Science & Technology

FSU researcher receives NSF funding to make higher-performing computer apps

Published: January 6, 2020 | 4:41 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

A Florida State University researcher is working to make computer processors execute applications in a more energy-efficient manner with the help of a new $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. “The general goal is to increase performance but to do it in a manner that is more energy efficient than the dominant computer processors […]

FSU researchers use mechanical engineering, scientific computing and forestry to better understand prescribed burns

Published: December 12, 2019 | 2:18 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

From left, Bryan Quaife, assistant professor of scientific computing, Rod Linn, of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Neda Yaghoobian, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Kevin Hiers, of the Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy, won a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study smoke plumes from prescribed fire. Photo by Mark Wallheiser / FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

In the effort to mitigate destructive wildfires, wildland managers often fight those uncontrolled fires with prescribed fire — carefully controlled burns to safely eliminate the vegetation that piles up on forest floors and adds to potential fuel. Prescribed fires are an important tool for managing fire-prone landscapes, but they come with a cost. Fire makes […]

FSU computational biology researcher named AAAS Fellow

Published: December 5, 2019 | 2:38 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Peter Beerli is a professor of scientific computing at Florida State University. Photo by Ray Stanyard/College of Arts and Sciences

A Florida State University computational biology researcher has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a lifetime distinction that honors contributions to science and technology. The AAAS named Peter Beerli, a professor of scientific computing, as one of 443 new fellows of the association. The new fellows represent scientists […]

FSU Research: Microwave treatment is an inexpensive way to clean heavy metals from treated sewage

Published: December 5, 2019 | 11:00 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering research assistant Runwei Li looks over the separation of waste solids in professor Gang Chen’s lab at the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics, and Energy (AME) building in Tallahassee, Florida.

A team of Florida State University researchers studying new methods to remove toxic heavy metals from biosolids — the solid waste left over after sewage treatment — found the key is a brief spin through a microwave. The method removed three times the amount of lead from biosolids compared to conventional means and could reduce […]

FSU researchers find risk in opening goliath grouper fishery

Published: November 18, 2019 | 11:58 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

A review of the iconic Atlantic goliath grouper by a team of Florida State University scientists revealed considerable downsides to proposals to reopen the fishery that has been closed for nearly 30 years. In Fisheries magazine, FSU researchers explain that though the species has recovered to some extent in Florida waters since the closure, it […]

FSU observatory gives students a new perspective on astronomy

Published: November 18, 2019 | 11:43 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

From a terrace along Doak Campbell Stadium, Florida State University students can now get an up-close view of planets, stars and other astronomical objects that are normally too faint to see with the human eye. These awesome views are possible thanks to the new modern astronomical observatory constructed by FSU’s physics department. The FSU Observatory […]

FSU students earn gold medal at international synthetic biology competition

Published: November 14, 2019 | 10:07 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

A team of 15 Florida State University undergraduate students earned a gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) competition Nov. 4 in Boston. FSU’s entry competed in a field of 360 teams from around the world. FSU was one of only eight American teams to earn gold and the first team from Florida. […]

FSU researchers develop thin heat shield for superfast aircraft

Published: November 12, 2019 | 1:48 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Professor Zhiyong (Richard) Liang and research faculty member Ayou Hao holding pieces of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites coated with a protective heat shield made of a carbon nanotube sheet that was heated to a temperature of 1,900 degrees Celsius.

The world of aerospace increasingly relies on carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites to build the structures of satellites, rockets and jet aircraft. But the life of those materials is limited by how they handle heat. A team of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers from Florida State University’s High-Performance Materials Institute is developing a design for […]

Investigation of oceanic black carbon uncovers mystery in global carbon cycle

Published: November 7, 2019 | 11:06 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

In the global carbon cycle, “black carbon” — decay-resistant carbon molecules altered by exposure to fire or combustion — has long been presumed to originate on land and work its way to the ocean via rivers and streams. An unexpected finding published today in Nature Communications by a collaborative group of scientists, including Florida State […]

High-tech foam offers new tool for developing stem cells

Published: October 30, 2019 | 10:58 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Two Florida State University researchers are developing a high-tech material currently used in athletic equipment and prosthetics into a special tool to better develop stem cells. The work could improve drug screening, disease modeling, precision medicine and cell therapy. FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers Yan Li, an associate professor in chemical and biomedical engineering, and […]

Profiles in leadership: CAPS directors uses military background to propel research growth at center

Published: October 18, 2019 | 8:37 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

For most of his career, Roger McGinnis was a military man. As a captain in the U.S. Navy, he gave orders. No debate. Now, as director of Florida State’s Center for Advanced Power Systems, he’s captaining a different kind of ship. In his role, McGinnis oversees 35 faculty and staff, plus 55 graduate and undergraduate […]

FSU Research: Strong storms often generate earthquake-like seismic activity

Published: October 15, 2019 | 9:15 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

A Florida State University researcher has uncovered a new geophysical phenomenon where a hurricane or other strong storm can spark seismic events in the nearby ocean as strong as a 3.5 magnitude earthquake. “We’re calling them ‘stormquakes,’” said lead author Wenyuan Fan, an assistant professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. “This involves coupling of […]