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. using Seed support from the MRL at UCSB, Herb Waite and Frank Zok were able to show that the beak exhibited an overall stiffness gradient that differs a hundredfold from beak tip to base.
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.
Close-packed nanocrystal monolayers can be self-assembled by simple drop casting into ultra-thin free-standing membranes. Researchers at the University of Chicago MRSEC have shown that these membranes are remarkably strong, with a Young's modulus on the order of several GPa, yet highly flexible. The arrays remain intact and able to withstand tensile stresses up to temperatures around 370K.
The Ismagilov and Mrksich groups at the University of Chicago MRSEC have recently established that a microfluidic system utilized in conjunction with surface immobilization chemistries can be used to pattern surfaces with well-defined gradients of adhesion molecules for the attachment of cells.
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 featured guest speakers from Industry and National Laboratories.
While electronics have become much smaller and more powerful, an elusive goal has been to "print" these tiny devices rapidly over very large areas.While electronics have become much smaller and more powerful, an elusive goal has been to "print" these tiny devices rapidly over very large areas. The ability to do so could lead to larger and less expensive video displays in the near-term and wide-area sensors or medical devices in the longer term.
The Princeton Center for Complex Materials has run a highly successful Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program for over a decade. The 33 participants in 2007's program were selected from a strong pool of 310 applicants, and through our Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) with California State University - Northridge (CSUN), we were able to include five CSUN undergraduates in this group. Through our REU program, students become familiar with Princeton as well as research; five former REU students are currently enrolled here as Ph.D.