WTOP Radio Series Archive

description for WTOP logoThe National Academy of Engineering works with the Washington, D.C. region's only all-news radio station— WTOP Radio— and the nation's only all-news radio station for federal employees— WFED 1500 AM— to provide weekly features highlighting engineering innovations and stories that add technical context to issues in the news.

description for federal news radioThese features are now available as podcasts. Find out how to subscribe.

Your comments and ideas are welcome. Please share them with Randy Atkins at atkins@nae.edu.

 

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    Brain Puzzle
    Our brains are complex computing machines that make us who we are…yet we really know very little about how they’re wired.
    Date: May 13, 2013

    Resource Added: May 11, 2012

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    Integrated Punch Biopsy
    After a nationwide competition, a dozen student teams were recently selected to showcase innovative engineering projects by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance.
    Date: May 6, 2012

    Resource Added: May 4, 2012

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    Energy from Kites
    Fly a kite and you get a good feel for how much force can be created by a lightweight aircraft. That’s the idea behind a new system for getting power from wind.
    Date: April 29, 2012

    Resource Added: April 27, 2012

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    USA Science & Engineering Festival in D.C.
    Next weekend you can experience over 3-thousand interactive activities during a free U-S-A Science and Engineering Festival at the D-C Convention Center.
    Date: April 22, 2012

    Resource Added: April 20, 2012

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    Wind Energy, Thanks to Fish
    A problem with tapping wind energy is finding space for those huge turbines. But there may be a solution, thanks to an unlikely source – fish.
    Date: April 15, 2012

    Resource Added: April 13, 2012

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    Connectome
    Our brains all look pretty much the same from the outside. To truly understand what makes each one different, a quest is on to reverse engineer our most complex organ.
    Date: April 8, 2012

    Resource Added: April 6, 2012

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    Biodegradable Golf Balls
    Those golf balls you slice into the water could stay there for hundreds of years. But a new ball, made from an unlikely source, could make your game greener.
    Date: April 1, 2012

    Resource Added: March 30, 2012

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    Gecko Inspired Tape
    Insects use tiny hairs to help them climb smooth walls. The gecko lizard does the same thing, with a lot more weight. That has engineers intrigued.
    Date: March 25, 2012

    Resource Added: March 23, 2012

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    Computer Vision
    Computers can search for words very quickly, but when it comes to images our brains are much better. So engineers are exploring how we can help computers.
    Date: March 16, 2012

    Resource Added: March 16, 2012

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    Slam Dunk
    Want to know how much force goes into a crushing basketball slam dunk? If so, you’re in luck. A scientific measurement tool was just developed for the N-B-A’s Slam Dunk Contest.
    Date: March 11, 2012

    Resource Added: March 9, 2012

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    Led by L-E-D
    Light emitting diodes, or L-E-Ds, are in lots of electronics…like computer screens and T-Vs. And they’re increasingly replacing traditional light bulbs. Soon they could have a surprising new use.
    Date: March 4, 2012

    Resource Added: March 2, 2012

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    Leap Year
    On Wednesday, an extra leap day is added to our calendar. Most of us won’t give it much thought. But calendar precision has been important to human civilization…and may become a hot topic again.
    Date: February 26, 2012

    Resource Added: February 24, 2012

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    Hydropower Anywhere
    This is National Engineers Week…and the theme is about how to meet the needs of a world approaching 7-billion people. We’ll need creative ideas to meet energy needs in remote places, and here’s one…a new technology for tapping energy from even slow-moving streams.
    Date: February 19, 2012

    Resource Added: February 17, 2012

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    Engineering a Kiss
    As Valentine’s Day approaches, you might be thinking about how you’ll give that special kiss to a loved one. But did you know scientists are actually studying the process?
    Date: February 12, 2012

    Resource Added: February 10, 2012

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    Huge Screen TV
    Imagine a 23-foot long video wall, that provides a hundred times more detail then the best high-definition TV. It exists but, sorry football fans, only for science now.
    Date: February 5, 2012

    Resource Added: February 3, 2012

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    Blood Clot Bandage
    Stopping blood flow from a wound can, of course, mean the difference between life and death. So a new sponge has been engineered to speed clotting.
    Date: January 29, 2012

    Resource Added: January 27, 2012

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    Instant Immunity
    When you get a vaccination, it takes time for your body to make the antibodies that protect you from a threat. But now scientists are engineering instant immunity.
    Date: January 22, 2012

    Resource Added: January 20, 2012

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    Facial Opinions
    A new tool allows you to give opinions about video content – say, a politician’s debate performance – without doing survey forms. All you need to do is watch.
    Date: January 15, 2012

    Resource Added: January 13, 2012

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    Car for the Blind
    It may sound impossible, but engineers at Virginia Tech are designing a car for the blind. Not a car that drives itself, one in which the driver has control.
    Date: January 8, 2012

    Resource Added: January 6, 2012

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    Genetic Clocks
    We simultaneously celebrate as the clock strikes midnight on New Years. Now bacteria are being engineered to do something similar.
    Date: January 1, 2012

    Resource Added: December 30, 2011

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