Michael Setzer Contributing Editor

Class of 2014

Articles

  • Robotics lecture on fingertips and tactile function

    Hands and fingers are some of the most useful and complicated tools on the planet. But what can we learn from studying them? A great deal, according to Vincent Hayward, a professor at the Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, both of which are located in Paris, France. Hayward presented a talk at Carnegie Mellon on Friday titled “How the mecha...

    SciTech | February 17, 2014
  • Making alternatives to milk to sidestep lactose intolerance

    Ever since we were in kindergarten, we were told to drink milk to soak up calcium and keep our bones strong. However, a significant portion of the population can’t digest lactose. We all know where regular milk comes from (hopefully), but what about the milk substitutes made for our lactose-sensitive or vegan brethren? The processes behind soy, almond, and rice milk are intriguing, so let’s get to...

    SciTech | February 10, 2014
  • Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman’s view on science education

    Speaking to a packed room full of students, faculty, and other members of the Carnegie Mellon community last Friday, Carl Wieman — the 2001 Nobel Laureate in Physics, as well as a professor of physics and of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University — presented his views on improving science education. In his talk, Wieman spoke of a new paradigm for college-level science education an...

    SciTech | February 2, 2014
  • How compass apps can tell direction

    If you were to go back in history and meet with the explorers and navigators of yesteryear, they would probably be wielding — at least one — magnetic compass. Whip out your compass app on your smartphone, and they’d probably be flabbergasted — well, with that and your time machine. But how has the compass worked to help everyone from ancient Chinese seafarers to today’s Boy Scouts of America? And ...

    SciTech | January 27, 2014
  • SciTech Briefs

    Study shows that caffeine may help short-term memory

    A recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University suggests that consuming some coffee may improve the ability to retain information. One hundred sixty participants were assigned to look at pictures of various objects and were then given either a caffeine pill or a placebo. The next day, participants were given another set of pict...

    SciTech | January 20, 2014

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