Topic: Isn’t often I’m ahead of the curve......

[wasbarryb]

especially 40+ years ahead of the curve, but thinking back to those days; it might be fair to say I majored in the following new degree.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/northern-michigan-university-offers-first-degree-in-marijuana/2017/10/23/b08f7818-b7a7-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_video.html?utm_term=.18091d60cdbf&wpisrc=nl_daily202&wpmm=1


Joking aside, MU should be looking for one or more unique programs to offer majors in. We’ve certainly benefited from our early entry in   forensics.

[Apollo]

especially 40+ years ahead of the curve, but thinking back to those days; it might be fair to say I majored in the following new degree.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/northern-michigan-university-offers-first-degree-in-marijuana/2017/10/23/b08f7818-b7a7-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_video.html?utm_term=.18091d60cdbf&wpisrc=nl_daily202&wpmm=1


Joking aside, MU should be looking for one or more unique programs to offer majors in. We’ve certainly benefited from our early entry in   forensics.

Renewable energy is another one I've often thought we should get into. Or robotics or something similar. Maybe develop a partnership with NASA or something.

[MUonium]

i'm currently reading a sci-fi space opera novel wherein it is the blase norm that the main culture has glands that dispense drugs at will for just about any purpose.

it could be that i'm just high already this moring, though, for my medical condition (cough, cough)

borrowing from Appllo, i suggest microbiosynenergyrobotics.  i'm pretty sure it's doable.

[wasbarryb]

i'm currently reading a sci-fi space opera novel wherein it is the blase norm that the main culture has glands that dispense drugs at will for just about any purpose.

it could be that i'm just high already this moring, though, for my medical condition (cough, cough)

borrowing from Appllo, i suggest microbiosynenergyrobotics.  i'm pretty sure it's doable.

Sigh

You and Sheldon with your Singularity dreams.  ;D

[MarshallManiac]

Renewable energy is another one I've often thought we should get into. Or robotics or something similar. Maybe develop a partnership with NASA or something.

I think you'll start to see a lot of this in the Engineering. They are aggressively looking for good people for mechanical, chemical and electrical engineering.

[_sturt_]

Sometimes society makes decisions based on the science of what is actually smart and healthy, and sometimes it just makes decisions based on economic self-interest and/or accepted popular hedonistic behavior.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160210135334.htm



I'm hoping for the forrmer in this case, but there are no guarantees of course.

[MUonium]

continued engineering research for safe and compact hydrogen energy, which i think by-produces clean water, with a goal to achieve it on a personal scale (just wondering!)

meteorological engineering division- research into how to safely divert, disperse or annihilate storm systems.

 

 

[QuickStrike]

Renewable energy is another one I've often thought we should get into. Or robotics or something similar. Maybe develop a partnership with NASA or something.

Renewable energy such as ethanol and biodiesel are the biggest waste of land and food.  No need to put this stuff into perfectly good transportation fuels.  One acre of canola only produces 150 gallons of diesel.  Then you have to use fuel to plant and harvest it.  Then you use fuel to get it to the processing plant.  Then you use energy to process it into biodiesel.  Then you use fuel to get it to the terminal to blend in with regular diesel.  Refiners take a monetary hit blending biodiesel into conventional diesel, but the cost is passed on to the consumer.  Much more efficient to make the fuel out of low sulfur crude oil, then use better cleaner technologies to reduce emissions from refining it.  Ethanol should only be used as a gasoline octane enhancer.  Car makers improving the MPG of their vehicles could easily off-set any environmental improvements from the EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard.

[Apollo]

Renewable energy such as ethanol and biodiesel are the biggest waste of land and food.  No need to put this stuff into perfectly good transportation fuels.  One acre of canola only produces 150 gallons of diesel.  Then you have to use fuel to plant and harvest it.  Then you use fuel to get it to the processing plant.  Then you use energy to process it into biodiesel.  Then you use fuel to get it to the terminal to blend in with regular diesel.  Refiners take a monetary hit blending biodiesel into conventional diesel, but the cost is passed on to the consumer.  Much more efficient to make the fuel out of low sulfur crude oil, then use better cleaner technologies to reduce emissions from refining it.  Ethanol should only be used as a gasoline octane enhancer.  Car makers improving the MPG of their vehicles could easily off-set any environmental improvements from the EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard.

I wasn't thinking that way for renewables. I agree those are pretty wasteful to produce. I was thinking more along the lines of hydro and solar power, wind, etc. I've seen a few articles on making use of ocean currents and putting wind power plants along coastlines that are promising and producing quite a bit of power in Europe. Might be worth looking into considering the winds and currents we get out of the Atlantic.

[elginherd]

Renewable energy such as ethanol and biodiesel are the biggest waste of land and food.  No need to put this stuff into perfectly good transportation fuels.  One acre of canola only produces 150 gallons of diesel.  Then you have to use fuel to plant and harvest it.  Then you use fuel to get it to the processing plant.  Then you use energy to process it into biodiesel.  Then you use fuel to get it to the terminal to blend in with regular diesel.  Refiners take a monetary hit blending biodiesel into conventional diesel, but the cost is passed on to the consumer.  Much more efficient to make the fuel out of low sulfur crude oil, then use better cleaner technologies to reduce emissions from refining it.  Ethanol should only be used as a gasoline octane enhancer.  Car makers improving the MPG of their vehicles could easily off-set any environmental improvements from the EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard.

Quick, you are correct about the energy in-out relationship. However, there are 2 other factors:

1) The grain production industry is all for bio-fuels blended into gasoline & diesel. Strictly speaking bio-diesel can also be using used cooking oils as part or all of fuel for diesels. (There is a cottage industry in using discarded veggie oils in old Mercedes in Cali).

2) Using 10% ethanol/gas blends does help with emissions control. 

[Herdmeister]

Am I missing something? How is this Marshall sports related?