Fort Wayne Engineers Club

11/02/2024

Happy Inventor’s Day. We suspect there are quite a few patents awarded to members of our group.

30/01/2024

We need judges and mentors in Fort Wayne next year! Just held our annual contest and the winning team is headed to compete in Washington DC

❗ JUDGES NEEDED!

Each year over 70,000 middle school participate in the Future City competition around the world, and soon the winning teams will be heading to Washington, DC!

This is where you come in: we are calling on professional engineers, project managers, technicians and technologists, and STEM volunteers. Registration is now open and we need you to be a judge.

Shoutout to Official Sponsor Bentley Systems whose support means that students get high quality resources as they look to the future and build a city that adapts to the coming changes of society, resource availability, and economics!

Register Today ➡️ https://futurecity.org/register/

30/01/2024

More cool civil engineering in action:

30/01/2024

Let’s talk technical. Very ancient and sophisticated technology:

MER: THE GREAT PYRMID OF GIZA

The Great Pyramid Of Giza Known as Mer to the ancient Kemites is the most enigmatic structure on the face of the planet. Mer which translates to the “Place of Ascension” is the only surviving wonder of the ancient world and has inspired much speculation as to why it was built and what was its function.

According the the ancient Kemites themselves the Pyramids served as a ritual center for the Per Ankh schools of initiation. The Kings and Queens chambers were designed to harness resonance frequencies to induce higher states of conciousness. The structure of the pyramid was designed using sacred geometry which allowed the structures to tap into the subtle energies of the earth and the cosmos. The ancients harnessed this enegery for a number of purposes. It is said that the Pharaohs would use the Mer structures which were incased in highly reflective white limestone, capped with gold to "Turn night into day". A feat of such greatness would surely ensure their names and legacies would live on for thousands of years. They were right.

The mathematical accuracy and astronomical information encoded into the structure has baffled scientists for decades. The great pyramid is aligned within three sixtieths of a degree of true north, a more accurate alignment than any other structure on earth. It is not only aligned almost perfectly to the cardinal points, but its placement on the earth is intentional as well placing it directly in the center of the world's landmass.

The level of technological sophistication used to build this great monument far exceeds the capabilities of today’s greatest minds and we could not build anything close to the great pyramid today even with our perceived advanced technology and building machinery. The ancient Kemites did not use the inch as they do in our modern system.

They used the royal cubit which is one 25 millionth of the polar diameter of the earth which is the exact distance from the north to the south pole. If you chop that distance into 25 million pieces you get the royal cubit.

The length of a base side at the base socket level is 9,131 inches which translates to 365.242 royal cubits. This just happens to be the earthly year right down to a quarter day. The measurements of the length and width of the perimeter of the great pyramid corresponds to an exact fraction of both the longitude and latitude measurements at the equator. Scaled up this means the great pyramid directly corresponds to the circumference of the equator as well as the measurements from the equator to the pole, making it a scale model of the northern hemisphere.

If you take the location of the Great pyramid as a coordinate this number sequence matches the speed of light traveling through space measurement in meters per second. None of this is a coincidence and the vast information encoded about the earth and its relation to the cosmos points to the fact that these ancient Africans were far more advanced than we could ever imagine and the methods in which they collected and incorporated these high sciences into their structures and cities still escape scientists today.

Today I give thanks to the ancient Kemites and those that came before for their contributions of Mathematics, Sacred Geometry, Architecture & Astronomy. I am grateful for these gifts you gave to the world.

Black Genesis by Robert Bouval and Thomas Brophy
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Genesis.../dp/159143114X

𓊵𓏏𓊪 𓋹 Hotep Be at peace

Follow our YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/

Visit our Virtual Museum:
https://www.knowthyselfinstitute.com/museum

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at

29/01/2024

The beginnings of internal combustion engines:

Although Nikolaus Otto wanted to attend technical school, it was not to be. His father, the village postmaster and innkeeper, had died shortly after the boy’s birth and the economic decline following the unsuccessful German revolution of 1848 left his mother unable to afford to send him. So instead, Nikolaus took a job as a grocery store clerk, then as a traveling salesman, peddling tea, sugar, and kitchenware to grocery stores across western Germany, dreaming all the while (presumably) of life as an engineer.

While traveling for his sales circuit Otto learned of the gas-powered internal combustion engine that had been invented by Etienne Lenoir. Lenoir’s invention was revolutionary (being the world’s first workable internal combustion engine) but impractical. It was exceedingly noisy, inefficient, generated excessive heat, and relied on expensive fuel that had to be transported and stored in a gaseous state. The problems with Lenoir’s engine, Otto believed, could be solved by using liquid fuel instead. Although he had no formal technical education, Otto invented a carburetor and in 1861 created a new gasoline-powered engine—what would become the world’s first practical internal combustion engine.

Lacking the money to commercialize his invention, in 1864 Otto partnered with Eugen Langen, a German businessman who recognized the potential of Otto’s engine. Together they built a factory, improved the protypes, and in 1867 exhibited the engine at the Paris Exhibition, where it won the gold medal. With the resulting publicity, business boomed. Otto and Langen brought on additional investors and hired a brilliant engineer named Gottleib Daimler as their technical director. By the mid 1870’s the company (by then called Gasmotoren-Frabrik Deutz AG) was the world’s premier engine manufacturer and Nikolaus Otto had become a wealthy man.

In 1876 Otto came up with a new and improved design, changing the internal combustion engine forever. To increase power and efficiency, while decreasing noise and vibration, he invented a revolutionary four stroke engine, going against the prevailing belief that every cylinder stroke should produce power. The four-stroke engine became known as the “Otto engine” and his concept was called the “Otto cycle.” The engine was an immediate success. In 1882 Daimler installed one in a carriage and created the world’s first automobile.

Having invented machines that would change the world, Nikolaus Otto died in Cologne at age 58, on January 26, 1891, one hundred thirty-three years ago today.

19/01/2024

FYI

06/01/2024

Stay creative. File patents. Brainstorm frequently

Innovation comes easy for some and not so easy for others. But having the courage to innovate is important in all our lives, even if you are not an inventor of futuristic automobiles. We all contend with problems and situations in our lives that require creative solutions and bold leaps forward. People associate the word innovation with technology, and we have technology in our annual Innovation issue, including considerations of the looming AI revolution and the future of solar energy. But we also have articles on innovation in the world of non-alcoholic beverages, innovation among Fort Wayne’s immigrant population and what one might learn about innovation by observing the natural world. Some of Fort Wayne’s movers and shakers also tell us about their innovation role models and about the books that inspired them to greater heights of innovation. You can find it all in our digital edition at fortwayne.com, just click the link in the paragraph.

28/12/2023

Are you recruiting people into STEM careers????

Frustrated with the racist harassment, culminating with her learning that the studio was withholding her fan mail, Nichelle Nichols submitted her resignation from the "Star Trek" television series after consulting with series creator Gene Roddenberry. She stated in several interviews that the harassment made her go back to work in theater until attending an NAACP fundraiser. The fundraiser was where a Star Trek fan was about to meet her for the first time and, to her astonishment, the fan turned out to be Dr. Martin Luther King. King stated that his wife and children had seen "Star Trek" on TV and it was the only television series that he had approved of. He said that her role as the fourth in command of the USS Enterprise became a positive role model for African-Americans. She withdrew her resignation from the series when King personally convinced her that her role was too important as a breakthrough to leave.

From the late 1970s until 1987, Nichols was employed by NASA and in charge of astronaut recruits and hopefuls. Most of the recruits she launched were minority candidates of different races and/or ethnicities, as well as gender, like Guion Bluford (the first African-American male astronaut to go into space), Sally Ride (the first American female astronaut), Judith A. Resnik (one of the original female astronauts recruited by NASA, who perished during the launch of the Challenger on January 28, 1986), and Ron McNair (another victim of the Challenger disaster).

"'Star Trek' represented, and still does represent, the future we can have, a future that is beyond the petty squabbles we are dealing with here on Earth, now as much as ever, and we are able to devote ourselves to the betterment of all human kind by doing what we do so well: explore. This kind of a future isn't impossible - and we need to all rethink our priorities to really bring that vision to life." (IMDb)

Happy Birthday, Nichelle Nichols!

15/12/2023

VERY high tech. Wonder if there are any parts on it developed in our area?

14/12/2023

Info to share with students contemplating career options:

25/11/2023

Technology in power generation moves forward:

Japan’s JT-60SA tokamak will test technologies put to use in ITER

22/11/2023

Very cool innovation that required manufacturing changes:

Inspired by a backyard accident that nearly injured his son, Grady Phelan has spent 17 years convincing the sport’s best players to try his ProXR bat.

05/11/2023

Anyone else make some of these many years ago?

Throwback Thursday

05/11/2023

So cool:

22/10/2023

General aviation engineering knowledge you should know:

Why do aircraft wings look downward and upward? The answer lies in their purpose.
Cargo planes, much heavier than passenger planes, require their wings to angle downward to generate the appropriate lift from the air pressure below. This lift assists in carrying heavy loads.

In contrast, passenger planes are relatively lightweight compared to cargo planes, so they don't need air pressure from below. Instead, their wings are designed to have an upward angle to maintain balance due to their relative lightness.

In simpler terms:

1. Cargo planes have wings angled downward because they're not designed for high-speed flight but for carrying heavy loads efficiently.
2. The downward angle provides more space between the wing and the ground during loading and unloading of cargo.
3. It allows for greater clearance between the wing and the ground to accommodate large engines, preventing them from touching the ground.
4. This wing design, known as "high angle wing," offers excellent aerodynamic efficiency and provides greater stability during flight control.

18/10/2023

We found one new mentor for the year’s challenge already through this group. Are you willing to be number 2 or 3? Contact Dave Schaller please to discuss what is expected.

Become a Future City Mentor! You will work alongside the team educator and act as a coach and role model. They provide guidance, connections between academic concepts and real-life, and technical assistance to the middle school team members.

17/10/2023

We need mentors in Fort Wayne and other towns in Indiana. Please contact Dave Schaller if you are willing to at least have an initial conversation. THANKS for giving future engineers their first impressions of our careers.

Become a Future City Mentor! You will work alongside the team educator and act as a coach and role model. They provide guidance, connections between academic concepts and real-life, and technical assistance to the middle school team members.

09/10/2023

Did you know that Grace College had an engineering program? Now you do!

A northeast Indiana college’s engineering department has received a $443,240 boost from the Don Wood Foundation.

07/10/2023

This was an AWESOME tour a few years back:

Formula Boats, which is based in Decatur, Indiana, unveiled a new line of center console boats Friday.

04/09/2023

Happy Labor Day! Enjoy a well-deserved day off.

Happy Labor Day!

31/08/2023

Now here is some innovative and interesting materials technology in the news:

Kyiv's Security Service has claimed it neutralised four Su-30 fighter jets and a MiG-29 fighter jet with lightweight, "cardboard" drones made for reconnaissance.

27/08/2023

Fun with math. Happy birthday to Mr Venn!

Since this is John Venn's birthday month and the traditional start of the school year, it's a good time to remind you that Venn diagrams can be used for practically anything. And they're fun!
Edited to add: This was a pre-scheduled post. It's not political, and neither are Venn diagrams! 😊

07/08/2023

Some food for math geeks:

From the Mind-Blown department of the Universe…
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In a deck of 52 playing cards, the total number of possible shuffles is Astronomical:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
** If a trillion people each shuffled a deck of cards a trillion times per second…
** And they each did this for a trillion years…
** And it occurred in a trillion civilizations across our universe….
** And that played out in a trillion universes across the multiverse…
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
On your next shuffle, only then is there a nearly even chance your deck will match any previously shuffled deck.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Which means any time you fully shuffle a deck of cards, it’s not likely to match any deck that has ever been shuffled before.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Just Sayin'.

05/08/2023

It’s what’s next:

The Electric Works campus has been a center of industrial innovation for over a century. It all started in 1883 when Ranald T. McDonald and James Jenney founded the Fort Wayne Jenney Electric Light Company.

Later, Thomas Edison's General Electric Co. acquired and grew the business. By 1944, GE employed about 1/3 of Fort Wayne's workforce.

When the campus reopened in 2022, it became home to a new generation of innovators, creatives, entrepreneurs, and students. Learn more about the history (and future) of Electric Works:

📸: Biggs Group

03/08/2023

Engineers need to meet all of the specifications at the lowest possible costs. Here are some interesting and clever attempts with that in mind: