News Archive
2024 News Releases
N.C. A&T Receives $4.2M NSF Grant to Enhance Diversity in Materials Research
August 14, 2024
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has received $4.2 million for six years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund an interdisciplinary program aimed to enhance diversity in materials research. The program will partner with the UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). Full Story
Nanosized Blocks Spontaneously Assemble in Water To Create Tiny Floating Checkerboards
June 13, 2024
Researchers have engineered nanosized cubes that spontaneously form a two-dimensional checkerboard pattern when dropped on the surface of water. The work, published in Nature Communications, presents a simple approach to create complex nanostructures through a technique called self-assembly. Full Story
Plant Virus Treatment Shows Promise in Fighting Metastatic Cancers in Mice
May 13, 2024
An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study from the University of California San Diego. The treatment, composed of nanoparticles fashioned from the cowpea mosaic virus—a virus that infects black-eyed pea plants—showed remarkable success in improving survival rates and suppressing the growth of metastatic tumors across various cancer models, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer. Full Story
Biodegradable 'Living Plastic' Houses Bacterial Spores That Help It Break Down
April 30, 2024
A new type of bioplastic could help reduce the plastic industry’s environmental footprint. Researchers have developed a biodegradable form of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filled with bacterial spores that, when exposed to nutrients present in compost, germinate and break down the material at the end of its life cycle. Full Story