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

Scientists Find New Methods to Control Bacterial Factories for Biotech Aims

The Kerfeld lab at Michigan State University announces two new methods for manipulating bacterial factories for biotech aims: one is to screen and extract the factories, the other is to predictably insert custom enzymes in them.

Grant Award: New Materials Bring Accessibility to Topological Insulators

Mingzhong Wu, a professor in the Department of Physics at Colorado State University, will explore a new topological insulator, alpha-Sn thin films.

UW, PNNL to Host Energy Research Center Focusing on Bio-inspired Design and Assembly

The United States Department of Energy has awarded an expected $10.75 million, four-year grant to the University of Washington, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and other partner institutions for a new interdisciplinary research center to define the enigmatic rules that govern how molecular-scale building blocks assemble into ordered structures — and give rise to complex hierarchical materials.

For UW Physicists, the 2-D Form of Tungsten Ditelluride is Full of Surprises

In a paper published online July 23 in the journal Nature, a UW-led research team reports that the 2-D form of tungsten ditelluride can undergo “ferroelectric switching.”

Researchers Make First-Ever 6D Measurement of Accelerator Beam

A team of researchers led by UT physics professor Sarah Cousineau has made the first-ever 6D measurement of an accelerator beam, an achievement that has eluded scientists for decades.

NMSU Physicist Among Researchers That May Have Evidence of the Elusive Sterile Neutrino

A New Mexico State University professor is part of an international research team that recently released the results of an experiment that may support a theory for a fourth fundamental particle – the mysterious sterile neutrino that passes through matter without interacting with it.

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.

An Unexpected Gray Area Could Help Bring About Long-lasting Solar Cells

UW-Madison engineers found a way to dramatically extend the lifespan of solar energy-harvesting devices, which use energy from sunlight to generate hydrogen from water.

A Big Spark for Energy Research

The University of Delaware has won a $12.8 million, four-year funding renewal from the U.S. Department of Energy for the continued operation of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI).

MIT Fusion Collaboration Receives Renewed Funding

As part of an initiative to support the development of nuclear fusion as a future practical energy source, the U. S. Department of Energy is renewing three-year funding for two Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) projects on the Wendelstein7-X (W7-X) stellarator at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany.

Unraveling Titanium Dioxide's Self-Cleaning Ability

An international collaboration between the labs of Melissa Hines, professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University, and Ulrike Diebold, professor of surface science from the Technical University of Vienna, Austria, has come to the surprising conclusion that these self-cleaning surfaces are covered by one of the oldest known cleaning agents: simple vinegar.

Pushing the Plasma Density Limit

Researchers at MIT performed experiments on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak to demonstrate how microwaves can be used to overcome barriers to steady-state fusion reactor operation.