Physical Sciences & Engineering

Popular origami pattern makes the mechanical switch

Reporting in Nature Materials March 9, Cornell physicists have made a mechanical switch out of the origami folding pattern known as the square twist.

One fractal quantifies another, mathematicians find

Cornell mathematicians offer a new way of seeing the Abelian sandpile fractal, by quantifying how its formation depends on its original square grid.

Electron spins controlled using sound waves

Cornell applied physicists have demonstrated an unprecedented method of control over electron spins using extremely high-frequency sound waves.

Physicist explores life’s 'most beautiful phenomena'

Princeton theoretical physicist William Bialek will lecture on "More Perfect than We Imagined: A Physicist's View of Life" Wednesday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall.

Life 'not as we know it' possible on Saturn's moon Titan

Cornell chemical engineers and astronomers have theorized a new kind of methane-based cell membrane that could thrive in the harsh, cold conditions of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.

Precision gas sensor could fit on a chip

Cornell engineers have miniaturized a light source in the elusive mid-infrared spectrum, effectively squeezing the capabilities of a large, tabletop laser onto a 1-millimeter silicon chip.

New 'knobs' can dial in control of materials

A new study by Cornell scientists offers insight on how different "knobs" can change material properties in previously unexplored or misunderstood ways.

Kozen honored for theoretical computer science work

Dexter Kozen, Ph.D. ’77, the Joseph Newton Pew Jr. Professor in Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science for "pioneering and seminal work.”

Cornell sinks teeth into four new MOOCs

Cornell will offer four new massive open online courses - or MOOCs - in 2016. Learn abouts sharks, GMOs, engineering simulations and how mergers and acquisitions get done.