What has become a favorite feature of the annual Engineering Open House is the Tesla Coil Concert, hosted this year on the Bardeen Engineering Quad. Shown is Terry Blake, a UIC alumnus, during the concert on March 11. The giant instrument consists of two 7-foot coils that generate bolts of electricity with recognizable pitch that can be changed to re-create well-known musical tunes as it lights up the sky. Blake has been involved with the concerts since the first show in 2008. In the photo, he is demonstrating how the coils can ignite a piece of wood. “Each Tesla coil can draw up to 12,000 watts and most of that power goes into the white-hot plasma,” Blake said by email. “While it is a high voltage, there is still plenty of current and total power to set a piece of wood on fire. The chain mail gloves do protect me from the heat, for a while, as they gradually get warm.”
Read Next
Minecraft players can now explore whole cells and their contents
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. The innovation will allow researchers and students of all ages to navigate […]
February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]
Four Illinois researchers receive Presidential Early Career Award
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. The winners this year are health and kinesiology professor Marni Boppart, physics professor Barry Bradlyn, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Ying […]