Posted on April 7th, 2011 by Mary Lord
Ask most engineers what drew them to the discipline, and crunching equations in the classroom probably doesn’t top any list. Studying explosions, building things, saving the planet—that’s more like it. A growing number of programs now give undergraduates a crack at cutting-edge research—often on socially relevant projects. Want to save lives when tsunamis strike? How about landing a robot on Mars or designing bomb-proof embassies? Check out our continuing series of posts on the country’s coolest engineering classes, which demonstrate that the fundamentals can still be fun.
After Japan’s devastating tsunami, did you wonder about building safer shelters? Students at Oregon State University’s College of Engineering in Corvallis not only get to design such structures; they can test them against the forces of nature in the Tsunami Wave Basin, the world’s largest, most sophisticated facility for studying earthquake-generated monster swells.
Read More
Filed under: Architectural, Civil, e-News, Environmental, Explore Engineering, Ocean | Comments Off on Sign Me Up: Tsunami Research Class at Oregon State
Tags: Architectural, Civil, Classes, Environmental, Ocean
Posted on April 5th, 2011 by jxh
In 2000, the U.S. Navy acknowledged that loud blasts of its sonar helped cause a mass stranding of whales in the Bahamas. And in 2005, 37 whales beached themselves and died along the North Carolina shore after Navy vessels used powerful sonar as part of a training exercise.
Thus, the Office of Naval Research has awarded two three-year grants to advance research on the effects of man-made noises on marine life.
Read More
Filed under: e-News, Environmental, Ocean | 1 Comment »
Tags: Acoustical, Bioscience, Environmental, Ocean
Posted on April 1st, 2011 by jxh
Scientists may have created an affordable solution for those who live without electricity.
The invention is an artificial leaf, and it is powered by an advanced solar cell that mimics photosynthesis (the process green plants use to convert sunlight and water into energy.)
Read More
Filed under: Chemical, e-News, Environmental, Materials | 4 Comments »
Tags: Chemical, Environmental, Green Technology, Materials
Posted on March 31st, 2011 by jxh
For the past three years, students from all over the country have been competing to design the ultimate vehicle that balances performance, safety and consumer appeal with fuel efficiency and emissions-reduction.
The 16 university teams participating in EcoCar: The NeXt Challenge recently tested their cars in Ann Arbor, MI, as they geared up for the Competition Finals.
Read More
Filed under: e-News, Environmental, Mechanical, Transportation | Comments Off on Three Year EcoCar Competition Wrapping Up
Tags: Cars, Environmental, Green Transportation, Mechanical, Transportation
Posted on March 29th, 2011 by jxh
Last year we reported on the sustainability efforts of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which made the games the greenest yet. Vancouver was outfitted with solar panels, green roofs, and mechanisms to collect and recycle rainwater. Award medals were made from re-purposed electronic waste.
Now, Rio de Janeiro is aiming to create the first games with a zero-carbon footprint when it hosts the Summer Olympics in 2016.
To help the city achieve this goal, Swiss-based RAFAA Architecture and Design has proposed a Solar City Tower, which features a visually stunning energy-generating waterfall.
Read More
Filed under: Architectural, e-News, Environmental, Ocean | 6 Comments »
Tags: Architectural, Energy, Environmental, Green Technology, Ocean, Olympics, renewable energy, Sports
