Biofueled Mind

Profound ideas seem to be everywhere at Carnegie Mellon's 13th annual Meeting of the Minds, a competition of undergraduate research. Students, professors, alumni, and guests mull around the University Center, checking out more than 400 entries with some esoteric titles, including this sampling:

• Gesture Recognition Platform for Deaf Users


• Wireless Power Transfer via Magnetic Resonant Coupling


• Impact of Flanged Diffuser on Turbine Performance


• The Effects of Chemical Mechanical Polishing on Integrated Circuit Performance


• Carbon Footprint Modeling of Biofuels

The biofuels idea came from Asa Watten, a senior political science major. When entering his project in the competition, he stated:

Many of us understand that burning petroleum to get around may not be a good thing. At the same time, there is a growing appreciation that the most available alternatives, biofuels, may not be a silver bullet either.

His four posters hanging on the wall capture the attention of a passing student who has a question for Watten.

"Are biofuels the solution to our energy crisis?" he asks.

(Continued …)

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