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Superconducting nanowires show ability to measure magnetic fields
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – By using DNA molecules as scaffolds, scientists have created superconducting nanodevices that demonstrate a new type of quantum interference and could be used to measure magnetic fields and map regions of superconductivity. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have fabricated and studied nanostructures consisting of pairs of suspended superconducting wires […]
Thin films of silicon nanoparticles roll into flexible nanotubes
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – By depositing nanoparticles onto a charged surface, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have crafted nanotubes from silicon that are flexible and nearly as soft as rubber. “Resembling miniature scrolls, the nanotubes could prove useful as catalysts, guided laser cavities and nanorobots,” said Sahraoui Chaieb, a professor of mechanical and […]
Two Illinois researchers to receive Presidential Early Career Awards
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Two University of Illinois researchers are among 58 young researchers named today (June 13) as recipients of the 2004 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. They will receive their awards today […]
Flexible tactile sensors could help robots work better
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A robot’s sensitivity to touch could be vastly improved by an array of polymer-based tactile sensors that has been combined with a robust signal-processing algorithm to classify surface textures. The work, performed by a team of researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is an essential step in the development of […]
Researchers to receive EPA award for efforts to protect ozone layer
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Donald Wuebbles, a professor and head of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his fellow members of the Ozone Science Tiger Team will receive the 2005 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award from the Environmental Protection Agency. The award will be presented Wednesday (May 4) at a ceremony in Washington, […]
U. of I. scholars elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Frederick K. Lamb and Ralph G. Nuzzo, professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Election to the American Academy is an honor that acknowledges the best of all scholarly fields and professions. Among the academy’s 196 other new fellows […]
Biosphere is source, not sink, for carbon dioxide emissions, study shows
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Converting forests into croplands and pastures reduces carbon storage, say scientists who studied the impacts of human-induced change on terrestrial ecosystems. The study results have important implications for predicting carbon dioxide levels, and will help provide a more complete understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle. In its most recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel […]
Geologist digs deep – the Pito Deep, 6,000 meters beneath the ocean
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Late last January, while most people were battling winter’s cold and snow, University of Illinois structural geologist Stephen Hurst left for a month long cruise in the South Pacific. It was no vacation, though. Hurst joined a team of scientists, engineers and technicians who set sail from Easter Island to explore the […]
Synergistic SuperGrid for transporting energy moves closer to reality
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The concept of a high-capacity superconducting energy pipeline, or SuperGrid, moved closer to reality when experts from industry, government and academia attended a recent workshop at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “The SuperGrid could meet the nation’s growing energy demands well into the 21st century while reducing our consumption of fossil […]
European modernism and information society focus of U. of I. conference
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Scholars representing disciplines as diverse as architecture, urban planning, science, technology, cultural studies and library and information science – will gather May 6-8 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for a conference on “European Modernism and the Information Society: Informing the Present, Understanding the Past.” The conference, which takes place at […]
New material structure produces world’s fastest transistor
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A new type of transistor structure, invented by scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has broken the 600 gigahertz speed barrier. The goal of a terahertz transistor for high-speed computing and communications applications could now be within reach. The new device – built from indium phosphide and indium gallium arsenide […]
Molecular motors cooperate in moving cellular cargo, study shows
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers using an extremely fast and accurate imaging technique have shed light on the tiny movements of molecular motors that shuttle material within living cells. The motors cooperate in a delicate choreography of steps, rather than engaging in the brute-force tug of war many scientists had imagined. “We discovered that two molecular […]