By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Earth’s Rotation Day

Did you know that scientists have recently concluded that the Earth's rotation has been accelerating?

We recognize January 8 as Earth's Rotation Day because French physicist Leon Foucault discovered that it revolves on its axis once every 24 hours in 1851. Since this discovery, scientists have been examining the Earth's daily rhythms, which are responsible for our ability to experience daylight cycles.

The Earth has been found to be rotating more quickly than usual in recent years, which may result in shorter days. According to TimeAndDate.com, “On June 29, 2022, Earth completed one spin in 1.59 milliseconds less than 24 hours.” Based on this rotation speed, we might see a "negative leap second," in which case our atomic clocks will have to skip a second to synchronize with the Earth’s rotation if the days keep getting shorter. Some scientists believe that the “negative leap second” could happen as early as 2029 if Earth’s rotation continues with its current speed. Based on recent studies, there have been many speculations that the melting ice phenomenon is causing the Earth’s rotation to accelerate. For example, places like Greenland and Antarctica have been experiencing rapid ice melting. The article “NASA-Funded Studies Explain How Climate Is Changing Earth’s Rotation” by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, stated that “a recent study measures the extent to which polar motion is being driven by climate-related processes, such as the melting of glaciers and ice sheets. And another study examines how Earth’s day is getting longer due to polar meltwater" (Wang & Lee, 2024). Researchers have been studying these changes for decades, trying to understand and find a solution to this rapidly growing issue of melting glaciers.

Researchers and engineers have been working on geoengineering techniques to potentially reduce the melting glaciers. Underwater barriers and curtains have the capacity to prevent warm water from reaching the glacier floor, making them one of the most promising geoengineering strategies that could have a beneficial effect on the melting glaciers. Another geoengineering strategy that might help with melting glaciers is drainage. The drainage will be able to control the flow of meltwater, which could reduce possible hazards and avoid flooding. To conclude, renewable energy sources are also promising strategies to control greenhouse gas emissions, which is one of the contributing factors of climate change. Based on published data, the primary contributors to the rising levels of greenhouse gases in the environment are human activities like using electricity and transportation. So, let's commemorate this Earth's Rotation Day by raising awareness of our environmental issues.

Happy Earth’s Rotation Day!

 

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • • 0 Comments

International Women in Engineering Day

Next Sunday, June 23rd, will mark the 11th International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). Initially, popularity and enthusiasm for the day expanded the celebration from its concentrated origin in the United Kingdom to become a worldwide event.

Originally launched in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), INWED sought to recognize and celebrate the presence and importance of underrepresented women in engineering. WES’ own mission is to be active supporters of women, motivate women to pursue careers in engineering, collaborate with government agencies and policymakers, and challenge stagnant cultures, which merge into the yearly celebration of INWED.

This year’s theme, #EnhancedbyEngineering, will focus on highlighting the incredible work that female engineers perform every day to improve their families and livelihoods around the globe. INWED encourages all supporting groups, globally, to organize events in support of INWED. There are many ways in which the supporting groups can collaborate and/or get involved during INWED. WES encourages that everyone can get involved by either becoming STEM ambassadors; hosting networking, mentoring, career, or social events; signing up for the INWED newsletter and following their social media accounts, such as Twitter and Instagram at @INWEB1919; joining WES as a corporate partner; and/or promoting this year’s theme with the #EnhancedbyEngineering and #INWEB24 hashtags. Last year, all supporting groups made a huge impact globally, potentially reaching more than 782 million people. INWED highlighted that only tweets using @INWED1919 had over 87k impressions. Additionally, INWED had nearly 30K visitors, and the webinar had over 700 attendees. Together, we can make significant change and expand awareness of the importance of women in engineering.

For more information about INWED and how you or your organization can participate, visit www.inwed.org.uk.

 

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

World Environment Day

World Environment Day, observed annually on June 5 since 1973 and organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a global public outreach forum for environmental issues that is widely observed by millions of people. It serves as a reminder of the urgent need to protect and preserve our planet for future generations.

Nature is in emergency mode, and time is running out. In order to prevent catastrophic consequences, we must take immediate action. The world is facing a climate crisis, and we need to cut yearly greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 to keep global warming below 1.5°C this century. Failure to do so will result in a significant increase in air pollution, surpassing acceptable limits by 50% within the next ten years. Additionally, if nothing is done, the amount of plastic garbage entering aquatic habitats will nearly triple by 2040.

According to the UNEP's Law and Environment Assistance Platform (LEAP), the production of plastic has reached alarming levels. UNEP-LEAP stated that about 9.2 billion metric tons of plastic have been manufactured since 1950, generating around 6.9 billion metric tons of primary plastic waste. Shockingly, more than three-quarters of this garbage is thrown away and ends up in dumps, landfills, unregulated waste streams, or the environment, which includes our oceans. The consequences of this plastic pollution are devastating. An estimated 19-23 million metric tons of plastic per year seep into aquatic ecosystems from land-based sources alone. This includes lakes, rivers, and seas and is further exacerbated by contributions from sea-based sources. The combined plastic leakage is wreaking havoc on ecosystems, economies, and society as a whole, including our own health.

On this World Environment Day, it is crucial that we come together as a global community to address these pressing issues. We must take responsibility for our actions and make sustainable choices in our daily lives. This includes reducing our carbon footprint, recycling and properly disposing of plastic waste, and supporting initiatives that promote environmental conservation.

The time to act is now. Let us use this World Environment Day as a catalyst for change and work towards a greener and more sustainable future for all. Together, we can make a difference and protect the only home we have—our planet.

 

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

International Women in Engineering Day

Next Friday, June 23rd, will mark the 7th International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). Initially, popularity and enthusiasm for the day expanded the celebration from its concentrated origin in the United Kingdom to become a worldwide event.

Originally launched in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), INWED sought to recognize and celebrate the presence and importance of women in engineering. INWED’s website calls the day “an accessible and inspiring way for companies, institutions, organizations, schools, universities, and individuals to raise the profile of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and related sectors, showcase a commitment to diversity, and inspire future generations by organizing their own events and activities.”
WES’ own mission to be active supporters of women, collaborators with government agencies and policy makers, and challengers of stagnant cultures merges into the yearly celebration of INWED.

This year’s theme, #Inventors&Innovators, will focus on highlighting the work women engineers around the world are doing to build a better future. INWED will focus on encouraging all supporting groups to organize events in support of INWED. Some examples on how to get involved, according to the campaign website, include becoming a STEM ambassador; hosting a networking, mentoring, careers, or social event; signing up to their newsletter and following their social media accounts, such as Twitter and Instagram at @INWEB1919, and joining WES as a corporate partner; and / or promoting this year’s theme with the #Inventors&Innovators and #INWEB23 hashtags.

For more information about INWED and how you or your organization can participate, visit www.inwed.org.uk.

 

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • • 0 Comments

Happy National Professional Engineers Day

A Professional Engineer (P.E.) license is a certification given to engineers after passing an examination provided by the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES). In order to obtain a P.E. license, engineers must meet NCEES requirements of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. Engineers can have multiple P.E. licenses because they are provided individually by states. The first person to ever earn a P.E. license in the United States (U.S.) was Charles Bellamy on August 8th, 1907; now over 100 years later, we celebrate Professional Engineers Day around the world.

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 will mark the seventh annual anniversary of Professional Engineers Day. The purpose of this holiday is to bring awareness to what engineers do, what it takes to be a P.E., and how they stay up-to-date with rapidly growing technologies. Thanks to the awareness this holiday offers, the U.S. has more than 800,000 engineers with P.E. licenses according to NCEES, and soon we will be able to proudly say the U.S. has more than 1,000,000 engineers with P.E. licenses.

Happy Professional Engineers Day!