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U of A engineering students look to the future with their
BY SARAH PRATT
alternative
The team from the University of Alberta poses with their EcoCar.
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ecently, a quartet of pioneering University of Alberta engineering students came together to showcase their hydrogen fuel cell car for the Drive the Future Expo in the capital city. The young engineering students were happy to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with onlookers, and their varied skills and interests all come together to make a strong team. For these young men, it is about their passion for inventing and experimenting. Although their future careers might take them in vastly different directions, for this expo, it’s all about the University of Alberta EcoCar. The Alberta Motor Association, ENMAX, NAIT and the City of Edmonton teamed up with SESA (Solar Energy Society of Alberta) to offer this one-day expo on
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energy car
alternative transportation options, including electric, hybrid, biodiesel, human-powered, hydrogen and solar technologies. The day included informational workshops, solar-powered music, solar-baked cookies, smoothies made by bicycle generators and more. The workshops discussed topics such as: how to convert a gas vehicle to electric; coldweather battery performance; and a carbon footprint analysis of various alternative technologies. The car show displayed more than 40 alternative vehicles from homemade vehicle conversions to the latest all electric cars commercially available, including a solar race car and a canola oil powered race car. Vehicles from NAIT and the University of Calgary were also included. It was a day to showcase the future
he dry southern Alberta badlands were once covered in water and brimming with prehistoric marine life. It can be difficult to imagine the eroded slopes and dusty fields as waterways, but the fossils tell the story. The area is home to some of the most rare ammonite fossils in the world, and these extinct cephalopods date back 65 million years to the late Cretaceous and the time of the dinosaurs. Ammonites were squid-like carnivores that lived in coiled shells, and their living relatives include the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus. They are named after the Egyptian god Ammon, who had curved horns on either side of his head. Ammonites lived in schools and travelled via a sort of jet propulsion by squirting water through a tube. Ammonites are certainly interesting to study, but perhaps not the most visually stunning in the colour department; the range of colours included ivory, brown and other tones of brown. But once the ammonites are fossilized, they turn into the most mesmerizing BY SARAH PRATT colours imaginable. The outer shell is made of aragonite, and the final colours depend on the elements present during the fossilization process and how many layers of gem material can reflect the light. It’s amazing to hold a piece of ammolite (the creature is ammonite, the gem is ammolite) and watch the colours change as you turn the gem from side to side. As mentioned, the province’s vivid ammonite fossils are rare, and ammolite is the official gemstone of Alberta. The Government of Canada considers ammolites a national treasure, and you’ll also see a beautiful example at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller. To add to the rarity of ammonite fossils is the challenge of unearthing them. This hunting is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard, dirty work that takes physical stamina, patience, experience and sharp eyesight. Some hunters venture to the sights by foot with a backpack, while others use boats. And a backpack. Ammonite hunters are territorial beings, and one person’s claim site is another’s forbidden treasure. Emphasis on the forbidden. You don’t want to step foot on someone else’s territory, it’s illegal. There’s actually a lot of paperwork involved in ammonite hunting. Chris Robak, an avid ammonite hunter and owner of Silver Cove rock and gem stores in Lacombe and Red Deer, sends a photo of every piece he collects to the Royal Tyrrell. If they deem there is no scientific value to the pieces, he gets disposition, meaning he can keep them. Chris’ father Ron owns Ammonite World and has been working with ammonites and making ammolite jewelry for more than 20 years. Chris learned about ammonites from a young age, thanks to Ron, and now the two head out to their respective sites as often as possible together.
of driving and the commitment from a single charge, accelerates from everyone. 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds and “A $7,000 solar-panel rooftop reaches speeds of 200 km/h. system pays for SESA reports that itself from gas the future trend for savings in five the electric vehicle years,” said Rob market is exponential Harlan, executive growth. The U.S. will director of SESA. have 1.5m electric cars “So not only will pioneered by major manufacturers like GM, Albertans soon Mistubishi and Nissan be driving a zero on the road by 2015, emissions cars, rising to 20 million in they won’t pay The University of Calgary’s alternative energy car 2020. Thirty-nine per a cent for fuel made its way to the capital for the expo. cent of electric vehicle either.” owners in the U.S. use The expo also solar systems on their homes to fuel boats the largest collection of their cars. alternative vehicles ever gathered “We’ll soon be seeing more and in Alberta, many on display for the cheaper solar-powered cars on first time. Some are prototypes Alberta’s roads that don’t cost a and some, like the Tesla Model S, single drop of oil. Just a kiss from you will see on the roads. The Tesla the sun,” said Harlan. Model S covers 425 kilometres on
Once you find a suitable and legal site, your hunt begins with a visual search. You’re looking for round-edged rocks, also known as concretions. Often you have to climb slippery slopes to reach the potential fossils. Often you crack open a rock and the inside is pure grey. Nothing. It’s when you see that line of gemstone and reveal the iridescent ammonite fossil that it’s all worth it. You’re the first person to ever see and touch this 65-million-year-old ammonite. The long days start with hope and enthusiasm and end with tired eyes, complete with dirt on every eyelash and in every crevice, looking with amazement at these incredible works of nature’s art. If the fossils are left exposed to the elements, they crack, flake and turn white. The ammolite is a thin layer and quite fragile, and it’s unfortunate that there are probably too many ammonites left unharvested. The ultimate find, the big kahuna, is a complete ammonite. This day, Chris found an exceptional specimen thanks to a small concretion protruding from the hillside. He took his well-used shovel and dug out around the formation. Using a crack hammer and the shovel, he carefully split the concretion to reveal the fossil inside. It’s a beautiful amalgamation of history and marine geology and palaeontology. Once Chris gets the fossil from the remote site to his home, it takes approximately 30 hours to prep the ammolite so it becomes the shiny gems you see in his stores. The prepping is a multi-layered process that includes glue, sanding, stabilizing, and clear coats for protection. The pieces are truly Alberta-made, from start to finish. It’s easy to be attracted to ammolite’s brilliant colours, and the blending of red, orange, green, blue and purple is hypnotic. Every ammolite tells a story and is a part of not only Alberta’s history, but also its current status as a celebrated ammolite hotspot.
ammonite Hunting for rare
fossils in southern Alberta
above: A beautifully prepared ammolite gemstone in ring form. left: Chris Robak works to remove a 65-million-year-old ammonite fossil from its long-time resting place in southern Alberta.