The University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is spearheading the IFE-STAR ecosystem, an initiative supported by a $2.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. This program is set to reshape the future of inertial fusion energy (IFE) by bringing together experts from academia, national laboratories, and industry while investing in the next generation of researchers. Central to this effort are two transformative programs: the inaugural IFE-STAR conference, taking place April 7-11, 2025, in Breckenridge, Colorado, where leading scientists will address the most pressing challenges and advancements in fusion research, and the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), which will immerse students in hands-on research alongside top IFE scientists at over 20 institutions. These initiatives are designed to drive meaningful progress in fusion energy science while cultivating the talent essential for its future.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Tickle College of Engineering has been awarded a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for a groundbreaking project led by UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair for Nuclear Materials Steve Zinkle.

Harvard engineering researchers have developed carbon capture systems that use molecules called quinones, dissolved in water, as their capturing compounds. A new study in Nature Chemical Engineering provides critical insights into the mechanisms of carbon capture in these safer, gentler, water-based electrochemical systems, paving the way for their further refinement. 

A new tool could make it easier to study scarce plant molecules. Researchers co-led by the University of California San Diego have developed so-called microbial cell factories—using E. coli and yeast—to produce a special class of plant hormones, known as strigolactones, at unprecedented levels. By amplifying production of strigolactones, which occur in such low amounts in plants, researchers now have the ability to study these elusive plant molecules in much greater depth than before. The work could help improve sustainable agricultural practices by offering deeper insights into how plants make and use their natural hormones to adapt and survive.  

Two new papers document progress in neuroprosthetic technology that lets people feel the shape and movement of objects moving over the "skin" of a bionic hand.

Resembling the interlocking links in chainmail, novel nanoscale material is incredibly strong and flexible. The interlocked material contains 100 trillion mechanical bonds per 1 square centimeter — the highest density of mechanical bonds ever achieved. Small amounts of the mechanically interlocked polymer added to Ultem fibers increased the high-performance material's toughness.