FEATURED INFORMATION
Bringing Prosperity to Hampton Roads
In an Inside Business Magazine column, HRRP Executive Director Lee Beach examines the substantial progress being made in local technology-based economic development. Beach takes note of a growing number of partnerships that are concentrating on real products for the marketplace. The result: more jobs, increased revenue and spinoffs. Read more here.
Five-Year NSF Grant Awarded to Christopher Newport
Christopher Newport University will receive $2.6 million over the next five years from the National Science Foundation for a project to link urban water quality with scientific research and education in the Chesapeake Watershed. CNU students and Newport News high schoolers will create a neighborhoods database from ecological field studies that will determine the environmental health of regional watersheds. The database will allow the City of Newport News to monitor and manage pollutants entering the James River and Chesapeake Bay. Learn more here.
VIMS, Watermen Collaborate to Clean and Protect the Chesapeake Bay
Watermen and scientists are collaborating to rid the Chesapeake Bay of abandoned crab pots that can trap and kill aquatic wildlife. The program, overseen by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and funded by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, pays out-of-work crab dredgers to use side-imaging sonar units to detect and retrieve these “ghost pots” and other marine debris that litter the bottom of the Bay. To learn more, go here.
Car Exhaust Cleanup May be Leading to More Pollution
A research team that includes Old Dominion University oceanographer Peter Sedwick has found catalytic converters that remove smog from car exhaust may actually introduce a new pollutant into the biosphere. Trace amounts of the metal osmium, which can be very toxic under certain conditions, is increasingly prevalent globally in rain and snow, as well as in rivers and oceans. Fortunately, unlike lead, osmium concentrations are extremely small and may not adversely affect biology. For additional detail, click here.
Taking a NASA Plastic to Heart
A kind of superplastic developed at NASA Langley Research Center is helping to prevent heart failure. The material is part of an implantable device to resynchronize heartbeats and improve blood flow. The plastic is biologically inert, highly flexible, resistant to chemicals, and withstands extreme hot and cold temperatures. Go here for additional information.
Additional Federal Monies to Benefit Jefferson Laboratory
Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility will receive $75 million to fund its 12 billion electron-volt upgrade project and to modernize infrastructure. The funds are part of $1.2 billion in outlays to the Department of Energy's Office of Science under the terms of the Recovery Act. The monies will support an array of Office of Science-sponsored construction and research projects across the nation. Learn more here.
Biofuels from Algae Subject of VIMS Study
Professor Elizabeth Canuel of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and colleagues have received seed funding from the College of William and Mary to establish a multidisciplinary study group to explore the use of algae as a source of biofuels. Their “exploratory Global Inquiry Group,” or e-GIG, grew out of the collaborators' interests in addressing two of humanity's most pressing problems: the urgent need to develop sustainable sources of energy and to lessen the environmental impacts of energy use. Read more here.
Women-Only Fishing Tournament Supports EVMS Cancer Research
The Chesapeake Bay Wine Classic Foundation has presented the Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation with $30,000 to support breast cancer-related research. The Foundation is a longtime supporter of EVMS cancer research, generating to date $91,000 for the EVMS Breast Cancer Research Fund and the Debbie Bunn Memorial Fund for Breast Cancer Research through its annual Wine, Women & Fishing ladies-only, charity-billfish tournament. To learn more, click here.
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