Engineering FYI: December 2010

Technology Review reports on developments for an alternative to batteries in a recent article. Research using “graphene electrodes that could lead to ultracapacitors with more than five times the energy density of commercial devices.”

Dr. Joel E. Schindall, MA B ’63, at MIT is also working on increasing energy densities of ultracapacitors.
Read the article for more information

Τ

Together PING, a Stanford mechanical-engineering student, and a prosthetist, developed a set of five golf clubs for a quadruple amputee.

Jeff Lewis longed to play golf again and now his game is more accurate too. Click here to find out the engineering challenges involved in developing the new technology and the benefits Ping has realized.

Β

Calling it “one of the largest and most sophisticated energy-management systems among national institutions,” The Chronicle of Higher Education recently visited the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities to see how the campus is saving money and conserving energy.

The energy management system includes schedules, a tracking system for fans, and more. The campus also plans to shut down most building and services over the winter break to save money. Read the article

Π