News
May 10, 2013
A silky spin on protective armor
At seven times the toughness of Kevlar, a silk produced by the Caerostris darwini spider of Madagascar is more robust than any other material—synthetic or natural. Most spider silks are about two times tougher than Kevlar, and have long been considered an intriguing alternative for bulletproof vests and other protective gear. There’s only one problem: producing spider […]
Apr 12, 2013
Webster is Outstanding Editor
Chemical Engineering professor and chair of department Thomas Webster was awarded the Dove Press Outstanding Editor's Award for his leadership as the founder and current editor of the International Journal of Nanomedicine. Dove Medical Press is a privately held company specializing in the publication of Open Access peer-reviewed journals across the broad spectrum of science, technology and especially […]
Apr 04, 2013
FY14 TIER 1 Award Recipients
22 COE faculty and affiliates were recipients of FY14 TIER 1 Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grants for 14 different research projects.
Mar 11, 2013
Webster is Keynote Speaker
Chemical Engineering professor & chair of department Thomas Webster will be the keynote speaker at the NSF sponsored Columbia-US workshop on Nanotechnology in Energy and Medical Applications. The objectives of the workshop are: to explore common themes in the use of nanotechnology in energy and medicine through an interactive workshop; to cultivate research networks by facilitating planning meetings among […]
Feb 15, 2013
Webster Named AIMBE Fellow
Chemical Engineering chair Thomas Webster was selected to be a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., representing 50,000 individuals and the top 2% of medical and biological engineers. AIMBE is the authoritative voice and advocate […]
Jan 25, 2013
Awarded for Health & Safety
Chemical Engineering Professor Ron Willey is the recipient of the Norton H. Walton/ Russell L. Miller Award in Safety/Loss Prevention which is the highest honor from the Safety and Health Division of AIChE. AIChE is the world's leading organization for chemical engineering professionals, with over 45,000 members from over 100 countries. AIChE has the breadth […]
Dec 05, 2012
Dainty flower is relentless cancer killer in disguise
When I was in high school I read a book called Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice that I thought was going to define the rest of my life (I’ve always been kind of dramatic like that). It was about discovering the chemical compounds found in plants that cultures have been using for centuries, even millennia, to treat […]
Dec 03, 2012
A tiny electrode fuels smart bandage technology
Band-aid technology has made incremental improvements in the years since its commercial introduction in the late 1960s, the most important of which has been the incorporation of antibiotics into the nonadhesive padding. But imagine if adhesive bandages could do more than passively prevent the growth of bacteria — imagine if they could monitor a wound […]