antioxidants and other naturally occurring chemicals.” She and Dr. Yust have shown that spent grounds can be used to create gold and silver nanoparticles — which have unique properties that are essential for products ranging from food packaging to medical imaging. “Today, nanoparticle synthesis uses hazardous chemicals and creates toxic by-products,” Dr. Yust says. “But we’ve found that just 2 grams of spent grounds can be used to create varied nanoparticle shapes and sizes without corrosive chemicals. And we’re identifying other ways to make highly productive use of spent coffee grounds.” “Waste wool” is left over from the million-plus tons of wool used in consumer and industrial products each year. It’s estimated that hundreds of thousands of tons of it go to landfills each year. Jefferson engineering researchers Brian George, PhD, and Ryan Masoodi, PhD, are working to turn wool waste into commercially viable products. “The methods we’re developing could be applied to many kinds of textile wastes and used for an array of products,” Dr. George explains. He and Dr. Masoodi are especially pleased about their project’s potential to spark new businesses and jobs: They’ve been collaborating with local companies to test specific commercial uses of fabric types being developed. However, all of the products they’ll develop will be designed for long-term use, so they don’t quickly show up in waste dumps. Rewiring Rabies Jefferson vaccine researcher Matthias Schnell, PhD, has long studied the often lethal rabies virus; his discoveries have led to more effective vaccines for both humans and animals. Not content with countering the rabies virus, he’s used it to create vaccines for many other lifethreatening conditions, including major threats such as Ebola and Marburg diseases. A current Lassa fever vaccine now in initial clinical trials uses a modified rabies virus to train the immune system to fight both Lassa and rabies. Another vaccine in development aims to protect cattle against the H5N1 avian flu and help prevent its transmission from cows to humans. Seeing Sounds of Nature Jefferson visual communication and information designer Renee Walker, MFA, studies how to present information in emotionally engaging and easily understandable ways. But she worries about the demands on our visual energy made by our extensive interactions with screens. Her research is focusing on how the next generation of designers might create digital experiences that are more multisensory, incorporating sound, vision and touch. “Designing for a range of sensory experiences could allow people to tap into senses they might overlook and deepen their awareness of our surroundings and nature,” she explains. To test that idea, Walker and two of her students created a multifaceted digital technology that translates bird song into varied sensory inputs presenting information such as the bird’s color, physical description and type. Now, she’s expanding her work to explore multisensory ways of receiving information such as weather updates and forecasts. “Ultimately, I hope this work shows that sensory data used in digital design and tools can better connect us to each other and our surroundings,” she explains. Discover more about Jefferson’s life-changing research in our annual publication Jefferson.edu/Research
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