Category Archives: Engineering
UNL College of Engineering beginning to see payoff on investments into people, facilities – Lexington Clipper Herald
CHRIS DUNKER Lincoln Journal Star
The empty lot that became a big hole in the ground on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's campus is beginning to transform again.
As steel beams begin to stretch skyward, outlining what will become Kiewit Hall, a $115 million facility funded through private donations, UNL's College of Engineering is working to transform alongside it.
University of Nebraska College of Engineering Dean LancePrez talks about changes in the engineering program at Othmer Hall on Thursday.
"We're going to transform the student experience," Lance Prez, the college dean, told the NU Board of Regents on Thursday during a campus tour.
Regents also toured and spoke throughout the day with personnel at the UNL College of Education and Human Sciences, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts and the College of Law.
Many of the presentations allowed regents to see the results of the board's investments made in faculty, facilities and new programs over the last few years.
In addition to building a new facility Kiewit Corp. in Omaha made the lead gift of $25 million the College of Engineering is also expanding its faculty and financial support for students.
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Forty new engineering faculty have been hired over the last three years,Prez said, with many moving into the 87,000 square feet of newly renovated space known as the Engineering Research Center.
Many of those individuals come to UNL with National Science Foundation career awards, or an equivalent award, which brings research funding along with it, and the chance for undergraduate and graduate students to get valuable hands-on experience.
UNL is also undertaking a professional development program aimed at shifting its engineering curriculum toward more active and collaborative learning, the dean said.
The interactions that kind of learning will foster, between instructors and students and between students and students, and instructors and instructors across disciplines, may lead to new academic programs.
Every first-year student entering the college this fall will enroll in the Complete Engineer program, which teaches non-technical skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork, professional ethics, and civic and social responsibility alongside the engineering education.
Those competencies will be included on the students' transcripts when they graduate, Prez said.
UNL is also partnering with Kiewit Corp. and the Peter Kiewit Foundation to support students in ways Prez said is making a College of Engineering education more accessible for Nebraska students.
A second cohort of 10 Kiewit Scholars, whose cost of education is paid for by executives at Kiewit Corp., will enter UNL in the fall. The first cohort of 10 students has earned an average 3.8 GPA and had opportunities to visit projects across the country and meet business leaders.
Starting this fall, the Peter Kiewit Foundation Scholars will pay the cost of education including tuition, room and board and books for 40 students.
The $5 million annual program, which is focused on Nebraska students, as well as those with demonstrated need, received hundreds of applications, Prez said.
"We're really doing everything we can to make sure that every Nebraskan has an opportunity to study engineering and preserve that access to students across the state," he told regents.
Prez said the massive investments from the state, university and private sector are beginning to show results.
After peaking at 3,117 students in the 2017-18 school year roughly corresponding to record enrollment across the NU system the College of Engineering experienced three consecutive years of enrollment losses.
Enrollment jumped to 3,023 students last fall, however, and the number of students who have been accepted is also on the rise.
A total of 435 students have placed enrollment deposits for the fall 2022 semester, Prez said a nearly 22% increase over the number of enrollment deposits last year at this time.
"If that comes to fruition,"Prez said, referring to students who have been admitted and paid a deposit showing up for fall classes, "we'll really start to see the growth we're talking about."
This year's enrollment deposits are 9% higher than the 398 students who had been admitted to the College of Engineering at this point in 2019 before the pandemic, when enrollments plummeted across the country.
Prez credited the leadership of NU President Ted Carter, UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green and the state in pushing to keep the university open last year, when many institutions remained closed because of COVID-19.
"We were aggressive in understanding the value of in-person education, while also learning lessons of remote learning and access, so we are entering this fall poised in a position of strength compared to many other institutions," he said.
Prez said as the College of Engineering watches Kiewit Hall continue to take shape, it will also keep close tabs on how students it educates and trains take shape as well.
"I feel confident every one of those students will get an offer from a Nebraska company," he said. "Whether or not they take it, that's their decision, of course, but there is plenty of opportunity in the state right now across engineering, computing and construction."
During Thursday's tour, Green pointed out to regents a space across Vine Street to the south of Kiewit Hall where he envisions a future School of Computing building.
UNL proposed the creation of a School of Computing that operates under the College of Engineering in February 2020; the Board of Regents approved the idea in August 2021.
The proposed $80 million facility, which will be a part of a future fundraising effort launched by the University of Nebraska Foundation, will be home to future degree programs in data science, artificial intelligence and other high-tech fields.
"We don't do vocational training we educate students for the future because they are going to be doing jobs we haven't thought of yet," Prez said.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Architectural Hall, seen here in July 1987 following a $4.38 million renovation, is the university's oldest building. It originally housed UNL's library and art gallery and served as headquarters for the Nebraska State Historical Society.
Louise Pound Hall previously housed the College of Business Administration. It opened in 1919 and was renovated in 2018.
The Temple Building, at 12th and R streets, is home to the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. It was completed in 1908 and renovated in the 1970s.
Morrill Hall, home to State Museum of Natural History on the UNL City Campus, was built for $350,000 and dedicated in 1927.
Banners tream down through the atrium gathering place which unites UNL's Architecture Hall and Architecture Hall West, the former law college building, in this November 1987 photo.
Construction underway in January 1986 renovating and linking UNL's former law building (left) and Architectural Hall.
Construction on Architecture Hall, originally built as a library for $110,000, started in 1892. It was renovated for $4.3 million in the mid-1980s.
UNL demolish the Cather and Pound residence halls in 2017.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS
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Tony Barrett Promoted to President of Cyber and Engineering at BigBear.ai – Executive Gov
Intelligence executiveTony Barrett has been elevated to the position of president of cyber and engineering at data and digital services companyBigBear.ai.
In his new role, Barrett will build upon his work in BigBears integrated defense solutions division while leading both security efforts and the innovation-minded creation of new strategies, he announced in aLinkedIn post on April 1.
I am humbled as well as energized by the opportunity and look forward to many more great things at BigBear.ai, Barrett shared.
The executives experience combines business operations, software and enterprise-level computer system operations and military combat service. For over two decades, Barrett was an officer, commanding officer, major and deputy director in the U.S. Marine Corps.
After this time, he began a career in the private sector spearheading intelligence-surveillance-reconaissance data and technology integration throughout various data origin points, domains and security levels at software company Modus Operandi.
Subsequently, Barrett was Hanscom site lead and and director of Department of Defense operations for technology and management consulting firm PCI, which was eventually acquired by BigBear.ai in February 2021.
Barretts core capabilities lie in intelligence operations, investigations, enterprise architecture and counterinsurgency operations. He also specializes in counterterrorism operations, internal and personal security and intel systems.
He attended Boston University and graduated cum laude with a bachelors degree in history in three years time while on active duty in a Marine-enlisted commissioning program.
The promotion of Barrett follows BigBear.ais February addition of twonew senior vice presidents:Todd Hughes assumed the position of SVP of technology and research andDan Jones came aboard as SVP of products.
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Tony Barrett Promoted to President of Cyber and Engineering at BigBear.ai - Executive Gov
University of Nottingham Ningbo China’s Chemical and Environmental Engineering Programmes Lead the Way for Future Careers in Sustainable Development -…
NINGBO, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC)s School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering has received multiple international accreditations, including by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3) and the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). In addition, the School also has excellent and experienced teaching fellows and receives regular glowing reviews from its international student body.
In recent years, courses related to the disciplines of chemistry and environmental studies have become increasingly popular with students and parents. The world is also recognizing the importance of the disciplines: among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations, several are closely related to the environment.
In the view of Professor Tao Wu, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at UNNC, the two undergraduate courses of UNNC Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering have great potential. "High-end chips need not only chip design and manufacturing talents, but also experts in materials and chemistry."
The School has experienced teaching fellows and the small class size of the School of 1:8 is advantageous for study, allowing lecturers to guide students to participate in scientific research, use cutting-edge experiment equipment, and support students to create and innovate. During each summer vacation, lecturers stay on campus voluntarily to supervise and guide students to conduct summer research.
Carbon neutrality, and the transformation of energy and the manufacturing industry are critical to the future development of our country and the world, said Yiyang Liu, a UNNC alumnus. Despite receiving job offers from over 30 renowned companies, Yiyang chose to go on to further study at a top 10 international university in the UK.
A degree certificate with international accreditation substantially enhances students competitiveness in further study and employment. At UNNC, previous employment destinations of the graduates of the School include UNEP office in Beijing, Morgan Stanley China, ExxonMobil and environmental protection departments of government at all levels. According to the employability report, more than 85% of Class 2020 students who chose to continue their studies were admitted to world top 50 universities.
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University of Kansas chemical engineering professor convicted for hiding ties to China – JURIST
University of Kansas (KU) chemical engineering professor Feng Franklin Tao was convicted by a US federal jury Thursday for concealing ties to China while he was doing research funded by the US government at KU. Tao was found guilty on three counts of wire fraud and one count of false statements after he concealed that he was also employed by a government-affiliated university in the Peoples Republic of China.
The Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) required faculty to annually file reports to notify of any outside employment that could potentially impact duties due to a conflict of interest. Tao began working for KU in 2014, but in 2018, he accepted a position with Fuzhou University in China that required him to be a full-time employee. Tao did not seek permission from KU before accepting the position with Fuzhou University, nor did he notify KU about the employment. In 2018, Tao moved to China to work full-time at Fuzhou University but told KU administrators that he was in Europe.
While working at KU, Tao conducted research under contracts from KU and two US government agencies, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). During that time, Tao caused KU to submit reimbursement requests to those agencies for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tao repeatedly signed electronic documents stating that he read and understood both the federal government and KUs policies and that he had made all necessary disclosures.
In 2019, Tao was arrested, just months after the Department of Justice launched the Trump-era China Initiative under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. This initiative was meant to crack down on trade secret theft and economic espionage. The program was discontinued in February.
Tao faces up to 30 years in federal prison and fines up to $500,000 for the wire fraud and program fraud counts. His lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, said in a statement that he will challenge the verdict post-trial.
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University of Kansas chemical engineering professor convicted for hiding ties to China - JURIST
Making the Most of Human Factors & Usability Engineering – Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry
Human factors engineering (HFE) has been an essential element of medical device and combination product development for some time. Some development teams, however, may still struggle with fully integrating HFE principles into product lifecycles, instead treating HFE as a single validation task.
Shannon Hoste, president of Agilis Consulting Group, will explore HFE principles and methods in the upcoming session at theDesign. Engineer. Build. ConferenceatMD&M West, Combination Products Human Factors Considerations, on Wednesday, April 13 at 3 PM. She plans to address common questions about human factors and discuss challenges and potential solutions. She will then join the "Interactive Panel Discussion: Ask the Experts" at 4:00 PM.
MD+DI asked Hoste a few questions in advance of the session.
Hoste: Yes and no. Let me start first with a definition. On the FDA website, "human factors" (HF) is described as the study of how people use technology. It involves the interaction of human abilities, expectations, and limitations, with work environments and system design. The term "human factors engineering" (HFE) refers to the application of human factors principles to the design of devices and systems.
In medical applications, HFE helps improve human performance and reduce the risks associated with use error.
Consider the scope of this field as understanding the interface of people and technology. Then take into consideration the regulatory lens of understanding how products improve human performance and reduce the risk associated with use error. With these perspectives, as new technologies evolve, then so do the human factors questions that need to be addressed.
How to go about answering these questions, however, is something we understand. The human factors/usability engineering process has been defined in its current state for quite some time and the field of human factors and human performance is well established. What we have been seeing, more prolifically in the medical device and pharma sector in the last 10 -15 years, is how the human factors process can support product development, risk management, and regulatory decisions.
Within the U.S., FDA has identified guidance around application of human factors for medical products. Globally, international standards for this process exist. In addition to the guidance and standards, EU regulations, MDR and IVDR, identify the following General Safety and Performance Requirements:
Hoste: Regulatory science must evolve with technology advancements. My best recommendation is to stay aware of the landscape and what data can best support regulatory decisions. Regulators help us with this by publishing guidance documents andwhite papers and by funding research.
Hoste: It is a risk-based approach, so the focus is based on the potential harms associated with a given technology and indication. Research into known use problems can help. Research into the users, where, when, why, and how they use a product can help. Evaluating potential use errors and having a cross functional team, including clinical, and identifying potential outcomes/harms, helps, too.
Hoste: As HFE is a risk-based approach, it is often difficult to truly map the use-related risks of the product without considering all of the constituent parts and the intended use. For example, I could conduct HF research on an injection device, howeverthis data alone may not be sufficient to support a given drug in this injection device being used by a specific user group. Taking this further, I could evaluate the device use with general adult lay users. However, if this device is then used to treat anaphylaxis in pediatric patients, I now have users, uses, and use environments that may not have been evaluated. I also potentially have higher severity harms outcomes than had previously been considered.
Hoste: At Agilis Consulting Group, we focus purely in the space of human factors, risk, and instructional designso that we can stay up to date on the evolution of practice, methods, and regulatory expectations. Our goal is to help our clients with this perspective as many companies, small to large, may not have the in-house resources to dedicate to monitoring this landscape.
Hoste: HF is not just a test. Although the understanding has improved, I feel there is still a perception that human factors is a validation test. If I can help add some clarity around this, I think patients will be better served by the products that we create. HF is a lifecycle process that is interwoven with risk management, supports pre- and post-market activities, and may include a validation study.
Join us for theDesign. Engineer. Build. ConferenceatMD&M West session, Combination Products Human Factors Considerations, and then the"Interactive Panel Discussion: Ask the Experts" at 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM, respectively, onWednesday, April 13, in Room 210AB.
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Making the Most of Human Factors & Usability Engineering - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry
School of Engineering welcomes Thomas Tull as visiting innovation scholar – MIT News
Thomas Tull, leading visionary entrepreneur and investor, has been appointed a School of Engineering visiting innovation scholar, effective April 1.
Throughout his career, Tull has leveraged the power of technology, artificial intelligence, and data science to disrupt and revolutionize disparate industries. Today, as the founder, chair, and CEO of Tulco LLC, a privately held holding company, he looks to partner with companies employing cutting-edge ideas in industries that are established but often underfunded and under-innovated. Under Tulls leadership Tulco has deployed proprietary technology, including new methods in data creation and deep learning, to help companies bring their ideas to fruition and facilitate industry-leading change.
Tulls hands-on approach involves not only data science and analytical tools, but also a close partnership with business leaders. Along with Tulls success on the infusion of transformational technology into business practices has come a focus on its societal impact and human interface.
As part of his role in the School of Engineering, Tull will focus on how cutting-edge programs centered around AI, quantum computing, and semiconductors might be leveraged for the greater good, while likewise helping to advance the role of humanities in developing emerging technologies and leaders. Tull will also engage with students, faculty, and staff through a variety of activities including seminars and speaking engagements, and will serve as a strategic advisor to the dean on various initiatives.
Thomas is an incredible advocate and ambassador for innovation and technology, says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the MIT School of Engineering and Vannevar Bush Professor for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His commitment to these areas and impact on so many industries have been impressive, and were thrilled that he will join us to foster innovation across the school.
Prior to starting Tulco, Tull was the founder and CEO of the film company Legendary Entertainment, which he started in 2004, producing a number of blockbuster films including The Dark Knight trilogy, 300, The Hangover franchise, and many others. At Legendary, Tull deployed sophisticated and innovative AI, machine learning, and data analytics into the company to increase the commercial success of its films, forever changing how movies are marketed.
Technological advancement is essential to our future and MIT is one of the leaders committed to exploring new frontiers and the latest technologies to enable the next generation to continue to create cutting-edge innovation, says Tull. I have always greatly admired MITs and the School of Engineerings work on this front and it is an honor to be invited to contribute to this amazing institution. I look forward to working with the school over the next year.
Tull is also an active supporter of philanthropic causes that support education, medical and scientific research, and conservation through the Tull Family Foundation. He is a member of the MIT School of Engineering Deans Advisory Council, and a trustee of Carnegie Mellon University, Yellowstone Forever, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution. Tull is also part of the ownership group of the Pittsburgh Steelers and owns a farm in Pittsburgh where he has implemented the use of robotics, drones, analytics, and other advanced technologies to boost yields of high-quality natural foods.
Tull received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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School of Engineering welcomes Thomas Tull as visiting innovation scholar - MIT News
A new view for science and engineering | Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University – Rice News
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The Alchemist: Art projects explore the deeper dimensions of climate engineering – Binghamton
The impact of human activity continues to send global temperatures climbing. Can geoengineering save us from a warming world?
Intended to combat or otherwise technologically adapt to climate change, geoengineering technologies have a dystopian sci-fi feel, reflected Assistant Professor of Art and Design Colin Lyons, who explores the connecting between climate engineering and alchemy in his art installations.
In his projects, Lyons seeks to capture the tensions and possibilities of geoengineering, which involves radical strategies that are, at present, years away from implementation. One such proposal, for example, would use high-altitude jets to spray sulfur particles into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight away from the Earth, mimicking a process seen in volcanic eruptions. Another would construct a giant sunshade around the planet, Lyons explained.
"We will find salvation in strategic chemical spills," by Assistant Professor of Art & Design Colin Lyons. This etching and silkscreen (printed with crude oil and pyrite) was produced during his artist residency at Frans Masereel Centrum in Belgium.Lyons artistic exploration will take him around the world during the next year during four artist residencies, all supported by a Research and Creation grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.
He began the spring in Belgium, working on an experimental printmaking project. This summer, he heads to New Hampshire, before ending the year on a remote island off the coast of Finland. And thats not all: next spring, hell be on a Barquentine sailing vessel [a vessel with three of more masts] in the Arctic circle.
Geoengineering has a messianic tone to it, a way of absolving us from the sins of the Anthropocene, he said. A lot of projects that Im working on also have a ritual undertone, which is obviously divorced from science and engineering.
At Frans Masereel Centrum in Belgium this spring, Lyons worked on a series of etchings combining elements of geoengineering technologies with alchemical imagery. He began with a handmade etching, then layered it with odd inks made of iron sulfate, crude oil and sulfuric acid.
Much of the imagery comes from Hendrick Goltzius, a 16th-century Dutch engraver and alchemist who did a series of images based on Ovids Metamorphosis featuring detailed cloudscapes. Rather than gods, Lyons populates the cloudscapes instead with technological images a visual commentary on the hubris of those who seek to use them.
I was thinking about geoengineering as a kind of contemporary alchemy with, in some ways, similar goals, he said.
While in Belgium, he planted the seed for future installations by researching Kelmis, also known as La Calamine, an old zinc mining town. Until it was annexed by Belgium after World War I, Kelmis was a disputed territory between several nations known as Neutral Moresnet.
It was just a wild place; utopian ideas were being developed there, Lyons said. They had a push to make Esperanto the official language. A lot of things were happening there that wouldnt be possible in a nation-state; it existed as a kind of company-town-city state, I guess you could say.
Assistant Professor of Art & Design Colin Lyons' installation, "The Laboratory of Everlasting Solutions" at the Unison Arts Center uses steel, laser etched plexiglas, etched copper, chemical glassware, contaminated soil, tree of heaven, iron artifacts, float copper, limestone, pyrite, iron sulfate, soda ash, ferric chloride, copper sulfate, sulfuric acid and LED grow lights. The piece was produced with the support of a 2020 Harpur faculty research grant. Assistant Professor of Art & Design Colin Lyons' installation, "The Laboratory of Everlasting Solutions" at the Unison Arts Center uses steel, laser etched plexiglas, etched copper, chemical glassware, contaminated soil, tree of heaven, iron artifacts, float copper, limestone, pyrite, iron sulfate, soda ash, ferric chloride, copper sulfate, sulfuric acid and LED grow lights. The piece was produced with the support of a 2020 Harpur faculty research grant.
In June and July, he will take part in another residency at MacDowell in New Hampshire, where he will focus on a solo project called the Alchemical Valley Geoengineering Seed Vault.
Then, in December, Lyons will head to Finland for a residency at RES, located on r Island, a former military fortress island turned nature preserve in Finlands Archipelago National Park. Projects there focus on experimental fields of art, art-science collaboration and interdisciplinary projects. For much of the time, he will share the island with only one other person, another artist in residence.
While there, he will work on a project called Operation Habakkuk, which centers on competing geoengineering technologies being proposed for the Arctic. In one, wind-powered water pumps would bring warm water up to the surface and mist it in the air, thickening the ice during winter. Another would create artificial icebergs by desalinating Arctic Ocean water and recasting it into hexagonal ice-forms. And then theres the proposal to sprinkle silica sand essentially tiny glass beads over the Arctic to make it more reflective.
Lyons will combine these proposals into a single art installation: the creation of an ice-raft based on the one-man rafts used by the military. The title references a special operation during World War II, for which the Canadian government made a scale prototype of an aircraft carrier built out of a combination of wood pulp and ice.
I was thinking about the convergence between these geoengineering technologies and the history of militarization, he said.
His world tour wraps up in spring 2023, when he will board a Barquentine sailing vessel in the Svalbard Archipelago with other artists and scientists as part of The Article Circle Residency. The artists and scientists will spend two and a half weeks on a sailing ship that leaves from Svalbard, where the global seed vault is located.
Lyons isnt yet sure what artwork will be sparked by this trip, although it meshes well with his interest in the Arctic, climate change and the landscape and geoengineering.
I think nobody wants to see these things implemented, but were moving in a direction where they are becoming scarily realistic, Lyons said.
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The Alchemist: Art projects explore the deeper dimensions of climate engineering - Binghamton
Climate Change Poses a Huge Threat to Railroads. Environmental Engineers Have Ideas for How to Combat That – InsideClimate News
Much of the world still relies heavily on railroads to move people and products. But railway infrastructurefrom overhead wires to tracksis at high risk from climate change and associated extreme weather.
Without efforts to adapt to future climate threats, the railway industry will face degrading infrastructure, safety hazards and skyrocketing operations costs, say experts in transportation planning and civil engineering.
Many point out that so-called nature-based solutionsprojects that harness natures power to address social or environmental problemscould offer practical and cost-effective ways for railways to minimize the effects of extreme weather, while at the same time providing environmental benefits.
But so far, railways have done little to take advantage of such strategies.
A new study by researchers at the University of Glasgow is the first to review industry efforts to-date to use nature-based solutions to prevent climate change-related disruptions. The researchers identified several potential nature-based solutions railroads could apply, including green corridors to shade tracks from heat and high winds, habitat restoration to buffer the effects of storms and wetlands to soak up water during heavy rain and hold it through drought.
Those kinds of strategies, said Lorraine Blackwood, a doctoral student in environmental sustainability at Glasgow and the lead author of the study, would also create habitat for wildlife, reduce noise and air pollution, improve water quality and provide privacy for track-side neighbors.
But, while Blackwood and her colleagues found several examples of nature-based solutions being successfully implemented by railways, their review suggests that the industry has a long way to go.
Its still very early days, she said. Theres still a long way to go to really trust and test these solutions in the railway environment.
Climate-driven extreme weather, from hot to cold and wet to dry, poses serious challenges for railway infrastructure. Heat waves can cause tracks to buckle and expand, inviting train derailments, while freezes can damage overhead power lines. Flooding undercuts the embankments that line the tracks and can cause landslides that block trains, while droughts cause subsidence and dry out soils so tracks misalign.
When Hurricane Ida hit the East Coast in 2021, the Amtrak Northeast corridor, from Boston to Washington, the nations busiest train route, was shut down for an entire day. About 75 million gallonsmore than 100 Olympic sized swimming pools worth of waterhad to be pumped out of the New York City subways after the storm.
With a changing climate, flooding is only expected to get worse in the future. A recent study projected that Bostons commuter train system could be operating at 40 percent less capacity within a decade because of increased flooding.
Extreme heat is another major engineering challenge for railroads. Steel tracks are only designed to operate within a narrow range of temperatures. If it gets too hot, rails will buckle and expand, which can cause a train to derail. To prevent that kind of catastrophe, most routes impose speed restrictions on trains when temperatures rise. But this strategy comes with its own setbacks. In a 2019 study, researchers estimated that delays from temperature-related reductions in speed limits could cost the U.S. rail network up to $60 billion by 2100.
The risks for railroads go beyond the direct impact to a single line or the effect of a single storm. Climate change could shift the balance between different modes of transportation in ways that are challenging to predict. For example, experts suggest that changing water levels in the Great Lakes might result in more goods being transported by train, rather than by barge. A single major weather event can also cause cascading failures across an entire network, leading to major regional disruptions across industries and to peoples everyday lives.
In addition, thousands of miles of track in the United States are well over 100 years old. Those systems were designed with outdated construction standards, putting them at greater risk of failure and meaning that any repairs or retrofits could be prohibitively expensive.
To date, most railroad efforts to adapt to climate change have involved hard engineering solutionsso-called grey infrastructurelike elevating stations, installing sea walls and pumps and stabilizing the hillsides next to railway tracks. In Boston, for example, the city spent almost $2 million last year to install barriers at a station prone to flooding.
Its just not a particularly sustainable or attractive solution, Blackwood said of hard engineering solutions. Even from the mitigation point of view, with things like concrete and steel, the grey solutions themselves are very carbon intensive.
Thats where systems built to work in concert with naturewhat is often referred to as green, as opposed to grey infrastructurecomes in.
Nature-based solutions just provide so many benefits to people, said Blackwood.
In addition, while grey solutions are often inflexible and expensive, green infrastructure can be more adaptable.
Michael Martello, a doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, points out that, depending on the climate change scenario, sea level rise in Boston Harbor could be anywhere from less than a foot to over eight feet by centurys end. Thats a huge range to try to design against, said Martello.
Green infrastructure, he said, can help address some of that uncertainty, because the vegetation only gets stronger with age as trees grow and plants take root. Grey infrastructure, in contrast, degrades over time.
But Martello said that there are several roadblocks to the widespread use of green infrastructure.
A public agency that operates any sort of rail network, in general, theyll just own the right of way, said Martello. Theres a huge jurisdictional barrier there, and theres obviously a lot of interagency cooperation that needs to happen.
In the United States, unlike Britain, where the researchers are from, there is also no single national railway. Instead, railroads are operated primarily by private companies. Martello said that, from an economic point of view, most operators want to stick with tried-and-true solutions.
Blackwood agreed that a lack of familiarity with nature-based solutions and concerns about safety could give planners the impression that those projects were harder to build, even though grey engineering projects are often more technically challenging. Working on an existing track, she said, comes with space and land use constraints that can also make trying out new designs difficult.
Paul Chinowsky, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said that implementing nature-based solutions is a large undertaking, especially in the United States, given the sheer size of the network. Like Martello, Chinowsky said that theres no incentive for private companies to use untested strategies. Theres also not the incentive to maintain them.
A natural solution is a great idea, but somebodys got to maintain it, especially for the first couple of years while it gets established, Chinowsky said.
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He noted that green infrastructure projects come with a lifetime benefit, and require relatively straightforward and inexpensive maintenance. But, because they require more maintenance, he said, it can be hard for these solutions to compete with cutting-edge engineering technology.
I think you have a perception barrier that a nature-based solution is going backwards, said Chinowsky, a perception that anything that requires more maintenance is going to be a draw from the bottom line.
Given the climate change threats that railways face, experts say that the industry is going to need a variety of approaches and to find ways to tie nature-based solutions into grey infrastructure. While the long lifespan of railways poses a challenge for putting in new projects on old tracks, it also means that theres plenty of time to recoup the initial costs of these projects. Its like an insurance policy, Martello said, where companies pay now to avoid disruptions later.
I think its really important that we keep exploring these natural solutions. There are going to be really good places we can put these, said Chinowsky. When you have a 50, a 75-year life cycle, you can afford to invest.
The United States, he said, should also look at other countries, like Britain, that are further along on adaptation to learn from their experience.
Railways have been built pretty much the same way for 180 years now, Blackwood said, so theres a lot of work to do to shift and progress some of the traditions and attitudes.
Leah Campbell is a fellow at Inside Climate News based in Boston. Shes currently in MITs Graduate Program in Science Writing specializing in environmental and climate journalism. Previously, she worked as a research assistant at the University of North Carolina studying flood survivor advocacy, hazard mitigation planning and post-hurricane recovery. She also worked in the environmental nonprofit sector in California on citizen science projects and statewide policy around climate resilience and water quality. Shes all-but-dissertation in environmental planning and has a B.S. in Geology and Geophysics from Yale University.
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IPD Engineering names Manzo VP of operations – The Central New York Business Journal
Tom Manzo (Photo credit: IPD Engineering)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. IPD Engineering announced it has promoted Tom Manzo to VP of operations.
Manzo, an IPD employee of 10 years, is an accomplished project manager and leader and has demonstrated his care for the company, clients, and fellow employees, the company contended.
Tom started as a designer, graduated to an engineer after getting his license, took on the role of assistant project manager, obtained an MBA, and was promoted to senior project manager, IPD Engineering President Sam Cosamano said in a news release. Hes thrived in every role. A standout quality that everyone noticed along the way, in addition to his excellent organizational and communication skills, was a genuine care for others. Our decision to promote Tom to VP of operations was a no-brainer. In this position hell be able to help our employees set and accomplish their own goals and aspirations, something weve been trying to put in place for a long time.
Headquartered in Syracuse, IPD Engineering has branch offices in Buffalo and Utica. With a team of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural engineers, the firm serves the commercial, industrial, residential, medical, and educational industries.
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IPD Engineering names Manzo VP of operations - The Central New York Business Journal