2015

Miners of invention

Posted by on November 25, 2015

The next time you pour a glass of milk, buy a toothbrush or fill your gas tank, thank a Miner. There’s a good chance that a fellow graduate invented something that keeps your milk fresh, your toothbrush packaging streamlined or your fuel from spilling onto the pavement.

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Household items

Posted by on November 25, 2015

Take a look around your house. How many things you see were patented by Miner alumni? Maybe more than you think. Here are just a few examples of household Miner inventions.

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Why should I care about cybersecurity?

Posted by on November 25, 2015

The increasing reliance on computer systems has made cybersecurity a growing concern. Missouri S&T Magazine staff asked Cristina Serban, MS CSci’93, PhD CSci’96, a researcher with the Chief Security Office at AT&T and holder of five patents for various security systems, about the industry, its history and what the future has in store for information security.

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Non-stop innovation

Posted by on November 25, 2015

Dan Scott, MetE’70, holds 105 patents, the second-most in his employer’s history. He has 55 more that are pending examination and over 400 international counterparts to his U.S. patents.

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Taking a gamble

Posted by on November 25, 2015

“One-armed bandits” have become highly technical games thanks in part to two S&T alumni. Charles Berg and Robert Miodunski both hold patents in the casino gaming industry.

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Automative inventions

Posted by on November 25, 2015

The Center for Automotive Research estimates that 3 to 5 percent of all patents granted in the U.S. are awarded to the auto industry, with as many as 5,000 patents awarded every year. Miner alumni are responsible for several of those. Here are a few examples.

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The air up there

Posted by on November 25, 2015

Before the era of jet planes, scientists didn’t realize that thunderstorm cells could stretch as high as 90,000 feet into the atmosphere.

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Building a better finger trap

Posted by on November 25, 2015

When designing parachutes, engineers need to include attachments that are both strong and easily packed into small and sometimes awkward spaces, says Julie Martin, AE’07.

PrintMartin was working on a joint project for the U.S. Navy and NASA to design the parachute system for the Orion capsule when she discovered the need for a better fingertrap loop.

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How ideas bloom

Posted by on November 25, 2015

Joseph G. Straeter, PetE’83, has spent his life tinkering, modifying, improving — inventing — and his work has made him one of the most prolific Miner inventors. From the flower fields to the oil fields, Straeter’s patents at last count total over 500.

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A voice for toys

Posted by on November 25, 2015

Bill Jacobs, ME’64, is fluent in at least two “languages.” “I tell people I’m bilingual,” he says. “I can work in metal and plastics.”

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