the Art of Engineering

Hammer

CHAMPION of Solar Power BioEnergy

Green plants are the undisputed champions of solar power and serve as the nexus for harvesting light by accumulating, transferring and expanding their capacity to capture energy.  In effect, acting as photo-voltaic (solar) cells.  Understanding how plants expand their capacity to capture light to create solar energy is the focus of UGA professor and lead researcher, Dr. Ramaraja Ramasamy.

Researchers at the University of Georgia are working to improve the stability and output of the device technologies that will harvest the accumulating energy and convert it into electricity.

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STAPH!  BioMedical / Micro-Biology / Materials

Bacterial adhesion and proliferation pose a critical challenge towards all bio-medical surfaces in healthcare settings.  Surface-associated infections and thrombus formation are two major clinical issues that challenge patient safety and the fate of a medical device in the body.   

Dr. Hitesh Handa’s laboratory at UGA is working on developing a versatile anti-bacterial polymer-composite surface that can reduce bacterial infections and platelet adhesion in vitro.  This painting illustrates the growth of staphylococcus aureus bacteria (STAPH) clustered

together on polymer-coated nanoparticles as viewed through a scanning electron microscope.

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FLUORESCENCE Biomedical/Therapeutics

The heart valves are responsible for controlling the one-directional flow of blood through the heart but experience the harshest mechanical environment in the entire body. Changes in this mechanical environment can cause inflammation and ultimately lead to calcification.Understanding how molecular mechanisms are stimulated by altered mechanical conditions can lead to better non-surgical therapies and improved diagnostics.

Dr Warnock’s research uses fluorescent microscopy to show how elevated stretch can trigger expression of several inflammatory molecular in live endothelial cells that line the surface of the heart valves. The precise spatial location of the inflammatory molecules in the heart valve are identified by the green fluorescence.  Dr James Warnock is the Founding Chair of the UGA School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering.