Science and Technology

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

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  • 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.
  • Rescue of Chilean Miners Provides Lesson in Human Resilience, Psychologist Says
    10/13/10
    While many people might assume that the men rescued from the mine in Chile might suffer from psychological problems that require therapy, the miners' survival of the ordeal may actually provide a worldwide lesson on the remarkable strength of human resilience, says a University at Buffalo researcher.
  • School of Architecture and Planning Announces Fall Lecture Series Lineup
    10/13/10
    The University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning has announced its fall lecture series lineup, with speakers including Jeanne Gang, designer of Chicago's award-winning Aqua tower, and a representative of Pugh + Scarpa, winner of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2010 Architecture Firm Award.
  • Rural Aging in Place Initiative Focuses on Adirondack Communities
    10/12/10
    Mercy Care for the Adirondacks and the University at Buffalo have helped three communities in New York's Adirondack Mountains develop plans to help older residents "age in place," engaging community volunteers in a grassroots planning process that could serve as a model for other rural communities.
  • Climate Change Remains a Real Threat to Corals
    10/7/10
    Hopes that coral reefs might be able to survive, and recover from, bleaching caused by climate change may have grown dimmer for certain coral species, according to new research by University at Buffalo marine biologists published online this week in PLoS One.