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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: engineering

engineering stories: 16 news summaries

 Infected Concrete 
 Heals Self: Study 

Scientists create self-healing concrete

May 2, 09 2:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bacteria that secrete minerals are a well-known tool for "healing" cracked limestone statues, and the process got a Dutch scientist thinking. He theorized that concrete seeded with bacteria and a substance they transform into calcium carbonate would create a material that's able to seal cracks as they form. It... More »

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Netherlands • bacteria • engineering • scientific study • concrete • calcium carbonate • limestone

Siemens Will Pay $1.3B in Fines for Global Corruption

Company settles on US charges for $800M, shells out more over German accusations

Dec 15, 08 3:15 PM CST
(Newser) - German engineering conglomerate Siemens pleaded guilty today to an international pay-to-play scheme and will pay the US $800 million in fines, the Wall Street Journal reports. It will also give $528 million to the German government—adding to a $275 million payout last year. More »

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Germany • corruption • guilty plea • engineering • Siemens • federal judges • fines • industry • federal prosecution • conglomerate

 iPhone App 
 Makers Reel 
 In Millions 

First-time designers score huge sales with Apple programs

Dec 13, 08 6:24 PM CST
(Newser) - Thousands of programmers are hoping to take their million-dollar bite out of Apple by designing lucrative applications for the iPhone, Newsweek reports. “It’s kind of a gold rush,” said one programmer, whose game applications will net $5 million in revenue. “Some kid in his bedroom can... More »

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iPhone • Apple • engineering • iPhone applications

 Haiti School Collapse 
 Kills At Least 30 

Poor repair job, not recent rains, doomed building, mayor says

Nov 7, 08 4:21 PM CST
(Newser) - At least 30 people, many possibly children, died in Haiti today when a school building collapsed, AP reports. The school, in a village in the hills above Port-au-Prince, experienced a partial collapse in 2000. Before today, the building was under construction, and the town’s mayor said structural problems, not... More »

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Brazil • Haiti • Chile • school • Red Cross • collapse • Ecuador • Dominican Republic • Doctors Without Borders • engineering • disaster

 Perfect Swing? 
 Forget the Wrists 

Drive guided by when power applied, not golfer's strength

Nov 5, 08 6:29 PM CST
(Newser) - After decades of laborious calculations, a Canadian professor says he's discovered the precise mechanics of the perfect golf swing. It’s all in the arms, it turns out—not the wrists. By measuring professional swings caught in high-speed photos, Robin Sharp has determined that the optimum swing doesn’t depend... More »

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golf • science • engineering • University of Surrey • golf swing • Robin Sharp

 Contest Offers $25K for
Best 'Crazy Green' Scheme

X Prize proposals to be posted on YouTube

Sep 11, 08 2:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - The X Prize Foundation is at it again, this time with a new eco-challenge offering $25,000 for the best “crazy green idea” to stop global warming, reports CNET. The organization, famous for its high-stakes engineering contests, is looking for breakthrough ideas in energy and housing. Proposals must be... More »

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climate change • YouTube • sustainable living • global warming • MIT • contest • green energy • engineering • X Prize Foundation • Automotive X Prize • Lunar X Prize • Prize Capital

Scientists Closer to
Invisibility Cloak

New material geared towards military, medical uses

Aug 10, 08 5:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Soon Harry Potter may not be the only one wearing an invisibility cloak. Researchers today announced a new material that bends light away from objects, causing "negative refraction" and "cloaking." The technology, which adds to earlier research veiling two-dimensional objects, will likely conceal military devices and improve... More »

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military • scientists • engineering • invisibility • metamaterials

Top Engineers Shun Military

Costs soar as sought-after
project managers
head for private sector

Jun 25, 08 2:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Greater "geek cachet" and higher pay is diverting engineering managers from the military into places like Microsoft and Google, the New York Times reports. The result is a dearth of  managers overseeing military projects, which government investigators largely blame for long delays and $295 billion in cost overruns.... More »

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Google • military • Pentagon • Microsoft • engineering • military recruits • Pentagon waste

 Most Lucrative College Majors 

Computer engineering tops list for grads seeking quick cash

Jun 21, 08 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - College students looking for fast cash after graduation should study computer engineering, Forbes reports. Here are the most lucrative college majors, with salaries for beginners and veterans alike:
  • Computer engineering ($60,500-$104,000)
  • Economics ($48,000-$96,200)
  • Electrical engineering ($59,900-$96,100)
  • Computer science ($54,200-$94,000)
  • Mechanical
... More »

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economics • finance • college • psychology • engineering • mathematics • college graduates

Germans Get Engineers Started Young

Top firms aim to turn kindergartners
toward tech careers

Jun 17, 08 12:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - With a personnel shortfall that's serious and getting worse, Germany wants to get its next generation of engineers started as soon as possible, the Financial Times reports. Hundreds of companies are sending materials and experts to kindergartens to try interest youngsters in technology and science. They hope getting the tots... More »

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education • Germany • engineers • engineering • Siemens • kindergarten • preschool

 Damn Straight!
 Leaning Tower
 Stabilized 

Tower shored up for at least another 300 years

May 29, 08 3:06 AM CDT
(Newser) - Italian engineers have stabilized the leaning Tower of Pisa, safeguarding it from toppling over for at least another 300 years, the Times of London reports. The famously off-kilter tower began tilting shortly after construction started in 1173, and was in danger of falling. Engineers didn't try to straighten it completely,... More »

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architecture • Italy • engineering

 Self-Fixing Plane in the Works 

Self-repairing process mimics the way human body heals

May 28, 08 5:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - British aerospace engineers are working on technology that could create self-repairing aircraft, Gizmag reports. In a technique very much like nature's healing process, resin would "bleed" out of damaged parts of the plane and harden, making a damaged aircraft strong enough to continue to fly until it could be... More »

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aerospace • plastic • Boeing 787 Dreamliner • aviation • aircraft • engineering • airplane • invention

 Volvo Promises
 Crash-Proof Car
 By 2020 

Road deaths will be history, Swedes say

May 1, 08 4:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - Volvo executives have vowed to create an un-crashable, injury-proof car by 2020, Reuters reports. The car manufacturer is adapting technology developed for commercial aviation to create a vehicle that will take over the controls in a dangerous situation and brake or steer out of harm's way. Engineers are hopeful such... More »

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safety • Ford • Volvo • radar • Mercedes Benz • engineering • sonar • biomechanics • behavioral science

 Panel: US Math System 'Broken' 

Group, worried about future competitive disadvantage, advises focus on basics

Mar 13, 08 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - A presidential panel today called US math education “broken” and demanded greater focus on key skills ranging from preschool to middle school, the Washington Post reports. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel responded to concerns that Americans are growing less competitive in the realm, and pointed the way to better... More »

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education • science • global economy • student • elementary school • engineering • preschool • mathematics • George W. Bush • middle school • National Mathematics Advisory Panel • algebra

US Schools Not in Dire Decline, Study Says

Report blasts myth of kids lagging in math, science, reading

Oct 27, 07 5:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Despite dire warnings, US students rank well against worldwide peers in math, science, and reading, according to a new study. In fact US scores are rising, and students are graduating with more science and engineering diplomas than the US market can sustain. So why all of the hullabaloo about US... More »

MORE ABOUT:
education • Bill Gates • SAT • science • higher education • chemistry • engineering • Urban Institute • National Academy of Sciences • humanities • mathematics

Why US Math, Science Ed is OK

Writer cites against-the-grain report ranking US in second place globally

Oct 26, 07 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Americans aren’t as deficient at math and science as usually reported, writes entrepreneur and Harvard Law Fellow Vivek Wadhwa in a Business Week op-ed. He cites an Urban Institute report with results contradicting many long-held beliefs about American science education, which places American science students consistently second in the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
education • science • science education • engineering • Urban Institute • Vivek Wadhwa • mathematics

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