Fall/Winter 2017

Oct 9, 2017

Paper pumps power portable microfluidics, biomedical devices

Researchers in the UNC/NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) have developed inexpensive paper pumps that use capillary action to power portable microfluidic devices, opening the door to a range of biomedical tools. 

Oct 9, 2017

Alumna becomes finalist on “Mythbusters: The Search”

Growing up, Tamara Robertson had aspirations of becoming an attorney in the military, but a visit to NC State’s campus where she had the chance to sit in on an engineering class changed her mind and her life. “I just fell in love almost immediately,” she said. “It’s a school that you feel at home at.”… 

Oct 9, 2017

New technique ‘sees’ radioactive material even after it’s gone

A new technique allows researchers to characterize nuclear material that was in a location even after the nuclear material has been removed — a finding that has significant implications for nuclear nonproliferation and security applications. 

Oct 9, 2017

Thin layers of water hold promise for the energy storage of the future

Research in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) has found that a material that incorporates atomically thin layers of water is able to store and deliver energy much more quickly than the same material that doesn’t include the water layers. The finding raises some interesting questions about the behavior of liquids when confined at this scale and holds promise for shaping future energy-storage technologies. 

Oct 9, 2017

College of Engineering student teams place at annual LuLu eGames startup competition

Seven ventures submitted by NC State College of Engineering students came away with top place finishes from the 2017 LuLu eGames startup competition held in April. 

Oct 9, 2017

New ultrasound ‘drill’ targets deep vein blood clots

Researchers at NC State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a new surgical tool that uses low-frequency intravascular ultrasound to break down blood clots that cause deep vein thrombosis. The tool is the first ultrasound “drill” that can be aimed straight ahead, allowing doctors to better target clots — which holds promise for significantly reducing treatment time. To date, the technology has been tested only in synthetic blood vessels. 

Oct 9, 2017

Pig model to help research on human knee growth, injury treatment

To learn more about the human knee, biomedical researchers from NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill looked to pigs’ knees. Their work on how the knees of pigs compare to human knees at various stages of maturity will advance research by this group and others on injury treatment in young people. 

Oct 9, 2017

Researchers make the first flexible memory device using oxide ferroelectric material

For the first time, researchers have been able to deposit an ultra-thin oxide ferroelectric film onto a flexible polymer substrate. The research team used the flexible ferroelectric thin films to make non-volatile memory devices that are wearable and resilient. 

Oct 9, 2017

Device allows users to manipulate 3D virtual objects more quickly

Computer science researchers have developed a user-friendly, inexpensive controller for manipulating virtual objects in a computer program in three dimensions. The device allows users to manipulate objects more quickly — with less lag time — than existing technologies.