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THl 

V. 98-101 

1982-86 

copy2 


LZ0.6 

77// 


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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 


0 


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  blackb<iard  as  "bringing  TV 
into  the  classroom,  not  the  reverse."'  and 
minimizing  intert'erences  to  the  professor's 
manner  of  teaching.  He  likens  teaching  to 
acting:  the  professor  is  the  main  character 
and  his  notes  are  the  script.  Unlike  a  play, 
no  prior  development  is  needed.  The 
professor  comes  into  the  classrtxim. 
lecmres.  and  then  leaves,  a  purely  normal 
routine  requiring  no  additional  preparation. 


Witkow  ski  also  cited  a  study  which 
concluded  that  students  preferred  to  cop\' 
notes  otf  handwritten  sources,  rather  than 
from  an  artistic  presentation  (Remember  the 
last  time  you  took  notes  from  a  filmstrip.'l. 
Students  like  the  personal  feeling  of  having 
the  professor"s  own  wnting  placed  in  front 
of  them.  Another  advantage  of  offering 
\ideotaped  classes  is  to  accomodate  for  the 
employee  who  cannot  make  it  to  the  class 
as  easily  as  the  college  student.  Pressure  to 
get  a  certain  project  done  and  other  external 
forces  create  a  demand  for  the  videotapes; 
they  are  a  reaction  to  a  need.  Just  pop  in 
the  tape  and  learn:  "fast  forward""  over  the 
kmng  parts  and  "pause""  on  the 
complicated  proofs. 

The  tremendous  savings  of  the 
professor"s  \aluable  time  and  the  virtual 
elimination  of  "jet-set""  instruction  gleamed 
in  the  eyes  of  OCEE.  .^^dditional  clout  and 
prestige  would  also  be  added  to  the  College 
of  Engineenng.  since  it  is  the  first  to 
expand  its  high  quality  education  statewide. 
Smdies  have  been  undertaken  to  attempt  to 
rate  the  quality  of  education  enjoyed  by  the 
remote  students.  Course  grades  were  used 
as  the  basis,  and  no  significant  difference 
was  found  betv\een  those  taking  courses 
here  on  campus  and  those  taking  it  \ia  the 
electronic  blackboard. 

Remote  sites  as  of  this  fall  dot  the 
Illinois  map  in  various  locations,  including 
the  Beloit  Corporation  of  South  Beloit. 
Barber-Colman  of  Loves  Park.  Sundstrand 
■Aviation  of  Rockford.  Caterpillar  Tractor  of 
Rossville.  Hams  Corp.  of  Quincy.  and 
Illinois  Power  in  Clinton.  The  electronic 
blackboard  w  as  first  transmitted  out  of  state 
to  AT&T  in  Bedminster.  New  Jersey. 

Courses  offered  by  OCEE  on  the 
electronic  blackboard  system  include  many 
essential  upper  level  and  graduate 
engineenng  courses  such  as  Differential 
Equations.  Strength  of  Materials,  a  \ariety 
of  EE  and  ME  courses,  and  others. 
Prospective  customers  of  this  serv  ice  may 
elect  to  receive  electronic  blackboard 
transmissions  live,  or  rent  or  purchase  a 
course  which  has  previously  been 
videotaped. 

A  libran-  of  videotaped  classes  is 
gradually  being  built  as  more  engineering 
classes  are  offered  on  the  network.  The 
order  form  lists  rental  on  taped  credit 
courses  at  S2000  and  a  purchase  price  of 


S  10.000.  Those  seem  like  big  bucks,  but 
this  is  a  big  college  with  a  big  reputation. 
Actually,  for  example,  if  Sundstrand  were 
to  send  a  S30.000  engineer  to  the  University 
for  just  one  semester  at  full  pay  besides 
paying  tuition  and  plane  fare,  the  cost 
would  be  in  the  SIO.CKXJ  range  for  a  single 
student.  For  that  much.  Sundstrand  could 
buy  ME  432 — Theory  of  Rotan, 
Compressors,  or  any  of  the  300-  and 
400-level  courses  offered  by  OCEE.  Better 
yet.  Sundstrand  could  rent  the  courses  as 
they  need  them  for  S20tK)  each  and  keep 
their  employees  at  w  ork  dunng  the  term  of 
study.  The  economic  appieal  is  easily  seen. 

The  electronic  blackboard  has  seen  the 
chalk  of  over  ninety  professors.  Plans  are  in 
the  works  to  convert  143  MEB  into  a  repli- 
ca of  103  EH.  Right  now.  the  network 
boasts  six  classrooms  on  campus  and  thirty 
remote  sites.  Until  recenth .  Seyler  says. 
Chicago  was  asoided  when  contracting  elec- 
tronic blackboard  business  because  of  the 
responsibility  of  the  University,  as  a  state 
institution,  to  accomodate  all  firms  wanting 
the  electronic  blackboard.  Now.  Seyler 
states,  "we  are  geared  to  expand  as  rapidly 
as  necessary"'  and  Chicago  will  soon  see 
the  lines  of  downstate  thought.  .Additions  to 
the  network  will  be  mcxlular  with  six  units 
added  on  campus  with  thirty  remote 
hookups. 

The  introduction  of  the  electronic 
blackboard  to  OCEE"s  network  has  certainly 
caused  a  quantum  leap  in  the  quality  of  edu- 
cational extension  and  a  drastic  slash  in  the 
time  and  money  consu-aints  of  modem  tech- 
nological firms.  .Although  the  professors 
will  not  take  to  the  skies  as  often,  most  see 
this  as  a  relief.  They  realize  that  the  electro- 
nic blackboard  is  a  high-quality  educational^^ 
tool.  Paul  Witkowski  echoed  a  quote  that   ^M 
"innovation  in  education  takes  fifty  years."" 
With  only  eight  years  into  the  project  and 
plans  of  routing  courses  nationwide  throuaj^^ 
the  national  U.S.  .Air  Force  communicatid^P 
base  at  Wright-Patterson  Air  Force  Base  in 
Dayton,  one  has  to  say  that  this  innovation 
in  education  has  matured  quickly.  T 


I 


GULF-ENERGY 


CREATING-ENERGY 


WE'RETAFFINGNEV 


We're  Gulf  Oil  Corporation.  And  we'll  be  ^"^^^^  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  Giif  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  1 166,  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'V  x  20-h"  color  poster  of  this  iDustraUon,  please  send  your  request  tO:  |GulfOil  Corporation.  1982. 

Poster,  College  Relations.  PO,  Box  1 166.  Pittsburgh,  PA  15230.  An  Equal  Opportunity  Employer 


The  Dream  to  Fly 


Beginnifii^  skydivers  pull  the  cord. 


by  Phil  Hardin 

The  drcain  of  tlyirii:  hke  a  bird  has 
stimulated  creativity  in  many  men 
throughout  history.  From  the  first  designs  of 
a  flying  machine  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci  in 
the  e;irly  l5(X)'s  to'the  first  flight  at  Kitty 
Hawk,  man  has  always  longed  to  soar 
through  the  skies.  But  right  here  in 
Champaign-Urbana  there  are  a  number  of 
individuals  who  have  realized  this  dream. 
They  are  the  members  of  the  Champaign 
County  Parachute  Center,  a  skydiving  club 
staned  in  the  spring  of  this  year. 

The  club  was  virtually  unknown  until 
five  of  its  members  floated  into  the 
limelight  during  halftime  of  the  Michigan 
-State  fixitball  game.  Ed  Baron,  one  of  those 
five  privileged  jumpers,  is  the  president  of 
the  Champaign  County  Parachute  Center 
and  a  junior  in  Mechanical  Engineering.  He 
was  accompanied  on  the  jump  by  his  father. 
Jim  Baron.  1976  Industrial  Engineering 
graduate  Bob  Ryan.  Brian  Barret,  and 
Byron  Marshall. 

This  of  course  was  not  one  of  the  first 
jumps  made  by  any  of  these  skydivers. 
They  are  all  seasoned  veterans  of  the  sport 
and  each  has  a  great  deal  of  experience.  Jim 
Baron,  the  most  experienced  skydiver  in  the 
group,  with  over  2000  jumps,  is  the 
instructor  for  the  first  jump  class  offered  by 
the  club.  He  is  a  certified  United  States 
Parachute  Asstxriation  instructor  and  has 
over  fifteen  ye;irs  of  experience  as  a  jump 
trainer. 


The  words  '"Learn  To  Skydive"  are 
possibly  one  of  the  greatest  attractions  to  the 
class.  The  words  themselves  seem  to  spell 
excitement.  Over  seventy  people  showed  up 
for  the  first  class  of  the  semester.  Many 
turned  away,  however,  after  learning  more 
about  the  program.  The  class,  which  is  held 
on  Thursday  nights  at  the  Armory,  is  a 
three  to  four  hour  crash  course  on  "how  to 
make  a  safe  parachute  jump."  One  class, 
seventy  five  dollars,  and  a  lot  of  guts  is  all 
it  takes  to  make  your  initial  jump. 

Contrary  to  what  some  people  may 
imagine,  the  first  jump,  is  not  a  jump  out 
the  door  of  a  plane,  a  "Geronimo"  yell, 
and  a  pull  the  ripcord  sort  of  thing.  It  is  a 
controlled  static  line  jump.  This  tyjie  of 
jump  is  comparable  to  massive  military 
parachute  drops  where  a  cord  directly 
attached  to  the  parachute,  or  canopy,  as  it  is 
called,  is  hooked  to  a  cable  inside  the 
aircraft. 

The  parachutist  then  sits  in  the 
doorway  of  the  aircraft  and  dives  into  3000 
feet  of  the  wild  blue  yonder,  the  canopy 
opening  automatically  seconds  later.  On 
these  first  few  static  line  jumps,  with 
average  air  time  of  about  two  and  a  half 
minutes,  the  student  goes  through  the 
motions  of  pulling  a  dummy  ripcord 
attached  to  the  canopy  pack.  This 
familiarizes  the  student  with  the  proper 
procedure  for  making  a  free  fall  jump.  A 
minimum  of  five  static  line  jumps  is 
required  before  the  student  is  able  to 
advance  to  the  free  fall  style  identifiable 
with  skydiving. 

Since  its  beginning  last  spring,  the  club 
has  been  using  the  grass  landing  strip  at 
Wronke  Airovet  Service  near  Homer  for  the 
majority  of  their  jumps.  This  strip,  even 
though  it  is  almost  a  half  hour  drive  from 
Champaign-Urbana.  offers  several 
advantages  over  both  Willard  and  Frasca 
airports.  The  air  traffic  in  the  area  is 
minimal,  and  it  also  provides  an  excellent 
landing  surface.  There  are,  however,  a  few 
problems  with  the  current  landing  site  in  the 
early  fall  season,  when  crops  remain  in  the 
.surrounding  fields.  Landing  in  an 
unharvested  com  field  can  be  quite  hannful 
to  the  equipment,  not  to  mention  the 
parachutist. 


o 


Weather  is  also  a  skydiving  concern 
T>ie  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 
Job 


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\>»  ■'.^^■'* 


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It  took  pride,  talent  and  a  comfnitmeVi?t  -^  B.S.E.E.— E.E's  can  expeif^o  work 

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In  1949,  Hughes  awarded  its  first 
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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. 

1<I>A  (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. 

<i>\\  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  <il  Ihe  Illinois  Teehnograph  is  Jim  Lee.  620  E. 
John  Sl  .  Champaign.  II.,  hlS2(). 

The  llliiii  Publishing  Company  is  a  not-for-profit  orga- 
ni/alion  eslabhshcd  in  Ihe  Slale  oY  Illinois  in  1911. 

■Average  number  ol  eopies  ol  eaeh  issue  during  the  pre- 
eedmg  12  monlhs   4,1IHI    Annual  subscription  rate:  $4.0() 
Paid  eireulalion  ihrough  dealers  and  earners:  none.  Aver- 
age mail  subsenptions  preeeding  12  monlhs:  1,201,  Free 
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buted to  news  agents   Total  distribution  preceding  12 
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Total  average  distribution   4.10(1    No  paid  circulation 
through  dealers  or  carriers    Actual  April  mail  subscription 
1.094    Free  distribution  at  the  Engineering  campus  ot  the 
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office  copies  nearest  to  filing  date:  100   I  certify  that  the 
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Mayer  Maloney.  Jr  .  Publisher 


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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: 


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©  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 
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Copyright  lllini  Publishing  Co,.  1482 

Illinois  Technograph 

(USPS  258-760) 

Vol, 98  No, 2  November  IW2 

Illinois  Technograph  is  published  five  times  during  the 
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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<iwered  by  an  eight  horsepower  Briggs 
and  Stratton  engine.  It  resembled  a  go-cart 
since  it  did  not  have  a  suspension  system 
and  used  go-cart  components.  However,  the 
rules  for  this  year  required  larger  nine  to 
thirteen  inch  diameter  wheels,  a  full  four 
wheel  suspension,  and  four  point  supported 
roll  bar. 

The  team  had  planned  to  use  the 
existing  frame  and  modify  it  to  meet  the 
new  rules.  A  larger  engine  was  also  planned 
because  the  new  mies  allowed  any  engine 
size  as  long  as  the  engine  could  run  with  a 
one  inch  diameter  restriction  in  the  intake 
manifold.  One  major  problem  existed — lack 
of  funds.  To  cut  costs,  the  team  started  with 
an  engine  which  came  in  pieces  from  a  flat 
track  motorcycle  racer.  This  Honda  350 


Enduro  engine  had  to  be  completely  rebuilt. 
since  it  had  been  stored  outdoors  for  years 
and  most  of  the  critical  surfaces  were  pitted 
with  mst.  A  carburetor  from  a  175  Honda 
engine  and  an  ignition  system  from  a  Buick 
Opel  were  added,  and  a  variety  of  used 
automobile  parts  were  installed. 

For  the  frame,  the  team  sought  and 
received  sponsorship  from  the 
Marvel-Schebler  Tillotson  Division  of 
Borg- Warner,  located  in  Decatur. 
Borg- Warner  had  agreed  to  supply  five 
employees  to  weld  for  six  hours  to  complete 
the  frame.  After  a  night  of  hurried 
preparation,  the  frame  was  taken  to  DecaUir 
and  welded.  The  newly  designed  front  and 
rear  suspensions  were  set  up  and  the 
necessary  frame  reinforcements  were  added. 
Borg- Warner  also  machined  the  rear  axle 
and  front  wheel  spindles  for  the  project.  The 
front  spindles  and  wheel  hubs  were 
designed  for  boat  trailers  and  were  donated 
by  Central  Illinois  Marine  in  St.  Joseph. 
Illinois.  The  wheels  for  the  car  were 
obtained  from  a  Yamaha  golf  cart.  Tires 
were  legated  by  Ron  Schneider,  another 
society  member  and  former  country  club 
employee. 

After  the  components  of  the  car  were 
completed,  other  problems  began  to  surface. 
All  the  linkages  including  the  clutch, 
throttle,  gear  shift  and  battery  circuit  were 
connected  after  the  engine  was  wrestled  into 
the  frame.  The  car  was  still  missing  an 
exhaust  system,  intake  manifold  with  the 
required  one  inch  restriction,  and  a  braking 
system.  Delton's  Cycle  Machine  Shop  in 
Champaign  built  a  tuned  exhaust  pipe  and 
sold  the  team  a  hydraulic  motorcycle  racing 
brake  set-up.  After  many  attempts,  the 
eneine  came  to  life  in  a  parking  lot  north  of 
1-74. 

Then  it  was  noticed  that  the  steering 
system  was  too  flexible  for  the  forces 
encountered  by  the  fast  and  powerful  car. 
Sway  restraints  were  added  to  the  front 
swing  arms  to  combat  this  problem.  The 
rear  of  the  car  kept  squatting  down  under 
full  acceleration,  so  rear  suspension  limiters 


were  added  as  well.  After  final  exams  wenr 
completed,  the  body  was  created  from 
aluminum  in  a  marathon  all-night  work 
session.  The  team  painted  the  car  and  made 
final  adjustments  to  prepare  for  the 
competition  in  Texas. 

For  the  trip  to  Texas,  the  University 
provided  a  Chevrolet  Suburban,  and 
Professor  Truex  of  Illinois  State  University 
lent  a  trailer  in  which  to  haul  the  car.  After 
23  hours  of  driving,  the  team  arrived  in 
Austin.  The  competing  universities"  entries 
were  immaculate,  having  four  wheel  disc 
brakes,  production  racing  tires,  and 
independent  rear  suspensions.  The 
University  of  Texas  car  was  powered  by  a 
Wankel  engine,  but  was  heavier  and  slower 
than  the  Illinois  car.  The  University  of 
Houston  entered  a  flawless  vehicle 
sponsored  by  Exxon,  powered  by  a  Honda 
450  twin  cylinder  engine.  Nichols  State 
University  of  Louisiana  entered  the  last  car 
in  the  class,  powered  by  a  250cc  engine 
donated  by  Kawasaki.  This  car  became 
permanently  engaged  in  second  gear  and  did 
not  comp)ete. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  event,  the 
Friday  before  Memorial  Day,  the  drag  race 
and  fuel  economy  events  took  place.  That 
morning,  warming  up  for  the  drag  race,  the 
chain  on  the  Illinois  car  jumped  from  the 
engine  output  sprocket  and  destroyed  the 
left  crankcase  cover.  Miraculously,  the  local 
Honda  dealer  had  a  replacement  for  this 
usual  order  part.  With  the  help  of  a  short 
rainstorm,  the  event  was  extended  until  the 
track  dried,  providing  time  to  repair  the  car. 
Illinois  made  only  one  run  in  the  drag  race 
due  to  lack  of  time,  and  texjk  second  place 
because  the  engine  was  still  cold.  The 
University  of  Texas  placed  first.  That        ^ 


afternoon.  Illinois  won  the  fuel  economy 
event  with  a  fuel  consumption  of  forty  miles 
per  gallon.  Minor  changes  were  made  to  the 
car  that  night,  and  it  was  ready  for  the  50 
mile  endurance  race  on  Saturday. 

At  the  start  of  the  endurance  event, 
Illinois  led  the  pack,  with  Houston  close 
behind.  Austin  had  a  steering  failure  on  the 
first  lap  and  their  car  was  temporarily  out  of 
the  race.  The  race  continued  to  be  close,  as 
Illinois  would  increase  the  lead  in  the 
straights  and  Houston  would  catch  up  in  the 
comers  of  the  circuit,  due  to  their  highly 
refined  suspension  system.  At  last,  on  the 
eighth  lap,  Houston  passed  Illinois  just  as 
the  Illinois  car  lost  power.  Tfie  team  quickly 
pulled  it  into  the  pits,  and  tore  the  engine 
apart  to  discover  what  caused  the  failure. 

One  of  the  four  valves  had  broken  off 
at  the  stem,  destroying  the  engine,  and 
putting  the  Illinois  team  out  of  the  race.  In 
the  second  quarter  of  the  race,  after  a 
mandatory  driver  change,  Houston  led  the 
race.  Austin  had  repaired  their  car  and  were 
back  in  the  race,  making  up  for  lost  time. 
After  78  of  the  100  laps,  the  Houston  car 
failed  due  to  a  cam  problem,  dropping  them 
out  of  the  race.  The  University  of  Texas 
won  by  completing  the  race. 

Tliat  night,  at  the  awards  banquet,  the 
University  of  Texas  received  the  first  place 
trophy  for  overall  pert'ormance  based  on 
design  and  racing.  The  University  of  Illinois 
received  a  trophy  for  second  place,  and  the 
University  of  Houston  received  third  place. 

The  society  is  planning  to  rebuild  the 
car  this  year  and  return  to  Austin  in  the 
spring  with  the  hope  of  winning  the  event. 
Numerous  changes  are  planned  from  the 
group's  experience.  Hopefully,  the  SAE  will 
be  able  to  gain  enough  support  to  undertake 
this  massive  project  again. T 


Socien  of  Automotive  Engineers  members  Mike  Truex  (silting)  and  Steve  Yencho  show  the  car  that 
won  second  place  in  competition  at  the  University  of  Texas  at  Austin. I pliolo  by  Sieve  Alexander) 


Laser  Processing 
Hot  Stuff 


Laser  technology  bums  new  holes  in  research. 


h\  Tiishar  Chandc 


This  is  the  first  of  a  two  part  series  looking  ul 
the  various  uses  of  lasers  in  research  ami 
industry.  The  second  pan  will  appear  in  the 
hehruary,  1983  issue. 

We  are  in  the  midst  ot  a  beam  boom. 
Troubled  times  tor  the  economy  or  not,  the 
laser  industn,  has  maintained  an  impressive 
gniwth  rate  in  excess  of  20  percent  tor  the 
iast  leu  \ears.  Net  sales  approaced  the  51.3 
hiliion  mark  in  1981  (see  "Laser  Focus.' 
F-eb.  1982.  p.  69).  after  doubling  in  three 
years.  That's  less  than  the  total  sales  of 
some  corp<irations.  but  the  industry  is  still 
expanding  with  no  end  in  sight. 

Laser  materials  processing  is  a  bright 
spnt  even  in  this  growth  area.  Sales  of  new 
lasers  for  materials  processing  were  up  a 
handsome  29  percent  last  year,  to  S90 
millmn.  An  additional  attractive  feature  of 
this  high  technology  area  is  the  shortage  the 
industry  faces  of  trained  personnel.  Those 
L'niversirv  sUidents  who  would  like  to 
specialize  in  something  interesting  are  in  the 
nght  place  at  the  right  time.  For  here  on 
campus  we  have  many  laser  related  research 
programs  vshich  are  currently  underway. 

First,  one  must  take  a  look  at  what  a 
laser  actual!)  is.  LASER  is  an  acronym  for 
Light  .Amplification  by  Stimulated  Emission 
of  Radiation,  apparently  coined  by  Gordon 
Gould,  a  somewhat  controversial  figure  in 
the  early  development  of  lasers.  In  1916. 
Albert  Einstein  predicted  that  the  electrons 
of  an  atom  could  be  stimulated  to  emit  light 
of  a  particular  wavelength.  Amplification  of 
the  stimulated  radiation  was  considered  in 
the  early  1950"s.  and  the  first  practical  ruby 
laser  was  actually  made  by  Theodore 
Maiman  in  July  I96().  The  development  of 
gas  and  other  lasers  followed,  and  in  1964 


Mr.  Dun  Casale  controls  the  laser  from  an  adjacent  room  in  Talhol  Lah. 
The  lii.ser  operates  at  up  to  ten  kilowaii.s  of  power.!  photo  In  Raiidv 
.Sliikenhen;  I 


the  Nobel  Physics  Prize  was  shared  by 
Charles  Townes.  Nikolai  Basov  and 
Aleksander  Prokhorov  for  their  studies 
leading  to  the  invention  of  the  laser' . 

The  laser  is  a  device  that  produces 
light  by  stimulating  a  lasing  medium,  which 
may  be  a  solid  or  a  tluid.  The  stimulation 
can  be  accomplished  by  exciting  the  atoms 
of  the  lasing  medium  to  a  higher  energy 
level  than  their  usual  low  or  ground  state. 
This  is  called  creating  a  population 
inversion. 

In  their  excited  states,  the  atoms  are 
unstable,  and  have  a  tendency  to  return  to 
the  ground  state.  They  do  so  in  steps, 
releasing  energy  in  the  form  of 
electromagnetic  radiation  in  the  process. 
This  electromagnetic  radiation  is  coherent.  It 
does  not  spread  out  like  ordinary  light,  it  is 
intense,  and  it  is  monochromatic.  It  is  laser 
light.  It  has  been  generated  using  crystals. 


semi-conductors,  liquids,  and  gases  as  a 
lasing  medium. 

In  the  early  days,  the  laser  was  called 
"a  solution  looking  for  a  problem"'.  Today 
it  has  found  an  astonishing  range  of 
applications.  Lasers  are  used  in 
supemiarkets  to  ring  up  purchases,  in 
hospitals  to  aid  in  surgical  procedures,  in 
communications  to  allow  very  high  signal 
densities,  and  in  sophisticated  weapons 
systems  for  guidance  and  targeting.  In  1978, 
the  Navy  used  a  moderate  power  chemical^ ly 
laser  to  destroy  a  TOW  anti-tank  missile  ii^^' 
flight.  Home  entertainment  and  art  have 
been  touched  by  lasers.  Then  there  is  Shiva. 
the  most  powerful  laser  in  the  world,  useij^ 
for  fusion  studies  at  the  Lawrence 
Livermore  Laboratory  in  California. 


Left:  A  beam  of  infra — red  tight  is  generated 
from  this  unit  which  is  approximately  half  the 
size  of  a  dorm  room.  When  warming  up  the  unit 
the  beam  is  dumped  into  the  tray  of  water  on 
the  floor,  insantly  bringing  it  to  boil. 
Below:  The  beam  is  concentrated  on  a  piece  of 
metal  on  a  moving  table.  In  this  experiment  the 
laser  is  drawn  across  a  metal  bar  to  anodize  a 
coating  to  the  suiface . I  photos  In  Randx 
Stukenbergj 


Let  us  now  examine  more  closel\-  an 
area  of  growing  engineering  interest,  laser 
materials  processing.  Laser  materials 
processing  is  possible  due  to  the  heating 
effect  produced  in  metals  upon  laser 
irradiation.  Processing  then  involves  heating 
and  cooling  steps,  to  alter  some  physical 
characteristic  of  the  metal  on  a  macroscopic 
or  microscopic  scale. 

The  laser  is  the  special  heat  source  in 
materials  processing.  It  is  intense, 
chemically  clean,  and  inertialess.  It  can  also 
be  transmitted  over  long  distances  in  air, 
precisely  maneuvered,  and  finely  focused  to 
produce  high  energy  densities,  the  laser 
beam  can  simply  be  moved  over  the 
material  being  processed.  The  heating  effect 
it  produces  is  rapid  and  localized,  thus 
metals  are  easily  vaporized. 

The  cooling  rates  after  laser  irradiation 
are  high,  sometimes  over  a  million  degrees 
per  second.  This  enables  unusual  matenals 
like  amorphous  or  glassy  metals  to  be 
produced.  One  can  thus  create  materials 
with  unusual  properties.  Even  somewhat 
slower  cooling  rates  produce  refined 
structures  with  superior  properties.  The  high 
heating  rates  also  make  rapid  processing 
rates  achievable,  making  cost  reductions 
possible.  Precise  control  over  the  motion  of 
the  beam  makes  it  attractive  in  automated 
manufacturing. 

Lasers  are  commonly  used  in  the 
semi-conductor  industrv'.  both  in  the 
production  of  wafers  and  in  the  fabrication 
of  devices.  In  metalworking  industries  they 
are  used  for  cutting,  welding,  drilling, 
surface  heat  treating  and  surface  alloying. 

If  a  process  is  to  be  used  in  industry, 
not  only  must  it  provide  cost  reductions  and 
other  economic  benefits;  it  must  also  be 
flexible  and  controllable.  Often,  the  e.xact 
mechanism  is  not  fully  known,  even  though 
the  process  is  in  ser\ice.  This  inhibits 
further  exploitation  of  the  process. 


The  key  to  widosprcud  use  ot  lasers  in 
industp,  is  a  better  understanding  of  how 
lasers  work  in  materials  processing.  This  is 
where  university  research  comes  into  the 
|iicture.  In  a  Held  where  the  p<.itential  of  its 
pnniary  ttxtl  has  yet  to  he  fully  realized, 
research  has  much  to  contribute,  for  at  a 
university  one  can  use  a  wide  \ariety  of 
skills  and  techniques  to  improve  his 
understanding  of  a  prix:ess. 

The  University  of  Illinois  is  one  of  the 
few  schools  nationwide,  actively  engaged  in 
laser  matenals  processing  research.  Of  the 
21.^  schools  resp^inding  to  a  nationwide 
survey  of  engineering  research  and  graduate 
study  published  by  "Engineenng 
Eiducation""  in  March.  1*^X2,  only  24 
schixils  listed  laser  related  research,  not  all 
of  which  were  researching  laser  materials 
processing. 

The  College  of  Engineenng  lists  56 
faculty  members  engaged  in  materials 
engineenng  or  mechanical  property 
research,  spread  over  12  engineering  or 
engineering-related  departments.  Of  these.  6 
use  lasers  in  some  way.  while  3  list  laser 
processing  as  their  principal  activity.  Laser 
pRKessing  programs  are  to  be  found  in  the 
departments  of  Ceramic,  Civil,  Electrical, 
and  Mechanical  Engineering,  as  well  as 
Metallurgy  and  Mining.  A  Materials 
Processing  Consortium  is  currently  being  set 
up,  and  this  is  to  include  laser  processing 
too.  The  University's  present  committment 
to  laser  materials  processing  research  is 
noteworthy,  and  slated  to  rise  in  the  future. 

According  to  the  ■"Summary  of 
Engineenng  Research,  1982",  provided  by 
the  College  of  Engineering,  a  maximum  of 
se\en  laser  prtx'essing  projects  arc  at  hand 
in  the  Matenals  Engineenng  and  Materials 
FYcx;essing  Division  of  the  ME  department. 


under  the  direction  of  Prof.  J.  Mazumder. 
These  are  in  the  areas  of  laser  welding, 
control  of  plasma  during  laser  materials 
processing,  suriace  alloying,  surface  tension 
effects  on  fluid  tlow  during  laser 
processing,  laser  heat  treating,  and  laser 
chemical  vapor  deposition. 

Laser  processing  for  production  of 
erosion  resistant  materials  is  being  studied 
by  Professors  Altstetter  and  Rigsbee  of  the 
Metallurgy  department.  Laser  surface 
melting  is  being  used  in  rapid  solidification 
studies  by  FYof.  H.  L.  Eraser  in  the  same 
department.  Powder  production  by  laser  spin 
atomization  is  also  being  studied  by  his 
group.  An  unusual  study  of  laser-driven 
crystallization  is  being  conducted  by  Prof. 
S.  H.  Risbud  at  the  Materials  Research 
Laboratory.  Thin  gauge  metal  sheets  of 
three  different  metals  have  been  studied 
under  approximately  400  different 
conditions  in  an  exhaustive  study  by  Prof. 
P.  V.  Lawrence  and  J.  Culton. 

Laser  heat  treatment  is  being  looked 
into  because  this  process,  now  actively  used 
in  manufacturing,  offers  a  precise  technique 
for  microstructural  modification  with 
minimum  distortion.  Wear  resistance  of  a 
material  can  be  significantly  enhanced  by 
depositing  a  hard  layer  on  the  surface.  Laser 
chemical  vapor  deposition  of  titanium 
carbide  is  of  interest  in  producing  hard 
surface  layers  because  it  is  a  hundred  to  a 
thousand  times  faster  than  conventional 
deposition  processes. 

Laser  surface  alloying  provides  a 
convenient  yet  powerful  tool  to  generate 
corrosion  resistant  coatings  on  inexpensive 
substrates  with  a  minimum  amount  of  alloy 
element.  This  will  save  expensive  materials 
such  as  chromium  while  providing  desired 
surface  properties.  Laser  spin  atomization 
can  be  used  to  produce  powders  of  high 
melting  point  metals  under  very  clean 
conditions.  These  are  then  compacted  into 
useful  forms.  Novel  materials  can  be 


c 


produced  from  chalcopyrite  and  amorphous 
materials  by  using  the  laser  to  drive 
crystallization. 

This  points  to  the  variety  of  areas 
being  explored  at  present.  Each  is  addressed 
to  a  specific  application  in  the  industry. 
Prof.  Mazumder  of  M&IE  aims  at 
understanding  these  processes  in  the  widest 
sense.  Planned  experiments  are  used  to 
obtain  process  information  of  fundamental 
interest.  This  is  related  to  other  process 
effects,  such  as  the  microstructure  of  the 
processed  material  and  its  subsequent 
mechanical  and  metallurgical  properties  such 
as  tensile  strength  and  corrosion  resistance. 
This  is  accompanied  by  a  theoretical 
transport  phenomena  analysis,  involving 
heat,  momentum  and  mass  transfer,  which 
yields  additional  insights  into  the 
mechanisms  involved. 

Ultimately,  the  aim  is  to  have  a  model 
of  the  process  and  a  reasonable  predictive 
capability.  Thus,  answers  to  a  wide  range  of 
questions  about  the  process  are  sought,  and 
the  student  can  develop  a  number  of  useful 
skills,  from  numerical  analysis  to  electron 
microscopy.  Far  from  being  a  specialist,  one 
ends  up  being  a  respectable  generalise  And 
this  is  why  University  graduates  in  Laser 
Processing  will  be  very  much  in  demand  in 
industry.  T 

References 

I.  Jeff  Hechd  and  Dick  Teresi,  LASER  Super 

Tool  of  the  1980's.  Chap.  4,  Ticknor  and 

Fields,  New  York  (1982). 


f 


ENGINEERING 
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 


Air  Force  electrical  engineer  studying  aircraft 
electrical  power  supply  system. 

Engineering  opportunities  in 
the  Air  Force  include  these 
eight  career  areas:  aeronautical, 
aerospace ,  architectural , 


Air  Force  mechanical  engineei  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  COMMAND 


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 
l-8b()-531-5826  (in  Texas  call 
1-800-292-5366). There's  no 
obligation. 


AIM  HIGH 
AIR  FORCE 


Components 
of  Audio  Care 


Snap,  crackle,  and  pop  tend  to 
zero  if  we  apply  these  guidelines. 


bv  Hnc  Guiirin 


Stereo  maintenance?  Who  worries 
atxiut  stertjo  maintenance'.'  Many  people 
don't — or  do  so  improperly — and  in  so 
doing  not  only  deprive  themselves  of  the 
best  possible  sound  but  actually  damage 
their  sNsteni  slouly  but  surely.  Maintenance 
is  important  to  any  system,  and  this  is  just 
as  true  in  the  audio  field  as  in  any  other 
field.  To  keep  an  audio  system  in  good 
working  condition,  one  must  care  for  it 
properly. 

To  begin  with,  there  are  currently  three 
major  sources  of  canned  music;  disk,  tape, 
and  radio.  Sound  sources  are  then  played 
v\  ith  the  use  of  three  main  components; 
turntable,  tape  deck,  and  amplifier  (or 
receiver),  plus  system  accessories.  Each 
needs  a  certain  type  of  care,  which 
hopefully  can  be  provided  without  too  much 
financial  strain. 

Tape,  from  the  8-track  to  professional 
multitrack  reel-to-reel  setups,  works  on  one 
basic  principle;  electronic  signals  are 
converted  into  magnetic  energy  and 
impressed  on  the  tape  by  the  recording 
head.  Then,  on  playback,  the  magnetic 
areas  on  the  tape  are  reconverted  into 
electronic  signals  by  the  playback  head. 
Several  things  can  go  wrong  along  the 
way — stray  magnetism,  worn  parts,  and 
dirt;  tape  maintenance  should  prevent  this. 

Stray  magnetism  buildup  is  usually  the 
most  easily  controlled  problem.  If  enough 
residual  magnetism  builds  up  on  the  heads, 
it  can  interfere  with,  and  even  obliterate,  the 
signal  on  the  tape,  so  it  pays  to  demagnetize 
tape  heads.  Demagnetizers  cost  S3  and  up, 
and  are  definitely  worth  it.  Depending  on 
individual  models,  waving  the  end  of  the 
probe  past  the  heads  and  metal  parts  induces 
magnetic  action  which  removes  stray 
magnetism. 


Worn  parts  are  another  problem.  Just 
like  an\1hing  else,  deck  parts  get  worn,  old, 
and  tired,  and  evenaially  need  replacing. 
Strange  motor  noises  can  mean  trouble  and 
should  be  checked  by  a  knowledgeable 
individual;  cracked  rubber  parts  need 
replacing.  As  a  side  note,  compounds  which 
tighten  loose  belts  are  available  but  cannot 
work  miracles.  Common  sense  is  probably 
the  best  maintenance  for  these  sort  of 
problems. 

Dirt,  in  addition  to  increasing  wear, 
may  interfere  in  the  recording  process. 
Important  parts  to  keep  clean  are  tape  heads 
(1)  and  transport  (capstan  (2)  and  roller  (3)). 
Tape  rollers  are  usually  made  of  vinyl  or 
rubber  compounds  and  should  not  be 
cleaned  with  alchohol  based  cleaners,  which 
will  cause  cracking.  Special  roller  cleaning 
fluid  on  plain  cotton  swabs  should  be  used. 
Heads  and  transports  need  fluids  designed 
for  cleaning  them,  such  as  isopropyl 
alchohol;  other  solvents  such  as  acetone 
may  damage  these  parts.  To  clean  properly, 
apply  fluid  to  swabs,  and  rub  gently  over 
heads  and  transport.  Cleaning  with  dirty 
swabs,  of  course,  defeats  the  purpose. 

A  final  item  in  connection  with  tape 
care  is  the  availability  of  cleaning  cassettes, 
demagnetizing  cassettes,  and  all-in-one  units 
which  do  the  work  of  both.  TTiese  are 
usually  up  to  par  with  other  cleaning 
methods,  and  are  especially  handy  for  cars, 
but  often  don't  clean  the  entire  head  surface 
as  well  as  a  swab.  Prices  for  these  cassettes 
start  at  $5,  and  may  be  an  infinitely  more 
desirable  option  for  auto  use  as  well  as 
convenient  home  use. 

Records  are  a  second  main  source  of 
music.  Playing  a  record  is  more  complex 
than  playing  a  tape;  care  of  a  record  system 
is  consequently  more  complex.  Before 
attempting  to  provide  proper  care  for  the 
system,  the  user  must  first  know  how  the 
system  works. 

When  a  disk  plays  on  a  njrntable,  the 
needle  rides  in  the  record  groove  and  moves 
according  to  the  shape  of  the  groove  as  it 
spirals  inward.  Within  the  cartridge,  the 
needle's  mechanical  motion  is  changed  into 
electrical  energy;  actual  mechanisms  used  to 


accomplish  the  conversion  vary  from  ~ 

cartridge  to  cartridge.  Electrical  energy  thus 
generated  flows  into  the  amplifier  via  wires 
in  the  tonearm.  Since  a  great  many  mishaps 
may  occur  to  the  signal  along  the  way, 
record  system  care  should,  if  possible. 
prevent  each  nasty  possibility  from 
cKcurring. 

A  good  approach  to  disk  system  care 
involves  a  step-by-step  analysis  of  what  can 
go  sour  as  the  electric  signal  goes  from  the 
needle  to  the  amplifier.  Actually,  the 
playback  chain  begins  before  the  needle, 
with  the  record  itself  and  the  turntable  it 
rests  on. 

Records  are  really  what  a  disk  system 
is  all  about;  keeping  records  clean  therefore 
makes  good  maintenance  sense.  Care  of 
records  and  associated  hardware  is  not  as 
simple  as  the  manufacturers  of  many  record 
care  products  would  have  us  believe;  more 
realistically,  it  is  a  fairly  simple  process 
which  has  several  steps  involved. 

Step  one  is  to  minimize  dust,  which 
clogs  parts  and  gets  shoved  along  the  record 
groove  by  the  needle.  This  is  bad  for  both 
needle  and  record.  The  first  and  simplest 
step  in  record  care  is  to  keep  the  dust  cover 
down  when  records  are  not  being  changed. 
This  reduces  air  circulation  past  the  record 
and  the  turntable  platter  it  rests  on.  and  thus 
overall  cleanliness  is  improved. 

Step  two  involves  getting  rid  of  dust 
on  the  surface  of  the  record,  a  process 
which  incidentally  can  be  aided  by  reducing 
static  electricity.  There  are  several 
approaches  to  disk  cleaning;  a  $1000  record 
washer,  cleaning  pads,  or  fiber  brushes.  It 
takes  some  shopping  around  to  determine 
which  approach  works  best  for  a  particular 
sound  system  and  budget. 

Each  approach  has  advantages  and      »//. 
disadvantages;  the  $IO(X)  record  washer       ^ 
provides  the  ultimate  in  spic-and-span 
records  but  is  obviously  hard  on  the  ^ 

pocketbook.  Cleaning  pads  and  fiber  ft 


Shown  above  are  the  insides  of  the  tape  deck:  heads  (I ).  capstan  (2).  and  roller  (31 
(photo  by  Randx  Slukenberg) 


brushes  are  the  two  best  cleaning  methods 
available  along  the  low-budget  lines. 
Cleaning  pads,  if  chosen  well,  are  reputed 
to  do  a  somewhat  better  job  overall  than 
fiber  brushes.  Good  ones  cost  between  $5  to 
$15  depending  on  type,  accessory  gadgets, 
and  whether  or  not  fluid  is  supplied. 

Cleaning  pads  resemble  6  inch  dowel 
rods  or  wooden  blocks,  and  have  a  velvety 
covering  on  the  cleaning  surface.  Various 
fluids  designed  specifically  for  record 
cleaning  are  available  (use  of  other  fluids 
can  harm  disks)  and  may  be  sprayed  or 
dripped  onto  the  cleaning  surface. 

Fiber  brushes,  on  the  other  hand, 
incorporate  many  thin  soft  bristles  which  fit 
ep  into  the  grooves  of  the  record.  These 
sually  cost  about  $10.  Whether  they 
outperform  the  better  brand  cleaning  pads  is 
Wopic  hotly  debated  by  companies  and 
IPalers,  but  most  neutral  parties  favor  the 
pads.  Two  other  gadgets  may  be  worthwhile 


purchases:  a  static  gun,  which  reduces  static 
electricity  and  makes  dust  both  easier  to 
remove  and  less  likely  to  adhere  in  the  first 
place;  and  cartridge-mounted  dust  brushes, 
which  sweep  the  groove  in  front  of  the 
needle  pushing  dust  gently  out  of  the  way. 
This  may  not  mount  on  all  cartridges,  and 
has  other  effects,  but  may  be  useful  in  cases 
where  a  pad  or  brush  doesn't  quite  get  all 
the  dust. 

Step  three  deals  with  what  the  record 
sits  on:  the  turntable  and  platter.  Vibrations 
in  the  air  or  in  the  cabinet  the  turntable  rests 
on  may  be  transmitted  through  the  needle 
into  the  amp,  a  condition  known  as 
feedback.  Placing  the  turntable  a  sufficient 
distance  from  the  speakers  reduces  air 
feedback;  by  mounting  the  turntable  on 
rubber  feet  or  by  hanging  it  from  the  ceiling 
cabinet  feedback  can  be  reduced.  Turntable 
platter  mats  can  help  alleviate  either 
problem  and  can  also  reduce  static  buildup; 
mats  vary  in  price,  purpose  and  design. 

Finally,  the  last  links  of  the  chain 
transmit  the  signal  from  needle  to  cartridge 
and  should  be  set  up  correctly.  Connections 


need  to  be  good,  and  needles  and  cartridges 
should  be  properly  aligned  and  mounted. 
After  these  steps,  the  signal  goes  into  the 
amplifier,  the  next  object  of  concern. 

As  most  other  components  are  varied 
in  use  and  purpose,  their  needs  are  varied 
also.  In  this  miscellaneous  category,  though, 
the  item  which  probably  requires  the  most 
attention  is  the  amplifier,  which  when 
combined  with  a  radio  tuner  is  called  a 
receiver. 

Basically,  an  amp  turns  power  from  a 
wall  socket  into  power  speakers  can  use.  Of 
course,  there  is  a  hitch  in  this  process:  it  is 
not  100%  efficient.  In  other  words,  an 
amplifier  puts  out  speaker  power  plus  waste 
heat.  To  get  rid  of  this  heat,  amps  should 
be  properly  cooled.  Most  importantly,  amps 
need  space  around  them  so  airflow  can  cool 
hot  surfaces.  If  space  is  not  available,  or  if 
the  amp  gets  hot  even  so,  muffin  fans  (4  to 
5""  across.  $10  to  15)  will  probably  work 
well.  Some  sort  of  airflow  is  a  must,  even 
though  a  particular  amp  may  not  get  very 
hot  except  at  high  output.  Remember,  heat 
kills,  so  let  your  amplifier  breathe. 

Other  components  may  or  may  not 
generate  much  heat,  depending  on  their 
function.  Try  each  component  in  the  most 
convenient  place  for  it,  run  the  system  for 
an  extended  while,  and  test  it  for  hot 
surfaces — if  there  are  any,  relocate  the 
component  to  eliminate  the  problem.  A 
good  idea  is  running  the  entire  audio  system 
at  high  output  for  a  fairly  long  period,  then 
making  sure  everything's  cool. 

This  guide  to  proper  stereo  system 
maintenance  is  not  very  time-consuming; 
nor  is  it  very  complicated.  However, 
following  the  steps  outlined  here  will  help 
to  make  everyone's  system  sound  better, 
whether  or  not  he  is  a  connoisseur  of  fine 
sound.  T 


TECHNOVISIONS 


tc\l  aikl  photos  hs  Rand)  Stukcnbcri: 


Laser  lights 

The  davs  of  Buck  Rogers  are  fast  approaching.  Alread\'  lasers 
are  being  used  to  destroy  satellites  as  well  as  repair  delicate  parts  of 
the  human  eye.  Associate  Professor  Jim  EEden  and  several  graduate 
students  are  researching  lasers  in  the  Gaseous  Electronics  Research 
Laboratory.  607  E.  Healy  Street,  Champaign,  using  rare  inert  gases 
to  produce  a  strong  beam  of  light.  The  laser  on  this  page  is  one  of 
the  self  sustaining  lasers  in  the  laboratory-.  At  only  ten  watts  of 
power  It  is  capable  of  burning  a  hole  thru  a  wooden  door.  Usually  it 
is  directed  thru  mirror  arrangements  into  gas  chambers  or  other 
experimental  projects.  However  there  is  no  danger  that  the  laser  will 
be  used  on  unruly  engineering  students  since  it  requires  a  very  large 
power  source. 


Signals  from  Space 


Television  satellites  provide 

greater  programming  choices  for  viewers. 


by  Mar>  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 


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The  Clean  Machine 
Copy  Shop 


621  S.  Wright  St. 
359-1500 


Typing 

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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 
—speed  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. 


0 


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 
_about  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 

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Editorial  Staff 
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Business  Staff 
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Copynght  Ulini  Publishing  Co.,  1982 

Illinois  Technograph 

(USPS  258-760) 

Vol, 98  No. 3  December  1982 

niuiois  Technograph  is  published  five  times  during  the 
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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  .  va(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.  0 

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  rep<irt  to 
Governor  Thompson  in  March.  The  Task 
Force,  which  included  presidents  from  four 
universities  in  Illinois  and  an  impressive  list 
of  business  leaders,  presented  an  outline  for 
the  attraction  and  "nurturing"  of  companies 
within  the  state  based  on  new  and  emerging 
technologies.  Recommendations  include 
establishing,  in  the  appropriate  areas, 
centers  of  technical  excellence  that  will 
draw  upon  the  work  being  done  at  a  nearby 
university,  as  well  as  special  incentives, 
such  as  loans  and  industrial  revenue  bonds. 
All  in  all,  the  Task  Force  suggested  a 
'".  .  .comprehensive  long  range  plan.  .  ."". 

The  plan,  or  a  part  of  it,  has  already 
been  put  into  action.  On  August  24,  1982 
the  state  and  the  University  of  Illinois  Circle 
Campus  announced  the  formation  of  a 
research  park  in  Chicago.  The  park  is  to  be 
located  on  or  near  the  UICC  campus  with 
the  specific  task  of  fostering  research  and 
development  in  biomedicine  and  biomedical 
applications.  On  October  29,  the  state  and 
the  University  of 

Illinois — UrbanayChampaign  announced  a 
plan  for  the  creation  of  a  microelectronics 
center  on  campus.  The  $8.25  million  plan  is 
to  begin  in  July  of  next  year  and  will  be 
completed  in  1985. 

TTie  announced  center,  to  be  one  of 
four  in  the  nation,  is  to  be  a  main  focus  of 
university  research.  The  major  element  of 
the  center  will  be  an  electron  beam 
lithography  facility  for  the  puxluction  of 
very  large  scale  integrated  circuits,  the 
prime  component  in  t<xiay's  sophisticated 
computers.  The  microelectronics  center  is 


0 


itTil 


..idSiL^ 


Id  CONSTRUCTION  ENGINEERING 
RESEARCH  LABORATORY 


I 


certain  to  be  a  magnet  tor  people,  attracting 
top  researchers,  students,  and  industries  to 
the  area  as  did  the  Illiac  IV  computer 
project  and  as  the  Plato  project  still  does. 

The  microelectronics  center  is  a  small 
but  important  part  of  the  '"bait""  used  to 
attract  industry  to  the  area.  More  important 
is  the  area's  busines  climate.  Changes  must 
be  made  during  the  next  several  years  if 
industries  are  to  seriously  consider  the 
Champaign/Urbana  area  as  a  home. 

To  date,  there  has  been  no 
announcement  of  a  research  park  in  the 
area.  This  is  one  of  the  more  important 
recommendations  made  by  the  Task  Force. 
Without  a  state  aided  site  or  the  necessary 
special  financing,  there  is  virtually  no  place 
for  a  new  company  with  limited  capital  to 
locate.  Interstate  Research  Park  is  the  most 
likely  sight  for  a  new  company.  The 
park. located  at  1-74  and  Mattis  in 
Champaign,  now  contains  many  businesses, 
including  the  Army's  Construction 
Engineering  Research  Laboratory,  Carroll 
Touch  Technology,  and  Tower  Hobbies. 
The  costs,  however,  are  high.  With  land 
selling  for  about  $50,000  per  acre,  a  sight 


with  a  building  and  reasonable  room  for 
expansion  costs  about  $1  million.  Granted, 
not  all  new  companies  need  to  start  with 
such  a  facility,  but  compare  it  with  Stanford 
University's  policy  of  giving  land  to  new 
companies.  This  is  one  of  the  many  reasons 
for  the  growth  of  technical  companies  in  the 
areas  surrounding  Stanford 
University — someone  gave  them  help  at  the 
start. 

This  University,  with  its  renowned 
faculty  and  high  quality  students,  is  a  high 
caliber  institution.  This  can  be  seen  in  part 
through  the  number  of  research  grants  and 
through  past  University  projects  like  Illiac 
IV  and  the  ever-evolving  Plato  system.  It 
has  been  a  while,  though,  since  a  major, 
well-known  project  has  been  announced.  It  ^ 
is  these  projects  that  attract  talented  people  ^ 
to  this  area.  It  is  also  through  these  projects 
that  people  receive  invaluable  non-scientific 
training.  W 

There  is  a  link  between  the  lack  of     ^ 
new  hich-tech  industry'  in  town  and  the 


16 


■ii?iiil 


absence  of  a  major  project  at  the  Universit\ . 
This  stems  from  what  is  learned  here  at  the 
University  in  the  college  of  engineering. 
The  University  is  a  major  research 
institution  and  as  such  isn't  concerned  with 
familiarizing  researchers  with  the  operations 
within  a  company.  Professors  and  graduate 

•|idents  work  within  relatively  small 
^  oups.  each  person  with  their  own  focus  or 
interest.  In  contrast,  the  Illiac  IV  project 

4 ought  together  many  people,  from  the 
meet  manager  to  the  technicians.  Each 
rson  worked  on  a  different  aspect  of  the 
same  project.  The  job  of  coordinating  the 
work  of  the  scientists  and  others  isn't 


something  which  is  likel)  to  be  learned 
within  today's  engineering  curriculum.  All 
this  knowledge  and  more  is  needed  to  run 
any  major  project. 

The  Illiac  IV  project  provided  Art 
Carroll  with  additional  experience  in  these 
important  areas.  Mr.  Carroll,  president  and 
founder  of  Cairoll  Touch  Technology  in 
Champaign,  worked  for  two  and  a  half 
years  as  Deputy  Chief  Investigator  (second 
in  command)  on  the  Illiac  IV  computer 
project.  After  working  for  several  years  in 
the  electronics  industry.  Mr.  Carroll  came  to 
the  University  to  work  on  the  Illiac  IV 
project.  His  responsibilities  included  the 
supervision  of  over  100  technical  personnel, 
overseeing  project  finances  and 


Far  Left:  Hi)>h  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 


0 


lla^viiicnt  Statistics 

pca'cnl  employed 

pcaeni  employed  in  Illinois 

percent  in  graduate  sehcxil 


liiliiiiiililiiBi 


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) 


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with  coupon 


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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 
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The  Daily  lllinl  newspaper  is  a  consistent  award  winner  in 
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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- 
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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 

0 

O          0          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: 

0 


+. 


Cr-O^H--0-S^O 

II 

0 
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. 
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Adviser:  Ed  Mast 

Editorial  Staff:  Steve  Alexander.  Rob  Biisse. 
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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- 
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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  0  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  196<S  by  Craig 
Vetter.  who  earned  his  degree  in  industrial 
design  here  at  the  University.  Vetter, 
Charlie  Perethian,  and  Dwayne  Anderson 
were  the  chief  designers  of  the  company's 
earls  products.  In  1978.  Craig  Vetter  sold 
the  Vetter  Coiporation  in  its  entiret\  to 
Rick  Biiiet 

Craig  Vetter  hasn't  gi\en  up  motor- 
cscling,  hi>wever.  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  ■ 


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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  yell  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  <d^i(^itoc6mpleJ:ion.      ^  .^,i(  Find  out  how  you' can  bring  out 

quality  that  inspires-superior  achieve-    -L  ;;      ,^i*    .J  _'!,*'   ^-      ^^i    your  best  at  Anheuser-Busch  by  speak- 

ment.  '       »    J?'!***^^^""**"^'?  .     ing  with  our  recruiters  when  they  come 

You  can  make  the  most  of  our  tal-Vl!^'!i**^*5^      I^'' '^    ■    'iito-vikir  campus.^ 
entsinoneofthes<po^ition^>     ,,..  ^^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,<j9|l6CH  COMPANIES,  INC.; 
development,  steam  generation,  conri-      areas  ofthecoiwp^ny.  Trainees  Will  alsgjicorpora'fe  Eififijoynient,  College  Rela- 


such  diverse  fields  Ss  material  handl- 
ing, equipment  layout,  piping  system 
development,  steam  generation,  cqm- 
pressed  air  systems,  ventilation, lift- 
ing and  air  conditioning,  and  high 
speed  Dottle  and  can  packaging. 


ViH**!^*^^*^^       -'';>-    ■    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 

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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 
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•  Specialized  training  fields  of 
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Naval  and  fvlarine  Corps  Aviation 
Surface  Warfare 
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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 


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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 


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621  S.  Wright  St. 
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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     0    •     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(<ing  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  10,  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 


0 
f 


WE  BRING  GOOD  THINGS  TO  LIFE 

An  equal  opportunity  employer. 


Illinois 


Technograph 


October  1983    Volume  99,  Issue  1 
Newsstand  $1 .25 


iE  UdRARY  OF  IHB 


■  ij0519|!4 

UNiVEKSirV  OF  IU|NOJS 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


Sports  simulation 


U 


This  Is  Harris 


[Kceptional  People  Pavifly  The  Waj  To  The  loformatioo  Ape 

The  line  that  separates  information  processing  and  communications  has  all  but  disappeared  Today,  these  functions,  together  with  the 
electronic  technologies  which  drive  them,  are  merging  within  the  broader  confines  of  a  new  industry  —  the  Information  Technology 
industry.  Harris  Corporation  is  at  the  leading  edge  of  this  exciting  new  era.  Over  the  past  20  years  we  have  developed  an  extensive  line  of 
information  processing  and  communication  products  which  generate  worldwide  annual  sales  of  more  than  $1.3  billion.  These  products 
are  now  being  brought  together  into  truly  integrated,  synergistic  systems  and  networks  which  make  possible  higher  levels  of  efficiency 
and  productivity.  We're  entering  a  period  of  outstanding  growth  opportunity.  Our  confidence  in  capitalizing  on  this  opportunity  stems  from 
our  increasing  expenditure  on  product  research  and  development,  and  from  our  exceptional  people  —  people  who  thrive  on  challenge, 
like  these  outstanding  graduates. 


Mark  Maliafg   BSCS 


INIOBMIIIIOII  SVSnMS  SfCiOR 


Mary  Bukowski.  MA  Mathematics.  MSSE 

COMMONICmiDNS  SfCIDR 


Charles  Messmer,  Ph  D  in  Materials  Science 

SIMICONDOEIOR  SfCIOII 


Cedric  Wooten,  MSEE 


eoviRiiiNi  sysntii;  mm 


"As  a  software  development  engineer  for  the  Word  Processing 
Division,  I've  had  opportunity  for  exposure  to  software  devel- 
opment in  a  range  of  different  areas.  My  section's  concerned 
with  software  tools,  and  I've  had  the  challenge,  for  example,  of 
working  with  the  operating  systems  and  hardware  groups  to 
integrate  pieces  of  software.  I  am  doing  programming  in  both 
high-level  and  assembly  languages.  And  my  projects  have  also 
been  valuable  learning  experiences." 


"At  Harris  Broadcast  Division,  my  involvement  in  the  design  of 
microprocessor-based  control  systems  for  radio  and  television 
broadcast  equipment  is  not  confined  to  one  phase  of  a  project. 
There  is  high  probability  of  my  staying  on  a  project  through  its 
completion.  In  the  communications  field,  Harris  is  committed 
to  an  important  role  in  state-of-the-art  development.  This  is  a 
company  with  a  people-oriented  environment.  Harns  made  a 
point  of  looking  at  my  total  background  so  I  could  draw  on  all 
my  resources." 


"I  wanted  a  hands-on  job  with  a  leading  technology  company  in 
an  area  of  research  and  development  where  I  could  apply  my 
skills.  In  Group  Operations,  I'm  developing  new  processing 
techniques  for  the  fabrication  of  dielectrically-isolated  and 
lunction-isolated  silicon  IC  chips  and  have  the  freedom  within 
bounds  to  experiment  with  new  ideas.  I  interact  with  colleagues  I 
respect-  And  I've  had  the  opportunity  to  attend  the  Harris  Grad- 
uate Program  in  Business  and  extend  my  educational  base." 


"I've  been  able  to  enter  the  systems  engineering  department  of 
the  Government  Satellite  Communications  Division  without  the 
usual  required  experience.  My  position  lets  me  look  at  a  system 
from  a  complete  perspective,  instead  of  relating  to  only  one 
aspect.  With  help  from  a  well-seasoned  and  very  cooperative 
group  of  engineers,  I'm  working  on  the  development  of  a  dis- 
tributed processing  control  system  for  planning  and  managing 
worldwide  satellite  communications  networks.  It's  a  task  that's 
never  been  done  before." 


Join  the  exciting  world  of  these  Harris  professionals.  Career  openings  exist  in  our  four  sectors  in  California,  Florida,  Illinois,  New  York,  Texas 
and  other  states  tor  graduates  with  bachelor  or  advanced  degrees  in  Electrical,  Mechanical,  Industrial,  Chemical  and  Computer 
Engineering  as  well  as  Physics,  Computer  Science  and  Business.  If  you  seek  a  company  that  recognizes  academic  accomplishment,  see  us 
on  campus  or  send  your  resume  to  Harris  Corporation,  College  Relations,  Department  ECM,  1025  W.  NASA  Blvd.,  Melbourne,  FL  32919.  An 
Equal  Opportunity  Employer  M/F/H/V. 


C9 


WHODin 
A2a^rEARK)U) 
WORKWITHTHE 
WORLDS  MOST 
SOPHISnCATED 
LASER  SYSTEM? 


Or  evaluate  primary  sensor  pert'ormances  of 
multimillion  dollar  satellites? 

Or  manage  millions  of  dollars  a  year  in 
defense  contracts? 

The  Air  Force,  that's  w  ho. 

If  you're  a  talented.  moti\ated  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  \ou 
on  a  silver  platter  You  have  to  work  for  it.  Hard. 

But  if  you  do.  we'll  give  you  all  the 
responsibility  \ou  can  handle.  .And  reward  \ou  well 
for  taking  it. 

You'll  get  housing,  medical  and  dental  care  — 
and  excellent  pay  that  increases  as  \(hi  rise  in  rank. 

Plus  there  are  opportunities  to  attend  graduate 


school.  If  you're  qualified  and  selected,  we'll  pay 
TS'/f  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  Enaineer  Hotline 
toll-free  I-800-.S31-5826  (in  Te.xas 
1-800-2^^2-5366).  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 


Illinois 


Technograph 


October  1983     Volume  99,  Issue  1 


6 
8 

10 
16 


Engineering  Placement  Report  A/«/ v  Kay  Flick 
The  records  of  our  1983  graduates  tell  the  story  for  the 
future. 

Engineering  Family  Album    Jim  OHagan 

Looking  hn  something  to  do'.'  In  this  College,  there  is  a 
society  for  you. 

Athletic  Optimization    Larn-  Mallak 

Biomechanics  analysis  takes  a  swing  at  fixing  that  nasty 

slice. 

The  Freshman  Tutorial    Kevin  Wcnzel 

This  is  the  authoritative  guide  for  the  freshman  engineer. 

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 

."^sst.  Copy  Editor:  Robert  Ekhlaw 

Features  Editor:  James  OHagan 

Design:  Beth  Beauvais 

Asst.  Design:  Karen  Peters 

Publisher:  E.  Mayer  Moloney  Jr. 
Production  Manager:  Geoff  Bant 
Ad\  iser:  Ed  Mast 

Editorial  Staff:  Richard  Barber.  Robert 
Barnes,  Rob  Bu.'ise.  Jeffrey  Cain,  Tiishar 
Chande.  Dahlon  Chit,  Dave  Colburn, 
Maura  Daly.  Jeff  Donofrio.  Elayne 
Fletcher,  Maiy  Kay  Flick.  Jean  Gabert. 
Eric  Guarm,  James  Lee,  Brandon  Lovested, 
Maty  McDowell,  Kirt  Nakagawa,  Jon 
Riley,  Jeff  Sargent,  Michael  Stein.  Bill 
Walsh,  Kevin  Wenzel,  Christopher  Wolf, 
Joseph  Wyse,  James  Yun 


^.^iff*f^  vQEj^y  5      On  the  ciner:  Jim  Ki;ss(.'//.  LI  pole  \jultcr.  prcp.uv^  to  pcilonn  hi-. 
■  jL^  '~^'7^~~'- '      '*•''''    (  oniptiici  •^innikition  of  pole  \.iultiiiL:  .ind  otiicr  sports  is  bc- 
'^~      coniiiii:  the  trend  in  ulhletic  training,  i photo  b\  J.ine  FniLii 


Ciip>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 


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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 0  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  in<ylinderflow  ofthefiicl-air  mixture  is  infliie?iced 
liy  eJuunber  geometry  provides  a  key  to  improving  engine  performcinee. 
By  applying  a  laser  measurement  teehtiigiie,  a  researeher 
at  the  General  Motors  Researeh  Laboratories  has  gained  new 
insight  into  the  behavior  of  the  flow. 


Mean  \t-|o<ilv 


A. 

\ 

j 

/ 

V 

-N 

) 

"" 

Intake 

Compression  | 

180 
CrnnkanKlc.  DcKrees 


T 


/•V"<  '  ll'^ti" 

i)i^inf  l(K(itti>n 


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-^| 
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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 


0 


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 


0 
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. 


0 


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 


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night) 


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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 


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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,  bool<s,  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-|Ob  experience  at  Hughes  facilities  m  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  ot  U  S    Citizensriip  Required 
Equal  Opportunily  Employer 


THE    COMMITMENT 
BEHIND  THE  PROGRAM 


Hughes  Aircraft  Company.  Corporate  Fellowship  Office.  Dept. 
BIdg.  C2/B168,  P.O.  Box  1042,  El  Segundo,  CA  90245. 

Please  consider  me  a  candidate  for  a  Hughes  Fellowship  and  send 
necessary  information  and  application  materials 

104-14, 

me  the 

CreaUng  a  nru   ucjrld  utlh  rlfilronif  ■■ 

HUGHES 

Hur,  HFC,     AiRTRAFT     COMPANY 

PLEASE  PRINT  Name 

Address 

Date 

City                                                                                 State 
1    am    interested    in   nhlaining   a                                     IVIaster's 

Zip 
Engineer   degree                                 Doctorate 

DEGREES  NOW  HELD (OR  EXPECTED) 
Rarhelor's      Date                                                      Field 
Master's   Date                                                              Field 

WRITE    YOURSELF 

.SrhnnI 
SrhnnI 

IN 

Illinois 


Technograph 


6 
10 


December  1983        Volume  99,  Issue  3 


Colossal  Computers    Rob  Busse 

The  latest  machines  from  the  supercomputer  companies  are 

executing  programs  much  faster  than  their  prototypes.  This 

kind  of  technology  creates  new  problems  that  must  be 

overcome. 

Railway  History    James  O'Hugan 
For  those  people  searching  for  nostalgia,  a  paradise  exists  in 
Union,  Illinois.  The  Illinois  Railway  Museum  offers  a  look  at 
the  past  for  both  kinds  of  engineers. 

Write  a  Thesis:  Receive  a  Degree     Tusluir  Chamlc 
Nearly  all  graduate  programs  culminate  in  the  publication  of  a 
specialized  paper.  This  process  is  understandably  mystcnous, 
ou  ing  \o  the  small  percentage  of  PhD's  in  the  country. 

Departments 

Editorial  3,  Tech  Teasers  3,  Technovisions  8,  Technotes  12. 
Technovations  13,  Tech  Profiles  15 


Editor;  Lan-y  Mallak 

Production  Editor:  Langdon  Alger 

Business  Manager:  Raymond  Highlower 

Photo  Editor:  Jane  Fiala 

Copy  Editor:  Laura  Kasper 

Asst.  Copy  Editor:  Robert  Ekhlaw 

Features  Editor:  James  O'Hagan 

Design:  Beth  Beamais 

Asst.  Design:  Karen  Peters 

Publisher:  E.  Mayer  Maloney  Jr. 
Production  Manager:  Geoff  Bant 
Adviser:  Ed  Mast 

Editorial  Staff:  Richard  Barber.  Rob  Busse. 
Jeffrey  Cain.  Tushar  Chande.  Dave 
Col  burn.  Jeff  Donofrio.  Elayne  Fletcher, 
Mary  Kay  Flick.  Jean  Gabert.  Eric  Guarin. 
James  Lee.  Brandon  Lovested.  Maiy 
McDowell.  Kirt  Nakagawa,  Jon  Riley.  Jeff 
Sargent.  Michael  Stein,  Joel  Vanden.  Bill 
Walsh.  Kevin  Wenzel.  Christopher  Wolf. 
Joseph  Wyse.  James  Yun 

Business  Staff:  Robert  Barnes.  Dahlon  Chu 


On  the  cover:  This  Illinois  Central  Gulf  locomotive  hauls  tons  of 
materials  across  the  Midwest.  Rail  transportation  has  progressed 
since  the  days  of  .steam  power,  and  rail  museums  display  these 
historical  machines. (photo  by  Jane  Fiala) 


Copynght  Illini  Publishing  Co..  1983 

Illinois  Technograph 

(USPS  2.SH-760) 

Vol  44  No  :  November  1983 

Illinois  Technograph  is  published  five  limes  during  the 
academic  year  at  the  University  of  Illinois  at  Urbana- 
Champaign 

Published  bv  Illini  Publishing  Co..  620  East  John  St.. 
Champaign,  Illinois.  61X20   Edilonal  and  Business  offices  of  k 
the  Illinois  Technograph   Rttoni  .'(12  Engineering  Hall.  Urbana. 
Illinois.  6IS01,  phone  (217)  333-3730. 

Advertising  by  Littel-Murray-Bamhill,  Inc.  1328  Broad- 
way. New  York.  N.Y..  lOOOI;  221  N.  LaSalle  Street.  Chica- 
go. 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  Engineenng  College 
Magazines  .Associated. 


Tech  Teasers 


Editorial 


1.  The  number  324  is  unusual  not 
j^^only  because  it  is  a  perfect  square 
^^(  18  X  18  =  324)  but  also  because  its  digits 
are  consecutive  integers.  What  perfect 
<^^-ube  is  comprised  of  consecutive  integers? 
'^^       2.  One  day  Mrs.  Adams  visited  Far- 
mer Brown's  vegetable  stand  to  purchase 
some  com.  After  buying  n  ears  for  m  dol- 
lars. Farmer  Brown  declared.  "If  you  buy 
10  more  ears  of  com.  I'll  give  you  all  the 
com  for  two  dollars,  and  you'll  save  80c 
per  dozen!" 

Find  the  integers  n  and  m. 

3.  In  some  ailificial  intelligence  ap- 
plications, two  pictures  are  compared  us- 
ing needle  statistics  to  see  how  closely 
they  are  alike.  If  an  image  consists  of  a 
series  of  equally  spaced  parallel  lines, 
where  the  distance  between  lines  is  a.  and 
the  needle  is  of  length  1  (=Sa).  what  is  the 
probabilitN'  that  the  needle,  if  dropped  ran- 
domly on  the  image,  will  touch  a  line?- 

4.  How  many  squares  appear  in  the 
fieure  below? 


answers  on  page  14 


Mind  Over  Body 

At  press  time,  the  Fighting  Illini 
were  ranked  si.xth  nationally  (DPI),  and 
held  the  top  spot  in  the  Big  Ten.  This  has 
almost  promised  Mike  White's  boys  a  trip 
to  the  Rose  Bowl. 

Who  are  the  Fighting  Illini?  They're 
our  classmates,  of  course.  But  we  en- 
gineers probably  won't  find  them  in  our 
classes.  Chances  are.  our  mates  south  of 
Green  won't  see  much  of  them  either. 

The  national  publicity  and  local  fer- 
vor surrounding  the  mighty  Orange  and 
Blue  men  has  spawned  a  new  wave  of 
support  for  revenue  sports.  Not  only  are 
the  crowds  packing  Memorial  Stadium, 
but  their  dollars  are  saiffing  the  coffers  of 
the  Athletic  Association. 

The  recent  rage  of  goalpost  toppling 
has  meant  no  dent  in  the  AA's  funds.  But 
the  Erlenmeyer  tlask  you  dropped  in 
Chem  Lab  last  week  will  be  tacked  on  to 
your  student  account.  Why  the  difference? 

The  AA  has  a  regular  battalion  of 
contributors  who  receive  preferential  treat- 
ment for  their  "charity."  They  are  pro- 
vided with  tickets,  parking  spaces  close  to 
the  stadium,  and  even  dinner  with  the 
team.  Academia  is  not  so  fortunate;  a  ma- 
jor portion  of  contributed  funds  must  be 
solicited.  To  motivate  the  potential  contri- 
butors, the  University  must  sell  the  educa- 
tional quality  of  its  programs.  Often,  this 
is  difficult  since  the  supporters  are  lured 
by  the  AA  with  promises  of  tickets  and 
tlie  like. 

One  clearly  receives  a  quicker  and 
more  entertaining  return  from  a  donation 
to  the  AA.  Endowments  to  academics  rel\ 
on  the  long-temi  social  benefits  afforded 
through  the  fostering  of  higher  education. 
That's  a  far  cry  from  beers  and  cheers. 

While  a  donation  to  revenue  sports 
may  help  a  team  rise  to  the  limelight, 
thereby  bringing  recognition  to  the  whole 
institution.  1  ask  that  in  1993  those  contri- 
butors check  the  status  of  the  athletes  the\' 
have  supported  in  1983.  Then  check  the 


staOis  of  several  high-caliber  engineering 
graduates  of  1983.  Some  of  the  athletes 
mav  be  lucky  enough  to  be  doing  Lite 
beer  commercials;  most  will  have  been 
punted  into  obscurity.  I  predict  that  the 
engineers  will  have  introduced  several 
new  applications  of  technology  which  will 
affect  most  segments  of  the  population. 

These  engineers  will  have  progressed 
without  being  pampered  by  an  abundant 
stack  of  dollar  bills.  Imagine  what  they 
could  have  done  if  more  dollars  had  been 
stacked  in  their  favor. 

Companies  and  foundations  are  be- 
ginning to  strengthen  their  support  for  en- 
gineering education.  Among  the  donations 
this  \ear  are  personal  computers  from  the 
National  Science  Foundation  and  CAD 
CAM  equipment  from  IBM. 

Engineering  education  must  not  be 
allowed  to  fall  as  the  goalposts  have. 
Money  can  replace  the  goalposts  to  their 
original  stature,  but  not  higher.  However, 
our  body  of  knowledge  is  incremented  by 
each  contribution  to  education;  this  body 
of  know  ledge  is  forward-chaining  and 
must  receive  continuing  support. 


d^.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  Rob  Busse 


Colossal  Computers 


"The  computers  I  design  are  very  simple.  My 
computers  just  add.  divide,  multiply  and  subtract.' 


— Seymour  R.  Cray 

Computer  Design.  Dec.  1982 


Technological  advancements  have 
created  problems  in  dealing  with  the  large 
number  of  calculations  required  for  solv- 
ing many  engineering  problems.  The  com- 
plexity of  some  problems  has  increased  to 
the  point  where  several  billion  arithmetic 
calculations  are  required  to  solve  them. 
Only  twenty  years  ago,  this  type  of  calcu- 
lating power  was  science  fiction. 

Today,  powerful  high-speed  compu- 
ters have  been  developed  which  give  the 
engineer  and  scientist  an  incredible 
amount  of  computing  power.  These  super- 
computers, of  which  only  about  a  hundred 
exist  in  the  entire  world,  incorporate  adv- 
ances in  microelectronics  and  computer 
architecture  which  were  unheard  of  when 
Sperry  Univac  delivered  the  first  commer- 
cial computer  to  the  bureau  of  the  census 
in  1931. 

To  comprehend  the  need  for  the 
more  than  100  million  arithmetic  opera- 
tions per  second,  one  must  first  under- 
stand the  types  of  problems  on  which 
these  supercomputers  work.  Supercompu- 
ters are  not  like  the  IBM's  or  Burroughs 
computers  that  sit  in  the  back  rooms  of 
banks  all  day  and  keep  records  of  deposits 
and  withdrawals.  At  100  million  opera- 
tions per  second,  a  supercomputer  could 
process  the  bank  transactions  for  a  given 
month  of  every  person  in  the  United 
States  in  well  under  an  hour.  Instead,  su- 
percomputers are  used  in  the  simulation  of 
physical  phenomena,  which  require  an 
astronomical  amount  of  calculations. 

A  typical  problem  involves  modeling 
of  the  flow  of  a  tluid  around  an  object. 
This  problem  is  important  in  aerodyna- 
mics when  the  behavior  of  air  around  an 
airtbil  or  rocket  body  is  under  study.  A 
simulation  requires  the  solution  to  a  sys- 
tem of  piirtial  differential  equations  which 
describes  the  fiuid  fiow.  Tlie  mathemati- 
cian can  prove  that  a  solution  exists,  but 


to  obtain  the  solution  within  a  reasonable 
time  period  requires  a  numerical  approx- 
imation which  only  a  supercomputer  can 
perform. 

To  solve  a  tluid  fiow  problem,  a  set 
of  three-dimensional  grid  points  around 
the  body  is  established.  Then,  to  each  of 
these  points,  the  system  of  partial  dif- 
ferential equations  is  applied  to  calculate 
the  value  at  every  grid  point.  Through  a 
series  of  successive  approximations,  the 
values  at  the  grid  points  are  calculated  un- 
til they  solve  the  system  of  equations  to  a 
specified  degree  of  accuracy. 

A  simulation  of  the  airflow  around  a 
rtx'ket  body  was  performed  on  the  llliac 
IV  in  the  late  Seventies.  The  llliac  IV,  the 
first  computer  capable  of  performing  over 
20  million  operations  per  second,  was  de- 
signed by  a  team  led  by  D.  L.  Slotnick  at 
the  University.  The  computations  con- 
sisted of  the  plot  of  a  quarter  of  a  million 
grid  points  which  described  the  airflow. 
Each  iteration  of  a  data  point  required  be- 
tween 10  and  500  operations  to  arrive  at 
the  new  data  value.  The  final  solution  re- 
quired 10"  arithmetic  operations  and  took 
the  llliac  IV  only  eighteen  hours  of  com- 
puting time  to  complete. 

There  are  currently  two  major  com- 
panies which  make  supercomputers.  Con- 
trol Data  Coiporation  manufactures  the 
Cyber  205  which  is  capable  of  200  mil- 
lion operations  per  second  with  a  central 
memory  of  four  million  64-bit  words. 
Cray  Research  makes  the  Cray-XMP, 
capable  of  200  million  to  400  million  op- 
erations per  second  with  the  same  amount 
of  memory.  Both  the  Cray-XMP  and  the 
Cyber  205  cost  between  $10  million  and 
$20  million. 

IBM,  Sperry  Univac,  Adahl,  and  a 
few  others  make  computers  which  exceed 
the  current  criteria  of  over  20  million  op- 
erations per  second  required  of  a  super- 
computer, but  they  are  not  as  advanced  as 
the  Cray-XMP  or  the  Cyber  205.  The 
llliac  IV  was  installed  at  the  Ames  Re- 
search Center  of  the  National  Aeronautics 
and  Space  Administration  in  1972  and  is 
still  considered  the  fastest  computer  for 
certain  calculations,  even  though  it  was 
dismantled  over  two  years  ago. 

The  high  speeds  of  supercomputers 
have  been  obtained  in  part  through  adv- 


ances in  microelectronic  technok)gy.  The 
first  primitive  computers  of  the  1950"s        ^^ 
were  slow  machines  with  gate  delays  of    |^B 
10,000  nanoseconds.  With  the  invention 
of  the  transistor,  this  time  was  cut  to 
under  100  nanoseconds  and  new  develop-| 
ments  in  integrated  circuits  have  decreasec 
the  time  of  a  gate  delay  to  under  10 
nanoseconds,  and.  in  some  instances,  as 
for  emitter  coupled  logic  (ECL),  to  under 
1  nanosecond.  Advances  in  gallium  arse- 
nide technology  promise  even  shorter  gate 
delays  since  electrons,  the  main  carriers  of 
electronic  signals  in  most  computer  mic- 
roelectronics, move  three  to  ten  times  fas- 
ter in  gallium  arsenide  than  in  silicon. 

When  gate  delays  are  decreased  be- 
low one  nanosecond,  the  propagation  time 
between  chips  becomes  important.  Light 
travels  at  a  speed  of  0.3  to  0.9  feet  per 
second  in  wire,  so  the  difference  in  prop- 
agation times  between  a  three  foot  and  a 
one  foot  wire  can  affect  the  merall  speed 
of  the  computer.  In  the  Cray- 1 .  the  w  ire 
lengths  were  kept  to  less  than  four  feet 
and  in  the  newest  Cray  computer,  the 
Cray-2,  they  will  be  not  be  any  longer 
than  16  inches. 

Off-chip  propagation  delay  is  also 
sht>rtened  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 


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from  page  3 


Tech  Teasers  Answers 

1.  203 '  =  8365427. 

2.  The  original  price  per  dozen  can  be  given  by  p=  i2nvn. 
Also. 

[(n+  l())/12](p-.8)  =  2. 

Combining  these  equations  gives; 

[(n+  l()),i^2|(l2ni/n-.8)  =  2. 

Solving  lor  iii  in  terms  of  n  results  in: 

m  =  n(n  +  40)/[l5(n+  10)]. 

Since  n  and  m  must  be  integers  greater  than  zero,  (n.m)  must  be 

(5.1)  or  (50.6).  the  first  being  the  only  reasonable  proposition. 

3.  The  probability  will  equal  2[L'(a-iT)]. 
4.67. 


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14 


Tech  Profiles 


Judy  Liebman  received  her  Ph.  D. 
from  Johns  Hopkins  in  industrial  engineer- 
ing and  operations  research  (IE/OR),  after 
having  received  a  bachelor's  degree  in 
physics.  She  is  currently  an  associate  pro- 
fessor of  lEOR  here  at  the  Uni\'ersity. 

Liebman  views  the  involvement  of 
the  IE  profession  in  the  "  "current  trend  in 
automation  leading  to  enormous  amounts 
of  information  in  computer-readable  data 
bases.  The  analytical  techniques  of  indust- 
rial engineering  will  tlnd  increasingly 
wide  use.""  She  foresees  the  power  of 
artificial  intelligence  in  management  deci- 
sion making  and  in  operations  research 
models. 

Her  advice  to  students  interested  in 
IE  OR  is  to  tack  a  master's  degree  to  the 
undergraduate  education;  this  gives  the 
student  additional  technical  knowledge  to 
handle  real-life  problems.  Tlie  student 
could  eventualK  get  an  MBA  in  order  to 
obtain  managerial  skills,  important  if  he 
or  she  wishes  to  become  a  project  mana- 
ger or  top  executive. 

Liebman's  hobbies  fall  into  two  cate- 

k;ories:  those  for  which  she  has  time  and 
hose  for  which  she  does  not.  Bird  watch- 
ing, reading,  and  vegetable  gardening  fall 
into  the  former  category,  while  golfing. 

k laying  classical  piano,  and  gourmet 
ooking  make  up  the  latter. 

Lam  MaUak 


Joseph  M.  Crowley  graduated  from 
MIT  with  a  bachelor's  degree  in  electrical 
engineering  in  1962.  He  received  his  mas- 
ter's and  Ph.  D.  degrees  in  electrical  en- 
gineering from  MIT  in  1963  and  1965. 
respectively. 

Professor  Crowley  has  been  u  ith  the 
University  since  1966.  Currently,  he 
teaches  EE  330  (Electromechanics)  and 
EE  356  (Applied  Electrostatics). 

In  the  past.  Crowley  has  been  in- 
volved in  the  development  of  new- 
methods  for  pumping  cooling  oil  at  low 
pressures  to  underground  power  cables. 

Crowley's  research  interests  combine 
the  fields  of  electrostatics  and  bioengineer- 
ing.  His  latest  research  involves  an  elec- 
trostatic process  of  sorting  cells,  such  as 
blood  cells.  In  this  process,  cells  are  pas- 
sed single-file  through  a  machine  where  a 
laser  beam  is  directed  at  each  cell.  The 
fluorescence  spectrum  of  the  cell  is  then 
automatically  analyzed  to  determine  if  the 
cell  has  the  properties  which  are  being 
studied.  The  machine  will  then  electrosta- 
tically divert  those  cells  to  a  separate  con- 
tainer. These  samples  are  very  useful  in 
medical  and  biological  research. 

Presently,  it  may  take  as  long  as 
eight  to  ten  hours  to  process  a  single  sam- 
ple. Professor  Crowley  hopes  to  reduce 
this  time  and  thus  reduce  the  cost  per 
sample. 

Richard  Barber 


Adriaan  J.  de  Witte  joined  the  Mining 
Engineering  department  in  1961.  Prior  to 
this  he  did  geophysical  research  in  the 
petroleum  industry.  The  University  sought 
de  Witte  to  participate  in  a  new  program 
to  include  all  types  of  geophysics.  Unfor- 
tunately, because  of  administrational  diffi- 
culties, the  program  never  got  off  the 
ground. 

Currently,  de  Witte  teaches  Min  E 
302  (Political.  Economic,  and  Environ- 
mental Aspects  of  Minerals  and  Their  Uti- 
lization). Before  he  took  over  the  class  in 
the  late  I960's.  it  concerned  the  econo- 
mics of  minerals.  Originally,  de  Witte 
was  reluctant  to  teach  the  class,  but  he 
realized  the  opportunity  to  expand  it  to  in- 
clude the  political  and  environmental 
aspects  of  minerals.  At  the  time.  en\  iron- 
mentalism  was  not  very  populai.  Howev- 
er, after  The  Year  of  the  Earth  was  de- 
clared in  1971.  there  was  increased 
awareness  to  environmental  problems  and 
Min  E  302  became  ver\'  popular. 

Professor  de  Witte  keeps  the  class  in- 
teresting and  up  to  date  b\  introducing 
current  events  and  issues.  He  tnes  to  con- 
vey to  the  students  that  the  earth  should 
be  understood  and  worked  with,  but  not 
conquered. 

Jane  Fiala 


15 


WHODin 
A23^rEAIM)U> 
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! 


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media  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  620  E.  John 
Street,  Champaign,  IL  61820  (21 7)  333-3733. 


mini  Publishing  Company 


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Technograph 


flfiTi, 

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Come  join  other  engineering  students,  men  and 
women  in  comfortable  living  at 

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House 


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the  engineering  campus  at  the  University  of 

Illinois  with  air  conditioning. 

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•  Reasonable  Rates 

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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. 

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At  Hewlett-Packard  we  place  special 
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What  we  have  to  offer  are  diverse, 
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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 
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Whp\  HEWLETT 
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An  Equal  Opporlunitv  Affirmative  Action  Employer. 


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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 

0 


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. 

0 

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 


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I 

HUGHES     AIRCRAFT     COMPAN'. 


City 

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in  the  field  of   _  _. 

DEGREES  NOW  HELD (OR  EXPECTED) 

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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 0  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 

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•  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. 


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» 


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     0 


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<e  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 


April  1984  Volume  99,  Issue  5 

Newsstand  $1 .25 


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220A  MAIN  LIBKAKY 

UiMV     OF     ILL 

ATTN:     S.    GLAOHILL 

CA"lPUb 


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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 
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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 


0 


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 


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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 

0 

-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     0    •     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. 


• 


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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    " 
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reer  that  brings  out  your  best ...  a        fields  as  materials  handling,  equip- 
career  that  offers  challenge  aad        ment  layout,  piping  system  develop-- 
room  for  growth  both  personally  ^     merit,  ^team  generation,  compressed 
and  professionally  :!vy  j.  .'^ir  syitems,  ventilation,  heating  and-- 

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people  for  over  one  hundred  years,  i?    RS-E-E's,—,  you  will  b^  involved  ih 
with  stimulating  projects  and  a  coq^-     li»uch"ih^as  'as  electrical  machine 
mitment  to  quality  that;,inspiFes  suV '  '  design  anci  application,  power distrjsi^ 
perior  achieveVient.  '         ^  ^  bution,  sub-station  layout  along\vitlT| 

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your  best  at  Anheuser-Busch  by 
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they  come  to  your  campus. 
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Letters 


Tech  Teasers 


A  call  for  pizza-cutting  pizazz 

To  the  editor. 

Regarding  the  tlrst  Tech  Teaser  of 
April  1984,  I've  seen  thin-crust  pizzas  be- 
fore, but  your  pie  takes  the  cake:  it's  two- 
dimensional!  I  offer  some  cutting  remarks: 
consider  cutting  between  the  crust  and  its 
covering.  Continue  with  three  more  care- 
fully contrived  cuts.  Contemptible!  But  I 
count  14. 

Dave  Fathauer 

(A  crusty  old  codger) 

Editor's  note:  AcUially,  one  should  order 
deep-dish  pizza  for  an  even  more  interest- 
ing answer.  Then  with  only  four  straight 
cuts  it  can  be  divided  into  a  total  of  fif- 
teen pieces,  as  seen  below: 


1.  The  Tcchnoiiraph  is  proud  to  be- 
latedly present  the  official  teaser  of  the 
1 984  Los  Angeles  Summer  Olympic 
Games. 


In  the  above  configuration,  how 
many  ways  can  the  digits  be  arranged  so 
that: 

a)  No  two  digits  in  one  circle  will 
be  in  one  circle 

b)  No  three  digits  in  two  linked 
circles  will  be  in  two  linked  circles 

C)  No  four  digits  in  three  linked 
circles  will  be  in  three  linked  circles 

d)  No  five  digits  in  four  linked 
circles  will  be  in  four  linked  circles. 

2.  The  muscles  of  the  human  body 
produce  sound  waves.  At  what  frequency 
is  this  sound? 

3.  When  Noah  was  letting  the  anim- 
als off  of  the  ark.  he  instructed  them  to 
go  forth  and  multiply.  All  of  the  creatures 
willingly  agreed  until  he  got  to  the 
snakes. 

"We're  adders,"  they  protested. 
"We  can't  multiply." 

There  was  a  forest  nearby.  Noah  in- 
structed them  to  cut  down  some  trees  and 
make  a  table  from  them.  How  would  this 
solve  their  problem? 

4.  A  space  shuttle  of  the  far  distant 
future  makes  stops  at  eight  lunar  resorts. 
How  many  different  tickets  must  be 
printed  up  to  to  take  care  of  all  one  way 
journeys,  including  any  stop-overs  that 
might  be  requested? 

5.  Every  engineer  in  a  certain  group 
belongs  to  at  least  one  of  these  categories: 
those  who  always  wear  their  calculators 
on  their  belts,  those  who  always  wear 
pocket  protectors,  and  those  whose  pants 
are  invariably  three  inches  too  short. 

In  the  group  there  are  10  engineers 
who  are  never  parted  from  their  calcula- 
tors, 12  who  never  have  to  worry  about 
pen  marks  on  their  pockets,  and  13  who 


wear  Hoods.  Now,  three  engineers  carr>' 
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 
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ing 12  months:  1077-  Free  distribution  preceding  12  months:  3423,  No 
copies  distributed  to  news  agents  Total  distribution  pnsceding  12 
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distribution  460O  No  paid  circulation  through  dealers  or  carriers. 
Actual  Apnl  mail  subscription:  1073,  Free  distribution  at  the  Engmecr- 
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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 


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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 


Yoiflredeep  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^wKere^gyOT  Z-^ 

move  around  thCworM,  you'll" 

be  moving  up  in  yourcareer"" 

and  in  the  Navy.       "       '     '^ 

^^  Find  out  moreaboutan  .^== 

-exci^ 

start  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 


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almost. 

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610  the  store  with  art  supplies 
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610  the  store  with  school  supplies 
610  the  store  with  everything. 


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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 
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informed  decisions,  and  reaching  defined  goals.  In  short. 


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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. 

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Y     0     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 

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WRITE    YOURSELF 

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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 


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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<s 

Illinois  may  soon  be  joined  by  its 
northern  sister  school  as  providers  of  pub- 
lic engineering  education.  The  Illinois 
Board  of  Regents  has  approved  a  plan  that 
would  offer  an  engineering  program  at 
Northern  Illinois  University  in  DeKalb, 
Illinois  by  as  early  as  1985. 

Northern  plans  to  initially  offer 
bachelor's  and  master's  degrees  in  mecha- 
nical and  electrical  engineering  and  later 
phase  in  an  industrial  engineering  curricu- 
lum. Also  proposed  are  off-campus  en- 
gineering technology  programs  to  provide 
options  for  many  northem  lUinois  industry 
employees. 

The  proposal  is  scheduled  for  consid- 
eration by  the  Illinois  Board  of  Higher 
Education  later  this  year.  The  three  year 
start-up  cost  is  estimated  at  SI. 9  million, 
which  would  provide  for  new  faculty 
px)sitions.  equipment,  instructional  and  re- 
search laboratories,  and  general  operating 
support. 

The  proposed  new  course  offerings 
would  be  concentrated  at  the  junior  and 
senior  levels  to  make  the  program  espe- 
cially attractive  to  junior  college  transfer 
students  who  complete  their  pre- 
engineering  requirements  in  area  commun- 
ity colleges.  If  the  proposals  are  im- 
plemented fully.  NIU  would  have  440 
undergraduates  and  80  graduate  students 
enroUed  by  1990. 

Northern's  administrators  hope  to 
capitalize  upon  what  they  perceive  as  a 
need  for  more  engineering  education  in 
the  western  Chicago  suburbs  and  Rock- 
ford  area,  where  there  is  a  large  amount 
of  high-tech  industry.  They  feel  their 
program  could  be  instrumental  in  the  in- 
dustrial development  of  these  regions  as 
there  are  no  engineering  schools  in  the 
northem  part  of  the  state. 

Dean  Twice  IHonored 

Newh  appointed  Civil  Engineering 
Department  Head  William  T.  Hall  was 
presented  with  the  Nathan  M.  Newmark 


and  Ernest  E.  Howard  Awards  by  the 
American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers.  Hall 
is  the  first  engineer  to  be  honored  with 
both  distinctions. 

The  Newmark  Award  is  presented 
for  innovative  theoretical  contributions  to 
the  field  of  structural  mechanics.  The 
award  was  established  in  1975  to  honor 
the  memory  of  Newmark,  a  prominent  en- 
gineer and  former  Illinois  C.  E.  depart- 
ment head.  Newmark  was  a  teacher  and 
colleague  of  Hall's.  Hall  is  the  first  Uni- 
versity winner  of  this  award. 

This  marked  the  third  time  a  Uni- 
versity researcher  has  been  recognized 
with  the  Howard  Award.  It  is  presented 
for  contributions  to  the  advancement  of 
structural  engineering  through  analysis  and 
design  of  buildings. 

"To  win  one  of  these  awards  is  a 
tremendous  accomplishment,"  said  Nar- 
bey  Khachaturian,  Associate  Head  of 
Civil  Engineering.  "It  is  quite  a  distinc- 
tion to  win  both  and  shows  the  range  of 
his  activities." 

A  University  of  Kansas  graduate, 
Hall  received  his  master's  degree  and 
Ph.D.  from  Illinois,  where  he  joined  the 
faculty  in  1949.  Since  1964.  he  has 
served  as  principal  consultant  in  develop- 
ing and  reviewing  design  criteria  for  nuc- 
lear power  plants  and  associated  equip- 
ment for  the  regulatory  agencies  and  in- 
dustry. He  has  been  a  consultant  for  the 
Trans- Alaska  Pipeline,  the  Westem  Li- 
quified Natural  Gas  Terminal,  and  the  M- 
X  missile  system. 

Harris  Donates  Computer 

Harris  Corporation  has  presented  the 
Civil  Engineering  Department  with  a  Har- 
ris 800  super-mini  computer  to  strengthen 
the  department's  computing  power. 

The  new  computer  will  be  used  pri- 
marily for  research  in  structural  mechanics 
and  engineering  to  aid  specific  faculty  and 
graduate  research  projects,  and  for  use  by 
some  undergraduates,  according  to  Wil- 
liam J.  Hall,  head  of  the  department. 

"This  gift  from  Harris  Corporation  is 
evidence  of  the  high  regard  they  have  for 
the  University  of  Illinois,"  said  Hall.  "It 
is  another  good  example  of  how  industry 


and  the  University  are  cooperating  to  pro- 
vide an  important  learning  tool  for  our 
faculty  and  students  in  high  technology 
areas." 

The  system  includes  a  suf)er-mini 
computer,  disk  drives,  a  printer,  16  ter- 
minals, and  a  range  of  programs. 

"Increased  computing  power  at  the 
University  of  Dlinois  should  enhance  the 
teaching  of  advanced  engineering  and  sci- 
ence," said  Gene  T.  Wicker,  vice  presi- 
dent and  general  manager  of  the  Harris 
Broadcast  Division. 

"The  young  men  and  women  at  the 
U.  of  I.  wU  play  a  major  role  in  further- 
ing today's  technology,  and  we  believe 
this  high-performance  computer  can 
help."  continued  Wicker.  "We  consider  it 
an  investment — to  educate  tomorrow's 
leaders  and  to  further  specialized  re- 
search." 

Computer  Jocks 

The  U.S.  Olympic  Committee  has 
established  the  Sports  Equipment  and 
Technology  Committee  (SETC)  to  de- 
velop improved  equipment  for  athletes. 

In  the  past,  U.S.  athletes  have  fared 
very  poorly  in  "high  technology"  sports. 
In  a  sUidy  of  the  1976  Montreal  Summer 
Olympics  and  the  1980  Lake  Placid  Win- 
ter Olympics,  it  was  found  that  the  U.S. 
won  no  gold  medals  in  high  tech  sports 
such  as  canoeing  and  luge.  They  won  10 
gold  medals  in  medium  technology  sports 
like  archery  and  ice  hockey,  while  win- 
ning 30  golds  in  track  and  field  and  other 
low  tech  sports.  The  committee  was  cre- 
ated in  response  to  the  athletes'  expressed 
need  to  compete  more  successfully  in  high 
tech  sports. 

The  SETC  has  a  10  point  action 
program  which  includes  getting  feedback 
from  coaches  and  athletes  on  superior 
pieces  of  equipment,  and  the  problems  or 
limitations  of  current  equipment.  The  im- 
provement in  equipment  will  place  equal 
emphasis  on  increased  performance  and 
safety. 

Mary  McDowell 


11 


Jim  O'Hagan 


The  Hard  Selling 
of  Software 


The  computer  market  outlook  for  the  future  Is 
bright  Market  analysts  expect  the  field  to  grow  by 
over  thirty  percent  a  year,  reaching  $30  billion  by 
the  end  ot  1988. 


Every  engineering  student  realizes 
the  impact  of  computers  on  the  consumer 
market.  For  uses  varying  from  video 
games  and  recipe  hsts  to  corporate  man- 
agement aids  and  statistical  analysis,  per- 
sonal computers  and  the  software  needed 
to  operate  them  have  appeared  throughout 
the  American  marketplace. 

With  this  boom,  the  quantity  of  com- 
puter packages  now  retailing  has  soared, 
as  has  the  number  of  firms  dealing  in  the 
business.  With  the  huge  quantity  of  soft- 
ware now  entering  the  marketplace,  com- 
petition for  the  consumer  doUar  is  para- 
mount. Thus  enters  marketing. 

Early  in  the  growth  of  the  personal 
computer  business,  many  small  software 
companies  were  able  to  survive  merely  by 
developing  advanced  software  designs. 
David  Wagman  of  Softset  Computer  Pro- 
ducts explains  that  this  is  no  longer  the 
case,  as  both  a  strong  product  and  a 
strong  marketing  direction  are  now  vital. 

One  example  is  Lotus  Development 
Coiporation  which  recently  spent  over  $1 
million  just  to  launch  its  first  product. 
This  advertising  budget  not  only  made  the 
Lotus  1 — 2 — 3  package  enormously  suc- 
cessful, but  has  prompted  other  companies 
to  follow  suit.  In  fact,  the  cost  of  entering 
a  new  software  product  into  today's  mar- 
ket is  estimated  at  nearly  S8  million  by 
the  president  of  Ashton-Tate,  developers 
of  the  dBase  II  program. 

This  marketing  has  taken  on  several 
forms.  The  most  traditional,  and  still  im- 
portant, method  is  simply  the  develop- 
ment of  a  superior  product.  Even  this 
method,  however,  is  being  approached  in 


new  directions.  One  company,  Wyly  Cor- 
poration, had  its  staff  of  salesmen  instruct 
programmers  on  the  needs  of  their  cus- 
tomers. As  a  result,  a  $20  million  effort 
to  revamp  their  software  line  was  under- 
taken. 

Other  methods  of  selling  computer 
products  have  not  been  connected  with  the 
technical  side  of  computer  programming 
at  all.  Hewlett-Packard  recently  hired  a 
staff  of  market  researchers  from  General 
Mills,  and  a  former  President  of  Pepsi- 
Cola  now  works  for  Apple.  By  bringing 
in  professionals  familiar  with  the  subtleties 
of  sales  and  advertising,  these  corpora- 
tions hope  to  compete  more  successfully. 

This  large  flux  of  marketing  takes  its 
first  aim  in  advertising.  Advertising  now 
can  be  used  especially  well  because  the 
publishing  industry  has  been  quick  to 
adopt  itself  to  the  growing  computer  in- 
dustry. In  1980.  there  were  500  books  on 
personal  computing  being  published;  today 
there  are  over  4200.  More  importantly. 
300  personal  computing  magazines  are  in 


Software  marketing 
has  brought  quite  an 
assortment  of 
packaging  styles  to 
the  computer 
consumer,  (photo  by 
Dave  Colburn) 


circulation.  The  November,  1983,  issue  of 
Byte,  a  McGraw-Hill  published  magazine 
for  computer  hobbyists,  was  the  thickest 
magazine  of  all  time  with  742  pages,  pri- 
marily due  to  advertising. 

Originally  reserved  for  trade  maga- 
zines, computer  advertising  has  grown  to 
become  a  significant  portion  of  revenue 
for  most  major  magazines,  and  has  ex- 
tended to  television  as  well.  IBM  has 
chosen  Charlie  Chaplin  as  its  symbol, 
seeking  to  emphasize  the  humanizing 
appeal  of  a  work-saving  PC.  Meanwhile, 
Apple  Industries  has  attempted  to  portray 
IBM  as  George  Orwell's  character  Big 

continued  on  page  14 


12 


Technovations 


Under  the  Big  Top 

The  newest  trend  in  roofing 
architecture  wUl  be  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  International  Stadium  in 
Riyadh,  Saudi  Arabia.  A  fabric  roof, 
manufactured  by  the  Chemical  Fabrics 
Corporation,  will  be  used  to  cover  the 
11.5  acre  stadium.  The  stadium  wUl  be 
the  largest,  most  complex  single  tensioned 
structure  in  the  world;  it  is  scheduled  for 
completion  by  mid- 1986. 

The  extreme  environmental  condi- 
tions found  in  Saudi  Arabia  precluded  the 
use  of  traditional  roofing  systems.  The 
architects  also  wanted  to  comply  with  in- 
ternational sports  regulations  which  re- 
quire available  natural  light  for  certain 
sporting  events.  Many  possible  designs, 
including  a  steel  arch  system,  were  consi- 
dered, but  the  tensioned  fabric  roof 
proved  to  be  the  most  dramatic  and  cost 
effective  solution. 

The  architectural  fabric  is  translucent 
in  order  to  allow  illumination  of  the  sta- 
dium by  sunlight,  but  it  also  has  a  high 
degree  of  reflectivity  to  block  out  exces- 
sive heat  and  light.  This  reduces  the  solar 
heat  gain  which  increases  spectator  com- 
fort. The  pre-stressed  fabric  is  coated  with 
Teflon,  making  it  a  self-cleaning  surface. 

Slip  Slidin'  Away 

The  large  scale  erosion  of  miles  of 
U.S.  shoreline  each  year  has  seemed  to  be 
an  insurmountable  problem.  Sandbags,  re- 
taining walls,  and  valiant  Dutch  boys 
have  been  the  traditional  solutions.  Now 
Reservco  Inc.  manufactures  a  product  cal- 
led Armormat  which  could  provide  a  long 
term,  economical  solution. 

Invented  by  Raymond  J.  O'Neill, 
Armormat  is  a  system  of  interlocking  high 
strength  concrete  modules  specifically  de- 
signed for  soil  stabilization  and  hydraulic 
engineering  structures  that  must  resist  the 


erosive  effects  of  water,  storm  driven 
waves,  turbulent  flows,  high  velocity  cur- 
rent, and  sheet  ice.  The  tri-directional  in- 
terlock shape  of  the  module  provides  high 
stability,  flexibility  and  permeability, 
while  its  surface  baffles  dissipate  wave 
energy. 

The  module  derives  its  stability  from 
alternating  layers  of  metallic  strips  and 
compacted  soU  in  frictional  association. 
Because  of  this  inherent  stability,  no  mas- 
sive foundation  is  needed.  Armormat 
minimizes  the  buildup  of  foul  smelling 
debris  in  waterfront  installations  and  re- 
duces the  likelihood  of  rodent  infestation 
found  in  open  face  structures. 

In  use  since  1981,  Armormat  mod- 
ules have  been  used  in  more  than  a  dozen 
locations  in  New  Jersey  and  New  York. 
A  recently  completed  installation  in 
Lxjuisiana,  where  a  highway  was  being 
rapidly  eroded  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
withstood  two  major  storms  with  no  sus- 
tained damage. 

Patent  Processing  Expedited 

A  new  multi-million  dollar  system 
for  patent  application  processing  could 
speed  the  processing  period  by  7  months. 
This  would  represent  a  dramatic  improve- 
ment in  the  processing  time  which  is  cur- 
rently 25  months. 

The  Commerce  Department's  Patent 
and  Trademark  Office  has  selected  a  team 
consisting  of  Planning  Research  Corpora- 
tion (PRO  and  Chemical  Abstracts  Ser- 
vice (CAS)  representatives  to  develop  and 
install  the  new  system.  PRC  will  design, 
engineer,  and  integrate  the  system,  while 
CAS  will  provide  much  of  the  software. 

The  system  is  being  developed  and 
installed  in  three  stages.  The  first  of  the 
15  areas  of  technology  into  which  the  Pa- 
tent Office  is  divided  will  be  automated 
by  the  end  of  this  year.  Following  evalua- 
tion, the  remaining  14  areas  will  be  auto- 
mated by  1987.  In  the  third  stage  the  sys- 
tem wUl  be  expanded  to  include  the  pub- 
lic search  room  and  the  Patent  Depository 
Libraries.  Future  goals  include  links  to 
European  and  Japanese  patent  offices. 

The  automated  patent  system  will 
use  software  developed  by  CAS  over  the 
past  10  years  for  its  own  operations,  in- 


cluding programs  for  recording  and  sear- 
ching chemical  structure  diagrams,  text 
searching,  database  management,  and 
computer-directed  photocomposition. 
Additional  software  will  be  developed  by 
CAS  and  PRC,  and  some  will  be  pro- 
cured commercially. 

The  U.S.  Patent  and  Trademark 
Office  has  25  million  documents  on  file 
and  expects  that  figure  to  double  by  the 
end  of  the  century.  It  receives  20,000 
documents  a  day  and  under  its  current 
system  can  only  process  approximately 
100,000  patent  applications  a  year. 

Lifesize  Video  Games 

Tactical  fighters  and  other  future  air- 
craft may  have  their  first  taste  of  action  in 
a  $53  million  simulation  center  being  con- 
structed by  Lockheed-Cahfomia  Company 
that  can  duplicate  a  realistic  flight  en- 
vironment complete  with  enemy  threats, 
engine  noise,  and  storm  fronts. 

The  new  Weapons  Systems  Simula- 
tor Center  (WSSC),  designed  to  develop 
the  next  generation  of  tactical  airborne 
weapons  systems  and  other  concepts,  is 
expected  to  be  fully  operational  by  early 
1987.  The  center  will  allow  Lockheed 
pilots  to  electronically  fly  new  aircraft 
concepts  and  eventually  enable  engineers 
to  design  high  performance  airborne  sys- 
tems using  the  infomiaton  obtained  from 
the  simulations  and  evaluations. 

The  main  component  of  the  WSSC 
will  be  a  tactical  mission  simulator  where 
engineers  can  realistically  simulate  nearly 
any  type  of  flight  mission  from  takeoff  to 
landing,  employing  advanced  electronic 
systems  and  lifelike  air  combat  situations. 

Mary  McDowell 


13 


continued  from  page  10 


continued  from  page  12 


power,  these  devices  can  be  rotated  to  positions  that  will  help 
diminish  the  turbulence  around  a  structure. 

Another  idea  utilizes  two  skyscrapers  with  a  cable  stretched 
between  them.  The  structures  would  be  designed  to  have 
different  natural  frequencies  of  vibration  so  that  they  would 
seldom  sway  in  identical  directions  at  the  same  time.  Because  of 
the  different  frequencies,  there  would  be  times  when  the 
buildings  would  move  away  from  each  other.  At  these  moments 
drag  would  be  added  to  the  cable,  damping  the  acceleration  of 
the  buildings.  Likewise,  as  the  high-rises  moved  towards  each 
other  slack  would  be  taken  up  in  the  cable.  Overall,  applying 
drag  and  taking  up  slack  would  suppress  the  motion  of  both 
buildings. 

Klein  draws  an  analogy  between  this  technique  and  a 
struggle  between  a  fisherman  and  a  tlsh.  The  fish  is  difficult  to 
reel  in  when  it  is  moving  away  from  the  fisherman,  so  the 
fisherman  puts  drag  on  the  line  to  wear  down  the  fish. 
Conversely,  when  the  fish  moves  toward  the  man,  the  line  can 
easily  be  reeled  in.  Thus  the  fish  is  efficiently  reeled  in  to  the 
ideal  position — the  fisherman's  hand.  Similarly,  the  cable  system 
could  keep  the  buildings  in  ideally  vertical  positions. 

To  reap  the  full  benefits  of  this  technique,  the  buildings 
must  be  specifically  designed  to  use  it.  Ideally,  each  strucnire 
would  be  non-symmetrical  and  have  a  different  natural  frequency 
of  movement  than  its  partner.  Unlike  a  symmetrical  building,  the 
cabled  ones  would  tend  to  have  all  of  their  motions  coupled. 

In  other  words,  motion  in  one  direction,  such  as 
north-south  or  east-west,  or  a  twisting  of  the  building,  could 
affect  motions  in  the  other  directions.  The  force  applied  by  the 
stretched  cable  would  then  control  motion  in  all  directions. 
Skyscrapers,  such  as  the  Twin  Trade  Towers,  could  not  easily 
be  used  because  they  are  symmetrical  and  identical  to  each 
other,  and  would  thus  have  uncoupled  motions  and  have 
identical  periods. 

What  is  the  future  like  for  Klein's  idea?  One  should  note 
that  TMD's  have  only  been  used  to  make  the  occupants  of 
high-rises  more  comfortable.  Neither  TMD's  nor  Klein's  idea  of 
semi-active  control  have  been  seriously  considered  to  provide  the 
major  means  of  support  in  a  structure.  As  with  any  new 
technology,  semi-active  control  must  be  accepted  by  those  who 
use  it. 

Since  this  technique  has  never  been  tried  before,  it  has 
many  risks  which  may  be  impossible  to  determine.  City  building 
codes  would  have  to  be  changed  to  allow  the  use  of  less  steel  in 
the  skyscraper.  Engineers  can  not  yet  test  such  a  configuration 
because  no  wind  tunnels  exist  which  can  create  the  appropriate 
slow  wind  speeds,  and  because  the  actual  elastic  behavior  of  a 
structure  cannot  be  scaled  down. 

Klein  does  believe,  however,  that  in  several  decades  the 
need  for  skyscrapers  twice  as  tall  as  the  Sears  Tower  will  be 
greater.  This  will  be  especially  true  in  cities  such  as  Hong  Kong 
and  Singapore  where  available  land  is  extremely  limited.  Only 
then  will  these  new  ideas  be  attempted.  ■ 


Brother  through  a  $400,000  television  commercial  produced  by 
the  creator  of  the  movies  "Alien"  and  "Blade  Runner." 

Another  idea,  adopted  by  Epson  in  an  attempt  to  gain  more 
shelf  space  for  their  prcxlucts,  consists  of  marketing  a  small  tele- 
vision set  to  build  name  recognition.  Named  the  Elf,  the  televi- 
sion consists  of  a  2  inch  diagonal,  color  liquid  crystal  display 
(LCD)  screen.  By  marketing  it  with  the  Epson  logo,  the  firm 
hopes  to  gain  familiarity  among  retailers  which  will  in  turn  help 
computer  sales. 

Publicity  stunts  have  also  been  attempted  by  some  com- 
panies in  an  effort  to  gain  name  recognition,  and  thus  sales. 
Atari,  for  instance,  offers  one  800  XL  computer  for  3125  Alpha- 
Bits  cereal  proof-of-purchase  coupons. 

Another  approach  for  gaining  sales  is  the  attempt  to  make 
the  software  easier  to  understand.  MicroPro  International  Cor- 
poration does  this  by  hiring  journalists  to  write  instruction  manu- 
als for  today's  less  technical  customers. 

A  similar  effort  is  being  made  by  some  firms  to  get  new 
software  products  onto  store  shelves.  By  combining  efforts  with 
book  publishers,  who  are  also  entering  the  market,  software 
firms  have  been  able  to  take  advantage  of  traditional  book  dis- 
tribution channels.  This  makes  it  possible  to  put  new  products 
directly  into  established  stores  rather  than  having  to  compete 
with  other  firms  in  sales  to  retailers. 

Yet  perhaps  the  biggest  tool  which  computer  firms  have  is 
the  influence  of  computers  on  modem  teaching.  When  a  student 
learns  to  use  a  computer  by  operating  one  at  school,  he  is  likely 
to  lobby  his  parents  to  purchase  the  same  type  for  use  at  home. 
Apple  chairman  Steven  Jobs  offered  a  free  Apple  lie  computer 
to  every  grade  school  and  high  school  in  the  United  States  in 
return  for  federal  tax  credits — ^but  Congress  refused  the  offer. 

IBM  has  been  following  a  similar  plan  on  the  college  level 
for  3  decades.  By  giving  universities  a  discount  rate  or  free 
equipment,  it  increased  sales  to  higher  education  facilities.  IBM 
then  benefits  when  these  students  graduate  and  become  influen- 
tial in  industrial  purchase  plans. 

As  the  computer  industry  has  expanded,  the  non-technical 
aspects  of  the  market  have  received  greater  emphasis.  Yet  de- 
spite this  change  in  priorities,  the  demand  for  quality  program- 
ming has  continued  to  grow,  resulting  in  a  promising  future  for 
aspiring  firms  and  individuals.  ■ 


0 


14 


Tech  Profiles 


• 

^^r 


9 


Michael  H.  Pleck.  an  associate  profes- 
sor of  general  engineering,  earned  B.S., 
M.S..  and  Ph.D.  degrees  in  mechanical 
engineering  from  the  Universit>'.  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 

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Naval  and  Marine  Corps 

Aviation 
Surface  Warfare 
U.S.  Marine  Corps 


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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 


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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 

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•  Reciprocal  Agreement  with  U  of  I 

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Phone  344-4957 


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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 


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Exceptional  Technology. 
Schlumberger. 


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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  THE  FUTURE  IN  YOUR  IIIIW? 


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- 
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reer  that  brings  out  your  best ...  a        fields  as  materials  handling,  equip- 
career  that  offers  challenge  and        ment  layout,  piping  system  develop- 
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and  professionally.  ly  '        air  systems,  ventilation,  heating  and' 

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OurpDrporate  Engineering  De- 
pantment  offers  BSEEs  and  BSMEs 
th^'app8rtuiiH)-to  become  involved 
in  an  environment  that  is  project- 
oriented  and  presents  the  challenge 
of  taking  the  project  from  concep- 
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Find  out  how  you  can  bring  out 
your  best  at  Anheuser-Busch  by 
speaking  with  our  recruiters  when 
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0 

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• 

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 


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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) 


0 


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 
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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] 

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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  around  theworM,-you-ll' 
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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.'"  <IS89-90l 

Women  Set  PreSWEdent 

"A  nev\  venture  in  student  organiza- 
tion is  being  launched  on  our  campus.  At 
one  time,  architecture  and  engineering 
were  considered  fields  for  men  only. 
However,  this  is  no  longer  the  case,  but 
many  of  the  old  misgivings  and  pred- 
judices  remain.  In  order  to  help  overcome 
these  and  obtain  for  themselves  the  recog- 
nition that  they  feel  they  rightly  deserve, 
the  feminine  architectural  and  engineering 
students  on  the  campus  have  organized. 

"The  group  is  known  as  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Women  Student  Architects  and 
Engineers.  The  announced  purpose  is  "to 
promote  friendship  and  understanding 
among  women  engineering  students,  the 
faculty,  and  our  profession.'  This  is  to  be 
pnmarily  a  professional  organization,  but 
it  is  hoped  that  in  the  future  a  system  of 
awards  and  recognition  for  scholarship 
and  activities  can  be  instituted.  Any  femi- 
nine architectural  or  engineering  students 
are  eligible  for  membership,  and  feminine 
chemistry,  physics,  or  mathematics  majors 
mav  obtain  asscx^iate  memberships." 
(March.  1945) 

Engineers  Find  a  Home 

"This  handsome  building, 
[Engineenng  Hall,]  for  which  $160,000 
was  appropriated  by  the  last  legislature, 
will  be  ready  for  use  by  the  first  of  next 
fall  temi.  Plans  were  asked  for  by  the 


trustees  from  the  graduates  of  the 
architectural  department  of  the  University 
of  Illinois.  The  first  prize  was  awarded  to 
Mr.  G.  W.  Bullard  of  Tacoma,  Washing- 
ton, who  was  made  architect  of  the  build- 
ing. It  is  a  matter  of  pride  to  the  Universi- 
ty that  one  of  her  graduates  should  have 
furnished  the  plans  for  the  imposing  build- 
ing." (1892-93) 

The  Pre-OPEC  Dream  World 

"Fuel  is  so  cheap  that  except  for 
those  who  cover  large  mileage,  the  differ- 
ence between  25  miles  and  40  miles  per 
gallon  is  not  in  itself  a  matter  of  prime 
importance. 

"America  is  more  and  more  becom- 
ing a  country  where  the  average  well-to- 
do  family  has  more  than  one  automobile, 
or  would  like  to  have  a  second  car." 
t  November.  1930) 

Aviation  Interest  Soars 

"Tlius  is  expressed  the  enthusiasm  of 
this  generation  for  that  new  branch  of  en- 
gineering, and  of  life — travel  by  air.  Air- 
planes have  come  and  they  have  come  to 
stay.  The  enthusiam  for  them,  while  in 
part  is  just  a  fad,  nevertheless  is  earnest, 
and  very  essential  in  the  development  of 
aviation,  and  tlnally.  the  enthusiam  is  not 
going  to  dwindle  until  finally,  travel  in 
this  manner  is  accepted  as  the  usual 
thing."  (January.  1930) 

Atomic  Energy  Has  Potential 

"At  approximately  8:14  a.m.,  Au- 
gust 16,  1945,  Hiroshima  time  and  date, 
the  rest  of  the  world  became  av\are  of  the 
potentialities  of  atomic  power. 

"This  field  of  atomic  energy,  now  in 
its  infancy,  holds  excellent  employment 
opportunities  for  graduates  with  degrees  in 
chemical,  ceramic,  metallurgical,  and 
mech;inical  engineering.  Not  only  is  the 
work  most  fascinating,  since  the  materials 
under  consideration  are  quite  unique,  but 
the  opportunites  for  advancement  are  great 


since  a  graduate  could  'get  in  on  the  MB 

ground  floor'  of  this  new  industry!"  ^ 

(October.  I94H) 

If  They  Could  See  It  Now... 

"A  new  era  began  for  the  College  of 
Engineenng  when  the  cornerstone  of  En- 
gineering Hall  was  laid  on  December  13, 
1893.  Since  then  six  more  cornerstones 
have  been  laid  for  Engineenng  College 
buildings  and  now  the  Illinois  student  of  a 
decade  ago  would  scarcely  recognize  his 
surroundings  were  he  suddenly  thrust 
among  them."  (1901-02) 

Ground  Laid  for  Agriculture 

"The  newest  curriculum  offered, 
agncultural  engineering,  was  announced  at 
the  beginning  of  the  second  semester  this 
year.  It  is  intended  to  prepare  young  men 
to  handle  problems  relating  to  design  of 
farm  machinery,  land  drainage,  and  con- 
servation, and  to  the  building  of  farm 
structures.  Already  6  students  have  enrol- 
led in  the  curriculum."  (April.  1934) 

Sidewalks  Rolled  Out 

"The  university  grounds  were  further 
improved,  last  fall,  by  the  laying  of  a  ce- 
ment walk  leading  fron  the  streetcar  line 
to  the  main  building  and  to  the  chemical 
laboratory."  (1890-91) 

Speedy  Highway  Construction 

"Pier  engineenng  students  are  taking 
a  keen  interest  in  the  construction  of  Chi- 
cago's first  superhighway — the  Eden's  Su- 
perhighway— now  being  rushed  to  com- 
pletion. Destined  to  replace  the  heavily 
traveled  Skokie  Highway  (U.S.  41). 
Edens  is  15  miles  in  length  and  will  ulti- 
mately be  a  part  of  the  comprehensive  ex- 
pressway system  planned  for  Chicago  and^. 
Cook  County.  This  new  superhighway       ^k 


28 


» 


follows  the  Skokie  Highway  although  it 
deviates  slightly  form  the  old  road  in  the 
residential  areas  where  the  required  right- 
of-way  width  could  not  be  secured."  iDe- 
cemhi'r.  1950) 

Road  Materials  Lab  Established 

"A  Road  Matenals  Testing  Labora- 
tor\-  has  been  installed  recently  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Engineering  Expenment  Sta- 
tion for  the  purpose  of  practical  aid  to  the 
State  Highway  Commission  by  testing  all 
kinds  of  road  material.  Equipment  for 
testing  brick,  stone,  and  gravel  has  been 
set  up  and  is  now  in  use.  The  laboratory 
is  under  the  direction  of  Professor  I.O. 
Baker,  head  of  the  civil  engineering  de- 
partment.'" 11905-06) 

EES  a  Turn-On 

"The  wireless  telegraph,  high  fre- 
quency demonstration,  telegraphone. 
1 00.000  volt  transformer,  singing  arc. 
foulsen  arc.  and  the  static  machines  and 
other  apparatus  exhibited  by  the  Physics 
Department  [at  the  Electrical  Engineers" 
Show]  drew  appreciate  attention  from  all 
the  various  classes  of  visitors,  while  those 
well  versed  in  matters  of  science  found 
them  of  real  value."  (1906-07) 

New  Campus  Hot  Spot 

■"Since  February  8.  the  new  lUini 
Union  Building  has  been  the  popular  spot 
on  campus.  The  colonial  beauty  and  mod- 
em efficiency  of  the  $1,505,000  needn"t 
be  told;  it  is  in  evidence.  But  our  analytic- 
al minds  can"t  let  the  glamour  of  the  place 
possess  us  entirely,  so  we  search  for  the 
engineering  behind  all  of  it.""  (March. 
1941) 


/fl^  Deliverance  from  Livery 

^^  '"The  growth  of  the  automobile 

manufacture  has  never  been  exceeded,  if 
^^^    piiralleled.  by  any  other  industry  .  .  .  .One 
.^A  firm  alone  proposes  to  build  forty 


Constructed  in  1912, 
the  Railway  Wheel  Lab 
played  a  major  role  in 
exploring  improved 
methods  and  machin- 
ery for  the  railroading 
industry.  Although  the 
importance  of  rail 
transportation  has 
since  waned,  research 
on  the  possibilities  for 
today  s  rail  industry 
still  plays  an  important 
role  at  the  University. 
(Photo  by  Mike 
Brooks) 


thousand  cars  for  the  season  of 
1910.  .  .  .The  average  retail  price  of  these 
cars  will  certainly  not  be  less  than  one 
thousand  dollars ....  It  is  only  a  question 
of  time  before  the  larger  portion  of  the 
delivering,  in  the  cities,  will  be  done  with 
automobiles.""  (1910-11) 

Money  for  Railway  Department 

""In  the  last  session  of  the  legislature 
there  was  appropriated  to  the  University 
S200.000  for  new  buildings  for  the  Col- 
lege of  Engineenng.  In  accordance  with 
the  plans,  this  money  will  be  used  to  erect 
buildings  suitable  for  the  work  of  the 
Railwav  Engineering  Department."" 
(1911-12) 

Romance  on  the  Rocks 

'"The  first  [freshman]  engineering 
lecture  was  given  by  Professor  A.  C.  Cal- 
len,  head  of  the  Department  of  Mining 
Engineering  on  "TTie  Romance  of  Min- 
ing.'"" (November.  1930) 

State-of-the-Art 

"'By  the  help  of  the  "Thomas  com- 
puting machine,"  every  arithmetical 
problem ....  can  be  solved  with  surprising 
rapidity.  The  writer  added  a  column  of  10 


numbers  each  consisting  of  10  digits  in  a 
little  over  two  minutes ....  The  cost  is 
about.  .  .  .$225."  (1892-93) 

Draft  Opposed 

""The  Technograph  strongly  supports 
the  Senate  proposal  to  abolish  the  draft 
and  establish  an  all-volunteer  professional 
iimiy.  The  bill  was  introduced  by  a  bipar- 
tisan group  of  nine  senators  in  22  Janu- 
ary. 1969.  The  bill  is  a  new  version  of  a 
plan  advanced  by  Senator  Mark  Hatfield 
(R-Oregon)  in  the  past  two  years. 

"To  graduating  seniors  who  are  now 
milking  plans  for  their  future,  the  Techno- 
graph staff  wishes  you  the  best  of  luck 
and  condolences  where  appropriate!"" 
(Febriiaiy.  1969) 

Compiled  by  Sally  Cohen.  Dennis 
Francisicovich.  Shelley  Grist.  Lesley  Lee. 
Nuta  Mackevicius.  Alfred  Tadros.  and  Joe 
W\se.  Edited  b\  Mar\  McDowell. 


29 


0 


Although  the  universe 
Is  relatively 
unchanged  from  100 
years  ago.  the 
products  of  our  world 
have.  As  with  this 
Issue's  "Technotes. " 
the  following 
"Technovatlons  "  are 
taken  directly  from 
past  Technograph 


Talkies  Credited  to  lllini  Prof 

■"Professor  J.  T.  Tykociner,  Re- 
search Professor  of  Electrical  Engineering 
at  the  University  of  Illinois,  conducted  re- 
search over  a  long  period  of  years  on 
photo-electric  tubes  and  their  applications. 
Sound  cinematography,  or  'talking  pic- 
tures' is  one  of  his  contributions  to  our 
American  way  of  life."  (March.  1941) 

Not  Just  Hot  Air 

"A  balloon  borne  electronic  system 
that  can  bring  radio,  television,  and  mod- 
em telecommunications  to  people  on 
emerging  nations  is  undergoing  final  tests 
by  TCOM  (Tethered  Communicatons) 
Corp.  At  least  15  conventional  broadcast 
and  microwave  towers  would  be  required 
to  provide  the  coverage  achieved  by  a 
single  balloon-bome  system."  (Max. 
1974) 

Talking  to  the  Man  In  the  Moon 

"By  combining  the  recent  advances 
of  electronics  and  rocket  fX)wer,  a  com- 
pact 'rocket  radio'  capable  of  carrying  a 
lOO-watt  transmitter  the  250,000  miles  to 
the  moon  in  about  60  hours  has  been 
forecast  by  Associate  Director  J. A.  Hutch- 
eson  of  Westinghouse  Research  Labor- 
atories. With  50  pounds  of  storage  batter- 
ies and  less  than  50  additional  pounds  de- 
voted to  an  ultrashort  wave  transmitter 
and  associated  clockwork,  signals  could 
be  sent  to  receiving  stations  here  on  kxal 


conditions  on  the  flight  to  the  moon  and 
for  several  days  after  it  has  landed  there." 
(December.  1946) 

Will  It  Ever  Think,  Too? 

"A  new  student  matriculated  at  the 
University  of  Illinois  last  September.  This 
student,  commonly  referred  to  as  a 
'brain,'  can  work  problems  in  five  hours 
that  would  take  a  skilled  mathematician 
all  his  working  life.  Of  couse,  we  are 
speaking  of  the  new  electronic  digital 
computer  now  housed  in  the  Engineering 
Research  Laboratory  here  on  the  Universi- 
ty campus."  (December.  1952) 

Whad'ya  Say? 

"Although  hearing  aids  have  prog- 
ressed extensively  since  the  hearing  homs 
of  several  decades  ago,  the  hearing  im- 
paired still  suffer  from  difficulties  such  as 
static  feedback,  unstable  response,  and 
amplification  of  unwanted  noise.  All  these 
could  be  solved,  however,  with  a  new  de- 
vice developed  by  researchers  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wyoming. 

■  '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 infomiation  fed  into  the  computer  by 
instructing  the  CPU  on  how  to  handle  the 
input  data. 

"The  new  device  improves  upon  its 
predecessor  through  its  ability  to  adapt  to 
changing  signals  by  using  a  microp- 
rocessor, by  suppressing  noise  better,  and 
by  responding  more  quickly  to  necessary 
changes."  (April.  19H4) 

Send  Me  a  Signal 

"At  the  present  time,  however,  be- 
cause the  volume  of  traffic  is  so  great,  the 
distance  traveled  by  individual  vehicles  so 
long,  and  because  of  the  fact  that  many  of 
the  drivers  are  traversing  the  road  for  the 
first  time,  it  is  imperative  that  there  be 
some  adequate  method  of  furnishing  the 


drivers  with  infonnation  which  nill  enabi 
them  to  use  the  highways  with  maximum 
convenience,  speed,  and  safety. 

"It  is  highly  desirable  that  the  entire 
system  of  marking  signs  be  standar- 
dized." (Jaiuian.  1926) 

Expanding  Television 

"It  was  brought  out  at  this  time 
[September,  1948]  that  the  field  strength 
required  for  UHF  television  would  be  10 
times  that  of  the  standard  VHP  field,  with 
the  coincident  requirement  for  a  tube  cap- 
able of  power  output  much  higher  than 
any  previous  tube  of  this 
type.  .  .  .However,  it  was  disclosed  that, 
in  nearly  all  other  respects.  UHF  range 
was  equal  to  or  superior  to  the  VHP  band 
for  television.  With  this  latest  result  in 
mind,  an  intensive  program  of  tests  and 
experimentation  was  begun  by  the  televi- 
sion industry  in  an  attempt  to  perfect 
commercial  UHF  television."  (March. 
1952) 

Bottom  Heavy 

"In  their  efforts  to  design  higher 
skyscrapers,  architects  are  limited  by  an 
enomious  dead  load  of  flooring ....  A 
new  type  of  floor  paneling  has  been  in- 
vented by  steel  engineers .  .  .  [which]  is 
designed  to  act  as  a  solid  steel  girder 
embracing  the  whole  girth  of  the  building, 
preventing  tortional  quirks  and  reducing 
the  danger  of  high  wind  or  earthquake 
action ....  For  a  75  story  building,  it  is 
calculated  to  save  2.000,000  pounds  of 
dead  load.  .  .  .Thus,  the  dreams  of  a  100- 
story  building  may  become  a  reality." 
(March.  1930) 


Ski  Resort  Insurance  Created 

"Ruffy,  white  snow  fell  for  the  first  ^ 
time  out  of  man-made  ice  clouds  in  ^t 

General  Electric 's  laboratories  and  prom- 
ises to  reveal  new  facts  on  icing  on  air- 

e 


30 


Technovations 


craft  and  determine  effects  of  snowstorms 
in  producing  static  in  airplane  radios." 
{January.  1947) 

Laser  Etch-A-Sketch 

"Tlie  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  occurence  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 material  for  medical  and  dental  pur- 
poses." {November.  1983) 

Wires  Go  Underground 

"The  rapid  growth  of  metropolitan 
cities  throughout  the  United  States  has 
made  it  necessary  for  telephone  com- 
panies to  improve  their  facilities  for  doing 
business.  The  large  expenditures  for  re- 
pairs and  the  trouble  experienced  with 
storms  are  the  principal  reasons  why  com- 
panies are  placing  their  wires  under- 
ground." {1905-06) 

EE's  Hit  Prime  Time 

"Television  progress  is  being  made 
at  the  University  of  Illinois  with  construc- 
tion of  a  new  electronic  television  system 
incorporating  the  most  recent  develop- 
ments and  technical  features.  This  project 
is  under  the  supervision  of  Professor  H.A. 
Brown  of  the  Department  of  Electrical 
Engineering.  The  amateur  radio  station 
license,  W9YH,  of  the  department  permits 
television  transmission  within  certain 
limitations  and  restrictions.  The  equipment 
will  be  used  mainly  for  experimental  pur- 
poses, but  is  expected  to  stimulate  con- 
siderable interest  and  provide  entertain- 
ment for  visitors  during  the  next  Electrical 
I  Engineer's  Show  sponsored  by  the  depart- 


ment. The  image  produced  by  the  televi- 
sion is  approximately  1  Vi  inches  square 
and  is  remarkably  clear  and  well  de- 
fined." {March.  1941) 

Blinded  by  the  Light 

"It  should  never  be  possible  for  the 
direct  rays  from  the  electric  bulb  or  other 
bright  source  to  enter  the  eye  of  the  one 
using  the  light.  Churches  should  recognize 
this  principle  and  discontinue  the  practice 
of  wearing  the  audience  and  handicapping 
the  preacher  because  of  lamps  exposed  to 
view  for  at  least  a  part  of  the  services." 
{November.  1913) 

Fission  Products  IVIeasured 

"Presently,  research  headed  by  Pro- 
fessor Bernard  W.  Wehring  in  Nuclear 
Engineering  is  being  carried  out  that  will 
allow  accurate  measurements  of  all  fission 
product  yields.  He  and  his  graduate  stu- 
dent. Gino  Dilorio,  have  developed  a  fun- 


Some  researchers  have  lound  the  versatile  mod- 
ern laser  to  be  a  necessity.  Here,  a  laser  is  used 
by  graduate  physics  students  Erramilli  Shyamsun- 
der  and  David  Fung  to  study  the  dynamics  of  the 
protein  myoglobin  at  low  temperatures.  (Photo  by 
Dave  Colburn) 

damentally  new  experimental  method  to 
directly  measure  the  fission  product  mass 
yields  in  thermal  neutron  fission.  A  fis- 
sion fragment  mass  spectrometer, 
HIAWATHA,  which  has  achieved  0.5 
amu  mass  resolution  has  been  constructed 
for  this  purpose,  previous  to  which  the 
best  mass  resolution  achieved  was  3 
amu."  {April.  1976) 

You  Could  Hear  a  Pin  Drop 

"The  science  of  the  acoustics  of  au- 
ditorium is  of  comparatively  modem  de- 
velopment, beginning  with  the  classic 
work  of  Wallace  C.  Sabine  about 


31 


<i 


1900.  .  .  .he  showed  that  the  time  of  de- 
cay of  sound  depended  directly  on  the 
volume  of  a  room,  on  the  loudness  of  the 
sound  and  inversely  on  absorption. 

■'Ideal  acoustics  may  be  found  with 
conditions  resembling  the  open-air  Greek 
Theatre."  (November.  1928) 

Gutter  Watcher 

""An  electronic  umpire  that  can't 
dodge  bottles  or  change  decisions  has 
been  developed  by  General  Electric  for 
calling  bowling  fouls. 

"Actuated  by  electric  eyes  mounted 
on  the  foul  line  of  any  alley,  the  automa- 
tic instrument  sounds  a  bell  or  buzzer  and 
Hashes  a  light  to  indicate  which  of  the 
sixteen  alleys  have  been  'fouled.'"'  (Octo- 
ber. 1949) 

Marcus  Welby  Via  Satelite 

""A  new  beam  transmitter  operated 
on  a  shortwave  of  14  meters  can  be  fo- 
cused on  any  country  from  the  radio  sta- 
tion in  Rome.  A  minimum  wave  length  of 
40  cm  is  used  so  that  thunderstorms,  ele- 
vators, and  all  types  of  electrical  equip- 
ment will  not  interfere. 

"'By  use  of  this  beam,  you  may  sit 
in  a  theatre  and  see  events  which  are 
actually  happening  thousands  of  miles 
away.  Every  hospital  will  be  able  to  trans- 
mit and  receive  by  x-ray  photographs  the 
best  medical  advice  in  the  world." 
I  February.  1935) 

Mass-Spectograph  Created 

Dr.  E.B.  Jordan.  Associate  in  Phy- 
sics, has  designed  and  built  what  is  refer- 
red to  as  a  mass-spectrograph,  a  basic  re- 
search tool ....  Only  five  such  units  are  in 
existence  in  the  worid.  Dr.  Jordan's  being 
the  largest  and  most  powerful,  six  times 
as  powerful  as  any  other ....  It  is  a 
machine  used  principally  for  determing 
atomic  masses  or  weights  of  the  elements, 
but  can  also  serve  to  determine  the 


amount  of  energy  released  when  the  nuc- 
leus of  an  atom  is  disintegrated  by  the 
popular  atom-smashing  machines.  The  de- 
sign and  construction  of  the  mass- 
spectrograph  is  entirely  new  and  original. 
The  entire  machine  is  supported  on  a  con- 
crete vibration-proof  pier  weighing  thirty- 
two  tons."  (December. 1 940) 

A  Shocking  Demonstration 

""A  twelve-foot  induction  coil  has 
been  constructed  under  the  supervision  of 
R.E.  Hart,  '15,  and  with  it  he  plans  some 
very  interesting  and  marvelous  demonstra- 
tions. The  coil  gives  2,500,000  volts, 
which  will  generate  a  spark  ten  feet 
long ....  The  ten  foot  spark  will  be  pas- 
sed between  two  people  who.  it  is  hoped, 
will  live  to  tell  their  grandchildren  of  the 
marvelous  feat."  (April.  1915} 

Cool  Heating  Process 

"The  same  microwaves  that  are  used 
to  send  radar  messages  and  television  pic- 
tures can  now  cook  a  complete  meal  in  90 
seconds  or  40  complete  meals  in  one 
hour.  A  megatron  produces  the  2,450 
megacycle  waves  which  cook  the  food  in 
a  cool,  tightly-sealed  oven.  Only  the  food 
is  heated."  (November,  1962} 

Microchips  Arrive 

"The  IBM  5100  portable  computer 
announced  today  uses  an  advanced  Metal 
Oxide  Semiconductor  Field  Effect  Transis- 
tor (MOSFET)  Read  Only  Storage  (ROS) 
circuitry. 

"The  circuit  density  achieved  on 
each  chip  is  48K  bits.  Each  chip  is  appro- 
ximately 0.23  inches  square."  (December, 
1975} 

Science's  Light  Side 

"Today's  version  of  the  photophone 
sends  beams  of  laser  light  through  thin 
glasslike  fibers.  The  technology  involved 
is  called  fiber  optics  and  finds  applications 
in  many  fields  other  than  communica- 
tions. Medical  technology  uses  fiber  op- 


tics to  look  inside  the  human  body.  Some  fl^ 
mechanical  devices  utilize  a  fiber  optic        ^ 
device  to  detect  notation  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."  (April,  1984) 

Remember  When. . . 

"The  new  memory  device,  which 
combines  the  feature  of  high  speed  with  a 
potentially  huge  information  storage 
capacity.  .  .  .consists  basically  of  10,000 
tiny  ring  shaped  magnets  woven  on  thin 
wires. 

"It  can  "memorize'  or  'recall'  a  bit 
of  information  in  a  few  millionths  of  a 
second. 

"It  can  store  10,000  bits  at  any  one 
instant.  It  potentially  has  a  very  high  de- 
gree of  reliability. 

""It  promises  to  be  relatively  cheap, 
as  memories  for  computer  go."  (October. 
1953) 

People  Chutes 

"How  many  times  did  you  leave  the 
ballpark  before  the  exciting  game  was 
over,  just  to  beat  the  crowd  and  gel  out- 
side the  stadium  before  everything  got 
jammed  up?  This  problem  might  be 
solved  by  a  new  and  revolutionary  de- 
velopment— the  moving  sidewalk. 

" .  .  .  .  The  belt  is  capable  of  trans- 
porting 15,000  passengers  in  an  hour. 
Passengers  step  on  and  off  as  if  it  were  an 
escalator,  and  it  gives  them  the  option  of 
riding  without  any  effort  or  of  adding 
their  own  walking  speed  for  a  quick 
tnp."  (May.  1955) 

Saver  of  Bent  Bodies 

"A  'wnst  computer'  to  help  divers     ^ 
avoid  the  bends  has  been  invented  by  two  ^^ 
GE  scientists  with  a  common  hobby,  scu- 
ba diving.  The  wrist  inclinator  will  guide 
swimmers  in  the  stop  and  pause  ascent       ^^^ 


32 


• 


Abbott  power  plant  provides  the  University  with  its 
primary  source  of  electricity  and  steam.  Con- 
structed in  1941,  the  plant  continually  improves  its 
safety  and  efficiency.  (Photo  by  Dave  Colburn) 


from  deep  water  which  raids  them  of  nit- 
rogen absorbed  by  breathing  high-pressure 
air.  This  routine  prevents  the  bends,  the 
formation  of  nitrogen  bubbles  in  the 
blcKidstream  which  cause  internal  pain  and 
can  result  in  crippling."  (December, 
1973) 

Manhattan's  Lightning  Rod 

"The  Empire  State  Building  is  itself 
Manhattan's  lightning  rod  because  it 
reaches  nearly  a  '/)  mile  into  the  sky.  It's 
well  grounded  by  massive  steel  work.  Ex- 
periments have  been  carried  on  with 
5.000.000  volt  bolts  of  laboratory  light- 
ning in  the  research  department  of  Gener- 
al Electric."  (May.  1931 ) 

Look  Before  You  Send 

"To  facilitate  better  framing  and  as  a 
necessity  for  quick  focusing,  each 
[television]  camera  has  its  own  viewer 
which  is  a  small  television  screen  in  front 


of  the  operator  mounted  in  a  removable 
section  on  top  of  the  television  camera. 
By  watching  the  viewer  the  operator  al- 
ways has  a  clear  picture  of  the  image  he 
is  transmitting."  (April.  1953) 

Power  Plant  History 

"The  pnme  purpose  of  this  article  is 
to  acquaint  the  reader  with  some  of  the 
major  causes  which  incipiated  the  con- 
struction and  subsequent  development  of 
the  Abbott  Power  Plant. 

"Electrical  loads  exceeding  2500KW 
had  already  taxed  the  then  existing  power 
supply  to  its  utmost ...  a  better  standard 
of  illumination  was  necessary  for  the  ex- 
isting buildings  and  also  for  the  recently 
constructed  buildings  including  the  Illini 
Union,  Gregory  Hall.  McKinley  Hospital. 
Men's  New  Residence  Halls.  Geological 
Survey  Laboratory,  etc. 

"In  addition,  air  conditioning  sys- 
tems were  planned  for  the  Student  Center 
and  new  classroom  building.  .  .heating  re- 
quirements for  the  next  ten  year  period  in- 
dicated an  increase  to  200.000  pounds  of 
steam  per  hour. 

"Construction  of  the  new  plant  be- 
gan in  January  of  1940  and  was  totally 
completed  in  February  of  1941.  Tempera- 
Uires  in  the  [steam]  tunnel  attain  values  of 
90-100  F  (thus  affording  an  excellent  sub- 
stitute recluse  for  annual  Rorida  enthu- 
siasts)." (May.  1944) 

Whirlybird 

"Three  U.S.  inventors  have  com- 
pleted a  "rotor  airplane.'  This  strange  craft 
without  wings  is  lifted  by  means  of  metal 
spools  two  feet  thick  which  whirl  on 
spindles.  .  .The  inventors  claim  that  their 
plane  can  lift  ten  times  the  load  of  any 
other  plane  of  equal  weight  and  that  it's 
speedier  and  more  economical  to  house." 
(December.  1930) 

Nucleus  Filled  With  Electrons 

"Thus  the  elements  may  be  arranged 
in  a  series  beginning  with  hydrogen  which 
has  one  electron  per  atom  and  ending  with 


uranium  which  has  ninety  two.  There  are 
a  few  gaps  in  the  series,  but  eventually 
they  will  be  discovered  to  fill  all  the  gaps. 
"In  the  nucleus,  which  is  the  minute 
center  of  the  atom  where  most  of  the 
mass  resides,  there  are  electrons  embed- 
ded, and  in  all  but  a  few  atoms  the  num- 
ber of  electrons  is  an  even  number. 
Apparently,  the  electrons  go  into  the  nuc- 
leus two  by  two  as  the  animals  went  into 
the  ark."  (Jamiaiy.  1926) 

Large  Screen  TV 

"You've  seen  television.  Now  you'll 
see  it  in  its  finest  form — giant  projections 
of  special  events,  transmitted  only  to 
theatres  on  private  wires  or  radio  beams 
to  make  movie  going  more  fun."  (De- 
cember. 1950) 

Versatile  Petroleum 

"The  use  of  crude  oil  on  railways 
and  highways  is  attracting  the  attention  of 
the  engineering  profession  all  over  the 
country.  Oil  was  used  primarily  as  a  pre- 
ventative of  the  destroying  and  disagree- 
able dust  so  frequently  encountered  on 
both  wagon-roads  and  railroads.  Its  field, 
however,  is  by  no  means  limited  to  that 
alone,  as  many  advantages  to  its  use  have 
been  discovered."  (1900-01) 

Atypical  Equipment 

"Within  the  last  month  there  has 
been  installed  in  the  Laboratory  of  Ap- 
plied Mechanics  at  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois a  600.000  pound  testing  machine  of 
the  vertical  screwing  type.  This  new  piece 
of  apparatus  is  of  special  interest  not  only 
because  it  is  the  largest  ever  built,  but 
also  on  account  of  certain  novel  features 
of  its  design."  (1904-05) 

Dolby  Sound — Almost 

"There's  no  doubt  about  it.    talking 
movies'  have  set  the  motion  picture  world 
by  the  ears.  Most  of  the  leading  producers 


33 


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ha\e  announced  their  intention  of  using 
sound  in  their  future  productions,  either  in 
the  form  of  musical  accompaniment  or  the 
human  voice. 

"According  to  rep)orts  about  400 
theatres  in  the  countn,'  are  already  show- 
ing these  sound  pictures,  at  least  1.000 
will  be  doins  so  bv  the  end  of  1928." 
iNovemher.  "1928)' 

Into  The  Dark  Side 

"A  new  infared-sensitive  motion  pic- 
ture film  will  pemiit  motion  pictures  to  be 
made  in  the  dark  with  infrared  illumina- 
tion, or  in  the  semi-dark  without,  has 
been  announced  b\  the  Eastman  Kodak 
Company. 

"With  this  film,  successful  motion 
picuires  were  made  of  audience  reactions 
when  house  lights  in  a  theater  were  dim- 
med to  l/70th  of  normal  room  illumina- 
tion." (December.  1952) 

Lengthy  Railways 

"One  of  [the  enterprises  underv\ay] 
is  the  railroad  across  Siberia  4.325  miles 
long,  another  the  railroad  from  Cape 
Town.  South  Africa  to  Cairo.  Egypt, 
which  is  1 .000  miles  longer  than  this 
Sibenan  road.  The  Pan-Amencan  Rail- 
road, which  is  intended  to  connect  North. 
Central,  and  South  America,  is  a  much 
greater  enterpnse  than  either  of  these  and 
almost  equals  their  combined  length." 
(1904-05) 

Sticklers  for  Accuracy 

"The  first  atomic  clock,  accurate  re- 
gardless of  age.  temperature  and  pressure, 
and  independent  of  the  earth's  motion  for 
its  methtxi  of  time  keeping,  has  been  de- 
\eloped  b\  the  National  Bureau  of  Stan- 
dards at  VVashington."  (April.  1950) 

Printed  Circuits  Developed 

"Tremendous  gravitational  forces  are 
exerted  on  miniature  radio  equipment 
when  tired  in  a  shell  from  mortar  or  artil- 


lery weapons.  This  force  approaches 
10.000  G's  in  some  cases,  and  compo- 
nents wired  into  the  circuit  in  a  normal 
manner  are  thus  subject  to  being  torn 
from  their  mountings.  This  was  sufficient 
reason  for  the  de\elopment  of  printed  cir- 
cuits, but  probably  of  equal  importance 
were  the  greater  ease  of  mass  production 
and  the  smaller  size. 

"Since  the  war.  the  National  Bureau 
of  Standards  and  Centralab  Division  of 
Globe-Union,  Inc.,  and  a  few  other  pri- 
vate companies  have  continued  de\elop- 
ment  of  the  printed  circuit  technique  w  ith 
a  view  to  its  use  in  the  manufacture  of 
commercial  radio  receivers  and 
transmitters ....  Printed  circuits  will  most 
likely  find  their  widest  application  in  low- 
power,  high  frequency  radio  equipment 
where  small  size  is  an  especially  impor- 
tant factor."  (October.  1946) 

Engineering  is  Everywhere 

"Major  league  batters  soon  may  be 
swinging  with  a  piece  of  magnesium  in- 
stead of  ash.  Bats  made  of  magnesium 
with  a  plastice  covenng  are  said  to  be  as 
good  as  wood,  and  the  sting  following  a 
hit  is  eliminated."  (May.  1962) 

Sunless  Beautification 

"This  bundle  of  lo\eliness  [woman] 
is  benefitting  from  simulated  sunlight  pro- 
duced by  the  20-watt  fluorescent  sunlamp 
developed  by  Westinghouse  engineers. 
The  aibular  lamp  emits  a  concentrated 
band  of  radiations  in  the  mid-ultraviolet 
region  of  the  spectrum  (2800-3200  ang- 
stroms), which  is  the  erythemal.  or  sun- 
tan-producing  wave  leneth."  (March. 
1951) 

Auto-Adjustment 

"Designed  to  reduce  accidents 
caused  during  night  driving  trips,  the 
Techtronic  Eye  relieves  the  dri\er  of  the 
tedious  task  of  dimming  and  brightening 
headlights.  It  functions  whenever,  and 
only  when,  the  car's  "open-road  lighting' 


equipment  is  sent  into  action.  The  driver 
is  completely  relieved  of  the  task  of 
manually  switching  lightbeams.  Accidents 
caused  by  temporary  blindness  due  to 
headlight  glare  become  minimized." 
(November.  1953) 

High-Tech  Production 

"A  new  design  for  high  energy  atom 
smashers  and  a  new  way  to  plan  and  pre- 
test them  by  using  an  electronic  computer 
were  revealed  here  at  the  Uni\ersity . 

"Precise  design  and  mathematical 
pre-testing  are  given  credit  for  this  by 
Professor  Donald  W.  Kerst  who  super- 
vised construction  of  the  machine. 

"Most  of  the  mathematics  for  the 
new  machine  was  done  with  the  ILLIAC, 
the  University  of  Illinois  electronic  digital 
computer."  (October.  1957) 

Energy  Alchemy 

"The  direct  conversion  of  the  che- 
mical energy  of  gases  into  electricity — 
long  a  dream  of  scientists  and  for  years  a 
laborator>'  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; 
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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 


0 

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<iomerang  craftsman.  Boomerang  Club 
president,  and  University  journalism  stu- 
dent. "So  Zog's  kid  picked  it  up,  and 
said  'Hey I  This  is  great!'"  Other  experts 
on  the  subject  believe  boomerangs  de- 
veloped naturally  from  date  palm  stems, 
because  they  have  the  characteristic  shape 
and  airfoil  of  a  boomerang.  Whatever  the 
steps  leading  to  its  invention,  the  oldest 
'rang  found  so  far  is  over  20,000  years 
old. 

B(X)merangs  have  a  flat  bottom,  and 
a  top  that  is  curved  in  the  shape  of  a  tra- 
ditional airfoil.  Traditional  'rangs  have 
two  arms  separated  by  slightly  over  ninety 


As  illustrated  by  this 
sampling  from  Paul 
Sprague's  collection, 
boomerangs  do  not 
have  a  singular  shape 
unlike  many  other 
flying  objects  (photo 
by  Dave  Colburn). 


9 


degrees,  although  acutely  angled  boomer- 
angs work  superbly.  Multi-bladed  'rangs 
come  in  more  interesting  shapes,  such  as 
n,  a  tomahawk,  alphabetic  letters,  and  a 
pinwheel. 

The  best  returning  booms  are  those 
which  are  handmade,  due  to  the  fact  that 
commercial  versions  never  seem  to  work. 
Sprague  is  a  co-partner  of  Aboriginals,  a 
company  that  makes  all  types  of  booms. 
Building  them  "is  mostly  trial  and  error. 
You  have  to  know  the  basics,  like  how 
the  mass  should  be  distributed  and  stuff 
like  that,  before  you  can  make  a  working 
boomerang,"  he  explains.  Usually,  booms 
are  made  of  plywood  or  laminated  strips 
of  pine,  birch,  or  oak,  which  are  glued  or 
cut  into  shapes  and  sanded  down. 

The  process  of  building  a  boomerang 
is  quite  simple.  After  selecting  the  kind  of 
wood  to  be  used,  the  basic  shape  is 
fomied.  Then  the  airfoil  is  developed  by 
rasping  or  sanding  down  the  top  of  the 
boomerang.  The  leading  edge,  or  the  edge 
of  the  'rang  that  cuts  first  into  the  air  dur- 
ing fiight,  should  always  be  the  fatter  part 
of  the  airfoil;  the  trailing  edge  should  be 
sharper  in  comparison.  This  will  create  a 
curve  which  gives  the  top  greater  surface 
area  than  the  bottom. 

Once  the  initial  airfoil  is  created,  the 
builder  must  go  out  and  tune  the  boomer- 
ang. This  is  done  by  repeatedly  test-flying 
the  'rang,  and  sanding  it  down  in  the  right 


areas  until  it  returns.  Once  the  'rang  flies 
properly,  it  can  be  finished  with  spray 
paint,  enamel,  boat-building  epoxy.  or 
another  finisher. 

Tuning  a  new  boomerang  is  best 
understood  by  comprehending  why  a 
tuned  one  returns.  There  are  three  reasons 
a  boomerang  returns  to  the  thrower;  lift, 
spin,  and  gyroscopic  precession.  Although 
some  saidents  have  obtained  Ph.D.'s  with 
theses  discussing  the  boomerang  flight 
path,  it  is  not  difficult  to  obtain  a  reason- 
able understanding  of  the  forces  in  action. 

Lift  is  brought  about  by  the  airfoil  on 
the  boomerang  arms  because  of  the  ex- 
pression pAv  =  rfi .  rfi ,  or  mass  flow, 
must  stay  constant  by  the  laws  of  nature, 
p  is  the  air  density,  which  stays  the  same 
during  flight  assuming  the  boomerang 
doesn't  change  atmospheres.  A  is  the  area 
of  the  surface  the  air  is  flowing  over,  and 
V  is  the  speed  of  that  air.  The  surface  area 
of  the  airfoil's  top,  or  the  curved  side,  is 
greater  than  the  flat  side  of  the  airfoil; 
thus  the  air  moves  slower  over  the  top  of 
the  'rang.  Since  the  air  flows  faster  over 
the  flat  side  of  the  'rang,  the  pressure  is 
greater  there  than  over  the  top,  which        C 
pulls  the  airfoil,  and  subsequently  the         ^ 
boomerang,  upwards. 

The  second  aspect  of  the  boomer- 
ang's flight,  the  spin,  is  imparted  on  the 


Langdon  Alger 


Top  View  of  a  Typical  Boomerang's  Fliglit  Path 


still  Curving  Due  to  Lift 


Rang  Starts  to  Flatten  Out 
Uses 


Continues  to  Layover 


Y' 

I 
I 


'Rang  Starts  to  Gun 


Almost  Horizontal 


L 


'Rang  Hovers  Down 
Horizontally 


Source:  Paul  Sprague 


Lift  Pulls  Boomerang  to  the  Left 


Thrower's  Position 


boom  when  launched  and  provides  stabil- 
ity. It  also  starts  the  airfoil  moving,  which 
initiates  the  flight  of  the  boomerang. 

The  tlnal  and  most  complicated  part 
of  the  flight  is  the  gyroscopic  precession. 
This  phenomenon  is  defined  by  Sprague 
as  "the  tendency  of  a  rotor's  axis  to  move 
at  right  angles  to  any  perpendicular  force 
applied  to  it."  Thus  the  spin  axis,  which 
starts  out  parallel  to  the  horizon,  rotates 
clockwise  in  response  to  the  lift  force  un- 
til the  spin  plane  is  horizontal. 

The  overall  pattern  of  flight  is 
choreographed  beautifully.  The  'rang  is 
thrown  vertically,  and  given  a  snap  so  it 
spins  on  a  horizontal  axis.  Since  the  air- 
foil is  oriented  sideways,  the  lift  is 
directed  to  the  left  of  a  right-handed 
thrower.  This  lift  force  is  what  precesses 
the  spin  axis.  This  process  continues,  with 
the  spin  sustaining  it.  until  the  axis  has 
precessed  nearly  90°.  Then  the  boomerang 
is  in  an  equilibrium  state,  and  if  the  airtbil 


is  shaped  correctly,  the  'rang  will  come 
directly  to  the  thrower  with  an  almost  ver- 
tical spin  axis. 

The  airfoil's  effects  can  be  enhanced 
by  warping  the  boomerang  arms.  This  is 
accomplished  by  steaming  or  heating  the 
'rang,  and  then  holding  the  arms  twisted 
until  they  cool.  The  effect  of  the  warping 
is  to  accentuate  the  lift  that  the  airfoil  cre- 
ates, or  create  lift  in  'rangs  that  have  no 
airfoils.  In  pinwheel  'rangs  most  of  the 
lift  is  provided  by  upward  warp  on  the 
ends  of  the  pinwheel  arms.  In  boomerangs 
made  from  cardboard,  the  creation  of  an 
airfoil  is  nearly  impossible,  so  the  lift 
comes  only  from  the  arms"  warp. 

With  these  many  forces  and  warps,  it 
would  seem  that  operating  the  boomerang 
is  a  difficult  skill  to  learn.  Indeed, 
boomerangs  can  be  quite  temperamental: 
for  example,  the  boomerang  refuses  to  re- 
turn if  the  wind  is  blowing  over  seven 
miles  per  hour. 

When  facing  the  wind,  the  boom 
should  be  thrown  between  45  and  90  de- 


grees to  the  right.  A  clockwise  tilt  in  the 
spin  plane  can  compensate  for  too  little 
wind  or  a  slightly  strong  wind.  In  the  lat- 
ter case,  "it'll  come  in  kinda  fast  usually, 
because  the  wind  is  blowing  harder  at 
you.  But  if  you  know  what  you  are  doing 
you  won't  hit  anybody  with  it,"  claims 
Sprague.  The  secret  is  to  snap  the  'rang, 
imparting  a  high  amount  of  spin  to  it.  The 
throw  rarely  requires  any  brute  force,  but 
it  does  necessitate  fairly  strong  wrists. 

An  ideal  flight  will  find  the  boomer- 
ang making  a  few  small  circles  near  the 
thrower  after  its  large  retum  loop,  and  the 
'rang  will  have  flattened  out  so  that  it 
hovers  overhead  for  a  moment.  Catching 
the  'rang  takes  courage,  practice,  and  cal- 
louses, but  the  best  way  to  catch  it  is  by 
slapping  one's  hands  together,  trapping 
the  boomerang  between  them.  In  the  case 
of  the  pinwheel.  the  catch  basically  con- 
sists of  providing  any  surface  for  the  cen- 
ter pin  to  spin  on.  Sprague  "landed  a  pin- 
wheel on  a  judge's  head  one  time.  .  .  .It 
just  settled  down  on  [him]  like  a  but- 
terfly." 

Such  bizarre  events  are  not  unusual 
in  the  boomerang  worid,  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  people  in  "ranging  are  unique  and 
always  attempting  to  determine  new  ways 
of  throwing  boomerangs.  One  Australian- 
bom  astronaut  once  decided  that  throwing 
a  'rang  in  deep  space  would  result  in  a  re- 
tum time  of  many  years;  a  new  maximum 
time  aloft  record.  A  booming  engineer 
was  recently  working  on  a  'rang  that  car- 
ried a  timing  device  and  a  shiftable 
weight  to  achieve  the  maximum  gain  from 
the  precession.  However,  the  tried  and 
tme  method  for  proficient  throwing  of 
boomerangs  is  still,  under  the  advice  of 
Sprague,  to  "throw  them  as  often  as 
possible."  B 


Forum 


o 


The  Best  Years  of  Our  Lives 

This  was  really  going  to  be  a  hectic 
day  tor  me.  I  had  an  exam  at  eight,  an 
interview  at  nine-thirty,  and  1  had  a  prob- 
lem set  due  tomorrow  that  I  had  yet  to 
look  at.  All  of  these  thoughts  raced 
through  my  head  as  1  sat  in  the  Illini  Un- 
ion vending  room  studying  for  the  exam. 
It  was  3  a.m.:  six  hours  until  exam  time. 
1  just  knew  that  things  couldn't  get  worse. 

By  the  time  the  fourth  morning  hour 
had  come,  my  brain  cells  were  hollering, 
"SLEEP!"  Soon,  I  would  listen  to  the 
call  within  my  cranium.  Soon.  I  would 
allow  my  head  to  drop  to  the  table.  I 
didn't  even  have  time  to  think  my  next 
thought.  I  snored. 

I  felt  something  poking  me  in  my 
side,  and  1  woke  up.  It  was  the  janitor. 
"Get  outta  here."  he  said.  "I  gotta  clean 
up  after  you  slobs." 

I  would  have  knocked  his  teeth  out. 
but  his  leery  smile  told  me  that  someone 
else  had  beat  me  to  the  punch.  I  got  up 
and  left. 

When  1  had  gotten  back  to  my  apart- 
ment. 1  reached  into  my  pocket  only  to 
find  a  hole  were  my  keys  should  have 
been.  I  didn't  panic.  After  all,  I'm  an  en- 
gineer, and  breaking  into  an  apartment 
should  be  an  easy  task  for  someone  with 
my  background.  I  was  climbing  the  rain 
gutter  towards  my  bedroom  window  when 
a  voice  called  out  from  behind  me. 
"You — come  down  from  there." 

"Officer,"  1  said  excitedly.  "Ini 
glad  to  see  you.  I  locked  myself  out. 
and. . ." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  too!" 
he  said,  as  he  slapped  his  handcuffs  on 
my  wrists. 

It  was  eight  o'clock  before  I  con- 
vinced the  police  that  1  had  lost  my  keys 
and  that  1  was  breaking  into  my  own 
apartment.  Eight  o'clock  was  exam  time, 
and  1  could  picture  the  instructor  walking 
up  and  down  the  aisles  handing  out  the 


booklets.  I  managed  \^  make  it  to  the  ex- 
amination r(X)m  by  eight-thirty;  that  meant 
1  had  thirty  minutes  to  finish  a  sixty  mi- 
nute exam.  Great. 

Nothing  would  discourage  me.  1 
went  through  that  exam  like  nothing  1  had 
ever  done  before.  At  8;45.  I  had  made  it 
to  the  half-way  point,  and  I  was  sure  that 
I  would  be  able  to  finish.  It  was  at  that 
point  that  the  instructor  said.  "May  I  have 
your  attention,  please.  You  will  have  to 
hand  in  your  exams  now." 

The  instructor  went  on  to  say  that 
the  clock  in  the  exam  room  had  stopped, 
and  that  it  was  really  9;25,  not  8:45. 
Well,  at  least  that  explained  why  I  had 
gotten  so  far  in  such  short  time.  I  handed 
in  my  exam,  and  I  prepared  to  walk 
home.  I  was  sure  that  nothing  else  could 
go  wrong.  And  then  I  remembered — the 
9:30  interview! 

JCN.  Inc.  expected  to  interview  me 
for  an  entry  level  engineering  position 
within  the  next  five  minutes.  I  never  had 
the  chance  to  change  into  my  suit,  and  1 
smelled  like  1  had  spent  the  night  in  the 
vending  room.  Thank  you,  Mr.  Police- 
man. What  could  I  do? 

I  resolved  to  do  the  only  honorable 
thing.  I  went  to  speak  with  the  representa- 
tive from  JCN.  and  I  told  him  the  whole 
story.  He  gave  me  a  long,  pensive  stare, 
and  then  he  spoke. 

"Mr.  Hightower,  the  story  you  have 
just  told  is  a  very  interesting  one.  Now  let 
me  tell  you  something  about  JCN,  Inc. 
We  made  fifty  bezillion  dollars  last  year. 
Did  you  hear  me?  Fifty  bezillion  dollars. 
We  didn't  get  to  be  that  large  by  hiring 
goof-offs.  I'm  sorry,  Mr.  Hightower,  but 
JCN,  Inc.  does  not  hire  engineers  who 
make  mistakes." 

1  would  have  knocked  his  teeth  out, 
but  his  leery  smile  told  me  that  someone 
else  had  beat  me  to  the  punch.  I  got  up 
and  left. 

At  this  point,  I  was  sure  that  nega- 
tive events  could  never  again  touch  my 
life  that  day.  I  decided  that  I  was  in  need 
of  rest. 


I  picked  up  a  magazine  in  the  hall-      wm 
way  of  the  EE  building  and  1  started  read- 
ing. I  learned  that  within  the  next  ten 
years,  the  engineering  profession  will  be 
obsoleted  by  advances  made  in  artificial 
intelligence.  I  was  shocked!  JCN,  Inc. 
had  even  revealed  plans  for  a  device, 
known  as  the  Wishbox"'  that  combined 
the  technologies  of  voice  recognition, 
artificial  intelligence  and  speech  synthesis. 
The  person  who  speaks  into  the 
Wishbox"'  can  design  virtually  anything 
without  technical  expertise. 

And  what  was  to  be  done  with  the 
obsoleted  engineers?  Two  plans  were  out- 
lined. Some  engineers  would  be  shipped 
to  Hollywood  to  star  in  movies  about 
nerds.  The  rest  would  be  re-trained  as 
accountants,  since  engineers  and  accoun- 
tants have  similar  personalities.  How  flat- 
tering. 

I  felt  anger  boiling  within  me.  You 
mean  to  tell  me  that  I've  gone  through 
four  years  of  engineering  school  to  be- 
come a  movie  star?  What  about  those 
nights  when  my  veins  were  filled  with 
more  caffeine  than  blood?  What  about  all 
the  parties  I've  missed?  What  about.  .  . 

Suddenly,  everything  around  me  was 
out  of  focus,  and  I  felt  something  poking 
me  in  my  side.  It  was  the  janitor;  I  was 
still  in  the  Illini  Union  vending  room.  I 
was  dreaming. 

"Get  outta  here,"  said  the  janitor. 
"I  gotta  clean  up  after  you  slobs." 

I  had  no  desire  to  knock  his  teeth 
out.  Nothing  had  gone  wrong;  I  had  just 
made  a  temporary  departure  from  reality. 
1  got  up,  shook  his  hand,  patted  him  on 
the  back,  and  I  left. 

When  I  got  back  to  my  apartment,  I 
reached  into  my  pocket  only  to  find  a 
hole  where  my  keys  should  have  been.  .  .    & 

Raymond  Hightower 

President.  Association  of  Minority  Stit-        ^ 

dents  in  Engineering  m! 


Technovisions 


I  Water,  Water  Everywhere. . . 

Though  we  often  take  water  for 
granted,  civil  engineers  dealing  in  hyd- 
rosystems  and  environmental  engineering 
decide  on  the  best  ways  to  deal  with  this 
most  important  substance. 

Left:  Nina  Johnson,  a  graduate  stu- 
dent in  civil  engineering,  measures  the  pH 
of  a  sample  of  treated  wastewater.  Below 
left;  This  machine  tests  the  strengths  of 
tunnels,  including  those  used  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  treated  water  and  the  collec- 
tion of  wastewater.  Below:  A  model  of 
the  roof  of  One  Park  Place  in  Chicago 
which  was  used  to  simulate  the  runoff 
generated  by  a  heavy  rainstorm  (photos 
and  text  by  Mike  Brooks). 


sfwn 


Fighting  Water 
Pollution 


I) 


Engineering  and 
industrial  development 
has  often  been 
criticized  for  its 
adverse  effects  on  tfie 
local  environment,  but 
modern  water 
treatment  has  applied 
engineering  principles 
to  obtain  a  cleaner 
and  healthier 
ecosystem. 


With  the  Industrial  Revolution  came  a  great  rise  in  the  level 
of  pollution  in  the  wodd's  waters.  Humans  have  always  polluted 
the  Earth  to  some  extent,  but  in  this  case  industry  dirtied  the 
water  faster  than  humans  working  without  machines  could  ever 
have.  Many  types  of  water  pollution  exist,  ranging  from  simple 
suspended  solids  to  highly  toxic  materials.  Fortunately,  the  same 
engineering  which  in  part  created  the  problem  is  also  capable  of 
solving  it. 

One  group  of  pollutants  which  can  easily  be  treated  is  sus- 
pended solids.  Often  detectable  as  individual  particles  or  cloudi- 
ness in  water,  suspended  solids  are  inexpensively  removed.  By 
flowing  water  slowly  through  a  large  tank,  most  large  particles 
will  settle  to  the  bottom  and  form  sludge  by  the  time  they  reach 
the  end  of  the  tank.  After  being  cleaned  out  of  the  tank,  the 
sediment  or  sludge  is  then  disposed  of  in  a  safe  manner. 

Any  particles  not  removed  by  sedimentation  can  be  re- 
moved by  filtration.  Though  highly  efficient,  filtration  incurs 
additional  expense  because  the  filters  must  stay  clean.  To  elimin- 
ate the  need  to  constantly  change  filters,  the  system  may  flush 
water  through  the  filters  backwards  to  loosen  trapped  particles. 

Organic  waste  in  sewage,  which  includes  human  waste, 
often  causes  more  problems  than  simple  solids.  This  type  of 
pollution  kxiks  bad,  smells  bad,  and  consumes  oxygen  which  is 
necessary  for  the  survival  of  fish.  Two  commonly  used  biologic- 
al methods  which  effectively  eliminate  most  organic  waste  are 
activated  sludge  and  fixed  film. 

Activated  sludge  uses  a  combination  of  organic  consump- 
tion and  sedimentation.  Water  passes  through  two  tanks.  The 
first  contains  microorganisms  which  thrive  on  unwanted  organic 
materials  in  the  water.  After  passing  through  the  first  tank,  the 
water  contains  many  suspended  organisms  and  must  undergo 


Abraham  Chen,  research  associate  for  the  department  of  Civil  Engineering 
at  the  University,  tests  a  sample  of  waste  water  treated  by  ozonation 
activated  alumina  adsorbtion  (photo  by  Mil<e  Broolts). 


sedimentation  in  the  second  tank.  The  system  then  recirculates 
the  settled  organisms  for  reuse  in  the  first  tank. 

Fixed  film  also  uses  microorganisms  to  consume  organic 
waste.  Instead  of  being  circulated  through  the  system,  they  grow 
continuously  and  attach  themselves  to  surfaces  in  the  system. 
Older  techniques  used  rocks  as  the  growing  medium,  but  newer 
methods  use  plastic  treated  with  carbon  black  to  prevent  de- 
terioration in  sunlight. 

Two  different  types  of  organisms  can  be  used  in  activated 
sludge  and  fixed  film  systems.  The  first,  and  more  commonly 
used,  is  aerobic  organisms.  They  consume  oxygen  to  undergo 
their  normal  biological  processes  and  therefore  must  have  a 
sufficient  supply  of  oxygen  to  be  effective.  Few  problems  are 
caused  by  this  since  air  can  simply  be  pumped  into  the  water,  or 
the  water  can  be  churned  up  at  the  surface  to  aerate  it. 

The  second  class  of  organisms  is  anaerobic,  or  non-oxygen 
consuming.  Anaerobic  processes  are  cheaper  in  the  long  run  be- 
cause it  is  not  necessary  to  pump  oxygen  into  the  system,  and 
less  sludge  is  produced.  Anaerobic  organisms  also  produce 
methane  gas,  which  can  be  used  to  run  a  treatment  plant. 


continued  on  page  12 


10 


Michael 


L    i    n    d 


Technotes 


Protecting  Chips 

January'  7  marked  the  invocation  of 
the  new  Chip  Protection  Act.  Adminis- 
tered by  the  U.S.  Copyright  Office,  the 
law  makes  it  illegal  to  copy  topographical 
patterns  on  integrated  circuits  introduced 
after  July  1.  1983. 

Drafted  to  combat  widespread  indus- 
try piracy  and  because  chip  development 
costs  are  incredibly  high,  the  act  makes 
reproduction  of  registered  semiconductor 
patterns  illegal  for  10  years  after  its  reg- 
istration or  introduction  on  the  market, 
whichever  comes  first.  It  does  not  protect 
circuit  designs  or  software,  which  are 
already  protected  under  patent  and  copyr- 
ight laws.  Only  U.S.  residents  or  foreign 
nationalities  whose  countries  have  similar 
laws  can  register  integrated  circuits  (IC"s) 
under  the  act. 

According  to  Intel  General  Counsel 
and  Secretary  Tom  Dunlap.  IC  piracy  has 
been  a  problem  in  both  the  United  States 
and  Japan.  "'The  Japanese  are  currently 
drafting  and  reviewing  a  similar  chip  pro- 
tection law.  and  we  anticipate  similar 
movements  in  other  foreign  countries." 
Dunlap  explained. 

To  register  a  chip  pattern,  a  com- 
pany or  individual  must  submit  documents 
that  uniquely  describe  the  layout  of  the 
chip.  Only  original  layouts  can  be  pro- 
tected. Registration  must  occur  within  two 
years  after  the  chip  is  first  introduced. 

New  Leadership 

University  professor  Charles  W. 
Gear  has  been  appointed  head  of  the  de- 
partment of  computer  science.  Gear  will 


assume  his  position  on  August  2 1 ,  replac- 
ing James  N.  Snyder,  who  asked  to  be  re- 
lieved of  the  administrative  assignment. 

A  professor  of  computer  science, 
electrical  and  computer  engineering,  and 
applied  mathematics.  Gear  has  served  on 
the  faculty  since  1962.  He  has  ""an  inter- 
natonal  reputation  in  the  development  of 
computational  methods  and  software  for 
ordinary  differential  equations  applied  to 
complex  problems,"  said  Mac  E.  Van 
Valkenburg,  acting  dean  of  the  College. 

Gear  earned  bachelor's  and  master's 
degrees  from  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, England,  and  a  master's  and 
doctorate  from  Illinois.  He  was  an  en- 
gineer with  International  Business 
Machines  Corporation  British  Laboratories 
from  1960  to  1962.  He  has  served  as  a 
visiting  professor  at  Stanford  and  Yale 
Universities  and  is  a  consultant  to  Argon- 
ne  National  Laboratory.  Brookhaven 
National  Laboratory,  the  Langley  Re- 
search Center  of  the  Nationnal  Aeronau- 
tics and  Space  Administration,  the  Nation- 
al Bureau  of  Satndards.  and  the  Korean 
Institute  of  Science  and  Technology. 

"We  are  indeed  fortunate  to  have 
Professor  Gear  to  call  upon  in  this  period 
of  enormous  growth  in  the  field  of  com- 
puter science,"  Van  Valkenburg  said. 
"His  reputation,  intelligence,  and  vigor 
will  serve  the  department  excellently  as  it 
enters  this  exciting  era." 

Student  Achievers 

AT&T  Information  Systems  Labor- 
atories has  given  Achievement  Awards  to 
four  undergraduate  minority  sUidents. 

Receiving  $500  scholarships  are 
Arthur  B.  Howard,  a  sophomore  in  com- 
puter science.  Tracey  L.  Johnson,  a  soph- 
omore in  computer  engineering.  Eric  J. 
Minor,  a  junior  in  electrical  engineering, 
and  Stephanie  E.  Woodson,  a  junior  in 
electrical  engineering. 

According  to  Paul  E.  Parker,  assis- 
tant dean  in  charge  of  the  Minority  En- 


gineering Program,  these  scholarships 
were  the  first  the  firm  has  provided  for 
minority  students  at  Illinois. 

Christmas  Toys 

The  College  celebrated  a  belated 
Christmas  this  spring  as  it  became  the  re- 
cipient of  millions  of  dollars  in  corporate 
and  government  endowments. 

The  foremost  gift  came  from  the 
National  Science  Foundation  to  establish 
an  advanced  scientific  computing  center; 
$43  million,  the  largest  single  federal 
grant  ever  given  to  the  University,  will  be 
used  to  purchase  a  Cray  X-MP.  which  is 
currently  the  fastest  supercomputer  com- 
mercially available. 

Other  holiday  gifts  for  the  College 
include  a  CAD/CAM  system  from  IBM 
and  microwave  measurement  equipment 
from  Hewlett-Packard. 

The  College  was  one  of  only  20 
schools  to  receive  the  IBM  system.  It  will 
be  used  for  teaching  and  research  by  the 
departments  of  Aeronautical  and  Astro- 
nautical,  Civil,  General,  and  Mechanical 
and  Industrial  Engineering.  The  CPU  will 
be  housed  and  operated  by  the  Computing 
Services  Office  (CSO). 

The  Hewlett-Packard  equipment, 
valued  at  $140,000,  will  be  used  by  the 
electrical  and  computer  engineering  de- 
partment. The  University  was  selected  on 
the  basis  of  the  department's  proposal  to 
emphasize  newer  microwave  design  tech- 
niques in  its  curricula.  The  company  also 
gave  preference  to  programs  "that  would 
ensure  maximum  student  use  of  the  equip- 
ment, rather  than  emphasize  research." 

Man'  McDowell 


11 


continued  from  page  10 


Though  not  widely  used  nov\ ,  the  process  will  be  more  popular 
in  ten  years,  explained  Bruce  Rittmann,  an  associate  professor  in 
civil  engineering  at  the  University. 

Some  pollutants  are  pathogens.  These  disease-causing 
organisms  must  be  removed  if  the  water  is  to  be  consumed  by 
humans.  Fortunately,  most  pathogens  do  not  survive  sedimenta- 
tion. They  also  prefer  environments  similar  to  the  human  body 
and  therefore  do  not  survive  long  in  activated  sludge  or  fixed 
film  methods.  When  removal  of  pathogens  is  especially  critical, 
chlorine  is  used.  However,  chlorine  must  be  used  uith  discretion 
because  it  is  harmful  to  fish. 

Sewage  is  not  the  only  contaminator  of  the  water  supply. 
Industrial  discharges  also  cause  pollution,  mainly  through  toxic 
organic  compounds,  heavy  metals,  and  lubricants. 

Three  different  methods  are  used  to  remove  toxic  organic 
waste,  and  the  biological  puxesses  outlined  earlier  for  ordinary 
organic  waste  often  work  for  the  hazardous  substances  as  well. 
Some  materials  are  volatile,  meaning  they  are  easily  absorbed  by 
the  air,  so  air  blasted  through  the  water  easily  removes  them. 
Activated  carbon  removes  many  substances  quite  effectively,  but 
it  is  not  widely  used  because  it  is  expensive. 

Heavy  metals,  such  as  cadmium,  zinc,  and  lead  are  some 
of  the  hazardous  substances  which  need  processing  in  industrial 
waste  water.  If  only  small  concentrations  exist  in  the  water, 
sedimentation  or  biological  processes  remove  the  substances  ade- 
quately. Both  methods  work  because  the  metals  tend  to  attach  to 
both  solids  removed  in  sedimentation  and  to  microorganisms. 
When  large  concentrations  exist,  chemicals  can  be  added  to  the 
water  to  cause  the  metals  to  precipitate  out.  Used  in  conjunction 
with  each  other,  these  two  methods  remove  90  percent  of  the 
hazardous  metals. 

Oils  and  greases  used  for  lubrication  and  other  processes  in 
industry  form  yet  another  waste  removal  problem.  Oil  flotation 
takes  advantage  of  oil's  density  being  less  than  water.  In  flota- 
tion, the  opposite  of  sedimentation,  oils  come  to  the  surface  of  a 
holding  tank  for  removal.  For  added  efficiency,  the  process  is 
often  followed  by  a  filter. 

Despite  the  attention  industry  receives  in  the  area  of  water 
pollution,  some  forms  of  pollution  are  caused  by  agriculture. 
The  runoff  of  plant  nuuients  such  as  nitrogen  and  phosphorous 
sometimes  encourages  algae  growth  in  lakes,  which  adversely 
affects  game  fishing. 

This  nitrogen  and  phosphorous  can  be  removed  by  various 
processes.  Certain  microorganisms  thrive  on  nitrogen  or  phos- 
phorous. Nitrogen,  which  often  shows  up  in  the  form  of  ammo- 


nia, can  be  removed  by  stripping  the  ammonia  out  of  the  water 
and  into  the  air.  Phosphorous  can  also  be  precipitated  with  lime 
;ind  aluminum. 

Obviously,  the  technology  exists  to  remove  pollution  from 
most  controlled  sources  of  discharge,  but  there  is  still  much 
work  to  be  done  in  other  areas.  One  such  area  is  the  treatment 
of  storm  runoff.  The  same  substances  that  pollute  ordinary  dis- 
charges also  taint  runoff,  but  runoff  is  more  difficult  to  treat  be- 
cause it  comes  in  large  quantities  for  short  periods  of  time. 
Large  retention  basins  are  needed  to  hold  the  water  for  treat- 
ment, making  treatment  a  problem  for  many  municipalities. 

Another  form  of  water  pollution  which  has  received  much 
public  attention  lately  comes  from  landfill  runoff.  The  methods 
discussed  so  far  remove  waste  from  controlled  discharges,  but 
landfills  leach  substances  uncontrollably.  Drains  built  under  land- 
fills have  proven  workable  for  new  landfill  sites,  but  no  solu- 
tions have  been  developed  yet  for  existing  sites.  According  to 
Rittmann,  controlling  waste  fiow  from  landfill  sites  should  be 
one  of  the  most  active  areas  in  environmental  engineering. 

The  future  appears  promising  for  the  cleanliness  of  water, 
and  Rittmann  believes  that  the  quality  of  the  America's  water 
supply  will  continue  to  improve.  However,  engineers  must  con- 
tinue to  address  their  responsibility  for  the  environment  with  new 
solutions  to  the  water  problems.  ■ 


From  page  3 

Tech  Teasers  Answers 

1.  The  one  with  the  greatest  ""mew"  (jjl  =  coefficient  of 
friction). 

2.  $3,000. 

3.  72. 

4.  Converting  the  fortune  to  a  base  7  representation  shows 
that:  1,CXX).000  =   11.333,311.  Therefore,  the  digits  of  the  num- 
ber yield  the  following  distribution:  1  received  $1:1  received  S7; 
3  received  S49;  3  received  $343;  3  received  $2401;  3  received 
$16,807;  1  received  $117,649;  and  1  received  $823,543. 


12 


Technovations 


The  Lighter  Side 

Tlie  world's  shortest  light  pulse  was 
generated  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 


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training.  Now  vour  imagination  is  ready 

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^  ^         it's  time  to  dream,  to  reach  out, 

to  dare.  And  to  do  it  you  need  the  space 
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lllinoisTechnograph 


I'-t 


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Redeeming  Reactors 


To  design  and  develop  today's  most 
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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 
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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 
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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 
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Mary  McDowell 
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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 


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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, 
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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  0 

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 


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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^'^ 


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/ 


/ 


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/ 


• 


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  -^^ 

) 


YoiTredeep  under  the  sea. 
_^Theg5re  4600  tons  of  nuclear- 
=powered  submarine  around 
"^you^Your  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  skiH«^ 
you'll  use  for  a  lifetime. 


Mediterfg^an,  the  Racificjoc" 
the  Atlantic  where^^yOT^^ 
move  around  theworld.  you'll = 
be  moving  up  in  your  career" 
and  in  the  Navy~^:^= —  — —  ■= 
^=^  F^d  out  more^abfiu4an  = 


start  tqctay^ 

—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  0 
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        0 
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  0 

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  0 

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 , 
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'.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 
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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 


0 

^^  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<tunj  ^'xllf  / 
.\'.C.m1u:.!.'-i>  ^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 


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earned  advanced  degrees  in  engineering  and  science 
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More  than  100  new  fellowships  will  be  available  in 
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Physics 

As  a  Hughes  Fellow,  you  could  be  studying  for  your 
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Total  Value:  $25,000  to  $50,000  a  year. 


You'll  also  have  the  opportunity  to  gain  valuable 
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Since  Hughes  is  involved  with  more  than  92 
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experience 

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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 


0 

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  vour-.^^     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 

^^gSe^agMAmerica'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 


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:!■•  ^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