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

UI Researchers Look to the Future of Nuclear Energy

The University of Iowa has recently received grants from national agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Homeland Security for nuclear research and training future radiochemists.

Cutting Waste, Fossil Fuel Use, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Turning Unused Food into Biofuel

Funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant, a team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is creating a better way to convert waste food into biofuels that are environmentally friendly, a project that would have an impact on global problems like crude oil dependence, food waste, and water pollution.

Carnegie Mellon Researchers Probe Hydrogen Bonds Using New Technique

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have used nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy to probe the hydrogen bonds that modulate the chemical reactivity of enzymes, catalysts and biomimetic complexes. The technique could lead to the development of better catalysts for use in a wide range of fields.

First Particle Tracks at Prototype for DUNE Underground Neutrino Experiment

The largest liquid-argon neutrino detector in the world has just recorded its first particle tracks, signaling the start of a new chapter in the story of the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). A number of UC Davis scientists are affiliated with the project.

NOvA Experiment Reports Strong Evidence of Antineutrino Oscillation

Tricia Vahle, professor of physics at William & Mary and longtime NOvA participant, became a NOvA co-spokesperson on March 21. William & Mary has a sizeable presence on NOvA and even maintains a remote control facility in Small Hall to monitor the experiment based in Batavia, Illinois.

New Process Turns Wood Scraps Into Tape

Engineers at the University of Delaware have developed a novel process to make tape out of a major component of trees and plants called lignin.

Amanda Morris’ Chemistry Lab Mimicking How Plants Energize in Bid to Create Clean, Sustainable Energy

Morris, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, part of the Virginia Tech College of Science, and her student researchers are trying to mimic the ways plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide to storable food.

Physicists Devise Method to Reveal How Light Affects Materials

Physicists at Emory University developed a way to determine the electronic properties of thin gold films after they interact with light.

UW Physicists, CERN Announce Discovery of Higgs Boson Interactions

The international particle accelerator collaboration CERN announced Monday, June 4, that two experiments at the Large Hadron Collider discovered a link between the two heaviest known particles: the top quark and the Higgs boson. University of Wisconsin–Madison physicists are members of the CMS and ATLAS experiments at CERN, which jointly discovered the Higgs boson in 2012.

Scientists See Inner Workings of Enzyme Telomerase, Which Plays Key Roles in Aging, Cancer

Cancer, aging-related diseases and other illnesses are closely tied to an important enzyme called “telomerase.” UCLA researchers report in the journal Cell the deepest scientific understanding yet of this once-mysterious enzyme, whose catalytic core — where most of its activity occurs — can now be seen in near atomic resolution.

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.

Putting Excess Carbon Dioxide to Good Use

Professor Joel Rosenthal and his team in UD’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have discovered that bismuth has an unusual property that can be harnessed to help the environment—as a chemical “spark” or catalyst for converting carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, into liquid fuels and industrial chemicals.