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Research News

  • September 17, 2008

    Duke to Lead New NSF, EPA Funded Center to Study the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology

    DURHAM, NC--The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have awarded $14.4 million to create the Center for Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT) to explore the potential ecological hazards of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are as much as a million times smaller than the head of a pin, and have unusual properties compared with larger objects made from the same material. These unusual properties make nanomaterials attractive for use in everything from computer hard-drives to ...
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  • September 9, 2008

    Dowell Guggenheim Medalist for 2008

    Earl Dowell's set is now complete. That is, he just received the last major aerospace engineering award not already on his crowded mantle. This summer, the dean emeritus of the Pratt School of Engineering and William Holland Hall professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, received the 2008 Daniel Guggenheim Medal Award. The award is bestowed jointly by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, the American Helicopter Society ...
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  • September 9, 2008

    Scientists form alliance to develop nanotoxicology protocols

    ZURICH, Switzerland A team of materials scientists and toxicologists announced the formation of a new international research alliance to establish protocols for reproducible toxicological testing of nanomaterials in both cultured cells and animals. Pratt's Mark Wiesner, James L. Meriam Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering is part of this research effort. The International Alliance for NanoEHS Harmonization (IANH) was unveiled Sept. 9 at Nanotox 2008, one of the world's largest biennial nanotoxicological research meetings. "When this ...
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  • August 28, 2008

    Tiny 3-D Ultrasound Probe Guides Catheter Procedures

    DURHAM, N.C. An ultrasound probe small enough to ride along at the tip of a catheter can provide physicians with clearer real-time images of soft tissue without the risks associated with conventional x-ray catheter guidance.Duke University biomedical engineers designed and fabricated the novel ultrasound probe which is powerful enough to provide detailed, 3-D images. The new device works like an insect's compound eye, blending images from 108 miniature transducers working together. Catheter-based procedures involve ...
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  • August 28, 2008

    Tiny 3-D Ultrasound Probe Guides Catheter Procedures

    DURHAM, N.C. An ultrasound probe small enough to ride along at the tip of a catheter can provide physicians with clearer real-time images of soft tissue without the risks associated with conventional x-ray catheter guidance.Duke University biomedical engineers designed and fabricated the novel ultrasound probe which is powerful enough to provide detailed, 3-D images. The new device works like an insect's compound eye, blending images from 108 miniature transducers working together. Catheter-based procedures involve ...
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  • August 21, 2008

    Quantum: The Next Generation in Computing

    While computers are getting progressively smaller and more powerful, the underlying principles encoding information in long strings of ones and zeroes have not changed markedly in 50 years.But that could soon change. Scientists at Duke University and elsewhere are making advances in a new type of computing that may have seemed purely theoretical, but could now be possible within our lifetimes. Literally, this new generation of computers will be a quantum leap ...
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  • August 14, 2008

    Trees, Forests and the Eiffel Tower Reveal Theory of Design in Nature

    DURHAM, N.C. - What do a tree and the Eiffel Tower have in common?According to a Duke University engineer, both are optimized for flow. In the case of trees, the flow is of water from the ground throughout the trunk, branches and leaves, and into the air. The Eiffel Tower's flow carries stresses throughout the structure without collapsing under its own weight or being downed by the wind. For most engineers, the laws governing fluid and ...
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  • July 31, 2008

    Microbe Diet Key To Carbon Dioxide Release

    DURHAM, N.C. - As microbes in the soil break down fallen plant matter, a diet "balanced" in nutrients appears to help control soil fertility and the normal release of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When plants drop their leaves, stems and twigs, this organic matter slowly becomes part of the soil as a result of decomposition, which is facilitated by bacteria and other microbes. This process adds plant nutrients to the soil ...
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  • July 17, 2008

    Tree Branching Key To Efficient Flow In Nature And Novel Materials

    DURHAM, N.C. Nature, in the simple form of a tree canopy, appears to provide keen insights into the best way to design complex systems to move substances from one place to another, an essential ingredient in the development of novel "smart" materials. Duke University engineers believe that an image of two tree canopies touching top-to-top can guide their efforts to most efficiently control the flow of liquids in new materials, including the next generation ...
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  • June 30, 2008

    Gold, DNA combination may lead to 'nano' sensor

    DURHAM, N.C. The ability to use genetic material to assemble nanoscopic particles of gold could be an important step toward creating tiny "spies" that will be able to infiltrate individual cells and report back in real time on the cell's inner workings.A team of Duke University materials engineers and chemists has developed tiny gold nanostructures that can create signals from subtle changes in light reflecting off their nanoscale surfaces. The sub-cellular size of ...
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  • June 26, 2008

    Laursen Named Chair of Mechanical Engineering Department

    Professor Tod Laursen has been named chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Dean Robert Clark and Dean designee Tom Katsouleas announced on June 26. He succeeds professor Franklin H. Cocks, who served as interim chair during the 2007/2008 academic year. "Tod is well known and respected for his scholarship, leadership, judgment and academic values. He has ambitious goals for MEMS and we expect him to be a transformative Chair," said Katsouleas. Laursen received ...
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  • June 19, 2008

    Smart Home Gets Top Environmental Building Score

    Residence hall/laboratory receives state's first platinum LEED rating DURHAM, NC -- The Home Depot Smart Home at Duke University, a 10-person student residence hall for green living and learning, has achieved a top-level platinum standard for its design from the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system. The building becomes the first in North Carolina to achieve that standard. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The 6,000-square foot-residence, designed by students and advisers, earned 59 ...
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