Physical Sciences & Engineering

A vexing math problem finds an elegant solution

A famous math problem that has vexed mathematicians for decades has met an elegant solution by Cornell researchers.

Alumnus leads Panama Canal’s massive expansion

Jorge de la Guardia, M.Eng. ’74, executive manager for the Panama Canal expansion, gave a Nov. 7 talk, “The Political and Economic Challenges for the Construction of the New Panama Canal,” on campus.

Spirited Cornell-JPL agreement opens opportunities

Cornell President David Skorton and Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Charles Elachi signed a memorandum of understanding Nov. 8 making Cornell the California lab’s latest strategic partner.

Before cells, biochemicals may have combined in clay

Tiny spaces in a gel of clay mixed with seawater may have protected and enhanced the evolution of early biomolecules.

Cornell partners in structural biology X-ray center

A $25 million National Science Foundation award will fund a Science and Technology Center aimed at transforming the field of structural biology, including drug development, using X-ray lasers.

The human touch makes robots defter

Cornell engineers are helping humans and robots work together to find the best way to do a job, an approach called “coactive learning.”

Symposium to celebrate the science of Ken Wilson

A memorial symposium to celebrate Nobel laureate Ken Wilson’s scientific achievements will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, in Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall, beginning at 9 a.m.

Higgs boson discoverer to give Bethe lecture

Fabiola Gianotti, a CERN physicist involved in the discover of the Higgs boson particle, will deliver the Hans Bethe Lecture Nov. 13 on campus.

Making electric energy efficient at bargain prices

Kilowatts found: To enhance efficiency in electric energy transfers from high-voltage grids to your home’s toaster and television, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $3.2 million grant to CNF-user Monolith Semiconductor, an Ithaca-based startup company.