Machines can't always take the heat − two engineers explain the physics behind how heat waves threaten everything from cars to computers

People aren’t the only ones harmed by heat waves. The hotter it gets, the harder it is for machines to keep their cool.

Matthew T. Hughes, Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) • conversation
Aug. 29, 2023 ~9 min

Looking for a US 'climate haven' away from heat and disaster risks? Good luck finding one

Even ‘climate havens’ face a riskier future, and infrastructure often isn’t built to handle climate change. But there are steps cities can take to prepare.

Earl Lewis, Director and Founder, Center for Social Solutions, Professor of History, Afroamerican and African Studies, and public policy, University of Michigan • conversation
Aug. 23, 2023 ~10 min


Bridge collapses, road repairs, evacuations: How transportation agencies plan for large-scale traffic disruptions

When a major roadway or bridge needs fixing, all that traffic has to go somewhere.

Lee D. Han, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
June 29, 2023 ~9 min

If humans went extinct, what would the Earth look like one year later?

Maybe it was a nuclear war, devastating climate change, or a killer virus. But if something caused people to disappear, imagine what would happen afterward.

Carlton Basmajian, Associate Professor of Community and Regional Planning, Urban Design, Iowa State University • conversation
June 12, 2023 ~8 min

Will faster federal reviews speed up the clean energy shift? Two legal scholars explain what the National Environmental Policy Act does and doesn't do

Do environmental reviews improve projects or delay them and drive up costs? Two legal scholars explain how the law works and how it could influence the ongoing transition to renewable energy.

James Salzman, Professor of Environmental Law, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
June 8, 2023 ~10 min

America’s aging flood control infrastructure is failing – federal funding is coming, but too often new construction relies on old data

Flood risks are rising, yet communities may spend millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding on systems that aren’t built to handle them.

Lu Liu, Assistant Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University • conversation
May 10, 2023 ~9 min

Flooding from California to Florida shows cracks in America's aging infrastructure – help is coming, but fixes too often fail to anticipate future disasters

Flood risks are rising, yet communities may spend millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding on systems that aren’t built to handle them.

Lu Liu, Assistant Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University • conversation
May 10, 2023 ~9 min

Federal money is coming to fix aging flood control systems – cities need to spend it in ways that anticipate future disasters

Flood risks are rising, yet communities may spend millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding on systems that aren’t built to handle them.

Lu Liu, Assistant Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University • conversation
May 10, 2023 ~9 min


Federal money is coming to fix aging flood control systems – but plans all too often reflect historical patterns and not future risks

As federal funding for infrastructure rolls in, communities run the risk of spending millions of dollars on systems that aren’t built to handle the flood risks ahead.

Lu Liu, Assistant Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University • conversation
May 10, 2023 ~9 min

What is the National Cybersecurity Strategy? A cybersecurity expert explains what it is and what the Biden administration has changed

The new National Cybersecurity Strategy reiterates the government’s focus on resilient infrastructure and taking the offensive against hackers. But it also brings a fresh approach to the private sector.

Richard Forno, Principal Lecturer in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County • conversation
March 20, 2023 ~9 min

/

8