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| FLC Midwest Region Quarterly Newsletter - Summer 2006 |
AFRL Scientists Dress Up Clothing Industry With Technology for Better Off-the-Rack Fit
Scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate are dressing up clothing manufacturers with new technology that could alter how the fashion industry sizes its clothing lines and give consumers a better fit in off-the-rack clothes. Read more
Biodegradable Lube for Metalworking Operations
A new metalworking fluid derived from soybean oil rather than petroleum is proving to be a smashing success in trial runs by Alcoa, Inc., a global supplier of primary and fabricated aluminum products. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company is conducting the tests under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Agricultural Research Services’ National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, in Peoria, Illinois. Read more
A Chemical Cornucopia: Using Forest Biomass
From Atlanta, Georgia, to Appleton, Wisconsin, to Cypress Bend, Arkansas, to Madison, Wisconsin, one word often overheard when forest products people talk business is “biorefinery.” “The biorefinery concept sparks considerable interest because it could represent the solution to several major problems facing both forest managers and the forest products industry,” said Chris Risbrudt, Ph.D., director of the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL). “With forest biomass used as feedstock, biorefineries could produce a variety of fuels and high-value chemicals that could help pay for desperately needed forest management activities. At the same time, they could also reduce energy costs while creating new sources of income for the pulp and paper industry,” Risbrudt said. Read more
| Partnership Formed With Chinese Academy of Forestry
In January 2006, the Forest Products Industry (FPL) and the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding signifying mutual interest in forest products utilization research. Read more
Argonne's Arun Wagh named IPLAC Inventor of the Year
The Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago has named Arun Wagh of the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Inventor of the Year. Wagh, of ANL’s Energy Technology Division, was recognized for his work in the field of material sciences, which includes phosphate ceramics and concrete structures. This work has led to the development of a new material called Grancrete®, a tough, reinforcement-free ceramic material that is almost twice as strong as concrete and that may be the key to providing high-quality, low-cost housing throughout developing nations. Read more
Membrane Protein 'Factory' May Lead to New Drug Treatments
Biologists at Argonne National Laboratory have engineered and patented a bacterial factory that enables the study of membrane proteins. These proteins are challenging to study, but critical to understand because they represent 60 percent of drug targets. Studies of membrane proteins could lead to new and improved pharmaceutical treatments for a broad range of illnesses such as depression, heart disease, addictions and cystic fibrosis.
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Cindy Wesolowski
Regional Coordinator
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Letter from the Regional Coordinator
I hope you all enjoyed the FLC national meeting in Minneapolis as much as I did. I know that at least one of you referred to it as “the best meeting ever!” I’m hoping that our regional meeting in Nashville, October 25-27 will meet the same high standard. We are currently inviting speakers and will be finalizing the agenda shortly. I hope all of you can attend what I’m sure will be an informative meeting. Read more
Upcoming Conferences and Events
- LES Intellectual Asset Management Training – Fundamentals & Intermediate Levels
- 8th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR Conference
- AUTM Central Regional Meeting
- Nano & Bio in Society Conference
- August Tech Forum
- LES 2006 Annual Meeting
- Michigan Technology Conference 2006
- BIO Mid-America VentureForum
AFIT's Director of Sponsored Programs Receives Distinguished Service Award
Congratulations to Pam Vargas, AFIT/ENRS, on receiving the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from Region IV of the National Council of University Research Administrators.
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