Research
Mad as a Hatter: Global efforts to reduce mercury emissions
Feb. 26, 2013—Originally posted by Research News @ Vanderbilt Did you ever wonder what made the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland so mad? The phrase “mad as a hatter” actually comes from Mad Hatter disease, better known as mercury poisoning. In the 19th century, fur treated with mercury was used to make felt hats. Hatters were confined...
Vanderbilt researchers, students part of inaugural SEC symposium on renewable energy
Feb. 14, 2013—Two Vanderbilt professors were chosen among energy experts from the Southeastern Conference’s 14 universities, industry and government to address renewable energy topics at the inaugural SEC Symposium, “Impact of the Southeast in the World’s Renewable Energy Future” in Atlanta Feb. 10-12. Vanderbilt’s Aerospace Club represented the university in the SEC showcase. The first-ever symposium is...
VU professor discusses nanotechonology and its application within the fields of medicine and energy
Feb. 11, 2013—Rizia Bardhan, one of Vanderbilt’s newest assistant professors and one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30 in Science & Innovation” recently spoke with CNN about her work in nanotechnology and its applications within the fields of medicine and energy. The plasmonic nanostructures that Bardhan is researching have many applications, including use with solar cells. Using nanotechnology, the...
Meet the VU undergraduate who just might save the environment
Feb. 7, 2013—When it comes to describing Vanderbilt students, the term “over-achiever” is often used. But one Vanderbilt sophomore is inventing new ways to clean the air and rescue the environment, and is receiving national recognition in the process. Param Jaggi is an environmental science and economics major in the College of Arts and Science. While still...
Winds offer students good view of turbine action
Dec. 21, 2012—[Originally posted by Vanderbilt School of Engineering] Students from the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt trekked about three miles from campus to the School of Engineering’s wind-solar alternative energy site to see a wind turbine in action atop Love Circle hill in Nashville. “The turbine was in full swing, catching strong late October...
Grant will help professor develop battery to aid home energy use
Oct. 22, 2012—[Originally posted by Vanderbilt School of Engineering News] Peter Pintauro, H. Eugene McBrayer Professor of Chemical Engineering and chair of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department, has partnered with researchers from the University of Kansas and TVN Systems, Inc. on a three-year, $1.72 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S....
NSF funding boosts Vanderbilt climate change studies in Sri Lanka
Sep. 11, 2012—The small island nation of Sri Lanka exemplifies some of the worst conditions and best Sri Lanka’s climate, terrain, natural resources and socio-political conditions make it a microcosm of how developing countries must adapt to climate change responses to the world’s environmental challenges. Located in Southern Asia off the coast of India, Sri Lanka is...
Spinach power gets a major boost
Sep. 6, 2012—Originally posted on research news @ Vanderbilt Spinach power has just gotten a big boost. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed a way to combine the photosynthetic protein that converts light into electrochemical energy in spinach with silicon, the material used in solar cells, in a fashion that produces substantially more...
Vanderbilt Research Brightens the Future of Lighting
May. 15, 2012—by David Salisbury With the age of the incandescent light bulb fading rapidly, the holy grail of the lighting industry is to develop a highly efficient form of solid-state lighting that produces high quality white light. One of the few alternative technologies that produce pure white light is white-light quantum dots. These are ultra-small fluorescent...
EPA awards $90,000 to VU seniors to develop a spinach-powered solar cell
Apr. 26, 2012—by Vanderbilt School of Engineering | April 24, 2012 Earth Day 2012 proved exceptionally green for a Vanderbilt University team of five engineering seniors who designed a biohybrid solar panel that substitutes a protein from spinach for expensive silicon wafers that are energy intensive to produce, and is capable of producing electricity. The team won...