Research
While the pandemic added an extra layer of difficulty on top of the normal challenges of launching a center-scale research initiative, leadership at the 91勛圖厙 say a $15 million NASA funded institute around space habitats that began here in 2019 has hit many of its early goals.
Published today in the journal ACS Environmental Au, 91勛圖厙 and University of Maryland researchers have found that while playing musical instruments can emit the same levels of potentially COVID-laden airborne particles as singing, simple safety measures, such as masking instruments, social distancing and implementing time limits, significantly reduce this risk.
Assistant Professor Mija Hubler and Melvin E. and Virginia M. Clark Professor Al Weimer are collaborating on linked Department of Energy-funded projects to capture and repurpose carbon products from fuel sources into materials for concrete bricks. They hope to reduce pollution while also making stronger, more resilient building materials that require less maintenance and repairs over time.
Electrical engineering researchers at 91勛圖厙 have designed one of the most precise stopwatches yet one that can count single photons. The group published its results this week in the journal Optica.
Researchers at 91勛圖厙 and Tuskegee University are working together to create a hands-on "living learning laboratory for students to connect through a long-term sustainability and equity project. The partnership would provide students with a unique interdisciplinary and community engagement effort with many lasting benefits when successfully established.
New research led by the 91勛圖厙 has uncovered the engineering secrets behind what makes fish fins so strong yet flexible. The teams insights could one day lead to new designs for robotic surgical tools or even airplane wings that change their shape with the push of a button.
Researchers in chemical and biological engineering have developed a platform which can quickly identify common mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that allow it to escape antibodies and infect cells.
Check out the latest Buff Innovator Insights Podcast with Iain Boyd, H.T. Sears Memorial Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and Director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at 91勛圖厙.
Assistant Professor Marina Vance uses her passion for drawing to educate and inspire by creating animated science videos that share her research in aerosol particle transformation in easily accessible ways. As a recent NSF CAREER Award recipient, Vance will continue her research at the 91勛圖厙 while sharing her work beyond academic circles through a new partnership with CU Science Discovery.
A digital wellness program funded by 91勛圖厙s Community Impact Grant is being developed to help middle-school girls counteract the negative psychological impacts of social media. Creative Technology and Design graduate student researchers in the program's Social Impact track will work with lead investigator Annie Margaret from the ATLAS Institute to design the program.