Science and Enterprise

Tag: energy

  • Study to Genetically Alter Algae for Faster Biofuel Output

    Biochemists and engineers at Texas A&M AgriLife Research in College Station are researching the genetic characteristics of algae to produce a type of the organism that can quickly make fuel-grade oil in commercial quantities. The project that includes collaborators from Cornell University and Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research is funded by a $2 million…

  • Prototype Net-Zero Energy Home Being Tested

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, unveiled this week a two-story suburban-style home to demonstrate that a family of four can generate as much energy as it uses in a year. The year-long pilot is expected to improve testing methods for residential energy efficiency and develop…

  • New Materials Developed with Vast Surface Areas

    Materials scientists and engineers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and University of Surrey in the U.K. created two new synthetic materials with the largest reported amounts of internal surface area. The researchers published their findings online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (paid subscription required). The two new materials, known as NU-109…

  • National Lab Licenses Neutron Detector for Life Sciences

    Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee licensed one of its technologies for detecting neutrons to PartTec Ltd. in Bloomington, Indiana that develops neutron detectors and related systems. Financial aspects of the agreement were not disclosed. The licensed technology — called the Neutron-Sensitive Anger Camera — allows researchers to study a range of crystalline structures for…

  • LED Bulbs Edge CFLs for Environmental Friendliness

    A report from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington says today’s bulbs made with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a bit more friendly to the environment than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), but both types of bulbs far outpace traditional incandescent lights. As LED technology advances in the next five years, the environmental advantage for LED bulbs…

  • University Consortium to Research Nanotech Health Monitors

    North Carolina State University in Raleigh will lead a group of universities in the U.S., Australia, and Asia to develop self-powered health monitoring sensors and devices. Some 30 industry partners are expected to join the five-year, $18.5 million consortium, known as the Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST), and funded…

  • Nanotech Solution Could Block Laser Beams from Aircraft

    Researchers at University of Central Florida in Orlando and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh created a new material based on nanotechnology that could keep lasers from affecting aircraft pilots and sensitive equipment. Optical science professor Jayan Thomas of Central Florida’s NanoScience Technology Center (pictured right) led the team, which published its findings last month in…

  • Energy Dept to Fund Minnesota Chemistry Computation Centers

    University of Minnesota’s chemistry department received two grants from the U.S. Department of Energy for research on software and computational methods on materials from nanotechnology and systems for transporting solar energy. The two five-year grants total $13.1 million, and will be shared by other universities and national labs. The Nanoporous Materials Genome Center, headed by…

  • Power Cell Converts and Stores Energy in Single Unit

    Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta developed a single device that converts mechanical energy directly into chemical energy, and stores the power until released as an electrical current. The Georgia Tech team led by materials scientist and engineer Zhong Lin Wang (pictured right) published its findings earlier this month in the journal Nano…

  • Oregon State Opens Wave Energy Test Facility

    Oregon State University began operations this week of one of the first public wave energy testing systems in the U.S. The Ocean Sentinel, as the system is called, is a $1.5 million mooring platform located two miles off Yaquina Head on the central Oregon coast, and available to academic and industry researchers working in wave…