I would like to take this time to talk about an important event that will take place at Discovery Park very soon. This event particularly interests me because I am an active undergraduate researcher. What I’m talking about is the great ‘Poster Competition’ that will take place February 12th. I know what you’re thinking, “It must have taken hours for them come up with that name!“ and, “Why in the name of Joe Smith would I want to participate in some poster competition?”. For those of you who don’t know, Joseph L. Smith is like the Nostradamus of entropy, and the inspiration for a majority of my Thermodynamics II studies last semester.
The first rebuttal I have for you is simply, money. If the word alone does not motivate you I recommend listening to Pink Floyd’s “Money”, a poetic tribute to the root of all evil. Yes…money. The best poster will receive a $300 award, 2nd $200, and 3rd $100. This is also an opportunity for students to share their research ideas with peers, faculty, and even the coffee stand girl if she happens to walk by!
I challenge all willing and able participants to take the time to submit a poster. This is because I want to see if anyone can beat me. I mean it’s going to be tough. My research is cutting edge, my literature search abilities are second to none, and my power point skills are impeccable. I am a humble man. It’s just that reverse psychology can be a powerful form of persuasion. Above all, I really don’t care if anyone else participates…more money for me.
I know I will be competing against some other strong opponents. The Nano-Pore Heat and Mass Transport Modulation for Simultaneous Cooling and Protection project really poses a threat. So too does the Nano-Pore Diameter Modulation in Polymer Barriers via Annealing project, not to mention the Massive Liquid Surface Area Extension for Accelerated Cooling project, they’ve really got some interesting stuff going on! Remember to submit your posters by February 8th in order to participate. And for more info on these interesting projects visit: http://www.mee.unt.edu/public/traum/research%20areas.php
January 27, 2010
January 21, 2010
Tip Jar Transformation
One of the more exciting parts of my day comes fairly early in the morning. No, I’m not referring to my bowl of Kroger brand corn flakes, or my perusing of the weather channel. What I’m talking about is an ingestion of a certain, what I like to call magic elixir…coffee. Mainly because it helps with the shakes I get from caffeine withdrawal. Just kidding, I’m not that dependent on it, but a fresh cup always sounds good. Funny thing is, I told myself I would never drink coffee and if you are like I used to be, you will soon be a consumer. Currently my fridge contains three variations of Starbucks: French Roast, Italian Roast, and Breakfast Blend. But these don’t hold a candle to the Green Mountain Coffee Shop at Discovery Park.
To add to the shear quality of the coffee itself, there is a very pleasant, and seemingly sincere young lady that works there, and she never fails to have a smile accompanied with a “How are you today?” when I approach the stand. Because of this, I always like to leave some sort of tip in the obnoxiously large jar that sits directly in front of the cash register.
This past Tuesday, upon my return to Discovery Park after a nearly month long hiatus, I made my way towards the array of smells coming from the coffee stand. I even closed my eyes and attempted to find my destination solely with the use of my nose. After walking into the wall I decided I should use all of my senses. I was glad to see that the flavor of the day was “Rain Forest Nut”, which I can describe to you only as a bit spicy, yet quite robust. Okay I took that line that I used to describe the coffee from the movie “Cabin Boy” after he drinks the chum. Check it out sometime, it’s a good movie. Actually stars Andy Richter, who, for those of you who don’t know is the sidekick of Conan O’Brian on the soon to be terminated Tonight Show. The fact that Jay Leno is reclaiming his show really bothers me. He sucks. Conan Rules. By the way, I hope you are taking notes on all of this side information.
Excuse the spontaneous brain fart…back to my story. So I got my coffee, and as I was going to leave my routine tip, I noticed that the gargantuan jar that used to be in front of the register was missing. Upon further investigation, I noticed it had been replaced by a much smaller tin jar that had a small slit in the top. What used to be for tips was now a Red Cross donation canister for the unfortunate citizens of Haiti. This made me empty my wallet, as I had already been looking for some direct way to help out.
I really like the fact that the coffee stand did this. They even put a small note on the jar that asked people to put what they would normally tip into the new Red Cross jar. I would encourage people to put more money than usual, as this tragedy in Haiti is shaping up to be one of the most damaging in documented human history. Visit the Green Mountain Coffee Shop at Discovery Park, and kill two birds with one stone. Get a great cup of coffee and do a good deed by donating what you can.
To add to the shear quality of the coffee itself, there is a very pleasant, and seemingly sincere young lady that works there, and she never fails to have a smile accompanied with a “How are you today?” when I approach the stand. Because of this, I always like to leave some sort of tip in the obnoxiously large jar that sits directly in front of the cash register.
This past Tuesday, upon my return to Discovery Park after a nearly month long hiatus, I made my way towards the array of smells coming from the coffee stand. I even closed my eyes and attempted to find my destination solely with the use of my nose. After walking into the wall I decided I should use all of my senses. I was glad to see that the flavor of the day was “Rain Forest Nut”, which I can describe to you only as a bit spicy, yet quite robust. Okay I took that line that I used to describe the coffee from the movie “Cabin Boy” after he drinks the chum. Check it out sometime, it’s a good movie. Actually stars Andy Richter, who, for those of you who don’t know is the sidekick of Conan O’Brian on the soon to be terminated Tonight Show. The fact that Jay Leno is reclaiming his show really bothers me. He sucks. Conan Rules. By the way, I hope you are taking notes on all of this side information.
Excuse the spontaneous brain fart…back to my story. So I got my coffee, and as I was going to leave my routine tip, I noticed that the gargantuan jar that used to be in front of the register was missing. Upon further investigation, I noticed it had been replaced by a much smaller tin jar that had a small slit in the top. What used to be for tips was now a Red Cross donation canister for the unfortunate citizens of Haiti. This made me empty my wallet, as I had already been looking for some direct way to help out.
I really like the fact that the coffee stand did this. They even put a small note on the jar that asked people to put what they would normally tip into the new Red Cross jar. I would encourage people to put more money than usual, as this tragedy in Haiti is shaping up to be one of the most damaging in documented human history. Visit the Green Mountain Coffee Shop at Discovery Park, and kill two birds with one stone. Get a great cup of coffee and do a good deed by donating what you can.
January 14, 2010
2010 CENG Draft
I like sports…particularly football. GO COWBOYS! We’re gonna destroy the Vikings this weekend!... or so I hope. The Vikings, led by future hall of famer Brett Favre, make for a formidable opponent, but the Cowboys are definitely good enough to beat them. If for some reason we don’t win, it will be time to look ahead to next season. And one thing coaches do at times like this is start to scout players to pick in the upcoming draft. Specifically, players that will mix well with the structure of the team. Recently, UNT has acquired some serious talent in their “draft” so to speak, to add to some of the other star players that make up the already successful team that is the College of Engineering at UNT.
One of the most valuable additions is the hiring of Dr. Narendra B. Dahotre. Dr. Dahotre will be the new chair for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. His credentials are quite impressive. Most notably, his over 30 years of experience working with lasers at the University of Tennessee. What I gathered is that Dr. Narendra identifies UNT’s potential for growth and success as key points in his decision to join the team. He will be welcomed with open arms I’m sure.
Other impressive personnel, who I liken to be veterans at UNT, include Katie Schniebs, an electrical engineering student who received a scholarship from none other than NASA! Her scholarship includes a $40,000 stipend to be distributed over a two year period, as well as a summer internship at NASA.
Lastly, for the purposes of this article at least, I would like to mention associate professor of computer science and engineering Rada Mihalcea, who was honored with the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. And yes, when we say Presidential, we’re talking about the head honcho, President Barrack Obama. Ms. Mihalcea will have the privilege of meeting the President on January 13th at the White House, where she will be recognized for her accomplishments.
So as you can see, UNT is swiftly signing some of the top free agents throughout the science and engineering world, only making the team stronger. At this rate, UNT should soon move up in the ranks of some of the top engineering universities in the nation. We shall see what is to come in the 2010 CENG draft.
One of the most valuable additions is the hiring of Dr. Narendra B. Dahotre. Dr. Dahotre will be the new chair for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. His credentials are quite impressive. Most notably, his over 30 years of experience working with lasers at the University of Tennessee. What I gathered is that Dr. Narendra identifies UNT’s potential for growth and success as key points in his decision to join the team. He will be welcomed with open arms I’m sure.
Other impressive personnel, who I liken to be veterans at UNT, include Katie Schniebs, an electrical engineering student who received a scholarship from none other than NASA! Her scholarship includes a $40,000 stipend to be distributed over a two year period, as well as a summer internship at NASA.
Lastly, for the purposes of this article at least, I would like to mention associate professor of computer science and engineering Rada Mihalcea, who was honored with the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. And yes, when we say Presidential, we’re talking about the head honcho, President Barrack Obama. Ms. Mihalcea will have the privilege of meeting the President on January 13th at the White House, where she will be recognized for her accomplishments.
So as you can see, UNT is swiftly signing some of the top free agents throughout the science and engineering world, only making the team stronger. At this rate, UNT should soon move up in the ranks of some of the top engineering universities in the nation. We shall see what is to come in the 2010 CENG draft.
January 07, 2010
Santa Digs Science
I had the pleasure of spending the holidays with my family this year, as I’m sure most did. I personally didn’t have a long Christmas list, really no Christmas list at all. But I did receive one gift that surprised me. It is a gift that took me back to my younger years. A gift that, while simple, encompasses several physical properties that make it so perfect. What I’m talking about is the Slinky.
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see this gift in my stocking. So excited that I brought out the slinky so that my niece could play with it. My niece is 6…bad mistake. The reason I say this is because what happened is what always happens when you combine a child and a brand new slinky. The child somehow finds a way to deform/tangle the slinky, forever flawing that kinetically powered coil masterpiece…okay a little harsh I know, and until my brother pointed this fact out to me, I had begun to reprimand my niece in an attempt to investigate the order of events that eventually led to the slinky’s death. “Kids break Slinkys!” I just didn’t get it. My brother also reminded me of the multiple victims that fell by my hand as a child.
While I was in mourning I gained a new appreciation for the toys simple genius. Commonly called the “physics lab in a box”, this helical spring demonstrates several physical phenomena such as wave propagation, centripetal force, and energy states. Trust me, you will study all three of these topics and many more during your academic engineering career at UNT.
A quick history lesson: the slinky was invented by naval engineer Richard James in the 1940’s. He was trying to develop a component that would support and stabilize fragile instruments on ships in rough seas, and after accidentally knocking the coil down a flight of stairs, realized the object’s full potential. The slinky has now sold over 300 million units, and is the official state toy of Pennsylvania. Stories like this just go to show the endless possibilities that you get when you equip yourself so to speak with an engineering education, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do here at UNT.
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see this gift in my stocking. So excited that I brought out the slinky so that my niece could play with it. My niece is 6…bad mistake. The reason I say this is because what happened is what always happens when you combine a child and a brand new slinky. The child somehow finds a way to deform/tangle the slinky, forever flawing that kinetically powered coil masterpiece…okay a little harsh I know, and until my brother pointed this fact out to me, I had begun to reprimand my niece in an attempt to investigate the order of events that eventually led to the slinky’s death. “Kids break Slinkys!” I just didn’t get it. My brother also reminded me of the multiple victims that fell by my hand as a child.
While I was in mourning I gained a new appreciation for the toys simple genius. Commonly called the “physics lab in a box”, this helical spring demonstrates several physical phenomena such as wave propagation, centripetal force, and energy states. Trust me, you will study all three of these topics and many more during your academic engineering career at UNT.
A quick history lesson: the slinky was invented by naval engineer Richard James in the 1940’s. He was trying to develop a component that would support and stabilize fragile instruments on ships in rough seas, and after accidentally knocking the coil down a flight of stairs, realized the object’s full potential. The slinky has now sold over 300 million units, and is the official state toy of Pennsylvania. Stories like this just go to show the endless possibilities that you get when you equip yourself so to speak with an engineering education, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do here at UNT.
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