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Archive for the ‘Science and Technology’ Category

North West Science and Technology has led to many cutting edge scientific breakthroughs, such as Britain’s first aeroplane, the birth of the first test tube baby, splitting the atom, and the world’s first computer. Science and Technology is continuing to develop rapidly in this region, and many global brands, ranging from medical research to military aircraft have significant research and design facilities in the North West. Over 25% of the region’s £106 billion economy comes from Science and Technology companies.

1. North West universities play a key role in Science and Technology, and have a combined turnover of over £1.2 billion, almost 1% of the region’s total economy. Leading companies, including those in the Aerospace Business, automotive supply and manufacturing companies, nuclear energy and medical research are closely linked to North West universities. More than 50,000 North West students graduate every year, including 25,000 with life science degrees. Over 69,000 science students are trained every year.

2. The Aerospace Business in the North West has a turnover of £6 billion, and is responsible for producing military and commercial aircraft and components which are used both in the UK and exported worldwide. Extensive R&D programmes ensure that the latest technologies are available to create the most advanced planes in the world. Countries all over the world rely on the North West Aerospace Business for their military and commercial aircraft requirements

3. The Chemistry Industry plays a vital role in the North West, and sales of chemicals contribute over £10 billion to the economy, equating to approximately 20% of the UK chemistry industry. Approximately 220,000 people are employed in this sector. In 2005, the Department of Trade and Industry announced that as part of the Technology Programme, one of the 19 new Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) would be in Chemistry in the North West. KTNs help to share knowledge and research between businesses, academic institutions such as universities, and trade associations.

4. The North West and Cumbria in particular, is widely acknowledged as the centre of the UK Nuclear Energy industry, and is home to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The research and development work done in this region has led the Government to conclude that utilising nuclear energy is part of a viable solution to meeting the energy needs of the UK.

5. There are over 50 research institutes, many of them multi-institutional, as well as traditional R&D departments. The North West is home to the Research and Development departments of several of the worlds leading companies, and business R&D investment in this region is greater than in any other part of the world except Asia. Recent reports show that 4 of the top 10 companies by R&D spending have significant facilities in the North West. Pharmaceutical development, including the largest cancer drug research centre in the UK, Aerospace Businesses, manufacturers of consumer products, as well as the Chemistry Industry and Nuclear Energy are well represented in the North West.

6. The North West’s seven science parks are home to many knowledge-based companies in diverse industries ranging from providing education to Nuclear Energy and decommissioning. Strong links to universities as well as research institutes and centres of knowledge, in the UK and abroad, help to ensure that Science and Technology in the North West is second to none.

7. Dedicated Strategic Science and Technology sites have been set up throughout the North West, and Manchester is aiming to become one of the UK’s first six Science Cities by 2015.

Manchester Science Park is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence, and is one of the most successful of its kind. Tenants include specialists in healthcare, telecoms, and digital media.

The Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus, near Warrington in Cheshire, is home to leading companies in diverse industries ranging from healthcare research to business support services. The nearby Daresbury Laboratory is one of the best-resourced science facilities in the UK.

Liverpool Science Park, right in the centre of Liverpool, is the fastest growing science park in the UK, and contains computer games, website design and software companies as well as solicitors specialising in intellectual property and technology law. Speke, also in Liverpool, is home to the National Biomanufacturing Centre, which is set to become the leading biopaharmaceutical design centre in Europe, and helps to create and develop new medicines

West Cumbria Science Park, near Whitehaven, has over 60 companies on site, ranging from ecology to engineering, many of which are involved in the Nuclear Energy Industry.

A Science Park in Lancaster is scheduled for development this year, and will be located close to the top-ten ranked university. This exciting new project will combine the renowned academic knowledge and resources of the University with local businesses know-how and the Lancaster Environment Centre.

8. With Manchester recently voted the most creative city in the UK, and Liverpool’s reputation as one of the leading cities for computer game design, the North West is at the forefront of new technologies as well as traditional Science and Technology. The use of ICT in education, website design and internet technologies, TV and film production, as well as other media industries, is all flourishing in the region, thanks to Science and Technology.

9. As well as looking to the future, the region’s scientific history is preserved through museums such as the World Museum in Liverpool, Quarry Bank Mill in Styal, Cheshire, and Wigan Pier. Visual displays as well as hands-on activities, demonstrations and different media show how Science and Technology has changed our lives, from mechanising everyday tasks to revolutionising manufacturing methods.

10. As well as the outstanding Science and Technology facilities, the North West is a popular business location thanks to its fantastic infrastructure. Within reach of 3 international airports, and a great motorway system, the North West is closer than you may think. In addition, the North West has many Areas of Natural Outstanding Beauty and the standard of living is high.

There has never been a better time to see how North West Science and Technology can help you.

Science & Technology – The Developments that Shape Our Future



http://www.yallways.com

Science and technology are broad terms that refer to all the concepts and devices created through human research and development. The ultimate goal of these constructs is to influence the way humans interact with their environment. While we frequently think of tangible items and inventions, science and technology also includes theories and conceptual systems. Science and technology are fields that are growing at an exponential rate and have a profound impact on our society.

One of the fastest growing areas of science and technology is communication. New inventions and improvements are truly making the world a smaller place. It is now possible to communicate instantly with virtually anyone on the planet. Additionally, communication can take the form of text, audio, or video transmissions. Unfortunately, science and technology are not always used for peaceful purposes. Weapons design and manufacture is a profitable industry, and numerous researchers are involved in this area. Recently, though, more and more developers have focused on creating non-lethal and passive weapons technology.

New developments frequently lead to controversy. For example, advances in stem-cell research have led to heated debate related to the morality of this field of experimentation. The use of human embryonic stem cells may be the key to curing countless diseases and medical conditions. However, research involves the destruction of human embryos. Thus, some people have argued this research is akin to murder and promotes the devaluation of human life.

Another controversial field is located at the other end of the scientific spectrum; the creation of life, both biological and artificial. Recent advancements have allowed scientists to use technology to fertilize human embryos, clone animals, and alter genetics. In fact, researchers have experimented with cross-breeding to produce entirely new species of plants and animals. Among the most profound are the liger, a lion/tiger cross, and the cama, a llama/camel hybrid. Additionally, progress has been made towards developing artificial intelligence. An artificially intelligent construct would be a man-made machine capable of observing and adapting to its environment.

Those who support scientific and technological advancements have also formulated specific ideologies to express their goals. Most notably, transhumanism has developed as a philosophy which supports the use of science and technology to enhance mankind’s cognitive and physical abilities. They foresee an inevitable future where humans will reach a “posthuman” state combining the body with technological improvements. Another pro-advancement ideology is techno-progressivism. This philosophy expounds the idea that technology can be used to enhance democracy and provide greater societal freedoms. Thus, techno-progressives believe in a moral and ethical use of new technologies and appropriate regulation of scientific advancements.

Science and technology can ultimately make our lives more efficient. However, no advancement is without its drawbacks. Thus, controversial research and harmful developments will inevitably continue. Ultimately, though, this is unlikely to deter future research. In fact, it seems researchers are more determined than ever to continue manipulating science and technology to develop new, innovative concepts.

Science is a way of figuring out things about the world we’re in. Its big advantage is that it has a way of detecting and fixing errors, so you’re more likely to arrive at something close to the truth.

The way science works is like this:

- You come up with a hypothesis (idea) of how something works.

- You then devise an experiment to test the hypothesis. If the experiment turns out one way, then the evidence supports the hypothesis. if it turns out another way, then it shows that the hypothesis is no good.

- You do the experiment and see if the hypothesis was any good.

Each time you do this, you learn something about how the world works (or doesn’t work). With the new knowledge, you get a better idea of the “truth”, and can form & test new hypotheses to build better and better models of reality. Once a hypothesis has been rigorously tested in lots of different ways, so people become pretty sure that it must be accurate, it’s called a “theory” (e.g. ‘theory of gravity’).

One key to science is falsifiability: You have to be able to design experiments that disprove the hypothesis if they turn out a certain way. That’s why religious views don’t qualify: There’s no known experiment that, if it turned out a certain way, would prove that god doesn’t exist. Therefore, it’s impossible to prove scientifically whether god exists or not.

After some time, I was reminded of a little poem:

A centipede was happy quite, until a toad in fun

Said, “Pray, which leg comes after which?”

This raised his doubts to such a pitch

The alternative to science is to come up with ideas of how the world works, and then accept them on faith, without testing them. The problem with this approach is that you don’t have any mechanism for detecting and correcting errors.

Individual scientists can be just as biased as anyone else, but properly designed experiments can still detect and fix their mistakes. When priests disagree on how to interpret scripture, there’s no comparable mechanism.

Anyway, that’s the advantage of science: It has a self-correcting mechanism that detects and fixes errors, so you’re likely to get closer to the truth, even if individual scientists are biased.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Jet Engines So wh­y does the M-1 tank use a 1,500 horsepower gas turbine engine instead of a diesel engine? It turns out that there are two big advantages of the turbine over the diesel:

Gas turbine engines have a great power-to-weight ratio compared to reciprocating engines. That is, the amount of power you get out of the engine compared to the weight of the engine itself is very good. Gas turbine engines are smaller than their reciprocating counterparts of the same power.

­The main disadvantage of gas turbines is that, compared to a reciprocating engine of the same size, they are expensive. Because they spin at such high speeds and because of the high operating temperatures, designing and manufacturing gas turbines is a tough problem from both the engineering and materials standpoint. Gas turbines also tend to use more fuel when they are idling, and they prefer a constant rather than a fluctuating load. That makes gas turbines great for things like transcontinental jet aircraft and power plants, but explains why you don’t have one under the hood of your car.

 

Department of Food Science The Department of Food Science is housed in Stocking Hall

Welcome to the Cornell Department of Food Science web site.The faculty, staff, and students in our Department are members of a large interdisciplinary team of scientists at Cornell who are working together to improve the wholesomeness and availability of food for the world’s population. This team includes people affiliated with several departments from across the University that have joined together as members of the Cornell  Institute of Food Science (CIFS). Students at Cornell enjoy the combined advantages offered by the applied programs of a major land grant university and the intellectual rigor and stimulation that characterize a prestigious Ivy League institution, all on the same beautiful campus.