Computer chips and electronic circuitry made from diamonds? Sounds like just bling, but nanodiamond-based components for microelectronic devices not only are very robust; they’re inexpensive.

Developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University, the devices are made by depositing a thin nanodiamond film on a layer of silicon dioxide and then vacuum-packaging it.

Read More

Filed under: Computer, e-News, Electrical, Mining, Nuclear | 3 Comments »

Tags: Computer, Electrical, Mining, Nuclear

The wings of Costa Rica’s beautiful blue morpho butterfly are so iridescent their shimmer can be spotted more than a half mile away. Yet they contain no pigments. Instead, they have nanostructures that reflect and refract wavelengths of light to produce the vivid blue hue.

Researchers at Canada’s Simon Fraser University have developed a printing method that produces nanoholes 1,500 times thinner than a human hair that can, like the morpho’s nanostructures, each trap a single light wave.

Read More

Filed under: Computer, e-News, Materials | 4 Comments »

Tags: 3D, Biomimicry, Defense, Materials, Printing

Cartoons have come a long way since the hand-drawn moving pictures of decades past. Now, the animated films at your local cineplex are made possible by sophisticated computer software created by engineers. Modeling the realistic textures and movement of such things as fur, hair and fabric, for example, takes serious computing power.

Read More

Filed under: Computer, e-News | Comments Off on Engineering Is: Making Movies

Tags: Animation, Art, CGI, Computer, Entertainment, Movies

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.

Read More

Filed under: Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, e-News, Electrical, Environmental, Explore Engineering, Industrial / Manufacturing, K-12 Outreach Programs, Materials, Mechanical, Mining, Nuclear, Ocean, Transportation | 1 Comment »

Tags: 3D, Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Art, Aviation, Biomedical, Biomimicry, Biotechnology, Books & Magazines, Cars, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Events, Giving Back, Green Technology, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials, Mechanical, Mining, Nuclear, Ocean, Technology, Trailblazers, Transportation

Imagine if someone gave you up to $41,000 in cash to realize your dreams. That – plus full tuition and other education-related benefits –is what the SMART scholarship offers students majoring in science, engineering and mathematics. SMART scholars also get paid summer internships and a job placement after graduation. ASEE invited eight current SMART scholars to spend a day in Washington, D.C., and talk about what got them into engineering. Bios after the jump.

Read More

Filed under: Aerospace, Architectural, Biomedical, Civil, Computer, e-News, Electrical, Materials, Mechanical, Meet More Students, Ocean, Scholarships | 4 Comments »

Tags: Aerospace, Architectural, Biomedical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Ocean, Scholarships, SMART