Caltech

Articles tagged with "materials_science"

02/11/2013

Under the Hood of the Earthquake Machine

Douglas Smith

What makes an earthquake go off? Why are earthquakes so difficult to forecast? Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Geophysics Nadia Lapusta gives us a close-up look at the moving parts, as it were, at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13, 2013, in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium. Admission is free.

01/22/2013

Notes from the Back Row: "Engineering with Impact"

Douglas Smith

If you hit something hard enough, it will break, and the consequences can be catastrophic.

11/25/2012

Seeing the World in a Grain of Sand

Douglas Smith

José Andrade has got the dirt on dirt. An associate professor of civil and mechanical engineering at Caltech, Andrade will discuss how the actions of a few grains of sand can affect landslides, earthquakes, and even Mars rovers. He will be speaking at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 28, 2012, in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium. Admission is free.

11/15/2012

Nano Insights Could Lead to Improved Nuclear Reactors

Kimm Fesenmaier

In order to build the next generation of nuclear reactors, materials scientists are trying to unlock the secrets of certain materials that are radiation-damage tolerant. Now Caltech researchers have brought new understanding to one of those secrets—how the interfaces between two carefully selected metals can absorb, or heal, radiation damage.

11/12/2012

David G. Goodwin, 1957–2012

Douglas Smith

David G. Goodwin, professor of mechanical engineering and applied physics, emeritus, passed away at his home in Pasadena on Sunday, November 11, 2012, after a five-year battle with brain cancer and a struggle with Parkinson's disease that began in 1998. He was 55 years old.

10/29/2012

Julia Greer Wins Grant, Awards

Brian Bell

Julia Greer is going to need to find space in her office for all of the awards, medals, and grant acceptance letters she has been receiving lately.

10/01/2012

Caltech Faculty Members Honored by Popular Mechanics

Kimm Fesenmaier

Caltech engineers and scientists often work at the frontiers of science—pushing the limits of what is known and what is possible.

05/22/2012

Better, Stronger, Lighter Armor

Kimm Fesenmaier

Caltech engineers and applied scientists are poking, prodding, and modeling materials on all scales to develop the understanding needed to build the next generation of armor. As part of a newly-funded Army collaboration, six Caltech researchers will investigate what happens to protective materials during intense impact.

03/22/2012

Liquid-like Materials May Pave Way for New Thermoelectric Devices

Marcus Woo

In the continual quest for better thermoelectric materials—which convert heat into electricity and vice versa—researchers have identified a liquid-like compound whose properties give it the potential to be even more efficient than traditional thermoelectrics.

12/15/2011

Caltech Chemists Propose Explanation for Superconductivity at High Temperatures

Kimm Fesenmaier

It has been 25 years since scientists discovered the first high-temperature superconductors—copper oxides, or cuprates, that conduct electricity without a shred of resistance at temperatures much higher than other superconducting metals. Now, two Caltech chemists have developed a hypothesis to explain the strange behavior of these materials, while also pointing the way to a method for making even higher-temperature superconductors.

11/17/2011

Light as a Feather, Stiffer Than a Board

Kimm Fesenmaier

Julia Greer, assistant professor of materials science and mechanics at Caltech, is part of a team of researchers who have developed the world’s lightest solid material, with a density of just 0.9 milligrams per cubic centimeter, or approximately 100 times lighter than Styrofoam™. Though the material is ultra-low in density, it has incredible strength and absorbs energy well, making it potentially useful for applications ranging from battery electrodes to protective shielding.