Engineering Blog - DIT Library Bolton Street

New Lola-Drayson electric race car

2012-01-12T18:09:00.004Z

With the FIA having announced a Formula E championship for electric cars in 2013, there is a lot of development going on in this area.

The latest is the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV. It is based on the current Lola LMP1 (Le Mans Prototype) car, it weighs in at 1,000 Kg and generates 850Bhp which can power it from 0-60mph in 3.0 seconds.

You can read more about this story at theengineer.co.uk.

Image and story courtesy of theengineer.co.uk

30 storey hotel constructed in 360 hours

2012-01-12T16:06:00.004Z

The T30 Hotel in China's Hunan Province is a prefabricated structure that was constructed in just 15 days.
Not only that, it is a highly sustainable building with quadruple glazed windows, a heat recovery system and energy saving lights throughout. The building has also been tested and can resist a magnitude nine earthquake.
You can read more about this project at worldarchitecturenews.com and below is a timelapse video of this amazing feat.

Story courtesy of worldarchitecturenews.com
Video courtesy of YouTube

DIT Bolton Street Library hours over Christmas

2011-12-15T14:52:00.009Z

The Library will open until 9:30pm on Monday 19th, Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st December.

The library at Bolton Street will close at 1pm on Thursday 22nd December.

The library will reopen on Tuesday 3rd January 2012. Term time hours will apply:
Mon. – Thurs. 9:30am – 9:30pm
Fridays: 9:30am – 5:15pm
Saturdays: 10am – 5pm.

Happy Christmas to all DIT students and staff.

Image courtesy of LA Times Hero Complex.

Newly developed prosthetic foot

2011-12-05T14:18:00.004Z

Engineers at Blatchford have developed a prosthetic foot which endeavours to replicate how a human ankle operates.
This is done using two microprocessors which redistribute weight and resistance around the ankle joint. The effect is to give users greater freedom of movement, particularly when walking on inclines.
You can read more at theengineer.co.uk.

Story and image courtesy of theengineer.co.uk.

New techique to stop steel corrosion

2011-11-18T13:24:00.003Z

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire are investigating how high intensity electromagnetic fields can reduce corrosion in steel by up to 50%.

Their previous research has shown the effects but further investigation is required to understand why this is happening.

You can read a summary of the research in the journal Strength of Materials (Vol. 41 No. 4. pp 387-391). The journal is available through the DIT Library website.

Image courtesy of Google images.

Story courtesy of University of Hertfordshire.

PS

2011-11-02T12:18:00.002Z

...following on from yesterdays post (down a bit), Bolton St will get a look in at Innovation Dublin 2011 with an event on 10-11th november entitled Design tools and practices

my new favourite engineer

2011-11-01T15:11:00.007Z

Not strictly library related, but here's an event i think should not be missed as part of the current Innovation Dublin 2011 . This thursday at 1pm the Dublin City Engineer Michael Philips will be giving a lecture Engineering the City. I'd recommend because i recently attended a walking tour he gave as part of the Open House Festival in Ocotber on Bridging the Liffey, - a fascinating afternoon tour of dublin's new bridges. Really interesting, insightful, he's highly informative, knows his subject well and delivered with a charming manner. Last seen on TV when he was wheeled out to talk about the Corporations response to the torrenial rain recently. If you can make it, i'd recommend it. ILAC central library and you have to book. All details on that link above, or ring 01-8734333, or email bernadette.cogan@dublincity.ie

Stanford researchers develop stretchable, skin-like sensor

2011-10-28T13:04:00.004Z

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a sensor which has properties similar to a stretchable skin which returns to its original shape having been stretched over twice its length.
It can also sense a range of pressure from a pinch up to thousands of pounds. You can see a demonstration in the clip below or read more about the research at Stanford University News.

Story and clip courtesy of Stanford University News and Youtube.

Completely autonomous car

2011-10-13T19:43:00.006Z

Researchers at the Freie Universitat Berlin have developed a car capable of autonomously navigating Berlin's streets for 80 km.
The car uses a series of sensors as well as a GPS system, there are also 3 lasers to the front and 3 to the rear to detect any vehicles or pedestrians. A rotating laser scanner on the roof provides a full 3D image of the car's surroundings.
View the clip below or visit the site of AutoNOMOS labs for more information.

Story courtesy of theengineer.co.uk.
Video courtesy of YouTube.

pods

2011-10-07T11:52:00.003Z

So farewell Steve Jobs. "thank you for the work you make possible every day" tweeted Obama. To him we give thanks for decently designed technology for people, not anoraks. the iPhone, iMac, iPad, iStuff and iPod. The bolton st library can't compete with that but we have recently unveiled our libPod. There is an increasing demand for spaces and rooms that students can work together in on projects, assignments etc. There was 1 bookable room in the library and this celtic swirl design now gives us 2 more areas for group study. It's open plan, but the sound proofing should give privacy and quiet both for those on the inside, and the out. AND if you leave pencils in them overnight they will mysteriously sharpen themselves

time saving life changing essay helpin info findin

2011-09-22T14:52:00.004Z

This year we've taken a different approach to those library tours of yore in which peoples eyes glaze over and fall asleep on their feet after being told by their lecturers to go up and get a tour of the library. It is an essential part of college life to know how to get the best from the library and learn simple thinks like just finding a book or using the photocopier. But this year we have arranged over the course of 4 weeks (19th sept - 13th oct) a series of short sharp (10-15ish minutes)drop in sessions. They will focus on all you need to know to

survive your 1st assignment

write killer essays

ultimately leave this college with a 1st class hons degree

Full details of times (no booking required) HERE - scroll down to the 2nd page

Respond! housing project to use CO2 heat pumps

2011-09-07T10:04:00.004Z

A Respond! housing project in Tallaght is set to use 130 high efficiency heat pumps in one of the largest projects of its kind in Europe.

The Sanyo CO2 heat pumps use CO2 as a refrigerant. These provide low cost, low carbon heating and hot water. CO2 also has a global warming potential of 1 compared to 1,000 for other HFC-based refrigerants.

You can read more about this story at Refrige.com.

Story courtesy of Refrige.com.

Image courtesy of Sanyo.

Sub eight minute lap of Nurburgring for an all-electric car

2011-08-31T13:18:00.011Z

For the first time an all-electric car has lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife test track in less that eight minutes. The time achieved was 7:47.79, it was set by Toyota Motorsport GmbH's (TMG) EV P001 shattering the previous fastest of 9:01 which was set by the Peugot EX1 earlier in the year.

You can read more about this achievement on theengineer.co.uk.

Story courtesy of theengineer.co.uk .

Image courtesy of Google images.

Video courtesy of YouTube.

On the eve of another academic year

2011-08-29T12:25:00.009Z

Harking back to a theme visited before by this blog, Eric Schmidt, chairman of google gave the MacTaggart lecture in Edinburgh last week. Widely reported, i'm lifting the link from the Guardian which we subscribe to in the library, it should give encouragement to all aspiring engineers. For the good of the economy, industry, innovation and progress the UK (though i would take the message to be universal) needs to provide more encouragement and opportunity for people to study science and engineering. The world needs more, Obama wants 10000 more in America. Alan Sugar can say what he likes about engineers being no good at business, but its the engineers not the artists, who are chiefly responsible for many of the media related inventions that drive the economy. Where are all the engineers when we need them seems to be his message. So "Let luvvie embrace boffin in the digital future"

MIT Lecture Notes

2011-08-22T15:30:00.004Z

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are now making most of their lecture notes available online at the website MITopencourseware.

Visit the site to access notes on a wide variety of science and engineering courses.

Knovel resources for engineering design and construction

2011-05-12T15:46:00.000+01:00

The Knovel database is a great resource for many aspects of engineering. As well as containing many full text chapters and books, it also has a lot of interactive tables.

One such table can be used to determine the appropriate amount of steel reinforcement required to control cracking in concrete.

To view a 5 minute clip on how to use this tool in Knovel, just click here.

Remember if you're outside DIT you'll need to use your student ID and library PIN.

If you are unsure about the PIN, just contact the library at DIT Bolton Street.

The future for spark plugs?

2011-05-11T11:32:00.004+01:00

Researchers at Japan's National Institutes of Natural Sciences have developed a laser igniter which could replace the spark plug in internal combustion engines. These could result in cleaner and more efficient engines.

Laser igniters are capable of burning leaner fuel mixtures thus reducing the amount of Nitrous Oxides produced in combustion.

Also, traditional plugs tend to just ignite the air-fuel mixture close to them. The cold cylinder walls tend to absorb heat, quenching the flame before it expands. Laser igniters can ignite the mixture through the length of the cylinder.

You can read more detail at Engineers Edge.

Story via Engineers Edge.

Image via Martin Coad Advertising.

So, Is Engineering for you?

2011-05-03T19:31:00.012+01:00

Did you know that Osama bin Laden has (sorry had) a degree in civil engineering? Not from the DIT i have to add. But it might be worth mentioning at Bolton St. open days. It's actually quite interesting to note the significant number of rather odd, charasmatic leaders who do have engineering backgrounds. Boris Yelsin, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (current president in Iran), Hu Jintao - (current president of China) and 9 members of his politburo. It was (sorry is) an area of research interest to one of our senior academics in the college and we found this really interesting (extremely-readable) article, in the Economist last summer, about career paths of politicians: There was a lawyer, an engineer and a politician... It's an interseting hypothesis - that the types of people in charge is often influenced by a countrys current ideology and recent history. In democracies lawyers dominate. In capitalist states its unsually businessmen. In countries expanding their industrial base, concentrating spending on infrastructure, often you'll find engineers, - those who ensure things work. So that could explain the predominance of engineers in the current Chinese set up. And then consider America. While both Lincoln and Washington were engineers by profession, the last US President trained engineer was Herbert Hoover (who the dam was named after) in 1933.
How did we get from Bin Laden to the Hoover Dam?

Electromagnetic car suspension

2011-04-29T12:17:00.004+01:00

A team of researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology have developed an electromagnetic active suspension system. Tests indicate that the system increases the ride quality up to 60%. Safety is also improved as the cars don't roll or sway in corners.
The system has already been tested on a test vehicle which was a standard looking BMW 530i. One of the most important aspects of the system is the fact that it reacts so much faster that active suspensions controlled by hydraulics.
The system can even generate power from bumps in the road which can be fed back into the battery.
You can read more about the details of the research at the Eindhoven University of Technology website.
Story courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology.
Image courtesy of rpmgo.com.

Easter Rising hours

2011-04-15T15:02:00.006+01:00

The library will open as usual until Thursday 21st April, when we will close at 5pm. Reopening on tuesday 26th 9:30 - closing that day at 5. The library will open Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th until 9:30pm. Bolton St. Library will be closed on Saturday the 30th but other DIT libraries will be open.

The painting is my favourite easter representation - The Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden, hanging in the Prado, Madrid. For the non christians try the opening line of Patti Smiths' Gloria

Making buildings more earthquake resistant

2011-03-29T11:13:00.002Z

Structural engineers Tipping Mar are investigating ways of improving the earthquake resistance of buildings.

Their system involves a "'rocking frame' structural system that relies on vertically post-tensioned shear walls for seismic resistance".

If you understand all that you can read more about the research at Engineering News Record.

Story and image courtesy of Engineering News-Record.

Flexible electronics help in cardiac procedures

2011-03-09T14:38:00.009Z

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Northwestern University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a catheter which makes use of stretchable electronics.

This means a number of different catheter functions can be included on one catheter, reducing the trauma involved in using a series of different catheters.

To read more about this development, follow one of the university links above.

Story courtesy of theengineer.co.uk.

Image courtesy of University of Illinois.

Company develops hummingbird-like flying vehicle

2011-03-02T10:46:00.006Z

A company called Aerovironment has developed a flying machine which behaves like a bird in that its wings flap and are the only means of propulsion and change of direction.
Dubbed the "nano-hummingbird", the vehicle has a wingspan of 16 cm and its weight complete with battery and video camera is just 19 grams.
The youtube clip above shows the hummingbird in action. You can find out more at the Aerovironment website or at theengineer.co.uk.

Story courtesy of theengineer.co.uk.
Clip courtesy of Youtube.

To boldly go.....

2011-02-25T14:13:00.007Z

Bet Trinity College don't have their own rocket. DIT Space Research. And not to be mistaken for weapons of mass destruction

Historic engineering

2011-02-23T14:42:00.004Z

To view a list of historic engineering projects compiled by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) you can go to this page on Wikipedia.

Included is the Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge (pictured). Built in 1852, it was the "first successful all-metal bridge design to be adopted and consistently used on a railroad" (Jackson, Donald C. (1988) Great American bridges and dams. Wiley)

Story and image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Nanotechnology coating to make EasyJet planes more efficient

2011-02-16T11:10:00.008Z

Since Monday eight of EasyJet's planes are trialling a nanotechnology coating which it is hoped will increase fuel efficiency.
The coating is developed by Triple O Performance Solution. It has been used on US military aircraft for years. Very simply the coating gives the planes a slippery surface, reducing the build up of debris and thereby reducing drag and increasing fuel efficiency.
EasyJet are hoping for a 2% reduction in fuel consumption. If this is achieved the system will be rolled out to their whole fleet and could result in annual savings of GB£14m.
You can find out more about the technology on the Triple O website.

Story courtesy of Triple O Performance Solution, BBC News and EasyJet.
Video courtesy of Triple O Performance Solution and YouTube.

2011-02-10T19:58:00.002Z

Engineer's Week Ireland runs from February 14th to 20th. It is a series of events celebrating the world of engineering in Ireland.

The aim is to create awareness among people with little or no engineering background. It's mainly aimed at primary and post primary students but there are a wide range of events.

To find out more or get involved click here.

International design competition for door handles

2011-02-07T11:07:00.003Z

The Designboom website together with Italian design company Colombo Design are running an international competition to design a new door handle. The competition is open to professionals, students and design enthusiasts.

Go to the Designboom site to read all the details.

Engineerstudent.co.uk

2011-02-02T14:13:00.002Z

Engineerstudent is a website for mechanical engineering students. It is designed for students studying up to UK National Diploma/Certificate Levels.

The website has sections on many basic concepts and topics which are updated regularly.

Car body panels that will serve as batteries

2011-01-18T11:34:00.004Z

Volvo car corporation is working together with researchers at Imperial College London on a project to develop materials which will store and discharge electricity, and which can also be used as bodywork in a car.

The ultimate aim is to make hybrid and electric cars up to 15% lighter.

The material could also be used as casing for mobile phones and laptops.

You can read more about the project by clicking here.

Alternatively view the clip below.

Image and story courtesy of Fastcompany.com.

Clip courtesy of Youtube and Imperial College London.

Amazing bridges

2011-01-17T12:41:00.003Z

If you go to Howstuffworks.com you can see a list of ten of the most structurally amazing bridges in the world.

Included is the Hangzhou Bay Bridge (pictured) which is the longest ocean bay bridge in the world.

Story courtesy of Howstuffworks.com.

Image courtesy of Hto2008 on Flickr.

Access to standards

2011-01-14T16:10:00.004Z

DIT Library has recently purchased a subscription to NSAI. This will provide access to Irish and international standards. You can access the page from the databases page (look for "Standards (Irish and ISO)" ).

Our subscription to British Standards Online has now ceased, however you should still get access to construction related British Standards through info4education.

If you have any queries please contact the library.

all i want for christmas....

2010-12-20T13:46:00.010Z

....is access to an endless supply of money.

The december issue of Technology Review.- not yet available online but in flickable form in the bolton st. library has a magnificent article "How to make an ATM Spew out Money." That should solve a few academic financial worries or settle gambling and drinking debts this christmas. The article outlines various way Barnaby Jack - a director of security testing at IOActive - could access cash and customer card details. Mostly it's a case of replacing the xisting software but one of the ploys involved simply buying a key online and opening up the front of the machine. - Nothing like coming to college to learn something useful. And who said all academic journals were dense text based with no pictures, full of graphs diagrams and equations

Cornell University make world's smallest silicon mechanical devices

2010-12-16T18:07:00.004Z

Researchers at Cornell University have made the world's smallest guitar from crystalline silicon.

The purpose is simply to demonstrate the technology that can be used to build microscopic electromechanical devices.

You can read more about their achievement at Cornell University Science News.

Story and image courtesy of Cornell University Science News.

Snow causes collapse of stadium roof

2010-12-14T11:18:00.002Z

The roof of the Metrodome Stadium in Minnesota collapsed on Saturday night as a result of snow build up from a storm which brought 400mm of snow.
The inflatable roof is constructed with Teflon coated fibreglass supported by 20 90-horsepower fans.
This is the fourth time the roof has collapsed since 1981.
Similar designs elsewhere such as the Olympic stadium in Montreal use heating cables to melt snow build up and drains to carry away the water.

Story courtesy of New Civil Engineer, SiLive.com, Montrealgazette.com.
Clip courtesy of Youtube.com.

Cornell researchers develop robot that teaches itself to walk

2010-12-10T11:43:00.009Z

Cornell University researchers have developed a robot that builds a model of itself and figures out how best to move its limbs. It can also adapt its movement if one of its limbs are damaged.
You can read more about the research by clicking here.

Story courtesy of Cornell University Chronicle Online.
Clip courtesy of Youtube.

DIT Bolton Street to host talk on the construction of the Aviva Stadium

2010-12-01T14:16:00.006Z

On 7th December Bolton Street DIT will host a talk on the construction of the Aviva Stadium at Landsdowne Road.

The talk will be hosted by the Irish branch of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the speaker will be Pat Molloy who is a chartered engineer and a project manager with PM Group.

The talk will take place in room 259 at DIT Bolton Street on 7th December.

There will be a tea and coffee reception at 18:00 and the lecture will commence at 18:30.

Image courtesy of archdaily.com .

Implantable device to ease blood pressure

2010-11-06T14:14:00.004Z

A company called CVRx has developed a new device which can be implanted to help people with high blood pressure.

The device, called the Rheos System, stimulates the baroreceptors in the neck. These are the body's own blood pressure sensors and when stimulated they will notify the brain of an increase in blood pressure that needs to be corrected.

To read more about the technology visit either the CVRx site or theengineer.co.uk.

Image and story courtesy of theengineer.co.uk.

Breakthrough on Gotthard Tunnel

2010-10-19T15:15:00.003Z

The Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland will be the longest rail tunnel in the world when it is finally completed. That is expected to happen in 2016 and will cut the journey time from Zurich to Milan by 60 minutes to just 2.5 hours.

This week workers celebrated the breakthrough of the tunnel which has been under construction for 14 years.

You can read more about the project at Guardian.co.uk and many other sites.

Image courtesy of Globalnation.com .

Story courtesy of guardian.co.uk .

C water: Portable device for purifying water

2010-10-19T14:58:00.003Z

C-water is an portable device which uses evaporation to purify water from sources such as wetlands, beaches or even sewage.

It simply uses the process of evaporation causing the steam to condense and travel down the container into a seperate compartment. It is also fully collapsable to save space.

To read more click here.

Image and story courtesy of designboom.com.

Climbing robot inspired by gecko foot

2010-09-13T14:26:00.003Z

Stanford mechanical engineer Mark Cutkosky has developed a robot capable of climbing smooth surfaces.

He took his inspiration from the structures on a gecko's foot which allow it to climb vertically over smooth surfaces.

The geko's toe contains flap-like ridges called lamellae. These are covered by hairs called setae which are 10 times thinner than human hair. These in turn divide into smaller strands which are so thin they interact with the molecules of a surface.

View footage of the 'Stickybot' in action at Youtube.

Image courtesy of Prof. Kellar Autumn, Lwis and Clark College.

Story courtesy of Stanford University.

Dual fuel rocket research at University of Hertfordshire

2010-08-25T11:23:00.003Z

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire are working on a dual fuel rocket. This could significantly help with the problem of how to fuel a return journey to Mars.
Bearing in mind that the Saturn V rockets which travelled to the moon had 98% of their total weight made up of fuel, such a rocket would save significantly on payload requirements.
The rocket would be fuelled by a combination of CO2 and aluminium. Below, Ray Wilkinson of the University's design and rocket propulsion group explains the technology.

Story courtesy of theengineer.co.uk
Video courtesy of University of Hertfordshire and Youtube

Combining the properties of wood and plastic

2010-08-10T15:24:00.003Z

A company called Tecnaro GmbH has developed Arboform which is described as "a sustainable thermoplastic material".
The material is made by combining lignin (an element of wood that is often discarded) with natural resins, flax and fibres. This gives a wood like substance that can be manipulated into shapes only previously possible with plastics.
It also has the benefit that, like wood, it breaks down into eco-friendly substances like water and carbon dioxide.
You can read more about this substance at the Tecnaro GmbH website.

Image and story courtesy of dornob.com - design ideas daily.

Bolton Street Library Refurbishment

2010-07-09T13:27:00.005+01:00

The library at DIT Bolton Street will be closed from Monday 12th of July 2010 to facilitate essential and extensive refurbishment.

We apologise for the inconvenience this will inevitably cause but staff will be on site if you have an urgent query. You can phone the library on 01-4023681 and we will do our utmost to assist you with anything library related.

Books may still be returned to the drop box outside the library.

DIT's other library sites will be open as normal for borrowing and study purposes.

Watch this space for updates on when your new and improved library will re-open.

Floating Wind Turbines could expand offshore possibilities

2010-07-06T10:20:00.004+01:00

So far, offshore wind development has stuck close to shore where the turbines could be anchored directly into the sea floor. This means that the 2,000-plus megawatts of ocean-based wind in Europe have all been installed in around 50 meters of water or less, and the long-awaited Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound also will sit in shallow waters.

To take advantage of the wind blowing over deeper water, there is movement now to use floating wind turbines as a way of avoiding the need to anchor into a deep sea bed. According to one company, the biggest turbines currently available could feasibly work on such floating rigs.

Marine Innovation & Technology's WindFloat can theoretically support giant 5-MW turbines. The floating rig, made up essentially of three platforms with the turbine tower extending from one of them, is designed to withstand the rigors of a "100-year storm," according to a paper published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy earlier this month (by company employees). And according to Principle Power, who has purchased the technology for WindFloat, several projects are in the works that could see turbines in the water by 2011 or 2012.

For more information and to read the full article click here

Article and photo courtesy of IEEE Spectrum

DIT Engineering Student Wins Innovative Student Engineer 2010

2010-07-02T09:30:00.005+01:00

James O Meara, a final year Manufacturing and Design Engineering student (DT023) has won the Innovative Student Engineer 2010 (Level 8) award with his final year project entitled the “Quicklink”. Sponsored by Siemens and Engineers Ireland, this prestigious award is given to projects illustrating innovation in engineering. The competition is open to all fully accredited third level engineering programmes throughout Ireland.

The winning project involved the design, manufacture, testing and commercialisation of a three-point quick-attach mechanism for agricultural tractors. The device allows the driver to safely couple implements to the tractor and adjust them without ever leaving the cab of the tractor. According to James O’Meara, safety was one of the main drivers in developing the device, given that 60% of all farm fatalities involve the use of tractors and machinery when the operator is out of the driver’s seat. He is currently in negotiations with an SME regarding licensing the manufacture of the Quicklink and plans are underway to launch the product onto the Irish market.

The 'Transition' flying car

2010-07-01T12:04:00.002+01:00

US company Terrafugia has developed a roadworthy vehicle capable of deploying wings and taking off from a runway.

The vehicle meets all road safety and aircraft safety standards.

You can find out more about the 'Transition' by visiting the Terrafugia website.

Story courtesy of The Engineer.

Image courtesy of Terrafugia.

Channelling Deepwater oil spill information

2010-05-27T20:12:00.003+01:00

Washington company PIER (Public Information Emergency Response)Systems Inc. have developed a website to coordinate the fast changing information coming out of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Deepwaterhorizonresponse.com is managed through the joint response team and gathers the latest news, videos, audio and photography.

To read more about the site and other work PIER has done go to ENR.com.

Story courtesy of Engineering News-Record.

Image, showing a pelican, Louisian's state bird, courtesy of OnEarth Magazine on Flickr.

Water fern could help save fuel

2010-05-11T10:53:00.004+01:00

Researchers at the University of Bonn, Rostock and Karlsruhe have been investigating the water fern Salvinia Molesta (pictured). The fern is extremely hydrophobic - if it is submerged in water and then pulled out, all the water immediately drops off so that it is completely dry.
Research has established that the plant does this by surrounding itself with a thin skirt of air.
If this knowledge could be used to develop new materials for the construction of ships' hulls then fuel savings would be considerable. Container ships lose almost half of their propulsion energy through friction of the water at the hull.
You can read more about the research and its application at Engineer's Edge.

Story courtesy of Engineer's Edge.
Image courtesy of ys60ming on Flickr.

Why volcanic ash is bad for planes

2010-04-15T19:37:00.004Z

As the volcano beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier causes travel chaos across Europe today's Guardian contains an article explaining why volcanic ash causes such problems for aeroplanes.

Image courtesy AP/Iceland Coast Guard

Story courtesy of guardian.co.uk

New Programme: BSc (Hons) in Medical Device Innovation

2010-04-13T13:33:00.004Z

A new 1 year add-on NQAI Level 8 BSc (Hons) programme in Medical Device Innovation will commence in September 2010 at Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street.
This programme will specifically address the need to upskill technicians and the provision of professional development within this sector.
The course modules will include Anatomy & Physiology, Applied Biomaterials, Validation & Regulatory Affairs, Medical Device Manufacturing, Innovation / Project Management, Lean / Six Sigma & Medical Device Analysis.
Applications are welcome from those with a NQAI Level 7 degree in an appropriate engineering or science degree.
If you are interested or wish to see if you qualify for entry visit www.dit.ie/medicaldeviceinnovation .
Closing date for applications is April 30th 2010.

For further information please contact:
Dr. Graham Gavin,
School of Manufacturing and Design Engineering,
Dublin Institute of Technology,
Bolton Street,
Dublin 1.

Phone: +353 1 402 3952

Image courtesy of the University of Gent.

Detecting rust in bridges

2010-04-13T12:51:00.004Z

Rust damage to bridges can have catastrophic consequences. Pictured left is the Mianus Bridge collapse in Connecticut in 1983.

Salt used in treating frozen roads can leach through and will rust steel rods if they reach that far.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed transponders that can monitor the extent of corrosion and indicate how deep the corrosion has penetrated.

You can read more about the technology at the Fraunhofer Institute.

Story courtesy of the Fraunhofer Institute.

Image courtesy of Time Life Pictures.

3D Invisibility Cloak Unveiled

2010-03-29T11:44:00.015Z

German Scientists have created a three dimensional "invisibility cloak" that can hide objects by bending light waves. Though they wouldn't comment, this may make it possible to "hide" bigger objects in the future.

In their study, Mr Ergin and his colleagues used photonic crystals with a structure that looks like piles of wood to make an invisibility device, or cloak.

Story Irish Times

Image Techfresh.net

Easter Library Opening Hours

2010-03-22T15:41:00.001Z

The library at DIT Bolton Street will close at 9:30pm on Wednesday 31st March and reopen at 9:30am on Wednesday 7th April.

We will open our normal hours Monday 29th -Wednesday 31st March and from Wednesday 7th April onwards.

To view our normal opening hours click here.

Possibility of harvesting electricity from body movements

2010-03-18T20:30:00.003Z

Engineers at Princeton University are developing piezoelectric ruber films that may one day generate electricity from bodily movements such as walking and breathing.

Piezoelectric materials are materials which can generate electricity when mechanical pressure is applied.

With electronic devices requiring smaller and smaller amounts of electricity it's possible these films could soon power mobile phones, mp3 players or even pacemakers which currently require batteries to be replaced every few years.

If you wish to know more, a paper on the new technology entitled "Piezoelectric ribbon printed onto rubber for flexible energy conversion" was published recently in the journal Nano Letters.

Story and image courtesy of Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Bone hard biomaterials

2010-03-03T11:23:00.002Z

Screws used in surgical procedures are usually made of titanium. This normally requires a second procedure to remove or replace the screws.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research have developed a new biomaterial which is not only biodegradeable but also promotes. This should reduce the need for subsequent surgical procedures and speed up recovery.

To read more click here.

Indy Racing League seeks new 2012 chassis

2010-02-11T19:46:00.006Z

The Indy Racing League (IRL), the American open wheel racing series is seeking new chassis designs for the 2012 race season.

Striking new designs have been submitted by Lola and Swift Engineering (Pictured). Designs have also been submitted by Dallara and DeltaWing.

Some of the specifications laid down by the IRL include an interchangeable road course - oval race car which will reduce the cost of participation in the competition. It also must be produced in the US and have a lighter chassis with less mass that produces the same aerodynamic effect in an efficient way.

For more information visit the sites of any of the constructors or the website of the IZOD Indy Car Series.

Story courtesy of Crash.net and the IZOD Indy Car Series.

Image courtesy of Autoweek.com.

Off shore wind turbines and marine ecosystems

2010-02-02T18:50:00.002Z

Researchers are just beginning to examine the effects of off shore wind turbines and wave energy facilities on marine life.

It seems to be that the foundations of these structures are acting like reefs and encouraging local populations of crabs, mussels and barnacles.

The abundance of particular species can also be affected by changes in the structural design of the foundations.

One of the people researching this is Dan Wilhelmsson at Stockholm University. You can read an article by him by clicking here.

Story courtesy of Engineer's Edge.

Image courtesy of Google images.

Zero emission motorsport

2010-01-14T19:47:00.002Z

Did you know that zero emission motor racing is already a reality.

It's called TTXGP and in 2010 will run a line up of racing that includes a four round British series, a four round American series and the Isle of Man TT.

Founder of the series Azhar Hussein has now unveiled the Mavizen TTX02. It is the world's first production electric superbike.

You can read more about the series and the bike at Motorcyclenews.com.

Story courtesy of Motorcycle News 30th December 2009.

Image courtesy of google images.

EndNote Web on YouTube

2010-01-08T12:40:00.001Z

Below is a youtube video giving examples of direct exports from a database into EndNote Web.

Open for business

2010-01-08T09:36:00.001Z

Bolton St. Library are happy to report we are open for business as usual today Friday 8th Jan from 9:30 am until 5:15 pm.

iPhone Helps You Shower

2010-01-04T16:08:00.002Z

Irish Designer David Earle is the talk of Copenhagen with his radical energy saving iPhone application. It has a personal monitoring device where people can take control of their CO2 and water usage. Earl's iPhone application breaks down climate into four main categories and gives the user detailed feedback about how to change their energy draining ways.
Earle and his Footprint Diary team have been one of the star attractions at the free Klimaforum 09 which ran parallel to COP15
Story Courtesy of Inspiredtimes
Image Mobile Phone Blog

Exam papers at the DIT Library website

2009-12-22T09:53:00.008Z

To find exam papers online:

-Go to the DIT Library Catalogue.

-Click on Exam Papers

-Enter your course code e.g. DT001 or alternatively click on the Quick Link to recent Exam Papers

-This should bring you to a list of exam papers for different academic years and different course years

-Click on the paper you want and you can print, save or email the PDF.

Things to note:

* Accessing exam papers from outside DIT you will need to have your student ID, your library PIN and a password for the exams

* You can get the exam papers password from the Library A-Z (under 'exam papers') BUT you'll need to have your ID number and PIN to access it.

* If you don't have a PIN click here for instructions on setting it up.

* If you have a PIN but don't recall what it is (which happens a lot) you'll need to contact the library.

* You can contact the library at Bolton Street at 01 402 3681 until 5:15pm Tuesday 22nd, until 1pm Wednesday 23rd.

* After the holidays we will be available from 9:30am on Monday 4th January 2010.

*We will be opening full term time hours from the 4th January(9:30am - 9:30pm Monday -Thrsday; 9:30am - 5:15pm Friday; 10am - 5pm Saturday)

Image courtesy of the hire business.

First flight - Boeing 787

2009-12-16T11:48:00.002Z

Boeing's 787 dreamliner made its first flight yesterday at an airfield near Seattle.

Although over two years behind schedule the aircraft is still a major breakthrough because of its lightweight design.

The 787 uses a lot of carbon and titanium composites instead of the lightweight aluminium used in aircraft construction up to now. This will offer significant savings in fuel efficiency. The company have orders so far for 840 aircraft.

You can find out more about the design and construction at the Boeing website.

Story courtesy of Guardian.co.uk.

Image courtesy of Boeing.com.

Oyster: Wave-Energy Converter

2009-12-10T20:27:00.002Z

Oyster is a wave-energy converter tht has recently begun feeding electricity into the UK national grid.

It harnesses the energy found in waves near the shore and converts them into energy by driving pressurised water to a hydroelectric power plant onshore.

The technology has been developed by Aquamarine Power Ltd. who have secured an agreement with Airtricity Ltd. to co-develop up to 1,000MW of Oyster sites around the U.K. and Ireland.

You can read more about Oyster at Engineering News Record or Aquamarine Power Ltd.

To see how Oyster operates view the clip on YouTube.com.

Image and Story courtesy of Engineering News Record.

Luas goes to the O2

2009-12-08T20:02:00.006Z

Tuesday 8th December saw the Luas Red Line extended into the docklands with four new stops. The new stops are Georges Dock, Mayer Square, Spencer Dock and the Point. It will bring commuters to the heart of the Financial Centre and the Docklands.

Story courtesy of RTE

Image The Independent

Christmas Library Opening Times

2009-12-05T21:37:00.003Z

Closing Wednesday 23rd December

Reopening 4th January 9.30am

Please note the library will close at 5.15pm on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd

Bruisable composites

2009-11-19T19:27:00.004Z

Polymer composites are a material that is widely used in a constantly increasing array of engineering applications. Many of these uses are extremely safety critical meaning inspection systems can be very expensive.

A company called EPL Composite Solutions has led a consortium funded by the British Department of Trade and Industry. This project has developed composites that will 'bruise' like human skin. This means they will change colour to indicate damage caused by stress or impact.

The image above illustrates a composite panel showing impact bruising. The effect is achieved by using dye filled microspheres which are incorporated into the resin. These rupture under stress or impact.

You can find more information at the EPL website.

Image and story courtesy of EPL Composite solutions.

Wheelchair technology brakes old barriers

2009-11-19T14:51:00.014Z

Noel Joyce has invented a new braking system for wheelchairs which won the James Dyson Award in Ireland. Noel Joyce was an able bodied soldier when a sporting accident rendered him disabled. He then went to Carlow IT to study industrial design to improve disabled gadgets.

The hydraulic braking system which is set to improve the lives of thousands of disabled people was chosen. It requires less strenght effort and time to employ the brakes.

It is called Ergo-Stop and can be retro fitted. It will be easier to maintain and has a longer life. He is currently working with Nordigo Design Engineers to improve the prototype

story courtesy of Carlow Nationalist

image Irish Times

Electronic books

2009-11-11T09:45:00.005Z

Did you know there is a growing collection of books available to you electronically through the DIT library website?

If you click the ebooks link on the library website you'll see a selection of ebook providers.

The Knovel database has many engineering related databases available electronically.

If you are interested in the construction or building services areas you'll find a huge amount of material at the info4education database. All CIBSE information is available here electronically through the construction information service.

If you need any more information or you're having any difficulties please contact the library at Bolton Street.

Image courtesy of edwardjohnphotography on Flickr.

Fish and Chips for the Road

2009-11-04T16:46:00.004Z

You don't have to worry about the oil used to cook your fish and chips ruining the environment any longer. Helen Bailey a PhD student and research manager with Aggregate and Bedfordshire Highways began a pilot scheme by laying 145 tonnes of asphalt on a residential street in Clifton., 40 tonnes coming from the waste product of frying pans.

The product named Vegetex has won Bailey a place on the shortlist for the years prestigious Institution of Engineering and Technology Innovation awards. . Patents are pending.

The new tar which could cut down on the carbon dioxide emissions created by Britains road construction and repairs will stand up to all weathers

story courtesy of Irish Times

Recreating flight of sycamore seeds

2009-10-22T16:56:00.003Z

Graduate students at the University of Maryland have managed to develop an aircraft which mimics the flight of the maple (or sycamore) seed.

In so doing they have built the world's smallest controllable single wing aircraft. Previous attempts at using this mode of flight have encountered instability, lack of control and a tendency to be knocked off course by the wind.

To read more about the project and see some video, check out the A. James Clark School of Engineering website.

Story courtesy of the Engineer online.

Image courtesy of the University of Maryland.

Colour changing roof tiles to save energy

2009-10-14T20:37:00.003Z

A team of MIT graduates has developed a tile that will become dark and absorb heat when it's cold. It will then become white and reflect the heat when temperatures rise.
The team won first prize at the Making and Designing Materials Engineering Contest for MIT students.
The tiles are made using a common commercial polymer in a water solution. This is encapsulated between flexible plastic layers with a black layer at the back.
You can read more about the technology and how it's made at the Engineer Online.

Story and image courtesy of the Engineer Online.

Super strong steel velcro

2009-10-07T09:33:00.004Z

Velcro has proved a very useful and versatile technology over the years. However, it has never had the strength to cope with high temperatures or powerful chemicals.

Metaklett, a German company, has developed the familar hook and loop technology into a super strong steel version of the fastener.

The new fastener can resist a pulling force of 38 tons parallel to the fastener surface or 8 tons perpendicular force. It is also able to resist harsh chemicals and soaring temperatures.

You can read more by clicking here.

Quality of Lfe - The design of Swedish innovations

2009-09-28T16:16:00.000Z

Quality of Life - The design of Swedish innovations is an exhibition about contemporary Swedish innovations with an emphasis on design.

The exhibition presents some 30 objects which range from the simple but ingenious to advanced technology.

You can see the exhibition at DIT Bolton Street from September 29th to October 3rd and at DIT Aungier Street from October 7th to October 15th.

Pictured is the Brighthandle which you can read more about here.

Developing micro flying machines

2009-09-18T10:59:00.002Z

When it comes to flight, flies and flying insects are the masters. They can hover, aim at a target and make sharp turns. This is what makes them interesting to researchers hoping to make tiny flying vehicles.

Such vehicles could undertake surveillance inside buildings or even be used for pipe inspections in industry.

One man researching this is Dr. Rafal Zbikowski at Cranfield University. The importance placed on his work can be deduced from the fact that it is funded by, among others, the British Ministry of Defence, the US military, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA.

One of the biggest challenges is to understand exactly how insects do it? A fly's wing is nowhere near as complex as a bird's but it makes up for this in the complex motions used by the wing to achieve flight.

You can read more about the research and the challenges at the Engineer Online and Physorg.com.

Story courtesy of the Engineer Online and Physorg.com.

Image courtesy of Bassguitar on Flickr.

Racing car powered by chocolate and steered by carrots!

2009-09-08T14:49:00.005Z

Researchers at Warwick University have developed the first racing car to be completely green.

The carbon fibre bodywork is made from recycled rubbish. Other components include "a race specification steering wheel derived from carrots ... a flax fibre and soybean oil foam racing seat ... and a biodiesel engine configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate and vegetable oil".

The car is due to race in the BRSCC Formula 3 season finale at Brands Hatch racetrack on October 17th.

You can read more about this story by clicking here.

Story courtesy of Crash.net.

Image courtesy of Warwick University.

The fastest kettle in the world

2009-09-03T15:34:00.003Z

A team of British engineers has broken the 103 year old land speed record for a steam driven car. The car, Inspiration, reached a top speed of 151.085 miles per hour beating the 1906 record which stood at 127 miles per hour.

The car is made from a mixture of lightweight aluminium and carbon fibre, it is fitted with 12 boilers and contains nearly 2 miles of tubing.

You can read more about the record on the autocar website .

Story and image courtesy of autocar.co.uk

Artificial trees to help store CO2

2009-08-27T13:15:00.002Z

Engineers have suggested the use of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of artificial trees in the fight to reduce CO2 levels.

The trees would trap CO2 using a filter and it could then be removed and stored. Such devices are already at the prototype stage and could be moved to mass production and deployment in a relatively short space of time.

The idea is one of three viable solutions put forward in a new report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. You can see the full report by clicking here.

Story courtesy of BBC News.

Image courtesy of Google images.

Rail tragedy narrowly avoided

2009-08-24T09:42:00.003Z

A serious rail tragedy was narrowly avoided last Friday evening when a section of the main Dublin-Belfast rail line collapsed minutes before a train was due to cross the line.

It has since emerged that the last safety inspection of the bridge was carried out 3 days before on the previous Tuesday when, according to Iarnrod Eireann spokesman Barry Kenny, "no structural issues were identified".

Severe disruption is expected on the route for at least 3 months and quite possibly much longer.

You can read more about the troublesome history of the viaduct at the Irish Times.

Details of service disruptions are available on the Irish Rail website.

Image courtesy of diverman on Flickr.

Award winning robot hand

2009-08-14T16:33:00.003+01:00

The robot hand pictured has won the best innovation award in Sweden's young scientist competition.

19 year old Johan Hjalmarrson constructed the hand using bicycle chain for joints and springs to extend aluminium fingers.

Thomson LA-1 actuators are used to close the hand.

Read more details on the project at the Engineer Online.

Story and image courtesy of the Engineer Online.

Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

2009-08-11T09:49:00.003+01:00

Cherrapunji in northern India is one of the wettest place on earth. Here bridges are not built, instead they are grown from the roots of the rubber tree.

The bridges get stronger over time and some have been in use for as long as 500 years.

You can read more and see more amazing pictures of these structures at the Living Root Bridges blog.

Story and images courtesy of Living Root Bridges blog.

Carbon Negative Cement

2009-08-10T11:18:00.003+01:00

Cement is one of the most used sunstances on the planet and accounts for a huge 5% of human CO2 emissions.
A company called Novacem is now developing a cement that not only produces less CO2 during production, it also absorbs atmospheric CO2 during the hardening process.
You can read more at the Novacem site.

Story courtesy of the Engineer online.
Image courtesy of pirate Johnny on Flickr.

Brewery at Nottingham University

2009-07-28T14:02:00.005+01:00

The University of Nottingham is to be kitted out with a £2m micro-brewery.

The facility will be built an maintained by SABMiller and will not only enhance its teaching and research in brewing science it will also be used to reasearch new brewing technologies aimed at reducing the amount of energy required in production.

Whatever the excuse, surely its something no third level institution should be without.

Story courtesy of The Engineer Online.

Image courtesy of Khans of Kuram on Flickr.

Winds of change at TED

2009-07-24T13:43:00.005+01:00

TED started in 1984 as a non profit with the aim of bringing together people from the areas of Technology, Entertainment, Design to give publicity to ideas worth sharing. The scope has broadened and this years TED Global conference is currently taking place in Oxford.

One of this years speakers is William Kamkwamba from Malawi. He told the conference how at the age of 14 he built his own wind generator.

His components included a tractor fan, a shock absorber, PVC pipes and a bicycle frame.

You can read the story at BBC.co.uk. Mr. Kamkwamba's story has also been turned into a book: The boy who harnessed the wind.

Story and image courtesy of BBC.co.uk .

Caterpillar develop hybrid bulldozer

2009-07-14T15:26:00.003+01:00

Caterpillar are presently running field trials on their new hybrid powered bulldozer, the D7E. The new machine is due to go into production in October. It will cost 20% more than the conventional D7R but it is expected this money can be clawed back within two years due to greater fuel efficiency and improved productivity.
You can read more on the technical details of the new machine at Engineering News Record.

Image and story courtesy of Engineering News Record.

Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla

2009-07-10T16:33:00.006+01:00

Tesla, a Yugoslav electronic engineer was born on this day in 1856. Despite being the man behind some of the most important discoveries of our time he died in poverty on 7th January 1943.
The picture shows a tesla coil, one of his most recognisable inventions which has probably appeared in most of the Frankenstein films ever made.
It is the development of mains electricity that is one of his most important investions. Although he worked with Thomas Edison, Edison believed DC current was the future and took to electrocuting dogs to prove the danger of AC current.
According to Tesla's biography:*

"Among his discoveries are the fluorescent light , laser beam, wireless communications, wireless transmission of electrical energy, remote control, robotics, Tesla's turbines and vertical take off aircraft. Tesla is the father of the radio and the modern electrical transmissions systems. He registered over 700 patents worldwide. His vision included exploration of solar energy and the power of the sea. He foresaw interplanetary communications and satellites."

To read more go to Guardian.co.uk.

Image courtesy of mcvega on Flickr.
Story courtesy of Guardian.co.uk.

*Nikola Tesla: The Genius Who Lit the World

21st Conference on Transport Theory

2009-07-06T09:50:00.006+01:00

This conference will take place on 12-17th July 2009. It will attract researchers from all over the world working in the field of Boltzman and transport theory, with various applications in physics and engineering. The Polytechnic has strong links with Fiat, Ferrari, Motorola to name but a few. It ranks among the top 50 universities in the world in engineering /technology and computer science.

Story courtesy of Turin Polytechnic University

Electric Aeroplane

2009-07-05T18:56:00.005+01:00

On Wednesday June 10th NASA astronaut from Italy Maurizio Cheli set a world record for piloting the fully electric SKYS SPARK. He hit a top speed of 250km/h. That is a record speed for an electric powered aircraft.
This is a new milestone for green aviation. The project is jointly taken by DIGISKY and Turin Polytechnic University

Story courtesy ofhttp://www.alternative-energy-news.info/

Academic Search Premier

2009-07-02T16:51:00.001+01:00

DIT Library is now a subscriber to Academic Search Premier (ASP). This is a database from the same stable as Business Source Premier (BSP). While BSP serves the business areas ASP serves the humanities and science.

Academic Search Premier allows access to abstracts in 8302 serials and of those it gives full text access to a whopping 4655 journal titles.

You can access it through the DIT Library databases page.

Image courtesy of Google Images.

Safer Robots

2009-06-26T13:48:00.003+01:00

Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology is developing low cost sensors which could make robots which are suitable for small and medium enterprises.
In large scale industrial applications robots are generally required to be kept seperate from humans for safety reasons.
In a smaller setting researchers are investigating the use of a network of cameras which could detect when someone enters the robot's area of operation.
Also being investigated is the use of force-torque sensors which would make the robot stop and retreat if a certain limit is reached.
You can read more about this at Engineer Online.

Story courtesy of the Engineer Online.
Image courtesy of Emily O on Flickr.

Dublin Institute of Technology Student Wins the National Skills Competition in Sheet Metal Work

2009-06-22T10:51:00.005+01:00

Mr Kevin Russell from Rathcoole, Co.Dublin who is employed by Colm Lane Metal Fabricators in Co Kildare. Kevin carried out his off the job apprenticeship blocks under the guidance of the staff teaching in the Sheet Metalwork area at Dublin Institute of Technology, and great credit is due to them in the manner in which they have assisted him in achieving this high standard in his education.

Dublin Institute of Technology is currently the only Institute in Ireland educating apprentices in Sheet Metalwork and for the last number of years has hosted the National Skills Competition in this skill area. The skills involved in sheet metalwork are varied and require high levels of cognitive and spatial ability in the design, visualisation, marking out and cutting of sheet metal materials such as steel, aluminium, copper and stainless steel.

The photo shows Kevin receiving his award from Mr Bolton of BOC Gases who are the main sponsor of the competition, with Mr Ray English (National Expert in Sheet Metalwork), and Mr John Lawlor Head of School of Manufacturing and Design Engineering at Dublin Institute of Technology.

Lightweight Hydrogen Car Makes Debut

2009-06-17T15:23:00.003+01:00

A new lightweight hydrogen-powered car, capable of speeds of up to 50KM/H was shown off in London yesterday. The car is powered by a fuel cell of six kilowatts . It was financed by a great grandson of Ferdinand Porsche along with Oxford university and other engineers. Its called the Riversimple and can travel for 390KM without refuelling.

For more information and to read the full text of this article see the Irish Examiner

New laser fusion machine

2009-05-28T19:56:00.003Z

The United States took a significant step towards an era of limitless, clean energy today with the opening of the National Ignition Facility (NIF).

The machine is designed to recreate the power of the stars using high powered lasers to turn pellets of hydrogen into thermonuclear energy.

If successful the process will be the first time in history that a machine was capable of producing more energy than it consumes.

You can read more about this amazing process at Guardian.co.uk or at the NIF website.

Image and story courtesy of Guardian.co.uk.

Engineers Ireland Symposium

2009-05-28T08:35:00.001Z

Engineers Ireland are holding a symposium on 2 & 3 July, 2009, in order to launch a new book within the field of philosophy of science and technology titled Engineering in Context (edited by Hyldgaard Christensen, Meganck & Delahousse, 2009, Academica). The book is the result of an international collaborative project involving 41 academics from across Europe and the United States.

The aim of the book and the symposium is to provide a better understanding of the contexts in which engineering activities are situated within the larger realm of human activities. In dealing with context, the quest for a re-contextualizing of engineering education and practice to be explored in this Symposium is concerned both with what engineering “is” and what it “ought” to be. It is to be hoped that a greater awareness and understanding of context should result in better preparation of engineers to render those contexts visible in their work and consequently enable engineers to contribute to more socially robust and responsible endeavors.

For more information about the symposium click here

Overhaul for US car industry

2009-05-19T13:25:00.004Z

President Obama is to compel the US car manufacturers to improve their efficiency.

The introduction of new limits on exhaust levels will require an average efficiency of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. This represents a 40% improvement.

This should have a huge effect on America's greenhouse gas emmissions as motor vehicles account for some 25% of the US's output of global warming pollution.

Story courtesy of Guardian.co.uk.

Image courtesy of cklx on Flickr.

The Clyde Arc

2009-05-15T10:44:00.005Z

The Clyde Arc bridge in Glasgow is a three-span structure which was completed in September 2006.

You can read an account of the whole procurement, design and construction process in this article in Bridge Engineering.

Bridge Engineering is part of DIT Library's subscription to the ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) Virtual Library. This resource contains a huge amount of Civil Engineering information going back 200 years. You can access the ICE Virtual Library through the DIT Library databases page.

Image courtesy of Bowman the showman on Flickr.

Institution of Structural Engineers lecture on the Design of Wexford Opera House

2009-05-14T09:45:00.005Z

The Institution of Structural Engineers will be presenting a lecture on the design of the new Wexford Opera House in Bolton Street on Tuesday the 19th of May.

Arup Consulting Engineers who were the Civil, Structural and Geotechnical Engineers on the development will describe how this steel framed building was designed and constructed. The highly complex geometry of the steel frame, including curved fronted auditorium balconies, was assembled in 6 phases working out from the most landlocked corner of the site.

The lecture is on in room 259 in Bolton Street at 6:30pm (tea/coffee reception at 6pm).

All are welcome.

For more details on Wexford Opera House please see http://wexfordoperahouse.ie/

Image courtesy of Wexford Opera House- Ger Lawlor

London Array - Offshore wind farm

2009-05-13T13:04:00.003Z

The world's largest offshore wind farm is to be built in the Thames Estuary. It will be the world's first 1GW offshore wind farm and should supply sufficient electricity for 750,000 homes.

The development will be called the London Array and will be built by DONG Energy, Masdar and E.ON. Each will invest a total of €2.2bn towards the project.

For detailed information on the project go to the London Array website.

Story courtesy of the Engineer online.

Image courtesy of Mads Prahm on Flickr.

Library Opening Hours

2009-05-12T12:43:00.000Z

The library at Bolton Street will begin Summer opening hours on Tuesday 2nd June.

The library will be open from 9:30 am until 5:15 pm, Monday to Friday.

These hours will continue until the beginning of the new term in September 2009.