Tag Archives: Technology

3 Google Tools that Can Have a Major Impact on Learning and Education

Google is undoubtedly the god of the internet and technology in today’s society. As the number one search engine on the web and the leader in internet and device technology, Google is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Some of the smartest and most creative brains in the industry are working for the tech giant, developing new tools, applications, and websites to further education and access online.

There’s no denying that Google has revolutionized the way in which the internet is used. That being said, Google has also had an immeasurable impact on the world of academics. With endless information right at our fingertips and unbelievable tools available at all times, Google has created tools for learning that in many cases haven’t even been fully realized. These three Google creations are amazing tools that can impact and improve learning and education around the world. (more…)

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Cellphone Use Linked to Selfish Behavior in UMD Study

COLLEGE PARK, Md. Though cellphones are usually considered devices that connect people, they may make users less socially minded, finds a recent study from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Marketing professors Anastasiya Pocheptsova and Rosellina Ferraro, with graduate student, Ajay T. Abraham, conducted a series of experiments on test groups of cellphone users. The findings appear in their working paper, The Effect of Mobile Phone Use on Prosocial Behavior. (more…)

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Potential energy – Study of Maryland Demonstrates Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind Capacity

Offshore wind farms could generate more than enough energy to meet Maryland’s annual electricity consumption, according to a just-published study by researchers at the University of Delaware. The potential power output is nearly double current energy demands for the state, even when taking into account various limitations on where to place equipment in the Atlantic.

“Installing wind turbines far off the coast of Maryland would help the state generate large quantities of electricity while creating local jobs,” said study co-author Willett Kempton, professor of marine policy in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE). “Producing more electricity this way also displaces fossil fuel generation, thus reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions and improving air quality.” (more…)

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Adolescents with Autism Spend Free Time Using Solitary, Screen-Based Media

*MU researcher encourages capitalization on interest in screen-based technology, cautions against overuse*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to be fascinated by screen-based technology. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that adolescents with autism spend the majority of their free time using non-social media, including television and video-games.

“Even though parents and clinicians have often observed that children with ASD tend to be preoccupied with screen-based media, ours is the first large-scale study to explore this issue,” said Micah Mazurek, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. “We found that 64 percent of adolescents with ASD spent most of their free time watching TV and playing video and computer games. These rates were much higher than among those with other types of disabilities. On the other hand, adolescents with ASD were less likely to spend time using email and social media.” (more…)

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comScore Releases Report, “Next-Generation Strategies for Advertising to Millennials”

*Study Looks at Unique Characteristics of America’s Younger Consumers and Their Responses to Advertising across Platforms*

RESTON, VA, January 24, 2012 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released the report Next-Generation Strategies for Advertising to Millennials, highlighting the results from a recent comScore study that identifies the unique characteristics of the Millennial generation, commonly defined as persons born between 1981 and 2000. The study examined Millennials’ responses to different types of advertising, including TV and digital, compared to older generations, and how marketers can most effectively target this large and important segment. To download a complimentary copy of the report, please visit: https://www.comscore.com/Millennials. The study results will also be presented via a live webinar through the Advertising Research Foundation on January 31st. (more…)

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Microneedle Sensors May Allow Real-Time Monitoring of Body Chemistry

Researchers from North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of California, San Diego have developed new technology that uses microneedles to allow doctors to detect real-time chemical changes in the body – and to continuously do so for an extended period of time.

“We’ve loaded the hollow channels within microneedles with electrochemical sensors that can be used to detect specific molecules or pH levels,” says Dr. Roger Narayan, co-author of a paper describing the research, and a professor in the joint biomedical engineering department of NC State’s College of Engineering and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (more…)

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New Dye Will Lead To More Efficient Solar Energy Technology

A North Carolina State University invention has significant potential to improve the efficiency of solar cells and other technologies that derive energy from light.

Dr. Ahmed El-Shafei’s research group invented a new “sensitizer,” or dye, that harvests more ambient and solar light than any dyes currently on the market for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). (more…)

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MU Unveils 3-D Visual Immersion Laboratory

*New “iLab” will allow undergraduate students to design projects in a 3-D environment*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – One of the most difficult tasks architects and interior designers face when designing buildings and rooms is visualizing exactly what their projects will look like when they are finished. Now, the University of Missouri architectural studies department has developed the Immersive Visualization Lab (iLab) to help students visualize their designs more accurately. Bimal Balakrishnan, an assistant professor of architectural studies in MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, says the iLab will be one of few labs in the country to allow undergraduate students to get hands-on experience using immersive 3-D technology to complete and test their designs as part of their design studio curriculum.

“Most university immersion labs are reserved primarily for graduate students to use for research purposes,” Balakrishnan said. “While the MU iLab will be used for research, it will also serve as an excellent teaching and experiential tool for undergraduate students.” (more…)

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