Physical Sciences & Engineering

Engineering professor Kenneth Torrance dies at 69

Torrance, the Joseph C. Ford Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, died suddenly Feb. 15 as the result of a heart attack. (Feb. 23, 2010)

CU's first-prize, student-built sub takes dip in Teagle pool

The Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team presented its robot Nova before an audience of students, team advisers and others on Feb. 21.

Dust in the wind -- and the atmosphere -- affects climate and habitation, Mahowald says

Natalie Mahowald, associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, said the concentration of dust in the atmosphere could affect global systems including climate, precipitation and vegetation.

Nanoscience opens new doors for studying cell biology, Baird says at AAAS

Nanotechnology is giving researchers insight into how cell receptors for environmental stimuli orchestrate the spatial assembly of the intracellular signaling pathways.

Park and Bindel are named Sloan fellows

Jiwoong Park, assistant professor of chemistry, and David Bindel, assistant professor of computer science, have been named 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows for outstanding early career success. (Feb. 22, 2010)

Ehsan Afshari receives early career award from NSF

The five-year, $400,000 award will fund Afshari's ongoing research into circuits that can generate signals at terahertz frequencies.

Bits On Our Minds to showcase future of robotics

Students will display projects ranging from robotics to digital music to social media at the annual BOOM exhibition on March 3. (Feb. 18, 2010)

Miniature ultrasound device could revolutionize pain relief

The latest ultrasound device created by Cornell graduate student George K. Lewis could one day introduce a whole new level of home therapy for pain management. (Feb. 16, 2010)

Erickson using funds to create nanomaterials for energy

Direct assembly of nanomaterials for highly efficient energy conversion will be the goal of a five-year, $750,000 project led by Cornell researcher David Erickson.