National Science Foundation | Generation 3 (Gen-3) Engineering Research Centers (ERC)

Describe the new engine that will drive innovation and global competitiveness deep into the 21st Century?

Engineering graduate attributes include an ethic of innovation and continuous creativity while developing workable solutions that apply to our global economy. Our National Science Foundation (NSF) implemented the following goals in order to prepare the next generation; 1). "Advance knowledge, technology, and innovations addressing significant societal problems" and, 2). "Provide the workforce and technological foundation for economic competitiveness."

The initiation of Gen-3 ERC, according to the NSF news release will emphasize innovation, entrepreneurship, partnership with small research firms, and cultural exchange.

Current Engineering Resource Centers.

• Future Renewable Electrical Energy Delivery and Management Systems (FREEDM).
• Integrated Access Networks (CIAN).
  

Generation 3 (Gen-3) Engineering Resource Centers (ERCs).
The knowledge fuel inside the new engine of innovation includes the following ingredients; 1). Linking discovery with innovation, 2). Engineering graduates who are U.S. innovators and, 3). One is willing to compete at the global level.

The Age of the Technician is coming to a close and the dawn of the inventor is just over the horizon. Why? NSF stated, "[O]ptimizing efficiency and product quality are no longer sufficient for U.S. industry to remain competitive..." Furthermore, a conceptual network consisting of academic researchers, small innovative firms, larger industrial and practitioner partners and, organizations loyal to the can-do spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation are the new fuel injectors.

Gen-3 ERC Mission.

1. Discover, build, innovate, and transform.
   
2. Prepare U.S. engineering graduates for leadership.
   
3. Develop international social networks where research, design, and production cross borders.
   
4. Energize engineering programs at the pre-college level to attract the next generation of inventors.
   
5. Imbue engineering graduates with the capacity to create and exploit knowledge for technological innovation.
   
6. Partner with industry and other entities at the local level.
   
7. Speed translation of research results to innovation.

Barriers to Implementation of Mission?
Fundamental to the success of Gen-3 ERC implementation is organizational willingness. I submit two types of characters exist within a given organization; a protagonist and an antagonist. Typically, the antagonist advances because of low-risk taking and towing the company line. One might say, "do not rock the boat" or "this is the way we have always..."

On the other hand, our protagonist is the one who questions "why are we doing this..." or "there is got to be a better way." We might even label our protagonist as a gadfly.

What type of fuel does one need for the new engine of competitiveness?

I, for one believe that change and any change creates a sense of confusion, role re-identification, and a sense of diminished power. However, NSF is calling out, to reassess our attitude. The Gen-3 ERC mission is a challenge to leadership. I sense a fundamental shift in power distribution from large to small, from low-risk to high-risk, from status quo to game changers, from isolation into collaboration, from turtle to rabbit.

The Age of the Technician is fading and the inventor is on the rise.

Reference:
Engineering Research Centers (ERC): Partnerships in Transforming Research, Education and Technology.

VK9LA Lord Howe Island DXpedition Gets Twitter

Welcoming VK9LA Lord Howe Island DXpedition to ham radio's developing Twitter network. We are looking forward to the team's live updates and blog postings as well.

Please use hash tags #hamr #dxpedition to improve Twitter search results. Tango uniform.

Chase DX!

NASA Mission Madness | KA3DRR Bracket Picks

My NASA Mission Madness picks going into Round 1 voting on the 19th of March (reference link).

Nebula Division.

• Apollo 11 (link).
  
• Mars Phoenix (link).
  
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) (link).
  
• Hubble (link).
  
• Mercury-Redstone 3 Freedom 7 (link).
  
• STS-26 (link).
• SR-71 (link).
• Mars Pathfinder (link).
• Viking I & II (link).
• Ares I (link).
• Pioneer 10 (link).
  
• Bell X-1 (link).
• Apollo 8 (link).
• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) (link).
  
• STS-93 (link).
• Skylab (link).

Stellar Division.

• Super Pressure Balloon (link).
  
• Mars Odyssey (link).
  
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) (link).
  
• Expedition 1 (link).
  
• X-29 (link).
  
• STS-8 (link).
  
• Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (link).
  
• Apollo 13 (link).
  
• X-43 Hypersonic Scram Jet (link).
  
• Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) (link).
  
• James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) (link).
  
• Lunar Prospector I (link).
  
• Cassini (link).
  
• Voyager 1 & 2 (link).
  
• STS-1 (link).
  
• Gemini IV (link).

Nebula shaping up as the powerhouse division with Apollo 8 and 11, Mars Phoenix, Hubble, Viking I and II, SOHO, and Skylab. Stellar looks a little dim but Apollo 13, Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, Cassini, and Gemini IV are heavyweight mission contenders. I'm backing Apollo 11 as number one and Apollo 13 in the Stellar division.

73 from the shackadelic.

NASA Constellation Program | Ares I-X Leaves Utah For Home Sweet Home

The fun is in the process and I'm excited 10 over 9 because destination moon is moving from theoretical into real time. I remember sitting in front of our black and white set on Edgewood Road without a remote control as Neil Armstrong broke the barrier between man and possibilities. Our landing left an indelible memory. One, if I close my eyes, plays like a video tape.

My parents bought a plastic replica astronaut helmet for my 7th birthday and I zoomed around our yard while Bowser barked behind me. I remember telling Dad, "I want to be a fighter pilot."

But the stream of life caught hold of my little raft and that dream did not materialize. However, the thrill of space flight and the rumble of formidable rockets never left my imagination. Have you ever heard the mighty roar of a Titan IV or a Delta II? They leave spiraling columns of granite white smoke as parts the size of one's hand work at the level of perfection.

Ares I-X, at least for me, symbolizes possibility, a renewed future of innovation and invention. Our Apollo Program drove engineers to think beyond their limitations and achieve the impossible; not for themselves but for each us.

That is, for me, what NASA's Constellation Program is about; a renewed sense of can-do spirit for a new generation of engineers who are pushing the boundaries of technology. Additionally, for those technicians who are turning wrenches, operating cranes that lift mind boggling weight, torque critical components, and safety wire like a surgeon.

Today, NASA announced pieces of Ares I-X are en route to the Kennedy Space Center (reference link), for later vertical integration.

• "The Ares I-X rocket is a combination of existing and simulator hardware that will resemble the Ares I rocket in size, shape and weight."
• "The Ares I-X first stage uses a four-segment solid rocket motor, capable of generating 3.3 million pounds of thrust. The motor provides the primary propulsion for the vehicle from liftoff to stage separation 120 seconds into the flight."

Right now, there is another Neil Armstrong walking amongst us, he or she will once again break the barrier between humankind and possibilities. However, perhaps we have learned a valuable lesson that we continue striving and, humankind breaks the barrier on Mars as well.

My board is 'green' and 'go' for launch.

K4M Midway Island 2009 DXpedition Goes Ionospheric In October

Just when I thought DXpeditions could not get any better after K5D's thunderous effort on Desecheo Island. A fresh team of intrepid ham radio operators (link) are now preparing for Midway Island scheduled for October of this year.

I'm a big fan of DXpeditions because they push both technological and physiological envelopes. Imagine for a moment? Team K4M will face a number problem, that is, more birds to humans. Remember TX5C Clipperton Island and their report? The bird noise went unabated while facing down stormy weather and heat stroke temperatures.

The K4M team must fly into Midway aboard a chartered aircraft. Their equipment arrives several months prior via boat. If one would like to support Team K4M's effort then please consider a donation PayPal (link) or traditional mail (link).

I'm stoked and look forward to K4M's signal when the team goes ionospheric in October.

Chase DX!

NASA Constellation Program | Ares I Rocket First Stage Igniter Successfully Tested

According to NASA's press release, ATK Launch Systems near Promontory, Utah successfully tested the Ares I first stage igniter;

NASA's Ares I Rocket First Stage Igniter Successfully Tested (reference link).

• "Once the command is sent to the igniter, a sequence begins that sends a flame down the core of the 142-foot solid rocket motor. In less than a second, the booster generates more than 3.5 million pounds of thrust, triggering liftoff of the rocket."
  
• "The Ares I rocket is an in-line, two-stage rocket topped by the Orion crew capsule; its service module and a launch abort system. The first Ares I test flight, called Ares I-X, is scheduled for later this year."

Three point five million pounds of thrust in less than a second is hot. We have awhile before the mission but incremental steps build on incremental objectives as each success leads toward the moon.

73 from the shackadelic.

P.S. Do not forget this is NASA Mission Madness Week. Bracket printed?

2009 Edison Awards | "Honoring Innovation and Innovators"

Imagine? Why not?

2009 Innovations | Nominees | Edison Best New Products of the Year (reference link).

• Electronics and computers include Google Android Phone and Apple Phone.
• Technology includes EssenceWise, Realsight, Speedo, and WiiFit.
  
• Industrial design is MacBook Air.

Award Categories Include But Not Limited (reference link).

• Technology.
  
• Science | Medical.
  
• Energy | Sustainability.
• Industrial Electronics | Computers.
  

Nominated Products or Services Excel In? | Nomination Criteria (reference link).

• Marketplace innovation.
  
• Marketplace success.
  
• Technological innovation.
  
• Market structure innovation.
• Societal impact.
  

I like Edison's "Five Competencies of Innovation" as an infrastructure for goal setting, problem solving, objective achievement, and success.

• Solution centered mindset.
  
• Kaleidoscopic thinking that is engaging all aspects of one's brain as a means to guiding one's creativity.
  
• Full-spectrum engagement that is look at one's entire attitudinal constellation from earnestness to playfulness to working solo to team work.
• Master-mind collaboration suggest moving from theoretical to real world that is life is not all about one's research laboratory.
  
• Super-value creation is simple; deliver goods and services that people want.

The 2009 Edison Awards deadline is fast approaching.

73 from the shackadelic.

National Science Foundation | Where Discoveries Begin

I believe expanding one's knowledge base, retooling skill sets, and a willingness to learn leads to the following; 1.) Creativity; 2.) Innovation and; 3.) Invention. Clearly, for me, our garages and shacks across the globe will spawn truly revolutionary technology, ideas, and concepts as we move forward into a changed economic landscape.

We are, at least by my observation, moving into an era of the amateur professional; one who is not fettered by institutional turf battles, squabbling bureaucracy, group think, and mediocrity.

The new renaissance always begins with an individual and/or group of individuals. Admittedly, this statement is based on anecdotal, observational intuition. However if you are reading my blog perhaps you might be the next to stand on the shoulders of giants?

I say, "Dare the impossible."

Our National Science Foundation provides free-of-charge newsletter(s) and this is one method at filtering my torrent of information. My goal is to stay informed on the latest especially within our engineering discipline while NASA continues testing components destined for our Constellation Program.

Newsletter(s) (reference link).

• Engineering Discoveries.
  
• Enginnering Events.
  
• Enginnering News.
  
• Engineering Announcements and Information.
• Statistics on U.S. Science and Engineering Resources.

Timing is everything while adversity defines the character of an individual. Easy is easy and now that was short circuited. Think about 1.) Expanding one's knowledge base that is, learning is now a life long task; 2.) See one's skill set as fluid and dynamic in an ever changing labor market and; 3.) Always maintain a willingness to learn something new each hour, each day, and every week.

Learning is fun.

P.S. Watch the latest Star Trek trailer at HamRadioVideo Feed at the bottom of my page.