[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/interior_design.flv[/flv]

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INTERIOR DESIGN:
Making Sure Marines Fit Perfectly

Marines spend hours at a time driving around on missions in mine-resistant ambush-protected, or MRAP, vehicles. These trucks need to be functional, comfortable, and safe.

A Navy team of engineers and scientists are designing MRAP vehicle interiors by combining engineering skills with "Human Systems Integration," a process by which products are designed based on the needs and abilities of the people using them. So human factors such as hearing, sight, emotions, and intelligence are considered by the design team to build the best model.

"Engineering is about commonsense and practical stuff," says mechanical engineer Molly McShane. "It's also about imagining what could be possible."

[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/swab_the_decks.flv[/flv]

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SWAB THE DECKS!:
Decontamination Is Key to Toxic Spills

There are different ways to deal with a toxic chemical. You can neutralize it chemically, you can physically remove it, or you can try to capture it in another material.

When a spill occurs on board a ship, cleaning it up is even more difficult because you can't just get up and leave. So, scientists at a Navy research lab in Dahlgren, VA., are developing new formulas to help hazard-response teams deal with toxic chemicals so sailors stay safe aboard ships. "Chemistry is a lot of fun because it takes a lot of creativity," says Peter Hseih, a chemist. "It actually takes imagination to think of ways in which you can replace a specific atom with another one, and that is as much art as it is science."

[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Space_Hitchhiker.flv[/flv]

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SPACE HITCHHIKERS:
This Rocket Science Makes Total Sense

Satellites are devices launched into orbit to collect information or aid in communication. Although they're invaluable tools, they also are enormously expensive to send into space. However, using an amazing adaptor called an ESPA ring, engineers at an Air Force research lab in Albuquerque are helping to send up more satellites by adding them to existing, larger missions.

An ESPA is fitted between a launch vehicle, or the rocket, and the primary satellite and can hold up to six small satellites. Before ESPA existed, space engineers would put ballast weight into the payload attached to get the correct performance out of the rocket. ESPA gives the Air Force a much better use for that weight capacity because a rocket that used to only carry one satellite now can take many.

"ESPA satellites are kind of riding as second-class citizens -- hitchhiking, if you will," says mechanical engineer Janice Stuart. "Satellites that couldn't afford to be launched are now getting into orbit, making important research possible."

[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Mars_Mission.flv[/flv]

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MISSION TO MARS: 
Surviving in Space is All Part of the Fun

Fifth-graders from all over New Mexico have come together to take a trip to Mars. Their journey may be simulated, but just like real astronauts they have had to prepare for their mission through hands-on math and science.

For four months, they have learned about Mars in their classrooms. They studied the planet's atmosphere and determined how they would survive there; they designed life-support systems, planned meals, and figured out how to communicate with Earth.

Finally, these students -- a thousand of them -- came together at the city's convention center to embark on the mission together, building habitats and telling their stories through teamwork, songs, and skits. "This is the way we inspire students to become future scientists and engineers," says Ronda Cole, a director at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, which hosts the event. "Pick those career fields, because you're going to have fun for the rest of your life."

[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Real world design challenge.flv[/flv]

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REAL WORLD DESIGN CHALLENGE:
Make It Fly

How do you make an airplane more fuel efficient?

That was the Real World Design Challenge this year -- and teams of high school students from across the United States competed to see who could design the best wing and tail for a business jet.

Each year, RWDC provides millions of dollars in free software to schools -- so students can use the same tools as the professionals. Students also get online mentoring from scientists and engineers to help them develop and test their designs.

The students like the technology piece -- but they also like the "contribution to society" piece of the program. They are solving today's problems -- today.

"It's just really taking on challenges that you would never expect to find in high school," says a student from Hawaii. "Something that you never really get to do in class."

[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/PowerHarvest_Induction Magic.flv[/flv]

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POWER HARVESTING - INDUCTION MAGIC:
Pulling Energy From the Sky

Figuring out how to harness electricity from power lines isn't the only amazing goal that Air Force research lab engineers achieved. They still had a question: Could electronics such as cameras and radio transmitters be fired up by placing them on power lines?

That process -- capturing magnetic energy and turning it back into electricity -- is called electromagnetic induction. The answer was "yes," and now that the engineers can harness this energy, they have big plans to power other devices.

Using induction is "taking advantage of all the power lines that are available all over the world," says electrical engineer David McDaniel. "It's like when you were a kid you're working on your bike -- it's like that, times a thousand," says electrical engineer Pat Marshall. "I love it! I love being an engineer -- electrical, of course."

[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/PowerHarvest_BatHook.flv[/flv]

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POWER HARVESTING - THE BAT HOOK:
Helping Special Ops 'Super heroes'

Power lines crisscross the skies, delivering electricity with the flip of a switch. But what happens when a soldier is outside, away from an electrical outlet, and unable to access electricity to power equipment or recharge batteries?

An engineer at an Air Force research lab in Dayton, Ohio, has figured out how to harness electricity from power lines via a system called RAPS. RAPS is a connecting device that's attached to the end of a long cable. When the device is thrown over a power line, a blade at the end pierces the power line and completes the circuit that brings electricity down to the soldier. And that can mean a lot in the desert or jungle.

"Research and development is an amazing field to work in and yes, it's fun," says mechanical designer Dave Coates. "Especially when you have a lot of people saying the task you've been given is impossible, and then you produce something like this."

[flv image="http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/Beam_me_up.jpg"]http://stemresources.wm.edu/videos/FootSoldier.flv[/flv]

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FOOT SOLDIER:
Happy Feet in the Field

Soldiers are on their feet all day -- whether in the desert, the jungle, or even the snow. The loads they carry, their environment, and the speeds at which they move all impact their feet -- and the boots they're wearing. So engineers at an Army research lab in Natick, Mass., are working to ensure that the boots on the ground work well and feel great. Footwear engineer Mike Holthe uses his training in bio mechanics -- applying the principles of engineering to the human body -- to create and test boots. In the footwear lab, he measures the impact forces around a boot to test its performance before it's tested on real feet. His work has paid off by reducing soldiers' foot and leg injuries by more than 30 percent. "If we can make it so a soldier's not even thinking about their boots, then that's a victory," Holthe says. "It feels good to be able to hand a pair of boots to a soldier, have him try them on and smile."