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News

  • 2022

    • topoknit topology graph

      Following the Thread: Drexel’s TopoKnit System Lays the Groundwork for Universal Design of Functional Fabrics

      February 24, 2022

      Before 3D printing, CNC routing, laser cutting and the tools of ubiquitous “making,” there was yarn and needle. For centuries, the earliest makers knitted things into being. Blankets, sweaters, gloves – all took shape by combining just a handful of basic stitches. Now a team of researchers at Drexel University is translating those loops and twists into a digital architecture of knitting — a key step in the process of incorporating new technologies into textiles.

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  • 2021

    • A Stitch in Time Masthead

      A Stitch in Time

      September 16, 2021

      Drexel’s Center for Functional Fabrics had just settled into its new state-of-the-art research facility on Drexel’s campus when the pandemic arrived. In a rapid pivot, the center’s 3D knitting machines and cutting-edge textiles became a lifeline to frontline workers in need of protective masks.

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  • 2020

    • PA FDC COVID Mask Illustration

      19 Ways Dragons Came to the Rescue During COVID-19

      July 07, 2020

      When a crisis hits, everyone looks for the cavalry. This spring, it wasn’t Washington, D.C., or the Army Corps or the National Guard. Instead, almost immediately, ordinary people stepped up. Our tremendous community of faculty, staff, students and alumni leapt into action, bringing information, aid and gear to those impacted.

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    • Drexel staircase

      Numerous Drexel urgent-action research teams working to defeat the pandemic

      May 15, 2020

      . . . around 20 urgent action research and development projects focused on COVID-19 are being held by university staff after the Office of Research and Innovation developed Drexel’s Rapid Response Research & Development Fund.

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  • 2019

    • Keith Taylor and Carly Kandler

      Co-Ops at the Cutting-Edge of Technology and Design

      December 12, 2019

      Drexel students contribute regularly to the transdisciplinary work of the center, which employs undergraduate co-ops from a variety of disciplines. For Carly Kandler (CK), design and merchandising ’19, and Keith Taylor (KT), mechanical engineering ’19, their Drexel-funded co-ops at the center provided opportunities to innovate, be inspired and gain hands-on experience at the cutting-edge.

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    • MXene textile

      That New Yarn?! — Wearable, Washable Textile Devices Are Possible With MXene-Coated Yarns

      October 10, 2019

      Drexel University researchers have figured out how to add more conductivity into functional fabric devices, by coating yarns with a two-dimensional carbon-based material called MXene, to make conductive threads. The group has developed a dip-coating method, similar to the dyeing process, that can produce a conductive yarn strong enough for use in industrial knitting machines and durable enough to make it through wash cycles without degrading.

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    • The official ribbon cutting kicks off the Grand Opening of the Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center.

      Drexel Opens New Center to Study Fabrics of the Future

      September 30, 2019

      The new Center for Functional Fabrics and the Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center is set to become a cornerstone of the Schuylkill Yards innovation hub.

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  • 2018

  • 2017

    • top2017

      Top Drexel Stories of 2017

      December 20, 2017

      2017 was a big year for Drexel University, which made strides in research and developments that could impact all of our futures.

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    • Genevieve Dion Tom Wolf

      Drexel to Host Pennsylvania's Center For Advanced Fabric Manufacturing Innovation

      November 14, 2017

      The Department of Defense’s effort to bring America to the forefront of textile technology manufacturing and innovation is gaining a strategic foothold in the region. Drexel University, in collaboration with DoD-supported Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), is establishing a statewide center that will help companies, entrepreneurs and innovators take their advanced-textile concepts from prototype to product and prepare America’s workforce for the quality jobs this growing sector is generating. Called the “Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center,” this statewide resource is the first hub located outside of AFFOA’s home state of Massachusetts. It will be part of a national network intended to lower the barrier to commercialization for functional fabrics, resulting in advanced textiles that do things like see, hear, sense, communicate, generate and store energy. 

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    • Drexel students celebrating the launch of the University's new fundraising campaign

      7 Reasons to Cheer for Drexel's New Fundraising Campaign

      November 13, 2017

      The new fundraising campaign is designed to benefit current and future Drexel students alike, providing funding for everything from scholarships to study abroad.

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    • nanofibers

      Drexel Researchers Make a Carbon Nanofiber Supercapacitor (Without The Flammable Ingredients)

      September 20, 2017

      A group of Drexel University researchers have created a fabric-like material electrode that could help make energy storage devices — batteries and supercapacitors — faster and less susceptible to leaks or disastrous meltdowns. Their design for a new supercapacitor, which looks something like a furry sponge infused with gelatin, offers a unique alternative to the flammable electrolyte solution that is a common component in these devices.

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    • The Drexel STAR Summer Showcase

      In Summer Showcase, Drexel Research STARs Set to Shine

      August 28, 2017

      Since 2007, the STAR Scholars Program has held a showcase to highlight the research Drexel students do over the summer. This year’s edition on Aug. 31 will include several Dragons who went off-campus — some as far as India — to learn more after their freshman year.

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    • Drexel President John Fry joins a panel to talk about the University's history.

      Final 125th Anniversary Lecture Offers a Fond Reflection on Big Drexel University Moments

      June 09, 2017

      The last in a year-long series of public lectures celebrating Drexel’s 125th anniversary brought President John Fry together with several generations of students, faculty, staff and alumni to look back at the personal experiences that define the University.

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    • Photo courtesy Brookings Institution.

      Brookings’ Innovation District Report Highlights Drexel’s Involvement in Strengthening Neighborhood

      May 18, 2017

      A new report from the Brookings Institution conducted an assessment of Philadelphia’s emerging innovation district, highlighting Drexel University’s efforts to encourage and strengthen the area surrounding its campus.

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    • The lab's conference room is surrounded by glass walls in the middle of the student workstations.

      New Research Labs Foster Collaboration at Drexel’s 3101 Market St.

      April 10, 2017

      Professors in the College of Engineering and the LeBow College of Business worked with architects to design a shared research laboratory space that would encourage collaboration between themselves and their students.

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  • 2016

    • top stories

      Top Drexel Stories of 2016

      December 05, 2016

      Relive the moments and exciting headlines that sparked the most conversation and interest during 2016 through this annual review of the year’s top Drexel stories.

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    • President John A. Fry speaks at a lecture on Drexel's history

      Drexel's History Is Alive in the Present, President John A. Fry Says at Lecture

      December 05, 2016

      The University's leader looked forward while keeping an eye on the past at a lecture on the first 125 years of Drexel history and its next 25.

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    • Senior Vice Provost for Research Aleister Saunders.

      Q&A With Senior Vice Provost for Research Aleister Saunders

      August 11, 2016

      University research typically is a fairly insular endeavor, played out at the department level with little cross-pollination among the various disciplines. Senior Vice Provost for Research Aleister Saunders is trying to widen that view. He has been advocating a university-wide approach to research, looking for those areas where Drexel can support and encourage investigations that cut across departments and disciplines.

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    • President John A. Fry presents his strategic plan at the Queen Lane Campus

      President Fry’s Second and Third Town Halls Highlight the Importance of Communication

      April 08, 2016

      In town hall meetings at Drexel’s Center City and Queen Lane campuses, President John A. Fry said communication between colleges sparked the successes of the past year and detailed how it will be even more important in the years to come.

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    • President John A. Fry toasts to Drexel's future at his first 2016 town hall meeting

      A Toast to the Future of Drexel at President Fry’s First Town Hall of 2016

      April 04, 2016

      President John A. Fry raised a glass to the individuals and colleges involved in bringing Advanced Functional Fabrics of America to Drexel in the first of three town halls this spring. He also delved into Schuylkill Yards, civic engagement and expanding online education.

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    • touch sensitive fabric

      Drexel Brings National Network for Advanced Functional Fabrics Manufacturing to Philadelphia

      April 01, 2016

      The U.S. Department of Defense has tapped Drexel University as a key leader in the creation of a $75 million national research institute that will support American textile manufacturers in bringing sophisticated new materials and textiles to the marketplace. The institute, called Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, will be a national manufacturing resource center for industry and government to draw on academic expertise in new fibers and textiles. The result will be fabrics engineered to see, hear, sense and communicate; serving an array of industries including aerospace, apparel, architecture and health. 

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  • 2015

  • 2014

    • belly band prototype

      Drexel Researchers Develop Smart Fabric Belly Band

      May 19, 2014

      Tummy snugging maternity wear could soon be giving expecting parents peace of mind in addition to stylishly securing waistlines. Researchers at Drexel University are combining fashion design with wireless technology to produce a belly band that will be able to monitor uterine contractions and fetal heart rate in real time.

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    • How-To Meets High-Tech In Drexel Engineers' Award-Winning Graphic

      February 06, 2014

      The team of Drexel University engineers who came up with a way to knit an energy storage device have now been recognized by the National Science Foundation for their skill in showing how they did it.

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