Demonstrate How Liquid Methanol Could Be Made from Natural Gas

Natural Resource Conservation

Demonstrate how liquid methanol could be made from natural gas.
Construct a working model of an internal combustion engine running on methanol.
Illustrate how a fleet of tanker trucks carrying methanol could supply automobile fuel for an entire city.
Demonstrate how engineered lumber could reduce waste.
Illustrate how hydrogen gas might be stored efficiently using carbon nanotubes.
Construct a working model of fuel cell running on hydrogen. Illustrate how such a device might be used in an electric car.
Illustrate how glass foam might be used to make strong building materials with high insulation properties.
Construct a working wind generator. Illustrate how such devices would save coal and gas resources.
Illustrate how a large solar sail attached to an electric car could charge the car’s battery when parked in the sun.

Build a working model of an electric car that uses super capacitors to store electrical energy.

Explore other building materials that could be substituted for lumber.
Demonstrate how an ultra-insulated home would reduce energy needs.
Build a working model of a solar water heater.
Demonstrate how compact fluorescent lamps can reduce lighting energy needs.
Build a working model of an efficient street light that uses light emitting diodes.
Illustrate how a sewage plant could produce natural gas.

Show how many electronic devices with an “instant on” feature waste electricity.
Illustrate some of the latest solar photovoltaic panels are being developed. Some panels are shaped as shingles.
Demonstrate a working model of a house being heated and cooled by a “heat pump”, drawing energy from the cool ground.
Illustrate how a “swamp cooler” works in dry climates.
Show how natural gas could be extracted from the ocean by mining deep water methyl-hydrates.

Construct a working model of a sunlight ultraviolet monitor and illustrate how the reduction of the ozone layer will cause an increase in the UV light from the sun.
Illustrate how a home with two basement levels could provide large living areas built on small lots.
Show the energy saved by allowing workers to work out of their homes, instead of commuting to an office.
Explore new varieties of lawn grasses, which require less irrigation.

Build a model of a neighborhood energy farm, which provides fuel for both heating and powering automobiles. Farms might form partnerships with nearby farmers, who can deliver manure which can be turned into nature gas.
Explore ways a modified car could help clear the air, as it is driven.

Demonstrate how you could save city water by storing rain water in undergroundtanks. Water from roofs would be routed to tanks. Used for irrigation only, not drinking

Build an energy monitor that displays gas and electricity usage. Unit connected to the power and gas meters. Maybe place the display next to the thermostat. Displays real time usage as well as weekly and monthly totals.
Build a lawn moisture sensor. Tells you when it is time to water the lawn. Saveswater by not allowing sprinkler to turn on of the lawn is moist enough.
Show how an organized community could use law clippings to feed cattle.
Define ways to shoot water retaining gels into lawns to reduce irrigation requirements. Gel reduces evaporation.

Demonstrate an electric generator that is driven by sea wave action.

Demonstrate how sea wave action could be used to produce fresh water from sea water using reverse osmoses.
Explore different ways that fresh water could be extracted from sea water.
Illustrate some uses for old tires.
Experiment with some methods to make fertilizer on the farm.

Find out if certain biodegradable materials actually do degrade.
Demonstrate a way to keep pigeons from roosting on buildings.
Demonstrate how paper can be recycled to produce other products.
Invent an electronic water usage monitor that could be easily attached to a shower head to help the user conserve water.

Communications

Speculate how communications within a home might change when optical fibers bring super high speed data to the home.
Propose some new uses for the global positions system (GPS).
Illustrate a radio station like communications system that provides audio books on demand.
Demonstrate a system that converts text to natural sounding human speech. Devise a way the text might be changed to include speech inflection codes.
Illustrate how earth would communicate to a human settlement on Mars.
Demonstrate the time delay problems when trying to communicate with humans on Mars.
Build a working model of a system that sends data through walls using magnetic pulses.
Illustrate how a “spread spectrum” communications system works.
Demonstrate how long range communications to deep space probes might be possible using modulated light instead of radio waves.
Perform some optical communications experiments using reflections off of clouds.
Demonstrate a house to house communications system using free space optical methods
Demonstrate how an “optical wave length division multiplexing” communications system works.
Illustrate how data error detection and correction schemes work.
Demonstrate how a “retro-reflective” light modulator could be used to send data.
Illustrate how optical fibers can carry light information over long distances with little loss.
Demonstrate a simple telephone system that uses optical fibers instead of wires.
Experiment with methods to send audio information through optical fibers so it could be heard using standard headphones, without batteries or a power source.
Illustrate how a wide area optical information broadcasting system might work.
Build a working model of a long range telemetry system that uses powerful light pulses and a pulse position encoding scheme. A xenon flash tube might be used as the light source. Just two flashes would be needed to send data over a 30 mile range.
Illustrate the principles of a wireless radio frequency identification device (RFID) system.
Show how the devices are currently being used to identify pets, using tiny pills injected under the skin of the animal.
Build a working model of a helium filled blimp that is radio controlled and is equipped with a tiny television camera. Define some uses for such a craft.
Demonstrate a secure computer communications system that uses data encryption techniques.

Energy

Perform research on a unique tree that grows a wax laden berry, which could be used to produce fuel for automobiles.
Demonstrate new light sources that draw less energy than conventional tungsten filament lamps.
Illustrate a large scale solar energy farm using sun tracking mirrors to focus sunlight onto a central collection tower.
Build a working model of a system that produces hydrogen gas from aluminum cans and water.
Illustrate a working model of an electrodeless sulfur lamp. Show how such lamps could save energy in home, office and street lighting needs.
Build a working model of a “hanging weight” energy storage system that could be used on the Moon or Mars. The weight would be lowered into a very deep canyon and would be connected to a motor/generator.
Illustrate how inkjet printing schemes could be used to fabricate inexpensive solar photovoltaic panels, printed onto glass.
Build a working model of a hydrogen/air fuel cell.
Illustrate how heat from deep geothermal wells could be used to generate electrical power.
Demonstrate how a large ocean ship could generate a sizable amount of energy by deploying a super large wind sail. The ship pulled by the sail might drive a large propeller, which would power a generator. The energy might be stored as hydrogen gas or as a super large capacitor.
Predict how solar photovoltaic panels might be used if their cost were drastically reduced.
Illustrate how large scale super capacitors might be used to store electrical energy for an entire city.
Demonstrate the principles of using a high speed flywheel to store energy.
Illustrate a working model of a system that uses compressed air to store energy.
Demonstrate how solar ponds work and how they could produce water hot enough to drive gas turbines.
Compare the various ways to store energy in energy per unit volume and energy per unit weight.
Illustrate how an aggressive use of wave, wind and solar power stations could satisfy much of the U.S. energy needs.
Review the various ways energy, needed by a city, could be transported.
Conduct research on the additional cost needed to build super insulated homes over a more conventional designs.
Illustrate how a “hybrid” electric car works.
Illustrate the areas of the U.S. that would be suitable for large scale wind energy farms.
Build a working model of a portable wind energy generator, one that would be moved to a windy location as needed.
Illustrate how solid methyl hydrate could be mined from the deep ocean and used as fuel
Demonstrate how PV solar cells on a roof might work to save money.
Illustrate how a heat pump air conditioning system works and how it would save electricity.
Demonstrate how concentrated sunlight might be used in an industry needing high temperatures. Glass, steel, brick and cement industry?
Explore different ways to store energy. Giant flywheels, molten salt and compressed air in old mines are three examples.
Show how compact fluorescent lamps save energy when compared with standard tungsten incandescent lamps.
Illustrate how very large kites could be used to extract a large amount of energy from the wind.
Demonstrate how human motion controlled lighting inside office buildings could save energy.
Illustrate how different thermal insulation materials, used in wall insulation, compare. Test heat conduction of fiberglass, Styrofoam, recycled paper and a vacuum.
Illustrate how a nuclear fusion power plant might operate.

Physics

Demonstrate a how a special optical fiber could be used to measure electrical current, flowing in a wire.
Illustrate how a micro-mirror array could be used as a high speed light modulator.
Build a working model of a Sterling cycle electrical generator, powered by concentrated sunlight.
Illustrate how a vortex air swirl could be used to separate minerals on the Moon or Mars.
Demonstrate a working solar furnace. Illustrate how it might be used for making glass and steel.
Demonstrate how light pipes could be used to bring natural sunlight to a manned habitat below the surface of the Moon or Mars.
Demonstrate how many materials, such as plastic and rubber, become very brittle when cooled to dry ice temperatures. Demonstrate other materials that don’t become brittle.
Illustrate how a blimp could be used on Mars to take detailed photos of the surface.
Build a working model of a “hanging weight” energy storage system that could be used on the Moon or Mars. The weight would be lowered into a very deep canyon and would be connected to a motor/generator.
Demonstrate the insulation properties of glass foam. Show how such materials might be used on the Moon or Mars.
Build a working model of a system that uses pressured Marian air as a means to store energy.
Demonstrate the principles of a greenhouse. Show how such structures might be built on the Moon and Mars.
Build a working model of a spring powered electrical generator. The device might be used to power a flashlight or a radio.
Demonstrate a “snap action” electrical generator. Pressing the snap button could kick spin a magnet, which is surrounded by a coil . The device might be used to power garage door openers or unlock car doors without batteries.
Illustrate how a jet of water at 10,000 psi can cut thick steel plates.
Demonstrate how optical fibers and a laser could be used to detonate explosives safely.
Illustrate how optical fibers could be used for sensitive instruments measuring pressure, temperature, motion, magnetic and electric fields, vibration and biological changes.
Demonstrate how optical fibers can transfer optical images.
Devise a fluorescent lamp that emits near infrared light using special phosphors.
Illustrate how lasers could be used to sense speed of a moving material.
Demonstrate how sandblasting with solid carbon diode reduces dust.
Illustrate how electrically conducting “Velcro” could have many uses.
Display how noise cancellation techniques might be used for something.
Illustrate an attachment for a camcorder that allows views inside your mouth.
Experiment with infrasonics (very low frequency sound). Build a working unit that can process the low frequencies and make them audible.
Demonstrate how Ferro-fluids might be used for something.
Demonstrate that colors can be produced from a spinning wheel that contains only black and white lines. Try to explain why it works.
Demonstrate the superior strength of some composite materials over conventional steel and wood structures.
Illustrate how an audio CD player works. Show how much more information could be put on the CD if a deep blue 350nM laser were used instead of a 830nM infrared laser.
Demonstrate that simple electrical nitrogen sparks in air are powerful light sources with very fast rise and fall times. Describe some possible uses for the light pulses.
Illustrate how optical radar would work. Show by using the speed of light, the distance to objects can be measured.
Illustrate how a scanning electron microscope works.

Chemistry

Demonstrate how liquid methanol can be made from natural gas.
Build a system that demonstrates how breathable air could be made on Mars by removing carbon diode from the Marian air and increasing the level of oxygen.
Demonstrate a process of producing chemicals needed to grow plants could be made from leeching Martian sand and rocks.
Illustrate how Meteorite fragments on the Moon or Mars could be melted and processed to form steel, electricity conducting nickel ribbons, magnets and other materials.
Invent some new chemical reactions that could produce more hydrogen from water and other chemicals, using electricity.
Define some novel uses for “scratch and sniff” micro-capsules.
Build your own small liquid air generator.Show how pure nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases can be removed from the liquid air by a process known as fractional distillation.
Experiment with a special ceramic material that holds lots of water. Maybe show how it might be used to reduce irrigation.
Demonstrate how a micro sieve works to produce nearly pure oxygen from air. Come up with other uses for this technology.
Demonstrate some uses for micro capsules (scratch and sniff).
Illustrate a way to extrude composite materials that could be used on a building site like wood.
Build a working model of a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell. Illustrate how the devices are used on space craft's.
Illustrate a metal smelting process using concentrated sunlight as the heat source. Such a process would be useful for new settlements on Mars.
Illustrate some methods how carbon dioxide could be removed (scrubbed) from air that is breathed by humans on a spacecraft or on a Martian settlement.
Make your own aerogel cubes. Describe some uses for this new material.
Illustrate how some more complex hydrocarbon molecules could be produced from the basic building blocks of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide that can be extracted from the sand and air of Mars.

Electronics

Experiment with infrasonics (very low frequency sound). Build a working electronic circuit that can process the low frequencies and make them audible.
Build a working model of an energy monitor that displays gas and electricity usage. Unit connected to the power and gas meters. Maybe place the display next to the thermostat. Displays real time usage as well as weekly and monthly totals.
Invent an electronic water usage monitor that could be easily attached to a shower head to help the user conserve water.
Speculate how electrical power could be transported on the Moon or Mars. What voltages and line frequencies should be used?
Devise a new power supply technique to transform alternating current to direct current. Perhaps a high frequency transformer with a multiple turns ratio could be used.
Build a “blackout alarm”. The device would warn companies that their electrical power will be turned off.

Invent a way humans can be detected in coal mines.
Illustrate how an optical computer mouse operates. Define how the technology might be used for measuring moving materials without contact.
Invent a circuit that stops a dog from barking.
Build a working model of a device that indicates how level a surface is. Perhaps it would make different tones when a bubble moved in a tube.
Build a snow and rain monitor. Perhaps light from an infrared light emitting diode could used to detect the reflections off the rain drops and snow flakes.
Demonstrate something using new super capacitors. Perhaps illustrate how a large bank of such capacitors could be used to store energy.
Make your own electrets (capacitors with permanent charge) using a mixture of waxes baked in an oven. Experiment with some possible uses for the large devices.
Modify a CD-ROM player to provide 100 hours of voice audio. Great for audio books.
Build a working model of a body temperature monitor and alarm. Might be great for hikers worried about hypothermia.
Build a working camera system that is triggered by moving wildlife. The device would make the animals take their own photos.
Build a time to dust alarm. The device would flash a light when it was time to dust. Perhaps a simple pulsed light emitting diode and photo transistor could be made to work.
Build an earth quake alarm. Such devices could save lives.
Build a freeze alarm. The device would sound an alarm when the temperature dropped below 32 degrees F.
Demonstrate some uses for super bright light emitting diodes. Perhaps you could build a solid state flashlight that uses the latest super bright white light emitting diodes.
Illustrate some uses for head mounted digital displays. Perhaps you could build a simple disk reader that would display text from a book.
Demonstrate a camera system linked to a VCR that is turned on only during human motion. Such a device is useful for security camera systems
Such a device is useful for security camera systems.
Demonstrate how a large number of books could be stored on computer disks. The latest DVD disks could store about 5,000 novels.
Build a voice “Babble” Generator. Circuit generates a sequence of nosey room sounds, with hundreds of people talking, interleaved so in can be continuous. Used to mask other voices, jamming of radios
Build a working optical radar system. Maybe just measure the distance between the transmitter unit and a distant corner cube type mirror.
Explore some uses for old computers.
Explore some uses for defective memory chips.
Show how human motion can be detected by the disturbance in the earth=s natural electric field that their motion produces.
Build a cold cathode fluorescent lamp driver that is run off of a standard 120vac power line. Describe how such devices might last longer and be cheaper than standard hot cathode fluorescent lamps.
Build a working model of a communications system that uses modulated light produced by fluorescent lamps.
Experiment with electrical signals that are detected from metal probes pushed into the ground. Worms, insects, distant lightning strikes and human foot steps might be detectable.
Build an electronic stethoscope. Use the device to record human heart and breath sounds.
Build a device that can measure the speed of a thrown baseball without using radar gun techniques.
Build a wind energy monitor. The output signal from a simple wind speed meter (anemometer) would be fed to a computer that would calculate and plot the potential energy per unit area each day. Such a system might be useful to help define locations for wind energy farms.
Develop a shower water temperature monitor. Such a device might help conserve energy.