Article 7 02/28/2010

80 Year Old Question, Solved!

In 1927 Llewellyn Hilleth Thomas and Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi dreamt up a theory. There theory was, if they could calculate the energy of the in motion electrons within a material, then they could better understand the geometrical structures, which in return would help them calculate material strength. This was only an idea until 1964 when Pierre Hohenberg and Walter Kohn proved that Thomas-Fermi theorm was solvable.

Solving for this theory has proved to be overwhelming. Hohenberg and Kohn were able to solve the intense equation, but due to its colossal level of intricacy, it requires an extremely powerful computer to be able to compute it. Computers today are only strong enough to solve the problem for basic elements, which is a start, but engineers today need to be able to evaluate many more materials for this theory to be effective.

Problem solved! Emily Carter and her team of engineers at Princeton University have studied the theory and the equation, worked with it, then made it better. The team kept the ideology, but made the equations more efficient, allowing for today’s computers to quickly reveal the information desired. And this isn’t just for simple matter, but the new efficiency allows for the study of much more complex materials. The new system of equations is not able to calculate the impact of flaws within the material, which allows for much more realistic results that can directly relate in real world industrial applications.

This new discovery is not yet available to the general engineering public, yet. But do to it’s revolutionary concept and growing popularity, look for the program to be available at the highest levels for engineering coursed, and engineering universities and companies, not only in the United States, but crossing the entire globe! This new technology is going to help companies design stronger and safer products, for less money by being able to test new designs, find flaws, and improve without the astronomical cost of materials for stress testing.

80 years of questions answered for an eternity of benefits!

Original Site:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-02/reworked-formula-allows-computers-model-new-materials-100000-times-faster

Supporting Sites:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100225140904.htm

http://cmt.dur.ac.uk/sjc/thesis_ppr/node6.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kohn

Article 6 02/20/10

Not Just a Parked Car

Currently, parked cars are in terms considered inanimate objects. Parked vehicles are big hunks of metal, plastics, and cloth. The mechanical engineering department at the University of Michigan is actively working to try to change that. They want the parked hunks of metals, plastics, and cloth to serve a purpose.

The University of Michigan is engineering a new energy transfer system for cars within a city. The idea is when you park your hybrid, or even your fully electric vehicle, you plug into a charging station. Depending upon your batteries charge and your discretion, you can choose to either charge your cars battery, or sell energy back to the power company.

This is a great idea but is it worth it? After reading the original article, and after doing some research, I did a little pondering of my own. In conclusion to my thoughts, I came up with the following; in order for someone to feel the need to sell back electricity, there would need to be a benefit. Benefit being, more than likely, money. Let’s say on your new fully electric vehicle, you charge your batteries of your car from an outlet in your garage. Let’s also say that you pay one dollar per unit of energy that comes out of that electric outlet. First off, if you sell your cars energy for less than one dollar per unit back to the power company, obviously your loosing money, and no one will participate in that program. Secondly, if you sell energy back at the same price per unit, you may get a small percentage of participants in this program, but without any benefit, it won’t be worth the hassle to most. But, if you can sell energy back to the power company for $1.10, this may become an interesting program to most everyone, because if you can drive your electric car to work, park at one of these stations, sell energy for more than what you paid, you may have a large portion of your travel expenses paid for just by plugging your car in! Not a bad idea, if there is a benefit to the consumer.

Mechanical engineers across the globe are working to improve the world, to enhance technology in the world that surrounds us. In the future, this new invention may litter parking ramps and lots around our city, our state, and even our country!

Original Source:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/future-electric-cars-could-earn-money-homeowners-while-sitting-still

Supporting Sources:

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/future-electric-cars-could-earn-money-homeowners-while-sitting-still

http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-06/wind-power

http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2009-10/google-working-smart-charging-software-electric-cars

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218173118.htm

Article 5 02/14/10

Study Bus

A high school in Tucson Arizona has made technology in society more available! In 2005, Empire High School became a “digital school” by supplying lap tops to students instead of text books. In an effort to increase productivity outside of the classroom, the school district added Wi-Fi access to school busses. With this new idea, students are given the opportunity to turn their bus ride into continued, productive learning time from the classroom. Back when I was in grade school, I was on the bus for just less than an hour, this opportunity could potentially have freed up my evenings for more time spent with friends and families. Sure, some students will take this opportunity to jump online to play games, or chat with friends, or even update their cyber page.
Kids in high school used to steal pens and pencils on the bus. Now they will be able to steal lap tops! But, maybe that won't be an issue because every student at the high school is given a computer, which will eliminate the need to steal a lap top for those who otherwise wouldn’t have one.
With this concept put into place, officials of the study say that with the students occupied during their ride home, there has been less conflict, and lets face it, students have always said that if they would have something to do, they probably wouldn’t have gotten into trouble in the first place. This idea will solve many problems with just one stone. But is this concept just for digital school?
I believe this concept will take off even if the elementary, middle, or high school is not considered a digital school. In today’s world, we all know kids are getting more technology devices at younger ages, and probably the most popular device other than a cell phone is the ipod touch. This device is also capable of connecting to a Wi-Fi server, to also keep students occupied during their ride. Along with the ipod, now the newer and bigger version the ipad can also be a great tool to help productivity, as well as reduce conflict on the school bus. And if this works with school busses, hopefully soon a small and less expensive model will come out for our cars! This technology could dramatically impact our society in a positive way!

Original Site:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/wi-fi-enabled-school-bus-makes-all-work-and-less-play

Supporting Sites:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/education/12bus.html?hp

http://www.autonetmobile.com/about/

Article 4 02/07/10

Gene Therapy

In sports, it used to be about who could bench the most, or run the longest and fastest. Then a new era came, who could swallow the most steroids. Surprising to many, those fads are out. What is the new trend? They call it “Gene Therapy.” Gene therapy is described to be when a procedure is done to a human’s DNA that permanently alters its make up. Technology has given doctors and athletes the ability to make ones body faster and stronger.
Currently, there are procedures readily available to test athletes for steroid consumption, and testing positive can suspend an athlete indefinitely in their sport. But is there a testing procedure available to tell if ones genes and DNA have been altered? Hardly. Some scientists have clamed that if tested close to the time of taking the altering drug that it can be detected. Unfortunately, with the highly anticipated, and highly competitive Winter Olympics speedily approaching, and the new push for public awareness that is attached to the DNA altering, athletes have since ceased the consumption for such powerful, yet dangerous drugs.
Through testing on monkeys, scientists have found that although these chemicals can alter the genes and improve one’s ability to perform, it comes with a downfall. Tested monkeys have had offspring that hasn’t survived the birthing process. Although that’s a heavy chance to risk, there are benefits. First off it improves athletes. Through testing, it has improved that sight of the colorblind, and has dramatically improved muscle growth.

With the Winter Olympics right around the corner, expect to have athletes in the running for gold metals, as well as winning them that have taken the dramatically shocking, yet dangerous performing enhancing chemicals. Although we wished that the athletes would remain “clean” and drug free, for those going for the break of their lifetime, biomedical engineering has made these opportunities possible for those truly unworthy of a gold metal.
If biomedical engineering can create such a monster, I hope to see in the future a testing procedure that can ban such athletes from performing, and only allow those from a natural, health birthed child, who has worked all their life for such and opportunity, to compete.

Original Site:

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/gene-therapy-marks-next-frontier-sports-doping

Supporting Sites:

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml

http://www.nature.com/gt/index.html