Starting fall semester, the University of Michigan will introduce a fully autonomous campus shuttle system, called the ARMA. Two buses, manufactured by the French company Navya, will transport up to 15 students, faculty, and staff on a two-mile route from the Lurie Engineering Center to the North Campus Research Complex on Plymouth Road. To implement ARMA shuttles on the North Campus, Navya collaborated with Mcity, a 32-acre automotive test facility at UM geared toward advancing transportation safety, sustainability, and accessibility. “At the University of Michigan, we have been studying connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) for years,” said Huei Peng, director

University of Michigan Launching Campus Driverless Bus in the Fall

By: Jackson Schroeder

Unity College prides itself on being America’s Environmental College, and its many sustainability projects, including its quick transition to zero waste in its dining and catering facilities, supports that assertion. The college’s efforts to have zero waste in its dining and catering facilities were rewarded when Dining Services recently won the gold Sustainability Award in the waste management category from the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). Unity College was able to achieve remarkable results in just 8 months. The zero-waste program was implemented in August 2016, when the college examined the carbon footprint of its dining

Unity College Dining Services Wins Sustainability Award for Zero-Waste Efforts

By: Susan Chu

University of Wisconsin–Madison has a new Campus Food Shed thanks to student Hannah DePorter, who was a junior when she first conceived of the project last year. Now, UW-Madison students and staff will have access to fresh produce for free over 7 months of the year. The Food Shed has four large refrigerators, which are placed at four different locations on campus for convenient access. The Food Shed will be stocked with local produce, such as beets, carrots, onions, squash, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, kale, tomatoes, oregano, basil, dill, and cranberries. DePorter expects produce to be available from May to November

University of Wisconsin–Madison Student Starts Campus Food Shed

By: Susan Chu

The way someone speaks can tell a lot about them. A voice can depict someone’s origins and serve as a window to their emotion. Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are using speech to pick up on an under-diagnosed genetic condition called fragile X (FX) premutation. FX premutation is a genetic abnormality that causes neurodegenerative disorders like infertility, and can lead to having children with FX syndrome (FXS). “FXS is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, and leading known genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder,” said Arezoo Movaghar, PhD student of biomedical engineering and co-author of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison Uses Speech to Diagnose Genetic Disorders

By: Jackson Schroeder

The Chevy Bolt can travel 238 miles on a single charge, and the upcoming Tesla Model 3 is anticipated to have a travel range of over 200 miles. While the distance an electric vehicle can go without charge has grown exponentially, they can take hours to re-charge, which makes them impractical for long distance trips. That limitation would no longer apply if Stanford University researchers Shanhui Fan, a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University, and Sid Assawaworrarit, graduate student, have anything to do with it. Fan and Assawaworrarit have developed a way to wirelessly deliver electricity to moving objects.

Stanford University Researchers Develop Wireless Charging of Moving Objects

By: Jackson Schroeder

Drones are more than just toys you play with in the park; they can be your next business opportunity. The University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering started offering a new class this summer that focuses on the many applications of drones. “There are literally hundreds of business applications. The sky’s the limit with what these robots can do,” said Chris Johnson, the creator and instructor of this new course. Johnson is the director of the UW Flight Lab in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and a program specialist in unmanned aerial systems. The course is called “Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems”

Students Learn to Fly Drones and Collect Data at University of Wisconsin–Madison

By: Brian Bonilla

In past years, fear of infectious disease progressively dwindled. The flu or common cold has been treated with a short trip to the doctor and a few pills. Unfortunately, the bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites that cause illness are growing increasingly immune to antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics. As of 2017, 700,000 people die annually from antimicrobial resistance. If no preventative action is taken, that number is projected to skyrocket to 10 million by 2050. In an effort to combat this growing threat, researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel have created a revolutionary

Tel Aviv University Uses DNA-Editing Technology to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Germs

By: Jackson Schroeder

The language of sport is unique and inclusive. It has an ability to integrate and unify cultures, races, and identities. After the 1992 Rugby World Cup, which united both white and black South Africans for the first time, Nelson Mandela said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.” In an attempt to extend the inclusive power of sport, Adidas and

Arizona State University and Adidas Partner to Extend Inclusive Power of Sport

By: Jackson Schroeder

If you have ever wondered whether you are washing your hands properly, then wonder no more. A recent Rutger University study provides us with the information we need to wash our hands thoroughly and remove germs that make us ill and spread disease. The study was led by Dr. Donald Schaffner, distinguished professor at Rutgers University and extension specialist in food science at the university’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, whose research interests include handwashing and cross contamination. Handwashing is key to good health. We learned that from a very young age. Many of us can recall our mothers

What’s the Right Way to Wash Our Hands? Rutgers University Research Debunks Hot Water Theory

By: Susan Chu

Arizona State University (ASU) is rapidly gaining a reputation for its strong commitment to sustainability practices. It has won awards for various sustainability efforts three years in a row, starting in 2015 when it received two first-place Crescordia awards at the Arizona Forward Environmental Excellence Awards, which honor projects focused on improving sustainability in Arizona. Those awards were followed in 2016 by the USG NACDA Sustainability Award, which is given to top athletic departments demonstrating sustainability practices. This year, ASU was one of the eleven winners of the 2017 Best of Green Schools award, which was given by the Center

Arizona State University Gaining Reputation For Its Sustainability Efforts

By: Kyley Warren

A recent study by The International Council of Clean Transportation found that increased air pollution from diesel nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions led to 107,600 early deaths in 2015. The study also found that actual NOx emissions are higher than the emissions reported by manufacturers, the difference referred to as “excess NOx emissions.” Of the early deaths in 2015, excess NOx emissions accounted for 38,000 early deaths. Uncorrected, worldwide early deaths from diesel NOx emissions could rise to 183,600 in 2040, an alarming thought. But do not fret! Graham Hargrave, professor of optical diagnostics at The Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical

Loughborough University Invents Technology to Reduce Hazardous Diesel Engine Emissions

By: Susan Chu

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Goldsmiths University of London have discovered a method that boosts creativity through electrical brain stimulation. Humans are wired to learn through experiences. Our problem-solving techniques usually require us to apply rules that we have previously learned to new situations. Problems that are more difficult often require a creative method to overcome the circumstance. Some people can successfully maneuver difficult problems they encounter while others experience much difficulty. The researchers argue that learned rules have the possibility of acting as constraints that need to be removed to think about possible solutions. This

Two Universities in London Improve Creativity Through Brain Stimulation

By: Vanessa Sewell

Soon there might be a surefire way to eliminate phantom limb pain. Researchers at Aalborg University in Denmark reported, based on their new study, that Virtual Reality technology can be used to help amputees. Phantom limb pain is felt by those who have lost an arm, leg, or other body part. It can be felt as a tingling, cold, hot, or any other sensation a person would have felt before being amputated. This is a phenomenon that is common amongst amputees but something that doesn’t have a clear explanation. Bo Geng, one of the researchers involved in the study and

Aalborg University Uses Virtual Reality to Eliminate Phantom Limb Pain

By: Brian Bonilla

Development is underway at the University of Calgary in Canada to make autonomous flight in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) a reality, without the use of GPS technology. TUN spoke with Dr. Mozhdeh Shahbazi, professor of geomatics engineering at University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering, regarding her new drone technology. Shahbazi has spent her academic and professional career advancing fine-scale 3-D mapping and modeling technology. To Shahbazi, UAVs serve as a “platform to improve mapping and navigation purposes.” Until now, UAVs have relied on GPS technology to guide them through the air. The problem is, when the flying machines reach

University of Calgary Researcher Develops New Autonomous Drones

By: Jackson Schroeder

Efforts towards environmental sustainability at the University of Illinois are held at top priority. So, when a student group advocated for a campus wind farm and additional student fees to support a move towards clean energy in 2003, they sparked great interest. Due to a $5 million price tag, however, the request was declined by the Board of Trustees in 2011, but that decline stemmed innovation. Students reached out to the staff at the university’s Facilities and Services (F&S) to search for other renewable energy solutions. “We immediately started working on the solar farm,” said Morgan Johnston, director of sustainability

University of Illinois Reaping the Benefit of Student-Funded Solar Farm

By: Jackson Schroeder

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