Finding solutions to Achilles’ heel of renewable energy: intermittency
William F. Pickard of Washington Unviersity in St. Louis introduces the February 2012 special issue of the Proceedings of the IEEE by quoting the Bible: “The wind bloweth where it listeth.” That, in so many words, describes is the major technological problem with renewable sources of energy, such as solar and wind power. The special issue, which Pickard co-edited with Derek Abbott of the University of Adelaide, discusses several solutions to intermittency, as it is called, first among them massive energy storage.
EnWeek 2012: Inspiring future engineers
Oh, for a bit of wrought iron. Using tried-and-true triangular trusses, Lesley Olson (right), a junior in chemical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, helps high school girls compete to erect the tallest marshmallow and toothpick tower during Engineering Olympics Feb. 25, the final day of EnWeek. The week, intended to inspire current and future engineers, began Feb. 19 with a variety of activities intended to make increase awareness in engineering as a profession.
No Boundaries: Women Leaders of Washington University
“No Boundaries: Women Leaders of Washington University,” an intergenerational discussion group, will be held from 3-4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, in Brown Hall Lounge. An RSVP is required by Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Open forum on 2012 election year activities at WUSTL
The Gephardt Institute for Public Service invites student groups,
centers, departments and schools, as well as individual members of the
University community, to join an open discussion about plans for the 2012
election year. The meeting will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. Monday, March 5, in the Multipurpose Room, lower level of
Mallinckrodt Center on the Danforth Campus.
Less lively aluminum baseball bats change game
Last year, the National Collegiate Athletic
Association required all aluminum bats used in college play to meet a
new performance standard designed to limit the exit speed of the ball
off the bat. This year, the National Federation of State High School
Associations also has implemented the new standard. With spring training beginning at all levels this month, a WUSTL professor and WUSTL baseball coaches comment on the new bats and how they have affected play.
WUSTL professor Weinberger receives NSF CAREER award
Kilian Q. Weinberger, assistant professor of computer science & engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has won a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER award) from the National Science Foundation. Weinberger’s CAREER project, “New Directions for Metric Learning,” seeks to solve one of the fundamental problems of machine learning: how to compare individual texts, images or sounds.
Engineering Week on campus begins Feb. 19
The School of Engineering & Applied Science will host a week of special events beginning Sunday, Feb. 19, to inspire current and future engineers. WUSTL’s EnWeek is one of many similar celebrations taking place at engineering schools across the country under the auspices of the National Engineers Week Foundation.
Wrighton comments on Obama’s 2013 budget proposal
Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton issued a statement Feb. 13 following
the release of President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for 2013 in which Wrighton noted the importance of our nation’s continued investment in scientific research.
Teaching graduate and postdoctoral students to be successful teachers
Washington University in St. Louis has joined a
national experiment to develop a new generation of college science and
engineering faculty, one equipped to excel in the classroom as well as
the lab. Founded in 2003 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and
Learning (CIRTL), the mission of the CIRTL network of 25 research universities is to prepare science graduate students
to be as bold and creative in the classroom as they are in their
programs of research.
Apply now to spend three weeks in China next summer
Frank Yin, PhD, ambassador to Tsinghua University, a partner institution in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, invites Washington University in St. Louis faculty and students to participate in Tsinghua’s annual English summer camp, which will be held from June 26 to July 13, 2012. The English summer camp is an intensive English language experience for Tsinghua students. Each day is devoted to lessons, lectures, and various activities, including seminars, song and dance competitions, and other games. WUSTL native or near-native English speakers are invited to join the camp as visiting teachers and volunteers.
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