Science Philanthropy Alliance’s Post

Black History Month Day 10... Granville Tailer Woods (April 23, 1856 – January 30, 1910) was the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War. Known as "Black Edison," he registered patents, including a telephone transmitter, a trolley wheel and the multiplex telegraph (over which he defeated a lawsuit by Thomas Edison). Woods's most important invention was the multiplex telegraph, also known as the "induction telegraph," or block system, in 1887. The device allowed people to communicate by voice over telegraph wires, ultimately helping to speed up important communications and, subsequently, preventing crucial errors such as train accidents. Woods defeated Edison's lawsuit that challenged his patent, and turned down Edison's offer to make him a partner. Thereafter, Woods was often known as "Black Edison." After receiving the patent for the multiplex telegraph, Woods reorganized his Cincinnati company as the Woods Electric Co. In 1890, he moved his own research operations to New York City, where he was joined by a brother, Lyates Woods, who also had several inventions of his own. Woods's next most important invention was the power pick-up device in 1901, which is the basis of the so-called "third rail" currently used by electric-powered transit systems. From 1902 to 1905, he received patents for an improved air-brake system. By the time of his death Wood held nearly 60 patents and is still considered to be one of the most prolific inventors in American History. We stand on the shoulders of giants! #blackhistorymonth #inventors #granvillewoods https://lnkd.in/eUP3rvFS

🌊📜 Dive into History! 📜🌊 Our latest History Column explores the fascinating life and legacy of William Thomson, Lord Kelvin! 🌟 Born in Belfast in 1824, Kelvin was a pioneering physicist known for his groundbreaking work in thermodynamics. He spent his illustrious career at the University of Glasgow, where he introduced the concept of absolute zero and the Kelvin temperature scale. Discover more about the man behind the Kelvin wake and his enduring contributions to science. 📝 https://loom.ly/aghYEzo

In “The Future of Noncoercive Statecraft and International Security,” CPD’s Sohaela Amiri, PhD applies definitions of power, force, and movement from the field of physics to guide thinking about power and influence in international affairs. Read: https://bit.ly/40guLVd

The next AANHPI materials scientist we're highlighting this month is the inventor of smart concrete, Dr. Deborah D.L. Chung! Read Caltech's alumna profile of Dr. Chung and learn about her history and motivations here: https://lnkd.in/e-AxYH8e

Benjamin Franklin's "Electrical battery" of Leyden jars, 1760-1769 The individual Leyden jar, the early form of what is now called a capacitor, gathers an electrical charge and stores it until it is discharged. Benjamin Franklin grouped a number of Leyden jars into what he described as a "battery" (using the military term for weapons functioning together). By multiplying the number of holding vessels, a stronger charge could be stored, and more power would be available on discharge. ~Prepared by Gheis for Archaeology & Civilizations group| Photo 1 by Peter Harholdt, 2004 / Benjamin Franklin 300 website Photo 2/ early forms of Leyden jars/ Leyden jar invention was a discovery made independently by German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist on 11 October 1745 and by Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek of Leiden (Leyden), Netherlands in 1745–1746. #engineering #physics #science #students #education

What can linear stability analysis tell us about the evolution of this flow? Find out in our most recent article in Journal of Fluid Mechanics on global transient linear stability of an evolving laminar separation bubble using optimally time-dependent modes! (https://lnkd.in/dN5ZPSKd) Many thanks to my co-authors, mentors and advisors Prabal Negi, Ardeshir Hanifi and Dan Henningson!

#OTD in 1956, the law of parity conservation was overturned in a groundbreaking experiment that had profound implications for our understanding of the universe and paved the way for further advancements in particle physics. Learn more: https://go.aps.org/3TsjNuy.

A conversation back in 2009 with the my good friend and esteemed colleague, the late Professor John Macdonald, on the assumptions behind the his unified theory of quasi-steady aerodynamics of cables and prismatic sections published a few years earlier together with Guy Larose, led me to some deep contemplation on the possible effects of torsion and - more specifically - displacement proportional forces on the overall quasi-steady aerodynamics of those sections. That in turn led to a long effort over many years to eliminate many of his original assumptions in an attempt to find a more accurate solution to the problem of galloping instability and static divergence. It started with my former PhD student Henrik Gjelstrup and continued with Giulia Matteoni. It was later taken up by Cristoforo Demartino, in collaboration with Zhen Sun. The culmination of this multi-year collaboration is the paper below on the “Quasi-steady three-degrees-of-freedom aerodynamic model of inclined/yawed prisms: formulation and instability for galloping and static divergence”, published just last year in the journal Wind & Structures. We now have a much more comprehensive and accurate theory for the determination of galloping instabilities using the quasi-steady approach. I invite those interested to dive into the paper and use the developed theory not only for the aerodynamics of cables, transmission lines, or similar line-like structures, but also for extended problems of static divergence. The paper can be found at: https://lnkd.in/dqiX4zTU

Had this detailed conversation with Jordan Sather last week. We discussed the suppression of alternative energy technologies, some particulars about Professor John Searl's official magnetic project here in San Diego, challenges to Relativity from the work of Dr. Edward Dowdye, flaws of people's understanding of thermodynamics from the work of Dr. Pierre-Marie Robitaille, and more. https://lnkd.in/gYYNshwg