Tuesday, January 28, 2014 - 14:45
Legos may seem like an unlikely foundation for scientific research, but the building blocks have been a part of Ozgur Sahin’s work since he made a mechanical adding device with them when he was 11. Now Sahin, associate professor of biological sciences and physics, has developed a new machine using the blocks – a prototype generator that can harness the energy of evaporation. “The biggest form of energy transfer in nature is evaporation,” said Sahin. “Our climate is powered by evaporating water from the oceans, and we have no direct way of accessing this energy.” The basis of Sahin’s research is the bacteria Bacillus, microorganisms commonly found in soil. [Read the rest of this article.]