Nov_Dec_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 1 5 STRESS RELIEF WHITE ON CRUISE CONTROL AS TOP CAR COLOR PPG Industries Inc., Pittsburgh, recently unveiled its latest automotive color trends report, citing white as the most popular hue and blue as the fastest-grow- ing shade for automobiles around the world. Color preferences by region for 2017 include: North America: White (25%) remains steady as the top color preference, while black (21%) and gray (17%) rose 2% and 5%, respectively. Silver (13%) dropped 6%, and is followed closely by red and blue (both 10%). South America: White (38%) continues to dominate in this region, while silver (31%) is close behind. Black (10%), gray (9%), and red (8%) hold ground as other popular choices. Europe: White (32%), gray (18%), black (17%), and silver (9%) remain nearly consistent with 2016, while blue (9%) achieved an increase in consumer preference. Asia Pacific: White (44%) remains the most popular in this region. Black (15%) trailed, as well as silver (10%), and natural (10%), which includes gold, beige, orange, and brown hues. SCIENCE IMITATES ART Two images share top honors in the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laborato- ry (PNNL) 2017 Science as Art contest based on online voting by staff and the public that resulted in a tie. The annual contest has been a regular fixture at PNNL since 2010. Winners of the Popular Choice Award were selected from a group of 94 images on the lab’s Facebook page. Pictured left, the im- age submitted by scientist Venkateshkumar Prabhakaran is part of research that will contribute to the design of new energy generation, conversion, and storage technologies. The mid- dle image, submitted by researcher Luis Estevez, is part of an initiative to develop new carbon-fiber based materials with applications from catalyst supports to electrodes for flow batteries. Pictured right is the Director’s Choice Award winner selected by PNNL Director Steven Ashby, which represents research that will contribute to development of materials to treat and reduce vehicle exhaust or pow- er plant emissions. The image was submitted by materials scientist Radha Kishan Motkuri. pnnl.gov. NEW GAME APP BUILDS MOLECULES Want to build some molecules and have fun at the same time? There’s an app for that. My Mo- lecularium is a new game that challenges players to build a wide variety of molecules from water and vitamin C to caffeine and adrenalin. The goal is to create as many molecules as possible in the shortest period of time. Fun facts about each molecule are shared with players along with an accu- racy bonus for each completed item. The app is the latest effort of the Molecularium Project spear- headed by faculty at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., and funded by the National Science Foundation and others to excite audiences of all ages to explore and understand the molecular na- ture of the world around them. The game is available for free at the Apple App Store or Google Play. molecularium.com . My Molecularium adds joy to learning about molecules. Winning images fromPNNL’s 2017 Science as Art contest.