innovation

Trick or treat? Arduino-controlled Halloween machine makes either a matter of possibility

By Jessica McMathis / October 30, 2014

This Halloween hack requires little more than an Arduino microcontroller, Nerf gun, and drill to add a bit of high-tech trickery to Trick or Treat.

Read More

4 lectures not to miss at MS&T14—Ceramics for innovation and sustainability

By Jessica McMathis / September 15, 2014

In the weeks leading up to Materials Science and Technology 2014, we preview four lectures not to miss. First up: Ceramics for Innovation and Sustainability.

Read More

NIST accepting proposals for advanced manufacturing planning awards

By Jessica McMathis / August 3, 2014

NIST’s AdvancedManufacturing Technology Consortia Program anticipates awarding two-year grants totaling $5.6 million during its second funding competition.

Read More

Bubble wrap for more than packing and popping: Bubbles as mobile, self-contained laboratories

By April Gocha / July 22, 2014

George M. Whitesides and his team at Harvard have developed a potential new healthcare tool that is incredibly simple, cheap, and functional—bubble wrap as mobile laboratory storage vials.

Read More

New manufacturing method paves the way for production of ‘soft machines,’ robots

By Jessica McMathis / July 15, 2014

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new manufacturing technique that will help make the commercial production of machines made of elastic materials and liquid metals more practical.

Read More

Video: ‘Twice as fast, at half the cost’—Where is the Materials Genome Initiative at today?

By April Gocha / July 10, 2014

Three years out from the launch of the Materials Genome Initiative, things are looking pretty bright thanks to millions of dollars in funding from the White House to propel advancements in advanced materials and spur American manufacturing.

Read More

‘Google for materials’—How ORNL’s new imaging institute will change materials research

By Jessica McMathis / July 1, 2014

Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently announced the launch of the Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials, which will unite experts in imaging instrumentation, fundamentals in physical and chemical imaging processes, and data analytics.

Read More

NIST awards 19 grants to bolster manufacturing, innovation

By Jessica McMathis / May 19, 2014

NIST recently handed out advanced manufacturing technology grants to 19 U.S. universities and nonprofits to strengthen manufacturing and innovation through technology roadmapping.

Read More

Survey: Americans mostly cool with science, so long as it doesn’t mess with grandma

By Jessica McMathis / April 26, 2014

Pew Research Center, in partnership with Smithsonian Magazine, asked Americans what they think about science, and their answers—which range from optimistic to downright dismal—may shock (or entertain) you.

Read More

Creativity and innovation—married, dating, or just friends?

By April Gocha / April 12, 2014

New research from Rice University, University of Edinburgh, and Brunel University suggests that there is a serious gap between creativity and innovation when it comes to implementation in business and academia.

Read More