3:40 p.m., Oct. 14, 2008----Richard Wool, UD professor of chemical engineering, may be finding valuable uses for chicken feathers in advanced composite materials, but on Saturday morning, Oct. 4, UD mascot YoUDee wasn't willing to sacrifice any of its tail feathers for the cause, much to the delight of the 200-plus talented youth and family members who attended a program on energy and the environment on campus.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

Sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY), the event was part of the Science & Technology Series offered through CTY's Family Academic Programs.

Despite the early morning clowning between the chemical engineering professor and the University mascot, the message of the day was serious. In welcoming the group of seventh- to tenth-graders, Provost Dan Rich said that we are living in one of the most transformative times in history, based not only on technology developments but also on access to information.

“A key ingredient in the 'flat world,'” Rich said, referring to Thomas Friedman's metaphor for the level playing field effected by globalization, “is creative imagination. The leaders of the future will be those that are the most creative and those that are the most imaginative, and you have the potential to be among those leaders.”

Rich referred to UD's long history of excellent and innovative work in energy and the environment and the interaction between them. “New technologies will transform the entire field of energy production,” Rich said. “It's not just one area but the confluence of knowledge from many different fields.”

Wool discussed his ongoing work on bio-based materials, which began several years ago with a John Deere tractor part made from soybeans. Since then, he and his colleagues have developed a printed circuit board made from chicken feathers and a hurricane-resistant roof made from recycled newspapers. The all-natural materials are used as reinforcement for resins made with plant oils.

“Those projects have been fun,” Wool said, “but now it's time to get serious.” He and his research team are currently looking at ways to use natural materials for hydrogen storage and wind turbine blades. “We need to take a multi-pronged approach to green energy,” he said.

Following Wool's keynote address, the students spent the remainder of the day in hands-on workshops on solar cells, biofuels and UD's vehicle-to-grid car project; wind turbine and fuel cell car competitions; a composites manufacturing simulation; and a “carbon footprint” activity.

Parents heard talks on a similar slate of subjects by University faculty, as well as presentations on preparing for selective college admissions by Admissions Director Louis Hirsh and Honors Program Director Alan Fox, professor of philosophy.

In addition to Rich and Wool, faculty participants included Suresh Advani, Josh Hertz and Ajay Prasad, mechanical engineering; Mark Barteau and Annette Shine, chemical engineering; Willett Kempton and Jeremy Firestone, marine and Earth studies; and Ismat Shah, materials science and engineering. In addition, a large contingent of graduate and undergraduate engineering students and Blue Hen Ambassadors assisted with workshops and tours.

The UD program was coordinated by Kathleen Werrell, assistant dean and coordinator of engineering outreach.

“We received many positive comments throughout the day from parents as well as students,” Werrell said. “As I chatted with students, they all seemed enthusiastic about the sessions in which they participated--for example, one young man couldn't wait to show his parents the penny that had been 'turned into' a dime through the 'sputtering process' in materials science.”

Article by Diane Kukich
Photos by Jon Cox