January 07, 2021
Trans-Disciplinary Team Investigates Topological Defects
Researchers from the College of Engineering and Mellon College of Sciences have received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Growing Convergence Research (GCR) grant to investigate a ubiquitous phenomenon impacting an array of disciplines ranging from mechanics and materials science, to seismology, to even string theory.
Led by Amit Acharya, a professor of civil and environmental engineering Opens in new window (CEE), the project will create a mathematical and conceptual framework to describe the phenomenon that occurs when two uniform patterns in organized matter (a jet turbine blade, the earth’s crust, a galaxy, etc.) are offset from one another, rotated differently, or otherwise have some form of deformation in the surface at which they meet. The string or curve created where the joining surface ends is called a topological line defect, and depending on the situation and material, its effects can range
Managing salt pollution to protect drinking water resources and freshwater ecosystems
Doctors often tell us, cut back on your salt. And just like too much dietary salt is bad for blood pressure, too much salt in our nation s streams, lakes, and reservoirs threatens ecosystem health and the security of our nation s drinking water and food supplies. Salt levels are rising fast in freshwaters across the United States, said Stanley Grant, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering and the principal investigator of a recent multimillion dollar grant from the National Science Foundation aimed at addressing the issue. It s a slow-moving train wreck. If we don t figure out how to reverse this trend soon, it could become one of our nation s top environmental challenges going forward.