houck2040/artisci huggingface dataset:
developing compact low-cost high-functioning energy storage technologies is becoming increasingly important as society attempts to improve the power grid and continues to create game-changing alternative energy solutions texas a&m university chemists emily pentzer and david powers are key personnel of case western reserve universitys breakthrough electrolytes for energy storage (bees) energy frontier research center with pentzer also serving as lead of one of the two thrusts within the center the bees center funded by the department of energy recently was renewed for another four years pentzer says the goal of the center's research is to use cheap and abundant liquid materials for electrolytes capable of providing electrochemical energy storage the applications of these electrolytes range from redox flow batteries to supercapacitors we want to fundamentally understand how physical properties like density or viscosity impact the ability to store energy pentzer said additionally we want to make sure we are developing energy storage devices that use domestic resources that are readily available and that provide low-cost energy storage options the researchers hope their experimental and theoretical findings on electrolyte chemistries will lead to innovations in the design and development of new electrolytes that ultimately will transform the field of energy storage i hope this spurs interest in our research areas and programs but more than that i hope this leads to sustainable and efficient energy storage innovations pentzer said pentzer is an associate professor in the department of materials science and engineering and the department of chemistry at texas a&m powers is also an associate professor in texas a&m chemistry the bees center is a collaborative effort between researchers at case western reserve university the university of tennessee knoxville the university of notre dame columbia university new york university hunter college of the city university of new york brookhaven national laboratory and pacific northwest national laboratory the energy frontier research centers (efrc) program was established in 2009 by the office of basic energy sciences within the doe office of science the funding opportunity sponsors fundamental research to accelerate scientific breakthroughs needed to strengthen the us energy economy centers bring together multidisciplinary teams from universities nonprofits industry and national laboratories to tackle challenges across promising areas for future energy technologies
speaking before a congressional subcommittee tuesday morning in washington dc texas a&m university scientist andrew dessler provided expert testimony on climate science as lawmakers discussed climate change and public land use policy in the united states science is only valuable to society when it gets integrated into the policymaking process said dessler holder of the reta a haynes chair in the department of atmospheric sciences and director of the texas center for climate studies it really doesnt matter if we do the greatest science in the world if we dont tell policymakers about it this is a crucial part of science this is where rubber meets the road as an invited witness to the house natural resource committee subcommittee on energy and mineral resources* dessler was asked to testify during a hybrid legislative hearing on hr 8802 the public lands and waters climate leadership act of 2022 according to the subcommittee the proposed bill would require the secretary of the interior and the chief of the forest service to align management of public lands and waters with president bidens greenhouse gas emission reduction goals in his prepared remarks dessler explained the basics of climate change science the potential future scenarios facing the us and why wind and solar energy are key tools in reducing the future impacts of climate change first the climate is warming he testified second the scientific communitys best estimate is that all of this warming is caused by human activities mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels third we are on track to warm the planet in 2100 by about 5 degrees fahrenheit above the earths temperature in the 19th century for the global average this is a huge amount of warming the 2 degrees of warming we have already experienced over the past 150 years is already turbo-charging severe weather events and turning them into catastrophes communicating scientific concepts and data to policymakers has long been a part of desslers outlook on science and public service in 2000 he served as the senior policy analyst in the white house office of science and technology policy since then he has continued to study climate policy and provide expertise to decision makers state and federal legislative bodies and the public following tuesdays hearing dessler reflected on his decades of experience in climate policy and the positive changes hes seen twenty years ago we were debating whether the climate was changing and 10 years ago we were debating whether humans were causing it and now those debates are really over and were debating what we can do about it and i think thats a positive sign dessler holds that the decreasing price of wind and solar energy could allow the us to build a largely carbon-free grid by the mid-2030s that produces power at prices lower than we pay today we are on the brink of potentially calamitous climate impacts he testified to the committee however we also have the tools to solve the problem the only question is which of these paths we choose watch the entire subcommittee hearing *this link is no longer active and has been removed
mikhail gorbachev the final leader of the soviet union before its dissolution has left an indelible impression on history whether thats positive or negative depends on who you talk to but if you ask cynthia werner an anthropology professor at texas a&m university and an associate dean for faculty affairs in the college of arts and sciences his leadership changed her life for the better originally from the woodlands outside of houston werner says she was always fascinated by russia i grew up during the last few decades of the cold war at a time when russia was regarded as the enemy of the united states she said i was always curious about the russian people and thought that theres no way all russian people are evil so as a political science undergrad at texas christian university i decided to minor in russian luckily this was around the same time gorbachev was coming into power the year was 1987 and gorbachev had just introduced two of the policies hes best known for: glasnost and perestroika it was also the year werner took a study abroad trip to the soviet union visiting five soviet republics glasnost meansopenness and it led to a critical review of the soviet past werner said perestroika was the beginning of economic restructuring of the command-administrative economy where the state was in control of everything at the time travel to the soviet union was very controlled and regulated and americans could only go to a limited number of cities and towns few people travelled to the non-russian soviet republics glasnost was still very new and things were just starting to change people were just starting to test the boundaries of what they could say and do the next year werner found herself working in washington dc for the nonprofit think tank american committee on us-soviet relations the organization hosted a visit for andrei sakharov sakharov was known for two things: developing nuclear weapons and then later advocating against the arms race and atmospheric testing werner said he was one of the greatest supporters of human rights in the soviet union and he paid a price for this he was exiled for several decades it was gorbachev who freed him from exile shortly before he [sakharov] came to visit washington dc while werners role in organizing sakharovs visit admittedly was a minor one she is proud to have played a part in that historic event she said that seeing him speak which likely would not have happened if not for gorbachev further solidified her career trajectory i was very impressed with his accomplishments werner said later in my career i worked on a project where i interviewed kazakh and russian victims of nuclear testing in kazakhstan in a roundabout way my career was once again intersecting with the lives of both gorbachev and sakharov gorbachevs policies ushered in the changes that allowed me to visit a formerly top-secret site where the soviets tested their first nuclear device designed by sakharovs team of researchers
werner graduated from tcu in 1989 in 1990 she began her phd program at indiana university this time studying anthropology i switched in part because everything gorbachev did led to more opportunities for people to do anthropological research in the former soviet union and eastern europe she said anthropologists like to immerse themselves in a community and even live with local people it was nearly impossible to conduct that type of research in the former soviet union before gorbachevs rule on december 25 1991 the soviet union collapsed that day gorbachev resigned leaving boris yeltsin as president of the newly independent russian state meanwhile werners research opportunities were just beginning in 1992 she started her dissertation fieldwork in kazakhstan in a small village called shauildir where she lived with people she still considers her second family she has since visited the country more than 10 times
kazakhs were traditionally nomadic pastoralists living in mobile yurts and raising animals moving seasonally to allow their animals access to grass and water werner said they were forced to settle by joseph stalin…the kazakhs are one of more than a hundred non-russian ethnic minorities in the former soviet union they speak a turkic language and identify as muslim i found it interesting to study how the soviet state tried to create a single soviet identity and change many aspects of their lives werner believes that the soviet state initiated some policies that helped perpetuate ethnic identities of minority groups such as the kazakhs while simultaneously pushing other reforms that reduced cultural and linguistic knowledge and in some cases forced some groups of people off of their own lands the treatment of soviet minority groups was not unlike the native americans in the united states she said living in kazakhstan for a year and a half in the 1990s gave werner a birds-eye view to the economic and political changes that started under gorbachevs rule and expanded after the fall of the soviet union for example she witnessed the explosion of consumer-good availability in kazakh villages as traders started to bring in goods from outside of the former soviet union she also observed how local museums acknowledged past wrongdoings by the soviet government and how local towns renamed streets after kazakh heroes who could not be celebrated during soviet rule
on august 30 2022 gorbachev died in moscow in the weeks since his legacy has been debated among scholars and average citizens alike for werner his legacy boils down to his policy of openness not just within the soviet union but also with regard to her career in some ways i can thank mikhail gorbachev for creating the pathway for my life and career werner said that very first trip to the soviet union expanded my horizons and increased my awareness of cultural differences at the same time gorbachevs reforms brought changes that made it possible for me to go live in a rural community and conduct ethnographic research in the middle of central asia i dont think those opportunities would have been possible without gorbachev he was trying to open up the soviet union to the west but in so doing he opened up the door to people like me learn more about werner and her research which has been funded in part by the national research council american association for the advancement of science national science foundation and national council for eurasian and east european research
incubation effects & the unconscious your switch to apple pie brings another creative cognition theory to light: you set the pie problem aside and when your mind returned to it your creative cognition produced a solution some might say you solved the problem via unconscious work; however smith argues there are other cognitive processes at work that debunk the unconscious work theory smiths work builds on reminiscence the act of recalling a long-forgotten experience or fact i knew about the so-called incubation effects smith said you work and work on a problem you put it aside you try it again and youre more likely to get it after stepping away and coming back because youve just been stuck so i tried that in a reminiscence paradigm of memory research i found the same thing i found the longer you delay the second test the more extra stuff theyre going to remember i call that an incubated reminiscence effect or the memory effect with these implicit blocks so even though your memory took some creative liberties smiths work explains that your decision to put your pie troubles aside helped you overcome the implicit canned pumpkin mental block when your mind returned to the problem practice makes perfect smiths interest in the cognition behind these thought processes continues to fuel his research and inspires others to conduct similar research his work may be ongoing but some of his findings can be implemented into our routines now according to smith one way to improve learning and memory is to practice tasks as minor as reading a chapter in a textbook can become creative problem-solving training the key is to practice remembering and applying the content rather than simply reciting the words on the page smith also pointed out that the harder you practice the easier it will be to apply your creative cognition skills in problem-solving scenarios rereading and practice are not the same thing smith explained when i say 'practice i mean practice remembering not practice looking something up not practicing reading something practice doing the thing youre going to get tested on in our hypothetical thanksgiving scenarios practice may have included reading several recipes and making the pies in the weeks leading up to the holiday in a classroom setting you may want to sharpen your creative cognition ahead of an exam by practicing recalling and applying content covered in your classes smith said the important things to do while practicing creative cognition are to practice the way youll be tested measure and record your successes accurately and increase the difficulty in your practice once youve achieved success at the current level the harder your successful practice is the more you get out of it smith explained so if you just cant remember the thing then you look it up and say oh yeah! and then you practice again the harder you make it the more you ultimately get out of it you have to test yourself often and you have to give yourself accurate feedback learn more about steven smith or psychological and brain sciences research in the texas a&m college of arts and sciences
in the spirit of all things scientific occasionally explosive and all-around inspirational the texas a&m university department of chemistry is gearing up to host the 34th annual edition of one of the most popular educational attractions to be found on the texas a&m campus texas a&m chemistry invites science enthusiasts from across the brazos valley and the state of texas to join in celebrating three decades and counting of one of texas a&m's proudest fall traditions the chemistry open house and science exploration gallery set for saturday october 15 from 10 am to 3 pm at the main chemistry building complex the open house is held annually in conjunction with national chemistry week celebrated this year from oct 16 to 22 and centered around the theme fabulous fibers: the chemistry of fabrics visitors are encouraged to start their open house tours by checking in at the "welcome" tent located at the intersection of ross and spence streets adjacent to the chemistry annex to receive a free bag of scientific goodies a secondary table will be situated in the plaza outside of the chemistry building at the intersection of ross and ireland streets just north of the three red-brick water fountains free parking is available in lot 51 north of the zachry engineering education complex with additional paid parking to be found in the northside garage "we are very excited to bring the chemistry open house back as an in-person event " said stephanie a mccartney first year chemistry program instructional associate professor and event organizer "alongside many old favorites we have several new and exciting activities and demonstrations to present to the community we hope everyone comes out to this free event ready to enjoy a fun-filled day of chemistry!" the day-long festival will be highlighted by four presentations of the popular chemistry road show (9:30 am 11 am 12:30 pm 2 pm) in room 100 of the main chemistry building the show is recommended for all ages and includes popular science demonstrations such as fires explosions weird polymers and super-cold materials please note that the free color-coded tickets for seating which can be obtained at the welcome tent in the water-fountain plaza are distributed on a first-come first-served basis and tend to go quickly hands-on and polymer experimentation computer activities guided laboratory tours and demonstrations also will be in progress throughout the day as part of the science exploration festivities along with on-site food trucks and a lunch buffet at sbisa dining hall in addition to faculty students and staff from the department of chemistry activities and demonstrations also will be presented from various departments throughout the college of arts and sciences the college of engineering and science-based student groups such as women in science and engineering the chemistry open house and science exploration gallery is sponsored in part by vwr scientific hayden-mcneil publishing the texas a&m college of arts and sciences the texas a&m university-american chemical society local chapter and the first year chemistry program for more information visit https://wwwchemtamuedu/openhouse
robert keith packer a 57-year-old virginian achieved a measure of infamy at the jan 6 capitol riot when he was photographed wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with a skull and crossbones along with the words camp auschwitz work brings freedom the front said a translation of the notorious motto arbeit macht frei that appeared on the gates of auschwitz and several other nazi concentration camps on the back was the word staff packer was sentenced to 75 days in prison on sept 16 2022 for his role in the riot he was tried for his actions not his clothing but his sweatshirt was far from the only holocaust reference on jan 6 or in its aftermath rioters have compared their arrests to the persecution of jews and commentator candace owens compared jan 6 to the reichstag fire which adolf hitler used as pretext to consolidate power in 1933 it is a reminder of something that is all too apparent to scholars of the holocaust like myself: americans are willing to trivialize the genocide by turning it into a tool for their own political goals as a historian who has written about the american role in liberating concentration camps at the end of world war ii i have spent a great deal of time thinking about how americans have and have not talked about the holocaust in the decades since there is little evidence that outright denial of the holocaust is widespread instead the problem is a poor understanding of the tragedy including this countrys response the focus of a remarkable documentary series the us and the holocaust which recently premiered on pbs forgetting exclusion the contemporary american story of the holocaust focuses on the us role in helping to bring the nazi regime of terror to an end a more nuanced understanding of americas reaction is less comforting
the pbs series produced by acclaimed filmmakers ken burns lynn novick and sarah botstein traces what americans knew about the vast and murderous campaign against civilians in nazi-occupied europe in the 1930s as a flood of jewish refugees attempted to flee hitlers germany the us did not enter the war to stop nazi persecution of europes jews in fact a majority of americans opposed entering the war at all until 1940 a year before the pearl harbor attack brought the us into the conflict many americans had no interest in protecting the rights of religious or ethnic minorities at home or abroad antisemitism and anti-foreign prejudice was a core element of american society in the early 20th century just as white supremacy was these forms of hatred and exclusion drew from the same well of supposedly scientific beliefs about racial hierarchy while the us allowed almost 125 000 jewish refugees to enter the country during the years between hitlers rise to power and the start of the war many more were denied entry or left in limbo remembering liberation this part of the countrys response has been largely forgotten in favor of a story where the us plays a more heroic part the liberation of the concentration camps in the spring of 1945 plays a central role in public memories of the war today along with the allied landings in normandy on d-day in 1944 the hall through which millions of visitors have entered the us holocaust memorial museum in washington is lined with flags of the liberator divisions of the us army there is no question that the arrival of american forces at buchenwald dachau and other camps across western and southern germany saved thousands of prisoners facing murder or death by starvation and sickness in reality however the systematic murder of europes jews had largely concluded and primarily took place hundreds of miles to the east in what is today poland ukraine russia and the baltic states by the time american forces landed in western europe europes jewish population had already been reduced to a few small pockets within weeks of the arrival of american troops at buchenwald americans saw images and newsreel film of the horrors of the camps however it took decades for the story of camp liberation to become the most important act of the war in europe in americans minds it would not be until the 1980s when the liberators and survivors were entering old age that the holocaust was firmly entrenched in american school curricula and popular culture one important consequence of this long wait was that the stories told by and about liberators changed in the intervening decades as americans became more familiar with the events of the holocaust through television and films liberator stories began to grow more similar to each other and merged into a general story of the holocaust which increasingly focused on the horrors of the death camps in german-occupied poland liberators of buchenwald describing the event decades afterward for example thought they remembered gas chambers at the camp when in fact there were none at that location read the original piece in the conversation