UH engineers making AI faster, reducing power consumption

Team invents new thin film materials based on Nobel Prize winning methods

University of Houston

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Alamgir Karim, University of Houston Dow Chair and Welch Foundation Professor at the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, developed a revolutionary new thin-film material that promises to make AI devices significantly faster while dramatically cutting energy consumption. 

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Credit: University of Houston

Addressing the staggering power and energy demands of artificial intelligence, engineers at the University of Houston have developed a revolutionary new thin-film material that promises to make AI devices significantly faster while dramatically cutting energy consumption.  

The breakthrough, detailed in the journal ACS Nano, introduces a specialized two-dimensional (2D) thin film dielectric - or an electric insulator - designed to replace traditional, heat generating components in integrated circuit chips. This new thin film material, which does not store electricity, will help reduce the significant energy cost and heat produced by the high-performance computing necessary for AI. 

“AI has made our energy needs explode,” said Alamgir Karim, Dow Chair and Welch Foundation Professor at the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UH. “Many AI data centers employ vast cooling systems that consume large amounts of electricity to keep the thousands of servers with integrated circuit chips running optimally at low temperatures to maintain high data processing speed, have shorter response time and extend chip lifetime.”  

The solution: “Low-k” electronic material 

To keep a lid on power usage while improving performance, Karim and his former doctoral student, Maninderjeet Singh, used Nobel winning organic framework materials to develop these dielectric films.  

“These next-generation materials are expected to boost the performance of AI and conventional electronics devices significantly,” said Singh, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University who developed these materials during his doctoral training at UH, in collaboration with Devin Shaffer, a UH professor of civil engineering and doctoral student, Erin Schroeder. 

Not all dielectrics are created equally. Those with high permittivity, or high-k, store more electrical energy and dissipate more of it as heat than those with low-k materials. So, Karim focused on low-k materials made from light elements like carbon, known as lightweight covalent organic frameworks, which speed up signals and reduce delays. 

“Low-k materials are base insulators that support integrated circuit conductors carrying high speed and high frequency electrical signals with low power consumption (i.e. high-efficiency because chips can run cooler and faster!) and also low interference (signal cross talk),” said Karim. 

The team created the new material with carbon and other light elements forming covalently bonded sheetlike films with highly porous crystalline structures. Then, along with another student, Saurabh Tiwary, they studied their electronic properties for next generation low-k applications in devices.  

“Incorporation of low-k materials into integrated circuit devices has the tremendous potential to greatly lower power consumption by the booming AI data centers growth. We discovered that the 2D sheets had an ultralow dielectric constant and ultrahigh electrical breakdown strength needed for high-voltage operation for high power devices, with good thermal stability even at elevated device operating temperatures,” reported Karim and Singh. 

To create the films, Shaffer and Schroeder used a method called synthetic interfacial polymerization, where molecules are dissolved into two liquids that don’t mix and end up stitching molecular building blocks to form the strong crystalline layered sheets. It is a method discovered by 2025 Chemistry Nobel Prize winners Omar M. Yaghi, UC Berkeley professor of chemistry, and other Nobel colleagues. 

The research was funded by the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Foundation New Direction program. 

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Journal

ACS Nano

Article Title

Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Framework Films for High Dielectric Strength Electrically and Thermo-Mechanically Stable Low Permittivity Dielectrics

 

Striped bass are struggling; UMass Amherst biologists know how to help

Reducing air exposure, fight times, water temps, as well as increasing angler education, are key to a sustainable fishery

University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Principal author Grace Casselberry tests the body flex reflex prior to releasing a striped bass with an accelerometer data logger to monitor post-release swimming behavior.

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Credit: Andy Danylchuk

Amherst, Mass. — While there are only four official seasons in the year, anglers in the Northeast recognize a fifth: striper season, the months from May to November when striped bass, which can grow up to 100 pounds and are renowned for their fight once hooked, migrate along the coastal waters between the Chesapeake and Canadian Maritimes within range of thousands of fishing lures. But the fishery, which generated approximately $13 billion in economic activity along the Eastern seaboard in 2016, is crashing, despite the fact that the vast majority of bass caught by recreational anglers are released back into the ocean.

A pair of recent papers, led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in Fisheries Research and Marine and Coastal Fisheries, sought to comprehensively pinpoint which catch-and-release fishing practices pose a considerable risk to striped bass, and to show that there’s a mismatch between what anglers know about catch-and-release best practices and how this knowledge translates into action once on the water.

“Striped bass are one of, if not the most sought-after species of fish in New England and the Eastern seaboard,” says Grace Casselberry, a postdoctoral researcher at UMass Amherst and one of the principal authors of the two recent studies. “Especially in Cape Cod, where we conducted the majority of our research, stripers are an integral part of the local industry and culture.”

Despite their popularity, “many orders of magnitude more stripers are caught by recreational anglers than commercial fishers,” says Andy Danylchuk, professor of fish conservation at UMass Amherst and the paper’s senior author. And because of conservation and management measures meant to maintain or even rebuild striper stocks, not all that are caught are kept.

Although a growing proportion of stripers are thrown back by anglers, the fishery is in danger of collapse. To determine the reasons, the UMass team sought to examine not only the effect of catch-and-release fishing on the stripers, but also get a detailed look at how anglers handle the fish.

Teaming up with guides, fishing clubs and fishing tournament contestants—“research anglers,” Danylchuk calls these rod-toting community scientists—lead author Olivia Dinkelacker, who completed this research as part of her Master’s research at UMass Amherst, Casselberry, Danylchuk and their coauthors caught 521 striped bass over two years using a variety of conventional equipment and lures, from flies and flyrods to surfcasting rigs and long, fishlike lures dangling with three-pronged treble hooks.

The team measured how long it took to reel the striper in once it was hooked. Once landed, they gave it a quick set of reflex tests—a good prediction of fish stress and potential mortality—which would be repeated just before release. The stripers were divided into groups that remained out of the water for 0, 10, 30, 60 and 120 seconds before being thrown back.

This was the first time that air exposure was scientifically and systematically tested to see its effects on striped bass.

A subset of 37 fish were fitted with a “triaxial accelerometer biologger” velcroed to them and attached to fishing line. They were allowed to swim free for 20 minutes, then the team would retrieve the loggers and record the data, such as the fish’s acceleration and distance it swam.

They discovered that air exposure was the most significant factor influencing striped bass stress and post-release swimming activity. Higher water temperatures, fighting for longer periods of time and getting hooked somewhere other than in the jaw all increased their recovery time.

Fish released immediately or after only 10 seconds retained most of their reflexes and recovered quickly, Casselberry said, adding that “stripers that had been out of the water for 60 seconds took 8–10 minutes to swim similarly to the low air exposure group.”

In addition to finding fish out of water for 120 never fully recovered during the 20 minute monitoring time, they also found that the bigger the fish, the greater toll of being hooked, landed and released.  Reducing angler impacts on big fish, particularly females, is critical to the future of the population.

The team’s findings suggest what many anglers already suspected: using lures or flies with single hooks, reducing fight and handling times, limiting air exposure and avoiding fishing during periods of high water temperatures are all key to preserving striped bass.

But how well is this knowledge being applied on the water?

Dinkelacker, Casselberry, Danylchuk and colleagues devised and distributed a comprehensive survey to wide swath of striper anglers, garnering 1,651 participants who mostly fished in Massachusetts. The fishermen were grouped according to fishing method: conventional rod and tackle (57.4%) or fly fishing gear (42.6%).

Anglers ranked what they thought were most harmful to striped bass, from air exposure to fish size, and how often they engaged in catch-and-release best practices, among other questions.

The results revealed a consistent pattern showing that fly anglers were generally more conservation minded, showed a greater engagement in conservation practices, were more concerned about threats to the striped bass and voiced more support for stricter management practices. This was particularly true for air exposure, where a greater proportion of conventional anglers reported removing fish from the water than fly anglers.

Still, researchers say that anglers are some of the striper’s best stewards, and that better, science-driven education is key to a healthy fishery.

“Thanks to the participation of so many research anglers throughout the Northeast, we now know the best scientifically backed practices to help conserve the stripers,” says Danylchuk. “Grassroots conservation efforts and fisheries management and policy has to be squarely informed by sound science, otherwise the striper stocks will remain in peril.”

Funding for this research was provided by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Sea Grant.

A media kit with photos and full caption and credit information is available here.

 

Contacts: Grace Casselberry, gcasselberry@umass.edu

                 Daegan Miller, drmiller@umass.edu

 

About the University of Massachusetts Amherst 

The flagship of the commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land-grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450-acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued—and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges and 100 undergraduate majors.  

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Journal

Marine and Coastal Fisheries

DOI

10.1093/mcfafs/vtaf042 

Article Title

Understanding beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of anglers in the Striped Bass recreational fishery along the Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Day 2 of the 13th World Conference of Science Journalists: Advancing science journalism for society and global impact

World Conference of Science Journalists 2025

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The second day of the 13th World Conference of Science Journalists unfolded today at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Tshwane, South Africa -  gathering over 450 science journalists, experts, and stakeholders from around the world to engage on the critical role of science journalism in promoting resilience and social justice.

The conference, themed “Science Journalism and Social Justice – our role in promoting resilience,” continues to emphasise the vital ecosystem between science, society, collaboration, and global impact, with a special focus on Africa’s unique contributions and challenges.

Honourable Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande, South Africa’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, honoured the event with his presence, reinforcing the national commitment to science engagement and the strategic role of science journalism in societal development. “Hosting this prestigious conference in Africa is a proud moment for South Africa and presents an opportunity to harness science as an instrument for social justice,” said Minister Nzimande. His attendance underscores the government's dedication to science, innovation, and the medis role in advancing informed public discourse.

Lynne Smit, Senior Editor at Nature Africa and local organising committee member, reflected on the power of this platform: “Day 2 has demonstrated the depth of conversation and urgent need to reclaim trust amid a complex ecosystem of misinformation. The sessions today have empowered journalists to deliver factual, clear science, fostering public understanding and resilience.”

Engela Duvenage, Conference Director and chair of the programme committee, added, “The challenges we face with misinformation require a global, collaborative response. Today’s sessions highlighted innovative strategies and tools that science journalists across regions employ to combat falsehoods that threaten public health and environmental policies.”

The conference purpose extends beyond knowledge sharing; it embodies a commitment to strengthening the global and African science journalism ecosystem. This ecosystem forms a crucial bridge connecting science to society, encouraging collaborations that support resilience and informed decision-making worldwide.

By spotlighting topics from science journalism, communication infrastructure to social justice impacts, the conference advocates for a science-literate society where public policies are shaped by robust, transparent scientific discourse.

 

New research reveals chemical process that may have sparked life on Earth

Discovery by U of A scientists provides a missing piece in an evolutionary puzzle

University of Alberta

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University of Alberta geochemists have discovered a missing piece to one of the great mysteries of science — the origin of life on Earth.

That fateful spark is believed to have occurred on the ocean’s floor, fuelled by warm, mineral-rich hydrothermal vents. But scientists have long puzzled over how the right fertilizer — particularly the forms of carbon and nitrogen necessary to create and sustain life — could have existed without the benefit of the sun.

After analyzing rock samples from hydrothermal vents drilled over a depth of about 200 metres into the crust in the South China Sea, Long Li and his team in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences found evidence of a chemical process — called abiotic nitrogen reduction (ANR), a reaction driven by minerals as catalyst — that likely produced the necessary nutrients for life. A key part of those is ammonium, says Li, crucial for the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds to develop the first life.

The results of their discovery — in collaboration with a group at the South China Institute of Oceanography — were published Nov. 28 in Nature Communications.

“This definitely fills in the gap for the first-step reaction in the origin of life,” says Li. “People have searched for this reaction for a long time, but this is the first time we have convincing evidence to show it is occurring on Earth, and probably did occur on early Earth as well.”

Laboratory experiments have demonstrated the ANR reaction before, but finding its telltale signature in the ocean itself proved difficult, say the study’s authors, because of sample contamination by the modern biological nitrogen cycle.

The discovery also helps to shed light on a long-standing scientific problem known as the “faint young sun paradox,” which considers how liquid water, also essential for life, could have existed on the early Earth when the sun’s rays were weaker and, according to climate modelling, Earth’s surface temperature should have been well below 0 C.

And yet there is convincing geological evidence that the planet was indeed warm enough for liquid water at least 4.4 billion years ago, says Li, likely due to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia in the atmosphere. Submarine hydrothermal vents could manufacture these greenhouse gases, he notes.

The evidence of ANR in the South China Sea is sufficiently compelling to assume it occurred elsewhere in the ocean, he adds.

“We definitely need more evidence to show that. But since the conditions for ANR are common in both modern and ancient oceans, we reasonably speculate that this could happen globally over Earth’s history.”

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-65711-1 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Abiotic N2 reduction in submarine hydrothermal systems could quickly fertilize prebiotic oceans

Article Publication Date

28-Nov-2025