a mathematical formula. Maybe we've had too many math courses which have made us too eager to try to put everything in canonical form or else reduced to the lowest possible denomina- tor, which in this case translates to the shortest possible number of initials. The affliction seems to hit all en- gineers, not just the more studious types. Those who gather on Friday afternoons with beer consumption as the primary goal are known to refer to such an occa- sion as "H-\" rather than "happy hour," as a normal CBA or LAS type might. Perhaps we could learn to overcome this at least while speaking to those who are not of this mindset in order that ideas may be more easily interchanged. This could take a big effort to overcome the urge to "initialize." Maybe we could form a self-help group and call it SUAEA-that is to say Students United Against Engineering Acronyms . . . then again, maybe it's a hopeless cause. Illinois Technograph invites letters In response to Its articles and editorials, or any other Items of in- terest to its readerstiip. Articles, photographs, and other contributions will also be considered. Let- ters must be signed, but names will be witheld upon request. 1. Here are some more equations similar to the ones in the last issue. A and B are digits making up the numbers. Solve these equations for A and B. a. A-(-B = AA-BB b. 2A + 3B = BB 2. Construct a line through M that divides triangle ABC into a quadrilateral and a triangle of equal area. 3. What is the largest number that you can get by multiplying positive inte- gers whose sum is 100? 4. Poles A and B are situated in the rectangular field below. Both poles have a ring attached to them. Farmer Brown has two bulls that will fight if they can reach each other. How can he fasten the bulls to the poles so that they can graze the whole field but will not fight each other? \7m 7m / >- 7.5m -< /im 7m^V Answers on page 13 Letters Forum } An Icky Solution The principal just passed his October copy on to me! For shame, the Tech Teaser 4 on page 2 is a ferric wheel. As I tell my students, "ic" makes the higher sound and stands for the iron ion with the higher oxidation state. Redo your sketch with six Fe*' ions in the strategic positions and you will have the right problem. Natalie Fonte Tiernan Warren Township High School Gurnee, Illinois CompE Avengence I really enjoyed Mary McDowell's editorial concerning the "Revenge of the Nerds." However, I am concerned about her last paragraph. I find two things wrong with her proof. One, the reason that engineers should not be stereotyped is because we also know how to have fun. We "party," lis- ten to music, see movies, and do other fun things. Her issue of not stereotyping engineers because we provide fun for others is irrelevant. Two, I find it a little egotistical for engineers to assume that no one could have fun without us. Sure, we have made all of the progresses in the sciences, but what about enjoying a nice walk though the woods? Is that not fun? I don't see how engineers are responsible for that. One unrelated comment: I heard another anti-engineering comment the other day. "You can't spell geek without EE." Oh well... Rohit Gupta ' Computer Engineering. '88 What's the Beef? The Deans' Student Advisory Com- mittee (DSAC) conducted Gripe Booths October 15 and 16. The net result was ab- out eighty forms which were returned with one to ten gripes each. This result far surpassed that of previous years. Our committee is very pleased. There is a lot of material to work with in these complaints. Topics ranged from the purely physical, "Where did the copy machines go?" to almost p)hilosophicaJ complaints about student-faculty relations. Most complaints lay in the course requirement/advising area. At the same time, however, our committee was somewhat disappointed at the difficulty of getting students to com- plain. Every student on engineering cam- pus has some problem or concem. They complain about it to their friends and classmates, so why won't they take the opportunity to complain to a fellow stu- dent who really does want to hear it? Probably the largest factor in the wil- lingness to complain is whether the person feels something will result from it. If a student feels his opinion matters, he will be more likely to offer it. One of the most common responses given by students when asked to complain is "What will it accomplish?" and then not waiting around for the answer. Recently DSAC met with the deans to discuss the gripes received. The answer to the questions became perfectly clear. Complaining accomplishes a great deal. A good engineer knows that it is identifying the problem that is often the largest diffi- culty is finding a solution. The adminis- tration realizes that the students have problems, yet it is the fact that they are administrators that keeps them from iden- tifying the problems themselves. The administration created DSAC because of this difficulty. We were cre- ated by the deans, but to maintain the im- partiality of a student organization, we are a committee of Engineering Council. Our organization's purpose it to act as a liason between the administration and the stu- dents. We are free to discuss or take ac- tion on any issue. There is only one limitation to our organization. We need a representative voice. Our committee and the deans are willing to tackle any problems as long as we know it is significant. The only way we can be assured of this is through stu- dent feedback. Eighty gripes may have set the record this year, but when you consid- er a student body of over 5,000. . . DSAC will continue to conduct Gripe Booths and at times will circulate surveys or in other ways ask for a re- sponse. Take the time to respond. Stu- dents who sit back and complain among themselves achieve nothing. The problem will still exist, and no one will know ab- out it. DSAC exists because students find it hard to complain to the faculty. They fear recrimination either in the form of bad sUident-professor relations or an influence on their grades. At the same time they are too intimidated to talk to the department head or dean. I encourage you to break through that invisible barrier. Go talk ab- out a problem with a dean. Set up an appointment with your department head. You'll find they are much easier to talk to than you had expected. Remember that what goes on in their college or depart- ment reflects back on them, whether it be a poor professor or a useless lab, so they will do what they can to remedy the situa- tion. However, if you can't take this step, remember that there are organizations such as DSAC to take your issue up for you. Participate in the next Gripe Booth or survey. You'll be doing something for yourself. Annette Drilling President, Deans' Student Advison' Committee Gravity and the Professor I sat outside the professor's office with the hope that a short tutorial session would clear up the mysteries of my mathematics class. Other professors walked up and down the hallway. AH of them had pensive expressions on their faces and a few smelled of exotic brands of pipe tobacco. I sighed. Our appointment should have begun over twenty minutes ago. I guess some professors are so deep into their abstract math that they ignore trivial items of reality, like time. 1 hate to wait. "I'm sitting in the hall outside this office, people are looking at me as if I'm loiter- ing, and the floor is very uncomfortable." I thought to myself. I decided to try the door; it was unlocked. I entered the office boldly, as if 1 owned the place. And why not? People who make me wait shall suffer the con- sequences of said act, and in this case, in- vasion of privacy was the penalty. Be- sides, I needed a more comfortable place to sit. An ergonomic chair! Professor Spooner really knew how to do things in style. I could see that the chair had levers for every type of adjustment imaginable. "One-hundred and one ways to comfort your butt," I said to myself. As soon as I sat down, a deep pain penetrated my skull. I immediately hopped to my feet, and the pain was gone. Seconds later, the room began to vi- brate. I had a sneaky suspiscion that something was wrong, so I left the office. But everything in the hallway seemed normal! I didn't understand. Curiosity got the better of me, so I went back into the office to investigate. "Most people knock before entering a private office," said the calm, yet com- manding voice. Sitting in the chair was Professor Spooner, and she was staring at me. Where had she come from? I toyed with the idea that she had materialized on the spot, and to tell you the truth, the idea isn't that ridiculous. Professor Spooner is one of those characters everyone likes to talk about. ' Her mathematics lectures were never bor- ing, even though she often went off on tangents. Spooner loved to discuss the his- tory of mathematics, and whenever she began a new topic, her brown eyes would twinkle, and off she would go describing the events that led to the discovery of the concept. Many of her stories focused on the exploits of ancient African civiliza- tions, like the Nubians, the Egyptians, and the Carthaginians. Spooner was quite proud of her African ancestors. She would go into such detail that some people assumed that she had fabri- cated the stories just to make the class more interesting. But unlike most of the others, I sensed that she really knew what she was talking about. I did not suspect that I would soon leam just how accurate her information really was. I let my mouth hang open as she continued to speak. "Most people knock before entering a private office. May I help you?" "Oh, excuse me, I thought this was your receptionist's office." She knew I was lying, and she laughed. Hers was a contagious laugh, and I would have joined her if not for my embarassment. "Come in and sit down," she said. Her recent materialization was still on my mind, but I didn't know how to approach the subject. I was worried that she might zap me with her chair or some- thing. So, in an attempt to cover up my curiousity, I began to ask questions about the course work. "This problem," I said as I opened my textbook, "is giving me headaches." I pointed to a problem on the page. The exercise dealt with gravitational accelera- tion; I had no idea where to begin. It was plain to see that I was young and ignorant Raymond Hightower and had yet to grasp the subtleties of that universal law. Professor Spooner began to answer my question, and I absorbed her words. Somewhere along the line, she went off on one of her famous (or infamous) tan- gents. My mind began to wander, and then, uncontrollably, and quite visibly, I yawned. She stopped in the middle of her sentence and stared. She stared at me for rwo full seconds, and I just knew she would zap me with the chair. I waited for the fatal blow that would erase me from existence. Professor Spooner smiled, and then she sfxjke. "You know. I've always been one to go off on tangents. Perhaps it would be better if I showed you what I mean instead." She removed from her wrist a bracelet, and she placed it around my wrist. The bracelet appeared to be made of gold, but it had no weight. It was lighter than paper! Closing her eyes, she held the bracelet firmly for a few seconds, and then she let it go. She looked at me and she spoke in a very solemn tone. "Gravity is something no one really understands. And to top it off, we all have great disrespect for this mysterious force of nature. We manipu- late gravity in our equations, we drop things from high places, and we juggle objects for amusement. 1 am about to send you through time and space to a place where people truly understand gravi- tational theor>'." After that last sentence I knew that she was hopelessly and incurably insane. I tried to get up and leave, but she touched the bracelet, and I. . . I don't know. Well, in a way, I do know. My vi- sion blurred, and I felt a deep pain within my skull. When my vision had cleared, I was no longer in the office. Sitting on a sand dune, I looked around in every direction, and all I could see was sand. At that point 1 fuinly re- solved to drop Professor Spooner's class. 1 climbed the highest dune in the area so that 1 could scout around and plan my trek homeward. In the distance, I could see what appeared to be some sort of cubical structure. I could also see peo- ple moving about the structure, climbing it, etc. It was the only sign of civilization around, so I decided to move toward it. Hopefully they could direct me to a tele- phone. When I got closer, I saw that the structure was actually one huge block of stone. And it was apparent that this block did not rest on the ground; it was actually hovering about four feet above ground. I watched as they moved it horizontally, apparently in an effort to center it over a certain position. They then lowered the massive stone to the ground, ever so gently. I was impressed not only with their accomplishment, but with their method. Their method of moving the stone was so simple, so blatantly simple, that I began to wonder why I had never heard of things like this being done before now. And then I remembered the professor's words: "I am about to send you through time and space to a place where people truly undersand gravitational theory." Those words echoed within me; they echoed within me until I found myself again in Professor Spooner's office. "Where did you send me? Or should I ask "when' did you send me?" "Oh, I sent you to a sort of 'ground breaking' ceremony for one of the Egyp- tian pyramids. Did you learn anything?" "Yes, and no. It was pretty clear that they understood gravitational theory, and 1 watched them in action, but I still don't understand how they applied that knowledge. And, before you tell me about them, tell me how you managed to send me to see them." She walked over to my side of the desk, and she removed the bracelet from my wrist. "The tiine/space travel thing is my secret, and that is something that is not open to discussion right now." "As for how the Egyptians managed to move those massive stones, the method, as you now know, is quite sim- ple. Think of it this way. If we hadn't in- vented the wheel, we might have stum- bled upon this other, more amazing and more efficient method of transjx)rting heavy objects. It's all a matter of advancement alternatives." "What do you mean by 'advance- ment alternatives?'" "Here's an example. If gasoline po- wered automobiles had never been in- vented, certain chemical engineers may have devoted their time to electric cells instead of petroleum distillation. Maybe we would have had electric cars faster and cleaner than the gas models we have today." Many ideas came to mind. I only needed to travel to ancient Egypt one more time so I could learn their brand of gravitational theory. The applications here in the modem world are endless! I thought of all the things our society could gain from this knowledge, not to mention the money I could make. I needed to go back, so that I could set my plans in mo- tion. "I do not want you to discuss any- thing that you've learned today. . .not yet. There are still many things you will need to know before you can tell others. There is much to learn." 1 listened, and I thought. ■ ^'^^ •^■- ^^.^':. ;'';ir3?fv^'T^^ Remote Weather Sensing Many people rely on the daily weather forecast to plan their lives, but have little Idea about how the predictions are made. Today, this involves more than simply sticking a hand outside to check for rain. To predict the weather. In this inno- cent phrase hes one of the most ambitious undertakings of mankind, one which most people take for granted in this day of the daily forecast. Yet the accurate and timely prediction of the weather is one of the most valuable and even vital develop- ments of the modem technological age. When the number of variables gov- erning the interaction of the sun, atmos- phere and earth are taken into account, the formidable size of the 5 o'clock fore- cast becomes apparent. It is through the development of new means for obtaining information on this system that this task becomes manageable. The most important of these new methods is an area which may be broadly referred to as remote sensing technology. This encompasses a broad range of principles and techniques whose common aspect is the gathering of data over a wide area from a point re- moved from it. This is important because of the need to acquire a large amount of data simul- taneously on a variety of variables. In order to understand the complex behavior of a system like the Earth's weather, a number of parameters must be measured. These variables include temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction, water vapor concentration, and percentage and location of cloud cover. The accuracy of these data directly influences the accuracy of the models which are used to derive fu- ture conditions. To allow the extension of forecasting to a longer time span, and to At left are Morrill and Burrill Halls as viewed look- ing west from ISR during a thunderstorm (photo by Mike Brooks). Showing the contrast between traditional and modern methods of learning about the weather are (top) the weathervane on top of the mini Union which is functional as well as decorative and (below) a radar weather map displayed on cable television (photos by Mike Brooks and Peter Lei). permit the detailed examination of violent small scale events, new observational methods have been developed. There are a number of operational and developmen- tal systems for remote sensing which can be classified by wavelength. The most familiar to most people are the millimeter waves used by conventional weather radar. Scientists at the National Center of Atmoshperic Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado have gone beyond detecting simple precipitation to being able to detect hail. The general concept is similar to that of conventional weather radar. A transmitter emits a polarized, rather than unpolarized, radar beam and obtains a backscattered signal which cor- responds to the amount of precipitation in an area. The difference in the system Fred Brunner tested at NCAR lies in transmitting an in- itially polarized beam and measuring the ratio of polarized to depolarized reUim. A computer is used to analyze this data, determining areas of hail production by a characteristic change in this ratio. Rain droplets are reasonably symmetrical and scatter the radar pulse uniformly, un- like the irregular hail particles. This iden- tification allows three-dimensional plots of hail production which may someday be used to help prevent damage to aircraft, livestock, and crops. Another form of radar which is familiar to many motorists on 1-57 is dop- pler radar. Until recently, this technology has not been applied to weather analysis. continued on page 13 Technovisions ^Hitting the Bricks Though the ceramic engineering de- partment is one of the smallest in the Col I lege, its research is some of the broadest and most important. At left, George Car- son, senior in ceramic engineering, tests material stength over time and high tempierauires and then (far left) compiles the data with a computer. Counterclock wise from bottom left, data regarding the materials is used for optical components such as camera lenses, high temperature components such as the space shuttle's heat shield, building materials — concrete and masonry — like those being used by Janet Paluza. senior in civil engineering, and electronic components like this board from an Apple PC (photos by Peter Lei and Mike Brooks, space shuttle photo bv UPI. text by Mike Brooks). Integrating Technology and the Third World When developing technical solutions to Third World problems, the engineer must go beyond rotely applying textbook equations and consider the sociological and cultural aspects of the situa- tion. IX'vclopment specialist Elizabeth ()' Kelly relates the stor>' of a mission to a Village in a developing country. The mis- sion was so disturbed by the conditions that they decided to help the people there by providing them with a piped water supply. In due course the necessary piping was sent out. but when the technicians tbllowed to install it. they discovered that it had been used to make benches for the men's meeting house. There was no need, the men said, for a piped water supply. What would the women do aJl day if they did not have to fetch and carr>' water? Why the fuss about women? With television images of the east African famine affliction fresh in our minds, and the strains of "We Are The World" still ringing in our ears, we cannot ignore the i3 of the world living under the burden of poverty in the underdeveloped countries of Africa. Asia, and South America. Yet no one in these societies is affected to so great a degree as the woman. Her role is the most prominent in food production and pnx:essing and child care. In fact, a report of the World Conference of the Un- ited Nations Decade for Women noted that: "While women represent 509^ of the world adult population and one third of the official labor force, they perform near- ly two thirds of all working hours, receive only one tenth of the world income and own less than one percent of world prop- erty." This reality is most acute for the woman in the typical rural Third World village. Consequently, any development for the poor which ignores the woman's role in acceptance and application of new technologies will be less effective. What kind of technology are we talk- ing about? Certainly not VCR's. micro- 10 At left, natives in Kenya use the river as a means of gathering water as well as medium for exchang- ing information (photo by Stephen Tongue). wave ovens, or curling irons. To meet basic human needs such as food, shelter, health, and water, one applies basic tech- nologies. These are often referred to as "appropriate technologies." They contrast with the high tech. capital intensive answer to a technical problem we are accustomed to. Appropriate technologies reach those who daily struggle as subsist- ence farmers far from the reach of elec- trical grids, sewer systems, or micro- computers. The introduction of impro\ed efficient wood burning stoves, small scale oil extractor/processors for local nut crops, and biogas generators are examples of Stephen Tongue appropriate technologies. When faced with a problem, the en- gineer must consider the system: first de- fining it and then analyzing variables which may affect perfomiance in light of basic physical laws. The engineer who attempts to tackle the problem of poverty with technical solutions must then contend with less concrete and often elusive vari- ables such as culture, economics, politics. and aesthetics. The challenge, therefore, is multifaceted. Beyond insuring the technic- al integrity of a design, the engineer must determine whether or not the technology will be affordable by the rural woman with a typically small income, if it can withstand the rigours of humid, hot tropic- al environments, if the proper infrastruc- ture of spare parts, knowledgable mecha- nics and properly educated users exists, and whether it will fit into the established daily patterns, traditions, and way of life. In Siaya District of Nyanza, Kenya, a young engineer attempted to introduce a more efficient "kendo mar chwotho" (cooking stove) among the Luo people. He worked nearly six months developing the stove from a basic design of British origin. Later, while visiting one of the thatched hut kitchens, he discovered a tra- ditional stove built by the elders of the tribe which offered nearly the same advantages as the foreign import. This tra- ditional model was "lost" when primary schools began drawing girls away to leam math and history at ages traditionally de- voted to basic home skills such as this stove. It is helpful to consider such "case studies" from those experienced on the field in order to glean a proper perspec- tive. Mary Keith, assistant professor of foods and nutrition, put her chemistr>' education background to the practical test in Paraguay, South America where she served five years as a Peace Corps volun- teer. Her work in technical and agricultu- ral development centered on the rural woman. From her experience she related an example in which well meaning volun- teers built a sanitary water system where women could collect water and wash. What the engineers neglected was that washing was one of the few times of the day the women could meet socially to ex- change news. The water system outlets were spread out and did not allow such congregation. Soon it was rejected by the women for the less sanitary but more "hospitable" river. When solving problems In Third World countries, engineers should not overlook existing solutions such as this traditional Kenyan stove (photo by Stephen Tongue). In another example, wells were pro- vided for a village with keys and training given to the men, thereby limiting access by the women whose task it was to col- lect the water. Since the men had little at stake, maintenence of the wells was ignored and many became inoperable. Once training and access to the technolo- gy was given to the women, the wells were used and maintained to their fullest since the women had a vested interest in them. The challenge to engineers involved in such projects is to develop sociological and anthropological sensitivities to culture. Moreover, the engineer must develop and implement the technology with the help of the local people who will in the end de- cide its acceptance or rejection. Most im- portant, is recognizing the need for ba- lanced technical development towards women, resisting the tendency to work only with the men because of the power and visiblity which they enjoy in tradition- al societies. For example, if tractors are to be in- troduced for men to use for ploughing and planting (traditionally male roles in many societies), equal technical resources should go to the women who must cultivate and harvest the resulting larger crops with the same limited traditional hoe. Keith ex- plains: "It is ironic that we are just now discovering that to improve the overall de- velopment of a country, we cannot ignore 50% of the population who are women and whose well-being directly affects the next generation. On the shores of Lake Victoria, among the African Luo people who popu- late the rolling hills, a typical young woman, Akinyi. wakes to another day of tasks for survival. But unlike most others, Akinyi has begun to reap the benefits of small scale technologies conceived with the guidance of herself and other women in coordination with American volunteers. With a new protected well nearby, she no longer has to walk 3 or 4 miles to coUect water. Much of the harvest normally lost to insects or spoilage is protected and pre- served in improved crop storage systems. A low cost, locally made plow design allows the family to plant quickly when the rains start. With the extra time now, her husband has learned to make water tanks and earns an income with this skill. Akinyi has time to attend classes now and soon will be a certified village health worker, educating her peers in health and nutrition. With the vision that such be- nefits may reach others, the development engineer meets the challenge with appropriate technical solutions combined with sensitivity to the women whose sur- vival and improvement depend on it. ■ 11 Technovations A Graphing Calculator Finally, a calculator has appeared on the market that makes all those Math 120 problems a piece of cake. The obvious difference between the Casio FX-7000G and other scientific cal- culators is its large 2.17" x 1.5" (94 by 64 dots) liquid crystal display which not only displays numbers but also graphs of functions. The calculator can graph one or more functions at the same time and can form a combined graph of several diffe- rent equations. With the touch of a few buttons, the user can find absolute and re- lative maxima and minima, as well as the points of intersection of different func- tions. Casio also claims that the calculator is four times as fast as conventional calcu- lators. All these features, according to Casio, make it "the ultimate problem solver." A Computer That Understands AT&T has developed an ex- perimental computer system that under- stands plain English and remembers new words as it goes along. The Transportable English Language Interface (TELO answers questions that are entered in English at the keyboard. If it doesn't understand a word that is typed in, it will ask the user about the meaning and the grammatical use of the word. If the user defines the word in terms of other words already in the computer's vocabulary, the computer then "under- stands" the word. A new word has to be in the computer's area of knowledge, though. A computer that is programmed to know all about animals would have a hard time understanding "car" or "house". Because it can be used by a compu- ter illiterate or by a computer scientist, the system will undoubtedly find many ap- plications. 12 (— ICDCZiaODCP loaao O a 03 03 IS! A potential llfesaver for Math 120 students Is the Casio FX-7000G Calculator, which Is capable of graphing functions. Supercomputers and Groundwater The new Universitv sujjercomputer is being put to varied uses. Albert J. Voloc- chi, professor of civil engineering, is us- ing the machine to mathematically simu- late the natural processes leading to groundwater pollution. Research of this process in the field would take years to produce significant re- sults. By feeding a computer certain assumptions about what hapf)ens when contaminants creep through the soil, one can determine what happens in real life. The mathematical processes involved are so complex though, that a supercomputer is needed to solve problems efficiently. Previous computers have only been able to use two dimensional models, but using a suf)ercomputer will enable more accu- rate three-dimensional models to be made. Looking Into Your Heart Using depth-resolved magnetic reso- nance (MR) spectroscopy. Dr. Paul Bot- tomley, a physicist at the General Electric Research and Developement center in Schenectady, NY, can chemically analyze a living human heart. Using powerful magnetic fields, radio waves and computers, MR spectros- copy detects the quantities of certain che- micals in the human body. A related tech- nology, MR imaging, is currently being used to take pictures of internal organs and determine their chemical composition. MR spectroscopy uses a five-ton su- perconducting magnet to produce a very high (1.5 Tesla) magnetic field. Scientists used to believe that at this huge a field could not yield good results. The perform- ance of the GE system, though, disproved this misconception. The system functions by actually making the atomic nuclei of different chemicals in the body vibrate in different patterns. Levels of certain chemicals in the heart flucuiate with the health of the organ. Until now. these levels went unde- tected. Dr. Bottomley has devised a tech- nique to isolate resonance signals coming from the heart from those coming from other tissues. He can then check the levels of the chemicals present and make a di- agnosis of the heart's condition. The integration of advanced technol- ogy in physics, electronics, and computer science have put another tool at the dis- posal of diagnostic medicine. Bob Janssens Weather continued from page 7 ^ The system has the abihty to obser\'e turbulence invisible by other means. By analyzing changes in backscattered radia- tion caused by differences in the radio re- fractive index, wind speeds and directions can be determined over a large area. A more specialized extension of this idea is now in use at a number of major airports around the world. This involves the use of doppler radars to search for wind shear, which is the term for the sud- den violent changes in wind direction and velocity caused by strong downdrafts from thunderstorms. Wind shear has been blamed for numerous air crashes, usually during take-off and landing when it may be impossible to make a correction. The ability of the doppler radar to identify quickly the size, strength, and direction of such downburst cells allows the guiding of aircraft away from such hazards, and should allow safer operation of air trans- port in poor weather. Scientists do not just rely on radar waves to make measurements. Micro- waves and infrared waves are also main- stays of current metereology. By studying the emissions of microwaves and infrared rays from clouds, meteorologists are able to determine the temperamre of the clouds and make better storm predictions. Instruments for detecting both kinds of radiation can be found on the Tiros series of satellites. Microwaves analyzed by the satellite can be used to determine cloud-top temperatures to within 1.5 de- grees Celsius. The resolution offered by current in- frared radiometry instruments on satellites is fully capable of producing images of the Earth in various wavelengths of in- terest. This capability allows nighttime I pictures of cloud formations to be * obtained and to determine wind speeds by tracking these formations. In addition to studying infrared light, ^ the visible spectrum is not ignored. Lidar, M' or Light Detection And Ranging, is hatch- ing a broad new field of developing tech- nologies in weather sensing. The uses of the laser in the field are vast and the ap- plications numerous. Thus, we will res- trict ourselves to some of the more impor- tant ones. Lidar velocimetry is a proposed sys- tem to obtain profiles of wind speed by measuring the doppler shift of backscat- tered laser light from aerosols suspended in the atmosphere. Such a system should allow estimates of wind speeds from the surface to 25 km altitude. A proposed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admi- nistration (NOAA) satellite called Windsat would do just that. One problem must be solved before this system can be fully im- plemented. Currently backscattered laser light is very difficult to detect with the normal bright backround of atmospheric scattering. The solution of this problem is one crucial to all methods of lidar sensing and one which makes this technology such an engineering challenge. Lidar could also be used for other purposes. Cloud heights and composition would be obtainable, as would pressure and temperature data. Finally, lidar techniques will be able to measure concentrations of trace consti- ments of the atmosphere. Using tunable lasers made of organic dyes such as rho- damine, concentrations of ozone, OH radicals, NO2, water vapor and other compounds such as fluorocarbons can be made. A related method stimulates various atoms or molecules with laser light, caus- ing them to fluoresce. The sodium layer at 80-1 10 km is of interest to atmospheric scientists because of the information it can provide about extreme upper atmosphere temperatures and winds. Experiments to make such measurements have been per- formed here at the University by a group led by C.F. Sechrist, professor of electric- al engineering. The group was able to get good information with the lidar system on the fluctuations in the density and altitude of sodium atoms over time. The ability of lidar systems to provide this type of data for such a large volume of atmosphere makes them extremely attractive for furth- er development. What of the future? Remote sensing technology continues to advance and to ofjen up new possibilities for gathering different kinds of information about the atmosphere. The increasing accuracy and diversity of these data can only provide a better understanding of the weather and hopefully lead to even better forecasting of its continual course around the E^arth. ■ From page 2 Tech Teaser Answers la. A = 6, B = 5 b. A = 0, B = 5 2. Draw line MA. Then draw a line through the midpoint of side CB parallel to MA. Label the point of this line's in- tersection with side AC of the triangle N. Then line MN divides the triangle into two shapes of equal area. 3. The number is 3" x 2'. 4. Tie a 14.5 meter rope to one bull, through the two rings and to the other bull. They will still be able to graze cor- ners but will never be closer to each other than 1/2 meter. 13 Setting the Curve for Engineering Education We complain about It to our classmates, yet we take pride In Its In- creasing national prominence. Just how good is the under- graduate engineering program? To make a truly accurate assess- ment of Its quality, we must look from the outside In. Most University students know what Tom Cruise is talking about in "Risky Hiisnuss" when he says. "Well, it looks like the University of Illinois." For many students, this is a "safety" sehool: either they were not aeeepted to their first ehoiee sehix>l. or eould not afford it. But for others, like Phix;he Slaughter, "I've al- ways had my heart set on the U. of I. be- eause of the engineenng programs." First ehoiee sehixil or not. what exaetly is the undergraduate engineering eollege at the University like? "It"s very eompetitive." says Lesley Ix"e. sophomore in meehanieal engineer- ing. "When my high sehool eounselor told me it would be tough beeause every- one was in the top I0'7r of their high sehcK)! elass, 1 didn't believe him. but it's true." It is true, in the past years the Col- lege has attraeted an inereasingly quiilitled freshman class. Since 1980. the median ACT comptisite score for incoming stu- dents has risen from 28 to .^0. Likewise, the median high schexil percentile rank has jumped from the 95th to the 97th per- centile. As a group, the incoming fresh- men are as qualified as any other national- Iv. Even at such schmils as Stanford and Median SAT Scores of Entering Freshmen in Engineering "Sane aiiucncd lu'iii mcdi.m .\CT o[ M) «hich iv equivalent lo S.-\T >core> ranginb! Irom I260-1,HX) ^"Nii median fiyuie a\ailable. The inajunlN ol siiidenis aeeepted had scores rangins; from I2(X)-I380. Sources: L'niveisilies' resfiective plaeemem olficev Berkeley, the median SAT scores are 620 verbal. 670 math and 532 verbal. 607 math, respectively. While our students are comparable to those anywhere, the student to faculty ratio for the eollege is not. Especially at private schcxils. the student-faculty ratio is much lower than the 13 to 1 ratio found at the University. Students here may find them.selves in classes with 50-70 people. Granted, many introductory courses are large lectures, but these numbers represent some 200 level classes as well. Frustration results. Students complain it is difficult to meet other students in their major. Educa- tion gained from student-faculty relations and peer interactions is often lost. As one professor stated, "Class sizes are ridicu- lous." The department heads and the col- lege deans recognize this and are taking action. One objective is to accept fewer students into the engineering college. Last year, 200 more students matriculated than were projected. Another plan is to add te- nured faculty members. In the electrical engineering department alone, ten new professors and their supporting staff will be hired by 1990 for an increase of Wvc. In spite of the large demand for new faculty, only excellent candidates will be 14 Che y I D a n k e Technoscope considered. The department heads who are in charge of hiring look for quality'. Teaching and research abilities are most important. Other factors include publica- tions, a good reputation in the field, and ties with industry. Not only will these new professors ease the overload, but they will also bring fresh perspectives from industry to the College. Eventually, this means money too. When industries perceive a college to be at the forefront of a field, they will pour funds and equipment in to support research efforts. In terms of undergraduate education, this guarantees the equipment used in labs will be up to date and at in- dustry standards. This is necessary to ade- quately prepare students for jobs in the ■'real world." To update facilities, the state has given the College money under the En- gineering Revitilization Program. While this helps, much more money is needed to run the school. To fill the gap. the Col- lege obtains funding from the private sec- tor. As Professor Trick, head of the elec- trical and computer engineering depart- ment says. "We would have next to no- thing without our industrial friends." In fact, with $42,849,000 budgeted for re- search at the college, that ranks us nationally behind only MIT ($60,440,874). Other schools with budgets between 25 and 40 million dollars include Stanford. Cornell, and Berkeley. High rankings are impressive but what about the quality of undergraduate education? "I feel like I'm getting really well prepared." Lee states. Generally, classes are good, although a common stu- dent complaint is that some teaching assis- tants lack teaching and/or communication skills. All agree, however, that teaching assistants have good knowledge of their subjects. "My G.E. T.A. is great!" re- marks one student. Consistent quality is found in tech- nical electives. To insure continuing ex- cellence in these high level specialization courses, the administration and the faculty make a concerted effort to keep classes small. This seems to work well as these classes are the culmination of a students' undergraduate program. First rate education extends beyond the engineenng college at the University. An engineering student fulfilling humani- ties and social science requirements will find nationally ranked departments in nearly every field. This gives students a chance to broaden perspectives beyond technology. With the nationally growing problem of communication between scien- ce and society, these are truly valuable perspectives for an engineer to have. Education, however, does not have to stop with required classes at the Uni- versity. For those who choose to become involved, a myriad of other campus acti- vities and student societies abound. En- gineering Open House alone sets the stage for countless possibilities. For students with initiative, there are also research opportunities. Unfortunately, say profes- sors, there is no organized program to get students involved. At schools such as MIT where programs have been im- plemented, as many as two-thirds of the undergraduates participate in research acti- vities at some point in their education. As bio/electrical engineering assistant profes- sor Bmce Wheeler comments. "Students who do not venture out of the classroom to see the research activities miss half of the University's activities and much of the novel and unique things that make us spe- cial. Regardless of whether or not they do research, engineering graduates come out well prepared. This is best indicated by the number of companies that conduct on- campus interviews. Almost every major corporation that recruits engineering stu- dents has the University on their list, and graduates are hired quickly. As of July 23, 1985, only 7.5% of all B.S. engineer- ing students who graduated in May '85 were still available, 56.7<7c were em- ployed, 6.4% were undecided, 8.2% were involved in miscellaneous activities and 21.2% continued on to graduate school. What is it that makes graduates spe- cial? As one professor speculates, "They're not all eggheads or have their heads in the clouds. They have good American values wih a strong midwest, farm work ethic." From the perspective of industry, Robert Brewer, University Relations Team Coordinator for General Motors says, "They're smarter (or else they wouldn't make it at the U. of 1.) and well founded in engineering. They're bright, capable people." With this kind of positive response from industry, it is ob- vious that the College is doing a com- mendable job. ■ 15 Technotes Army Lab Signs $8 Million Contract On (Xti)bcr 17th the U.S. Amiy Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USA-CLRL) awarded $« niil- hon in task order contracts to the Uni- versity. In the past the laboratory usually would sign a separate contract every time It needed the University's ccx)peration. lliis new contract allows the Anny lab to ask the University scientists and engineers to do research whenever it is needed. "Task order contracts m;ike transferring tunds to an organization lor government research much easier than before,"' according to Colonel Paul J. Theuer. commander and director ol USA-CHRL. Since the USA-CHRL program is growing rapidly, it is important to m;ike contract- ing out work easier. Tlie laboratory , as one of the re- sciirch and development facilities of the Corps of Engineers, conducts research in construction related ;ireas. It gave out a total of $.^2 tnillion in task order contracts to ten research institutions. The Universi- ty's share of $8 million was kirger than that of any other institution. Students Named AT&T Scholars .■\ 1 & r loundalion has auitrded two o\ its 1985 AT&T Bell Labiiratones Scho- larships to Ph.D. candidates in the Col- lege. The aw;irds went tii Marc C. F(Xite, a student in physics, and David Overhaus- er, a student in electrical engineering. Ilie schoku-ships consist o\ n stipend, tuition, and funds for books and confer- ence attendance. Tlie students will also be given the opportunity to work at one of Bell Labs' kxations during the summer. ITiese scholarships will provide "the stu- dents with incentives and opportunities for 16 continuing with advanced studies," said C. Kumar N. Patel, executive director of Research, Physics and Academic Affairs at Bell Labs. The scholars were chosen from lists of students submitted by the department heads of p;irticipating universities. This year's twenty-six award winners included students in computer science, chemistry, electrical engineering, materials science, and physics at fourteen difterent universi- ties. More Equipment Donations The University received two more substantial donations of equipment in October. The National Center for Supercom- puting Applications received almost .S2(K),(K)0 worth of computer equipment from Apple Computer Inc. and Sun Mic- rosystems Inc. Apple donated twenty-five Macintosh computers along with external disk drives, printers, memory boards, manuals, and softw;ire. Sun Microsystems gave two advanced 32-bit workstations and a 72-megabyte hard disk drive. All of the equipment is intended to be linked to the center's new Cray X-MP supercompu- ter. According to NCSA scientist Steven Christensen, the equipment is not only destined for advanced research work. "Everybixly will be using these machines, including administrators, staff, scientists, and graduate and undergraduate stu- dents." he claimed. Meanwhile, the Cixirdinated Science Laboratory (CSL) received a $650,000 computer system from Gould, Inc. The Gould 9050 system is a high performance super-minicomputer. Timothy Trick, the head of CSL. said that the system, through a netu ork of computer worksta- tions, will be used by both faculty and graduate students for computer engineer- ing related research. "This gift will sub- st;intially increase the computing power available to our faculty and graduate snj- denls in this importiuit area of research," he indicated. Tlie last year has seen an increase in donations to the College, keeping it up in the ranks with the best in the nation. Distinguished Alumni The Electrical and Computer En- gineering Association recently presented three distinguished alumni with awards. They selected the following people to re- ceive the honor. Alfred Y. Cho, a gradu- ate of the bachelor's (I960), master's ('61), and doctorate ("68) programs, is head of the Electronics and Phototronics Research Department of AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ. Donald J. Stuckel, who earned his master's de- gree here in 1962, is a brigadier general and commander of the Air Force Contract Management at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Finally, Michael G. Tomasic, who has a Bachelor's degree ('66) from the University, is the chief operating officer of Kurzweil Applied In- telligence, Inc. in Waltham, Mass. The three were selected "on the basis of their accomplishments since they've received their degrees,"" indicated an Association spokesperson. New Department Heads Quite a few new department heads in the college were named recently. Norman C. Peterson from Argonne National Laboratory replaced the retiring Charles A. Wert as head of metallurgy and min- ing engineering. Shee-Mang Yen took over from Harry Hilton at aeronautical and astronautical engineering. Timothy Trick, already director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory, also took over the rudder of electrical and computer en- gineering. Finally, Roscoe L. Pershing came over from Deere & Co. to assume the position of head of agricultural en- gineering. Bob Jaiissens Tech Profiles . a Kyekyoon (Kevin) Kim. professor of electrical and com- puter engineering, nuclear engineering, and mechanical engineer- ing received his B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the Seoul National University' of Korea. He attended Cornell University, where he earned a M.S. in Nuclear Science and a Ph.D. in Ap- plied Physics. Kim came to the University in 1972 to do pxjst-doctoral work and then joined the faculty in 1976. As the director of the Fusion Technology/Charged Particle Research Laboratory, he is involved in several research projects. These include the develop- ment of short-wavelength, high-power lasers using dense plasma focus, investigating charged particles and controlled thermonuc- lear fusion, and researching plasma engineering and physics. Kim is also pursuing research in cryogenic laser fusion targets. electrohydrodynamics. and a combustion-fuel injection system. In addition to his many research projects. Kim also does consulting for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Universities Space Research Association of NASA, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester. He is also involved in many professional societies. Currently he is the chairman of the ICF Targets Group, a division of the NASA Electric Field Positioning Science Working Group. Kim is also the chairman of one of the committees of the American Vacuum Soceity in the Fusion Technology Division. Although Kim is kept busy with all his research activity, he still finds time to teach at least one class a semester. Currently, he is lecturing EE 260. He has also taught classes in electro- magnetics and solid state electronics. Kim says he enjoys teaching, even though most of his time is spent doing research. Cherxl Smith Relva C. Buchanan, professor of ceramic engineering at the University does not actually design pottery and porcelain, as many ma\ be led to belie\e by his title. Rather, he works in the field of "high tech" ceramics. These exotic materials, synthe- sized from less elegant constituents such as impure ores and sands, are present in hidden component fomi in such popular de- vices as stereo speakers, television sets, digital watches, and per- sonal computers. Bom in Jamaica. Buchanan began his higher education in the field of chemistry at the University of the West Indies. Sixin thereafter, he joumeyed to England w here he learned the science of glass blowing at the University of Bimiingham and Imperial College. He received his B.S. in glass technology from Alfred University and a D.Sc. from MIT in ceramic science with a minor in metallurgy. After nine years of working in research and development for IBM. Buchanan joined the staff of the University in 1974. Presently, he is personally involved in research that delves into the preparation and development of \ital electrical ceramics. Emphasis has been placed on the strength, purity, and properties of these materials. When he is not in his laboratory, the profes- sor can be found teaching Ceramic Engineering 201 (Crystal chemistry) and Ceramic Engineering 340 (Electrical Ceramics) In addition to being known among the relatively small cera- mic engineering department of the University. Professor Bucha- nan enjoys recognition on a greater scale. A past Chaimian of the Electronics Division and Fellow of the American Ceramics Society. Buchanan possesses several patents and has published extensively in the field. In fact, he is currently writing a bixik. Ceramic Materials for Electronics, which should be available by May, 1986. Moreover, he is a member of the American Asso- ciation for the Advancement of Science and the International Society for Hybrid Microelectronics. Scott Brun 17 .*^y» «P^- -5C^ - G 1986 volume iui, issue 4 iNewbbidna $ i.-^u 520.5 FHl 01 :4 F 1986 lllinoisTechnograph To the Future Ascend Reaching new heights of achievement in the business worlcJ requires a special alliance. An alliance of people — whether management, technical or administrative — working together to bring out their best. This is the type of relationship Anheuser- Busch has always maintained. Because of this, we've grown from a local brewery to an international corpora- tion. Our holdings now encompass everything from snack foods to theme parks to transportation. Talented people sustain our upward momentum. They take pride in exceeding previous levels of accomplishment and rise to every challenge with a single minded determination to succeed. They have a commitment to quality that makes excellence their standard. Their rewards? Intriguing assignments. Stimulating work environment. Tangible recognition. And the opportunity to reach for the stars. If you are about to receive your BSEE or BSME, and you have the potential to ascend above the ordinary, team up with Anheuser-Busch. Send your resume to: ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES, INC.; Corporate Employment; College Relations; One Busch Place; St. Louis, Missouri 63118. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F. SCfENCEXSCOPE The feasibility of turning sea water into electricity is being studied in fusion energy experiments at Kyoto University in Japan. The studies involve a Hughes Aircraft Company gyrotron, a microwave tube that uses a spiraling stream of electrons to produce extremely high power microwave frequencies. Fusion energy holds tremendous potential because its source of fuel (hydrogen) can be extracted from sea water. It could produce large amounts of power with little or no radioactive waste and no threat of meltdown or explosion. In fusion energy research, the gyrotron's high-power radio waves heat hydrogen particles (plasma) to temperatures of tens of millions of degrees. These particles fuse under pressure, causing a thermonuclear reaction that provides energy for driving steam turbines. A new technique may expand the use of lasers in commercial and military applications. The approach, called optical phase conjugation, is considered a major advance in optics because it offers a solution to distortion problems that have limited the use of lasers. When a laser beam passes through a turbulent atmosphere or a severely strained optical component, the beam is distorted and the information it carries is degraded. The Hughes technique, however, forces the laser to retrace its path through the distorting medium so the beam emerges free of distortion. The method eliminates the need for complex electro-optical and mechanical components to correct the distortions. A MIDAS touch will create the factory of the future by introducing computer technology throughout one Hughes manufacturing division. The new Manufacturing Information Distribution and Acquisition System (MIDAS) is a flexible, high-speed data communication network. It will transmit and gather millions of bits of data per day by linking computer terminals, laser printers, bar-code scanners, and other equipment. MIDAS will serve graphic workstations and facilitate paperless planning. Similarly, it will relay numerical-control programs from main computers to machines in the factory, eliminating the need for paper tape. MIDAS will let all users share important peripherals, such as a laser printer, which now is impossible due to the incompatibility of equipment from different manufacturers. NASA's Project Galileo, which will explore the planet Jupiter later this decade, must arrive at a precise angle if it is to carry out its measurements of the chemical composition and physical state of the Jovian atmosphere. The Hughes-built probe will arrive at 107,000 miles per hour, fast enough to travel between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in nine seconds. If the probe hits at too shallow an angle, it will skip off into space; too steep, it will be reduced to ashes. Even at the proper angle, the probe will encounter extremes never before faced by spacecraft. In less than two minutes, much of the forward heat shield will be eroded by temperatures of thousands of degrees. With atmospheric entry forces reaching 360 times the gravitational pull of Earth, the 742-pound probe will take on a weight equal to an empty DC-10 jetliner. Project Galileo is scheduled to be launched from the space shuttle in May 1986 and to arrive at Jupiter in August 1988. Hughes needs graduates with degrees in EE, ME, physics, computer science, and electronics technology. To find out how to become involved in any one of the 1,500 high-technology projects, ranging from submicron microelectronics to advanced large-scale electronics systems, contact Corporate College Relations Office, Hughes Aircraft Company, Dept. C2/B178-SS, RO. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Equal opportunity employer. U.S. citizenship required. For more information write to: PO. Box 45068. Dept 9186, Los Angeles, CA 90045-0068 HUGHES 5 1985 Hughes Aircraft Company February 1986 Volume 101, Issue 4 lllinoisTechnograph 4 8 On the cover: "1 O Alumnus astronaut Dale Gardner maneuvers a satellite outside the space shuttle (NASA photo courtesy the University of Illinois Alumni Association). 16 Copyrighl lllini Media Co., 1986. Illinois Technograph (USPS 258-760), Vol 101 No, 4 Febtuay 1986. Illinois Technograph is published live lirres during the academic year al the University ol Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Published by lllmi Media Co, 620 East .yohn St. Champaign, Illinois, 61820 Editorial and Business offices of the lllinas Technograph Room 302 Engineering hall, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, phone 217-333-3558 Subscriptions are available for $700 per academic year. Advertising by Uttei-Murray-Bamhill, Inc , 1328 Broadway. New York. NY, 10001, 221 N LaSalle Street. Chicago, II., 60601 Entered as second class matter, October 30, 1920, at the post office at Champaign, Illinois under the act of March 3, 1879 Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College Magazines Associated. Halley's Return Engagement Mary J. Winters Historically a portent of evil. Halley's comet is once again in go(xl graces as many await its arrival. Probing Ancient Mysteries Fred Brunner Forming a receiving line for the comet will be space probes from European nations as well as Japan and the USSR. The knowledge they gamer will go a long way toward unraveling the mysteries of space. Propelling Toward the Future Chris Gerrib Today's rockets may appear to be at the peak of technological development, but work is continually being done to increase our odds of reaching the stars. Technoscope Ashraf Hameedi This month's Technoscope, Alumni Soar to the Heavens, spotlights two engineering graduates who have conquered the final frontier. Departments Editorial 3, Tech Teasers 3, Technotes 7, Technovisions 10, Technovations 15, Techprofiles 19 Editor: Mary McDowell Business Manager: Troy Brethauer Production Editor: Michael Lind Photo Editor: Mike Brooks Features Editor: Bob Janssens Copy Editor: Erie Guarin Asst, Copy Editor: Dee Bartholme Design: Charles Musto Asst, Design: Robert Baittie Publisher: £ Mayer Maloney, Jr Production Manager: Geoff Bant Editorial Staft: Scott Brun, Fred Brunner, Sally Cohen, Cheryl Danke, Jeffrey Dobos, Stephen Ferree, Chris Gerrib, Gail Halley, Ashraf Hameedi, Jeff Hamera, Raymond Hightower, Steve Lotz, Andrew Koepke, Peter Lei, Jeff Mote, Steven. Seaney Cheryl Smith, Pam Susemiehl, Steve Tongue, Bill Weiss, Mary Winters, Joseph Wyse, Jay Zl Tech Teasers Editorial ^^ 1. Make the following correct by moving only one match. ft ft 2. Move two of the matches below to make exactly four squares, one of which is bigger than the other three. 3. Complete the following sequence of numbers: 10.11.12.7.21.111.1111111 4. For all those who enjoyed GE 103 so much, here are 3 views of an object. Describe the object. \) r V Answers on page 15 ) Comic Perceptions The scene: a professor droning on to a classroom full of students who are furiously taking notes. Suddenly, a stu- dent interupts the lecture to pxjse a ques- tion. "I. . .1 don't believe it." gasps the professor. "A response! I finally got a thinking response from one of you! And 1 thought you were all stenographers! I have a student! A student lives!" This drama, satirized in the January 19, 1986 edition of Gar\' Trudeau's Doonesbury could have been held in near- ly any classroom in the College, especial- ly the increasingly typical auditorium sized ones. The only real distinction is that we're proof readers, not stenog- raphers. With copies of many lecture notes available prior to class, the most a student ever has to do is make any neces- sary corrections and to jot down any sup- plementary information that the class was warned about on the first day so as to dis- courage excessive absenteeism. Of course with professors changing their overhead projector foils at Indy 500 rates, a student would never be able to keep up with mere pencil and paper alone. Aside from the mechanics of note- taking and the monstrous debts incurred at Kinko's to merely keep up with a class is the very serious issue of the lack of parti- cipation by students in the lecture setting. This clearly cuts off an avenue of great learning potential. The greatest contribut- ing factor is that many classes are just too big. I can understand why some core re- quirement courses such as physics and chemistry must be taught in huge settings. This is at least offset by having quiz sec- tions. I don't, however, think it's appropriate to have upper level courses being taught to the multitudes, especially when it's the only contact the student has with the class. Perhaps it's just that I'm in an overcrowded, understaffed major (com- puter science), but is it too much to ask to have a few courses in my major where the professor didn't have to use a mic- rophone to reach the back row before I graduate? Clearly, this type of environnment is not conducive to student-professor or stu- dent-student interaction. Some professors even discourage questions by being con- descending with their replies or by not even recognizing people to call on. It's as though their rate of foil changes will be too slow if they pause to clarify anything. Even when professors do solicit questions, it's too intimidating for most smdents to ask a potentially stupid or irrelevant ques- tion in front of 100+ grade grubbing peers. This problem directly affects the quality of learning in a negative way. Not only is the subject matter of the large classes not being learned as well as it could be, but there is also a carry over effect. For even in small classes where there is opportunity for participation, it seems that students are so ingrained in the pattern of being an invisible face in a sea of students that they don't even make the effort. After all, it's easier to be a proof reading automaton than to actually think about what's being taught. It's clearly a problem that has its ori- gins in the shortage of the high caliber en- gineering faculrs' needed and an increase in the number of students majoring in C.S., E.E., and CompE. Perhaps with the scheduled addition of new faculty mem- bers the problem will be alleviated. Perhaps limits on enrollments would help as well. Clearly, a problem exists. The issue must be dealt with soon, for in 20 years it will be today's proof readers and stenog- raphers who will be running the overhead projectors. "YfiA^J- rxjKujill A phenomenon first sighted by the ancient Chinese, Halley's comet makes its rendevous with the Earth and reawaliens the American public's interest in the cosmos. Halley's comet is back! Since it was first sighted approaching the Earth on October 16, 1982, both professional and amateur astronomers have been preparing for its historical pass across our skies. It has been 76 years since this famous comet was last seen shining in the heavens, and it is generating as much interest now as it did in 1910. Because Halley's comet has a periodical orbit ranging from 76 to 79 years, this will be the only chance many of us have to see the historic comet. A comet is an object that resembles a fuzzy star and travels along a definite path through the solar system. Seventy to eighty percent of the comet is composed of frozen gases and water mixed with dust particles and is concentrated in its nuc- leus. As the comet nears the sun, some of the frozen matter sublimes and forms a cloud of gas and grit, called the coma, around the nucleus. Closer to the sun, the solar wind repels some of these particles, which stream out away from the sun to form the tail. The closer the comet is to the sun, the larger and brighter the tail be- comes. Halley's comet was named after the English astronomer ExJmund Halley. It was Halley who proved that comets move according to definite laws. He collected all the recorded data on the observations of 24 bright comets which had appeared between 1337 and 1698. He then devised an arithmetical calculation for computing orbits and worked out the orbits of the 24 comets. He based his calculations on Newton's law of gravitation. After computing the orbits of the comets, he found that the orbits of three of them, those of 1531, 1607, and 1682, were very similar. He deduced that these three comets were actually the same and Halley's Return Engagement c o M r T .\ o s I r .s- _ ^ t'i^t^^lmJ M^ novtii iloniftcn lo imT7o ituj; »«(>i>ff(fn aitii'lcjUiffn vnt .i>i|"ii>rifi^ni ^inaiCni mffltojlkt un ? .'a,txi,t ^nSiiliumr^jni ',in„m. f Cllilloi. ^jiitfi«lJni>S«» >xre>i»mii*t\.^ai» Above Is the title page of Cometa Orientalis, which was published in 1618. were probably also identical to one that had appeared in 1456. which had only been roughly observed. Although the in- tervals between the returns differed by more than fifteen months. Halley ex- plained that this was the result of per- turbations, caused by Jupiter and Saturn, of the motion of the comet. He estimated that the comet's next return would be de- layed by the action of Jupiter and would appear again at the end of 1758. The comet was sighted on Christmas day in 1758. Halley had died sixteen years be- fore, but because of the great value of his work, it was given his name. Halley's comet is probably the best known comet because of its extreme brightness and long tail. Halley's comet, like other comets, has an elongated ellip- tical orbit which approximates to a para- bola near perihelion. This comet is some- what exceptional in that it has an orbit with retrograde motion, that is. an orbit with a motion opposite to the direction of motion of the planets. Mary J. Winters In order to increase their knowledge of comets, some astronomers have com- puted the times of Halley's comet's pre- vious visits, and history shows that the comet did indeed turn up at the calculated dates. The earliest recorded sighting was in 239 B.C. Records of Chinese observers mention the event, and one such account states, "During the seventh year of Chih Shih-Huang a comet appeared to the north and during the fifth month it was seen again in the west." This corresponds to the calculations for Halley's comet. Its next passing occured in November of 163 B.C., but historical accounts of this time are rather confused. During its next apf)earance, in 86 B.C., the Chinese observed that "in the autumn during the second year of the Hou-Yuan reign- period, a comet appeared in the east." Throughout history, a comet's sud- den appearance was usually regarded as a precurser of evil. The passing of Halley's comet in 11 B.C. was no exception. The popular belief of the time was that the comet foretold the death of the great Ro- man general and statesman. Marcus Vip- sanius Agrippa. Agrippa did in fact die that year. TTie comet was seen as an even more terrible omen in the minds of the fearful during its next orbital revolution. The Jewish historian Flavious Josephus wrote of several prodigies which announced the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.. fol- lowing the rebellion of Judea against Rome. He notes. "Amongst the warnings, a comet, of the kind called Xiphias, be- cause their tails appear to represent the blade of a sword, was seen above the city." This sword-like comet was, of course, Halley's. Regular occurences of Halley's com- ^gk et continued until 374 A.D. In that year ^B^ the comet came exceedingly close to actually hitting the Earth. It passed just nine million miles outside Earth's orbit. It view From Celestial North Pole of Halley s Comet at Perihelion must have been a beautiful and awesome sight and visible all night long, but the observations of the time make no mention of its probable extraordinary brightness and overly long tail. In 45 1 , the comet was again taken as an omen. During this time, Attila the Hun was making his historical conquests all across Europe, seemingly unstoppable to all who challenged him. Then, during the summer, a great long-tailed star (actually Halley's comet) appeared in the heavens and was seen night after night. That year at the Battle of Chalons, one of the most terrible battles in history, Attila and his armies were defeated by the Roman general Aetius. Routine appearances followed the 45 1 sighting with a few noteworthy ex- ceptions. The 837 sighting was universally noted because it included the comet's closest known approach to Earth, a mere three to four million miles. When it was nearest, it crossed the heavens in just 24 hours and its tail spanned most of the night sky. The most famous apparition of Halley's comet occurred in 1066, just a few months before the Norman Conquest. It was this apf)earance which was included in the famed Bayeux Tapestry. The next interesting return of the comet came in 1607. Its appearance came soon after the development of modem astronomy. European records provide actual magnitudes for the comet during this year. Halley's comet was seen again in 1682. It was during this sighting that Edmund Halley made his valuable cal- culations on comets. The 1835 and 1910 appearances of Below is Comet Arend-Roland, photographed May 1, 1957. During the exposure of 51 minutes the telescope was tracking the comet so that the star images are drawn out into lines rather than appearing as points (photo courtesy McGraw-Hill Book Company). Halley's comet were used by astronomers to make physical studies of comets. The 1910 passing was unusual because it was the first time it was located using photo- graphy, and another comet unexpectedly appeared at the same time, causing confu- sion. Before the comet's return, it was calculated that the Earth might actually pass through the comet's tail. Because astronomers had observed the presence of a poisonous gas within the tail, rumors started which said that all life on Earth could perish when the comet passed. Pub- licity expanded this rumor, causing panic to occur among the general public. People actually locked themselves into their homes and stopped all the exits with rags in the hope that they could stop the lethal gas from getting in. However, the Earth passed through or near the comet's tail with no apparent harm. Halley's comet is due to return again. Although it was seen through a 200-inch telescope in 1982, by March it should be visible to the naked eye. h could be seen with a home telescope as early as December of 1985, and will still be visible until June. The comet reaches its greatest brightness in April, coming closest to the Earth on April 1 0th and then fades as it moves away from us. Af- ter Halley's comet finally leaves our view, astronomers everywhere will start resear- ching the mounds of data that will have been collected, which will probably be enough material to keep them busy until the comet's next return. For most of us, however, those few months of stargazing will be our only contact with this famous apparition. So everyone dust off their binoculars or telescopes and enjoy the sight of this brightly-glowing tailed star as it wings by on its journey through the vaults of the heavens. H luni FELLOWSHIPS Since 1949, more than 5,000 men and women have earned advanced degrees in engineering and science with the help of Hughes fellowships The Hughes com- mitment to furthering your education and your career More than 100 new fellowships will be available in the coming year for graduate study in: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Systems, Aeronautical, Manufacturing) Computer Science Applied Math Physics As a Hughes Fellow, you could be studying for your Master's, Engineer, or PhD degree while receiving: Tuition, books, and fees Educational stipend Full employee benefits Relocation expenses Professional-level salary Summer employment Technical experience Total Value: $25,000 to $50,000 a year. You'll also have the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience at Hughes facilities in Southern California and Arizona while you're completing your degree Hughes Fellows work full-time during the summer During the academic year. Work Study Fellows work part-time while studying at a nearby university: Full Study Fellows attend classes full-time Since Hughes is involved with more than 92 technologies, a wide range of technical assignments is available An Engineering Rotation Program is also available for those interested in diversifying their work experience Hughes Aircraft Company Corporate Fellowship Office Dept MEC, BIdg C2/B168 P O Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245 Minimum G PA,— 3 0/4 Proof of US Citizenship Required Equal Opportunity Employer PIONEER THE FUTURE Hughes Aircraft Company, Corporate Fellowship Office, Dept. MEC BIdg. C2/B168, P.O. Box 1042, El Segundo, CA 90245. Please consider me a candidate for a Hughes Fellowship and send me the necessary information and application materials HUGHES PLEASE PRINT: Name Address City I am interested in obtaining a Master's. in the field of: State Engineer degree. Zip Doctorate .Rotation Program Interest. DEGREES NOW HELD (OR EXPECTED) Bachelor's: Dale Fleld_ Master's Date Field _ School. School. . G.PA. . G.P.A.. US Citizenship Req uired WRITE YOURSELF IN Technotes Major Confusion Engineering Council is sponsoring an "Academic Decision Seminar" for all those freshman and sophomore engineers who are undecided about the direction they wish to go in. A lot of students do not even know what engineers in their field really do, according to Dick Welch. Academic Vice President of Engineering Council. Since engineering students can change their field of concentration with few difficulties until the beginning of their junior year, Welch believes that it is important to expose them to different educational options. The purpose of the conference will be twofold: to expose students to "real" engineers in the various fields of concentration and to help students with the selection of courses. At press time the seminar was tenta- tively scheduled for late March or early April, to coincide with Advance Enroll- ment for the fall semester. It will consist of two nights with two hour-long sessions each night. Every department of the Col- lege will be represented in at least two sessions in order to allow students flexibil- ity in which presentations to attend. Stu- dents can attend one session or all four. Every department's session will consist of a presentation by a speaker from industry about his job, and a question and answer session with an upperclassman in the de- partment. Refreshments will be available after the sessions. For more information stop by the Engineering Council office at 300 En- gineering Hall, or call the office at 333- 3558 or Dick Welch at 332-4040. Faculty Members Recognized Several members of the faculty re- ceived awards for excellence in research and teaching. Charles P. Schlichter, pro- fessor of physics, won the U.S. Depart- ment of Energy's Materials Sciences Re- search Competition for Sustained Out- standing Research in solid state physics. His prize is a S40,000 grant to continue Professor Louis Wozniak his research on the properties of solids. Gamma Epsilon, the general engineering honor society, gave its 1984-85 outstand- ing professor award to Louis Wozniak, associate professor in the department. The Society of Automotive Engineers gave the Ralph H. Teetor National Education Award to University professor Mansour H. Moeinzadeh. It recognizes the con- tribution of Moeinzadeh, assistant profes- sor of general engineering and bioen- gineering, to preparing engineers for the challenges of the eighties. LEADS Conference The second annual LEADS confer- ence, co-sponsored by Tau Beta Pi and the College, will take place February 14 and 15. The LEADS conference brings together legislators, educators, administra- tors, and students to discuss educational topics. This year's theme will be "The Effectiveness of Engineering Education." The conference is open to any student or member of the faculty in the College. Contact Kris Lang, the 1986 LEADS con- ference chairperson, or stop by the Tau Beta Pi office in 302 Engineering Hall for more information. Problems in the Computer Age Computers are having greater and greater effect on our lives every day. But many people, including scientists and pro- fessionals, have pointed out problems with the increased use of computers. There has been much controversy lately about the health risk posed by com- puter video display terminals (VDT's). Data Processing Management Association (DPMA). an information management professional society, recently' adopted the position that there is no e\idence support- ing claims of major health problems re- lated to VDT use. The association, which consists mainly of managers that suf)er\ise VDT users, states that most health prob- lems in their field result from "ambient lighting, poor seating, bad posture, im- proper furniture, etc." It claims that VDT's do not exjxjse users to excessive amounts of radiation or "cause or contri- bute to stress related problems." In a different area related to compu- ters. Dr. George E. Smith, professor of philosophy and engineering consultant at Tufts University claims that computers are robbing engineers of their "gut instincts" concerning engineering design solutions. He says young engineers misuse compu- ters by just entering data and accepting the results, without reflecting whether the computer arrived at the right result. In an award w inning paper for the American Society of Mechanical En- gineers (ASME) Henr\' Milton Quinlan III. graduate student at the University of Georgia, expresses his opinion that the linking of computer data banks containing personal information should be prohibited by law. He points out the dangers of combining and analyzing great amounts of data about a certain person with today's powerful computers. He even goes as far as warning that the increase in use of computers could result in a society where the upper class, with access to computer- stored information, could control a lower, subservient class without access. Bob Janssens Probing Ancient IVIysteries The return of Halley's Comet presents scientists with a unique opportunity to learn more about the solar system. To capitalize on this event, several space probes from different countries are being sent to study this periodic wonder. No one knows how long Halley's comet has been m;iking its 76 year long round trips through our region of the solar system, but it surely has been for centur- ies. Records exist from Chinese astronom- ers before the birth of Christ which de- scribe a comet whose regular reappear- ances mark it as the comet we know to- day as Halley's comet. Comets have long been considered ptirtents of doom or dis- aster, and their appearance in the heavens has always been watched with great care by those who wished to be "in the know." Time has changed many things, but the desire to gain knowledge about the world we inhabit has not diminished. Thus it is that this year, for the first time in its lonely journeys through the depths of space, that the visiting comet will have visitors of its own sent by us. An impressive fleet of five spacecraft has been sailing across the solar system for months now for a rendezvous with the comet next month. Two probes from Japan, two from the Soviet Union, and a European spacecraft will together make the first detailed contact with the comet in scientific history. This combined mission promises to yield a wealth of data on Hal- ley's comet which will expand our under- standing of the behavior of these beautiful apparitions, as well as serving as an admirable model of international coopera- tion. It is reasonable to ask why it is necessary to expend such effort on ex- amining what is essentially a giant snow- ball in space. Snowballs are quite easily produced here on Earth, and usually don't receive such a grand reception when they arrive in the vicinity. Comets are thought to have been formed at around the same time that the solar system as a whole was formed from the primordial planetary nebula. Being at great distances from the newborn Sun, these iceballs never experi- enced significant heating and it is believed they may retain the comp>osition of the nebula which they and our own planet condensed from. Millions of comets exist in the far outer fringes of the Sun's gravitational reach, preserved in the cold and vacuum of deep space in a giant region called the Oort cloud, after the Dutch astrophysicist Jan Oort. Occasional perturbations by other passing stars divert some of these into long hyperbolic descents toward the Sun. Most are then flung into interstellar space, but a few are captured by the grav- ity of the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn and become trapped in the inner solar sys- tem, becoming jjeriodic comets. About 700 periodic comets are known, of which one of the most reliable and spectacular is p-Halley (p- meaning periodic). The relative sparseness of this population is easily explained. The Sun is very hot, and ice evaporates readily. The uneveness of the outflow from the nucleus is also believed to produce an unpredict- able jet action pushing the comet about and varying its orbit. One unlucky victim has even been observed to strike the Sun. It is believed that all periodic comets have relatively limited lives, ending finally as meteor clusters traversing the comet's old orbit. Beyond this, there is some directly relevant information that may be obtained from a study of comets. Some comets Fred Brunner [> Lj approach the Earth quite closely, and ^^ many cross its orbit. While the 3-6 km di- ameter nucleus of an average comet is small by planetary standards, a hit by a comet would unquestionably produce ma- jor havoc. It is in fact one of the more probable explanations of the Tunguska event of 1908, in which some force caused a vast explosion deep in Siberia which leveled trees over an area of hun- dreds of square miles. The lack of any real impact crater suggests that a small comet or cometary fragment may have broken up during atmospheric heating and caused the devastation. A similar occurr- ence today would probably kill many people. Some scientists believe that cometary bombardment during the early years of the solar system may have provided much of the atmospheres of the Earth, Mars and Venus, and possibly even organic mate- rials for the beginnings of life here - and elsewhere. There is little debate that com- ets deserve serious examination. The spacecraft carrying out the task of making the detailed exploration of the composition of a comet are a varied lot. In fact, the U.S. probe with the honor of making the first flyby of a comet was never intended to leave the Earth's orbit at all. The odyssey of the satellite ISEE-3, renamed "ICE." somewhat tongue in cheek, for International Cometary Explor- er, is one of the strangest in space history. Budget cuts and difficulties with obtaining sufficiently powerful boosters to meet the Halley rendezvous date forced NASA to scrap plans for its own Halley flyby mis- sion. As a substitute, Robert Farquhar, a member of the scientific team for the In- ■ ^ temational Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE-3) 2^ suggested that the satellite, originally launched to study the solar wind, geomagnetic tail, and plasmas in the cj X Earth's neighborhood would be usable for \_/ studying the plasmas and fields around a comet. ISEE-3 was then maneuvered through a complicated series of flybys of the Earth and Moon which provided enough velocity to kick the eight-year old satellite successfully on a trajectory which took it through the tail of the comet Giacobini-Zinner, about 8000 km behind the nucleus. ICE confirmed several predictions made about the unusual field structure around a comet, including the draping of interplanetary field lines around a comet. The spacecraft also detected carbon mono- xide, water, and a small amount of dust. The flyby also raised new questions, be- cause the spacecraft's instruments found a very complex plasma environment in the tail, as well as the lack of a well-defined bow shock as expected at the interface be- tween the comet's field and the solar wind. These findings should allow the current armada approaching Halley to look for specific explanations for these observations, as well as to provide com- parison data from a different comet. A more detailed description of the purpose-built probes currently approaching Halley's comet is in order. The two Japanese probes, Sakigake and Suisei, carry no imaging equipment and are in- tended to make plasma and magnetometer measurements of the undisturbed solar wind at the time of the encounter, and to examine the tail and surrounding cometary environment much as ICE did. Suisei car- ries in addition a Lyman-alpha spec- trophotometer to examine the immense envelope of neutral hydrogen which seems to surround all active comets. All spacecraft at Halley will provide com- plementary data, and, as they are timed to arrive within a few days of each other, they will permit time and spatial resolved measurements. The Russian Vega 1 and 2 probes are identical and carry a host of instru- ments to examine Halley. They have high resolution spectrometers to observe the gaseous coma, as well as reflectance in- frared instruments to observe the emission properties of the dust and hopefully deter- mine its composition. They also carry mass spectrometers for examining the composition of the gases of the comet. Additionally, the Vegas have sensitive charge-coupled device cameras for imag- ing the nucleus itself, which has never been seen before. Vega 1 will flyby Hal- ley at about 10000 km distance, while Vega 2 may proceed as close as 500 km in front of the nucleus, to provide target- ing data for the European Space Agency probe. The European Space Agency has perhaps the most sophisticated probe of the five with its Giotto spacecraft, as well as the most ambitious aim. Giotto will be aimed at the sun side of the nucleus for a flyby distance of just 300 km. Although both Giotto and the Russian Vegas have dust shields, they are making their approach to Halley at almost 70 km/sec due to Halley's retrograde or backward orbit. A strike by even the small centi- meter-sized particles known to exist around the nucleus would probably des- troy the spacecraft. Assuming Giotto sur- vives its approach (as it is expected to do), it will bring to bear its own mass spectrometer, plasma instrumentation, and a CCD camera. This camera has the chal- lenging task of locating and tracking the nucleus from the spin-stabilized Giotto, turning at 15rpm. At closest approach, Giotto should be able to see details 30 m across in four colors, assuming that no excessive levels of gas and dust obscure the surface. Giotto wiU also perform dust analysis, by penetration, acoustic, and plasma sensors on its forward surface. This has been just a brief view of the quarry and the hunters which will meet for a few hours in March. The combined insight garnered by these spacecraft will add immeasurably to our understanding of these bright celestial wanderers, the com- ets, as well as providing a fitting tribute to the best known of the "hairy stars", Halley's Comet. ■ 9 •jdfa^j^SBV"' Safer Skies On a busy day, most major airports, like the University of Illinois-Wiliard Air- port, seem to be utter chaos. In reahty, a high degree of order is maintained by a small group of air traffic controllers. Working from the tower (at left), they separate aircraft both large and small (be- low), either by sight or with radar (at right) (Photos and text by Mike Brooks). — ■ — -i--nru'iv I — ' Technovisions 11 Although the space shuttle has been on 24 successful missions, the recent tragedy highlights the need (or yet Improved space travel. Future ships will explore the Issues of economical means ol entering orbit and interplanetary travel. We are fascinated with space. Star W(irs. 2010. Dune and other movies all have cashed in on this fact. Science fic- tion is on the hardcover best-seller list. The first tenative steps into space are being made. But how do we get from here to there? In science fiction when the charac- ters want to go somewhere, they just say. "Warp factor 1. Sulu," or "Take her up. Chewie." In real life, it's not so easy. Of course, scientists and engineers have been searching for better methods since 1903, when Russian Konstantin Tsiolovsky theorized that a hydrogen/ o.x- ygen fuel mix would be optimum for space travel. The search involves work from quanmm physics to applied aerody- namics, and everything in between. Re- search has been directed at two main topics; how to get from the ground to orbit cheaply and how to get from Earth to another planet and back before senility sets in. Entering orbit requires a vast amount of energy in order to escape the Earth's gravitational pull. The challenge here is to find a highly efficient, economical fuel. Fuel efficiency is measured in Up, which is dependent upon the chemical and physical properties of the fuel. Rocket fuel cannot be explosive, but it must be highly fiammable. An explo- sive, such as TNT. undergoes a violent chemical change producing an extremely fast gas cloud. With gas speeds of 3000 meters/second, a jarring or shattering effect is produced. What is needed is a slower gas cloud to lift the rocket. Gun- Propelling toward the Future Above Is a concept of an advanced Orbital Trans- fer Vehicle which is used to transfer payloads to higher Earth orbits (photo courtesy Aerospace Magazine). powder, which bums (not explodes) is an example, having a gas cloud velocity of 300 meters/second. Rocket fuel must also be stable and non-reactive enough to handle. Flourine is an efficient oxidizer, however, it is almost too reactive to store or use. Hydrogen and oxygen became and remain the best com- bination to date. Early researchers (1920-1950) attempted to find the "sweet combina- tion" or most efficient fuels for a rocket. At left Is one concept of an advanced heavy lift booster system based on the space shuttle's two solid rocket boosters. The center booster, not fir- ing at Earth liftoff is an upper stage; it also con- tains the payload (photo courtesy of Aerospace Magazine). This was risky business, as fires and ex- plosions maimed researchers. Researchers tried literally thousands of different chemicals as fuel or oxidizer. One tried nitroglycerin "tranquilized" with methanol. Another used pure carbon with oxygen. Robert Esnault-Pelterie lost four fingers working with tetranit- romethane. Some engineers tried lemon oil and furniture polish as an oxidizer. These attempts failed as the chemicals 12 C h 3 \) f) used proved to be explosive, not flamm- able, or just too unstable. Many aspects of the fuel problem have been dealt with through NASA's efforts on the space shuttles. While the li- quid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel is incredibly dangerous, it has a high I„p of 450. No other practical craft in use today has a higher Ijp. British Aerospace and the U.S. Air Force among others are looking into a hypersonic ramjet. If a hydrogen-fuelled ramjet is accelerated by another plane or auxiliary jets to start its engine, it could reach low earth orbit. According to an Air Force spokesman, freight costs would drop to "a tenth or a hundredth" of pre- sent costs for using conventional runways for takeoff and landing. We may see these flying by the year 2000. An interim idea, popular in the 1950's, is the Big Dumb Booster, or BDB. It is a huge, light, and unmanned rocket used for freight hauling. A more modem concept is laser boosting. Here one uses a ground-based laser to vaporize water or similar liquid inside the rocket lifting off. Laser boosting offers a one-to- one fuel/payload ratio, but requires a giga- watt laser to lift one ton. Obviously, ini- tial costs are high. After the establishment of a cheap way to get into orbit, the planets still beckon. The relatively great distance from the Earth makes conventional engine use impractical. Improved engines are neces- sary to make travel time shorter. Scientists have been busily working on new engines. In the 1950's, the nuc- lear rocket was proposed. NASA, during the 1960's, started a program to build one. NASA's Nuclear Engine for Rocket continued on page 14 13 Future continued from page 13 Vechicle Application (NERVA) program actually built and tested a nuclear engine. NERVA was a hydrogen-cooled nuclear reactor running as hot as possible without melting down. It had an I^p of 850. Its coolant was vaporized and shot out the back. Like all nuclear reactions, this one produced radioactivity. Shielding nesses- ary to prevent the crew from glowing cut the I^p to 650. Due to a number of fac- tors, it was hard to steer, slow to start and stop, and generally difficult to handle. Another tested drive system de- veloped in the 1950"s is the ionic drive. It is another system that has been around since the 1950"s. The general principle is to take a gas like argon or a metal like mercury and electrically ionize them. Re- sulting ions are electrically or magnetical- ly expelled out the back. Ionic thrust is small but continuous, thus allowing con- stant acceleration. Final velocities can be quite high, so mission times are relatively short. As ionic drives have been tested, they could find extensive use. Another idea, although based on an old principle, was realized only in the 1960"s. One of the first communications satellites launched was a "passive" satel- lite. It was a large silvered balloon off which signals were bounced. Its only problem was that it slowly drifted out of orbit. Engineers realized that it was light pressure moving the balloon. Thus, the solar sail was bom. These devices have cheap "fuel" (light) and continuous thrust. However, speeds are slow and sail areas are large. As a general rule, it takes a square kilometer to move one ton. These large sail areas are not ideal for ex- perimentation. With work, money, and time, they may become great unmanned bulk -cargo haulers. Another famous idea is the fusion rocket. One simply builds a fusion reactor 14 An artist's conception of the Centaur G upper stage system is shown with Galileo spacecraft fol- lowing its deployment from the space shuttle car- go bay. with a hole in the rear for the heated plas- ma to escape. Theoretical I^p for such an engine is one million. Two problems come to mind. One, no one has achieved controlled fusion. Two, no one knows how to convert a reactor into an engine. These minor tech- nicalities have not stopped the ship plan- ners. Maximum speeds of 10 percent of the speed of light are projected. With 50.000 tons of fuel and 50 years, one could be orbiting Alpha Centari. When could we have these engines? As many scientists doubt fusion will be practical anytime in the next half-century, its any- ones guess. As mentioned earlier, fusion con- sumes large amounts of hydrogen. As a way of making interstellar voyages more economic, scientists developed the inter- stellar ramjet concept. Generally speaking, the ship would use a magnetic scoop to gather up interstellar hydrogen and use it « for fusion. This idea has become as im- portant to science-fiction writers as hyperspace and warp drives. Unfortunately, interstellar hydrogen is very diffuse, averaging about one mole- cule per cubic centimeter. Thus, magnetic scoop sizes of one million kilometers to one-half lightyear in diameter have been proposed. Drag and energy loss incurred in making and moving these flying bill- boards would be vastly higher than they could generate. Even more exotic drives have been proposed. One of the best is the Matter Anti-Matter (MAM) drive, which utilizes the concepts of particle physics. Matter, at the subatomic level, is held together by a "glue" of smaller particles. Anti-matter is held together by an "anti-glue". The glues are mutual solvents. If one com- bines the two, all matter is converted into energy. Theoretical I^p exceeds 5 billion. Presently, no one knows how to make enough anti-matter to do any good. We can only make a few thousand anti- protons at a time, and store them for only a few days. Also, the accelerators to make anti-matter are too big and slow to be of any use in space. Once the grandchildren of today's engineering students solve these problems, some other interesting difficulties will arise. All of the matter reacted becomes energy. Half of this is in the form of gamma rays and light, causing problems when the engine is pointed at civilization. The other half is composed of neutrinos, which go through planets unscathed. One last interesting thought is that many present and proposed devices rely on light metals such as aluminum and tita- nium, substances found in relative abund- ance on the moon. Perhaps in the future the moon will be the true hub of space activity. In the meantime, possibilities abound. Perhaps some day some of them will be realized. ■ Technovations fj New High Resolution IVIonitor Wyse Technologies recently intro- duced a monitor for the IBM PC and compatible computers that for the first time combines high resolution graphics display with full IBM PC compatibility. The WY-700 graphics subsystem consists of a 15 Inch monitor and graphics board that can display 1 280 by 820 pix- els. The new monitor is expected to find applications in the computer-aided design and computer-aided publishing fields. It uses a bit-mapped graphics board that in- serts into one slot in the PC. Although it is a monochrome monitor, it will map color output into four shades of grey. Guy Wires Allow Taller Oil Rigs At the mouth of the Mississipi River, Exxon Corporation operates the first com- mercially successful guyed tower drilling platform. Its design, which radically dif- fers from that of a regular oil rig, allows it to operate in 1 .000 feet of water. Conventional drilling towers are de- signed to withstand swaying caused by the forces of waves and wind. They are wide at the bottom and narrow on top and se- cured by long steel rods driven deep into the continental shelf. Their structure is very rigid and can withstand great forces. But these towers, because they are big and heavy, become impractical at a height greater than 1 ,300 feet. The construction of the Mississipi Canyon 280-A platform is completely different. It is connected to the sea floor by twenty wire cables that fan out on all sides. Each is attached to the bottom by 130 foot long spikes, 3000 feet away from the 1000 foot tall tower. At about V the middle of ever>' wire a 200 ton weight ^ keeps it down on the sea floor. Its great advantage over conventional drilling tow- ers is that it, instead of being rigid, r~\ actually moves with the wind and wave ^ forces. As pressure is applied to one side. the weights on the lines on that side are partially lifted. The other wires slacken and the tower reaches a new equilibrium. The new technology will allow oil rigs in the future to operate in up to 2,500 feet of water. "Non-Penetrating" Highlighter Sanford Corporation, a maker of pens, markers, and stationary supplies, re- cently introduced a new "quick reference pencil"" (highlighter) that Iiighlights with- out bleeding through the page. The instrument looks like a mecha- nical pencil, except for the lead, which is about an eighth of an inch thick and has a consistency somewhere between that of a crayon and a pencil eraser. Two disadvan- tages of the pencil are that it does not mark as wide a line as regular highlighters and that it causes more friction between the lead and the page. It should be very useful, though, for highlighting thin pap- ers such as carbonless copy pap)er, fax paper, and the paper used in phone books. Bibles, and engineering texts. The leads have to be replaced regularly. Intel Introduces New Microchips Intel Corporation recently announced two new products that have distinct advantages over earlier versions. It introduced the 80186-12 microp- rocessor, a version of the 80186 microp- rocessor that is up to twice as fast as its predecessors. The chip performs faster during all of its operations, including memory access and input/output. Like all of the earlier versions, it combines a cen- tral processing unit and the equivalent of twenty other components on one chip. Intel also announced a new type of packaging for its high density EPROM's (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memories). Most microchips are housed in the familiar ceramic dual-in-line pack- ages (DIP's). The new packages are of the plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) type. They are flatter and smaller than DIP"s and can be mounted on the surface of printed-circuit boards. The surface mount technique allows the positioning of devices on both sides of a circuit board and requires no holes in the board. They are also superior because they can, unlike ceramic DIP"s, "withstand the harsh handling of automatic test and assembly equipment.'" Their durability makes them perfectly suited for telecommunications and automotive applications. Intel will keep on repackaging its components, and hopes to have a whole kit of PLCC com- ponents available. Bob Janssens Tech Teaser Answers 1 . The square root of 1 is 1 . 3.This is the sequence 7?, !(,. Ts, ?, 73, 72, 7i where 7„ represents 7 expressed in base n. Therefore, the missing number is 74= 13 4. The intersection of two cylinders of equal radius, one of which has a hole drilled through the center. 15 Alumni Soar to the Heavens # Dale Gardner (left) holds a For Sale sign on a satellite which had been stranded since Its initial deployment. Aiding in the recovery is Joseph P. Allen IV (NASA photo courtesy the University of Illinois Alumni Association). Among the most prominent of Illinois alumni are astronauts Dale Gardner and Stephen Nagel who helped propel the knowledge of space on their respective space shuttle missions. When Dale Gardner blasted off into space on August 30. 1983, as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Chal- lenger, it was indeed an historic step for- ward. Historic, not in the sense that he was part of the first shuttle crew, for a number of astronauts had by that time preceeded him, but historic in the sense that Gardner became the first University alumnus to trek into what has been called "The Final Frontier." By doing so he gained membership to the exclusive club of pioneers who have ventured out into that uncharted wasteland called space. / If Gardner was the first Illini, he was by no means the last. On June 16, 1985, Stephen Nagel, also a University gradu- ate, was lifted into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Both have since had the opportunity to revisit the "Fron- tier", Gardner aboard the Discovery on November 8, 1984, and Nagel aboard the Challenger on October 30th of last year. In fact, accompanying Nagel on this sub- sequent flight was Bonnie Dunbar, a bio- medical engineer and mission specialist for NASA, who saidied ceramic engineer- ing as a graduate student at the University from 1971-72 and later completed her work at the University of Washington. In their days of fame, the two astro- nauts have not forgotten their roots at the University. When NASA asked each to collect small memorabilia to take with them into space, both solicited the Uni- versity for contributions. Gardner carried with him on his first flight a tiny piece of beta-aluminum film bearing the words "Illinois" and "USA". The film is note- 16 Ashraf Hameed worthy because the holes and lines used to sp)ell these two words are considered to be the world's smallest - only twenty ang- stroms in diameter. They were made here at the University by research metallurgist Margaret Mochel as part of a course in basic research. Gardner, a 1970 graduate in engineering physics, also carried with him a small niobium rod used as a probe in the University's superconducting linear accelerator. The niobium rod was chosen in particular to honor faculty physicist John Bardeen who shared one of his two Nobel Prizes for developing the theory of superconductivity. While Gardner's momentos recog- nized the contributions of a few, Nagel aggrandized the contributions of us all. With him on his last flight was a roll of microfilm bearing the names of all stu- dents, alumni, faculty and staff of the College. Nagel, himself a 1969 graduate of aeronautical and astronautical engineer- ing, is listed on the microfilm as are 40,781 others who have received bachelor of science degrees in engineering since 1872 and the 5,219 undergraduates who are currently enrolled in the College. Certainly NASA did not invest seven billion dollars in the space shuttle program just so that momentos of cherished institu- tions could be carried into space. Each mission entailed countless experiments and activities that NASA hopes will jus- tify the herculean investment that this country has made in the shuttle program. The most breathtaking of events was Gardner's six hour space walk to retrieve two malfunctioning communications satel- lites on the November 8th mission. Trans- ported by nitrogen-powered backpacks, he and astronaut Joe Allen maneuvered the twelve-hundred pound satellites into the cargo bay of the shuttle, after the brackets designed to fish the satellites failed. The satellites, each worth S35 million, will be repaired and resold. In addition, the re- The alumni astronauts are, from left to right: Dale Gardner ('70). Steve Nagel ('69), and Bonnie Dun- bar (NASA photos courtesy the University of Illi- nois Alumni Association). covery allowed NASA to collect on a $5.5 million insurance payment. While Nagel's missions have lacked the man-in-space bravado of Gardner's space walk, his last mission did carry a pay load of experiments designed, control- led, and executed by scientists in Ger- many. The mission gained an added inter- national flavor when a Saudi Arabian satellite was flawlessly spun into orbit as a Saudi prince watched from inside the shuttle. Two mini have thus made the jour- ney and countless others are sure to fol- low. Dale Gardner claims that because the only real qualification necessary for space shuttle astronauts is that they be in good health, NASA is very interested in recruit- ing for future missions writers, artists, photographers, and other "persons who can bring back something to convey the sense of how it is." I 17 gi^M're a aillear^ramelgE&er. ^ ^s^ e world, and it means working ^.^"goeLbewnd^cIal. It'seliiel^^pviih the most sophisticated training ^T jLod^Q^aaisMects a job that ^nd equipment anywhere, ^a^ran^vonrbesfei'rovihg vo ur-.^^ There's no boot camp. College ^ skiU^thSieart of today's nuciea^^aduates get Officer Candidate -r^ow^ed Navy. ' ""^^chool leadership training, and a ^^g Se^a gMAmerica's nuclear year of graduate-level training in the ^^Steia^fc the Navy. That adds Navy Nuclear Power School . ^SujE^iore years of experience The rewards are topnotch, too. "^^iffi reactors than any company in Generous bonuses upon commis- of nuclear training. Sign up while "" still in college and you could be earning $1,000 a month right now. Be one of the most accomplished professionals in a challenging field. .^ Lead the adventure as an offke^^s in the Nuclear Navy. Conts^jou^ Navy Officer Recruiter or eal^=^=^=^' 1-800-327-NAVY. ^ — NAVY^car UEAD THE ADVENTURR # Tech Profiles Bruce A. Conway is an assistant professor in the depart- ment of aeronautical and astronautical engineering. He is cur- rently teaching the undergraduate courses of Aerospace Dynamic Systems I and U, AAE 254 & AAE 255, and Orbital Mecha- nics, AAE 306. Professor Conway is also teaching a graduate course in Optimal Control Theory, AAE 404. He is planning a graduate level course in orbital mechanics for the near future. Conway received his undergraduate degree in physics and math from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He went on to receive his master's in physics and math from the Uni- versity of Minnesota. From the University of Minnesota he went to Stanford and received his graduate degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. Finally, Conway received his doctorate from Stanford in 1980. Conway's research involves the orbital evolution of natural satellites. By applying the laws of celestial mechanics and orbital motion, Conway predicts the orbital decay of objects such as moons and satellites. On a larger scale he is able to theorize how orbits could have changed over the evolution of the solar system. The arrival of the Cray X-MP Supercomputer will great- ly aid his research by supplying helpful speed to his calculations. In his spare time Conway enjoys an active family life, spending as much time as possible with his two and a half year old son, Charles, and his wife Linda. He also holds a commer- cial pilot's license with an instrument rating and frequently travels to give lectures at meetings around the country. Steven P. Seanev Allen I. Ormsbee, professor of aeronautical and astro- nautical engineering, pursued a boyhood interest in model air- planes to become Acting Associate Director of the Institute of Aviation. Ormsbee's ties to the University go back to the 1940's when aeronautical engineering was a new curriculum. Prior to World War D, only a few universities offered this study, but the war effort served as an impetus for aeronautics programs on a wider scale. Ormsbee finished his B.S. degree in aeronautical engineer- ing in 1946. His graduate degrees include a master's in mathematics from the University and a doctorate in aeronautics from California Institute of Technology. He then returned to the University and began teaching and conducting research. With the post-war attention toward high speed aerodyna- mics, Ormsbee's research dealt primarily with supersonic flows. During this time, he was an active consultant to missle prog- rams. In the niid-1960's, his interest shifted towards low speed aerodynamics with special attention to airfoil design. Ormsbee is also active as an instructor and teaches graduate courses in wing theory and compressible flows as well as under- graduate courses AAE 199 (Freshman Seminar) and AAE 212/ 213 (Aerodynamics). Currendy he lectures AAE 199 and 31 1 As he looks toward the future, Ormsbee is pursuing re- search possibilities in hypersonic flow. While this field has been studied for its relevance to the re-enty problems of manned space flights and ballistic missiles, exciting new applications are on the horizon for sustained flight at hypersonic speeds. Current- ly, his department is pursuing research proposals by NASA which point towards hypersonic aircraft. At a more leisurely pace, Ormsbee enjoys soaring with the mini Glider Club in nearby Monticello. Along with his wife, Ormsbee likes to travel, particularly on the trail with backpack and hiking boots. Stephen Tongue 19 TeIE W4Y YOU TfflNK t Nortlinip C'orporalioti, a uDild loador in aerospace and electronics, believes the way you think is just as important as what you know. We value people who resiiond to challenges with the vision to make ad- vanced technologj' work in innovative ways. People who ei\j()y working in our unique team project environment. LInivei-sity of Illinois grad uates are shaping the fu- ture of aircraft and aircraft services; defense electron- ics; precision navigation, guidance and control sys- tems; sensors and electro optical systems; sophisti- cated unmanned aircraft; and groimd-hased naviga- tion aids. If your background is engi neering, computer science, math or physics, we'd like to know more about the way you think. Learn more about our career opportunities. Visit your placement office, or write us directly. Northrop Corporation, College Relations, Dept. UI-S86, 1840 Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067, PROOF OF U.S. CITI- ZENSHIP REQUIRED. Northrop is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/H/V. To design and develop today's most technologically advanced defense products. General Dynamics requires the talents of many highly-motivated Engineering and Scientific graduates. This year, nearly half of our 1,500 technical hires will be in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Computer Science — goal-oriented, high-performance students who will graduate in the top half of their classes. If you are one of these top performers, explore the wide range of opportunities available in the following technologies: Aeronautics, Advanced Signal Processing, Radar Systems, Embedded Software, Lasers and Electro-optics, Composite Structures, VLSI, Non-linear Structural Analysis, Robotics and CAD/ CAM. At General Dynamics, you will work with our innovative professionals in applying these technologies toward a wide variety of aerospace, computer systems, electronics, shipbuilding and military land vehicle programs. Plus, you can stay current in your field and make the most of your career through our corporate-wide training and lifelong education programs. Don't settle for less than state of the art in your career. See your Placement Office for a campus interview with General Dynamics. u(/Dt/cc/f. miunucLnuinuiviuo Mark Simmons, Syracuse University '84, Edjs. % GE Spacecraft Operations Design an Expanding Universe on the Ultimate Chip At today's GE. young engineers like Mark Simmons are pushing micro- electronics to the limit, and beyond. In design applications that take them from the ocean floor to the auto- mated factory to the ultimate frontier - outer space. And with each design breakthrough, an amazing revolution takes place. Because as each new GE chip design multiplies microprocessor capacity so grows our capacity to design more powerful, more accommodating chips. The possi- bilities are endless. Consider some recent GE develop- ments. Our custom-designed Graphics Array Processor converts massive amounts of Information into simulated 3-D images. With far less time and expense than conventional computers require. Ideal for CAD/ CAM systems. For flight simulation. For electronic training manuals that let trainees see over, around, and even through solid parts! Or consider GE's Advanced Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits. With feature sizes a hundred times smaller than a human hair What's our 'electronic blueprint" for the future? Solar energy chips that General Electric is an equal opportunity employer. power their own intelligence and pave the way for deep space explora - tion. Fifth generation computers that build on the astonishing speed and capacity of chips taking shape today Plus startling Ideas still in the minds of our engineers. If you're drawn to the challenges of microelectronic design, you should have designs on us. At GE locations throughout the USA. we design, manufacture, use and explore g^ breakthrough applications in micro- ^^ electronics. Come contemplate the infinite ^^ universe. Flex your gray matter with ^0 the great minds at GE. If you can dream it, you can do it. \ A registered trademark ot General Electric Company. o20 , 5 "HI -01:5 AP 198i STX Vwunje'lOI.JssueS'. • Newsstand' $1.: 40 tf>k !^^ v^*^Eftgili#r& ^';t:V?'v,- .;, *■' 'iw^f--^/"'- ::.•..:•■ _. :!■• ^i;;--.;-;-.'-' •■•■•• ^^ •■'■'■■■- '•-'■■■■■■ QIFT g.: EXCHANGE DEr 314 MAIN LIBRARY . UNIV OF ILL c, ^^:$0 . ATTN: PENNY B^.^l^E'fi^ ^ Teie wm' you think •i Noilhrop Corporal ion, a world leafier in aerospace and electronics, believes the way you think isjust as important as what you know. We value people who respond to challenges with the vision to make ad- vanced technology work in innovative ways. People who enjoy working in our unicjue team project environment. Univei-sity of Illinois grad- uates are shaping the fu- ture of aircraft and aircraft services; defense electron- ics; precision navigation, guidance and control sys- tems; sensors and electro- optical systems; sophisti- cated unmanned aircraft; and ground-based naviga- tion aid.s. If your background is engi- neering, computer science, math or physics, we'd like to know more about the way you think. Learn more about our career opportunities. Visit your placement office, or write us directly. Northrop Corporation, College Relations, Dept. UI-S86, 1840 Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067. PROOF OF U.S. CITI- ZENSHIP REQUIRED. Northrop is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/H/V. o April 1986 Volume 101, Issue 5 lllinoisTechnograph On the cover: En- gineering students can escape the cornfields to pur- sue academic in- terests abroad {Photographic by Mike Brooks and Charles Musto). Awakening the Giant Stephen Tongue The ongoing technological revolution in China could have vast repercussions upon the rest of the world. Engineering Human Tissues Scott Brun The field of biomaterials engineering combines the disciplines of engineering and biology to research ways of increasing both longevity and the quality of life. Technoscope Cheryl Danke This month's Technoscope, Students Crossing the Oceans, describes the many opportunities available to those who wish to extend their classroom overseas. Departments Editorial 2, Tech Teasers 2, Technovations 3, Technovisions 6, Technotes 12, Techprofiles 13 Copyright lllmi Media Co. 1986 Illinois Technograph [USPS 258-760) Vol 101 No 5 April 1986 lllinas Technograph is published five times dunng the academic year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagn Published by lllim Media Co . 620 East john St.. Champaign, Illinois, 61820 Editorial and Business offices ot the Illinois Technograph Room 302 Engineering Hall. Urbana. Illinois, 61 801 , phone 217-333-3558 Subscriptions are available for $700 per academic year Advertising by Littel-Murray-Barnhiil, Inc, 1328 Broadway. New York NY, 10001, 221 N LaSalle Street, Chicago, II, 60601 Entered as second class matter. October 30, 1920, at the post office at Champaign, Illinois under the act ot March 3, 1879. Illinois Technograph is a member of Engineering College fvlagazines Associated Editor; Mary McDowell Business Manager: Troy Brethauer Production Editor: Michael Lind Photo Editor: Mike Brooks Features Editor: Bob Janssens Copy Editor: Eric Guarin Asst. Copy Editor: Dee Bartholme Design: Charles Musto Asst. Design: Robert Baittie Publisher: £ Mayer Maloney, Jr Production Manager: Geoff Bant Editorial Staff: Scott Brun, Fred Brunner Sally Cohen, Cher/I Danke, Jeffrey Dobos, Stephen Ferree, Chris Gerrib, Gail Halley, Ashraf Hameedi, Jeff Hamera, Raymond Hightower, Paroo Koya. Steve Lotz, Andrew Koepke, Peter Lei, W. Dan Leonard, Jeff Mote, Steven Seaney Cheryl Smith, Pam Susemiehl, Steve Tongue, Bill Weiss, Mary Winters, Joseph Wyse, Jay Zeff Tech Teasers Editorial 1. If every letter below stands for a different digit, only one set of digits will make the equation correct. What are the digits? ABCDE X 4 EDCBA 2. Without taking your pen off the paper, draw four straight lines that pass through all nine points. 3. There is a second solution to Problem 1 in the February Tech Teasers. Recall that the problem was: make the following equation correct by moving only one match. 4. Finally, in the same issue. Prob- lem 4 was misstated. Thanks to Professor D.C. O'Bryant, head of GE 103, for tak- ing the time to submit the corrected ver- sion below. Now find the object repre- sented by the three views. Talking for Success You can see them everywhere. They've traded in their Nikes for wingtips and pumps. They're wearing unfamiliar clothing. They look slightly nervous. They study corporate annual reports with the zeal they once applied to differential equations. They are the graduating seniors, seeking employment. Perhaps a few words of advice and comfort are in order to help this weary group get through this trying time of sun- belt plant visits and corporate lunches. As anyone who's ever had any type of inter- view is well aware, there are certain stock questions that always arise. Here are some appropriate responses to such questions. ' 'So, what made you decide to major in engineering?" Well, gosh, I don't like to go out much, and the idea of spending hours solving problems, doing labs, and debug- ging code while the rest of the campus was at the bars really apj)ealed to me [push up glasses as you speak]. "What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?" Well, let's see ... my back hand is just incredible, but I really don't get a chance to use it much because my thoughts are always on my job and how I can improve my performance. Uh, as for weaknesses, well, I never let myself take a break when I'm working so that I can maximize the productivity of my eight hour work day. That's probably my big- gest flaw. "VVTiere do you see yourself in the next five years?" Actually, with the incredible opportu- nities for career growth and professional development offered by your remarkable corporation, I could really be in a number of enviable career positions if I were for- tunate enough to be offered a job. # ''Please describe your ideal job. " To tell you the truth [slight chuckle], I'm in a bit of a bind here, for I find so many aspects of [fill in major] to be truly fascinating. 1 think a position that would combine technical expertise, communica- tions skills, attention to detail, commit- ment to task completion, leadership abili- ties, and scientific creativity would be well suited to my natural talents. "What was your favorite course and why?" Well, there was one graduate level course I particularly enjoyed. It was a bit of a challenge because it was taught in Chinese to accomodate all of the grad stu- dents and the textbook had not yet been translated from its original Japanese. After a week or so I was able to surmount the language barrier and was then able to help some Ph.D. candidates complete work on their theses with the knowledge I had gained from the class. "Do you plan to continue your education?" Obviously, an engineer is always leaming so as to never become technically obsolete and thus of no value to the cor- poration. In terms of formal education, I would like to go to school at night and on the weekends to pursue a career related degree, as long as it does not interfere with my job performance. Of course, I would like to pay all tuition and fees my- self as a matter of personal pride. "Ek) you have any further ques- tions?" Obviously, with such a momentous ^ decision at hand, there is a good deal I f would like to leam about your company. I have a list of things that I would like more information on, perhaps we could start with the highlights. . . ( Technovations o o Supercomputing Via Sattelite On Monday, February 3, the Uni- versity finally celebrated the official open- ing of the National Center for Supercom- puter Applications. Novelist Arthur C. Clarice, whose fictional computer named HAL is bom in Urbana in 1997, com- municated with the supercomputer by phone from his home in Sri Lanka. Although phone lines are a very conve- nient way of communicating with the su- percomputer, they are not fast enough for many applications. Direct satellite links are more effi- cient. They cost less than phone hookups because they can transmit data at more than 200 times the speed of phone lines. A typical computer graphic of 8 million bits that takes two hours to transmit by phone will only take about 32 seconds via satellite. Lairy Smarr, director of the su- percomputer center, compared the relative speeds of data transmission as follows: "Imagine that we tried to understand the world not only by images but by the numerical readouts from each of the rods and cones in the retina. That's what scien- tists have been trying to do before this graphics revolution." The supercomputer will be linked to the National Center for Athmospheric Re- search in Boulder, Colorado, to Indiana University, and to the Universities of Chi- cago and Delaware. A special high-speed phone line will link U. of C, on the south side of Chicago, to Northwestern University, just north of Chicago. University Team Creates Superchip Researchers in the College, under the leadership of Hadis Morkoc, professor of electrical engineering, have achieved a breakthrough that could transform the na- ture of the computer chip. They have dis- covered an effective way to deposit gal- lium arsenide on a silicon base. Unlike silicon, gallium arsenide can generate light pulses. It also has a higher electrical conductivity than silicon. It lacks, however, silicon's structural flawlessness and strength. The new tech- nology takes advantage of the favorable properties of both materials. Gallium arse- nide with superior electrical properties can now be deposited on a strong sihcon structure. The reason no one had put these two materials together before is that their lat- tice constants, the distance between indi- vidual atoms in a crystal, are not the same. When attempting to deposit gallium arsenide on silicon, researchers always found the crystal to be strained and dislo- cated. Morkoc and his colleagues solved this problem by tilting the silicon surface four degrees, creating a series of two- edged steps. Then they applied a buffer zone of indium gallium arsenide/gallium arsenide by molecular beam epitaxy. On top of this zone they finally deposited the pure gallium arsenide. The result is a smooth transition from silicon to galUum arsenide and minimal dislocations. The work of the Morkoc team has virtually eliminated the debate over whether sihcon or gallium arsenide tech- nologies will prevail in high-speed de- vices. Full advantage can now be taken of both technologies in the same device. Cerebral Simulation In two related areas, AT&T has edged closer to actually emulating the functions of the human brain. Researchers at AT&T Bell Laboratories have modeled neural networks on a computer and have used "fuzzy logic" to build an expert sys- tem on a chip. Bell Lab scientists are actually trying to emulate the brain's neural networks on a computer. The brain, as an analog de- vice, is much better at pattern recognition and in complex "no right answer" situa- tions. Neural networks process informa- tion continuously, not bit by bit like digit- al computers. Information is stored in a matrix of neurons, not in one specific memory location. Decisions are made by "taking a vote" of neurons as in a demo- IBM's latest development Is a 6.6 mm square, 32K bit staUc RAM chip with a read access time of 3 ns. At that speed, the entire contents of a 75 volume encyclopedia could be read in one second. cracy, instead of by the state of a single digital computer bit. In the ftiture, resear- chers are looking to interface devices based on neural network with a computer to perform "human" functions. Other scientists at Bell Labs have de- veloped an expert system on a microchip that actually uses the "fuzzy logic" of brains. Fuzzy logic allows a digital chip to make decisions even when its inputs are vague or imprecise. When confronted with vague data, the chip compares it to many different rules in memory. It then assigns weights to these rules depending upon how well they match the data. The fmal action of the chip is determined by the combined recommendation (weighted average) of the rules. Research in these areas and others are edging mankind closer and closer to understanding and constructing human brains. The ethical and philosphical im- plications of this possibility are enormous and will soon have to be resolved. Bob Janssens q Awakening the Giant China's quiet technolo- gical revolution allows U.S. engineers a chance to share their scientific skills as well as to learn more about this hidden culture. A quiet revolution is taking place half way around the world. It is unaccom- panied by the violence and unrest we rec- ognize from images of South Africa or Haiti. Yet, its "radical" leader has made Time magazine's Man of the Year for 1986. The scene of this tacit coup d'eta is China and the leader is 4' 11" tall Deng Xiaoping. After emerging in 1975 from a decade of isolation under Mao's Cultural Revolution, the Chinese have swept through a decade of vigorous change in economy, technology, and lifestyle. The result is a radical blend of communism and free enterprise. It is a marriage of seemingly mutually exclusive partners in a land of tremendous manpower and enter- prise. But what does this have to do with the American engineering community with ample technological challenges of its own? Professors Herman Krier (ME) and Harold Corten (TAM) chose to answer that question for themselves during recent trips to China. Krier, hosted by former University Chinese exchange scholar S.Y. Wang, returned in January from two weeks of technical and cultural exchange. Most of his time was spent lecturing on fluids and combustion, but this did not prevent him from touring Chinese univer- sities, research centers, and landmarks like the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Corten visited 20 days in October under the auspices of the People to People Ambassadors Group. His professional group, the American Society of Mecha- nical Engineers, was there to exchange technical information for Chinese standar- Deng Xiaoping, Chairman of the Republic of China (photo by David Hume Kennerly, courtesy Time magazine). dization of pressure vessels and piping to the ASME code. Though only in China for a short time, both men returned with /ivid impressions of a land long hidden from Western eyes. There was the abun- dant warmth and hospitality of the Chinese people and the rugged beauty of their land. But more impressive was the potential technological benefits this nation poses as it emerges, like a sleeping giant, to shake the world. The revolution began in the rural lands where 80 percent of the Chinese live. First, communes were replaced with a contract system which allowed the farms to keep, as a profit, the excess food grown above the minimum land lease cost. This created incentives for higher production and opened opportunities for small private businesses and marketplaces. Only during the last couple of years has the revolution invaded the cities, where China's traditionally state owned and con- trolled industry resides. What are the effects of all this? On a limited scale affluence began to emerge. On the farms it has taken the form of tractors and pri- vate residences. In the cities, consumer luxury products like refrigerators and TV's have become available. However, as Krier noted, the coun- tryside still resembles America at the turn of the century with ox carts and hand cul- tivation prominent. In the urban areas, "the Chinese are doing well with the technology of the 30's and 40's." There are isolated areas of growth. Aviation Week and Space Technology reported re- cently that; "using rudimentary techni- ques, with almost no outside help, the Chinese have demonstrated all the capabi- lities necessary to conduct a space effort important to defense, prestige, and eco- nomy." With "vintage 1955" technolo- gy, diey are able to send two missions each year and will soon emerge as com- petition for pay load and satellite transport. In anodier example, Corten saw efforts to develop and market a 300 MW nuclear power plant of Chinese design. Engineers there hope it will be attractive to the Third Worid due to its low cost. And both Krier and Corten glimpsed a most prized and guarded tool: U.S. and Japanese personal computers finding their way into Chinese labs and universities. But the circumstances facing most of China should not be forgotten in view of this limited development. Even today clean drinking water, electricity, and adequate communications systems are lacking. Until these basic needs are met, the worid of high tech development will remain elusive. Where will China go from here? According to a recent article in Business Week, emerging today is "the same kind of spirit that appeared in Japan in the Stephen Tongue 1950's and Taiwan in the 1960's which preceeded tremendous growth. Imagine the energy and enterprise of Hong Kong multiplied by a population 200 times as large." China has great sources of raw materials. However, noted Krier, like many Third World countries, China lacks adequate energy supplies for rapid de- velopment. Capital is limited. So too are the management skills basic to profession- al business. But China's greatest resources are her multitudes — a full 1/5 of the world's population. The labor intensive economy seeks to fully use this asset and create employment for every able bodied person. Furthermore, of the 1.1 billion Chinese, the average age is under 21. Consequently, education holds the bright- est key to China's future. Already, litera- cy is close to 75 percent. Comjietition for postions at the top is stiff. As Corten noticed, "Idealism and an element of fear breeds success." The American engineer- ing student would find many contrasts with his or her Chinese counterpart. The few who do make it to the university have managed to pass an excruciating barrage of examinations. Students have little choice in their fu- ture. Field of study is usually decided by the government based on quotas to meet perceived needs. While this seems oppres- sive by our standards, Krier commented that our own economy has the same effect on educational choices which students often base on career potential and salary. The Chinese engineer can expect his or her hard work to pay off, though. Month- ly salaries reach a whopping $150, almost six times the average factory worker's. Along with the development of its own internal education, China has initi- ated exchange with American universities. According to an article in New Leader by Nonman Gelb, "China tends to see the U.S. as the nation having the most to offer. . . " and in 1985 proved it with 12,000 Chinese studying at U.S. institu- tions. The American engineer wUl soon have many opportunities for travel and work in China. According to Time maga- zine, over 2000 foreign companies have invested in China, 687 have worked out jointly owned businesses and 94 (includ- ing 30 U.S.) companies now operate inde- pendently within China. As Corten and Krier found, the American engineer in China faces many challenges. Obviously, there are barriers of language and culture to overcome first, and many comforts and entertainment will have to be left at home. Furthermore, China's vast bureaucracy may be a source of frustra- tion for those who come in contact with it. Even with all of the new opportuni- ties under "controlled capitalism" or "in- dividual initiative," China is still basically a communist system. The highest priority is maintaining 100 percent employment. For the American engineer, this goes against senses honed toward maximizing efficiency. A good example is an isobu- tane fuel system for a television picture tube plant in Shanghai. In 1983, Coming Glass sent a consultant for start-up. The engineer was startled to find 20 Chinese technicians assigned to run this system which, in the U.S. would be operated by a single part-time employee. As Krier came to realize, there are "different boundary conditions for the Chinese sys- tem." These must be respected. Corten said, "There is no use taking technology to China that will put people out of work." Robotics and automation are not options. As China's quiet revolution con- tinues, there are tremendous opp)ortunities and challenges. For the U.S., it is an opportunity for building political and eco- nomic friendship. This is especially possi- ble on the micro level: people to people. Trust may be cultivated as we trade and exchange technical and cultural informa- tion. Corten's hope is attractive, "Govem- ments will always distrust each other. That is their job. But the people can over- come it as they leam about each other." Krier could not help but see a "great admiration of American enterprises, en- gineering and technology. Clearly, China could be a tremendous ally and friend." But friends can also be rivals. Given stable leadership and direction, China may become a "manufacturing empire." Japanese competition in the automotive and electronics industry could just be a foretaste of things to come. The future de- velopment of Chinese economy and indus- try could send tremors throughout the world. Yet China has many challenges to meet of her own. The communist system for years has protected the country from crime, pornography, beggars, inflation and other "Western" evils. Many of Chi- na's old guard ask "if we open our win- dows, won't we let the flies in?" Deng, their leader, counters that they must of)en the windows and then fight the flies. The only other option would be to suffocate. There is a great deal of speculation, especially when Westerners try to under- stand a culture and people hidden so long by the "bamboo curtain." But as the mists clear and the preconceptions and stereotypes are shattered, idealogical dif- ferences pose fewer threats and potential for friendship emerges. This is the chal- lenge as the two richest nations, one in material wealth, the other in human, stand in front of one another and ponder their future. I Polymer Processing Polymer processing is the examina- tion of the various processes used to pre- dict material and realogical properties of polymers. Graduate student projects under the guidance of Professor Charles L. Tucker include compression of laminate material molding, fibre orientation, and injection fibre reinforced material mold- ing. Counterclockwise from upper left, Ari Ruebin, graduate student in ME, fabricates test pieces to be used in a com- pression molding experiment; Tim Osswald, graduate student in ME, works on a mold filling CAD simulation used to calculate the finite element mesh of a truck wind deflector; shown is a com- pression molding press; Ari Ruebin checks to see if compression molding platens are parallel; cind Suresch Advani, ME graduate student, uses short fibres in a viscous liquid to simulate how fibres flow when sheared (Photos and text by Jay Zeff). Technovisions Engineering Human Tissues • The Jarvlk-7 artiflclal heart, the state of the art In bloengineerlng. Is just one expample of using man-made materials to replace human tissue (UP! photo). Replacing human tis- sue Involves more than simply choosing materials: special care must be taken to find materials the body will accept. Since prehistoric times, man has util- ized the elements present in the Earth for producing items to enrich his quality of life. Today, however, material science (the study of the structure and properties of substances), coupled with a working iaiowledge of biology and medicine, can improve — even preserve - our lives through the production of synthetic mate- rials that can mimic the functions of hu- man tissues damaged by disease, age, or other biological factors. Development of prosthetic devices such as the Jarvik-7 artificial heart, synthetic heart valves, joint replacements, and man-made vascular (artery and vein) grafts would still reside in the realm of fiction were it not for the foundation laid by biomaterials resear- chers. Synthesizing the substances these de- vices are composed of requires patience and perseverance on the part of the engineer^iologist. One such scientist who possesses much experience in the domain of biomaterials. University Professor Samuel I. Stupp, explains that success in development requires a systematic, two- pronged approach by the principal investi- gator (PI) - the head research scientist. The primary task of the researcher is the discovery of a basic material whose properties closely resemble those of the tissues he desires to duplicate. In other words, biomaterials research does not attempt to reproduce precisely the actual (« c t t chemical structure of living tissues. This would be an arduous undertaking due to the complexities of the composition of the human body. Illustrating this line of de- velopment is a synthetic bone cement (de- veloped in part by Stupp) which shares a closer structural kinship with plexiglass than with its living counterpart. In the quest for a material suitable for a specific physiological purpose, the PI begins by scrutinizing the three fun- damental classes of materials: metals, po- lymers, and ceramics. Polymers, long chain carbon compounds, tend to be used for soft-tissue replacements such as the pumping chambers for the artificial heart and experimental ligament, cartilage, and vascular implants. For prosthetics that are subjected to greater physical stress such as heart valve and joint replacements, metals and ceramics (inorganic, non-metallic materials) seem to be favored. Following this initial selection, the investigator be- gins to "build" the properties he desires into the material by designing the micros- copic structure of the substance, relying heavUy on his knowledge of physics and chemical interactions in the process. After painstaking toil and a lengthy time investment, the PI may have cont- rived a model material that displays all of the characteristics that he desires. Howev- er, his job is far from complete, for now attention must be devoted to the second vital phase of his work; dealing with the issue of biocompatibility. Although the material may comply with the desired physical parameters, its presence in the human body could provoke adverse reac- tions. At times, a substance may create more problems than it solves, thus defeat- y ing the entire purpose for its creation. Foremost among these difficulties is the problem of thrombogenesis, or blood clot- ting. While every substance foreign to the body induces clotting, steps to combat the effect do exist, such as applying special- ized coatings on the surface of the bio- material. Other complications include im- mune system responses, inflammation, and possible toxicity including carci- nogenesis. Moreover, reactions the subst- ance may undergo in adapting to its phy- siological environment, such as the heat- releasing setting process of bone cements, may cause biological damage if not prop- erly regulated. To forestall such dire consequences, the investigator performs numerous biocompatibility studies before even con- templating human implantation. Cell cul- tures are grown in dishes ("in vitro" ex- perimentation) in the presence of the biomaterial to examine local effects on surrounding tissues. In these histological studies, the researcher prepares slides of the samples and scrutinizes them for abnormal growth caused by biological in- teraction with the material. Additional methods of biocompatibility determination include implantation of the material in va- rious sites in living laboratory animals in order to observe effects on the organism as a whole and scaled-down functional tests of the specific prosthetic device, such as testing a human finger joint by using it as a cat's knee. Only after the collection of reams of data will the Food and Drug Administration consider granting permis- sion for limited experimental use of the materia] in human beings. At this point, the materials scientist must consult with a surgeon in order to develop a technique for delivery of the device or material. Returning to the exam- ple of bone cements, a method for surgi- cally implanting the material at the frac- ture site is required, along with a means of solidifying the paste-like substance in- ternally. Following experimental implanta- tion, the investigator's task nears comple- tion. If the material performs to expecta- tions in a real-world situation, marketing on a widespread scale can begin. If not then there is quite a setback, as the entire developmental scheme requires years to complete. The diligence and dedication of biomaterial scientists may appear extreme, but when one considers that the fruits of their labors may result in longer lives for many, the rewarding nature of the profes- sion becomes apparent. While artificial heart valves, joint replacements, and synthetic vascular grafts are common- place, new wonders are constantly coming into existence. In various stages of de- velopment are tracheal implants, synthetic intraocular lenses, ligament replacements, and biodegradable materials that produce a healing electric current as they decom- pose. An interesting twist in biomaterials that Stupp believes will occur in the next few decades involves employing biologic- al molecules in non-living systems, such as using DNA strands to store information for computer circuits — shades of Asimov and Huxley. Possibilities such as these make biomaterials an appealing field to people who wish to aid humanity while satiating their curiosity and providing an opportunity to help the fact in science to outpace the fiction. ■ students Cross the Oceans Many complain of Isolated Champalgn-Urbana but never seek solutions. With a little effort, you could find yourself studying In tfie land of your dreams. Have you ever dreamed of walking the streets of Paris'? Of skiing in tlie Swiss Alps? Does the intrigue of the East ever captivate your thoughts? Could you really get a cab in Bogata with that four years of Spanish from high school? If you have entertained fantasies like these consider this - they need not remain fantasies. College is a time of opportunity. You'll probably never be more indepen- dent than now. Sure exams are tough and you need to slop pseudo food in the cafeteria to buy beer, but the bottom line is that you really don't have many respon- sibilities or commitments. You can do what you want, follow your dreams. if foreign soil beckons, go. Approx- imately twenty five of your engineering classmates are headed worldwide this year alone. The only thing they have that you don't is a passport. It's easy to get started. The proce- dures are straight forward and there are many people to help you out: namely Andy, Joan, Joanne, Sally, Susan, and Roletta. This group can be found in room 306 Coble Hall -the hall across Wright Street from the Admininistration Building. They make the Study Abroad office come to life with enthusiasm that never quits. And the best thing is, they LOVE to talk to you. Even if you think you only, poss- ibly, maybe, perhaps, might like to spend some time overseas, they still love to talk to you. Especially if you are a freshman, give them a call at 333-6322 to set up an appointment. The earlier you get started the better. Cambridge University Is one of many throughout ttie world that offer students the chance to further their formal as well as cultural educations. 10 Cheryl Danke Technoscope The first appointment is about one half hour long. Show up a little early be- cause they will have you fill out a quick form asking for your name, major, etc. Then one of the advisors will sit down with you and tell you about the different programs and answer any questions you have. Don't be intimidated by cost. The Academic Year in Britain (AYB) costs about the same as a year at the University plus travel. There are also exchange prog- rams in France, Germany, Portugal, Bra- zil and Columbia. If a year is too long, they can tell you about semester and sum- mer programs. As a matter of fact, they can probably tell you about a program to fit your needs. If they can't, they can tell you where to look next in the office to find a program that does. Beware though, you'll be the only engineer in there unless Andy is around. As a group we're sadly underrepresented. Business and LAS student have taken the cues, but the idea of going abroad is a lit- tle fresh north of Green. While the uni- verse may be expanding, the world is not. As an engineer you'll probably be faced with international situations some time in your career. Engineering is becoming an international profession; respect and understanding for foreign cultures is man- datory for success. Not only wiU time overseas give insights to others, it will give a rare opportunity for personal growth. It can be the Uberal arts education your technical training lacks. Some engineering students worry that they won't graduate in four years if they study at a foreign university. It is a valid concern but it shouldn't stop you. College deans are flexible people. If you plan ahead and talk to the deans about transfer- ring credits before you board the 747, chances are good that things will work out. It cannot be stressed enough that you must resolve the credits issue before you leave. The problem is not tough to solve, but it is necessary. Perhaps studying abroad is not for you but the world is. Dean Howard Wakeland has a fantastic program for you. It is called lAESTE which is an acronym for Intemational Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience. Quite a mouthful but quite an opportunity. Companies all over the world offer teclmical summer internships through lAESTE. As an engineering student you complete an application listing your qual- ifications and country preferences. With a Uttle luck you will be matched up and headed for one unforgettable summer. This summer over fifteen University stu- dents are destined to places like Japan and Great Britian. Last summer one courageous engineer from among our ranks headed out to Thailand. About fifty countries participate and only about fifteen have language requirements. Job responsi- bilities are as varied as the countries, but the main thrust of the program is the situation. You will be working with tech- nical people from a different culture. In your host country, you'll see how the eco- nomy works from the inside. Need it be stated how that would look on a resume? You'll be paid for your work which usual- ly covers living expenses, but travel is ex- tra. As one lAESTE alum remarked, "How can you assign a monetary value to a chance in a lifetime?" If you are in- terested in this chance. Dean Wakeland in 207 Engineering Hall will give you more information and an application. If adventure is your middle name and you want to completely immerse in a new culture, consider the College's China program. Again, the time spent abroad is over summer break. During your summer you will experience college life at the University of Wuhan or at the East China Institute of Technology in Nanching, Chi- na. You'll also work part time in a fac- tory with the Chinese people. Weekends are for road trips and cultural events with two weeks set aside for traveling to other destinations such as Hong Kong. No need to worry about room and board, they will be provided. What you have to provide is some proficiency in the Chinese language. To help you out, there is a Chinese class offered here. You don't need to buy a plane ticket to get started; a short excur- sion to 207 Engineering Hall is all it takes. Another terrific cosmopolitain oppor- tunity is the Intemational Minor. This program is for those of you who want college credit for your experiences. It can work in conjunction with the programs already mentioned, or it can open some doors of its own. The first thing to do is pick a geographic location you that want to study. With a dean's approval, almost any non-EngUsh speaking area will do. Then choose at least twenty one credit hours of cultural and language courses re- lated to your country. Most of these can be taken within the mandatory eighteen hours of humanities and social sciences. The finale consists of an eight week "lab" —eight weeks living in your chosen location. The engineering deans can help with the arrangements. For the interna- tionally minded, this program cannot be passed up, or surpassed for that matter. Think about it. The programs listed here are by no means all-inclusive. Once you start look- ing, you will find countless opportunities. The programs are not meant to be educa- tional finishing touches but rather starting blocks to a lifetime of education. The Study Abroad Office can give you names of former study abroad students who are anxious to share their experiences with you. If and when you spend time abroad yourself, make the most of it. Record your adventures, trials, and insights. Keep an open joumal . . . and an open mind. ■ 11 Technotes Tech Teasers Answers Outstanding CS Undergrads The University's computer science department has initiated two awards for undergraduates in its curricula. Both awards were named in honor of recently deceased faculty members. The Daniel L. Slotnick award will consist of money for tuition, books, and supplies, as well as "a modest stipend." Slotnick scholars will be picked from undergraduate computer disciplines. Slot- nick, who was on the faculty for twenty years prior to his recent death, had been in charge of the ILLIAC IV, the world's first parallel computer. The other award is named after James N. Snyder, longtime head of the computer science department and a 35 year faculty member. It will be given ev- ery year to two sophomores: one in the math-computer science program in the College of Liberal Arts and Science, and one in the computer science program in the College of Engineering. Presents from the Governor Under Govemor Thompson's prop- osed 1987 budget, funding for Illinois higher educations will increase by 9.5 per- cent to a record $1.7 billion. A significant amount is earmarked for engineering and technology programs. The Govemor recommended expand- ing opportunities for minorities to gain advanced degrees, especially in math and the sciences. His budget also increases the state's support for the National Center for Supercomputing Application at the Uni- versity and provides funds for hiring more faculty in engineering and other high- demand areas. Thompson defended this budget increase in a period of tight budgets as "the best investment Illinois can make in its future." 12 Richard C. Alkire ChemE Professor Awarded Richard C. Alkire, professor in che- mical engineering, is the winner of the 1985 Professional Progress Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He received the honor for his contribu- tions to the development of "electroche- mical processes using chemical engineer- ing principles." Alkire was also recendy elected president of the Electrochemical Society. Off-campus Degrees Soon it will be possible for engineers in Illinois companies to receive off- campus master's degrees in electrical, general, mechanical engineering, and in theoretical and applied mechanics. The courses will be taught at the companies by electronic blackboards and videotapes. The entrance requirements to the program will be the same as those for regular mas- ter's degree programs on campus. Bob Janssens 21978 4 c 87912 3. a. Here is last issue's answer: the square root of one equals one. b. Here is the second solution: eleven (in roman numerals) equals eleven (in arable numerals). i ft Thanks to Professor Ibbs and Profes- sor Munse, both in civil engineering, for independently pointing out this second solution. 4. A pair of cylinders of equal size, intersecting at right angles, with a hole drilled through one. Tech Profiles Simon M. Kaplan, assistant professor of computer scien- ce, recently joined the faculty in the fall of 1985. He received his B.S. degree in computer science from the University of Capetown, South Africa in 1981. His B.S. [Hons] degree (simi- lar to a master's degree) in computer science was awarded by the University of Capetown in 1982. He has completed his doc- toral research on developing programs that will take a set of in- formation and create an appropriate compiler program. In June of this year, Kaplan will receive his doctorate from the Universi- ty of Capetown. Kaplan's current research deals with two aspects of soft- ware engineering. In one area of research, he is developing a flexible programming environment that would work with the programmer in writing programs. This type of environment would offer suggestions to the programmer and allow him to create programs in a less restrictive programming language. Ka- plan is also investigating formal models of computer systems to determine if the system design and component interactions are correct. During his first semester here, Kaplan taught a graduate course in formal approaches to programming. This semester he is teaching CS 221, Machine-Level Programming, and plans an advanced compiler class for the fall of 1986. In addition to his teaching and research, Kaplan is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery. Although his leisure time is limited, Kaplan does find time to pursue his other interests including squash, sailing, and listen- ing to early classical music such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. Kaplan also claims trips to the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (National Institute of Research in Computer Science and Automation) as a conve- nient excuse for visiting his favorite city, Paris, four times. Shao Lee Soo is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University. He began his education in China where he graduated from Chiatung University. After being offered a scho- larship to Georgia Tech, he moved to America and received his master's degree, then he went on to Harvard for his doctorate. Professor Soo came to the University in 1959 after teaching for some years at Princeton. Most students will have contact with Soo in graduate level classes: ME 301, Thermodynamics, ME 401, Thermodynamics and Transport Properties; and ME 402, Multiphase Flow. He en- joys teaching students in class, but particularily likes teaching graduate assistants in the lab because of the degree of personal involvement. His work in the lab is not restricted to teaching alone: he is currently working on a number of projects. His main work is in the area of multiphase flow, a term he coined in 1964. It is a fluid science dealing with the flow of a mixture made of different phases, such as oil and water. Supported by the State of Illinois, another of these projects involves the re- moval of sulfur from coal before buming it to obtain a greater energy yield. This would help Illinois industry and its economy. Soo also does work for various agencies like NASA, simu- lating zero gravity and observing the effects on the flow of li- quid vapor systems. These results could be applied to certain gasses to be used in future space station fuel systems. As a member of the USEPA, Professor Soo often travels in order to debate new pollution policies and change existing ones. He has published five books and over 160 articles during his career. As busy as his career keeps him, Soo seems to truly enjoy his work. When he is not working, however, he likes gardening and spending time with his wife and family. Paroo Koya W. Dan Leonard 13 Design an Expanding Universe on the Ultimate Chip At today's GE. young engineers like Mark Simmons are pushing micro- electronics to the limit, and beyond- In design applications that take them from the ocean floor to the automated factory to outer space With each breakthrough, an amazing revolution takes place. As each new GE chip design multiplies micro- processor capacity so grows our capacity to design more powerful, more accommodating chips. Consider some recent GE develop- ments. Our custom-designed Graphics Array Processor converts massive amounts of information into simulated 3-D images. With far less time and expense than conventional computers require. Or GE's Advanced Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits With feature sizes a hundred times smaller than a human hair What's our "electronic bluepnnt" for the future? Solar energy chips that power their own intelligence and pave the way for deep space exploration. General Electric is an equal opportunity employer Fifth generation computers that build on the astonishing speed and capacity of chips taking shape today Plus start- ling ideas still in the minds of our engineers- If you're drawn to the challenges of microelectronic design, you should ^ have designs on us. At GE locations throughout the USA, we design, manufacture, use and explore ^^ breakthrough applications in micro- B electronics. Come contemplate the infinite universe Flex your gray matter with the great minds at GE If you can dream it you can do it. f A registered trademark of General Electric Company t UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOISURBANA 3 0112 032114941