Biofuels expert José Avalos wins young investigator award for biochemical technology
The American Chemical Society's Biochemical Technology (BIOT) division has honored José Avalos with its 2022 young investigator award, recognizing Avalos's contributions to engineering microbial systems for the production of advanced biofuels and other chemicals that are key to a sustainable future.
Four CBE faculty commended for outstanding teaching
Four CBE professors received a commendation for outstanding teaching from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The commendations cover teaching during the fall 2021 semester. Commendations are determined by course ratings by students.
Soft matter expert Datta receives award for innovative approach to studying porous materials
The International Society for Porous Media has recognized Sujit Datta with its 2022 award for porous media research.
Princeton startup aims to fast-track lithium battery recycling
“What we see is that people would be willing to give us their dead batteries that are currently just sitting around. They receive back from us new pristine cathode materials for new batteries cheaper than they could manufacture on their own,” said Chao Yan, cofounder and CEO of Princeton…
DOE-funded partnership aims to make single-use plastic packaging endlessly recyclable
The Department of Energy has granted $2 million over three years to Braskem America, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Princeton University to develop plastic that can be recycled perpetually, reducing waste and pollution from single-use plastics.
Leading voice in innovation urges collaboration in closing racial funding gap
Scientific collaborations between Princeton faculty and faculty from historically Black colleges and universities could help close a well-documented racial funding gap, according to an editorial from Rodney Priestley, the Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Glowing yeast lights the way to better biofuels
Deploying a technique that promises to supercharge the development of biofuels, researchers at Princeton University have found a way to make yeast cultures glow when producing next generation fuels that could power cars and airplanes.
CBE senior Sydney Hughes named Sachs Scholar
Sydney Hughes, a senior in chemical and biological engineering, has been awarded a Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship, one of Princeton University’s highest awards.
Humble lizards offer surprising approach to engineering artificial lungs
A new study from Princeton University shows how the brown anole lizard solves one of nature’s most complex problems — breathing — with ultimate simplicity. Whereas human lungs develop over months and years into baroque tree-like structures, the anole lung develops in just a few days into crude lobes covered with bulbous protuberances. These gourd-like structures, while far less refined, allow the lizard to exchange oxygen for waste gases just as human lungs do. And because they grow quickly by leveraging simple mechanical processes, anole lungs provide new inspiration for engineers designing advanced biotechnologies.
Researchers find the best way for bacteria to navigate maze-like environments
When bacteria spread through soil, tissues and other environments crammed with obstacles, keeping on the straight and narrow path leads to dead ends. Instead, bacteria move through open spaces until they get trapped, then reorient to hop through an opening to the next hole. A new model developed by Princeton researchers explains why this hop-and-trap strategy works for bacteria and how it could be optimized for self-propelled polymers.
