Technology and Engineering

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

Hacking Hackathons

Dan Gillis Communication, Education and Outreach, Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
In slightly less than two weeks I’ll have the opportunity to chat with the Guelph Knowledge Translation & Transfer (KTT) Community of Practice. In particular, I’m going to be chatting about my observations and experiences delivering hackathons over the years; how they’ve changed, and how the awesome team I get to work with have helpedContinue reading "Hacking Hackathons"

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Low-cost carbon sequestration and eco-friendly manufacturing for chemicals with nanobio hybrid organisms

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
Years ago I was asked about carbon sequestration and nanotechnology and could not come up with any examples. At last I have something for the next time the question is asked. From a June 11, 2019 news item on ScienceDaily, University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed nanobio-hybrid organisms capable of using airborne carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce a variety of plastics and fuels, a promising first step toward low-cost carbon sequestration and eco-friendly…

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Nanocellulose sensors: 3D printed and biocompatible

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
I do like to keep up with nanocellulose doings, especially when there’s some Canadian involvement, and an October 8, 2019 news item on Nanowerk alerted me to a newish application for the product, Physiological parameters in our blood can be determined without painful punctures. Empa researchers are currently working with a Canadian team to develop flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors that can be attached to the skin. The 3D-printed analytic chips made of renewable raw materials…

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Gold nanoparticle loaded with CRISPR used to edit genes

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) gene editing is usually paired with a virus (9, 12a, etc.) but this time scientists are using a gold nanoparticle. From a May 27, 2019 news item on Nanowerk (Note: Links have been removed), Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center took a step toward making gene therapy more practical by simplifying the way gene-editing instructions are delivered to cells. Using a gold nanoparticle instead of an inactivated…

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Safe nanomaterial handling on a tiny budget

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
A June 3, 2019 news item on Nanowerk describes an inexpensive way to safely handle carbon nanotubes (CNTs), Note: A link has been removed, With a little practice, it doesn’t take much more than 10 minutes, a couple of bags and a big bucket to keep nanomaterials in their place.The Rice University lab of chemist Andrew Barron works with bulk carbon nanotubes on a variety of projects. Years ago, members of the lab became concerned…

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Skin-based vaccination delivery courtesy of nanotechnology

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
A May 28, 2019 news item on Nanowerk announced research targeting Langerham cells and the immune system (Note: A link has been removed), Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam developed targeted nanoparticles that are taken up by certain immune cells of the human skin (ACS Central Science, “A specific, glycomimetic Langerin ligand for human Langerhans cell targeting”). These so-called Langerhans cells coordinate the immune response and alert the body…

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Data science guide from Sense about Science

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
Sense about Science, headquartered in the UK, is in its own words (from its homepage) Sense about Science is an independent campaigning charity that challenges the misrepresentation of science and evidence in public life. … According to an October 1, 2019 announcement from Sense about Science (received via email), the organization has published a new guide, Our director warned yesterday [September 30, 2019] that data science is being given a free pass on quality in…

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‘Smart’ windows in Vancouver (Canada): engineering issues?

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
This post was going to focus on the first building in Canada to feature ‘smart’ windows. In this case, they are electrochromic windows and the company, View Dynamic Glass, was mentioned here in a September 17, 2018 posting about the windows’ use at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. (The posting includes a link to the View Dynamic Glass report on the windows’ use and a short video.) However, things changed but, first, let’s start with an…

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Do you believe in science?

Maryse de la Giroday Science in Society, Technology and Engineering
Points to anyone who recognized the Cher reference and, for those who don’t, (from the Believe [Cher song] Wikipedia entry), “Believe” is a song recorded by American singer Cher for her twenty-second album, Believe (1998), …“Believe” departed from Cher’s pop rock style of the time for an upbeat dance-pop style. It featured a pioneering use of the audio processing software Auto-Tune to create a deliberate vocal distortion, which became known as the “Cher effect”. The…

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