Duke alum Sheila Brown Bailey has spent the last 24 years working on solar cells at the NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “My job basically is to make a better solar cell, meaning one that is more efficient or that lasts longer or is cheaper to make,” she says. “Right now I’m doing some fundamental research in quantum dot solar cells.”
Alumni Profile – Duke Alum Designs Better PV Cells at NASA’s GRC
October 14th, 2009Research Update – Duke Prof Sets Up Supernova Alert
October 14th, 2009
We haven’t seen a supernova in our galaxy since 1604. “We’re really due for one,” says Duke physicist Kate Scholberg. To make sure that scientists get the most out of the next event, Scholberg started the SuperNova Early Warning System (SNEWS), a program that will notify thousands of professional and amateur astronomers as the supernova begins.
Read more about SNEWS and what we can learn from supernova neutrinos.
Graduate Student News – Physics Grad Students Create DukeChina.org
October 14th, 2009Duke Physics attracts students and researchers from all over the world. In fact, Duke Physics graduate students represent 17 countries. Five years ago, two Chinese graduate students saw a need to offer support and information to other Chinese students considering Duke—not just for physics studies, but for any subject.
Research Update – Friction, Fruit, and Flow
October 14th, 2009
Visiting professor Jackie Krim, who is at Duke on sabbatical from North Carolina State University, studies nanoscale tribology, and Duke professor Bob Behringer is an expert on granular and fluid flows. They recently applied their knowledge of the behavior of granular materials in motion to an age-old fruit market conundrum—how to pick a piece of fruit out of a pile without triggering collapse.