Physorg.com has a story on engineers from the University of Florida creating a flat surface that doesn’t get wet.

Don’t you hate when something is just on the tip of your tongue? LiveScience has a piece explaining exactly what happens in those moments.

Ars Techica has a great piece that estimates 93% of human behavior is predictable.

Finally, the Salk instutute has successfully replaced a mouse’s liver with that of a human.

You see, three weeks ago I, along with several hundred other co-workers, was laid-off. My editor and I agreed from the beginning that my employer should remain anonymous, but I will say that it was a major contractor for NASA, working on both the Space Shuttle and Ares programs. With the shuttle program shutting down and the lack of funding for Constellation/Ares, the reasons behind lay-offs are clear. Lay-offs like this are plaguing the industry and will most likely continue due to the recent announcement that the current administration will no longer support funding for the Constellation program.

I ask that your thoughts go out to these people and their families, as they face difficult times ahead of them.

Despite the sad faces I’ve seen, and the angry words angled at the government, I must take an unpopular stand by saying that these lay-offs and the canceling of Constellation could be the greatest thing in 20 years to happen to the American space program.

Nearly every watcher of the aerospace industry saw this day coming since the early 90’s. NASA has aborted every new space vehicle it attempted to build; also NASA and its contractors have lost many good and experienced people to old age, and poor funding. Private launch companies like Boeing and Lockheed are relying on technology from the late 70’s and early 80’s to support what’s left of our space program. Overseas, foreign powers are beginning to develop space programs of their own, fueled by new economic growth, national pride, and a willingness to take risks.

Post-Challenger, this country lost that willingness to take risks. We believe that space travel should not take place if it can not be done safely. This belief manifested itself like a deformed limb, twisting and crippling our once strong hold on space. Like any limb which has grown improperly it must be broken and reset. This is a painful process, one filled with agony and a long period of rehabilitation. However it must be done if the limb is ever to be useful again.

These lay-offs and the cancellation of Constellation are (hopefully) the breaking and resetting of our space industry. It will be difficult as I and my coworkers are finding out, but it must happen for a brighter future. Despite these difficulties, I believe this is a time for hope and optimism.

One only needs to look as far as Space X, Virgin Galactic, Bigelow Aerospace, Blue Planet, and Blue Origin to see that private spaceflight has been a whisper away for nearly a decade. The technology exists, the experience exists, the drive and passion exists, and now hopefully the money will exist too.

Like the airplane at the turn of the century, it wasn’t until the government was ready to give out high-paying contracts to deliver mail that the private industry really took off (no pun intended). While passenger transport was only for the upper class, it spread to nearly all classes in just a few decades. Now it’s the rockets turn to hopefully follow the same path.

With the oppressive overhead of government control moving aside and the promise of lucrative contracts coming, the time is fast approaching for space travel to be open to the private citizen. The industry has the talent, the experience, and now the opportunity. Getting laid-off was hard, and even harder for others I know. But it is a price that must be paid if we want to get our space industry on track, and it’s one I pay gladly.

K Exchange: First off Darcy, thanks for agreeing to speak with us. Can you tell us what made you want to be an Engineer?
Darcy:  My whole family, immediate and extended, have worked in construction for as long as I can remember.  My dad worked for one of the largest industrial engineering and procurement companies in the world before he retired; his brother owns a medium sized industrial insulation company in the West, my grandfather built refineries for the likes of Shell and Imperial Oil when he was alive.

I’ve always just assumed that I would go into construction.  Unlike the rest of my family, I’m in residential.  I like that it’s more tangible than commercial or industrial construction.  When I say I design roofs, people know what I’m talking about.

I’m not actually an engineer, though.  I’m a Civil Engineer Technologist, which means I have a diploma (two years of study) in Civil Engineering.  My degree is actually in Business Management.

What type of work do you do?
Darcy: I work for a company that supplies residential housing.  We design/supply Ready to Move (RTM) homes, in addition to roof systems, floor systems, house packages, blueprints and buildings supplies.  My particular area of work involves roof design.

KX: Why did you choose to go into residential roof design? Is it what you went to school for?
Darcy: I chose this field because they had the best offer upon graduation! As I said, I’ve completed a diploma in Civil Engineering.  How much my schooling actually applies to the real world is up for debate; this industry is very software specific – your time is spent first learning how to use it and then designing with it.

Now, having said that, I use trigonometry daily.  I also use my statistics classes quite frequently when working out loading and load dynamics on roofs.  You never know, sitting in a class, what information will actually be useful to you.  I’m as surprised as anyone else that I rely on trigonometry and force diagrams to understand my daily job!

I lucked out with this job, big time.  Our office has two P.Eng’s and several C.E.T.s (Certified Engineering Technologists) who have been in the industry forever.  They can always find the most economical way to build/design something, and they’re very aware of the big picture; they don’t just look at the floors or the roofs or whatever – they’ll analyze the whole structure and make sure it’s acceptable.  This is rare, and a great environment to learn in.

KX: If you couldn’t be working as an Engineer, what would you like to be doing?
Darcy: Teaching college or university.  I’m taking a master’s degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding (essentially a political science mixed with mediation and international law degree). I spent about six months in 2008 teaching in Africa; I like teaching and I think I’m good at it.  I’m still toying with the idea of doing a PhD.  If I ever do, you can rest assured it will be in a wholly unrelated field.

KX: Back to what you are doing, what kind of projects have you worked on? What has been your favorite?
Darcy: The most memorable one for me was designing a house where the roof was a giant loft.  The trusses themselves sat on the floor of the structure (as opposed to the walls), and everything had massive vaults running through it, including the dormers.  Given that it was a loft/attic space we were trying to squeeze as much ceiling height out of every possible nook and cranny.  It was extremely difficult to design, and it involved so much back-and-forth with the homeowner that he and I eventually became friends.  I still chat with him on Facebook!  You know it’s been a long project when you can claim that about your customers.

Beyond that, I design roofs for any residential application; the repetitive houses in the new subdivisions, additions to older homes, you name it.

KX: Can you tell us anything about really innovative design work going on now? What kind of work has inspired you?
Darcy: There’s a great group of people called the Western Wood Truss Association.  They put on an exhibition every year, and new products and ideas are showcased there.  Things that jump out to me are stuff like:

• Using green material to treat lumber
• Standardizing the LEED criteria (there are a number of ‘green’ certifications out on the market; there is an effort to standardize things, so that it’s a comprehensive list that everyone is aware of rather than having 10 or 12 different acronyms that kind of do the same thing)

Change is slow, though, because framers and designers like to stick with what they know will work, rather than maybe losing money on a fad that could turn out to be not profitable or – worse – unsafe.

KX: I think it’s safe to say that your industry is stereotypically male dominated. Have you found this to be the case?
Darcy: Yes.  I’ve only ever seen one other female roof designer.  Everyone in our office except our receptionist/office manager is male, and so far all my customers have been men.

KX: Has it ever been an issue?
Darcy: I can honestly say that I’ve never, ever felt that I was at an advantage/disadvantage because of my gender.  Really, it’s a non-issue here.

KX: Finally, with the Olympics taking center stage in your own backyard, I have to ask a few questions. How do you feel about Team Canada’s hockey team? Or will you, right now dispel that myth that all Canadian’s love hockey? And even more importantly, what is the deal with Curling, and why can’t I stop watching it?
Darcy: I really can’t comment on curling or hockey.  I don’t watch either sport.  Now, if you’d like, we can do an interview on my thoughts regarding NASCAR. If I must comment on hockey, I’ll say that we kick United States butts!