Articles by Steven Gilchrist

I n November 2013, the Maldives elected Yaamin Abdul Gayoom as its new president.   Gayoom is the brother of former Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who was president of the island nation for 30 years.   Yaamin Abdul Gayoom received 51.4 percent of the total vote defeating Mohamed Nasheed – the first democratically elected leader in the nation’s history.   With a population of nearly 400,000 people, the Maldives is the smallest country in Asia in terms of population and land area.   The island is composed of over 1,200 islands located in the Indian Ocean.   Most of the islands are uninhabited.   In 2004, several islands were badly damaged from a devastating tsunami.   The Maldives economy depends on fisheries and tourism.   Moving forward, two of the greatest challenges for the Maldives are rising sea levels and the potential of the government falling back into authoritarian rule. Facts about the Maldives: Capital: Male Major La...

I n recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a statement about working towards a more inclusive society.   On December 3, 2013, Ki-moon announced the new Accessibility Centre at UN Headquarters in New York.   According to Ki-moon there are currently more than one billion people living with disabilities worldwide. Researchers from Georgia Tech have developed a new wireless device that gives people who use motorized wheelchairs more independence.   The new device known as the Tongue Drive System is considered to be more efficient than the “sip-and-puff” wheelchair model.   The tongue-directed wheelchair uses a headset that translates the movements from a magnet that is embedded in a user’s tongue.   The magnet sends information to a program on a cell phone or computer which operates the movement of the wheelchair. By moving their tongues to the left or right, paralyzed patients...

A lthough the Earth’s oceans cover 71% of the planet’s surface, 95% of the underwater world remains unknown according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Earth’s oceans are an integral component for the planet’s climate, food supply, marine ecosystems, and weather. Scientists are now using big data to better understand the world’s oceans and marine ecosystems. Forbes.com contributor Lisa Wirthman writes about emerging oceanographic research in a recent article titled: “A Wired Ocean? How Big Data Is Saving Marine Predators.” In the article, Wirthman interviewed Stanford University marine biologist Barbara Block. There are several reasons for having a better understanding of the world’s oceans. Our ability to breathe oxygen is derived from the ocean — which shields CO2 from the atmosphere, Block explains. “What will help us better understand the planet’s condition is to better understand what’s underneath two-thirds of it, which is covered by wate...