Category Archives: General

General

A shortage of engineering graduates?

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100,000 Stem graduates are needed a year just to maintain the status quo, according to a report by The Royal Academy of Engineering.

Engineering firms are crying out for engineers.

Professor Matthew Harrison Royal Academy of Engineering

In the UK something like 23,000 engineers are graduating every year. Apparently that is not enough and UK firms are already recruiting experts from abroad.

Really?

But, is this not contradictory to other reports of STEM students having to take lower skilled jobs? For Example, Judith Burns (BBC) wrote about graduates in general back in March, see here.

More than a third of recent graduates were in non-graduate jobs at the end of 2011 – up from about a quarter in 2001.

Judith Burns (BBC)

Katherine Sellgren (BBC), in September wrote about Engineering graduates specifically, see here.

Nearly a quarter of UK engineering graduates are working in non-graduate jobs or unskilled work such as waiting and shop work, a report suggests.

Katherine Sellgren (BBC)

Now I am confused

So, what is the problem here? How can we have a situation where UK companies are having to recruit from abroad when we have a quarter of UK engineering graduates are working in non-graduate jobs?

The reason?

The Lords Science and Technology Committee (opens a PDF) called for immediate action to boost student numbers in science, technology, engineering and maths at undergraduate and postgraduate level. In the same report, it was stated that many graduates do not have the skills need by industry.

In reality the quality of the Stem graduates coming out of universities does not meet the requirements of industry and in fact is ultimately not even likely to meet the requirements of academia.

Lord Willis

In particular, around 70% of biology undergraduates, 38% of chemistry and economics undergraduates and 10% of engineering students did not have A-level maths.

Link

BBC NEWS

General, Physics

Why String theory?

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pants

Over many centuries physicists have developed ways of understanding reality, from the tiny to the enormous, the freezing to the fiery. Their quest? To explain of all nature with just one set of rules. It’s been a long journey, with many dead ends and setbacks. But some are hoping we’re nearly there.

Taken from whystringtheory.com/motivation/the-basics/

Why String Theory is a website set up by by Edward Hughes and Charlotte Mason in Summer 2012 at the University of Oxford. The project was funded by the Royal Society via Dr Joseph Conlon’s University Research Fellowship. Dr. Joseph Conlon, Charlotte Mason and Edward Hughes wrote the articles.

The website is aimed at a general audience. The website motivates string theory and why scientist are interested in it. The website assumes no prior knowledge of advanced mathematics or physics.

Not for the layperson

If you want a proper introduction to string theory then I suggest the following books:

  • Barton Zwiebach, A First Course in String Theory, Cambridge University Press, 10 Jun 2004 – 578 pages.
  • Richard J. Szabo, An Introduction to String Theory and D-Brane Dynamics, Imperial College Press, 2004 – 128 pages.
  • Joseph Polchinski, String Theory: Volume 1, An Introduction to the Bosonic String, Cambridge University Press, 2 Jun 2005 – 424 pages.

Link

Why String Theory?

General, General Mathematics, Physics

Ig Nobel prize for physics

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ponytail

Joseph Keller (US), Raymond Goldstein (US/UK), Patrick Warren and Robin Ball (UK) have been awarded the 2012 Ig Nobel prize for physics for calculating the balance of forces that shape and move the hair in a human ponytail [1,2].

The winners were announced and awarded on Thursday 20th September.

Anyone interested should examine the Ponytail Equation.

References

[1] Raymond E. Goldstein, Patrick B. Warren, and Robin C. Ball, “Shape of a Ponytail and the Statistical Physics of Hair Fiber Bundles.” Physical Review Letters, vol. 198, no. 7, 2012.

[2] Joseph B. Keller, “Ponytail Motion,”, Journal of Applied Mathematics, vol. 70, no. 7, 2010, pp. 2667–72.

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Ig Nobel prizes

Astronomy, General

2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year

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Now in its fourth year the Astronomy Photographer of the year competition winners for 2012 have been announced. The competition is run by The Royal Observatory, Greenwich in partnership with The Sky at Night magazine.

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Pleiades Cluster by Jacob von Chorus (Canada), aged 15

I am quiet impressed with the under-16s winner Jacob von Chorus and his picture of the Pleiades Cluster.

I congratulate all the winners and urge everyone to view the pictures, which can be found here.

Links

Royal Museums Greenwhich

Sky at Night Magazine

Astronomy, General, Physics

Galileo: The movie

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Galileo Galilei was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who shaped modern scientific thinking. Galileo has been called the “the Father of Modern Science”.

Galileo’s wider “claim to fame” was his persecution at the hands of the then very powerful and politically influential Catholic Church. (We seem to get reminded of this quite a lot be disgruntled “amateurs”. )

An educational film dramatising the life of Galileo and his scientific discoveries can be found on the IOP website here.

The chapters are as follows

2:15 – Scene 1: Of Mice and Pendulums. Pisa Cathedral, Italy, 1583
7:50 – Scene 2: The Feather and the Weights. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, 1590
14:55 – Scene 3: The Spyglass. Optician’s Shop, Holland, 1608
21:15 – Scene 4: Galileo’s Star Party. Galileo’s Garden, Padua, Italy. 1609
36:10 – Scene 5: A Visit From the Pope. Galileo’s Garden, Florence, Italy, 1633
51:00 – Epilogue: The Space Probes. A student’s room, Lancaster University, 2009