(Press-News.org) Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Lin Cai, Professor and Frank Gunsaulus Faculty Fellow in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Boris S. Pervan, and Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering Thomas Wong, all faculty members at Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), have been selected as fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
This distinction, reflecting their extraordinary accomplishments, is given to less than 0.1 percent of IEEE voting members annually.
Cai was recognized “for contributions to sustainable wireless communication and networking.” Her research focuses on the design and optimization of energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable wireless systems, including resilient wireless networks, large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) networks, edge-enabled 5G/6G communications, and machine learning–driven network optimization and resource management.
Cai is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, through which she has advanced the design and deployment of sustainable communication networks powered by variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. Her research addresses the efficiency, resilience, and environmental impact of large-scale wireless and IoT networks, helping to shape next-generation sustainable communication systems.
Pervan was recognized “for contributions to satellite navigation integrity.” His career focus has been finding ways for navigation systems to have high accuracy and high integrity simultaneously, a necessity for anything GPS-driven where these factors become critical to safety.
He is also the director of the Center for Assured and Resilient Navigation in Advanced Transportation Systems (CARNATIONS) at Illinois Tech, a $10 million United States Department of Transportation-funded project that brings together university and industry collaborators to work on safe, scalable, and seamless surface navigation for uncrewed aircraft systems.
Pervan is also a fellow of the Institute of Navigation (ION) and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He received the prestigious Johannes Kepler Award from the ION in 2022 for his “contributions to high-integrity GNSS-based aviation navigation and his dedication to education.”
Wong was recognized “for contributions to high-frequency electronics and materials characterization.” He joined the Illinois Tech faculty as an assistant professor in 1981.
He has conducted research in material measurements, charge transport in ionic and electronic conductors, transient electromagnetics, millimeter-wave communication systems, and propagation effects in high-speed semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. In collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab, he has contributed to research in dielectric loaded accelerators, coupler design for superconducting multicell cavity resonators, and nanoscale position sensors. His recent activities have been on space-charge interactions in semiconductor nanostructures. He wrote the first book devoted to the subject of distributed amplifiers in 1993.
He is also a fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials.
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Cancer cells carry thousands of mutations, but not all mutations are created equal. Some make tumors highly visible to the immune system, while others help cancers hide. In this study, researchers have discovered that across thousands of human cancers, there are five dominant patterns of protein-altering mutations — called amino acid substitution signatures — and these patterns help determine how tumors interact with the immune system.
When DNA in a cell is damaged by environmental exposures (like tobacco smoke or UV light) or internal errors during replication and repair, the resulting mutations change the building ...
Autism has long been viewed as a condition that predominantly affects male individuals, but a study from Sweden published by The BMJ shows that autism may actually occur at comparable rates among male and female individuals.
The results show a clear female catch-up effect during adolescence, which the researchers say highlights the need to investigate why female individuals receive diagnoses later than male individuals.
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased over the past three decades, with a high male-to-female diagnosis ratio of around 4:1.
The increase in prevalence is thought to ...
Testing menstrual blood for human papillomavirus (HPV) could be a “robust alternative or replacement” for current cervical cancer screening by a clinician, finds a study from China published by The BMJ today.
The researchers say using menstrual blood for HPV testing is convenient and non-invasive, allowing women to collect samples at home, and therefore could offer a practical pathway to expand access to screening.
Certain types of HPV infection can develop into cervical cancer and HPV testing is a key part of cervical screening. But not all women attend screening appointments for reasons including fear of pain, concerns about privacy and ...
More images available via the link in the Notes Section
Summary:
Some Argentinian penguins are experiencing high levels of predation from pumas recolonising their historical territory. A new study has quantified the risk on long-term penguin population survival.
Over four years, pumas at a national park on the Argentinian Patagonia coast are thought to have killed over 7,000 adult penguins (7.6% of the colony’s adult population) – but left many uneaten.
Long-term, however, puma predation alone is unlikely to threaten colony viability, while low breeding success and reduced juvenile survival appear to be ...
IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON PRESS RELEASE
Under embargo until 00:01 GMT Thursday 5 February
Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People
Exposure to burn injuries played key role in shaping human evolution, study suggests
Humans’ exposure to high temperature burn injuries may have played an important role in our evolutionary development, shaping how our bodies heal, fight infection, and sometimes fail under extreme injury, according to new research.
For ...
ANN ARBOR—The fastest land animal in North America is the American pronghorn, and previously, researchers thought it evolved its speed because of pressure from the now-extinct American cheetah.
But recently, that theory has come under fire. Now, a University of Michigan study examining fossilized ankle bones of ancient relatives of the American pronghorn has shown that the pronghorn was evolving to be faster more than 5 million years before the American cheetah appeared on the continent. The study, ...
Scientists have developed an improved method to convert municipal wastewater sludge into higher quality renewable fuel while significantly reducing harmful nitrogen compounds, offering a promising pathway for cleaner energy and sustainable waste management.
Municipal sludge is a by-product of wastewater treatment that is produced in massive quantities worldwide. Managing this material remains a growing environmental challenge. Traditional treatment methods often involve high costs, pollution risks, and limited resource recovery. ...
A new study reveals that soil acidity plays a critical role in determining how wheat competes with soil microorganisms for nitrogen, a nutrient essential for plant growth and global food production. The findings provide new insight into how farmers may optimize nitrogen use efficiency and improve crop productivity by considering soil chemical conditions.
Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients limiting plant growth worldwide. Plants typically absorb nitrogen from the soil in two primary forms: ammonium and nitrate. However, plants are not the only organisms that rely on these nutrients. Soil microorganisms ...
Researchers have developed a new algae-based biochar material that shows remarkable ability to break down perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most persistent and hazardous members of the PFAS chemical family. The new material combines advanced nanotechnology with sustainable biomass resources and may provide a promising strategy for removing difficult contaminants from water.
The study, published in Biochar, introduces a unique photocatalytic nanoreactor constructed from biochar derived from Ulva, a common marine algae. The material forms a cage-like structure ...
Washington (Feb. 4, 2026) -- Radiologists are struggling to balance the pressure to provide high-quality, high-volume care while training the next generation of physicians.
With this in mind, the Journal of the American College of Radiology's Focus on Economics of Education issue explores a range of related topics, including radiology education funding, resident teaching while maintaining productivity, alternative approaches to resident education, trends in radiology residency applications, and investing in radiology medical education in the pre-clinical years.
“Healthcare delivery is changing rapidly, leading to alterations in how radiologists function ...
