Round-the-Clock Solar Power

 This advancement in renewable energy was discovered by a Swiss scientist, Michael Graetzel. He has created a new way to capture solar energy. Rather than using the conventional method of converting solar energy into electricity, he has devised a way to convert this solar energy into hydrogen. This process consists of a solar cell connected to two catalysts submerged in water. These catalysts are two different types of metal, mostly  iron and copper. The act of creating the hydrogen is referred to as water splitting. At this moment the efficiency of the water splitting is only harnessing 12.3 percent of the solar energy versus the 16 percent that conventional solar cells capture. Although these percentages would seem in favor of the conventional method, it has to be taken into consideration how hard inefficient other processes of making hydrogen are. This apparatus is inexpensive and simple making it a prime contender in the field of solar technology.

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This technology seems to be an incredible advancement in the solar industry. I could see a major shift in not only the way in which we harness solar power, but possibly the way we power out lives. It is possible that rather than converting fossil fuels into electricity hydrogen plants could be used to convert clean hydrogen energy into electricity. These water splitters could also be used to power cars or anything else that consumes fossil fuels. The extraction of hydrogen has been a troubling conundrum for some time. If this invention can provide the key to cheap, sustainable, and efficient production of hydrogen, it could have a major change in the way we live.

Life in Outer Space

A complex organic molecule has been found in a star forming cloud 27,000 light years away from earth. This complex organic molecule is called Iso-propyl cyanid. This organic molecule has a branched carbon backbone that is complex enough to create life. This molecule has the prospect as being a foundation for being a building block for life. Various organic molecules have been found in space but this is the only one that has a carbon backbone that can create life. This organic compound is the closest thing that we have found to what we have here on earth. This compound also has a backbone of amino acids. If amino acids like these are widespread through the galaxy then more life can also be out there as well, 
Read more:
Complex organic molecule found in interstellar space

Wi-Fi Drones

Facebook's plan to connect the world may soon seem possible. According to Facebook, they plan to release an unmanned aircraft or drone that will provide Wi-Fi by 2015. The company plans to use these drones to provide internet access for individuals living in remote locations or unconnected parts of the world- a move that they call "good for public relations". In March of 2014, Facebook acquired the drone maker Ascenta to build the drone. As of September 2014, the drone company has made progress. They have a solar powered prototype in mind that flies up to 65,000 feet for months or years at a time. The aircraft will be roughly the size of a Boeing 747, although much, much lighter. Facebook's aspirations to connect the world has gained support from networking giants like Nokia and Qualcomm. The collaboration has identified 21 viable locations for these drones from Asia and Africa to Latin America and the mountainous regions of the United States. Facebook claims that "trying to connect everyone is the problem of our generation." This is their solution.

Paralyzed Rats Take 1,000 Steps, Orchestrated by Computer

Spinal Implants May Allow Disabled People to Walk One Day

     In recent news, a group of neuroscientists from Switzerland have discovered a way to revitalize paralyzed limbs through electrical impulses in the hosts severed spinal cord. The testing began with mice with damaged spinal chords that did not allow movement of the lower body. Zapping particular nerve cells stimulated enough action to create movement in the disabled legs. This allowed some mice to take 1000 steps, navigating through simple obstacles and stairs. Although this is modest achievement, there is still a lot of work to be done to begin human testing. Something similar was done to men in the US with disabled lower halves. Initially they were unable to function properly, but, with some getting used to, they felt sensation their feet, legs, ankles and toes. Some even made some steps forward. Such a system can help many people in the future, the bigger problem behind the development is how to integrate a automatic way of movement. Because as of now, each step must be made manually. More strides are to be made with neurotransmitters that will detect intended movements in people, and project them in this system. 

You can read more here: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/531051/paralyzed-rats-take-1000-steps-orchestrated-by-computer/

Tesla Motors Shares Electric Car Technology With Everyone

A major problem in our society is cars running on gasoline. For starters gas has become more expensive. Because people cannot simply stop paying for the gas that powers their cars it becomes even harder for them to prosper in the struggling economy. Gas is an even greater problem because of the terrible effects it has on the environment. To prevent gas from leading to more struggle in the economy and ruining our environment to a further extent, car companies, such as Tesla Motors, have invested in manufacturing cars that run on electrical power rather than gas. However, the amount of success that Tesla has had over the years has not been outstanding because there are many more companies who are still producing cars that run on gasoline. This is why Tesla has recently announced that they will be releasing their electric car technology with everyone. The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, stated that they are doing this because the electric vehicle landscape is so limited (statistics show that electric vehicle represent less than one percent of major automakers' sales). By making their technology available to even their competitors, Musk hopes that there will be more advancements and production of electric cars. If this were to happen then in a few years the demand for the electric cars would increase and the demand for cars running on gasoline would decrease.

To learn more about Tesla and their technology, click on the link below:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/12/5804122/tesla-opens-patents-to-all

Intelligent Robots as Models for Studying Human Communication

When I hear about artificial intelligence in news and especially in movies, it's usually accompanied with the fear of a human-induced "robot-takeover" of Earth. While that is a heavily dramatized picture of what artificial intelligence actually strives to achieve, AI does contain this assumption that robots are essentially moving computers that require software and information provided by us humans in order to function autonomously.

However, Takayuki Nagai, a professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems, and Tetsuuro Nishino, a professor at the Department Informatics, bring up an interesting point about how there's a future featuring a role reversal - robots teaching humans about the depths of human nature. Granted, of course, that future is far, far away. For now, these two researchers are focused on implements trial-and-error learning and object association techniques within robots, and eventually naturally languages in aim to connect humans and robots via words.

The field of robotics certainly can bring up interesting points about human nature. Why are we so hungry to create human-like robots? Aren't humans already enough?

Source: http://phys.org/news/2014-09-intelligent-robots-human.html

Memory Implants

A biomedical engineer and neuroscientist, Theodore Berger has been brainstorming ways to help those with memory loss, such as patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's   Berger is in the process of creating a chip that can be implanted in people's brains that can assist in the creation of long term memories.  Despite his critics who believe he has gone out of his mind, he hasn't given up and sees potential in his vision.  So far he has experimented with the chip on rats and monkeys and found that it to have functioned just like real neurons.  Because the Hippocampus is a part of the brain that controls what is kept in the long-term memory, Berger wanted to focus on what the code was that neutrons in the Hippocampus use to form long-term memories.  By training rats to do one thing over and over he was able to trace how the signals in the brain turned into long-term memories.  From this Berger believed he cracked the code.  Although Berger still has a long way to go because there are still a lot of gray areas and questions unanswered.  
Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/513681/memory-implants/

Weekly Progress Report

Project groups are required to maintain Weekly Progress Report about their progress. The report is due every Thursday. The writing should be clear and concise. The following list is a template for your report.

• Progress: list of tasks accomplished, problems solved, questions answered, lessons learned, new idea identified, etc. Include any images and/or videos of your experiments, presentations and/or documents of your results, links and/or printing references, and acknowledgements of external support.
• Problem: difficulties encountered, missing information, equipments required, materials missed, open issues, new risks or show stopper identified, etc.
• Plan: steps to attack the problems, action items, experiments to conduct, ideas to try, etc. Show your schedule and task assignment for each group member for the coming week.

Each group will post your Weekly Progress Report at your own blog:

1. Drone Delivery System - http://advstem1.blogspot.com/
2. Biofeedback in Gaming - http://advstem2.blogspot.com/ 
3. Regenerative Walking - http://advstem3.blogspot.com/ 
4. Doctor Networking - http://advstem4.blogspot.com/

Bionic Eyes

         This is the beginning of the end of blindness. Robert Greenberg, the CEO of a company called Second Sight, has developed a bionic eye that can allow blind people to see again. The name of the project is Argus II. This system is a pair of camera-equipped glasses that are hooked up to electrodes in the eyes. It is essentially made up of a pair of glasses, a converter box and an electrode array. The image captured by the camera in the glasses is transmitted to the converter box, which can easily fit in a purse or pocket, and then the box sends signals to the electrode array implanted in the retina, which then sends visual information to the brain. While it is a groundbreaking technological advancement, it still does not restore one's vision completely, and there is much more work to be done. For now, only 6 people in the U.S. have the Argus II, but researchers are working to develop this into a more affordable and complete system.

More information can be found here, along with a description of what people with the Argus II can see: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140923-im-blind-but-i-have-bionic-eyes

On/Off Switch for Aging Cells Discovered

Our cells contintinuously divide in order to replenish the organs in our bodies that allow us to live. These organs include: lungs, skin, liver, and many other organs. However, as we age our cells no longer have this ability to divide and create new cells. When cells reach the point where they can no longer divide indefinitely, this causes a domino effect. First the cells stop dividing, then the tissues in the organs start to degenerate, and finally the organs themselves start to fail. This has proven to be an issue for many scientists. Fortunately, new research conducted by scientists in the Salk Institute has shown that telomerase, an enzyme that rebuilds telomeres and allows cells to divide indefinitely, can be turned off. With this discovery, scientists have decided to manipulate the telomerase by turning it off, therefore slowing down the telomere shortening process. This is beneficial because later in life the telomerase can be manipulated again, but this time by being turned on. Turning on the telomerase would promote healthy cells to divide indefinitely so that organs still have their function even during old age. To learn more about this discovery, you can click on the source provided below. 

Source: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930631000263

Mussel Inspired Waterproof Glue

Researchers at MIT have directed their resources to study mussels. What they found was a protein that allows the mussel to glue onto hard non-porous materials like rocks, boats, and other sea creatures. The researchers at MIT did not create and exact replica of the mussel's binding protein but rather used its chemical structure to create something of its kind. The mussel inspired adhesive is is created in the lab using bacterial biofilm protein combined with various plant and animal proteins, which were previously researched for their "sticky" molecular configuration. Researchers put the glue to test by adhering the glue on to materials like gold, silica, and Styrofoam. They found that the man-made glue was 1.5 times stronger than the natural mussel's glue, making it the world's strongest bio-inspired adhesive. The researchers hope to use the water impermeable glue on underwater structures, ships, or even medicine. In the medical field, the conglomerate glue is able to bind wounds in wet conditions, making it practical for operative surgeons who do not want to resort to sutures or stitches. So far, the researchers have not found a cost effective method for glue production and are aiming to redesign the glue to withstand acidic environments where the glue does not fair especially well.

Source :http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nnano.2014.199.html

Using polymers to build solar cells

This article is describing the attempt to build solar cells that are reliant on polymers, the molecule that makes up plastics. The polymer allows the electricity in the cell to flow more easily, making it a useful tool in the creation of solar panels/cells. At this point, this new polymer can achieve up to 8.2% efficiency. With that being said, there is work being done on an improved polymer which is predicted to have up to 15% efficiency. This is exciting as solar energy can be the solution to the energy problem. The more breakthroughs in this field, the better for society. 

You can find more about this here.

Stem Cells Are on the Rise

The research into the use of stem cells has been going on since the 1990s. Researchers have been trying to figure out the best ways to use stem cells, the best ways to implement them to be able treat and cure diseases. Take Edgar Irastorza for example. He suffered a heart attack at the age of 31. The scar tissue that resulted from this heart attack cut down his heart's ability to pump blood by a third. This prevented Mr. Irastorza from doing the most basic things like picking up his kids from school. So his doctors proposed a medical research trial of stem cells. He agreed to take part in it and his heart got injected with stem cells. After a few years he was up and going again, he even went back to his passion of breakdancing. His story is one of many and shows the great hope that stem cells is brining into the medical field. 
Read more here: 

The Trials of Stem Cell Therapy

Folding Screens are the Future

Samsung has recently released a prototype for a flexible HD AMOLED display. This display can be folded and turned. This si super useful for screens on curved surfaces such as armbands and curved TVs. The prototype is a Windows phone that is touch capable, which is remarkable for a flexible display. The flexible display is made of a plastic substrate and Graphene, which is not only 10 times stronger than steel, but flexible, see-through and conductive of electricity. Graphene will change the way that technology will be produced in the future. People will be able to carry around screens on their T-shirts, or fold displays onto curved mirrors in cars. 

Source:

http://www.ibtimes.com/samsung-flexible-display-phone-coming-2015-manufacturer-secretly-showcases-foldable-amoled-display

"Two Down, One to Go"

Researchers at Cornell University and Rothamsted Research in the UK have successfully completed stage two of three in the effort to feed the world's exponentially growing population. That effort the through the means of turbocharge photosynthesis.

There already exists plants in the natural world that photosynthesize (aka converting carbon dioxide into sugar, food for the plant) much quicker than others. These plants - such as corn and various types of weeds - are called C4 plants. Unfortunately, that only accounts for 25% of the world's crops; the other 75% are the slower C3 plants.

So is there a way to make C3 plants C4 plants? That's what these researchers are aiming to achieve, through genetic and molecular engineering. Instead of inserting brand new cells, scientists want to alter existing ones. And it's not a a simple one-two gene transformation either; we're looking a a more complex, 10-15 gene process. By applying a three-step photosynthesize mechanism from cyanobacteria into these C3 plants, scientists hope to engineer plants into faster growers.

The three phases are as followed:
1. Proteins synthesize a unique pocket within a planet cell that concentrates carbon dioxide.
2. An enzyme that catalyzes the photosynthetic process of converting carbon dioxide to sugar is located in the pocket.
3. The carbon dioxide is ushered into the cells via special pumps within the membranes of cells.

With two of the three steps now complete, it's important to note that - assuming these genetic modifications in foods are permitted commercially - they won't appear in the market for at least "fie or 10 years," according to Cornell professor of molecular biology and genetics, Maureen Hansen. It's also important to note that the modified plants would at first limited to "easier [to genetically modify" plants such as tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and peppers.

While there will undoubtedly be out lash regarding the ethics of such genetic modifications (as we can already witness today with GMO's), such critics have to think about the realities of the world. The current world population  lies at around 7.1 billion people, and according to The Guardian, that figure will soar to the 9.6-12.3 billion range by 2100. the harsh reality is that there will not be enough food for everyone to survive. Without genetic modifications such as these, which could see a 36-60% boost in crop yield, the world may very well starve.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/530851/turbocharging-photosynthesis-to-feed-the-world/

Advancements in 3D Printing

Currently 3D printing is very limited in what they can create- shape and material wise (the most common material being plastic).  However, recently many scientists have been working to improve the skill set of 3D printers to create more useful products such as body parts.  By creating things like artificial organs and blood vessels this new breakthrough can lead to new medical advancements. Jennifer Lewis, a contributor to this project, was able to find materials to print with that could respond and sense their environment.  However, there are still many obstacles to cross and questions to be answered such as how can one keep the cells alive in the 3D printed vascular system? Or how get push certain materials through the nozzle without distorting and ultimately becoming unusable?   So although scientists are heading on the right track, there is still a long way to go until actually producing a functioning kidney, organ, etc.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/526521/microscale-3-d-printing/

Fingertip Sensors

In the Robotics field, people are always trying to create sensors that can imitate (or get close to) how humans see, smell, hear, and feel. In this specific case, the project focuses more on improving how a robot can feel different materials using an optical sensor called GelSight. This project was conducted by MIT and Northeastern students, and it is essentially a cube with a slab of rubber on one side and different colored lights on the other sides. The rubber has a metallic coat on one side, and when something presses against this cube, the rubber conforms to that object. Due to the metallic coat, the lights will be reflected inside the cube in such a way that a camera will be able to capture the reflections and create an image of the object through a complex algorithm. What this means is that a robotic arm equipped with this sensor can pick up a USB cable hanging freely from a hook, look at the USB symbol, calculate its position relative to the USB port and plug it. This shows incredible dexterity and spacial resolution coming from a robot. In my opinion, this concept can be branched into many other areas and has the potential to offer amazing results. It is basically like a hand: we can pick things up, and without seeing, we can figure out what it is through touch. It is taking robots one step closer to humans in an innovative and interesting way.
More information and videos showing how it works can be found here: http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/fingertip-sensor-gives-robot-dexterity-0919

Advanced STEM Research 2014-2015 Project Kickoff

After the brainstorming and initial planning phase, we came up four student-initiated research projects. Students have also grouped themselves autonomously to pursue their goals. Here are the groups and their project proposals.

1. Drone Delivery System by Vasil, Gui, Sebastian L., Ben and Arianna.
   
   The students or staffs in school frequently need to deliver things such as attendance sheets, and supplies between different floors and rooms. It is time consuming and not efficient. The idea behind this project is to develop a drone-based delivery system that can carry light-weight goods and perform point-to-point delivery.  The project proposal is here. 
2. Biofeedback in Gaming by Ryan, Helana and Andres.
   
   Improve gaming experience by incorporating bio-feedback such as heart rates, brainwaves, etc. Image your game will change and react to your nervousness, anger, fear, happiness, etc. They plan to use the open source code from Nevermind (a startup that used cardiac feedback to change gaming experience) and build on top of it. The project proposal is here.
3. Regenerative Walking by Max and Allen.
   The limitation of battery power for mobile devices is always an annoying problem faced by many people in daily life. To charge our mobile devices on the go by harvesting the kinetic energy while walking is a great way to resolve this problem. The goal of the project is to develop a wearable device that can generate power through walking. The project proposal is here. 
4. Doctor Networking by Esteban and Sebastian C. 
   This project will contribute to the networking between doctors. Different doctors from different fields will be able to connect into this database and record their findings. These will then be able to be viewed and browsed by other doctors who are also part of the same database. This will be implemented into an website and maybe an app. This database will open new doors for the diagnosing of different illnesses, and make doctors' work more efficiently. The project proposal is here.  

Water Based Nuclear Batteries

Who thought water could be used to power things?

As of late, many technological advances have been made. One of them is the water based nuclear battery that can theoretically power a spaceship for a 100 years. Yeah, this sounds far fetched, but people are actually actively working to make this happen. This new battery uses beta-voltaics, a method of producing electricity from radioactive activity. In its current state, the battery can be used to power low energy machines. Specifically machines in the bio medical field. This battery will be able to work for 100 years in its current development, and is also extremely resilient to harsh environments. More specifically, extreme temperature (-100K). The Idea for this device was invented back in the 50s, but the materials required were harder to obtain, which in term made lithium powered batteries more popular. The future looks promising as NASA is investing in research in this little battery.

You can learn more about it here http://www.factor-tech.com/connected-world/8039-water-based-nuclear-batteries-could-power-spacecraft-for-100-years/. 

STEM Updates

Start next Monday, we are going to kick off the STEM Updates which is a daily posting about progresses and news of STEM field. Each student should contribute one posting every week. The posting should consist of description/summary and photos/videos/links of a specific STEM topic. The contents can include current events/development, innovative methods/ideas, new products/ technology, or any STEM topic of interest. Personal thoughts, comments, analysis, or predictions are strongly encouraged to conclude your posting. The due date for the posting will be the end of every Friday. Discussions and comments on postings are also an important part of this activity. Each student should contribute at least 3 comments/feedback on the postings to exchange ideas, ask questions or provide evaluations. I am looking forward to seeing us learning from each other everyday!