Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to LBNL, Berkeley Lab.
Geri Richmond — a member of the National Science Board, secretary of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and advocate for diversity — sat down in conversation with NPR’s Joe Palca on Monday, June 11. The event was part of the Director’s Distinguished Women in Science speaker series.
Two graduate students at the Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) based at Berkeley Lab have pioneered a new way to synthesize DNA sequences through a creative use of enzymes that promises to be faster, cheaper, and more accurate. DNA synthesis is a fundamental tool in the rapidly growing field of synthetic biology, in which organisms can be engineered to do things like decompose plastic and manufacture biofuels and medicines. This discovery could dramatically accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.
Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a way to print 3-D structures composed entirely of liquids. Using a modified 3-D printer, they injected threads of water into silicone oil — sculpting tubes made of one liquid within another liquid. They envision their all-liquid material could be used to construct liquid electronics that power flexible, stretchable devices. The scientists also foresee chemically tuning the tubes and flowing molecules through them, leading to new ways to separate molecules or precisely deliver nanoscale building blocks to under-construction compounds.
Berkeley Lab researcher Emily Tow talks about her project to treat municipal wastewater in an energy efficient way and bring it up to drinking water standard. Using the Molecular Foundry, she is looking at biofouling of membranes used to treat wastewater.
How will the farms of the future feed a projected 9.8 billion people by 2050? Our “smart farm” project, in collaboration with the University of Arkansas, marries microbiology and machine learning in an effort to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and enhance soil carbon uptake, thus improving the long-term viability of the land while increasing crop yields.