Better Biosensor Technology Created for Stem Cells

A Rutgers-led team has created better biosensor technology that may help lead to safe stem cell therapies for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and other neurological disorders. The technology, which features a unique graphene and gold-based platform and high-tech imaging, monitors the fate of stem cells by detecting genetic material (RNA) involved in turning such cells into brain cells (neurons), according to a study in the journal Nano Letters.

Nature might be better than tech at reducing air pollution

Adding plants and trees to the landscapes near factories and other pollution sources could reduce air pollution by an average of 27 percent, new research suggests.

The study shows that plants – not technologies – may also be cheaper options for cleaning the air near a number of industrial sites, roadways, power plants, commercial boilers and oil and gas drilling sites.

In fact, researchers found that in 75 percent of the counties analyzed, it was cheaper to use plants to mitigate air pollution than it was to add technological interventions – things like smokestack scrubbers – to the sources of pollution.

3D-Printed Plastics With High Performance Electrical Circuits

Rutgers engineers have embedded high performance electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics, which could lead to smaller and versatile drones and better-performing small satellites, biomedical implants and smart structures. They used pulses of high-energy light to fuse tiny silver wires, resulting in circuits that conduct 10 times more electricity than the state of the art, according to a study in the journal Additive Manufacturing. By increasing conductivity 10-fold, the engineers can reduce energy use, extend the life of devices and increase their performance.

Machine Learning Leads to Novel Way to Track Tremor Severity in Parkinson’s Patients

Physical exams only provide a snapshot of a Parkinson’s patient’s daily tremor experience. Scientists have developed algorithms that, combined with wearable sensors, can continuously monitor patients and estimate total Parkinsonian tremor as they perform a variety of free body movements in their natural settings. This new method holds great potential for providing a full spectrum of patients’ tremors and medication response, providing clinicians with key information to effectively manage and treat their patients with this disorder.

Evolution of Catalysts, Real-World Applications

Electrocatalysts accelerate energy conversion, which is an integral component to many industrially important technologies, such as fuel cells. While many models show promising results to improving this approach, technologies to demonstrate a decrease in degradation to optimize performance are lacking. At the AVS 66th International Symposium and Exhibition, Serhiy Cherevko, a physicist at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research, will talk about the challenges facing current electrocatalysis techniques and possible analytical tools to optimize this approach for widespread commercialization.

Improving Optical Characteristics of Thin Glass

In recent years, glass has become an important part of our day-to-day lives, acting as a physical boundary between humans and digital information and communication. At the AVS 66th International Symposium and Exhibition, Albert Fahey, an associate scientist at Corning Incorporated, will present on the methods scientists use to study the chemical and mechanical properties of glass and other optical surfaces, how they are working to better understand these surfaces and their limits, and what new things are being done to improve user friendliness.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Diversity Innovation Hub to Use Technology to Close Gaps in Local Health Care

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai – an international leader in medical and scientific training, biomedical research, and patient care – today announced the launch of a new Diversity and Inclusion Hub, a groundbreaking initiative spearheaded by the Mount Sinai’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Rutgers Shellfish Expert Available to Discuss East Coast Oyster Breeding Project

New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 15, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick shellfish geneticist Ximing Guo is available to comment on a five-year Rutgers-led consortium project to breed better, more disease-resistant East Coast oysters. Improved oyster broodstock will then be made available…

Innovation and National Security

The United States leads the world in innovation, research, and technology development. Since World War II, the new markets, industries, companies, and military capabilities that emerged from the country’s science and technology commitment have combined to make the United States the most secure and economically prosperous nation on earth.

Claus Torp Jensen Has Been Appointed First Chief Digital Officer and Head of Technology for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced that Claus Torp Jensen, PhD, has joined the institution as its first Chief Digital Officer and Head of Technology. His recruitment follows an expansive national search to identify a leader with the vision and experience to lead MSK’s digital transformation.

Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Flame Experiments on International Space Station

New Brunswick, N.J. (Sept. 19, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Engineering Professor Stephen D. Tse can comment on flame experiments this month on the International Space Station. The NASA project on symmetrical flames, called s-Flame, is aimed at studying combustion,…

The new monopolies: reining in big tech

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Stigler Center Committee on Digital Platforms today released its first report delivering eight policy recommendations on how to rein in Big Tech, including creating a new Digital Authority.
The independent and non-partisan Committee – composed of more than 30 highly-respected academics, policymakers, and experts – spent more than a year studying in-depth how digital platforms such as Google and Facebook impact our economy and antitrust laws, data protection, the political system and the news media industry.

The new monopolies: reining in big tech

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Stigler Center Committee on Digital Platforms today released its first report delivering eight policy recommendations on how to rein in Big Tech, including creating a new Digital Authority.
The independent and non-partisan Committee – composed of more than 30 highly-respected academics, policymakers, and experts – spent more than a year studying in-depth how digital platforms such as Google and Facebook impact our economy and antitrust laws, data protection, the political system and the news media industry.

Heather J. Lynch, PhD

Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Announces 2019 National Laureates

An ecologist from Stony Brook University, a theoretical physicist from University of Colorado Boulder and a chemical biologist from Harvard University Three female scientists have been named Laureates of the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, each receiving $250,000, the…

A new way to unprint paper using intense pulsed light from a xenon lamp.

New Unprinting Method Can Help Recycle Paper and Curb Environmental Costs

Rutgers-led study shows the benefits of removing toner with pulses of intense xenon light Imagine if your printer had an “unprint” button that used pulses of light to remove toner, curbing environmental impacts compared with conventional paper recycling. A Rutgers-led…

Artificial Intelligence Could be ‘Game Changer’ in Detecting, Managing Alzheimer’s Disease

Study Introduces Machine Learning as New Tactic in Assessing Cognitive Brain Health and Patient Care Worldwide, about 44 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or a related form of dementia. Although 82 percent of seniors in the United…

Former Gov. O’Malley Shines Light on Need for Evidence-based Policy Making at Data Science for the Public Good Forum

Last Friday marked the launch of the University of Virginia’s Data Science for the Public Good (DSPG) Distinguished Speaker Series with Martin O’Malley, former mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, as its inaugural speaker. The Distinguished Speaker Series is…