What’s Up, Doc?0

Spring 2012

The human body is a complex machine of about 10 trillion interconnected cells. Researchers at the U.Va. Health System are working with new technology to keep everything from our brains to our blood sugar in good shape.

175 Years of Engineering0

Winter 2011

The Mother of Invention Celebrating its 175th anniversary, the Engineering School has established a legacy of research that’s helped change the world for the better. The school has many illustrious faculty and alumni. An 1869 graduate, Samuel Spencer, started his career as a civil engineer, rose through the ranks of the railroad and eventually ran 10 railroads in the South. Three alumni have become astronauts. Another, Eric Anderson (Engr ‘96), founded a private space travel company. Here are a few of the engineers whose projects have touched our daily lives—or are about to. The First Crash Tests at...

R&D Briefs0

Fall 2011

Milk of Life Babies who are breastfed are 60 to 70 percent less likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, according to a new analysis of past studies led by Dr. Fern Hauck, a U.Va. professor. According to the National Institutes of Health, SIDS kills about 2,500 infants in the U.S. each year. In a Rich Man’s World As the gap between rich and poor grows, the poor grow less happy and believe less in fairness and trustworthiness, according to a study led by U.Va. psychologist Shigehiro Oishi. Analyzing data from 48,000 people who responded to the...

What’s in the Water?0

New website shows levels of pharmaceuticals in Virginia wastewater

Fall 2011

Want to know what prescription and generic drugs are in your local wastewater? Now Virginia residents can check using a new website created by U.Va. engineering professors Lisa Colosi and James Smith, with graduate student Karl Ottmar (Engr ‘98, ‘10). Wastewater is treated before it’s released into the environment, and Colosi points out that even before the treatment process, there are only small quantities of medications in the water. “While most scientists agree that the presence of pharmaceuticals in the water supply is undesirable,” she says, “the concentrations of these drugs are very low and it is currently unknown what...

Ticked Off Carnivores11

Tick bites likely cause allergy to red meat

Fall 2011

Ticks are icky. They spread Lyme disease. And now it appears they might interfere with your ability to enjoy a hamburger. A team headed by Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, U.Va. professor and former president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, recently published findings that suggest that tick bites may cause allergic reactions to red meat. Dr. Platts-Mills says that tick saliva may trigger the human immune system to produce antibodies to a carbohydrate called alpha-gal, which is found in red meat. Dr. Scott Commins, an assistant professor of medicine at U.Va. and lead author of the...

Starting Smarter0

State-funded preschool programs improve performance of young students

Fall 2011

Do early education programs for at-risk students work? A new study is the first to analyze Virginia’s program statistically, and the results are positive. Curry School of Education professors Francis Huang and Marcia Invernizzi led research that evaluated more than 60,000 students at 1,000 public schools across Virginia. Students were evaluated from the beginning of kindergarten until the end of first grade. About 11,000 had attended a Virginia Preschool Initiative-funded preschool. A majority of the 11,000 children had been identified as at-risk to qualify for the preschool program; they lived in poverty or were homeless, had health or developmental problems or did not...

Printing Awesomeness0

Class builds replica of jet engine with a 3D printer

Fall 2011

A plastic replica of a jet engine printed and built by David Sheffler’s class. The jet engine was a technological wonder of the 20th century. In the 21st, college students can make one with a printer. This spring, engineering professor David Sheffler’s class built a one-quarter-size replica of a Rolls-Royce jet engine with a 3D printer that fabricated parts from plastic. The printer created parts accurate to 100th of an inch, nearly the level of precision necessary for a real jet engine. A full-size Rolls-Royce AE3007 turbofan jet engine costs approximately two million dollars. The replica? Only $1,500 for...

R&D Briefs0

Summer 2011

Mapping a Pathogen Researchers at U.Va. have determined the structure of the protein package, or capsid, that delivers the genetic material of HIV to human cells. “This paper is a milestone for research from our group,” says the study’s senior author, Dr. Mark Yeager. These findings may provide the foundation for developing drugs that can disrupt capsid formation and prevent infection by HIV. Too Much Work Could too much work be bad for teens? Those who work a job for more than 20 hours a week tend to be less engaged with school and more prone to substance abuse...