"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Author: Isaac Gendler
How Wildfires Can Affect Water Quality
09/26/19
“How is water quality affected by wildfires?”
Wildfires are infamous for spewing toxic fumes into the atmosphere and destroying air quality. But what’s lesser-known are its effects on water quality. Since wildfires spawn ash and particles, these can settle on water, destroying its purity. This is How Wildfires Can Affect Water Quality.
Image credit e360.yale.edu
Biosafety Cabinets
09/25/19
“How do exhaust systems for biology labs work?”
Chemical fume hoods are vital for exhausting noxious fumes from scientific labs. However, biology labs have needs that are more sensitive. Since they are dealing with live organisms, fumes from their lab spaces cannot mix with others and exhaust air will need to be more filtered. For this reason, Specially designed Biosafety Cabinets will have to be used.
Image credit http://www.labconco.com
Porosity
09/24/19
“How can we measure how porous an object is?”
If an object is porous it means that it has empty space in it. The measure of this empty space is known as the Porosity, and can be found on a sliding scale from zero percent to one hundred percent.
Image credit https://i.ytimg.com
Single-use Plastics
09/23/19
“What exactly are single-use plastic and why are they so bad?”
Plastic is a very useful material. It’s flexible, fairly non-reactive, and strong, making it applicable for single-use grocery bags. However, the fact that Single-use Plastics are not recyclable and biodegradable means that they will end up in a land-fill and release toxic chemicals into the environment. To solve this crisis, a new generation of thinkers will have to come up with innovative policy and technical solutions. This could be anyone, from a regular Joe to someone whose name rhymes with Narina.
How Climate Change Induced Droughts Will Impinge upon Conventional Power Generation
09/22/19
“How will the increasing frequency of droughts affect conventional power generation?”
Although usually thought of as being completely self-sufficient, conventional power generation relies a great deal on water for its operations. With the increasing frequency of droughts induced by climate change, water will become a more scarce resource in many parts of the globe, therefore reducing a vital feedstock for conventional power. This is How Climate Change Induced Droughts Will Impinge upon Conventional Power Generation.
Levees
09/21/19
“How can we prevent the overflow of rivers using built infrastructure?”
Rivers can be the lifeblood of a community, whether it be for transportation or a source of drinking water. However, when the river floods, it can cause great disaster to a community. So how can we artificially prevent such flooding? Well, what if we were to build barriers right next to the river flow running parallel? These Levees are a staple of river control around the world and have saved countless of lives.
Image credit https://www.johnenglander.net
Antifreeze
09/20/19
“How can we lower the freezing point of water?”
Water is known for its important freezing point. In fact, the entire metric temperature system is based off it! However, sometimes we may need to lower its freezing point. This can be accomplished through Antifreeze substances. Antifreeze is usually based off mixtures of water and either ethylene glycol (EGW) or propylene glycol (PGW). Antifreeze has plenty of applications, ranging from automotive engines to electronics cooling.
Image credit i5.walmartimages.com
Rural Electrification
09/19/19
“How can we bring electricity to rural households?”
Much of the developing world still has no access to electricity. More than 15% of people in India and 87.5% of rural sub-Saharan Africans are unable to enjoy the right to modern infrastructure. This can be solved with Rural Electrification, which entails expanding the grid or distributed energy resources to marginalized communities.
Ductless Fume Hoods
09/18/19
“How can we have a fume hood without ducts?”
Fume hoods are well known for their ducts. However, is it possible to have fume hoods without ducts? Well, with Ductless Fume Hoods, we can suck up chemical fumes from all over the workplace and filter it out into the atmosphere.
Image credit http://www.britevisualproducts.com
Isaac's Science Blog 