Breaking News: National Infrastructure

Filters close
Newswise: Researchers use AI, Google Street View to predict household energy costs on large scale
Released: 26-Feb-2024 11:15 AM EST
Researchers use AI, Google Street View to predict household energy costs on large scale
University of Notre Dame

An interdisciplinary team of experts from the University of Notre Dame, in collaboration with the University of Maryland and University of Utah, have found a way to use artificial intelligence to analyze a household’s passive design characteristics and predict its energy expenses with more than 74 percent accuracy. By combining their findings with demographic data including poverty levels, the researchers have created a comprehensive model for predicting energy burden across 1,402 census tracts and nearly 300,000 households in Chicago.

   
16-Feb-2024 8:00 AM EST
Highways through historically redlined areas likely cause air pollution disparities today
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Historically "redlined" areas – neighborhoods with primarily Black or immigrant communities – are exposed to more air pollution than other urban neighborhoods. According to research published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, the cause could relate to nearby highways or industrial parks.

Newswise: Lab Repurposes a Former Particle Accelerator to Become a Scientific Data Center Facility
Released: 1-Feb-2024 10:05 AM EST
Lab Repurposes a Former Particle Accelerator to Become a Scientific Data Center Facility
Department of Energy, Office of Science

We’re all about finding new ways to save energy and money at the Department of Energy (DOE), especially when it comes to our facilities.

Released: 30-Jan-2024 9:05 AM EST
Drexel researchers propose AI-guided system for robotic inspection of buildings, roads and bridges
Drexel University

Our built environment is aging and failing faster than we can maintain it. Recent building collapses and structural failures of roads and bridges are indicators of a problem that’s likely to get worse, according to experts, because it’s just not possible to inspect every crack, creak and crumble to parse dangerous signs of failure from normal wear and tear. In hopes of playing catch-up, researchers in Drexel University’s College of Engineering are trying to give robotic assistants the tools to help inspectors with the job.

22-Jan-2024 11:05 AM EST
Experts call for major shift in international decision-making to tackle ‘devastating’ impact of urban expansion and avoid ‘planetary catastrophe’
University of Bristol

Leading scientists are today calling for an urgent step change in global governance to save the future of worldwide cities and the planet at large.

Newswise: Researchers release solar power data software to increase clean energy generation
Released: 17-Jan-2024 1:05 PM EST
Researchers release solar power data software to increase clean energy generation
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

The software tool sorts through messy data to reveal what’s really going on with solar panels on cloudy and sunny days.

Newswise: Advancement in thermoelectricity could light up the Internet of Things
Released: 16-Jan-2024 11:05 AM EST
Advancement in thermoelectricity could light up the Internet of Things
Osaka University

Researchers from Osaka University and their collaborating partners improve the efficiency of thermoelectric conversion from a semiconductor, which could help optimize the efficiency and sustainability of the global digital transformation.

Newswise: A roadmap for rescuing Utah's Great Salt Lake
Released: 16-Jan-2024 9:05 AM EST
A roadmap for rescuing Utah's Great Salt Lake
University of Utah

Conserving water won’t be enough to restore the depleted Great Salt Lake, the signature Utah landscape whose existence as a functioning ecosystem remains seriously imperiled from low water levels and rising salinity. Much of the water saved by Utah cities and farms through various conservation measures will have to be allowed to flow into the terminal lake if its levels are to rebound and remain at a safe level, according to Utah’s Great Salt Lake Strike Team. The panel of university and agency experts has released its latest data analysis just ahead of Utah’s upcoming legislative session.

Newswise: A new report explores offshore wind transmission scenarios for Northern California and Southern Oregon
Released: 18-Dec-2023 8:05 AM EST
A new report explores offshore wind transmission scenarios for Northern California and Southern Oregon
Cal Poly Humboldt

A new report from the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt evaluates potential scenarios for electric grid transmission development to support floating offshore wind along the northern coast of California and the southern coast of Oregon.

Released: 29-Nov-2023 12:05 PM EST
Workplace culture is very different these days. Find out how different by exploring the "In the Workplace" channel
Newswise

The latest articles on occupational medicine, workplace culture, and the labor market are in the "In the Workplace" channel on Newswise.

       
Newswise: Researchers win $1.2 million NSF award to test stability of power grids
Released: 27-Nov-2023 11:05 AM EST
Researchers win $1.2 million NSF award to test stability of power grids
Binghamton University, State University of New York

A professor from Binghamton University, State University of New York will lead a research team that recently won a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to explore the possible faults that could lead to power failures.

Released: 20-Nov-2023 10:45 AM EST
Argonne set to improve offshore gas and oil industry operations and safety
Argonne National Laboratory

The National Academies of Sciences has awarded funding to Argonne National Laboratory and others to improve safety of offshore oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Newswise: SMU, research partners using artificial intelligence to make traffic intersections safer, more efficient
Released: 14-Nov-2023 6:05 AM EST
SMU, research partners using artificial intelligence to make traffic intersections safer, more efficient
Southern Methodist University

Khaled Abdelghany, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at SMU (Southern Methodist University), has been awarded a three-year, $1.2 million grant by the Federal Highway Administration. The grant aims to develop a computer program that utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance the safety and efficiency of intersections for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Released: 9-Nov-2023 1:05 PM EST
Study probes risks to power plants from electromagnetic pulse
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been leading a project to understand how a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, could threaten power plants.

Released: 7-Nov-2023 12:05 PM EST
New Model Adds Human Reactions to Flood Risk Assessment
North Carolina State University

Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a land change model that simulates interactions between urban growth, increased flooding and how humans adapt in response. The new model could offer a more realistic assessment of risk for urban planners, natural resource managers and other local government stakeholders.

Newswise: Poor infrastructure and rising sea levels exacerbated flooding in Libya, says expert
Released: 13-Sep-2023 11:55 AM EDT
Poor infrastructure and rising sea levels exacerbated flooding in Libya, says expert
Virginia Tech

Thousands of people are dead and at least 10,000 missing after devastating flooding in Libya. The Mediterranean storm brought heavy rains to the northeastern part of the country, already crumbling from more than a decade of conflict.   “Although Storm Daniel caused the devastating flood, a combination of factors exacerbated the nation's vulnerability to natural hazards, resulting in enormous casualties,” says Virginia Tech geophysicist Manoochehr Shirzaei.

Released: 23-Aug-2023 6:05 PM EDT
Alexander Brand receives NSF CAREER award to discover the mechanisms that make concrete work
Virginia Tech

Alexander Brand, assistant professor in the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has received a $600,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award.

Newswise:Video Embedded gridtrust-helps-protect-the-nation-s-electric-utilities-from-cyber-threats
VIDEO
Released: 15-Aug-2023 3:05 PM EDT
GridTrust Helps Protect the Nation’s Electric Utilities from Cyber Threats
Georgia Institute of Technology

A new cybersecurity technology that relies on the unique digital fingerprint of individual semiconductor chips could help protect the equipment of electrical utilities from malicious attacks that exploit software updates on devices controlling the critical infrastructure.

Released: 9-Aug-2023 12:30 PM EDT
Over one million acres of tribal land submerged by dams in the US
Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing

Dam constructions have flooded over 1.13 million acres of tribal land in the US contributing to the historic and ongoing struggle against land dispossession for Indigenous peoples in the United States.

Released: 31-Jul-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Climate Scientists Use Data from Hurricane Maria to Test New Social Vulnerability Assessment Tool
University at Albany, State University of New York

Researchers are using data from Hurricane Maria to assess the critical infrastructure vulnerabilities that still exist in Puerto Rico around extreme weather events, specifically for socially vulnerable populations.

Newswise:Video Embedded new-algorithm-ensnares-its-first-potentially-hazardous-asteroid
VIDEO
Released: 31-Jul-2023 9:50 AM EDT
New algorithm ensnares its first ‘potentially hazardous’ asteroid
University of Washington

An asteroid discovery algorithm — designed to uncover near-Earth asteroids for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s upcoming 10-year survey of the night sky — has identified its first “potentially hazardous” asteroid, a term for space rocks in Earth’s vicinity that scientists like to keep an eye on.

Newswise: New study shows saltwater intrusion is wreaking havoc on farms throughout Delmarva
Released: 31-Jul-2023 8:55 AM EDT
New study shows saltwater intrusion is wreaking havoc on farms throughout Delmarva
University of Delaware

A new paper from researchers at UD, the University of Maryland and George Washington University published in Nature Sustainability shows the spread and cost of saltwater intrusion from 2011-2017 in farms located in those mid-Atlantic states. The paper highlights how between the years 2011-2017, the area covered by visible salt patches almost doubled, with over 19,000 acres converted to marsh. Potential economic losses from the salt patches during that time period totaled over $427,000.

Newswise:Video Embedded it-s-sewage-not-fertilizer-fueling-nitrogen-surge-in-florida-s-indian-river-lagoon
VIDEO
Released: 18-Jul-2023 8:30 AM EDT
It’s Sewage, Not Fertilizer Fueling Nitrogen Surge in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon
Florida Atlantic University

Fertilizer restrictions along Florida’s 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon were intended to reduce nutrient inputs from urban and agricultural land uses. The hope was that water quality would improve by reducing the nitrogen load. While these restrictions were well-intended, a study finds fertilizer use is not the root cause of the lagoon’s environmental issues. It’s sewage. For decades, fertilizer use was implicated for about 71 percent of the lagoon’s environmental impairments. In fact, current estimates show 79 percent of nitrogen loading is from septic systems; 21 percent is from residential fertilizer use.

Newswise: The ground is deforming, and buildings aren’t ready
Released: 11-Jul-2023 1:55 PM EDT
The ground is deforming, and buildings aren’t ready
Northwestern University

There is a “silent hazard” lurking underneath our major global cities, and our buildings were not designed to handle it.

Released: 30-Jun-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Find the latest expert commentary on the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions here
Newswise

Newswise offers a roundup of the latest expert commentary on the recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court.

       
Released: 31-May-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Debt ceiling blues. Find political experts on the debt negotiations and the presidential bids in the Politics channel
Newswise

President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy continue negotiations on raising the United States debt ceiling. More contenders enter the Republican presidential nominee run. Get your expert commentary on Politics here.

   
Newswise:Video Embedded long-duration-energy-storage-the-time-is-now
VIDEO
Released: 25-May-2023 2:35 PM EDT
Long-Duration Energy Storage: The Time Is Now
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Findings in a new PNNL report show long-duration energy storage will be a necessity in decarbonizing the grid and recommends the planning and procurement process to identify those needs start immediately.

Released: 12-May-2023 3:30 PM EDT
Immigration Nation: Research and Experts
Newswise

Title 42, the United States pandemic rule that had been used to immediately deport hundreds of thousands of migrants who crossed the border illegally over the last three years, has expired. Those migrants will have the opportunity to apply for asylum. President Biden's new rules to replace Title 42 are facing legal challenges. Border crossings have already risen sharply, as many migrants attempt to cross before the measure expires on Thursday night. Some have said they worry about tighter controls and uncertainty ahead. Immigration is once again a major focus of the media as we examine the humanitarian, political, and public health issues migrants must go through.

       
Newswise: Rooftop solar panels could power one third of US manufacturing sector
Released: 11-May-2023 1:10 PM EDT
Rooftop solar panels could power one third of US manufacturing sector
Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing

A new study, published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research: Sustainability and Infrastructure, investigates the feasibility of meeting these electricity demands through on-site solar panel installations for different regions and manufacturing sectors across the United States.

Newswise:Video Embedded live-event-for-april-21-sleeping-pill-reduces-levels-of-alzheimer-s-proteins
VIDEO
Released: 21-Apr-2023 3:10 PM EDT
TRANSCRIPT AND VIDEO AVAILABLE Live Event for April 21: Sleeping pill reduces levels of Alzheimer’s proteins
Newswise

Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

       
Newswise: SUPER technology manages intelligent building blocks for a more reliable electric grid
Released: 3-Apr-2023 10:05 AM EDT
SUPER technology manages intelligent building blocks for a more reliable electric grid
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are helping modernize power management and enhance reliability in an increasingly complex electric grid.

Released: 13-Mar-2023 3:50 PM EDT
How new multi-sport facilities can be used after major events
University of Waterloo

Communities that are constructing new multi-sport facilities for major events could run the risk of ending up with expensive under-used complexes, but a new study suggests there are several factors that can keep them productive in the long run.

Released: 28-Feb-2023 10:05 AM EST
The claim that U.S. temperatures are not trending upward is false
Newswise

It is simply false to claim that data from the Climate Reference Network show no warming over the last 18 years. There is a warming trend. Even if it was true, the US represents only 1.9 % of the Earth's surface.

Released: 20-Feb-2023 5:05 PM EST
The road to safety: Researchers work to improve access to special needs hurricane shelters
Florida State University

New research from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response Center (RIDER) shows how repurposing regular hurricane shelters to special needs shelters could cut travel times for vulnerable populations.

Released: 20-Feb-2023 3:20 PM EST
Lesson from Flint: Social networks must be engaged in disaster recovery
Cornell University

The size, strength and makeup of people’s social networks are key indicators of how they will respond to the health consequences of an environmental disaster, according to a new Cornell University study that focused on the Flint, Michigan water crisis.

Released: 14-Feb-2023 10:05 AM EST
Fact-checking the reporting of the explosion in East Palestine, Ohio
Newswise

Expert cautions that the statement, "We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open," is irresponsible.

   
Newswise: Microgrid in a Box opening new possibilities in defense, utilities, disaster relief
Released: 9-Feb-2023 10:05 AM EST
Microgrid in a Box opening new possibilities in defense, utilities, disaster relief
Idaho National Laboratory (INL)

Microgrid in a Box, it includes 320 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, and can tie seamlessly into a modern electrical grid and coordinate the distribution of electricity for a small village, military base, or, in the event of a disaster, a hospital, transportation depot, or other critical infrastructure building.

Newswise: Earthquake Expert from Turkey on Devastation in Turkey and Syria
Released: 7-Feb-2023 9:00 AM EST
Earthquake Expert from Turkey on Devastation in Turkey and Syria
California State University, Fullerton

Sinan Akçiz, assistant professor of geological sciences at Cal State Fullerton, turned his Introduction to Geology class on Monday into a real-life lesson about earthquakes and the devastation taking place in his native country, Turkey.

   
Newswise: A fresh look at restoring power to the grid
Released: 31-Jan-2023 10:30 AM EST
A fresh look at restoring power to the grid
Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories computer scientists have been working on an innovative computer model to help grid operators quickly restore power to the grid after a complete disruption, a process called “black start.

Released: 12-Jan-2023 10:20 AM EST
Turning abandoned mines into batteries
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

A novel technique called Underground Gravity Energy Storage turns decommissioned mines into long-term energy storage solutions, thereby supporting the sustainable energy transition.



close
1.17948