John A. Logan’s professor teaches electronics via pinball

John A. Logan’s professor teaches electronics via pinball






Rob Craig John A. Logan College

Rob Craig, an electronics instructor and chair of the John A. Logan College Applied Technologies Department, stands next to a pinball machine – one of many tools he uses to teach and connect with students.




Dinga-ding-ding-dinga-ding. Ching-ching, thump, bumb, thump, ding.

The sounds of a pinball machine may not be what one would expect to hear in a classroom, especially one housing a community college electronics course, but for Rob Craig, an electronics instructor and chair of the John A. Logan College Applied Technologies Department, a pinball machine is the perfect piece of teaching equipment.

“Students are allowed to play on it,” Craig said of the prototype of a machine being developed by Chicago-based American Pinball and provided to the college by an alumnus. “Many have never played real pinball before and they have so much fun, but the beauty of it is, we can open the thing up and take a look. There’s wiring and circuit boards and it’s everything we talk about and do in class.”

To Craig, electronics is about fun. In fact, he said he really “gets into it” and loves bring real-world applications – including pinball – into the classroom. He said that is a feature of many of the electronics, technology and career-track programs at John A. Logan College.

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“It is absolutely vital that we bring people from the industry in to teach,” he explained. “If you have two instructors, both teaching the same material, but one has a decade of experiences in the field versus the other who just came through the education system, I think the impact on students is dramatically different.”

He continued, “The students desperately need someone to paint the picture for them with real experiences, not stuff that they have read, but things that they have lived. Inspiration really hits when a teacher can say, ‘Look guys, let me tell you about a time that this same thing happened in the real world.’ You can’t do that if you don’t have the life experiences.”

Craig brings his own “real world” experiences to the classroom and his students. He worked in in the technology support group for United Parcel Service for nearly a decade and then worked in information technology and cybersecurity for a number of years at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

“I got to see a lot of cool things and it is just awesome to talk about what I’ve seen,” he said.

To further bring the realities of the industrial and work world to students, Craig said his department utilizes a large advisory committee to help instruction keep pace with the needs of employers and to develop networks for students.

One example of the evolution of technology instruction is the artificial intelligence. Craig is in the process of developing a class on it.

“We have to find ways to use it as a tool and not just be a tool for it, if you understand my meaning,” he outlined.

He said he also

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Harvard professor Avi Loeb finds fragments in ocean that may perhaps be alien

Harvard professor Avi Loeb finds fragments in ocean that may perhaps be alien
Harvard professor Avi Loeb finds fragments in ocean that may perhaps be alien

An astrophysicist at Harvard University thinks he could have found evidence of extraterrestrial everyday living not by researching the vast evening sky, but by combing the base of the Pacific Ocean.

Past thirty day period, a crew aboard a boat referred to as the Silver Star embarked on an expedition to Papua New Guinea with the mission of recovering fragments from a mysterious meteor that experienced crashed into Earth in 2014.

Throughout the two-7 days excursion, the group scoured around 100 miles of ocean mattress ahead of recovering 50 little spheres composed of a metallic substance they say is unmatched to any present alloys in our solar program.

‘Internet apocalypse’:How NASA’s photo voltaic-storm experiments could enable help save the web

The spheres — which are so miniscule that they involve a microscope to see — have to have additional testing to determine regardless of whether they’re pure or technological in nature. Depending on the conclusions, the objects could be the initial time that humanity has identified stable evidence of interstellar beings.

In other text, aliens.

“Our results open up a new frontier in astronomy of learning what lies outside the photo voltaic procedure as a result of microscopes instead than telescopes, stated Avi Loeb, a professor and astrophysicist at Harvard University, who led the expedition as its main scientist.

The hunt for an interstellar meteor yields astonishing conclusions

The fragments the workforce uncovered are believed to be from a basketball-sized meteorite that in 2014 slammed into the Earth’s ambiance and into the western Pacific Ocean.

Originating from exterior the photo voltaic system, the meteor moved at a speed two situations faster than just about all of the stars in the vicinity of the sunlight, Loeb stated. Though also smaller to be seen by telescopes via its reflection of daylight, its collision with Earth produced a brilliant fireball recorded by U.S. govt sensors, Loeb included.

Loeb in 2019 discovered the meteor’s interstellar origin in a paper he co-wrote with Harvard undergraduate university student Amir Siraj. A few many years afterwards, U.S. Area Command even more verified in a 2022 letter to NASA that the object — deemed interstellar meteor, IM1 — came from another photo voltaic procedure.

The $1.5 million expedition that Loeb led was to get well the fragments remaining above from the explosion on the ground of the Pacific Ocean at its crash web page close to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Among June 14-28, the crew searched above 108 miles of the ocean ground by combing it with a sled complete of magnets connected to their boat.

A photo of the crew

Loeb mentioned it took times to get the magnetic sled on the ocean ground and a several more days immediately after that to comprehend just what the crew collected together the predicted path of the meteor — about 53 miles off the coastline of Manus Island.

“As we scooped the magnets, the most abundant substance hooked up to them was a black powder of volcanic ash,” he wrote

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Harvard professor Avi Loeb believes he’s identified fragments of alien technology

Harvard professor Avi Loeb believes he’s identified fragments of alien technology

CAMBRIDGE – Harvard professor Avi Loeb believes he may well have found fragments of alien technologies from a meteor that landed in the waters off of Papua, New Guinea in 2014.

Loeb and his staff just introduced the products back to Harvard for investigation. The U.S. Space Command verified with nearly around certainty, 99.999%, that the product arrived from an additional solar technique. The authorities gave Loeb a 10 km (6.2 mile) radius of where it may possibly have landed.

“That is where the fireball took position, and the government detected it from the Department of Defense. It can be a really significant spot, the dimensions of Boston, so we required to pin it down,” reported Loeb. “We figured the length of the fireball dependent off the time delay concerning the arrival of blast wave, the increase of explosion, and the gentle that arrived quickly.”

Their calculations permitted them to chart the possible path of the meteor. Individuals calculations happened to carve a route ideal by way of the same projected 10 km variety that arrived from the U.S. government. Loeb and his crew took a boat identified as the Silver Star out to the location. The ship took many passes alongside and about the meteor’s projected route. Scientists combed the ocean ground by attaching a sled entire of magnets to their boat.

“We observed ten spherules. These are just about best spheres, or metallic marbles. When you look at them as a result of a microscope, they search extremely distinct from the qualifications,” discussed Loeb, “They have hues of gold, blue, brown, and some of them resemble a miniature of the Earth.”

An examination of the composition confirmed that the spherules are built of 84% iron, 8% silicon, 4% magnesium, and 2% titanium, moreover trace things. They are sub-millimeter in dimension. The crew identified 50 of them in complete.

alien.jpg
Harvard professor Avi Loeb believes these fragments may well be alien technology from a meteor that landed in the waters off of Papua New Guinea in 2014.

Avi Loeb


“It has materials power that is tougher than all house rock that ended up found just before, and catalogued by NASA,” included Loeb, “We calculated its speed outdoors the photo voltaic method. It was 60 km for every 2nd, faster than 95% of all stars in the vicinity of the solar. The simple fact that it was made of supplies tougher than even iron meteorites, and going quicker than 95% of all stars in the vicinity of the sunlight, advised likely it could be a spacecraft from a further civilization or some technological gadget.”

He likens the problem to any of the Voyager spacecrafts released by NASA.

“They will exit the photo voltaic system in 10,000 yrs. Just think about them colliding with one more world much away a billion years from now. They would seem as a meteor of a composition relocating more quickly than usual,” spelled out Loeb.

The exploration and investigation is just starting at Harvard. Loeb is

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LSU named Amazon partner, computer science professor improves smartphone security | Business News

LSU named Amazon partner, computer science professor improves smartphone security | Business News

Ameco opens Prairieville location

Ameco, a construction and maintenance service company, has opened an operations center in Prairieville.

The location at 15089 Airline Highway will support capital construction, operations and maintenance, shutdown and turnaround and disaster relief efforts to engineering, procurement and construction contractors.

Ameco said it is currently working on capital construction projects worth $12 billion from the new facility. The location has 8,000 square feet of office and warehouse space on 6.5 acres.

LSU selected by Amazon as education partner

LSU has been selected as an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing hourly employees that live in Louisiana and work for the company access to online and on-campus bachelor’s degrees and short-form college credit certificates.

The university expects to offer degrees and college credit certificates to Amazon employees through LSU, LSU Shreveport, LSU Eunice and LSU Alexandria.

The career choice program allows employees to learn new skills. In the U.S., Amazon is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs.

For information on Amazon’s Career Choice, visit aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice.

Red Stick Social expands hours, announces new management

After cutting back hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Red Stick Social is back to operating seven days a week.

The Government Street business offers bowling, live music, private event space, food and drinks spread across five levels.

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The business has a new senior management team.

Michael Hueffer is general manager. The Baton Rouge native has more than 30 years of high-volume service industry and hospitality management experience.

Derrick Milton, executive chef, is another Baton Rouge native. He has more than 25 years of culinary experience

Julie Ybarra, acting sales director, has more than 20 years of corporate and event sales and management experience.

Later this month, Red Stick Social will begin improvements and upgrades to its outdoor green space including the installation of a large, permanent outdoor stage and all-weather artificial surface to replace the existing temporary stage and grass surface. Further planned improvements to the outdoor space include the addition of a container bar, shade structures and seating. Interior improvements are also planned to enhance food and beverage offerings along with expanded private event and entertainment space.

LSU computer science professor studies smartphone security

Chen Wang, an assistant professor of computer science at LSU, is working on a gripping-hand verification method that ensures the correct user is holding a smartphone before displaying potentially sensitive content, such as incoming calls, emails or app notifications.

Wang is working with third-year doctoral student Long Huang on the security measures.

When a notification tone is played, the phone’s mic records the sound. An AI-based algorithm processes the sound and extracts biometric features to match with the user’s feature profile, or recorded hand grip. If there is a match, the verification is successful, and the notification preview is displayed on the screen. 

Because music sounds are signals, they can

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BYU professor strengthens investigation in friction stir technological innovation

BYU professor strengthens investigation in friction stir technological innovation
BYU professor strengthens investigation in friction stir technological innovation
BYU production engineering professor Yuri Hovanski and a couple of of his research college students talk about friction stir engineering and its impact in the field. (Anna Wilson)

BYU producing engineering professor Yuri Hovanski and his BYU exploration lab are very well-acknowledged for their groundbreaking investigation in friction stir technology.

Hovanski explained his analysis lab operates with major automotive and aerospace providers like Boeing, NASA, Common Motors, Toyota, and oil and gasoline output firms.

His analysis learners describe Hovanski as pushed, energetic, nicely-rounded, smart and enthusiastic. Hovanski’s enthusiasm for his analysis impacts the learners in his analysis lab.

“I really get pleasure from working with him due to the fact he is so passionate about the jobs and the study, so it is challenging not to get passionate as nicely,” Hovanski’s scholar John Hunt explained.

Investigation pupils experiment with friction stir technology as an additive system, as defined by BYU manufacturing engineering professor Yuri Hovanski. (Anna Wilson)

Hovanski was when a university student himself at BYU, completing his undergraduate diploma in mechanical engineering in 2001. He then completed his master’s and doctorate levels in mechanical engineering at Washington Condition College. 

Collaborating in friction stir investigate himself as an undergrad, “BYU produced an investment decision in me and that is why I enjoy remaining back right here,” Hovanski explained. “BYU gave me a enormous opportunity with that experiential learning.”

Friction stir welding is a good-point out becoming a member of approach, as described by Hovanski. It will involve becoming a member of elements together with no at any time melting them. His lab works by using friction stir technology to create new exceptional properties in material so that it is more robust.

“What I want to be able to do in these higher-toughness components is sustain what can make it a exceptional significant-energy content,” Hovanski said. “Solid-condition welding results in an possibility to retain the chemistry and the qualities that are exclusive.”

BYU professor Yuri Hovanski performs with friction stir place welding equipment in his analysis lab. (Anna Wilson)

Hovanski performs with two investigate labs, a person of which focuses on developing these friction stir systems. 

“I like performing with Dr. Hovanski due to the fact he understands how to communicate perfectly with the pupils,” mentioned Andrew Curtis, a 2nd-12 months graduate scholar. “He adjusts his instructing design to assist each and every pupil development in their personal way and to accomplish their possible.”

Hovanski believes that university student study helps fulfill the eyesight and concept of BYU. He described that learners are a lot more prepared to go out in the genuine environment when they get actual-earth encounter though in college.

“It is a wonderful blessing to see the change that you can make in college students. I get to see learners out in the market and just take what we are teaching them,” Hovanski claimed. “I enjoy the point that BYU will allow undergrads to do what I usually see only graduates do at other universities.”

It was not

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LSU AgCenter professor arrested soon after little one porn allegedly uncovered on laptop

LSU AgCenter professor arrested soon after little one porn allegedly uncovered on laptop

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – An LSU professor has been placed on administrative leave after staying arrested in relationship with quite a few fees, together with pornography involving juveniles, possession of cannabis, and sexual abuse of an animal.

According to arrest documents, LSUPD was contacted by the LSU Ag Heart stating that its IT division found data files on an LSU pc issued to Gerald Myers that they thought might incorporate kid pornography.

Right after investigating, officials reportedly located documents with names that have been alarming.

Police performed a 2nd search and reportedly observed a lot more than 50 further data files that seemed pornographic in mother nature, arrest information clearly show.

LSU IT also mentioned its look for indicated an external hard drive was related to the laptop and the data files have been probably transferred to it.

According to arrest records, simply because the materials can be easily transferred and saved on various gadgets, LSU detectives received research warrants for Sturgis Hall and Myers’ business office, as perfectly as requests to search Myers’ home and car for digital equipment that could possibly have child pornography.

Law enforcement said detectives searched Sturgis Hall on Friday, Dec. 10, situated Myers, and detained him. On exploring the office, an external challenging push was uncovered, police additional.

Investigators allegedly found 100 data files they believe to be movies of pornography involving juveniles, some of which have been found by agents in earlier investigations. They also reportedly found video clips of animals currently being engaged in sexual intercourse with human beings.

Law enforcement stated investigators also observed a modest jar of suspected marijuana in Myers’ car or truck, which was parked outside of Sturgis Hall.

A number of research warrants were being executed in St. Gabriel and New Orleans. Charges are pending in these spots as very well, in accordance to police.

A spokesman with LSU has confirmed Gerald Myers was employed in 1994.

LSU unveiled the adhering to assertion on the matter:

This is a developing tale. You should look at back for updates.

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