The Advanced Casting Research Center has relocated to UC Irvine, effective July 1, moving from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Diran Apelian, ACRC’s founding director, was recently appointed as distinguished professor at UCI’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He retired earlier this summer from his position as Alcoa-Howmet professor of mechanical engineering at WPI after 30 years.
Scientists have developed a method that can transform human urine into the hard mineral in bones and tooth enamel.
Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, may have found a way to produce a material that is heat adjustable. Inspired by squid skin, the developers believe they can manufacture a material that is both washable and breathable and can be incorporated into existing flexible fabrics. The key to this new material, however, is its ability to control its temperature. Read More
In 2005 Sandra Tsing Loh reconnected with the institute when Caltech and KPCC created a podcast for Loh to host “The Loh Down on Science.” The show is co-produced by LDOS Media Lab, Inc. and SCPR (Southern California Public Radio), in association with the University of California, Irvine Science Communications. The actual content is researched, written and edited by students from the UC Irvine School of Physical Sciences, School of Biological Sciences and School of Engineering. The 90-second show … is broadcast five times a week to over 4 million listeners on 150 public radio stations ….
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine, and partner institutions have engineered "osteoyeast," a modified organism that mimics the cells responsible for building bones naturally. … “The fact that it uses yeast as a chassis, which is inexpensive and can be placed in large vats at relatively low temperatures … shows that this can be done easily without major infrastructural needs, and that has the added benefit of making it accessible to developing economies," explained David Kisailus, a UC Irvine professor.
“Our new result not only helps advance our understanding of structural colouration in cephalopods skin cells, it also provides new insights into how such gradient refractive index distributions can be leveraged to manipulate light in both biological and engineered systems,” says Alon Gorodetsky of the
Senior coauthor Alon Gorodetsky, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Irvine, [said], “For this project, we worked to mimic the octopus’ natural abilities with devices from unique materials we synthesized in our laboratory, and the result is an octopus-inspired deception and signaling system that is straightforward to fabricate, functions for a long time when operated continuously, and can even repair itself when damaged.” Read More
"Ultra-lightweight space blankets have been around for decades - you see marathon runners wrapping themselves in them to prevent the loss of body heat after a race - but the key drawback is that the material is static," said co-author Alon Gorodetsky, UCI associate professor of chemical & biomolecular engineering. "We've made a version with changeable properties so you can regulate how much heat is trapped or released."
