Solar Cells, Batteries and Geological Storage Research Receive $30.5 Million at The University of Texas at Austin
With two $15 million grants, scientists and engineers aim to revolutionize solar cells and provide the fundamental science for geological storage of greenhouse gases as part of two Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) established at The University of Texas at Austin by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). →
Engineers develop method to disperse chemically modified graphene in organic solvents
A method for creating dispersed and chemically modified graphene sheets in a wide variety of organic solvents has been developed by a University of Texas at Austin engineering team led by Professor Rod Ruoff, opening the door to use graphene in a host of important materials and applications such as conductive films, polymer composites, ultracapacitors, batteries, paints, inks and plastic electronics. →
Nuclear fusion-fission hybrid could destroy nuclear waste, contribute to carbon-free energy future
Physicists at The University of Texas at Austin have designed a new system that, when fully developed, would use fusion to eliminate most of the transuranic waste produced by nuclear power plants. →
Engineers embark on $6.8 million research project to develop accurate, wireless monitoring of highway bridges
The nation's aging highway bridges could become safer structures using state-of-the-art wireless monitoring and inspection systems being developed through a multi-million-dollar grant to an engineering team from The University of Texas at Austin, National Instruments and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, an engineering firm based in Northbrook, Ill. →
State bicycle survey reveals danger concerns, cycling perceptions
Bicyclists in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are more concerned with being involved in vehicle crashes compared to bicyclists in other Texas cities, according to a survey conducted by the Center for Transportation Research at The University of Texas at Austin. →
New graphene-based material clarifies graphite oxide chemistry
A new "graphene-based" material that helps solve the structure of graphite oxide and could lead to other potential discoveries of the one-atom thick substance called graphene, which has applications in nanoelectronics, energy storage and production, and transportation such as airplanes and cars has been created by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. →
New carbon material shows promise of storing large quantities of renewable electrical energy
Engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick structure called "graphene" as a new carbon-based material for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitor devices, perhaps paving the way for the massive installation of renewable energies such as wind and solar power. →
New probe to detect skin cancer receives more funding for clinical trials
Assistant Professor James Tunnell has been awarded a Phase II Early Career Award from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to continue the development and testing of a device that uses light to detect skin cancer without the need for an invasive biopsy procedure. →
Study shows converting manure to biogas can power homes, reduce emissions
Converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate enough electricity to meet up to 3 percent of North America's entire consumption needs and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. →
New chlorine-tolerant, desalination membrane hopes to boost access to clean water
A chemical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is part of a team that has developed a chlorine-tolerant membrane that should simplify the water desalination process, increasing access to fresh water and possibly reducing greenhouse gases. →
Engineer receives $1.5 million grant for nanoparticle cancer research
A biomedical engineering assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin has been awarded a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute grant to conduct nanoparticle cancer research. →
Laser surgery probe targets individual cancer cells
Mechanical engineering Assistant Professor Adela Ben-Yakar at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a laser "microscalpel" that destroys a single cell while leaving nearby cells intact, which could improve the precision of surgeries for cancer, epilepsy and other diseases. →
Idle computers offer hope to solve cancer's mysteries through grid computing project
A biomedical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is using a concept called "grid computing" to allow the average person to donate idle computer time in a global effort to fight cancer. →
Prestigious NSF Graduate Fellowships offered to Cockrell School engineering students
Fourteen University of Texas at Austin engineering students received the prestigious National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship for 2008. Each year the program offers about 1,000 fellowships nationwide to provide graduate students with up to $40,000 annual support for three years. →
Nanosurgery on a specially designed microchip reveals anesthetics interfere with nerve regeneration process
AUSTIN, Texas--A hair strand-thin worm is providing substantial clues on how nerves regenerate, offering insight and hope to finding genes that affect nerve generation and ultimately new drugs and therapies for human neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer’s. →
Nerve repair mechanisms under investigation with $2.1 million grants to mechanical engineer
Adela Ben-Yakar, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, has received $2.1 million to discover genes that affect nerve regeneration in a simple organism that shares many genetic traits with humans and other higher organisms. →
Improving detection of nuclear smuggling goal of computer model of mechanical engineers
A team of mechanical engineering professors at The University of Texas at Austin has received $1.9 million to expand a computer model that is already helping guide national decisions about placement of devices to detect nuclear smuggling attempts. →
Methods for regulating wind power's variability under development by electrical engineer
As Texas' electric grid operator prepares to add power lines for carrying future wind-generated energy, an electrical engineer at The University of Texas at Austin is developing improved methods for determining the extent to which power from a wind farm can displace a conventional power plant, and how best to regulate varying wind power. →
New Membrane Strips Carbon Dioxide from Natural Gas Faster and Better
A modified plastic material greatly improves the ability to separate global warming-linked carbon dioxide from natural gas as the gas is prepared for use, according to engineers at The University of Texas at Austin who have analyzed the new plastic's performance. →
Carbon Dioxide Underground Storage Feasible Using "Off-The-Shelf" Technology from Oil Industry
Despite the sobering amount of carbon dioxide needing storage to reduce greenhouse gases, funneling the offensive chemical underground remains technologically possible for the oil industry, says Dr. Steve Bryant, associate professor of petroleum and geosystems engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. →