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Recycling old Batteries into Fertilizer

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In 2019, Canada produced over 1.33 billion metric tonnes of waste, leading every country in the world in the most garbage produced per capita. Included in this collection of waste are potentially harmful products such as batteries and electronic waste (e-waste). While placing a small number of normal alkaline batteries in the trash is not particularly harmful, some batteries including lead-acid, lithium, nickel-cadmium, silver oxide and mercury batteries pose a higher threat due to their deleterious impacts on the environment. Although some cities have hazardous household waste (HHW) programs and provide drop-off options for some consumer batteries, these programs are not available to everyone and are not always used. What if there was another alternative for these metal tubes?

An Australian company, Lithium Australia, has managed to close the loop on the energy-metal cycle as they recover zinc and manganese from used batteries. They have found a way to use the metal dust from batteries to create a micronutrient supplement for plant fertilizers. The company looks to build a circular battery economy and they are focusing on supplying sustainable and ethical materials for battery companies. The type of engineers behind this project are called environmental engineers. Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, science, and biology to develop sustainable solutions to protect the health of living organisms while improving the quality of the environment. Environmental engineers play a crucial role in a quickly developing society, as they encourage humans to reduce their negative effects on the environment, while providing simple solutions for this to be accomplished. The environmental engineers working with Lithium Australia hope to reduce the carbon footprint of the battery industry, and one such method is by recycling their components into fertilizer!

So far, they are able to convert batteries that are on the smaller end of the scale, such as the ones used in remotes or small appliances. Their technology has found a way to extract the main components of alkaline batteries (zinc and manganese) and turn them into supplements for fertilizer.

Safely and sustainably disposing of alkaline batteries has become a major issue around the globe. However, Lithium Australia has already been carrying out tests on its new product and plans on expanding this testing in the future. We can be hopeful that this innovation will soon find its way to other countries so we have a method to reuse these batteries in a safe and practical manner!

Work Cited

https://interestingengineering.com/old-batteries-can-now-be-recycled-into-fertilizer

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/07/12/canada-united-states-worlds-biggest-producers-of-waste/39534923/

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/16-002-x/2016001/article/14570-eng.htm

Cosmetic Engineering

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There are no limits with a degree in engineering, instead there is only a multitude of possibilities. Engineering has so many different career paths, so that everyone can make a difference in a field they are passionate about. Some engineers want to use their education towards a creative industry, which is where cosmetic engineering comes in. That’s right, you can be a part of creating several beauty products with an engineering degree. Producing and manufacturing makeup products is a complex process that is very technical, which is why we need engineers. However, with all of this said, there is also a great deal of creativity at play to create a product that follows a cohesive story. A career in cosmetic engineering really does bridge the gap between creativity and technical skills.

Engineers in makeup?

Engineers are involved in developing, researching and creating makeup products. The reason behind this is there is a great deal of research that goes into creating these products since it affects the skin and health of everyone that uses it. Therefore the combination of chemicals and elements used in the product needs to be perfectly balanced and thought out. This process involves chemistry, which means chemical engineers will work with other chemists. Not only do the products need to be tested to be safe for use, but they also need to be crafted in a way that creates the outcome the cosmetics company/designers envisioned. This is where the creative application of engineering comes in. New techniques are tested and used at this stage to create cutting edge products.

How do you get there?

Does this sound like the perfect job for you? Do you live and breathe both creativity and STEM? The first step (like most careers in STEM) is getting a bachelor’s degree. The recommended degree for this career is chemical engineering. Through this degree you will take a deeper look at the process as well as developing materials and the impact of certain ingredients. After you get your bachelor’s degree you will need approximately 1-3 years of experience in product formulation. That doesn’t have to be cosmetic development in particular, it could even be in skin care, or other products.

The most important skill to gain from this work experience is the ability to manipulate different materials and chemicals to create a very specific product. While you are working it is always good to join a professional organization that can help you hone your skills. An example of this is The Society of Cosmetic Chemists. Even though this name includes the term “chemists” engineers are also welcomed, because they all work together in the industry. The advantages of joining, is you will have access to several networking opportunities and conferences, as well as presentations to help develop your professional skills. It is also a great thing to put on your resume to help you stand out when applying to jobs. Once you get your job in the cosmetic engineering industry you can expect to make roughly 78,000 dollars annually.

What soft skills do you need?

Soft skills are essential in every job. These are skills you learn outside of the classroom. These are the skills you use to work better with others and express yourself well. You will need excellent communication and teamwork skills for this career path, because you will 100% need to work with others. You will also need problem-solving skills because there are tons of issues that will surface in product development. Your end goal is to make products that are adaptable and suitable for multiple skin types, and this involves a lot of trial and error. Ultimately for this job you need to have a great rounded set of skills. Overall if you love getting creative and have a passion for makeup, cosmetic engineering may be perfect for you. The great thing about this career path is it shows how STEM has room for everyone! It also proves that joining the STEM community looks different for everyone. Cosmetic engineering is not an easy task, it needs talented, passionate and hardworking STEM leaders, and that leader could be you.

4 Resources for Learning at Home

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Normally we have spaces in which we do our best work. Whether those four walls are confined to your classroom at school, or maybe even your local library. Either way, certain environments have the right combination of factors, to make us work our absolute best. So what happens when we get home? It can be very hard to get any productive work done when we are surrounded by the distractions that come with our bedroom. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are tons of opportunities to satisfy your eager mind at home, and exercise your brain for free! So, next time you are tired of the ordinary check out these extraordinary learning resources we have listed!

Coursera

Post-secondary education is very expensive, that’s why it is very important to know you are picking the right school/course. The best part is, you do so much research for this without leaving your home! Well, Coursera is an online platform that makes all of this possible! This website allows users to sign up for free, and access a variety of courses from several Ivy League schools.

You can even specialize and take certain courses, to enhance your learning on a particular subject. This platform offers courses in all areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). An example is a course offered by Georgia Institute of Technology on this site called “Introduction to Engineering Mechanics”. Another great asset is that by completing courses you can earn certifications. Since anyone can do this, you can be putting yourself ahead of your classmates by having these under your belt! Coursera also combats procrastination and distraction by giving users a certain time limit to complete tasks and courses. This ultimately increases productivity and focus amongst their students.

Lynda

Lynda is an online library of sorts containing educational and tutorial based videos, meant to teach you various skills. The best part about Lynda is that each video is created by experts. That way you know you are getting the best information, and can learn from a great teacher! Lynda offers many of its services for free, so you don’t have to break the bank learning a new skill! Either your high school or even local library card will get your free access to this resource. Lynda has a lot of great STEM courses like “Engineering Management”. Lynda can also be accessible through mobile platforms which is great news for anyone on the go, or simply wanting to lounge while learning. That way you can be from the comfort of your own home when you explore and learn from these videos, at no cost!

Open Culture

Sometimes online learning can seem daunting or nearly impossible because we all have different learning needs. However, Open Culture tries to combat that issue by providing a multi-media solution to online courses! This website provides several ways to learn course material from home including, online streamable lessons, audiobooks, videos, and writing material. The reason behind this is to make sure that everyone has the very best chance of achieving and gaining skills online. Open Culture offers courses in almost every subject as well, making sure to include everyone in their online learning mission. They also have a variety of STEM classes including “Aircraft Systems Engineering”.

YouTube

That’s right an application you probably open for entertainment or for laughs, can also be very educational. YouTube has millions of videos created daily, and there are definitely a lot of educational options. For example, if you only have a small amount of time daily to dedicate to online learning, you can visit the Crash Course channel. This channel is designed to quickly teach and explain different topics to its audiences. It is perfect because these videos are bitesize keeping audiences watching the entirety of the video. You can also watch creators try various experiments and follow their steps, to recreate them from home. This can turn your kitchen into a science lab! The possibilities are truly endless with this platform, how you use it is ultimately up to you!

Overall, your education doesn’t have to stop when you leave school. Your bedroom or kitchen table can be just as productive of space as your desk! There are tons of very useful tools online that can assist you in exercising your brain no matter where you are. The question isn’t “can I learn from home?”, it’s “when do I want to start?”

ENGHERO: Elizabeth Norman

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Elizabeth Norman has an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Biomedical Engineering.

What is one thing you wish you knew about engineering when you were in high school?

One thing I found surprising in first year was the diversity of courses that I was required to take. Courses I would have never imagined that I would need to take such as the history of science and technology. In retrospect, I found these courses enlightening and helped to provide a solid foundation for the rest of my education.

What made you want to pursue engineering?

I have always had an aptitude for math and science and an analytical approach to life. I was fortunate enough to have engineers in my family which exposed me to this field. In addition, I have always wanted to help people and there are endless ways in which engineers can not only help individuals but also society as a whole. I always admired how engineers find solutions to the root of problems not just fixing the current issue at hand.

What branch of engineering is your major and how did you decide on it?

From a young age I wanted to help people.  My grandparents needed physical assistance at times due to arthritis hand implants and other ailments.  In looking through the various fields of engineering it was made clear to me that I could combine my passions, helping people, along with math and science.  Therefore, I chose to major in Biomedical Engineering.

What do you plan on doing with your engineering degree?

I am currently pursuing a Masters in Biomedical Engineering and aspire to design the next generation of medical devices that will enable and empower people to live a healthy and fulfilling life.

What advice would you give to a young female who is considering the field of engineering, but isn’t sure if it’s right for them?

Do your research and talk to professionals that are currently in the field that interests you. Have the confidence to pursue your passions and remember the world needs more female engineers!

Why I Stayed

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An exploration into why women choose to stay in STEM professions and pursue their professional goals.

Positivity is infectious and really affects your everyday. Women in engineering are something that is often looked at through the lens of “Why aren’t more women becoming engineers?”, but today we are going to explore why women choose to stay in these professions and pursue their professional goals in STEM. Looking at both sides of the spectrum is valuable in understanding the entire scope of the situation. However,  the impact of hearing success stories can not be underestimated. 

The goal of DiscoverE’s and Concord Evaluation Group’s collaborative study “Despite the Odds” was to uncover why women are choosing to become engineers after post-secondary. The idea sparked from the discovery of current studies available that focus on why women left engineering. Through this research, they found a  lack of studies analyzing why women are becoming engineers.

After interviewing several practicing female engineers across North America, they traced their passion back to these key points: 

  • Interest in and positive attitudes towards engineering.
  • Self-confidence in their skills and knowledge to do the work.
  • Having a strong support network.
  • Feeling a sense of belonging.

Let’s break down the reasoning and significance of each point.  

Interest in and Positive Attitude Toward Engineering.

Many participants in the study reported their interest in science and math and traced those passions back to their early school years. Being interested in science and math is a great asset when it comes to studying engineering, however, these students can always choose to study a more specialized subject such as; getting their bachelor’s in physics or chemistry. 

When discussing pursuing a bachelor’s degree in subjects as specialized as chemistry or physics, students complained about how constricting they felt these majors are. What made engineering stand out for these participants was the problem solving and freedom that it provides. 

One participant illustrated why she chose engineering instead of physics, “Physics curriculum does not allow me to think for myself. They tell me what to think. In engineering, I use physics and learn to think for myself.” This means that engineering is providing these women with the ability to practice their interests in a meaningful way, that extends past “rote memorization”.

Self-Confidence in Their Skills and Knowledge To Do the Work.

This study connected this reason back to Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy theory. This is a behavioral theory that explains why people are motivated to complete certain tasks. 

Simply put Bandura suggests that a person’s belief about his/her ability to complete a certain task has a huge impact on their actions and choices they make. This makes sense, if you were confident that you would make a team, you would be more likely to try out. Many people have the knowledge and skillsets to succeed but don’t act on these talents because of a lack of confidence. This connects fear of failing to our actions. 

In the past years, there has been an increasing amount of support systems and encouragement for more women to join STEM programs. This can be seen in organizations and charitable funds organizing events, workshops and even offering scholarships to incoming students. This can also be seen when walking around a university campus and seeing offices dedicated to supporting minorities in programs. 

All of these resources have created infectious confidence among young women. This confidence is allowing women to take a leap of faith, which may look like enrolling in an engineering program or staying in their engineering field after graduation. 

Having a Strong Support Network and Feeling a Sense of Belonging

These two points have a sense of community in common, which is key to success in any field of study. This need is something that is chemical in humans and can be traced back to survival instincts, so it is no wonder we are seeing it amongst students. 

There is so much to learn during your bachelor’s of engineering, and the amount of information and challenges can be overwhelming. That makes this nearly impossible to learn alone, and this program is designed that way because engineers work together in their professional careers. 

There is an old African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child”, and it really does take a village to make an engineer. The study of engineering’s design encourages collaboration, and this makes it easier to succeed and makes the student’s time in the program more valuable. Not only is collaboration helpful to complete a task, but it makes everyone in the group more effective because they feel supported and know that they are not in it alone. Participants in this study have even spoken about experiences with professors taking extra time to support students and help them solve problems. 

One participant describes her view on the engineering department “[W]ithin the engineering department I find that we’re very much a community…willing to help each other out and it’s not cutthroat and if we need help on something I’m not afraid to go up a flight of stairs to a girl who lives above me and ask her for help—I don’t think that she’s going to look down on me.”

This bond between colleagues, classmates, and professors creates an unstoppable force supporting women in their journey to becoming an engineer. In conclusion, I hope this study acts as more motivation to pursue engineering, and join the thriving women in this field. DiscoverE and Concord Evaluation Group conclude their study by saying: “We hope the success stories uncovered through this study can serve as a template so that young women looking at potential engineering careers can more easily make their way forward.”

Why Not Get Creative?

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Identifying as a “creative” means you can innovate, visualize ideas, make new things and overall seen the world differently. Engineering in particular needs more people who can innovate and create designs that help populations grow and thrive. This field is often associated with solely logic-based thinking, but an “outside of the box” perspective is just as important in the mindset of an engineer. Don’t let your creativity steer you away from a career in engineering, because this field depends on different perspectives and innovation. Behind every life-changing invention is a big imagination, and a great deal of creativity. The concept of innovation and creating new technology itself requires creativity. This outside of the box thinking has lead to the creation of medicine, cars, and electricity. Here are just a few examples of inventions that were a product of creative minds in engineering. 

Bullet trains are Japan’s high-speed trains that run at 200 miles per hour and are earthquake-proof. The idea of such a vehicle is ambitious and required the inventors to draw inspiration from the kingfisher bird to reduce the amount of noise it produced. The invention of this vehicle defied the rules and design of all previous trains. This example of outstanding problem solving and innovation never would have been possible without thinking outside of what was possible at the time. Looking to better the world, in ways that aren’t even possible yet, is essential in engineering.

An example we see in our homes is the bagless vacuum invented by James Dyson. James deconstructed the vacuum to research ways to prevent clogging and loss of suction. Creating a bagless vacuum was the solution, which changed the device forever. The bagless design prevented waste buildup in one central location. 

Since creativity is such a huge part of the job title, engineers often practice this skill inside and outside of their work. Engineers have admitted to playing games outside of work to specifically exercise this part of their brain. Problem-solving games help engineers see their work from a different perspective and implement their ideas more effectively. 

Engineers also practice the art of rapid prototyping, which is making many different versions of a device during the design process. This forces the engineer to imagine their original design differently with each version. Rapid prototyping is especially effective because in the end, there are several devices to compare/contrast and test. In fact, Dyson is known to have built 5127 prototypes before he came upon a successful one. 

Reverse engineering is also an excellent way to understand how something works and reimagine it. Reverse engineering is taking something apart and reassembling it. During this process engineers and everyday people alike, can learn more about each part of the device and how they all work together. Discovering how to change this device can also come across during this process. 

Being an engineer is all about the perfect balance of logical, and outside of the box thinking. Without both mindsets, designs will be lackluster or never exist. Therefore, we need more people to join this industry that see the world differently and can apply that talent to technology. This makes the stereotype of engineers not being creative, officially debunked! If you identify as a “creative” I encourage you to pursue a career in engineering, the world needs more fascinating minds like yours.