2016 News
November 14, 2016
SIU team sweeps national robotics competition
The robotics team from Southern Illinois University Carbondale swept the Association of Technology Management and Applied Engineering national robotics competition Nov. 2 in Orlando, Fla., winning nearly half of all the possible points available to teams competing.
November 06, 2016
Concrete canoe, steel bridge teams win big
SIU engineering students made history in April, winning the top spot in two regional competitions aimed at testing their abilities and creativity as up-and-coming engineers.
The SIU teams took first place in both the steel bridge and concrete canoe design competitions, held April 22-23 at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. It is the first time the SIU teams have both won first place in the two competitions. The American Society of Civil Engineers sponsors the event; the American Institute of Steel Construction co-sponsored the steel bridge contest, as well.
November 05, 2016
Chens remain big supporters of college
If you have the good fortune of visiting the home of Juh Wah Chen and Han Lin Chen in rural Carbondale, the phrase “bloom where you are planted” can spring quickly to mind.
Up and down the front sidewalk and spilling into the surrounding yard are a breathtaking array of flowers and greenery, some cultivated and some exotics and all astonishingly beautiful.
November 04, 2016
Biology may be key to coal-gas conversion
There’s no denying the power of coal. The ancient, hydrocarbon-rich material supplies a major portion of the world’s power needs as a ready, plentiful means of generating electricity. And the United States has more reserves of recoverable coal than any other country.
But there’s also no denying that simply burning coal comes with environmental costs that many say are unsustainable.
Two SIU engineering researchers, however, are working on a way to convert the innate power of coal into something far more environmentally friendly, and doing so using a technique based on a natural and sustainable process that has gone on for millions of years.
Yanna Liang, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Satya Harpalani, professor of mining and mineral resources engineering, are using biology to convert coal to methane, which burns much cleaner than coal and produces half the carbon dioxide emissions.
November 03, 2016
Graduate carved out niche at SIU
Nigel Cardriche sat in the car with his family, stuck in traffic on the outskirts of New Orleans. It was late August 2005, and the 11-year-old boy had always looked forward to what he and his friends slyly called “hurricane break” with enthusiasm.
June 06, 2016
Fishing duo earns spot in national tournament
The Southern Illinois University Carbondale student fishing team of Kyle Wagner and Mason Bishop recently earned a top-five finish at the Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) College Fishing Central Conference bass tournament, earning a spot in the 2017 FLW College Fishing National Tournament.
April 26, 2016
$1 million NSF grant fuels energy scholarships
A national research agency has awarded Southern Illinois University Carbondale a new $1 million grant aimed at helping community college students prepare for careers in the energy sector.
April 26, 2016
SIU student engineers win first place at regional competition
For the first time in its history, SIU's American Society of Civil Engineers swept regional competitions at Missouri University of Science and Technology in steel bridge and concrete canoe building.
April 21, 2016
SIU teams finish in top 10 in NASA competition
Two teams from Southern Illinois University Carbondale finished in the top 10 during this year’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge, held April 8-9 in Huntsville, Ala.
March 15, 2016
NSF funds leadership program for students
Usually, students get scholarships for something they’ve done -- such as earning high marks in high school or college.
A unique scholarship at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, however, rewards students for not only that, but also what they will do: Become leaders in the STEM field of their choice.
March 14, 2016
Smith a leader among engineering students
Steven E. Smith is the president of the Engineering Student Council this semester at Southern Illinois University.
A native of St. Charles, Mo., Smith is the son of Larry and Carol Smith. He comes to the engineering field naturally, following in his father’s footsteps.
“My dad graduated from SIU engineering in 1983 and introduced me to the school,” Smith said. “After touring the facilities and talking to a few professors I felt that SIU had the curriculum and programs where I could succeed.”
March 13, 2016
Alumna has worn many hats
Engineer, lawyer, journalist and swimmer. All those titles have applied to Laurie Landgraf at one point or another in her life.
The Columbia native, who now serves as senior counsel at The Boeing Co. in St. Louis, recalls her time as an engineering student at SIU as a time of extremes, both in terms of weather and her schedule. She took the required classes, naturally, but also worked part-time jobs at local newspapers and spent a good amount of time sopping wet, trying to make it as a walk-on for the Saluki swim team.
March 12, 2016
New faculty member focuses on Embedded Systems
Your “smartphone” might well be paving the way to make your “smart car” to become even smarter, says a new member of the faculty in the College of Engineering at SIU.
Iraklis Anagnostopoulos, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, arrived at SIU last fall with a vision of developing frameworks to use multiple computer systems and sensors – so-called “embedded systems” – to revolutionize the way people use and interact with their automobiles.
March 11, 2016
Alumnus donates $1 million for scholarships
Terry Asher remembers what it was like trying to afford a college education in the 1970s.
“It was hard to afford college in the 1970s and it's much worse now,” said the SIU engineering alumnus, who still treasures his time on the Carbondale campus. “I am the first and only one in my family to get a degree. My decision to attend SIU was a major fork in the road for me. My life would have been much different without the education I received at SIU. “