Connie+Liu

Insect Eyes Inspire New Solar Cell Design by Stanford Researchers Solar power is a huge proponent of renewable energy in today’s world. Theoretically the world’s demand of solar could be fulfilled by just one thousandth of the sun’s energy. However, as of 2015, solar power was only 1.1 percent of global power generation. Additionally, the old model of the solar cell, which is based off of silicon, is being met with diminishing returns because its efficiency does not outweigh its cost. However, recent developments have shown there is still hope for the future of solar power. Perovskites are the solution to the solar efficiency issue. They are optimal because they can capture more light in the electromagnetic spectrum, which results in higher energy capture. Even though they are incredibly efficient and cheap, perovskites are easily breakable. A team from Stanford was able to figure out a solution to the incredible fragility of these cells. They took inspiration from the eyes of the fly for the design. In fly eyes, one compound eye contains hundreds of smaller segmented eyes. If one segment is destroyed, the others will continue to operate. They are protected by a scaffold wall around it. The Stanford researchers replicated this design with their solar cells: one large compound solar cell has many honeycomb perovskite microcells encased in a scaffold. The material of the scaffold is made of epoxy resin that have been utilized in the microelectronics industry, making it the ideal cheap material to use. Tests have shown that through this model, cells can last temperatures of 185 F with 85 percent humidity for six weeks. The future is looking optimistic as these cells have continued to generate electricity with high rates of efficiency in these extreme conditions.

I find this related to what we've learned this past week regarding energy consumption and sustainability. The reason energy plays such a large role in the conversation about sustainability is because of the fact that energy is created through the burning of fossil fuels which contribute to global carbon emissions. Investing in cheaper and more efficient energy solutions is the only way society can move forward. As of now, renewable energy sources are not seen as accessible to many because of their expense and weaker efficiency. The article referenced in this post is one of the many initiatives to change that perception. By innovating solar power to become cheaper and better, renewable energy will become a larger component of the world's energy supply. Article: [] More information on perovskite: [] A great video that summarizes what perovskite is: media type="youtube" key="5oZWLKSDVBk" width="560" height="315" align="center"

Another cool nature-inspired design! []

Scientists Boost Crop Production by 47% by Speeding Up Photorespiration When photorespiration occurs in plants, they spend 20 to 50 percent of their energy during the process of recycling the chemicals produced. In the process of photorespiration, Rubisco intakes oxygen instead of carbon dioxide molecules which consequently produces 3-PGA and phosphoglycolate, which is unusable. Photorespiration grows in frequency as temperatures rise which poses a major problem in our rapidly warming climate. An international research project is searching for a solution. Studies have shown that increasing a common protein in the leaves of plants could boost food crop yield by 50%. A similar project involving increasing proteins used in photorespiration has shown similar effects. The team, part of the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency project, engineered a crop that increased the H-protein in plants. The H-Protein is vital in the process of recycling the toxic chemicals produced by photorespiration. As a result, plant production went from 27% to 47% at the cost of stunting growth and metabolism. But that doesn’t mean increasing the H-protein does not help as the effect is truly dependent on the levels of the protein in the plants in the appropriate tissues. Even so, the researchers are moving on to implementing this strategy in soybeans, cowpeas and cassava in order to help struggling farmers in Africa and Southeast Asia. __Article link:__ https://www.igb.illinois.edu/article/scientists-boost-crop-production-47-speeding-photorespiration __Linked below is a great overview of the whole project:__ media type="youtube" key="2O4Aos8xIaQ" width="427" height="243" align="center"

I find this study to be related to the topics we learned in class this week as we discussed how food production is affecting our environment and vice versa. It highlights how innovation is needed to adapt to this changing world. We cannot rely on unsustainable models (such as CAFOs) that create a large amount of waste at the cost of efficient production. The world’s population is quickly growing which means we need to adapt agriculture to match and help feed the world. However, large-scale farming is not sustainable enough as we have already cleared much of the world’s forests to make room for agriculture. Therefore it is important to look into other alternatives such as the one stated in this post. Overall, it’s related to the topic of agriculture and how we must do research on improving its efficiency in order to reduce negative externalities.

Coral Reefs: Unexpected Results  As of late, the future of coral reefs does not look optimistic. Rising temperatures have caused global water levels to rise, but not only that it has caused a barrage of issues in other ways as well.

Coral bleaching is one of the aforementioned issues. When the water gets too warm the coral ends up expelling algae that inhabit the tissues, which results in the white color. However this does not mean the coral is dead, but it is more easily subject to mortality. It does not even have to be a result of warm water, it can also be cold. According to Ecowatch, coral bleaching incidents have become five times more frequent than forty years ago. In fact, one recent bleaching incident in May has caused only one percent of Japan’s largest coral reef to be deemed healthy. Coral bleaching appears not only to be frequent but increasing in intensity. Not only that, coral reefs are suffering from other afflictions such as acidifying waters, hurricanes, and disease. Is there any hope for the coral reefs? According to Cinner and his colleagues, the reefs that housed more fish weren’t the ones where there were no humans around. The ones that were prospering had high human fishing activity but those humans had learned how to manage the reef responsibly by using practices such as rotating harvests. The reefs that did not do well experienced a history of cyclones or bleaching events and the locals were also likely to use destructive antiquated technologies to harvest fish.

Therefore they have concluded possible sustainable methods such as instilling property rights. Although banning human activity in remote reefs is the easiest solution, rising temperatures indicate that no reef is safe. It is better to teach people how to sustainably coexist as well as solve the bigger problem of climate change in order to preserve these reefs.

Also something cool that I found that goes along with restoring coral reefs is how fragmenting coral actually helps them grow faster. The video also delves into the process of restoration. media type="youtube" key="VbSzoebC-8o" width="448" height="251" align="center"

I find this discovery to be highly relevant to the Robbins Park Trip. Similar to the researchers in this discovery, we monitored the changes in the river over time by using various assays (flow test, turbidity) to determine if any were changing. If the river at Robbins Park was experiencing more erosion or pollution of water, I think this article gives a model of what steps to take next. We could examine the human impact on the rivers such as current laws regarding human activity as well as examining industrial practices nearby. I believe this article could be supplementary to our current knowledge of preserving our natural environments. Not only do we have to monitor the rivers for changes, but also look for the //why.// Why would the rivers become more polluted or erode more? Why are other rivers in better condition? If we find the answer to those questions I believe we can only get smarter about conservation. Article link: https://www.ecowatch.com/japan-coral-reef-bleaching-2570800547.html https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/06/the-surprising-bright-spots-among-the-worlds-coral-reefs/487118/?utm_source=atlfb

Top 5 Sustainability Themes **1. Water and Sanitation ** **2. Affordable and Clean Energy ** I chose affordable and clean energy as an important sustainability theme because it enables changes in many other areas. For example, through investing in affordable and clean energy can we prevent the progression of climate change which would thus protect the sustainability of life on land and in water. It is through cheap energy that third world countries can rebuild their infrastructure to be more permanent and stable. Oil and coal are just going to be more expensive and damaging for the environment, it is only until we invest in clean energy that we can both mitigate pollution, climate change, and ensure better equality for all.

**3. Quality Education** **4. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions ** I chose this sustainability theme because it will be difficult to instigate changes among the countries who need it most if those countries’ governments are corrupt and unwilling to help. If countries are always in conflict, it will be difficult to provide permanent infrastructural changes and aid to those who are suffering. Additionally, without a justice system in those countries, there is no order. If a collaborative effort does not exist between nations, it is likely that what is built will be quickly destroyed through war. Finally, without strong governmental institutions in third world countries, the changes needed to lead the way towards clean energy, equal education, and sanitation will be difficult to permanently implement and enforce.

**5. End Poverty **