Monday, November 17, 2008

One Laptop per child--Give one/get one 2008

Some of you got to see Calestous Juma, Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project for the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard speak at Innovation Day. (see Michelle's post below for a summation if you didn't get a chance.)

He talked some about the project he was involved in--One Laptop per Child (OLPC). The Give One/Get One 2008 program kicks off today where you can buy one of the XO laptops (seen in the picture) on amazon.com for $199 to donate to a child in a developing country, or $399 to donate one and get one for yourself.

-Alexis

Friday, November 7, 2008

Solar Cell kits for education outreach

Professor Quyen Nguyen gave me (Michelle) and Bright two Solar Cell kits to use at future science education outreach events. We're hoping to put them together and try to wire them to power a small toy fan. If anyone else is interested in working with us on this project, please let us know.

- Michelle and Bright

International Seminar on Energy and Resource Productivity

Heads up:

International Seminar on Energy and Resource Productivity
Engineering and Science Building (ESB), Room 1001

November 17-18
sign up by this Monday, November 10

http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/events/registration_form_students.htm


Presented by the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, the International panel for Sustainable Resource Management, and the Institute for Energy Efficiency


Topics include:
- Why developing countries need dramatic increases of energy and resource productivity
- Frontiers of energy efficiency research
- Biofuels
- Measuring environmental impacts: Carbon footprints and Material Flow Analysis
- Business strategies to reduce environmental impacts
- Economic instruments to improve energy efficiency and resource productivity
- Government policies to improve energy efficiency and resource productivity

Chem 239-Class talks

I'm in Dr. Wudl's class this quarter (Chem 239).
We are now having student presentations on topics related to Organics in energy conversion and storage. Last week we talked about thermoelectrics, and starting on Monday I will give a presentation on Dye-sensitized solar cells.
You are all welcome to show up for my (and others) presentations. Some of the other topics are listed below.

Thermoelectrics
Dye-sensitized Solar Cells
Inorganic Solar Cells
Organic Solar Cells
CO2 reduction
H2 Fuel Cells
Methanol Fuel Cells
Static Batteries
Portable Batteries

The class meets MWF 11-12 Phelps 3505.

-Alexis
I attended EXAFS school at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Lab. This was an intensive 3 day course that included multiple lectures on the theory of x-ray absorbance spectroscopy, extensive time on a beamline and a fair amount of instruction on using IFEFFIT software to interpret data. Overall, this experience was great but exhausting, between the travel, the work, and time change, I am still tired. But it was worth it.


--Ryan