Terraforming Mars

Description:  Aside from ethical concerns, turning the planet Mars into a habitable planet would be a scientific challenge. The planet is too cold, lacks a useable atmosphere, and the lack of a magnetic field leaves it susceptible to space weather. Increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere could solves two of these problems through the greenhouse effect. This thought-experiment could provide students an opportunity to better understand interactions between Earth systems.

Web Resource:  Terraforming Mars - Wikipedia

Rather than hauling heavy atmospheric pumps from earth, the way to create a habitable atmosphere on Mars is to take advantage of its own topology, geography and nature. Read more at BigThink.com: http://bigthink.com/dr-kakus-universe/the-cheapest-way-to-terraform-mars Follow Big Think here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bigthink Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigThinkdotcom Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigthink Transcript: Let's be blunt.

The Mystery Of The Missing Bees

Description:  The specific cause (or causes) of colony collapse disorder has not been found but the fact that a number of bees are dying is clear. This will have massive economic impacts since many of the foods we eat are pollinated by bees. Since humans are both impacting and being impacted by this problem it can be used as an engineering problem in need of a solution.

Web Resource:  Colony Collapse Disorder - Wikipedia

In 2015 the bees are still dying in masses. Which at first seems not very important until you realize that one third of all food humans consume would disappear with them. Millions could starve. The foes bees face are truly horrifying - some are a direct consequence of human greed.

Towing An Iceberg To The United Arab Emirates

Description:  The National Advisor Bureau Limited plans to tow icebergs to the UAE for a source of freshwater. The majority of freshwater on the planet is frozen in glaciers and ice caps. This solution would provide adequate freshwater to the UAE but it would present many engineering challenges. The smaller icebergs would melt along the way and the larger ice bergs would be pushed by the large currents in the ocean.

Web Resource:  Science Alert Article  

جبال جليد الإمارات تقلب موازين المناخ في المنطقة , وتحول الربع الخالي ربعاً عامراً ومروج تجري من تحتها الأنهار خلال عشر سنوات فقط ! كشف مكتب المستشار الوطني المحدودة ( التي تخطط لسحب جبال جليدية إلى سواحل إمارة الفجيرة من القطب الجنوبي , ليكون مصدر جديدا للمياه العذبة في المنطقة ) , أن يكون لوجود الجبال الجليدية المستجلبة أثراً كبيراً في إحداث تغيير جذري للمناخ في المنطقة.