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In this episode, groups of citizen scientists use apps and maps to help researchers gather data about medical conditions. Sensors on asthma inhalers generate real-time maps of environmental dangers to help patients and physicians in Louisville, Kentucky. In West Oakland, California, citizens confront air pollution and rising asthma rates by collecting traffic data. Citizen scientists are fighting mosquito-borne diseases with apps and crowd-sourced data in Barcelona, Houston, and New Orleans. Part of "The Crowd and the Cloud" series.
(Source: DCMP)
With support from the National Science Foundation, aerospace engineer Michael Philen and his team at Virginia Tech are investigating the biomechanics of fish locomotion, in hopes of contributing to the next generation of robotic fish and underwater submersibles. They’re studying how fish use their muscles to swim efficiently and execute underwater maneuvers, such as darting around in perfectly synchronized schools. They’re also developing new smart materials, such as a bioengineered hair that is modeled after the hair cell sensors on the side of fish that allow it to detect minute changes in water flow. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Imagine having the ability to manipulate light waves in order to see through a skull right into the brain, or being able to use lasers to diagnose a bacterial infection in a matter of minutes. At the Center for Biophotonic Sensors and Systems (CBSS) at Boston University, technologies enabling these abilities and many others are coming to light. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), mechanical engineer Thomas Bifano and his colleagues are developing optical microscopes that can image deep into biological tissue, helping scientists observe molecular-scale activity. Their goal is to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
The National Science Foundation in cooperation with the Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks has successfully launched the R/V Sikuliaq, a next-generation global class research vessel. MMC is the Wisconsin shipyard that built the ship, with funding provided by NSF through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. UAF's School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences will operate the ship as part of the U.S. academic research fleet. The new vessel's name, Sikuliaq, pronounced “see-KOO-lee-ack,” is an Inupiat word meaning young sea ice. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Kathryn Johnson, an electrical engineer at the Colorado School of Mines, studies large utility-scale wind turbines. Kathryn’s research aims to make the turbines more efficient in order to capture as much of the wind’s energy as possible. Viewers also visit NSF’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, where scientists are working with local utility companies to create an advanced wind energy prediction system. Using data from sensors mounted on each turbine, the system generates a forecast specific to each turbine on a wind farm. This helps the utility company provide as much energy as possible from clean sources.
With support from the National Science Foundation’s Human-Centered Computing Program (HCC), Stanford University mechanical engineer Mark Cutkosky and his team are using volunteer test subjects to find out if the way walk is wearing out their knees. One of the major problems at the root of knee pain is uneven wear and tear on the knee cartilage, which leads to arthritis. Cutkosky’s research, known as Movement Retraining, focuses on alleviating pain by analyzing and possibly changing a person's stride. The goal is to slow the rate at which arthritis progresses and thereby delay or even eliminate the need for surgery. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
The goal of this research is to determine the mechanisms underlying predatory and defensive behavior guided by an extraordinarily novel sensor in snakes. Pit vipers, pythons and boas possess special organs that form images in the brain of the thermal environment, much like vision occurs in the human brain. Thus, these snakes see heat, and this amazing system is the most sensitive infrared detector on Earth, natural or artificial. A better understanding of infrared-based thermal imaging in snakes is important not only for understanding complex behavior in these highly efficient predators, but also for understanding the evolution of imaging sensors and the behaviors they support in other animals including people. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Some bandages are embedded with medicine to treat wounds, but researchers at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have something much more sophisticated in mind for the future of chronic wound care. With support from the National Science Foundation, engineer Ali Khademhosseini and a multidisciplinary team are bringing together advances in sensors, biomaterials, tissue engineering, microsystems technology, and microelectronics to create “smart bandages” for wounds that require ongoing care. The devices, known collectively as flexible bioelectronics, will do much more than deliver medicine. They will be able to monitor all the vital signs of the healing process and make adjustments when needed, as well as communicate the information to health professionals who are off-site.
