When the results of the third phase of NASA’s 3D-Printed Mars Habitat Challenge were revealed in Peoria, Illinois, in early May, Penn State fell just short of besting its friendly rival AI SpaceFactory. But in the process, the team engineered a breakthrough that moves forward 3D-printing construction research and pushes the team closer to the…
Electrospinner Made of Lego Pieces Used to Create Strands of Starch
A new technique to spin starch fibers using Lego pieces could have future applications for lab-grown “clean” meat, according to a team of food scientists from Penn State and the University of Alabama. “There’s a lot of interest in natural fibers,” said Gregory Ziegler, professor and director of graduate studies, Department of Food Science at…
Researcher Uses Westminster Abbey Windows to Shine Light on Glass Myth
Gazing through the stained-glass windows of London’s Westminster Abbey can evoke memories as diverse and vivid as the windows themselves, but to John Mauro, Penn State glass researcher, the windows sparked a quest to better understand the science behind the iconic portals to history. In the January 2018 issue of the Journal of the American…
Chip-Based Sensors with Incredible Sensitivity
In London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, a whisper can be heard far across the circular whispering gallery as the sound curves around the walls. Now, an optical whispering gallery mode resonator developed by Penn State electrical engineers can spin light around the circumference of a tiny sphere millions of times, creating an ultrasensitive microchip-based sensor for…
Leaf Sensors Can Tell Farmers When Crops Need To Be Watered
Plant-based sensors that measure the thickness and electrical capacitance of leaves show great promise for telling farmers when to activate their irrigation systems, preventing both water waste and parched plants, according to researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Continuously monitoring plant “water stress” is particularly critical in arid regions and traditionally has been…
A Tale of Two Pulsars’ Tails: Plumes Offer Geometry Lessons to Astronomers
Like cosmic lighthouses sweeping the universe with bursts of energy, pulsars have fascinated and baffled astronomers since they were first discovered 50 years ago. In two studies, international teams of astronomers suggest that recent images from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory of two pulsars — Geminga and B0355+54 — may help shine a light on the…
Cosmic Whistle Packs A Surprisingly Energetic Punch
Penn State University astronomers have discovered that the mysterious “cosmic whistles” known as fast radio bursts can pack a serious punch, in some cases releasing a billion times more energy in gamma-rays than they do in radio waves and rivaling the stellar cataclysms known as supernovae in their explosive power. The discovery, the first-ever finding…
Cosmic Whistle Packs A Surprisingly Energetic Punch
Penn State University astronomers have discovered that the mysterious “cosmic whistles” known as fast radio bursts can pack a serious punch, in some cases releasing a billion times more energy in gamma-rays than they do in radio waves and rivaling the stellar cataclysms known as supernovae in their explosive power. The discovery, the first-ever finding…
Social Exchange App Might Help Turn Collaboration into Currency
A focus on symmetrical activities — and smart technology — may be critical to creating applications that allow people to negotiate transactions with their time, rather than their money, according to Penn State researchers. In a study, participants used a mobile application called WithShare to make requests for and volunteer to take part in upcoming…
Innovative Approach Makes for a Smoother Ride
Moving through water can be a drag, but the use of supercavitation bubbles can reduce that drag and increase the speed of underwater vehicles. Sometimes these bubbles produce a bumpy ride, but now a team of engineers from Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory have an approach that smooths out the ride and stabilizes the bubble.…
Four Synchronized Planets Reveal Clues to How Planets Form
The search for planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy has revealed an extraordinary family of planets whose orbits are so carefully timed that they provide long-term stability for their planetary system. A paper describing the formation of this planetary system by a research team that includes a Penn State University astrophysicist will be published…
Penn State Helps The Navy learn ‘The Art Of The Possible’
Its scientists have developed “anti-torpedos” – seafaring interceptors akin to Patriot missiles. They’re designing navigation systems to allow sailors and soldiers to know where they are when GPS isn’t available. They’re working on a fuel made from aluminum powder and seawater that would let unmanned vehicles stay in the depths longer as they hunt down…
Flexible Dielectric Polymer Can Stand the Heat
Easily manufactured, low cost, lightweight, flexible dielectric polymers that can operate at high temperatures may be the solution to energy storage and power conversion in electric vehicles and other high temperature applications, according to a team of Penn State engineers. “Ceramics are usually the choice for energy storage dielectrics for high temperature applications, but they…
‘Mind the Gap’ Between Atomically Thin Materials
When it comes to engineering single-layer atomic structures, “minding the gap” will help researchers create artificial electronic materials one atomic layer at a time, according to a team of materials scientists. The gap is a miniscule vacuum that researchers in Penn State’s Center for 2-Dimensional and Layered Materials believe is an energy barrier keeping electrons…
Tailored Flexible Illusion Coatings Hide Objects
Developing the cloak of invisibility would be wonderful, but sometimes simply making an object appear to be something else will do the trick, according to Penn State electrical engineers. “Previous attempts at cloaking using a single metasurface layer were restricted to very small-sized objects,” said Zhi Hao Jiang, postdoctoral fellow in electrical engineering, Penn State.…
Smallest Possible Diamonds Form Ultra-Thin Nanothreads
For the first time, scientists have discovered how to produce ultra-thin “diamond nanothreads” that promise extraordinary properties, including strength and stiffness greater than that of today’s strongest nanotubes and polymers. A paper describing this discovery by a research team led by John V. Badding, a professor of chemistry at Penn State University, will be published…
Genetic approach helps design broadband metamaterial
A specially formed material that can provide custom broadband absorption in the infrared can be identified and manufactured using “genetic algorithms,” according to Penn State engineers, who say these metamaterials can shield objects from view by infrared sensors, protect instruments and be manufactured to cover a variety of wavelengths. “The metamaterial has a high absorption…
Tech Products Can Turn Uncool When They Become Too Popular
In the tech world, coolness takes more than just good looks. Technology users must consider a product attractive, original and edgy before they label those products as cool, according to researchers. That coolness can turn tepid if the product appears to be losing its edginess, they also found. “Everyone says they know what ‘cool’ is,…
Multifunctional Electronic Devices May Soon Be Possible
For the first time, researchers have designed a special material interface that has been shown to add to and to improve the functioning of non-silicon-based electronic devices, such as those used in certain kinds of random access memory (RAM). According to Qi Li, a professor of physics at Penn State University and the leader of…
Light-Emitting Triangles May Have Applications in Optical Technology
For the first time, researchers have created single layers of a naturally occurring rare mineral called tungstenite, or WS2. The resulting sheet of stacked sulfur and tungsten atoms forms a honeycomb pattern of triangles that have been shown to have unusual light-emitting, or photoluminescent, properties. According to team leader Mauricio Terrones, a professor of physics…