Mason Crest 2016 catalog

56 / 112

Mason Crest , an Imprint of National Highlights | Toll-Free 866.627.2665 | Fax 610.543.3878 56
STEM IN
CURRENT EVENTS
12 STEM IN CURRENT EVENTS
reactorsrelyonmagneticfields toheatplasma insideachamber
andkeep thefusionprocessgoing.Thesefieldsare typicallycre-
atedby largecoilsoutside thedynomak,electrical
currentgoesdirectly intotheplasmatocreatethemagneticfields,
resulting in a simpler and cheaper reactor.
Jarboeandhis teamcreated theirdesignforareactoraboutone-
tenth the sizeofone thatwouldbeused to createelectricity for
consumers.They hope to increase the size of their test models
Dr.Thomas Jarboe led the teamthatcreatedthismodelofadynomak,whichuses
plasmatohelpgenerateelectricitymuchmorequicklyandcheaply.
to prove that the dynomak will safely and efficiently produce
energy, at a cheaper cost than a coal-fired plant. “Right now,”
Jarboe said in a University of Washington press release, “this
designhas thegreatestpotentialofproducingeconomicalfusion
power of any current concept.”
Building Better Solar Panels
The idea of collecting energy from the sun to create electrici-
ty isn’t new. In 1839, a young French scientist named Edmond
Becquerelexposedcertainmetalelectrodes to lightandcreated
small amounts of electricity.The substances absorbed the light
and then released electrons, which can be captured to create
an electric current. Becquerel’s discovery was later called the
photovoltaic or photoelectric effect—“photo” referring to light.
Today’ssolarpanelsaremadeupof individualunitscalledpho-
tovoltaiccells,which typicallyusesilicon tocapturesunlightand
convert it toelectricity.Butaswith thematerialsBecquerelused
in the19th century,silicon isnot completelyefficientat turning
all the sun’s energy into electricity.The cells used in the typical
home solarpanelmightbeable to convert just15percentor so
of theenergy intoausable form.Scientists, though, thinkanew
kindofmaterialcanmakesolarcells thataremoreefficientand
cheaper thancurrentphotovoltaiccells.Thenewcellsaremade
from materials called hybrid perovskites.
In experiments in the lab, scientists learned that perovskites
that contained a halide compound (halogen mixed with one of
a number of different elements) had photoelectric properties.
Science and Energy 13
In educational circles, the studies of science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
have never been hotter. But that is only
a reflection of the growing importance of
those fields to just about every aspect of our
existence. In this series, each title will focus
on one area of our shared experience and
provide examples, stories, and insight into
how STEM is having an impact.
WHETHER IN ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION, MEDICINE, OR EVEN
ENTERTAINMENT, STEM SKILLS ARE CHANGING OUR WORLD . . .
EVERY DAY. KEEP UP ON THE
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS—
AND FIND WAYS TO
CHALLENGE YOUR OWN
SKILLS—WITH STEM IN
CURRENT EVENTS.
Actual Text Size
The idea of collecting energy from the sun to create electrici
ty isn’t new. In 1839, a young French scientist named Edmond
Becquerel exposed certainmetal electrodes to light and created
small amounts of electricity. The substances absorbed the light
and then released electrons, which can be captured to create
an electric current. Becquerel’s discovery was later called the
photovoltaic or photoelectric effect—“photo” referring to light.