April 10, 2011 – Page 3

New evidence for super cycles in oil and coal

Abdel M. Zellou presented his preliminary research findings on “Super Cycles in Energy Commodities: Applications to Coal and Crude Oil.” Zellou began by explaining the background and goals of his research. “What pushed me… in looking into super cycles in energy commodities is skepticism about super cycles in the first place and skepticism in finding super cycles in oil prices due to the structure of the oil market.” He chose to take a closer look at both the oil and coal markets because oil has no competitive market and coal has always had a competitive market. Zelou explained, “This lack of a competitive [oil] market made us skeptical about finding supercycles in the oil market.”

Scientific discoveries this week: 4-11-11

Evanston, Illinois – Rats may offer a great deal of insight into how tactile feedback works in the human hand. In a study at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, researchers studied how rats use their whiskers to detect the shape of objects in their environment. This allows the rats to make their way through dark environments with no optical input whatsoever. The possible applications of this knowledge are extensive; scientists are discussing building sophisticated robots with whiskers that will allow the robots to navigate tight spaces and detect the shapes and sizes of things in three dimensions.

Japan contiunes on; Update on earthquake

In the midst of the nation-wide recovery after the March 11 earthquake that struck Japan, another earthquake hit late Thursday night. The quake was measured at magnitude 7.1, which puts it far beyond any of the aftershocks since the March 11 quake. Two people were reported dead, with many injured. No serious structural damage has been reported as a result of this new quake, and concerns about the nations nuclear power plants have largely been put to rest by reports that the plants are doing fine, and nothing has been damaged further.

Sustainable technology helps educate engineers

Sustainability is a goal many engineers, companies, and governments are pursuing. Dr. Karel Mulder gave a talk for the Hennebach Program in the Humanities about teaching sustainability. In his lecture titled “What is Sustainable Technology (ST) and its Relationship to Educating Engineers for Energy Development,” Mulder gave students and faculty a new look at how engineers fit into sustainable development.

Headlines from around the world: 4-11-11

As the House of Representatives and the Senate continue to debate over government spending cuts, major government services continue to be in a state of shutdown. The debate currently is over a difference of $5 billion, as republicans are calling for a $43 billion cut and Democrats are unwilling to agree to a $38 billion cut. The $5 billion in question would be used to directly fund certain health services, which includes Planned Parenthood, who perform abortions.

Hydrogen Cycling explains methane production

Anthropogenic greenhouse gasses account for much of the overall greenhouse gasses that are being concentrated in out atmosphere, and of those gasses methane is considered one of the worst. Dr. Gargi Kulkarni, a researcher at California Institute of Technology, has been studying methanogenesis (the processes by which methane gas is produced in the environment) in an effort to better understand how we can control and perhaps eliminate the buildup of methane in the atmosphere.

Daily Archives: April 10, 2011