Award Data

To further advance the characterization and utility of microcantilevers, next generation optical detectors with higher frequency response, improved displacement resolution and lower noise for weak signal detection are needed. Consequently, Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. (RMD) will develop a turnkey optical detector module for use in characterizing the displacement and resonant frequencies of m ...

Current research tools to understand tumor cell migration and metastases are limited to linear gradients or constant flow across cells skewing results. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology developed a tool called the microfluidic palette which exposes cells to chemical stimuli in a static environment overcoming the limitations above. Several improvements are necessary ...

In Phase 1, TIAX developed and demonstrated a residential energy monitoring system (R-EMS) with potential national energy savings of $20 billion annually. Based on user requirements and well-established systems engineering methodology, TIAX’s R-EMS solution is inexpensive, easy to install and operate, and is supportive of intuitive decision making about energy usage. In Phase 2, TIAX will extend ...

Microalgae are a promising feedstock for biofuels because of their high oil content, excellent CO2 capture, and ability to use brackish water and non-arable land. The extraction of oil from algae represents a challenging cost barrier to commercial biofuel production. Conventional technologies for algal oil extraction are energy-inefficient, cost-intensive, or non scalable, leading to barriers for ...

Modern technology, particularly computers and weather satellites, and the availability of data provided by coordinated meteorological observing networks, has resulted in enormous improvements in the accuracy of weather forecasting. Satellites, in particular, have given forecasters routine access to observations and data from remote areas of the globe. However, graphical products produced for scien ...

Conventional approaches to ocean energy are unlikely to make a material impact on global energy supply. HiFunda LLC and its affiliate Oscilla Power, Inc. are developing a utility-scale wave energy harvester enabled by low cost, domestically-and readily-available magnetostrictive alloys that requires no moving parts. This device has the potential to deliver baseload power to coastal utilities, indu ...

This project will develop a high accuracy monitor for the photo-chemically coupled pollutants nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone using infrared absorption spectroscopy with quantum cascade (QC) lasers. The target molecules are monitored at air quality stations worldwide using instruments, which require frequent calibration and are not sufficiently specific (in the case of NO2). This QC monit ...

The use of real time, in situ measurements of lubricant/refrigerant viscosity can reduce maintenance costs and system downtime and improve system longevity, by allowing maintenance personnel to determine identify and correct mechanical problems, before they cause more serious problems. With the advent of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), the opportunity exists to develop small and inexpensive ...

Channel electron multipliers are used in a variety of applications including synchrotron research facilities. It is imperative that channel electron multiplier technology be improved for this type of application. Currently, the manufacturing process of channel multipliers is very inconsistent. When running an array of detectors each detector must act similarly. If the detectors are not matched the ...

Rapid biofouling of aquaculture netting necessitates frequent cleaning. Cleaning by scrubbing or pressure washing can consume as much as 40% of total labor. Chemical methods of biofouling control are not approved for the aquaculture industry. Silicone elastomers that release biofouling have been developed. However, these ¿foul-release coatings¿ are often more expensive than the netting itself ...