NASA’s Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program has awarded a one-year, $100,000 contract to Clarkson University, DEM Solutions Inc., and Jenike & Johanson to provide a new generation of Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) for designing equipment to move and store bulk solids.

NASA has specialized needs in modeling of bulk solid systems, such as designing equipment to operate in lunar or Martian environments. Researchers at Clarkson will be working to overcome the limited computational intensive nature of the DEM software and establish a methodology to determine the particle properties to accurately model bulk granular materials. Examples of these materials are cryogenic insulation material used in storage tanks for the space shuttle fuel and geomaterials like lunar soil.

For more information, click here.

Each month, the editors of NASA Tech Briefs (NTB) select a Product of the Month, and from those 12, we ask our readers to select a Product of the Year. On April 23, at a special reception and dinner in New York City, the top three products that were chosen by our readers as the most significant in 2006 will be recognized:

Dewetron (Charlestown, RI), for the DA-130 ruggedized notebook
computer.

Z Corporation (Burlington, MA), for the ZScanner(TM) 700 handheld,
self-positioning 3D scanner.

Adobe Systems (San Jose, CA), for the Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) 3D software.

For more information about the 2006 Product of the Year winners, see page 8 of the April issue of NTB, or click here.

The winners of the fifth annual Emhart Teknologies “Create the Future” Design Contest have been announced. The awards will be presented on April 23 during a dinner reception at the beautiful Water Club in New York City.

The contest, co-sponsored by NASA Tech Briefs, COMSOL, and SolidWorks Corp., attracted an unprecedented number of entries from engineering professionals, students, and the general public from the United States and 40 other countries around the globe. The following innovations were selected to receive the contest’s grand prize and first prize:

The Grand Prize of a hybrid automobile or $20,000 will be presented to David A. Torrey of Advanced Energy Conversion LLC (AEC, Malta, NY) for the AEC Integrated Motor/Pump. The pump provides for the dual use of parts by integrating the rotor of the electric motor with the impeller of the pump in a common housing. Average energy requirements may be significantly reduced by employing controlled flow as allowed by variable speed pump operation independent of engine speed.

First-Prize winner Buck Albritton of GearMax (Ashland, VA) will receive a Panasonic 42″ plasma TV for his Grip Handle tool. Co-developed with Gene Albritton, the tool allows the user to carry heavier loads with a better grip, while saving their back. The tool is placed against the load at a comfortable position for lifting, the movable grip pad slides next to the load, and the load is ready to lift by the handle.

For more information on all of the contest winners, click here. Be sure to check out the special contest winners’ section beginning on page 11 of the April issue of NASA Tech Briefs.

Nanotech Briefs® magazine is accepting nominations for its third annual Nano 50 awards competition. The Nano 50 recognizes the top 50 technologies, innovators, and products with the greatest potential to advance the commercialization of nanotechnology.

There is no cost to submit a nomination. All nominations must be submitted by April 2, 2007. Entries will be judged by an independent, expert panel, and awards will be presented at a special Nano 50 awards dinner, to be held in November 2007 at NASA Tech Briefs National Nano Engineering Conference in Boston.

For complete rules and to submit a nomination, visit the official Web site.

Nanotech Briefs(R) magazine is now accepting nominations for its third annual Nano 50 awards competition. The Nano 50 recognizes the top 50
technologies, innovators, and products with the greatest potential to advance the commercialization of nanotechnology.

There is no cost to submit a nomination. All nominations must be submitted by APRIL 2, 2007. Entries will be judged by an independent, expert panel,
and awards will be presented at a special Nano 50 awards dinner, to be held in November 2007 at NASA Tech Briefs National Nano Engineering Conference
in Boston.

For complete rules and to submit a nomination, visit the official Web site.