partners

Predicting the behavior of neutrons has been of fundamental importance for the nuclear security enterprise since the very beginning. Though we have come a long way from the days of using a series of wheels to simulate the movement in neutrons in a system, as Fermi did, Monte Carlo simulations that use random numbers to estimate the behavior of neutrons in a nuclear system still are a critical technology in the nuclear analytical toolkit. 

Imagine a system of interconnected sensors and devices that can monitor a person’s health and alert them to seek treatment before a heart attack.

A future where Internet of Things technologies are predictive, rather than reactive, is the goal of the Pervasive Personalized Intelligence Center, a partnership between Oregon State University and the University of Colorado Boulder with several industry members.

Tricia Salcido had a problem.

As CEO of Philomath, Oregon-based Softstar Shoes – which makes “minimal” shoes, designed to allow natural, “barefoot-like” movement – she holds the quality of her company’s product paramount. When she identified an inconsistency in the manufacturing process that could lead to soles detaching over time, she needed a solution.

Luckily, answers lay just a few miles down the road, at Oregon State University.

Image

Meli

Below the ground, unseen, the backbone of modern civilization is starting to crumble.

From small towns to megacities worldwide, bacteria in wastewater are destroying sewers, pipelines, and treatment plants. The phenomenon, known as microbial-induced corrosion, impacts any community that produces wastewater.

Although there is no standard test method to assess the extent of this corrosion, Oregon State engineers are designing a safer, quicker, more accurate test of products used to prevent it.

Houssam Abbas (right) works with students on building a one-tenth scale autonomous race car in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University. Photo by Hannah O'Leary.

As the world becomes more dependent on the safe operation of autonomous vehicles and medical devices, the research in testing such systems becomes more critical. The challenge of developing control and verification algorithms for such safety-critical systems is what excites Houssam Abbas about his work.

And although his research begins with theory, it is more than that.

Global Formula Racing — the partnership between Oregon State University and German university DHBW Ravensburg— has a storied and stellar track record. Since 2010, the team has racked up multiple top-10 finishes in race cars designed and built from the ground up.

So when the team took second place at Formula Student Germany earlier this month, it was no surprise. But when the car rolled across the finish line in Hockenheim, it was more than the end of the race, it was the end of an era.

At the heart of Oregon State University’s pursuit of excellence are faculty — scholars and educators who advance knowledge while teaching, challenging, and guiding students. These are the individuals in whom Oregon State’s mission lives and breathes.

“I have a vison of printing an entire robot that would walk off the printer,” said Pallavi Dhagat, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Oregon State University and president of the IEEE Magnetics Society.

Image

Gue