Beyond the Textbook: DC-8 Aircraft Inspires Students in Retirement
Science & Technology

Beyond the Textbook: DC-8 Aircraft Inspires Students in Retirement

NASA Space Technology In May 2024, Idaho State University’s class of 2025 received a new learning tool from NASA. The DC-8 aircraft served the world’s scientific community for decades as a platform under NASA’s Airborne Science Program before retiring to Idaho State University (ISU) to provide a hands-on learning experience for students in the university’s aircraft maintenance technology program.“The DC-8 has quickly become a cornerstone of our Aircraft Maintenance Technology program at ISU,” said Jake Dixon, Director of Marketing and Recruitment at the ISU College of Technology. “It has already enhanced our summer classes ahead of its full integration with the start of the new school year this fall.”The DC-8 flew its final flight from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California to Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho in May 2024. That flight...
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BEYOND EXPO 2024 | Empowering women in tech: Insights from leading female innovators at the SheTech Summit
Science & Technology

BEYOND EXPO 2024 | Empowering women in tech: Insights from leading female innovators at the SheTech Summit

Technology tamfitronics For the first time, BEYOND EXPO organizers hosted the SheTech Summit this year to celebrate the dynamism of women in technology. The panel brought together women leaders, showcased groundbreaking tech innovations, and prompted conversations on gender diversity in the tech industry.We highlight key takeaways from three panel discussions where successful female leaders shared their insights and experiences.Panel 1: The advantages of women leadership in tech and innovative companiesMichelle Chen, co-founder and CEO of Biosyngen, leads the company’s operational oversight, strategic direction, process optimization, government interactions, financial strategy, and investment discussions. With extensive expertise in corporate management, finance, and biopharmaceutical negotiations, Chen has co-established two prominent biotech ventures and amassed 17 years of leadership in Fortune 500 enterprises.“As for advantages of female traits in the workplace, it’s important to categorize different aspects of rationality,”...
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Beyond Silicon: How Atom-Thin Materials Are Revolutionizing Chips
Science & Technology

Beyond Silicon: How Atom-Thin Materials Are Revolutionizing Chips

Technology tamfitronics An artist’s depiction of a missing chalcogen atom in the middle layer of a bulk transition-metal dichalcogenide. Credit: Kyle Palmer / PPPL Communications DepartmentNew research boosts our understanding of a likely candidate for next-generation computer chips.Scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory are advancing semiconductor technology by developing thinner, more efficient materials called transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). These materials, only a few atoms thick, could lead to more compact and powerful computer chips. The research also investigates the role of defects within these materials, which can affect their electrical properties and potentially enhance their functionality.The Evolution of Computer ChipsSilicon computer chips have served us well for more than half a century. The tiniest features on chips currently sold are approximately 3 nanometers — a startlingly small size given that a human hair is roughly...
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Beyond lithium: how a Swedish battery company wants to power Europe’s green transition with salt
Science & Technology

Beyond lithium: how a Swedish battery company wants to power Europe’s green transition with salt

Technology tamfitronics Northvolt has developed a sodium-based battery, which doesn’t require critical minerals and could help break European dependence on China for the technology Northvolt’s sprawling battery research facility stands out as a modern cubic building of wood and steel between groves of birch trees and tall firs in eastern Sweden.The Swedish company’s labs form the largest campus for battery research in Europe. It’s here, in a former industrial zone on the outskirts of the town of Västerås, about 100 kilometres northwest of the capital Stockholm, that one of the continent’s best-funded climate tech companies could write the future of batteries.In November 2023, Northvolt – Europe’s only major home-grown EV battery maker – announced a breakthrough in battery development.The company had manufactured a first-of-its-kind energy storage battery by replacing widely used critical minerals – such...
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