Additives, including nucleating agents, have been used to regulate the solidification process of (semi-)crystalline polymer solids and thus control both their crystallite dimensions and shape. Here, ...we demonstrate that minute amounts (0.1-1 wt%) of commercially available nucleating agents can be used to efficiently manipulate the solidification kinetics of a wide range of organic semiconductors--including poly(3-alkylthiophene)s, the fullerene derivative 6,6-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and 6,13-bis(triisopropyl-silylethynyl) (TIPS) pentacene--when processed from the melt, solution or solid state, without adversely affecting the semiconductors' electronic properties. Heterogeneous nucleation increases the temperature of and rate of crystallization of poly(3-alkylthiophene)s, permits patterning of crystallites at pre-defined locations in PCBM, and minimizes dewetting of films of TIPS-pentacene formed by inkjet printing. Nucleating agents thus make possible the fabrication of thin-film transistors with uniform electrical characteristics at high yield.
David Norton, vice president for Research at the University of Florida and the chair of the Materials Research Society (MRS) Government Affairs Committee, wrote an opinion piece that was published in ...the Tampa Bay Times about the impacts of the shutdown on science. According to Hastings, “If we are three or four months out, and there’s a shutdown, this could affect visa processing for international visitors via the State Department,” which she says would result in cancellations. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), 20 funding gaps have occurred since the modernization of the budget process in 1977 (see Table I). Not all funding gaps have led to government shutdowns, and in some cases the shutdown has been partial, which means some of the appropriations bills have already become law and only the unfunded parts of the government enter shutdown. ...FY 1981, the government continued to operate during periods of expired funding until then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti issued opinion letters that stated that federal government activities should be limited to only essential activities in the event of a lapse in appropriated funding (based on the Antideficiency Act).
Carrie Siu, Yuhchieh Lin, Ieuan Seymor, and Jatin Rana NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage (NECCES) For developing a fully rechargeable multi-electron 2-lithium battery cathode. ♦ ...TECHNOLOGIES AND TOOLS AWARDS Paul Dauenhauer Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI) For developing the quantitative carbon detector 3D printed metal catalytic microreactor. According to Ratcliff, another significant advantage of conducting research within an EFRC is access to a diverse network and the “commitment to collaboration.” According to Hersam, through the EFRC “we were not only able to pursue fundamental science but also capitalize on opportunities for impacting applied technologies.”
During a December 2018 hearing before the US Senate Judiciary Committee, Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division of the US Department of Justice John C. Demers presented a ...statement that outlined US intelligence officials’ allegations of a multifaceted approach by a country that employs both legal and illegal means “to advance its economic development at our expense.” ...according to the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, over 20 bills related to national security in science have been introduced since the beginning of 2019. Hearings and legislation regarding science and US national security Testimonies Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division of the US Department of Justice John C. Demers presented statement: judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/12-12-18%20Demers%20Testimony.pdf 2019 Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing: intelligence.senate.gov/hearings/open-hearing-worldwide-threats Legislation NDAA FY 2019: congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5515 House FY 2020 NDAA: congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2500 Senate FY 2020 NDAA: congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1790
The report, released in October 2018, examined the effects of a 1.5°C average temperature rise above preindustrial levels and concluded that without aggressive global action, many of the most severe ...effects of climate change—worsening food shortages, increasing wildfires, mass die-off of coral reefs, and intensifying droughts—will likely arrive by 2040 rather than decades later as originally predicted. Kyoto Protocol This treaty extends the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions established by the UNFCCC and acknowledges the scientific consensus both that global warming is occurring and that it is extremely likely that human-made CO2 emissions have been a predominant cause. The protocol established binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions for industrialized countries based on the treaty’s acknowledgment that economically developed nations are both more capable of combating climate change and historically responsible for the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at the time. Furthermore, many hydrocarbon producers are also the same firms with expertise in gas separation technologies, which are key components of NETs. ...we are at a point in history where they may realize it is in their best interest to develop and help deploy NETs, as it can potentially prolong the safe use of hydrocarbons and they may generate valuable intellectual property and technology position as well.
According to Dozier, in addition to helping shape the language of the bill, part of that work included providing recommendations on quantum science experts to testify before the House Science ...Committee and working with Senate staff as they took up the House version of the bill. ...the Advisory Committee must be established by the president and include qualified QIS representatives from industry, academia, and the national laboratories. According to a recent report on quantum computing by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, current methods of encryption could be broken in only a few hours by a quantum computer.
“Because of the depth and breadth of materials science and engineering, it is important to periodically look at the applications across the landscape of different disciplines and technologies—to ...highlight the work that’s been done as well as the directions for new discovery—and to make this information available to both scientists and policymakers,” says Damon Dozier, director of government affairs for the Materials Research Society. Table I. Key Findings and Recommendations from the Decadal Study The summary of the report elucidates many of the important points: A remarkable number of paradigm-changing advances have been made in materials research over the past decade, and the pace of discovery is accelerating. ...the tools that support that research—including capabilities for materials characterization, synthesis and processing, and computational modeling—have advanced considerably, enabling previously unachievable insights. According to Zinkle, while the report cannot predict the future, it should be used to “provide a broader indication of emerging trends and opportunities as well as assessments of major accomplishments.” According to Hemker, the costs associated with conducting cutting-edge research will rise because of the need for “significant investments in infrastructure that will be critical to the continued advancement of materials research.”
The 2018 midterm elections were record-setting in several ways—the diversity of the candidate pool, the number of candidates running, the relatively high voter turnout (highest turnout in a midterm ...US election since 1914), the spike in young (under 30) voters, and the highest level of fundraising for congressional elections. ...what brought scientists out in record numbers to join in the political discourse and run for office? “It comes down to representation,” says Alan Hurd, executive advisor at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a former Franklin Fellow who served as a science and technology advisor to the US Secretary of State. Megan Brewster, vice president for advanced manufacturing at Launch Forth and a former senior policy advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, adds that she believes that scientists have realized “that today’s grandest challenges require an all-hands-on-deck approach” and says she is “thrilled that scientists are leaning into the national dialogues about the importance and role of science.” Name Senate or House Party State Background Action 314 Support Ralph Abraham House Republican Louisiana Medicine (Physician & Veterinarian) N Brian Babin House Republican Texas Medicine (Dentistry) N John Barrasso Senate Republican Wyoming Medicine (Physician) N Karen Bass House Democrat California Medicine (Registered Nurse) N Ami Bera House Democrat California Medicine (Physician) Y Eddie Bernice Johnson House Democrat Texas Medicine (Registered Nurse) N Larry Bucshon House Republican Indiana Medicine (Physician) N Michael Burgess House Republican Texas Medicine (Physician) N Tony Cardenas House Democrat California Engineering (Electrical) N Bill Cassidy Senate Republican Louisiana Medicine (Physician) N Sean Casten* House Democrat Illinois Engineering (Biochemical) Y Chris Collins House Republican New York Engineering (Mechanical) N TJ Cox* House Democrat California Engineering (Chemical) Y Joe Cunningham* House Democrat South Carolina Engineering (Ocean) Y Steve Daines Senate Republican Montana Engineering (Chemical) N Scott DesJarlais House Republican Tennessee Medicine (Physician) N Neal Dunn House Republican Florida Medicine (Physician N Bill Foster House Democrat Illinois Physics Y Drew Ferguson House Republican Georgia Medicine (Dentistry) N Paul Gosar House Republican Arizona Medicine (Dentistry) N Andy Harris House Republican Maryland Medicine (Physician) N Martin Heinrich Senate Democrat New Mexico Engineering (Mechanical) Y Kevin Hern* House Republican Oklahoma Engineering (Aerospace) N Chrissy Houlahan* House Democrat Pennsylvania Engineering (Industrial) Y John Joyce* House Republican Pennsylvania Medicine (Physician) N Joseph P. Kennedy III House Democrat Massachusetts Engineering (Management Science) N Dan Lipinski House Democrat Illinois Engineering (Mechanical) N Elaine Luria* House Democrat Virginia Engineering (Nuclear) Y Roger Marshall House Republican Kansas Medicine (Physician) N David McKinley House Republican West Virginia Engineering (Civil) N Jerry McNerney House Democrat California Mathematics Y John Moolenaar House Republican Michigan Chemistry N Seth Moulton House Democrat Massachusetts Physics Y Rand Paul Senate Republican Kentucky Medicine (Ophthalmology) N Phil Roe House Republican Tennessee Medicine (Physician) N Jacky Rosen** Senate Democrat Nevada Computer Programmer & Software Developer Y Raul Ruiz House Democrat California Medicine (Physician) Y Brad Schneider House Democrat Illinois Engineering (Industrial) N Kurt Schrader House Democrat Oregon Medicine (Veterinary) N Kim Schrier* House Democrat Washington Medicine (Pediatrician) Y Michael Simpson House Republican Idaho Medicine (Dentistry) N Paul Tonko House Democrat New York Engineering (Mechanical & Industrial) Y Lauren Underwood* House Democrat Illinois Medicine (Registered Nurse) Y Jeff Van Drew* House Democrat New Jersey Medicine (Dentistry) Y Daniel Webster House Republican Florida Engineering (Electrical) N Brad Wenstrup House Republican Ohio Medicine (Physician) N Ted Yoho House Republican Florida Medicine (Veterinary) N * Denotes newly elected in 2018 midterm election. ** Denotes new congressional position (former House member elected to Senate). ...Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) is a likely champion for clean energy and environmental policy according to Arslan because he has “made clean energy his life work by founding a company that aims to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by trapping and reusing energy from industrial facilities.” ...Vorpahl points out that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is already “endorsing aggressive, climate change movements that center around a ‘Green New Deal’—a policy that sits at the nexus of environmental issues and income inequality and includes a call for 100% renewable energy and more jobs in clean energy.”
According to the updated AI Strategic Plan, much of the AI research to date has been specialized around specific tasks, and longer-term investments are needed to expand and broaden AI into “systems ...that exhibit the flexibility and versatility of human intelligence in a broad range of cognitive domains.” According to Maruyama, materials researchers can readily provide “data streams of experimental and simulated data,” which Reyes says could be used to determine how well “problem-agnostic ML/AI methods” can adapt to a variety of data types and sources. According to Maruyama, “Autonomous Research systems will lead to an exponential explosion in research progress, akin to a Moore’s Law for the speed of research.”
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