Researchers have created a new type of optical device small enough to fit millions on a computer chip that could lead to faster, more powerful information processing and supercomputers.

The December 31 issue of The Economist features an article that describes Professor Peter Bermel's work on novel suntraps that can yield solar cells with an efficiency of 37% or higher (compared with the maximum of 28% of standard silicon-based solar cells). Professor Bermel has just joined Purdue ECE as an Assistant Professor.

Researchers have shown how arrays of tiny "plasmonic nanoantennas" are able to precisely manipulate light in new ways that could make possible a range of optical innovations such as more powerful microscopes, telecommunications and computers.

The distinction recognizes notable work to advance science or its applications, and fellows are elected by their peer members. The association will present 539 new fellows with the award on Feb. 18 during the AAAS annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C.

The title of the paper is "Effects of Interface Roughness Scattering on RF Performance of Nanowire Transistors". The co-authors of the work are Saumitra R. Mehrotra, Mathieu Luisier, Timothy B. Boykin, and Professor Gerhard Klimeck.

Ignacio Laguna, a PhD student in Professor Saurabh Bagchi's group, is one of two recipients of the 2011 George Michael Memorial High-Performance Computing (HPC) Fellowship, which was awarded to him at this year’s Supercomputing Conference (SC) in Seattle on November 17. This award recognizes Ignacio's work, which aims to provide scalable error detection and bug localization tools for large-scale applications.

The coordinator of ECE's undergraduate labs, Barrett Robinson, retires this December after impacting countless aspiring engineers. His relationship with Purdue extends back to 1958 when he himself became an engineering student. In honor of his service and vision, the Barrett Robinson Instructional Technology Endowment (BRITE) Fund has been created.

Researchers from Purdue and Harvard universities have created a new type of transistor made from a material that could replace silicon and have a 3-D structure instead of conventional flat computer chips.

The title of the presentation was "nanoHUB.org powered by HUBzero - A Platform for Collaborative Research and Dissemination with Quantifiable Impact on Research and Education.” The CI Days Conference series is funded by the NSF and fosters the use and understanding of Cyberinfrastructure on campuses.

Demonstrating their shared legacy of innovative research and commitment to patient-centered medical technology, Purdue University, University of Notre Dame and GE Healthcare announce a proprietary new CT scanning reconstruction technology called Veo™ that may enable physicians to diagnose patients with high-clarity images at previously unattainable low radiation dose levels.