Science and Technology

In the quest to pack ever-smaller electronic devices more densely with integrated circuits, nanotechnology researchers keep running up against some unpleasant truths: higher current density induces electromigration and thermomigration, phenomena that damage metal conductors and produce heat, which leads to premature failure of devices. But University at Buffalo researchers who study electronics packaging recently made a pleasant discovery.

An ambitious ecosystem restoration program at the University at Buffalo that emphasizes working with local Indian nations has led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to present its national training workshop, "Consulting with Indian Nations," in partnership with UB on March 24-26.

Dennis A. Andrejko of Williamsville, associate professor of architecture in the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning and an expert on energy-conscious architecture, has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The University at Buffalo will receive $4.9 million in funding to conduct research on stem cells, part of a new investment in stem cell research announced yesterday by New York State Governor David A. Paterson.

David C. Duchscherer, PE, president, Wendel Duchscherer Architects and Engineers of Amherst, was honored as the University at Buffalo Engineering Alumni Association's 2009 Engineer of the Year: Shaping the Way People Move.

The Obama administration's push to move health care from handwritten charts and prescriptions into the electronic age is getting a boost in Western New York with new funding to establish a Medication Management Research Network in the University at Buffalo's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

A new, recently licensed medical device developed by University at Buffalo researchers would introduce into intensive care settings the powerful and effective method of anesthetizing patients that works so well in the operating room.

A new book based on 15 years of on-the-ground research in Cuba describes two Cubas -- one for Cubans, one for outsiders -- that co-exist but do not mix, and explains how the Cuban culture we do not see was critical in sustaining the Castro regime while other socialist countries collapsed.

Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, generally is viewed as an irritant that produces a burning sensation when applied to a sensitive area of the body, such as the cornea. Paradoxically, the same compound also may reduce pain. Scientists at University at Buffalo now link the analgesic effects of capsaicin to a lipid.

In 2007, University at Buffalo computer scientist Sargur Srihari, Ph.D., one of the world's experts on pattern recognition and its application to fingerprints and handwriting, was selected by the National Academy of Sciences to serve with other national experts on its Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community. The NAS released the panel's findings in a report called "Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward"