Converting Small Amounts of Freely Available Energy into Electricity

There are many forms of energy around us: light, heat, vibrations, wind, electromagnetic fields, fluid flow, waves, organic waste, etc. At large scale, many of these energy sources already play a significant role in powering our society and are projected to become dominant contributors by 2040. On the smaller scale, exciting scientific and engineering challenges must be overcome to harness these energy sources.

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2DCC - Synthesis
Stephen Chmely

Stephen Chmely

Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

(e) sc411@psu.edu
(o) 814 863 6815
225 Ag Engineering Building

https://sites.psu.edu/biorefining/

Replacing 3D printing plastics with plant-derived materials

Replace 3D printing plastics

By Jeff Mulhollem

USDA grant to fund Penn State researchers developing new and sustainable materials from lignocellulosic biomass

 

A sustainable resin material comprising agriculturally derived components could potentially replace plastics used in large-format 3D printing, which can produce furniture, boats and other similarly sized objects, according to a team of Penn State agricultural and biological engineers.

Novel hydrogel finds new aptamers, or ‘chemical antibodies,’ in days

Image of hands holding sample in the lab

By Tim Schley

One double-helix strand of DNA could extend six feet, but it is so tightly coiled that it packs an entire sequence of nucleotides into the tiny nucleus of a cell. If that same DNA was instead split into two strands and divided into many, many short pieces, it would become trillions of uniquely folded 3D molecular structures, capable of bonding to and possibly manipulating specifically shaped molecules — if they’re the perfect fit.

Can AI crave a favorite food?

AI Sensor for Taste Image

By Jamie Oberdick

'Electronic tongue' holds promise as possible first step to artificial emotional intelligence

Can artificial intelligence (AI) get hungry? Develop a taste for certain foods? Not yet, but a team of Penn State researchers is developing a novel electronic tongue that mimics how taste influences what we eat based on both needs and wants, providing a possible blueprint for AI that processes information more like a human being.  

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