Engineering
press releases.

Engineering19 Jul 2023

Aluminum materials show promising performance for safer, cheaper, more powerful batteries

A good battery needs two things: high energy density to power devices, and stability, so it can be safely and reliably recharged thousands of times. For the past three decades, lithium-ion batteries have reigned supreme — proving their performance in smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles. But battery researchers have begun to approach the limits of lithium-ion. As next-generation long-range vehicles and electric aircraft start to arrive on the market, the search for safer, cheaper, and more powerful ...

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Engineering19 Jul 2023

Association between markers of structural racism and mass shooting events in major US cities

About The Study: This study found that major U.S. cities with higher populations of Black individuals are more likely to be affected by mass shooting events, suggesting that structural racism may have a role in their incidence. Public health initiatives aiming to prevent mass shooting events should target factors associated with structural racism to address gun violence. Authors: Michael Ghio, M.D., of Tulane University in New Orleans, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2023.2846) Editor’s ...

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Engineering19 Jul 2023

Staying sharp: Researchers turn to an everyday shop tool to study how materials behave

Researchers at Texas A&M University are taking a traditional manufacturing tool — metal cutting — and developing a more accessible method for understanding the behavior of metals under extreme conditions. Metal cutting – scraping a thin layer of material from a metal’s surface using a sharp knife (not unlike how we scrape butter) – might not be the first thing that comes to mind for studying material properties. However, Drs. Dinakar Sagapuram and Hrayer Aprahamian, assistant professors ...

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Engineering18 Jul 2023

Lehigh University Professor Dan M. Frangopol elected into Academy of Engineering of Mexico

Dan M. Frangopol, the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture at Lehigh University, has been elected into the Academy of Engineering of Mexico (AEM) as a Corresponding Member. According to AEM, the academy was “established to recognize the most accomplished and prominent engineers in Mexico,” and it “selects a number of internationally recognized individuals from around the world with outstanding contributions to engineering following a rigorous nomination and evaluation process.” An induction ...

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Engineering17 Jul 2023

Developing new materials to accelerate the arrival of 'air taxis'

In order for future mobility, such as urban air mobility (UAM), to become a reality, it must be fuel efficient and reduce carbon emissions, which requires the development of new materials with excellent physical properties and recyclability. Self-reinforced composites (SRCs) are inexpensive, lightweight, and have advantages in terms of disposal and recycling as the reinforcement and the base material are composed of the same material. For this reason, it is attracting attention as a next-generation composite material to replace carbon fiber-reinforced composites used in aircraft. Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President ...

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Engineering14 Jul 2023

Scientists knit futuristic eco-building designs using fungal networks

Scientists hoping to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry have developed a way to grow building materials using knitted molds and the root network of fungi. Although researchers have experimented with similar composites before, the shape and growth constraints of the organic material have made it hard to develop diverse applications that fulfil its potential. Using the knitted molds as a flexible framework or ‘formwork’, the scientists created a composite called ‘mycocrete’ which is ...

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Engineering13 Jul 2023

Argonne engineers to drive innovation with three GAIN funding awards

Argonne is shaping the future of clean and reliable energy solutions. Research into nuclear energy is gaining attention as a critical piece of the solution to climate change. As part of this trend, nuclear engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have received three new funding awards from the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative. These awards recognize the valuable contributions of Argonne’s world-class nuclear engineers and facilities in this field. Among ...

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Engineering13 Jul 2023

Building a better forest tree with CRISPR gene editing

Researchers at North Carolina State University used a CRISPR gene-editing system to breed poplar trees with reduced levels of lignin, the major barrier to sustainable production of wood fibers, while improving their wood properties. The findings – published in the journal Science – hold promise to make fiber production for everything from paper to diapers greener, cheaper and more efficient. Led by NC State CRISPR pioneer Rodolphe Barrangou and tree geneticist Jack Wang, a team of researchers used predictive modeling to set goals of lowering lignin levels, increasing the carbohydrate to lignin (C/L) ratio, and increasing the ratio of two important ...

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Engineering13 Jul 2023

Engineering dual carriageways for signals

Routing signals and isolating them against noise and back-reflections are essential in many practical situations in classical communication as well as in quantum processing. In a theory-experimental collaboration, a team led by Andreas Nunnenkamp from the University of Vienna and Ewold Verhagen based at the research institute AMOLF in Amsterdam has achieved unidirectional transport of signals in pairs of "one-way streets". This research published in Nature Physics opens up new possibilities for more flexible signaling devices. Devices that allow ...

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Engineering12 Jul 2023

Surgical and engineering innovations enable unprecedented control over every finger of a bionic hand

Prosthetic limbs are the most common solution to replace a lost extremity. However, they are hard to control and often unreliable with only a couple of movements available. Remnant muscles in the residual limb are the preferred source of control for bionic hands. This is because patients can contract muscles at will, and the electrical activity generated by the contractions can be used to tell the prosthetic hand what to do, for instance, open or close. A major problem at higher amputation levels, such as above the elbow, is that not many muscles remain to command the many robotic joints needed to truly restore the function of an arm and hand. A multidisciplinary team of surgeons and engineers ...

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Engineering11 Jul 2023

Aston University researcher turns one of the basic rules of construction upside down

1675 theory states a hanging chain mirrors shape of an upstanding rigid arch Research from Aston University shows that this common-held belief is incorrect Explained using transition from Newtonian to Lagrangian mechanics and mathematical rigour. Monday 10 July 2023 | Birmingham, UK An Aston University researcher has turned one of the basic rules of construction on its head. For centuries a hanging chain has been used as an example to explain how masonry arches stand. Structural engineers are familiar ...

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Engineering11 Jul 2023

The ground is deforming, and buildings aren’t ready

There is a “silent hazard” lurking underneath our major global cities, and our buildings were not designed to handle it. A new Northwestern University study has, for the first time, linked underground climate change to the shifting ground beneath urban areas. As the ground heats up, it also deforms. This phenomenon causes building foundations and the surrounding ground to move excessively (due to expansions and contractions) and even crack, which ultimately affects structures’ long-term operational performance and durability. Researchers also report that past building damage ...

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Engineering10 Jul 2023

Canned, frozen corn industry struggling across US growing regions

URBANA, Ill. — For those whose primary experience with corn is the butter-drenched cob variety, it might come as a surprise that other forms of sweet corn are in trouble. A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analysis shows sweet corn production for frozen and canned products has been steadily shrinking in the U.S. over the past 27 years, particularly in rainfed portions of the Midwest. “The processing sweet corn industry [corn grown for canned and frozen products] was thriving in the U.S. throughout the 20th century. This type of production, ...

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Engineering10 Jul 2023

Beak shape can predict nest material use in the world’s birds, study finds

The material a bird selects for its nest depends on the dimensions of its beak, according to researchers. Using data on nest materials for nearly 6,000 species of birds, a team based at the University of Bristol and the University of St Andrews utilised random forest models, a type of machine learning algorithm, to take data from bird beaks and try to predict what nest materials that species might use. They found a surprisingly strong correlation. Using only information on beak shape and size, they were able to correctly predict broad nest material use in 60% of species, rising to ...

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Engineering10 Jul 2023

Man-made materials in nests can bring both risks and benefit for birds

We all discard a huge amount of plastic and other man-made materials into the environment, and these are often picked up by birds. New research has shown that 176 bird species around the world are now known to include a wide range of anthropogenic materials in their nests. All over the world, birds are using our left-over or discarded materials. Seabirds in Australia incorporate fishing nets into their nests, ospreys in North America include baler twine, birds living in cities in South America add ...

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Engineering7 Jul 2023

Mid-life structural jawbone changes may signal women’s subsequent height loss

Mid-life structural changes to the jawbone may signal subsequent height loss in women, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Dentists, who are likely to spot these on mouth x-rays during routine check-ups, should collaborate with patients’ doctors as this may open up opportunities for prevention, suggest the researchers. Height loss in women tends to speed up over the age of 75 and is associated with increased risks of ill health and death, say the researchers. Various explanations have been mooted for this loss, including progressive skeletal deformation, fallen arches in the feet and altered posture, and/or degenerative processes ...

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Engineering5 Jul 2023

Earth formed from dry, rocky building blocks

Billions of years ago, in the giant disk of dust, gas, and rocky material that orbited our young sun, larger and larger bodies coalesced to eventually give rise to the planets, moons, and asteroids we see today. Scientists are still trying to understand the processes by which planets, including our home planet, were formed. One way researchers can study how Earth formed is to examine the magmas that flow up from deep within the planet’s interior. The chemical signatures from these samples contain a record of the timing and the nature of the materials that came together to form ...

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Engineering30 Jun 2023

BGI Genomics leads in industry to obtain BSI ISO 37301 Compliance Management System Certification

As businesses become increasingly global, changes are also taking place at an extraordinary pace. Compliance is critical for large economies, industry regulations, and enterprise operations. BGI Genomics prioritizes compliance management and strictly follow laws, regulations, and international practices while conducting business globally. BGI Genomics recently completed the rigorous evaluation of BSI, a major worldwide standard, testing, and certification authority. It was awarded the GB/T 35770-2022/ISO 37301:2021 Compliance Management System accreditation, making it the first enterprise in the industry to do so. ...

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Engineering29 Jun 2023

Team applies variable reduction strategy to improve emergency material scheduling

When real-world disasters occur, logistics play a crucial role in emergency disaster management. Emergency material scheduling is a vital piece of the emergency logistics plan. Having a reasonable and efficient emergency material scheduling plan is essential in order to save lives and reduce property losses. A research team has applied a variable reduction strategy to an emergency material scheduling problem. This accelerated the optimization process of the algorithms that were already being used and obtained better solutions by simplifying the corresponding emergency material schedule problem. Their research is published in the journal ...

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Engineering28 Jun 2023

Squid-inspired soft material is a switchable shield for light, heat, microwaves

With a flick of a switch, current technologies allow you to quickly change materials from being dark to light, or cold to hot, just by blocking or transmitting specific wavelengths. But now, inspired by squid skin, researchers in ACS Nano report a soft film that can regulate its transparency across a large range of wavelengths — visible, infrared and microwave — simultaneously. They demonstrated the material in smart windows and in health monitoring and temperature management applications. Unique to the skin of squid and other cephalopods, iridocytes and chromatophores reversibly ...

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Engineering27 Jun 2023

Virginia Tech leads multi-institution research on polymeric solid fuel combustion

Fascination surrounding spaceflight and rockets is at an all-time high. Sites near launchpads draw crowds of spectators, eager to witness the flash of fire and feel the vibrations as the rumble of the motor becomes a roar. People, squinting and craning their necks to watch the rocket hurtle out of sight, aren’t likely thinking about the science behind the propulsion that makes it all possible. What are the key elements that influence the combustion process? Are there advantages to utilizing solid propellants versus liquid? Simplicity, lower cost, and ease of storage and handling make solid fuel sources ideal for military and space ...

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Engineering26 Jun 2023

NSF invests $162 million in research centers to accelerate materials science from lab to factory

A $162 million investment from the U.S. National Science Foundation will drive the creation of advanced materials capable of remarkable things — from being tough enough to withstand the heat of a fusion reactor to processing information at the quantum level. Nine Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) will each receive $18 million over six years. The centers aim to transform fundamental scientific breakthroughs into tangible benefits for multiple sectors of the U.S. economy and innovations ...

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Engineering23 Jun 2023

New analysis: Kaepernick was denied his “right to work” because he, like other Black male athletes before him, challenged structural racism and white supremacy

A nascent literature is emerging that analyzes the case of Colin Kaepernick who was “locked out” of the National Football League (NFL) beginning in 2017 because he chose to protest police brutality, systemic racism, and white supremacy. Using status expectations states theory and prototypicality theory, this research re-conceptualizes Kaepernick’s lock-out as an infringement on his right to work. First, researchers utilize a modified case-study approach comparing his experiences to those of six other Black male athletes who were “locked out.” Second, researchers utilize data and “matched cases” to demonstrate empirically ...

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Engineering22 Jun 2023

Scientists learn from hinge in bivalve about fatigue resistance of materials

Recently, flexible and foldable devices have developed at a dramatic rate. More and more foldable devices appear in people's lives. Long-term service requires the folded parts to endure repeated deformation which might cause fatigue damage to the devices. Consequently, the damage will affect the normal function of the devices. Inspired by the hinge of bivalve Cristaria plicata, which experiences hundreds of thousands of repeating opening-and-closing valve motions throughout the bivalve’s lifetime, a research team led by Prof. YU Shuhong collaborating with Prof. WU Hengan from the University of Science and Technology of China ...

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Engineering22 Jun 2023

Hard and soft materials form a fatigue-resistant fan in the mussel’s hinge

How does a mussel shell open and shut easily and without damage for hundreds of thousands of cycles during the bivalve’s lifetime? Such fatigue-resistant materials would be useful in electronics, aerospace and tissue engineering designs, where components need to operate repeatedly without failure. Xiang-Sen Meng and colleagues took a closer look at the hinge on the shell of the bivalve Cristaria plicata, and found that the answer lies in a combination of design and materials that resist brittle fracture over time. Microscopic observations by Meng et al. show that the hinge gets its ...

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