Supporting Innovative Research

Dr. Daniel Raftery

Studying Metabolites to Advance Health Sciences

Metabolomics concentrates on developing a deep understanding of metabolism by identifying and characterizing many hundreds of small molecules or metabolites within biological systems. It is a relatively new field of study that the University of Washington has targeted as a strategic area of research with significant potential for better fundamental understanding of disease and health, as well as for the translation of new technologies to the clinic.

Dr. Daniel Raftery is an internationally renowned expert in metabolomics, with an emphasis on developing new diagnostics for breast, colon and esophageal cancers, plus new methods of analyzing metabolites in complex biological systems.

A WRF Faculty Recruitment Award of $500,000 has helped bring Dr. Raftery to the UW, where he heads the Northwest Metabolomics Research Center and take up professorships in the Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine and Chemistry Departments. He is also a full member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and previously a professor of chemistry at Purdue University. The gift will provide equipment and staff support for Dr. Raftery’s lab and will assist him in solidifying the program that will help ensure that the UW is at the forefront of world-class metabolomics research.

Dr. Uri Shumlak and Dr. Brian Nelson

Improving Flow-stabilized Light Sources

In the University of Washington's Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, Drs. Uri Shumlak and Brian Nelson are working on the next generation of flow-stabilized light sources for use in extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) for the semiconductor industry.

EUV has vast potential in areas including the manufacturing of computer chips. The primary challenges are that current EUV light sources are technologically limited to short bursts and can overload power supplies when run at levels appropriate for high-volume state-of-the-art manufacturing.

Drs. Shumlak and Nelson have developed a new EUV technology that will operate effectively with existing power supplies. A gift of $50,000 from WRF is being used to help them build a functioning prototype of their Flow Z EUV Light Source technology. By enabling the emission of EUV light for significantly longer periods of time, higher output power levels can be achieved and will bridge the gap between the limitations of presently available technology and the requirements to take semiconductor manufacturing to the next level.

Bridget Bertoni

Illuminating Our Understanding of Dark Matter

Bridget Bertoni is a second-year physics graduate student working with Professors Ann Nelson and Sanjay Reddy at the University of Washington. The group is studying a model for dark matter in an attempt to understand more about its properties.

A satisfactory description of dark matter has not yet been offered by scientists, despite observations of its effects dating back to the 1930s. Better understanding of these properties will lead to greater insight into the history and detailed particle content of the universe, where it accounts for nearly a quarter of its total energy density.

Ms. Bertoni received her bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. An ARCS Fellowship, funded by Washington Research Foundation, was a strong factor in her decision to pursue a doctorate in theoretical physics at the UW. The opportunity to work with such a highly distinguished group of scientists, coupled with the financial help offered by ARCS, has greatly energized her work and allowed her to concentrate full time on her studies.

Dr. Shwetak Patel

SNUPI: Sensor Nodes Utilizing Powerline Infrastructure

The popularity of wireless sensor nodes, which serve purposes including monitoring a building's heating efficiency and air quality, has been limited by their high power consumption and the short lifespan of the batteries used to power them. Replacing these batteries is time consuming and costly, fueling industry skepticism about the plausibility of "smart home" technologies.

Dr. Shwetak Patel, an assistant professor in the UW's Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering Departments, is working on a system that overcomes these deficiencies. Patel’s Sensor Nodes Utilizing Powerline Infrastructure (SNUPI) system provides whole-home coverage and operates at low power, using a building's existing power lines as antennae to receive low-frequency signals. Testing has already proven successful, and a $50,000 gift from WRF is enabling Patel's team to create a fully functioning demo to show potential customers. The technology has also shown promise for healthcare applications such as on-body sensors for blood pressure and glucose monitoring.

SNUPI has been featured in publications including Technology Review and Popular Science, and Patel, a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, has been named alongside the UW as a "Top Innovator" by Seattle Business magazine. A seasoned entrepreneur, Patel previously co-founded the energy monitoring startup Zensi, which was subsequently bought by Belkin International.