You Do The Math: Explaining Basic Concepts Behind Math Problems Improves Children's Learning
66% of High Schoolers Value Info on Colleges' Env'l Commitment
Separating fact from fiction on the environment
Japan kills 680 Antarctic whales
Webinar: Seven Steps to Developing a Campus Climate Action Plan
Higher Rates of Autism Found Near Toxic Waste Sites
Carbon Dioxide In Atmosphere Can Now Be Measured From Space
3-D Printing Hits Rock-bottom Prices With Homemade Ceramics Mix
Cheap And Efficient White Light LEDs With New Design
Oneida Lake a valuable resource
Global warming shrinks apple belt
New USGS study documents rapid disappearance of Antarctica`s ice shelves
Mediterranean region: Even drier by 2100
Salmon Collapse Prompts Second Year of Fishing Ban
Save some cash, get unplugged
Carbon capture and storage 'being oversold as a panacea'
Expert: Don't 'rinky-dink around the margins' of climate change
Water shortages are a growing problem, but not for the reasons most people think
Americas on alert for sea level rise
Webinar: Designing a LEED Certified, State-of-the-Art Data Center
What will global warming look like? Scientists point to Australia
Practical BIM: A BIM awareness webinar
BIM 301 Workshop: New BIM Contracts
You Do The Math: Explaining Basic Concepts Behind Math Problems Improves Children's Learning
ScienceDaily (Apr. 12, 2009) - New research from Vanderbilt University has found students benefit more from being taught the concepts behind math problems rather than the exact procedures to solve the problems. The findings offer teachers new insights on how best to shape math instruction to have the greatest impact on student learning.
The research by Bethany Rittle-Johnson, assistant professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College and Percival Mathews, a Peabody doctoral candidate, is in press at the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.
"Teaching children the basic concept behind math problems was more useful than teaching children a procedure for solving the problems - these children gave better explanations and learned more," Rittle-Johnson said. "This adds to a growing body of research illustrating the importance of teaching children concepts as well as having them practice solving problems."
Read More...
66% of High Schoolers Value Info on Colleges' Env'l Commitment
The Princeton Review 2009 "College Hopes and Worries Survey" has found that 66 percent, up 3 percent from 2008, of respondents would value the ability to compare college and universities based on their commitment to environmental issues. Nearly a quarter said this information would very much or strongly affect their college decision. The survey interviewed 12,715 high school students applying to college and 3,007 parents of college applicants.
Read More...
Separating fact from fiction on the environment
IT IS quite remarkable how few early warnings about risks to human health or the environment over the years turned out to be unfounded. Whether the dangers came from X-rays, DDT, tobacco smoking, asbestos, lead in petrol or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), early warners were proved right, often after decades of denial by vested interests.
Similar struggles are still being waged over electromagnetic radiation from powerlines, dioxins from waste incineration or desirability of producing food using genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
And, as in the past, scientists who stick their necks out on these issues have been disowned, harassed and even vilified.
Read More...
Japan kills 680 Antarctic whales
TOKYO - Japan's whaling catch in its latest Antarctic hunt fell far short of its target after disruptions by anti-whaling activists, the Fisheries Agency said on Monday.
Japan, which considers whaling to be a cherished cultural tradition, killed 679 minke whales despite plans to catch around 850. It caught just one fin whale compared with a target of 50 in the hunt that began in November.
Read More...
Seven Steps to Developing a Campus Climate Action Plan
FREE Webinar
Thursday, April 16, 2009 - 1:00 - 2:30 PM (US EDT)
This webinar will focus on the particular challenges faced by colleges and universities in meeting campus sustainability goals through the development of their individual Climate Action Plans.
A real challenge in campus sustainability programming is developing a comprehensive plan, based upon multiple stakeholder input, that integrates and prioritizes these initiatives in a strategic approach to support the institution's goal of a reduced carbon footprint.
Read More...
Higher Rates of Autism Found Near Toxic Waste Sites
Autism rates among school children living within a 10- or 20-mile radius of toxic waste sites are nearly twice as likely to have autism compared to children living farther away from such sites. These data support the widely speculated but controversial idea that exposure to chemical contaminants can increase the risk of developing autism. (Search for Superfund sites near your home.)
The incidence of autism in the U.S. has risen dramatically during the past 20 years. Improved diagnoses may contribute to the elevated number of cases, but a recent study calculates that better diagnosis does not explain a large part of the rise. Environment, such as exposure to chemicals, is thought to be a primary driver of the increase.
Read More...
Carbon Dioxide In Atmosphere Can Now Be Measured From Space
ScienceDaily (Apr. 12, 2009) - INESC Porto developed a technology, together with ESA - European Space Agency, that enables a more effective measurement of gases in the atmosphere comparatively to the currently used techniques. With this technology, it will be possible to measure gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone - the gases responsible for global warming and greenhouse effects.
Other than carbon dioxide, this technology is capable of providing a precise measurement of other pollutant gases, such as methane gas, nitrous oxide and ozone, besides measuring levels of humidity, atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind speed. Thus, this is an essential tool made in Portugal for research on climate change, a step forward to the control of greenhouse gases in the battle against global warming.
Read More...
3-D Printing Hits Rock-bottom Prices With Homemade Ceramics Mix
ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2009) - This story is, literally, stone age meets digital age: University of Washington researchers are combining the ancient art of ceramics and the new technology of 3-D printing. Along the way, they are making 3-D printing dramatically cheaper.
About five years ago, Mark Ganter, a UW mechanical engineering professor and longtime practitioner of 3-D printing, became frustrated with the high cost of commercial materials and began experimenting with his own formulas. He and his students gradually developed a home-brew approach, replacing a proprietary mix with artists' ceramic powder blended with sugar and maltodextrin, a nutritional supplement. The results are printed in a recent issue of Ceramics Monthly. Co-authors are Duane Storti, UW associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Ben Utela, a former UW doctoral student.
"Normally these supplies cost $30 to $50 a pound. Our materials cost less than a dollar a pound," said Ganter. He said he wants to distribute the free recipes in order to democratize 3-D printing and expand the range of printable objects.
Glitzy three-dimensional printers have become common in the industrial world, churning out fast 3-D prototypes of everything from airplane parts to running shoes. But the machines also are becoming popular among artists, hobbyists and educational institutions.
Read More...
Cheap And Efficient White Light LEDs With New Design
ScienceDaily (Apr. 9, 2009) - Roughly 20 percent of the electricity consumed worldwide is used to light homes, businesses, and other private and public spaces. Though this consumption represents a large drain on resources, it also presents a tremendous opportunity for savings. Improving the efficiency of commercially available light bulbs -- even a little -- could translate into dramatically lower energy usage if implemented widely.
A group of scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences is reporting an important step towards that goal with their development of a new type of light emitting diode (LED) made from inexpensive, plastic like organic materials. Designed with a simplified "tandem" structure, it can produce twice as much light as a normal LED -- including the white light desired for home and office lighting.
"This work is important because it is the realization of rather high efficiency white emission by a tandem structure," says Dongge Ma (.cn), who led the research with his colleagues at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Read More...
Oneida Lake a valuable resource
There were a few things in the newsletter that really caught my attention. In a report by Randy Jackson and Ed Mills of the Cornell University's Biological Field Station at Shackelton Point, it was noted that the lake's average daily water temperature reached 75 degrees on only one day from 1968 through 1990. In 2005, the average daily temperature exceeded 75 degrees 29 times.
Also, in the old days, Oneida Lake ice often got to be more than 2 feet thick by February. Today, 12 to 15 inches is more common. Having used a hand auger many times, I can tell you which thickness I prefer. Because they have reliable records, Jackson and Mills know that stable ice covered the lake for 117 days in 1899-1900. In 2007-08, it was just 71 days. That's a month and a half less of ice!
Read More...
Global warming shrinks apple belt
CHANDIGARH: Will the rising temperatures wipe out apples in Kullu-Manali areas of Himachal Pradesh? A study conducted by Palampur-based
agriculture university suggests that the world renowned Himachal apple may well be affected.
Over the next 30 years or so, growing apples may not be possible in this traditional belt comprising Kinnaur, Shimla and Kullu districts, scientists claim. The last three decades have seen a steady rise in temperatures - varying between 0.3 to 1.7 degree celsius - and brought down the chilling hours, required for a good crop, from 1200 hours to 800.
Read More...
New USGS study documents rapid disappearance of Antarctica`s ice shelves
Possible Forecast for Continued Antarctica Glacier Loss and Sea-Level Rise Due to Climate Change. Antarctica's glaciers are melting more rapidly than previously known because of climate change, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report prepared in close collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey. The USGS study documents for the first time that one ice shelf has completely disappeared and another has lost a chunk three times the size of Rhode Island. This research is part of a larger ongoing project that is for the first time studying the entire Antarctic coastline.
Read More...
Mediterranean region: Even drier by 2100
'A new study suggests that the impact of climate change on the Mediterranean region will change precipitation and evaporation rates over land and sea, creating even drier conditions. A greater amount of atmospheric moisture will be lost from the region. Agriculture may suffer as a result, and the salinity of the Mediterranean Sea could increase. A range of climate change scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC-AR4 (2007)1, suggest that there will be major changes in precipitation (rainfall) in the Mediterranean region. The researchers, partly funded by the EU, as part of the CIRCE2 project, investigated the combined effect of decreasing precipitation and increasing surface temperatures over Mediterranean land and sea areas. Projections from a suite of climate models (CMIP3)3 were used.
Read More...
Salmon Collapse Prompts Second Year of Fishing Ban
For the second year in a row, the Pacific Fishery Management Council has canceled the California commercial salmon fishing season. The vote was Wednesday, according to Earth Justice, which blames the historic collapse of the fishery on agricultural demand for water, and federal water management policies in the Sacramento River watershed as a major factor in the decline.
In 2004, the Bush Administration set rules for use of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that allowed farms to draw more water from the system, "relaxed cold water flow requirements" and eliminated more than half of salmon spawning habitat, according to Earth Justice.
Read More...
Save some cash, get unplugged
NEW YORK - For Ben Veligdan, a music teacher in Brooklyn's Coney Island neighborhood, opening the electric bill became a monthly surprise.
There's no way more than $100 a month for him, his wife and a cat could be normal, right?
So Veligdan, 26, looked around his modest one-bedroom apartment for the culprit and decided unplugging his computer when sleeping or working would be a start.
His electric bill fell almost immediately.
Many electronic items still draw power when they're turned off. It's a phenomenon called "phantom" load, and it sucks about 5 percent to 10 percent of the energy used in America's homes each year.
That's the same amount of power generated by 17 coal-fired plants annually, according to Brian Keane, president of the energy-efficiency think tank SmartPower.
Read More...
Carbon capture and storage 'being oversold as a panacea'
But critics and experts say there are geological risks, it's a waste of taxpayers' money and the 'economics are deadly.'
Carbon capture and storage of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions is still 12 to 20 years from being commercialized, but it's being oversold as a panacea and a silver bullet, however, it's a waste of taxpayers' money, there are geological risks to storing carbon dioxide underground and the economics "are deadly," say experts and critics who believe the federal government should be investing in other environmental solutions such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Jack Century, a Calgary-based retired petroleum, minerals and environmental geologist with more than 50 years of experience in the industry, told The Hill Times last week that carbon capture and storage (CCS) procedures-burying greenhouse gas emissions-could cause induced earthquakes or "micro seismicity" which risk CO2 leakage. He said injecting any gas or liquid into the ground without very carefully studying the geology could become a hazard.
Read More...
Expert: Don't 'rinky-dink around the margins' of climate change
Auden Schendler is blowing a metaphorical raspberry at the kind of hybrid-driving, plastic bag-banning environmentalists for which Seattle is known.
"The problem is, too many Americans are saying: 'I've got my Prius and that's all I need to do,'" Schendler, the executive director of sustainability at Aspen Skiing Co., said during a luncheon in downtown Seattle Friday.
Then, from Schendler's new book, "Getting Green Done," there's this commentary on a Colorado group's effort to eliminate plastic bags in grocery stores.
"The polar ice caps are melting, and the Midwest in the spring of 2008 experienced flooding consistent with 20 years of climate modeling; Denver was experiencing record drought, with only three inches of rain through July 2008; and Grand Junction was about to break a record for consecutive days over 90 degrees. And we're banning plastic bags," he wrote. "To quote John McEnroe: 'You have got to be kidding me!'"
Read More...
Water shortages are a growing problem, but not for the reasons most people think
THE overthrow of Madagascar's president in mid-March was partly caused by water problems-in South Korea. Worried by the difficulties of increasing food supplies in its water-stressed homeland, Daewoo, a South Korean conglomerate, signed a deal to lease no less than half Madagascar's arable land to grow grain for South Koreans. Widespread anger at the terms of the deal (the island's people would have received practically nothing) contributed to the president's unpopularity. One of the new leader's first acts was to scrap the agreement.
Three weeks before that, on the other side of the world, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California declared a state of emergency. Not for the first time, he threatened water rationing in the state. "It is clear," says a recent report by the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme, "that urgent action is needed if we are to avoid a global water crisis."
Read More...
Americas on alert for sea level rise
Climate change experts in North and South America are increasingly worried by the potentially devastating implications of higher estimates for possible sea level rises.
The Americas have until now been seen as less vulnerable than other parts of the world like low-lying Pacific islands, Vietnam or Bangladesh.
But the increase in the ranges for anticipated sea level rises presented at a meeting of scientists in Copenhagen in March has alarmed observers in the region.
Parts of the Caribbean, Mexico and Ecuador are seen as most at risk. New York City and southern parts of Florida are also thought to be particularly vulnerable.
The 2007 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report suggested that sea levels would rise by between 19cm (7.5 inches) and 59cm by the end of this century.
Read More...
Designing a LEED Certified, State-of-the-Art Data Center
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 2:00 PM, Eastern Daylight Time
Designing a LEED Certified, State-of-the-Art Data Center
Become an insider on Emerson's soon-to-open 35,000-square-foot, energy optimized data center project. Emerson Network Power evangelizes best practices in data centers, and when it was called on by corporate parent Emerson to help design and equip a showcase data center that would accommodate the company's 100-facility consolidation project, Emerson Network Power got the chance to practice what it preaches.
Read More...
What will global warming look like? Scientists point to Australia
Reporting from The Murray-Darling Basin, Australia -- Frank Eddy pulled off his dusty boots and slid into a chair, taking his place at the dining room table where most of the critical family issues are hashed out. Spreading hands as dry and cracked as the orchards he tends, the stout man his mates call Tank explained what damage a decade of drought has done .
"Suicide is high. Depression is huge. Families are breaking up. It's devastation," he said, shaking his head. "I've got a neighbor in terrible trouble. Found him in the paddock, sitting in his [truck], crying his eyes out. Grown men -- big, strong grown men. We're holding on by the skin of our teeth. It's desperate times."
Read More...
Practical BIM: A BIM awareness webinar
24th April 2009 - 18:00
A webinar by BIM expert Nigel Davies, outlining the concepts of BIM and their practical application in a design office. You have probably heard the phrase BIM or "Building Information Modelling", but are you sure what it means? BIM expert Nigel Davies, Director of Evolve Consultancy, will lead a one hour web-based briefing on the practical considerations of BIM in a design office.
Read More...
BIM 301 Workshop: New BIM Contracts
In the BIM 101 Workshop we examined the evolution of building information modeling from 2D drawing sets to 3D models to 4D schedules to 5D estimates and layouting solutions. In the BIM 201 Workshop, we examined 3D/4D Coordination efforts in-depth, with the understanding that "clashes" happen in both space and time. And now for the BIM 301 Workshop, we'll turn our attention to BIM Contracts.
When: Friday, April 17, 2009 12 Noon - 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Where: a free, educational webinar available online
Read More...