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06May 2013

Why America Desperately Needs More Scientists & Engineers

Studies have shown that the number of jobs available in the United States is directly related to advances made in science and engineering. Education experts feel that if America has few leaders developing the technological advances that will create the jobs of the future, then the future will hold few opportunities for our young workers.

With only about 4% of college graduates receiving degrees in engineering or science (source), the United States is ahead of Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Cameroon. However, it is behind most other nations, and certainly at the bottom of the list of developed countries. Since 50-85% of job growth in the U.S. is dependent on scientists and engineers, our ability to turn out graduates in STEM-related fields is more important than ever.

[Note: STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, math.]

Consider this. It took 700 engineers to create the iPod, which then led to the creation of 14,000 more jobs in the U.S. alone (source). During the development of the iPhone/iPad, most of the engineering work was completed outside the U.S. Apple and its contractors currently employ over 700,000 people in other nations because of the availability of engineers in those countries. Prior to his death, Steve Jobs is said to have told President Obama that the reason Apple directly or indirectly employs these 700,000 people outside the United States is because it can’t find 30,000 engineers in the United States.

Some may claim that companies like Apple are using this as an excuse – that the U.S. does produce enough engineers/scientists, but are instead driven by profit (hiring overseas is cheaper). This may be the case in some instances, however the numbers don’t lie (source):

PhD Engineering Graduates (U.S.)
U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents:
1998 = 53.39%
2009 = 42.78%

Temporary Visa Holders
1998 = 46.61%
2009 = 57.22%

It would be foolish to assume that the vast majority of temporary visa holders are remaining in the U.S. to fill jobs once they’ve completed their education. As indicated above, we’re clearly seeing a decline in U.S. PhD levels. While some companies may be sourcing jobs overseas for economic reasons, I think this is the exception rather than the rule. It stands to reason that if America successfully increases the number of STEM graduates it produces, thousands (if not millions) of new jobs will increase in direct proportion to the increase in technological advances these STEM graduates will produce.

A Broken Educational System

Training enough scientists and engineers in the near future will not be an easy task, since our educational system is not producing enough high school graduates who are prepared for demanding college courses. In fact, some college freshmen are actually advised to take easier classes in order to assure that they make good enough grades to graduate.

Several years ago (2005), the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine established a committee to study what needs to be done to encourage more young people to take tougher classes, both in high school and college. They issued a report called, The Gathering Storm, that made recommendations for fixing the nation’s K-12 public education system. They found that not only are we not producing enough scientists/engineers, we are also alarmingly bad at producing high school graduates. Most recently (2010), the organizations released a new report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited [PDF], which states that the situation in the U.S. has become even more bleak. Today, the U.S. has one of the highest secondary school dropout rates in the developed world. Even our top students are falling behind. American 15-year-olds have been ranked 17th in science and 25th in math when tested against the 34 most developed nations. In 2011, they dropped to 32nd in math against the same 34 countries (source). Meanwhile, it is estimated that of every 3,100 8th graders in America, only one will go on to get a PH.D. in engineering or science.

While we are falling further behind, other countries are stepping up their investments in science education. A $2 billion investment from the Russian government has opened up so many science and engineering educational sites in Tomsk that that Siberian town has become the center of Russia’s IT industry. The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology opened in 2009 in Saudi Arabia with an endowment greater than that of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. China is providing scholarships for over 200,000 of its students to study abroad in the fields of science and engineering every year. The United Kingdom is increasing its investment in non-defense research and development by 25%. India is investing in nanotechnology education hoping to become a hub for that industry.

The original ‘Gathering Storm’ and the follow-up reports have attracted high-level interest and some steps have been taken towards making educational improvements that will lead to more job creation at home. Overall however, U.S. officials have largely ignored the reports in a rush to save money by defunding education. Instead of investing more in its students, we continue to see the closing of university departments in science fields. Officials justify their reasoning by claiming that few American students elect to take science courses in college anyway, so why waste funds on them?

Where We Are Today

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama called for a $71B increase in Department of Education funding directly focused on STEM (source). While this is a step in the right direction, my guess is that this will have little/no significant impact on the numbers I outlined above if changes aren’t made in other areas as well. A recent report [PDF] by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) indicates that states are spending, on average, 28% less per student in fiscal year 2013 than they were in 2008 while college tuition costs continue to climb. While the CBPP indicates this is a result of states not raising taxes (not something I necessarily agree with), the chart below is indicative of a growing problem.

The Bottom Line

The U.S. needs to produce more scientists and engineers in the future. I don’t believe for a minute that our young people are to blame for the declines discussed above. Nor do I believe that closing doors to them in these fields in the quest to save money is the right approach either. This is a matter of readjusting our national educational priority.

STEM needs to be a PRIMARY focus in education throughout our students’ K-12 years. I’m not claiming that important subjects such as art, music, literature, and language aren’t necessary components of a well-rounded education. Of course they are. I’m simply advocating a change in our approach to education and stating that the primary emphasis, moving forward, instead focus on better preparing our students for success in STEM-related fields. As long as we continue to force our teachers to “teach to a test” (Read: No Child Left Behind) however, we will continue to churn out a greater number of students that are woefully unprepared for the rigors required to complete collegiate-level STEM programs. This in turn will lead to a continuing decrease in the number of scientists/engineers in America. As this happens, the country will invariably continue to fall behind the rest of the developed world in technological innovation and leadership. Is that what we really want for our kids and future generations? I certainly don’t.

04Feb 2013

Adding Another Dimension to Computer Simulations

Jason Carr ⋅ 4 Comments

Four-dimensional space is a difficult concept but this idea is driving a new revolution in programming today. Individuals familiar with August Ferdinand Möbius’ research know that an additional dimension allows a three-dimensional form to be rotated over on top of its mirror image. This gives us the so-called Möbius strip. While computer algorithms that really simulate scalable four-dimensional space are still in their infancy, they’re already making a big splash.

Mobius Strip. Credit: http://paulbourke.net/geometry/mobius/

It’s important to remember that abstract mathematical concepts have no real bearing on the actual universe. Texts on theoretical physics use four-dimensional space as a term to describe the phenomenon caused by three-dimensional objects moving through time. Naturally, this concept of a fourth dimension is far different from that defined by computer scientists. While additional dimensions are valid mathematical constructs, they have little to do with the world around us. Software is merely producing two-dimensional output anyway, so its safe to assume that nothing a TV screen produces is going to break the space-time continuum.

Image Credit: John Hopkins

Computers provide mathematicians with the opportunity to produce very complex geometrical forms. In three dimensions, polyhedra are made up of distinct two-dimensional polygons. Four-dimensional space grants engineers the freedom to create polychora made up of three-dimensional polyhedra. While this might be complicated, it’s actually useful outside of the world of mathematical research.

Mapping Euclidean space gives scientists the opportunity to produce stereographic projection diagrams of theoretical objects like the Clifford torus. This could be useful in the construction of space colonies, for instance. Puzzles based around 120-cell hecatonicosachoron objects became popular for a time, and illustrate the advantages of constructing objects in a virtual world.

Average computer users probably aren’t too interested in this type of research either. They might be more pleased to hear that four-dimensional simulations are revolutionizing video games. While virtual reality might not actually be the future, a simulation of it very well could be.

Edwin A. Abbot popularized the concept of different dimensions in fiction, and Marc Ten Bosch’s new independent video game is taking it to the next level. Miegakure is a platform that is essentially set in a three-dimensional environment, but players can go through walls and inspect them by entering into an additional dimension. The game has yet to be released to the general public, but it illustrates the possibilities programmers have when they leave the confines of our limited universe. Just as an author isn’t limited when writing a novel, computer programmers can create simulations that aren’t defined by what real individuals can and cannot do.

23Jan 2013

Sending Odors and Tastes as an Email Attachment

Jason Carr ⋅ 9 Comments

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Andrea Danti

Research into cybernetic organs has been largely focused on replacements for disabled individuals who have lost a limb. Electronic noses and tongues are designed for a radically different purpose. Humans perceive different chemicals as various tastes and odors. Many types of additives are industrially manufactured to replicate certain flavors or scents. Electronic noses and tongues are examples of the way emerging technologies are set to change the way household products are made. Electronic noses have already shown their potential to identify people more reliably than fingerprints, sniff out bombs, and even detect lung cancer on a person’s breath. They also present an opportunity for Internet users to test products before they buy them.

An electronic nose is a tool that mimics human olfactory senses. While they’re not the best for deciding whether new odors are pleasing, they can repeat test trials over and over again. Routine analysis isn’t something that’s easy for a human test subject to do. People can only write down whether they feel a new scent is pleasant to them. Internet-based odor presentation machines are in their infancy, but may some day present computer users with smelly output.

Image Credit: Nature

Smell-o-vision was a home entertainment dream for many years, but researchers eventually gave up on the concept. Some consumers have even felt that it’s worthless. Most people wouldn’t actually want to sit down and smell what characters in a television show smell like. However, there are certain uses of this technology that could be quite popular. For instance, they might be used to sniff out a range of diseases. Or they could be used to check the quality of food in an effective manner. Electronic nose and odor delivery systems could even allow chefs to select ingredients without having to travel the world.

For instance, international produce distributors could take some fruit and digitize its odor into a certain type of file. Computer users would then download the file, and a peripheral device would synthesize the odor from existing chemical stores. This would be particularly useful for those who weren’t familiar with some sort of exotic plant. Unfortunately, the opportunity for misuse is quite strong as well. Trojan horse programs might cause a client computer to produce an odor that’s surprisingly unpleasant. It would be interesting to watch that play out.

Electronic tongues serve a similar purpose. Salt, sour and sweet tastes each correspond to a specific chemical makeup. The pH level of a substance, the presence of molecular polyhydroxyl groups and how many sodium ions are attached to the substance all play a part in deciding how it tastes. In fact, these would be easier to detect than olfactory sensations delivered to an electronic nose.

Image Credit: Washington Post

On the other hand, bitter and savory tastes would be surprisingly difficult to distinguish. These tastes don’t correspond to exact chemical compounds, so they’re harder to track. Electronic tongues do have a real advantage over their smelly brethren, though. It would actually be easier to digitize taste and transmit different flavors in a file than it would be to electronically transmit different scents. Once again this would present a very interesting target for computer hackers.

Users might not even want to imagine what sort of weird tastes someone intent on misusing this technology could come up with. Restaurants would certainly like it, though. They could let people try a free sample of their product over the Internet. That offers a distinct advantage over a JPEG of a menu, but it’s doubtful that computer peripherals are going to replace cameras in the near future.

Reference:

Fujioka K, Arakawa E, Kita J, Aoyama Y, Manome Y, Ikeda K, & Yamamoto K (2013). Detection of Aeromonas hydrophila in Liquid Media by Volatile Production Similarity Patterns, Using a FF-2A Electronic Nose. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 13 (1), 736-45 PMID: 23296330

Schneider, J. (2006). Detection of fruit odors using an electronic nose SPIE Newsroom DOI: 10.1117/2.1200602.0137

Ciosek, P., & Wróblewski, W. (2007). Sensor arrays for liquid sensing – electronic tongue systems The Analyst, 132 (10) DOI: 10.1039/b705107g

Zakaria A, Shakaff AY, Masnan MJ, Ahmad MN, Adom AH, Jaafar MN, Ghani SA, Abdullah AH, Aziz AH, Kamarudin LM, Subari N, & Fikri NA (2011). A biomimetic sensor for the classification of honeys of different floral origin and the detection of adulteration. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 11 (8), 7799-822 PMID: 22164046

21Jan 2013

Meet Baxter – the $22,000 Robot

Jason Carr ⋅ 5 Comments

Realistic views of robots are usually centered on grappling arms hidden behind safety cages, but Rethink Robotics is working to change that. The Massachusetts-based company produces the Baxter line of robots shown above. These machines are designed to adapt to their local environment so that even unskilled labor can train them to do work. Perhaps equally important, they’re affordable and designed with simplicity in mind.

Factories that already have an extensive physical plant usually have to undergo a painful integration period to get their new robots to work with the current assembly line structure. Baxter works out of the box, and can get acclimated to a workshop in an hour or so. Human presence detectors mean that Baxter always knows that living employees are there. While that naturally means that the unit is safer than less-capable robots, Baxter is also far more capable of working alongside people.

Most robots have to be manipulated from a remote terminal. Baxter actually comes with a display panel and a navigator control. Since it resembles a face, the display is relatively easy for even the uninitiated to get used to. That’s a real bonus for work environments that have a large number of existing employees.

The most amazing aspect of this technology has nothing to do with feats of engineering, however. Baxter and other ‘intelligent’ robots help to keep manufacturing jobs in domestic facilities. Grinding and polishing machines are quickly being sent overseas. Few places can afford to keep blister packaging operations in North America. Products are sometimes even shipped overseas, put into thermoformed trays in a foreign country, and then imported back into the domestic marketplace.

New types of robots can do these jobs without the need for sending goods to foreign countries. That’s a real benefit for companies who have been debating offshoring their operations for some time. In fact, some analysts believe that new manufacturing technologies might even help bring jobs back to domestic marketplaces. While the media has often portrayed robots as devices that steal jobs away from human workers, they might ironically actually be creating plenty of new jobs right here at home.

There are plenty of other benefits that aren’t related to socio-political trends. Offshoring is actually a major environmental problem. Transportation services use a substantial amount of fuel. By keeping manufacturing jobs closer to home, companies can actually reduce their carbon footprint as well as costs. Some businesses might end up investing in robots for these reasons alone.

A revolution is starting to take place in manufacturing. Robots like Baxter are essentially consumer electronics. They can be expected to work out of the box. There’s no reason to assume that future robotic options will be any less dazzling in the near future. Hobbyist machines already started to appear on the shelves in the 1980s. It’s only a matter of time before anyone will be able to purchase his or her own robot. Even local operations will ultimately have the option of taking advantage of this technology.

Consider the plight of a local farm, for instance. Hiring someone to perform repetitive tasks can be very expensive, but a robot doesn’t require a salary. Baxter can’t be washed down, so it’s not necessarily useful for all food preparation jobs. However, even at this moment in time the unit is rated for some. Perhaps a simulated friendly face can actually save or improve industries such as manufacturing and agriculture in the near future.

Image Credit: Rethink Robotics

18Jan 2013

Future Computing: Meet the Flexible Paper Computer

Jason Carr ⋅ 3 Comments

A collaborative project between Queen’s University, Plastic Logic, and Intel Labs has yielded one of the more exciting unveilings during CES 2013: a flexible paper computer. Dubbed the “PaperTab” tablet, the device looks and feels like a normal piece of paper, however, it’s fully interactive with a flexible, hi-resolution 10.7” touchscreen plastic display powered by a second generation Intel Core i5 Processor. What makes the PaperTab particularly easy to use is the fact that several apps or windows do not show up on a single display; rather, there are multiple interactive displays that work together. This unique design choice allows a user the ability to thumb through different pages and use one app at a time. “Using several PaperTabs makes it much easier to work with multiple documents,” says Roel Vertegaal, Director of Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab. “Within five to ten years, most computers, from ultra-notebooks to tablets, will look and feel just like these sheets of printed color paper.”

Source: Hearst Electronic Products

17Jan 2013

Clean Energy Action Plan for U.S.

Jason Carr ⋅ 1 Comment

The global clean energy marketplace is expanding rapidly, but the competitive position of American industry is at risk because of increased competition abroad and uncertain policies at home, according to a report released today by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The study, Innovate, Manufacture, Compete: A Clean Energy Action Plan, states that revenue in the clean energy sector worldwide could total $1.9 trillion from 2012 to 2018. Yet roundtable discussions with more than 100 U.S. industry leaders reveal that the country is at a crossroads: Private investment, manufacturing, and deployment of renewable power have been constrained because of the lack of a long-term, consistent energy policy. To strengthen America’s global competitiveness in this growing economic sector, the report outlines policy recommendations, including investments in energy research and development, extension of key manufacturing incentives, and establishment of a national Clean Energy Standard that sets milestones for deployment of renewable and other clean sources in the electric power sector.

“Industry is telling us in no uncertain terms that the United States needs to adopt clear, consistent, long-term energy policies that allow American businesses to thrive, make our country more energy secure, and advance environmental imperatives,” said Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew’s Clean Energy Program. “Our research shows that there is a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity in the clean energy sector. U.S. industry has the capacity to be a leader, provided we have the right policies in place. It’s time for Congress to support a comprehensive energy strategy by delivering long-term certainty for businesses and investors in renewable power.”

Clean energy markets are large and growing, offering the United States an important opportunity for innovation, investment, job creation, and manufacturing. Pew’s research projects that revenue associated with installation of wind, solar, and other renewable power is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 8 percent, rising from $200 billion in 2012 to $327 billion annually by 2018. In the United States, clean energy installations are projected to reach 126 GW, which would more than double non-hydroelectric generating capacity.

The U.S. position in the industry is constrained by numerous challenges, including tight credit markets, growing international competition, and an uneven playing field with fossil energy sources. “It’s difficult to get funding today,” said Jeff Metts, president of Astraeus Wind Energy, which makes turbine components. “We need some stability in this market.”

Aaron LeMieux, founder and chief executive of Tremont Electric, said: “To compete effectively for clean energy jobs and manufacturing, the United States must adopt national policies that stimulate diverse domestic clean energy investments and production.”

Pragmatic federal clean energy policies would help enhance the competitive position of the U.S. renewable power industry. Throughout the past year, Pew has conducted research and consulted business leaders and industry experts across the country to evaluate strategies for strengthening the sector and improving America’s position in the global clean energy race. Based on this input and empirical research, the report recommends that the United States:

Establish a clean energy standard to guide deployment and investment for the long term.
Significantly increase investment in energy research and development.
Enact a multiyear but time-limited extension of tax credits for clean energy sources.
Level the playing field across the energy sector by evaluating barriers to competition.
Renew incentives for domestic clean energy manufacturing.
Create a strategy to expand markets for clean energy goods and services abroad.

Pew’s research in developing these recommendations included empirical data by Pike Research, a leading market research firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean energy technology markets, and qualitative evidence gathered through roundtable discussions with stakeholders across the country and at a Washington, DC, conference featuring panels of experts and more than 100 members of Pew’s Clean Energy Business Network.

Read the entire report at PewTrusts.org/CleanEnergy.

16Jan 2013

Show Some Love for the Data Glove

Jason Carr ⋅ 6 Comments

Data Gloves (or wired gloves or cybergloves), as the name implies, are computer input devices that are worn on the hand like a glove. They utilize motion trackers to translate finger manipulations into electrical signals. In the near future, this technology might revolutionize the way that disabled people are able to access computer resources. For instance, individuals who are currently unable to use a mouse or keyboard might have a better chance with a wired glove. As these products come down in price, it’s fair to assume that regular computer users will be able to afford them as well. Some USB standard devices are already out on the market today. There are other possible commercial applications for these devices as well…the market just needs innovators to lead the way.

The Past and Future of Data Gloves
It might be best to call these high tech gloves a reemerging technology. They actually came into vogue in the 1980s. A number of rather ridiculous contraptions were designed around these devices at the time – but this was of course due to the available technologies of the era. The VPL DataGlove was certainly one of the earliest virtual reality products regular people could buy. For a while, many believed they were the future of video games and virtual simulations.

Despite the early promise of the devices, people forgot about them for quite some time. There are a few reasons that wired glove technology has been downplayed in recent years. For instance, many virtual reality machines designed around data gloves were hazardous to people’s health. Certain types of displays caused headaches and seizures. Many wired glove consumer products were also poorly planned early on. Many of you may remember the ill-fated Power Glove for the Nintendo Entertainment System. So there have been some missteps in this field. However, there’s nothing to say that wired glove products need to use 3D displays for successful operation. For that matter, there isn’t even a reason to believe that their future success is dependent upon adoption in the consumer market.

Moving Forward – How Data Gloves Can be Used
Some of the most interesting research being done today lies within the field of human-machine interfaces. Rather than applications pertaining only to specialized fields (i.e. rehabilitation), many experts believe that the future for cybergloves is actually quite broad.

Machines or robots in the future might be designed specifically to include glove interfaces. For example, some organizations have focused on creating certain types of robots that lack sophisticated software for organizational tasks. Think of a robot that might be used to assemble a multi-ton piece of equipment that needs to be built to spec. In this type of application, humans would remotely control the robots, using data glove interfaces, as opposed to building software to control the robots. This can reduce the need for sophisticated software that has the potential to fail (and avoid the potential catastrophes that might follow) by allowing a human operator to take control of a system, through the use of a wired glove interface, while capitalizing on the advantages of robotics at the same time. Since computers currently lack the ability to discriminate between different choices, a human operator might actually be superior to a computer in these types of applications. These are the instances when data gloves may be useful.

Alternatively, data gloves can be used in telerobotic operations. For example, telerobotics could give organizations the option to control systems anywhere in the world using localized data gloves. This has significant implications when considered. For instance, what if companies could repair broken down equipment in the sea, space, or even the desert using the devices? Isn’t that better than risking the lives of humans for the same processes? There are lots of possibilities in terms of commercial applications in this area. I’m simply touching on a few just to illustrate the potential that these devices may have in the future.

Another obvious use of these high-tech gloves lies within the area of rehabilitation. People recovering from injuries may be able to relearn how to use certain muscle groups by using these sorts of devices. Some modern rehabilitation systems have actually been built around the devices. Computing applications abound as well…especially in the quest to rid the world of input devices. While it’s far too early to claim that keyboards (or the mouse) are an endangered species, a diverse line of data gloves in the near future could potentially change the computing market in this area.

What are some problems you can imagine data gloves being able to solve in the future?

Reference:

Fahn, C., & Sun, H. (2010). Development of a Fingertip Glove Equipped with Magnetic Tracking Sensors Sensors, 10 (2), 1119-1140 DOI: 10.3390/s100201119

Yamaura H, Matsushita K, Kato R, & Yokoi H (2009). Development of hand rehabilitation system for paralysis patient – universal design using wire-driven mechanism. Conference proceedings : … Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Conference, 2009, 7122-5 PMID: 19963950

HOSHINO, K. (2006). Dexterous Robot Hand Control with Data Glove by Human Imitation IEICE Transactions on Information and Systems, E89-D (6), 1820-1825 DOI: 10.1093/ietisy/e89-d.6.1820

Dalley, S., Varol, H., & Goldfarb, M. (2012). A Method for the Control of Multigrasp Myoelectric Prosthetic Hands IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 20 (1), 58-67 DOI: 10.1109/TNSRE.2011.2175488

Nattapong Tongrod, Teerakiat Kerdcharoen, N. Watthanawisuth, & A. Tuantranont (2010). A low-cost dataglove for Human computer interaction based on ink-jet printed sensors and ZigBee networks International Symposium on Wearable Computers – ISWC, 1-2 DOI: 10.1109/ISWC.2010.5665850

Additional Learning Resources:

14Jan 2013

Can MOOC’s Really Transform Education?

Jason Carr ⋅ 11 Comments

mooc

Traditional colleges often struggle with limited space availability in popular (or even core curriculum) courses. Higher education costs in the U.S. have sky-rocketed in recent years. A recent USA Today article reported that costs to attend a 4-year public university rose a staggering 15% between 2008 and 2010. To make matters worse, many graduates that are coming out of college are unable to find jobs while being saddled with enormous amounts of debt. Higher education in the U.S. is broken.

An Emerging Alternative

Education3 The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) paradigm offers a rare opportunity to remedy these situations along with many others. The fact that the term includes the word massive illustrates the fact that such courses can be taken by a virtually unlimited number of students. This is revolutionary in its own right. The problem right now is not with student enrollment numbers, but the fact that organizations currently offering these MOOCs aren’t actually accredited to issue regular course credit to those that do the work. In other words, they don’t translate into college-level work that can be applied towards a degree. While some MOOCs are geared towards students who might want to learn more about a specific topic, most of them are essentially recreational at this point. Even so, individuals are learning new things, in an exciting way, in record numbers…so this is a good thing.

The other issue is (of course) about money. There is no clear indication of how organizations such as Coursera, Udacity, and EdX will sustain their operations in the future. Equally unclear is if/when they start charging students, whether or not costs will be significantly lower than they are today. Plagiarism and other areas need to be addressed as well before these programs become viable degree options. However, existing online schools have found ways to deal with these issues and I’m sure these organizations will as well. Despite the obstacles that remain, the recent popularity of online learning has proven that learners are seeking alternatives to traditional schools in a big way.

The Logical Progression in Education

In the near-term future, MOOCs could ultimately transform the way that education works. Anyone who has done research on the recent success of MOOCs are familiar with the fact that some courses have had tens of thousands of signups. Last year, Google unleashed an open-source MOOC-building tool, and Stanford unveiled Class2Go with two courses. MOOCs are expected to continue to rise in popularity in 2013. While all of this may seem astounding, the idea of virtual teaching has been around for years. For instance, colleges have made use of radio and television in the past to provide instruction to students irrespective of their geographical location. MOOCs are simply the next logical step in this evolution given the rise of the Internet in recent years.

Despite the rise of popularity in online learning in recent years, many traditional institutions have been reluctant to offer full degree programs to people who never step foot inside of a classroom. For some degrees this makes perfect sense. No one would want to issue a medical license to someone who has been taught solely online. On the other hand, it seems relatively innocuous to incorporate distance learning into degree programs in a variety of other areas. As long as standards are created to ensure that learning occurs as designed and appropriate, there is no reason online education should continue to take a backseat to classroom-based learning in the future.

I view MOOCs as the 21st century descendents of the old broadcast instruction programs of the past. As education moves towards this new model, the work that students have done on their own will certainly become more important. Students might be able to customize their own education plans based on all of the courses completed that apply to a particular field. In fact, if MOOCs become more of an integral part of an education plan, credits could become less important. Instead, colleges could focus on how much work students have done in a particular field. Once enough coursework (and even practical application) has been completed, a degree would be awarded.

A Changing Paradigm

Education2 Considering that we live in the information age, elements of data are being created at a greater rate than at any other point in time. Aggregation is one of the strongest tools that MOOCs bring to the table. In the near future, software could bring together different bits of information and aggregate it together into a single source for delivery to students. Lesson plans and lectures would be a thing of the past, since information would be produced in real-time. Instead of a rigid curriculum, students could learn from a number of sources and receive a truly well rounded education. And that’s the point here. This isn’t about transforming education for the sake of transformation. This is about making education more accessible and affordable to learners while ensuring that they learn what they need to know in order to be successful in the workforce and society.

What Do the Critics Say?

Critics often point to the fact that online programs permit students to enroll with little or no admissions standards. I maintain that many of these critics are those that are directly threatened by the MOOCs and the promise they hold for their own futures. If I’m the president of a traditional school and seeing my enrollment numbers dwindle because I’m against online learning, than naturally I’m going to be against MOOCs (or any other similar change). While admissions requirements have been important in the past, in the future everyone with an Internet connection will have access to higher education. If they need foundational courses, they will take them online just as they’ve done in the past. This is they way it should be. In fact, today virtually anyone can sign up for courses with EdX and other MOOC providers. That’s a good thing.

Critics also point to the completion rates of these courses. Because they are free, many people sign up for the courses and then fail to complete them. But consider this. If you have 50,000 people sign up for a course and only 5% complete all of the work, you still have 2,500 people that finished, right? How many traditional classrooms does it take to teach 2,500 people? And how many of those 2,500 people would have missed out on the chance to learn the material otherwise? Those in education that would argue against this type of success need to seriously consider a new field.

Education for Everyone

spring sunset In the future, with less stringent admissions criteria and much lower costs, students will be able to earn accredited certificates or degrees in record numbers. These individuals can take what they’ve learned to create new businesses or perform better in their own jobs while ultimately becoming lifelong learners. This in turn will hopefully prompt society to transform right along with them. I would argue that along with a more educated population comes a better society. And if we’re not working towards that objective, what the hell are we doing as a species anyway? Whether MOOCs will transform education remains to be seen. There are still a lot of unanswered questions. Regardless, they are a step in the right direction. They have successfully highlighted the need for change in higher education and perhaps more importantly, that individuals are seeking new learning options in today’s increasingly connected world.

Reference:

Dalal D, Brancati FL, & Sisson SD (2012). Factors affecting learner satisfaction with an internet-based curriculum. Southern medical journal, 105 (8), 387-91 PMID: 22864092

Mark Hochberg, J. (2006). Online Distance Education Pedagogy: Emulating the practice of global business Distance Education, 27 (1), 129-133 DOI: 10.1080/01587910600654841

Forster, A. (2012)., edited by E. Burge, C. Campbell Gibson , and T. Gibson
Distance Education, 33 (3), 429-436 DOI: 10.1080/01587919.2012.723169

04Jan 2013

The Science of Choosing Space Pioneers

Jason Carr ⋅ 5 Comments

Image Credit: NASA Ames

I often ask others if they would live in space or on another planet if given the opportunity. More often than not, the answer is in the affirmative. But what if you were given the chance and actually wanted to go, but were declined because you weren’t selected by a computer algorithm as one of the lucky space travelers? Or worse, what if you were declined because of your cultural background or because your genetic profile was deemed inappropriate? What about those that do venture off to live in space or on other worlds…will they suffer the types of loneliness that individuals experience in major cities here on Earth today? These are the questions that I thought I’d delve into today.

Loneliness in Space

Overcrowding is a major concern in many parts of the world today. People often feel like they’re being shoved into boxes that they don’t really fit into. Since the early days of the Industrial Revolution, a great number of individuals have felt as if they are all alone in the world. Large cities don’t make for the best of neighbors. Even though other members of the human race surround people, they’re seldom able to make any genuine connections with those who live close by. This sort of a problem is only worsened by the prospect of space colonization.

The feeling of loneliness is usually portrayed as being experienced by those who are truly without anyone near them. However, individuals can actually become lonelier when other people that they don’t connect with show up within their circle of friends. Of course, in many cases, these people don’t even really have a circle of friends in the first place.

While one person adrift in space might be able to comfort him or herself with the idea that others are back home on planet Earth, ironically the same cannot always be said of someone who were to live in a colony habitat. If other people surrounded that same individual, he/she would probably end up experiencing increased feelings of loneliness — just as so many do in cities around the world today.

This is something that’s been observed by Earthbound psychologists for decades, but it would possibly worsen in orbital complexes and on colonized worlds. Sci-fi writers have long stressed the importance of choosing the right colonists for space missions based on genetic profiles. But it seems that culture and the ability to work together are actually more important indicators of who should go off together into the great unknown.

Un-natural Selection

Using some sort of computer algorithm to select candidates for space travel is probably the worst idea I can imagine. This is a common trope in many pieces of fiction, but engineers working on global cities might have actually found a better way to psychologically equip generations of space pioneers. They have suggested that those who are culturally similar to people they live with might very well make the best partners. Seems like common sense, right?

Source: NASA

While this sounds reasonable, it opens up an entirely new thought process for those who are planning generational space missions. If colony ships are set out on extremely long voyages, people will want to be with those that they have bonded with or care about. Letting a community choose who they want to be with the same way that they always have on Earth might be the best idea.

Genetic selection might sound logical and some people have suggested that it could produce the best stock for other worlds. However, this is a throwback to the sort of eugenic thinking that predominated the early 20th century. It was a mistake here on Earth and the same holds true of space. If space colonies are ever actually going to solve population problems, they need to be able to function much like regular cities do today. By letting people live in space the same way that they always have on Earth, the average citizen is far more likely to adapt to others in an acceptable manner.

There are those who would say that this limits diversity, but in reality it doesn’t. Genetic selection programs and the like would actually seek to create a race of space colonists who are in some way similar to one another. This would limit diversity, and would also have the side-effect of making a civilization less resistant to disease or similar catastrophes. For instance, one colony of microbes could wipe out an entire colony if it were built in such a way. The same could be said of a generational space mission attempting to reach another star system.

Humanity has never been perfect. It is these imperfections that very well may help our species to survive in space in the future.

Reference:

Yusof, N., & van Loon, J. (2012). Engineering a Global City: The Case of Cyberjaya Space and Culture, 15 (4), 298-316 DOI: 10.1177/1206331212453676

Saaty, T., & Sagir, M. (2012). Global awareness, future city design and decision making Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering, 21 (3), 337-355 DOI: 10.1007/s11518-012-5196-z

27Dec 2012

Age of Sail 2.0

Jason Carr ⋅ 7 Comments

Wind power is free, which is why German engineers have been experimenting with a device they termed SkySails. They’ve proved that inflatable kites can actually haul freighters across the ocean. This mirrors research conducted over 20 years ago by a Japanese firm. Those who say that sails aren’t a new emerging technology should be careful, since the efforts are actually becoming popular with scientists.

Ships were never inexpensive to run in the glorious Age of Sail. They were under constant threat of attack, and crews were paid handsomely. As engines won out over sailing technology, crews received lower wages. Many ship crews are paid very poorly today. This means that shipping companies are actually spending a great deal more on fuel than on labor in many cases. Even if one were to take humanitarian concerns out of the equation, it doesn’t seem like internal combustion technology is sustainable.

Many of the new concepts don’t focus merely on pulling a ship by wind alone. Conventional diesel propulsion will still be quite useful. However, some researchers have suggested that sails could end up cutting the amount of fuel a ship uses in half. Even if wind never replaced internal combustion technology, these high-tech sails would do a lot to cut down on fuel consumption.

As shipping costs are decreased, consumers can enjoy lower prices for various goods. Shipping is one of the most expensive parts of the production chain, and global economics have made it that much more vital. State-of-the-art sailing ships could cut costs as well as reduce the need to import energy. Tug-kites also solve the problem of finding streams of wind, since they soar high above an actual vessel.

Interestingly enough, some of the research isn’t just being aimed at the industrial markets. Some people feel that these futuristic kites will be useful for yachters as well. Individuals would naturally want to keep their own costs down as well.

As well as tug-kites, other ship designs are being discussed. Large rotary sails could generate electrical power, which would then be used to turn a ship’s screw. While this doesn’t seem to be a tested technology as of yet, it’s based on off the shelf components that shipyards can use immediately.

Windjammers were used in some parts of the world well into the 20th century. In fact, some of the fastest sailing vessels were constructed relatively late in time. A few clippers have even been built in the last few years. These designs all relied on tested engineering. New emerging shipbuilding techniques could blow even the fastest windjammers out of the water, in a manner of speaking.

Reference:

M. Canale, L. Fagiano, M. Milanese, & V. Razza (2010). Control of tethered airfoils for sustainable marine transportation IEEE Conference on Control Applications – CCA IEEE Conference on Control Applications – CCA , 1904-1909 DOI: 10.1109/CCA.2010.5611085