Learn about Nanoscience at UCSD! / Nano: Too Small To Ignore

Michael Sailor will be giving a talk "Too Small to Ignore: Why is Nano Different?" at the Science & Engineering library on Thursday May 20 (a week from this Thursday).

All the details are on the Science & Engineering library blog.


When? Thursday, May 20, 2010 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Where? Science & Engineering Library, which is in UCSD Geisel Library on the UCSD campus.

This sounds like a really interesting talk, especially since it's going to be geared to a general audience. BTW, CNN recently covered some research from the Sailor Lab in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego. He is also affiliated with two engineering departments here in the Jacobs School: Bioengineering and NanoEngineering.

Below is the first paragraph from the promo materials for this lecture.

An increasing number of the products we encounter in our daily lives contain nanomaterials, and even more “conventional” products are made using nanotechnology. What is it about a nanomaterial that makes it different, what is the promise of the emerging field of nanotechnology, and what are the dangers? Professor Sailor, a world-renowned expert in nanotechnology, will provide a general lecture on these issues, providing examples from the fields of medicine, consumer products, and environmental sciences. (photo: Michael Sailor)

Pulse / Jacobs School Alumni Magazine is Online!

The latest issue of Pulse, the Jacobs School alumni magazine is online. Check it out!

Think Twice, Code Once

Earlier this week, I was interviewing a freshman math major who participated in Yahoo! Hack Week at the Jacobs School in April (stay tuned for full story). She mentioned a saying that one of her computer programming teammates told her during the 24-hour coding session:

Think twice, code once.

This reminds me of the saying one of my farmer uncles like to say: "Measure twice, cut once."

Junkyard Derby is Next Week! (400th blog post)

Junkyard Derby is a most worthy subject for my 400th post on this blog about all things Jacobs School.

The best way to get a taste of Junkyard Derby is to see it for yourself. You'll have to wait till next Friday, but in the meantime, there are a couple of options.

First option: Watch the video from last year's Junkyard Derby.



Second option: Check out the "Mad Dash for Trash" next Wednesday evening. That's the official beginning of Junkyard Derby. At the sound of the whistle, all the teams rush into a mountain of scavenged junk (abandoned furniture and old bikes are always popular). They grab the raw materials (aka Junk) that they will fashion into lean, mean, racing machines in the following 36 hours.

If I remember right, last year they even had folks out there with welding tools to help the teams transform junk into race cars.

Learn all about Junkyard Derby at the official TESC site:
http://tesc.ucsd.edu/derby/

Computer Science Undergrad Kayvon Ghaffari Helps Create Winning Software for Detecting Vascular Diseases Early Among Children in Developing Regions

Kayvon Ghaffari is a computer science undergraduate who is headed to Warsaw, Poland this summer. Why? It’s not (just) for the Perogi. Ghaffari is part of a UCSD team that won the 2010 Imagine Cup in software design. The team’s winning software design helps field doctors use mobile technology to detect vascular diseases early among children in developing regions. The team, called Mobilife, won the eighth annual competition sponsored by Microsoft Corp. They beat out 22,000 other U.S. students, all trying to solve the world’s toughest problems using technology.

The team will compete in July against hundreds of other student teams from other countries and regions in the worldwide finals in Warsaw, Poland.
Read the full story on the news site of the UCSD Rady School of Management.

Kayvon...if you read this, tell us a little more about the software...either in the comments section or via an email to me at: dbkane AT ucsd DOT edu.

Admit Day Video: Jacobs School of Engineering

Admit Day for incoming UCSD undergrads came and went, but anyone interested in learning more about undergraduate life at the Jacobs School can check out the 2010 Admit Day video from the Jacobs School of Engineering. In addition to the school-wide talk (see embedded video), a professor from each of the six departments gave a presentation. All these videos are also online. Bioengineering, Computer Science & Engineering (CSE), Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE), Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE), NanoEngineering, and Structural Engineering.

Interested in building remote imaging tools for National Geographic Society expeditions?

UCSD and National Geographic Society (NGS) are seeking motivated UCSD students to work with UCSD faculty/staff, NGS engineers and Explorers to build innovative remote imaging tools that will be deployed on real National Geographic Society expeditions.

For More Info: http://ngs.ucsd.edu/

Find out more at a lecture tomorrow May 5th, 12:30-1:30pm, Atkinson Hall Auditorium. UCSD's Albert Lin (of abalone and Genghis Khan fame) is one of the presenters.

Abstract below:

Exploration and engineering have gone hand-in-hand through time, allowing humans to explore the deepest oceans, highest mountains and farthest galaxies through the lens of science and technology. The National Geographic Society has been one of the world's leading engines of exploration for over 100 years, inspiring others to care about the world. Combining world-class exploration with the top engineering minds is the goal of this multi-institutional program.UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering and the National Geographic Society are embarking on a new partnership with the UCSD-NGS Engineers for Exploration program. Located within the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) and as part of its Center of Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture, and Archaeology (CISA3), this program provides a multi-disciplinary platform for students to engage and contribute directly to National Geographic exploration.