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Reflecting on EEDP in Bangalore

Andrea Howard, editor
Edison Engineering Development Program
Niskayuna, NY USA
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All, something that I wanted to be sure to point out about the Edison program is that it is not just part of Global Research and Edisons are not just based in Niskayuna. The Edison Engineering Development Program spans across the globe and GE’s businesses. Recently, some of the Edisons based at the John F. Welch Technology Center in Bangalore, India, completed the program and during their graduation, took a few moments to reflect back on their time as an Edison. As well, the leader of the Edison program at the JFWTC spoke on what she feels she has gotten out of her role and interaction with Edisons.

Check out the videos!

EEDP Leader in Bangalore, Prabha Chatterji:
“This has been one of the proudest responsibilities for me to shoulder”:

Recent EEDP graduate, Paromita Bhattacharya:
“After completing this program, anything and every challenge at GE you will be ready to handle.”:

Recent EEDP graduate, Aanchal Saini:
“When I tell my friends, I say it very proudly, ‘I work at GE’ and they always say, ‘Oh, wow!’”

Recent EEDP graduate Anurag Agarwal:
“It is a very promising program, which excites me still!”

March 10th, 2010 | Edison Engineering Development Program

TAGS: Bangalore, development, edison, Edisons, EEDP, leadership

Sustainable energy from underground

Emad Andarawis, editor
Micro And Nano Structures
Niskayuna, NY USA
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As I’ve mentioned in past blog entries, in Micro and Nano Structures Technologies, we are working on high-temperature electronic devices and circuits made with Silicon Carbide. One application for high-temperature electronic devices and circuits is in energy production from an energy source that is under the ground we stand on: geothermal energy.

A lot of the energy sources we’re accustomed to come from underground. Petroleum, coal and natural gas are all harvested from the depths of the earth and have been our primary energy sources for many years. But geothermal energy has been gaining a lot of attention in recent years. Though also buried deep into the earth, this source is not a material we burn to produce energy, it is the heat of the earth itself.

As one goes deeper below the earth’s surface, the temperature rises somewhere between 10-50C for every 1000 meters. Now imagine drilling a well that gets to temperatures of about 300C, and then pumping water in that well; the temperature is hot enough that the water turns into steam. This steam can be used to run a steam turbine and generate clean electricity. In order to run the steam turbine efficiently and continue generating constant energy output over the life of the system, one needs to know the conditions in the well in real-time and use that information to control parameters relating to the turbine operation.

There is only one problem with that: the well is about 10km deep (half the length of Manhattan island), and the temperature at the bottom of the well is 300C. At very high temperatures, electrons leak out of the electrical circuits and sensors; we call this leakage current. Most conventional electronics, even the ones rated for military applications, can only withstand temperatures of 125C, possibly 150C. At 300C leakage current of conventional electronics is almost 32,000 times higher than at 150C; conventional packages and interconnects fail. Long term geothermal well monitoring requires electronics that can survive in the environment for thousands of hours. Conventional electronics incorporating complex packaging and cooling designs may enable the sensing system to survive and function for a few hours in such a high temperature environment, but practical long-term survivability and functionality requires a substantial shift from the conventional.

Working in high temperature electronics is an exciting field, as new applications continue to be explored daily.

March 9th, 2010 | Micro & Nano Structures

TAGS: geothermal, high temperature electronics, Sustainable Energy

Supporting the DOE Science Bowl

This weekend GE Global Research hosted the Capital Region’s Science Bowl competition for both local middle and high schools. The event is sponsored by the Department of Energy and the winners of this weekend’s competition will be traveling in April to the Nationals in Washington, D.C.! I spent my Saturday volunteering at the event with about 100 of my colleagues. We were helping to time, moderate, judge, and score the event. I think events like Science Bowl are extremely important to keep middle and high school students motivated, excited, and interested in science. The students who participated are incredibly smart and driven and their passion will be what drives innovation breakthroughs in the future.

The Schenectady Daily Gazette covered the event and put a great story in their Sunday paper. Congratulations to all the teams who competed, and good luck to Bethlehem Central High School and Van Antwerp Middle Schools as they move on to the National Science Bowl competition in Washington, D.C.

Above, Bethlehem High School’s 1st place Science Bowl team

Above, Van Antwerp Middle School’s 1st place Science Bowl team

To view more photos from the Science Bowl competition, please visit the Global Research Flickr page.

March 8th, 2010 | Global Research

TAGS: capital region, competition, department of energy, DOE, local, local events, science, science bowl, youth

Flying high with OLEDs

Anant Setlur
Ceramics and Metallurgy
Niskayuna, NY USA
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For those of you flying Continental this month, I wanted to let you know that you don’t need to pack a book in your carry on or pick up your usual magazine from an airport kiosk. Continental’s in-flight magazine for the month of March features a great article on GE Global Research’s work in OLED lighting and spotlights my colleague, Anil Duggal.

Even if you aren’t traveling anywhere this March, you can still read the article online at Continental’s Web site. Check it out!

March 5th, 2010 | Ceramic & Metallurgy Technologies, Chemical Technologies & Materials Characterization, Lighting

TAGS: articles, Continental airlines, Lighting, OLEDs

Tracking my healthy “morsels”

All, my colleague Dirk Padfield submitted the following entry. Please feel free to comment!

Why are video games so addictive?

I remember when I was in my last year of college, it took every ounce of my will-power not to put aside the books, log on to the computer, and play the game “Diablo“. I would tell myself, “just one level more” and then proceed to play long into the night. And when I finally logged off and slumped into bed, I would ask myself why I had played so long even though I hadn’t gained anything.

One of my theories is that video games hook you in by offering ever-higher rewards in terms of more levels, more experience, more lives, more everything. Even though these don’t translate to anything real in the physical world, we love the sense of accomplishment, of gaining more points.

Enter “healthymagination“. Over the past few weeks, I have participated in some of the engaging new initiatives that GE is promoting to improve the health of its employees and the greater community.

First, I took part in a “Health By Numbers” challenge wherein the participants tracked their daily consumption of fruits and veggies and logged their exercise and Body Mass Index (BMI). The simple act of logging into the system each day and tracking my progress encouraged me to find ways of eating more healthy foods and exercising more often.

Second, the gym at the GE Global Research in Niskayuna hosted a GE Olympics where individuals or pairs competed in various physical challenges such as “number of sit-ups in a minute” and “time to run 1.5 miles”. Many of us were driven to get the best score in each event, even though there was no defined gold, silver, or bronze prize. We did it because we like earning higher and higher scores.

And finally, there is the new “Morsel” application that you can access online or download as an app for many smart-phones. It gives you a daily healthy task or “morsel” that you can choose to do, things like, “drink two large glasses of water before a meal”. Each completed task gives you a point, and you can view your progress over time.

When I consider all of these programs, it reminds me that they aren’t necessarily connected with any physical prize but rather provide encouragement by showing your progress over time and rewarding you with points. Just like a video game, you get sucked into the thrill of earning that next level. But in this game, you don’t need to wonder what you are accomplishing; the improvement in your health is the real reward.

I like to combine exercise with family by going for walks with my kids. But carrying them both up the Xunantunich Mayan ruins in western Belize, as shown in the picture, was a bit too taxing!

March 4th, 2010 | Global Research

TAGS: exercise, healthy, healthymagination, iphone, morsels