The sun: a great ball of iron?
When it comes to theories about the sun's composition, most astrophysicists are full of gas.

SME honors Elifrits
C. Dale Elifrits, MS GGph'76, professor emeritus of geological engineering, received the 2002 Ivan B. Rahn Education award from The Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME).

A Clean, Green Pollution Solution
Here's an idea that will grow on you: using trees and other plants to reduce water and ground pollution -- and reducing overall cleanup costs.

Say goodbye to white trash
Styrofoam poses a big problem for landfills because it takes up a lot of space.

The world in 3-D
Take a satellite photo of the world, apply some three-dimensional mapping technology, and you get a far-out, 3-D view of the world.

Using Glass to Heal Bones
Arthritis sufferers may soon find relief from an unlikely source: glass. UMR researchers are developing special glasses that could be used to repair bone and microscopic glass spheres that could be injected into arthritic joints

Intraocular lens crafter
Gregory Hilmas has set his sights on a new solution for cataract patients and others who suffer from severe eye problems: an adjustable intraocular lens that can be tweaked after it is implanted.

Researchers developing next generation of Navy warships
The U.S. Navy's warships in the future will be safer, high-tech vessels able to sustain power and continue in battle even after taking a missile hit.

Researchers work to solve energy problems
Amid summer's energy crunch, UMR researchers are to address electrical distribution problems that could lead to power failures.

Washing away land mines
UMR researchers hope to wash away the problem of land mines by developing technology that harnesses -- and focuses -- the power of water, as a child's plastic water pistol does.

Chemists Develop Strongest, Lightest Material
The world's strongest, lightest material has been built by researchers in UMR's chemistry department, the researchers reported in the Sept. 12 issue of the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.

A robotic bug's life
Insect-like robots may one day swarm over the surface of Mars, helping scientists better study the planet, says K.M. Isaac, who is helping to create this new breed of bugbots. Isaac, a UMR professor of aerospace engineering, is working with NASA, the Ohio Aerospace Institute and Georgia Institute of Technology to create a locust-like robot called an entomopter. The mechanical insect, capable of crawling as well as flying, will take close-up photos and video of the Red Planet and gather other information that current technology cannot, Isaac says. Scientists hope to send these robotic bugs to Mars by the end of the decade.

David Saphian Named Director of Institutional Research
Dr. David Saphian, senior manager of research at the public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard in St. Louis, will become director of institutional research at UMR effective Sept. 16, Dr. Y.T. Shah, UMR provost, announced today.

Waterjet Technology Used to Fight Fires, Save Lives
In the aftermath of last year's terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, researchers at UMR are developing a waterjet system to more effectively cut through rubble and extinguish fires that may lie smoldering beneath the rubble.

Research may improve anti-gravity suits
ROLLA, Mo. - A University of Missouri-Rolla professor's research in mathematical modeling may lead to better anti-gravity suits for fighter pilots.

UMR students receive research awards
ROLLA, Mo. - Two students from the University of Missouri-Rolla each received research awards from the Glass and Optical Materials Division of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) during a conference held Oct. 13-16 in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Hilmas wins "Oscars of Invention" award
Dr. Greg Hilmas, assistant professor of ceramic engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, will receive one of Research and Development Magazine's 2002 R&D 100 awards, also known as the "Oscars of Invention" and the "Pulitzer Prizes of Technology," on Wednesday, Oct. 16, in Chicago.

Professor's landmine destroyer one of Time magazine's top inventions
A UMR professor's invention that uses the power of water to disarm land mines has been chosen as one of Time magazine's top inventions of 2002.

Making paper-making cleaner, cheaper
That clean, white piece of paper in your laser printer is the result of a not-so-clean manufacturing process. But a UMR researcher is hoping to change that by improving the way paper-makers make black and white liquor.

Water washes away Cold War-era missile stockpiles
UMR researchers recently helped engineers in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine harness the power of water to disarm and dispose of their nation's Cold War-era missiles.