Better Bring a Jacket

“To infinity and beyond!” Ah yes, the famous words spoken by that modern day Pinocchio-like action figure Buzz Lightyear in the recently reincarnated 3D version of Disney’s Toy Story. But the reason I begin with this quote is not to transition with a movie review, but rather to prepare you all to open your minds. One must tap into their imagination to rationally seek an answer to the following question; How soon will our society be able to flourish in outer space? Well several students at UNT are making the necessary efforts to come up with the answer to this question, as they research the possibility of developing a fully functioning, efficient, and reliable Cryogenic Rankine Cycle, or CRC.


Okay, I know. Cryogenic Rankine Cycle is a little intimidating. So let’s go step by step. The simplest definition of cryogenic is; of or relating to low temperatures. A Rankine cycle is a thermodynamic cycle that transforms heat into work. Now what happens when you combine these two definitions? 1 +1 =2. Right? Hold on let me grab my calculator…right. So then Cryogenic + Rankine Cycle = a thermodynamic cycle which has the ability to operate at very low temperatures. Most Rankine cycles use water as the working fluid, and are responsible for generating roughly 80% of all electric power used to make our current way of life possible. However, last time I went to the Moon I noticed that outer space is pretty darn cold. Felt almost as cold as -153°C. And sure enough www.universetoday.com verified my natural thermometric abilities. At these extremely low temperatures water freezes, which is why a different material must be used if a cycle similar to the one used on earth is to be successful in space. When I asked one of the members of UNT’s CRC team what the goal of the project is he answered, “Essentially the purpose of the project is to develop space-based power generation”.

Members of the CRC project at UNT are looking to determine the usefulness of liquid nitrogen in the Rankine cycle, because it does not freeze at these low temperatures found in outer space. Liquid Nitrogen freezes at -210°C on earth. One step in qualifying liquid nitrogen is to determine its contact angle. The students are using a laser to take pictures of the liquid nitrogen in order to do this. Once the contact angle is known, then a barrier can be made which only allows gas molecules to penetrate it. This prevents liquid from entering parts of the cycle like the turbine. This is important because if liquid entered the turbine it will cause it to malfunction. Currently, the members of the Cryogenic Rankine Cycle at UNT are applying for a grant from NASA.

So in order for the human race to ever have a chance of establishing a society on or around the moon, we must be able to generate electricity efficiently, and if the students at UNT are successful in formulating a CRC, it will be the first of its kind. This means at least two things...big $$$ for them and big steps in technology for the human race. Maybe Buzz Lightyear’s catchy phrase will prove to be a prophetic one.

Where the Wild Things Are

Have you ever wanted to paint yourself green and run around screaming at the top of your lungs, gnarling your hands into the shape of eagle claws, while at the same time making what you believe to be the sound that eagles make? Well students were welcome and had the opportunity to act out these insane actions in good company this weekend at UNT’s Homecoming.

It was mainly the parade that came down North Texas Blvd. that contained these eagle-like fanatics. What seemed like an endless amount of floats drove by flinging candy into the crowds. I know I felt like a kid again, and was not shy to shove a person or two out of the way to get the banana flavored laffy taffy. What? Banana’s my favorite flavor, and I assure you none of the children shoved were under the age of 15. Next thing I knew, a hooters girl was placing an “I love hooters” sticker on my shirt…where did they come from? I think they just dropped down out of the sky or something.

After the parade passed by, the pre-game tailgating ensued in the Fouts field parking lot. The smell of freshly cooked hamburgers, chicken-on-a-stick, and sausage filled the air. All throughout the parking lot you could see smiling faces and mouths moving, but the hearing what people were saying thing was kind of impossible due to the Rockin’ Rodeo bus’ blaring music. They were playing Jimmy Buffet though, so I can't complain. And when they stopped playing music, I was able to fire up my iPod, which contains artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, and Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony to name a few. The party was well underway at this point.

As the game got closer more people packed into the parking lot. Also, the anticipation of North Texas getting its first home win in the last 7 attempts grew. The two had a directly proportional relationship. If you were to plot ‘number of people’ on the y-axis, and ‘anticipation’ on the x axis, you would see a straight line with a positive slope. There’s my nerd reference for you. (Yes, I am a nerd, and proud of it!) At one point it actually felt as if I went to one of those big colleges like UT or OU. But no school was bigger than UNT on this day.

I made a promise to myself that no matter what I was going to visit the College of Engineering tent. So, just before the game, I made my way over to the tent where to my pleasant surprise I saw the CooLN2 car. For those of you who haven’t heard, this car runs on liquid nitrogen. Liquid Nitrogen!? You ask. Yes. Liquid nitrogen! I can’t explain how so you’ll have to ask Mitty Plummer. I was disappointed though that more engineering students weren't there. So here’s the plan for next year’s homecoming…ready…here it comes. ALL ENGINEERS GET OUT THERE AND SUPPORT YOUR DEPARTMENT! Go to the engineering tent. Spread the word about Discovery Park, while at the same time enjoying a freshly grilled helping of chicken-on-a-stick.

It's Time for an Upgrade

When you walk through Discovery Park, what are some words that come to mind? Big. Quiet. Kind of Plain. These thoughts are sure to change in the near future thanks to the help of newly appointed Assistant Dean of Students, Lisa Campbell. Mrs. Campbell, who has experience working at schools such as West Virginia University, Montclair State, and Miami University (Ohio), boasts a “new commitment in student development” following what she claims was a “half hearted commitment” in the past. Lisa, who is a full-time employee, along with the help of a graduate assistant and two other student assistants, are like an army in comparison to the former, part-time graduate assistant, who was in charge of student development at Discovery Park. There are several new things that students can expect to see soon at Discovery Park.

The first and most impressive plan among Lisa’s long list is the construction of a new student lounge across from the coffee shop and the cafeteria. In this lounge, students can expect to see 3 big screen TVs fully equipped with Playstations and other gaming consoles that have yet to be chosen. One TV will have a satellite feed so students can catch the news or even part of their favorite show between classes. The goal is to have the lounge up and running in January of 2010. Also, she plans to put a pool table down by the ping pong table in the Materials Science & Engineering wing. People will be able to check out equipment and games to play in the lounge with their student id.

Coming up soon, October 29th to be exact, the library at Discovery Park will host the first annual “Game Day Spectacular”, thanks to the planning of Mrs. Campbell. Here, students can compete in a long list of games for the Wii, Wii Fit, and Playstation. Prizes will be awarded to top competitors.

In November, there will be a foreign film series for all students. And soon students will be able to attend weekly seminars called “Wednesdays @ 1”, which are, surprise surprise, every Wednesday at 1 PM. Lisa’s vision for seminar topics includes career counseling, leadership training, and health and wellness.

There seems to be no end in sight for Lisa Campbell’s plans to enhance life for students at Discovery Park. And now when people walk the halls, the dull adjectives that came to mind before will be replaced with sounds of people just having a good time.