• Cyber threats now targeting traditional companies

    U.S. companies, even small and medium size, are more and more exposed to cyber threats from organized crime, foreign intelligence services, and probably terrorist organizations; 85 percent of U.S. critical infrastructure is owned and operated by private companies — and these companies are especially vulnerable to determined attacks which may ruin or seriously disrupt company operations

  • E.coli helps mend cracked pipes

    Aberdeen University students show how specific strains of E. coli, which are not deadly or poisonous to humans, could be used automatically to mend cracks that occur in household water pipes, cooling pipes in laboratory experiments, or water pipes in power plants

  • New York, Vermont governors: Champlain Bridge beyond saving

    The state of New York saved $10,000 by not performing an ultrasound signals test on the 80-year old Champlain Bridge, which connects New York and Vermont; without the test, the New York Department of Transportation was unaware of how pervasive the rot in the bridge’s piers has become; experts concluded last week that the bridge cannot be saved, and will have to be demolished and replaced; the cost of a new bridge is estimated at $50 million; the economic damage to the communities involved is incalculable

  • Detecting a silent bridge-killer

    New York State failed to make ultrasonic test of concrete piers, which could have avoided Champlain Bridge closure; a $10,000 high-tech ultrasonic test of the piers could have provided an early warning of lurking rot and given time to make repairs to stabilize the piers before the bridge became unsafe

  • Calls Come for 'Programmatic' P3 Approach

    Stakeholders in the market push for programmatic, rather than project-by-project, approach to financing infrastructure through public-private partnerships; “The cycle of infrastructure investment is ongoing since aging toll roads, hospitals, airports, and energy facilities need to be maintained and eventually replaced,” said Jennifer Tennant, assistant vice president for Moody’s

  • U.K. agency to increase flood protection

    The number of properties in England and Wales at significant risk of flooding could increase from 570,000 in 2009 to over 900,000 by 2035 at current levels of flood-defense investment; the Environment Agency says it is planning for the long haul, saying it is already planning to manage a predicted 1 meter rise in sea levels, and a predicted 10 percent increase in wave heights and wind speeds, both of which will increase the threat from coastal surges

  • House tightens chemical plant safety bill

    A House bill is set to tighten some provisions of the original chemical plant safety bill of two years ago; specifically, the House bill demands that chemical plants be obligated to replace the most toxic and volatile — and, hence, the most dangerous — chemicals they use in their operations with safer substitutes — but in a nod to the chemical industry, the bill focuses only on the highest-risk plants, and it would make them use safer chemicals or processes only when DHS determines that they are feasible and cost-effective

  • Downtown airport boasts a new runway safety system

    Safety barriers made of new type of absorbing concrete are installed at a Kansas City airport; the barriers are made of concrete blocks which collapse to absorb the energy of the airplane while minimizing the damage to the aircraft and allowing the aircraft to be slowed without hurting passengers

  • Army Corps of Engineers in a $1 billion project to protect New Orleans' flank

    The West Bank area of New Orleans is primed for growth, but experts warn that developers and residents should be aware of a problem: the bowl-shaped area is considered by experts as perhaps the city’s most vulnerable flank;’

  • The highway portion of the stimulus package should address traffic bottlenecks first

    Last year Americans wasted $87 billion in the form of 2.8 billion gallons of fuel and 4.2 billion hours because of traffic congestion. This cost will only go up as the economy rebounds and freight traffic increases

  • Clorox announces plans to transition U.S. operations to high-strength bleach

    In an important step toward better chemical plant safety, Clorox says it will begin modifying manufacturing processes in its U.S. bleach operations; the company will move from chlorine to high-strength bleach as a raw material for making its namesake bleach

  • ASCE holds its 5th ASCE Forensic Engineering Congress

    The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) says that the unifying theme of the event will be a reflection on a quarter century of construction pathology — understanding why and how structures fail

  • Robot fish could monitor water quality

    Michigan State University researchers develop robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments; robotic fish — perhaps schools of them operating autonomously for months — could give researchers far more precise data on aquatic conditions, and the quality — and security — of the water supply

  • Nuclear energy central to climate debate

    There are 104 power reactors in 31 states, providing one-fifth of the U.S. electricity; they are also producing 70 percent of essentially carbon-free power and are devoid of greenhouse gas emissions; a study by the industry-supported Electric Power Research Institute says 45 new reactors are needed by 2030; the Energy Information Administration puts the number at 70; an analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assumes 180 new reactors by 2050 for an 80 percent decline in greenhouse gas emissions

  • R. Brooks's robots are called upon to inspect pipes at nuclear power plants

    The growing interest in nuclear power is good news for Brooks, a maker of remotely operated robotic inspection devices for pipes, especially in nuclear power plants; all power plants have intricate systems of pipes and systems whose internal condition is impossible to inspect by human eyes