The first few full electric vehicles (EVs) have come to market over the last few years that consumers are actually interested in buying. Before that, the closest any car maker ever got was a hybrid vehicle. But as the cost of gasoline remains stubbornly high, EVsare becoming big business. The main reason for that is the stability of the eGallon — it averages just $1.18 while regular gasoline is sitting at $3.49.
High schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions will create early-college/dual-degree courses better aligned to the college curriculum.
The higher education landscape has been profoundly transformed in roughly 50-year intervals. During the early 19th century, the colonial colleges were joined by several hundred more religiously founded institutions. The mid-19th century saw the rise of public colleges, culminating in the Morrill Act of 1862. The turn of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of the modern research university as well as the articulation of the Wisconsin Idea, that public universities should serve the public, as well as the appearance of extension services. The 1960s saw the transformation of normal schools into comprehensive universities, the rapid proliferation of community colleges, the end of legal segregation in higher education, and sharply increased federal aid to colleges and universities.
Skylar Tibbits, an architect who heads up the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT.
The essence of human identity is increasingly in the hands of a new generation. We are entering a future where our biology is becoming self-defined, assembled, manufactured, and increasingly unique. For one, advancements in new materials technology are leading to potentially game-changing innovations. When combined with rapid improvements in 3D printing techniques, the applications for human biology become manifold.
The campuses that are wired for video are the classrooms of the future.
Demand for academic video among students is growing at an astronomical rate. Large and small universities alike are evaluating how best to harness the power of video to increase student success and classroom efficiency.
Patents have been holding back 3D printing, the technology that’s supposed to revolutionize manufacturing and countless other industries. In February 2014, key patents that currently prevent competition in the market for the most advanced and functional 3D printers will expire, says Duann Scott, design evangelist at 3D printing company Shapeways.
While most of the 100,000+ libraries in the U.S. will likely continue to function as they always have, moving books around shelves and holding areas, to and from patrons — at least for the foreseeable future — some libraries around the world are changing and this could be the start of a trend.
Futurist Thomas Frey: In 2012, when 15-year old Jack Andraka’s uncle died of pancreatic cancer, he decided to look into it. He found that the current test for pancreatic cancer was over 60 years old, cost over $800, and wasn’t very reliable.
Many environmentalists and clean energy supporters cheered when President Obama announced his proposal to limit carbon emissions on existing power plants. But the plan will take years, at the least, to put into action, and perhaps longer — if the power industry has its way.
Coders, vendors, and users are inching toward the smart-device-everywhere future known as the Internet of Things. They are starting to address a bunch of issues. One issue is just how will the various devices connected to the Internet of Things will talk to each other.
People are shopping on their phones more so than ever before.
You won’t need to carry a wallet in the not-so-distant future. Smartphones are transforming the way we pay for things online and offline, but mobile payments still have a long way to go before they’re ubiquitous.
Futurist Thomas Frey: Fifteen years ago I found myself stranded in the small town of Faith, South Dakota. It was 3:00 am in the morning and my car was out of gas. To give you a better idea of my predicament, this tiny town of 400 people was located 100 miles away from any significant cities.
