University Research | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Red-hued Yeasts Hold Clues to Producing Better Biofuels

A team based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center describe the genetic machinery that yeasts use to make pulcherrimin, which binds iron, an essential nutrient. The work is a key step toward harnessing the synthesis pathway for large-scale production of isobutanol as a biofuel.

Researchers Find Value in Unusual Type of Plant Material

UW-Madison scientists have shown that a recently-discovered variety of lignin, catechyl lignin (C-lignin), has attributes that could make it well-suited as the starting point for a range of bioproducts.

What Causes Nuclear Waste Glass to Dissolve?

Researchers from the University of Houston, the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Pittsburgh are working to discover what causes nuclear waste glass to deteriorate, and how to slow or stop the process.

Grants for Quantum Information Science

The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced $218 million in new grants for “Quantum Information Science” and researchers with the Center for Quantum Mathematics and Physics (QMAP) at UC Davis are among the recipients.

Luminous Blue Variable Star

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) have developed new, three-dimensional simulations that reveal the inner workings of one of the universe’s most mysterious stars.

Read more about Luminous Blue Variable Star

Department of Energy Supports Research on Microplasmas

A new grant from the Department of Energy is enabling Dr. Stephen Remillard of the Hope College physics faculty to explore how microplasmas function — understanding that is meant to improve their value in applications ranging from the design of small radio components, to plasma display panels, to surgery.

Columbia Receives $10.7 Million for Department of Energy Frontier Research Center

Columbia University and collaborators have been awarded $10.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a new Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC). The center, named “Programmable Quantum Materials (Pro-QM),” will focus on exploring the behavior of quantum materials with desired properties when under the influence of extremes of light, pressure, temperature, magnetic proximity, nanomechanical manipulation, electrical field, and other conditions.

Copper Ions Flow Like Liquid through the Frozen Atomic Network of a Crystal

In a new study, scientists from Duke University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) probed one such superionic crystal containing copper, chromium and selenium (CuCrSe2) with neutrons and X-rays to determine how the material’s copper ions achieve their liquid-like properties.

Antineutrinos and 'Sterile' Neutrinos: IU Scientists Contribute to New Advances in Particle Physics

Indiana University's place on the front lines of research on the mysterious subatomic particles known as neutrinos was on display June 4 to 9 at the 28th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics in Heidelberg, Germany.

Kansas State University Graduate Student Awarded Department of Energy Fellowship

Olivia Hull, a doctoral student in Christine Aiken's research group at Kansas State University, has been awarded a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship to support her research into physical chemistry.

Six Entrepreneurs Selected to Develop Innovative Technologies at Argonne

Six scientists from across the country have begun a two-year program at Argonne National Laboratory dedicated to build their energy and science technologies into products. They are the second annual cohort for the Chain Reaction Innovations program, which provides an institutional home for the postdoctoral researchers to develop their innovative technologies.

Northwestern Researchers Predict Materials to Stabilize Record-high Capacity Lithium-ion Battery

A Northwestern University research team has found ways to stabilize a new battery with a record-high charge capacity. Based on a lithium-manganese-oxide cathode, the breakthrough could enable smart phones and battery-powered automobiles to last more than twice as long between charges.