Rob Strongin’s work developing chemically complex dyes has led him from cancer to crime. Strongin, a professor of chemistry at Portland State University, made the transition after the Orange County Sheriff’s Department asked him to develop a dye that could make fingerprints on bloody surfaces show up more clearly.

Locals reacted with shock and glee when Facebook revealed in January that it would be building its first data center in humble Prineville. But the story did not stay so gleeful. Electricity generation is the leading source of carbon emissions in the U.S., and data centers are notorious power hogs.

Portland State Universityhas developed a better, greener heating and cooling system for buildings: wax that absorbs and releases heat.

An Oregon State University professor says wood waste can be turned into a “flour” that makes a composite hybrid material when mixed with thermoplastic.

University of Oregon professor Ihab Elzeyadi developed an awning that generates and saves enough electricity that buildings using it could potentially have zero net energy consumption.

Oregon State University professor Jim White was deconstructing Cymbalta, a popular anti-depressant, when he discovered a hole in its molecular skeleton. White saw that as his opening for creating a new, more effective anti-depressant.

Portland State University physics professor Raj Solanki says his portable flash sensor can analyze a blood sample in under one minute.

Wu-chang Feng has a solution to a problem that irks producers and players of “massively multiplayer online” games (MMOs) such as World of Warcraft.

What do ink-jet printers, chainsaws and jet engines have in common? More than you would think, if Chris Harris has his way.