Making Headlines
The following articles reflect our commitment to share sustainability-related accomplishments across the university — representing its colleges, departments, institutes, centers and other units — in the areas of research, student engagement, campus stewardship and collaborations with the public and private sectors.
The Washington Post, Feb. 7, 2020
Just days after the Earth saw its warmest January on record, Antarctica has broken its warmest temperature ever recorded. A reading of 65 degrees was taken Thursday at Esperanza Base along Antarctica’s Trinity Peninsula, making it the ordinarily frigid continent’s highest measured temperature in history. ...
Featured expert(s): David Bromwich
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center
National Geographic, Feb. 6, 2020
Bumblebees, among the most important pollinators, are in trouble. Fuzzy and buzzy, they excel at spreading pollen and fertilizing many types of wild flora, as well as crucial agricultural crops like tomatoes, blueberries, and squash. ...
Featured expert(s): Jamie Strange
entomology
Fox News, Feb. 4, 2020
The containers being used by the United States government to store dangerous nuclear waste far underground could be vulnerable to damage, researchers report. ...
Featured expert(s): Xiaolei Guo
materials science engineering
Science News, Feb. 3, 2020
Containers that the U.S. government plans to use to store dangerous nuclear waste underground may be more vulnerable to water damage than previously thought. ...
Featured expert(s): Xiaolei Guo
materials science engineering
Ash at Work (page 6), Jan. 30, 2020
During the 1950s and 1960s, America’s post-WWII economic boom was in full swing without much regard for the environmental impacts associated with industrial activities such as coal mining and coalpowered generation. ...
Featured expert(s): Tarunjit Butalia, Jason Cheng
civil, environmental and geodetic engineering, SI affiliated faculty, civil, environmental and geodetic engineering
National Geographic, Jan. 29, 2020
Ten thousand hot dogs, 20,000 pounds of shrimp, 8,000 pounds of short ribs—and that’s only a portion of the food that will be made by the 2,500-strong culinary staff flying into Miami this weekend to prepare snacks for one of the nation’s biggest game days. ...
ABC News, Jan. 28, 2020
The current model the U.S. and other countries plan to use to store high-level nuclear waste may not be as safe as previously thought. The materials used to store the waste "will likely degrade faster than anyone previously knew" because of the way the materials interact, according to research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Materials. ...
Featured expert(s): Xiaolei Guo
materials science engineering
U.S. News and World Report, Jan. 29, 2020
Nearly halfway into a 10-year pledge to combat the toxic algae that turns Lake Erie a ghastly shade of green, Ohio has made little progress. Its patchwork of mostly voluntary efforts hasn't slowed the farm fertilizers that feed algae blooms, leading to contaminated drinking water and dead fish. ...
Featured expert(s): Robyn Wilson
environment and natural resources, SI faculty advisory board
Washington Post, Jan. 29, 2020
Nearly halfway into a 10-year pledge to combat the toxic algae that turns Lake Erie a ghastly shade of green, Ohio has made little progress. Its patchwork of mostly voluntary efforts hasn’t slowed the farm fertilizers that feed algae blooms, leading to contaminated drinking water and dead fish. ...
Featured expert(s): Robyn Wilson
environment and natural resources, SI Faculty Advisory Board
Green Biz, Jan. 27, 2020
In the never-ending quest to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, experts are turning to a solution that’s as old as the trees: actual trees. The idea of using mighty maples, ponderous pines, majestic evergreens and other arboreal wonders to absorb greenhouse gases is hardly new. For years, everyone from school-age kids to corporate executives has embraced the idea, a concept that’s easily understood and in which nearly everyone can participate. ...
Featured expert(s): Bhavik Bakshi
chemical and biomolecular engineering, SI Faculty Advisory Board