The Great American Domino Effect Engineering Challenge is
on, at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington DC (Walter E.
Washington Convention Center). Visit SCIENCE
SCREEN REPORT’s booth (1231) to participate.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Renewable Sources Energy for Farmers in Developing Countries
Farmers
in rural areas often do not access to power via power grid, or large-scale
energy sources. These farmers usually
gain power from burning wood or charcoal, contributing to pollution, and deforestation. Nourishing the Planet is an organization that
seeks to bring renewable resources to rural areas to promote sustainability,
diversity, ecosystem health, and productivity.
Nourishing the Planet has worked to introduce five sources of energy to
help meet the demands of poor farmers, allowing them to improve the quality of
their work.
The
Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a nonprofit organization that installs
solar energy light systems in rural areas as well as a drip-irrigation system
powered by photovoltaics allowing farmers to grow crops throughout the dry
season. Solar Household Energy (SHE)
provides solar cookers called HotPots to help households cook without using
wood burning ovens.
More information
about renewable energy sources, and their many uses in these rural areas can be
found at the source below.
Source:
Interested in teaching your students more
about energy? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episodes Energy – Understanding
Hydroelectric Power, Energy – Transforming Renewable Resources Part I &
II. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
Asteroid Mining
Space exploration has taken a
new twist yet again. Start-up company
Planetary Resources announced it is preparing to send unmanned spacecraft to
earth-orbiting asteroids for mining. According to Planetary Resources, 1,500
asteroids are “energetically as easy to reach as the moon.” Planetary Resources claims asteroid mining
would aid in the retrieval of valuable materials to bring to earth, such as
platinum.
Planetary Resources is seeking
government support to complement the financial backing already provided by investors. Planetary Resources hopes to send its space
craft “Arkyd” into a low-Earth orbit, targeting mineable asteroids, in a few years’
time.
Source:
Interested in teaching your
students more about space science? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Space
Science – Everyday Astronauts. If your school would like to receive this
free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
USA Science & Engineering Festival
USA Science & Engineering Festival
Come visit SCIENCE SCREEN REPORT
this weekend (April 27-29) at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in
Washington DC. The festival will take
place in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. SCIENCE SCREEN
REPORT will be presenting The Great American Domino Effect Engineering
Challenge, at booth 1231. Individuals or
teams will have 10 minutes to build the biggest, best domino structure, and test
their pattern by knocking it over.
The 2nd annual USA
Science & Engineering Festival is a free event, aimed at cultivating an
interest in the sciences for students of all ages and backgrounds.
This is the nation’s biggest celebration of science and engineering. The festival will help provide inspiration for
undecided students about their career path in the sciences.
Visit the website below to learn
more about the 2nd annual USA Science & Engineering Festival.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Eagle Web-Cam
The Alcoa Davenport community in Iowa has installed a camera to observe a pair of bald eagles, and their nest. The nest measures seven feet, and sits on a 400 acre facility in a tree near the Mississippi River. The two eagles, Liberty and Justice, became parents to an eaglet (Freedom) in April 2011.
The eagle cam was recently updated with improved video streaming. To date, more than five million viewers worldwide have visited the eagle cam to observe the eagle family developing within this unique ecosystem. Eagle hatchlings typically appear in late March or early April.
Meet the Alcoa Eaglets:
Friday, April 6, 2012
White Nose Syndrome in Alabama
Authorities have confirmed the presence of white nose syndrome in Alabama. The Russell Cave complex has confirmed the presence of white nose syndrome in its bats. The Russell Cave complex is home to the largest hibernating population of the endangered Large Gray bat.
White nose syndrome has now been confirmed in 17 states, and four Canadian provinces. The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that up to 6.7 million bats have died from white nose syndrome since it was first discovered in the US Northeast in 2006. Every year insectivorous bats save the US agricultural industry at least $3 billion; approximately $74 per acre for the average farmer.
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/16/bats-white-nose-syndrome_n_1350306.html
Interested in teaching your students more about ecology? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Ecology – Bats: Creatures of the Night. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
Bay Bridge Safety Inspection
A panel study has revealed that the new Bay Bridge is safe in response to concerns about the bridge's construction. The panel was asked to provide an independent opinion about the bay bridge's safety in light of discussions that a CalTrans inspector submitted fake quality control data.
The Toll Bridge Seismic Safety Peer Reviewed Panel released a report finding no evidence of faulty data on tests checking the structural integrity of concrete in the new Bay Bridge foundation. The panelists also found that the bridge contractor ran a second type of test and found no signs of trouble.
This study reveals the importance of ensuring that bridges undergo extreme inspection procedures to protect the drivers and pedestrians that cross the bridge on a daily basis. This review saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, and also ensured the safety of all who use the bridge.
Source:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20260493/panel-finds-new-bay-bridge-is-safe-although
Interested in teaching your students more about engineering? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Engineering – Bridges by Design. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
Interested in speaking to students about engineering? E-mail Fallon@ssrvideo.com
The Toll Bridge Seismic Safety Peer Reviewed Panel released a report finding no evidence of faulty data on tests checking the structural integrity of concrete in the new Bay Bridge foundation. The panelists also found that the bridge contractor ran a second type of test and found no signs of trouble.
This study reveals the importance of ensuring that bridges undergo extreme inspection procedures to protect the drivers and pedestrians that cross the bridge on a daily basis. This review saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, and also ensured the safety of all who use the bridge.
Source:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20260493/panel-finds-new-bay-bridge-is-safe-although
Interested in teaching your students more about engineering? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Engineering – Bridges by Design. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
Interested in speaking to students about engineering? E-mail Fallon@ssrvideo.com
Thursday, March 29, 2012
White Nose Syndrome in Smoky Mountain National Park
Biologists in the great Smoky Mountains National Park have confirmed bat deaths due to White Nose Syndrome. The bats found where a tricolored bat and a little brown bat. Throughout the WNS epidemic, the little brown bat has suffered the most deaths.
Though biologists were expecting to find WNS, the discovery makes for a very sad atmosphere at the park. Biologists hope to control deaths through continuous monitoring of populations throughout the area caves and forests.
Source:
Interested in teaching your students more about ecology? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Ecology – Bats: Creatures of the Night. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
Mississippi Bat Working Group Conservation
The Mississippi Bat Working Group is seeking volunteers to build bat homes in Oxford, MS. The MBWG consists of professionals interested in biology, conservation, ecology, and bat management. The MBWG's objective is to conserve declining bat populations, which are now being wiped out as a result of White Nose Syndrome.
MBWG is also seeking volunteers to help construct a database to register all bat houses. The goal of MBWG is to have more than one bat house per county, throughout the state. Mississippi has 82 counties.
Source:
Interested in teaching your students more about ecology? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Ecology – Bats: Creatures of the Night. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
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