2011 was another busy year for engineers all over the world. From inventing a device that turns air into water to exploring the oceans in a tiny submarine, scientists and engineers are exploring uncharted territory.

Like last year, we at eGFI have chronicled the most awe-inspiring innovations and stories, so in case you missed one, we present:

The Most Popular, Interesting, Weird, or Just Plain Cool eGFI Blog Posts of 2011

	Turning Air into Water
	Jetman: Flying Soon to a Landmark Near You
	Vertical Forest Coming Soon to Milan
	And Now: Flavor-Shifting Ice Cream
	Solar Decathalon 2011 Powers Up
	The World’s Sweetest Printer
	Water Bottles to Illuminate a Million Homes
	Airbus Presents a Futuristic Vision of Air Travel
	Students Create an App to Diagnose Malaria
	Berkeley Engineers Help Student Walk
	Underwater Scooters are the New SCUBA
	Virgin Oceanic Goes Many Leagues Under the Sea
	Cynthia Breazeal Wants You to Make Friends with Robots
	New Shirt Measures Athletes’ Performances
	Watson vs. The World

Scholarships that target students interested in engineering provide an excellent way to help pay for the rising costs of higher education. Since engineering scholarships are plentiful and come from a variety of sources, such as corporations, non-profits, foundations, institutions, and governmental bodies, future engineers have a host of opportunities available to them.

Below is a list of the engineering scholarships we’ve found, as well as collections that other websites have compiled. (NOTE: Links go directly to scholarship pages.) Unless otherwise noted, the scholarships are related directly to engineering. You can use the navigational links below to jump to individual sections.

ASEE | Collections | Companies | Government | Non-Profits | Universities

Administered by the American Society for Engineering Education

• NASA AERONAUTICS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – Undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NAVAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE INTERN PROGRAM – Intern research program with Office of Naval Research.
  
• SMART SCHOLARSHIP – Undergrad and graduate, $25,000 – $41,000, internships, support, and more.

Collections and Lists

• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – A short list of sources for finding scholarships.
• FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION – A collection of scholarships and grants, as well as search websites.
• FIRST ROBOTICS – Large list of scholarships associated with participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarship repository: corporations, organizations, regional, pre-college, alumni, etc.
• SCHOLARSHIPS.COM – Good list of names and descriptions of engineering scholarships; does not provide application information unless you register and pay.
• UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI – Database of science and engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – List of national and internal scholarships.

Companies and Corporations

• AES ENGINEERING – $500 scholarship, high school seniors and higher.
• BMW – Renewable $1,500 scholarship.
• CATERPILLAR – “Engineers for Tomorrow” scholarship program.
• GENERAL MOTORS – Scholarships, for minority groups especially.
• INTEL – Science Talent Search competition, $7,5000 – $100,000 college money for winners.
• NORTHROP GRUMMAN – Engineering scholars program, $2,500 per yer for four years.
• RAYTHEON – Scholarships.
• XEROX – Minority group scholarships, undergrads, $1,000 – $10,000.
• YANMAR AMERICA CORPORATION – Renewable $1,000 scholarship; partnership with SAE.

Government

• CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarships and awards.
• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – List of scholarships, including SMART.
• ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Civil engineering scholarship, $7,000.
• INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship, $3,125 per semester.
• KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET – Civil engineering scholarship, $4,400 – $4,800.
• NASA – Aeronautics Scholarship Program: undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY – Stokes Educational Scholarship Program:  computer science, electrical or computer engineering.
• OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH – Internship for research, with ASEE administering.
  
• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – Scholarships and internships.
• VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship program, $3,500 per semester.

Non-Profit Organizations and Societies

• AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY – Scholarships for chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering.
• AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $5,000 per year for undergrads; $2,000 – $10,000 for graduates.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERS – Awards, scholarships, student info.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, REFRIGERATION, AND AIR-CONDITIONING ENGINEERS – Scholarships, grants, and aid.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS – Large list of scholarships, some internationally available.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NAVAL ENGINEERS – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and awards for undergrads and graduates.
• THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY – Awards, grants, and fellowships.
• GREAT MINDS IN STEM – HENAAC Scholars Program. Goal of more than $200,000 in scholarship funds available. NEW!
• ILLUMINATING ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Scholarships and grants.
• INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships. See also: IEEE Computer Society $2,000 scholarship.
• INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and fellowships.
• KOREAN-AMERICAN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY – Scholarships, fellowships, and internships.
• THE MINERALS, METALS, AND MATERIALS SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $2,000 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL FOR MINORITIES IN ENGINEERING – Pre-engineering scholarships, related fields, $1,500.
• NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO – Range of scholarships, $500 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarships; must be paid, active member.
• THE OPTICAL SOCIETY – Fellowships, grants, and two scholarships.
• SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS – Scholarships, high school seniors to Ph.D. See also: Siegel Service Technology scholarships for Montana residents.
• SOCIETY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS – Scholarships for high school students, undergrads, and graduates.
• SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $10,o00.
• SPIE – Scholarships: optical engineering, available internationally.
• TAU BETA PI – Engineering honor society Maryland scholarships.

Universities and Colleges

The absence of a school on this list does not mean that it has no engineering scholarships. Some schools offer scholarships to students only after they have applied. Contact institutions or engineering departments directly to learn if aid is available and what policies are in place.

TIP: For links to lists that contain different types of scholarships, try using your internet browser’s Find function (ctrl+F in Firefox) and searching for the word “engineering.”

• ALFRED UNIVERSITY – Various scholarships.
• AUBURN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships divided by engineering type (use left-side list of types to navigate).
• BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Sizable list of scholarships.
• BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and awards.
• BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY – Large list of mixed field endowed scholarships with many for engineering.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-FULLERTON – Academic Catalyst for Excellence Scholarship: up to $2,000 per semester for seven semesters, other benefits.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-LONG BEACH – In-house and affiliated scholarships.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-SACRAMENTO – Table of scholarships.
• CALVIN COLLEGE – Mixed list of scholarships.
• CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY – Blog of scholarships.
• CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – STEM scholarships; (scroll down to appropriate section).
• CLARKSON UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships, including for participation in Project Lead the Way, and awards.
• CLEMSON UNIVERSITY – Science and engineering scholarships; (click “Restricted” circle).
• CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, includes engineering.
• DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, awards, grants, and programs.
• DREXEL UNIVERSITY – Mix of specific scholarships, providers, and scholarship search engines.
• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – General information on internal scholarships offered, list requires sign-in.
• FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY – College of Engineering scholarships (hit search without entering any fields to see all scholarships). See also: College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture scholarships.
• FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY – Two scholarships in list: Hicks Scholarship Endowment and Milton and Gladys Meisner Scholarship Fund.
• FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarship listing (click departmental links for each list).
• GANNON UNIVERSITY – Engineering-based scholarship range: $500 – $3,000.
• GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Scholarship search engine, use keyword: engineering.
• GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – General information about GWU scholarships, includes engineering.
• GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Internal and external scholarship information.
• GROVE CITY COLLEGE – Engineering scholarship, $2,500 (scroll down).
• HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE – President’s Scholars Program features engineering component.
• ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list, contains engineering.
• INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY-INDIANAPOLIS – Major-specific scholarships for Indiana residents (scroll down to School of Engineering and Technology). See also: Non-Indiana Residents scholarships.
• IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, grants, and loans.
• JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships under separate section and mixed in.
• KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• LAMAR UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, $15,000 per year.
• LeTOURNEAU UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, computer science and electrical engineering.
• LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information, organized by departments.
• MARSHALL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, internal and external.
• MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Engineering Dean’s Top Scholar Award.
• McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, engineering.
• MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF OHIO – Scholarship, paper science and engineering.
• MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING – Scholarship list, mixed internal and external.
• MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list.
• MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Two engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and contacts.
• NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by department.
• NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and outside resources.
• OHIO UNIVERSITY – Large mixed list, contains engineering.
• OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list of scholarships, includes engineering.
• OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information, multiple levels.
• PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Search-able database, select “Maseeh College of Engineering and
  Computer Science.”
• POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship and grant information.
• PURDUE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and awards. See also: Purdue Civil Engineering.
• RICE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarship (in mixed list), renewable $6,500 – full tuition.
• ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Scholarship in mixed table list (scroll), $6,000 per year.
• SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, .doc format.
• SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by engineering major and information.
• SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY – Dean’s Scholarship contains engineering.
• SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, engineering.
• STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – Environmental, paper science and engineering scholarship.
• STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed scholarships, including engineering.
• STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Women in Engineering (scroll down).
• SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, (use right-side list).
• TEMPLE UNIVERSITY - Science and engineering fair-related scholarships (scroll down).
• TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY – Scholarships information (use links to go to individual lists).
• TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• TRINITY UNIVERSITY – Several engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – Scholarship search engine (select engineering college).
• UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY – Dean’s Scholarship includes engineering, $14,5000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE – Toyota Scholarship (scroll), minimum $14,000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I – Search engine, large list of scholarships (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Information on automatic engineering scholarships, interns program.
• UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE – Scholarships, information, and contacts.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE – Scholarship information (scroll).
• UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST – Scholarships, must be enrolled in engineering college.
• UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA – College of Science and Engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – Scholarships, information, and external list.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS – Dean’s Scholarship.
• UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND – Scholarship and contact information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS – Scholarships, endowments, and funds.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA – Scholarships, undergrads and above only.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA – Scholarships, separated by department.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA – Scholarships for currently enrolled students.
• UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA – Scholarship search (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC – MESA Scholarship, $2,500 – $4,200.
• UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF UTAH – Range of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON – Scholarships and information.
• UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC AND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY-ST. LOUIS – Scholarships and fellowships, including full tuition.
• WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, general and by department.
• WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE – Scholarships in mixed list.
• WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WIDENER UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and free laptops program.
• WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

Know one that you don’t see here? See a broken link or error? Email us.

IMAGE: flickr – stevendepolo | CC 2.0

This is no pie-in-the-sky urban farm design. Italian architect Stefano Boeri’s Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest, is actually being built, and will soon add a splash of green to the Milan skyline.

The design features two residential towers with staggered balconies that allow an array of trees and shrubbery to grow outside each abode.  Advantages of such a setup, beyond adding verdant beauty to a city, include shading inhabitants in the summer while permitting more sunlight in the winter, protection from noise pollution, and air purification.

The Bosco Verticale is now under construction in Milan, Italy

Called “the most exciting new tower in the world” by the Financial Times, Bosco Verticale will eventually grow the equivalent of over 100,000 square feet of woodland. FT also reports that the buildings are to be the first in a series of eco-friendly renovations planned for the city. Boeri has dubbed the project BioMilano, and his vision features more green housing, the restoration of abandoned farms on the city outskirts, urban gardens, and Metrobosco, a ring of trees to encircle Milan.

Images:
© Stephano Boeri

Like our new magazine cover? Snatch up the 44″ x 25″ poster

What do the blockbuster movie Avatar, high-performance sports gear, the Angry Birds phone app, and pollution-eating bacteria have in common? They are among a host of fascinating innovations developed by engineers and featured in the newest edition of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Engineering, Go For It magazine.

The publication is now available in our online store. You can find a free preview of the magazine here.

The kid-friendly magazine is part of ASEE’s campaign to inspire more K-12 students, particularly young women and underrepresented minorities, to pursue engineering careers. Illustrating how engineers make a difference in the world, the new edition includes:

• Stories featuring robots that imitate animals, Hollywood special effects, clean energy innovations, and technological advances giving athletes a winning edge.
• Engaging profiles on an array of engineering careers and disciplines.
• Fresh, cutting-edge examples of engineering innovations that are transforming fields from aerospace and medical care to architecture and materials science.
• Interviews with eight students currently participating in the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship sponsored by the Department of Defense and administered by ASEE

In addition to producing a print magazine, eGFI blogs weekly for students and teachers, and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program is an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to receive a full scholarship and be gainfully employed upon degree completion.

Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive:

• Full tuition and education related fees
• Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 – $41,000
• Paid summer internships
• Health Insurance reimbursement allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
• Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
• Mentoring
• Employment placement after graduation with the Department of Defense

The SMART Scholarship for Service Program is open only to citizens of the United States, and students must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible. For more eligibility information click here.

Applications for 2011 open on August 15 and will close December 1 2011.

Website: http://smart.asee.org/

Image: RDECOM/Flickr

Despite how annoying dandelions may be for homeowners who take pride in their lawns, the weed’s roots have shown potential in making a new, green source of rubber.

Ford and Ohio State researchers are using the milky-white goo that seeps from dandelion roots to make a type of rubber that could be used in the plastics of cup holders, floor mats, and interior trim of cars.

The dandelions (a specific Russian kind called Taraxacum kok-saghyz, or TKS) are carefully harvested to ensure that the roots remain intact. The roots are ground to extract the milky-white latex and then vulcanized (a chemical process to link the latex polymers more strongly), adding durability and creating a rubber substance from the milky-white liquid.

Meanwhile, researchers  at Eastern BioPlastics have discovered that a substance in chicken feathers may be able to replace oil in the production of plastic products.

Keratin, a tough protein fiber found in fingernails, hair, and horns, can be removed from the feathers of chickens and replace petroleum in some cases, resulting in biodegradable flower pots and office furniture.

Each year, poultry producers are left with 3 billion pounds of leftover chicken feathers (which end up either in landfills or converted to – believe it or not – animal feed), and this could be a sustainable way to cut down on the 18.7 million barrels of oil that the United States consumes each day.

In addition, Brazilian researchers are looking to make a more eco-friendly plastic out of bananas and pineapples, and Toyota hopes to one day build a bioplastic car body out of seaweed.

Images:

tibchris/Flickr
Just chaos/Flickr

Is your lunch fresh enough to eat? Now the plastic wrap can tell you

Consumers often throw away perfectly edible food because they think it has “gone bad.” As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that food scraps constitute 12 percent of municipal landfills, making food the single largest component of the country’s waste stream.

To help prevent consumers from prematurely throwing away food, researchers are developing a plastic wrap that will change colors when the food is no longer safe to eat.

Made from “intelligent plastics,” the wrap will alert consumers when food is about to lose its freshness because it has broken or damaged packaging, has exceeded its “best before” date or has been poorly refrigerated.

An inexpensive wrap would be much more cost-effective than current technology that inserts freshness indicators inside the labels or food-industry packaging.

Not only would this color-changing wrap cut down on waste, but it would help save lives as well, as an estimated 76 million Americans contract food poisoning every year.

The researchers at Scotland’s Strathclyde University have received over $500,000 in funding form Scottish Enterprise, a government board. Hopefully soon they’ll be able to say, “that’s a wrap!”

Image: dvs/Flickr

Aquaculture, which relies on a balanced ecosystem of fish and plants, could be the future of urban farming

One of the biggest challenges to conquering world hunger is the shrinking availability of farmland. That is why farms of the future need to occupy less space, rely on fewer pesticides, and produce food that travels blocks, not miles, to combat climbing fuel costs.

The solution may be aquaponic farming, a revolutionary system of mini vertical farms where fish and plants live symbiotically.

The ecosystems of flora and fauna are linked by tubes – microorganisms eat the (filtered) waste produced by the fish, convert that it into fertilizer, and fertilize the lettuce, kale, wheatgrass, or other crops growing in a shallow pool of water nearby.

Aquaponic farming minimizes the use of water while allowing year-round harvests. It also completely eliminates harmful waste products that would otherwise end up in landfills. Says Miles Harston of Aquaranch, an aquaponic farm in Illinois, “In nature, there is no ‘waste.’ Every waste product becomes a benefit for another [natural] event.”

Instead of building elaborate high-rises or funky winged structures which would incur steep infrastructure costs, many aquaponic farmers are turning to large, unused buildings such as former truck depots or meatpacking plants.

Without the costs of building an entirely new structure, these indoor farms can be both sustainable and profitable, while helping to feed more mouths.

Here’s a great video explaining the advantages of urban aquaponics:

Images:
Social Earth
OrganicNation / flickr

New genetically engineered salmon grows twice as fast as its traditional counterpart (fish above are the same age)

The idea of genetically modified food may give some of us the creeps. But humans have been genetically modifying crops and livestock for thousands of years through selective cultivation and breeding. So, chances are that most of the food you eat has been engineered in some way. And now, for the first time, a fish whose DNA has been altered might be swimming into your local grocery store.

AquAdvantage is a new type of transgenic Atlantic Salmon that has been modified with growth genes from two other fish – the Chinook salmon and the eel-like Ocean pout. Produced by bioengineering company AquaBounty Technologies, it promises to be cheaper and more readily available than conventional salmon.

While non-transgenic Atlantic salmon can take up to 5 years to mature fully , the new fish grow twice as quickly. That’s because their DNA is spliced with the genes of fish that mature all year, as opposed to only during warmer seasons. Here’s a graph that compares the growth rates:

The news of  ”super salmon” has not come without controversy, however. Critics have dubbed it “Frankenfish” and question its safety for human consumption. After extensive testing, the FDA has yet to find any negative health impact, so the worries may be unfounded.

Here’s a news story covering the debate:

Click here to view the embedded video.

As strange as it may seem to dine on a fish that would not exist without human intervention, AquAdvantage could cut production costs and lessen the environmental impact of everyone’s favorite seafood.

Images courtesy AquaBounty Technologies

As you probably know already, today (Thursday, April 22) is Earth Day, which means it’s time to celebrate the achievements of environmental engineers everywhere.  So here’s a collection of news items highlighting the efforts of engineers to improve the state of our home planet. For more information about Earth Day events in your area, check the official Earth Day Network site.

Road Hogs

Farm power is back, and this time the pigs are on duty. Innoventor, a design and engineering firm, has teamed with researchers at the University of Illinois to develop a special reaction process that turns pig manure into biofuel. The swine fuel is being tested as a low-grade asphalt binder, and has been used to pave a stretch of highway  in St. Louis.

Students Design Eco-topia

Back in November, we blogged about the Future City design competition, and now the results are in. Congrats to the team from North Carolina’s Davidson IB Middle School, whose model for a self-sustaining city in Madagascar beat out over 1,000 entries, nabbing first prize. View more details of this amazing futuristic green city in the video above.

Ocean Update

Recently, there’s been a slew of exciting news in the field of ocean engineering. Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have created a new acoustic imaging system to allow scientists to view the ocean floor in high definition. Meanwhile, California has opened a large desalination plant that will soon make it possible for residents to drink water from the Pacific Ocean, and the Navy is testing a submarine engine that runs solely on power derived from ocean currents.

Earth to NASA

This year, NASA’s Earth Day gift might be the best of all: NASA Earth Exchange (or NEX, for short) is a colossal, 128-screen data-crunching monster, set to revolutionize our understanding of global climate change. Already, NEX has been able to “cobble together half-trillion-pixel snapshots of global vegetation change over the past 30 years in just ten hours,” reports PopSci, a task that would have usually taken months to compute.

Extra

We close with some stunning images of the recent volcanic explosion in Iceland – reminder of the awe-inspiring, often unpredictable forces of Planet Earth, and science’s ongoing efforts to understand and track them.

Pig Image: The Pug Father/Flickr