The paving crew extended a mixer truck’s chute over the stainless steel electrodes that make up part of a heated pavement technology developed by Iowa State University engineers. And then came the other part: a load of electrically conductive concrete. The first delivery of the thick, heavy mixture slid onto one of the steel rods…
Engineer Looks To Owl Wings For Bio-Inspired Ideas For Quieter Aircraft, Wind Turbines
Anupam Sharma pulled an accordion folder from the bookshelf above his Iowa State University desk. Inside was the carefully collected and preserved wing of a short-eared owl. Here, he said, could be some clues for developing ultraquiet aircraft and wind turbines. “The owl is almost completely silent in flight,” said Sharma, an Iowa State assistant…
Engineers Develop Micro-Sized, Liquid-Metal Particles for Heat-Free Soldering
Martin Thuo likes to look for new, affordable and clean ways to put science and technology to work in the world. His lab is dedicated to an idea called frugal innovation: “How do you do very high-level science or engineering with very little?” said Thuo, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State University…
Engineers Develop Flexible Skin That Traps Radar Waves, Cloaks Objects
Astronomers Say Comet Fragments Best Explanation Of Mysterious Dimming Star
Was it a catastrophic collision in the star’s asteroid belt? A giant impact that disrupted a nearby planet? A dusty cloud of rock and debris? A family of comets breaking apart? Or was it alien megastructures built to harvest the star’s energy? Just what caused the mysterious dimming of star KIC 8462852? Massimo Marengo, an…
Iowa State Materials Scientist Developing Materials and Electronics that Dissolve When Triggered
Iowa – A medical device, once its job is done, could harmlessly melt away inside a person’s body. Or, a military device could collect and send its data and then dissolve away, leaving no trace of an intelligence mission. Or, an environmental sensor could collect climate information, then wash away in the rain. It’s a…