Marlin Mickle displays his invention—a microchip with a built-in antenna

Pitt Engineer First to
Put an Antenna
On a Microchip

A recent commercial by a computer industry giant depicts a seedy-looking man walking through a store, furtively putting items in the pockets of his trench coat. As he passes through an exit, a security guard stops him.

“Excuse me, sir,” the guard says, “You forgot your receipt.”

The commercial suggests that the technology to make this effortless checkout is nearly five years away, but according to Marlin Mickle, Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor in Pitt’s School of Engineering and director of the University’s Center for Motion Control Research, the technology is here today, and it works.
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From Angels to Nickelodeons

Fellowship Awards Spur Student Research

More than 50 University of Pittsburgh graduate students are exploring everything from the phenomenon of angels to the history of the nickelodeon as recipients of the 2001-2002 Andrew W. Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship Awards, an annual competition for doctoral students.

With topics that range from the role of the bandit in Latin American culture to how people behave at auctions and from new anticancer drugs to an analysis of jazz programs at American universities, these students have accepted stipends of $15,000 each and taken a one-year break from their duties as teaching assistants to pursue research projects. Full Article...