Congradulations Professor Linic

Professor Suljo Linic won a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation selects awardees who have published an important and independent body of scholarly research in conjunction with showing a dedication to education in the chemical sciences. Only three chemical engineering faculty in the country were selected for this prestigious award.

New Alzheimer's Findings Resolve Long Dispute

Michael Mayer, an assistant professor in the U-M departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, and Jerry Yang, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSD have settled a decade-long dispute about one of the mechanisms believed to be responsible for brain cell death and memory loss in the illness. Resolving this controversy improves understanding of the disease and could one day lead to better treatments.

The research team found a flaw in earlier studies supporting one side of the debate. Their results clarify how small proteins called amyloid-beta peptides damage brain cell membranes, allowing extra calcium ions to enter the neurons. An ion is an electrically-charged particle. An ion imbalance in a cell can trigger its suicide.

Their findings are published online in the Journal of Neurotoxicity Research. They will appear in the May print edition.

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Computer Simulation Crucial to Future for U.S. Science and Engineering

A new National Science Foundation report from a panel led by Sharon Glotzer underscores the importance of computer modeling and simulation in advancing science and engineering, and finds that the U.S. no longer leads in all aspects of this discipline. The report, "International Assessment of Simulation-Based Engineering and Science," was written by a 9-member panel of researchers from leading U.S. universities.

"This report is important for several reasons," Glotzer said. "First and foremost, it documents that simulation is ubiquitous and a critical enabling tool in science and engineering throughout the world, as well as a discipline in its own right. Second, it demonstrates that the U.S. does not lead in certain areas of simulation-based engineering and science that are critical for technological innovation. And even in those areas in which the U.S. leads today, that leadership position is at risk. This threatens long-term economic competitiveness and the security, health and prosperity of the nation."

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Nanotubes Come into Fashion

Check out the recent article about Nick Kotov's carbon-nanotube-treated textiles in the May/June article in MIT's Technology Review. Dr. Kotov and his group have transformed the fabric into a biosensor and an electrical conductor simply by dipping it into a solution of carbon nanotubes, antibodies, and a polymer. The textiles coated with these nanotubes form electronic sensors that look and feel like ordinary cotton.

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Explain Synthetic Biology to Darwin

How Would You Explain Synthetic Biology to Darwin?

Assistant Professor Nina Lin gave it a try (along with other scientists) on the Discovery Channel's Discovery Tech website.
(Check out slide 11!)