One of the most common surgeries performed on pediatric patients could become faster and safer thanks to several U.Va. engineers. Led by Shayn Peirce-Cottler, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at U.Va.’s Engineering School, and Dr. Bradley Kesser, an ear–nose–throat (ENT) surgeon at U.Va. Health System, a team of undergraduate researchers are in the process of commercializing a novel device to aid in the surgical implantation of ear ventilation tubes.

When Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine attended the ribboncutting ceremony for the University of Virginia’s ecoMOD3 project in December 2007, he applauded the project goals of historic preservation, affordability and ecological sustainability in both construction practices and use, and the incorporation of universal design to address issues of aging-in-place.

For more than a century, voting machines have helped shape American political history. The chaos of the 2000 presidential election in Florida drew attention to the crucial role that voting machines played in shaping the outcome of that election. But Bryan Pfaffenberger, associate professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at U.Va.’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), believes there is value in understanding that the interaction between voting technology and culture has been going on for more than a century.

Michael Reed’s own career supports his contention that the engineering curriculum, with its emphasis on analytic thinking and problem-solving, is the ideal preparation for people interested in pursuing ideas wherever they lead. Reed, a professor in the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is a founder of Setagon, a company developing an improved stent to keep open the clogged arteries of patients with heart disease. The technology Reed developed with senior scientist Whye-Kei Lye required them to range far afield from electrical engineering, applying knowledge from materials science, mechanical engineering and cardiology, as well as microfabrication technology.

George Cahen prepared me for a daunting internship in just one semester — and that was only the beginning. As a first-year SEAS student in Professor Dana Elzey’s “Intro to Engineering” class, I expressed interest in an engineering internship in Germany. Professor Elzey secured an internship for me in the R&D office of the materials science department at Mercedes- Benz. There was only one problem: I had no knowledge of materials science. I polled faculty and friends and everyone said, “To learn it comprehensively and quickly, take Professor Cahen’s class.” Everyone was right.