Penny Weight Presentation

In our group presentation we told that a penny's weight depends on the year it was minted and its composition different years of pennies have different ratios of metals, like zinc, copper, and nickel as well as alloy metals, bronze, steel, and brass .  Its condition is also a factor, corrosion, tarnish, scratches, and foreign material.  A random penny's mass is 2.5g and its weight is .00551 lbs or .0245 N.  A 1973 penny weighed 13.48g or .02972 lbs, that's five times more than a penny from any year!  Pennies minted in 1908 weigh 3.11g or .00686 lbs.

Ethical Question

Carbon Nanotubes in Medical Applications


Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are 1-dimensional carbon-based molecular structures.  In nanotechnology a 1-dimensional structure is one that has two lengths that are less than 100 nanometers.  CNTs have remarkable properties and have been proven to be successful in many areas, including in hospitals.  They are very good conductors to heat and electricity and have almost no electrical resistance.  Nanotubes can easily pass through cell membranes, allowing them to be exceptional in cancer treatment.  The tubes can be injected into the bloodstream and carried to the tumor.  After a short time of applying infrared radiation over the tumor, they get hot, just in two minutes they can reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 degrees Celsius where they eliminate the cancer cells without causing damage to healthy cells nearby.

However it is possible that CNT's will cause respiratory problems but only in high doses, according to the New York Times CNT's may have adverse effects related to asbestos, the cause of lung diseases such as lung cancer and Mesothelioma.  Is it ethical to use CNT's in treating diseases?  The biggest risk of lung cancer is inhaling the tiny fibers and puts people working with the materials at most risk rather than patients.  The study in the New York Times article reports that longer tubes are more deadly due to them causing lesions which develops into mesothelioma.  My opinion to this question is that using CNT in treating cancer is ethical and should be used.

Medical Applications of Carbon Nanotubes
Tumors Destroyed by Nanotubes
Nanotube Cancer Treatment

Writing Your Professional Development Plan

A professional development plan is your career plan, it describes where you want to be in five years and likely a decade.  Your development plan must be long term, and be flexible for when things don't work the way you wanted them to.  Probably more importantly it says how you want to get there, where you should focus your studies and what activities outside of classes can build progress in your career.  Some other things to consider that will shape your plan for the future would be your interests, talents, and skills.

I have created my own Professional Development Plan for an example:

Professional Development Plan

Goal(s): To deepen my knowledge of nanoscience and programming to sharpen my technical skills and network with key employers.

Objectives:

Stay on top of due dates

Review science articles

Practice coding

Attend career fairs

Relevance: I have created this plan to get noticed in the science world, plus learn skills such as problem solving.  And hopefully someday to use my knowledge of nanoscience and programming to be turned into a career.

Timeline: I would like to focus on this plan for a year.

Reflection: Creating this career plan was a lot harder than it would seem, but deciding on where I want to be in the future is never easy.