A U.S. engineer says he is trying to develop methods of reducing vehicle drag so as to improve the gas mileage of planes, automobiles and trucks. WUSTL mechanical engineering professor Ramesh Agarwal said that although the technology has not yet been deployed on any commercially available vehicle, it is being investigated by airplane and automobile companies worldwide.

References:

1. March 18, 2009 — Engineer finds ways to improve gas mileage in the United Press International

and 2 others.

As base runners weigh whether to slide head first or feet first during Wednesday's first game of the World Series, they might want to talk to a physicist instead of a coach. WUSTL mechanical engineering professor David Peters explains that the effectiveness of either approach is closely tied to the principles of physics and factors like a baseball player's center of gravity.

References:

1. Oct. 21, 2008 — Head-First Slide a Heads-Up Play in the The Washington Post

and 6 others.

This season, an alarming number of baseball bats have been exploding on contact with pitches -- shooting sharp timber projectiles onto the field and into the stands, where they have struck coaches, fans, players and umpires -- prompting players and management to call for testing that will get to the root of the problem. One theory blames the increased use of maple wood instead of more traditional ash and the players' preference for bats with thinner handles. WUSTL engineering professor Dave Peters comments.

References:

1. July 14, 2008 — Batter Up: Shattering Sticks Create Peril in MLB Ballparks in the Scientific American

Peters is a WUSTL engineering professor who happens to be a baseball nut. He looked at baseball from an engineer's perspective and determined that southpaws have a decided advantage. "Ninety percent of the human population is right-handed, but in baseball 25 percent of the players, both pitchers and hitters, are left-handed," Peters said.

References:

1. July 9, 2008 — Baseball is built for lefties in the Associated Press

and 55 others.

Mechanical engineers at WUSTL along with collaborators, have devised a technique using MRI technology that shows how the human brain reacts when the skull accelerates. The research shows that as the skull accelerates, the numerous vessels, membranes and nerves at the base of the brain, try to pull away, from the spine leading to a significant deformation in the front of the brain. Philip Bayly, Ph.D., Lilyan and E. Lisle Hughes Professor in Engineering, discussed the group's findings Nov. 10, 2005, at the annual meeting of the National Neurotrauma Society in Washington, DC.

References:

1. Dec. 15, 2005 — New Technique Puts Brain-Imaging Research On Its Head in the Space Daily

Experts say the big news in spacecraft building involves ultra-small CubeSats. CubeSats will make be easier and more cost effective to deploy into orbit. Michael Swartwout, professor of mechanical engineering, comments on this new industry and the role-played by university research.

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2004 — CubeSats could carry everything from experiments to transmitters into space relatively cheaply in the CNN.com International

and 3 others.

Clip of the award-winning video that shows (from left) canola oil, STP fuel oil and STP fuel additive mixing with water.

A team consisting of an art student and mechanical engineers at Washington University in St. Louis has made an award-winning movie that captures for the first time the fluid mechanics phenomenon of two things that classically don't mix, doing just that.

References:

1. March 8, 2004 — Award-winning video captures water, oil, mixing in the Innovations-Report (Germany)

and 6 others.