“Next, we need to encourage American innovation. Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history - an investment that could lead to the world’s cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched. And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy…
But to create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America…
I know there have been questions about whether we can afford such changes in a tough economy. I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But here’s the thing — even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy-efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future — because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.”
These words were spoken by President Obama two nights ago during his State of the Union address. I found it a major step forward for American politics after eight years of neglecting scientific advancement. Thanks to the expansion of the budgets of the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, many schools are making substantial progress in these areas.
The University of Idaho is no different.
Follow these links to learn about what Idaho is already doing to attack the problems the President mentioned in his speech.
- Lead-acid batteries for use in the future generations of HEV vehicles
- Research into using rhodium and ruthenium in future hydrogen fuel cells
- Nanowires that attach themselves to cancer cells and destroy them by being heated with microwaves
- Numerous research collaborations with the Idaho National Laboratory into new nuclear reactor technology at the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES)
- A spin-off company using a genetic algorithm to maximize biomass and biofuel production
- Treks to Greenland and central Asian mountains to research climate change
Here is the final photo from the series of images taken on devices now found in the University of Idaho’s 
Believe it or not, you’re looking at a rat diaphragm.
This image shows the parasite 
First up is a Myenteric ganglion from a mouse stomach. And in case you didn’t know - because I sure didn’t - myenteric means pertaining to the muscular lining of the intestines and a ganglion is a lump or non-cancerous cyst. Specifically, this is an image of a neuron in said myenteric ganglion.