Engineering

DOE awards $9 million to encourage nuclear power eduction
Funds will benefit nuclear science and engineering students and university research infrastructure
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Building sturdier structures in hurricane-prone areas
The hurricane season is upon us; an architecture professor offers tips on how to build — and how not to build — sturdier structures in hurricane-prone regions
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Flood-proofing New York City with storm barriers
New York City faces two problems with water: rising ocean level and surges created by hurricanes and Nor’easters; engineers propose a system of barriers to prevent New Orleans-like flooding
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Rotating space elevator propels its own load
The first proposal for a space elevator was put forth in 1895; all space elevators ideas and concepts since then relied on internal engines, laser light pressure, or any kind of propulsion to propel the elevator and its load skyward — until now: researchers say it is possible to conceptualize an elevator which propels its own load
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Glass-based coating for reinforcement bars for sturdier infrastructure
Researchers develop glass-based coating for reinforcement bars that helps prevent corrosion and strengthens the bond between steel and concrete; the material could help engineers build stronger bridges and increase the longevity of other steel-reinforced structures
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U.S. reassesses safe water levels in New Orleans' outfall canals
New Orleans has three outfall canals, the role of which is similar to that of a storm drain under a city street; since Katrina, there have been disagreements among engineers as to how much water would it be safe for each of the three canals to handle during a storm
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NIST's high-rise fire study highlights deadly wind-driven fires
Fire researchers at NIST have published two reports providing details of how wind affects fires in high-rise buildings
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Chemical robot shows possibility of electronics-free robots
The Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction is one of a class of chemical systems in which the concentration of one or more compounds periodically increases and decreases; the oscillation thus generated creates an autonomous material that moves without electronic stimulation; door opens for future chemical robots: they will be “self organized” and generate their own control and mechanical signals from within
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Experts: Levees will not save New Orleans from Katrina-like storm
National Academy of Engineering panel says that even the strongest levees and flood walls cannot be guaranteed to save New Orleans from another hurricane like Katrina
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Self-healing concrete for safer, durable, and cheaper-to-maintain infrastructure
Wolverines researchers develop self-healing concrete; the concrete self-heals itself when it develops cracks; no human intervention required — only water and carbon dioxide
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U.K. government's budget proposal attracts lukewarm reaction
Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling’s budget — described by the chancellor as “the world’s first carbon budget” — offers support to U.K.’s fast-growth technology sector, but some say it is not enough; EFF’s Gilbert Toppin: “The measures are helpful though he should have gone further to make a real difference”
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Russia to build new-generation nuclear icebreaker by 2015
Russia is locked in legal dispute with four other countries over rights to the mineral-rich areas in an under the North pole — areas which are slowly becoming accessible as a result of global warming; to make sure it gains ready access, Russia invests a new generation of nuclear ice breakers
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Space-based solar power coming to California
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), California’s largest utility company, will purchase from Solaren 200 megawatts of electricity when Solaren’s system is in place, which is expected to be 2016
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One-story masonry building withstands strong jolts during seismic tests
University of California, San Diego researchers design a one-story masonry structure and showed it could survive two days of intense earthquake jolts
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Post-Ike ideas for defending Galveston include extending sea wall
Texas A&M oceanographer proposes extending Galveston’s seawall to the island’s West End, building a similar structure along Bolivar Peninsula, and constructing massive Dutch-like floodgates at the entry to Galveston Bay; oceanographer says his proposed wall and gate system could repel most surges
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