Comment by Robert Kriss, C2ST

Engineering professor Jian Cao had a favorite toy growing up — a construction set — and she spent many hours joyfully building with it. Today, the eminent scientist is an associate vice president for research and director of the Northwestern Initiative for Manufacturing Science and Innovation (NIMSI).  Cao and her Chicago-based team are developing transformative technologies to shape manufacturing’s future. By harnessing the principles of engineering, computer science, physics, chemistry, and environmental science,  Cao and NIMSI are creating the potential for better paying, more intellectually rewarding, and safer jobs in manufacturing — while also producing less expensive and better quality products. NIMSI is making technology work for workers and consumers while helping protect the environment.  Read more about how this Northwestern research could change the “Rustbelt” to the “High Tech Heartland” here.

Manufacturing A Future — Beyond The Assembly Line

By Matt Golosinski

Originally published at: https://www.research.northwestern.edu/manufacturing-a-future-beyond-the-assembly-line/

By Jordan Greer

Are you a tea enthusiast or coffee connoisseur? A common debate in labs, offices, and possibly within your own home, people usually prefer one over the other to start their day. In fact, tea and coffee are the most commonly consumed non-alcoholic beverages in the world. But what leads us to choose one pick-me-up over the other, and how much of it we drink? While we may attribute our preferences to how we’re raised, recent research shows our choice of brew may also be linked to our DNA. 

First, let’s consider what makes coffee and tea different. Both contain bitter compounds, although coffee contains a higher amount. However, their most noteworthy component is caffeine; coffee has roughly twice the amount found in black and green teas. Caffeine itself, though, is nearly tasteless – well, to most of us.

Continue reading “Coffee or tea? One cup or three? Your genes may decide.”

Originally published at: https://news.fnal.gov/2019/09/celebrate-the-extraordinary-life-of-nobel-laureate-and-former-fermilab-director-leon-lederman-in-chicago-on-sept-25/

By JARED SAGOFF

Originally published at: https://www.anl.gov/article/argonne-discovery-offers-new-way-to-coat-nuclear-materials