As occupants of the lowest lying state in the nation, residents of Delaware face the danger of roadway flooding regularly. Consequentially state agencies like the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) have made it a priority to monitor the status of roads, issuing flood warnings and closing roads that might prove dangerous to drivers. The conventional…
Using Technology To Detect Hidden Threats
Soldiers in combat have to constantly scan their surroundings for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a signature weapon of modern warfare. These homemade bombs are often hidden—nestled in bushes, buried underground, or sometimes stuffed inside other objects. Now, a research group at the University of Delaware is developing technology to detect explosive devices from a distance.…
Engineering on a Blue Streak
A pair of engineers at the University of Delaware has developed a process to form interwoven polymer networks more easily, quickly and sustainably than traditional methods allow. Their secret ingredient? Blue light. Abhishek Shete, graduate research assistant in materials science and engineering, and Christopher Kloxin, assistant professor in materials science and engineering and chemical and…
Researchers Invent Process to Make Sustainable Rubber, Plastics
Synthetic rubber and plastics – used for manufacturing tires, toys and myriad other products – are produced from butadiene, a molecule traditionally made from petroleum or natural gas. But those manmade materials could get a lot greener soon, thanks to the ingenuity of a team of scientists from three U.S. research universities. The scientific team…
Sensing Trouble: New Way to Detect Hidden Damage in Bridges, Roads
Aging, deterioration and extreme events like earthquakes and hurricanes can take a toll on roads, bridges and other structures. With damage and defects often invisible, the search is on for systems that can monitor the health of structures and alert their owners to potential problems and even impending catastrophic failure. Several years ago, Erik Thostenson…
Failed Star Creates Its Own Spotlight in the Universe
Although astronomers often refer to brown dwarfs as “failed stars,” scientists at the University of Delaware have discovered that at least one of these dim celestial objects can emit powerful flashes of light. A research team led by John Gizis, professor in UD’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, discovered an “ultracool” brown dwarf known as…
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Pre-Programmed to Make Independent Decisions
More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, yet scientists know more about space than about what happens in the ocean. One way scientists are trying to improve their understanding of the marine environment is through the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), programmable robotic vehicles that can independently study the ocean and…