Science And Technology

Minutes before their motorized robot made of Legos was to be judged in a competition, the students from Cecil Elementary School ran into a big problem. The front-loader plow that enabled the robot to push objects over a tabletop course had disappeared, temporarily removed, then nowhere to be found amid a high school cafeteria overflowing with Lego pieces. The timing could hardly have been worse. But it proved a temporary setback for the Cecil fourth- and fifth-graders, among 10 teams of elementary and middle school students competing Saturday at Digital Harbor High School in an opening round of FIRST Lego League of Maryland's annual competition.

More than 100 people, including 63 students, attended an informational session at Battelle that included demonstrations about the growing field of cyber security. The interactive sessions April 18 included mobile forensics on android, cryptography, robotics and cyber-hygiene, which focused on strategies for staying safe and employable while using social media. The purpose of the event was to expose students to the possibilities of career opportunities in cyber security and it included a session on cyber degree programs and related careers.

Few mutual fund groups have been hotter during this up market than the diverse bunch known as science and technology funds.They may be richly valued -- their average total return since the October 1990 stock market low is 62.7 percent, vs. 42.8 percent for the average general equity fund, according to Lipper Analytical Services. Still, they could be worth a look if:* You're interested in an aggressive equity fund that could outperform the broad market, as reflected by the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

City school officials said they will take extra security measures at a Southeast Baltimore charter school after five fires were set this week at the school, which also had an altercation that injured an administrator and a student arrest. Officials said they will increase the presence of school police officers and district staff at the Friendship Academy of Science and Technology Middle/High School, which they acknowledged has had "significant safety issues" this week. Among them were five trash-can fires - two Wednesday and three Thursday.

Gov. Martin O'Malley will meet with the mayor of Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday to announce an agreement to increase the business relationship between the two places, his office said this afternoon. O'Malley and Oh Se-hoon will sign a memorandum of understanding that will outline efforts to increase investment and trade opportunities between Maryland and Seoul. The two places are particularly interested in increasing investments in science and technology development, O'Malley's office said.

The federal government and the nation's universities should invest $150 million annually to double the number of minorities pursuing science and engineering degrees, says a report released this week from the National Academies. The federal government and the nation's universities should invest $150 million annually to double the number of minorities pursuing science and engineering degrees, says a report released from the National Academies. The report came from a committee chaired by Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Fifteen-year-old Yiwei Zhang wants to be a biomedical engineer when she grows up. But the River Hill High sophomore isn't waiting to achieve her goal. She has been conducting research for the past school year at the University of Maryland Medical School Department of Physiology as a participant in Howard County's Math, Science and Technology class. MST is a multiyear course that helps students prepare math, science and technology projects for high-level competitions. The course is open to sophomores such as Yiwei, but students must begin by their junior year if they hope to enter prestigious national scholarship contests when they are seniors.

The adventure begins in a submarine and includes searching for an ancient shipwreck, identifying species of fish and returning a beached dolphin to its ocean home. Although the challenges are set in ocean depths, students from across Maryland will attempt the missions from dry land with programmable robots they constructed with LEGO bricks. A team from Bel Air - called the Robomaniacs - will defend its state title at the FIRST LEGO League state competition Saturday at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

After a stormy period of downsizing and consolidation that rumbled through the defense industry in Maryland eight years ago, real estate and economic development executives fretted over who would occupy the volumes of office space vacated by defense firms slashing operations near Baltimore-Washington International Airport.The answer is upstart high-tech ventures looking for an affordable place to grow, such as the company founded by David Manyak, a former Merrill Lynch biotechnology analyst.

Maryland ranks third among the states in the proportion of adults with bachelor's degrees and second in the percentage with advanced degrees. We're No. 2 in the percentage of the work force in professional occupations and No. 1 in management, business and financial occupations. It is no surprise, then, that Maryland's household income is consistently the highest in the nation and its unemployment rate among the lowest. In an increasingly globalized economy, there's a term for that: not good enough.

This month Marylanders learned that Education Week had named our state's schools the best in the nation for the fifth year in a row. Credit goes to our students, educators, parents and policy makers for this exciting recognition. But as CEO of a nonprofit dedicated to science education, I would caution against excess celebration. A closer look at recent test scores reveals that we must improve how we educate our students in science, a discipline that is vital to success in the 21st century economy.

Baltimore's spending panel approved three deals Wednesday that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake promoted as helping her administration grow and promote Baltimore. The first was the $6,200 sale of a vacant property in the Coppin Heights neighborhood to the state to help Coppin State University build a new science and technology center. The sale is part of the state's attempts to acquire 210 properties for the center. "They are expanding their footprint with a community focus," Rawlings-Blake said of Coppin State.

Ice, salt and rigorous shaking can turn an ounce of nondairy creamer into a frozen treat. "It's simple, sweet and a little silly," Garrett Seidman, a junior at the Hannah More School in Reisterstown, said as he sampled a dab of ice-solid French vanilla cream. "But I like it. " Ice cream making was among the demonstrations during the second annual Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Fair, held last week at the private school for children with autism and other emotional and learning disabilities.

A career biochemist will take the reins of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on July 1, the university announced Wednesday. Juliette B. Bell, the current provost and vice president for academic affairs at Central State University in Ohio, was appointed president of the college, according to a press release from the university system. She will replace Thelma B. Thompson, who stepped down in August 2011. Bell has two decades of experience in higher education, including research, teaching and administration The first of her family to attend college — she holds bachelor's and doctorate degrees in chemistry biochemistry — Bell has advocated throughout her career for increasing the number of minority scientists and the opportunities for students to participate in scientific research.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of seeing a robot you've created take its first step. At least that's what Joey Skura, a rising senior at Liberty High School, thinks. "When it first moves, everyone watching it just goes crazy cheering," Skura said with growing excitement. "When it keeps walking, …it's a great feeling. " As a member of Liberty High School's First Robotics team, the RoboLions, Skura and his fellow teammates captured the top trophy at the Battle o' Baltimore Championship, held Aug. 13 at Woodlawn High School inBaltimore County.

With the final flight of the stalwart space shuttle Atlantis just a few days away, America is beginning an exciting new chapter in human space exploration. This chapter centers on full utilization of the International Space Station, development of multiple, made-in-America capabilities for astronauts and cargo to reach low-Earth orbit, and pursuit of two critical building blocks for our nation's exploration future: a deep space crew vehicle and an evolvable, heavy-lift rocket. Today, we embark on a new knowledge and innovation-driven approach to space science and exploration that will lead us into the new frontiers of deep space.

With the final flight of the stalwart space shuttle Atlantis just a few days away, America is beginning an exciting new chapter in human space exploration. This chapter centers on full utilization of the International Space Station, development of multiple, made-in-America capabilities for astronauts and cargo to reach low-Earth orbit, and pursuit of two critical building blocks for our nation's exploration future: a deep space crew vehicle and an evolvable, heavy-lift rocket. Today, we embark on a new knowledge and innovation-driven approach to space science and exploration that will lead us into the new frontiers of deep space.

EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc. yesterday announced a major restructuring of the company into four "mega" business units, down from seven smaller units.The growth of the Hunt Valley firm, which helps companies clean or prevent environmental problems, has slowed due to the Republican takeover of Congress, said Loren D. Jensen, EA's chairman, president and chief executive.Many potential clients are now "standing on the sidelines" waiting to see whether relaxed environmental controls proposed the Republican majority actually go through, Mr. Jensen said.

Gov. Martin O'Malley will meet with the mayor of Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday to announce an agreement to increase the business relationship between the two places, his office said this afternoon. O'Malley and Oh Se-hoon will sign a memorandum of understanding that will outline efforts to increase investment and trade opportunities between Maryland and Seoul. The two places are particularly interested in increasing investments in science and technology development, O'Malley's office said.

Maryland ranks third among the states in the proportion of adults with bachelor's degrees and second in the percentage with advanced degrees. We're No. 2 in the percentage of the work force in professional occupations and No. 1 in management, business and financial occupations. It is no surprise, then, that Maryland's household income is consistently the highest in the nation and its unemployment rate among the lowest. In an increasingly globalized economy, there's a term for that: not good enough.