Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Ant Hills: Materials Science and Engineering























While I was on sabbatical at the University of Ghana this year, I used to walk to and from work at the Faculty of Engineering Sciences (Torto Chemistry Building) on the Legon campus. One of the things that struck me was the several huge ant hills along the way. I realized that I had no idea how they were constructed. I started asking anyone I could find what they knew about the science and technology of ant hills.

At the same time, I was thinking about how to convey to my students some of the central concepts of materials science and engineering: processing/structure/properties/behavior. How do you teach the concept of microstructure in an environment without microscopes?

Eventually, I assigned my students a project.


They were to go out in teams of 2 into the field (dividing the campus into 4 quadrants, and sampling 2 ant hills from each quadrant, comparing and contrasting them). They were also to read four relevant articles I managed to locate: 1) J. Korb, “Experimental heating of Macrotermes bellicosus (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) mounds: what role does microclimate play in influencing mound architecture?" Insectes sociaux, Vol. 45 (1998) pp. 335-342; 2) P. Jouquet, “The soil structural stability of termite nests: role of clays in Macrotermes bellicosus (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) mound soils,” The European Journal of Soil Biology Vol. 40 (2004) pp. 23-29 (available online from Science Direct); 3) M. Luscher, “Air conditioned termite nests” The Scientific American, Vol. 205 (1961), pp. 138-145; and 4) P. R. Hesse, “A Chemical Physical Study of the Soils of Termite in East Africa,” The Journal of Ecology, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Jul., 1955), pp. 449-461, published by British Ecological Society.


The students had fun with this assignment. One of the lessons that profoundly affected some of them was recognizing that ants, without huge budgets, fancy equipment, or fanfare, are able to build such efficient and complex structures. It encouraged them to realize that, with creativity and hard work, it is possible to do something useful and long-lasting even if one has seemingly limited resources.



42 comments:

nelaakter24 said...

Need poker go my website.i hope you don't unlike.!


Unknown said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns, Company and Corporation Tax advice, Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy Services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money, reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services: http://vpassociates.com/

East Grinstead Accountants

Unknown said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns, Company and Corporation Tax advice, Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy Services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money, reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services: http://vpassociates.com/

East Grinstead Accountants

Unknown said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns, Company and Corporation Tax advice, Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy Services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money, reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services: http://vpassociates.com/

East Grinstead Accountants

Accountants Redhill said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns,Company and Corporation Tax advice,Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money,reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services :http://vpassociates.com/

Accountants Lingfield

Unknown said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns,Company and Corporation Tax advice,Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money,reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services :http://vpassociates.com/

Accountants Lingfield

Capital Gains Tax advice said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns, Company and Corporation Tax advice, Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy Services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money, reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services: http://vpassociates.com/

Accountants Haywards Heath

Unknown said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns, Company and Corporation Tax advice, Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy Services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money, reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services: http://vpassociates.com/

Accountants Haywards Heath

Capital Gains Tax advice said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns, Company and Corporation Tax advice, Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy Services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money, reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services: http://vpassociates.com/

Accountants Horley

Unknown said...

V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors and Chartered Certified Accountants, represent an authoritative source on most aspects of tax and specialise in the following: Self-Assessment Tax advice, Self Employed Tax Returns, Company and Corporation Tax advice, Capital Gains Tax advice, Buy-To-Let Property Tax advice, Tax Planning and Tax Consultancy Services. With over 25 years of experience in the business of providing expert tax advice, V P Associates Chartered Tax Advisors offer valuable information to clients to help them save money, reduce and mitigate tax. V P Associates, Chartered Tax Advisors & Chartered Certified Accountants, are the first and foremost specialists in taxation matters. Visit their site for a comprehensive list of services: http://vpassociates.com/

Accountants Horley

monalisa said...

Need happy new year shayari go our website

Unknown said...

Need local seo service go our website

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

online press release distribution helps you create buzz, increase online visibility and drive website traffic.

Unknown said...

Need about como alcanzar el exito personal go our website

nann said...

bestbinarybroker.net Firstly, professionalism is extremely important. Before gaining personal experiences with binary brokers, it should be ascertained by a prior comparison whether or not the broker is regulated by the Financial Supervisory Authority. A broker is only regulated if he satisfies various requirements and also passes repeated checks and tests.Anyone who believes that every broker is automatically regulated is wrong. There are very strict (depending on the country or Financial Supervisory Authority) guidelines, which the broker must meet both before and during regulation. Regulation provides the trader with assurance that he is dealing with a reputable supplier.

Unknown said...

" TRX exercises for weight loss " TRX exercises for weight loss. Read more about TRX training for weight loss. Check the effectiveness of the TRX weight loss program

Tax Advisors said...

This is an online e-commerce website where customers can purchase mid to high-range fitness accessories, apparel and nutritional supplements. Our incredible team developed this e-commerce website to showcase different categories of apparel, accessories and supplements to promote ease-of-access to our customers. We offer quality products designed for results oriented and effective workout. Even when you're not working out, we have other products and accessories to keep you looking your best and staying motivated.

Lastly, I started "Workout or Walkout" after I said similar words to someone in a gym one day when I got tired of people spending more time on their phones than they actually spend working out in the gym. I love and encourage phones in the gym for many reasons but if I need to use an equipment and it's not available simply because you choose to use it as a couch to text or chat, then we have a tiny bit of a problem my friend. Workout, Eat healthy; it's a lifetime thing! #workoutorwalkout #stayhealthymyfriends

For more information please click at workout walkout

Gchopra62 said...




Cheap Hair Extensions wholesale fast delivery and free

shipping for your business in just virgin wig online stores


Unknown said...


Hemp Oil ONLINE SHOPPING BRAND NEW CBD PRODUCTS AND TRUST IN THE QUALITY OF OUR CBD...!!!

Gchopra62 said...

evansville dentistDR. MAX LINGO’S EVANSVILLE INDIANA DENTAL SERVICES.

Gchopra62 said...


HTET Online Board of School Education Haryana (BSEH) will declare the result of HTET in January 2018.

Hero said...


1xbet turkiye 1xbet Türkiye, online bahis şirketi hakkında giriş ve inceleme bilgileri. Onebahis firması için 2020 güncel yeni giriş adresi, ödemeler ve üyelik işlemleri için detaylı bilgiler, 1xbahis sayfamızda yer almakta.

Hero said...


less than one dollar web hosting Domain hosting can be hit and miss when it comes to finding it cheap. Don’t get me wrong there are cheap web hosting options, but how about “super cheap and affordable” web hosting. Less than a dollar is “truly” affordable web hosting and this is a chance to get access to web hosting that is consistent and reliable when it comes to affordable web hosting.

Rafid said...


burner weight loss pills Authentic Option LLC offers collection of natural herbal products for skincare, hair care, and weight loss. We specialize in thermal weight loss, electrostimulation for muscle toning, cellulite removal, under-eye bags treatment and skincare products. We have an amazing range of beard growing products.

Receap said...

xanax dosages This dosage provides relief of anxiety for up to 6 hours after it has been ingested, which can help you focus on what needs to be done without being disrupted.

Aslam said...

ZPrávy

Haider said...

What is medical marijuana

Mira said...

du doan XSMB

AR Rahman said...

HORoskop

Hero said...

Ketamine HCL Liquid Vials

,

Ketamine HCL Powder, Special K, Kit Kat

,

Buy 3-MeO-PCP Online,

Buy Ecstasy Online Without Prescription,

Ephedrine HCL Crystals,

Buy MXE Online Buy Methoxetamine Online,

Furanyl Fentanyl Powder

,

A-PVP Crystals,

Acetyl Fentanyl Powder,

Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine)

,

Rafid said...


Facts about addiction Addiction stands as the top public health problem in America outstanding all other major diseases including stroke, heart diseases and even cancer. The population of addicts is far larger than the patients suffering from the three mentioned diseases in America with sufferers ranging in millions.

AR Rahman said...

PraHA

Rafid said...


Samoyeds for sale We have been branded as the best cattery for breeding healthy kittens and puppies ready for a home.

Aslam said...


canim sohbet Android Dear ChatCanım chat is growing day by day with the android chat service it has given to you and serves you, dear chat lovers, free of charge. You can connect and chat online at any time of the day with your smart devices on our chat site. Anonymous chat is a free chat site that allows you to chat randomly and does not charge any fee or money from our valued chat users.

James said...

legitimate online casinos Compare the best legit online casinos that pay real money including the best crypto casinos, best mobile casinos and the best online casinos in 2021

Bhargava medical & trauma centre said...

I am going to hire Growth Per hour ( digital Marketing Company ) for my Business because its preety good fir their work.

thank you

James said...

dank vape carts

Tax Consulting Firm said...

This blog is very helpful for me. Thanks for sharing this information with us. Visit our website for Tax & Accounting Consulting Firm, Regulatory Compliance, NRI Tax Return In India and Foreign Company Registration in India.

Farhan.Jee said...

Distance from places in which children congregate, such as schools and parks as well as registration deadlines that were exceeded were cited as reasons for the closures. cannabis flower

Anonymous said...

If you are looking for a coworking spaces in dubai Sheikh Zayed Road, which is a buzzing financial district full of opportunities. Spider Business Center is the perfect choice for you.

Add to Technorati Favorites