Britt Faulstick

Reducing the negative environmental impact of buildings — globally one of largest contributors to greenhouse gas — might be even more difficult than expected. New research from Drexel University indicates that, due to the steady increase in damaging extreme weather events each year, designers must begin to consider not if, but how long, their buildings will be rendered inoperable — and how the resources to get it back online will contribute to its overall environmental impact.

Drexel University has been designated as a key collaborator on a 10-year Department of War initiative, led by North Carolina State University, aimed at modernizing textile manufacturing in the United States to support the defense industry. The FutureTEX award – which includes $36 million in its first year and has a ceiling of $480 million over a decade –brings together industry, government, university and nonprofit partners to advance manufacturing technologies of textiles for military and domestic applications. FutureTEX will champion workforce development, and modernization of facilities and equipment to increase U.S. competitiveness.

Is generative artificial intelligence technology a helpful tool or a big problem? Nearly four years after ChatGPT became a household name, most people are either using AI applications or generally aware of what the technology can do. But understanding how much they actually trust the work it produces, and the answers it provides, remains an important question. New research from Drexel University, based on a longitudinal analysis of hundreds of thousands of Reddit posts since 2022, sheds light on the general perception of AI and suggests that the public remains largely divided on how much it can be trusted.

Biosensors have revolutionized home healthcare over the last two decades. Devices like wearable heart rate and blood glucose monitors are giving people with chronic health conditions the information and assurance they need to maintain an active lifestyle. But even the best sensors are limited by their ability to sustain skin contact through the rigors of physical activity. Researchers from Drexel University and Penn State University took on the challenge of improving the hydrogel material used in biosensors. And, in recently published research, they reported a new formula for making the gelatinous substrate that is versatile, durable and adhesive enough to make a stronger connection.