When Marcus Ashford was studying mechanical engineering at Louisiana State University, there wasn’t a single black faculty member in the department. Now, as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, he hopes to inspire change. “A lot of kids don’t see themselves in certain positions because they’ve never seen anyone like them doing it,” he says. “We are our own best recruiters. If the work that we do is exciting enough, and you can get people to see that, we’ll draw them in.”

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Filed under: Environmental, Explore Engineering, Mechanical | Comments Off on Class Acts: Driving Force

Tags: Environmental, Mechanical

Don’t be evil” is Google’s informal corporate motto. Far from being evil, Google is trying to use its vast wealth to do good. Since becoming a public company in 2004, it has set aside 1 percent of its equity and profits — around $1 billion — to fund good causes and invest in promising technologies.

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Filed under: Computer, Environmental, Explore Engineering | Comments Off on Giving Back: Google Does Good

Tags: Computer, Environmental, Green Technology, renewable energy

Is solar power the heavenly answer to our energy needs? Perhaps. Not only is sunlight clean, abundant, and everlasting — it’s free. Until recently, however, the cost of converting it into electricity was prohibitive — especially when compared with natural gas, which was cheap. But as they say, things change. New technologies are making solar power more cost-effective.

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Filed under: Civil, Environmental, Materials | Comments Off on A Bright Future

Tags: Civil, Energy, Environmental, Green Technology, Materials

With his high school buddy, Adam Lowry created household cleaning products that are stylish, nice smelling, and kind to the environment. You may have seen his Method line at Target or Safeway stores. The cleaners are made with natural ingredients that are less toxic.

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Filed under: Chemical, Environmental, Materials, Trailblazers | Comments Off on Soap Star

Tags: Chemical, Environmental, Materials

Working for the SmithGroup architectural firm, Cynthia Cogil uses engineering to make buildings that are better for the environment. She helped design one that turns off the lights when it senses enough daylight coming in. Also, its roof collects water that gets filtered before coming out of the faucet. What’s more, the toilet doesn’t use water. Instead, chutes bring waste into a holding tank where it decomposes.

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Filed under: Architectural, Environmental, Trailblazers | 1 Comment »

Tags: Architectural, Environmental, Green Technology