SLAC X-rays resurrect 200-year-old lost aria

 Stanford University, June 2013

At first glance the beautifully bound 1797 Luigi Cherubini opera Médée looks like an impeccably preserved relic of opera’s golden age. However, flip to the final pages of the aria “Du trouble affreux qui me dévore” (“The terrible disorder that consumes me”) and you see the problem: Thick smudges of carbon completely black out the closing lines.

Picked up by KQED, the San Jose Mercury News, Discover Magazine, Wired.co.uk, LiveScience, Phys.org, NBC News, Yahoo News, The Daily Mail, the Mumbai Mirror, and others.

Stanford physicists develop revolutionary low-power polariton laser

 Stanford University, May 2013

Lasers are an unseen backbone of modern society. They’re integral to technologies ranging from high-speed Internet services to Blu-ray players. The physics powering lasers, however, has remained relatively unchanged through 50 years of use. Now, an international research team led by Stanford’s Yoshihisa Yamamoto, a professor of electrical engineering and of applied physics, has demonstrated a revolutionary electrically driven polariton laser that could significantly improve the efficiency of lasers.

Featured in Game Changers: Energy on the Move.

Stanford engineers monitor heart health using paper-thin flexible ‘skin’

 Stanford University, May 2013

Most of us don’t ponder our pulses outside of the gym. But doctors use the human pulse as a diagnostic tool to monitor heart health. Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford, has developed a heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill and no wider than a postage stamp. The flexible skin-like monitor, worn under an adhesive bandage on the wrist, is sensitive enough to help doctors detect stiff arteries and cardiovascular problems.

Picked up by the San Francisco Chronicle, The Daily Mail, The Future of Things, and others.

Fuel Cells…in Space!

 Out of the Fog, April 2013

A basic fuel sell system starts with plain water (which, for those of you a bit rusty on your high school chemistry, is two hydrogen atoms bonded with an oxygen atom). Using an electrical current, such as from a solar panel, the water molecules can be broken up into oxygen gas and hydrogen gas. These two gasses are stored separately until power is needed—the larger the reserve tanks holding the gasses, the more power available later. Upping the pressure in the tanks compresses the gas down into a smaller volume, meaning more power potential in less space.

Stephanie Moura, ocean policy manager

 The SciCom Interviews, April 2013

Off the coast of New England, a telecommunications company digs trenches for new cable lines. Four years ago, the path of the dig would be a cost-efficient straight line through a vulnerable seafloor ecosystem. Now, thanks to new state policies in Massachusetts, the company is paying more for rerouted cables — but worrying less about lengthy approvals and backlash from environmentalists.

Ag drone field grows

 The Salinas Californian, March 2013

While deadly military drones grab headlines, a very different type of drone glides above the vineyards of Davis. Precisely aligning itself along a row of grapes, the robotic helicopter releases its 16-liter pesticide payload on the crops below.

Featured Online and on Page 1 of the weekend edition. Accompanied by opinioncolumn by another reporter.

Weak wildflower season expected

 The Salinas Californian, March 2013

Flower fans should prepare for a disappointing wildflower season. Many of the crimson, sapphire and gold signs of springtime remain in hiding following an unusually dry winter.

Full-page featured aritcle in print edition.