Research
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New form of crystalline order holds promise for thermoelectric applications
Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope image showing the interlaced crystalline structure. (Wu Zhou/ORNL) Since the 1850s scientists have known that crystalline materials are organized into 14 different basic lattice structures. However, a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) now reports that it… Read MoreNov. 14, 2014
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Professors serve on Trans-institutional Programs review council, panels
Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos (Vanderbilt University) Four engineering professors will serve on review boards of the formally launched new $50 million Trans-institutional Programs initiative outlined in the university’s Academic Strategic Plan. Doug Adams, Daniel F. Flowers Professor of Engineering and chair of the Department of Civil and… Read MoreNov. 14, 2014
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Vanderbilt researchers’ work passes computing society’s test of time
Ten years ago Vanderbilt researchers published a paper that has passed the test of time. This year, the Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems (SenSys) introduced a new Test of Time Award at its 12th annual event held in Nov. 3-6 in Memphis, Tenn. SenSys is… Read MoreNov. 13, 2014
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Vanderbilt team examines human factors in nuclear power plant operations
The team studying ways to help nuclear power plant operators improve work performance and safety includes, from left, Julie Adams, Ph.D., Shilo Anders, Ph.D., Sankaran Mahadevan, Ph.D., and Matthew Weinger, M.D. Not pictured is Dan France, Ph.D., MPH. (photo by Anne Rayner) A multidisciplinary Vanderbilt… Read MoreNov. 10, 2014
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Nanoday! features Stanford speaker on improving optoelectronic devices
The engineer who coined the term “plasmonics” is the keynote speaker for Vanderbilt University’s Nanoday!, a Nov. 12 celebration and learning opportunity that brings together scientists and engineers working in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Plasmonics is the study of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and free electrons in a… Read MoreNov. 6, 2014
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Researchers at Vanderbilt exploring safety of nuclear power plant concrete
Researchers who want to ensure America’s nuclear power plants are safe for another generation are meeting at Vanderbilt University today and Thursday, focusing their attention on the aging concrete that encases reactors. The nation’s 100 nuclear power reactors represent a $600 billion investment and provide 65 percent of America’s non-carbon-emitting… Read MoreNov. 5, 2014
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Your smartphone wouldn’t exist without university research
(iStock) According to a number of economic studies, somewhere between one-quarter and one-third of our current economy is based on technologies that didn’t exist 50 years ago: They are the end products of basic scientific and engineering research. It’s hard to wrap your mind around a statistic… Read MoreOct. 31, 2014
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Improving breast cancer chemo by testing tumors in a dish
One of the tragic realities of cancer is that the drugs used to treat it are highly toxic and their effectiveness varies unpredictably from patient to patient. However, a new “tumor-in-a-dish” technology is poised to change this reality by rapidly assessing how effective specific anti-cancer cocktails will be on an… Read MoreOct. 28, 2014
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Coffee-ring diagnostic offers hope in poorest regions
The ring that an evaporating drop of coffee leaves on the counter might be the solution to saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Ray Mernaugh, left, Rick Haselton and David Wright (Susan Urmy / Vanderbilt) Research accelerating at Vanderbilt offers new hope in diagnostics for malaria and other diseases. The… Read MoreOct. 24, 2014
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Game theory can help predict crime before it occurs
About a decade ago, the hit movie Minority Report featured a police force that could predict crimes and swoop in before they happened. That kind of crime fighting may not be far off if a team headed by Eugene Vorobeychik, assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering, has its… Read MoreOct. 20, 2014