Engineering Students at Work

If a team could choose an organization to provide engineering mentors for its robotics competition, you would think NASA would be often at the top of the list. With its resources and expertise, NASA's sponsorship would be a benefit for any of the teams competing in the FIRST Robotics competition.

For the three FIRST competitors from Alabama, and one from Illinois that will be sponsored by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, the reward is surely a highly sought-after opportunity going into the 2009 competition.

The four teams are from Limestone Career Technical Center in Athens, AL, ...Read More

Bringing efficient and sustainable energy to underdeveloped regions of the world can benefit the economy and environment worldwide. Helping provide electricity to rural Africa in particular is a project that could revolutionize a continent.

The student group HELP (Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Program) from Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering are currently working on a project in Africa to bring hydroelectric power to remote areas of Rwanda. In September the group set up two hydroelectric turbines...Read More

Thanks to its participation in an informational event on wind turbines, Team Hyper is one step closer to their financial goal to raise money to attend next year’s competitions.

The Quincy 2000 Collaborative and the Quincy Technology Council awarded the team with a $1200 check at an October 14 event at the Quincy Historical Society.

The money was raised through donations for admission at the June event to spread information on wind turbines, which featured Mayor Thomas P. Koch. The October event was the second in the series of informational meetings and it featured a discussion on the Green Communities Act and how it affects wind energy projects in Quincy...Read More

If you’re an engineer or a student interested in working toward a technological breakthrough, Tanya Vlach has a project for you.

After losing her eye in a 2005 car accident, the San Francisco artist is calling on engineers to design a prosthetic eye for her that also functions as a Web cam.

Vlach is seeking an “eye cam” that is more advanced than her acrylic prosthetic. She wants her new eye to be able to dilate with light changes and allow her to control camera functions like zoom, focus, and power by blinking.

When news of her quest hit the Internet via a blog, Kevin Kelly’s Lifestream, she posted her own blog entry with d...Read More

Going green isn’t just important for engineers in the automotive industry. Buildings are more responsible than the transportation industry for emissions issues, and account for a third of the energy used worldwide.

With the environment being a cause for concern worldwide and construction always in high demand, it is important for young engineers to learn to think in terms of energy efficiency.

Dave Sommer of Trane is setting out to make this message heard in Indiana by meeting with Indiana University-Bloomington students to teach them how being energy efficient as enginee...Read More

Being on a robotics team isn’t all that different from being involved in any other team activity. It may even take more dedication, but like any team cooperation is key.

Like student-athletes, members of Quincy Public Schools’ robotics team, Team Hyper, have academic standards to adhere to during the robotics season, responsibilities to the team, and serious competitions. However, the atmosphere and skill sets required are different.

“It is similar in that we all work together toward a certain goal,” said Jason Savage, a veteran member of Team Hyper who works on the mechanical side of the robots. “I’d say r...Read More

Even with the merciful drop in gas prices in recent months, consumers and manufacturers are looking for ways to save gas and decrease pollution with new vehicle designs.

Last month it was announced that students from RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, India designed and developed a car that could go about 112 miles on just a liter of fuel.

The mechanical engineering students created an aero-dynamic and light weight vehicle with an air-cooled engine. The 120-pound car is only ten feet long and two and a half feet wide and tall, so there’s only room for the driver, who has to be in a reclining position.

While the technology of that car is an achievement, the design may not have it on its way to mass production. Another design that will soon be introduced to...Read More

At another Wednesday afternoon meeting, the students of the Hyper Robotics team attended to their various responsibilities as they prepare for the upcoming robotics season.

The mechanical part of the team worked on designing a new tool crate, so that the team’s tools will be organized conveniently during competition. One student involved in the process was junior Jason Savage, who explained how in preparation for competition, experienced members have been teaching those new to the team how to build robots.

Savage, who aspires to be a mechanical engineer, sees the valuable experience he can gain by being involved with the team.

“It gives you a hands-on experience in engineering,” said Savage. “Mechanical engineering, electrical and computer science is all kind ...Read More

You’ve probably heard the worries that the US is falling behind in science and technology and looking for more students to pursue careers in these fields, but apparently engineering and computer science students are declining around the world, in Europe, Australia, Japan, and India.

Alarmed by this trend, and worried about the effect it could have on public welfare and technological progress, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has partnered with the NAE (National Academy of Engineering) to produce a report, &ldq...Read More

Nicholas Kramer has his own Web site dedicated to origami, Origami Squared. He identifies a relationship between origami and engineering by using the folded paper art to demonstrate how physical structures are built and behave.

The 14-year-old York Township, PA native knows a bit about engineering himself, as he studies it at York College of Pennsylvania on a full scholarship.

At age 8, after struggling to pay attention in elementary school, Kramer scored above a ninth-grade learning level. He then began home-schooling where he excelled with the freedom of learning at his own pace. When he was 12, Kramer enrolled part-time at York College, and after graduation h...Read More

Starting a business requires a lot of resources and comes with a high risk of failure.

For those reasons, business incubator programs are designed to provide support for businesses to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies.

Ohio University’s Innovation Center offers business services, resources, and facilities to promote and aid entrepreneurship. The center features a business incubation program that provides management guidance, technical assistance, consulting, rental space, equipment, and assistance in obtaining financing. The goal of the program is to allow businesses to become financially viable and independent.

Through the program, Sang-Soo Kim, an associate professor of civil engineering in the Russ...Read More

Every Wednesday at Quincy High School’s Center for Technical Education in Quincy, MA, students from the school and nearby North Quincy High School meet as Hyper Robotics Team 69.

Team Hyper’s name is an acronym for its purpose: helping youth pursue engineering and robotics. Sponsored by Quincy Public Schools and Gillette, the team designs and builds robots to compete in regional competitions and nationally in the ...Read More

Wind-produced energy is an idea that dates back to the development of windmills in Persia, but there are still obstacles keeping wind turbines from being heavily relied upon today.

While working on his PhD at the Public University of Navarre in Spain, ...Read More

Another competition aimed at getting young innovators to create solutions for real-world challenges is asking students to "think outside the bubble," by using Bubble Wrap.

The Sealed Air Corporation and the National Museum of Education are teaming up to present the third annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors, which invites middle and junior high school students to make inventions that help others.

Students who are in grades five through eight this year can submit inventions that use Bubble Wrap brand cushioning. Three finalists will go on a three-day trip to New York City to attend a ceremony on ...Read More

One of the most dangerous threats to mobile units in Iraq have been improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Able to attest to that is Marine Sgt. Jason Cox, who while serving seven months in Iraq in 2006, often patrolled near Fullujah in a Humvee.

Recognizing the threat, Cox put his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute to use as he set out to design a device to detect these “roadside bombs” from further away. He did research and modified existing thermal-imaging equipment to identify devices from nearly 300 yards away b...Read More