Legacy - EtonSTEM (Page 2)

Failure in Engineering

In Oliver Wendell Holmes’s poem “The Deacon’s Masterpiece”, a New England deacon aspires to construct an indestructible “one-hoss shay” (i.e., one-horse chaise) with all its components logically designed and of equal strength. The poem’s central irony lies in the fact that despite the deacon’s metic

Engineering

Tidal Turbines

Global energy generation continues to be heavily reliant on fossil fuels - a fact which, for the sake of humanity, cannot afford to be true for much longer. When burnt, fossil fuels emit the greenhouse gas...

Problem of the Week

Problem Of the Week: 29th January 2024

One of the CCF's guns is designed such that it can launch a projectile of mass 10 kg at a speed of 200 m/s. The gun is placed close to a straight, horizontal railway line and aligned such that the projectile will land further down the line. A small rail car of mass 200 kg travelling at a speed of 10

Biology

Nerves, Pain, Dr Seuss, and the Chippendale Mupp

Although hypothetical and a little absurd, for a story written in 1962 the Chippendale Mupp can prompt all sorts of questions and calculations about the technicalities of nerves.

Technology

Brain Chip Interfaces: A Dangerous Idea?

Brain-chip Interfaces, also known as BCIs, are a type of technology which allows for the creation of a communication pathway between the brain’s electrical activity and an external device.

Science

STEM Symposium 2023

Snuggled amidst Queen’s School – the heart of STEM at Eton, the Egerton theatre is an amazing place. In September the college hosted its annual STEM Symposium: an opportunity to hear B Blockers present a year-long project completed in C Block.

F Block STEM Club M23

The first week of the STEM Club was intriguing due to the combination of astronomy and coding. We were learning how to understand the basics of coding celestial entities and making them orbit around each other. By understanding the way in which they interact, we can alter the masses and angle of orb

Biotechnology

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Biotechnology

”It [Artificial intelligence] will either be the best thing that’s ever happened to us, or it will be the worst thing.” - Stephen Hawking

Problem of the Week

Problem Of the Week: 20th November 2023

One of the CCF's guns is designed such that it can launch a projectile of mass 10 kg at a speed of 200 m/s. The gun is placed close to a straight, horizontal railway line and aligned such that the projectile will land further down the line. A small rail car of mass 200 kg travelling at a speed of 10

Chemistry

The Bright Future of Solar Power

Solar power is the world’s fastest growing energy generation technology. Due to its many benefits, it is a very good candidate for replacing much of the fossil fuel power generation in use today. Currently, most solar panels are made up of silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells. However, there are countles

Problem of the Week

Problem Of the Week: 7th October 2023

There are 100 lockers that line the main hallway of Holyport. Every morning, the security guards make sure that all of the lockers are closed so that there will be an orderly start to the day. One day, 100 mischievous students decide that they will play a prank. The students all meet after school en

Engineering

Talking Engineering: Dr Sanjay Vijendran

For nearly 7000 hours per year, Europe’s hundreds of millions of solar panels face a sunless sky. In the race to replace fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives, the European Space Agency (ESA) is heading a bold approach to provide permanent power by putting solar panels in space. Max Hersov spok

Problem of the Week

Problem Of the Week: 24th September 2023

Alan and Claire live by the old Scottish saying, “Never have whisky without water, nor water without whisky!” So one day, when Alan has in front of him a glass of whisky, and Claire has in front of her a same-sized glass of water, Alan takes a spoonful of his whisky and puts it in Claire’s water. Cl

Engineering

Talking Engineering: Andy Reynolds

It is estimated that the Aviation sector accounts for 3.5% of global warming, releasing into the atmosphere more than 900 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Airbus, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, is at the forefront of research into sustainable aviation, and is pioneering the development of

Problem of the Week

Problem Of the Week: 22nd May 2023

The evening after national lockdown was lifted, a couple decided to celebrate their newfound freedom at a bar down the street. Much to their surprise, they find four other couples there who had the same idea. Eager for social contact, every person in the five couples enthusiastically hugs each perso

Talking Engineering

Talking Engineering: Dr Simon Thomas

Talking Engineering 10: Dr Simon Thomas The Revolutionary Potential of Graphene in Electronics Conducted by Max Hersov, December 2022 A University of Cambridge spin-off founded in 2017, Paragraf is the first company in the world to mass produce Graphene-based electronic devices using standard semiconductor processes. Their patented contamination-free deposition technology,

Problem of the Week

Problem Of the Week: 15th May 2023

You want to create a family tree, but you are having trouble tracking down your grandmother’s birthdate. The only clue you found was a letter written from your great grandfather to your great grandmother on the day you grandmother was born. Unfortunately, some of the characters were smudged out, rep

Biotechnology

AlphaFold

Unlocking the secrets of DNA, AlphaFold revolutionises the world of protein structures, dramatically enhancing our understanding of diseases. This AI breakthrough paves the way for unprecedented advancements in life sciences and medicine, redefining scientific exploration.

Computer Science

A Crash Course on Quantum Computers

(Warning: Maths ahead.) A quantum computer uses phenomena unique to the quantum world, such as the strange idea that something can be in two different states simultaneously. In this article, we’ll start with the smallest unit of quantum computing, the qubit, and work up towards a simple quantum algo

Talking Engineering

Talking Engineering: Simon Hombersley

Every year, Europe alone releases into the environment the microplastic equivalent of 10bn plastic bottles. Much of this ends up in the ocean, where they are ingested by marine life, blocking digestion and affecting nutrition as they work their way up the food chain. Xampla (a spin out from the Univ

Physics

Michelson-Morley Experiment

Waves in the ocean are mediated by water molecules oscillation. Sound waves propagate through the medium that is air particles. What is the medium of light and other electromagnetic waves?

Medicine

Prions and Alzheimer's Disease

Proteins are absolutely fundamental and essential to life - not least that of humans. Yet when polypeptides misfold - generating "prions" - the consequences can be devastating, and raise numerous questions and concerns.

Science

Immortal Jellyfish

It sounds absurd that jellyfish - the aquatic animals that live in the deepest and darkest parts of the world could be the solution for lengthening the lives of humans. After all, jellyfish are fish, whereas humans are humans. But in reality, the genome of the jellyfish is more alike to humans than

Talking Engineering

Talking Engineering: Dr Jean de La Verpilliere

Jean founded Echion in 2017 as a spin-out from the University of Cambridge. In this interview, he explains how the company supplies high-power Li-ion battery anode materials that enable superfast charging for a range of applications. Batteries made using Echion’s advanced materials can charge 10x fa

Engineering

The Chernobyl Disaster

Thirty-six years after the Chernobyl disaster, the chilling tale of the world's worst nuclear catastrophe continues to haunt us. Human error, Cold War secrecy, and flawed Soviet reactor design converged to unleash an unprecedented disaster. The harrowing aftermath – radioactive fallout, long-term he