2017 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Exploring Elusive High-Energy Particles in an Unusual Metal

Researchers at MIT have observed a novel phenomenon in sheets of tantalum arsenide that mimics the behavior of theorized (but never observed) particles called Weyl fermions.

Standford Scientists Discover High Pressure is the Key to Lighter and Stronger Metal Alloys

Subjecting complex metal mixtures called high-entropy alloys to extremely high pressures could lead to finer control over the arrangement of their atoms, which in turn can result in more desirable properties.

Hotspots Show that Vegetation Alters Climate by Up to 30%

Columbia Engineers find strong feedbacks between the atmosphere and vegetation that explain up to 30% of precipitation and surface radiation variance; study reveals large potential for improving seasonal weather predictions.

Researchers Find New Way to Control Light with Electric Fields

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique that allows them to change the refractive index for visible light in some semiconductor materials by 60 percent – two orders of magnitude better than previous results.

Two Simple Building Blocks Produce Complex 3-D Material

Northwestern University scientists have built a structurally complex material from two simple building blocks that is the lowest-density metal-organic framework ever made.

Modifying Cell Wall Can Increase Bacterial Lipids

Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) assistant scientist Kim Lemmer and a team of collaborators focus on the microbes, reporting on a novel way to increase lipid production in bacteria. The finding could help make microbial lipids a viable alternative to petroleum-derived fuels and chemicals.

Yearlong Survey Tracks the Microbiome of a Newly Opened Hospital

A 12-month study mapping bacterial diversity within a hospital — with a focus on the flow of microbes between patients, staff and surfaces — should help hospitals worldwide better understand how to encourage beneficial microbial interactions and decrease potentially harmful contact.

Christine James Selected for U.S. DOE Graduate Student Research Award

A PhD student in chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University will spend the summer accessing the supercomputing resources of Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque after being chosen for a select national honor from the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE).