Tag: NSF

  • Nanoscale Implant Surfaces Help Seal Skin Against Infections

    Researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island have created nanoscale surfaces for materials on prosthetic devices that mimic the contours of natural skin. Their findings appear in the April issue of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research A (paid subscription required). The goal of biomedical engineers to develop more flexible, functional prosthetics for soldiers…

  • Laser Technology Can Cut Solar Cell Costs, Raise Efficiency

    Researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana are developing a manufacturing technology based on fast, pulsing lasers that aims to make solar cells more affordable and efficient. The technology creates small microchannels needed to connect solar panels into an array that generates usable amounts of power. Yung Shin, engineering professor and director of Purdue’s…

  • Grant Awarded for Device to Help Stroke Victims Speak

    An engineering professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is developing an electronic device to help bring back the voice of stroke patients and others who have suffered paralysis of the vocal folds, through electrical stimulation. National Science Foundation awarded Alexander Leonessa (right) awarded a $480,000 Faculty Early Career Development award for his research. Leonessa’s work…

  • Grants Awarded for Robotics, Cyber-Vision and Child Health

    A research team at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis received two grants totaling more than $3 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for technology to help diagnose children’s mental health disorders. The grants, totaling more than $3 million, were awarded by NSF’s Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Major Research Instrumentation programs. The Minnesota team led by…

  • Community Management Can Sustain Small Fisheries

    Small-scale commercial fishing operations, the kind that often feed millions of people worldwide, can be sustained when managed cooperatively with their communities. This conclusion is drawn from a study published 5 January in the online issue of the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Nicolas Gutiérrez, a University of Washington fisheries scientist and lead author of…

  • NSF Awards Small Business Grant for Antioxidant Processes

    ChromaDex Corporation in Irvine, California says it received a $500,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to commercialize its technology for anthocyanins, a form of plant-based antioxidants. Anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant pigments or colorants that contribute to the vivid coloring of berries. They are also considered helpful in protecting against oxidative stress and control…

  • Start Up Company Licenses University Polymer Research

    A new start up company has licensed advanced polymers research at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, aiming to commercialize polymer technology. PolymerPlus LLC, in nearby Valley View, plans to work with some of the intellectual property developed at the university’s Center for Layered Polymeric Systems (CLiPS). PolymerPlus will seek out specific applications for…

  • More International Collaboration Found in Nanotech Research

    Investigators at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and Florida International University (FIU) in Miami reveal how research in nanotechnology has increasingly become a multi-national enterprise, despite having some 60 countries now funding nanotech initiatives within their borders. Phillip Shapira of Georgia Tech and Jue Wang of FIU found nearly a quarter of all published…

  • Real-Time Coastal Monitoring System in Development

    Researchers from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh are developing an electronic monitoring system to help advance understanding of coastal ecosystems by allowing users to track water-quality data from these waters in real time. The project was funded by National Science Foundation and National Security Agency. The NCSU team is working on the project…

  • NSF Grant Funds Research on Drought-Resistant Crops

    University of Maryland in College Park has received a $5 million grant from National Science Foundation to lead a multi-institutional research partnership to help develop crop plants able to withstand drought conditions. The project will focus on guard cells in the canola plant (Brassica napus) — pictured right. Canola is an important oilseed crop grown…