Brown’s Center for the Capture and Conversion of CO₂ aims to make the chemical industry more sustainable. Currently, many of the most used chemicals in the world are made with fossil fuels as a carbon source, a process that emits tons of greenhouse gases. The Brown center brings together chemists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists in an effort to use existing CO₂ as a carbon source instead of fossil fuels. The initial research is promising:

• Gold nanoparticles give an edge in recycling CO₂
• CO₂ could produce valuable chemical cheaply

Brown’s Advanced Baby Imaging Lab uses a unique MRI technique to image white matter in the brains of babies and toddlers. The lab brings together engineers with psychologists to shed new light on the way brains develop very early in life:

• Breastfeeding associated with better brain development
• Brain anatomy and language in young children
• Brain imaging differences in infants at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s

As the use of nanotechnology continues to emerge, Brown engineers are working with biologists understand how these new materials might affect human health:

• Why carbon nanotubes spell trouble for cells
• Jagged graphene edges slice and dice cell membranes
• Argyria: How silver turns people blue

Tiny biochips help in detecting viruses and measuring glucose levels:

• A smarter way to track influenza
• Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood

An acoustic analyzer developed at Brown may one day help pediatricians detect neurological problems by finding tiny differences in babies’ cries:

• Baby cry analyzer looks for clues to baby health