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Spool party: Describing silver arcs, shimmering wires uncoil from spools in an Egan Center lab. Formed of aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, or graphite, the wire fibers are lightweight, highly conductive, resistant to expansion with temperature fluctuations, and-despite their seeming flimsiness-extremely strong. Joseph Blucher, a senior research engineer in mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineering, foresees many and varied possible uses for his wire fibers, including high-voltage power lines, casting materials, and reinforcing materials in jet engines.
Photograph by David Leifer
