Research Magazine

For almost 40 years, the complete photographic record from the Apollo moon project sat in a freezer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Now, scientists at Arizona State University and NASA are working together to create a new digital archive. High-resolution scans of the original Apollo flight films will be available publicly on the Internet. --by Robert Burnham

The citizens of the United States own millions of acres of national parks and forests. This shared commonwealth transforms places like the Grand Canyon into active arenas of participatory citizenship as well as milestones in landscape conservation. Scholars at ASU have teamed up with the Grand Canyon Association to share the beauty and history of the canyon with visitors, armchair travelers and schools.--by Adelheid Fischer

For Roy Curtiss it's always been about the people. The people he works with, the people he collaborates with; the people he learns from, the people he teaches; the people he is trying to help through his research. These days that research focuses on new vaccines for the most needy. --by Skip Derra

Paul Davies likes the big questions. The bigger the better. As director of ASU's BEYOND Center, his job is to ask and explore the fundamental questions of our existence. Are we alone in the universe? Is there more than one universe? Is time travel possible? And more. --by Diane Boudreau

Humans have a set of built-in chemical-detection devices. For example, the nose identifies chemicals by their smells. The tongue identifies chemicals by their tastes. Computers, on the other hand, do not have this skill. Researchers at ASU are hoping to allow computers to interact with the chemical world using nano-sized sensors that recognize molecules. --by Linley Erin Hall

The Electromagnetic Anechoic Chamber. It doesn't sound like a place you would choose to enter voluntarily. But for Constantine Balanis, it's the ultimate playroom. Experiments in the dark chamber shed light on the workings of electromagnetic waves. --by Joe Kullman

Charon is very cold place. Frigid geysers spew material up through cracks in the crust of Pluto's companion world. Charon just might be the equivalent of an outer solar system ice machine, according to Jason Cook. --by Robert Burnham

Smart cars and smart phones already exist. Engineers at ASU say that making antenna systems ‘smarter' promises to further expand the horizons of the wireless communications world. --by Joe Kullman

Kids who participate in ASU's Young Writers Program feel good about what they are doing. They enjoy their success and revel in the positive reinforcement they get for their ideas. They learn that their lives are worth writing about. --by Sheilah Britton

Lots of people want to do right by the small blue planet we call home. Protecting our world is no small concern for the people who create the toasters, cell phones, automobiles, and medical equipment that we use every day. To practice sustainability, product designers must juggle a mind-boggling array of variables to create even the simplest products. --by Adelheid Fischer