Research
http://plato.la.asu.edu/guide.html
H.D. Mittelmann from the Department of Math and Statistics at Arizona State University and P. Spellucci from Department of Mathematics at Technical University Darmstadt have posted this guide entitled, Decision Tree for Optimization Software. The guide "aims at helping you identify ready to use solutions for your optimization problem, or at least to find some way to build such a solution using work done by others." The online document is organized into sections covering specific software problems, a collection of test results and performance tests, and example files to use with existing software. The authors also list information on available books and tutorials, some of which are online, as well as various software tools to assist in formulating an optimization problem or simplifying its solution. Those tools listed in the Web-submission section are available to try directly via the Internet. [VF]
Mathematical BBS, which began in 1993, is managed by a team of academics at the University of Ferrara. From this portal site, visitors can find links to associations, departments, commercial organizations, journals, and personal homepages relating to various topics in mathematics. The links are organized by topic and then by resource type and discipline. Some topics include bioinformatics, medical informatics, mathematical modelling in biochemistry, explorative statistics, genetic algorithms, neural nets, cluster analysis, random numbers, Lindenmayer systems, finite neighborhood spaces, and programming in computer sciences. The collection includes many websites from Europe, Canada, and the United States. The authors have also compiled a listing of newspapers and book publishers and sellers worldwide. [VF]
The Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) at Mississippi State University researches and develops "manufacturing and design means and methods for producing vehicles of superior quality with advanced features and functions at reduced costs and shorter product development times, exploiting the underlying technologies for broader industrial use." In the Alternative Power link, users can find Microsoft PowerPoint presentations illustrating CAVS projects with fuel cell and hydrogen powered vehicles. The website describes the Computational Manufacturing and Design Thrust project's incorporation of solid mechanics, materials, physics, and applied mathematics to improve the automotive industry as well as national defense laboratories, aerospace industry, and other governmental laboratories. Visitors can also learn about the current projects associated with traditional engineering disciplines of the Human and Systems Engineering group. [RME]
http://aerade.cranfield.ac.uk/
Cranfield University offers access to over 5,000 quality aerospace and defense resources at this website. Users can easily search the materials by keyword, an alphabetical list, or by subject headings. Armed forces can find a special collection of military and defense sources at DEVISE, a customized subset of the main database. The website furnishes archives of historical reports from the Aeronautical Research Council and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Researchers can find the latest news, employment opportunities, and information about upcoming conferences and events related to aerospace and defense. [RME]
http://abruna.chem.cornell.edu/fuelcell/home.html
The Fuel Cell Institute at Cornell University takes "An Advanced Materials Approach to Fuel Cell Technologies." Materials experts at the Institute are examining ways to improve the efficiency of the main components of a low temperature (< 150°C) fuel cell and adapt reformer catalysts for low temperature operation. The website reviews some of the basics on fuel cells and identifies the remaining research challenges, including questions regarding the materials used in the main components of a fuel cell, such as the anode, the cathode, membrane assembly and, the reformer. These components and their research approach are described further, along with pictures and diagrams to illustrate the processes. Recent publications are available to download. [VF]
Nanotech is a nanofabrication facility located at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It offers expertise in "compound semiconductor-based device fabrication, encompassing the full range of processes including lithography, thin film deposition, and etching." The website describes the facility and lists some of the research projects involving fabrication that were performed there. Some of the research summaries include links to further research for more information on the topic. Note that the summaries should be viewed using recent versions of Internet Explorer. [VF]
