university of delaware – Page 7 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Diamond in the rough

By Guest PostMay 28, 2013Scienceatoms, chaoying ni, conductivity for oxygen, conductor of oxygen, costume jewelry, cubic zirconia, Diamond, electrolyte, joshua hertz, jun jiang, oxide fuel cells, university of delaware, weida shen, xiaocao hu, yttria stabilized zirconia

UD researchers manipulate cubic zirconia to improve conductivity in fuel cells

Cubic zirconia has long been favored for its use in costume jewelry.

Known scientifically as yttria-stabilized zirconia, it is also a known conductor of oxygen, making it useful as an electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells.

Researchers at the University of Delaware recently fabricated the material into very thin films on the surface of sapphire crystals using a technique called sputtering to determine whether the conductivity for oxygen could be improved, enabling solid oxide fuel cells to become a more economical and efficient electrical power source. (more…)

Brick by brick

By Guest PostMay 17, 2013General, Sciencebionicles toy, blue hen, blue ocean, brick by brick, bruce weber, carpenter, chaplin tyler, China, copenhagen, danish toy company, darwin award winner, david robertson, Europe, evolution, Germany, godtfred, greek tragedy, guinness world record, harry potter, innovation, innovation matrix, leg godt, lego, lego education centers, lego like toys, lego story, legoland theme park, milan, newark campus, North America, ole kirk christiansen, plastic bricks, plastic toy production, rebuilding lego, red clay students, ryan maguire, san francisco, star wars, the uk, tokyo, toy, toys, university of delaware, university of pennsylvania, US, video games, wharton school, wild west

Professor, author Robertson discusses innovation evolution at Lego

When you hear Lego, if all you think about are shiny, plastic bricks and toys, think again. From a toy concept brought to life by a carpenter to tales of failed innovation truths that mirrored a Greek tragedy, the Lego story is about innovation and evolution, David Robertson told attendees at last week’s Chaplin Tyler Executive Leadership series lecture.

Robertson, professor of practice at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, presented “Rebuilding Lego” to 80 students, faculty, staff and community members on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus. (more…)

Sturgeon search

By Guest PostMay 11, 2013Scienceatlantic sturgeon, chlorophyll levels, danielle haulsee, delaware bay, delaware river, delaware state university, Europe, maracoos, matt breece, matthew oliver, megan cimino, mid atlantic coast, ocean currents, ocean temperature, oceanographic, otis, otis glider, overfishing, satellite data, shark locations, sturgeon near chincoteague, telemetry identification sensor, tiger sharks, torpedo shaped robot, university of delaware

Scientists use satellites, underwater robot to study Atlantic sturgeon migrations

More than a century ago, an estimated 180,000 female Atlantic sturgeon arrived from the coast in the spring to spawn in the Delaware River and fishermen sought their caviar as a lucrative export to Europe. Overfishing contributed to steep population declines, however, and today numbers have dwindled to fewer than 300 adults.

Researchers at the University of Delaware and Delaware State University are using satellites, acoustic transmitters, an underwater robot and historical records to pinpoint the ocean conditions that the fish prefer during migrations — and potentially help fishermen avoid spots where they might unintentionally catch this endangered species. (more…)

Monitoring concrete

By Guest PostMay 4, 2013Sciencealkali silica reaction, asr, asr affected concrete, asr damage, chemical, concrete, construction material, cracking, deldot, DNA, dry environments, Environment, environmental engineering, environmental stressors, harsh environment, internal chemical reactions, julie maresca, kinds of microbes, microbiology, monitoring concrete, non destructive methodology, nutrient requirements, ph, physical stresses, potassium, project, salt concentrations, silica minerals, sodium, temperature fluctuations, thomas schumacher, university of delaware

UD professors study microbes as potential biomarkers for damaged concrete

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. However, many concrete roadways and bridges crack due to internal chemical reactions, temperature fluctuations or external chemical and physical stresses.

One internal chemical reaction is the Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) that destroys the concrete from within. (more…)

Mapping American life

By Guest PostApril 28, 2013Culture18th century studies, american experience, book prize, county lines magazine, early american culture, early american fascination, handkerchiefs, jigsaw puzzles, louis gottschalk, mapping american life, martin brueckner, university of delaware, winterthur museum

Winterthur exhibit showcases UD professor’s research on maps and culture

A new exhibit at Winterthur Museum highlights the research conducted by University of Delaware faculty member Martin Brückner, focusing on the important part that maps played in everyday American life from the 1750s to the 1870s.

“Common Destinations: Maps in the American Experience” opened Saturday, April 20, and will run through Jan. 5. Brückner, associate professor of English and of material culture studies at UD, was exploring what seemed to be an early American fascination with maps when he discovered that Winterthur’s collections included numerous examples of maps being used in daily life. He developed the idea for an exhibition from that discovery and his additional research. (more…)

Power of integrity

By Guest PostMarch 30, 2013Economybarbados group, efficiency, eugene fama, fortune magazine, harvard university, hidden moonwalking bear, hidden power, hutchinson lecture, michael jensen, normative virtues, positive theory, power of integrity, productivity, robert merton, university of chicago, university of delaware, veil of invisibility, violation

Hutchinson Lecture features financial economics expert Jensen

It can be easy to miss what’s right in front of you, said Michael Jensen as he shared an awareness test video of basketball players and a “hidden” moonwalking bear in the opening of the 23rd annual Hutchinson Lecture last week at the University of Delaware.

“In effect, integrity is the unforeseen bear in our lives and my intention is to shift the parts of our world group, our frames of reference, relevant to our view of integrity so that we see it differently, in fact as it is, or much closer to what it is,” said Jensen, who presented “The Hidden Power of Integrity and Access to Vast Increases in Performance.” (more…)

Isotope Fingerprints

By Guest PostMarch 8, 2013Sciencealgae blooms, chemical elements, chesapeake bay, conflow, deb jaisi, DNA, ebl, ecological problems, eutrophication, irms, isotope fingerprints, isotope ratio, isotopic composition, mass spectrometer, mid atlantic, non terrestrial, oxygen deficiency, phosphate, phosphate oxygen isotopes, phosphorus, phosphorus backbone, phosphorus fraction, phosphorus rich fertilizer, phosphorus sources, rna, sediments, stable isotope facility, synchronizing unit, university of delaware, usda, water quality

Jaisi laboratory tracks chemicals in water, farmland throughout Mid-Atlantic

University of Delaware researcher Deb Jaisi is using his newly established stable isotope facility in the Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory (EBL) to find the fingerprints of isotopes in chemical elements — specifically phosphorus — in order to track sources of nutrients in the environmentally-sensitive Chesapeake Bay, other bodies of water and farmland throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

Jaisi, assistant professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, explained that he and his research team are currently working on many projects in the EBL, including two that are funded through seed grants, one focusing on terrestrial phosphorus sources and the other on marine phosphorus sources in the Chesapeake. One of those grants is from the UD Research Foundation (UDRF) and is titled “Role of Non-terrestrial Phosphorus Sources in Eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay.” (more…)

Children’s Books

By Guest PostMarch 5, 2013Culture, Educationacting cool, backpack, books, character issues, children, early childhood, invitation slip up, magnolia elementary school, reading specialist, stephanie guzman, sticky fins, university of delaware, young daughter

UD alumna, educator writes books to help children deal with challenges

After Stephanie Guzman graduated from the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development in 2001 as an early childhood education major, her first position was as a second grade teacher at a Title I school.

While Title I schools are designed to improve the academic proficiency for children from disadvantaged areas, Guzman found her students had character issues that needed to be addressed as well. (more…)

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