Comments on lecture 7 & group presentation ( conserve energy: passive housing )

1. Comments on lecture 7 & group presentation (conserve energy: passive housing)

2. Student Jason Bryan recommends http://inhabitat.com/ A resource for passive housing a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future Blogs and articles on solar cells, ethanol production, sustainable products, etc Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

3. Question Resource What companies are at the forefront in research of clean renewable energy? Most are incumbents, i.e., well established energy/power industries (GE, Siemens, ExxonMobil, etc,). EU Govs (notably Germany and Nordic countries) foster industries (wind and solar). Recommended reading: “Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming,” by F. Krupp and M. Horn ($11 paperback) Read chapters at www.amazon.com Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

4. Question Resource What companies are at the forefront in research of clean renewable energy? Startups (example)http://www.amyrisbiotech.com See also Technology driven philanthropy http://www.google.org Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation http://www.gatesfoundation.org Recommended reading: 25 Companies to Watch in Energy Tech The Best Clean-Energy Startups(2009 presentation Bloomberg) http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/07/0714_sustainable_planet/ Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

5. Question Give more details on the “modern Day Newton” who works at ME? KR Rajagopal, Forsyth Chair in ME, Distinguished Professor, Prof. ME, CE, BioMed, Math. Research in Continuum Mechanics and its applications to non-linear materials http://www.mengr.tamu.edu Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

6. Questions: Resource Why don’t/can’t have an Engineering History Class? I find it highly interesting learning of Newton and how ground breaking his research was – It will help us to appreciate what we (even as students) are doing today! I agree! How can one appreciate knowledge without knowing its path and the enablers (people)? [Think of Apple w/o Steve Jobs] Start browsing (history of engineering) http://www.creatingtechnology.org/history.htm Also read “Engineering, an Endless Frontier,” by S. Y. Auyang (2004 ISBN 0-674-01978-4) $19.00 And many other books on technology & engineering history Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

7. Questions How is the US able to keep oil prices at the pump so low compared to Europe? Low taxes. EU charges CO2 taxes. Stop subsidies. Economy based on real prices. What general steps does Venezuela need to do to prepare for the future? Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

8. Question Why does our government not let us drill for oil in our own backyard? Why must we continue to get stiffed by foreign countries for oil that we found using equipment we taught them to use? Government: A strategic decision Oil corporations (*) do business (exploration, perforation, commercialization) where they profit most. The issue with O&G is having confidence in its supply. (*) and any other for-profit business Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

9. Comment There are more engineers here whose only focus is on the salary, and want to work for (what I consider) a highly cyclical and slowly dying O&G industry. I don’t understand why the debate is to drill here or there when there should be a push not to drill anywhere. ….. An excellent idea for a debate amongst us. Let’s get prepared Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011

10. Comment The purpose of groups presenting is to explore “modern” engineering, but it could be nice if we could explore this more and talk about it in class The groups select the topics. Thus far (4p) presentations show power generation (solar & power), bio-engineering, and conservation (passive housing) This class addresses to your needs. Let’s begin to specialize (give more details) next round of presentations Practices of Modern Engineering – Spring 2011