Infrastructure protection

COASTAL CHALLENGESCoastal Management Model Plays the Long Game Against the Rising Tides
By Tim Schley
To protect against rising sea levels in a warming world, coastal cities typically follow a standard playbook with various protective infrastructure options. The problem? Future climate conditions might differ substantially from the used projections.
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RESILIENCEHelping Strengthen America’s Critical Infrastructure
By Corinne Dionisio
Everyday life depends on a robust infrastructure network that provides access to running water, communications technology and electricity, among other basic necessities. The experts who keep our national infrastructure secure and resilient also need a strong network to share their knowledge and train the next generation of professionals capable of solving complex infrastructure challenges.
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ELECTRIC GRIDAI and the Future of the U.S. Electric Grid
By Doug Irving
Despite its age, the U.S. electric grid remains one of the great workhorses of modern life. Whether it can maintain that performance over the next few years may determine how well the U.S. competes in an AI-driven world.
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INFRSTRUCTURE PROTECTIONWeb Search Formulas Offer a First Step for Protecting Critical Infrastructure
By Tom Rickey
The technology behind web search engines is useful for more than tracking down your long-lost buddy or discovering a delicious new recipe – it might also help keep the lights on, the water running and the trains moving during an emergency.
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DISASTERSDevastation from 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake in Myanmar Underscores Regional Lag in Construction Standards, Regulations, Says Resilience Expert
By Tanner Stening
A lot of factors are converging here,” says Daniel Aldrich, director of the university’s Resilience Studies Program. “But the bottom line is we’re talking about construction standards in developing countries.”
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INFRASTRUCTUREHeathrow Power Outage Exposes Infrastructure Vulnerabilities
The cause of Thursday’s power outage at Heathrow Airport, the result of a fire at the North Hyde electrical substation, is still not known, but it has highlighted several vulnerabilities in the U.K.s infrastructure.
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INFRASTRUCTUREHeathrow Fire Shows Just How Vulnerable U.K. Energy Infrastructure Is – We’ve Simulated the Major Climate-Related Risks
By Hayley J. Fowler, Colin Manning, and Sean Wilkinson
The closure of one of the world’s largest airports due to a failure of just one electricity substation underlines how important it is that critical national energy infrastructure –pylons, substations and so on –keeps functioning.
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AIRFIELD SAFETYMaking Airfield Assessments Automatic, Remote, and Safe
By Zach Winn
U.S. Air Force engineer and PhD student Randall Pietersen is using AI and next-generation imaging technology to detect pavement damage and unexploded munitions.
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CHINA WATCHIn Case We Forgot, Typhoon Attacks Remind Us of China’s Cyber Capability—and Intent
By James Corera and Elizabeth Buchanan
The Salt Typhoon incident reminds us that China has the intent, and increasingly the capability, to seriously challenge US and Western technology advantage.
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CLIMATE CHALLANGESNew Lab Studies How Cities Can Survive Extreme Climates
By Yulia Karra
“The city is a dynamic creature; it’s changing all the time,” says architect Merav Idit Battat. “I think we shouldn’t focus on how to think of everything from the beginning, but how to create a more adaptive city over time.”
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RESILIENCEPower Boost: Resilient Systems to Energize the Future
By Hollie Hohlfelder
Life without electricity is not just cold, dark and quiet. Disruptions to the electric grid, whether from hurricanes, wildfires or cyberattacks, can threaten lives as well as comfort.
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WILDFIRES5 Israeli Innovations for Fighting Wildfires
By Zachy Hennessey
As regions from California to the Mediterranean face wildfire threats, these innovations can help win the battle against out-of-control flames.
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WILDFIRESThe L.A. Fires Show a Need to Rethink Our Wildland Firefighting Systems
By Jay Balagna
As bad as the fires in the Los Angeles area have been—more than 12,000 structures burned, about 180,000 people evacuated, more than 35,000 acres scorched, and at least 25 deaths—they could have been even worse, but in some ways Angelenos got lucky. Asystem built on luck, however, is not a durable system. It is already strained, and it risks breaking down in a world of greater and more frequent wildfires.
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WILDFIRESWhat Mercenaries Can Teach Us About Climate-Fueled Disaster Responses
By Isabelle Bond
The devastating fires in Southern California, many of which are still burning out of control, have exposed a controversial and increasingly attractive disaster response alternative that engages the private sector.
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RESILIENCEHow Hard Is It to Prevent Recurring Blackouts in Puerto Rico?
Using the island as a model, researchers demonstrate the “DyMonDS” framework can improve resiliency to extreme weather and ease the integration of new resources.
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