Archive for the ‘Physical/Natural Science’ Category

A Catalyst for Jobs

December 18, 2012 - Filed under: Physical/Natural Science, Technology | Tagged: , ,

As anyone who has picked up a newspaper -- or stood in an unemployment line -- knows, creating jobs in today’s economic climate is a slow-lane struggle. In partnership with UA faculty and staff, two departments seek to use campus breakthroughs to accelerate lane changes.

Getting Ready to Rumble, Research

It’s time for another fight inside a large, second floor lab within The University of Alabama’s Science and Engineering Complex.

Living on the (Botanical) Edge

July 26, 2012 - Filed under: Environmental, Physical/Natural Science | Tagged: , ,

John Clark doesn’t seem like a violent man. Yet, a group once wondered aloud whether he was one of those “foreigners who kills people and puts them in boiling water and extracts their fat to cook with.”

Soaking Up Noise

Deafening noise during combustion can lead to jet engine failure. A University of Alabama engineering professor, working with the U.S. Navy, uses a sponge-like material to reduce engine noise at its source.

When the Earth Shakes

March 1, 2012 - Filed under: Physical/Natural Science | Tagged: , ,

Within The University of Alabama's South Engineering Research Center, professors are leading international efforts aimed at improving building codes and retrofitting existing buildings to reduce earthquake risks.

‘This is Tomorrow’

A materials science camp is one of several initiatives where The University of Alabama reaches into K-12 classrooms through its direct interaction with elementary, middle and high-school teachers.

Shelter from the Storm

A crisis-communication expert finds traveling to a disaster area can be a short trip, and engineers evaluate tornado-riddled structures in an effort to design safer homes.

Cooling Refrigeration Costs

August 17, 2011 - Filed under: Environmental, Physical/Natural Science, Technology | Tagged: ,

Most people know about refrigerator magnets. How about magnetic refrigerators? A University of Alabama professor of physics says a magnetic refrigerator operating at room temperature would use a third as much electricity as a typical home refrigerator. But there's reasons you won't yet find one on aisle five.

Storing Captured Carbon

Three research projects, funded with nearly $13 million, involve University of Alabama scientists studying the feasibility of pumping carbon dioxide into the ground as an alternative to releasing the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

The Wisdom of (Non Scientific) Crowds

Astronomers, like scientists in many other fields, are turning in increasing numbers to "citizen scientists," members of the general public who often have zero formal training in science but who have a keen interest in a particular topic and show both a willingness and an aptitude to contribute.

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