Bio-Diesel Enhances the Flow of Emulsions in Pipelines

by Jenna Mallon (’18) Emulsions, mixtures containing two immiscible liquids, are used in a variety of industries including food, paint, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and oil/gas. Emulsions play a large role in petroleum production since they exist at every stage of production, from crude oil to the refined petroleum. Issues arise when it comes to the transport of petroleum: the emulsions in the petroleum may contain solids … Continue reading Bio-Diesel Enhances the Flow of Emulsions in Pipelines

Application of Psychology in Emails Could Lead to More Effective Communication

By Lee Ann Santore ’19 In this age of technology, email is employed as a fundamental form of communication capable of creating and strengthening both casual and professional relationships. Researchers from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, having studied 16 billion emails sent by 2 million users, were able to identify several key patterns. The results revealed that most emails are responded to within an hour, … Continue reading Application of Psychology in Emails Could Lead to More Effective Communication

Computers Can Learn Like Humans

By Cerise Carey ’16 Scientists have created an algorithm that allows computers to recognize and draw simple visual concepts, such as handwritten characters. A research group under the guidance of Dr. Brenden Lake, a Moore-Sloan Data Science Fellow at New York University, devised an algorithm that serves to shorten the time it takes for computers to “learn” new concepts and replicate types of pattern recognition … Continue reading Computers Can Learn Like Humans

Determining the Sex of a Fingerprint

By Shannon Bohman ’19 An new innovative test may help determine whether a fingerprint comes from a man or a woman. Certain amino acids are twice as prevalent in women than in men, meaning that testing for amino acid concentration found in fingerprints can determine the gender of the person they belong to. For more than a century, fingerprints have been analyzed as if they … Continue reading Determining the Sex of a Fingerprint

Optimization of a Lithium Flow Battery to Increase Energy Storage

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie Image acquired from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_New_Zealand Figure 3: Windmills need reliable large-scale flow batteries to effectively store energy for later use.   The flow battery is a development in large-scale, renewable battery technology. It is often found attached to solar panels and windmills to collect the energy produced. However, it is unable to cost-effectively store large amounts of energy. Dr. Qing Wang, of the University … Continue reading Optimization of a Lithium Flow Battery to Increase Energy Storage

Self-Healing Gel Makes the Future of Technology More Flexible

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie Image acquired from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/creative_stock/5227842611 Figure 2: weak points like junctions and bends in circuits could use the self-healing, conductive gel to keep circuits from wearing.   As technology advances, people in today’s society strive for slimmer, curved, and more flexible gadgets. Typical conductive materials for circuits are not exactly suitable for the latest tech to meet these futuristic features. To address this problem, … Continue reading Self-Healing Gel Makes the Future of Technology More Flexible

Your Robot Coworker Won’t Be Stealing Your Job After All

By Cerise Carey Is artificial intelligence as big of a threat to your job as it may seem? Researchers with the McKinsey Global Institute suggest not. Their research indicates that less than five percent of jobs and forty-five percent of general work activities could be automated. Jobs that could benefit from some activities becoming automated include physicians, financial managers, and senior executives. However, there are … Continue reading Your Robot Coworker Won’t Be Stealing Your Job After All

Microflowers Offer an Innovative New Microform Structure

By Lee Ann Santore Microforms that take on the structure of flowers could be the future of cutting-edge technology. A team of researchers, from the RMIT-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology Research Centre, led by Dr. Sheshanath Boshanale, succeeded in developing microforms, microscopic images used for storage of larger images, with flower-like structures. The microflowers have exciting potential in many fields, such as optoelectronics, nanotechnology, and … Continue reading Microflowers Offer an Innovative New Microform Structure