Tau Bates in the News, January 2010

The New York Times recently highlighted innovation related to magnetic bearings.

A company in Virginia, Synchrony Inc., “has miniaturized the control system and tucked it into the housing of the magnets themselves.”

Victor A. Iannello, MA B ’83, is the founder and CEO of Synchrony. He explains that the new magnetic bearings replace previous bearings that depended on “at least 40 wires connecting the electromagnets and sensors to a control cabinet.”

A professor at the University of Virginia, Dr. Eric Maslen (VA A ’80), discusses the advantages of not needing oil, grease, or ball bearings, in the new magnetic bearings.

“This is a way to make magnetic bearings an off-the-shelf technology,” said Dr. Maslen. Read article

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In a follow-up to a previous post, the world’s tallest building opened today in Duabi, United Arab Emirates.

Burj Dubai, meaning “Dubai Tower,” has the distinction of being “the world’s tallest free-standing structure on Earth.” Lawrence C. Novak, IL A ’85, was a project manager responsible for structural design of the Tower.

Read more on the opening of Burj Dubai.

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Dr. Aziz Inan, CA H ’78, has a fascination with palindromes and math puzzles.

He was recently interviewed for further explanation on historical palindrome dates. January 2 of this year was “only the third palindrome date in 620 years.” The next will occur on November 2, 2011. Read more

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