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Elizabeth Wolyniak takes on Cryptosporidium
Posted on January 31, 2010 | No CommentsElizabeth Wolyniak has been leading the charge to uncover critical dynamics of Cryptosporidium accumulation and transport in biofilms. by Karen Kegel Cryptosporidium is an ongoing source of concern within the drinking water industry. A contaminant of more than 15% of drinking water in the United... -
Creative Catalysis with Paul Dimick
Posted on November 17, 2009 | No CommentsRecently, cutting-edge work by Paul Dimick, a fifth year doctoral student in Chemical Engineering, led to a structural understanding of a synergistic low-temperature bimetallic catalyst. By using a surface-tailored microstructure that makes nitric oxide dissociation more efficient, Paul—with the help of his research group and his advisor, Dr. Charles Lyman of Materials Science and Engineering—developed a strategy for minimizing nitrous oxide production with enhanced catalytic activity. The end result of this novel nanoparticle tailoring is a selective bimetallic platinum-rhodium catalyst five times more active than platinum alone. This translates to being able to use five times less catalyst—and five times less precious metal during low-temperature nitric oxide reduction with hydrogen. As Paul puts it, “It’s amazing that such small changes in metal composition have such a huge impact on performance.”