Research

Yiwen Dong, assistant professor in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, co-authored a study introducing the Clinical GENI, a low-cost, video-based tool that helps clinicians identify gait abnormalities and underlying neuromuscular impairments in children with spastic cerebral palsy. The tool showed strong agreement with gold-standard 3D gait analysis, making advanced evaluation more accessible. Findings highlight muscle weakness as a key driver of gait issues, pointing to new opportunities for more targeted treatment strategies.

Professor Harrison Kim, is serving as Program Director for the NSF’s Engineering Design and Systems Engineering (EDSE) program, where he helps guide national research priorities. In this role, he balances the challenge of limited funding with the excitement of supporting groundbreaking ideas in areas like AI, machine learning, and quantum computing. For Kim, the work is both demanding and deeply rewarding, driven by a passion for launching research that can change lives.

The first Illinois-led NASA mission is getting ready to take flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday, Sept. 24th. U of I’s Lara Waldrop is the principal investigator for the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, named after Dr. George R. Carruthers, another University of Illinois graduate.

But, there are many other University of Illinois engineers also experimenting to make a difference in similar ways. For example, the last 13 years, Professor James Allison and a team of researchers have worked on establishing better technology for spacecraft.

Allison, a professor with Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, is one of the engineers behind Multifunctional Structures for Attitude Control technology, otherwise known as MSAC. He had noticed spinning disks helping with rotation, but found the vibrations and reliability to cause further problems. Because of it, previous missions have failed.

Now, there is interest in alternative technology to avoid issues like that. The work is paying off, and U of I grads from a company in San Francisco are taking notice.

Josh Katz, a PhD student in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received the Best Student Paper Award in the International Division at the 2025 Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). His award-winning paper, “Impact of International Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs on Pedagogical Techniques in Engineering,” explores how global teaching experiences shape instructional practices among engineering faculty and what that means for the future of engineering education.

High school student Neha Sharan partnered with ISE Professor Inki Kim to explore how chess impacts brain health in aging adults, combining her passion for the game with hands-on neuroscience research. Through EEG studies and mentorship, she gained firsthand experience in cognitive science and systems thinking—an experience that’s shaped how she envisions her future. Her journey highlights the power of early research opportunities and the lasting impact of faculty mentorship.