Skip to main content

Capstone project aims to help solve global water shortage







Five Northeastern University student-researchers have worked to address the worldwide water crisis, designing a solar-powered desalination system that produces potable ocean water. They created the device for their senior capstone project, which was supervised by mechanical and industrial engineering professor Mohammad Taslim. Team members comprised Eric Anderson, Jon Moll, Dave Rapp, Murphy Rutledge, and Ryan Wasserman, all E'15.  
In their project report, the students pointed to the urgent need to solve the global water shortage: Some 750 million people lack access to clean water, according to water.org, and approximately 840,000 people die each year from a water related disease. Indeed, the water crisis represents the greatest risk facing the world today.
"We wanted to work on this project precisely because of the world's water problem," said Wasserman, who recently graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. "Developing nations like Haiti need a cost-effective method for obtaining usable water without power input." May 19 http://phys.org/news/2015-05-capstone-aims-global-shortage.html








The news comes to us on the eve of a powerful Sun-Saturn opposition of May 22. A chart for the opposition drawn for Boston,MA  where Northeastern University is located is shown here. The configuration relevant to our discussion is the Grand Cross straddling the meridian axis. The Uranus-Pluto element of the Grand Cross is linked to scientific and technological breakthroughs.  Key phrases for the TNP Zeus placed on the MC are [1]

ZEUS: Restrained or creative fire/energy; enthusiasm; controlled & directed forces (thus both planning and controlling strong emotions;) guns, power tools, machines, motors, fireplaces, fuels; excitement; to incite; military; blood pressure; ability to harness energies for accomplishment.

If we combine Uranus-Pluto with Zeus we can see why a technological breakthrough in concentrating and harnessing the Sun’s energy has been achieved. But why is this invention connected with water? The answer is contained in the fourth leg of the Grand Cross. Venus is  in the water sign Cancer but more specifically it is conjunct the star zeta Geminorum [15cn] which was part of the Chinese asterism Tsing, The Well – a symbolic reference to a source of clean and pure water.

Finally, notice that the Sun-Saturn axis forms hard aspects to all the four legs of the Grand Cross. Saturn [1sa38] is conjunct the star Kornephoros [1sa17]. Beta (β) Hercules, Kornephoros, is a pale yellow star on the right shoulder of the Kneeling Man. About the constellation, Nick Fiorenza [2] writes:

Hercules stands upside down in the northern Heavens, above Ophiuchus and this entire scene, with his feet (foundation) in the celestial dome (seven Heavens), in the realm of the gods, and with his head and hands at work in the realm of humankind.  Hercules is one seeded from another realm, who is intimately aware of the dilemma of this realm and its cause (the amalgamation of those from the heavens with those from the Earth). His presence upon this solar system's (soul's) incarnational plane is thus of a service capacity and mission of evolutionary proportion. With his head and other hand, Hercules demonstrably aids those in the incarnate world to claim their freedom from perpetuated entrapment. Sarin and Kornephorus  form the shoulder of Hercules. These stars embody the essence of Hercules' "sense of responsibility" to aid others in attaining their freedom in life.




Comments