Wisconsin Advanced Technology Advocates, Inc.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., April 17 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say a new technique could harvest energy from hot pipes or engine components to recover energy wasted in factories, power plants and cars.

Scientists at Purdue University say they've used nanotechnology techniques to coat glass fibers with a new "thermoelectric" material they developed.

When thermoelectric materials are heated on one side, electrons flow to the cooler side, generating an electrical current.

Fibers treated in this manner could be wrapped around industrial pipes in factories and power plants, as well as on car engines and automotive exhaust systems, to recapture much of the wasted energy, the researchers said.

Full story.

By Kathleen Gallagher of the Journal Sentinel

The University of Wisconsin-Madison crossed the $1 billion mark in research spending in fiscal 2010 and held its place as the third-biggest research institution in the country, according to new figures released by the National Science Foundation.

UW-Madison spent $1.03 billion on research in 2010, with about half of that coming from federal government funding, according to the agency, which collects the data for all U.S. academic institutions. The agency for the first time ever asked schools to break out the amount of funding that came from nonprofit institutions.

UW-Madison got $131.4 million of its research funding from nonprofits. It also received $11.6 million from businesses, the lowest among the top 10 research universities on the list.

Full story.