Category: Science

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Tesla and Electric Cars in Scandinavia

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More and more I see electric cars around the United States, mostly the obvious ones like the Tesla Model S and an occasional plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt, plus the obvious non-plug-in hybrids like Toyota Prius. But this pales to the number of electric cars that I saw in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. One reason – access to charging stations.

Tesla car

Elon Musk has been working hard to install charging stations throughout the major driving corridors of the US. The government has not been all that helpful in that regard; in fact, because of oil and auto manufacturer lobbying (and Congress’s inability to function), our government inaction still works against the widespread distribution of electric cars. Europe has taken the opposite approach.

Electric cars in Oslo

In Copenhagen, there were a couple of charging stations right next to the famed city hall. In Stockholm, charging stations were also present, while in Oslo they have put a huge focus on electric vehicles. The photo above shows charging stations lined up and down both sides of the street. Interestingly, this particular spot was up against the old stone fortress walls made so famous in Jo Nesbo books. It shows that the old and new are compatible.

Norway EV Sales

While it was nice to see so many Tesla Model S cars, the predominant electric vehicle (EV) was actually the Nissan Leaf. According to Clean Technica, the Leaf has grabbed a huge lead in market share in Norway. The graphic above shows that Leaf sales made up 55% of the total EV sales in January 2014, almost four times the next electric car (Volkswagen’s e-Up!) and almost five times the Tesla Model S. Fully electric vehicles (EVs) dwarfed the number of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in Norway (and in Denmark, where 100% of EVs were full plug-ins). Oddly enough, PHEVs were ahead of full EVs in Sweden, in part because of the popularity of Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV and the lack of availability of the Tesla Model S.

Besides the greater environmental awareness of Scandinavians compared to Americans, drivers in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway already have access to the type of electrical sockets needed for EVs. These countries also offer much better financial incentives to help drivers move away from fossil fuel based engines to more sustainable engine technology.  They have also done a better job at facilitating charging stations, most of which are free to the public.

As you’ll see in that last link, charging stations for EVs and PHEVs are starting to appear in more and more places in the US as well, which should mean faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles in the near future. Eventually, all our vehicles may be EVs. That would go a long way to reducing our dependence on oil-based energy and our contributions to man-made climate change.

I’ll have more science traveling updates from Scandinavia, as well as from the Everglades, Yosemite, Argentina, and the other places I’ve visited since I embarked on this new career. Stay tuned (and feel free to wander around previous posts by clicking on “Travel” in the category list below).

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time. He is currently writing a book on Thomas Edison.

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How Climate Scientists Can Communicate the Science to the Public (from The Dake Page)

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Huh CommunicationLast week we took a look at how climate scientists can communicate the science to policy-makers, so today in Part 3 we’ll look at how scientists can communicate directly with the public. Together these are a three-part series on how to communicate climate science to all three target audiences – other scientists, policy-makers, and the public.

Communicating with the public is actually the most important of the three target audiences, and the one that scientists are least likely to have spent much time doing in their careers. And that’s a shame because policymakers (notwithstanding the disproportionate influence of lobbyists and rich campaign donors) are most influenced by public opinion. It is the public who are the real drivers of change. It is they who give policymakers permission (or pressure) to take action. If enough of their constituents demand action, they will act.

But reaching out to the public is inherently more difficult for scientists. Scientists, like all professionals, have usually spent considerable time (and expense) getting specific education, training, and life experience in their area of expertise than the general public. In these days of specialization it seems we all have our expertise, whether it be in some climate related science, economics, brain surgery, law, plumbing, or bridge design. Each field builds up its own set of jargon, technical words that have specific meanings within their field but may have no meaning to anyone outside that field (or worse, mean something completely different outside the field).

So it’s critical to reach out to the public, but scientists have to do so in ways that can be understood and are meaningful. Here are a few examples, though this by no means should be considered an exhaustive list:

1) Speak at libraries, churches, schools, etc.: Talk about science in a church? Of course. I was recently in a church whose stained glass windows included one celebrating several of our greatest scientists – Albert Einstein, George Washington Carver, and others. Libraries, churches, and schools all have one thing in common – they are places where the community comes together to learn. Off to give a talk about your area of specialty.

[Continue reading items 2 through 5 on The Dake Page]

The above is a partial cross-post of a full article on The Dake Page. Please click on the link above to read further. Thanks.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time. He is currently writing a book on Thomas Edison.

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How Climate Scientists Can Communicate the Science to Policymakers (from The Dake Page)

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Huh CommunicationLast week we took a look at how climate scientists can communicate the science to scientists in other fields. That was Part 1 of a three-part series on how to communicate climate science to all three target audiences – other scientists, policy-makers, and the public.Today in Part 2 we’ll look at how scientists can communicate with policy-makers.

Why this is so important should be self-evident. Policy-makers – Congressmen, Presidents, Executive Agencies (like EPA), and their equivalents at state and international levels – are the ones charged with determining the correct policies needed to address the unequivocal science of man-made climate change. Sure, virtually all the candidates from a particular party who want to be president have offered up various versions of denying the science and/or have argued no action is necessary, but the fact is the science is so unequivocal that even that particular party will have to take action. So how do scientists adequately communicate the science to these policy-makers and policy-maker wannabes?

Obviously this starts with having a clear understanding of the science, something we’ve talked about in previous posts. Let’s assume that’s the case. Here are some things that climate scientists can do in an effort to reach out to policy-makers:

1) Write white papers: But keep them short, preferably bullet points. Despite the conventional wisdom, policy-makers are busy people who spend many hours keeping up with debates with colleagues on the Hill (for example) while maintaining contact with constituents back home (not to mention all those fundraisers with lobbyists and supporters). They are not going to be reading any actual scientific literature, nor would they likely understand it if they tried. [Note: by “they,” I mean their staffs.] So write shorter white papers, again with a lot of white paper and bullet points, that succinctly summarize the main points and gist of the science. As much as you think policy-makers need the details, they don’t. All they need are the basics so that they can grasp the unequivocal nature of the data and conclusions.

One caveat on this point. Some policy-makers, e.g., regulators or science-trained legislators, will want more detail and will ask tons of pertinent questions. When you find one of these by all means be ready to devote significant effort to accurately and clearly keep them informed of the science. As I write this the name Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator (D-RI) immediately pops into mind.

[Continue reading Items 2 though 5 at The Dake Page]

The above is a partial cross-post of a full article on The Dake Page. Please click on the link above to read further. Thanks.

David J. Kent is a science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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How Climate Scientists Can Communicate the Science to Scientists in Other Fields (from The Dake Page)

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Huh CommunicationA few weeks ago we talked about how to communicate climate science to all three target audiences – other scientists, policy-makers, and the public. We touched on how scientists “do science,” i.e., through research, data analysis, conference attendance, and scientific publication. Today we’ll take a closer look at how scientists can communicate climate science to other scientists, including those scientists who specialize in other fields.

1) Publish the Research: As already noted, the main way for scientists to communicate the science to other scientists is to publish it in peer-reviewed journals. Doing so allows scientists to carefully lay out the premises, the methods, how the data were analyzed, the results, and the conclusions, all so other scientists can evaluate – and recreate – the work. I’ve discussed peer review in depth in previous posts. [Click on these links to read Part 1 (basics of peer review), Part 2 (when peer-review goes wrong),  Part 3 (abusing the system), and Part 4 (using the internet to bypass peer-review) of the series.] Once published, the research is further scrutinized, which may confirm or refute the work, and usually leads to more studies…and more publications. Many climate researchers, for example, have hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers (whereas most climate deniers have few, if any, peer-reviewed publications).

But think about the scientific publishing process for a moment. Like physicians, for example, where individual doctors may specialize in endocrinology, brain surgery, dentistry, or podiatry, scientists may specialize in astrophysics, archeology, biology, chemistry, mathematics, geology or dozens of other specialties. The more specialized the professional training and expertise, the greater the likelihood that a given scientist won’t be keeping up to date on advancements in other fields. A biologist is likely to have memberships and subscriptions to several biology-related organizations and journals, but may not be reading a physics journal discussing heat transfer in atmospheric systems.

This presents the dilemma that while journal publication is critical, it is largely focused on communicating with other scientists within your own field. That said, despite the tendency toward greater specialization, there is also a greater need for multidisciplinary collaboration. For example, ecologists looking at migratory patterns will see that those patterns are being modified by climate changes.

So how does one reach out to scientists in other fields?

[Continue reading at The Dake Page]

The above is a partial cross-post of a full article on The Dake Page. Please click on the link above to read further. Thanks.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time. He is currently writing a book on Thomas Edison.

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Science Traveling – Why the Devastating Earthquake in Nepal is Not Unexpected

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By now everyone has heard about the devastating earthquake that has left at least 3,700 people dead. At least 18 died when an avalanche buried the base camp of Mt. Everest. Rescue attempts are ongoing. For those who want to help, you can go here for links to vetted charities. The American Red Cross is also spearheading efforts to assist.

While the destruction and loss of life, and the much needed assistance to survivors, brings with it a sense of shock, the occurrence of earthquakes in Nepal and other regions near the Himalayan Mountains is not unexpected. In fact, earthquake experts gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal only a week ago to discuss the high likelihood of huge earthquakes. Little did they know one would occur so soon after they met.

The reason for high earthquake risk in the region has to do with why science traveling can be of such interest. Some of you may have heard about “plate tectonics,” or the movement of large “plates” of surface rock around the earth. The Himalayan Mountains are plate tectonics at work on a huge scale. In fact, they are still growing.

Roughly 150 million years ago, what has become the Indian subcontinent broke away from Antarctica. As it moved north it left behind what is now Madagascar. About 35 million years ago it smacked into Asia and as it continues to push it helps create the Himalayan Mountains. The tallest, Mt. Everest at 29,035 feet (8850 meters), is still getting taller by as much as 2+ inches (6+ cm) a year.

Mt. Everest

Why so tall? Because the Indian subcontinent was moving at breakneck speed. Racing along at 30 feet per year, it moved twice as fast as the slippage along the San Andreas fault. Usually once continents bang into each other the movement slows considerably, but India has kept moving at about 15 feet per year even after being blocked by Asia, hence the continued rapid growth of Mt. Everest and the rest of the Himalayas. The land has to go somewhere; in Nepal and environs, that somewhere is up.

All of this constant movement and pressure results in earthquakes since the movement tends to get stuck, then suddenly release and move great distances, then get stuck again. The current earthquake near Kathmandu registered 7.8 on the standard scale, but other big quakes have occurred nearby over the years, most notably a 6.9 quake in 2011 near Sikkim, India (along Nepal’s eastern border) and a massive 8.2 quake in 1934 in the same region.

Nepal earthquake map

As science columnist Andrew Revkin notes, experts have been expecting another huge earthquake. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict when and where. The devastation caused by this quake is largely due to the shallowness of the epicenter (9.3 miles) and proximity to the capitol Kathmandu (50 miles). Lack of earthquake-resistant building standards and enforcement of any standards that do exist also contribute to the destruction.

If you can help, please do. Links to vetted assistance organizations can be found here, and the Red Cross is always on the job.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, is scheduled for release in summer 2017.

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Science Traveling – Sandy Hook Laboratory and Hurricane Sandy

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Sandy Hook has survived major fires, budget cuts, and neglect. To that list of afflictions can now be added its namesake, Hurricane (aka, Superstorm) Sandy. On my most recent trip I stopped off at one of my old haunts, the Sandy Hook Laboratory in New Jersey. I worked there as a young marine biologist many years ago, so this visit was, in a sense at least, both science traveling and time traveling.

Officially known as the James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory at Sandy Hook, the lab is a facility of the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A devastating fire destroyed my building when I was there, necessitating my move on to another job. Eventually, after many years, a new laboratory building arose. It was that lab that I visited.

My first stop, however, was in Union Beach, NJ. I had owned a house there in a previous life, and it was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Recently a half-destroyed yellow house has become an iconic image of Sandy – that house was down the street from mine. It no longer exists. In fact, very little of that row of houses and restaurants survived Sandy. Some are slowly being rebuilt; others remain just reminders of what used to be.

Union Beach after Hurricane Sandy

Further down the road is a hook of sand called, appropriately enough, Sandy Hook. I wrote about my fragrant memories of the Hook in a creative writing piece named “The Scents of Sandy Hook.” Additional background on the piece and the Hook (plus a throwback photo of me imitating Jacques Cousteau) can be read in this previous Science Traveler article.

Sandy Hook Officers Row

Long ago Sandy Hook was an Army hospital, and the Officers Row, now in depressing disrepair, still lines the bayside road (see photo above). The old hospital was turned into the fisheries laboratory; the one that was burned to the ground in a sad case of arson that deserves its own story some day. If you look at the chimney on the second house to the right in the photo above you’ll see an osprey nest. Several of the old, abandoned yellow brick houses now serve as stands for these magnificent birds. I caught sight of one of a pair flying off below.

Ospry Sandy Hook

Because of the historical value of the site, the new laboratory externally mimics the same yellow brick style. The inside largely mimics the old lab design that I spent so many memorable days maintaining.

32,000 tank Sandy Hook

The centerpiece, then and now, is a 32,000 gallon concrete tank used for behavioral studies. When I was there we mainly used it for studying bluefish (made famous by Hiroshima author John Hersey’s book, Blues). An old colleague of mine from that era, now Branch Chief, said that the tank is now used for Black Sea Bass research. She also showed me some of the other facilities, including the ocean acidification lab where the effects of climate change on spawning and behavior are studied.

Ocean Acidification Sandy Hook

Scientists are also studying metabolism and digestion in monkfish, known to many as frogfish or goosefish (photo below). Wholly unattractive to look at, these are anglers – they dangle a “lure” from the tops of their heads to attract dinner to their large mouths. These fish are themselves becoming more important as dinner for humans as they increase in commercial catches. This shift in species is a concern for fisheries managers, hence the research focus.

Monkfish Sandy Hook

It was great to have my old friend Beth give me an inside tour of the facilities, something most casual visitors would not be able to do. At the same time it was sad to see that many of the buildings on the Hook are not being maintained due to lack of interest and financing by the federal or state governments that control the site. The fisheries research being carried on at the lab has taken a severe funding hit to the point where the staff has shrunk in recent years from over 60 to only 27 people. The short-sightedness of legislators and Governors is simply irresponsible given that it is this kind of scientific research that provides the critical information necessary to make informed, wise decisions that affect us all every single day.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies at Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as online at B&N.com and Amazon.com.

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The Scents of Sandy Hook – Science Traveling

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Science traveling is a big part of this website. I’ve written on various trips taken to date, always with some sense of the science surrounding the majesty of the locations. And there is much more to come. I’m sure Nikola Tesla and Abraham Lincoln, both science travelers themselves, will be along for the ride. With this post I’ll introduce the Scents of Sandy Hook, along with a new writing endeavor.

The Scents of Sandy Hook is a short memoir-ish piece writing in response to a writer’s prompt. You can read it on my new creative writing blog, which I call Hot White Snow.

As you can see, the Hot White Snow site is specifically for short pieces of fictional, creative, and experimental writing, including responses to writing prompts. Heck, there is even a prose poem, a preview into some other poetry writing I’ve done and will do. The name of the site comes from the first piece I posted. Indeed, the very existence of the site is the result of requests from other writers to publish more of my creative writing side. Since this Science Traveler site focuses on non-fiction works related to Tesla, Lincoln, Aquariums, and of course, Science Traveling, creating a new site for fictional and memoir work was the obvious choice. I hope you like it.

David at Sandy Hook

Tagging flounder off Sandy Hook (me, in disguise)

Getting back to The Scents of Sandy Hook for a moment, let me give some background. In college I studied to become a marine biologist. I was a huge fan of Jacques Cousteau, having watched all his television programs as I was growing up. Soon after graduation I worked two summers at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) laboratory in Oxford, Maryland. After the second summer I got a full-time job with NMFS at the Sandy Hook laboratory in New Jersey. I was there for 2-1/2 years, leaving only after arson had destroyed the laboratory building housing all of the fish tanks used in our research, thus putting my continuing job prospects into limbo.

Now, all these years later (I won’t admit to how many), I’ll be dropping by Sandy Hook on my way to see the family for the holidays. I’ll get a tour of the new laboratory facility, which largely recreates the systems we had back in the day. Even more fortunate, the tour will be given by a colleague who was a co-worker at the time and is now the director of my former department at the lab. It was anticipation of this trip in which The Scents of Sandy Hook was born.

So if you’re interested in creative writing, check out Hot White Snow. For a science traveling follow up to my Sandy Hook visit, come right back here to Science Traveler.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, is scheduled for release in summer 2017.

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The Art and Science of Bonsai

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Bonsai, the Japanese art of growing miniature trees in small containers, is also a science. The term bonsai aptly describes what it is – “bon” means tray or low-sided pot and “sai” means plantings. I gave some examples of bonsai (and a related Chinese form called penjing) in a previous post. Ironically, while bonsai is emblematically Japanese, the art was originally developed in China and only adopted later by the land of the rising sun. Here’s a quick reminder of one kind of bonsai tree:

Bonsai

The art of bonsai cultivation is passed down from generation to generation. And since managing a single tree may take many decades or even hundreds of years, the tree itself passes through many generations. The oldest one in the US National Arboretum remains vibrant today at 389 years old. So how does one cultivate a bonsai tree? That is where the science comes in.

Since these plantings come from regular trees, they must begin as cuttings or seedlings. Regular trimming, pruning, and manipulation is necessary to keep the trees small and create the desired shape. While the type of tree chosen influences the potential shape, there are different styles ranging from formal or informal upright, slant, or cascade, as well as more advanced styles such as root over rock, forest, raft, and windswept. Examples are shown in my previous post. To get these shapes there is quite a bit of physical manipulation.

Bonsai

Bands like the one above help pull together larger boughs, while heavy copper wire is used to direct future growth into twists and turns.

Bonsai

More wires and struts help in the shaping.

Bonsai

More advanced techniques include grafting of new plant material into existing trunks (to create side growth), defoliation, trimming, and the brutish-sounding trunk chopping. Considering the amount of manipulation needed to create these masterpieces, one has to reassure themselves that plants, unlike animals, don’t experience pain.

Bonsai

Ah, the tea bags. Many of the bonsai and penjing displays contain several tea bags. They are filled with natural fertilizer. Each time the tree is hand-watered the bags become soaked and leach out nutrients. Still, because the trays are so shallow and the trees are living organisms, regular repotting of the minimal soil must occur.

The incredible amount of attention needed to train and maintain bonsai trees requires patience, effort, and ingenuity from the grower. But to those of us who see and appreciate the art, these works deliver a sense of serenity that pervades the very essence of our souls.

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David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, available now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Abraham Lincoln and the Technology of War

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Organized by the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, this exhibition explores how cutting-edge Civil War technological innovations captured Lincoln's fascination and impacted the conduct of the war.The American Civil War was a crossroads between the old style of warfare and modern warfare. This modern warfare (if one can call the wholesale taking of lives “modern”) is explored in an exhibit in the Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership called “Abraham Lincoln and the Technology of War.” The exhibit runs through July 6, 2014, so make your plans soon.

In a nutshell, the old way of fighting had mainly been a function of how many men could be thrown together for close-quarters combat. Men lined up to fire single shot muskets at fairly short ranges, then engaged in hand-to-hand (or bayonet-to-bayonet) fighting. Thousands would die on the battlefield; thousands more would die of infection and disease. The Civil War saw plenty of this old way of fighting. But it also saw plenty of new technology being put into play.

To get to the exhibit you enter through the Petersen House, then take an elevator up to the fourth floor of the adjacent Center and work your way down. Start by gazing at the tower of Abraham Lincoln books.

Lincoln book tower

On the second floor you’ll find the technology of war exhibit, organized by the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. Lincoln was fascinated by technology and both used and helped encourage its development during the war. He was the first president to use the telegraph for rapid communication.

Telegraph

Lincoln had long been a proponent of internal improvements, including railroads. And the difference in railroad infrastructure between the North and the South was both dramatic and crucial to the war’s outcome. More on that in the future.

RailroadsThe advancements in railroads, manned balloons, and cannons moved warfare into the modern age. The evolution of basic weaponry – away from single-shot muskets and toward repeating rifles and pistols – increased both the distance and lethality of offense.

Rifles

I’ll have much more on this topic in the coming months as I continue my exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. To get a taste of the current exhibit at Ford’s Theatre, check out this short video about the collection:

David J. Kent is an avid Lincolnophile and is writing a book on Abraham Lincoln’s interests in technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, and a signed copy can be ordered directly from me. The second printing will be available in Barnes and Noble bookstores soon, or you can download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com.

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CPRC Presentation at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center

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As this post goes live I’ll be attending the Chesapeake-Potomac Regional Chapter (CPRC) of SETAC at their annual spring meeting. As the immediate Past-President I’m happy to say that Science Traveler is a sponsor of CPRC. The meeting features Emma Lavoie of EPA’s Design for the Environment program as our keynote speaker, as well as a dozen presentations of research by students, professors, and other researchers.

Scientists

Scientist types

And I get the last word. Well, technically not the actual last word because current President Brad Pratt will present a series of awards to students for best platform and poster presentations. But I’ll be the last talk of the day before the awards and the catered reception that follows.

My topic is: Remembering the Big Picture – Communicating Local Science to a Global Audience. I’ll use photos from my recent Argentina trip to highlight the “teaching opportunities” available for reaching out to the public. More on that after I return.

The Public

Public types

This will be an incredibly busy week – books to write, education to outreach, science to travel, and much much more. See you again tomorrow.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies at Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as online at B&N.com and Amazon.com.

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