Solar energy is going to be an important part of this world's future. This is a subject that I dived into a lot. Solar energy was the focus of my big group project. We created a solar wrapping product that was more economically viable than modern day solar solutions. I was surprised with how many different obstacles there were in the path of a successful solar energy product. It is specifically difficult to master because the energy easily leaks. I have learned about the possible future of solar energy and what it could provide to our world.

The Hadron Collider is a giant machine that collides particles together to create energy. The process is not streamlined yet, but engineers are working to make this a form of energy production. My favorite part of this challenge is the fact that this could solve the energy crisis for good. Particles are everywhere and if we can engineer a way to use this to create energy instead of burning fossil fuels it could be very beneficial to the planet.

This challenge is one that I have some trouble understanding. To me it seems like engineers are trying to create a way to capture in store carbon dioxide. This can be done when it is originally released into the atmosphere, or even after the fact via taking it out of the atmosphere. It is important for engineers to consider what they will do with the carbon dioxide once it has been captured. It would not be efficient to build up a ton of carbon dioxide and have no way of getting rid of it. Something I have thought of however, is to slowly feed it to plants that use it for photosynthesis. This idea is something very interesting to me.

Humans have become more and more educated on the nitrogen cycle. One thing that we have learned is that balance is needed. Plants need nitrogen to survive. Humans created fertilizer that helps us grow plants faster and in turn, produce more food. The issue here is that this fertilizer throws the balance in the nitrogen cycle completely off. It is the job of engineers to solve this problem. I think it is very interesting to think about different ways humans could continue to use fertilizer without harming the planet.

Clean water is one of the most important things that humans consume daily. We are constantly using water while doing things such as drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning, etc. One thing I've learned is that we take the clean water for granted. It is amazing to see what people in some other countries have to deal with on a daily basis just to get some water that they can use to drink, while I just have to go downstairs to the fridge and it comes out on tap. Engineers have thought of different ways to get purified water to dollars in countries who are less fortunate. However, Some of these inventions, such as the Play Pump, have been unsuccessful. It is important, in my opinion, for engineers to continue pursuing innovations that will get clean water to those who need it.

As we advance further as a society, the infrastructure of everyday life becomes more and more digitized. Things will soon be online, even more so than they are now. We are starting to see it develop within cryptocurrencies and NFTs; converting finance and art over to the cyberspace. Soon, you will be able to purchase things that hold real value in virtual worlds, such as land, property, etc. While this is all great, it is more than crucial to keep the digitized world secure. I originally was skeptical of these new technologies, but my mind has been changed. This is something that really interests me now. I have learned about the different cryptocurrency projects that add security to the financial world.

World conflict is a large issue in today's society. People are constantly fighting for power and every day is a stalemate between countries waiting for the other to make a move. This stalemate has gotten progressively more serious in the past 50 years. Beginning in the Cold War, nuclear threat has slowly been accelerating throughout the world, but more specifically in countries such as the United States, Russia, Korea, and Japan, to name a few. Putting politics aside, I personally still believe that the threat of nuclear war is serious. Of course systems have been in place for responding to any sort of nuclear attack or war that could take place in the future, however as a threat of a war grows the plans that are put into action must grow as well. These plans are not only societal, but also technological. Engineers have created things such as missiles that destroy nuclear bombs or bunkers that can withstand nuclear attacks. Nuclear intelligence is what interests me. Being able to know when a nuclear attack is going to happen is important. You will be able to react quicker and save more lives. This is something that engineers work on so that citizens of our world will be safe in the event of a nuclear war. I personally hope to contribute to something that can detect international threats through the use of artificial intelligence.

The world infrastructure is constantly being used. This makes it a great invention, however, this fact brings many obstacles with it. Having to repair and improve something that never takes a break is very difficult. I find it super interesting how engineers think of ways to work on daily infrastructure while still keeping it operational to the public the entire time. I mostly respect traffic engineers who work on creating the best flow of traffic through the use of various junction and road combinations. I have always had a large interest in how traffic works and ways to better improve it. One project I hope to complete in the future is an artificial intelligence/machine learning software that trains different ways to better traffic in the real world.