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Chief Science Officer’s Log: (2013.0902) September Science Report

Posted by Amy MacKinnon on 2013.0904
Posted in: Report, Science. Tagged: , , , , .

Can We Build a Star Trek Tricorder?

Qualcomm is offering a $10,000,000 prize to whomever can invent the first medical tricorder. Many companies have entered this race and already have some production models. This would be a great leap forward in medical diagnosis, and a boon for Starfleet Medical officers. Read more about the race here: http://americablog.com/2013/08/can-build-actual-star-trek-medical-tricorder-theyre-sure-trying.html

New Technology Will Help Assist Women in Childbirth

The sad truth is that even in our current century, pregnancy and childbirth are the #1 killer of women who are child-bearing age, and it tends to be worse in rural areas and developing countries that are far from good medical access. The ePartogram seeks to help lower this statistic. Much like you’d remember in the Starfleet archives where Lieutenant Worf delivers Keiko O’Brien’s baby in Ten Forward on the Starship Enterprise, the ePartogram will help walk birth attendants through the steps of labor and delivery, and identify and prevent complications. Read more here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/deniserestauri/2013/08/26/how-emerging-technology-will-save-womens-lives-during-childbirth/

Earth Life May Have Originated from Mars

Mars Hubble

Yet another theory has arisen that life on Earth began on Mars. While Mars isn’t a very hospitable planet for life currently, it was the perfect place for the creation of certain materials millions of years ago. Scientists are now speculating that life started on Mars because it has boron and molybdenum and Earth’s crust has very little, and this is needed to create the RNA, DNA, and proteins. This life-forming material traveled over to Earth on meteorites but we know the real truth about where our genetic materials came from…the ancient Humanoids that existed in the Milky Way Galaxy and spread their genetic makeup across the universe before going extinct. You can read more about the false theory here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23872765

=^= LT Amy MacKinnon
Chief Science Officer & Cyberneticist
USS Loma Prieta

Chief Science Officer’s Log: (2013.0826) August Science Report and Departmental Summary

Posted by Amy MacKinnon on 2013.0826
Posted in: Report, Science. Tagged: , , , , , .
AppliedScience_logo
The USS Loma Prieta’s science department continues to make exciting breakthroughs in a variety of scientific disciplines.We are happy to report that even though Ensign Shawn Alpay has been largely distracted by while writing his fan fiction, the Stellar Cartography department has continued to thrive. Thanks to the efforts of Ensign Alex Ionescu, Stellar Cartography’s SETI @Home project has computed so much astronomical data that the USS Loma Prieta BOINC account  now ranks in the top 95th percentile of all SETI @Home team’s worldwide.
PTC_paper-strips
At our recent crew dinner, honoring the decommissioning of the SFI based NCC-26848 (we’ve now taken up operations on the newly rebuilt NCC-26848-A), Xeno Psychologist Ensign Melissa Crystal conducted an experiment on the crew’s capacity for taste. Using small strips of chemically treated P.T.C. paper, individual members of the crew place them on their tongues to determine their status as a ‘non-taster’, ‘taster’, or ‘super-taster’. Those who have the abnormal sensory capacity of super-tasters were met with a distinguishing bitter taste from the test strips. Thankfully, adult beverages were on hand to wash away the experiment’s unpleasant aftermath.
Now for a summary of this month’s scientific discoveries from around the Federation:
 
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Scientists Invent a Hangover Free Beer
For years scientists have been trying to perfect alcohol concoctions that don’t get you drunk or have other ill effects and now an exciting step forward has come about. Scientists are getting closer to creating alcohol that has the same great taste, but doesn’t get you drunk or hungover. By adding electrolytes to the beer, they realized that the taste was unaffected but it was helping to keep the drinkers hydrated. As this research continues they may even create alcohol that has absolutely no drunken effects at all. I wonder what they will call this synthetic alcohol…maybe synthehol? Read more about the new beer here.
 
Implantable Device Records Brain Activity
Researchers have developed a device that can not only record neural activity in the brain but also send electronic charges to it. With devices such as these they can better treat movement conditions like Parkinson’s, and may even help with other brain disorders like depression. Our Starfleet doctors and nurses are very excited about the possibilities of this new way to treat conditions. I just hope a device like this doesn’t get into the hands of those who would use it for ill, like the Romulans. For more on this ground-breaking research, click here.
=^= LT Amy MacKinnon
Chief Science Officer & Cyberneticist
USS Loma Prieta

Away Team Report: (2013.0210) The Stanford Savoyards present HMS Pinafore: The Next Generation

Posted by Amy MacKinnon on 2013.0211
Posted in: Away Missions, Report. Tagged: , , .

Members of the USS Loma Prieta beamed down to Palo Alto on Saturday, February 2nd to see the Stanford Savoyards performance of H.M.S. Pinafore: The Next Generation. H.M.S. Pinafore is a classic Gilbert & Sullivan comedic opera, but the Savoyards turned an old production into something a little new and different by changing the setting from an 1800’s sailing vessel to a 2300’s starship. This was a remarkably easy transition due to the similarities of the settings and there was no problem with suspension of disbelief.

There are no scene changes and so the entire show is set on the bridge of the USS Enterprise. The songs and story itself were true to Gilbert & Sullivan’s piece, with only a few word changes here and there. The show opened with many actors already out on stage laying flat on the floor, waking up disoriented as the lights came up. From there it was quite the delightful romp sitting there wondering who might walk out on stage next from the Star Trek universe. Most of the choices for who the Gilbert & Sullivan characters would mirror in the Trek universe were quite logical, and the acting was great from all the leads. In addition to the main characters you would expect from The Next Generation, featured characters were: Lwaxana Troi, Admiral James T. Kirk, and a contingent of Original Series alien ladies headed up by an Orion Slave Girl. There was even a very fun cameo made by a multitude of tribbles.

The venue was large enough to warrant having at least hanging mics, let alone having the leads individually wearing mics, but unfortunately neither was to be found. Our group was sitting about 5 rows back and we had trouble hearing the actors half the time. I can’t imagine that the people who were in the very back were able to hear much at all. When we could hear, however, it was almost always pleasant. Most of the leads were quite accomplished vocally, with one or two outshining the others, but the chorus as a whole left something to be desired. I realize that this was not a professional performance and the singing shouldn’t be judged as such, but I was nonetheless underwhelmed by their chorus.

The set itself was simply magnificent. A lot of work and attention to detail went into recreating the bridge. The helm stations swung out, and the doors leading onto the bridge opened just the way they do in the television show. They even had a view screen projected onto the wall, which was effective and well-done. We had the opportunity to go on stage afterwards and the set looked just as great close-up. Their costumer made all the costumes the actors wore; nothing was bought pre-packaged, and they all looked great. It was easy to recognize who all the characters were supposed to be, and on that note the makeup was also well done. The production staff as a whole was really what made this show extraordinary and worth seeing.

If you’re interested in learning more about their recreation of the USS Enterprise bridge, or their show in general, you can view their tumblr here: http://starshippinafore.tumblr.com.

Lt. Amy Sloan
Cybernetics Officer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

Away Team Report: (2012.0519) Maker Faire Bay Area

Posted by Amy MacKinnon on 2012.0618
Posted in: Away Missions, News.

There is no better place to study what Earth civilians are making and creating in the 21st century than at Maker Faire—a two-day, family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. Ensign MacKinnon and myself, Ensign Sloan, beamed down to the San Mateo Events center where the 15th Annual Maker Faire was behind held.

First duty was seeking out the Tesla stage for a demonstration by ArcAttack! of using Tesla Coils to create music. It was a symphonic orchestration using electricity, the likes of which we often see in our space exploration and I was pleased with the representations these civilians concocted. We recorded some of the music created in the demonstration to bring back to the ship and share with our fellow officers. Additionally the center that contained the Tesla Stage was very dark and contained many glowing things, so it appealed to our inner teenage selves.

As a cyberneticist I was quite fascinated by the robot area, which was very primitive compared to the androids and robots of our time, but very fun to interact with. Some of the models we encountered: R2-D2 and other Astromech droids, Wall-E, a Class M-3 Model B9 Robot, and a Dalek. The Dalek was quite terrifying as it notified us of its wish to EXTERMINATE us. We blinded it with our camera flash and made our exit before it could accomplish this task. As we continued our study of the faire, we encountered a native android performing a tribal dance to music, which Ensign MacKinnon joined in on.

There was also a section of the festival dedicated to Steampunk, which contained a lot of metal, steam, fire and quaint devices. There were many different models of computers, and many areas where faire goers could create their own crafts and devices. We sat down for a lecture given by Mike Estee on The Laws of Paper Robotics. Mike has been creating cardboard robots, and cardboard-copters in the past year and shared what he has learned, and encouraged others to partake in this cheaper way to create robots. In another area we happened upon magnificent models of ships created out of LEGO pieces, one of which was a formidable weapon that the Federation would never approve of, called “The Deathstar.”

We saw many inventions involving electricity and many inventions involving fire. All in all the festival was so packed with inventions, demonstrations, and amusement that it was impossible to see it all in one day. We reported back to the ship before the Faire closed that day, and will definitely be returning again next year.

-Ensign Amy Sloan
Cybernetics Officer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

(Above: Ensigns Jesse MacKinnon and Amy Sloan are ‘exterminated’ by a Dalek)

Joint Science Log: (2012.0502) April Science Report and Departmental Summary

Posted by Amy MacKinnon on 2012.0502
Posted in: Report, Science.

THIS WEEK IN STELLAR CARTOGRAPHY: 
Stellar Cartographer Ensign Shawn Alpay here! Captain Perkins wanted me to provide you some context on a few very exciting stellar occurrences happening this week.

Saturday May 5 at 0835 PDT will yield the largest full moon of the year. The perigree of this “supermoon” will generate the largest tides seen in some time, exerting 42% more tidal force than the apogee two weeks later. To residents in the Loma Prieta’s San Francisco sector, I can happily report that such events harbor no known link to earthquakes.

Also this week is one of the best chances in your lifetime to see Venus with the naked eye. ‘Sol II’ will be best observed about an hour after sunset; it appears in the night sky beneath and to the right of the Moon. It’ll be closest to Earth on June 5th, but by then its phase will be thinner, due to its angle towards the Sun. At that time, however, we’ll be able to observe an eclipse-like Transit of Venus, during which the planet travels over the Sun; get your solar observation equipment handy, because this won’t happen again until 2117!

Speaking of eclipses, our next solar eclipse will occur in November, but you’ll have to be somewhere near the Oceania sector for the best view.

Finally, your moment of Zen: a binary star dubbed Sagittarii 2012 exploded into space last week. Of course, this occurred many years ago, but only now do Earth-dwellers observe such splendor. Google ‘Sagittarii 2012’ at your LCARS terminal to see a video of the nova’s appearance.

~Ensign Shawn Alpay
Stellar Cartographer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

APRIL SCIENCE REPORT:
The Beginnings of a Positronic Brain: Great headway is currently being made by Earth’s cyberneticists and the quest to create a sentient android. The BrainScaleS project has succeeded in launching their first prototype of neuromorphic hardware that emulates parts of the humanoid natural brain. It is an eight inch large wafer equipped with 51 million artificial synapses. In three years, when they are finished with the project, the artificial brain will be able to re-create neurological processes 10,000 times faster than in human brains. No doubt this research will be the building blocks that will lead to Dr. Noonien Soong’s success in creating a positronic brain.

Earth Claims Discovery of Oldest Planets: Recently Earth astronomers came upon the oldest alien planets discovered yet: 2 Jupiter-sized planets that were formed before the Milky Way galaxy was even formed. These 2 planets are estimated to be 12.8 billion years old and are 375 light-years away. No word from the Federation yet on whether a ship is going to be re-routed to explore these ancient planets.

Distilling Alcohol in Space: Long space missions can be very difficult to endure, so it is important to keep the ship’s inhabitants in good spirits—to that end NanoRacks LLC, with the assistance of Ardbeg distillery, is conducting a two-year experiment to create better alcohol for our comrades exploring the far reaches of the galaxy. Unmatured malt has been sent to the International Space Station orbiting Earth, where they will see how it develops without gravity. Everyone is very excited about the experiment and what will be learned about the chemical building blocks for new flavors.

~Ensign Amy Sloan
Cyberneticist
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4