Science and Technology

News about the latest UB research in science, engineering and technology, and its impact on society. (see all topics)

  • Cancer Drug Linked to Quantum Dots Increases Drug Uptake, Reduces Inflammatory Response, UB Researchers Show
    11/1/10
    Researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a novel technology using quantum dots that is expected to have major implications for research and treatment of tuberculosis, as well as other inflammatory lung diseases.
  • Mobile Apps for Serendipity and Sound Gardens Connect City Dwellers to Their Surroundings
    10/26/10
    In an urban environment, how can technology cultivate a sense of community and connect us with the world around us? Two new projects by University at Buffalo media architect and researcher Mark Shepard address that question, enabling city dwellers to leverage their cell phones as tools for discovery as they navigate city streets and other public spaces.
  • 'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale, UB Research Finds
    10/25/10
    Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas. But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns.
  • Shibley Named Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning
    10/25/10
    Robert G. Shibley, long-time faculty member and a lead developer of both the University at Buffalo and City of Buffalo's comprehensive plans, has been named dean of the UB School of Architecture and Planning.
  • Radioactivity from Groundwater will be Filtered for Decades by Volcanic Rocks at Western New York Nuclear Waste Site
    10/21/10
    A massive treatment wall under construction this week at a Western New York nuclear waste cleanup site will stop radioactive contamination in its tracks for literally decades, according to University at Buffalo engineers who modeled and tested the wall's material.
  • Scientists Track an Insidious Toxic Substance in China
    10/20/10
    Scientists at the University at Buffalo and the Chinese University of Mining and Technology/Beijing are tracing a toxic trajectory of excess fluorine, which may be crippling millions of people with skeletal fluorosis in a poor, remote Chinese province. The disease causes chronic joint pain and leads to muscle wasting and crippling spine and major joint deformities. Most often, the source is excess fluorine in polluted water, but in certain areas in China it comes from coal.
  • Community Partnership Award Recognizes 20 Years of Collaboration Between UB's School of Architecture and Planning and Habitat for Humanity
    10/20/10
    The University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning has received the 2010 Award for Community Partnership from Habitat for Humanity Buffalo. The accolade recognizes the work of architecture and planning students, who have constructed 47 houses in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Buffalo since 1991.
  • Chilean Geologist Says Global Mining Industry Will Never be the Same
    10/15/10
    Joaquin Cortés, PhD, a visiting assistant professor of geology at the University at Buffalo, a Chilean native and former staff member of the Chilean Geological Survey (Sernageomin) says that the San Jose mine disaster will alter, dramatically and forever, small mining operations throughout the world.
  • Cyberwars: Already Underway with No Geneva Conventions to Guide Them
    10/14/10
    Cyber attacks of various sorts have been around for decades. The most recent, and very dangerous, escalation in the past few years has been marked by countries launching attacks against other nations, such as Stuxnet, the nuclear plant-disrupting worm the Iranians have blamed on Israel and the U.S., while others are pointing the finger at Russia.
  • From Handwritten Captchas to "Smart Rooms," Tech Solutions Start With Pattern Recognition
    10/14/10
    Buy something online, enter your credit card number and mailing address. Simple. Then you come to the box with the CAPTCHA, the Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart. Here, the website attempts to confirm that you're a human, not some robot about to commit a cybercrime. You dutifully copy down the warped, watery-looking letters.