Engineering

Magazine articles on engineering and how things work.

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Technology Research News December 3, 2003	Carbon boosts plastic circuits Researchers from the California Institute of Technology have devised an inexpensive way to add better-conducting organic source and drain electrodes to organic thin-film transistors.
Industrial Physicist Dec 2003/Jan 2004 Jennifer Ouellette	Smart fluids move into the marketplace Smart fluids solidify in the presence of an electrical or magnetic field and re-liquefy when that force is removed. Applications range from dampers for vehicle vibration control to rotary brakes for aerobic exercise equipment.
Industrial Physicist Dec 2003/Jan 2004 Dawn Lenz	Understanding and predicting space weather When streams of charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth's magnetic field, there can be serious consequences for electrical power grids, communications networks (radio, television, and telephone), and satellite operations.
Industrial Physicist Dec 2003/Jan 2004 Chichester & Simpson	Compact accelerator neutron generators These small devices are useful for detecting and quantifying different elements in a variety of materials and find applications in identifying explosives, chemical weapons, and nuclear materials.
Industrial Physicist Dec 2003/Jan 2004 Coleen Morrison	The Optical Society of America The Optical Society of America (OSA) began in 1916 in Rochester, New York, as a gathering of the field's leading scientists, who agreed to create an organization through which scientific ideas, interests, and discoveries could be shared. The society still adheres to its founders' original goals.
Geotimes December 2003 Sara Pratt	Super-hard graphite Compressed graphite does not become diamond, but instead becomes a "super-hard" form of graphite. The new material has many potential industrial applications, for example as a structural component or perhaps for use in high-pressure scientific instruments.
IndustryWeek December 1, 2003 John Teresko	Intelligent Fasteners Could Change Everything Embedded microchips activate the fastening mechanism and network to the intelligent tool that remotely manages and controls assembly and disassembly. Use them to rethink and improve the design, manufacturability and features of parts and products.
Wired December 2003 Martha Baer	The Ultimate on-the-fly Network How a flock of reclusive seabirds became pioneers of pervasive computing. A case study from the sensor net frontier.
Technology Research News November 19, 2003 Kimberly Patch	Jolts turn liquid to solid Apply electricity to certain fluids that contain tiny particles and the liquid turns solid. This caused a lot of excitement in the late '80s, but until now the stuff couldn't be made harder than firm tofu. A dose of nanotechnology has changed the picture.
Technology Research News November 19, 2003 Eric Smalley	Switch promises optical chips Computers have historically been electronic rather than photonic because lightwaves, while great for sending signals over long distances, are controlled by equipment that has proven difficult to shrink to computer chip scale. The rise of photonic crystals promises to narrow the gap.
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