NSF

Minor differences in language can have a large effect on how children think about learning materials, including the objects that make up a pattern. Read More

Pietro Valdastri, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, and postdoctoral scholar Ekawahyu Susilo will begin Valdastri’s second run as principal investigator in the NSF I-Corps program as they explore the commercial potential of modular open-source architecture for building capsule robots. Read More

Picking a needle out of a haystack might seem like the stuff of fairytales, but our brains can be electrically “tuned” to enable us to do a much better job of finding what we’re looking for. Read More

The most detailed aerodynamic simulation of hummingbird flight conducted to date demonstrates that it achieves its aerobatic abilities through a unique set of aerodynamic forces. Read More

A family of single-celled organisms that thrive in environments too extreme for most other species to survive may be an untapped source of new antibacterial drugs. Read More

A team of biomedical engineers has developed a new "tumor-in-a-dish" technology that promises to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Read More

The fungicide amphotericin B may be a useful treatment for a frog fungus that is killing amphibians worldwide. Read More

A new type of supercapacitor brings us a step closer to a day when everything from cell phones to electric vehicles will no longer need separate batteries. Read More

Vanderbilt psychologists show it is possible to selectively manipulate our ability to learn through the application of a mild electrical current to the brain, and that this effect can be enhanced or depressed depending on the direction of the current. Read More

An ultra-fast and ultra-small optical switch has been invented that could advance the day when photons replace electrons in the innards of consumer products ranging from cell phones to automobiles. Read More