School Notes: School of Engineering & Applied Science
July/August 2023

Upending a decades-long theory

Reverse osmosis has proven to be the state-of-the-art method for removing salt from seawater and increasing access to clean water, wastewater treatment, and energy production. A team of researchers led by the lab of Professor Menachem Elimelech revealed in a new study that the standard explanation for how reverse osmosis works—one that has been accepted for more than five decades—is fundamentally wrong. In the process, the researchers offer an alternate theory. Besides correcting the record, these insights could lead to more effective uses of reverse osmosis. The results of the study are published in Science Advances.

Doubling the life of a qubit

Researchers at Yale have for the first time, using a process known as quantum error correction, substantially extended the lifetime of a quantum bit, or “qubit”—a long-sought-after goal and one of the trickiest challenges in the field of quantum physics. Led by Yale’s Michel Devoret, the experiment proves—decades after its theoretical foundations were proposed—that quantum error correction works in practice. It’s a process designed to keep quantum information intact for a longer period of time. Most attempts to apply it, though, have actually shortened the qubits’ lives. Devoret’sgroup has managed to more than double the lifetime of quantum information—a step toward putting quantum technology to many practical applications. 

Professor elected to AIMBE

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) announced the induction of biomedical engineering faculty member Kathryn Miller-Jensen to its College of Fellows—among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. Miller-Jensen was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows “for outstanding contributions to the field of systems immunology, including fundamental research contributions, building a professional community, and promoting diversity.” She was formally inducted at a ceremony held during the AIMBE annual event in Arlington, Virginia.