Recapturing R&D Leadership

Recapturing R&D Leadership by John Teresko

Lieberman says manufacturers need to focus on two concerns, the first is avoiding other people’s patents and the second is getting patents of their own or getting some exclusivity on the things that they’re making or designing. “Unfortunately it is virtually impossible to either know or satisfy yourself in advance of coming out with a product that you’re not going to infringe somebody’s rights.

Manufacturers should also focus on lobbying for more sensible patent laws. From our previous post on research support by Governments:

I happen to side with those like Lawernce Lessig that believe we are harming the United States economy by having a government policy that too restrictive about intellectual property. I believe countries that have sufficient clout to stand up to the United States, and who have a more sensible IP policy will gain a great advantage if the United States were not to adjust policies based on the ideas of Lessig and others.

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Kayak Robots

robotic kayaks

Kayaks adapted to test marine robotics

Working in labs that resemble machine shops, these engineers are taking small steps toward the holy grail of robotics — cooperative autonomy — making machines work together seamlessly to complete tasks with a minimum of human direction.

The tool they’re using is the simple kayak.

Yesterday it was submarine autonomus robots from Princeton (funded by the Naval Postgraduate School). The robot kayak project is funded by Office of Naval Research and the MIT Sea Grant College Program.

Much of the technology being tested is ultimately intended for use in underwater robots, or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), but testing software on AUVs can easily become a multimullion-dollar experiment.

“I want to have master’s students and Ph.D. students that can come in, test algorithms and develop them on a shoestring budget,” said Associate Professor John J. Leonard of mechanical engineering.

The Web is 15 Years Old

How the web went world wide

Many users know that Sir Tim Berners-Lee developed the web at the Cern physics laboratory near Geneva.
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One key date is 6 August 1991 – the day on which links to the fledgling computer code for the www were put on the alt.hypertext discussion group so others could download it and play with it.

So, in 1991, the web protocol was added to the internet which was created by the United States ARPA and DARPA starting in 1968, or so depending on what is counted as the start.

Additional articles exploring the history of the internet and the world wide web:

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

PECASE recipient Eugene Billiot and two students work on molecular structures.

Twenty recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers have been announced for this year. The photo, shows of one those awardees, Eugene Billiot, with two students, working on molecular structures.

Awardees are chosen from 350 to 400 assistant professors who have received grants from NSF’s Faculty Early Career Program (CAREER) in the same year of their nomination for the president’s award. CAREER awards range from $400,000 to nearly $1 million over five years to support career research and education.
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Underwater Robots Collaborate

Underwater robots work together without human input

This August in Monterey Bay, Calif., an entire fleet of undersea robots will, for the first time, work together without the aid of humans to make detailed and efficient observations of the ocean.

The oceanographic test bed in Monterey is expected to yield rich information in particular about a periodic upwelling of cold water that occurs at this time of year near Point Año Nuevo, northwest of Monterey Bay.

But the project has potentially larger implications. It may lead to the development of robot fleets that forecast ocean conditions and better protect endangered marine animals, track oil spills, and guide military operations at sea. Moreover, the mathematical system that allows the undersea robots to self-choreograph their movements in response to their environment might one day power other robotic teams that — without human supervision — could explore not just oceans, but deserts, rain forests and even other planets.

The Adaptive Sampling and Prediction (ASAP) program is funded by the Naval Postgraduate School and co-led by Naomi Ehrich Leonard of Princeton University and Steven Ramp of the Naval Postgraduate School.

Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowships

The Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program offers hands-on exposure to Air Force research challenges through eight to twelve week research residencies at participating Air Force Research Facilities for full-time science and engineering faculty at USA colleges and universities.

Participants are expected to conduct research at an Air Force Research Laboratory Directorate, U.S. Air Force Academy, or the Air Force Institute of Technology, not at their home institution or any other site. List of 2005 fellows.

The application is now open and the deadline is November 1st.

Diversity Focus

White men, white coats, little change by Nancy Forbes. Commentary stating that NAS’s Rising Above the Gathering Storm report (unfortunately NAS doesn’t seem to understand web usability but if you fill out this form they will allow you to get a pdf – hopefully they will learn to apply better web usability soon) does not address the lack of women in the science and engineering workforce and doctorate graduates.

as a scientist and longtime advocate of women and minorities in the field, I was surprised – and dismayed – to find diversity issues missing from the four key challenge areas.
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I would like to add a fifth recommendation to the four already put forth in the academies’ report: that all members of our science and engineering community, particularly those nonfemale and nonminority members, make a personal effort to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering and math. Suggestions include:

• Mentoring female or minority students through encouragement, guidance or emotional support. Studies show that those with mentors have higher salaries, more advanced positions and greater confidence in their ability to succeed.

Yes, there have been gains. Women now hold more than a quarter of all science and engineering jobs, compared with 13 percent in 1980. They now earn roughly half the doctorates in biology and degrees in medicine. Numbers are also up in physics, computer science and engineering, traditionally male domains.

Incredible Insects

Incredible Insects facts from the Smithsonian, including:

  • Fastest Flying Insect: Dragonflies are known to travel at the speed of 35 miles an hour.
  • The Longest-lived Insect: The queen of termites, known to live for 50 years. Some scientists believe that they live for 100 years.
  • The Loudest Insect: One species of cicadas can be heard for a quarter of a mile.

More Incredible Insect Facts and Information

Solar Tower Power Generation

How Australia got hot for solar power

In Australia Enviromission looking to build a 1,600-foot tall “solar tower” that can power 100,000 homes.

The tower will be over there,” Davey says, pointing to a spot a mile distant where a 1,600-foot structure will rise from the ocher-colored earth. Picture a 260-foot-diameter cylinder taller than the Sears Tower encircled by a two-mile-diameter transparent canopy at ground level. About 8 feet tall at the perimeter, where Davey has his feet planted, the solar collector will gradually slope up to a height of 50 to 60 feet at the tower’s base.

Acting as a giant greenhouse, the solar collector will superheat the air with radiation from the sun. Hot air rises, naturally, and the tower will operate as a giant vacuum. As the air is sucked into the tower, it will produce wind to power an array of turbine generators clustered around the structure.

The result: enough clean, green electricity to power some 100,000 homes without producing a particle of pollution or a wisp of planet-warming gases.

View Discovery Channel segment on EnviroMission