Lab Museum Design & Interpretation

A new record hail stone fell on 23 July 2010 near Vivian SD!

It is 8-inch in diameter hail stone and weighs 1.9375 pounds.

The old record heaviest U.S. hailstone was a 1.67-pound found near Coffeyville, KS on Sep. 3, 1970. The old record for the largest diameter hailstone was 7 inches found in Aurora, NE on June 22, 2003. This Aurora, NE hailstone still holds the U.S. record for circumference: 18.75 inches. The Vivian, SD hailstone circumference was only 18.5".

Here is a photo of the stone

Hail is precipitation in the form of large balls or lumps of ice. Hailstones begin as small ice particles that grow primarily by accretion. The production of large hail requires a strong updraft that is tilted and an abundant supply of supercooled water. Because strong updrafts are required to generate large hailstones, it is not surprising to observe that hail is not randomly distributed in a thunderstorm; instead it occurs in regions near the strong updraft. Supercell thunderstorms, in which the strongest updrafts are created with help from the mesocyclone, often produce the largest hail.
Eventually, though, the weight of the hailstone overcomes the strength of the updraft, and it falls to earth. The curtain of hailstones that falls below the cloud base is called the hailshaft. These regions are often said to appear green to observers on the ground, although recent research suggests that heavy rain as well as hail can create this optical phenomenon. As the storm moves, it generates a hailswath, a section of ground covered with hail.

Hailstorms can severely damage crops, automobiles, and roofs. Sometimes the swath can be so big you can see it on the ground from a satellite

The Guthrie Theater: Come visit this state-of-the-art theater right here in Minneapolis! This weekend, see Macondo, a play about the BP oil spill for only $10/ticket.
Courtesy stevelyon

Whether you've been following the Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill or not, if you like theater, have I got a show for you!

A friend turned me on to Macondo playing at the Guthrie theater through this weekend (last show is Sunday, Aug. 1st at 1:00pm). The play is A Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training production, so tickets are only $10/each. I've posted the Guthrie's description of the play below, but if you want more information or to reserve your tickets, click here.

"Macondo is a place of myth, a place where oil spills under and over water, creating a chain reaction that devastates human lives and animal habitats. It is also the name of the ruptured BP undersea oil field and oil well responsible for the current Gulf of Mexico spill. The gods awake from their slumber and intervene in this dramatically unfolding story that currently weaves itself through the fabric of our lives."

Not this kind of Heavy Metal: This kind of Heavy Metal is not Poison. Poison is an American Glam Metal band led by Bret Michaels.
Courtesy timparkinson
I haven't been feeling well lately, so I checked out heavy metal poisoning. Like you wouldn't do the same.

THIS kind of Heavy Metal: This is the kind of Heavy Metal I'm talking about. The kind that people wear hazmat suits to approach. This stuff is TOXIC. (Which is also a good band name...probably would be a heavy metal band...Wait, stop trying to confuse me!)
Courtesy US Army Corps of Engineers

Turns out I've got the symptoms; headache and a bunch of other vague stuff.

But never fear...Science (and Nanotechnology) is here!

Researchers in Switzerland have figured out a way to use tiny nano-size magnets to attract and remove undesirable substances from blood, like heavy metals and overdosed steroids. Best part is that the process takes only minutes.

Nanomagnets remove toxins from blood: This photo should help.
Courtesy Functional Materials Laboratory, ETH Zurich

Blood goes in. Add the nanomagnets. Nanomagnets attract the "bad stuff" using linker molecules (works like it sounds - molecules that link things - in this case, they link nanomagnets to specific toxins or pathogens). Use a bigger magnet to collect all the nanomagnets with yucky stuff attached.

And VOILA! Clean blood.

What do you know, just reading about nanomagnets made my headache clear up. Go Science!

Learn more here...http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=17353.php

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, now there's an oil spill in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. Enbridge, the company responsible, is trying to keep the spill from reaching Lake Michigan.

The Extreme Ice Survey is a really fascinating project that documents melting glaciers using time-lapse photography. Check out their videos--the changes they've documented in just a few years are a bit scary!
(P.S. It's also a great complement to our current photo exhibit Double Exposure.)

One of the many lakes of the Boundary Waters: It's a nice place.
Courtesy PxMaOn my way to the candy store last week, I ran into a very skinny young man with a clipboard. I mean, I didn’t really run into him—more like he called me over while I was trying to avoid eye contact. He was really skinny, though, and I thought maybe he needed help. See, I’m pretty skinny myself, so when I think someone might be too skinny, it could suggest a real problem. I thought I could at least direct him somewhere where he might buy a sandwich or something.

But, to my surprise, the young man had little to no interest in sandwiches. (I know! What?!) What he was interested in was my money, money I had been saving to spend on really important things, things like candy. The slender lad was fund-raising for an organization that’s lobbying against proposed mining in the Boundary Waters.

I felt like, “I don’t even have cable, and you want $30 a month? I’m looking out for Number 1 here, sir. Go buy yourself a sandwich.” wasn’t really an acceptable excuse for not giving away my credit card information on the sidewalk, so when I told him I’d “think about it” and ran away, what I meant was, “I’m going to think of a better excuse for next time we run into each other.” But I also promised him I’d look into the issue. (That wasn’t what he wanted, but whatevs.)

And I did look into the issue, at least a little bit.

The deal is that there’s a Minnesotan mining company partnered with a South American corporation that’s been exploring for metals near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Their test pits have revealed that there may be huge deposits of copper, nickel, gold, platinum and palladium in the area, and they want to dig it up.

And that’s cool, except that bringing up the metal-bearing ore also brings up toxic heavy metals (like lead, arsenic, and manganese), as well as lots of sulfide rock, which can release sulfuric acid into the environment. These mining byproducts can be tricky to contain anywhere, but the proposed mines are located in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. That means that any acidic or metal-contaminated water that leaks from the mines would flow into the lakes of the Boundary Waters, poisoning them.

Acid drainage from a mine: Very bad for the environment.
Courtesy SeanMack
So that’s no good. The mine owners, however, counter that the rocks in the area are very solid, and so very little water would seep through them to contaminate the watershed. They also claim that the waste rock produced would actually have very little sulfur in it, and would not produce acid pollution.

Ok, that’s good. Except mining opponents point out that environmental assessments of similar proposed mines in the area have returned grim results for the watershed, despite the companies’ claims that the mining operations wouldn’t pollute. Also, other mines in the region, like the Dunka pit, have produced so much pollution that cleanup operations have spanned decades.

Hmm. So what, then? One (i.e., me) is inclined to think that we shouldn’t be screwing around with an area as beautiful as the Boundary Waters, and that if it means mining a little less, that’s cool. So does Skinny get to dip into my precious candy fund? Maybe!

Except… how about this: maybe we really do want those metals. Probably most of us who feel particularly protective over areas like the Boundary Waters also feel like our reliance on fossil fuels is harming the environment. Burning those depleting hydrocarbons produces vast quantities of atmospheric pollutants, and to see the environmental dangers involved in just digging up the fossil fuels, we need look no further than the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So how do we wean ourselves off of fossil fuels? With cool technology to make our vehicles more efficient, or to make larger, more powerful batteries, or to take advantage of other fuel sources.

Delicious palladium: Hydrogen storage, catalytic converters, fuel cells, capacitors, groundwater treatment... is there anything it can't do?
Courtesy Jurii
And what do we need for all of that equipment? A whole new set of natural resources which, as Minnesota Public Radio points out in their story on the mine controversy, includes copper, gold, platinum, and palladium, “metals that are used in everything from electric wires and computers to catalytic converters and rechargeable batteries.”

How might the consequences of the continued heavy use of fossil fuels eventually affect the Boundary Waters compared to mining in its watershed? Is it better to obtain these minerals in other parts of the world, so that it’s someone else’s problem? Are some environments more or less valuable than others? What if the mining takes place in a country with less-strict regulations for keeping a mine clean? And is there anything to the thought that, as fossil fuel users, we’re taking advantage of mining and drilling in other parts of the world, while we’re unwilling to let it happen in our backyard?

It’s probably not useful to divide the sides of the issue into either/or and good/bad. I want the Boundary Waters to be protected, and I’m against pollution-causing mining operations, but… it’s complicated.

Too complicated to figure out on my way to the candy store, anyway.

Any thoughts on this, folks? Negative environmental effects here… or there? Now or later? What do we really need? How should we get it? And from where? What are we willing to sacrifice for it? And, for that matter, what’s ours to sacrifice?

Complicated!

Imaging
Courtesy JoeSome pretty cool work is being done right now at the Science Museum related to imaging the Dead Sea Scrolls. You can learn more about it here.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things: Who does not love the smell of pine trees? Or stretchy long underwear? Hooray for camping!
Courtesy John

Are you interested in conserving our country's land, waterways, historical, and/or cultural resources? How about connecting your fellow Americans with the outdoors? Senior representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Department of Defense want to hear from you!

As part of President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative, the University of Minnesota is offering a pubic listening session August 4th from 4-7:30pm in the Tedd Mann Concert Hall that offers an opportunity to engage these senior representatives in a conversation about the conservation solutions of Minnesotans. The event is free and open to the pubic, but online registration is strongly encouraged. Want to register or need more information? Event details here.

Polar Home: This guy does not look like he minds his cool digs, but I think I am going to turn down my A/C now.
Courtesy thecourtyard

In a news release this past week, the University of Minnesota, led by professors Pat Huelman and John Carmody, has announced being chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to "Build America."

The research group, the NorthernSTAR Energy Efficient Housing Research Partnership Team, will be developing cheap solutions to home energy efficiency in cold climates. For me and you, that means more comfortable and eco-friendly Minnesota winters to come! Pretty cool, huh?

For more information, check out "Polar Energy", an article in the Institute on the Environment's Momentum magazine, winter 2010.

The Smartypants Grid

The smart grid is actually a futuristic collection of technologies that manage electricity distribution. Ultimately, they are "smarter" (more efficient) at generating, distributing, and using electricity than the current industry standards.

The Einstien Meter: Smart meters are a component of the smart grid infrastructure. They provide the two-way communication between electricity consumers and providers with the goal of enabling consumers to manage their electricity usage and spending. The utility providers also benefit by experiencing fewer demand spikes.
Courtesy Duke Energy

Some people are getting excited about smart grids because cutting back on electricity usage is cutting back on fossil fuel consumption which is cutting back on human-driven causes of global climate change. (Are you still with me or did I lose you there?) Other people are looking forward to smart grids because they should decrease the number of brown- and blackouts experienced in the country, which improves the region's health and economy. Still more people are pumped for the smart grid because it could mean lower electricity bills for their homes.

When will the smart grid reach your hometown? That depends. Some cities already have smart grid technology, but regional adoption is set to take place on a rolling basis during the next five years and is largely dependent on whether the American people get on board.

Scientific American: How Will the Smart Grid Handle Heat Waves?

"Pretty well, once the technology to automatically respond to peak demand and store renewable energy matures."

Smart grid test cites in Harrisburg, PA, Richland, WA, and Boulder, CO have their work cut out for them this week as people across the nation crank down the A/C to battle the heat wave covering most of the continental United States. According to the Scientific American article, a regional smart grid should have the potential to excel under stressful heat wave conditions. In the meantime, utility companies and academics are working toward developing a method to better store electricity when supply exceeds demand thus creating a stockpile of electricity for times of scarcity.

Explore More:

Check out SmartGrid.gov for all things smart and grid-y. Or, if you're looking for something more technical, the Department of Energy's other smart grid website.

If you're looking for a more interactive learning experience, check out General Electric's smart grid webpage complete with narrated animations.

Of course, if you're looking to hear from academics or industry experts themselves, the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment in conjunction with the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, are hosting Midwest's Premier Energy, Economic, and Environmental Conference, E3 2010, at the St. Paul River Center (right across Kellogg Blvd from the Science Museum) Tuesday, November 30.

Here is a great scientific analysis of why Washington Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg has been so good this year. The main point, it's not any one physical action, but the symphony of them all working together that makes his pitches so good.

According to a Star-Tribune article, science test scores made slight gains this year, but the rate of improvement was slower than the previous year, and half the students still struggle with the subject.

You were probably there....like 89,999 other people. But in case you missed it, here's a link video of the top nine crashes and one amazing flight of the 2010 Flugtag contest Saturday on Harriet Island. Competitors attempted to make their own human-powered flying machines.

Graphene: Unzip it and add oxygen to get graphene oxide
Courtesy Dr Thomas Szkopek If you look at my posts about graphene you will understand why I think graphene is a super material. One chemically converted graphene product of interest (CCG) is graphene oxide (GO). Graphene oxide, an insulating version of graphene, is expected to be used for all kinds of material and electronic applications. Graphene oxide is also biodegradable. Bacteria from the genus Shewanella easily convert GO to harmless graphene.

A new paper in ACSNano from the lab of Rice chemist James Tour demonstrates an environmentally friendly way to make bulk quantities of graphene oxide (GO). Scientists have been making GO since the 19th century, but the new process eliminates the need for explosive or toxic ingredients.

The researchers suggested the water-soluble product could find use in polymers, ceramics and metals, as thin films for electronics, as drug-delivery devices and for hydrogen storage, as well as for oil and gas recovery. Science Dailey

Graphene oxide gets green EurekaAlert

Slow boat to China: Cargo ships are cutting their sailing speeds to reduce costs.
Courtesy mikebaird
Save 40% on fuel costs by slowing down 20%

Slower speeds also reduce pollution. Too bad that is not why the shipping companies are slowing down. The tough economic times has forced many to think of ways to cut costs.

It is believed that Maersk, the world's largest shipping line, with more than 600 ships has saved more than $100 million on fuel since it began its go-slow policy. Instead of the standard 25 knots to 20 knots, some container ships are slowing down to 12 knots (about 14 mph). This is slower than the speed of sailing clippers such as the Cutty Sark more than 130 years ago.

Driving too fast or rapid acceleration wastes money.

You can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.
You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas. fueleconomy.gov

Saving money and reducing pollution should be a no-brainer but people with too much money often choose to speed. I think slowing down should be mandatory.

Source Modern cargo ships slow to the speed of the sailing clippers The Guardian

Warmest June ever
Courtesy NOAA 2010 just surpassed 1998 (Feb, Jul, Aug) for the most "warmest months" in any calendar year (NOAA via Science Digest

The July 22 Scientific American asks if this is The New Normal? A week earlier they asked, "How Much Global Warming Are We Willing to Take?

The average temperature of the planet for the next several thousand years will be determined this century—by those of us living today

A new report from the National Research Council concludes that emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels have ushered in a new epoch where human activities will largely determine the evolution of Earth's climate.

I hope you will check out the links above and start to consider how our decisions will impact conditions on Earth for a long time.

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Today, with four kids out to play ... that is the children of the two is who started a two days, a high ... when the boss is very hard for a horse! To reconcile ... to check line., Wrong also .. to be talking is not listening to their views to be patient and courteous .. .. to not only ensure that their feelings of pleasure or joy .. but the stomach, to Shanghai, and Oh, pigs have learned a lot, now than before the matter is settled a lot of friends, looking forward, his good mood. Ah ~ 1 minute ago