Portland State Magazine Fall 2012

Coastal buzz FINDINGS OF elevated caffeine levels in ocean waters off the Oregon Coast have surprised PSU environmental scientists because of their location. Waters off Coos Bay and Astoria showed very little caffeine, bur the study found high caffeine levels near Carl Washburne State Park (Florence) and Cape Lookout. The results suggest that septic ranks, such as those used at stare parks, may be less effective at containing pollutants then city waste water treatment plants. Unfortunately even miniscule levels of caffeine can affect marine life. Internationally renowned 0 ") IVAN SUTHERLAND , a scientist in the Maseeh College of Engineering ) and Computer Science, received rhe 2012 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology for his lifetime of work in computer graphics. The Kyoto Prize is Japan's highest private award for global achievement and comes with a gift of 50 million yen or $630,000. Sutherland, 74, was years ahead of his time in 1963 when he developed an early version of the graphical user interface. He joined Portland Stare in 2009 as a visiting scientist, starting the Asynchronous Research Center with his wife, Marly Roncken. PARK BLOCKS A prize for ingenuity FOUR ENGINEERING STUDENTS beat teams from MIT, UC Berkeley and other top engineering schools to win first place in the inaugural Cornell Cup USA. Seniors Thang Duy Vo, Anh Viet Ngo, Hoa Van Nguyen and Hung Minh Nguyen, who came to PSU through the Intel Vietnam Scholars Program, designed a prescription drug identification device. Cornell Cup USA, presented by Intel, is a new college-level competition that invites students to design and construct innovative applications for specific tasks. ■ FALL 2012 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 5