10/16/2012

NASA's Space Shuttles


Here you can find some more information about the 3 main components of NASA's Space Shuttles
  • The 2 SRBs (Solid Rocket Boosters) 
  • The External Tank (ET)
  • The Orbiter (the crew's home)
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/vehicle/index.html

Watch this video about the 25th Anniversary of the Challenger accident:





Click here for more information about NASA's shuttle fleetColumbiaChallengerDiscoveryAtlantis and Endeavour:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

10/11/2012

Written Assignment 3. Deadline: October 16th

Write about your own field

Choose one of the following tasks and write a description of your field. Write between 170 - 270 words. Notice that parts c and d of both tasks are the same

1) Exercise hpage 33 of English for Science and Engineering: 

a) Include information about each of the topics below:
  • general definitions and terms
  • a brief history of the field
  • things that are manufactured in this field
  • areas of knowledge that people are required to master
  • activities that people typically carry out
b) You may use the Reading and Matching Exercise below as an example for some parts of your text. 

c) Write your text using information you find on the internet (see useful websites in the previous blog entry). 

d) At the end of your written report, include a list of the websites you consulted (use the heading "References") and send your activity.


2) 
a) Read the following text about the field of Aerospace Engineering. 

b) Match each heading with the correct paragraph. 

c) Then write a similar text about your own field of study using information you find on the internet (see useful websites in the previous blog entry). 

d) At the end of your written report, include a list of the websites you consulted (use the heading "References") and send your activity.


READING: AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Read the text carefully and match each heading with the correct paragraph




Some Useful Engineering and Science Websites

Here's a list of useful and reliable websites where you can find information for your written assignments:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Please read only the English pages, not the Spanish ones.

http://www.efunda.com/home.cfm

- eFunda stands for engineering Fundamentals. Here you can quickly find concise, reliable and useful information, e.g. Formulas.

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
- This is MIT's OpenCourseWare website. It is a free online publication of nearly all of the course materials used at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

http://www.greatachievements.org/
- This website has simplified writing. It may be useful as a reference. 


Some Scientific Journals, News Articles and Reports:



http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
- "Nature" is a prestigious British scientific journal. Short versions of articles are free here. 


http://www.sciencemag.org/
- "Science" is one of the world's top scientific journals. It's the American version of the British "Nature."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

- This is one of the most popular science news websites today. In the "Reference" column you will find useful information.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/

- Magazine intended for the educated general public. It has some free articles.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/

- Engineering magazine with general topics


http://www.nap.edu/
- National Academies of Science and Engineering. Here you may find Safety Incident Reports, e.g. the Challenger accident report. You can find free downloadable PDF Files. The listed prices are for printed copies.

http://www.nist.gov/index.html

- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). You can find reports here.

10/02/2012

Listening Comprehension: R&D Intensity

Listen to this extract from the European Commission's 2011 Report on Investment and Performance in R&D. Then read the statements below. Are they True or False?
  1. R&D intensity is the ratio of investment in R&D to sales.
  2. The European Union’s target is to invest 10% of GDP in R&D.
  3. Total R&D investment in the EU has risen by 60% between 1995 and 2008.
  4. This is a much higher growth rate than that in other parts of the world.
  5. The EU share of world R&D expenditures went down from 29% in 1995 to approximately 24% in 2008.

Audio recording and upload >>