I wrote about The Ledge in the Chicago’s Willis Tower when it first opened, and some of the science and technology that makes it possible. Now, I’ve been advised by my youngest daughter and her fianceé that while I am visiting this weekend they want an engagement photo to be taken of them in one…
Read MoreThe premier issue of ACerS’ new quarterly glass journal has just been put online and – good news – all of the content of this first issue is available for free! The International Journal of Applied Glass Science has been in development for over a year, and the demand for such a publication is the…
Read MoreThe research company Freedonia Group predicts that worldwide hydrogen demand will continue to climb, growing at a 3.4 percent annual pace through 2013. Oftentimes the term “hydrogen economy” is associated with emerging energy and transportation technologies, but a new report from Freedonia, World Hydrogen, indicates the growth primarily is being driven by petroleum refining enterprises…
Read MoreUntil recently, Sage Electrochromics made electrically tintable windows on a relatively small scale. All that’s about to change. On Friday, the DOE announced that it would provide Sage with a $72 million loan guarantee to build a 250,000 sq. ft. plant in Faribault, Minn. The company’s SageGlass windows can turn from clear to opaque and…
Read MoreAccording to recent press reports, large glass companies, such as Corning and Guardian Industries, claim that even as the economy improves, they are unlikely to bring domestic employment and production back of commodity-type glass products such as float glass to pre-recession levels. “Those who are looking through the rear-view mirror, waiting for the glass industry…
Read MoreI received some additional information about Carlo Pantano’s presentation on “The Art of Science of Glass” that will be held at 12 noon, March 26, 2010 at Penn State University. Don’t expect a formal and technical lecture. Instead, Pantano’s presentation/conversation is part of Penn State’s ongoing “Unplugged” luncheon series that is modeled on the Café…
Read MoreIt’s worth noting the ARPA-E has a big shindig coming March 1-3 in Washington, DC. Billed as the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, the event sounds like it’s something of a coming out party for ARPA-E in the sense that it is clearly being designed to leave an imprint on not only the R&D community but…
Read MoreACerS member Carlo Pantano, director of the Materials Research Institute, and Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State University, is a nationally known expert on the science and engineering of glass. But Pantano also knows about the artistic side of the material, too, and uses this as a way to link…
Read MoreVia press release, Maryland-based New Energy Technologies has developed a process of spraying solar cells onto glass, resulting in the production of its emerging solar window product. This development comes a week after New Energy’s announcement that the company was able to eliminate the metal material from the solar cells used in the manufacturing of…
Read MoreGibson Enterprises, a U.S. fiberglass company based in Irwindale, Calif., plans to release a new product E6 Enhanced Glass Fiber (PDF) in full stream by the first quarter of 2010. Gibson is working with Chinese manufacturer Jushi Group to roll out this new product, and according to the them, E6 has a much lower carbon…
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