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From clay on the ground to construction on the moon

UD researchers are developing materials to build infrastructure on the moon and beyond

Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside of
the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits.

Some returned with higher measured strength than identical samples stored on Earth.
The findings are a promising sign for the long-term goal of building infrastructure on the moon.
There are no lunar supply yards, and transporting building materials from Earth would be
prohibitively expensive. The solution may lie underfoot, in the form of lunar dust known as
regolith.

“Regolith is essentially a clay-like silicate material,” said Norman Wagner, Unidel Robert L.
Pigford Chair in Chemical Engineering. “It is one of the most abundant materials on both Earth
and the moon, which makes it interesting for construction.”

 Wagner's laboratory develops geopolymers, a cement alternative that binds clays into a strong
solid through chemical reactions rather than high-temperature manufacturing. Their goal is to
use regolith with minimal additives to produce construction materials without energy-intensive
processing. The approach could contribute to more sustainable Earth-based construction, too.

To evaluate how geopolymers hold up in space, the UD team sent thin plates made from
commercially available simulated lunar and Martian regolith to the International Space Station
as part of NASA's MISSE-20 mission.

The findings, published in Advances in Space Research, showed the geopolymers did not
deteriorate, and in some cases were stronger after their time in orbit.

Lunar construction materials must not only survive space conditions, they also must be reliably
manufactured on-site. In a separate study in Acta Astronautica, Wagner's team used artificial
intelligence to tackle a practical challenge: not all lunar clays are the same. The researchers
developed a machine learning model that can predict how strong a geopolymer will be based on
the characteristics of the starting regolith and how it is processed.

Complementary work from the Wagner lab offers insight into how geopolymers behave while
being mixed, pumped and shaped before they harden. The researchers identified a key transition point, known as the critical gel point, at which the material shifts from a workable slurry into a solidifying structure. Mixing or shearing before that point did not affect how long the material took to harden or its final strength. This suggests that engineers may have flexibility in how they handle and process lunar construction materials, without compromising quality.

That work appears in a special issue of the Journal of Rheology focused on materials behavior
beyond Earth.

To speak with Wagner about his space expertise, reach out to mediarelations@udel.edu. 

covering-the-world-cup-university-of-delaware-experts-are-here-to-help-with-your-coverage

Covering the World Cup? University of Delaware Experts are Here to Help with Your Coverage

Trusted voices unpacking the science, business, culture, and human stories behind the tournament.

Instructor of Sports Management

Professor, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology

Professor, Sport Management

Assistant Professor of Marketing

 As the 2026 FIFA World Cup captures attention across North America and around the world, University of Delaware experts are available to help media examine the larger stories connected to the tournament, from player safety and youth soccer to tourism, sports analytics, playing surfaces and the shared experience of watching the game.

University of Delaware's World Cup Experts Hub brings together faculty and specialists who can provide timely commentary on the health, business, social and scientific issues shaping one of the world’s most watched sporting events.

 Featured Topics The Business of Youth Soccer  Youth sports participation, community impact, the business of soccer and how a major global tournament can influence local programs, families and the next generation of players.  Player Safety and Concussions  Head injuries, concussion prevention, heading guidelines, athlete health and how evolving safety standards are changing the way soccer is played and taught.  Tourism and Global Impact  How mega-events drive tourism, economic activity, host-city visibility and broader cultural connection across countries, communities and fans.  Youth Development and Fan Engagement  How family traditions, school programs and shared sports experiences shape youth identity, social development and interest in physical activity.  Sports Analytics in Action  The rise of data-driven performance, real-time game analysis and how students and practitioners are applying analytics to elite global competition.  The Science of Playing Surfaces  Natural grass requirements, turfgrass systems, stadium preparation and the science behind maintaining world-class fields for international play.  Why Watching Together Matters  The psychology of shared experiences, happiness, social connection and why gathering for World Cup matches can be meaningful far beyond the final score.  Media can visit the University of Delaware’s World Cup Experts Hub to explore available experts and connect directly with the right source for their story.

 

decoding-epilepsy-one-brainwave-at-a-time

Decoding epilepsy, one brainwave at a time

Researchers are using AI to better understand childhood epilepsy

Epilepsy isn’t always easy to diagnose. Seizures often don't occur during routine brain-wave recordings, leaving doctors without the direct observation they need to make a clear diagnosis.   

In a proof-of-concept study in mice, University of Delaware researchers and collaborators showed that using artificial intelligence to detect early warning signs hidden in the brain's electrical rhythms can identify subtle EEG differences linked to a genetic form of epilepsy, even when no visible seizures occurred. The findings, published in the Journal of Neural Engineering, set the stage for the next phase of the research, which will test the method on EEGs from children being evaluated for epilepsy at Nemours Children's Health.

A dictionary of brain waves  Neurologists often use EEGs to help diagnose epilepsy, but routine recordings offer only about a 20-minute snapshot of brain activity. Without a seizure captured during that window, clinicians must look for far subtler clues that can be difficult to detect visually.

That's where AI comes in. 

“Our machine-learning approach lets the algorithm learn the brain’s ‘language’ of waveforms, spotting subtle patterns humans might miss during manual review,” said Austin Brockmeier, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering and computer and information sciences.

Starting small with a mouse model  When Brockmeier presented his computational neuroscience research at a seminar, he caught the attention of Amanda Hernan, an affiliated associate professor of psychological and brain sciences and biomedical engineering at UD and senior research scientist at Nemours Children’s Health. Hernan studies how variations in brain activity affect thinking and learning in children with epilepsy.

The two decided to put machine learning to the test using EEGs from mice with epilepsy-causing variations in the TSC1 gene. The researchers used a panel of more than 40 mice, including animals with and without the gene variation, across three different genetic backgrounds, or strains. They extracted EEG segments from five days of recordings from each mouse for analysis.

Because the EEG segments contained no seizure activity, the algorithm had to detect differences in the brain's baseline activity alone. It was able to distinguish between the mouse strains and to detect the TSC1 gene variation with high accuracy in two of the three strains.

“These results show that EEG patterns contain measurable signals of neurological differences, even without visible seizures,” Hernan said.

Taking it to the clinic  Now, Brockmeier and Hernan will next apply their approach to EEG recordings from children being evaluated for epilepsy at Nemours Children's Health.

Pediatric EEGs are shorter than the multi-day recordings used in the mouse study, and children present with many different types of epilepsy. But the researchers are optimistic.

“The goal is to identify biomarkers that flag underlying changes in the brain’s electrical activity before seizures occur,” Hernan said. Earlier detection could lead to earlier treatment and less uncertainty for families.

That uncertainty, Hernan said, takes a toll. “Seizures follow natural cycles, but without a way to know where you are in that cycle, the anticipation can be incredibly anxiety-provoking,” she explained.

Better pattern recognition could also improve treatment decisions. For example, if a new medication is introduced during a natural lull in seizure activity, its benefits could be overestimated.

Looking further ahead, the researchers envision a future where wearable EEG devices allow continuous, real-time monitoring for those with high risk of seizures. Similar approaches could eventually be applied to other neurological conditions, including autism and ADHD.

"This is a step toward precision medicine," Brockmeier said. "Brain-wave typing could help identify which interventions will work best for a given patient."

For families navigating the daily uncertainty of epilepsy, that kind of precision could make a huge difference.

To speak with Brockmeier and Hernan, please reach out to mediarelations@udel.edu. 

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