新工科大学英语 课件 Unit8 Engineering the unknown

新工科大学英语CollegeEnglishfor

NewEngineeringEngineeringtheunknown8Unit新工科大学英语CollegeEnglishfor

NewEngineeringAfterstudyingthisunit,youwillbeableto:explainthecharacteristicsandsignificanceofbigscienceprojects;describetheconstructionandinnovationsofChina’sbigsciencefacilities;justifythesignificanceofascienceprojectclearlyandconvincingly;designatourthatshowcasesabigsciencefacility.Learning

objectivesCONTENTSGettingonthestage新工科大学英语CollegeEnglishfor

NewEngineeringUnlockingthetopicViewingthroughthelensExploringthefrontierSettingthesceneImagineasprawlingundergroundlaboratorywhereparticlecollisionsuncoverthefundamentalbuildingblocksofmatter,oramassiveradiotelescopedesignedtocapturesignalsfromdistantstars,galaxies,blackholes,andotherastronomicalobjects.Thesearereal-lifeexamplesofbigscienceprojects–groundbreakingachievementsattheintersectionofengineeringandscience.

Buthowdoengineeringinnovationsdrivebigscienceprojects,andhowdotheseprojects,inturn,reshapeourunderstandingoftheworld?Let’sexplorethesequestionsandseehowengineeringenablesdiscoveriesthatexpandourknowledge.ScanthecodeandcompletetheknowledgeactivationexerciseonUcampus.Workingroupsandtaketurnstogivecluesaboutbigsciencefacilitiesforotherstoguessthefacilities’names.SampledescriptionThefacilityisalargeopticalobservatory,andsincelaunchedintolowearthorbitbyNASAin1990,ithascapturedcountlessimagesofouterspace.SampleanswerTheHubbleSpaceTelescope(HST)

ReferenceanswersSample1Description:Thisfacilityistheworld’smostpowerfulparticleaccelerator,locatedundergroundnearGeneva,Switzerland.Itusessuperconductingmagnetstoaccelerateprotonstonearlight-speed,enablingscientiststostudyfundamentalparticles.Answer:TheLargeHadronCollider(LHC).

ReferenceanswersSample2Description:ThisfacilityisChina’sfirstpulsedneutronsource,locatedinDongguan,GuangdongProvince.Byacceleratingprotonstosmashintoaheavymetaltarget,itgeneratesintenseneutronbeamsforstudyingmaterialsattheatomiclevel.Answer:TheChinaSpallationNeutronSource(CSNS).distortv.（使）变形paraboloidn.抛物面

steelcablen.钢缆perimetern.周边servomechanismn.伺服机构trajectoryn.轨迹reflectorn.反射器activatevt.激活Wordbank

Haveyoueverwonderedwhatfacilitieshavebeendesignedtoexplorethefarthestreachesoftheuniverse?Watchthevideoclipandcompletetheoutlinewithwhatyouhear.(Withsubtitles)(Withoutsubtitles)Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescopeIntroductionToexploretheuniverse,Chinahasbuilttheworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope,knownas1)_______,locatedinGuizhouProvince.FAST

Designsandpurposes

Ahugedishwascreatedanditssurfacewasdistortedintoaparaboloidtooptimallycollectweak2)________fromdeepspace.Amovablelightweightfeedcabin,nicknamed3)___________________,wasbuilttoreceiveradiowavesreflectedbythedish.signalstheappleoftheeye

ChallengeandsolutionTomaintainthereceiveratthecenteroftheparaboloid,twomechanismshavebeenemployed:Thecabinissuspendedbysix4)_____________attachedtotowers,withtheservomechanismsadjustingitspositiontoapproximatelytherightlocation.Amotionplatformprovidesdelicateadjustments,ensuringthereceiverstayswithin5)_______________oftheideallocation.(steel)cablesonecentimeter

Conclusion

Itisaradiotelescopeofremarkable6)__________,openingnewpossibilitiesforspaceexploration.sensitivity

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)N=Narrator;Z=ZhuMing

N:DeepinGuizhouProvinceofsouthwestChina,engineershavecreatedthemostpowerfultoolinspaceexploration.Scientistswantedtocreatetheworld’slargesttelescopetocarryonourglobalquesttounderstandwhat’soutthereintheuniverse.Andthatmeanttheyneededtocreateahugedish.

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)Z:Signalsfromtheuniverseareextremelyweak.Andso,youneedalargecollectingareatocollectasmore(many)signalsaspossiblefromdeepspace.Sothat’swhyyouneedtobuildahugedish.N:Despiteitsenormoussize,engineersare(were)abletodistortthedish(dish’s)surfacetocreateaparaboloid,theperfectshapetocollectradiowaves.

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)This,however,creates(created)anotherproblem.Thereceiverneedstobeatthecenteroftheparaboloidatalltimes.Thisisthesensorcabinandit’srightattheheartofFAST.Oncetheradiowaveshavebeencollectedbythisgiantdish,they’reallbouncedintohere.Now,inordertotrackagalaxymovingacrossthesky,you’regonnahavetokeepmovingthistokeepitinexactlytherightspottolookattheobjectyou’reinterestedin.But

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)becausethistelescopeissohuge,theycan’tjustsuspendthecabinonafixedarm.Thisthing’sactuallydanglingfromsixsteelcablesattachedtosupporttowersallaroundtheperimeterofthedish.Thatmeanswehavetoknowexactlywherethisthingisandcontrolitsmovementsverypreciselytogetthebestimages.Toaccomplishthatexquisitelevelofminutealterationstosomethingsolarge,engineerswouldneedtoproducemore

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)impossibleengineering.Engineerscreatedthis,alightweightcabinthatcanbemovedanywhereacrossthesurfaceofthedish,arealinnovation.It’s10metersacross,lookslikeaflyingsaucerandit’sknownas“theappleoftheeye.”NotonlydoesitlooklikeaUFO,itflieslikeone,too.Wheninoperation,the30-toncabinattachedbycableto

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)six(over-)100-metertowerssurroundingthedishislifted140metersintotheair.Inhere,we’vegotreceivers(thereceiver)suckingallthatdataandsendingitbacktothecontrolroom.Butinordertokeepthose(it)inexactlytherightspot,we’vegottwodifferentmechanismsatplay.First,we’vegotthosesixtowersouttherewhichtugthiscabintoapproximatelytherightpositionusingtheservomechanismson

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)thosesixhugesteelcables.Controlledbycomputers,eachcableisindividuallyretractedorreleasedtopositionthecabinanywherealongatrajectoryof206metersacrossthediameterofthereflector.Amotionplatformisactivated.Forthatfinalbitofprecision,we’vegotthisplatform,whichallowsthepositiontobecorrectedwithincredibleprecision.Those

Scripts(Theworld’slargestsingle-dishradiotelescope)sensorscanbelocatedtowithinonecentimeterinthis500-meterdish.TheservomechanismscontrolledbythesixpositioningtowerscombinedwiththeaccuracythemotionplatformdelivershasallowedtheengineersatFASTtocreatearadiotelescopeofextraordinarysensitivity.Workingroupsanddiscussthequestions.WhatchallengesdoyouthinkengineersmayfacewhendesigningandconstructingbigsciencefacilitieslikeFAST?Inwhatwayscouldthesefacilitiesinfluencedifferentareasofsociety?ReferenceanswersOnemajorchallengeengineersfacewhendesigninglarge-scalefacilitieslikeFASTisensuringprecisiononamassivescale.Forinstance,thereceiverofFASTmustremainexactlyatthefocalpointofthedish,evenasitmovestotrackcelestialobjects.Achievingthatkindofaccuracywithastructurespanning500metersrequiresinnovativesolutions,suchasusingcomputer-controlledcablesandhydraulicsystems.AnotherchallengeisbuildingsuchafacilityViewingthroughthelensReferenceanswersinremoteorcomplexterrains,whichinvolvesenvironmentalconcerns,transportationofmaterials,andlong-termmaintenance.Engineersalsoneedtoconsidertheimpactofnaturalforceslikeweatheronthestructure’sstabilityandperformance.ReferenceanswersProjectslikeFASTcanhaveawide-rangingimpactonsociety.Inscience,theyhelpusunderstandtheuniversebetterbydetectingphenomenalikepulsarsandfastradiobursts.Thesediscoveriescanleadtonewtheoriesinphysics,astronomy,etc.Inengineering,thetechnologiesdevelopedforsuchprojects–likeprecisioncablecontrolandlightweightstructuraldesign–caninspireinnovationsinotherfields,includingroboticsandaerospace.EquallyViewingthroughthelensReferenceanswersimportant,large-scaleprojectsoftenboostlocaleconomy,createjobs,andencourageinternationalcollaboration.Beyondthesedirectbenefits,thesemegaprojectsplayavitalroleininspiringyoungmindstopursueSTEMeducationandscientificcareers,whilesimultaneouslyelevatingnationalprestigethroughdemonstratedleadershipintechnologicalinnovation.v新工科大学英语CollegeEnglishfor

NewEngineeringExploringthefrontierReading

1Reading

2Beyondthecollider:Bigsciencematters1

OnJuly4,2012,apairofinternationalscientificteamsannouncedthattheyhaddiscoveredanelementaryparticleknownastheHiggsbosonwiththehelpofoneofthemostcomplexresearchmachinesontheearth:theLargeHadronCollider(LHC).Theparticlehadbeenthetargetofanintensivesearchbyphysicistsfornearlyahalfcentury,orsinceitsexistencehadbeenpositedin1964asthecarrierofafieldthatgivesmasstomatterintheuniverse.Butittookthecollidertomakethediscovery.2EverythingabouttheLHCisbig.Itsconstruction,fromconceptiontothegenerationofitsfirstprotonbeam,tookalmost25yearsandcostaboutfivebilliondollarsinmaterialsandmanpower.Buriedaround100metersbeneaththepastorallandscapeontheborderofFranceandSwitzerland,themachineoccupiesaconcretetunnelabout27kilometersincircumference.3Thecolliderandthediscoverythatwasannouncedthatsummerdayin2012stoodthenastheultimateexpressionofbigscience:themodelofindustrial-scaleresearchthathasdriventhegreatscientificprojectsofourtime–theatomicbomb,theendeavortoputamanonthemoon,thedispatchofroboticprobes

beyondtheconfinesofthesolarsystem,andinvestigationsoftheworkingsofnatureatthemicrocosmicscaleofsubatomicparticles.Tothisday,bigscienceincreasesknowledgeaboutphenomenathatarefundamentallyimportantforhumankind,guidingresearchinacademia,industry,andgovernment.Itaddressesgiganticquestions,andthereforerequiresgiganticresources,includingequipmentoperatedbyhundredsorthousandsofprofessionalscientistsandtechnicalexperts.Itsprojectsoftencostmorethanwhatasingleuniversitycanafford,orevenasinglecountry.Asafamousphysicisthaswritten,researchonthisscalecannotbeachievedbysolitaryefforts:“Itisalmostashardtoreachthenucleusbyoneselfasitistogettothemoonbyoneself.”4Bigscienceisseductive.Itexertsapullontheimaginationthatgoesbeyondpurelyrationalconsiderations.Forthosewhoareromanticaboutscience,bigscienceofferssomeofthemostcolorfulcharacters,themostdramaticbreakthroughs,andtheboldestpubliccommitments.Theseprojectsarebreathtakingsocietalmoments,rarepointswhensciencebreaksfromitsusualstaid,plodding,incrementalmodeanddoessomethingdramaticallydifferent.5However,thesemonumentalprojectscomewithcorrespondinglylargepricetags.Whileundeniablygreatscience,thequestionremains:Isitagreatinvestment?Thisisworthpondering,asbudgetconsiderationsmayleadgovernmentstocarefullyweightheeconomicandsocialbenefitsofalltheirinvestments–fromlabs,tofarms,tofactories.Inthecrudestterms:Isanewsynchrotronmoreimportantthananewhighway?6Theanswerlargelydependsonacountry’sstateofeconomicdevelopmentandtherelativeimportanceofresearchandinnovationinitseconomyandsociety.However,expertinterviewsandliteraturesurveyssuggestasimpleanswer:Yes,it’sworthit.Howmuch,inwhatsectors,underwhatcircumstances,andoverwhattimespanaremorecomplexquestions–onwhichtherehavebeenmanystudiesandfewagreedanswers.Butonewayoranother,acomprehensiveaccountingofinputsandoutputsfromresearchinfrastructuresuggeststhattheydohavebroadeconomicandsocialspin-offs–andconcerted,well-organizedeffortstoamplifythesespin-offs(forinstance,throughspecialinvestmentfunds,trainingschemes,orpublic-privatepartnerships)canmakethebetmorecertain.7Technologistsagreethatmanyofourmostimportantmoderninnovationshadtheirseed,orgotfertilizedatacriticalmoment,atbigsciencecenters.Forexample,thetransparentcapacitivetouchscreenwasinventedforCERNcontrolsystemsin1973.Nowitisusedonbillionsofsmartphonesandtabletsworldwide.Scratch-resistanteyeglasses,initiallydevelopedbyNASAforastronauts’visors,arenowacommonfeatureineyewear.Wi-Fi,basedonthetechnologydevelopedbyAustralianastronomerstostudyradiationfromblackholes,isanothersuchinnovation.8Therearemanymore:the“shearsoflife”torescuecaraccidentvictims,“memoryfoam”forpillows,dentallasers,theWorldWideWeb,andmore.Ofcourse,howmuchofthevaluecreatedineachcaseisduespecificallytotheoriginatinglabisdisputable;acomplexcycleofinnovationwasrequired,involvingmanyactors,privateandpublic.Butthattherewasavitalcontributionfromthelab–oftentheinitiatingidea–isbeyonddispute.9Sobigsciencematers.Ofcourse,allthisbegsabroaderquestion:Shouldwetakeeconomicimpactintoconsiderationwhendecidingwhethertofundresearchinfrastructure?Theconsensusamongmostresearchersis:No,but.Youeitherbackpurescience,oryoudon’tbackit.Butyouneedtobeawareoftheeconomicvalueandthefactthatyouarecompetingforpublicfundswithmanyotherneeds.10Bigsciencemightbeexpensive.Butignoringitcouldprovetobemuchmoreexpensive.BackgroundinformationBigsciencereferstolarge-scalescientificenterprisesthatrequiresubstantialinvestment,advancedtechnology,and,often,internationalcollaboration.BigscienceisastyleofscientificresearchdevelopedduringandafterWorldWarIIthatdefinedtheorganizationandcharacterofmuchresearchinphysicsandastronomy,andlaterinthebiologicalsciences.Ithadprofoundimplicationsforresearch.Forresearchers,theadventofbig

sciencetransformedthescientistfromanindependentresearcherintoaparticipantinhierarchicalresearchteams.Moreover,thehighcostofscientificinstruments,facilities,andpayrollsmeantthatonlygovernmentagenciesorinternationalconsortiacouldsustainsuchendeavors,shiftinginfluenceawayfromtheuniversities,societies,andcharitiesthathadbeenthemainsupportersofscientificresearchbeforeWorldWarII.

Bigscienceprojectsaredesignedtoexplorefundamentalquestionsinphysics,astronomy,andbiology,whilealsoactingasenginesoftechnologicalinnovation.Despitetheirtransformativepotential,bigscienceprojectsoftenprovokedebateoverfundingpriorities,opportunitycosts,andmeasurablereturnoninvestment,especiallyinaneraincreasinglyconcernedwithequitableandimmediatesocietalbenefits.

elementaryparticle

n.[C]oneofthemostsimplepartsofallmatter,suchasanelectron,aproton,oraneutron基本粒子Theparticlehadbeenthetargetofanintensivesearchbyphysicistsfornearlyahalf-century,orsinceitsexistencehadbeenpositedin1964asthecarrierofafieldthatgivesmasstomatterintheuniverse.[Structure&Grammar]:Thissentencecontainstwotemporaladverbials:“fornearlyahalf-century”and“sinceitsexistence...”Bothindicatethesametimeperiodduringwhichtheparticlehadbeenthetargetofanintensivesearchbyphysicists–oneindicatesthedurationoftheaction,whiletheothermarksthestartingpointoftheaction.Thesecondtemporaladverbial“sinceitsexistence…”isaclauseandspecifiesthatthesearchbeganwhentheparticlewastheorizedtobethecarrierofthefieldthatgivesmasstomatterintheuniverse.EverythingabouttheLHCisbig.[Notes]:Thisshort,emphaticsentenceservesasatopicsentence,usinghyperbole“everything”andsimplesyntaxtodrawthereader’sattentionandcreateacontrastwiththecomplextechnicaldetailthatfollows.Itexemplifieshowscientificwritingcanadoptstylisticsimplicityforimpact.probe

n.[C](alsospace~)aspacecraftwithoutpeopleonboardwhichobtainsinformationandsendsitbacktotheearth（不载人）航天探测器，宇宙探测航天器microcosmic

a.(ofaunit,group,orplace)resemblingaminiaturerepresentationofsth.（单位、群体或地方）缩影的；微观世界的subatomicparticle

n.[C]anextremelysmallpieceofmatterthatissmallerthananatomorfoundinsideanatom,suchasaproton,neutron,orelectron亚原子粒子theworkingsThephrase“theworkings”means“thewaysth.suchasasystem,pieceofequipment,ororganizationworks([系统、设备、组织等的]工作方式，运行方式).”e.g.Theworkingsofthisantiqueclockfascinatedhim,itsintricategearsmovinginperfectharmonytomarkeachpassingsecond.Thecolliderandthediscoverythatwasannouncedthatsummerdayin2012stoodthenastheultimateexpressionofbigscience:themodelofindustrial-scaleresearchthathasdriventhegreatscientificprojectsofourtime...[Meaning]:Thecolliderandthediscoveryrevealedinthesummerof2012showedwhat“bigscience”isallabout.Itislargeandteam-basedresearchthathasmadepossiblethemostimportantscientificprojectsofourtime.pullTheword“pull”isusedasanounhere,meaning“influence(影响力).”e.g.Herpullintheartworldhelpedlaunchmanyyoungartists’careersthroughgalleryexhibitions.staidHere,theword“staid”means“serious,old-fashioned,andboring(严肃呆板的；古板的；枯燥的).”e.g.Wechosethestaidseasideresortforitspredictableroutines:morningteaontheterrace,afternoonnaps,andearlysunsetstrolls.ploddingTheword“plodding”means“sloworthoroughandnotexciting(缓慢乏味的；单调枯燥的).”e.g.Whileflashierstartupsfailed,ourploddingapproachtoproducttestingensuredlong-termcustomersatisfaction.synchrotron

n.[C]同步加速器spin-offTheword“spin-off”means“anunexpectedbutusefulresultofsth.thathappensinadditiontotheintendedresult([意料之外的]副产品，衍生产品；附带的结果).”e.g.Theprojectgeneratedseveralvaluablespin-offs,includingcommercialapplications.capacitivetouchscreen

n.[C]ahuman-computerinteractiondisplaydevicethatsensespositionthroughchangesincapacitanceformedbetweenthefingerandthetransparentconductivematerialonthescreen电容式触摸屏Technologistsagreethatmanyofourmostimportantmoderninnovationshadtheirseed,orgotfertilizedatacriticalmoment,atbigsciencecenters.[Notes]:Themetaphor“hadtheirseed”and“gotfertilized”usesthegrowthofaplanttodepictthebeginningorthedevelopmentoftechnologicalinnovations.Thisconceptualmetaphorunderscoresthenurturingroleofbigsciencecenters.超越对撞机：大科学至关重要1

2012年7月4日，两个国际科研团队宣布，他们借助地球上最复杂的科研设备之一，大型强子对撞机（LHC），发现了一种被称为“希格斯玻色子”的基本粒子。近50年来，或者说自1964年该粒子被认为是宇宙物质质量场的载体以来，物理学家一直对其孜孜以求。而找到它，正是依靠对撞机才得以实现。2

关于大型强子对撞机的一切都堪称宏大。从构想到首次产生质子束，其建造历时25年，耗资约50亿美元，包括材料和人力成本。它埋藏在法国与瑞士边境田园风光之下约100米深处，位于一条周长约27千米的混凝土隧道中。3

该对撞机以及2012年夏日宣布的发现，堪称“大科学”的极致体现：这种工业化规模的研究模式推动了当代最伟大的科学项目——原子弹研制、登月计划实施、向太阳系外发射机器人探测器，以及对亚原子粒子微观世界运行规律进行探索。时至今日，大科学一直在帮助我们认识那些对人类至关重要的现象，引领学术界、产业界和政府的研究方向。它直面宏大的问题，因此也需要巨大的资源投入，包括由数百名乃至数千名专业科学家和技术专家操作的设备。此类项目的成本往往超出一所大学，甚至一个国家所能承担的范围。正如一位著名物理学家所言，单凭个人努力无法完成如此规模的研究：“一个人独自深入原子核的难度，不亚于一个人独自登上月球。”4

大科学具有强大的吸引力。它能激发远超纯粹理性的想象。对于那些对科学怀有浪漫情怀的人来说，大科学能带来最富传奇色彩的人物、最引人注目的突破和最雄心勃勃的公众承诺。这些项目常常成为令人屏息的社会时刻，是科学跳出枯燥、缓慢、渐进的节奏，以截然不同的方式打破常规的罕见时刻。5

然而，这些宏大的项目也伴随着相应高昂的费用。虽然它们无疑是伟大的科学探索，但问题仍然存在：它们值得投资吗？这个问题值得深思，因为预算考量使得政府必须慎重评估各项投资的经济与社会效益，无论是实验室、农田，还是工厂。简而言之，一个新的同步加速器是否比一条新公路更重要？6

这个问题的答案很大程度上取决于一个国家的经济发展水平，以及科研和创新在其经济与社会中的相对重要性。然而，专家访谈与文献调研指出了一个简单的答案：是的，值得投入。投入多少、在哪些领域、在什么条件下、时间期限如何，这些都是更为复杂的问题，现在已有许多研究，却鲜有一致结论。但无论怎样，科研基础设施的投入与产出之间的综合评估表明，它们确实带来了广泛的经济与社会溢出效应。而通过协同有序的努力（例如设立专项投资基金、培训计划或公私合作）扩大这些效应，可以使投入更具确定性。7

技术专家认为，我们许多重要的现代创新，要么源于大科学中心，要么在关键时刻得到了大科学中心的助力。例如，透明电容式触摸屏原本是1973年为欧洲核子研究中心的控制系统发明的，如今已被应用于全球数十亿部智能手机和平板电脑中。起初，为美国国家航空航天局宇航员护面开发的防刮擦镜片，如今成为眼镜的常见配置。无线上网系统是又一个类似的创新。它是一项基于澳大利亚天文学家为研究黑洞辐射而研发的技术。8

这样的例子还有很多：用于营救车祸受害者的“生命剪”、应用于枕头的“记忆海绵”、牙科激光器，和万维网等等。当然，这些成果中到底有多少价值应归功于起初的实验室，是有待讨论的；创新是一个复杂的过程，涉及众多公共和私营部门的参与。但毫无疑问，实验室做出了至关重要的贡献，往往就是那个最初的想法。9

所以，大科学至关重要。当然，这也引出了一个更根本的问题：我们在决定是否资助科研基础设施时，是否应当考虑其经济影响？大多数研究者的共识是：不应该，但需谨慎。你要么支持纯粹的科学，要么不支持。但必须意识到它的经济价值，同时也要清楚地知道，这是在与众多其他社会需求争夺公共财政资金。10

大科学可能费用高昂。但忽视它，代价可能会更大。GlobalunderstandingReadthepassageandcompletetheoutlinewithinformationfromthepassage.CharacteristicsInvolvinglarge-scaleresearchprojectsAddressing1)_________________Requiringsignificantresources,bothintermsofmanpowerandfunding,oftenbeyondthereachofindividualentitiesgiganticquestionsBigscienceSignificanceAdvancingknowledgeaboutphenomenathatare2)____________________________________ProducingtechnologicalinnovationsthatbenefitsocietyfundamentallyimportantforhumankindFundingissuesIsfundingbigscienceabetterinvestmentthanotherpublicneeds,e.g.,transportationinfrastructure?Theconsensusisthatbigscienceisgenerallyworthwhileduetoitsbroad3)__________________________,thoughtheanswerlargelydependsonacountry'seconomicdevelopmentandpriorities.economicandsocialspin-offsFundingissuesShouldeconomicimpactguidefundingdecisions?Theansweris:4)________.Whilepurescienceshouldbebacked,awarenessofitseconomicvalueisnecessarygivencompetitionfor5)_____________Ignoringbigsciencecouldbe6)____________________inthelongrun.No,butpublicfundsmuchmoreexpensiveDetailedunderstandingReadthepassageagainandwritedownyourunderstandingofthesentences.Itisalmostashardtoreachthenucleusbyoneselfasitistogettothemoonbyoneself.Forthosewhoareromanticaboutscience,bigscienceofferssomeofthemostcolorfulcharacters,themostdramaticbreakthroughs,andtheboldestpubliccommitments.However,thesemonumentalprojectscomewithcorrespondinglylargepricetags.Inthecrudestterms:Isanewsynchrotronmoreimportantthananewhighway?Bigsciencemightbeexpensive.Butignoringitcouldprovetobemuchmoreexpensive.ReferenceanswersThissentenceusesananalogytoemphasizethatbigscienceresearch,especiallyinfieldslikeparticlephysics,issocomplexandresource-intensivethatnoindividualcansucceedalone.Likethemoonlanding,itrequiresacoordinated,large-scaleteameffort.ReferenceanswersForthosewhoarepassionateoridealisticaboutscience,bigscienceisappealingbecauseitinvolvesbrilliantminds,remarkablediscoveries,andambitiousnationalorglobalefforts.Thissentencehighlightstheemotionalandinspirationaldimensionofbigscience.ReferenceanswersAlthoughbigscienceachievesgreatthings,itisextremelyexpensive.Thescaleoftheinvestmentrequiredisproportionaltothescaleoftheproject,leadingtodebatesaboutcost-effectivenessandfundingpriorities.ReferenceanswersThisrhetoricalquestionsimplifiesthedebateaboutthefundingforbigscienceversusotherpublicneeds.Itchallengesreaderstothinkaboutfundingprioritiesandhowgovernmentsshouldallocatelimitedfinancialresources.ReferenceanswersWhilefundingbigscienceprojectsiscostly,notinvestinginthemmayresultinmissedopportunitiesforinnovation,economicgrowth,andsocietalbenefit–potentiallyleadingtogreaterlong-termlosses.Thissentenceservesasawarningandajustificationforcontinuedsupportforbigscienceprojects.Manyoftoday’smostfar-reachingtechnologieshavetheirrootsinbigscienceprojects.Forinstance,theWorldWideWebwasoriginallycreatedatCERNforscientiststoshareinformationglobally.However,itsoontransformedhowwecommunicate,gather,work,andlearn.Workingroupsandfollowthestepstoexploreothertechnologiesthatwereinitiallydevelopedforbigscienceprojectsandhavesincebeenappliedinvariousfields.Step1

Choosesuchatechnologyandresearchthefollowingaspects:Whatwastheoriginalpurposeofthetechnology?Whatwerethekeyengineeringinnovationsthatenabledthetechnology’sdevelopment?Howhasthetechnologybeenintegratedintoeverydaylifeorotherindustries?Howhasitchangeddailylifeorspecificindustries?Step2

Discussthefollowingquestionsbasedonyourresearch:Whatlessonscanengineerslearnfromtheevolutionofthistechnology?Ifyouwereanengineertaskedwithimprovingthistechnology,whatwouldyoufocuson?Howcouldyouoptimizeitforgreaterefficiency,accessibility,orsustainability?ReferenceanswersIthinkoneofthemostsuccessfuladaptationsfrombigscienceiscapacitivetouchscreentechnology.InitiallydevelopedatCERNin1973tocontrolparticleacceleratorsystems,thetechnologyusedtheprincipleofcapacitancetodetectthelocationoftouchinputsaccuratelyandrapidlyincontrolpanels.Inthe1970s,withthecompletionoftheSuperProtonSynchrotron(SPS)fastapproaching,CERNneededawaytocontrolReferenceanswerstheaccelerator’scomplexsystems.Thescaleofthenewmachinemeantthatcontrolviaindividualbuttons,knobs,andswitchesconnectedbycableslinkingdirectlytoacentralcontrolroomwouldbeeconomicallyunfeasible.Scientiststhencameupwiththeideaofthecapacitivetouchscreen.Thescreenwastoconsistofasetofcapacitorsetchedintoafilmofcopperonasheetofglass,eachcapacitorbeingconstructedsothatanearbyflatconductor,Referenceanswerssuchasthesurfaceofafinger,wouldincreasethecapacitybyasignificantamount.Theinnovationincreasedthereliabilityandspeedofcontrol.By1977,thecapacitivetouchscreenwasalreadyavailablecommerciallyandbeingsol