Everyone else is doing their “tops” list for last year, so who are we to go against the herd? #5 – Graphene memory possible — #4 – Better method for detecting tile defects — #3 – Thin film sandwich feeds hunger for superconductors — #2 – Shucks, making man-made ‘nacre’ isn’t so hard — —…
Read MoreEveryone else is doing their “tops” list for last year, so who are we to go against the herd? #5 – Aerogel – Solid smoke! — #4 – Nanotube Audio Speakers – what stretches, is nearly invisible and can be worn? — #3 – Chu, scientist and Nobel laureate, tapped for DOE head – Chu’s…
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Peter Johnson from the Brookhaven National lab explains the basics of high temperature superconductivity and why it can make a profound impact on energy usage and transmission. Yes – it ends somewhat abruptly.
Read MoreDec. 31 is the final day to save $100 on the registration fee for the 33rd International Conference and Exposition on Advanced Ceramics and Composites. The meeting is slated for Jan. 18-23, 2009, at the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort & Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, FL USA. This is one of the top ceramics meetings in…
Read MoreThree of Germany’s top materials scientists, Jürgen Rödel, Jürgen Eckert and Holger Braunschweig, have all been awarded that nation’s highest research prize. The Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft presents the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize annually to 10 (actually 11 in 2009!) outstanding scientists and academicians, with the aim that the laureates use the funds – worth up to…
Read MoreSome people think the road to tomorrow’s most practical alternative energy source will be embedded with piezoelectric crystals capable of converting the mechanical strain of on-road vehicles into electrical current or voltage. Haim Abramovich, an associate professor of aerospace engineering at Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, is one of these thinkers. Testing piezoelectrics in…
Read MoreRecently we noted that Steven Chu, a real scientist and experienced administrator, has been selected to run the Department of Energy. This week, we got a chance to talk with American Ceramic Society president John Kaniuk, who offered his opinion: “Steven Chu is an admirable choice to lead DOE. As the former director of the…
Read MoreTo encourage more African-Americans to adopt science and engineering careers, the NSF-funded International Materials Institute for New Functionality in Glass at Lehigh University is commencing an outreach program at Tuskegee University in Alabama, where the student body is predominantly black. Disparity calls for action “African-Americans make up 13 percent of America’s population but hold just…
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This is from a series of really excellent videos about each of the elements in the periodic table. The series is being led by Brady Haran from the University of Nottingham. No – Brady isn’t the one with the wild hair. The one with the hair is Martyn Poliakoff, a chemistry professor at the university.…
Read MoreSometime in the near future, a visit to the dentist for teeth cleaning may involve putting such a fine polish on your choppers that harmful bacteria slide off before they can do harm. A recent study in the Journal of Dental Research shows that ultrafine polishing with silica nanoparticles may lead to a big leap…
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