Technology and World Change
Session 11
Presentation Week
Group 1: Futuristic Buildings
The first group’s topic of discussion was about the
importance of engineering in buildings, as it always has been. However, the
concept of engineering has included a new component then it did before. They
now have to include factors that might mitigate the effects of natural
disasters (not they did not have to in the past but it is now a more pressing
issue than ever). Such as keeping buildings symmetrical so that forces are
distributed equally throughout the structure when it comes into contact with
hurricanes or earthquakes.
Furthermore, they went on about what is ahead for the future
of buildings – futuristic buildings. They could encompass the use of bendable
concrete. It is a new type of fiber-reinforced bendable concrete that it 500
times more resistant to cracking and 40% lighter in weight as compared to
regular concrete. This is partly because of the composition of the mixture that
allows for its maximum flexibility and durability. They also talked about the
use of Hempcrete in construction. Hempcrete can be used to insulate the house
or keep houses cool depending on the state of season it is in. The group also
mentioned the advantages and disadvantages about the use of such new technology
in the construction of futuristic buildings.
I think the most thought provoking that the group mentioned
was about the idea of an underwater residence (although their idea of
underwater residence mostly referred to the floating homes). The group
addressed the future for such possibilities where people can actually live on
such places, where their homes would be suspended on water and held to pontoons.
There are also some challenges that these floating homes face as well. They
mentioned indoor climate where temperatures can soar in the summertime or how
the house is susceptible to flooding during the monsoon seasons. There might be
safety issues associated with living on these floating houses, especially
families with young children around (although I do believe that in such cases
there would be proper safety nets in place already if the family should
consider living in such floating homes such as by installing safety gates/barriers
or placing nets below). There are many potential benefits to living on such
houses, the reduced costs because of the use of renewable sources of energy
such as solar panels or wind powered generators.
Group 2: Clean Energy
Visiting their website and looking through the implications
that renewable energy has on the world, it definitely makes one more excited
about this current “hot topic”. There were many advantages of using renewable
sources of energy because it could help to mitigate climate challenge by
“drastically reducing carbon emissions and slow down global warming”. The group
also talked of how the use of such renewable sources of energy such as biofuels
will “completely eradicate the issue of pollution”. And this in turn will help
to reduce the amount of people that die due to air pollution. They also
discussed the economic benefits (such as job creation) that may arise if
industries start to shift to investing in renewable energy because the industry
is considered to be more labour-intensive than conventional inustries.
According to their website, they mentioned that the renewable energy industry is more labor-intensive.
Which begs the question as to, if this was the case (that the renewable energy
industry is more labor intensive), then why would there be an incentive to
invest in it? There may be reasons such as trying to safe planet earth, or
being responsible for the planet you live on etc. But to me, being labor
intensive means higher costs in the short run. But investing in it now may mean
more returns in the future because of all the potential benefits that may arise
from using renewable sources of energy.
Group 3: Nanotechnology
Some of the
applications of nanotechnology addressed by the group was about nanotechnology
in medicine. They talked about drug delivery using nanoparticles to carry drugs
to target cells. One example the group used was to tackle cancer cells such
that the nanoparticles attack only diseased cells. This is in contrast to
chemotherapy where other cells other than the targeted cells are also affected.
We may also have make use of nanotechnology in medical equipment such as scrubs
and lab coats made out of nanosized silicon particles that can repel
microscopic materials and so personnel and staff can be protected from hazardous
bacteria.
One other
application also mentioned in the website was about using nanotechnology to
create hydrophobic nanoparticles that is used to act as a waterproof coating
that can be used to buildings. However, there are adverse effects of using this
technology because when the nanoparticles are washed off and if accidentally
ingested (because these nanoparticles got washed into our water supply) then
there might be detrimental effects because it would cause a chemical reaction
with the cells in our body.
The group also
brought about the topic of social impact of nanotechnology. It has been
forecasted that the nanotechnology industry will exceed $30 billion. There
might be more pressing issues and more urgent matters that require a fraction
of this sum. How then is it able to justify whether this amount used is in the
best interest of the country/economy. Also, they mentioned the consequences of
having implement such technology such as displacement of jobs since jobs are
now mechanized.
Overall, I felt
that all the presentations that were done in this session were really
insightful and were well thought off and planned out. The websites they created
were also informative though some of the websites had a wealth of information,
they could be more clearly organized so it will be easier to digest the
information. But, on the whole, I felt that the websites and the presentation present
a medium for more information to be sought from. I give this session an 8!!!
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