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Research Figures

Duncan MacGruer's research figures

Present your science and technology with clarity and style

Research figures display results in the form of data and information, or present a single concept that quickly and efficiently communicates your information. I like to call it a "snapshot". Your audience should look at your figure (and they will always look at it before reading) and say “Okay.. I get it!"

 

When well executed, the right figure will enhance your reader’s understanding, accelerate comprehension, reduce the length of your manuscript, and provide a basis of understanding that can be built upon in your writing. How do we get there? Start by asking a few questions..

 

• What is the big story? Can you distill it into a few words? 

• What can be easier to explain in imagery than in writing?

• Are there patterns, trends or relationships that can be demonstrated visually?

Do you understand your audience? Are they your peers, the general public or somewhere inbetween? How deep is their knowledge?

• How best do we tell the story? Through tables, graphs, photos, graphic elements, drawings or 3D models? A combination?

 

If you can answer those questions efficiently, we’re on our way to creating powerful figures, but also, with effective design execution, skill and experience, showcasing your research at the professional level it deserves.

Lab scale representation of a photocatalytic reactor, used in the production of aqua ammonia in an on site fertigation system. Georgia Institute of Technology.

A scientific research figure of water and sodium in presence of potassium in a low permeative polyamide media

Figure expressing various behaviors of water and sodium in presence of potassium in a low permeative polyamide media. Georgia Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Figure expressing various behaviors of water and sodium in presence of potassium in a low permeative polyamide media. Georgia Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Figure expressing various behaviors of water and sodium in presence of potassium in a low permeative polyamide media. Georgia Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Digital synthesis of free-form multi-material structures

Figure supporting the article “Digital synthesis of free-form multi-material structures for realization of arbitrary programmed mechanical responses”, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). University of Illinois, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering.

research figure of environmental analysis with submersible devices

Environmental analysis in situ with submersible devices. 3D modeling with graphic table overlays. For the Crespo Research Group at KTH University in Stockholm, and publication in Current Opinion in Electrochemisrty.

research figure of lithium intercalation device structure in semiconductor stacks

Lithium intercalation device structure in semiconductor stacks for publication in Nature Electronics. For the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

research figure of a wearable medical sensor and monitor

Designed for a paper on Personal Device Monitorization of wearable medical sensors. KTH University, Stockholm.

research figure of an electrochemical power system using liquid fluorinated reactants

Figure designed to support the proposal "High-Energy-Density Electrochemical Power System using Liquid Fluorinated Reactants". Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

research figure of a ceramic liquid metal pump for heat transfer

Extreme temperature external gear pump. The first use of all-ceramic components for pumping liquid metal at peak temperatures above 1400°C (2552º F). Hot! Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. Very honored to have this work appear in Nature, The International Journal of Science. Also featured in the Guiness Book of World Records!

 research figure of thermal transport across interfaces in Gallium Nitride electronics

Selections from a series of figures illustrating proposed investigations for improving thermal transport across interfaces in Gallium Nitride electronics. Georgia Institute of Technology.

research figure of transdermal measurement using microneedle sensors
research figure of a photocatalytic reactor at an on site fertigation system

Figure introducing the primary approaches and procedures to measure transdermally using microneedle sensors.

research figure of a medical wrist sensor electrochemical mechanism

Electrochemical mechanism of a medical wrist sensor. KTH University, Stockholm.

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