Entropy Alone Creates Complex Crystals
from Simple Shapes, Study Shows
In a study that elevates the role of entropy in creating order, research from the University of Michigan, Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University shows that certain pyramid shapes can spontaneously organize into complex quasicrystals.
A quasicrystal is a solid whose components exhibit long-range order, but without a single pattern or a unit cell that repeats.
Their findings, in a paper titled "Disordered, quasicrystalline and crystalline phases of densely packed tetrahedral,” were published in the Dec. 10 issue of Nature. Read more.
Mandel Student Provides a Gift of Memories
Keepsake books will appear as holiday gifts for 10 senior citizens in Wadsworth, Ohio. The gift is one filled with their memories, which for some is a way to preserve their past before it is lost to the ills of aging.
David Harris, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and his longtime friend Joey Hanna from Wadsworth created The Living through Legacies Project with the Wadsworth Center for Older Adults, which allows for the creation of personal, timeless memoirs.
Harris adds that the books become a testimonial to the remarkable lives and contributions these people have made. Read more.
Campus News
On Sunday, Dec. 27, the Student Information System (SIS) will be unavailable until 4 p.m.
As part of the university's ongoing initiative to conserve energy, the Department of Facilities Services will reduce heat, ventilation and lighting levels over the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Go online to view a list of the dates, times and buildings affected. Please turn off lights and office equipment, computers and monitors, copy machines, etc. when leaving before each holiday weekend. Questions should be directed to the Customer Service Center for Facility Operations at 368-2580.
SAGES Café is now serving Peet's Holiday Blend Coffee, Special Holiday Blend Black Tea and Eggnog. The campus community is invited to stop by and indulge in classic and new holiday treats.
For Faculty and Staff
Case Western Reserve's Employee Wellness Program aims to promote healthy lifestyles to help enhance a positive, successful, supportive, energetic and healthy workplace. Join the team from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 14, for the official launch event at 1-2-1 Fitness Center. Enjoy free food from Bon Appétit, raffles for great prizes from local restaurants and businesses, chair massages and health screenings. There will also be representatives from different employee services and organizations to answer questions and provide information on all that is offered at the university. Bring your co-workers for a great time and help celebrate Case Employee Wellness.
For Students
Current student parkers who did not not receive renewal notices by e-mail, and who wish to renew their permits, should contact Access Services immediately at 368-CARD or by e-mail at parking@case.edu. Monday, Jan. 11, at 4 p.m. is the last day to pay for permits. Permits not paid for by that time will be forfeited.
In Memoriam
Marion "Frank" Rudy (CIT' 50), developer of the famed Nike air-sole technology, died last week. He was 84 years old.
A mechanical engineering major, Rudy worked as an aerospace engineer and spent a portion of his career at NASA where he worked on the Saturn and Apollo rocket engines and invented the ultra high precision micro-ball spherical bearing.
Later in his life, he embarked on an entirely new career: athletic footwear innovator. He invented the world's first shock-absorbing sole system for athletic footwear. This breakthrough, which became the popular Nike "Air" system, allows shoes to cushion heavy impact forces and to temporarily store and return impact energy in the space of each stride. They revolutionized the running shoe industry.
A Northeast Ohio native, Rudy never forgot his roots. He and his wife, Margaret (Margie), donated $2 million to the university to establish the M. Frank and Margaret Domiter Rudy Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Rudy had a particular passion for cancer research and the advancement of discovery resulting in a cure, and the professorship focuses on these areas. In addition, he created scholarships for graduates of his own alma mater, Fairview High School. He was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.
"Frank Rudy will be sorely missed, but his inspirational spirit, his legacy of innovation and his generous nature will continue to be celebrated and embraced on the campus of Case Western Reserve University," President Barbara R. Snyder said. "He believed in advancing scientific research and seeing it applied to challenging issues and diseases. We share his commitment and will continue to support his many initiatives."
During his lifetime, Rudy patented more than 250 inventions. He was founder and president of Kim Enterprises, Inc. During his expansive career, he was employed by North American Rockwell, Verdo Products Company, Petro Mechanics, Pacific Airmotive and Lockheed Martin. He served as a pharmacist during World War II, advancing to the rank of top NCO medical and surgical noncommissioned officer. He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Rocket Society and the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.
Rudy, who resided in Calabasas, Calif., is survived by his wife, Margie; daughter, Kimberly Rudy McMahon; son-in-law, Bruce K. McMahon; and granddaughter, Lauren Rudy McMahon. The family will hold a memorial service in California in January 2010.
Events
The next Science Café Cleveland, sponsored by the university's Sigma Xi chapter, will focus on the topic of "Sleep and Counting Sheep." The speakers are Ziad Shaman and Vidya Krishnan, both of MetroHealth Medical Center. The talk begins at 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 11, at the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Tasting Room, 2701 Carroll Ave.
The views and opinions of those invited to speak on campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community.
Et al.
Melissa Knothe-Tate, professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Fellows are leaders in the field who have distinguished themselves through their contributions in research, industrial practice and/or education.
