Volume IV Issue 1
January 2008 |
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 New
Plastic is Strong as Steel
 By
mimicking a brick-and-mortar molecular structure found in seashells,
University of Michigan
researchers created a composite plastic that's as strong as steel but
lighter and transparent. It's made of layers of clay nanosheets and a
water-soluble polymer that shares chemistry with white glue.
Engineering professor Nicholas Kotov almost dubbed it "plastic steel,"
but the new material isn't quite stretchy enough to earn that name.
Nevertheless, he says its further development could lead to lighter,
stronger armor for soldiers or police and their vehicles. It could also
be used in microelectromechanical devices, microfluidics, biomedical
sensors and valves and unmanned aircraft.
The scientists solved a
problem that has confounded engineers and scientists for decades:
Individual nano-size building blocks such as nanotubes, nanosheets and
nanorods are ultrastrong. But larger materials made out of bonded nano-size
building blocks were comparatively weak. Until now. "When you tried to
build something you can hold in your arms, scientists had difficulties
transferring the strength of individual nanosheets or nanotubes to the
entire material," Kotov said. "We've demonstrated that one can achieve
almost ideal transfer of stress between nanosheets.
 Find out more about careers in
Biology and
Engineering...
Scientist
& Engineer Mentors Honored
 The
value of mentoring in developing the scientists of the future was
highlighted with the latest Presidential Awards for Excellence in
Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. Since 1996, these awards
have been made annually to recognize the critical importance of mentors
in the academic and personal development of students and colleagues who
are underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM). Each year's awardees add to a widening network
of outstanding mentors in the United States, so that tomorrow's
scientists and engineers can better reflect the nation's diverse
population.
Awards are made to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding and
sustained mentoring and guidance to a significant number of K-16 or
graduate level underrepresented students; or organizations that, through
their programming, have enabled a substantial number of students who are
traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields to pursue and complete
relevant degree programs.
Find out more about the importance of
mentoring...
Plants
Prepare to Respond to Light
 Most
of us take it for granted that plants respond to light by growing,
flowering and straining towards the light, and we never wonder just how
plants manage to do so. Now, a new National Science Foundation study
shows that a plant can prepare to respond to light while it is still in
the dark. By conducting experiments with Arabidopsis -- a small
flowering plant widely used as a model organism -- the researchers
discovered that the plant prepares to respond to light even before it is
exposed to it.
This preparation involves producing a pair of closely related proteins
(known as FHY3 and FAR1) that increase production of another pair of
closely related proteins (known as FHY1 and FHL) that had been
identified in previous studies as critical participants in the plant's
light response. Haiyang Wang, a member of the research team from Boyce
Thompson Institute for Plant Research, says that the plant probably
stockpiles these proteins needed for light responses in the dark for the
same reason that a traveler fills his car's gas tank the night before a
morning journey: in order to be able to get going, without delay, at
first light. Although these steps had been identified in previous
studies, the discovery of how FHY3 and FAR1 regulate plant responses to
light adds an important new dimension to our understanding of them.
Find
out more...
Degree
Profile: Physician Assistant
 Physician
assistants (PAs) practice medicine under the supervision of physicians
and surgeons. They should not be confused with medical assistants, who
perform routine clinical and clerical tasks. PAs are formally trained to
provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as
delegated by a physician. Working as members of the health care team,
they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and
interpret laboratory tests and x-rays, and make diagnoses. They also
treat minor injuries, by suturing, splinting, and casting.
PAs record progress notes,
instruct and counsel patients, and order or carry out therapy. In 48
States and the District of Columbia, physician assistants may prescribe
medications. PAs also may have managerial duties. Some order medical
supplies or equipment and supervise technicians and assistants.
 The
duties of physician assistants are determined by the supervising
physician and by State law. Aspiring PAs should investigate the laws and
regulations in the States in which they wish to practice.
Many PAs work in primary care specialties, such as general internal
medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. Other specialty areas include
general and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, orthopedics, and
geriatrics. PAs specializing in surgery provide preoperative and
postoperative care and may work as first or second assistants during
major surgery.
Find out more about careers
as a Physician Assistant...
The
Power of Multiples: Wind Farm Networks
 Wind
power, long considered to be as fickle as wind itself, can be groomed to
become a steady, dependable source of electricity and delivered at a
lower cost than at present, according to scientists at Stanford
University. The key is connecting wind farms throughout a given
geographic area with transmission lines, thus combining the electric
outputs of the farms into one powerful energy source. It's a bit like
having a bunch of hamsters generating your power, each in a separate
cage with a treadmill. At any given time, some hamsters will be sleeping
or eating and some will be running on their treadmill. If you have only
one hamster, the treadmill is either turning or it isn't, so the power's
either on or off. With two hamsters, the odds are better that one will
be on a treadmill at any given point in time and your chances of
running, say, your blender, go up. Get enough hamsters together and the
odds are pretty good that at least a few will always be on the
treadmill, cranking out the kilowatts.
The combined output of all
the hamsters will vary, depending on how many are on treadmills at any
one time, but there will be a certain level of power that is always
being generated, even as different hamsters hop on or off their
individual treadmills. That's the reliable baseload power. The connected
wind farms would operate the same way. The researchers used hourly wind
data, collected and quality-controlled by the National Weather Service,
for the entire year of 2000 from the 19 sites in the Midwestern United
States. They found that an average of 33 percent and a maximum of 47
percent of yearly-averaged wind power from interconnected farms can be
used as reliable, baseload electric power. Another benefit of connecting
multiple wind farms is reducing the total distance that all the power
has to travel from the multiple points of origin to the destination
point. Interconnecting multiple wind farms to a common point and then
connecting that point to a far-away city reduces the cost of
transmission.
Find
out more about the project and
about the power industry.
Plan
Early for Summer STEM Camps
 January
may seem early to start thinking about Summer plans, but universities
and national programs across the country are already accepting
registrations for summer science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) camps nationwide! The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center maintains
one of the most complete listings of summer STEM camps and programs.
Explore national programs that have regional centers, or see what is
happening in each state. Summer programs range from a few days of
experiments to several weeks of intensive university research. The
following are a few great examples of programs that allow precollege
students to network with others and explore STEM experiences:
Stanford
University Mathematics Camp brings mathematically talented and
motivated high-school students to Stanford University for four weeks
of serious mathematical pursuits. The program includes an intensive
course in higher mathematics and a guided research project that
allows students to individually pursue a focused area of interest,
related to the course.
Notre
Dame Introduction to Engineering Summer Program is a three week
program for those between their junior and senior years in high
school that includes an overview of the elements of engineering
design and computer programming, a tour of state-of-the-art computer
facilities, and a chance to meet professional engineers.
Summer
Science Program is a residential enrichment program where high
school students complete a challenging, hands-on research project in
celestial mechanics. By day, students learn college-level astronomy,
calculus, and physics. By night, they work in teams on challenges
such as observing an asteroid. The program is held at several
universities nationwide.
Find
out about other camps and summer
programs...
Employers
Face Competition for College Grads
 Employers
vying for new college graduates will face intense competition, according
to "Job Outlook 2008," a new report published by the National Association
of Colleges and Employers (NACE). "Overall, employers expect to increase
college hiring in 2007-08 by 16 percent over 2006-07," says Marilyn
Mackes, NACE executive director. "This is the fifth consecutive year in
which employers have projected double-digit increases. Moreover, hiring
projections are strong across the board -- regardless of industry,
economic sector, or geographic region," she says.
Not surprisingly, employers taking part in the survey cited competition
as their biggest challenge in hiring 2008 graduates, and expect
competition to be particularly fierce for graduates in the engineering,
computer science, and accounting fields, where supply doesn't meet
demand. One sign of that increased demand: "We're seeing some
significant changes in signing bonuses this year," Mackes says. "Not
only are more employers planning to offer signing bonuses than was the
case last year, but also the average planned bonus is 25 percent higher
this year than it was last year."
Find
information about
employers for those with degrees in engineering, math, science,
computing, healthcare, and medicine...
Career Cornerstone News is a publication of the
Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Click here
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