UTB Science Fair Volume I

Science is all around us, guys. What makes a classy lady so classy? Think up a hypothesis and test it! How does texting work? Nobody knows, but you can run a couple experiments and find out. The point is: science is fasci(ence)nating.

We're always writing about sports and the greatest dancers but we think it's time to see what scientific stuff has been happening on campus. Welcome to the first annual UTB Science Fair. Wind, soccer and the dangers of creating perfect artificial intelligence after the jump!

Let's start with weather: the most television-friendly of all the sciences. In 2008, some people (we imagine they were wearing white coats and goggles) installed anemometers in the "wind tunnel" between the high rises to measure the power of the wind. Now they're going to look at the data and see if the wind can be used to power a turbine to provide everyone with precious, precious energy. The DP wrote about it here. We have a few suggestions for what this turbine could be used for. This extra energy is a gift so we should definitely use it for fun. Maybe it could power a ferris wheel, or we can use it as an excuse to start a mini-golf course on College Green, the crown jewel of which will be a windmill powered by the turbine. Nothing blows about that plan LOLOL.

But what about robots? Great question! Obviously we'd all like to get to a point where we can hang out with the cutest robots all the time, but to get Earth to the point where it's a barren wasteland that requires Wall-E to clean up, we're going to need to suffer through the Rise Of The Machines, a centuries long fight between man's best weapons and the cold, calculated robots and their perfect artificial intelligence (WHICH MAY TRULY HAVE BEEN MAN'S BEST WEAPON?). Will this fight be worth it? Some Penn students think so! They are putting us on a one-way train to our sure destruction by doing the unthinkable - participating in a robo-soccer World Cup. According to that article, RoboCup wants the robot champions to play the human World Cup champions by 2050. SCARY. We now know when the first battle will be fought. Thanks, Penn engineering students. Actually, if any of you other engineering students want to start developing a way to preserve the body of this guy for that match in 2050, you have our support. Luckily, the article also says the robots they use are very sensitive to light. Flashlights on, everybody.

Wow, science is just the greatest, right? Are you doing any cool experiments these days? A baking soda and vinegar volcano? A potato battery? Let us know!