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Nina Lauharatanahirun uses engineering tools to understand biological mechanisms underlying psychological phenomena, such as decision making
Nina Lauharatanahirun, assistant professor, is the first joint hire between the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State.
Image: Nina Lauharatanahirun
Multidisciplinary researcher bridges Penn State departments as first joint hire
Ashley J. WennersHerron
January 27, 2021
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Nina Lauharatanahirun joined Penn State’s College of Engineering and College of Health and Human Development on Jan. 1 as an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and biobehavioral health. She is the first joint hire for the departments, bridging precision engineering with neuroscience and psychology to study risky decision-making in individuals, with a focus on adolescents, and in teams.
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Electrical circuit with lemons. A chemical reaction between the copper and zinc plates and the citric acid produces a small current, that is able to power a light bulb. Science Photo Libra/Getty Images
We re going Back To School today, revisiting a classic at-home experiment that turns lemons into batteries powerful enough to turn on a clock or a small lightbulb. But how does the science driving the lemon battery show up in those household batteries we use daily?
Short Wave host Maddie Sofia and reporter Emily Kwong speak with environmental engineer Jenelle Fortunato about the fundamentals of electric currents and the inner workings of batteries.
Transistors built from ultra-thin 2D materials take a step forward
Two-dimensional materials can be used to create smaller, high-performance transistors traditionally made of silicon, according to Saptarshi Das, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics (ESM) in Penn State’s College of Engineering.
Das and his collaborators report in Nature Communications on tests to determine the technological viability of transistors made from 2D materials. Transistors are tiny digital switches found in cell phones, computer circuits, smart watches and the like.
“We live in a digital and connected world driven by data,” Das said. “Big data requires increased storage and processing power. If you want to store or process more data, you need to utilize more and more transistors.”
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Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are now known to negatively control plasmid replication, according to Thomas Wood, Biotechnology Endowed Chair and professor of chemical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering.
Plasmids, or extra-chromosomal bits of DNA, allow bacteria to evade antibiotics, making the antibiotics ineffective in halting a bacterial infection.
The presence or absence of plasmids impacts a bacterium s resistance to antibiotics and its ability to cause infection important points related to fighting bacterial infections, according to Wood. Each year, there are at least 700,000 deaths worldwide because of bacterial infections, a growing number that is projected to increase to 10 million by 2050, Wood said. And of course, the effectiveness of antibiotics is critical to healing from any type of bacterial infection.