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from the issue of January 11, 2007
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Researchers rate in Discover
BY TOM SIMONS, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
For the second time in three years, UNL faculty members figure in two of Discover magazine's top 100 science stories of the year.
The magazine ranked ecological research that involved biologist Johannes "John" Knops as the No. 62 science story in 2006, and a touch sensor developed by chemical engineer Ravi Saraf, and his doctoral student, Vivek Maheshwari, as the No. 95 story. The list is published in Discover's January issue. UNL scientists were also involved in two of the top 100 stories in 2004.
"This is great," said Prem Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research. "Our faculty are doing terrific work in many areas. Having some of that work recognized in a major science magazine reflects the high quality of our research."
Knops' research was part of a long-term ecological study at the University of Minnesota's Cedar Creek Natural History Area and demonstrated the importance of biodiversity in ecosystems. The scientists seeded large plots with one or a group of two, four, eight or 16 plants chosen from perennial grassland species. Over a 10-year period, they measured the amount of new growth generated by all species in each plot from year to year and found that the more diverse plots were not only more productive, but more stable. They were much less prone to large drops in productivity from year to year than less-diverse plots.
Knops and his colleagues announced their findings in the Oct. 26 issue of Nature. David Wedin, associate professor of plant and ecosystem ecology at UNL, was also involved in the Cedar Creek experiment during most of its run.
While most of the stories in Discover's top 100 resulted from work by large, often international teams, Saraf and Maheshwari's touch sensor was one of a handful produced by a small group working at one institution. The sensor could give surgeons the ability to detect cancer at the single-cell level, and provide artificial skin to give robots a sense of touch. Saraf and Maheshwari announced their discovery in the June 9 issue of Science.
In addition, UNL alumnus Jay Keasling of the University of California, Berkeley, had Discover's No. 6 story. Keasling, who was named Discover's scientist of the year in the magazine's December issue, led a team that combined the genes of three different microbes to develop a potentially lifesaving organism. The microbe produces a precursor to artemisinin, a compound used to treat malaria.
Finally, UNL scientists and engineers are heavily involved Discover's No. 1 story, though it's one too widespread for any single institution to claim ownership - the development of alternative energy sources. In March, UNL and the Nebraska Public Power District announced a partnership to form the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research, which funds research projects aimed at developing domestic energy resources and improving energy efficiency. The center's director is Ken Cassman, a professor of agronomy whose work on the effects of global warming on rice production was part of Discover's No. 68 story in 2004. Also in 2004, UNL physicists Dan Claes and Greg Snow were part of an international team that established the mass of the top quark, Discover's No. 57 story.
GO TO: ISSUE OF JANUARY 11
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