Releasing Radioactive Water from Fukushima: An Engineering Perspective

In 2023, Japan made the monumental move to begin releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster into the ocean. The decision was mired in controversy, met with both support and opposition from international bodies, neighboring countries, and environmental groups.

By |2023-10-02T13:11:04-06:00October 2nd, 2023|Tuesday Tidbits|5 Comments

VELCRO: An Idea That Stuck

Zippers, buttons, glue, staples, stitching. Prior to 1955, those were the main ways in which things were fastened together. But inventor George de Mestral’s 1941 discovery led to an easier and often more effective way of conjoining two things: VELCRO. While we’ve all used the substance and it’s a common part of things we use every day, it was an invention that was a long time in the making.

By |2023-06-27T16:15:50-06:00July 3rd, 2023|Tuesday Tidbits|2 Comments

Riddle Me This: Get in Line!

Can you rearrange the positions of the figures to form a new line, from left to right, according to the following rules? The triangle is in position 1. The circle is not in 2 or 4. The circle is not at the end of the line. The pentagon is not in 4 or 5. The octagon is not in 5.

By |2023-06-27T16:16:37-06:00May 1st, 2023|Engineering Fun, Tuesday Tidbits|4 Comments