Tag: physical sciences

  • More PhDs Heading to Industry, Improve Earnings

    11 December 2015. An analysis of recent grant-funded Ph.D. recipients shows a large number of new doctorates taking jobs in industry, particularly with larger companies paying higher salaries. The study of federal and other grant-supported doctorates, conducted by researchers at several universities and policy institutes, appears in today’s issue of the journal Science (paid subscription…

  • Nanotech Multi-Drug Delivery Technique Devised for Cancer

    10 December 2015. A pharmacy lab at Oregon State University developed a technique for combining three drugs into nanoscale particles that treat melanoma spreading to lymph nodes in lab animals. The team led by Oregon State pharmacy professor Adam Alani published its proof-of-concept findings last month in Journal of Controlled Release (paid subscription required). Alani’s…

  • Researchers Develop Eye Injury Test, Start Company

    9 December 2015. A medical and engineering team at University of Illinois in Champaign designed a sensor providing a quick, portable test for the severity of eye injuries. The researchers led by bioengineering professor Dipanjan Pan and ophthalmologist Leanne Labriola at Carle Foundation Hospital affiliated with the university described the proof-of-concept device last month in the…

  • University Spin-Off Develops Pain Killer Patch

    8 December 2015. A new company begun by a chemistry professor in the U.K. is developing a patch infused with ibuprofen for people needing relief from pain or inflammation from arthritis. Medherant Ltd., in Coventry, is developing the patch based on research at University of Warwick conducted by David Haddleton, who founded the company and…

  • Challenge Seeks Nutrient Recycling from Livestock Waste

    4 December 2015. A public-private consortium seeks techniques for recycling crop nutrients from livestock waste in an open-innovation challenge paying $20,000 in prizes. The competition, sponsored by Environmental Protection Agency and a number of partners in government, academia, not-for-profit organizations, and industry has a deadline of 15 January 2016 for initial submissions. The challenge itself…

  • NIH Funding New Robotics for Disabled, Children

    4 December 2015. National Institutes of Health is funding research and development of new robotic devices to help older people or those with disabilities and serve as companions for children. Agencies in NIH plan to spend $2.2 million on these cooperative robotic, or co-robot, devices over the next five years, as part of the National…

  • Wearable Personal Instruction System Being Developed

    2 December 2015. A device that provides personal step-by-step instruction to individuals as they undertake various tasks is being developed by computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University. The system, designed in the lab of professor Mahadev Satyanarayanan, is funded by a four-year $2.8 million grant from National Science Foundation. Satyanarayanan and colleagues are seeking a…

  • Implanted Sensor to Measure Blood Sugar in Development

    1 December 2015. An engineering group at University of Texas in Arlington is developing a system for people with diabetes to measure their blood glucose levels without taking repeated blood drops throughout the day. The work in the lab of biomaterials professor Kyungsuk Yum is funded by a $100,00 grant from the Texas Medical Research Collaborative.…

  • Governments, Private Investors Unveil Clean Energy Plans

    30 November 2015. Two separate but related initiatives from governments and private investors were unveiled today to boost investment in clean energy innovations for reducing the threat of climate change.  Statements announcing the initiatives, expected to double global government spending on clean energy innovation to $20 billion, were made to coincide with the opening of…

  • Crop Disease Images Collected, Available Via Smartphones

    25 November 2015. A team in the U.S. and Switzerland is assembling a database of 50,000 images of plant diseases for a smartphone app to help farmers worldwide deal with those diseases. Entomologist David Hughes at Pennsylvania State University in University Park and epidemiologist Marcel Salathé at Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne or EPFL, the…