Archive for the ‘Sustainable Infrastructure’ Category
April 16, 2013 — Researchers are developing a novel technology that would facilitate close monitoring of bridges, parking decks and other structures for early signs of strain, stress and formation of cracks. Their approach uses wireless sensors that are low cost, require no power, and can be implemented on tough yet flexible polymer substrates.
April 9, 2013 — Controlling the shapes of nanometer-sized catalytic and electrocatalytic particles made from noble metals such as platinum and palladium may be more complicated than previously thought. Using systematic experiments, researchers have investigated how surface diffusion – a process in which atoms move from one site to another on nanoscale surfaces – affects the final shape of the particles.
February 18, 2013 — When it comes to forming the droplets that make up clouds, a little oily and viscous organic material apparently doesn’t matter that much, according to a report published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And that’s good news for reducing the uncertainty of climate model predictions.
February 11, 2013 — Using underwater video cameras to record fish feeding on South Pacific coral reefs, scientists have found that herbivorous fish can be picky eaters – a trait that could spell trouble for endangered reef systems. In a study done at the Fiji Islands, the researchers learned that just four species of herbivorous fish were primarily responsible for removing common and potentially harmful seaweeds on reefs.
February 4, 2013 — Researchers have shown for the first time that certain volatile organic gases can promote cloud formation in a way never considered before by atmospheric scientists. The finding could improve the ability to model cloud formation, which is an important part of climate.
January 27, 2013 — In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers used genomic techniques to document the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms – principally bacteria – in the middle and upper troposphere, that section of the atmosphere approximately four to six miles above the Earth’s surface.
January 3, 2013 — By examining a set of fossil corals that are as much as 7,000 years old, scientists have dramatically expanded the amount of information available on the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, a Pacific Ocean climate cycle that affects climate worldwide. The new information will help assess the accuracy of climate model projections for 21st century climate change in the tropical Pacific.
August 21, 2012 — Researchers have developed a self-charging power cell that directly converts mechanical energy to chemical energy, storing the power until it is released as electrical current. The device avoids converting mechanical energy to electrical energy for charging a battery.
July 24, 2012 — With a series of papers published in chemistry and chemical engineering journals, Georgia Tech researchers have advanced the case for extracting carbon dioxide directly from the air using newly-developed adsorbent materials.
July 9, 2012 — Researchers have discovered yet another way to harvest small amounts of electricity from motion in the world around us – this time by capturing the electrical charge produced when two different kinds of plastic materials rub against one another.
Fall 2012 - Winter 2013
