In Greek mythology, flying too high cost Icarus his life when the sun melted his waxen wings. Today, solar energy factors in another epic flight – an trans-Atlantic attempt by the world’s first solar-powered airplane. And the Internet can put any arm-chair pilot in the cockpit.

Read More

Filed under: Aerospace, e-News, Explore Engineering, Mechanical, Transportation | Comments Off on Solar Flair

Tags: Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, aircraft, Aviation, exploration, Solar, Solar Impuse, solar power

What’s relatively clean-burning, abundant, and possibly the next big thing in reducing America’s carbon footprint? Would you believe… natural gas? Vast reserves lie locked in the porous shale fields deep below Pennsylvania, Texas, and other states. But hydraulic fracturing, the technique used to extract the gas, has raised health and environmental concerns along with job prospects for petroleum engineers.

Read More

Filed under: e-News, Explore Engineering, Mining | Comments Off on Get Fracking!

Tags: carbon footprint, Energy, fracking, hydraulic fracturing, natural gas, petroleum engineering, shale

There are garage start-ups and then there’s the wood-shop-turned-invention-factory in the garage where Jack Andraka, 15, dreamed up a prize-winning science fair project that could change how cancer is detected and treated.

Read More

Filed under: Biomedical, Chemical, e-News, Materials | 1 Comment »

Tags: Biomedical, cancer, grand champion, Intel Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, Jack Andraka, nanotube

Millions of people get the blues during winter. It’s called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, and current treatment requires shining a light in the sufferer’s face for up to two hours a day. But Finnish start-up Valkee has a better idea: directing light into sufferers’ ears.

Read More

Filed under: e-News | Comments Off on Bye, Bye Blues?

Tags: ear buds, Electrical, Engineering, Finnish, gadget, invention, jet lag, light-sensitive proteins, mood, Oulu University, SAD, seasonal affective disorder, Technology, Valkee

What do Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga have in common with engineering? All belt out chart-topping singles in a costume tailor-made for a techno beat and larger-than-life image: an LED dress. Wearable technology reaches beyond fashion to lightweight military armor and applications in sports, cybersecurity, and medicine. Check out these fun examples!

Read More

Filed under: Chemical, e-News, Electrical, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials | 1 Comment »

Tags: cast, concept cast, Cornell, CuteCircuit, dye, equestrian, fabric, Fashion, fractures, Hidez, high-performance apparel, high-performance fabric, Juan Hinestroza, LED, materials engineering, MIAmobi, nanoscale material, Nanotechnology, Nike, Olympics, Pedro Nakazato Andrade, racehorse, RFID, sensors, Sports, Tags: athletics, textile manufacturing, Textiles