News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

hugginsm — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:29:24 +0000

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturinghugginsm February 5, 2026

Professor Anne Schmitz examines the influence of the natural world on engineering and additive manufacturing.

This article appeared in TechXplore and others, and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

If you break open a chicken bone, you won’t find a solid mass of white material inside. Instead, you will see a complex, spongelike network of tiny struts and pillars, and a lot of empty space.

It looks fragile, yet that internal structure allows a bird ��. wing to withstand high winds while remaining light enough for flight. Nature rarely builds with solid blocks. Instead, it builds with clever, porous patterns to maximize strength while minimizing weight.

Cross-section of the bone of a bird ��. skull: Holes keep the material light enough that the bird can fly, but it ��. still sturdy. Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Human engineers have always envied this efficiency. You can see it in the hexagonal perfection of a honeycomb, which uses the least amount of wax to store the most honey, and in the internal spiraling architecture of seashells that resist crushing pressures.

For centuries, however, manufacturing limitations meant engineers couldn’t easily copy these natural designs. Traditional manufacturing has usually been subtractive, meaning it starts with a heavy block of metal that is carved down, or formative, which entails pouring liquid plastic into a mold. Neither method can easily create complex, spongelike interiors hidden inside a solid shell.

Bird bones, seashells and honeycombs use clever, porous designs to stay strong without the extra weight. Now, 3D printing is letting engineers copy those natural blueprints.

The sustainable future

Beyond performance, mimicking nature ��. less-is-more approach is a significant win for sustainability. By “printing air” into the internal structure of a product, manufacturers can use significantly less raw material while maintaining the necessary strength.

As industrial 3D printing becomes faster and cheaper, manufacturing will move further away from the solid-block era and closer to the elegant efficiency of the biological world. Nature has spent millions of years perfecting these blueprints through evolution – and engineers are finally learning how to read them.

The invisible architecture

That paradigm changed with the maturation of additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, when it evolved from a niche prototyping tool into a robust industrial force. While the technology was first patented in the 1980s, it truly took off over the past decade as it became capable of producing end-use parts for high-stakes industries like aerospace and health care.

3D printing makes it far easier to manufacture lightweight, hole-filled materials. kynny/iStock via Getty Images

Instead of cutting away material, printers build objects layer by layer, depositing plastic or metal powder only exactly where it ��. needed based on a digital file. This technology unlocked a new frontier in materials science focused on mesostructures.

A mesostructure represents the in-between scale. It is not the microscopic atomic makeup of the material, nor is it the macroscopic overall shape of the object, like a whole shoe. It is the internal architecture, including the engineered pattern of air and material hidden inside.

It ��. the difference between a solid brick and the intricate iron latticework of the Eiffel Tower. Both are strong, but one uses vastly less material to achieve that strength because of how the empty space is arranged.

If engineers wanted to make a part stronger, they generally had to make it thicker and heavier. This approach is often inefficient, wastes material and results in heavier products that require more energy to transport.

I am a mechanical engineer and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where I research the intersection of advanced manufacturing and biology. For several years, my work has focused on using additive manufacturing to create materials that, like a bird ��. wing, are both incredibly light and capable of handling intense physical stress. While these “holey” designs have existed in nature for millions of years, it is only recently that 3D printing has made it possible for us to replicate them in the lab.

From the lab to your closet

While the concept of using additive manufacturing to create parts that take advantage of mesostructures started in research labs around the year 2000, consumers are now seeing these bio-inspired designs in everyday products.

The footwear industry is a prime example. If you look closely at the soles of certain high-end running shoes, you won’t see a solid block of foam. Instead, you will see a complex, weblike lattice structure that looks suspiciously like the inside of a bird bone. This printed design mimics the springiness and weight distribution found in natural porous structures, offering tuned performance that solid foam cannot match.

Engineers use the same principle to improve safety gear. Modern bike helmets and football helmet liners are beginning to replace traditional foam padding with 3D-printed lattices. These tiny, repeating jungle gym structures are designed to crumple and rebound to absorb the energy more efficiently than solid materials, much like how the porous bone inside your own skull protects your brain.

Testing the limits

In my research, I look for the rules nature uses to build strong objects.

For example, seashells are tough because they are built like a brick wall, with hard mineral blocks held together by a thin layer of stretchy glue. This pattern allows the hard bricks to slide past each other instead of snapping when put under pressure. The shell absorbs energy and stops cracks from spreading, which makes the final structure much tougher than a solid piece of the same material.

I use advanced computer models to crush thousands of virtual designs to see exactly when and how they fail. I have even used neural networks, a type of artificial intelligence, to find the best patterns for absorbing energy.

My studies have shown that a wavy design can be very effective, especially when we fine-tune the thickness of the lines and the number of turns in the pattern. By finding these perfect combinations, we can design products that fail gradually and safely – much like the crumple zone on the front of a car.

By understanding the mechanics of these structures, engineers can tailor them for specific jobs, making one area of a product stiff and another area flexible within a single continuous printed part.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering. bee-honeycomb.jpg

University Communications

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

The Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering focuses on enhancing the learning experience for students in ��'s engineering programs.

Search Keywords: engineeringmaterial sciencemanufacturingadditive manufacturing3D printing

Hero Caption: Engineers use structures found in nature – like the honeycomb – to create lightweight, sturdy materials.

Anne Schmitz

Full Name: Anne Schmitz, Ph.D.

Job Title: Associate Professor / Department Chair

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering Engineering & Technology Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Website: Anne Schmitz CV

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Degree: M.S. Biomedical Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Degree: B.S. Mechanical Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

hugginsm — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:51:00 +0000

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universitieshugginsm December 11, 2025

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what defines and distinguishes the poly education advantage.

Dr. Kelly Droege Laura Reisinger

For decades, a four-year college degree was widely seen as the standard path to getting most midlevel jobs in the United States. It was the expected entry point for getting a job as a marketing specialist, project manager, IT support analyst, among other roles.

But this expectation is shifting. Many fields – including cybersecurity, health care and advanced manufacturing – are facing significant shortages in skilled workers. The gap between available skilled jobs and workers is likely to push employers to rethink what they require from job candidates over the next decade.

A major demographic shift will also play a role. Between 2024 and 2032, an estimated 18.4 million experienced workers with education beyond high school are expected to retire, according to September 2025 findings by Georgetown University ��. center on education and the workforce.

Only 13.8 million younger workers with similar education levels are expected to enter the workforce during the same period, these findings show. This trend will also make it harder for employers to fill roles that traditionally require a college degree.

At the same time, 25 states over the past few years have enacted legislation and executive orders to remove college degree requirements for people applying for some public sector jobs, signaling a shift in how essential college degrees are for getting hired for some kinds of work.

These shifts underscore a broader trend: A four-year degree is no longer essential for many kinds of work.

Hiring data tells a similar story. As of January 2024, 52% of U.S. job postings on Indeed did not mention any formal education requirement, up from 48% in 2019. Job postings requiring at least a bachelor ��. degree also dropped from 20.4% to 17.8% between 2018 and 2023.

As hiring expectations change – influenced in part by advances in artificial intelligence – employers may struggle to find candidates who already have the right job-specific skills.

With over 20 years of experience as professors who also train employees in industries such as manufacturing, health care and business information technologies, we believe that college degrees shouldn’t be mandatory for some jobs.

Florida �� is one of several polytechnic universities in the U.S. offering a STEM and career-focused education. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

A widening gap

Nearly half of recent college graduates say they feel unprepared for entry-level work, and 56% cite a lack of job-specific skills as the biggest issue, according to a 2025 report by Cengage Group, an education and workforce training company.

Alternative pathways – apprenticeships, certifications and on-the-job training – can give workers practical skills and help employers fill crucial roles more quickly.

Employers dropping degree requirements is only one step toward this goal. We think it is also important that prospective college students and their families are aware of educational opportunities besides a traditional four-year degree.

Understanding polytechnic universities

Some people think of higher education in terms of traditional liberal arts colleges or research universities. But there are also polytechnic universities, which focus on hands-on, career-aligned learning and emphasize strong STEM and technical programs. These schools often prepare students for exactly the kinds of jobs employers struggle to fill.

There are about 10 major polytechnic universities in the U.S. Some well-known polytechnic universities are California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, and State University of New York Polytechnic Institute in Marcy and Albany, New York.

Instead of offering a wide range of liberal arts majors, polytechnic universities offer majors such as engineering, robotics, construction management and information technology.

A central feature of these schools is applied learning – hands-on labs, real-world projects and problem-solving experiences.

Polytechnic students can earn bachelor ��. and master ��. degrees, but they also can often get short-term certificates in fields such as human resources, instructional design, project management and digital marketing. Many programs also include apprenticeships, such as workplace training specialists.

Students can also pursue microcredentials, which involve short course sequences that build targeted skills, such as business writing or engineering mechanics. These options give students more flexible and affordable ways to learn without committing to a traditional four-year degree.

Polytechnic universities also tend to cost less than research universities and private colleges, and students can use federal financial aid or private loans to attend.

There are some limitations. Polytechnic schools generally offer fewer majors, usually within STEM fields. Their alumni networks may be smaller, and we have found that some people perceive them as less prestigious than traditional universities because they focus more on teaching than on research.

Real world relevance

In March 2025, we asked 10 online instructors at different polytechnic universities how they bring career-focused learning into their classes.

Our research, which will likely be published in 2026, shows that every instructor tried to make their courses feel relevant to real workplaces.

Some instructors used simulations in the course. Others shared examples from their own industry backgrounds with students. All agreed that students learn best when they can clearly connect their coursework to their career goals.

One of the most effective strategies is hiring instructors with deep industry experience. Their professional networks help programs stay aligned with the skills employers currently value.

Not every college wants to become a polytechnic, and not every student wants that style of education.

However, traditional universities can still learn from this model by adding more applied learning, embedding essential job skills into their programs, and partnering more closely with industry. These changes can better prepare students to succeed in the workforce.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education. stem_illustrations.jpg

University Communications

M.S. Training & Talent Development

Are you committed to maximizing human and organizational performance? Earn your degree to become a training and human development manager or specialist.

Learn More

Search Keywords: polytechnic educationworkforce education

Hero Caption: Unlike traditional research universities and private liberal arts colleges, polytechnic universities tend to offer apprenticeships and microcredentials, all geared toward giving students practical skills they can use in the workforce.

Dr. Kelly Droege

Full Name: Dr. Kelly Droege

Job Title: Assistant Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Training and Human Resource Development

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: School of Management Operations & Management Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Education:

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Laura Reisinger

Full Name: Dr. Laura Reisinger

Job Title: Assistant Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: School of Management Hospitality & Technology Innovation Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Education:

CSTEMM CACHSS

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

hugginsm — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 14:26:06 +0000

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American Southhugginsm August 5, 2025

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, Ph.D.

The American South—and the nation more broadly—continues to wrestle with how to remember its most painful chapters. Tourism is one of the arenas where that struggle is most visible.

This tension came into sharp relief in May 2025, when the largest antebellum mansion in the region – the 19th-century estate at Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana – burned to the ground. While some historians, community members and tourism advocates mourned the loss of a landmark site, many activists and others critical of slavery ��. past celebrated its destruction.

Soon after the fire, Nottoway ��. owner indicated an interest in rebuilding. And within weeks, a new restaurant had opened on a different part of the site. That speed underscores how quickly memory, history and economics can collide – and how tourism sits at the center of that tension.

As a professor who studies tourism, I know that the impulse to monetize history isn’t new. Six months after the First Battle of Manassas in 1861, the site was already developing as a tourist attraction. People have been traveling to historic sites, buying souvenirs and leaving their mark on the landscape for centuries. That tradition continues, and evolves, today.

Wealth, slavery and the battle over memory

Nottoway is one of more than 300 such plantation sites across the country, which together generate billions of dollars in revenue each year. This type of tourism forces communities and visitors alike to ask a difficult question: What parts of the past do Americans preserve, and for whom?

Main building at Nottoway Plantation considered ‘total loss’ following massive fire. / WAFB

Nottoway, completed in 1859, was built by 155 enslaved people. Blending Greek Revival and Italianate styles, it stood as a monument to wealth built on forced labor and racial exploitation. Over the decades, it passed through different owners, survived the Civil War and was eventually restored and converted into a resort and wedding venue. Critics have long argued that this commercial reinvention downplayed the lives and labor of enslaved people, neglecting the site ��. foundations in brutality.

Beyond its symbolism, Nottoway has long been recognized as a cornerstone of Iberville Parish ��. tourism economy. Research shows that sites like Nottoway can anchor regional economies by encouraging longer stays and local spending. These can stimulate nearby businesses through the multiplier effect.

Nottoway ��. sociocultural significance was far more complex – as shown by the celebrations that followed the fire. For many, Nottoway was a site of trauma and erasure. With its white columns and manicured lawns, Nottoway was pervaded by a sense of romanticism that relied on selective memory. For example, as of June 2025, the Nottoway website ��. “History” page made no mention of slavery.

In other words, the fire didn’t just destroy a building. It disrupted a layered ecosystem of economic livelihood, memory and contested meaning.

Tourism and the power of the past

To understand why people visit places like Nottoway, it helps to turn to the four main categories of travel motivation: physical, cultural, interpersonal and status. Plantation venues typically draw cultural tourists seeking heritage, history and architecture.

They also draw those engaged in what scholars call “dark tourism”: traveling to places associated with tragedy and death. While dark tourism may imply voyeurism, many such visits are deeply reflective. These travelers seek to confront hard truths and process collective memory. But if interpretation is selective – focusing on opulence while minimizing suffering – tourism then becomes a force of historical distortion.

Some tourists choose plantations for a sense of romance, others for education, and still others for reckoning. These motivations complicate how such places should be preserved, interpreted or transformed.

Over the past decade, innovative sites like the Whitney Plantation have gained national attention for centering the lives and stories of the enslaved, rather than the architecture or planter families. Opened to the public in 2014, Whitney reframed the traditional plantation tour by prioritizing historical truth over nostalgia – featuring first-person slave narratives, memorials and educational programming focused on slavery ��. brutality.

Whitney Plantation museum confronts painful history of slavery. / CBS Mornings

This approach reflects a growing segment of travelers seeking deeper engagement with difficult histories. As Whitney draws visitors for its honesty and restorative framing, it raises a key question: Is the future of plantation tourism splitting into two tracks – one rooted in reflection, the other in romanticism?

Many Americans still picture the antebellum South through the lens of popular culture – a romanticized vision shaped by novels and films like “Gone with the Wind,” with its iconic Tara plantation. This “Tara effect” continues to influence how plantations are portrayed and remembered, often emphasizing beauty and grandeur while downplaying the brutality of slavery.

That ��. why sites like the Donato House in Louisiana are important. Built and owned by Martin Donato, a formerly enslaved man who later became a landowner – and, complicating the narrative, also a slaveholder – this modest home offers a counterpoint to the opulence of estates like Nottoway.

Still in the hands of Donato ��. descendants and slowly developing as a tourist site, the Donato House reflects the layered and often uncomfortable truths that challenge simple historical categories. Sites like this remind us that tourism plays a vital role in educating society about the complexity of our past. Heritage travel isn’t just about iconic landmarks; it ��. about broadening our perspective, confronting historical bias and helping visitors to engage with the fuller, often uncomfortable, truths behind the stories we tell.

Controlling the narrative: Who tells the story?

What is chosen to be preserved – or let go of – shapes not only our memory of the past but our vision for the future.

When the last generation with firsthand experience of a historical moment is gone, their stories remain in fragments – photos, recordings such as those in the National Archives, or family lore. Some memories are factual, others softened or sharpened with time. That ��. the nature of memory: It changes with us.

My late father, a high school history teacher, often reminded his students and his children to study the full spectrum of history: the good, the bad and the profoundly uncomfortable. He believed one must dive deep into its complexity to better understand human behavior and motivation.

He was right. Tourism has always echoed the layered realities of the human experience. Now, as Americans reckon with what was lost at Nottoway, we’re left with the question: “What story will be told – and who will get to tell it?”

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history. Nottoway Plantation

Web Production

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management

Our B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management program provides the knowledge, skills, and experience to lead the future of executive hospitality management.

Learn More

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management Online

Launch your career in executive hospitality management from anywhere in the world with our online B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management degree.

Learn More

Search Keywords: Slavery TourismPlantation TourismSouthern TourismSouthern HospitalityTourism in the SouthCivil War Tourism

Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, Ph.D.

With more than 30 years of experience in the tourism industry, Dr. Pudliner has cultivated a deep understanding of the field, shaped by their travels across 44 U.S. states, Germany, and six and a half years living in Scotland. A passionate educator, they emphasize project-based and scenario-based learning to create engaging and practical teaching experiences. Their teaching philosophy focuses on empowering students to apply knowledge confidently in their daily lives, fostering personal and professional growth. Dr. Pudliner believes that education is a journey where both successes and failures offer valuable opportunities for growth.

Dr. Pudliner ��. research focuses on the intersection of tourism, technology, and relationship management. Their expertise includes marketing, branding, e-Tourism, value chain management, and consumer behavior. They are particularly passionate about advancing web development for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector, as well as leveraging e-Learning, virtual environments, and reflective practice to support training and innovation.

Full Name: Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, PhD

Job Title: Associate Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: Hospitality & Technology Innovation Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Betsy A Pudliner CV (375.91 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Research, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management

University: University of Strathclyde

Degree: M.S.Man., Environment Relations

University: Pennsylvania State University

Degree: A.S. Accounting

University: Northern Virginia Community College

Degree: B.S. Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management

University: Pennsylvania State University

CEHHHS CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Generative AI is coming to the workplace, so I designed a business technology class with AI baked in

hugginsm — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 14:32:49 +0000

Generative AI is coming to the workplace, so I designed a business technology class with AI baked inhugginsm July 22, 2025

Professor Camille Banger reflects on integrating AI into the college classroom.

Camille Banger

This article appeared in TechXplore, Newsbreak, and others, and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

The tech world says generative artificial intelligence is essential for the future of work and learning. But as an educator, I still wonder: Is it really worth bringing it into the classroom? Will these tools truly help students learn, or create new challenges we haven’t yet faced?

Like many other people in higher education, I was skeptical but knew I couldn’t ignore it. So, instead of waiting for all the answers, I decided to dive in and discover what preparing students for an AI-powered world really means beyond the hype. Last semester, I developed a business technology class where the latest generative AI tools were woven into the curriculum.

What I found is that AI productivity products have a learning curve, much like other applications that students, and ultimately white-collar workers, use in knowledge work. But I needed to adjust how I taught the class to emphasize critical thinking, reflection on how these tools are being used and checks against the errors they produce.

The project

It ��. no secret that generative AI is changing how people work, learn and teach. According to the 2025 McKinsey Global Survey on AI, 78% of respondents said their organizations use AI in at least one business function, and many are actively reskilling their workforce or training them with new skills to meet the demands of this shift.

As program director of the Business Information Technology bachelor ��. degree program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin ��. polytechnic university, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to prepare students for the workplace. I’m also an AI enthusiast, but a skeptical one. I believe in the power of these tools, but I also know they raise questions about ethics, responsibility and readiness.

So, I asked myself: How can I make sure our students are ready to use AI and understand it?

In spring 2025, University of Wisconsin-Stout launched a pilot for a small group of faculty and staff to explore Microsoft 365 Copilot for business. Since it works alongside tools such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneDrive and Teams, which are products our students already use, I saw an opportunity to bring these latest AI features to them as well.

To do that, I built an exploratory project into our senior capstone course. Students were asked to use Copilot for Business throughout the semester, keep a journal reflecting on their experience and develop practical use cases for how AI could support them both as students and future professionals. I didn’t assign specific tasks. Instead, I encouraged them to explore freely.

My goal wasn’t to turn them into AI experts overnight. I wanted them to build comfort, fluency and critical awareness about how and when to use AI tools in real-world contexts.

What my students and I learned

What stood out to me the most was how quickly students moved from curiosity to confidence.

Many of them had already experimented with tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, but Copilot for Business was a little different. It worked with their own documents, emails, meeting notes and class materials, which made the experience more personal and immediately relevant.

In their journals, students described how they used Copilot to summarize Teams video meetings, draft PowerPoint slides and write more polished emails. One student said it saved them time by generating summaries they could review after a meeting instead of taking notes during the call or rewatching a recording. Another used it to check their assignment against the rubric – a scoring tool that outlines the criteria and performance levels for assessing student work – to help them feel more confident before submitting their work.

College students will likely be asked to use AI features in business productivity applications once they enter the workforce. What ��. the best way to teach them how to effectively use them? Denise Jans on Unsplash

Several students admitted they struggled at first to write effective prompts – the typed requests that guide the AI to generate content – and had to experiment to get the results they wanted. A few reflected on instances where Copilot, like other generative AI tools, produced inaccurate or made-up information, or hallucinations, and said they learned to double-check its responses. This helped them understand the importance of verifying AI-generated content, especially in academic and professional settings.

Some students also said they had to remind themselves to use Copilot instead of falling back on other tools they were more familiar with. In some cases, they simply forgot Copilot was available. That feedback showed me how important it is to give students time and space to build new habits around emerging technologies.

What ��. next

While Copilot for Business worked well for this project, its higher cost compared with previous desktop productivity apps may limit its use in future classes and raises ethical questions about access.

That said, I plan to continue expanding the use of generative AI tools across my courses. Instead of treating AI as a one-off topic, I want it to become part of the flow of everyday academic work. My goal is to help students build AI literacy and use these tools responsibly and thoughtfully, as a support for their learning, not a replacement for it.

Historically, software programs enabled people to produce content, such as text documents, slides or the like, whereas generative AI tools produce the “work” based on user prompts. This shift requires a higher level of awareness about what students are learning and how they’re engaging with the materials and the AI tool.

This pilot project reminded me that integrating AI into the classroom isn’t just about giving students access to new tools. It ��. about creating space to explore, experiment, reflect and think critically about how these tools fit into their personal and professional lives and, most importantly, how they work.

As an educator, I’m also thinking about the deeper questions this technology raises. How do we ensure that students continue developing original thoughts and critical thinking when AI can easily generate ideas or content? How can we preserve meaningful learning while still taking advantage of the efficiency these tools offer? And what kinds of assignments can help students use AI effectively while still demonstrating their own thinking?

These aren’t just theoretical concerns. Early studies have identified the risks of “cognitive offloading” when performing tasks, such as writing essays with AI. Studies have also shown that using AI can reduce cognitive effort and even affect students’ confidence levels in their thinking. This highlights the importance of incorporating critical thinking activities alongside AI use.

These questions aren’t easy, but they are important. Higher education has an important role to play in helping students use AI and understand its impact and their responsibility in shaping how it ��. used.

Striking the right balance between fostering original thought and critical thinking with AI can be tricky. One way I’ve approached this is encouraging students to first create their content on their own, then use AI for review. This way, they maintain ownership of their work and see AI as a helpful tool rather than a shortcut. It ��. all about knowing when to leverage AI to refine or enhance their ideas.

One piece of advice I received that really stuck with me was this: Start small, be transparent and talk openly with your students. That ��. what I did, and it ��. what I’ll continue doing as I enter this next chapter of teaching and learning in the age of AI.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Camille Banger examines how best to prepare her students for a workplace fueled by generative AI. Students Computers Classroom

Web Production

B.S. Business Information Technology

Our B.S. Business Information Technology will prepare to lead today's fast-paced, data-driven digital economy with industry-recognized certifications.

Learn More

B.S. Business Information Technology Online

Our online B.S. Business Information Technology will prepare to lead today's fast-paced, data-driven digital economy with industry-recognized certifications.

Learn More

Camille Banger

Dynamic educator and industry expert with extensive experience in program/project management, process improvement, and business/systems analysis within the technology sector.

Driven by a passion for the transformative potential of generative AI, I actively research and apply advancements in AI to enhance educational methods and outcomes and to drive efficiencies and productivity gains into business.

My teaching philosophy centers on the unique needs of each learner, using a student-centered, pedagogical approach to adapt to diverse learning styles. By integrating hands-on activities, multimedia, and reflective practices that mirror real-world applications, I promote critical thinking, career readiness, and a practical understanding of AI innovations. I uphold high expectations within a supportive, inclusive environment that emphasizes accessibility.

Committed to continuous improvement, I stay current with industry trends and seek regular student feedback to enrich the learning experience and ensure my curriculum remains at the cutting edge of technology.

Full Name: Camille Banger

Job Title: Assistant Professor / Program Director / Minor Advisor

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Information Technology Communication Technology Generative AI Learning Technology Digital Marketing Technology Customer Relationship Management Systems Program/Project Management Business Analysis Systems Analysis Process Improvement

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Hospitality & Technology Innovation Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Website: Dr. Camille Banger CV

Education:

Degree: Ed.D. Higher Education (Educational Practice and Leadership)

University: University of North Dakota

Degree: M.S. Career & Technical Education

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

Degree: B.S. Information & Communication Technologies

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

How 3D printing is personalizing healthcare

hugginsm — Tue, 20 May 2025 12:48:59 +0000

How 3D printing is personalizing healthcarehugginsm May 20, 2025

Professor Anne Schmitz and Dean Daniel Freedman discuss how 3D printing has improved prosthetics, surgical outcomes, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Anne Schmitz

This article appeared in Ars Technica, Newsify, Medical Xpress, and others and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Three-dimensional printing is transforming medical care, letting the health care field shift from mass-produced solutions to customized treatments tailored to each patient ��. needs. For instance, researchers are developing 3D-printed prosthetic hands specifically designed for children, made with lightweight materials and adaptable control systems.

These continuing advancements in 3D-printed prosthetics demonstrate their increasing affordability and accessibility. Success stories like this one in personalized prosthetics highlight the benefits of 3D printing, in which a model of an object produced with computer-aided design software is transferred to a 3D printer and constructed layer by layer.

We are a biomedical engineer and chemist who work with 3D printing. We study how this rapidly evolving technology provides new options not just for prosthetics but for implants, surgical planning, drug manufacturing and other health care needs. The ability of 3D printing to make precisely shaped objects in a wide range of materials has led to, for example, custom replacement joints and custom-dosage, multidrug pills.

Better body parts

Three-dimensional printing in health care started in the 1980s with scientists using technologies such as stereolithography to create prototypes layer by layer. Stereolithography uses a computer-controlled laser beam to solidify a liquid material into specific 3D shapes. The medical field quickly saw the potential of this technology to create implants and prosthetics designed specifically for each patient.

One of the first applications was creating tissue scaffolds, which are structures that support cell growth. Researchers at Boston Children ��. Hospital combined these scaffolds with patients’ own cells to build replacement bladders. The patients remained healthy for years after receiving their implants, demonstrating that 3D-printed structures could become durable body parts.

As technology progressed, the focus shifted to bioprinting, which uses living cells to create working anatomical structures. In 2013, Organovo created the world ��. first 3D-bioprinted liver tissue, opening up exciting possibilities for creating organs and tissues for transplantation. But while significant advances have been made in bioprinting, creating full, functional organs such as livers for transplantation remains experimental. Current research focuses on developing smaller, simpler tissues and refining bioprinting techniques to improve cell viability and functionality. These efforts aim to bridge the gap between laboratory success and clinical application, with the ultimate goal of providing viable organ replacements for patients in need.

Three-dimensional printing already has revolutionized the creation of prosthetics. It allows prosthetics makers to produce affordable custom-made devices that fit the patient perfectly. They can tailor prosthetic hands and limbs to each individual and easily replace them as a child grows.

Three-dimensionally printed implants, such as hip replacements and spine implants, offer a more precise fit, which can improve how well they integrate with the body. Traditional implants often come only in standard shapes and sizes.

Surgeons are able to use 3D printing to make medical implants to fit individual patients. / CBS Philadelphia

Surgeons are able to use 3D printing to make medical implants to fit individual patients.

Some patients have received custom titanium facial implants after accidents. Others had portions of their skulls replaced with 3D-printed implants.

Additionally, 3D printing is making significant strides in dentistry. Companies such as Invisalign use 3D printing to create custom-fit aligners for teeth straightening, demonstrating the ability to personalize dental care.

Scientists are also exploring new materials for 3D printing, such as self-healing bioglass that might replace damaged cartilage. Moreover, researchers are developing 4D printing, which creates objects that can change shape over time, potentially leading to medical devices that can adapt to the body ��. needs.

For example, researchers are working on 3D-printed stents that can respond to changes in blood flow. These stents are designed to expand or contract as needed, reducing the risk of blockage and improving long-term patient outcomes.

Simulating surgeries

Three-dimensionally printed anatomical models often help surgeons understand complex cases and improve surgical outcomes. These models, created from medical images such as X-rays and CT scans, allow surgeons to practice procedures before operating.

For instance, a 3D-printed model of a child ��. heart enables surgeons to simulate complex surgeries. This approach can lead to shorter operating times, fewer complications and lower costs.

Personalized pharmaceuticals

In the pharmaceutical industry, drugmakers can three-dimensionally print personalized drug dosages and delivery systems. The ability to precisely layer each component of a drug means that they can make medicines with the exact dose needed for each patient. The 3D-printed anti-epileptic drug Spritam was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015 to deliver very high dosages of its active ingredient.

Drug production systems that use 3D printing are finding homes outside pharmaceutical factories. The drugs potentially can be made and delivered by community pharmacies. Hospitals are starting to use 3D printing to make medicine on-site, allowing for personalized treatment plans based on factors such as the patient ��. age and health.

Three-dimensionally printed pharmaceuticals make it possible to customize the types, doses and release times of drugs. / Al Jazeera English

Three-dimensionally printed pharmaceuticals make it possible to customize the types, doses and release times of drugs.

However, it ��. important to note that regulations for 3D-printed drugs are still being developed. One concern is that postprinting processing may affect the stability of drug ingredients. It ��. also important to establish clear guidelines and decide where 3D printing should take place – whether in pharmacies, hospitals or even at home. Additionally, pharmacists will need rigorous training in these new systems.

Printing for the future

Despite the extraordinarily rapid progress overall in 3D printing for health care, major challenges and opportunities remain. Among them is the need to develop better ways to ensure the quality and safety of 3D-printed medical products. Affordability and accessibility also remain significant concerns. Long-term safety concerns regarding implant materials, such as potential biocompatibility issues and the release of nanoparticles, require rigorous testing and validation.

While 3D printing has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs, the initial investment in equipment and materials can be a barrier for many health care providers and patients, especially in underserved communities. Furthermore, the lack of standardized workflows and trained personnel can limit the widespread adoption of 3D printing in clinical settings, hindering access for those who could benefit most.

On the bright side, artificial intelligence techniques that can effectively leverage vast amounts of highly detailed medical data are likely to prove critical in developing improved 3D-printed medical products. Specifically, AI algorithms can analyze patient-specific data to optimize the design and fabrication of 3D-printed implants and prosthetics. For instance, implant makers can use AI-driven image analysis to create highly accurate 3D models from CT scans and MRIs that they can use to design customized implants.

Furthermore, machine learning algorithms can predict the long-term performance and potential failure points of 3D-printed prosthetics, allowing prosthetics designers to optimize for improved durability and patient safety.

Three-dimensional printing continues to break boundaries, including the boundary of the body itself. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed a technique that uses ultrasound to turn a liquid injected into the body into a gel in 3D shapes. The method could be used one day for delivering drugs or replacing tissue.

Overall, the field is moving quickly toward personalized treatment plans that are closely adapted to each patient ��. unique needs and preferences, made possible by the precision and flexibility of 3D printing.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Anne Schmitz and Dean Daniel Freedman discuss how 3D printing is personalizing healthcare. 3D Printing Prosthetic Hands

Web Production

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

The Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering focuses on enhancing the learning experience for students in ��'s engineering programs.

Search Keywords: advances in 3D printing

Anne Schmitz

Full Name: Anne Schmitz, Ph.D.

Job Title: Associate Professor / Department Chair

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering Engineering & Technology Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Website: Anne Schmitz CV

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Degree: M.S. Biomedical Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Degree: B.S. Mechanical Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Space tourism ��. growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement – a tourism scholar explains how

hugginsm — Mon, 19 May 2025 13:18:46 +0000

Space tourism ��. growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement – a tourism scholar explains howhugginsm May 19, 2025

Professor Betsy Pudliner looks at this growing, far-out phenomenon.

Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, Ph.D.

This article appeared in Space Media Network, Fast Company, Phys.org, Astronomy Magazine, and others, and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin launched six women – Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez – on a suborbital journey to the edge of space.

The headlines called it a historic moment for women in space. But as a tourism educator, I paused – not because I questioned their experience, but because I questioned the language. Were they astronauts or space tourists? The distinction matters – not just for accuracy, but for understanding how experience, symbolism and motivation shape travel today.

In tourism studies, my colleagues and I often ask what motivates travel and makes it a meaningful experience. These women crossed a boundary by leaving Earth ��. surface. But they also stepped into a controversy about a symbolic one: the blurred line between astronaut and tourist, between scientific achievement and curated experience.

This flight wasn’t just about the altitude they flew to – it was about what it meant. As commercial space travel becomes more accessible to civilians, more people are joining spaceflights not as scientists or mission specialists, but as invited guests or paying participants. The line between astronaut and space tourist is becoming increasingly blurred.

Blue Origin ��. NS-31 flight brought six women to the edge of space. / Blue Origin

In my own work, I explore how travelers find meaning in the way their journeys are framed. A tourism studies perspective can help unpack how experiences like the Blue Origin flight are designed, marketed and ultimately understood by travelers and the tourism industry.

So, were these passengers astronauts? Not in the traditional sense. They weren’t selected through NASA ��. rigorous training protocols, nor were they conducting research or exploration in orbit.

Instead, they belong to a new category: space tourists. These are participants in a crafted, symbolic journey that reflects how commercial spaceflight is redefining what it means to go to space.

Space tourism as a niche market

Space tourism has its origins in 1986 with the launch of the Mir space station, which later became the first orbital platform to host nonprofessional astronauts. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Mir and its successor, the International Space Station, welcomed a handful of privately funded civilian guests – most notably U.S. businessman Dennis Tito in 2001, often cited as the first space tourist.

Space tourism has since evolved into a niche market selling brief encounters to the edge of Earth ��. atmosphere. While passengers on the NS-31 flight did not purchase their seats, the experience mirrors those sold by commercial space tourism providers such as Virgin Galactic.

Like other forms of niche tourism – wellness retreats, heritage trails or extreme adventures – space travel appeals to those drawn to novelty, exclusivity and status, regardless of whether they purchased the ticket.

These suborbital flights may last just minutes, but they offer something far more lasting: prestige, personal storytelling and the feeling of participating in something rare. Space tourism sells the experience of being somewhere few have visited, not the destination itself. For many, even a 10-minute flight can fulfill a deeply personal milestone.

Tourist motivation and space tourism ��. evolution

The push-and-pull theory in tourism studies helps explain why people might want to pursue space travel. Push factors – internal desires such as curiosity, an urge to escape or an eagerness to gain fame – spark interest. Pull factors – external elements such as wishing to see the view of Earth from above or experience the sensation of weightlessness – enhance the appeal.

Space tourism taps into both. It ��. fueled by the internal drive to do something extraordinary and the external attraction of a highly choreographed, emotional experience.

Participants in space tourism wear branded jumpsuits with the company ��. logo, pose for photos and talk to the media about their experience. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

These flights are often branded – not necessarily with flashy logos, but through storytelling and design choices that make the experience feel iconic. For example, while the New Shepard rocket the women traveled in doesn’t carry a separate emblem, it features the company ��. name, Blue Origin, in bold letters along the side. Passengers wear personalized flight suits, pose for preflight photos and receive mission patches or certificates, all designed to echo the rituals of professional space missions.

What ��. being sold is an “astronaut-for-a-day” experience: emotionally powerful, visually compelling and rich with symbolism. But under tourism classifications, these travelers are space tourists – participants in a curated, short-duration excursion.

Representation and marketing experience

The image from the Blue Origin flight of six women boarding a rocket was framed as a symbolic victory – a girl-power moment designed for visibility and celebration – but it was also carefully curated.

This wasn’t the first time women entered space. Since its inception, NASA has selected 61 women as astronaut candidates, many of them making groundbreaking contributions to space science and exploration. Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir not only entered space – they trained as astronauts and contributed significantly to science, engineering and long-duration missions. Their journeys marked historic achievements in space exploration rather than curated moments in tourism.

Recognizing their legacy is important as commercial spaceflight creates new kinds of unique, tailored experiences, ones shaped more by media performance than by scientific milestones.

The Blue Origin flight was not a scientific mission but rather was framed as a symbolic event. In tourism, companies, marketers and media outlets often create these performances to maximize their visibility. SpaceX has taken a similar approach with its Inspiration4 mission, turning a private orbital flight into a global media event complete with a Netflix documentary and emotional storytelling.

The Blue Origin flight sold a feeling of progress while blending the roles between astronaut and guest. For Blue Origin, the symbolic value was significant. By launching the first all-female crew into suborbital space, the company was able to claim a historic milestone – one that aligned them with inclusion – without the cost, complexity or risk associated with a scientific mission. In doing so, they generated enormous media attention.

Tourism education and media literacy

In today ��. world, space travel is all about the story that gets told about the flight. From curated visuals to social media posts and press coverage, much of the experience ��. meaning is shaped by marketing and media.

Understanding that process matters – not just for scholars or industry insiders, but for members of the public, who follow these trips through the narratives produced by the companies’ marketing teams and media outlets.

Another theory in tourism studies describes how destinations evolve over time – from exploration, to development, to mass adoption. Many forms of tourism begin in an exploration phase, accessible only to the wealthy or well connected. For example, the Grand Tour of Europe was once a rite of passage for aristocrats. Its legacy helped shape and develop modern travel.

As more people travel to a destination over time, it moves through the tourism area life cycle. During the early exploration phase, the destination has only a few tourists. Coba56/Wikimedia Commons

Right now, space tourism is in the exploration stage. It ��. expensive, exclusive and available only to a few. There ��. limited infrastructure to support it, and companies are still experimenting with what the experience should look like. This isn’t mass tourism yet, it ��. more like a high-profile playground for early adopters, drawing media attention and curiosity with every launch.

Advances in technology, economic shifts and changing cultural norms can increase access to unique destinations that start as out of bounds to a majority of tourists. Space tourism could be the next to evolve this way in the tourism industry. How it ��. framed now – who gets to go, how the participants are labeled and how their stories are told – will set the tone moving forward. Understanding these trips helps people see how society packages and sells an inspirational experience long before most people can afford to join the journey.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates how space tourism ��. growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement. Blue Origin NS-31

Web Production

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management

Our B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management program provides the knowledge, skills, and experience to lead the future of executive hospitality management.

Learn More

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management Online

Launch your career in executive hospitality management from anywhere in the world with our online B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management degree.

Learn More

School of Management

The �� School of Management fosters leadership and management experiences for our students to connect with regional and global partners.

Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, Ph.D.

Full Name: Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, PhD

Job Title: Associate Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: Hospitality & Technology Innovation Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Betsy A Pudliner CV (375.91 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Research, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management

University: University of Strathclyde

Degree: M.S.Man., Environment Relations

University: Pennsylvania State University

Degree: A.S. Accounting

University: Northern Virginia Community College

Degree: B.S. Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management

University: Pennsylvania State University

CEHHHS CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

How single-stream recycling works − your choices can make it better

hugginsm — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:32:39 +0000

How single-stream recycling works − your choices can make it betterhugginsm April 16, 2025

Professor Alex Jordan demystifies the plastics recycling process.

Alex Jordan

This article appeared in Nice News, Scientific American, Fast Company and others and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Every week, millions of Americans toss their recyclables into a single bin, trusting that their plastic bottles, aluminum cans and cardboard boxes will be given a new life.

But what really happens after the truck picks them up?

Single-stream recycling makes participating in recycling easy, but behind the scenes, complex sorting systems and contamination mean a large percentage of that material never gets a second life. Reports in recent years have found 15% to 25% of all the materials picked up from recycle bins ends up in landfills instead.

Plastics are among the biggest challenges. Only about 9% of the plastic generated in the U.S. actually gets recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Some plastic is incinerated to produce energy, but most of the rest ends up in landfills instead.

Breakdown of U.S. recycling by millions of tons: 66% of paper/cardboard; 33% of metal, 25% of glass, and less than 10% of plastic get a second life. / Alex Jordan/University of Wisconsin-Stout

So, what makes plastic recycling so difficult? As an engineer whose work focuses on reprocessing plastics, I have been exploring potential solutions.

How does single-stream recycling work?

In cities that use single-stream recycling, consumers put all of their recyclable materials − paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and metal − into a single bin. Once collected, the mixed recyclables are taken to a materials recovery facility, where they are sorted.

First, the mixed recyclables are shredded and crushed into smaller fragments, enabling more effective separation. The mixed fragments pass over rotating screens that remove cardboard and paper, allowing heavier materials, including plastics, metals and glass, to continue along the sorting line.

The basics of a single-stream recycling system in Pennsylvania. / Van Dyk Recycling Solutions

Magnets are used to pick out ferrous metals, such as steel. A magnetic field that produces an electrical current with eddies sends nonferrous metals, such as aluminum, into a separate stream, leaving behind plastics and glass.

The glass fragments are removed from the remaining mix using gravity or vibrating screens.

That leaves plastics as the primary remaining material.

While single-stream recycling is convenient, it has downsides. Contamination, such as food residue, plastic bags and items that can’t be recycled, can degrade the quality of the remaining material, making it more difficult to reuse. That lowers its value.

Having to remove that contamination raises processing costs and can force recovery centers to reject entire batches.

Plastic bags, food residue and items that can’t be recycled can contaminate a recycling stream. / City of Greenville, N.C./Flickr

Which plastics typically can’t be recycled?

Each recycling program has rules for which items it will and won’t take. You can check which items can and cannot be recycled for your specific program on your municipal page. Often, that means checking the recycling code stamped on the plastic next to the recycling icon.

These are the toughest plastics to recycle and most likely to be excluded in your local recycling program:

Symbol 3 – Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, found in pipes, shower curtains and some food packaging. It may contain harmful additives such as phthalates and heavy metals. PVC also degrades easily, and melting can release toxic fumes during recycling, contaminating other materials and making it unsafe to process in standard recycling facilities.
Symbol 4 – Low-density polyethylene, or LDPE, is often used in plastic bags and shrink-wrap. Because it ��. flexible and lightweight, it ��. prone to getting tangled in sorting machinery at recycling plants.
Symbol 6 – Polystyrene, often used in foam cups, takeout containers and packing peanuts. Because it ��. lightweight and brittle, it ��. difficult to collect and process and easily contaminates recycling streams.

Which plastics to include

That leaves three plastics that can be recycled in many facilities:

Symbol 1 – Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, widely used in soda bottles.
Symbol 2 – High-density polyethylene, or HDPE, commonly used in milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles.
Symbol 5 – Polypropylene, PP, used in products such as pill bottles, yogurt cups and plastic utensils.

However, these aren’t accepted in some facilities for reasons I’ll explain.

Taking apart plastics, bead by bead

Some plastics can be chemically recycled or ground up for reprocessing, but not all plastics play well together.

Simple separation methods, such as placing ground-up plastics in water, can easily remove your soda bottle plastic (PET) from the mixture. The ground-up PET sinks in water due to the plastic ��. density. However, HDPE, used in milk jugs, and PP, found in yogurt cups, both float, and they can’t be recycled together. So, more advanced and expensive technology, such as infrared spectroscopy, is often required to separate those two materials.

Once separated, the plastic from your soda bottle can be chemically recycled through a process called solvolysis.

It works like this: Plastic materials are formed from polymers. A polymer is a molecule with many repeating units, called monomers. Picture a pearl necklace. The individual pearls are the repeating monomer units. The string that runs through the pearls is the chemical bond that joins the monomer units together. The entire necklace can then be thought of as a single molecule.

Monomers can be combined to create polymers, the foundation of plastics. During chemical recycling, these bonds are broken apart. / Alex Jordan/University of Wisconsin-Stout

During solvolysis, chemists break down that necklace by cutting the string holding the pearls together until they are individual pearls. Then, they string those pearls together again to create new necklaces.

Other chemical recycling methods, such as pyrolysis and gasification, have drawn environmental and health concerns because the plastic is heated, which can release toxic fumes. But chemical recycling also holds the potential to reduce both plastic waste and the need for new plastics, while generating energy.

The problem of yogurt cups and milk jugs

The other two common types of recycled plastics − items such as yogurt cups (PP) and milk jugs (HDPE) − are like oil and water: Each can be recycled through reprocessing, but they don’t mix.

If polyethylene and polypropylene aren’t completely separated during recycling, the resulting mix can be brittle and generally unusable for creating new products.

Chemists are working on solutions that could increase the quality of recycled plastics through mechanical reprocessing, typically done at separate facilities.

One promising mechanical method for recycling mixed plastics is to incorporate a chemical called a compatibilizer. Compatibilizers contain the chemical structure of multiple different polymers in the same molecule. It ��. like how lecithin, commonly found in egg yolks, can help mix oil and water to make mayonnaise − part of the lecithin molecule is in the oil phase and part is in the water phase.

In the case of yogurt cups and milk jugs, recently developed block copolymers are able to produce recycled plastic materials with the flexibility of polyethylene and the strength of polypropylene.

Improving recycling

Research like this can make recycled materials more versatile and valuable and move products closer to a goal of a circular economy without waste.

However, improving recycling also requires better recycling habits.

You can help the recycling process by taking a few minutes to wash off food waste, avoiding putting plastic bags in your recycling bin and, importantly, paying attention to what can and cannot be recycled in your area.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Alex Jordan demystifies the plastics recycling process. Garbage Truck Recycling

University Communications

B.S. Plastics Engineering

Our B.S. Plastics Engineering program will prepare you for a career leading innovation in medical, automotive, and other industries.

Learn More

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

The Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering focuses on enhancing the learning experience for students in ��'s engineering programs.

Search Keywords: plastics recyclingrecycling processwhich plastics can you recycle?how does plastics recycling work?

Alex Jordan

Alex Jordan earned his doctoral degree for his dissertation titled "Fiber-Composite in situ Fabrication: Multilayer Coextrusion as an Enabling Technology". During his dissertation he studied crystalline-structure evolution during hot drawing of extruded composites and developed a technique to manufacture fiber-reinforced hydrogels to be used as mechanically tunable tissue engineering scaffolds.

Prior to joining the faculty at ��, Alex completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota studying the role of interfacial crystallization during processing of polyolefin blends. He is currently the plastics engineering program director and an associate professor of plastics engineering at ��.

Full Name: Alex Jordan

Job Title: Associate Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Polymer Processing Rheology Process-Structure-Property Relationships

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering Engineering & Technology Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Plastics Engineering

Curriculum Vitae: Alex Jordan CV (242.88 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Macromolecular Science & Engineering

University: Case Western Reserve University

Degree: B.S.E. Chemical Engineering

University: Case Western Reserve University

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Educators find creative work-arounds to new laws that restrict what they can teach

hugginsm — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 12:50:28 +0000

Educators find creative work-arounds to new laws that restrict what they can teachhugginsm April 15, 2025

Professor Riley Drake recounts how teachers are continuing to support their students without violating executive orders or the law.

Dr. Riley Drake

This article appeared in SmartNews, Phys.org, Newsify, and others, and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

An onslaught of executive orders from President Donald Trump aim to restrict how and what educators can teach America ��. children.

Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has attempted to bar teachers from discussing racism and sexism in K-12 schools and order all schools that receive federal funding to recognize only two gender identities – male and female – potentially barring teachers from acknowledging the existence of nonbinary, gender queer and transgender people, including among their students.

Educators say the orders are having a chilling effect in classrooms, with some teachers censoring themselves by minimizing dialogue about race, gender and other topics. Other educators, however, are finding ways to resist what they see as federal intrusion into the classroom.

In March 2025, Sarah Inama, a sixth grade history teacher in Meridian, Idaho, refused to remove a classroom poster reading “Everyone is Welcome” when school district officials claimed the message was too controversial.

“There are only two opinions on this sign. Everyone is welcome here or not everyone is welcome here,” Inama said in a March 2025 interview with Today.com.

I am a scholar and former elementary school counselor. My research explores how educators act alongside young people and community organizers to challenge laws, policies and ways of controlling society that they see as harmful in schools.

In my studies, I’ve encountered some educators who have found clever ways to support their students and have difficult conversations without violating executive orders or the law.

Modeling transformative justice

The Trump administration ��. restrictive federal orders for schools are new, but some U.S. states have been limiting what educators can tell their students for several years. And educators in those places have found quiet, creative ways to push back.

In 2022 I led a study of how educators in one Midwestern state were teaching social emotional learning – that is, the attitudes, skills and knowledge to develop healthy relationships and manage their emotions.

The state – research ethics prohibit me from precisely identifying it – had recently passed legislation that prevented teachers from openly discussing the harms of racism, slavery, colonialism and gender violence in the U.S. Critics felt the law not only erased Black and Indigenous history but also banned truth-telling and accountability.

One second grade teacher I observed in my study felt it was essential that her students learn to tell the truth, even in uncomfortable situations, and take accountability for their actions. She partnered with local community organizers to practice transformative justice in her classroom.

Transformative justice seeks to address the root causes of people ��. harmful behavior rather than merely punishing it. When communities can get to the core of the conditions that caused the harm, this theory holds, they can better address it.

Rather than craft a lesson plan that might run up against the state ��. restrictive new laws, the teacher in my study demonstrated the values of truth-telling and accountability in her approach to everyday conflicts.

For example, one day after afternoon recess, two students refused to come back inside. The teacher waited patiently, and when eventually they returned to the classroom, she asked them what had been bothering them. The students said they were mad their classmates hadn’t allowed them to play a specific character in a game at recess.

The teacher invited the rest of the class to discuss the incident. They acknowledged that those students had been excluded. Together, the class brainstormed ways to better include everyone next time. The upset students calmed down and listened actively, then began chiming in with their own ideas about solving the problem constructively.

When schoolyard games go wrong, teachers can model different ways to resolve conflict. Peter Cade/Stone via Getty Images

Finally, the teacher asked the class to reflect on how she had handled the situation.

“What would have happened if I had called the principal on the students who wouldn’t come inside?” she asked.

“They would have gotten in trouble!” the students said.

“Yes, and would that have solved anything?” the teacher responded.

“No, it would have made things worse,” one student remarked.

In her actions and words, this teacher taught her students that punishment isn’t the only or best way to deal with conflict. And she showed them that when people tell the truth and take responsibility for their actions, they have an opportunity to build connections and repair relationships.

In doing so, my research finds this teacher challenged her state ��. policy of silencing certain conversations. Other educators in this study found other ways to challenge the law, including one who invited community organizers into her classroom to support immigrant students in learning about their rights.

Solidarity with LGBTQ students

I led another study in 2023 and 2024 following legislation in Iowa and other states banning books and restricting classroom discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation. In it, I documented how one middle school counselor supported student activists who’d been retaliated against after leading a school walkout protesting the state ��. anti-LGBTQ bill.

The student activists had been taunted by their peers during the walkout. Some had Pride flags torn from their hands and stomped on. Money the students had been collecting to donate to an LGBTQ organization was stolen.

“I wish we didn’t have to be quiet to be safe,” one of the students told the counselor when debriefing after the incident.

The counselor arranged a meeting with the school principal to share how their peers had hurt them and how disconnected it made them feel from their school. When administrators did only minimal follow-up afterward, the counselor partnered with a community arts organization outside school to create LGBTQ-affirming spaces for students to make art together.

In my assessment, her actions demonstrated that people can come together to care for one another and showed that LGBTQ young people matter. First as an educator and then as a community member, she delivered a meaningful message to the students through showing rather than telling.

Sometimes art can deliver a message as clearly as words. VeeStudio89/E+ via Getty Images

Resistance in the classroom

These are just a few examples of the many creative ways I’ve documented that educators from Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Florida and other states are trying to offset the impacts of recent restrictions on what teachers can say and what topics curricula can address.

Educators in the U.S. have long found ways to resist laws they feel are unjust.

In the 1940s, a Black teacher named Madeline Morgan fought alongside hundreds of other Black women teachers and parents for Chicago Public Schools to include Black history in its curriculum. The curriculum she created later became a model for districts across the U.S. to teach Black history.

Septima Clark is another Black educator who fought racism through teaching. After she was fired from her teaching position in South Carolina due to her connections with the NAACP, she dedicated her life to teaching, organizing and training civil rights activists in defiance of laws that attempted to keep her out of the classroom.

Collaborating with others, today ��. educators are finding creative ways to ensure that their classrooms demonstrate justice, in actions if not in words.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Riley Drake recounts how teachers are continuing to support their students without violating executive orders or the law. Classroom Teaching Illustration

Web Production

M.S. School Counseling

You can help your students reach their full potential with your active role in their lives, with their families, teachers, psychologists and community agencies.

Learn More

Dr. Riley Drake

Riley Drake is an Assistant Professor of School Counseling in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Human Services. Riley ��. vision for educational justice is grounded in education as the practice of freedom, and her research explores how educators honor and struggle alongside young people, families, and community organizers in the movement for abolition.

Riley is a former elementary school counselor and holds a B.S. in Psychology from Truman State University, M.S. in Counseling from Drake University, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Iowa State University, and Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Studies of Education from Iowa State University.

Full Name: Dr. Riley Drake

Job Title: Assistant Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Abolition in School Counseling Critical Carceral Studies Education in movement spaces Pedagogies of Solidarity

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Education Counseling, Rehabilitation & Human Services Department

Program

All Degree Programs

M.S. School Counseling

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Riley Drake Curriculum Vitae (296.38 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Social and Cultural Studies of Education

University: Iowa State University

Degree: M.Ed. Educational Leadership

University: Iowa State University

Degree: M.S. School Counseling

University: Drake University

Degree: B.S. Psychology

University: Truman State University

Degree: A.A. General Education

University: Indian Hills Community College

CACHSS SOE

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality management

pudlinerb — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 12:33:45 +0000

Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality managementpudlinerb April 10, 2025

Professor Betsy Pudliner details how AI is fueling a course in ��'s B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management program.

Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, Ph.D.

This article was published in Newsify, Newsblur, Old Reader, and other others, and originated in The Conversation, as part of Uncommon Courses, an occasional series highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Hospitality Employee Relations

What prompted the idea for the course?

The idea came from my frustration with traditional methods used to teach hospitality management. As a professor and industry professional, I saw the need to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world skills.

Internships and fieldwork are valuable. But they may not be available to students, especially those in online or hybrid programs. I wanted to offer students an opportunity to gain hands-on learning experiences.

Using Articulate ��. Rise 360 – an e-learning development platform – I created dynamic simulations based on stories from my own experiences, as well as from other industry professionals.

For example, an interactive lost wallet scenario I created with my instructional design team involves a person who realizes they’ve left their wallet behind after visiting a nursing home. It includes decision points that enhance critical thinking and decision-making through the use of concept art.

AI-driven prompts aid in transforming industry experiences into online course content. The Pinnacle Golf Resort, a made-up resort I created using Rise 360, engages students with dynamic cause-and-effect decision trees with realistic managerial challenges.

What does the course explore?

Students engage with real-world challenges, such as:

Managing guest complaints
Handling staffing issues
Dealing with financial challenges
Implementing operational solutions
Moral and ethical issues and conflict resolution

Students are tasked with making decisions that affect the outcome of each scenario, with immediate feedback on their choices. That provides personalized learning experiences tailored to their progress.

The course focuses on connecting theory to practice, such as application of leadership styles − autocratic, democratic or different types of power − to solve problems and improve guest satisfaction.

One scene in the Pinnacle Golf Resort simulation involves a restaurant manager handling a disruptive guest during a high-profile event. I realized I needed a decision-rating scale to assess the student ��. choices. Generative AI refined decision options and aided in the construction of that decision-rating scale.

This ensures that choices − such as offering a goodwill gesture or removal of the guest − have realistic consequences. Therefore, the total number of points affixed would determine whether the restaurant manager would be promoted or need more training.

Why is this course relevant now?

As the hospitality industry becomes more competitive and complex − with higher turnover rates and shifting workforce expectations − effective decision-making and problem-solving skills become crucial in managing guest experiences.

Traditional internships and fieldwork are valuable.

But online and hybrid programs may struggle to provide these opportunities. As hospitality programs shift to online and hybrid formats, the demand for scalable, hands-on learning tools has increased.

What ��. a critical lesson from the course?

A key lesson is the importance of adaptive decision-making and understanding the consequences of one ��. actions. Through simulations created with the help of generative AI, students see firsthand how their decisions impact multiple areas of a hospitality business.

These scenarios allow students to experience real-world challenges. And this helps them practice making decisions in a dynamic environment.

By participating in the simulations, students learn that there is no one-size-fits-all approach in hospitality management. They must adapt their leadership style based on the situation and the individuals involved

What materials does the course feature?

The course creates interactive simulations using Articulate 360 and Rise 360.

These simulations replicate real-world hospitality situations such as managing guest complaints or financial decision-making.

The class uses stories drawn from the instructor ��. own industry experience. This exposes students to the complexities of hospitality management.

Feedback is generated based on the student ��. decisions in the simulations, developed with the help of ChatGPT. This fosters self-reflection and promoting continual improvement in their leadership abilities.

What will the course prepare students to do?

Upon completion, students will be able to:

Navigate complex guest relations and manage complaints in real time.
Make informed operational decisions while balancing guest satisfaction, employee performance and financial considerations.
Apply various leadership styles to motivate teams, resolve conflicts and ensure high service standards.
Assess their leadership style and adapt it to different situations in hospitality management.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

February 5, 2026

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Professors Kelly Droege and Laura Reisinger details what distinguishes the polytechnic universities from traditional education.

December 11, 2025

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Professor Betsy Pudliner investigates the nexus of tourism and our painful national history.

August 5, 2025

Professor Betsy Pudliner details how AI is fueling a course in ��'s B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management program. AI in Hospitality

Web Production

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management

Our B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management program provides the knowledge, skills, and experience to lead the future of executive hospitality management.

Learn More

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management Online

Launch your career in executive hospitality management from anywhere in the world with our online B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management degree.

Learn More

Search Keywords: Hospitality CourseAI in CoursesAI in Hospitality IndustryHow AI can be used to improve employee relations in hospitality education

Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, Ph.D.

Full Name: Dr. Betsy A. Pudliner, PhD

Job Title: Associate Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: Hospitality & Technology Innovation Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Betsy A Pudliner CV (375.91 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Research, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management

University: University of Strathclyde

Degree: M.S.Man., Environment Relations

University: Pennsylvania State University

Degree: A.S. Accounting

University: Northern Virginia Community College

Degree: B.S. Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management

University: Pennsylvania State University

CEHHHS CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Why are rubies red and emeralds green? Their colors come from the same metal in their atomic structure

hugginsm — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 18:16:08 +0000

Why are rubies red and emeralds green? Their colors come from the same metal in their atomic structurehugginsm February 4, 2025

Dean Dan Freedman explains the science between the color of gems.

This article appeared in Phys.org, Geeks are Sexy, NewsBreak and others, and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

The colors of rubies and emeralds are so striking that they define shades of red and green – ruby red and emerald green. But have you ever wondered how they get those colors?

I am an inorganic chemist. Researchers in my field work to understand the chemistry of all the elements that make up the periodic table. Many inorganic chemists focus on the transition metals – the elements in the middle of the periodic table. The transition metals include most of the metals you are familiar with, like iron (Fe) and gold (Au).

One feature of compounds made with transition metals is their intense color. There are many examples in nature, including gemstones and paint pigments. Even the color of blood comes from the protein hemoglobin, which contains iron.

Investigating the colors of compounds containing transition metals leads you into some really amazing science – that ��. part of what drew me to study this field.

Rubies and emeralds are great examples of how a small amount of a transition metal – in this case, chromium – can create a beautiful color in what would otherwise be a fairly boring-looking mineral.

Minerals and crystals

Both rubies and emeralds are minerals, which is a type of rock with a consistent chemical composition and a highly ordered structure at the atomic level.

When this highly ordered structure extends in all three dimensions, the mineral becomes a crystal.

With a theory developed by physicists in the 1920s called crystal field theory, scientists can explain why rubies and emeralds have the colors they do. Crystal field theory makes predictions about how a transition metal ion ��. structure is affected by the other atoms surrounding it.

Rubies are mainly made up of the mineral corundum, which is composed of the elements aluminum and oxygen in a regular, repeating array. Each aluminum ion is surrounded by six oxygen ions.

A crystal of corundum looks like this at the atomic level, with the aluminum ions shown as red balls and the oxygen ions shown as white balls. / Eigenes Werk/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Emeralds are mainly made up of the mineral beryl, which is made from the elements beryllium, aluminum, silicon and oxygen. Beryl ��. crystal structure is more complicated than corundum ��. because of the additional elements in the formula, but each aluminum ion is again surrounded by six oxygen ions.

Pure corundum and beryl are colorless. The brilliant colors of rubies and emeralds come from the presence of very small amounts of chromium. The chromium replaces about 1% of the aluminum in the corundum or beryl crystal when a ruby or emerald forms underground at a high temperature and pressure.

But how can one element – chromium – create the red color of a ruby and green color of an emerald?

Color science

Rubies and emeralds have the colors they do because, like many substances, they absorb some colors of light. Most visible light, like sunlight, is composed of all the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. These colors make up the visible light spectrum, which is easy to remember as ROY G BIV.

(Objects absorb some visible light wavelengths and reflect others, which is why we see them as having a color. Fulvio314/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA)

One of the main reasons why objects have a color is because they absorb one or more of these visible colors of light. If a substance absorbs, for instance, red light, it means that the red light gets trapped in the substance and the other colors reflect back to your eyes. The color you see is the sum of the remaining light, which will be in the green-to-blue range. If a substance absorbs blue, it will look red or orange to you.

Unlike the colorless aluminum ion, the chromium ion absorbs blue and green light when surrounded by the oxygen ions. The red light is reflected back, so that ��. what you see in rubies.

In an emerald, even though the chromium is surrounded by six oxygen ions, there is a weaker interaction between the chromium and the surrounding oxygen ions. That ��. due to the presence of silicon and beryllium in the beryl crystal. They cause the emerald to absorb blue and red light, leaving the green for you to see.

The ability to tune the properties of transition metals like chromium through changing what is surrounding it is a core strategy in my field of inorganic chemistry. Doing so can help scientists understand the basic science of metal-containing compounds and the design of chemical compounds for specific purposes.

You can take delight in the amazing colors of the gemstones, but through chemistry, you can also see how nature creates those colors using an endless variety of complex structures made with the elements in the periodic table.

The Conversation

All The Conversation News

Dean Daniel Freedman explains the science behind why rubies are red and emeralds are green. Rubies

University Communications

College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Excitement, accomplishment and potential are three words that probably best describe what you will experience here.

Search Keywords: rubiesemeralds

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

News

Building with air – how nature ��������. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

The sustainable future

The invisible architecture

From the lab to your closet

Testing the limits

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

A widening gap

Understanding polytechnic universities

Real world relevance

M.S. Training & Talent Development

Plantation tourism, memory and the uneasy economics of heritage in the American South

Wealth, slavery and the battle over memory

Tourism and the power of the past

Controlling the narrative: Who tells the story?

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management Online

Generative AI is coming to the workplace, so I designed a business technology class with AI baked in

The project

What my students and I learned

What ��������. next

B.S. Business Information Technology

B.S. Business Information Technology Online

How 3D printing is personalizing healthcare

Better body parts

Simulating surgeries

Personalized pharmaceuticals

Printing for the future

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

Space tourism ��������. growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement – a tourism scholar explains how

Space tourism as a niche market

Tourist motivation and space tourism ��������. evolution

Representation and marketing experience

Tourism education and media literacy

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management Online

School of Management

How single-stream recycling works − your choices can make it better

How does single-stream recycling work?

Which plastics typically can’t be recycled?

Which plastics to include

Taking apart plastics, bead by bead

The problem of yogurt cups and milk jugs

Improving recycling

B.S. Plastics Engineering

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

Educators find creative work-arounds to new laws that restrict what they can teach

Modeling transformative justice

Solidarity with LGBTQ students

Resistance in the classroom

M.S. School Counseling

Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality management

Title of course:

What prompted the idea for the course?

What does the course explore?

Why is this course relevant now?

What ��������. a critical lesson from the course?

What materials does the course feature?

What will the course prepare students to do?

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management Online

Why are rubies red and emeralds green? Their colors come from the same metal in their atomic structure

Minerals and crystals

Color science

College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Building with air – how nature ��. hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

What ��. next

Space tourism ��. growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement – a tourism scholar explains how

Tourist motivation and space tourism ��. evolution

What ��. a critical lesson from the course?