Researchers have figured out how a jumbo squid’s hard, razor-sharp beak can slice through the soft tissue of its prey–without tearing off from the stress. The work solves a longstanding mystery over a problem akin to anchoring a knife blade in Jell-O, according to the authors of the new study.
University of California at Santa Barbara Highlights
April 21, 2008
Squid Beaks use Novel Materials Trick to keep from Tearing Off [Research]
April 21, 2008
Traveling Display Booth for Promotion of the Materials Research Facilities Network [Facilities]
For the first time, a traveling exhibit promoting the MRSEC program and the Materials Research Facilities Network was presented at the 2008 NOBCChE (National Organization of Chemists and Chemical Engineers) meeting in Philadelphia.
April 7, 2008
Materials Research Outreach Program (MROP) [Industry]
The annual 3-day program is held in late January to showcase the materials research capabilities of UCSB. The MROP has evolved from a polymer-focused program to a broad materials-themed event over the past 6 years, and features a combination of “latest and greatest” research presentations by UCSB senior students, post-docs, and faculty as well as […]
November 13, 2007
Chocolate Finally Understood: UC Santa Barbara and Nestlé Uncover the Physics of Self-Aggregating Foods [Research]
Scientists from UCSB’s Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) and the Nestle Research Center (NRC), Lausanne, Switzerland have resolved a long-standing problem in the self-assembly behavior of lipid molecules in water.
May 7, 2007
Bringing Technology to the Classroom [Education]
The recent MRSEC Teacher Workshop at UCSB was a Great Success. Junior High and High School math and science teachers from Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties visited the UCSB Materials Research Laboratory for a day of curriculum presentations and workshops.
Photo courtesy of Ram SeshadriA record number of teachers gathered at the UCSB Materials […]
May 7, 2007
Solid State Lighting: Energy Savings and New Architecture [Research]
To a packed audience of over 200 students and local residents, the UCSB MRL supported a public lecture on the subject of solid state lighting, emphasizing the promise of a much cleaner, more efficient, and longer-lasting lighting source. Santa Barbara architect
Barry Winick presented the unusual ways that compact, efficient sources of light can be […]
May 7, 2007
A New and Safe ‘X-Ray’ Vision [Research]
UCSB MRL researchers have recently developed a new way of seeing beneath clothing and other materials using a THz imaging system that employs a photoconductive switch for illumination and a zero-biased, Schottky diode for detection.
Just like Superman, this novel Terahertz system penetrates textiles, in this case denim cloth from jeans, but does not use ionizing […]
October 6, 2006
MRL Faculty Milestones and Recognitions [Research]
Several MRL Faculty members were honored this summer and early fall for achievements in and significant contributions to their respective fields. The Millennium Prize Foundation of Finland announced that Professor Shuji Nakamura, who is involved with MRL’s IRG-2 project on Oxide Based Semiconductors, is the sole winner of the 2006 Millennium Technology Prize, accompanied by […]