Posted on July 12th, 2011 by axb
Every budding engineer must study advanced mathematics in college or earlier, and to some the prospect is less than exciting. Otherwise capable students might steer clear of science and engineering altogether, just to spare themselves the multi-variable calculus.
Math-aversion has reached epidemic levels in America – recent studies rank the U.S. at the bottom of the developed world when it comes to proficiency in mathematics.
So how can teachers hope to foster enthusiasm for numbers in such an environment? That’s the question driving the Museum of Mathematics (also known as MoMath), a new repository of mathematical delights slated to open in Manhattan next year.
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Filed under: e-News, Explore Engineering | 2 Comments »
Tags: Activities, Mathematics, Museums
Posted on July 7th, 2011 by axb
Would you like your silly putty to be able to stick to the fridge, eat magnets, and creepily ooze without your assistance? If so, you should definitely check out this DIY activity from Instructables.
Silly putty was invented by accident when James Wright, a Scottish engineer working for General Electric, mixed silicone oil with boric acid in an attempt to make artificial rubber. By 1949 the bouncing putty was packaged and sold as a toy, and was met with instant popularity.
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Filed under: Chemical, e-News, Materials | 3 Comments »
Tags: Activities, Chemical, Materials
Posted on July 2nd, 2011 by axb
University of Alabama, Huntsville
Aerospace Engineering
“I started to grow an interest in space when my mom would take me outside and teach me about the night sky. I became greatly interested in the technologies man designed to utilize and study space. This led me to the easy decision to major in aerospace engineering.”
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Filed under: Aerospace, Meet More Students | 2 Comments »
Tags: Aerospace, SMART
Posted on June 22nd, 2011 by axb
Have you ever wondered what air travel might look like in the year 2050? Aircraft manufacturers at Airbus have, and to them the future looks exceedingly bright (and comfortable).
Their new Concept Cabin, a futuristic design created for the 49th biennial Paris Air Show, features a transparent roof that can adjust its opacity, giving passengers a panoramic view of the skies. The streamlined web that supports this canopy will be made of a lightweight titanium modeled after bird bones. Airbus engineers even predict that much of the cabin will be able to be 3D printed.
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Filed under: Aerospace, e-News, Transportation | 11 Comments »
Tags: Aeronautics, Aerospace, Biomimicry, Transportation
Posted on June 21st, 2011 by axb
When University of California, Berkeley senior Austin Whitney walked across the stage at graduation on May 14, 2011, it was more than just a personal triumph. His rise from a wheelchair represented a triumph for paralyzed people everywhere–and for engineers whose adaptive technology designs have helped disabled individuals overcome mobility limitations.
“Ask anybody in a wheelchair; ask what it would mean to once again stand and shake someone’s hand while facing them at eye level,” Whitney, 22, said in a pre-graduation university news report about his feat. “It will be surreal, like a dream.”
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical | Comments Off on Berkeley Engineers Help Student Walk
Tags: Giving Back, Mechanical
