Reflecting on the enormity of the potential impacts of climate change, and whether we can realistically fight back, can be an intimidating exercise. But for Eve McDonald-Madden (L’Oréal Australia 2011 International Fellow) and Nicola Ranger, there are definite steps we can take to prepare, and to limit the severity of these consequences. From two very different angles, both scientists are already at it, using practical tools for concrete action.
As more and more researchers take part in bringing their science to the public, social media provide a wealth of tools for making contact. Still, it is important to remember that the target is real people on the other end, with a desire and a need to understand. The diversity of this community also means diversifying the approaches, with new ideas and old favorites, in order to connect most effectively with groups of different needs.
Two women of different cultures, generations, and specialties have both chosen a field that remains one of the most heavily male-dominated: mathematics. Far from evoking the rote memorization of inflexible formulae that many associate with high school math class, Nicole El Karoui and Carolina Canales describe a world of creativity and freedom. Certain realities for women in the field may translate into extra challenges, but, passionate for their subject, they remain undaunted.
Professor Rashika El Ridi (Egypt. Cairo), 2010 laureate of the L’Oréal-UNESCO program For Women in Science, is well aware of the great advances in immunology that have made her own research possible. She observes the impact on her own work, and expresses gratitude for this knowledge, which she hopes will help to improve the health of millions.
An astonishing result that amazed the world of astronomy, the discovery that the expansion of the universe is increasing in speed is today recognized as a major contribution to science. Astronomers Beatriz Barbuy (Brazil. São Paulo) andSilvia Torres-Peimbert (Mexico. Mexico City) both laureates of the L’Oréal-UNESCO program “For Women in Science”, reflect on the importance of this work.
Over the past week, virtually every media outlet has offered this list of revolutionary products, in solemn celebration of the achievements of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and the legacy he has left behind. The name of any one of those devices brings to mind the image of a sleek, modern machine, just begging you to run your hands over it, and a pristine interface to match. That is exactly what Apple represents to many of us: clean lines, both physically and digitally. This celebration of simplicity, which finds support in the field of Human-computer interaction (HCI), is no accident: It has always been at the heart of Apple design, thanks to the inspired vision of Steve Jobs.
This is the story of a man who has dreamed since childhood of travelling into space. He has fought on a daily basis for almost 20 years to achieve his objective: to jump from 40,000-meters – 7.25 minutes of freefall dressed with a stratospheric suit. In doing so, he would break 4records: 1) freefall from a record altitude, 2) highest human flight with a balloon, 3) the record amount of time in freefall and 4) fastest freefall speed. A soldier by training, Michel Fournier plans to make the most of the experience: ‘before jumping, I’ll definitely spare a few seconds just for myself’. This big jump remains first and foremost a scientific experiment that will allow advances to be made in the domain of space tourism. This is a portrait of a man out of the ordinary. Not for those afraid of heights…
After the tragic collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was commissioned to investigate the failure of the two towers to withstand the hijacked aircrafts’ crashes. The conclusion of their scientific investigation led to modifications of building codes intending to make them more fireproof. Nevertheless, a large group of mechanical engineers and architects from the US contest the scientific results. They ask for a new and independent study of the case and support the conspiracy theory.
Defended by movements for open access and the self-archiving of scientific publications, the development of free access archives are significant of the needs of scientific research in terms of communication and dissemination. Allowing everyone access to scientific seams to promote the visibility of research work – and much more quickly than via the classical publication process. Open access in particular is the object of many debates common to all scientific disciplines and must be considered in the framework of the historical context of scientific publication. This new practice of scientific publishing is symptomatic of societal changes caused by free access to content shared intentionally on the Internet and thus generates debates similar to that surround free downloading, the distribution of works and copyright protection.
A mathematical model to predict the growth of deadly terrorist attacks was published on 1 July 2011 in Science along with an estimate of when attacks may occur in the future. Using a study of public data regarding human losses in Afghanistan and Irak over 7 to 10 year periods, the scientists conclude that terrorist attacks follow the mathematic schemas already known to social sciences and applicable to human activities more generally.
