Portland State Magazine Spring 2019

7 A NOVEL METHOD of generating electricity from ocean waves has received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Jonathan Bird, electrical and computer engineering faculty, will study the feasibility of using adjustable magnetic springs as part of prototype floating devices designed to capture wave energy. The oscillating springs would enable the devices to be smaller and less expensive than other methods that have been tried, cutting the cost. “Nobody has figured out how to generate electricity from the sea in a cost-effective way,” says Bird. “Many of the companies that have developed large ocean generator devices have gone bankrupt.”  Power from the sea OVER THE PAST 60 years, Ivan Sutherland changed the ways we interact with computers, create art and explore the virtual side of reality. In recognition of his prolific career, the visiting professor in PSU’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, received the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Information and Communications Technologies from the BBVA Foundation. This prestigious international award includes a €400,000 prize, which Sutherland has requested go to the PSU Foundation in support of the Asynchronous Research Center, the lab co-founded by Sutherland and his wife and research partner Marly Roncken. Sutherland’s early work helped shift computing from text- based interfaces to graphical displays; his current research focuses on the development of “self-timed” computer circuits. Honoring a lifetime of achievement PARK BLOCKS