Pitt Swanson School of Engineering

New research from the University of Pittsburgh shows particle-free silver microgrid outperforms other flexible high-performance transparent electrodes...

Antimicrobials find their use in destroying or slowing down the growth of viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. They could exist in the form of an additive, as an antibiotic used to treat bodily infections, or as a coating on commercial products that are utilized to prevent germs.

Pitt Engineering student Nayana Suvarna is part of the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), a competition set for October 23 in which driverless cars will race wheel-to-wheel around IMS at potential speeds of more than 180 mph. And she doesn't even have a driver's license.

Constructing and maintaining multi-story structures in the Pittsburgh region present some different challenges than conditions in the Miami area, where answers are still being sought for the condominium collapse that has killed at least 18 people. CEE Professor and infrastructure expert Dr. Kent Harries comments on the benefits of older buildings, more frequent inspections, and the bane of salt.

Cities are caught in a hot, vicious cycle. Surfaces in a given urban area absorb heat, and that heat causes city dwellers to use more air-conditioning, water, and other resources, which in turns calls for greater resources from power plants and water-treatment facilities. There’s a need to break that energy-intensive cycle, says Sushobhan Sen, a postdoctoral associate from the University of Pittsburgh.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering $1.6 million in funding for advanced nuclear energy research and development.

While many existing urban surfaces (think concrete, roofing, and pavement) absorb and radiate solar heat, reflective materials, including concrete and coatings, could be designed to reflect between 30% and 50% of sunlight.

New research from the Hypothetical Materials Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering develops a framework to understand the choices a recycler has to make and the role that digital fraud prevention could have in preventing dishonest recycling practices.

“The challenge with us as a society is that anything that we don’t or we cannot measure, it does not get valued and that is the case with insect pollinators,” notes Vikas Khanna, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.

"The pro of being a young entrepreneur is just going anywhere to find that knowledge or ask questions. That curiosity. And people are pretty accepting of you asking questions as a young entrepreneur because they know you are trying to fix a problem."

A new magnetic resonance imaging development has uncovered new insights into how sickle cell disease affects the brain.

“Things that don’t get valued get deteriorated,” said Vikas Khanna, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering.

The Science Times highlights Amir Alavi's work on self-aware materials in an article about the new class of nano materials.

A University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University study finds bees and other pollinators play an extremely important role in agriculture.