Last year, a conceptual, futuristic video featuring interactive glass touchscreens went viral:

This video, called “A Day Made of Glass,” was created by Corning (a company that engineers glass and other materials) and now has been viewed over 17 million times on YouTube. Although the video is admittedly cool, just how realistic is its vision?

More so than one might think, if the recent debut of Samsung’s Transparent Window LCD display is anything to go by. Rolled out at this year’s CES conference in Las Vegas, the touchscreen display features HD, interactive widgets (including one that cleverly pulls animated “blinds” down over the window) and is also partially solar-powered.

Fans of Minority Report can rejoice, as it looks like another sci-fi technology concept may soon be brought into their living rooms.

Photo by Corning

As breathtaking as large, panoramic photos often are, the process of creating them is, to many photographers, a much less attractive prospect. While painstakingly stitching together images from a recent vacation, Technische Universität Berlin graduate Jonas Pfeil came up with a better idea: a spherical camera, called a camera-ball, that can take 360-degree panoramas in a single snap. Once the softball-sized sphere is tossed into the air, a built-in accelerometer tells when the ball has reached its zenith. Then a microcontroller triggers simultaneous action by 36 two-megapixel cellphone cameras, capturing a mosaic of images.

Pfeil, a computer engineer, and his research team have built a prototype with an exterior protected by small blocks of foam and a flexible interior made of a resilient nylon material that can be 3-D printed. A lithium-polymer battery is housed in a protective cage in the center of the ball. Once the panorama has been captured, users can transfer it to their personal computer via USB cable.

So, next time you want to preserve a gorgeous mountaintop view or photograph your whole family reunion, just throw your hands (and the camera) in the air. Don’t forget to “cheese.”

Images courtesy of Jonas Pfeil

Everyone loves to complain about the full body scanners that the Travel Security Administration implemented in 2010 to screen airport travelers. But now the same technology could be employed for a much more exciting purpose: fashion.

A new company called Fitted Fashion promises to bring 3D scanning technology to clothing stores and shopping malls in the near future (a similar body scanner is already in use at a mall in Philadelphia). Customers need only to step inside a scanning booth for about 30 seconds, where a white light captures over 400 distinct body measurements. The data is then used to create the perfect pair of jeans for each individual, with most pairs running about $160-$180.

Going forward, the company hopes to team up with major retailers to “revolutionize custom fit,” says co-founder Jamal Motlagh in an interview with Gizmag. With any luck, soon no one will have to hear the question “do these jeans make my rear look big?” anymore.

2011 was another busy year for engineers all over the world. From inventing a device that turns air into water to exploring the oceans in a tiny submarine, scientists and engineers are exploring uncharted territory.

Like last year, we at eGFI have chronicled the most awe-inspiring innovations and stories, so in case you missed one, we present:

The Most Popular, Interesting, Weird, or Just Plain Cool eGFI Blog Posts of 2011

	Turning Air into Water
	Jetman: Flying Soon to a Landmark Near You
	Vertical Forest Coming Soon to Milan
	And Now: Flavor-Shifting Ice Cream
	Solar Decathalon 2011 Powers Up
	The World’s Sweetest Printer
	Water Bottles to Illuminate a Million Homes
	Airbus Presents a Futuristic Vision of Air Travel
	Students Create an App to Diagnose Malaria
	Berkeley Engineers Help Student Walk
	Underwater Scooters are the New SCUBA
	Virgin Oceanic Goes Many Leagues Under the Sea
	Cynthia Breazeal Wants You to Make Friends with Robots
	New Shirt Measures Athletes’ Performances
	Watson vs. The World

Scholarships that target students interested in engineering provide an excellent way to help pay for the rising costs of higher education. Since engineering scholarships are plentiful and come from a variety of sources, such as corporations, non-profits, foundations, institutions, and governmental bodies, future engineers have a host of opportunities available to them.

Below is a list of the engineering scholarships we’ve found, as well as collections that other websites have compiled. (NOTE: Links go directly to scholarship pages.) Unless otherwise noted, the scholarships are related directly to engineering. You can use the navigational links below to jump to individual sections.

ASEE | Collections | Companies | Government | Non-Profits | Universities

Administered by the American Society for Engineering Education

• NASA AERONAUTICS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – Undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NAVAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE INTERN PROGRAM – Intern research program with Office of Naval Research.
  
• SMART SCHOLARSHIP – Undergrad and graduate, $25,000 – $41,000, internships, support, and more.

Collections and Lists

• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – A short list of sources for finding scholarships.
• FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION – A collection of scholarships and grants, as well as search websites.
• FIRST ROBOTICS – Large list of scholarships associated with participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarship repository: corporations, organizations, regional, pre-college, alumni, etc.
• SCHOLARSHIPS.COM – Good list of names and descriptions of engineering scholarships; does not provide application information unless you register and pay.
• UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI – Database of science and engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – List of national and internal scholarships.

Companies and Corporations

• AES ENGINEERING – $500 scholarship, high school seniors and higher.
• BMW – Renewable $1,500 scholarship.
• CATERPILLAR – “Engineers for Tomorrow” scholarship program.
• GENERAL MOTORS – Scholarships, for minority groups especially.
• INTEL – Science Talent Search competition, $7,5000 – $100,000 college money for winners.
• NORTHROP GRUMMAN – Engineering scholars program, $2,500 per yer for four years.
• RAYTHEON – Scholarships.
• XEROX – Minority group scholarships, undergrads, $1,000 – $10,000.
• YANMAR AMERICA CORPORATION – Renewable $1,000 scholarship; partnership with SAE.

Government

• CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarships and awards.
• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – List of scholarships, including SMART.
• ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Civil engineering scholarship, $7,000.
• INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship, $3,125 per semester.
• KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET – Civil engineering scholarship, $4,400 – $4,800.
• NASA – Aeronautics Scholarship Program: undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY – Stokes Educational Scholarship Program:  computer science, electrical or computer engineering.
• OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH – Internship for research, with ASEE administering.
  
• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – Scholarships and internships.
• VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship program, $3,500 per semester.

Non-Profit Organizations and Societies

• AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY – Scholarships for chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering.
• AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $5,000 per year for undergrads; $2,000 – $10,000 for graduates.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERS – Awards, scholarships, student info.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, REFRIGERATION, AND AIR-CONDITIONING ENGINEERS – Scholarships, grants, and aid.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS – Large list of scholarships, some internationally available.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NAVAL ENGINEERS – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and awards for undergrads and graduates.
• THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY – Awards, grants, and fellowships.
• GREAT MINDS IN STEM – HENAAC Scholars Program. Goal of more than $200,000 in scholarship funds available. NEW!
• ILLUMINATING ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Scholarships and grants.
• INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships. See also: IEEE Computer Society $2,000 scholarship.
• INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and fellowships.
• KOREAN-AMERICAN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY – Scholarships, fellowships, and internships.
• THE MINERALS, METALS, AND MATERIALS SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $2,000 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL FOR MINORITIES IN ENGINEERING – Pre-engineering scholarships, related fields, $1,500.
• NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO – Range of scholarships, $500 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarships; must be paid, active member.
• THE OPTICAL SOCIETY – Fellowships, grants, and two scholarships.
• SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS – Scholarships, high school seniors to Ph.D. See also: Siegel Service Technology scholarships for Montana residents.
• SOCIETY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS – Scholarships for high school students, undergrads, and graduates.
• SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $10,o00.
• SPIE – Scholarships: optical engineering, available internationally.
• TAU BETA PI – Engineering honor society Maryland scholarships.

Universities and Colleges

The absence of a school on this list does not mean that it has no engineering scholarships. Some schools offer scholarships to students only after they have applied. Contact institutions or engineering departments directly to learn if aid is available and what policies are in place.

TIP: For links to lists that contain different types of scholarships, try using your internet browser’s Find function (ctrl+F in Firefox) and searching for the word “engineering.”

• ALFRED UNIVERSITY – Various scholarships.
• AUBURN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships divided by engineering type (use left-side list of types to navigate).
• BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Sizable list of scholarships.
• BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and awards.
• BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY – Large list of mixed field endowed scholarships with many for engineering.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-FULLERTON – Academic Catalyst for Excellence Scholarship: up to $2,000 per semester for seven semesters, other benefits.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-LONG BEACH – In-house and affiliated scholarships.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-SACRAMENTO – Table of scholarships.
• CALVIN COLLEGE – Mixed list of scholarships.
• CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY – Blog of scholarships.
• CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – STEM scholarships; (scroll down to appropriate section).
• CLARKSON UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships, including for participation in Project Lead the Way, and awards.
• CLEMSON UNIVERSITY – Science and engineering scholarships; (click “Restricted” circle).
• CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, includes engineering.
• DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, awards, grants, and programs.
• DREXEL UNIVERSITY – Mix of specific scholarships, providers, and scholarship search engines.
• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – General information on internal scholarships offered, list requires sign-in.
• FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY – College of Engineering scholarships (hit search without entering any fields to see all scholarships). See also: College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture scholarships.
• FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY – Two scholarships in list: Hicks Scholarship Endowment and Milton and Gladys Meisner Scholarship Fund.
• FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarship listing (click departmental links for each list).
• GANNON UNIVERSITY – Engineering-based scholarship range: $500 – $3,000.
• GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Scholarship search engine, use keyword: engineering.
• GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – General information about GWU scholarships, includes engineering.
• GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Internal and external scholarship information.
• GROVE CITY COLLEGE – Engineering scholarship, $2,500 (scroll down).
• HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE – President’s Scholars Program features engineering component.
• ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list, contains engineering.
• INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY-INDIANAPOLIS – Major-specific scholarships for Indiana residents (scroll down to School of Engineering and Technology). See also: Non-Indiana Residents scholarships.
• IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, grants, and loans.
• JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships under separate section and mixed in.
• KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• LAMAR UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, $15,000 per year.
• LeTOURNEAU UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, computer science and electrical engineering.
• LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information, organized by departments.
• MARSHALL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, internal and external.
• MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Engineering Dean’s Top Scholar Award.
• McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, engineering.
• MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF OHIO – Scholarship, paper science and engineering.
• MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING – Scholarship list, mixed internal and external.
• MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list.
• MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Two engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and contacts.
• NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by department.
• NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and outside resources.
• OHIO UNIVERSITY – Large mixed list, contains engineering.
• OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list of scholarships, includes engineering.
• OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information, multiple levels.
• PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Search-able database, select “Maseeh College of Engineering and
  Computer Science.”
• POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship and grant information.
• PURDUE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and awards. See also: Purdue Civil Engineering.
• RICE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarship (in mixed list), renewable $6,500 – full tuition.
• ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Scholarship in mixed table list (scroll), $6,000 per year.
• SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, .doc format.
• SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by engineering major and information.
• SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY – Dean’s Scholarship contains engineering.
• SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, engineering.
• STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – Environmental, paper science and engineering scholarship.
• STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed scholarships, including engineering.
• STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Women in Engineering (scroll down).
• SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, (use right-side list).
• TEMPLE UNIVERSITY - Science and engineering fair-related scholarships (scroll down).
• TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY – Scholarships information (use links to go to individual lists).
• TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• TRINITY UNIVERSITY – Several engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – Scholarship search engine (select engineering college).
• UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY – Dean’s Scholarship includes engineering, $14,5000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE – Toyota Scholarship (scroll), minimum $14,000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I – Search engine, large list of scholarships (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Information on automatic engineering scholarships, interns program.
• UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE – Scholarships, information, and contacts.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE – Scholarship information (scroll).
• UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST – Scholarships, must be enrolled in engineering college.
• UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA – College of Science and Engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – Scholarships, information, and external list.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS – Dean’s Scholarship.
• UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND – Scholarship and contact information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS – Scholarships, endowments, and funds.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA – Scholarships, undergrads and above only.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA – Scholarships, separated by department.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA – Scholarships for currently enrolled students.
• UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA – Scholarship search (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC – MESA Scholarship, $2,500 – $4,200.
• UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF UTAH – Range of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON – Scholarships and information.
• UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC AND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY-ST. LOUIS – Scholarships and fellowships, including full tuition.
• WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, general and by department.
• WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE – Scholarships in mixed list.
• WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WIDENER UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and free laptops program.
• WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

Know one that you don’t see here? See a broken link or error? Email us.

IMAGE: flickr – stevendepolo | CC 2.0

Cartoons have come a long way since the hand-drawn moving pictures of decades past. Now, the animated films at your local cineplex are made possible by sophisticated computer software created by engineers. Modeling the realistic textures and movement of such things as fur, hair and fabric, for example, takes serious computing power. Without it, the swashbuckling hero of Puss in Boots would look decidedly less so.

And when a cartoon character looks solid enough to touch, it’s thanks to a 3-D animation software package called Maya, now the industry standard. Clearly, it takes a lot of ingenuity to create characters that virtually pop off the screen.