Feature Channels: Engineering

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We are fascinated by machines that can control cars, compose symphonies, or defeat people at chess, Go, or Jeopardy!

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A team led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers has discovered a groundbreaking one-step process for creating materials with unique properties, called metamaterials. Their results show the realistic possibility of designing similar self-assembled structures with the potential of creating “built-to-order” nanostructures for wide application in electronics and optical devices.

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As communities across the United States struggle to manage a wave of COVID-19 infections, a multidisciplinary team of researchers argue that the pandemic has revealed the ways in which engineered structures and services have contributed to society’s challenges. They subsequently insist that the built environment — including both engineered structures and services — cannot be ignored when developing long-term pandemic mitigation. In an article recently published in The Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy, a team led by David Mendonca, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, implores engineers and social scientists to re-examine the models, data collection methods, and assumptions that their research is currently built upon.

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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University report findings on an advanced nanomaterial-based biosensing platform that detects, within seconds, antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Scientists have figured out a cheaper, more efficient way to conduct a chemical reaction at the heart of many biological processes, which may lead to better ways to create biofuels from plants.

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High-performance fibres that have been exposed to high temperatures usually lose their mechanical properties undetected and, in the worst case, can tear precisely when lives depend on them. For example, safety ropes used by fire brigades or suspension ropes for heavy loads on construction sites. Empa researchers have now developed a coating that changes color when exposed to high temperatures through friction or fire.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has turned workplaces everywhere upside down, prompting countless brainstorming sessions on how to make work environments safer or whether jobs might be done just as well from home. Jefferson Lab technical designer Mindy Leffel says working from home during the pandemic has been a learning process, but has only motivated her to prove herself.

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New animations created by a complex systems researcher at Binghamton University, State University of New York improve upon typical COVID-19 visualizations, showing how cases have changed over time and space.

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The world has experienced dramatic urbanization in recent decades.

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The NYU Tandon School of Engineering has received a Student Support Services TRIO grant for more than $2.0 million over five years (~$430,000 per year beginning in 2021) to fund the TRIO Scholars Program, designed to identify, prepare, support, and motivate college students from less financially advantaged and underrepresented in STEM backgrounds.

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André Taylor, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been honored by the Community of Scholars as one of 1,000 Inspiring Black scientists in America. The list is published by the Cell Press Cell Mentor, a professional site for scientists and researchers.

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For Immediate Release Pennington, NJ – The Electrochemical Society (ECS) is proud to announce that the 17th International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC-XVII) takes place in Stockholm, Sweden, from 18-23 July, 2021. The ECS High-Temperature Energy, Materials, & Processes Division and The SOFC Society of Japan are the meeting co-sponsors.

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A team of researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York has been selected to receive $2.6 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to develop ways to reliably support higher amounts of solar power on the grid.

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Until now, smaller manufacturing companies have missed out on the productivity benefits of digital technologies and data-driven solutions. Too many manufacturers don’t know where to start, and lack the skills required to deploy and use digital solutions.

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While researchers have been studying chloride’s corrosive effects on various materials for decades, high-performance computers were recently used to create detailed simulations to provide new insight on how chloride leads to corrosion.

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The State University of New York has awarded grants to three teams at Binghamton University to pursue research projects related to COVID-19.

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Two studies from the University of Copenhagen show that Danes aren't quite as good as Chinese at discerning bitter tastes. The research suggests that this is related to anatomical differences upon the tongues of Danish and Chinese people.

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A research team at Sandia National Laboratories has successfully used machine learning — computer algorithms that improve themselves by learning patterns in data — to complete cumbersome materials science calculations more than 40,000 times faster than normal.

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Inspired by the color-changing skin of cuttlefish, octopuses and squids, Rutgers engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that changes shape when exposed to light, becomes “artificial muscle” and may lead to new military camouflage, soft robotics and flexible displays. The engineers also developed a 3D-printed stretchy material that can reveal colors when light changes, according to their study in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories has named a new deputy labs director to lead its nuclear deterrence programs as part of a reorganization that supports the labs’ continued excellence in assuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear arsenal.Laura McGill, who joins Sandia after more than 30 years in the defense industry, begins her roles as deputy laboratories director and chief technology officer for nuclear deterrence today.

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As catalysts for fuel cells, batteries and processes for carbon dioxide reduction, alloy nanoparticles that are made up of five or more elements are shown to be more stable and durable than single-element nanoparticles.

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Researchers from the National University of Singapore created a novel film that is very effective in evaporating sweat from our skin. Promising applications include shoe insoles and linings, as well as underarm pads for sweat absorption.

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A team of researchers -- including engineers from Iowa State University -- have used transmission electron microscopy and 3D computational modeling to quantify and visualize why some desalination membranes work better than others.

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Research into the gut-brain axis continues to reveal how the brain and gut influence each other’s health and well-being. Now researchers are endeavoring to learn more about gut-brain discourse using a model system built in a lab dish.

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New Princeton Princeton Collaborative Low Temperature Plasma Research Facility at PPPL provides access to world-class diagnostics, computational tools, and expertise in plasma physics for characterizing low temperature plasmas (LTP) — a rapidly expanding source of innovation in fields ranging from electronics to health care to space exploration.

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A fast, green and one-step method for producing porous carbon spheres, which are a vital component for carbon capture technology and for new ways of storing renewable energy, has been developed by Swansea University researchers.

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Responding to COVID-19 has required a huge coordinated effort from the scientific community. The Department of Energy’s Office of Science has spearheaded several scientific efforts, including the National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory.

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An interdisciplinary team led by faculty at the McKelvey School of Engineering has developed a model to help navigate the delicate line between maintaining the economy and limiting the spread and mortality rate of COVID-19.

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A new study of people with amputations who used a bionic hand for over one year highlights future challenges for developing realistic prosthetic devices

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In the quest for advanced vehicles with higher energy efficiency and ultra-low emissions, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are accelerating a research engine that gives scientists and engineers an unprecedented view inside the atomic-level workings of combustion engines in real time.

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Cross-disciplinary scientists and engineers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are working to learn how Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation (IPV) helps clear mucus from blocking the airways of the human lung, a common reaction to the Covid-19 virus.

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By examining tiny particles of gold with powerful X-ray beams, scientists hope they can learn how to cut down on harmful carbon monoxide emissions from motor vehicles.

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H. Scott Walter succeeds Henry C. Walter as President of the Board of Directors of the Dreyfus Foundation.

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Applying his passions for science and art, Nikhil Tiwale—a postdoc at Brookhaven Lab's Center for Functional Nanomaterials—is fabricating new microelectronics components.

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A new material developed by a team led by Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry will help to make hydrogen a viable energy source for a wide range of applications, including stationary power and portable power applications.

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Ames Laboratory will partner with Electron Energy Corporation to improve a mainstay of magnet technology-- the samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnet.

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PNNL researchers are examining the volatile radioisotope iodine as it evolves in the atmosphere and as it lands on a filtering surface. A more detailed understanding of the interactions and chemical evolution of radioiodine could help first responders’ decision-making after the release of volatile iodine into the environment, which happened following nuclear power plant accidents in 1986 at Chernobyl and in 2011 at Fukushima.

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Argonne’s Junhong Chen discusses how Argonne’s wide-ranging expertise combined with use of artificial intelligence and world-class research facilities can solve problems in water science and engineering.

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By delving into scientific, technological, environmental and economic data, Cornell University engineering researchers examined whether New York could achieve a statewide carbon-free economy by 2050. Their finding: Yes, New York can reach this goal – and do it with five years to spare.

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Queen’s University Belfast has announced a £2.5 million investment for an interdisciplinary research facility, MediaLab, focusing on virtual production that will help drive R&D for the screen industries and upskill the local sector in Northern Ireland.

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Argonne scientists awarded funding to improve Argonne Tandem Linear Accelerator System.

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An orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has performed the first augmented reality (AR) knee replacement in the United States.

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Irvine, Calif., Dec. 17, 2020 — Reflectins, the unique structural proteins that give squids and octopuses the ability to change colors and blend in with their surroundings, are thought to have great potential for innovations in areas as diverse as electronics, optics and medicine. Scientists and inventors have been stymied in their attempts to fully utilize the powers of these biomolecules due to their atypical chemical composition and high sensitivity to subtle environmental changes.

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During its virtual Annual Meeting, the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) announced the addition of five new Council members and the rise of Robyn Wilson Ph.D., The Ohio State University, as the new President of its 2021 Council. Wilson succeeds Seth Guikema, Ph.D., University of Michigan, who has completed his term and will continue to serve on the Council as past-president.

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Argonne scientists play a central role in coursework on securing nuclear packaging at the University of Nevada, Reno. Graduates of this program help ensure our nation’s safety and security.

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The “Microfluidic Chip Device for Microfilaria etection” by Chula researchers has won the Grand Prize and the Gold Medal in the 14thInternational Warsaw Invention Show (IWIS 2020) in Poland. The Microfluidic chip device for microfilaria detection is considered cutting-edge andwas created through the research of Asst. Prof. Dr. Prapruddee Piyaviriyakuland Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sariya Asawakarnfrom the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science and Assoc. Prof. Alongkorn Pimpin, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering.

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Several studies that aim to characterize and quantify the release and composition, particle size, and residence time in the indoor environment will be presented in the Exposure and Risk Assessment of 3D Printing and Emerging Materials symposium on December 15, from 12:00-1:30 p.m. ET at the 2020 Society for Risk Analysis virtual Annual Meeting held December 13-17, 2020.

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WSU researchers have used the ancient Japanese art of paper folding to possibly solve a key challenge for outer space travel - how to store and move fuel to rocket engines.

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Scientists often look to nature for cues when designing robots – some robots mimic human hands while others simulate the actions of octopus arms or inchworms. Now, researchers in the University of Georgia College of Engineering have designed a new soft robotic gripper that draws inspiration from an unusual source: pole beans.