It's hard to believe that 2024 is drawing to a close—and what a year it has been! At the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
, the past 12 months have seen revolutionary breakthroughs from researchers working to cure devastating diseases, mitigate the effects of climate change, address persistent disparities in society, and probe enduring questions about the universe.
In this issue of Revolutionary Research Insider, we share a year-in-review of research at UMass Amherst. #ICYMI, here are just some of the ways that faculty and student researchers are working to advance the common good.
- Creating a unique robotic hip exoskeleton to train stroke survivors to improve walking function (and to inspire the next generation of performance-enhancing activewear for runners of all skill levels).
- Demonstrating in mice an effective new treatment to combat pancreatic cancer.
- Designing infrastructure to support future city-scale quantum networks to build the internet of the future.
- Inventing a new sprayable delivery system for psoriasis medication to be applied easily and locally to psoriasis lesions.
- Working to dramatically shrink the steel industry's carbon footprint by making greenhouse gas data more transparent, trustworthy, and available.
- Discovering that zinc oxide nanoparticles may hold the key to safeguarding rice crops from rising temperatures due to climate change.
- Inventing a durable, chalk-based fabric coating that cools the air underneath treated clothing by up to 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Protecting workers whose jobs require intense physical activity, often in hot, humid conditions, from dehydration and workplace accidents by developing a device for monitoring sweat and hydration.
- Building a tissue-like bioelectronic mesh system that can grow along with cardiac tissue, allowing for the possibility of comprehensive heart monitoring.
- Orchestrating successful collaboration among robots, with the goal of improving manufacturing, agriculture, and warehouse automation.
- Demonstrating that a simple homemade play putty can effectively read brain, heart, muscle and eye activity, paving the way for new flexible, cost-effective biometric sensors.
- Probing the origins of the universe by heading up the ATLAS experiment, the world's largest particle collider experiment.
Happy new year, and stay tuned for more exciting research and innovation from UMass Amherst in 2025!
Like what you read here? Visit our website to explore more UMass Amherst research and innovation, or sign up to receive the Revolutionary Research e-newsletter in your inbox four times a year for more great news, stories, and profiles of researchers.
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