Volume V Issue 9
September 2009 |
|
 |
 |
 Nano-Origami!
 Folding
paper into shapes such as a crane or a butterfly is challenging enough
for most people. Now imagine trying to fold something that's about a
hundred times thinner than a human hair and then putting it to use as an
electronic device. A team of MIT researchers is developing the basic
principles of "nano-origami," a new technique that allows engineers to
fold nanoscale materials into simple 3-D structures. The tiny folded
materials could be used as motors and capacitors, potentially leading to
better computer memory storage, faster microprocessors, and new
nanophotonic devices. Traditional micro- and nano-fabrication techniques
such as X-ray lithography and nano-imprinting work beautifully for
two-dimensional structures, and are commonly used to build
microprocessors and other micro-electrical-mechanical (MEMS) devices.
However, they cannot create 3-D structures. The MIT team uses
conventional lithography tools to pattern 2-D materials at the
nanoscale, then folds them into predetermined 3-D shapes. Getting the
materials to fold back and forth into an accordion-like structure has
been one of the researchers' biggest challenges, along with getting the
faces and edges to line up accurately.
 Explore
careers in engineering and
science...
Student
Discovers Supernova
 There
is no age restriction on the chance to make a significant contribution
to our understanding of the universe. Caroline Moore, a 14-year-old from
Warwick, NY, has made such a mark on astronomy with the discovery of
Supernova 2008ha. Not only is she the youngest person to discover a
supernova, but this particular supernova has been identified as a
different type of stellar explosion. "It's really a strange supernova,"
said Moore. "A supernova is a huge explosion deep in the core of a star,
whereas a nova is an explosion on the outside surface of a star. Of
Supernova 2008ha she says, "It's somewhere between a supernova and a
nova. So it's not nearly as big as the explosion of a supernova." Learn
about why 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy at
www.astronomy2009.org.
Find
out more about career paths in
physics and astronomy...
Communication
Key to Healthy Coral Reefs
 Corals,
it appears, have a genetic complexity that rivals that of humans, have
sophisticated systems of biological communication that are being
stressed by global change, and are only able to survive based on proper
function of an intricate symbiotic relationship with algae that live
within their bodies, say researchers at Oregon State University.
Disruptions in these biological and communication systems are the
underlying cause of the coral bleaching and collapse of coral reef
ecosystems around the world. Corals are tiny animals, polyps that exist
as genetically identical individuals, and can defend themselves and kill
plankton for food. In the process they also secrete calcium carbonate
that becomes the basis for an external skeleton on which they sit. The
calcified deposits can grow to enormous sizes over long periods of time
and form coral reefs--one of the world's most productive ecosystems —
harboring over 4,000 species of fish and other marine life forms. But
corals are not really self-sufficient. Within their bodies they harbor
highly productive algae that use the energy of the sun to conduct
photosynthesis and produce sugars. The scientists learned that there is
a delicate communication process from the algae to the coral, telling it
that the algae belong there and everything is fine. Otherwise the corals
treat the algae as a parasite or invader and attempt to kill it.
Find
out more about careers in
biology...
Degree
Profile: Semiconductor Processors
 Semiconductors
are unique substances, which, under different conditions, can act as
either conductors or insulators of electricity. Semiconductor processors
turn one of these substances -- silicon -- into microchips, also known
as integrated circuits. These microchips contain millions of tiny
electronic components and are used in a wide range of products, from
personal computers and cellular telephones to airplanes and missile
guidance systems. To manufacture microchips, semiconductor processors
start with cylinders of silicon called ingots.
First, the ingots are
sliced into thin wafers. Using automated equipment, workers or robots
polish the wafers, imprint precise microscopic patterns of the circuitry
onto them using photolithography, etch out patterns with acids, and
replace the patterns with conductors, such as aluminum or copper. The
wafers then receive a chemical bath to make them smooth, and the imprint
process begins again on a new layer with the next pattern. A complex
chip may contain more than 20 layers of circuitry. Once the process is
complete, wafers are then cut into individual chips, which are enclosed
in a casing and shipped to equipment manufacturers. The manufacturing
and slicing of wafers to create semiconductors takes place in cleanrooms
-- production areas that are kept free of all airborne matter because
the circuitry on a chip is so small that even microscopic particles can
make it unusable. Many associate degrees are offered in semiconductor
manufacturing technology. Semiconductor processors hold about 42,000
jobs in the United States, and earn a median salary of about $33,000.
Find
out more about a career as a
semiconductor
processor...
What
is Cloud Computing?
 Cloud
computing is a hot topic in the technology world these days. Chances are
you've heard someone talking about cloud computing as the way of the
future. So what exactly is cloud computing? There are varying
definitions, but cloud computing is essentially a form of distributed
computing that allows users the ability to tap into a vast network of
computing resources through the Internet to complete their work. If, for
example, someone wanted to analyze traffic patterns on the nation's
highways, they could upload and store their data into the 'cloud' and
have multiple computers crunch the data and then present the results
back to them in a unified way as if the work were completed by one giant
machine. This may sound a bit like grid computing, another type of
distributed computing that allowed users to tap into computing resources
through a network to get their computational jobs done. With grid
computing, you submit what you want computed to a batch scheduler, which
puts your job in a queue for a specific set of computing resources, for
example a supercomputer, to work on. Cloud computing is a little more
flexible in that many cloud computing platforms allow users to know
ahead of time how much computing capacity is available from the cloud,
so the work can be done faster. Users can also configure a 'virtual
machine' that exists within the cloud to meet the particulars of the
jobs they are trying to accomplish. Once a user has configured the type
of virtual machine they need for their work, they can go to different
cloud computing providers and recreate the system they need to get their
jobs done, making computation power a commodity.
Why the word 'cloud'? Kate
Keahey, the lead on a cloud computing infrastructure project developed
at Argonne National Lab, called Nimbus, believes the phrase was created
when researchers were trying to visualize this type of computing on a
whiteboard and made a circular set of squiggles that looked like clouds
to represent the many components in the internet that would do the
computational work. Nimbus is an open source cloud computing
infrastructure that allows scientists working on data-intensive research
projects to be able to use virtual machines with a cloud provider. Find
out more online.
Find
out more about careers in
computing and engineering...
New
Element is a Superconductor!
 Of
the 92 naturally occurring elements, add another to the list of those
that are superconductors. James S. Schilling, Ph.D., professor of
physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and
Mathew Debessai, Ph.D., -- his doctoral student at the time --
discovered that europium becomes superconducting at 1.8 K (-456 °F) and
80 GPa (790,000 atmospheres) of pressure, making it the 53rd known
elemental superconductor and the 23rd at high pressure.
"It has been seven years since someone discovered a new elemental
superconductor," Schilling said. "It gets harder and harder because
there are fewer elements left in the periodic table."
This
discovery adds data to help improve scientists' theoretical
understanding of superconductivity, which could lead to the design of
room-temperature superconductors that could be used for efficient energy
transport and storage.
Superconducting materials have unique electrical and magnetic
properties. They have no electrical resistance, so current will flow
through them forever, and they are diamagnetic, meaning that a magnet
held above them will levitate. These properties can be exploited to
create powerful magnets for medical imaging, make power lines that
transport electricity efficiently or make efficient power generators.
However, there are no known materials that are superconductors at room
temperature and pressure. All known superconducting materials have to be
cooled to extreme temperatures and/or compressed at high pressure.
Schilling's research is supported by a four-year $500,000 grant from the
National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research.
Find
out more about careers in
science and
physics...
STEM
Salary Levels Positive for 09 Grads
 The
college Class of 2009 held its ground with its overall average starting
salary offer, according to a new report published by the National
Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE's Summer 2009 Salary
Survey report showed that the average starting salary offer for new
college graduates now stands at $49,307. That’s off less than 1% from
the average $49,693 that 2008 graduates posted last year at this time.
Accounting majors did better than the average, and posted a 1.9%
increase for an average offer of $48,993. Computer science grads saw
their average salary offer rise 1.6% to $61,407. As a group, engineering
graduates enjoyed the highest salary increase. Overall, the average
offer to engineering graduates rose 3.7% to $59,254. Chemical
engineering graduates posted a 2.7% increase to their average salary
offer, which now stands at $64,902. Computer engineering graduates saw
their average offer rise 3.6% to $61,738. Much of that bump up can be
attributed to the types of positions these graduates were offered.
Electrical engineering graduates earned one of the larger increases;
their average offer rose 5.6% to $60,125. Civil engineering graduates,
however, saw their average offer just nudge up slightly -- 0.8% -- to
$52,048.
Find
out about salary levels...
Career Cornerstone News is a publication of the
Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Click here
to subscribe.
The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center has a
limited number
of endowment and sponsorship opportunities for organizations,
foundations, or corporations who wish to support those
considering career paths in science, technology, engineering,
mathematics, or healthcare.
Find out more...
This newsletter may be reproduced in other
non-profit publications with credit and links to
the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
It may also be forwarded to internal
education or non-profit email lists.
|
|
