How Nature Inspired Tech Innovations?

Nature has always wondered mankind. Probably this is once big reason that has inspired humans to adopt new technologies which are inspired by nature. The imitations made from nature to has led to tech advancement. One can search on the web to find how nature is inspiring the human to make new engineering designs. Mini robot and prototype needle are latest in the innovation.

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Delicate Brain Surgery With Prototype Needle

 

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It took six years to Dr Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena crafting STING (Soft Tissue Intervention and Neurosurgical Guide). It's a prototype needle. With this needle complicated brain surgery can be performed. The technology is inspired from the female wood wasp. According to Prof Julian Vincent, Zoologist, Oxford University, “You would not know the design started off with a wood wasp - and that is a strength.”

Auxetic Material

 

Auxetic resources are useful in receiving the impacts. According to Prof Andy Alderson, Principle Research Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University, “Auxetic material is a material where when you pull it, it actually gets fatter rather than thinner.” The Ph.D. programmes of is examining how auxetic materials could safeguard the sports-person by taking helmet and shin pads. There is also an intention of bringing it to the application for the medical purpose like making artificial inter-vertibral discs. It will a great remedy for the incessant back pain. Presently the fabrics, fibres etc. are being made by the humans.

 

The Gecko tech

 

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Well don't be confused it's not the name of the new tech but Gecko lizard has inspired technologists to make machines similar ability of holding the stickiness. NASA has devised similar machine called Grippy which has carried out repair work on the space ships. At the Stanford University, researches have made small robots which can drag objects 2000 time more than their weight.

 

Robotic Cheetah

 

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Prof Sangbae Kim and his team have built a robot cheetah. The robot was made at MIIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The machine cheetah can run with the speed of 21 Km per hour. Besides it can leap to hurdles of its own. The real purpose is to innovate a new model/pattern of transport. According to Professor Kim, “ We are focusing on four-legged animals, to understand how they efficiently run in the field in nature so we can take the inspiration and use it in the engineering world.”

Whale Effect On Technology

 

The whalepower corporation tubercles in turbine blades to increase the effectiveness of turbines, pumps, fans and compressors. It has been invented by Dr Frank Fish who named the tech as Tubercle Effect.

Spider Inspiring New Tech

 

Kevlar is being used to sail the boats was invented by the Stephanie Kwolek. Though the real intention was to make spider silk, however the world got Kevlar. It's considered as the appropriate clothing for sailing the boat.

Swimwear Inspired By Shark 

 

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The dermal denticles increase the speed of the shark. This has inspired a swimming costume manufacturing company new swimwear claiming it no be exclusive. However, the claim is yet to be proven right. Abreast, the aerospace industry which is desperate to use similar tech for the spaceship is yet to achieve breakthrough.

Innovation Will Continue

 

Nature will continue to allure science and hence technology will born. And nature will keep inspiring the mankind to make newer technologies. Many techs has made it to the real world and many other will come to existence. Innovations influenced by nature will happen to benefit the human on earth... and I can't resist myself to see another discovery. 

Can Your MBA Degree Help Your Earn A High Salary?

The decision to pursue a postgraduate degree is usually an important and often expensive one. With every passing day the cost of college education across the globe is rising constantly which is compelling most students to take out heavy student loans. However, still many students feel motivated to pursue higher education as it helps to enhance your employability and earning potential. I believe an MBA degree can certainly open up great new avenues for boosting your career and fetch you excellent opportunities. But is an MBA worth the time and money?

As B-schools now charge ridiculous amount of tuition fees, pursuing a traditional MBA is often not feasible for most students. However, studying an online MBA top up programme can enable you to acquire a business degree in a faster and more affordable way. Let's take a quick look at what an MBA can do for you and what is the best way to earn it....

Does an MBA guarantee high income?

The financial gain after earning an MBA degree can either be exciting or discouraging, depending on your determination. A recent 2014 study conducted by Poets & Quants revealed that while some MBA graduates got jobs with lucrative salaries, many others with an MBA landed jobs that offered salary lower than bachelor degree jobs.

Work experience matters

A survey conducted by PayScale analysed median salaries of more than 34,294 MBA graduates with different specialisations. The study revealed that 1.5 per cent of the respondents had gained below 1 year of work experience and claimed to get a national average salary of around $50,453. Moreover, 1.9 per cent of participants had 1 to 4 years of work experience with an average salary of almost $58,092. An additional 34 per cent reported to make an average of $98,252 annually with ten to nineteen years of experience.

The study clearly shows that your earnings will depend not only on your MBA degree but also on the amount of your work experience. This is why pursuing an online top up MBA can be more beneficial for you as it allows you to study and work at the same time. You can easily choose to do a full time job in a relevant field and yet study business at your convenience.

However, it should also be noted that your average salary will also vary depending on the type of job your are employed in. Finance managers earned an average salary of 93,978, while financial analysts made $60,704 yearly. On the other hand, chief financial officers and marketing directors had a national average salary of $128,201 and $118,654 respectively. So now that you know your field of work greatly influences your earnings, you can simply seek out relevant work experience opportunities in your desired field while pursuing your top up MBA programme through online or distance learning.

Fast track your degree

One of the biggest advantage of an online MBA top up course is that apart from being highly affordable, it allows you to fast track to the final year of an accredited MBA programme from associated B-schools and universities and allows you to earn your MBA degree without investing excessive time and money. Coupled with the experience that you will gain while studying business online, your MBA degree will help you get the best job opportunities available globally and earn a lucrative salary.

With news of more than 2.5 million Nigerians currently residing in the United Kingdom for academic and professional opportunities, online MBA top up programmes might be the ideal solution to keep our boys home and encourage them to add to the national economy instead of going abroad.

The Bottom Line

No matter what, I cannot deny the fact that an MBA degree will lead to better employment opportunities and higher salaries. Even though extremes of high and low average salaries have been observed, but it only pertains to a small segment of MBA graduates. So if you are planning to study business, then this is the right time for you to go online and earn your MBA degree the smart way.

What do you think about MBA? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me by commenting below.

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Does Higher Education Mean Better Jobs For Africans?

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A recent study found that African youth with higher educational qualifications do not necessarily see proper job benefits from their education. According to the 2013 Gallup survey, African workers with any secondary education do only slightly better than African workers with only primary education regarding “positive employment outcome”. Gallup describes that a positive employment outcome is full time working opportunity for an employer, being employed part time but nor requiring full-time employment or being self-employed not by lack for job opportunities, but by choice.

Need For Pursuing Higher Education 

 

The high net education benefit (21 pct. pts according to the Gallup survey) of the Republic of Angola comes from the oil resources of the country which has resulted in fast urban growth, higher investments in education sector and more job creation for people with primary education. However, the overall scenario put forward an inconsistent and dismal picture for employment reward provided for higher education in Africa. This scenario is further motivated by the shortage of incentive for Africans to pursue higher education.

All over sub-Saharan Africa, it has been observed that basic needs tend to compete with the abilities of parents to send their kids to school. Although primary education is considered as facilitating specific professional activities in urban and rural communities, it is possible that many parents fail to see the advantages for continued education. In case families do realise its importance, the enrolment in higher education becomes infeasible due to the labour sacrifice. Most African families who send their kids to the school mainly do it because these parents think that education will lead to better employment opportunities.

Disparity In Educational Accomplishment

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Moreover, the difference in educational accomplishment throughout sub-Saharan Africa also depicts the challenges faced by the region in attaining global education standards. Nations like Burkina Faso and Niger, with only 10 per cent and 6 per cent respectively, have small percentage of populations pursuing some type of secondary education. However, Zimbabwe and South Africa have 74 per cent and 73 per cent of their population pursuing secondary education. It should be noted that although the intensity of secondary education and higher education considerably between Niger and Zimbabwe, the positive employment outcome is almost the same.

Another research conducted by the African Economic Outlook on education and skills disparity in the territory support the findings of the Gallup survey. This study offers an enhanced perspective by recognising that African individuals with higher education face higher unemployment levels in middle-income nations than nations with low-income.

Challenges Of Underemployment And Unemployment 

 

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The findings from the studies reveal that the underemployment and unemployment levels in most of the surveyed countries are almost same irrespective of the educational attainment of Africans. Hence, families in Africa might have to make lot of sacrifices for allowing their kids to pursue higher education, but see their children unemployed. At best, they will get underemployed at a similar level as Africans with only primary education.

What do you think about education and employment in Africa? Are you suffering from underemployment or unemployment? Share your opinions and experiences with us by commenting below. We would surely love to hear what you have to say.

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How Nigeria Can Attain National Development By Bettering Science And Technology Education

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It is believed that national development can be achieved that progress of manpower, which is possible only with the help of education. Formal education offered by schools and colleges can enable children for poor backgrounds to compete with wealthy kids. Hence it is important that we teach science and technological education to our students so that our countries can make further technological and scientific advancements.

Need For Better Science And Technology Education

 

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According to studies, science and technology education is integral to the development of industrialisation and civilisation. In the last few years, global technological advancement has increased to a great extent. As more innovative and creative approaches are being adopted, geographical boundaries, political and social inclinations are getting eroded.

It is imperative that we continuously strive to keep improving the quality of education in science, technology and mathematics. Studies show that China, India, Korea, Brazil and Singapore are the fastest developing economies. All these countries have significantly invested in developing education and enhancing technological skills. However, the government of Nigeria does not consider science and technology education to be of importance regarding investment in offering sufficient funding, infrastructure and training of workers. With a strong science and technology education programme, a country can achieve remarkable national development. Even though successive governments in Nigeria were aligned with the National Policy on education, the country is still lagging behind.

Reviewing The Curricula

 

Fortunately, the national government has taken steps to restructure curricula in primary schools and secondary schools, with initial learning in core science and technology. Moreover, almost 34 trade subjects were also incorporated for inspiring practical skills in Nigerian learners. It has been expected that different stakeholders in this sector would come together and work to make this curricula effective. The objectives of schools for science and technology must meet the worldwide standards, use proper scientific principles and processes in taking personal decisions, intelligently get involved in public discourse, take part in debates regarding scientific and technological concerns, and boosting economic productivity by utilising scientific skills, understanding and knowledge.

Nigeria needs to improve its mathematics, science and technology education if the nation wants to compete globally and remain relevant. There is also a strong need for enabling teachers and students in Nigeria to get used to latest approaches in teaching and learning. Furthermore, necessary steps must also be taken to improve student performances as Nigerian students have performed poorly in science subjects in the recent NECO, SSCE  and JAMB tests.

Collaboration Of Educators And Government

 

Experts suggest that the Nigerian education system must try to involve engineers, technologists, technicians and tradesmen, whenever possible, as educators or facilitators in science and technology in our schools. The country can learn from the examples set by United States of America and Japan, where science and technology education have been promoted effectively. The scenario of Nigeria is not drastically different; hence we can develop the situation by following political will, total commitment and the culture of sincerity of purpose in the effective execution of admirable policies.

Moreover, the government should also create provisions for sharing funds and resources adequately in the education sector to meet global practices and standards. By taking the right steps, Nigeria can follow a successful path to provide enhanced science and technology education to all students in the nation.

Want to share your own views on the Nigerian education sector?Then feel free to comment in the box below.

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Study Online MBA While Working a Full Time Job

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So you are planning to go for an online MBA programme while working on a full time job? This is certainly a great idea for your future career but you should be prepared for facing some serious challenges in accomplishing your goals. Although initially you may feel that the load of an online course for a higher education programme will be rather light and easily manageable; however as your classes progress you will realise how daunting it is to balance your full time job and the online course.

But along with these challenges, you will also receive excellent opportunities for your personal and professional growth. Thus it is necessary that you learn to balance your work life and your education in order to succeed at your mission with comprising on either one. The knowledge and skills that you will gain in your online MBA course will improve your efficiency at work. Moreover, your experience from your full time job will enable you to perform better in your management studies. Thus you need to develop some effective strategies that will help you to prepare for unexpected difficulties and potential challenges and overcome them successfully in order to achieve your educational and professional goals.

These following tips will help you to balance your studies and your job in a simple and efficient manner.

Manage Your Time Effectively

As you have to balance your studies and your current job, you need to properly divide your time to make sure that you perform excellently in both areas. If you tend to procrastinate, then it will create serious problems for you in the future. Plan and organise your meetings and deadlines from your work and tests and assignments from your MBA course so that you can keep track of important deadlines. You must schedule specific times for your study which you will follow regularly and diligently. Pursuing an online MBA can be great only if you manage to maintain your efficiency in both your work and studies.

Be Prepared for Unexpected Problems

It is important that you foresee all potential problems that might crop up once you begin attending your online classes. Predict all the small things that might create a major obstacle in your studies. Planning for probable difficulties will help you to figure out the respective solutions to each problem. Prepare back up plans in case your schedules go awry which can create inconvenience in your work or studies. Once you have planned ahead for unforeseen challenges then it will become much easier for you to balance your work and your education.

Apply Your Knowledge

It is imperative that you apply your knowledge from your online MBA course into your workplace while you continue your education. This will help you to understand the topics and become a better manager and team leader. Furthermore you will know how to apply your skills and knowledge successfully when it is required. Apart from this, you also need to apply your work experience into your studies. While you are working on case studies for your online course, your own personal experience at the workplace will help you to understand the topics and subjects easily and solve the problems provided to you.

As a result you will be able to hone your managerial and leadership abilities. Moreover, the valuable lessons you will learn from your mentors, teachers and fellow students will improve your leadership skills which can be beneficial for your career.

Improve Excellent Presentation Skills

Strong and excellent public speaking skills is necessary for a successful manager and team leader. Hence you need to develop and customize the content and quality of your presentations according to the requirements and interests of your clients and teachers. Having good presentation skills will enable you to grab the attention of your viewers and create an impact. You need to practice beforehand to know about the timing and delivery of the presentation. You must remain confident and enthusiastic so that you can deliver your message perfectly.

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Improve Your Networking Skills

Throughout your MBA course and your professional career, you will meet several other professionals whose support and advice can help you to achieve further success. Prepare a list of those people, whether seniors from work, colleagues, peers or fellow students with whom you would like to associate and network better. Find out more information about them and contact them proactively. Increasing and building your professional network will open up great new opportunities for you in the future.

Improve Your Self Confidence

It is very important that you have sufficient self confidence in order to struggle with the several challenges of balancing full time work and online education. You will need to stay focused on your final goal as it can be easy to get distracted after some time.

Instead of concentrating on the negative aspects and challenges, focus on the advantages of pursuing an online MBA and its benefits your career and personal life. Your attitude will have a great impact on the success of your education and work. 

Using Social Media makes you more Employable

 

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Do you think that once you become a graduate, you will get your dream job? Believe it or not, it’s a daunting task because it’s not only you who is having such plans for career development but there are countless individuals who are in the same queue. So, there has to be an avenue that would let you proceed faster than others participating in the race for achieving prosperous careers. In other words, you need to make yourself more and more employable with the passage of time.

Social media – a key tool to allure employers

Social media can act as a key tool. It’s no surprise that you keep posting something or the other in Facebook or Twitter regarding your personal or professional matters. In fact, you keep texting through Skype and nowadays through Whatsapp to remain connected to your friends and dear ones. So, in a way, this works wonders in letting you sustain a healthy social life. Well, the same can be done to bring your employers in notice.

University of Northampton’s head of the employability service, Lynn Finn said that it’s really important for students to make use of social media to enhance their career prospects. “It's so easy for an employer to check your social media profiles and if they can see you're following their company on Twitter and interacting with professionals, it shows them you're more likely to understand their company's values”, he said.

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Boost your profile in a smarter way

Certainly, social media in today’s world can absolutely boost your profile in a smarter way than you can ever imagine. If you ask how, here are a few instances. Suppose, you are an entrepreneur and you want to make your business global. Simply create a blog of your own, post it in a social networking site and tweet it to local business experts. This is an initiative that would let everyone in your field know as what you are up to.

One of Nottingham Trent University’s graduates in graphic design, Rachel Davies said that creating a blog is indeed a superb way of making employers know as how you are preparing prior to appearing for the interview. She was rather confident in saying that it was her blog that would help him grab her internship. 

Blogs can instead be so helpful that they can:

-         make one get accustomed to writing on a regular basis

-         lets one achieve more and more confidence before facing the interviewer

-         For someone who is into journalism can hence showcase one’s journalistic skills through his/her blog.

-         Adding one’s blog to one’s CV always helps the employer realise the potential of the candidate

 

In fact, the ones who can benefit the most from blogging are the online learners. In fact, the working professionals who try so hard to manage time for their work and studies can adopt the blogging strategy to remain exposed to more employment opportunities. Moreover, where experts have predicted 2014 to initiate new trends in social media, it will surely act as a more effective tool for employment.

Smart Strategies to Monitor Online University Students

Being an online instructor, how wisely will you be able to monitor each and every student of yours? To be precise, if you have been assigned the job of handling a huge class of university students, what ways would you adopt to get your job done with ease?

Well, if you are clueless, here are a few ways that would let you know how online universities today actually prefer monitoring a huge database of students. Take a look:

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Social networking – Needless to say, Facebook, G+, LinkedIn and similar other social networking sites have brought massive changes in the education scenario over the years. In fact, these social networks have proved how flexible and effective is online learning in comparison to that in classrooms. Now, online university instructors can ask their students to share news, data or videos online through which it will be clear whether students are taking interest in their lessons.

• Degree Compass System – Have you come across grade predictors? Well, online universities have become super advanced in using grade predictors. These modernised tools say as what grades can be achieved potentially by their students. What the system strongly recommends is that it determines the right course with which students need to graduate. Plenty of universities have started using the degree compass system that is gradually popularising with time.
• Tracking library attendance – One of the best ways today’s virtual universities are following to monitor performances of students is using the library attendance tracker. According to university administrators, one’s learning activities are determined by analysing his/her class attendance, information related to assignment submission. The university will also be checking how consistently students are borrowing books and visiting libraries.



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• Building online network – Saving students from dropping out is no doubt one of the major concerns of a university. Therefore, what today’s university administrators are doing is building virtual networks through which they are giving special guidance and advice to students. In fact, some universities also initiate networks where they involve staff, parents and even student leaders who come up with wise suggestions for all those who have fears of dropping out universities.

Apart from these strategies, online universities have student support teams who keep receiving queries of students every now and then. Through these queries, the universities come to know about the various obstacles that are not able to make students achieve their career goals.

So, there are a lot of strategies in reality that are designed to keep track of each and every student online. You just need to know the right one that can make your job easier. Remember, teaching students online is always fun since it’s not only the students whom you will be equipping with modern learning strategies but you too will be taking pleasure in educating others in an unconventional manner. It’s nothing but a big reality.

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