academic AND industrial research

Andrea Alù; Metamaterials and Photonics

Andrea Alù engineers new materials that appear to violate well-established laws of physics. Enanced wireless communication, new computing technologies and improved bio-medical sensors are just some of the emerging applications.

Writer: Roger Todrda

Article


Kay Tye; Using Neuroscience to Study the Mind

Kay Tye is challenging orthodoxy in neuroscience by studying the connection between the brain and the mind. She is linking activity of cells and synapses to emotions and social behavior.

Writer: Roger Torda

Article


GE Aviation’s 3D Printed Fuel Nozzle

When GE Aviation took a big step toward manufacturing a high performance engine part with metal 3D printing, engineers in advanced manufacturing and the aerospace industry paid attention. We produced a behind-the-scenes video telling the story of the young design engineer given what he thought might be an impossible task.

Producer: Roger Torda

Video


From R&D to Manufacturing; 3D Printing for an Artificial Joint

When metal 3D printing technologies first emerged, it took imagination and lots of R&D to discover their potential for complex, high-value machine parts. In this video, engineers describe their ten-year R&D journey leading to the mass manufacturing of a 3D printed component of an artificial knee.

Producer: Roger Torda

Video


Mircea Dincă: Targeting Molecules with Tiny Sponges

Chemist Mircea Dincă and his students create materials in the lab that have surface features that can’t be found in nature. Some exhibit electrical properties that scientists once though impossible.

Writer: Roger Torda

Article


Improving Efficiency in Solar Power

Small improvements are important for increasing efficiency in solar power systems. This video looks at Department of Energy-funded research in concentrated solar power. The investigations are being carried out by by private industry as well as government labs, including Sandia National Laboratories. One project is surprisingly low tech, using a cascade of falling black sand to capture reflected energy from the sun.

Producer: Roger Torda

Video