Science Research Groups

Dental microwear is the study of the microscopic scratches and pits that form on a tooth's surface as the result of its use. Much of the dental microwear research that has been conducted thus far has focused on humans and non-human primates. These can be used as models to reconstruct diets in human ancestors and other fossil primates. Find software, images, texture analysis, data, contacts, links, and references. Hosted by the Department of Antropology at the University of Arkansas.

The nanoScience and Technology Studies consortium at the University of South Carolina aims to provide the highest quality scholarship and commentary on issues of nano-science and -technology: to define and elucidate the fundamental philosophical ethical, legal, political and societal issues that the development of nano-science and -technology produce; to articulate the benefits and risks, opportunities and problems, collaborations and conflicts, of nano-science and -technology [NST] that may have significant societal impact; to articulate fruitful ways to approach these opportunities and problems, collaborations and conflicts; and to propose public and private sector approaches for providing better democratic procedures and policies concerning the development of nanotechnology.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project produces reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source on the evolution of the Internet through collection of data and analysis of real-world developments as they affect the virtual world. The basis of the reports are nationwide random digit dial telephone surveys as well as online surveys. This data collection is supplemented with research from government agencies, academia, and other expert venues; observations of what people do and how they behave when they are online; in-depth interviews with Internet users and Internet experts alike; and other efforts that try to examine individual and group behavior. The Project releases 15-20 pieces of research a year, varying in size, scope, and ambition.

Part of the School of Psychology, the Sonification Lab studies the psychophysical and practical aspects of auditory displays, paying particular attention to sonification. Special consideration is paid to Human Factors in the display of information in "complex task environments," such as in cockpits, nuclear powerplants, and Space.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution (STRI) in Panama, is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States, is dedicated to understanding biological diversity. STRI aims to offer research facilities that allow staff scientists, fellows, and visiting scientists to achieve their research objectives. The 38 staff scientists reside in the tropics and are encouraged to pursue their own research priorities without geographic limitations. The continuity of their long-term programs enables in-depth investigations that attract an elite group of fellows and visitors. Active support for fellows and visitors leverages resources further and attracts more than 900 scientists to STRI each year.

The world's most biologically rich ecosystem, the tropical rainforest, is also its most poorly understood. To better understand and manage tropical rainforests, the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, through a consortium of scientific collaborators and institutions around the world, coordinates a network of long-term research programs in the natural and social sciences. The central feature of the CTFS network is the standardized Forest Dynamics Plot. Within each plot, every tree over one centimeter in diameter is identified according to species and monitored through time. CTFS is now monitoring more than 3 million trees of 6000 species, at least 10% of all known tropical tree species.

UWEB brings together a cross-disciplinary team of scientists, biologists, engineers, researchers and physicians, as well as industry leaders, to exploit specific biological mechanisms in the development of medical innovations.

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy, is a recognized leader in nanomaterials and nanobiology. Together with our colleagues at other Battelle managed labs, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we represent a diverse collaborative team in nanoscience, nanoengineering and nanotechnology. We are significant contributors to the nanorevolution of this Century. At PNNL we are committed to the discovery of fundamental phenomena and the application of this knowledge to develop commercial products. Our mission is to make revolutionary strides in putting nanotechnology to work for the benefit of humanity.

The Institute for Systems Biology was co-founded in 2000 by Alan Aderem, Ruedi Aebersold, and Leroy Hood. In just five years it has grown to more than 170 staff members, including 11 faculty members and their laboratory groups. This pioneering approach to the study of biological systems takes place in the institute's 65,000-square-foot facility in Seattle. Building a new kind of research institute one that can tackle the multi-disciplinary challenges of systems biology requires a strategy that itself integrates many sciences including biology, chemistry, physics, computation, mathematics and medicine. Because the field of systems biology requires the seamless integration of these disciplines, ISB has developed a philosophy, an environment, and an administrative structure that transcends traditional organizational and disciplinary barriers. Scientists collaborate across their specialties to leverage knowledge and expertise with others at the Institute and in academia and industry. You can find a tour of ISB here.

Funded in 1999 by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases is a collaborative effort among the leaders in the study of alcoholic liver and pancreatic diseases in the Los Angeles area. Our research attempts to elucidate the mechanisms by which ethanol sensitizes and primes the liver and pancreas to diseases. Unifying all Center investigations, our Center's goals are based on the concept that manifestation of alcoholic liver and pancreatic diseases is dependent on critical interactions between alcohol and secondary factors. These secondary factors include diet, concomitant use of drugs, viral hepatitis infection, and gender. We believe that the best approach to elucidate the mechanisms of the diseases is to define the mode and nature of these interactive processes. This would lead to an improved understanding of individual predisposition to the diseases and development of better modalities to protect the liver and pancreas. The Cirrhosis Research Program is an important development of the Center.

Pharmacology involves the discovery of new drugs, the investigation of how drugs work and the use of drugs to probe mechanisms of disease. But pharmacology also involves the elucidation and manipulation of macromolecular structures, the analysis of regulatory mechanisms in cell biology and development, and the translation of this information into clinical research. Thus, the science of pharmacology spans the most fundamental aspects of basic research, through transgenic animal models, to clinical investigation. Pharmacology at Penn addresses all of these issues in an exciting, collegial and interactive environment.

The Department of Basic Medical Sciences encompasses molecular to whole animal approaches and generally emphasizes molecular processes in development as applied to growth, differentiation, regeneration, and oncogenesis. Model systems are employed to investigate both animal and human disease, as well as biomedical engineering. Current research programs involve: signal transduction in development and oncogenesis, cell adhesion molecules in development and oncogenesis; growth factors in musculoskeletal development; ovarian follicle development; neural regeneration; implantable therapeutic or diagnostic devices, and application of computers in veterinary and medical education.

The discovery that quantum physics allows fundamentally new modes of information processing has required the existing theories of computation, information and cryptography to be superseded by their quantum generalisations. The Centre for Quantum Computation conducts theoretical and experimental research into all aspects of quantum information processing, and into the implications of the quantum theory of computation for physics itself.

The sole purpose of CMTC is to maintain sustained excellence in theoretical condensed matter physics (defined in the broadest possible sense) at the University of Maryland.

The mission of the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics (IREAP) is to advance modern science through research and educational programs that are interdisciplinary between physical science and engineering. The flow of knowledge between basic science and engineering at IREAP is bidirectional: we apply our basic science skills to problems of practical importance, and we apply our engineering skills to aid fundamental scientific investigations. We emphasize diversity, quality and excellence in all aspects of our activities. IREAP conducts experimental and theoretical research on high-temperature plasma physics, plasma spectroscopy, relativistic microwave electronics, high-brightness charged particle beams, laser-plasma interactions, nonlinear dynamics (chaos), ion beam microfabrication techniques, and microwave sintering of advanced materials, nanoscience, and nanotechnology. IREAP is recognized internationally as a leading university research center in these areas of research.

The Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI) has been involved in both basic and applied research in artificial intelligence since its inception in 1982. NCARAI, part of the Information Technology Division within the Naval Research Laboratory , is engaged in research and development efforts designed to address the application of artificial intelligence technology and techniques to critical Navy and national problems. The research program of the Center is directed toward understanding the design and operation of computer systems capable of improved performance based on experience; efficient and effective interaction with other systems and with humans; sensor-based control of autonomous activity; and the integration of varieties of reasoning as necessary to support complex decision-making. The emphasis at NCARAI is the linkage of theory and application in demonstration projects that use a full spectrum of artificial intelligence techniques. The NCARAI includes the Immersive Simulations section, the Intelligent Multimodal/Multimedia Systems section, the Intelligent Systems section, and the Interface Design and Evaluation section.

The Center for BioDynamics (CBD) is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental center whose mission is to advance training and research at the interfaces among dynamical systems, biology and engineering. The CBD develops and implements techniques from dynamical systems theory to gain insight into the functioning of physiological systems, as well as to improve clinical devices and techniques. In addition, the CBD serves as a home for the development and sharing of dynamical systems techniques for use in diverse applications.

Through close collaboration with key players in the oil and gas industry, the "Scientific and Environmental ROV Partnership using Existing iNdustrial Technology" (SERPENT) project aims to make cutting-edge ROV technology and data more accessible to the world's science community, sharing knowledge and progressing deep-sea research. The programme will interact with science and conservation groups globally and transparently communicate our project to the public to increase the awareness of our fragile marine resources. SERPENT is a global project hosted by the DEEPSEAS group, in the George Deacon Division GDD of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) with a network of UK and global partners.

he Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) was created as a partnership among the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Yellowstone National Park, and University of Utah to strengthen the long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake unrest in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety.

The Chemical Bonding Center at Massachusetts General Hospital is part of the new National Science Foundation . Chemical Bonding Centers Program and is funded by NSFs division of chemistry . The Center represents a unique, multi-faceted, collaboration among the laboratories of Jack W. Szostak (MGH), Steven A. Benner (University of Florida) and Gerald F. Joyce (The Scripps Research Institute), bringing together different approaches to a major chemical problem. The long-term goal of the Chemical Bonding Center is the synthesis of artificial chemical systems that can undergo Darwinian evolution. Darwinian chemistry requires chemical structures that can support self-replication. The chemical system must then be able to suffer variation in structure while retaining the capacity to replicate. Variations in the structure must themselves be heritable. Darwinian behavior is the natural consequence of a molecular system that displays this combination of properties.