Neutrinos are among the most elusive particles known to man, yet these tiny elements have been giving scientists big headaches for many years. In fact the word neutrino, which even sounds small, is an Italian diminutive invented by the scientist Enrico Fermi.
Dr. Viola Acoff, associate professor of metallurgical and materials engineering, and Dr. Nagy El-Kaddah, professor of metallurgical and materials engineering, have had recent success in developing a model that accurately predicts how the microstructures of intermetallic compounds change when various welding parameters are used.
Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in his X-1 research plane in 1947, and today, scientists at NASA are developing and testing new propulsion systems on the Hyper-X (or X-43) research plane to propel airplanes and spacecraft to hypersonic velocities (velocities greater than five times the speed of sound).
With the help of the famed Hubble Space Telescope, University of Alabama astronomers have continued to uncover some impressive findings, with groundbreaking discoveries being presented separately this year to the prestigious American Astronomical Association. From the discovery of two galaxies that collided millions of years ago, to a star-forming ring that resembles a race track in form and function, the continued work of UA’s researchers is creating new levels of understanding about the cosmos for scientists and lay people alike.