"Horizons 2012"
All presentations will be given at 7 pm (doors open at 6) in the IMAX Theater at the Challenger Learning Center on Kleman Plaza in downtown Tallahassee. There is an admission charge to cover the cost of renting the facility. The price of a single program is $12 ($6 for TSS members), while the price for the entire series is $40 ($20 for TSS members). Details are on the TSS web site. There is a $10 cost for a student membership in TSS.
Feb 23:
"The state of the Space Industry in Florida"
by Frank DiBello, President of Space Florida
March 22:
"Run Silent, Run Deep: New life on WWII shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico", by Thomas Shirley, marine biologist at Texas A&M
April 25:
"My Life as a Turkey: One man's study of nature and nurture in the wilds of Sopchoppy, FL" by Joe Hutto.
I have heard Joe talk about his experiences as the parent of a brood of wild turkeys that he raised from eggs and taught to forage and roost in the wild. (This was featured in a PBS/BBC Nature program last fall.) It is an amazing story.
May 24:
"The ecology of a southern nature writer"
by Janisse Ray, author of The Ecology of a Cracker Childhood,
who grew up and still lives in Baxter, GA.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Update about Mag Lab "tour"
Folks at the mag lab have confirmed that they will be doing the triple-point of water demo this year, so that (in the low temperature lab) will be my first stop, followed by the tesla coil across the hall, in case anyone gets there late and wants to catch up with us.
From there I plan to go to the "shrinking quarter" demo, which will be done every half hour. The best deal is to get there right around when he fires the capacitor so we can get up front when the crowd leaves and spend the wait looking at all of the pieces needed to get a 60 Tesla magnetic field for a few micro seconds.
Lots and lots of details about this LRC pulse are in an old 2008 blog article linked HERE.
My route after that is unpredictable, but will include the magnet winding lab and the machine shop, and probably the big NMR magnet and the electron microscope, before heading over to the CAPS facility on Levy.
TAEVA, the Tallahassee Area Electric Vehicle Association, will have home-built and commercial electric vehicles on display in front of the CAPS building.
From there I plan to go to the "shrinking quarter" demo, which will be done every half hour. The best deal is to get there right around when he fires the capacitor so we can get up front when the crowd leaves and spend the wait looking at all of the pieces needed to get a 60 Tesla magnetic field for a few micro seconds.
Lots and lots of details about this LRC pulse are in an old 2008 blog article linked HERE.
My route after that is unpredictable, but will include the magnet winding lab and the machine shop, and probably the big NMR magnet and the electron microscope, before heading over to the CAPS facility on Levy.
TAEVA, the Tallahassee Area Electric Vehicle Association, will have home-built and commercial electric vehicles on display in front of the CAPS building.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Plan for the Mag Lab Open House
Saturday, February 18
As in the past, I plan to be at the Mag Lab Open House (link to announcement) to lead an informal tour of specific parts of the lab. I will go to areas of particular interest to students taking PHY2049, but others are welcome.
My usual plan is to start at the Mag Lab itself at 10:00 sharp and finish in the CAPS engineering labs in the afternoon, so I recommend parking in the large lot behind CAPS (off Levy, to the east of the Mag Lab) so you won't have far to walk at the end of the day.
A map and details from past years are in a blog entry from 2009. They did not do "crush a coin" or demo the triple point of water in 2011, so I hope those are back this year. If so, they will be our first stops.
As in the past, I plan to be at the Mag Lab Open House (link to announcement) to lead an informal tour of specific parts of the lab. I will go to areas of particular interest to students taking PHY2049, but others are welcome.
My usual plan is to start at the Mag Lab itself at 10:00 sharp and finish in the CAPS engineering labs in the afternoon, so I recommend parking in the large lot behind CAPS (off Levy, to the east of the Mag Lab) so you won't have far to walk at the end of the day.
A map and details from past years are in a blog entry from 2009. They did not do "crush a coin" or demo the triple point of water in 2011, so I hope those are back this year. If so, they will be our first stops.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Engineering Club Meeting 10/7/2011
There will be an Engineering Club meeting on Friday, 7 October, at 2:30 in the SM-260 conference room that is just to the left of the Science and Math office.
Our guests will be several students from the College of Engineering at FSU and/or FAMU representing different majors in the college. They will be talking about what students in their major do and what it takes to succeed in engineering. I understand that all majors (Civil and Environmental, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, and Industrial) will be represented.
I know that the mechanical engineering student will bring a few robots from the STRIDe Lab where she works.
Each will give a short talk about the kinds of projects you might work on in their field and the skills you need from your basic courses (chemistry, physics, and calculus) to get off to a good start.
Rumor has it that there will be some food available.
Our guests will be several students from the College of Engineering at FSU and/or FAMU representing different majors in the college. They will be talking about what students in their major do and what it takes to succeed in engineering. I understand that all majors (Civil and Environmental, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, and Industrial) will be represented.
I know that the mechanical engineering student will bring a few robots from the STRIDe Lab where she works.
Each will give a short talk about the kinds of projects you might work on in their field and the skills you need from your basic courses (chemistry, physics, and calculus) to get off to a good start.
Rumor has it that there will be some food available.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Public Open House at Hopkins Power Plant
FSU isn't playing football, so this weekend is when they schedule things like the Flying Circus of Physics at FSU (Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm) and an open house at the Hopkins Power Plant (Sunday from 1 to 5 pm).
If you read this announcement you should notice that cameras are no longer allowed inside the power plant during the tour. You also need real shoes on your feet to go on the tour.
I learned about the power plant open house because I heard from TAEVA (Tallahassee Area Electric Vehicle Association) that they are going to have some electric vehicles on display there. That collection might include one or two that are "shade tree mechanic" conversions. The city also usually has their rescue people there showing how they cut you out of a car wreck along with other demos.
A map of the FSU Physics area and other info about the Flying Circus is available here. Some of the lab spaces include demos that we don't have the equipment to do at TCC, most available to play with "hands on".
If you read this announcement you should notice that cameras are no longer allowed inside the power plant during the tour. You also need real shoes on your feet to go on the tour.
I learned about the power plant open house because I heard from TAEVA (Tallahassee Area Electric Vehicle Association) that they are going to have some electric vehicles on display there. That collection might include one or two that are "shade tree mechanic" conversions. The city also usually has their rescue people there showing how they cut you out of a car wreck along with other demos.
A map of the FSU Physics area and other info about the Flying Circus is available here. Some of the lab spaces include demos that we don't have the equipment to do at TCC, most available to play with "hands on".
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Info about National Concrete Canoe results
FYI, my Dad sent me a link to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2011 Concrete Canoe results.
The article includes a nice photo gallery showing the different canoes entered in the competition as well as the winners.
The article includes a nice photo gallery showing the different canoes entered in the competition as well as the winners.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Concrete Canoe -- TCC Alumni program
Tuesday, May 31, at 2:30 in SM-116
Although this is not an "official" Engineering Club meeting because it is summer, you are all invited to attend a presentation by several TCC alumni who are now at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
The main presentation will be about the design and construction of a concrete canoe by a team of civil engineers, but they and their friends studying other fields of engineering will also talk in general about what is needed to succeed after transferring from TCC to FSU or FAMU.
The presentation will be informal, so I think those of you with work or class conflicts could still show up at 3:30 and ask questions.
Background Info:
Two TCC alumni were part of a team that participated in the national "concrete canoe" competition last spring. Among other things, they will be bringing a mockup showing how the canoe was designed and samples of the extremely lightweight concrete they designed.
The presentation is in the SM116 classroom at 2:30 pm on Tuesday, May 31. I expect their presentation will last about an hour, but they say it will continue informally as long as there are questions. The only constraint is that we have to clean up and leave before a 5:00 class uses that room.
Although the team is made up of civil engineers, they are planning to have friends from mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering present next Tuesday to provide a broader perspective on the skills needed to survive and become an engineer.
Although this is not an "official" Engineering Club meeting because it is summer, you are all invited to attend a presentation by several TCC alumni who are now at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
The main presentation will be about the design and construction of a concrete canoe by a team of civil engineers, but they and their friends studying other fields of engineering will also talk in general about what is needed to succeed after transferring from TCC to FSU or FAMU.
The presentation will be informal, so I think those of you with work or class conflicts could still show up at 3:30 and ask questions.
Background Info:
Two TCC alumni were part of a team that participated in the national "concrete canoe" competition last spring. Among other things, they will be bringing a mockup showing how the canoe was designed and samples of the extremely lightweight concrete they designed.
The presentation is in the SM116 classroom at 2:30 pm on Tuesday, May 31. I expect their presentation will last about an hour, but they say it will continue informally as long as there are questions. The only constraint is that we have to clean up and leave before a 5:00 class uses that room.
Although the team is made up of civil engineers, they are planning to have friends from mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering present next Tuesday to provide a broader perspective on the skills needed to survive and become an engineer.
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