Systems Briefs

Measuring flight patterns in a water channel
A bumblebee can beat its wings 130 times a second and a hummingbird 200 times, all the while darting and accelerating as no man-made machine can.

Single-crystal genesis of turbine blade repair
The blades powering the turbines of jet engines and power plants are expensive, so companies try to make them last as long as possible. Eventually, though, the blades must be replaced due to damage from wear, erosion or fatigue.

With DOE, Neti helps plants cut energy bills
Rising costs of oil and natural gas are putting the squeeze not only on homeowners and drivers but also on manufacturing plants, which typically spend 10% to 13% of their operational costs on energy.

A semantic boost for Web users
Go to an Internet search engine and ask for a list of researchers who have received NSF grants and who work at universities in states with fewer than 1 million residents.