Abstract
prohibition,” he said. “A growing number of countries have adopted such policies, either officially or de facto. Usage rates have generally remained stable, without an increase in problems popularly associated with the drugs in question. Equally notable, the quite high usage rates in the United States persist despite some of the harshest penalties in the world. Looking with an open mind at alternative systems should help dispel the fear that any change to current policies will lead to catastrophe.” —Jeff Falk Read the policy paper at ricemagazine. info/144. SOCIAL SCIENCES
Men Are From Physics. Women Are From Biology. Both male and female scientists view gender discrimination as a major reason women choose to pursue careers in biology rather than physics, according to research by Elaine Howard Ecklund, an associate professor of sociology. But why? A key finding in Ecklund’s study, which recently appeared in the journal Gender and Society, is that both male and female scientists view gender discrimination as a factor in women’s decision not to choose a science career at all or to choose biology over physics. However, the two sexes have differences in opinion about when discrimination occurs. The authors surveyed 2,500 biologists and physicists at elite institutions of higher education in the United States, along with a smaller scientific sample of 150 scientists, about the reasons they believe there are gender differences in scientific disciplines. “During interviews, men almost never mentioned present-day discrimination, believing that any discrimination in physical science classes likely took place early in the educational history (primary school), which they believe explains women’s predisposition to biological sciences,” Ecklund said. “However, female scientists believe that discrimination is still occurring in present-day universities and departments.” Regardless of gender or discipline, approximately half of all the scientists interviewed thought that at some point in women’s educational lives, they are discouraged from pursuing a career in physics. Other reasons scientists gave to explain the different numbers of women who pursue biology when compared Photo: Jeff Fitlow
with physics include mentorship of students in the fields of biology and physics and “inherent differences between men and women.” One female scientist said, “I think women … want to have more of a sense that what they are doing is helping somebody. Maybe there are more women in … biology (because) you can be like, ‘Oh, I am going to go cure cancer.’” Whereas women often explained sex differences between the disciplines using reasons of emotional affinity, men stressed neurological differences as being responsible for personal choices. One male scientist suggested that there are “some brain differences between men and women that explain (the gender differences between the disciplines).” —Amy Hodges Read the full article at ricemagazine.info/145. ENGINEERING
From Ice to Steam, Efficiently
Rice University scientists have unveiled a new technology that uses nanoparticles to convert solar energy directly into steam. The new “solar steam” method from Rice’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) is so effective it
can even produce steam from icy cold water. The technology has an overall energy efficiency of 24 percent. Photovoltaic solar panels, by comparison, typically have an overall energy efficiency around 15 percent. However, the inventors of solar steam said they expect the first uses of the new technology will not be for electricity generation but rather for sanitation and water purification in developing countries. “This is about a lot more than electricity,” said LANP Director Naomi Halas, the lead scientist on the project. “With this technology, we are beginning to think about solar thermal power in a completely different way.” The efficiency of solar steam is due to the light-capturing nanoparticles that convert sunlight into heat. When submerged in water and exposed to sunlight, the particles heat up so quickly they instantly vaporize water and create steam. Halas said the solar steam’s overall energy efficiency can probably be increased as the technology is refined. “We’re going from heating water on the macro scale to heating it at the nanoscale,” Halas said. “Our particles are very small — even smaller than a wavelength of light —
The solar steam device developed at Rice University has an overall energy efficiency of 24 percent, far surpassing that of photovoltaic solar panels. It may first be used in sanitation and water-purification applications in the developing world. S p r i ng 2 0 1 3 · R i c e M a g a z i n e
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