Draper Board Elections Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Posted by Garrett Lew in : Announcements, Meetings, News , add a commentThis Thursday, May 1st, we will hold the last Draper meeting of the semester.
12:30-1:30 in Room 808, we will be holding official elections for the coming year. You’ll get a chance to hear from the nominees, ask them questions, and then vote!
And in typical Draper fashion, pizza for everyone!
In case you can’t make it, here are all the candidates’ written statements. You may vote by absentee ballot, just send Ryan an email at rgh234@nyu.edu with your choices. Your voting records will be held in the strictest of confidences. If voting by absentee ballot, please email Ryan by Thursday, May 1st, 8:00am.
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Community Service Opportunities: Tutoring & Mentoring Thursday, April 10, 2008
Posted by Garrett Lew in : Announcements, News, Volunteering , add a commentTo everyone interested in making a difference in somebody else’s life, the Draper Society is providing several options. Currently, we have two ventures ongoing, one at NYU and one up at the School of the Future. Whether you are interested in working with younger students, or simply need to fulfill a community service requirement, these options are for you.
Here at NYU, the C-STEP Program tutors high school students from around New York City who want some added help. Students require help mostly in math, but there may be students interested in science help. These students are motivated, as they had to apply for this program. This is a great opportunity to help students who want to learn and perhaps even open their eyes to the subjects we love so much. The C-STEP Program meets on Saturdays at NYU and has a morning and afternoon session. The morning session is from 9-1130AM and the afternoon session is from 1230-230PM.
The School of the Future has a requirement for its students to do some sort of research project on a scientific concept relating to daily life. The teachers would like students to be able to write a college level report similar to our lab reports. However, many of these students are not well experienced in performing experiments and documenting their findings. The School of the Future would like college students to act as mentors to these high school students and help steer them in the right direction. The following list contains the topics that students are researching.
Biology/Environmental Science/Life Sciences:
Group 1 (6 students): The effect of various chemicals on the growth of duckweed
Group 2 (3 students): Various physiology experiments (effect of heat
of blood pressure, effect of food particle size on digestion, effect
of aerobic exercise on heart health)
Group 3 (3 students): Effect of various images on pupil size
Group 4 (1 student): Sensory compensation (hearing for vision)
Group 4 (1-2 students): Effect of water temperature and detergent type
on bacteria during handwashing
Physics:
Group 1 (4 students): Projectile Motion (Football, Basketball, Baseball)
Group 2 (2 students): Sound Waves
Group 3 (2 students): Airplanes
Group 4 (2 students): Roller Coasters and Energy Conservation
This is an amazing opportunity to inspire young students to develop an interest in the sciences while working with a topic you enjoy. Students helping at the School of the Future would mentor either during lunch periods or after school during the week.
If you are interested in either program, email Garrett ASAP at garrett@drapersociety.org.
Weekend Project: Extract DNA from Anything Living Saturday, March 8, 2008
Posted by Rahul Sengupta in : News, Random , add a comment 
The University of Utah’s Institute of Human Genetics has posted instructions for an interesting little project that you can do at home: extract DNA from anything living. However, they discourage trying to extract DNA from such things as pets and body parts belonging to siblings.
You’ll need:
- A blender
- Some table salt
- Liquid detergen
- Meat tenderizer
- Rubbing alcohol
- DHMO
- Something that’s not a cat, dog, etc. that you want to get the DNA from
So, if you’re looking to procrastinate and want to do a totally random experiment this weekend, hit up their article.
[How to Extract DNA from Anything Living]
Organic Chemistry People Monday, March 3, 2008
Posted by Rahul Sengupta in : News, Random , add a comment
The Journal of Organic Chemistry ran an article back in 2003 that may interest those of you who love Legos and orgo.
[Original Article from JOC; via The Scientific Activist]
Wiperless Windshields?
Posted by Rahul Sengupta in : News , add a comment 
A car designer from the Italian vehicle design house, Fioravanti, has created a prototype car that does away with traditional windscreen wipers. Leonardao Fioravanti’s design relies on aerodynamics and nanotechnology.
The windscreen is made up of four layers. The first layer has a coating to protect the occupants from UV rays and repels water. The second layer features “nano-dust” to push dirt to the edges of the wiindscreen, and is activated by the third layer, which senses the presence of dirt. The whole mechanism is powered by the fourth layer, which conducts electricity.
This technology has already been shown off in a prototype car, called Hidra. According to the designer, this concept can be ready for mass production within five years.
