Tag: economics
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Ink-Jet Printing Method Tested to Make Solar Cells
Engineers at Oregon State University in Corvallis have devised a method of producing a type of solar cell using ink-jet technology. The process, for which a patent has been applied, is described in an upcoming issue of the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (paid subscription required). The OSU team led by engineering professor…
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U.S., Australian Universities Collaborate on Biofuels R&D
Clemson University in South Carolina and University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia have agreed to exchange research and create a joint biofuels development program. The institutions will raise public and private funds to advance biofuel research, and further development and commercialization of ethanol and biodiesel production. Cellulosic biofuel technology uses the plant’s cell walls to…
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White House Unveils Manufacturing Partnership, Investments
At Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh today, President Obama launched an initiative that aims to invest in emerging technologies leading to high quality manufacturing jobs. The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) is expected to combine resources from industry, universities, and the federal government to encourage progress in information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, and other advancements…
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North Africa, Middle East Entrepreneurial Programs Unveiled
Two new programs aimed at spurring innovation based on science and technology in North Africa, Middle East, and South Asia were unveiled at a kick-off meeting in Rabat, Morocco last week. The Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) in Arlington, Virginia manages the programs, with funding from the U.S. Department of State. One of new…
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Computer Model Tests for Car Noise During Design Stage
A researcher at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden has built a computer simulation model to help car designers locate potential sources of unwanted car noise. Matti Rantatalo (pictured right) developed the model as part of his doctoral studies at Luleå, in the university’s Center for Automotive System Technologies and Testing (CASTT), and with help…
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Solar Wafer Process Developer Earns DoE Loan Guarantee
The U.S. Department of Energy will offer a conditional commitment for a $150 million loan guarantee to 1366 Technologies in Lexington, Massachusetts. The company has developed a new manufacturing process for silicon wafers used in solar panels that promises to slash the costs and time needed to make. The loan guarantee will support 1366 Techologies’…
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Netherlands to Open Bio-Solar Research, Production Center
The Netherlands begins on 17 June its BioSolar Cells research program to strengthen the science behind the sustainable production of bio-energy and food through photosynthesis. Also on 17 June, Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands opens its Algae Production and Research Centre (AlgaePARC), a production-scale lab to raise the output from algae bio-reactors…
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Premature Infant Respiratory Support Guidelines Tested
Medical researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston tested a gentle form of respiratory support for premature infants instead of a mechanical ventilator and found more favorable outcomes, as well as lower treatment costs. Their results appear in the online issue of the journal Pediatrics (paid subscription required). A team led by Bernadette Levesque of Children’s Hospital…
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International Consortium Sequences Wheat Pathogen Genome
A group of agricultural scientists has sequenced the genome of a pathogen that causes the wheat disease septoria tritici blotch, responsible for severe crop losses. Their findings appeared 9 June 2011 in the journal PLoS Genetics. The consortium, led by USDA plant pathologist Steven Goodwin included researchers from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Iran,…
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Pavement Affects Weather, Aids Build Up of Urban Pollutants
A team from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado found the intense commercial development in Houston, Texas can change weather patterns in that city, which makes it easier for pollutants to accumulate during warm summer weather instead of being blown out to sea. Their findings will appear in an upcoming issue of…