David Wendell is an associate professor at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

Background

David Wendell studied at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

and

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. Wendell's field of study is

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

and his PhD focused on

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

. In 2009, Wendell and a team of scientists from the

undertook a research program that resulted in the successful development of an artificial pore. In September 2009, their subsequent paper, “Translocation of double-stranded DNA through membrane-adapted phi29 motor protein nanopores,” appeared in the Journal

Nature Nanotechnology ''Nature Nanotechnology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature Publishing Group. It was established in October 2006. The editor-in-chief is Fabio Pulizzi. It covers all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Abstr ...

. The engineered channel has potential applications in nano-sensing,

gene delivery Gene delivery is the process of introducing foreign genetic material, such as DNA or RNA, into host cells. Gene delivery must reach the genome of the host cell to induce gene expression. Successful gene delivery requires the foreign gene delive ...

, drug loading and

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

. The researchers identified ways to take energy from the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

, and carbon from the air to create new forms of

bio-fuels Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration ...

. Their report, "Artificial Photosynthesis in Ranaspumin-2 Based Foam" was published in the journal

Nano Letters ''Nano Letters'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Chemical Society. It was established in January 2001. The editor-in-chief is Teri W. Odom (Northwestern University). The journal covers all aspects of nanosc ...

, in March 2010.

Artificial Photosynthetic Foam

In 2010, David Wendell, as Research Assistant Professor, worked alongside student Jacob Todd and College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Carlo Montemagno to create a new artificial photosynthetic material which uses plant, bacterial, frog and fungal enzymes, trapped within a foam housing, to produce sugars from sunlight and carbon dioxide, known as Artificial Photosynthetic Foam. In August 2010, David Wendell was announced as one of six finalists for The Earth Awards - an annual competition for design and innovation with the potential to improve quality of life. He was later awarded the 50,000 USD Grand Prize for The Earth Awards in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on September 16, 2010.

References

External links

David Wendell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendell, David Living people University of Cincinnati faculty Cornell University College of Engineering alumni UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Year of birth missing (living people)