Water Reclamation and Reuse

The SECs water management system was designed and engineered to manage runoff during severe rainfalls and alleviate the impact of stormwater events up to, and including, a 100-year storm. This is accomplished by conservation and stormwater reuse within the facility and site boundaries, feeding various building water demands such as 71% of lab water, and 73% of toilet flushing water, landscape irrigation, and humidification, as well as minimizing the demand on municipal water infrastructure. Through a combination of landscape elements, bioretention basins, and stormwater tanks, the site is capable of handling 100% of stormwater on-site.

The multiple vegetated terraces across the complex attenuate the stormwater flow as it cascades down and reduce discharge on an annual basis through evapo-transpiration. Runoff from roof and landscape areas flows into three at-grade bioretention basins and constructed wetlands before draining into the six basement storage tanks. Basement detention has the capacity for 78,000 gallons of rainwater as well as condensate from cooling coils across three tanks which can be monitored and balanced as needed, as well as drawn from for building use. The stored water is then treated and used to satisfy building requirements

The stored water is then treated and used to satisfy building requirements with excess water getting pumped back to the central heating and cooling plant for reuse. Only under exceptionally high rainfall is there overflow from the bioretention basins/tanks to below-grade infiltration galleries and then to the city stormwater system. This stormwater is treated prior to discharge to reduce phosphorus concentrations and remove the majority of remaining suspended solids not captured by the sites green infrastructure.

The extensively landscaped grounds on the south side of the building function as an outdoor study space, social and recreational gathering area, and event space. The site has been transformed from its previous post industrial character with no part of the site area being vegetated pre-development, to now 82% of the site being vegetated, with 61% of vegetated areas planted with native species.

The landscape was designed to enhance local biodiversity markers and support plant health while reducing the need for potable water use for irrigation. The landscape is constructed such that wet meadow plant communities cleanse stormwater collected from the landscape and building roofs. Plant species were selected to improve the health of the site and the surrounding community. Locally sourced trees were chosen to help filter the air and increase the carbon sequestered on-site. The landscape fosters cohabitation between humans and pollinating species.

The site extends the greenway, joining residential neighborhoods and public parks with university spaces and commercial development. Aspects of the sites east entrance also link to a contiguous greenway planned to extend to the Charles River, connecting multiple ecosystems through green infrastructure, and supporting a variety of flora and fauna, where previously there was none.

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The Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex ... - Living Architecture Monitor magazine

The University of ConnecticutsNursing and Engineering Innovation Center, one of the first of its kind in the nation,will advance health care, workforce, and economic development through interdisciplinary collaborations, positioning Connecticut to be a global leader in health care technology innovation.

Nurses interact with patients daily and see where there are gaps in care. Nurses are also taught to be problem solvers, adapting as necessary to fix unique health issues. Engineers are technically trained and up to date on the latest technology. Engineers typically also thrive in creating new devices to improve the quality-of-life for end users.

What happens when you combine the two professions together? UConns Schools of Nursing and Engineering believe it will lead to fresh ideas and inventions that will directly impact patients lives in a positive way. The four focal areas of the new Center are research, education, community engagement, and technology transfer.

The Center is under the co-direction of Tiffany Kelley, Ph.D., MBA, RN-BC, Visiting Professor and Director of the School of Nursings Healthcare Innovation Online Graduate Certificate Program and Leila Daneshmandi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Residence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Director of the entrepreneurship Hub (eHub) in the School of Engineering.

Engineers are trained to solve problems and create solutions. They have the technical knowledge, skills, and abilities to actualize new technologies, Daneshmandi says. By partnering with nurses and health care professionals, who have deep contextual knowledge of on-site problems and needs, we can ensure that our innovations are user-centric and designed for unmet health care needs.

In its initial phase, the Center includes the creation of joint educational programs for students and seed grants for collaborative research among faculty.

The deans of the two Schools, who will oversee the Innovation Center throughout its development with assistance from an Advisory Board, expect this first phase to take two to three years. The goal of the second phase is to create a shared state-of-the-art research and teaching facility, which will require major University, state, federal, or donor investment.

We are joining forces to not only support our research activities, but to also expand student learning and have a greater impact on patients and employers across Connecticut, says former School of Nursing Dean Deborah Chyun.

Not only could prototypes be field-tested and exhibited in such a facility, but it would also further integrate established undergraduate- and graduate-level programs at the two Schools, helping to meet the increasing demand for workers in both fields.

The School of Engineering has strong connections in health care, especially through our Biomedical Engineering Department operated with UConn Health, says Engineering Dean Kazem Kazerounian. With this new Innovation Center, however, were investing in patient-focused care at the hands of the talented nurse workforce.

The Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center is not the first instance of collaboration between the two Schools. Researchers affiliated with the School of Nursings Center for Advancement in Managing Pain belong to both Schools and are actively involved in shared training and research activities. Several interdisciplinary teams have also submitted grant applications for collaborative projects.

Among other collaborations, School of Nursing associate professor Ruth Lucas worked with Engineering faculty to design her Breastfeeding Diagnostic Device, which measures infants sucking during breastfeeding. Ellen Quintana 21 (NUR) worked with engineering students to design the now-patented ReduSeal glove waste reduction system. In the spring of 2022, students at both Schools built hundreds of Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes, which are do-it-yourself air purifiers that aid in filtration during COVID-19.

The Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center is a natural progression of ongoing collaborations that have been ongoing for the last several years Kelley says. We are excited to see how it will enhance our research and educational programs, help meet the demand for our graduates in the workforce, and provide better care for patients. It is amazing what we can do with a little seed funding, enthusiasm, and determination.

The creation of the center was inspired by a bequest from James Belmont 86 (ENG), who wanted to demonstrate his appreciation for his UConn education and that of his sister, Gail Belmont-Harwood 81 (NUR). Belmonts support for the Centers Program Support Fund stems from the siblings understanding that best practices in innovation development indicate the need for end users to be involved in the design of new products. Registered professional nurses are the largest group of health care professionals today, totaling about four million, and 10 times the number of physicians.

In addition to support from Belmont and Belmont-Harwood, the Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center received supportive funds from both schools, the Provosts Office, the Office of the Vice President of Research, and a $30,000 VentureWell Courses and Programs grant to support collaborative Nursing and Engineering undergraduate education advancement in this area. The VentureWell grant was awarded to fund a fellowship program for students from Nursing and Engineering to come together and work on health care technological solutions.

Opportunities to support the Center can be made through the Nursing Innovations Fund.

For more information, please connect with Daneshmandi or Kelley. Please visit the new Center website.

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Schools of Nursing and Engineering Join Together For New Center ... - University of Connecticut

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

On Friday, September 15, 2023, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement agreement with Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation, a Pennsylvania-based engineering company. As detailed in the settlement, Navmar knowingly double-billed and shifted certain labor and material costs under a series of contracts with the US Department of the Navy in violation of the FCA.

As background, Navmar had entered into contracts with the US government to manufacture, design, and test emerging intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technologies. As detailed by the DOJ, Navmar knowingly billed certain labor and material costs on one Navy contract, and then subsequently billed the same costs on another contract. As a result, Navmar was paid twice for the same costs. Navmar also admitted that it knowingly and improperly shifted material costs incurred under certain contracts to other contracts. This practice violated the Federal Acquisition Regulations, which require that costs incurred under a contract be allocable to that same contract. As a result, Navmar recovered costs it otherwise would not have received.

Navmar has agreed to pay $4.4 million to resolve the case.

A link to the DOJs press release can be found here.

On Monday, September 18, 2023, the US Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts filed an FCA complaint against Brookline-based Bournewood Health Systems and First Psychiatric Planners (FPP). As alleged in the governments complaint, Bournewood and FPP paid kickbacks in the form of free sober housing to induce patients to choose Bournewood and FPP over other treatment facilities. The Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office also joined the complaint under the Massachusetts False Claims Act and related state laws.

The case originally began with allegations filed by a whistleblower under the qui tam provisions of the FCA, and the government subsequently intervened. According to prosecutors, Bournewood and FPP paid the kickbacks to grow their daily patient volume and increase the amount of reimbursement received from, among others, federal health care programs. Prosecutors also allege that Bournewood and FPP sent patients to certain sober homes to support their revenues, knowing that some of the sober homes were unsafe and threatened patients sobriety. Of particular concern, patients experienced sexual solicitation and harassment, drug overdoses, prescription medication theft, bed bugs and overcrowding.

If convicted, the defendants may be required to pay significant damages under both the federal FCA and Massachusetts False Claims Act.

A link to the DOJs press release can be found here.

On Monday, September 18, 2023, the owner of a sleep clinic in Fresno and Tulare Counties pleaded guilty to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft charges today for submitting over $1 million in fraudulent claims for sleep studies to Medicare.

As detailed in court records, Travis Gober, the owner of the sleep clinic, submitted thousands of claims to Medicare for sleep studies that were not actually performed on patients. In these same claims, Gober also falsely stated that the patients had been referred for the sleep studies by physicians with whom Gober had previously worked. The purpose of the scheme was to obtain reimbursement form Medicare, which would not otherwise reimburse claims submitted for sleep study patients unless the patient were referred by a physician. Gober engaged in the scheme to pay debts that his brother had incurred on behalf of his sleep center without his knowledge or consent.

Gober potentially faces 10 years in prison for the health care fraud conviction, and an additional, two years in prison for a separate identity theft conviction.

A link to the DOJ press release can be found here.

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Investigations Newsletter: Engineering Company Agrees to Pay $4.4 ... - JD Supra

Texas A&Ms Hagler Institute brings renowned scholars and researchers to campus to collaborate with students and faculty.

A Nobel physicist, a Nobel economist and the first female astronaut of color to travel into space are among 14 new Hagler Fellows and two new Distinguished Lecturers announced today by the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University.

The Class of 2023-24 is the Hagler Institutes largest in its 13-year history. Each fellow or lecturer belongs to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, or holds recognitions of equal stature in their field. The newest class includes scientists, engineers and scholars who are recognized internationally for their achievements and scholarship.

Since 2012, the Hagler Institute has attracted 126 world-class researchers to the Texas A&M campus: 116 Hagler Fellows and 10 Distinguished Lecturers. Of these, 15 have joined Texas A&Ms faculty.

Once again, the Hagler Institute has attracted an exceptional class of fellows and lecturers to work with our already exceptional community of Texas A&M researchers, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp said. Working in tandem with the Chancellors Research Initiative and the Governors University Research Initiative, the institute likely will persuade some of these National Academy-level researchers to join our outstanding, permanent faculty.

The fellows will collaborate with faculty, researchers and students in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Arts and Sciences, and Engineering; schools of Education and Human Development, Engineering Medicine, Medicine, Public Health, and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

Since 2012, the Hagler Institute haslinked Texas A&Ms faculty and students with some of the worlds most influential scholars, said Gen.(Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, interim president. The 12thclass of Hagler Fellows is top-notch, and Ilook forward to the invaluable mentorship opportunities and educationalexperiences our faculty and students alike willbenefit from as a result of this outstanding program.

The institute selects its Hagler Fellows from among top scholars who have distinguished themselves through outstanding professional accomplishments and significant recognition.

Previous classes of Hagler Fellows have included four Nobel laureates, a Wolf Prize recipient, a recipient of the Hubble Medal in Literature for Lifetime Achievement, a recipient of the National Medal of Science, an awardee of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, a two-time recipient of the State Prize of Russia and a recipient of both the National Humanities Medal and the Johan Skytte Prize, the most prestigious award in political science.

We have great expectations for this new class of Hagler Fellows, Founding Director John L. Junkins said. We believe they will have a productive and enduring impact on our faculty, our students and on the culture of the Texas A&M campus.

The Hagler Institute will induct the Class of 2023-24 during its annual gala in March. The 14 new fellows are:

In addition, the institute announced two Hagler Distinguished Lecturers for 2023-24:

About the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study:The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study was established in December 2010 by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents to build on the growing academic reputation of Texas A&M and to provide a framework to attract top scholars from throughout the nation and abroad for appointments of up to a year. The selection of Hagler Fellows initiates with faculty nominations of National Academies and Nobel Prize-caliber scholars who align with existing strengths and ambitions of the university.

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Hagler Institute Reveals Newest Class Of Fellows And Lecturers - Texas A&M University Today

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A major infrastructure upgrade to the nations busiest locks will help keep them operating into the next century.

Well be installing a new miter gate and filling valve actuation system to maintain the Locks infrastructure, said Locks Operations Project Manager Jonathan Hofstra. Were also planning on upgrading and replacing current controls systems to a modern controls operating system."

The $16 million project cost, of which $10.5 million comes from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding that President Joseph R. Biden signed into law in November 2021, will modernize aged electrical and mechanical components at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the contract August 2023.

The Chittenden Locks has served the Pacific Northwest and the U.S. for 106 years. Many systems and components have been upgraded, but many more need upgrading to continue operating.

The small lock machinery system operates the miter gates and valves that control the filling and emptying of the Canals small lock chamber. The new machinery will use compact hydraulic miter gate and valve operating machinery.

Current machinery and controls are deteriorated and need replacing before failure leads to small lock closure. The upgrades will reduce the risk of gate operating equipment failure that would severely impact the Army Corps navigation mission.

The official schedule has not been confirmed but Hofstra emphasized that all work will be completed in a single small lock dewatering event, and not affect normal navigational operations.

A Tribal-owned company, T1-RJS Joint Venture LLC of North Bend, Oregon, earned the contract award.

For more information on USACE projects in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law work plan, clickhere.

For current information about activities at the Locks, check our public website and follow us on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

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Corps of Engineers modernizing Small Lock machinery, controls - nws.usace.army.mil