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Research News

  • November 10, 2008

    Duke Engineering Contest Connects U.S. Students with National Problems

    DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering challenges college students in the U.S. to create a video and an essay in response to this question: Which of the 14 grand challenges identified by the National Academy of Engineering would you choose to address, and how would you do it? The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges (http://www.engineeringchallenges.org) has identified 14 critical barriers to a sustainable way of life. They represent problems that will require ...
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  • October 15, 2008

    Adrienne Stiff-Roberts: Putting Artificial Atoms to Use

    Adrienne Stiff-Roberts says she didn't do so well as an undergraduate physics student tackling quantum mechanics. "It's one of those topics where, the first time you see it, it's really mind blowing," she says. And yet, today her entire research program is focused on putting the wonders of quantum mechanics to good use. The shift from struggling to wrap her mind around quantum mechanics, a topic that stressed even Albert Einstein, to embracing it as a ...
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  • October 15, 2008

    Gary Ybarra: Electrifying a New Generation of Engineers

    Like many of his colleagues at Pratt, Gary Ybarra's interest in engineering began early on. He loved to take apart all manner of electronic devices from radios to televisions and was fascinated by the way that small components could be assembled together to perform such useful--or at least entertaining--functions. In his more than two decades as a professional engineer, Ybarra has continued to nurture that passion. His research has spanned a wide range of topics from ...
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  • October 15, 2008

    David Smith: Creating New Materials that Go Beyond Nature

    In 1967, Russian scientist Victor Veselago published theoretical research on a bizarre type of material that, while possible according to the known laws of physics, didn't exist anywhere on the planet as far as anyone could tell. Veselago was describing materials with a negative refraction, which, relative to the positive refraction all known materials had, would have dramatic impacts on electromagnetic radiation--from microwaves to visible light--leading to a variety of alien properties. Some 30 years ...
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  • October 14, 2008

    Chris Dwyer: Exploring Possibilities for Next Gen Computer Chips

    As predicted by Moore's Law, for decades now computers have been getting faster and more powerful at a dizzying pace, based largely on increases in the number of transistors that can be squeezed onto computer chips. But the realities of physics have already slowed the process, and open questions remain about just how long the trend can continue, using traditional technologies, and yet remain economical. Consider for instance that many of the techniques used to carve ...
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  • October 14, 2008

    Matt Reynolds - Bridging the gaps between the physical and digital worlds

    Who is Matt Reynolds? Academically, Matt Reynolds was born and raised at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's famed Media Lab, but the roots of his engineering interests go back much further. By the age of 10, he was already building and studying electronic circuits using an oscilloscope--a gift from his father who encouraged him to learn about math and science. "That early interest in science and engineering has stayed with me for a long time now," ...
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  • 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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