【推荐1】Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new material that can move heat out of buildings and into space. The researchers say the material can cool buildings even on hot days. The cooling material is a very thin sheet with many layers that could be placed on a roof like solar panels (板). However, instead of turning sunlight into energy as solar panels do, the material turns heat into infrared (红外线的) radiation.

Shanhui Fan is an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University. He says that the panels have a layer of material that is like sand. The panels act like a mirror. They take heat out of buildings and reflect the light from the sun. And he says both the heat and sunlight are sent 100 kilometers into outer space. “It's a structure that cools itself without electricity input, even under the sun. So, what it does is basically radiate heat to outer space and also reflect the sunlight so it doesn't get heated up by the sun.” Mr Fan says it is like having a window into space. The heat is sent directly into space without increasing the air temperature.

He says buildings in developing countries that do not have electricity or air conditioning could use the panels. “In areas where electricity is out of reach for many people, there is a potential benefit for storing medicine or even food. In many of these situations, being able to reduce the temperature is important. And this would provide a way to do it.”

The researchers say the main problem is creating actual cooling systems using the high-tech panels. They say it may be possible to develop a cooling spray (喷涂) that could be used on present solid structures. They believe the cooling spray technology could be developed in the next three to five years. They say as much as 15 percent of the energy used in the United States is spent providing power to air conditioning systems.

【推荐3】Winning a remarkable science award is really a big deal, especially if you are 12 years old. But Shanya Gill, a middle schooler from San Jose, California, won the top award in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge for designing a fire detection system that is superior to existing ones, as stated in the press release.

“The top winners have exhibited boundless curiosity,” Maya Ajmera president and CEO of Society for Science, said in the press release. “Their remarkable research not only reflects their talent but also paves the way for an exciting new future.”

Shanya’s inspiration came after a fire destroyed a restaurant in her neighborhood during the summer of 2022, reported The Washington Post. “I had never really experienced something like that before,” she told The Washington Post about the early morning fire at Holder’s Country Inn, which started in the kitchen. “They had smoke detectors, and yet it still burned down,” she added.

After she studied fire statistics, Shaya spent over a year developing a fire detection system that she believes could have prevented the fire. Unlike traditional smoke detectors that sense active fires from the smoke in the air, Shanya’s thermal (热的) imaging device is designed to stop fires from occurring.

With a thermal camera and a tiny computer, the device detects when a heat source has been left unattended for ten minutes and sends a text message warning. Shanya wants to bring the costs down to make it even more common than hardwired smoke detectors.

“Shanya saw a problem, went after it and tried to solve it, and that’s what we need to encourage with all young people,” said Ajmera. She also highlighted the significance of supporting individuals, especially girls and kids of color, in STEM fields.

【推荐1】He is a 62-year-old superior court judge, but they are former addicts and criminals. All of them, however, are part of one team: the Skid Row Running Club in Los Angeles (L.A.).

Twice a week, before the sun comes up, Judge Craig Mitchell runs the mile from his office at the county courthouse to The Midnight Mission, a social services organization centered in Downtown’s Skid Row — the well-known area where the city’s largest homeless population lives.

At the organization, he meets a group of 30 to 40 people and together they run through East L.A. The group includes runners from all walks of life and all levels of athleticism. Some members are homeless or in recovery, and others are lawyers, social workers or students.

Mitchell developed the program in 2012 after a man he’d once sentenced to prison returned to thank him. “He was paroled（假释）to The Midnight Mission and decided to come back and said ‘Thank you, Judge Mitchell, for treating me like a human being.’ The president of the organization at the time asked me if there was something that I could do to contribute to the organization, and I thought of starting a running club. That was the inception,” Mitchell said.

Every year, Mitchell takes his most devoted Skid Row runners on a free trip to participate in an international marathon. “I come back to the courthouse after any run and check off who is there. And so, I know exactly who has been faithful to the running program and who just comes once in a while, ” he said.

Mitchell says he’s seen some participants turn their lives around, attending college, securing full-time employment and possessing calmness. “Running is a way for the participants to build relationships,” he said. “You can be an amazing runner and benefit as much as our fast runners, because at the end of the day you’re going to be surrounded by people who really care about you and want to spend time with you. Everybody is welcome. We believe. We listen. We support.”

【推荐2】Camping is a rite of passage if you grow up in Canada. It’s a child’s first taste of what living in the wild really means. But growing up as an immigrant (移民) from India, I thought it was strange. I simply didn’t understand why so many people loved nature when the comfort of your home still existed.

Then I turned 26 and started trying new things. I had been experiencing mental health issues for quite some time and I discovered being out in nature helped me calm down. So, I decided to try camping.

The night before the trip I was quite excited. Then I overheard a conversation between my father and mother. “Why does she have to do this? Doesn’t she know she can just stay at home?” my father asked. “This is what Canadian kids do, it’s okay, she’ll be fine!” my mom explained. My parents had no faith in me surviving one night in the wild.

My friends and I set up our campsite in the woods. As the day went on, we ate, played by the water and met our camping neighbors. Time felt like it slowed down; life felt gentler and easier. Suddenly, I realized: I was doing it! I was camping! As the day turned into night, the stars came out and I was amazed by all the twinkling lights above me.

I won’t lie. I had the worst sleep of my life. Morning came and I was up and ready to make breakfast, coffee and tea. I didn’t even realize I was sad to leave until we started packing everything up.

I wasn’t just leaving, having accomplished something I never thought I would do. I was leaving with a real sense of community, a real sense of appreciation for what the great outdoors had to offer, and a completely different outlook on an activity that I had thought strange for so many years. It made me realize the beauty of Canada wasn’t in the things we did, but in the community we built.

【推荐3】For my birthday, I wanted to visit Yosemite National Park with my family. But since I didn't book a hotel or cabin many weeks in advance, we had to go and come back on the same day.

Peter and I travel to Yosemite National Park at least once a year, but my family hadn't been there in years. And it was my little sister's first visit. I wanted this to be an unforgettable trip.

We started our day at about 10:30 a. m. in the park and left the park at about 9:00 p. m. Tunnel View is the mandatory (必须的) first stop in Yosemite. If it's your first time in Yosemite National Park, you'll want to stay there for hours and admire the beauty and grandness of the park. Tunnel View will take your breath away.

In this scenic viewpoint, you're able to see Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall. Tunnel View is where everyone can get"the shot". You'll take an excellent photo that looks like a postcard.

Bridalveil Fall is the waterfall you can see in the distance while standing at Tunnel View. It is also the first waterfall you can stop at to see up close. There is a paved walkway from the parking lot to the base of the waterfall. We were there at the end of July, so there wasn't much water but in the spring and early summer, the water is flowing in large amounts.

As it gets towards the end of your Yosemite day trip, start making your way out of Yosemite Valley towards Glacier Point. If you get there before sunset, enjoy the short hikes to get different views of the valley and Half Dome. About five minutes before sunset, a park ranger (管理员) comes and gives a talk about the sunset in Yosemite National Park.