Research at SMU

Ever heard of #cosmology? Don't have a clue what that means? SMU theoretical cosmologist Joel Meyers explains what a cosmologist studies and what they're looking to answer. (Hint: it has to do with the universe all around us.)  Southern Methodist University 

Halloween is the perfect time to welcome #SMU professor/poet Greg Brownderville, who hails from Pumpkin Bend, Ark., to the SMU Perspectives podcast. Brownderville's work celebrates and investigates the magic of language in folklore, mysticism, music, poetry, and everyday life.     Listen to learn more and be sure to subscribe to the show: https://lnkd.in/geJJZEVu

We can’t thank The Addy Foundation enough for supporting the research that improves education. The $3.5 million donation will ensure the long-term success of SMU’s Center on Research and Evaluation, a vital community partner for education-related organizations across Dallas and Texas. This center will now be known as The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation.  SMU Simmons School of Education & Human Development Ben Leal https://lnkd.in/gm_Uvi5D

There are options for tearing down a building: demolition, or a more sustainable approach called deconstruction. An expert panel speaking at the SMU Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity recently agreed that carefully dismantling buildings for salvageable components that can be sorted for future use or recycling is a good idea – especially for communities experiencing rapid growth. The Hunt Institute at #SMU is dedicated to developing and scaling sustainable and affordable technologies and solutions to the challenges facing under-resourced communities. Its ImpactNights are a monthly gathering of professionals who share an interest in a more climate-smart and inclusive economy. Each event is dedicated to a timely issue facing our society.

Renewable batteries that keep going and going … A team led by SMU engineer Donghai Wang has found a way to make lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries last longer, with higher energy, than existing renewable batteries. It could mean better performance for these batteries in #electricvehicles and other devices. By creating what’s called a hybrid polymer network cathode, researchers were able to prevent an unwanted side effect that shortens the lifespan of high-energy Li-S batteries over time. SMU Lyle School of Engineering #renewableenergy Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g3QaDAKf.

This month #SMU’s annual Lab Hop event gave undergraduates the opportunity to visit open labs and research groups where faculty, staff and students showed their research and answered questions.

It’s about faith in a digital age: Dr. Noreen Herzfeld, author of “The Artifice of Intelligence: Divine and Human Relationship in a Robotic World,” will be speaking at the Perkins School of Theology - SMU Fall Convocation on Nov. 14-15.

They call it "painting with light." Chemists from SMU and Dartmouth College created an imprintable screen with liquid crystals — potentially paving the way for new lasers, display screens, and microscopic tags.    At the heart of these fantastical gadgets is a synthetic molecular switch that can trigger shape changes in liquid crystals that allow them to reflect different colors. Designed in Dartmouth chemistry professor Ivan Aprahamian's lab, the switch is made up of the organic molecule triptycene and a class of compounds called hydrazones that can flip on and off with a pulse of light.   SMU associate professor of chemistry Alexander Lippert used the technology to produce vivid reproductions of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" with a microscope rejiggered into a mini slide projector.     Their work is featured in a new study published in Nature Chemistry. Southern Methodist University Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gcAuu-R8.

The physicists are coming! SMU will be hosting a joint meeting of the Texas Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (TSAAPT), the Texas Section of the American Physics Society (TSAPS) and Zone 13 of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) on Oct. 17-19. The event will bring together a diverse group of physicists  — from researchers and teachers to college and high school students — to show off their research, learn from each other and discuss how to enrich physics for all. There will also be plenary talks, sessions and workshops devoted to research, teaching and the interaction between physics and society. And high school physics teachers will receive professional development certificates for sessions and workshops they attend. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eJPVd_Y2

Southwest Airlines could be getting a makeover for how it lets passengers know their carry-on bags are too big, courtesy of students from SMU Lyle School of Engineering. The students — some majoring in engineering, others in design and innovation — worked with the SMU's DIG (Deason Innovation Gym) to design and build more user-friendly prototypes for the airline. Final designs are still in the works, but Southwest Airlines took the prototypes for a test drive with customers passing through busy airports, like Los Angeles and Atlanta.