Engineering + Science

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Scientists at Oregon State University have filed a patent on a design for a new magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent with the potential to outperform current agents while being less toxic to patients and more environmentally friendly.

The new material is based on a structure known as a metal-organic framework or MOF, whose development in the 1990s earned this year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry as MOFs’ many possible uses become increasingly apparent.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – New research into antimicrobial peptides, small chains of amino acids able to damage bacterial cells, shows why some peptides are more effective at doing that and also why some cells are more vulnerable.

The findings open the door to designing novel compounds for killing disease-causing organisms that have become resistant to antibiotics. These compounds would represent a major breakthrough against a pervasive global problem, said study co-leader Myriam Cotten of Oregon State University.

Oregon State University has been selected to spearhead a national research center focused on making electronics more resilient to radiation, which could strengthen national security and boost U.S. competitiveness in space and defense technologies.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University pigment researchers are using a rare mineral discovered in Norway more than a century ago as a road map for creating new yellows, oranges and reds that are vibrant, durable, non-toxic and inexpensive.

The new pigments also carry energy-saving potential: Their ability to reflect heat from the sun means that buildings and vehicles coated in them will require less air conditioning.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed new technology for uranium enrichment measurement and trace element detection, vital for nuclear non-proliferation and supporting the development and operation of next-generation nuclear reactors.

Findings were published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University researchers are gaining a more detailed understanding of emissions from wood-burning stoves and developing technologies that allow stoves to operate much more cleanly and safely, potentially limiting particulate matter pollution by 95%.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University College of Engineering researchers have developed a more efficient chip as an antidote to the vast amounts of electricity consumed by large-language-model artificial intelligence applications like Gemini and GPT-4.