Future Fuels Old Dominion University scientists are converting wastewater algae into fuel, powering vehicles while decreasing pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways. As the lead school for the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, ODU is addressing pressing questions about energy availability and usage. Our scientists, engineers, geographers and policy experts have been working on energy and energy-conservation solutions for decades, and have redoubled their efforts in response to the needs of Virginia and the country. Learn more...

Power Punch ODU’s Frank Reidy Center for Bioelectrics, the first such research center in the world, is rapidly advancing the use of ultrafast electrical pulses to treat cancers. Electrogenetherapy researchers Richard and Loree Heller have pioneered the field of electroporation, where pulses of electricity open the membrane of live cells allowing the delivery of targeted treatments without the broad damage to healthy tissue caused by most chemotherapies today. Learn more...

Nano Flashlights Old Dominion biochemist Nancy Xu was named a pioneering developer of nanotechnology by the National Cancer Institute for her work using tiny nanoparticle optical sensors to study living cells. Funded by the NSF and NIH, her work enables particles to enter a cell and light up the interior, creating the possibility for doctors to easily identify and treat cancerous cells. Learn more...

Out of the Storm One of Old Dominion’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center’s many projects is to design smoother hurricane evacuations. As an international leader in modeling, simulation and visualization education and research, VMASC has been a catalyst for the regional and state-wide growth of the MS&V sector, which contributes more than $365 million in economic activity for the region. Learn more...

Holodoc With stethoscopes that simulate real vital signs and operating room virtual environments that create lifelike surgeries, Old Dominion is changing the way aspiring doctors and nurses learn procedures in the most intricate detail. Learn more...

Eye Spy Innovations produced by Professor Vijay Asari in Old Dominion University’s Vision Lab will aid defense and homeland security. Asari and his team have developed applications for night-time surveillance, object recognition in low-lighting conditions, image- and video-enhancement technologies, and defense-related robotics projects. Learn more...

Sci-real With his miniature light saber-like plasma pencil, engineering professor Mounir Laroussi has harnessed the power of cold plasma to kill germs, disinfect wounds, promote healing and more, without harming healthy human cells, at ODU’s Laser and Plasma Engineering Institute. Learn More...

Innovation Zone Innovation Research Park @ ODU is one of the few academic-business research centers in the country that is actually located on the campus of its research institution. Every day world-renowned scientists and research capabilities integrate with technology-intensive private sector companies, creating a unique innovation zone. Learn More...