From a nanoscale “brobot” flexing its muscles to a discussion of the artistry of scientific images, participants at a March 9 event got an up-close look at how quantum science and nanotechnology are shaping our lives. “Arts Unplugged: Science of the Very, Very Small” included both online and in-person activities, centered around 11 TED-style talks given by faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences. The faculty shared their research and thoughts on topics from gene manipulation and miniature robots to ethical considerations of nanotech and the interplay between science and fiction through an online eCornell presentation, which was also livestreamed to audiences in the Groos Family Atrium in Klarman Hall and the Clark Atrium in the Physical Sciences Building. The recording of the event is available to watch for free on eCornell.

Superconductors – metals in which electricity flows without resistance – hold promise as the defining material of the near future, according to physicist Brad Ramshaw, and are already used in medical imaging machines, drug discovery research and quantum computers being built by Google and IBM. However, the super-low temperatures conventional superconductors need to function – a few degrees above absolute zero – make them too expensive for wide use. In their quest to find more useful superconductors, Ramshaw, the Dick & Dale Reis Johnson Assistant Professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), and colleagues have discovered that magnetism is key to understanding the behavior of electrons in “high-temperature” superconductors. With this finding, they’ve solved a 30-year-old mystery surrounding this class of superconductors, which function at much higher temperatures, greater than 100 degrees above absolute zero.

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the election of Jan Lammerding, Professor / Director of Graduate Studies, Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University to its College of Fellows. Dr. Lammerding was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the AIMBE College of Fellows for outstanding contributions to the field of the mechanobiology of the cell nucleus and for commitment to graduate training. Jan Lammerding's lab at Cornell has pioneered research into the mechanobiology of the cell nucleus, including determining the mechanical properties of the cell nucleus, understanding how the cell nucleus can sense mechanical stimuli (“nuclear mechanotransduction”), and defining the role of nuclear mechanobiology in human diseases

Cornell researchers and a startup have received more than $7 million in federal grants to advance novel clean energy research that includes wirelessly charging electric vehicles, low-carbon jet fuel and construction materials made from waste.  Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced the grants Feb. 16 from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The grants prioritize funding technologies that support fresh approaches to clean energy challenges as part of the ARPA-E OPEN 2021 program. Schumer said in a statement that the cutting-edge research being conducted at Cornell and in Ithaca is integral to the fight against climate change.

Four Cornell faculty members from three different colleges received the 2022 Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award for their collaborative research on the mechanics and composition of articular cartilage and its relevance to disease. The award, which recognizes research in musculoskeletal disease or injury with great potential to advance patient care, was presented to Lawrence Bonassar, the Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell; Itai Cohen, professor of physics in the College of Arts & Sciences; Lisa Fortier, Ph.D.’98, the James Law Professor of Surgery at the College of Veterinary Medicine; and Michelle Delco ’98, D.V.M.’02, Ph.D.’16, the Harry M. Zweig Assistant Research Professor of Equine Health in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Conventional batteries are a lot like camels. They’re great for storage and transportation, but they’re not exactly speedy. For technologies that require a fast discharge of energy, such as heart defibrillators, alternative materials are often used, foremost among them, antiferroelectrics. There are only a handful of known antiferroelectric materials, and most of them contain lead, so they aren’t safe enough for everyday applications. Now, a Cornell-led collaboration has discovered a new approach for making a lead-free antiferroelectric that performs as well as its toxic relatives.

From cell-sized robots to quantum computers to the manipulation of human genes, the Arts Unplugged: Science of the Very, Very Small event on March 9 will explore the nanoscale and quantum innovations shaping our future. Presented by the College of Arts and Sciences, the virtual event will include short talks by and conversations with some of Cornell’s top scientists and humanists, including Nobel Prize-winner Roald Hoffmann. The event is free and the public is invited to register. 

The College of Arts and Sciences has selected the 2022 cohort of Klarman Postdoctoral Fellows: seven exceptional early-career scholars who will be awarded three-year fellowships to pursue independent research in the arts and humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. They will begin their fellowships in fall 2022, exploring some of humanity’s most pressing questions, each working with an A&S faculty mentor.  “Our first two cohorts of Klarman Postdoctoral Fellows have already enriched our academic community in so many ways – sparking new ideas, perspectives and creativity across Cornell,” said President Martha E. Pollack. “These highly coveted fellowships attract applicants of an extraordinary caliber, and I look forward to seeing what our newest Klarman Fellows will achieve and contribute in the years ahead.”

Cornell chemists have discovered a class of nonprecious metal derivatives that can catalyze fuel cell reactions about as well as platinum, at a fraction of the cost. This finding brings closer a future where hydrogen fuel cells efficiently power cars, generators and even spacecraft with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. “These less expensive metals will enable wider deployment of hydrogen fuel cells,” said Héctor D. Abruña, the Émile M. Chamot Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “They will push us away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources.”

This Cornell Research story focuses on the work of physics faculty members Katja C. Nowack, assistant professor, and Eun-Ah Kim, professor, who are collaborating with researchers at Harvard University and Stanford University to pursue new superconducting interfaces.