Science and Enterprise

Month: August 2011

  • Universities to Study Food Security in Appalachia

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is collaborating with West Virginia University and North Carolina State University to develop, implement, and evaluate a food security strategy for the southern Appalachian region. The three-year, $2 million study is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.…

  • Univ. Research Leads to Mobile Transaction Security Advances

    Research by Georgia Institute of Technology engineering faculty has led to a new layer of security on transactions by mobile phones. The work of engineering professor Steven McLaughlin is also being commercialized by Whisper Communications, a company he co-founded to take the technology to market. The ability of smart phones and other mobile devices to…

  • University Profs. Develop, Commercialize Food-Bite Counter

    Two Clemson University faculty members have developed a device worn on the wrist that can help people monitor the amounts of food they consume. Psychology professor Eric Muth and engineering professor Adam Hoover have also started a company to take their patent-pending device to market. The Bite Counter, as Muth and Hoover call their device,…

  • Robot Being Developed to Aid in Care of Elderly

    The Japanese research foundation RIKEN, in collaboration with Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd. in Nagoya Science Park, has developed a robot with the ability to lift and carry a patient from floor-level bedding to a wheelchair and back.     The robot, with high-precision tactile sensors and motor control, was designed to meet the needs of caring…

  • Bio-Engineered Spinal Disc Implants Tested in Animals

    A team of engineers and neurosurgeons at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and New York City have developed and tested in rats a biologically based implant to replace intervertebral discs in the spinal column. Their findings appear online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paid subscription required). Spinal discs are…

  • Grad Student Develops Process to Recycle Paper Mill Waste

    A graduate student at Hebrew University in Israel has developed a method for converting paper mill sludge into eco-friendly industrial foams. Shaul Lapidot (pictured right), a Ph.D. candidate in agriculture, also started a company that licensed the technology and plans to take the process to market. A paper mill uses wood fibers long enough to…

  • Contracts Awarded for GI Tract Radiation Syndrome Drugs

    The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded two contracts for further research and development of drugs to treat gastrointestinal (GI) tract injuries associated with acute radiation syndrome. BARDA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contracts are part of BARDA’s program to develop tools and drugs to…

  • Sensor Lab Chip Detects Manganese in Humans

    Engineers at University of Cincinnati in Ohio have created a sensor that quickly detects the presence and levels of the element manganese in humans. The disposable diagnostic tool that requires just a few drops of blood is described in the August issue of the journal Biomedical Microdevices (paid subscription required). Manganese is used to make…

  • Cold Electrons Aid Nanoscale Imaging and Processes

    Physicists at University of Melbourne in Australia have developed a new source of ultra-cold electrons that can improve the quality and speed of nanoscale imaging for processes such as drug and materials development. The team’s findings appear online in the journal Nature Physics (paid subscription required). The researchers led by Melbourne physics professor Robert Scholten…

  • Corp/Univ Project to Research Green Energy for Data Centers

    Chip maker AMD says it will take part with HP, Clarkson University, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in a project researching the challenge of channeling renewable energy to data centers. Because wind and solar energy are intermittent power sources, the study will also seek ways to automatically shift a…