OU Engineering

By Paighten Harkins Campus Reporter for OU Daily A group of OU researchers tucked away inside the Stephenson Research and Technology Center is developing new technologies to detect certain cancers at earlier stages. “We build toys,” team leader Hong Liu said. These toys are the equipment that Liu, chair of Biomedical Engineering and his team have developed to make cancer detection a more streamlined and efficient process. The researcher is focusing on phase-contrast imaging and how it can be used for earlier and less invasive treatment of breast cancer. Normal X-ray imaging relies on how much radiation objects absorb, according to the OU Biotechnology website. These differences create contrasting images. However, in phase contrast X-ray imaging, the X-ray beams collect information as they pass through the body. This creates a better picture because it picks up weakly absorbing areas as well and exposes patients to less radiation, according to the website. The current pro...

Xiaoquan Wang, Campus Reporter Feb. 23, 2012; OU Daily Leaders within the School of Industrial Engineering are changing its name to better reflect the expanding skills of its students, according to officials. The school, part of the College of Engineering, is now the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Systems engineering focuses on complex projects over a span of time and involves coordination among many teams. “Today, systems are more complex and larger scale, and our graduates work in a very broad range of environments...,” Director Randa Shehab said. “Bringing the word systems into our school name better reflects our broad perspective on engineering problem solving.” OU graduates are working in fields from government agencies to health care companies to oil and gas manufacturing and processing, Shehab said. As part of the name change and new focus, the college has added courses to teach students more about decision making and critical thinking with systems, She...

BY THOMAS LANDERS Published: February 22, 2012 NewsOK.com Most engineers can recall when their interest in engineering was sparked at a young age. Some recall taking toys apart and rebuilding them. Others had a parent in the industry or an outstanding teacher or a camp or extracurricular activity that ignited a passion. But as economic growth becomes increasingly driven by the ability to generate ideas and translate them into innovative products and services, it becomes more apparent that all children should be prepared for a world immersed in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This is National Engineers Week, a time to celebrate the advancements in the field. It's also a time to encourage current and future generations to explore the career possibilities in engineering. Recent studies show the importance of engaging middle school students with STEM education as it prepares them for the high school courses necessary to pursue engineering in college. Simply ex...

Read article from publication Vision Tulsa by Pramode Verma, director of OU-Tulsa's Telecommunications Engineering Program, in which he discusses alleviating poverty through technology.

By JAMES J. SLUSS JR. Published: 2/18/2012 Tulsa World This week, on engineering college campuses across the nation, we celebrate National Engineers Week - a celebration and observance of the positive impact engineers make on society through advancing technology. Our celebration offers a platform on which to reach out to and inform people of all ages about the rewarding profession of engineering. It also provides an opportunity to highlight the key role engineers play in leading technological innovation that is so vital to our knowledge-based economy. Today more than ever, as the United States strives to maintain its preeminence as the innovation hub of the world, we must challenge engineers to explore innovative and disruptive technology ideation - the process of conceiving new ideas. Technology advances at an ever-increasing pace, so it is important that today's students learn to think beyond incremental improvements and discover ideas that challenge the status quo. As ...

February 6, 2012 Community outreach helps technology solve water problems in Africa In the United States and other developed countries, fluoride is often added to drinking water and toothpaste to help strengthen teeth. But too much naturally occurring fluoride can have exactly the opposite effect. Large amounts of fluoride can lead to dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis. "Dental fluorosis is a darkening or mottling of the teeth, and you can tell very easily when people smile, because their teeth will be dark and discolored," says Laura Brunson, environmental scientist at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman, Okla. While dental fluorosis is not painful, it can have a dramatic effect on an individual's ability to get a job or find a spouse. "They may have a harder time finding some type of public service job. And there is sort of a social stigma attached to it, a poverty stigma," says Brunson. Skeletal fluorosis is much more debilitating. ...

At the annual meeting of the Navajo Code Talkers held on Saturday, February 11, 2012 in Window Rock, Arizona, Peter MacDonald, Sr., 83, was elected to lead the Navajo Code Talkers Association and the Navajo Code Talkers Foundation. He assumes the duties of well-known Navajo Code Talker, Keith M. Little, who passed away on January 3, 2012. In accepting the position, MacDonald told his fellow comrades and their families, “I will do my best as your president. I am committed and dedicated to establishing the National Navajo Code Talkers Museum and Veterans Center…I need your help.” MacDonald, a World War II Veteran and a Navajo Code Talker, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, 6th Marine Division from 1944-46 in the South Pacific and North China. Upon his discharge, with a rank of Corporal in October 1946, he headed home to Teecnospos, Arizona. He graduated from Bacone High School, earned a Social Science degree from Bacone Junior College, and received an electrical engineering degree fro...