May, 24
2022
Books and Publishing, Business, Entertainment, Free News Articles, Sciences

Epistemologist Procopius Canning’s new book advocates for an International Dark Sky Preservation Treaty

SHELBURNE, Nova Scotia -- Perusine Press announces the release of the Special Collector's Edition of "An Epistemologist Proves Einstein's Theory of General Relativity to be False" (ISBN: 979-8804556472) by Procopius Canning, a book designed for both the layperson and the professional, focused upon the phenomenon of time, but with an environmental activist twist.

Einstein's claim that time is a relative phenomenon, posited within his Theory of Relativity, is incongruent with much of quantum mechanics, and after 50 years, the proof remains aloof. This intriguing book presents an antithesis to the relativity of time, while always remaining within the credible boundaries of the branch of philosophy that we call epistemology, to do so.

Designed so that any interested layperson will be able to understand the contents, first the book explains the fundamentals of epistemology, which then serves as an instruction manual to understand the epistemological argument, and symbolic logic, to follow.

Here the reader will find a concise epistemological dictionary, a short history of skepticism and its basic tenets, an explanation of how we use thought experiments in philosophy, with examples from Plato's Allegory of the Cave to Gilbert Harman's Brain in a Vat. All fascinating topics in themselves, and included to support the veracity of the argument and proof.

The Addendum to this special collector's edition includes a short history of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto and the first Pugwash International Peace Conference, and similarly, argues for an International Dark Sky Preservation Treaty. The book proposes a conference to address the militarization of space, light pollution that impairs astronomy, and even the concern of possible commercial advertising orbiting in space.

"Today it is not only the Earth below us that we must act to prevent from harm, but the heavens above us, as well," states the author, Procopius Canning.

The book contains open letters to the reader, appropriate government officials, NASA, Elon Musk, Greta Thunberg, and faith leaders, and asks them to join together to help with this important cause for our, and our future generations', benefit.

To order online: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y4W9QQH

About the author: https://procopiuscanning.com/

Related link: https://procopiuscanning.com/

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Mar, 16
2022
Education and Schools, Free News Articles, Sciences

Athanasian Hall Spotlights Fellow Dr. Fidelis Mukudi’s Work in Functional Analysis and Nanotechnology

OXFORD, U.K. -- Athanasian Hall, a research center headquartered in the UK, announces Fellow Dr. Fidelis Mukudi's upcoming presentations in Analysis and Nanotechnology in Rome and Dubai. Dr. Fidelis Mukudi received a Ph. D. in Functional Analysis from Kibabii University, having performed extensive research on the theory of Self-Adjoint Operators.

As a postgraduate student of outstanding promise, Dr. Mukudi already explored the frontiers of Functional Analysis, Complex Analysis, and the "Theory of Operators". In April 2022, he will deliver an address in Dubai on polynomials arising in unbounded operators defined in Hilbert Spaces.

In October, he will present novel results on the spectral properties of commutants of unbounded self-adjoint operators with simple spectra in Rome at the International Conference on Present Advances in Pure and Applied Mathematics.

According to Dr. Jonathan Kenigson, the acting Don of Athanasian Hall, Cambridge LTD, "The study of Hilbert spaces and the operators defined upon them represent a nontrivial component of modern mathematical physics. These results...often find application in the Quantum realm, where results on Operator Algebras often have corollaries in Field Theory, Information Uncertainty, and Nanotechnology. Dr. Mukudi has substantial promise as a research scholar in Functional Analysis because of his ability to think about interdisciplinary topics from the unifying perspective of Linear Analysis."

Athanasian Hall, Cambridge LTD is an independent think-tank devoted to interdisciplinary research in the Quadrivium in its most modern expressions.

According to Dr. Kenigson, "We are a pure research institute independent of the University of Cambridge. Our scholars are encouraged, but not required, to pursue affiliation with scientific bodies in the city or with university institutes. With respect to Dr. Mukudi...we will nominate him for the greatest possible support we can offer to early-career researchers. He exemplifies the best characteristics of the Liberal Arts tradition while remaining superbly qualified in all areas of modern pure mathematics. Our scholars have a great deal of latitude to choose their courses of research and can freely change university affiliation without losing the support of our faculty, which is international."

Dr. Mukudi is receptive to requests for funded postdoctoral fellowships and similar support at top institutes. According to Kenigson, "Investment in such work is of broad benefit to society even if its applications are not known in advance. Esoteric mathematics often becomes the main component of new physical and economic theories that influence the lives of millions of people."

More information:

https://athhallcam.uk/

About Athanasian Hall, Cambridge, Limited:

Athanasian Hall, Cambridge, Limited is the world's first university-independent research institute devoted to study of the Quadrivium (Arithmetic, Astronomy, Geometry, and Music) in its diverse forms. The institute exists to support the interests of affiliated scholars in Europe, the USA, Asia, and Africa. Scholars are selected on a basis of merit or potential of great merit in contributions to Quadrivium topics.

Related link: https://athhallcam.uk/

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Feb, 01
2022
Free News Articles, General Editorial, Sciences

Athanasian Hall to Explore New Relationships Between Prime Numbers and String Theory

LONDON, U.K. -- The study of abstract physics is often seen as separate from pure mathematics. Subjects like Black Holes, Low-Temperature Gases, Gravitation, and Electromagnetism are considered in the domain of physics rather than mathematics. "This distinction is, however, being challenged daily by advances in combinatorics and number theory applied to String Propagation...and the invariants of the Gromov-Witten Theory," states Dr. Jonathan Kenigson of Athanasian Hall.

Dr. Kenigson states that, "The primary focus of my research this year, and that of some of my colleagues, is the tangle of bridges connecting primality, combinatorics, and paradigms of String propagation." His collaborators at the research institute Athanasian Hall, Cambridge work largely independently. They are "highly motivated and accomplished scholars, and can undertake whatever research efforts they wish. I never put restrictions on such inquiry."

"As an example of what I endeavor to consider this year, one may speculate about the following scenario: String interaction operators arising from Lagrangians often arise very organically in terms of Riemann Zeta Functions of the particle number in Fermionic systems and others. These operators are complicated functions of ratios of Gamma functions and Zeta analogues whose representations are complex. It would be nice to have a compact representation of the related coefficients in terms of known combinatorial entities."

Combinatorics is the study of counting, so what Dr. Kenigson is saying is that he and his colleagues want to count the strings in predictable ways.

"Recent advances in Russia and France have made explicit relationships between globally convergent series representations of classical Zeta functions and their Hurwitz analogues commensurable with statements about choice functions, Bell Numbers, Catalan Numbers, Stirling Numbers, and many other special series." The goal of the research is to explore these relationships in the paradigm of String Theory, especially "as related to Black Holes, Fuzzballs, the Thermodynamic properties of plasmas, and high-dimensional analogues of Fermionic and Bose-Einstein Gases."

Last year, "we explored the Chandrasekhar Limit for extremal stellar implosion as a function of degeneracy pressure using Gamma Functions in high Euclidean dimensions. A Gamma Paradigm was helpful for this work, which is still ongoing."

Gamma functions are generalizations of the factorial function. If you remember from school, for instance, 4! = 4*3*2*1 = 24.

Dr. Kenigson states that "such functions arise in permutation groups on finite words, in the theory of geometric permutations, and in symmetry structures like U(n) and SU(n) which encode deep information about systemic invariants".

For more information, visit: https://athhallcam.uk/tripos-%26-faculty

Related link: https://athhallcam.uk/

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Nov, 02
2021
Free News Articles, General Editorial, Sciences

Pantheory Research Organization announces paper on a new ‘Theory of Everything’

CERRITOS, Calif. -- A new "Theory of Everything" is being presented by the Pantheory Research Organization. This theory combines Quantum Mechanics (QM), the theory of the smallest particles, with General Relativity (GR), the theory of gravity and the world of the large, in a theoretical construct which they assert is without contradiction. This is their latest version of the theory that relates to problems in the forefront of modern physics as of the fall of 2021.

The most well-known attempt at such a theory was called String Theory, first developed in the late 1960's. It was a mathematical approach that proposed the existence of many dimensions beyond the three dimensions that we know of, plus time. The problem with this theory was that after more than three decades of theory development, no new predictions were ever acknowledged based upon the theory. Many now consider String Theory as "fringe physics," no longer a part of mainstream physics. One might note that there have been a great many Theory-of-Everything(s) proposed, but almost all of them have been solely mathematical approaches.

This Theory of Everything is based on a very unusual approach to such a theory in that the theory asserts and explains why major aspects of "modern physics," including quantum theory and General Relativity, contain conceptual and other errors. "Modern physics" relates to theories of physics that began development in the early 20th century, Quantum Mechanics and Einstein's theories of relativity being prime examples.

Although Quantum Mechanics is the best statistical and mathematical system available for making predictions in the quantum realm (smallest observable particles), there is no consensus version of it which logically explains quantum behavior -- simply that logic is the all-important missing ingredient of Quantum Mechanics, according to this Theory of Everything.

General Relativity (Einstein's theory of gravity) also has its own limitations according to this proposal. This theory proposes what it describes as a much simpler theory concerning the worlds of the big and small combined. According to this theory the Zero Point Fiend (ZPF) dominates both the quantum realm and overwhelms gravity at the largest scales of the universe via background field flow.

Some of the new and contrary assertions of this theory are:

* Light is a wave and only becomes a particle (photon) upon its interference or detection by instrumentation.

* A cosmological constant does not exist.

* The highly regarded Hubble distance formula is wrong, an alternative formula is presented.

* Dark Energy does not exist for reasons presented. Alternative equations are presented.

* Dark Matter does not exist as a major part of the universe, if at all. Alternative equations are presented.

* The "Inflation" hypothesis is wrong; asserting there was never was such an event.

* Einstein's gravity is only a minor factor in determining the structure and form of the observable universe. New equations are presented.

* The Big Bang theory is almost entirely wrong. Alternative theory is presented.

New equations presented:

A New galactic distance equation; A New brightness equation, new equations to determine spiral galaxy rotation profiles, as well as the same equations enabling better predictions of galaxy cluster rotation profiles.

Some of the predictions of this Theory are:

* The Zero Point Field will be realized as controlling both the worlds of the small and of the large via its short-lived virtual particles and its generally unknown field flow characteristics and forces.

* The speed of light is not constant everywhere in the universe.

* At the farthest distances we will find just as many old appearing galaxies as we can observe near us. This is because these galaxies really are old, and the universe far older than what is presently believed.

* The observable universe is expanding little if at all. The Hubble constant and the Hubble distance equation are simply wrong.

* Many small "hot spots" in the cosmic microwave background will be found by the newest telescopes, which are made up of the most distant observable fully-formed galaxies.

* Part of the Micro-wave background is moving. This is because the microwave background is accordingly unrelated to the Big Bang; it is simply the temperature of matter in space based upon galactic radiation, with the temperature distribution and temperature caramelization caused by the Zero Point Field.

In addition to this online paper of the "Theory of Everything," on the same link below is another theory by the same author called: "Grand Unified Theory (analogue)." This additional theory explains all of the so-called forces of nature and how they relate to each other, not explained by this T.O.E.

Link to this Theory of Everything: https://papers.pantheory.org/

Reference links: http://www.pantheory.org/

https://www.send2press.com/wire/profile/pantheory-research-organization/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7ONCj-kAAAAJ&hl=en

https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/Forrest-W.-Noble/145379276

MEDIA CONTACT:

Forrest Noble

Pantheory Research Organization

pantheory.org@gmail.com

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Aug, 13
2021
Boating, Marine and Maritime, Business, Economic Development, Environment and Ecology, Free News Articles, Sciences

Pompano Beach to Test SEAHIVE Shoreline Protection System at Wahoo Bay

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -- Scientists, government officials and citizens concerned about climate change and sea level rise will soon have a new source of data when Wahoo Bay in Pompano Beach launches. This underwater marine park will become a global incubator for the ocean's ecosystem and will test the SEAHIVE™ marine and estuarine shoreline protection system, a research project funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) in collaboration with FDOT.

The team at Wahoo Bay collaborated with scientists and engineers from the University of Miami's College of Engineering and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science with the hope that green engineering solutions will prove to be superior to traditional measures such as the controversial U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' proposal to wall-off Miami against water.

"There are a variety of potential solutions being discussed to combat sea level rise and protect areas like South Florida from the impacts of flooding, erosion and wave attack," explained Rob Wyre, Chairman of Shipwreck Park. "However, many of the options can be detrimental to the overall ecosystem. Wahoo Bay will play a critical role in helping scientists and government officials test the SEAHIVE system, while the park itself will create an environment for local, national and international scientific experiments and collaboration."

The SEAHIVE™ configuration for Wahoo Bay combines a modular concrete structure with adequate complexity and material composition with mangroves. The projection is that the system will not only reduce flooding and erosion in the area but will be hospitable to sea life, creating an eco-laboratory for Wahoo Bay visitors.

"We are very excited to be collaborating with the team at Wahoo Bay, said Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, an assistant professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Miami who is part of the SEAHIVE™ development team. "They were very enthusiastic about implementing our research in Pompano Beach, and our discussions with Rob Wyre led to the idea of utilizing red mangroves in the design, resonating our ideas towards a 'green-gray' approach. Wahoo Bay will be an important test for the SEAHIVE system and will provide invaluable data as we search for the most viable solutions to preserve coastal areas."

Wahoo Bay is a Shipwreck Park initiative that will be run by the City of Pompano Beach's Parks and Recreation Department and supported by community volunteers.

This educational initiative is expected to begin construction this September and will cost more than $1 million to complete. Additional funding is required, donations can be made at https://wahoobay.org/donations-page/.

MULTIMEDIA:

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0813s2p-wahoo-bay-300dpi.jpg

*Caption: Rendering of Wahoo Bay.

Related link: https://wahoobay.org/

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Feb, 09
2021
Business, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies, Sciences

‘Dark Matter probably does not exist’ was a major conclusion of an extensive research study, finished in 2020

CERRITOS, Calif. -- According to the Pantheory Research Organization, a multi-year study of many dozens of randomly-chosen spiral galaxies has concluded that dark matter probably does not exist. According to the paper's lead author Forrest Noble, this conclusion was based upon a number of factors: First, that the observable matter of spiral galaxies was all that was needed to exactly predict their observed velocity profiles.

Next, that dark matter is a very poor predictor of spiral galaxy rotation profiles and galaxy cluster anomalies. Also, the related statistics show that the study's own proposed model exactly predicts stellar velocities within spiral galaxies to the highest degree of statistical confidence. Additionally, because dark matter fails to explain or correctly predict many galaxy- cluster observation anomalies, all of which can easily be explained by the study's own proposed alternative.

The belief in dark matter has been a major part of astronomy since the mid 1970's. It is presently believed by most mainstream astronomers to be the source of nearly all the so-called gravitational anomalies within the observable universe. It is believed to increase velocities within spiral galaxies, galaxy clusters, and to be the cause of the observed increased bending and lensing of light, and other observation anomalies at the largest scales of the observable universe. Instead, this study concludes that dark matter predictions are often inaccurate when a method to substantiate its predictions is available, and especially inaccurate concerning spiral galaxies.

The alternative model proposed by this new research is called the Field Flow and Vortex (FFV) model. Like dark matter this model proposes a physical background field as the cause of the increased observed velocities. But unlike dark matter this field is accordingly made up of non-matter particulates or virtual particles. Instead of the gravitational influences of dark matter enabling the increased velocities observed within spiral galaxies, the study proposes that background field-flow velocities are the cause of increased stellar velocities based upon the field's mundane contact pushing forces. This also applies to velocities of galaxies within a cluster and the excess bending of light.

They also propose that background-field-flow could also initiate large scale cluster flows like the dark flow. This presently unknown field-flow energy is asserted to have only 1/5th the mass equivalence required by the dark matter proposal. The study claims the likelihood of this proposal is based upon its "obviously exact predictions of spiral galaxy velocity profiles."

Aside from their own studies, studies by others are cited within the paper which show the inability of dark matter in explaining light aberrations and arcs within galaxy clusters. They also cite a very recent study showing unexplained rotation-direction correlations of galaxies to each other within a cluster, where the galaxies are far too distant from each other to be explainable by the increased effects of gravity via dark matter - all of which they claim can be readily explained by their background-field-flow model.

Another main conclusion of the paper is that background-field-flow accelerates the formation of both galaxies and galaxy clusters, and rivals gravity as to determining the form and large-scale structures of the universe.

Link to the ResearchGate, preprint of paper: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7ONCj-kAAAAJ&hl=en#d=gs_md_cita-d&u=%2Fcitations%3Fview_op%3Dview_citation%26hl%3Den%26user%3D7ONCj-kAAAAJ%26citation_for_view%3D7ONCj-kAAAAJ%3Ad1gkVwhDpl0C%26tzom%3D480

This paper's expected release-date is May 2021.

Contact author Forrest Noble, director of the Pantheory Research Organization, pantheory.org@gmail.com or call (562) 924-3313, or (562) 331-8334 (cell) to answer any questions regarding this study and paper.

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Feb, 08
2021
Business, Entertainment, Free News Articles, Sciences

Cybernauts Called to PLANETXXI to Save Planet Earth

CHICAGO, Ill. -- PLANETXXI, an exoplanet and mirror to Earth, has recently picked up chatter and cries for help to save planet Earth. Their voices were heard in CyberCity, PLANETXXI's satellite communications center saying that planet Earth is in trouble. Sandra Snowden, Founder of PLANETXXI LLC and newly launched online entertainment broadcasting website, PLANETXXITV.com, says she and her company are ready to help save planet earth.

Through her cosmic character aka Celestina Xi, Ambassador from PLANETXXI, she is sending out an SOS to recruit a new generation of futurists and visionaries - Cybernauts. Together, they will work to solve Earth's environmental crisis and save the planet.

Concerned students are afraid that the future of the planet is grim and they are looking for ways to help. Becoming a PLANETXXI Cybernaut is one way to be a catalyst for change.

While NASA has astronauts travel the universe on space missions, PLANETXXI Cybernauts zoom at warp speed into cyberspace from CyberCity and connect with their counterparts in a "Think Tank of Tomorrow" where they're challenged to create The First Eco City of the Future on PLANETXXI.

Using a blank canvas, students can Dare to Dream Big on their vision quest and design the kind of sustainable, and eco-friendly world they would like to live in and inherit. This eco-city will be their future. Through their illustrations, inventions, and innovation, PLANETXXI Cybernauts can change the paradigm and the course of history. They can also showcase their ideas and videos for all the world to see on PLANETXXI TV's YouTube Channel.

"This is no time to stand on the sidelines and watch others take control of your future. Space greats already have plans to build cities on Mars and to create colonized habitats in space so people will have a safe place to live as Earth becomes more and more uninhabitable," Celestina says.

Celestina agrees that as the climate clock ticks, planet Earth may cease to exist by 2100 and believes that together, a sustainable future can be achieved on Earth and PLANETXXI.

She's calling all futurists and visionaries, especially Generation Z'ers, to become part of the mission. In addition, teachers and classrooms are also invited to join PLANETXXI Cyber Schools of the Future in helping to create a new eco-friendly planet at: http://www.planetxxitv.com/.

Cybernauts will receive membership to Club PLANETXXI, along with a virtual passport giving them access to participate in all cyber events and virtual activities in CyberCity. Cyber Kids of the Future can also become a Cyber Pal to planet Earth and PLANETXXI. (PLANETXXI is COPPA compliant)

For more information:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PLANETxxi-104345174620968

GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/planetxxi-cyber-school-of-future

VIDEO - YouTube: https://youtu.be/X7ryR8X0xOM

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0208s2p-celestinaxi-300dpi.jpg

*Caption: Celestina Xi at PLANETXXI CyberCity.

Related link: http://www.planetxxitv.com/

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Jan, 21
2021
Business, Education and Schools, Environment and Ecology, Free News Articles, Product Launches, Sciences

Beyond Benign Launches Its Green Chemistry Commitment 25×25 Initiative

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Beyond Benign, a green chemistry education nonprofit, today announced the launch of its Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) 25x25 Initiative, working to ensure that 25 percent of graduating chemists in the US have a background in green chemistry by 2025 with the support of Beyond Benign partner Dow (NYSE: DOW). The initiative comes at a time when today's societal challenges are immense, as articulated through the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Beyond Benign's Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) is dedicated to integrating green chemistry and toxicology concepts into chemistry programs with the goal of providing students with the skills to design chemical products and processes to reduce human and environmental hazards. With 64 US signers to date, accounting for 8% of graduating chemists, the GCC program is working to create a systemic change in chemistry education, inspiring additional institutions to pursue and integrate green chemistry. With this new initiative of ensuring 25 percent of chemistry students graduate with a background in green chemistry, Beyond Benign is taking new action to extend the GCC reach and resources to achieve this goal over the next four years. Learn more: https://www.beyondbenign.org/he-green-chemistry-commitment/.

"We believe that by supporting educators and students to teach and learn green chemistry, we are equipping the next generation of scientists and citizens to design and select products that support both human health and the environment," says Amy Cannon, Director and Co-Founder of Beyond Benign. "With chemistry at the foundation of any sustainable solution, we are excited about the potential this initiative brings to build a critical mass of green chemists in the workforce."

To achieve the ambitious goal of preparing the workforce for sustainable action, per the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG 4.7), Beyond Benign will provide resources and support to interested institutions. This support includes an assessment of current chemistry and green chemistry programs, recommended lessons to incorporate into their curriculum and labs, an annual Green Chemistry Commitment Summit to bring all signers together, financial resources and on-going support for mentors, teachers, faculty and staff.

"It is imperative that our incoming workforce is prepared to design, create and produce sustainable solutions for the well-being of humanity," says Eunice Heath, Corporate Director of Sustainability for Dow. "Through Beyond Benign's aggressive GCC 25x25 initiative, we will be able to make a lasting impact on education, science and the global market."

Since 2007, Beyond Benign has integrated green chemistry into K-12 and higher education institutions through teacher training, lesson plans, community networks, webinars, and events. Institutions that are interested in incorporating green chemistry in their classrooms and labs can inquire about participating in the Green Chemistry Commitment by visiting the Beyond Benign website to learn more: https://www.beyondbenign.org/he-how-to-commit/

About Beyond Benign:

Beyond Benign, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, envisions a world where the chemical building blocks of products used every day are healthy and safe for humans and the environment. Beyond Benign is fostering a green chemistry education community empowered to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Beyond Benign's continuum of sustainable science educational programs including, teacher and faculty training and curriculum development from K-20 are helping to build the next generation of scientists and citizens with the skills and knowledge to create and choose products that are safe for human health and the environment.

Over the past 13 years, Beyond Benign has an extensive history of service, having trained over 6,000 K-12 teachers in sustainable science and green chemistry, designed over 200 open-access lessons, reached over 25,000 youth and community members through outreach, & partnered with 75 universities to transform chemistry education. Together we can catalyze the development of green technological innovations that result in safer products and processes in support of a sustainable, healthy society.

Learn more at: https://www.beyondbenign.org/.

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and on LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT
Nicki Wiggins
Director of Development
Beyond Benign
Nicki_Wiggins@beyondbenign.org
978-229-5443

LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0402s2p-beyond-benign-300dpi.jpg

Ticker: NYSE:DOW / NY: DOW

Related link: https://www.beyondbenign.org/

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Dec, 29
2020
Alliances and Partnerships, Business, Education and Schools, Free News Articles, Funding and Investment, Sciences

Synthetic Biology for Tennessee Schools: BioBuilder Partners with Niswonger Foundation on $8.8M Federal Grant for STEM Education

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The BioBuilder Educational Foundation announced that they are to partner with the Niswonger Foundation on their award of an "Education Innovation and Research" (EIR) Grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will focus on educational opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

BioBuilder will provide teacher professional development in the area of synthetic biology through their Essentials and Master Teacher workshops. BioBuilder's Professional Development workshops impact a teacher's understanding of biology and their approach to teaching it. Co-taught by a practicing synthetic biologist and a high school teacher, workshops combine classroom, laboratory, and design activities that are both accessible and inspiring. Participants leave with ready-to-teach lessons that bring engineering into biology classrooms, labs, and science clubs.

Aligned with both the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, the BioBuilder curriculum brings modern context to ideas and content traditionally taught in high school and college classes. At the high school level, BioBuilder has been used in General, Honors, and AP Biology as well as Biotechnology classes. In addition to teacher professional development, BioBuilder will support as many as 19 participating school districts with lab kits available through Carolina Biological Supply Company.

Students will participate in project-based learning through the BioBuilder Idea Accelerator, a program that teaches legitimate biotechnology skill building and data analysis through a team-based approach to creative problem solving and professional quality communication. Interested students may also elect to further pursue their biodesign projects with a dedicated mentor through BioBuilder's out-of-school-time activity, the BioBuilderClub.

This partnership builds on BioBuilder's work in recent years in the Kingsport City Schools, supported by the Eastman Foundation and Carolina Biological Supply Company. In January and July 2019, all the biology teachers at the Dobyns-Bennett High School, as well as teachers from other Kingsport schools and faculty from East Tennessee State University attended BioBuilder Professional Development workshops. Thanks to their training, teachers now plan to provide all 2,500 students at Dobyns-Bennett with hands-on training in synthetic biology over the next four years. After their pilot year, teachers have seen how their students respond to the BioBuilder labs in amazing ways.

Evie LaFollette, Secondary Science Teacher, Kingsport City Schools shared, "We've seen the full spectrum of students doing the BioBuilder labs, and they all enjoy it. They're asking, 'When do we get to do the next one?'"

The EIR grant was awarded to the Niswonger Foundation to fund the Rural Tennessee STEM.LD program. The concept of Learning Design (the "LD" in "STEM.LD") is defined as "the creative and deliberate act of devising new practices, plans of activity, resources and tools aimed at achieving particular educational results in a given context". BioBuilder joins the Niswonger Foundation in the belief that designing student-centered learning ecosystems and pathways can lead to positive student outcomes, from K-12 student achievement to meaningful employment in the workforce post-high school.

BioBuilder is one of a number of partners supporting the Rural Tennessee STEM.LD program. Other educational resources and partners will include cybersecurity experiential opportunities from the University of Alabama at Huntsville; expertise in curriculum design in engineering technology from Purdue University; East Tennessee State University's math, epidemiology, graphics design and computer science programs; the ETSU Research Corporation; and STEM project-based programs including STREAMWORKS, the Marine Advanced Technology in Education for Inspiration and Innovation; and "If I Had a Hammer."

Announcement from the U.S. Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-devos-announces-new-funding-accelerate-education-innovation-and-empower-teachers-professional-development-options-0

About the Niswonger Foundation

The Niswonger Foundation was established in 2001 to make a positive and sustainable difference in education in Northeast Tennessee. The Niswonger Foundation focuses on removing constraints to educational innovation and problem solving, thus allowing local school systems to better provide for student needs. By building school programs that are research-based and sustainable, the Niswonger Foundation has become a recognized voice for educational reform in the State of Tennessee, while nurturing the next generation of leaders. Learn more: https://www.niswongerfoundation.org/.

About BioBuilder Educational Foundation

Created by an award-winning team at MIT, BioBuilder offers new ways to teach, learn, and explore cutting-edge science and engineering. BioBuilder provides students the chance to integrate biology and engineering through practical, hands-on lessons, club activities, and school-to-work experiences. Teachers learn new methods of teaching that engage and inspire the young scientists in their classrooms.

Learn more: https://biobuilder.org/.

Related link: https://biobuilder.org/

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Nov, 13
2020
Business, Environment and Ecology, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies, Sciences

Oil and Gas Companies to Solve Climate Change – Develop Global Enhanced Geothermal Energy

YAP, Micronesia -- How can oil and gas companies lead in the fight against climate change? That is a question whose answer could very well solve the climate crisis rapidly. A new research project hosted by the Center for Open Science's online collaboration platform explores one option: pay them generously to drill for geothermal energy, and let their profits transform the entire global economy. That is the focus of Dr. Daniel Helman, a multidisciplinary researcher on the small island of Yap in Micronesia, who initiated the work this week.

According to an MIT study published more than a decade ago, there are large amounts of usable geothermal energy located all over the world, in every country. It is enough energy to power civilization for several millennia to come.

Called "enhanced geothermal" because it involves adding to the drilling process to fracture the surrounding rock, the oil and gas industries can do the work to ramp up this new geothermal energy to fuel the global economy. It could feasibly end reliance on fossil fuels.

"The timing and scale of climate change mitigation and adaptation are important," writes Helman about his motivation. The idea is to use the profit motive to encourage the oil and gas sector to come to the table, and provide a carrot for developing nations to make the switch. That could end the deadlock in the official climate negotiations as well.

"Providing viable pathways for oil and gas companies to cease production of fossil fuels and transition to developing geothermal energy is a novel and useful avenue for research," writes Helman about the work.

This solution doesn't come cheap. Adoption still depends on developed countries like the United States, the UK, and members of the European Union to fund the effort. And negotiations over how much geothermal energy to develop in each country are bound to be contentious, but could easily be based on population or on known fossil fuel reserves.

Helman's "Mixing Climate Change Response with the Profit Motive: Policy Roadmap for Hiring the Oil/Gas Sector to Develop Global Enhanced Geothermal Energy" is available on the Open Science Framework, an online platform of the Center for Open Science, at: https://osf.io/ta9wj/.

Follow Dr. Helman on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/HelmanDaniel

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Related link: https://twitter.com/HelmanDaniel

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