Indigenous fire management
Growing up in California, I remember summer as fire season. Every year the vegetation in the hills around us would dry out. Then it would take just one careless camper […]
Public policy
The National Academies
The National Academies are a private, nongovernmental organization advising the federal government on science, engineering, and medicine. Abraham Lincoln authorized the creation of the National Academy of Sciences in 1863. […]
What’s in the infrastructure bill?
On 15 November, President Biden signed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. So what’s in this infrastructure bill, and why is it important for the United States? According to John […]
Expecting the results to be different
We (erroneously) credit Albert Einstein with the definition of insanity as continuing to do the same thing while expecting the results to be different. But it’s such a common behavior […]
Accessory dwelling units combat homelessness
Accessory dwelling units provide an independent living space outside the primary residence on a property. It might be a smaller house in your back yard that you rent to short- […]
Eisenhower’s interstate highway system
Throughout the United States, many interstate highways carry the name “Eisenhower” to honor the president who promoted the concept. But Eisenhower’s interstate highway system is showing its age. President Biden […]
The Responsible Minerals Initiative promotes ethical sourcing
For their senior design projects, engineering students at the University of St. Thomas analyze the ethical factors in accordance with the ABET criteria for student outcomes. These include “an ability to […]
What you need to know about CALGreen
The 2019 edition of the California Green Building Standards Code, also known as CALGreen, took effect at the beginning of this year. Its goals include: reducing greenhouse gas emissions from […]
Resilient engineering for climate change
Resilient engineering is design of infrastructure to withstand and recover from such major hazard events as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. It goes beyond design for life safety. It also […]
Design for resilient infrastructure
While it may seem that natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more severe, it isn’t necessarily so. However, more people are moving to areas that are exposed to flooding, […]