Climate experts share insights in new report from Argonne’s America Resilient Conference

America Resilient proposed key ways to mitigate the degree of likely human suffering, loss of biodiversity, and disruptions to critical societal systems by building resilience and mitigating the effects of climate change in the United States.

Leading civil and environmental engineer at West Virginia University identifies construction quality as potential contributor to Florida building collapse

Though a lot was not known immediately about the cause of the deadly collapse of a high-rise residential building in Surfside, Florida on June 24, Hota GangaRao, a civil and environmental engineering professor at West Virginia University’s Benjamin M. Statler…

World’s largest outdoor earthquake simulator undergoes major upgrade

A major upgrade to the world’s largest outdoor earthquake simulator reached a milestone mid-April when the facility’s floor–all 300,000 lbs of it–was put back into place. When completed this fall, the simulator will have the ability to reproduce multi-dimensional earthquake motions with unprecedented accuracy to make structures and their residents safer during strong shakes. Researchers lay out the details of the upgrade in a paper published recently in Frontiers in Built Environment.

Director of UCI Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute available to address recent ransomware attacks.

As the first executive director of the multidisciplinary Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine, Bryan Cunningham is focused on solution-oriented strategies to address technical, legal and policy challenges to combat cyber threats, protect individual privacy and civil…

Modern infrastructure security must be reframed with more thorough approach

Infrastructure has always been a target in warfare, according to Mikhail Chester, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Arizona State University. “Think about military aircraft dropping bombs on bridges or railroad lines. But battles today are not just army…

Rural America primed for mileage if $2 trillion infrastructure plan passes

Rural communities help fuel the nation, though decades of aging and deteriorating infrastructure have stifled the potential of the American economy and way of life, according to West Virginia University experts. A proposed $2 trillion federal infrastructure plan, announced by…

Colonial Pipeline is a harbinger of things to come in business

Six days after the Colonial Pipeline was attacked by cyberhackers and left millions hanging at the gas pump, they have gained control of their operations once again. But not before the refinery paid their attackers $5 million in untraceable cryptocurrency, according to…

Colonial Pipeline hack a wake-up call to ramp up cybersecurity for nation’s infrastructure

The ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which has sparked fears of a gasoline shortage, exposes vulnerabilities within critical infrastructure systems in the U.S., according to a West Virginia University cybersecurity expert. Ransomware – a cyber attack designed to render files…

Argonne leads creation of definitive valuation guide for pumped storage hydropower

Argonne scientists led four other laboratories in developing definitive guidance on how to value pumped storage hydropower projects. Their efforts resulted in DOE publication of the Pumped Storage Hydropower Valuation Guidebook: A Cost-Benefit and Decision Analysis Valuation Framework. The guide provides an objective, transparent valuation methodology and helps measure both monetary and non-monetary value streams.

New reports address COVID-19’s fiscal effects, policy possibilities

From revenue shortfalls to meeting increased demand for public services, the challenges facing government entities require atypical policies to deal with these issues in the COVID-19 era and beyond, according to new reports from the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Virtual climate conference explores adaptation and resilience

To bring together the country’s brightest minds to think critically about the climate challenges facing the nation and the key capabilities we have to solve them, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory convened a virtual climate conference called “America Resilient.”

Nation’s first quantum startup accelerator, Duality, launches at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center and the Chicago Quantum Exchange

The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Chicago Quantum Exchange today announced the launch of Duality, the first accelerator program in the nation that is exclusively dedicated to startup companies focused on quantum science and technology—a rapidly emerging area that is poised to drive transformative advances across multiple industries.

Rensselaer Experts Available To Discuss Federal Infrastructure Proposal

President Joe Biden is proposing a sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure bill that would fund improvements to transportation, manufacturing, and digital infrastructure, among other projects. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the country’s first technological research university, are leaders in improving the sustainability, safety, and performance of transportation systems, energy systems, and wireless networks, among other areas. Experts in civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering are available to discuss what impact large-scale infrastructure projects could have on a multitude of systems that impact people across the country.

Marine Fisheries Will Not Offset Farm Losses after Nuclear War

After a nuclear war, wild-catch marine fisheries will not offset the loss of food grown on land, especially if widespread overfishing continues, according to a Rutgers co-authored study. But effective pre-war fisheries management would greatly boost the oceans’ potential contribution of protein and nutrients during a global food emergency, according to the study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study for the first time explored the effects of nuclear war on wild-catch marine fisheries.

Most Nations Failing to Protect Nature in COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Plans

The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to reset the global economy and reverse decades of ecosystem and species losses, but most countries are failing to invest in nature-related economic reforms or investments, according to a Rutgers-led paper.

UCI cyber-physical security researchers highlight vulnerability of solar inverters

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020 – Cyber-physical systems security researchers at the University of California, Irvine can disrupt the functioning of a power grid using about $50 worth of equipment tucked inside a disposable coffee cup. In a presentation delivered at the recent Usenix Security 2020 conference, Mohammad Al Faruque, UCI associate professor of electrical engineering & computer science, and his team revealed that the spoofing mechanism can generate a 32 percent change in output voltage, a 200 percent increase in low-frequency harmonics power and a 250 percent boost in real power from a solar inverter.

UCI engineers evaluate snow drought in different parts of the world

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 3, 2020 — Environmental engineers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a new framework for characterizing snow droughts around the world. Using this tool to analyze conditions from 1980 to 2018, the researchers found a 28-percent increase in the length of intensified snow-water deficits in the Western United States during the second half of the study period.

Sea Level Rise Report: Impacts to Property and Regional Planning Solutions

A new study reveals that urgent action is needed to protect billions of dollars in real estate investment across South Florida due to impacts of sea level rise over the next several decades. The report casts light on the issues and clarifies the alternatives available to South Florida, which embraces the four counties of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Together, these counties generate more than $337 billion in personal income annually with a combined real property value assessed at more than $833 billion.

Argonne’s researchers and facilities playing a key role in the fight against COVID-19

Argonne scientists are working around the clock to analyze the virus to find new treatments and cures, predict how it will propagate through the population, and make sure that our supply chains remain intact.

Argonne experts help Department of Energy strengthen energy security in Moldova

In the fall of 2019, Moldova needed to identify viable alternative routes and sources of natural gas in the event of a disruption in natural gas supply to the country during the 2019-2020 winter. Through the U.S. Department of Energy-led Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC), experts from Argonne and the U.S. Government provided assistance to Moldova in developing a plan to prepare and respond to the potential supply disruptions.

Is Lebanon Becoming A Real Nation?

Amir Asmar is a Department of Defense analyst and CFR’s national intelligence fellow. Throughout his intelligence career, his primary area of focus has been the Middle East. He held a wide range of analytic, senior analytic, and leadership positions for the Department of the Army, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Intelligence Council. The statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this blog post are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense (DoD) or the U.S. government. Review of the material does not imply DoD or U.S. government endorsement of factual accuracy or opinion.

Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Report on Rising Seas and Changing Coastal Storms in N.J.

New Brunswick, N.J. (Dec. 12, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts are available to comment on “New Jersey’s Rising Seas and Changing Coastal Storms: A Report of the 2019 Science and Technical Advisory Panel.” The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection commissioned…