Technology and Engineering

Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Medical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Biotechnology, Green Tech, Information Science, Nanotech

The Ups and Downs of Vertical Farming

savi Environmental and Earth Sciences, Technology and Engineering
This is a report I wrote for my speech communications class in my first year at the University of Waterloo back in November 2019. It was meant to be a persuasive paper on why Ontario should invest in vertical farming, however in the end I believe it is more of a research paper. This was one of the longest and most detailed reports I have written, it required a lot of specific research as I…

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New ingredient for computers: water!

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
A July 25, 2019 news item on Nanowerk provides a description of Moore`s Law and some ‘watery’ research that may upend it, Moore’s law – which says the number of components that could be etched onto the surface of a silicon wafer would double every two years – has been the subject of recent debate. The quicker pace of computing advancements in the past decade have led some experts to say Moore’s law, the brainchild…

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Outstanding Undergraduate Researchers Announced

Dan Gillis Communication, Education and Outreach, Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
As I mentioned in my previous post, I am extremely grateful that I get to work with the group of nerds that I do. They are intelligent, passionate, and driven humans who excel academically and as community-engaged citizens. And they are constantly teaching me and challenging the ways in which I view and understand theContinue reading "Outstanding Undergraduate Researchers Announced"

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An artificial graphene throat

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
A July 24, 2019 American Chemical Society (ACS) news release (received via email and also on EurekAlert) describes a ‘tattoo-like- artificial throat derived from graphene, Most people take speech for granted, but it’s actually a complex process that involves both motions of the mouth and vibrations of folded tissues, called vocal cords, within the throat. If the vocal cords sustain injuries or other lesions, a person can lose the ability to speak. Now, researchers reporting…

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Academic List-O-Gratitude 2019

Dan Gillis Communication, Education and Outreach, Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
This week I will upload the final grades for the courses I taught this semester. I will also host the last of my meetings with my grad students, and attend my final committee meetings of 2019. And when I close my office door for the last time this year, I’m going to saunter home feelingContinue reading "Academic List-O-Gratitude 2019"

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Memristor-based neural network and the biosimilar principle of learning

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
Once you get past the technical language (there’s a lot of it), you’ll find that they make the link between biomimicry and memristors explicit. Admittedly I’m not an expert but if I understand the research correctly, the scientists are suggesting that the algorithms used in machine learning today cannot allow memristors to be properly integrated for use in true neuromorphic computing and this work from Russia and Greece points to a new paradigm. If you…

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A deep look at atomic switches

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
A July 19, 2019 news item on phys.org describes research that may result in a substantive change for information technology, A team of researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology has gained unprecedented insight into the inner workings of an atomic switch. By investigating the composition of the tiny metal ‘bridge’ that forms inside the switch, their findings may spur the design of atomic switches with improved performance. A July 22, 2019 Tokyo Institute of Technology…

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Touchy robots and prosthetics

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
I have briefly speculated about the importance of touch elsewhere (see my July 19, 2019 posting regarding BlocKit and blockchain; scroll down about 50% of the way) but this upcoming news bit and the one following it put a different spin on the importance of touch. Exceptional sense of touch Robots need a sense of touch to perform their tasks and a July 18, 2019 National University of Singapore press release (also on EurekAlert) announces…

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Awe, science, and God

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
Having been brought up in a somewhat dogmatic religion, I was a bit resistant when I saw ‘religion’ mentioned in the news release but it seems I am being dogmatic. Here’s a definition from the Religion Wikipedia entry (Note: Links have been removed), Religion is a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements. However, there is no…

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Dial-a-frog?

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
Frog and phone – Credit: Marta Yebra Alvarez There is a ‘frogphone’ but you won’t be talking or communicating directly with frogs, instead you will get data about them, according to a December 6, 2019 British Ecological Society press release (also on EurekAlert), Researchers have developed the ‘FrogPhone’, a novel device which allows scientists to call up a frog survey site and monitor them in the wild. The FrogPhone is the world’s first solar-powered remote…

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