New on Full Circle this week
New ASU center aims for negative carbon emissions
What if we had the ability to not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? If we could, where would we store it, and how could it be used in a positive way? A new research center at Arizona State University, led by faculty in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, aims to show that capturing excess carbon dioxide from air is a viable strategy to stabilize and reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It also is a valuable resource that could be recycled to help power the production of synthetic fuels, as well as provide an essential food source for plants in greenhouses. Read on Full Circle
Workshop helps to spark pursuit of rehabilitation robotics progress
ASU’s workshop explores the state-of-art robotics technologies being used in healthcare, the challenges in advancing rehabilitation robotics, and looks at a multitude of areas in science and engineering that are increasingly studying the potential of human-robot interaction. “Rehabilitation robotics is drawing more people for various fields, from different branches of engineering, from physiologists, physical therapists, medical clinicians and others,”ASU professor and neurophysiologist Marco Santello said. “So interest should be high enough that we can continue to do the workshop every year. For students, the event has offered a valuable opportunity. “They are able to meet and talk to leading experts, something they would rarely be able to do otherwise,” said Santello, who is director of School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, which presents the event. Read on Full Circle
ASU’s Polytechnic campus holds Night of the Open Door Friday, Feb. 20
Bet you have never seen seven-foot musical Tesla coils play music with 23 feet of pure plasma. Or built and raced a hovercraft. Maybe learning how to fly a plane is on your bucket list, or how to transform an iconic Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid-electric vehicle. All of this, and much more, will be going down at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus Friday, Feb. 20, as part of Night of the Open Door. It is one of four signature events created by ASU as part of the Arizona SciTech Festival, a statewide celebration of science, technology, engineering, art and math. Read on Full Circle
In the news
Sewage sludge could contain millions of dollars worth of gold
Research led by ASU environmental engineer Paul Westerhoff to improve wastewater treatment resulted in a surprising discovery: Sewage sludge in the amounts produced in large metropolitan areas contains significant amounts of valuable metals – including gold and silver. Westerhoff is a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
In addition to Science magazine, the discovery made news on Smithsonian.com, in Discover magazine, the International Business Times, Gizmodo, Fast Times, CBC Radio (Canada). There was also coverage from Fox News, Money magazine, Spektrum (Germany), a Luxembourg radio station, News.com.au (Australia), Le Monde (France), the Macedonian Information Agency and Kitco News, which covers the metals investment industry.
