Category Archives: Engineering
TFB Review: Spohr Club 3.0 Revolver – Big Engineering, Compact(-ish) Size – – The Firearm Blog
My first encounter with the Spohr brand began at IWA 2022, where Mr. Spohrs incredible revolvers immediately caught my eye. The build quality was evidently superior, and the hefty price tag was justified with a visual inspection and an enlightening conversation with Thomas Spohr himself. He explained that the high cost is attributed not to extravagant materials (although, of course, Spohr uses only top-tier materials and does indeed dabble in things like Damascus steel, if you are kinky that way) but to the use of top-tier processes, meticulous hand-fitting, and avoidance of cheaper manufacturing methods like MetalInjection Molding (MIM) drive the price up.
Revolvers @ TFB:
Photo by Ryan Ogborn, aka Gunshipster on Instagram.
Thomas Spohrs expertise and dedication to revolver excellence are deeply influenced by his involvement in the prestigious S&W 30 Gunsmithing Club. This exclusive group, comprised of highly skilled gunsmiths, focuses on optimizing Smith and Wesson revolvers to achieve peak performance. The clubs rigorous standards and collaborative environment have pushed its members, including Spohr, to innovate and refine their techniques. This background has significantly informed the design philosophy behind the Spohr revolvers, which strive for mechanical perfection and exceptional reliability, surpassing even the high benchmarks set by traditional S&W models.
Thomas Spohr personally showing us the Club 3.0 at IWA.
Thomas Spohr speaking with the author at IWA 2022.
Caliber: Chambered in .357 Magnum/. 38 Special, and for an extra $1,000, you can add a 9mm conversion cylinder. Its suitable for a range of shooting activities from defense to sport. Either cylinder features a 6-shot capacity.
Barrel Length: The 3-inch barrel is a strategic choice, balancing concealability with ballistic efficiency, making the Club 3.0 ideal for both concealed carry and accurate shooting.
Weight: At 38 ounces, the revolver is solid enough to handle the recoil of .357 Magnum rounds effectively while maintaining enough heft to aid in accuracy, but still okay for concealing, although 38 ounces is nearly the weight of two Glock 43 pistols.
Construction: Entirely built from stainless steel, with an option for a black PVD coating at an additional cost, enhancing its resistance to wear and corrosion.
View from the top.
The Spohr Club 3.0 revolver is fundamentally based on the Smith and Wesson 686 design, which offers a notable advantage in terms of accessory compatibility. While the precise dimensions and custom features of the Spohr mean that S&W L-frame grips and holsters dont fit perfectly out of the box, many can be adapted with some hand fitting and minor modifications. This allows owners of the Spohr Club 3.0 to take advantage of the wide range of grips and holster options designed for the popular S&W 686, expanding the customization possibilities to enhance both the functionality and aesthetics of their revolver.
Barrel: The use of a cold hammer-forged polygonal match barrel ensures exceptional accuracy and longevity. This type of barrel provides a better gas seal around the projectile, enhancing velocity and precision versus a conventionally rifled barrel of the same length, plus its easier to clean.
Sights: Equipped with an adjustable LPA rear sight and a high-visibility Gold-Dot front sight, the Club 3.0 is designed for rapid target acquisition and ease of adjustment.
Trigger System: The highlight is arguably the trigger, which features a light, crisp pull of about 2.8 pounds in single-action mode. This is complemented by a skeletonized hammer and trigger, reducing overall weight and providing a distinctive aesthetic. Of course, the trigger is adjustable every which way by removing the grips and not only the pull weight but also the hammer and mainspring tension as well.
Picatinny Rail: The integration of a Picatinny rail is a modern touch that allows for the attachment of accessories such as optics, a rare feature on revolvers that extends its utility.
Cylinder and Release: The fluted cylinder not only reduces weight but also enhances the revolvers visual appeal. The Club Edition cylinder release is designed for quick and easy operation, improving functionality during use.
A PVD black Spohr revolver.
The Club 3.0s operational smoothness is unparalleled, thanks to the absence of MIM parts. Each component is machined to exact specifications, ensuring flawless function and a seamless fit. The precision engineering is apparent in every aspect of the revolver, from the nearly invisible seams on the side plate to the robust and reliable ball detent lockup system that enhances the cylinders alignment and stability. The ergonomic design, including walnut combat grips, provides both comfort and control, even when firing the more potent .357 Magnum rounds.
The Spohr handles recoil incredibly well, even for full house .357 Magnum. The author notes that rubberized grips would be better for maintaining grip with more powerful loadings.
When compared to competitors like the Manurhin MR73 and possibly Korth revolvers, the Spohr Club 3.0 holds its ground with distinctive features and superior craftsmanship. It is priced for serious enthusiasts who understand the value of precision engineering in firearms. Its in the same general price range as these other ultra-premium options.
The Spohr Club 3.0 combines historical revolver virtues with contemporary enhancements to offer a shooting experience that is both luxurious and exceedingly functional. Designed for the discerning shooter who appreciates detailed craftsmanship and high performance, the Spohr Club 3.0 is a compelling choice in the premium revolver market.
Photo by Ryan Ogborn, aka Gunhipster on Instagram.
A PVD Spohr revolver, available at an extra charge.
For those interested in seeing more about how these exceptional revolvers are made, visit http://www.spohrguns.com for a complete video walkthrough of the Spohr factory, hosted by Thomas Spohr himself.
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TFB Review: Spohr Club 3.0 Revolver - Big Engineering, Compact(-ish) Size - - The Firearm Blog
The father-son duo changing the world of automotive engineering at Ford – Popular Science
Walter LaPlantes love of technology and cars comes from his dad, Lou, a 30-year veteran of Ford Motor Company. In 2003, the elder LaPlante won the Henry Ford Technology Award for the 3D Robotic Guided Vision system he invented. Walter describes his dads 3D Robotic Guided Vision system as a robot with eyes that picks up a part and places it in reach of another robot that docks it to the engine. Today, the technology is still used in the assembly process.
In his role as the controls and industrial connectivity supervisor for stamping engineering at Ford, Walter was inspired by a video on the Discovery Channel about his dads achievements. He had watched his dad start out as a machine repairman who worked his way up to engineering, earning one of Fords top honors in the process.
Seventeen years after his dad earned the award, Walter was bestowed with the same prestigious honor for leading the creation of the Mobile AI Vision System (MAIVS). The technology uses tiny cameras and artificial intelligence to spot manufacturing defects in real time on the assembly line. MAIVS contributes to improvements in quality and efficiency with a common palm-sized device used all over the world: a smartphone. Heres how it works.
There is a collection of acronyms within the initials of MAIVS, and they each play an important role. The first is IoT, or the internet of things. Software giant Oracle says IoT is a network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet. Related, MQTT, (short for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a standard messaging protocol for IoT known for its reliability and small internet footprint. Add that soup of letters to a smartphone and AI (artificial intelligence) and you end up with MAIVS.
MAIVS offers a format to interact with different devices. In his role in manufacturing technology development, Walter benchmarks technologies constantly to find ways to improve processes. Seeking something lightweight and mobile, Walter and a small team created a smartphone-based ecosystem that wouldnt require large robots. The team found a way to communicate a straightforward pass/fail message about specific parts coming down the line, catching defects as early as possible.
The camera goes inside with the help of a robot, and it points to something we want to look at, especially high warranty issues, LaPlante explains. It will take a picture and infer with the artificial intelligence. Based on that inference, it will communicate pass or fail back to the operator.
If it passes, the build moves on down the line. If one or more of them fail, theres a chance to correct it.
The project was initially piloted in Chicago, then Ford was able to replicate the technology across 20 plants. Now, Walter says, there are close to 300 MAIVS-enabled smartphones across 20 plants globally. With those numbers and easy scalability, the project caught the attention of Ford higher-ups, earning Walter and his team the Henry Ford Technology Award.
Diagnosed as a deaf person when he was only five, Walter uses hearing aids to speak and works with American Sign Language interpreters at work. He knows intimately how critical communication is for success, and hes driven to find ways to make it easier and simpler.
In fact, the communication aspect of MAIVS opened the door for other technologies to be used in the plant, impacting both quality and efficiency. For instance, if MAIVS catches an electrical component that isnt connected before the carpet is laid and the seats are installed, it saves time and energy. Before MAIVS, if a defect were to be discovered when the vehicle is further down the line, its a lot more trouble to disassemble it than to identify it in the first place.
But dont AI and robots take away jobs and replace real people? From Walters perspective, MAIVS is a tool designed to help workers, not replace them. Its technology thats part of a tool kit to help ensure the plant is humming along as well as it possibly can. By detecting defects, the machines create an opening for workers to focus on other improvements.
I was in Houston at the NASA space center recently, and noticed the astronauts are doing the same thing over and over again in the cockpit before they launch to the moon, Walter says. Thats because [NASA training] frees up muscle memory, so in case something happens, astronauts know exactly where something is. The same concept applies here.
Despite its buzzy reputation, AI was not the impetus for this award, emphasizes Taylor Shelby, a colleague on the controls and industrial connectivity engineering team.
The real award [was for] the integration between an existing external system and the existing internal plant systems and figuring out how to get those things talking to each other, she says.
Walter relays that while MAIVS started with him, there were many stakeholders who believed in the technology and helped to push forward what he calls a human-centered design.
I cant take all the credit; there are a lot of great minds that came up with the technology, he says. I created the interface with the idea that it had to be easy to use. It had to come naturally.
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The father-son duo changing the world of automotive engineering at Ford - Popular Science
University of Utah breaks ground on $194M computing and engineering building – KSL.com
SALT LAKE CITY Utah higher education and business leaders looked to the future as the University of Utah broke ground on the $194 million John and Marcia Price Computing and Engineering Building on Thursday.
But a quick blast from the past set the stage.
Former Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt said just after the turn of the century, Utah had aspirations to become a technology capital. So, Leavitt was spending a lot of time in Silicon Valley, talking to people like John Warnock, co-founder of Adobe.
"I went to see John, and I told him we aspire to be a technology capital," Leavitt said. "He stared at his shoes for a minute and then looked up at me with just a hint of irritation and said, 'Look, if you want to be a technology capital, you've got to invest in engineering. I cannot bring Adobe to Utah without engineers.'"
Since that time, Utah has invested in engineering (and Adobe has come to Utah), with the latest investment coming by way of the future state-of-the-art, 252,000-square-foot university building at 75 Central Campus Drive.
The demand for more space is high, too.
Over the past two decades, engineering students account for almost a quarter of the U.'s incoming freshman class, and the number of engineering and computer science graduates has tripled.
The Utah Legislature provided $118 million toward the total of $194 million to construct the building.
"They see this as an investment, and I'm sure it's going to pay back many times," said Richard Brown, dean of the U.'s College of Engineering.
Brown said that he expects the building to be finished and filled with students and faculty by January 2027.
The building itself will include an entire floor devoted to undergraduates; it will house computer labs, a makers' space, project rooms, collaboration spaces, an event space, a 400-seat auditorium, a plethora of modern research facilities and labs focusing on things like artificial intelligence, robotics, human-centered computing, wireless networking and more.
Notably, the building will house secure research spaces, allowing faculty and students to conduct classified research, something Brown said will "significantly increase" the amount of research that can be done at the college of engineering.
"It will allow some students working on those projects to get those clearances before they graduate so they can go to work immediately for a company like L3 Harris or Northrop Grumman or Lockheed or Boeing, working on classified projects," Brown said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox pointed to the building as a big economic boost, referencing data from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute which shows that in 2020, Utah's engineering and computer science workforce generated 238,400 full and part-time jobs, $19.1 billion in earnings and $25.2 billion in gross domestic product good for 12-15% of Utah's $200 billion economy at the time.
"The taxpayers of Utah are one of the biggest donors to these buildings. We're using that taxpayer generosity because we know that this is an investment that will pay back. It will create jobs for those taxpayers, for the children and grandchildren of those taxpayers, and make it better for all of us," Cox said.
For John and Marcia Price the philanthropy and business leaders whose names are tied to the college of engineering the building is more than just one displaying their name.
It's an investment in the future and positioning for Utah to become a leader in computing and engineering at both a national and global scale.
"We're not just laying foundations, we're laying the groundwork for the future. It is our hope that this building will serve as a beacon of inspiration, innovation (and) collaboration, fostering the next generation of innovators and global leaders," John Price said.
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University of Utah breaks ground on $194M computing and engineering building - KSL.com
Scientists move closer to connecting cities with quantum internet – Interesting Engineering
Quantum computing may still be in its early days, but scientists around the world have already started building the quantum internet. Studies conducted independently by researchers at institutes in three different countries have shown that sending quantum bits over a fiber optic cable over long distances is possible.
Even as the biggest names in the tech industry race to build fault-tolerant quantum computers, the transition from binary to quantum can only be completed with a reliable internet connection to transmit the data.
Unlike binary bits transported as light signals inside a fiber optic cable that can be read, amplified, and transmitted over long distances, quantum bits (qubits) are fragile, and even attempting to read them changes their state.
Since light signals cannot be amplified, they cannot travel long distances, making them unsuitable for long-distance transmission.
Yet, for the quantum internet to scale up rapidly, it must use the existing network of fiber optic cables.
Researchers in the Netherlands, China, and the US separately demonstrated how qubits could be stored in quantum memory and transmitted over the fiber optic network.
Ronald Hanson and his team at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands encoded qubits in the electrons of nitrogen atoms and nuclear states of carbon atoms of the small diamond crystals that housed them.
An optical fiber cable traveled 25 miles from the university to another laboratory in Hague to establish a link with similarly embedded nitrogen atoms in diamond crystals.
At the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), qubits were encoded into clouds of rubidium atoms. The quantum states were set using a photon, and the research team led by Pan Jian-Wei demonstrated entanglement in three separate labs located at least six miles away.
Back in the US, Mikhail Lukin, at Harvard University, used diamond-based devices with silicon atoms in them and used quantum states of both the electrons and nucleus, much like Hansons lab.
The devices were used to demonstrate entanglement at two quantum memory nodes separated by an optical fiber link deployed over a looped distance of over 22 miles (35 km), setting a record for storage, processing, and movement of quantum information.
While the Chinese and Dutch teams approach required photons to arrive at a server with precise timing, the one used by the US scientists is relatively easier to execute.
The two quantum nodes need to be maintained at super-frigid temperatures, but instead of getting the qubits to emit photons for entanglement, the researchers sent one photon that entangled with silicon at the first node, then traveled through the fiber optic cable to graze the silicon atom at the second node and achieved entanglement with the first.
Since the light is already entangled with the first node, it can transfer this entanglement to the second node, explained Can Knaut, a student in Lukins lab, in a statement. We call this photon-mediated entanglement.
Pan Jian-Wei at USTC told Nature that at this pace of advancement, his lab would be able to achieve entanglement over 600 miles (1,000 km) by the end of the decade.
Such a system would help transfer sensitive information using cryptographic keys, connect separate quantum computers to build a powerful one or unify an extensive network of optical telescopes located hundreds of miles into one large dish.
The research findings from Pan and Lukin lab were published in the journal Nature and can be accessed below
Lukin Lab Paper
Pan Lab Paper.
NEWSLETTER
Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.
Ameya Paleja Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.
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Scientists move closer to connecting cities with quantum internet - Interesting Engineering
The Impact of the ARDC Foundation’s Scholarships for Women in Engineering – All Together – Society of Women Engineers
For the third year in a row, the Amateur Radio and Digital Communications (ARDC) Foundation has generously funded SWE initiatives such as global scholarships, Collegiate Leadership Institute, SWENext High School Leadership Academy, and women of color pathways research. Scholarship support makes up the majority of ARDCs contribution. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the ARDC Foundation supported 30 new and renewed scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students valued at $220,000.
The impact of receiving a SWE scholarship is tremendous. A recent survey conducted by the SWE Research Division indicated that collegiate women who received a SWE scholarship were more likely to persist in engineering and technology programs. Lets hear from a few ARDC recipients who share how receiving this scholarship impacted their college career and success.
Throughout my Ph.D., I have been working to develop a better understanding of the biomechanical and neural processes underlying our sense of touch, with implications for neuroscience, haptics, prosthetics, and robotics. The ARDC Foundation scholarship has been critical in supporting my research. Over the past year, it enabled me to present my work at four conferences, two of which were international. These opportunities not only facilitated valuable networking and career opportunities, but also garnered recognition for my research, including a Best Talk Award and a Best Paper Award. Overall, the ARDC Foundation scholarship has been pivotal in my Ph.D. journey, allowing me to focus on my research, explore career paths, and progress toward graduation this spring.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to SWE for their remarkable generosity. We have come to a point in society where the expenses associated with higher education have soared, imposing a significant concern on students and families, such as myself; the support extended by SWE is truly invaluable. Beyond the academic challenges that students encounter, the increasing costs and resultant debt associated with pursuing higher education set so many people back. I am humbled by the fact that I am able to achieve my goals of becoming an electrical engineer despite this concern. As this is the case, I am deeply appreciative of being awarded SWEs $5,000 scholarship, as it has substantially alleviated the financial strain during my first year at Georgia Tech. This assistance has enabled me to devote my energies to acclimating to the new academic and social experiences.
Embarking on my final year of graduate studies in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, I decided to explore the realm of research. Under the mentorship of Professor Brandon Lucia and Professor Nathan Beckmann, I immersed myself in exploring dataflow architecture and CGRA (coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture). The intellectual challenges I encountered led to the desire to deepen my understanding of dataflow architecture and innovate solutions to enhance current CGRA implementations.
While weighing various job offers, I realized that the freedom and opportunity for exploration inherent in research were unparalleled. My dream is to be at the forefront of engineering design, contributing to pivotal decision-making processes. Pursuing a Ph.D. seemed natural to achieving my aspiration of becoming a computer architect.
I am profoundly grateful for the support from the ARDC Foundation. This financial support, coupled with the academic freedom the scholarship provides, has rendered my decision to pursue a Ph.D. far less daunting. Now, I find myself exulting in all the opportunities to deepen my understanding in the field of computer architecture and coming closer to becoming a computer architect.
I want to thank SWE for providing me with the ARDC Scholarship for 2023. This scholarship aided me greatly with my financial situation, and I was able to focus on my studies in college instead of having to stress about working a job and balancing classes. Going into the engineering program at Oregon State University, Ive seen an acute lack of women in my engineering classes, which can be discouraging at times when I try to think of a future in engineering. This is why I am grateful to SWE for supporting me in my journey of becoming an electrical engineer and for believing I can go on to achieve great accomplishments in industry. With SWEs support, I have been able to continue achieving my dreams, as well as being able to better contribute to creating a more diverse and welcoming space in engineering.
Receiving the ARDC scholarship as a freshman dual majoring in electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Houston has been a tremendous blessing. Not only has it alleviated my financial concerns, but it has also ignited my passion for circuit design and embedded systems. Additionally, it has connected me with SWE at the university, providing a supportive community that has been instrumental to my academic journey. Through this scholarship, I have been able to participate in valuable research labs and mentorship programs on campus, for which I am deeply grateful. Thank you for granting me this opportunity, ARDC Foundation!
The SWE ARDC Foundation scholarship has truly been a lifeline throughout my masters program in electrical engineering. Their financial assistance significantly eased the burden of tuition fees, allowing me to focus on my studies with greater dedication. As I approach the end of my academic journey, with graduation in May 2024, I am profoundly thankful for their support. Their generosity has not only helped me financially, but has also reinforced my commitment to excelling in my field. I express my sincere gratitude to the SWE ARDC Foundation for their instrumental role in my academic success.
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. The organization got its start by managing allocations of the AMPRnet address space, which is designated to licensed amateur radio operators worldwide. Additionally, ARDC makes grants to projects and organizations that follow amateur radios practice and tradition of technical experimentation in both amateur radio and digital communication science. Such experimentation has led to broad advances for the benefit of the general public such as the mobile phone and wireless internet technology. ARDC envisions a world where all such technology is available through open source hardware and software, and where anyone has the ability to innovate upon it.
Learn more about ARDC at ardc.net.
SWE Blog provides up-to-date information and news about the Society and how our members are making a difference every day. Youll find stories about SWE members, engineering, technology, and other STEM-related topics.
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More than $9 Million Awarded to High School Scientists and Engineers at the Regeneron International Science and … – PR Newswire
Grace Sun, 16, receives $75,000 Top Award for a new kind of organic electrochemical transistor at the world's largest pre-college science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition.
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and WASHINGTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Society for Science (the Society) announced that Grace Sun, 16, of Lexington, Kentucky, won the $75,000 top award, the George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award, named in honor of the pioneering drug researcher and Regeneron co-Founder, Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer, in the 2024 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF), the world's largest pre-college science and engineering competition. Other top prizes went to projects in second-order cone programming, microplastics filtration and multi-sensory therapy for dementia.
The top winners were honored during two award ceremonies: the Special Awards on May 16 and the Grand Awards Ceremony on the morning of May 17. In total, over $9 million USD was awarded to the finalists based on their projects' creativity, innovation and depth of scientific inquiry. The competition featured nearly 2,000 young scientists representing 49 U.S. states and nearly 70 countries, regions and territories across the world.
Grace Sun, 16, of Lexington, Kentucky, won first place and received the $75,000 George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award for her research on building a better organic electrochemical transistor that she hopes will be used to develop new electronic devices that could help detect and treat serious illnesses like diabetes, epilepsy and organ failure. To overcome the problems that have previously prevented such devices from working effectively inside the body, Grace developed a new way of chemically treating their organic components, which greatly improved their laboratory performance.
Michelle Wei, 17, of San Jose, California, received one of two Regeneron Young Scientist Awards of $50,000 for her research to improve the speed and efficiency of a type of software that is useful in many fields such as machine learning, transportation and financial systems. Michelle's new approach involved determining a quick approximate solution to the second-order cone programming problem, then splitting the initial cone into smaller cones, which enabled her new algorithm to greatly outperform previous approaches.
Krish Pai, 17, of Del Mar, California, received the second Regeneron Young Scientist Award of $50,000 for his machine-learning research to identify microbial genetic sequences that can be modified to biodegrade plastic. His new software, called Microby, scans databases of microorganisms and determines which ones can be changed genetically to biodegrade plastics. In tests, he identified two microorganisms that can be genetically modified to degrade plastic at a cost he believes would be ten times less than traditional recycling.
"Congratulations to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2024 winners," said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News. "I'm truly inspired by the ingenuity and determination shown by these remarkable students. Coming from around the world with diverse backgrounds and academic disciplines, these students have shown that it is possible to come together in unity to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our world today, and I could not be prouder."
Regeneron ISEF provides a global stage for the world's best and brightest young scientists and engineers. Through this competition, Regeneron and the Society are fostering the next generation of STEM leaders who are pioneering solutions to improve our world. Since 2020, Regeneron has provided STEM experiences to approximately 2.4 million students, on track to meet its goal of 2.5 million by 2025.
"The talent, intelligence and potential of this year's Regeneron ISEF finalists is truly inspiring, and I congratulate each on their remarkable achievements," said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., co-Founder, Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. "Science competitions like ISEF were pivotal in shaping my own career and fueling my passion to fight back against disease. I look forward to seeing these students continue to push the boundaries of science and technology to create positive and sustainable change for all humanity."
Other top honors from the competition include:
Justin Huang and Victoria Ou, both 17, of Woodlands, Texas, received the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations of $50,000 for their new prototype filtration system that uses ultrasonic waves to remove microscopic plastic particles from water. In lab tests, the acoustic force from the high-frequency sound waves removed between 84% and 94% of the suspended microplastic particles in a single pass. The students are now working to scale up and fine-tune their experimental system.
Ingrid Wai Hin Chan, 17, of Hong Kong, China received the Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation of $10,000 for her research on using a multi-sensory therapy for dementia patients. Her mixed therapy app would allow patients to practice physical and cognitive skills through a personalized, immersive environment using virtual reality headsets. Ingrid conducted an eight-week study with six people living with dementia and found that the cognitive function of patients who used her prototype improved in several areas. She believes her app could serve as a viable option for dementia patients with limited access to in-person professional therapy.
Tanishka Balaji Aglave, 15, of Valrico, Florida, received the H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research of $10,000 for her investigation into a natural alternative treatment against citrus greening, a disease that threatens citrus farming in many parts of the world and is currently only treated with antibiotics. Tanishka injected the trunks of infected trees with an extract from the curry leaf tree, and found through tests that this potential method could effectively and sustainably manage citrus greening disease.
Maddux Alexander Springer, 18, of Honolulu, Hawaii, received the Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication of $10,000 for his research into fibropapillomatosis (FP), a disease that is the primary cause of death in green sea turtles. Some turtles he studied in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, were stricken with a disease that causes internal and external tumors that inhibit their everyday lives. After analyzing the turtles' diet of green algae, Maddux concluded that this disease, wastewater, invasive algae and the amino acid arginine all pose a grave risk to these endangered sea creatures.
Ria Kamat, 17, of Hackensack, New Jersey; Anna Oliva, 17, of Houston, TX; and Shuhan Luo, 18, of Worcester, MA, received the Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS Award, which provides finalists an all-expense paid trip to attend the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar during Nobel Week in Stockholm, Sweden.
Jack Shannon, 18, of Clane, Kildare, Ireland, and Nikhil Vemuri, 17, of Cary, North Carolina, received the EU Contest for Young Scientists Award. Their projects will represent Regeneron ISEF at the EU Contest for Young Scientists to be held this September in Katowice, Poland.
For more information about the top winners and access to visual assets visit: https://www.societyforscience.org/isef-2024-media-kit.
The full list of Special Award ISEF 2024 Finalists can be found at https://www.societyforscience.org/press-release/regeneron-isef-2024-special-awards-winners.
In addition to the Top Award winners, more than 450 finalists received awards and prizes for their innovative research, including "First Award" winners, who each received a $5,000 prize.
The following lists the First Award winners for each of the 22 categories, from which the Top Awards were chosen:
Animal Sciences, sponsored by Society for ScienceMaddux Alexander Springer, Honolulu, Hawaii
Behavioral and Social Sciences, sponsored by Society for ScienceAndrew Y. Liang, San Jose, California
Biochemistry, sponsored by RegeneronAmy Hong Xiao, Garden City, New York
Biomedical and Health Sciences, sponsored by RegeneronRia Kamat, Hackensack, New Jersey; Kevin Xuan Lei, Shanghai, China
Biomedical Engineering, sponsored by Alfred E. Mann CharitiesAyush Garg, Dublin, California; Divij Motwani, Palo Alto, California; Akash Ashish Pai, Portland, Oregon
Cellular and Molecular Biology, sponsored by RegeneronLara and Maya Sarah Hammoud, Beverly Hills, Michigan
Chemistry, sponsored by Society for ScienceAkilan Sankaran, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Arjun Suresh Malpani and Siddharth Daniel D'costa, Portland, Oregon
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, sponsored by RegeneronKun-Hyung Roh, Bronx, New York
Earth and Environmental Sciences, sponsored by Google.orgNikhil Vemuri, Durham, North Carolina; Justin Yizhou Huang and Victoria Ou, The Woodlands, Texas
Embedded Systems, sponsored by HPChloe Rae and Sophie Rose Filion, Welland, Ontario, Canada
Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design, sponsored by Siemens EnergyAlia Wahban, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics, sponsored by Howmet Aerospace FoundationChiyo Nakatsuji, Bunkyoku, Tokyo, Japan; Kevin Shen, Olympia, Washington
Environmental Engineering, sponsored by JacobsKrish Pai, San Diego, California; Jack Shannon, Clane, Kildare, Ireland
Materials Science, sponsored by Howmet Aerospace FoundationGrace Sun, Lexington, Kentucky
Mathematics, sponsored by Akamai FoundationAnna Oliva, Houston, Texas
Microbiology, sponsored by Schattner FoundationMatthew Chang, Irvine, California
Physics and Astronomy, sponsored by Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust IIHarini Thiagarajan and Vishal Ranganath Yalla, Bothell, Washington; Shuhan Luo, Worcester, Massachusetts
Plant Sciences, sponsored by Society for SciencePauline Estrada, Fresno, California; Tanishka Balaji Aglave, Dover, Florida
Robotics and Intelligent Machines, sponsored by RegeneronMichal Lajciak, Dubnica nad Vahom, Trenciansky kraj, Slovakia; Anthony Efthimiadis, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Systems Software, sponsored by MicrosoftMichelle Wei, San Jose, California
Technology Enhances the Arts, sponsored by Society for ScienceAnant Khandelwal, Sritan Motati and Siddhant Sood, Alexandria, Virginia
Translational Medical Science, sponsored by RegeneronZheng-Chi Lee, West Lafayette, Indiana; Ingrid Wai Hin Chan, Hong Kong, China
The full list of all award-winning ISEF 2024 finalists is available here: https://www.societyforscience.org/press-release/regeneron-isef-2024-full-awards.
View all the finalists' research here: https://projectboard.world/isef.
About the Regeneron International Science and Engineering FairThe Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF), a program of Society for Science for over 70 years, is the world's largest global science competition for high school students. Through a global network of local, regional and national science fairs, millions of students are encouraged to explore their passion for scientific inquiry. Each spring, a group of these students is selected as finalists and offered the opportunity to compete for approximately U.S. $9 million in awards and scholarships.
In 2019, Regeneron became the title sponsor of ISEF to help reward and celebrate the best and brightest young minds globally and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM to positively impact the world. Regeneron ISEF is supported by a community of additional sponsors, including Akamai Foundation, Alfred E. Mann Charities, Aramco, Caltech, Google.org, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Howmet Aerospace Foundation, HP, , Jacobs, King Abdulaziz & his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, Microsoft, National Geographic Society, Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II, Rise, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, Schattner Foundation, Siemens Energy, Annenburg Foundation, Ballmer Group, Broadcom Foundation, Cesco Linguistic Services, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Edison International, Insaco, Oracle Academy, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and US Army ROTC. Many are entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries. Learn more at https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/.
About Society for ScienceSociety for Science is a champion for science, dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Established in 1921, Society for Science is best known for its award-winning journalism through Science News and Science News Explores, its world-class science research competitions for students, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, and its outreach and equity programming that seeks to ensure that all students have an opportunity to pursue a career in STEM. A 501(c)(3) membership organization, Society for Science is committed to inform, educate and inspire. Learn more at http://www.societyforscience.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (Society4Science).
About RegeneronRegeneron(NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents,developsand commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists, our unique ability torepeatedly and consistently translate scienceinto medicine has led to numerous approved treatments andproduct candidates in development, most of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, hematologic conditions, infectiousdiseases and rare diseases.
Regeneron believes that operating as a good corporate citizen is crucial to delivering on our mission. We approach corporate responsibility with three goals in mind: to improve the lives of people with serious diseases, to foster a culture of integrity and excellence and to build sustainable communities. Regeneron is proud to be included on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Civic 50 list of the most "community-minded" companies in the U.S. Throughout the year, Regeneron empowers and supports employees to give back through our volunteering, pro bono and matching gift programs. Our most significant philanthropic commitments are in the area of early science education, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
For more information, please visit http://www.Regeneron.com or follow Regeneron on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X.
More information about the top winners and access to visual assets visit: https://www.societyforscience.org/isef-2024-media-kit.
Media ContactsJoseph Brown, Regeneron [emailprotected]
Gayle Kansagor, Society for Science [emailprotected]
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Black and Reeder Scholarship Recipient to Study Biomedical Engineering – University of Arkansas Newswire
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Jackson Hudnall
U of A alumni Sherman Black and Lynnette Reeder Black have announced this year's recipient of the Black and Reeder Scholarship, which is awarded to a Greenwood High School student seeking a degree in engineering or business at the UofA.
Jackson Hudnall will graduate from Greenwood High School on May 24 and will pursue biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering.
Hudnall plans to use his biomedical degree as a springboard to medical school, with aspirations to become a radiologist. With many members of his family working in medical fields, he considers going into medicine to be a family legacy.
He said he chose biomedical engineering for his undergraduate studies because it lends itself to many career paths. He was convinced after attending Razorback 101 on the U of A campus in July 2023.
As a student at Greenwood High School, Hudnall was involved in National Beta Club, Partners Club, National Honors Society and HOSA-Future Health Professionals. He also helped in the office as an aide.
The Blacks created the scholarship as a way to give back to the community and honor their parents, Galen and Wilma Black and Van and Carolyn Reeder, longtime residents of Greenwood. Recipients' $4,000 annual awards are renewable if they meet scholarship requirements.
Black and Reeder Scholarship recipient Noah Doss graduated in December 2023 with a bachelor's degree from the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
Black and Reeder Scholarship recipients whose awards will continue next fall are Trey Smith, a senior in biomedical engineering; Gavin Holland, a junior in electrical engineering; and Maggie Leonard, a sophomore in business.
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Microvast lays off more employees, but plans to move engineering, R&D to Clarksville – ClarksvilleNow.com – Clarksville Now
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) Electric vehicle battery maker Microvast on Friday laid off additional employees at its Clarksville plant, but they announced plans to relocate their engineering and research-and-development operations to Clarksville.
Microvast announced in February 2021 they would bring an EV battery plant to Clarksville. As previously reported, the company is still committed to employing 230 people by 2025, but they have had to walk back their production schedule as they seek financing to finish the plant. The Clarksville plant is about halfway complete, and another $150 million is needed to finish it. On April 19, Microvast laid off 45 employees, saying they needed more time to begin production.
We continue to focus on closing our Clarksville financing, while remaining committed to fulfilling planned customer and revenue growth, a Microvast company official said in a statement shared Friday with Clarksville Now. We are continually exploring additional customer sales opportunities in North America, including within the Canadian commercial vehicle market.
The company is reducing their workforce across locations, including in Colorado and Florida. For our manufacturing facility in Clarksville, we are slowing operations until we are able raise the capital required to complete construction, the statement said. Once a financing solution is in place, we will resume operations to finish the project; including hiring of appropriate staff.
The Colorado battery cell production and battery pack assembly plant, currently in Timnath, Colorado, just outside Fort Collins, will move to Clarksville, along with the R&D operations from Lake Mary, Florida, near Orlando.
I want to highlight that part of our strategic cost cutting plan includes consolidating of our engineering and energy storage business from Colorado to Clarksville, TN. Once project funding is established, our business consolidation in Clarksville will lead to further increases in the workforce. This additional workforce expands beyond production personnel to include incremental engineering and R&D employees that were not originally planned for the Clarksville location.
Business is already lined up once the plant begins production: Microvast has confidential agreements in place with approximately five key customers.
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Industrial Engineering Students Recognized With Department Awards and Scholarships – University of Arkansas Newswire
Mia Quain
The Department of Industrial Engineering recognizes students each spring at the annual Industrial Engineering Student Awards Banquet. The faculty, students, staff and alumni met together at the Fayetteville Town Center on the evening of April 11 for this annual event.
The department handed out its most prestigious awards, and the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering awarded scholarships. This year, the value of scholarships provided by members of the academy was $162,500. The department is fortunate to award an additional $45,177in other scholarships and $30,000in Imhoff Global Studies Scholarships, bringing total scholarship dollars to $237,677 for 91 deserving students.
The Outstanding Senior and Outstanding Graduate Student awards are intended to recognize the top industrial engineering undergraduate and graduate students. The winners are selected by faculty vote based on excellence in academic performance, leadership, service, collegiality, ethics and dedication. The Graduate Research Award is also selected by faculty vote and recognizes the graduate student who made the most valuable contribution to departmental research efforts in 2023.
The honor of Outstanding Graduate Student for 2023 went to Maryam Kheirandish, advised by associate professor Shengfan Zhang. Kheirandish has conducted research in statistical learning and stochastic decision making with an emphasis on healthcare applications. During her time as a Ph.D. student, she has published one journal article and submitted another that is under review. Her work has received multiple recognitions, including winning the 2023 INFORMS Minority Issues Forum poster competition and being named a finalist of the 2023 IISE Data Analytics and Information System Division data challenge competition. She was also selected as a recipient of the IISE John L. Imhoff Scholarship. In addition to her research, she has served as an instructor for the Applied Probability and Statistics for Engineers II course and served as a teaching assistant on multiple occasions. She also served our department as INFORMS chapter president for the 2022-2023 academic year.
The 2023 Graduate Research Award was presented to Farid Hashemian. With his adviser, professor Haitao Liao, Hashemianhas been conducting research in data-driven decision making and solving real-world problems using machine learning, data analysis and optimization. His work focuses on network reliability analysis and maintenance decision making with applications to critical infrastructures, including the inland waterway transportation system. In 2023, Hashemian published papers in the Proceedings of the 2023 Winter Simulation Conference and the 2023 Reliability and Maintainability Symposium. He received both the 2023 Stan Ofsthun Award from the Society of Reliability Engineers and the 2023 Thomas L. Fagan, Jr. Student Paper Award at the Reliability and Maintainability Symposium, and he was a finalist for the 2023 IISE Data Analytics and Information Systems Division data challenge competition.
The Outstanding Senior Award is intended to recognize the most outstanding undergraduate industrial engineering student who graduated in fall 2023 or is graduating in either spring or summer 2024.
This year's Outstanding Senior is Blake Sooter, who has compiled an impressive variety of achievements during his time on campus. He was selected as the ArcBest Outstanding First Year Industrial Engineering Student in 2021 and shortly after began working as an undergraduate research assistant for the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies. His research accomplishments include receiving multiple Honors College Research Grants, publishing in the IISE conference proceedings, and winning the Undergraduate Research Award from the IISE Operations Research Division. He has served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for over two years, twice being recognized as the department's Outstanding Undergraduate TA. He served as an IISE Student Chapter officer for three years, most recently as this year's IISE Student Chapter president, and was a key contributor to planning and hosting this year's IISE South Central University Regional Conference. Outside of the College of Engineering, Sooter has completed multiple internships at Procter and Gamble.
The Honors Graduate Award is intended to recognize industrial engineering students who are on track to complete all honors requirements, including honors coursework and an honors thesis, by the end of spring 2024. Associate professor Kelly Sullivan, honors program coordinator, presented the awards. The following students completed an honors thesis:
Each year, the ArcBest Corporation sponsors the Outstanding Freshman Award. This award is presented to one first-year engineering student who has declared industrial engineering as a major and is selected by the faculty and staff of the First-Year Engineering Program.
Sam Jeffcoat and Abigail Harris from ArcBest along with Teaching Associate Professor Tish Pohl presented the award to Britton Adair.
Corporate sponsor Hytrol Conveyors presents the annual Hytrol Challenge Award, given each year to the best team in a competition in the transportation logistics or facility logistics course. Will Mangrum from Hytrol and Tish Pohl presented the award to Jacob Holmes and Rachel Thomas.
The Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award is intended to recognize a faculty member for their contributions to students. The award is sponsored by the INFORMS student group. Students nominate the faculty, and the nominations are evaluated by external faculty members. The Outstanding Faculty Advisor was professor Haitao Liao. The award was presented by doctoral studentFatih Cengil and associate professor Shengfan Zhang.
The student group Alpha Pi Mu sponsors the Sophomore Scholar Award and the Imhoff Distinguished Service Award. The Sophomore Scholar Award goes to a new industrial engineering sophomore to recognize outstanding academic achievement. The recipient is chosen with input from faculty who teach sophomore-level courses. This year's recipient was Lauren Jones.
The Imhoff Distinguished Service Award goes to an Alpha Pi Mu member to recognize their service and contributions to the Arkansas Alpha Pi Mu Chapter. Nominations are solicited from Alpha Pi Mu members, and Alpha Pi Mu members vote on the recipient. The recipient was Karleigh Eoff.
The student chapter of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers sponsors the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, the Backbreaker Award, the Best Teacher Award and the Resident Raconteur Award.
The recipients were:
About the Department of Industrial Engineering: The Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas was founded in 1950, led by department head John L. Imhoff who believed deeply in the global impact of industrial engineering. Today, the department averages over 200 undergraduate students and over 40 doctoral and master's students. In addition, the department has three online master's degrees: the Master of Science in Operations Management, Master of Science in Engineering Management and Master of Science in Operations Analytics. These three programs alone enroll over 600 students each academic year. To learn more about the Department of Industrial Engineering please visit our website.
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LOTT Clean Water Alliance Project Wins National Award for World-Class Engineering DesignLOTT – ThurstonTalk – ThurstonTalk
Submitted by LOTT Clean Water Alliance
LOTT Clean Water Alliance (LOTT) was nationally recognized, along with the designer Parametrix Inc., with an Engineering Excellence Award in a world-wide competition. The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) award program considers projects from across the globe, and selected LOTTs Biological Process Improvements project as one of only eight winners. The project involved a large-scale upgrade of the nutrient removal process at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant.
The Engineering Excellence Awards competition honors projects that demonstrate innovation, creative problem solving, and a unique ability to improve our world. Receiving this accolade highlights LOTTs position as a leader in water resource recovery facilities. Since 1994, LOTT has employed biological nutrient removal as an added step to wastewater treatment, providing the highest level of treatment in the Puget Sound region. The Biological Process Improvements project, completed in 2023, reconfigured and consolidated the nutrient removal process, enhanced monitoring controls, and employed state of the art equipment.
This world-class project design was made possible by a team delivery process that leveraged the expertise and innovation of the engineering designer Parametrix and LOTT staff, said LOTT Executive Director Matthew Kennelly. This highly successful project positions LOTT to serve our growing community and continue to protect Puget Sound.
With these improvements, LOTT has achieved total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) levels as low as 0.4 milligrams per liter and an average of 1.6 milligrams per liter, compared to the 3 milligrams per liter permit limit. The upgrades included energy-saving technologies and operational strategies resulting in an estimated energy savings of 2,458,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which is equivalent to almost 19,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
Low interest loan funding supports LOTTs ongoing efforts to improve the treatment process and complete necessary plant upgrades. The $29 million project was partially funded by low interest loans from the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Washington State Department of Commerce Public Works Board.
This is the fourth major award for the project this year. Others include a Gold Award from the Washington Chapter of ACEC, an Environmental Achievement Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, and Project of the Year from the American Public Works Association Washington Chapter.
For more information about the project and LOTTs Budd Inlet Treatment Plant, please visit the LOTT Clean Water Alliance website.
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