The elements of engineering as I understand them now have, to a great extent, come from my experience as an engineering student. Here, I attempt to explain the utility of engineering within the historical context of Imperial Russia, although my analysis is colored by my own practice of engineering. This has led me to focus on historical details that may seem overly specific, but that are important in the larger context of engineering development.

As you read this, I urge you to conduct a little experiment. Acquire a bowl of M&Ms and get munching — with one condition. Do not eat the blue ones. Pretend they're healthy.

Ever wondered why we can predict events in the solar system pretty accurately, why tides are easier to predict, why Halley could accurately anticipate the return of a comet, and yet the weather four days from now is uncertain? This article hopes to provide some insight by exploring the basics of chaos.

A metal is an arrayed archipelago of protons in a sea of electrons, extending in three dimensions.

Scientists discover that parts of our DNA can shatter and the cell will try to stitch the parts back together.

As a long-time fan of Walter Lewin's online physics lectures, they have often left me with a greater appreciation of physics and a deeper insight into the key concepts. Having seen a great deal of his lectures, I can testify that he is easily one of the best teachers out there.

Plunge into the mysteries of the universe as we explore the nature of antimatter.

Last October, we attended the Science Policy conference. While there, we met with Marc Garneau, MP for Westmount/Ville-Marie. Originally from Quebec City, Dr. Garneau moved to London to complete a PhD in Electrical Engineering. He was the first Canadian in space and, from 2001 to 2006, was president of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). We discussed his science and engineering background as it relates to his recent political endeavours.

I am not a music enthusiast. Sure, I listen to music more than six hours a day; sure, I look for my mp3 player before looking for my wallet, cell phone or car keys; sure, I avoid getting into a music store if I recently got my pay check... Sure, but I am not a music enthusiast.

The field of electronics has been in a state of flux since the invention of the Integrated Circuit (IC). The design and operation principles of devices, the materials used and the fabrication techniques have evolved significantly since then. Although the short-term goals that motivate this evolution (economics, market competition, military interests, etc.) vary considerably, the factors that have served as a consistent driving force for developments in electronics are operation speed and power consumption. In the language of electronics technology as we know it today, these two requirements translate into carrier mobility and operation voltage respectively.

Richard Feynman, considered the father of nanotechnology, once said that “there’s plenty of room at the bottom.” One can understand his fascination with nanoscale and micrometers: The change in properties of ordinary materials at these scales is truly fascinating, be it the self-lubrication of silicon carbide (which gets smoother the more you run it) or the appearance of gold at nanoscale (it turns into the color red!).

They are alive. These conductors, they are alive! And they are evolving at a terrific pace.

Biology and computing seem more distant than they really are. This article explains how DNA is represented in binary and features an introduction to entropy.

Many undergraduate students feel it when doing summer research or beginning their graduate studies; they just don’t know how to express it. Many students are uncertain of the procedure and methodology to follow in order to perform efficient research.