How the Earth’s Tilt Creates Short, Cold January Days
Deanna Hence, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Above the equator, winter officially begins in December. But in many areas, January is when it really takes hold. Atmospheric scientist Deanna Hence explains the weather and climate factors that combine to produce wintry conditions at the turn of the year. How does the...
Why Can’t We Throw All Our Trash Into a Volcano and Burn It Up?
Emily Johnson, US Geological Survey Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why can’t we throw all our trash into a volcano and burn it up? – Georgine T. It’s true that lava is hot enough to burn...
Sports Card Explosion Holds Promise for Keeping Kids Engaged in Math
John Holden, Oklahoma State University When it comes to collecting sports cards, people often focus on the cards’ financial worth. And understandably so. After all, when a small piece of cardboard that originally cost just dollars or even cents is suddenly worth more than a million bucks after the featured player rises to fame,...
Both the Public and Private Sectors are Scrambling for STEM Workers
Each week we see concerning reports about the STEM skills gap continuing to widen in the United States. The good news is Congress and the Biden Administration have a unique chance to help move things in the right direction. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, there were 1.4 million open tech vacancies in 2020 and only 400,000...
Karan Bajaj on the Future of AI and Teaching Kids How to Code
Whitehat Jr. Founder and perennial business innovator Karan Bajaj developed Whitehat’s cutting-edge edtech program as a coding learning tool for children and adolescence. Bajaj was interviewed recently on Mashable about AI and more. Here’s a summary of that interview, his thoughts on AI, and the future of coding...
The Public and Private Sectors Need More STEM Talent – Here’s How They Can Get It
By Rick White and Alexander Kirillov Each week we see concerning reports about the STEM skills gap continuing to widen in the United States. The good news is that Congress and the Biden Administration have a unique chance to help move things in the right direction. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that there would...
How to Achieve Accessibility through Inclusive Design
Unfortunately, many of today’s developers and manufacturers still rely on the “band aid” approach to achieving consumer accessibility for most of their products. All too frequently, products, websites, and various technologies pass through all phases of design and development before anyone with significant influence considers...
In-Demand Tech Jobs that Don’t Require A Degree
College isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay because there are plenty of options you can explore with a high-school diploma or a certificate. Since the tech sector is clamoring for more high-quality job performers, they tend to overlook credentials if you have a great portfolio. The following in-demand tech jobs offer excellent...
Autism Students' Ability to Maneuver the World With Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) and other forms of assistive technology in the classroom are seeing positive results with autism students.
Wearables Might Be Powered by Sweat Sooner Than You Think
The future of wearables is here. These devices have been around for a few years but have recently taken off as hot commodities. Whether it's for exercise or health, wearable technology is becoming increasingly valuable. Though these devices usually use battery power to operate, new wearable technology now has a biological option —...
Post-Pandemic SUVs Head Two Different Directions
New Models Introduced This Week Offer Electric or High-Horsepower Gas Choices The automotive market is not always clear in the direction it’s taking at any given moment. This week was one of those weeks. Future SUV buyers are going to be able to choose from a very green path or one emphasizing horsepower and off-road proficiency.
Big Wheels Keep on Turning...Quietly
While headlines have showcased a dip in the light-duty car sector, big trucks, commercial vehicles, over-the-road, and short-haul semis have seen a surge in recent technology deployments.
When’s the last time a Ford Bronco got this much attention?
Engineered with smart off-road technology, the 4x4 Ford Bronco is back in the news with a family of rugged SUVs. The vehicle’s production is scheduled for take-off in early 2021 while delivery to dealerships is expected next spring.
How Mounting Regulations on Plastics Stifle Innovation
What if legislators placed heavy design restrictions on the automotive or aerospace industries? What if engineers at Tesla or Boeing saw their research capabilities reduced to a small palette of less-creative, material options?
Why FTP Servers are Still Relevant
First developed in 1971, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers have long served a key part in data communication. Before the advent of Transfer Connection Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP), FTP was working to connect different systems and allow convenient transference and manipulation of files. While mainstream use of FTP is now...
Amazon Wants to Take You for a Ride
Retail Giant Spends $1B+ for Zoox AV Startup Amazon appears to be looking for new markets to dominate, including future robotaxis, as it last week added autonomous vehicle (AV) developer Zoox to its portfolio. While the transaction numbers were not disclosed, based on the valuation of the company it is believed that Amazon spent...
The Time for AR is Now and Your Health May Depend On It
In recent years, we’ve seen great strides as companies like Microsoft and TeamViewer introduce and implement its own use cases for AR, which has made attending Las Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show that much more exciting.
Can Facial Recognition Restrictions Enhance Tech Privacy? Probably Not
Facial recognition has always been a controversial technology, especially when it comes to the government using it. As tensions between the public and police have risen, some big names in the technology have taken a stand. Amazon, Microsoft and IBM have all stated that they'll stop selling facial recognition tech to the police. To be...
