We feel it at the pump. Fuel prices are at record highs and so is the demand for alternative fuels. But major scientific and technological advances are still required before economically viable alternative fuels become a significant part of the U.S. energy supply.

Researchers across the Georgia Institute of Technology campus are focusing their attention on biofuels. And while most experts agree that biofuels are not the silver bullet to solve the worlds long-term fuel needs, they see biofuels as a necessary complement to conventional oil and gas.

Biofuel research at Georgia Tech intensified in 2004 with the launch of the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), created to enable, facilitate and coordinate programs related to energy research and education.

More : gatech.edu

The California Institute of Technology has been selected as the regional site in the ninth annual Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

The Siemens Competition is one of the premier science and mathematics, research-based competitions in the nation for high-school students. The competition, renowned for its rigorous academic and judging standards, and for its emphasis on authentic scientific research, was established by the Siemens Foundation in partnership with the College Board in 1999.

High-school students may compete individually or in teams to conduct research projects in science, mathematics, engineering, technology, or a combination of these disciplines.

More : coremg.net

Companies associated with Georgia Techs science and technology incubator have raised more than a billion dollars in venture capital since 1999 - and in 2006 accounted for 10 of the top 25 venture deals in Georgia, including the two largest.

The incubator, the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), has turned out 112 science and technology companies since 1986 - including 31 that have been represented on the public markets through IPOs or acquisitions.

At a May 10 event held to showcase the incubators companies, ATDC graduated six early-stage firms - three Internet companies, two semiconductor firms and a developer of homeland security technology. Together, those six early-stage firms raised more than $50 million while in the incubator.

More : earthtimes.org

Three decades separate Arnold residents Jo-Anne Vazquez, 47, and Heather Franceschini, 17.

At first glance, they dont seem to have much in common. But, a closer look reveals two strong women, dedicated to pursing their goals - with side jobs serving food.

Recently, several dozen women applauded the two as they accepted a gift to help them better achieve their dreams.

More : hometownannapolis.com

Last Saturday, a scarlet drone circled in the air, descending to only 5 m above reclaimed land along the west shore of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. It was the maiden flight of the SNUGL, an unmanned aerial vehicle with a GPS receiver made by Seoul National University research team. Prof. Kee Chang-don and students of SNUs School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering developed technology which allows unmanned aerial vehicle to take off and land by using only GPS. It took six years, 200 test flights and five crashes to make their dream come true.

On May 10, the research team attended a meeting of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Sonoma, California. Many scientists were surprised when Prof. Kee announced, We succeeded in starting and landing of unmanned aerial vehicle with only a single GPS receiver without inertial sensors. Five hundred aerospace engineers and airline staffers looked as if they couldnt believe it.

Inertial sensors are prohibitively expensive devices to sense information about the UAVs motions, and it was considered impossible for an aerial vehicle to lift off and land automatically without one. Many experts looked astonished when the research team showed video footage of the UAVs successful takeoff and landing. Kees team did it by developing technology that can calculate the drones motion including tilt based on GPS information like location, altitude and speed.

More : english.chosun.com

-EADS backing of advanced aerospace research at U.S. universities and colleges has been further expanded with $200,000 in funding to support technological development for EADS North Americas Fairchild Controls Corporation subsidiary.

The new contributions of $100,000 each for the University of Alabama, Huntsville and Georgia Institute of Technology cover 12-month research activities, with options for additional year-long grants of the same amount based on study work achievements. Fairchild Controls is investing its own resources – matching these cash contributions nearly dollar-for-dollar in technical and administrative support from the company.

EADS grant for the University of Alabama supports evaluations for the next generation of high-power airborne electronics, while the Georgia Institute of Technologys activity focuses on prognostics and diagnostics for environmental control units used on aircraft and military ground vehicles.

More : home.businesswire.com

Hong Kong team wins WFU elevator competition

Students from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology took top honors in Wake Forest University’s annual MBA Elevator Competition for their plan for a device that distinguishes between acute bacterial or viral infections.

The Hong Kong team is the first international competitor to enter the seven-year-old event, during which budding entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to judges in a two-minute elevator ride meant to simulate the need to be clear and concise when dealing with investors.

A team from Wake Forest University also made the finals with its pitch for AudioFusion, which has a technology to retrain the brain to tune out tinnitus through a combination of sound therapy and directive counseling. Other finalists were from Harvard University and the University of Georgia.

More: bizjournals.com