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Engineering

Researchers at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ have developed a method that uses smartphone-derived images to reveal potentially harmful bacteria on skin and in oral cavities. Their approach can visually identify microbes on skin contributing to acne and slow wound healing, as well as bacteria in the oral cavity that can cause gingivitis and dental plaques.

On Feb. 7, 2021, a wall of debris and water barreled down river valleys in India, destroyed two hydropower facilities and left more than 200 people dead or missing. A self-organized coalition of 53 scientists from 14 countries, including researchers from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ, worked nonstop following the disaster to investigate the cause, scope and impacts.

The U.S. Geological Survey, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and state emergency managers on Tuesday, May 4, will activate the system that sends earthquake early warnings throughout Washington state. This completes the rollout of ShakeAlert, an automated system that gives people living in Washington, Oregon and California advance warning of incoming earthquakes.

Five faculty members and one affiliate professor at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected to the National Academy of Sciences: Anna Karlin, professor of computer science and engineering; Rachel Klevit, professor of biochemistry; Randall LeVeque, professor emeritus of applied mathematics; Julie Theriot, professor of biology; Rachel Wong, professor of biological structure; and Julie Overbaugh, professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ affiliate professor of microbiology.

A Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ-led team has developed a method that uses the camera on a person’s smartphone or computer to take their pulse and breathing rate from a real-time video of their face.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named four Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ faculty members as AAAS Fellows, according to a Nov. 24 announcement from the organization. The four are part of a cohort of 489 new fellows for 2020, which were chosen by their peers for “their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.â€�

A team of organizations — led by the space technology company Astrobotic and including the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ spinout WiBotic — has received a $5.8 million contract to develop a line of lightweight, ultrafast wireless chargers that could help both humans and robots live and work on the moon.

A Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ team led by Miqin Zhang, a professor of materials science and engineering and of neurological surgery, has developed a nanoparticle-based drug delivery system that can ferry a potent anti-cancer drug through the bloodstream safely. Their nanoparticle is derived from chitin, a natural and organic polymer that, among other things, makes up the outer shells of shrimp.

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ is among leading U.S. oceanographic institutions that have received National Science Foundation funding to build and deploy 500 robotic ocean-monitoring floats to monitor the chemistry and biology of the world’s oceans.

In a paper published Sept. 14 in the journal Nature Physics, a team led by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ reports that carefully constructed stacks of graphene — a 2D form of carbon — can exhibit highly correlated electron properties. The team also found evidence that this type of collective behavior likely relates to the emergence of exotic magnetic states.

A study by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ researchers found that both mainstream and misinformation news sites displayed similar levels of problematic ads. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ News had a conversation with the team about this research, where ads on news sites come from, and how things might change leading up to the election.

The National Science Foundation has awarded $3 million to establish a NSF Research Traineeship at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ for graduate students in quantum information science and technology. The new traineeship — known as Accelerating Quantum-Enabled Technologies, or AQET — will make the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ one of just “a handfulâ€� of universities with a formal, interdisciplinary QIST curriculum.

Recent honors and grants to Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ faculty and staff have come from the American Chemical Society, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the National Science Board and the family of engineers Ganesh and Hema Moorthy.