While, On The Other Hand...

Many molecules in biology come in either left- or right-handed -- so-called "chiral" -- forms. But scientists were surprised to learn from a 1999 report in the research journal Science that electrons, in special circumstances, might move at different rates through those mirror-image structures.

Those "special circumstances" involve using circularly polarized light to get the electrons moving through chiral molecules via the photoelectric effect. Circularly polarized light can be said to rotate in space something like planets orbiting a sun. But how that made electrons behave unevenly remained "a mystery for nearly a decade," said Duke chemistry professor David Beratan. "Existing theory really wasn't up to the task of explaining this lack of symmetry."

Beratan teamed up with an international group of scholars, including two Duke colleagues, to answer that question in a December, 2008 issue of the journal Physical Review Letters. Those results were also recently reviewed in a Perspective commentary in March 13 issue of Science.

Experimentalists had found uneven results both when either polarization of light or the handedness of molecules were reversed, he noted.

Could all this theorizing lead to practical applications? Perhaps, Beratan said. "All proteins, all DNA, almost all amino acids, and many small natural products produced by biological systems, have this handedness. Maybe biology is using some of these effects as it pushes electrons around. So we may be able to use some of these effects to diagnose or to control reaction mechanisms."

A Shift of Power

Duke students joined 12,000 other people at PowerShift 09, a four-day conference about the environmental issues affecting our planet, and how they can be addressed. PowerShift had speeches, panels, workshops, rallies, and Lobby Day, when participants converged on Capitol Hill to demand change from their representatives.

The first and second night (Feb. 27 and 28), keynote speakers gave stirring speeches about the rights and responsibilities of humans, and how environmental justice cannot be achieved without social and political justice. They spoke to an enthusiastic crowd that frequently burst into cheers and standing ovations.

“This is the moral obligation of our generation-- to address climate change and protect human rights,” keynote speaker Clayton Thomas Muller said.

Van Jones, founder of Green for All, emphasized the possibility for change. “It’s no accident that you were born right now, when we need you the most -- I want you to understand how much power you have!”

Jones described how if a person 50 years ago could access a world’s worth of information in a minute, or speak to a person thousands of miles away, they would be thought a god. But the tools that allow us to accomplish such feats are now commonplace and taken for granted. “It’s time to turn toys into tools,” Jones said.

Jones asserted the need to include all people, of all races, sexes, and economic levels, an idea which reverberated throughout the conference. The speeches both on Friday and Saturday culminated in a concert, which thousands stayed to enjoy.

During the day on Saturday and Sunday, participants attended workshops and panels of their choosing. Topics ranged from international environmental policy to organizational skill-building and “use of social media for the greener good.”

All six panels and workshops I attended were extremely informative and open to input from the audience. It created a very open and engaging dynamic. Many of the sessions emphasized the need for substantial domestic environmental legislation this year, so that U.S. representatives have something to take to the table for Copenhagen December, an international conference on climate change. Bill McKibben from 350.org stressed that people get involved in the Global Day of Action, Oct. 24, to get the point across that the tipping point has already been passed.

On Sunday, people broke out into group sessions to connect with other attendees from their state. This was one of my favorite parts of PowerShift; after all the conference had done to inspire and empower me, I was ready to get to work. So it was incredibly exciting to meet similar-minded people from my home state, who I might be able to work with in the future. All forty of us exchanged contact information and are already organizing to accomplish environmental action in our state.

Monday brought blasts of wind and snow, but thousands of persevering PowerShifters gathered in front of the Capitol for a blazing rally and show of support for green jobs, environmental equity, and renewable energy.

After the rally, the masses dispersed to lobby their respective Congressmen in surrounding buildings. I again joined with PowerShifters from my home state to appeal to our senators and representatives. The day before, we had been given training about effective methods of lobbying, and had planned our approach. It was interesting to see how our representatives or their staffers responded to our ideas. Some we thought were on the fence were quite on-board; we thought one representative would shut the door on us, but we found him to be somewhat supportive, although he had different methods in mind for reversing global climate change. (Fantastical “clean coal” being one of them.) Altogether, Lobby Day was an eye-opening experience, and proof of the effect thousands of dedicated people can have. One staffer mentioned that he had never spoken with a more engaging or energizing group of lobbyists, or a group as young.

More than anything, PowerShift proved that age is not a factor in creating global change.

“Young people have more power now than they’ve ever had before.” Van Jones said. “This is no ordinary year, and we cannot live ordinary lives.”

NAE Grand Challenges Summit- Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship, even though not a specific Grand Challenge itself, is the driving force for the proper implementation of every solution to the challenges, according to a panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders who conducted a panel discussion at the Grand Challenges Summit hosted by the Pratt School of Engineering on March 2 and 3.

The Entrepreneurship panel discussed the most important factors to foster entrepreneurship and innovation to accelerate diffusion of technology solutions to the 14 Engineering Grand Challenges.

"How many times have we heard the word 'entrepreneur,' " asked session moderator Tom Byers of Stanford University as he opened the panel discussion.

Developing an entrepreneurial mindset among young students is key, said Phil Weilerstein, Executive Director, National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). "Student innovation is not just a practice activity, but it is something that has the power to change the world."

Paul Kedrosky, senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation, added that an immense portion of entrepreneurship training has begun to focus specifically on scientists and engineers.

Collaborative curriculums are being developed at various universities -- including Duke -- to harness the innovative entrepreneurial attitude among engineers, to enable them to better market and strategically deal with situations.

Trevor Loy, founder, Flywheel Ventures, notes that entrepreneurs, particularly a specific breed of entrepreneurs in the form of venture capitalists, has generated 18% of the GDP of the country, while only forming a measly 0.02% of the investment asset. "The Venture Capitalist industry is small, but the outside impact on the economy is high."

"Engineering entrepreneurship is action," said Steve Nichols, Professor, University of Texas, Austin.

"The entrepreneur is like a jockey," adds Trevor Loy, as he controls how the innovative solutions presented by the engineers and scientists effectively reaches the customers.

"So why is now a different time from what it was 10 years ago for innovation in this area?" is the question that needs to be asked by an entrepreneur and an innovator before taking something to the market. "One of the things that need to be different is how will it be sustainable and self-generating," said Phil Weilerstein. Another fundamental question that needs to be answered before introducing an innovation to the customers is "Who cares?" and how can we separate the customer from their money, according to Steve Nichols.

The panel also informed the audiences about stimulating effective technology transfer and fostering innovation-oriented business ecosystems in all regions.

Paul Kedrosky beautifully summarized the role of an entrepreneur - "Entrepreneurship is like returning to love every time, even after having your heart broken many times."

Convention Swag

The Grand Challenges summit in Durham was a great meeting with attendees from all over the country and beyond, but what it lacked was a big swag-filled convention hall.

Not to worry! The good folks at the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California have cooked up some virtual swag -- a downloadable commemorative icosahedron. How cool is that?