“The Scientist” dubs U-M engineer’s kit a Top 10 innovation

The University of Michigan scores another Top 10 hit in innovation. Excerpt: One of the top 10 science innovations for 2008 was created by a University of Michigan engineering professor, according to The Scientist, a scientific journal. Mark Burns, chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering and a professor in that department and in Biomedical Engineering, developed what’s called a “make-your-own-microfluidic-device kit.” A microfluidic device, also known as a “lab on a chip,” integrates multiple lab functions onto a tiny computer chip only a few millimeters or centimeters wide. The devices could lead to instant home tests for illnesses, food contaminants and toxic gases. Because the devices are not easy to build, Burns developed the 16-piece set of microfluidic device building blocks with graduate student Minsoung Rhee. The kit brings the technology to the scientific masses, cutting costs and reducing the construction time from days to minutes, U-M said in a press release. Read the rest of the story here.