Concrete cube tests
In previous blogs we’ve discussed various aspects of acceptance testing of concrete. The standard concrete compressive strength specimen in North America is a cylinder, either 6 x 12 inches or 4 x 8 inches. In most […]
Insights
Q and A: Low-carbon concrete
My project requires low-carbon concrete. What is that, anyway? There’s no universally accepted definition of low-carbon concrete. Typically, though, low-carbon concrete has a lower global warming potential than traditional concrete […]
First things first
Although I’m not a devotee of business books, I reread First Things First by Steven R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill every few years. When it came […]
How to overcome writer’s block
A few weeks ago I gave my students their first lecture on technical writing. As part of their two-semester capstone course, they produce a comprehensive report for their client. The […]
How natural experiments inform public health
Previous posts on this blog have explored learning—or failing to learn—from experience. Ultimately, survival and flourishing depend on being able to extract the right lessons from experience. Ideally, experiences would […]
Wherever you go, there you are
Who first observed that “wherever you go, there you are”? Buckaroo Banzai? Confucius? While it may sound like Eastern wisdom, it seems to have a Western origin: So, the cross […]
Why women’s rights matter to everyone
While it may seem far-fetched at first, there’s a correlation between women’s rights and world peace. Violence and instability thrive where preference for sons skews demographics or women are treated […]
Extending the life of nuclear power plants
About 20% of Minnesota’s electricity comes from nuclear power plants. Nuclear power provides an important supplement to solar and wind power. Like them, it doesn’t emit CO2, but unlike them […]
Resilient grains could promote food security
Most of the world looks to either wheat or rice as the staff of life. Wheat has been in the news since the Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted shipments from […]
Supply chain ethics of electric vehicles
Engineering students must demonstrate “an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, […]