Make It Real

We've all heard of hacking contests where the participants are computer security experts. But a hacking contest where the participants are... computers? That's a new one, and in this episode, we hear from CMU-spinoff ForAllSecure who is heading to the national stage to compete against the nation's best autonomous hacking systems.

Some studies have shown that the average person has over 50 online accounts-- that's a lot of passwords to recall on a daily basis. In this episode, computer science and engineering professor Lorrie Cranor offers her insight on what makes a good password good and how we all can better protect our online data.

We're told from a very early age that putting electronic devices in our mouth, let along swallowing them, isn't a great idea. In this episode, engineering professor Chris Bettinger talks about how edible electronics may someday help diagnose and treat human disease.

Did you know that the US steel industry produces 12 million cars' worth of CO2 per year? Well, it does, but materials science and engineering professor Chris Pistorius says there is hope in reducing that with a new fuel in town.

CMU engineering researchers discuss how sensors can be used to monitor the health of bridges, train tracks, and the environment. These sensors are a new "macroscope," revealing large-scale characteristics of our world previously invisible to us.

This episode features: ECE professor / department head Jelena Kovačević, CEE Ph.D. student George Lederman, ECE professor Pei Zhang, and CEE professor Mario Bergés.

Professor Jeremy Michalek and Ph.D. student John Helveston chat about their recent study on American and Chinese consumer preferences on electric vehicles, and how they may shape the future of electric vehicle technology development.

Carnegie Mellon's Information Network Institute (INI) turns 25 this year, and one of the major milestones of INI is the creation of the world's first big WiFi network in the early '90s. Alex Hills, the first director of the INI, led that project and shares a few interesting stories with us.

Hills' book "Wi-Fi and the Bad Boys of Radio" can be purchased at:

http://www.amazon.com/Wi-Fi-Bad-Boys-Radio-Technology/dp/1457505606

Hills speaks at INI's diploma ceremony on May 17, 2015.

Mechanical engineering grad student Thomas Healy talks about his startup company Hyliion, which produces a module that may reduce 18-wheeler efficiency by up to 30%.

Professor Jeremy Michalek and Ph.D. student Tugce Yuksel chat about their recent study on how regional climate -- from the really hot southwest to the really cold midwest-- can affect electric vehicles' performance and emissions.