U research enters realm of Hogwarts

This week on the big screen, the world will be watching the latest adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s bestselling Harry Potter series. Defying reality, Harry dons a magic invisibility cloak to disappear and sneak around Hogwarts undetected. The dream of making objects invisible has always crossed the imaginations of humanity and is seen throughout works of fiction.

Researchers around the world are chasing down the invisibility theory and developing models to create a technology that makes an object become invisible. Several of these building blocks have come from the work of Graeme Milton, a professor of mathematics at the U. In 1994, Milton began his cloaking research using applied mathematics in Australia.

His concept is simple, assuming you know biology, calculus, engineering and physics. Milton’s superlens research describes the ability to hide or “cloak” an object through the manipulation of light. Rather than the cloaking region being contained within the device, Milton suggests that ability lies outside the device.

According to the National Science Foundation, the superlens theory “cloaks a nearby object by making light behave in an unusual way. Instead of having a positive refractive index that makes light bend in the same way as it does when passing from air into a medium like glass or water, the superlens has a negative refractive index that in essence causes light to reverse and travel backwards. When an object is placed next to the superlens, the light bouncing off the object is canceled out by the light reflecting off the superlens, rendering the object invisible. Milton said the phenomenon is somewhat analogous to the noise cancellation headphones passengers wear on airplanes.”

Although the research has a long way to go before invisibility devices can be applied in real-world situations, scientists are now testing the theory. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed optical-camouflage technology while scientists at the University of California-Berkeley have created a “carpet cloak” from nanostructured silicon that conceals the presence of objects placed under it from optical detection.

Technology will continue to surprise us and achieve things we never thought possible. We won’t need to be a wizard to become invisible. The invisibility application and other creations from science fiction novels will continue to come increasingly faster as we continue dreaming and developing the technologies to make them a reality. It’s nice to know there are people at the U doing such interesting work. Bravo to those at the university, such as Milton, who put the U on the map.

http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/u-research-enters-realm-of-hogwarts-1.1774115

A degree isn't worth much without ambition

Most people who go to college do so not because they enjoy sitting in stuffy lecture halls while listening to monotone-voiced professors, but so they can carve out a better place for themselves in the world when they graduate. Or at least, that is what most expect.

Still, there are plenty of indifferent college students floating through the motions. This same indifference will continue after graduation as they wonder why no employer calls after submitting résumés to the Monster.com or CareerBuilder black holes.

A new study from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston found that college graduates who take jobs below their education level not only earn less, but also trail the earnings of other graduates who were able to secure career-track employment upon graduation.

Students who settle are the ones simply going through the motions of taking classes without a clear focus of where they want to end up after graduation. Some even go to school blindly with no major and hope that eventually they’ll fall into a cushy job just because they went to college. What a stupidly expensive and risky proposition on your future—the world doesn’t work that way.

Take just a few unscientific examples of individuals I have encountered. One student just finished her associates degree at the local community college. She says she wants to be a nurse, but none of her classes fulfilled the nursing pre-requisites. Now she’s discouraged that she wasted two years pursuing a degree that isn’t quite what she needs.

A communication student is currently looking for an internship. He said the bad economy is preventing him from getting any work, but the truth is, he hasn’t been networking or really taking ownership to secure an internship. He has the secret hope that someone will just call and offer a job.

My point in all of this is that you have to plan ahead and take responsibility. You can’t leave your future up to fate or naive wishing that things will simply turn out because you showed up. Find a mentor, a career counselor, a professional who can help coach and guide you through the logistics and obstacles of ending up where you want to be.

In the end, there is no one to blame for your failures and disappointments except yourself. Too many people are trapped in a state of indifference and lack the ambition to develop the necessary problem solving skills to compete in the world.

http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/a-degree-isn-t-worth-much-without-ambition-1.1771537