Engineering Professors Develop Electric Hybrid Vehicle Concept for RV Travelers
Phys.org – Sept. 15
Dr. Steve Shepard Jr., associate professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Alabama, and his father, Dr. Steve Shepard Sr., a former faculty member and researcher at Mississippi State University, developed the idea for a hybrid dinghy pusher after the cost of fuel curtailed both families’ traveling plans. In this concept, the dinghy consists of a hybrid SUV towed by the RV…According to Shepard, hybrid motor homes are just now coming onto the market, and they are expensive. Besides being a cheaper alternative to a hybrid motor home, the greatest advantage of this new concept is that the HDP not only assists the motor home in transit, but it also provides the motor home owners with a hybrid vehicle to drive after arriving at their destination…Working with UA’s Office for Technology Transfer, the Shepards are in the process of securing a development partner to bring this cutting-edge technology to the market. UA originally filed a U.S. provisional patent application, which has since been converted to a full utility patent application.
Local economy still best in state
Huntsville Times – Sept. 15
…Huntsville has felt some of the effects, with an unemployment rate above 8 percent and nearly 4,000 jobs lost. But it still has the best economy in the state, said Ahmad Ijaz, an economic analyst for the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. “Huntsville’s economy is the most diversified in the state,” Ijaz said. “If you look at Birmingham, it is heavily service-oriented. But Huntsville is equally distributed with government work, manufacturing and service jobs. “It is well-diversified. That’s why the unemployment rate is still low compared to others.”…
UA Researchers Say Certain Crops Can Be Used to Create Biodiesel Fuel
WVTM (Birmingham) – Sept. 14
According to scientists at the University of Alabama: any source which provides carbon and hydrogen can be used that includes crops such as corn and switchgrass…