About Clara Piccirillo, PhD

Clara Piccirillo has a PhD in Material Science, and has been working in the fields of Materials Science and Microbiology for more than 10 years.

Clara also has experience of teaching sciences at school and university level. During her career as a researcher, she has written publications in peer-reviewed journals, including Biomaterials, Journal of Materials Chemistry, Journal of Applied Physics and Chemistry of Materials.

Clara is interested in the communication of sciences to the general public. She writes for several journals and/or websites (see her suite101 articles here), focusing on the links between scientific principles and their practical applications.

Food Bacterial Contamination from Kitchen Surfaces

May 17, 2013 by Clara Piccirillo, PhD Leave a Comment

Food can get contaminated by bacteria. Photo by Cesarharada.

Food cross-contamination causes many people to get sick or die from food poisoning yearly. A new study raises questions about wet and dry kitchen surfaces.

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Filed Under: Headlines, Microbiology Tagged With: bacteria spread, cross contamination, food contamination, kitchen surfaces

Graphene-based Materials for Solar Cell Applications

May 9, 2013 by Clara Piccirillo, PhD Leave a Comment

WS2 has a bandgap in the visible region. Photo by Clara Piccirillo.

Researchers have developed a new solar energy device, made of graphene and the semiconductor, tungsten disulfide, which shows very good photovoltaic efficiency.

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Materials Science, Physics Tagged With: graphene, multilayer material, photovoltaic efficiency, solar energy, tungsten sulfide

The Chemistry Behind the Florida High School Explosion

May 5, 2013 by Clara Piccirillo, PhD Leave a Comment

Plastic can be deformed by high pressure. Photo by David Monniaux on Wikimedia.

A Florida student mixed toilet cleaner and aluminum foil while at school; forming gaseous hydrogen inside the bottle. The explosion resulted in the student’s expulsion.

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Equipment, Experiments Tagged With: florida high school explosion, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, safety equipment, toilet bowl cleaner

Coal as Fuel: Impact on the Environment and Environmentalists

April 26, 2013 by Clara Piccirillo, PhD Leave a Comment

Pollutants can be emitted during coal combustion. Photo by Brentdanley.

Are the Greenpeace protests a logical use of time and resources? Coal pollutes, but there are currently no practical ways to completely stop using this fossil fuel.

Pages: 1 2 3

Filed Under: Headlines, The Environment Tagged With: acid rain, coal, fuel, greenhouse gases, Greenpeace, worldwide availability

Synthesis of Butanol: Towards a Better Biofuel

April 11, 2013 by Clara Piccirillo, PhD Leave a Comment

Structure of the catalyst. Photo by D. Wass, from the ACS Meeting presentation.

Researchers have developed a catalyst to convert ethanol into butanol with high selectivity, potentially allowing butanol to replace ethanol as a biofuel.

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Chemistry, Headlines Tagged With: biofuel, butanol, catalyst, ethanol, selectivity

Decoded Science Ebooks

Using Social Science to Improve Your Health. Image by Gina Barrett Putt

Use Social Science to Improve Your Health: Social science research has uncovered many helpful tips on improving our health. Find proven methods to lose weight, become fit, quit smoking, manage drinking, improve mental health, reach goals and promote positive relationships with the help of modern social science and social media. Written by Gina Barrett Putt, M.A. in Sociology, this ebook features current research and take away points.Using Social Science to Improve Your HealthUsing Social Science to Improve Your HealthSmashwords, Amazon

Flying is Fun! is based on the aviation articles which Helen Krasner wrote for the magazine Flight Training News during the years 2011 to 2012. It begins with an article from Helen’s early days of learning to fly, My Learning-to-Fly Nightmare, which should provide encouragement for anyone who is struggling with the PPL course. The next three articles are about topics of general interest to private pilots. Then come a group of helicopter related articles, but these should still provide food for…Flying is Fun!

The Hunter and the Scorpion: In an endless cosmic chase the scorpion pursues the hunter, his intended victim, as they run across the sky. The Hunter and the Scorpion begins with the mythological lore behind two prominent easy to locate constellations: Orion, the Hunter, and Scorpius, the Scorpion. The Hunter and the Scorpion however encompasses much more than a constellation guidebook. Integrating ancient mythology, constellation lore, and modern astrophysics it tells the life story of stars an…The Hunter and the Scorpion

Unsung Heroes of Modern Physics Of course you’ve heard of Albert Einstein, creator of special and general relativity, and other famous scientists – but there are many other physics pioneers who have received very little mainstream recognition for their contributions to history. Join Ira Mark Egdall, as he explores the fascinating history of five Unsung Heroes of Modern Physics. Despite extraordinary achievements in relativity, quantum mechanics, astronomy, cosmology, or space exploratio…Unsung Heroes of Modern Physics

About Clara Piccirillo, PhD

Food Bacterial Contamination from Kitchen Surfaces

Graphene-based Materials for Solar Cell Applications

The Chemistry Behind the Florida High School Explosion

Coal as Fuel: Impact on the Environment and Environmentalists

Synthesis of Butanol: Towards a Better Biofuel

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