26 May 2010

Carnegie Mellon Portugal program Launches Master of Entertainment Technology

The Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Madeira Interactive-Technologies Institute (MITI) at University of Madeira (UMa) jointly provide a two-year program offering Masters of Entertainment Technology degree (MET), under the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal program, sponsored by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).

This is not a Master of Science nor a Master of Arts or Fine Arts degree—rather a unique, specialized degree program in the interdisciplinary field of entertainment technology. Your diploma will say; Master of Entertainment Technology. The MET is considered a professional, terminal degree. It is the academic pinnacle of studies in this field, thus having greater significance than the M.A. or M.S., and the equivalent academic weight of the M.F.A. and/or M.B.A. degree.

The ETC does not turn artists into technologists, or vice-versa. While some students will be able to achieve mastery in both areas, it is not our intent to have our students master 'the other side.' Instead, we intend for a typical student in this program to enter with mastery or training in a specific area and spend his or her two years learning the vocabulary, values, and working patterns of the other culture. This learning will be evidenced by their ability to work effectively with those who are expert in it.

Scholarships available! - Students admitted to the MET will be eligible for scholarships from company sponsors and the Madeira Science and Technology Center.
More informations available at: http://www.m-iti.org/met .

* Applications for the 2010 edition still available *

03 May 2010

ECE Back to Basics: Energy Efficiency: the Transition to Solid State Lighting

May 5th, 2010
ECE Back to Basics: Energy Efficiency: the Transition to Solid State Lighting

Speaker: Inês Lima Azevedo, Carnegie Mellon University, Dep. Eng. and Public Policy
Place: Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto

Back to Basics is an international colloquium on fundamental tools for research in Electrical and Computer Engineering, held weekly at FEUP, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (UPorto).

Abstract:
Lighting constitutes more than 20% of total U.S. electricity consumption, a similar fraction in the European Union, and an even higher fraction in many developing countries. Because many current lighting technologies are highly inefficient, improved technologies for lighting hold great potential for energy savings and for reducing associated greenhouse gas emissions. Solid-state lighting shows great promise as a source of efficient, affordable, color-balanced white light. Indeed, assuming market discount rates, engineering-economic analysis demonstrates that white solid state lighting already has a lower levelized annual cost (LAC) than incandescent bulbs. The LAC for white solid-state lighting will be lower than that of the most efficient fluorescent bulbs by the end of this decade. However, a large literature indicates that households do not make their decisions in terms of simple expected economic value. After a review of the technology, we compare the electricity consumption, carbon emissions, and cost-effectiveness of current lighting technologies, accounting for expected performance evolution through 2015. We then simulate the lighting electricity consumption and implicit greenhouse gases emissions for the U.S. residential and commercial sectors through 2015 under different policy scenarios: voluntary solid-state lighting adoption, implementation of lighting standards in new construction, and rebate programs or equivalent subsidies. Finally, we provide a measure of cost-effectiveness for solid state lighting in the context of other climate change abatement policies. 


Short bio
Azevedo’s research interests lie at the intersection of environmental, technical, and economic issues, such as how to address the challenge of climate change and to move towards a more sustainable energy system. She tackles complex problems in which traditional engineering plays an important role but cannot provide a complete answer. In particular, she has been looking at how energy systems are likely to be shaped in the future, which requires comprehensive knowledge not only of the technologies that can address future energy needs but also of the decision-making process followed by different agents in the economy. Azevedo has also been working on assessing how specific policies will shape future energy systems, especially in a carbon-constrained world.

More informations available at www.cmuportugal.org