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Chef Clara Park: Eat Cetera & The Cinema Chefs PodcastClara discussed her various projects, including her partnership with Drexel University where she offers recreational cooking classes on weekends, and her podcast " The Cinema Chefs" which is recording its final episode of season one. They cover food scenes from movies, with topics ranging from specific foods to special occasion dining. With her passion for culinary education, Clara believes in highlighting how foods can improve people's health, save them money, and help build a fuller sense of community. She also discussed the importance of teaching basic cooking skills to empower people and change their lives, noting that many lack foundational culinary knowledge.Ayesha Dolasa & Noble MushroomsAmaris welcomed Ayesha Dolasa who owns Noble Mushrooms along with her husband, Jacob. With a background in Environmental Engineering and her husband's entrepreneurial spirit, Ayesha explained the science behind mushroom cultivation, emphasizing the importance of sterile conditions for growing safe and healthy mushrooms. Ayesha also shared information about different types of mushrooms, including the cultivation, health benefits, and culinary uses behind some of their products, like Lion's Mane and Cordyceps mushrooms. She mentioned Noble Mushrooms' grow kits and classes, as well as their online presence and market locations.Chef David Feola: Culinary Journey & Corio Amaris interviewed David Feola, whose culinary career began in New York City after initially pursuing film school. David shared his journey from working in prestigious kitchens like Veritas, Gramercy Tavern, and Jean-Georges to helping to open Vernick and working in Ember & Ash in Philly. He highlighted the challenges of breaking into the competitive New York City restaurant scene and the pivotal role of personal connections in his career advancement.Chef David explained the concept and atmosphere of his new restaurant, Corio. He emphasized that he and his partners wanted Corio to be an approachable, casual dining experience while maintaining high culinary standards. He described the menu as innovative, featuring their innovative takes on dishes; like creating clams in white wine sauce as a pizza and a mushroom-based chopped cheese sandwich called Mushroom Duxelle. Corio is currently serving lunch and dinner, and currently offers cocktails through neighboring business Two Locals Brewing; full catering services and their wine and cocktails program are still in development. Related Links:https://claraparkcooks.comhttps://www.eatceteraphilly.comhttps://www.instagram.com/thecinemachefs/https://www.noblemushrooms.comhttps://www.njmyco.orghttps://nofanj.orghttps://www.coriophilly.comhttps://www.cooknsolo.comhttps://www.hearthsidebyob.comhttps://www.bondfiremediaco.comhttps://www.twolocalsbrewing.com
On the latest episode of the best podcast in higher education, the #GINNing Gang mixes it up with concrete crackerjack Stanton Freeman, a kudos-collecting graduate student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and husband to Morgan Freeman — that Morgan Freeman.
Guest: Dr. Brian Bledsoe, University of GeorgiaWhen a hurricane makes landfall, we expect the strongest impacts to hit the coast. But Hurricane Helene proved that the story doesn't end there. With hurricane-force winds reaching more than 350 miles inland, this storm challenged the way we think about extreme weather risk. Are we truly prepared for the full reach of a hurricane, not just this decade but for centuries to come? Today on Weather Geeks, we're joined by Dr. Brian Bledsoe from the University of Georgia, who is an expert on infrastructure and making future building more resilient. There are many opportunities to build back better, smarter, and safer after these events happen, and hopefully strive to not have to rebuild in the same places over and over. From infrastructure challenges to communication gaps, we'll explore what needs to change to keep these communities—both coastal and inland—safe.Chapters00:00 Understanding Hurricane Helene's Impact04:58 Assessing Infrastructure Resilience15:11 Lessons Learned from Hurricane Helene28:02 Addressing Multiple Natural Disasters40:00 The Importance of Comprehensive Infrastructure PlanningSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today we had the pleasure of hosting our good friend Dr. Ken Medlock, Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics and Senior Director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute. Ken joined the Rice University faculty in 2004 and holds adjunct professor appointments in the Department of Economics and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in addition to serving as director of the Master of Energy Economics program. He is also a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, and a sought-after voice on Capitol Hill, at OPEC, and in the media. The Baker Institute plays a key role in shaping energy policy debates in both the U.S. and globally and we were thrilled to welcome Ken to hear his latest insights on today's evolving energy landscape. In our discussion, we explore oil market dynamics and pricing, Middle East geopolitical complexity, Kuwait's production expansion plans, U.S. policy, including how recent grant eliminations impact the economics of carbon capture projects, as well as the importance of distinguishing short-term volatility from long-term energy strategy. We review the current state of carbon capture technology, with high costs remaining a significant barrier, the potential long-term opportunity to convert captured CO2 into valuable products, the potential impact of rolling back EPA emission rules on future generation mix, and how strong electricity demand growth will require all types of generation to meet future needs. Ken shares his perspective on the importance and challenges of coordination across U.S. energy agencies, the critical importance of supply chain resilience, how geopolitical risk premiums shape oil markets, and potential market impact if Iran advances its nuclear capabilities. We cover potential disruptions to energy flow through the Strait of Hormuz, the roles of the U.S. and Israel in Middle East tensions, OPEC+'s decision to accelerate production, low global inventories, and the Baker Institute's growth and expansion across ten programs. We also touch on the interconnectedness of energy and other sectors, the need to re-educate on supply chain dynamics, the intersection of energy infrastructure and disaster preparedness, evolving student interest in energy at Rice, and much more. It was a fantastic and wide-ranging conversation spanning many critical aspects of energy today. Mike Bradley kicked off the show by noting that the S&P 500 has rallied back to within 2% of its all-time high, while the S&P 500 Volatility (VIX) is hovering near YTD lows, which is a dangerous combination. U.S. equity markets appear to be largely driven by the ups/downs of Trump's “Big Beautiful Budget Bill” and tariff negotiations. On the bond side, the U.S. 10-year bond yield (4.45%) has traded sideways so far this week, but that could shift quickly given that several key economic reports are on deck this week, which also could go a long way in determining what the FED does at their June 18th FOMC Rate Decision Meeting. From a crude oil market standpoint, WTI price has recently surged to ~$65/bbl which has caught oil traders by surprise. The front-end of the WTI curve is trading in backwardation, while the back end of the curve is in contango, mostly due to a substantial global S/D surplus that's expected beginning in Q4'25. Last week, OPEC+ agreed to raise July production by ~0.4mmbpd (total 3mo production increase of ~1.2mmbpd), but these “stated” production increases are much higher than “actual” barrels that have entered the market, which is beginning to raise questions around OPEC's “real” spare production capacity. He further noted that Canadian wildfires, Iran nuclear deal delays, and the plunge in U.S. oil rig count (~40 rigs) over the last two months have all combined to move WTI price higher. He ended by highlighting that the EIA released its Short-Term Energy Outlook report this week, which forecasted that U.S. cru
In this episode, Kevin Walsh, PhD, PE, SE, shares his journey through academia and the structural engineering industry, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities within the profession. We explore the evolving role of technology, including AI, the importance of community impact, and the need to inspire the next generation.We discuss retention issues, the complexities of historic construction, and the emotional resilience required in the field. Kevin also highlights the responsibility of engineers toward sustainability, the influence of financial drivers, and the critical role of interpersonal skills in professional growth. We reflect on the legacy of engineers and advocate for a shift in how the profession is perceived.We're joined by Kevin Q. Walsh, PhD, PE, SE, Associate Teaching Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Director, Master of Engineering (MEng).Kevin Walsh's primary areas of research interest are sustainable and resilient infrastructure, pultruded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) structural framing, inventory and seismic assessment of masonry and concrete buildings, large-scale experimental testing including the testing of in situ structures, unbonded post-tensioning strand/anchorage systems, modern masonry construction materials, and the professional practice of structural engineering.Connect with Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kqwalsh/KeywordsEngineering, academia, youth engagement, infrastructure, career growth, mentorship, built environment, AI in engineering, community impact, retention issues, historic construction, materials, risk management, environmental responsibility, legacy, interpersonal skills, career purposeChapters03:09 Journey into Engineering06:10 The Role of Academia in Engineering09:08 Challenges in Attracting Youth to Engineering12:11 The Importance of Community and Fulfillment in Engineering15:03 The Future of Engineering and AI18:02 The Art and Science of Engineering20:59 Retention Issues in Engineering23:55 Infrastructure and Its Impact27:02 Opportunities in the Built Environment31:02 Curiosity and Specialization in Engineering32:26 Historic Construction and Material Challenges34:51 Teaching Fundamentals and Emotional Resilience37:30 Navigating Risk and Litigation in Engineering40:37 Financial Drivers in Engineering Decisions43:21 The Role of Engineers in Environmental Responsibility48:15 Legacy and Purpose in Engineering51:25 Interpersonal Skills and Professional Growth56:35 Finding Purpose in Engineering CareersConnect with us: The Level Design Podcast is a podcast for Architects and Engineers who want to thrive in this industry by creating more freedom, fulfillment and financial security.Join us: Are you one of the 5% of Engineers and Architects who's ready to take on Entrepreneurship?Dive deeper, fill out the form, and our leadership team will personally connect with you, address your questions and explore reclaiming your professional independence.www.leveldesignpartners.com
Share your Field Stories!Welcome back to Environmental Professionals Radio, Connecting the Environmental Professionals Community Through Conversation, with your hosts Laura Thorne and Nic Frederick! On today's episode, we talk with Sameer Neve, a sustainability strategist, biochar researcher, and environmental justice advocate whose work spans everything from sports to soil science about Biochar, Sustainability in Sports, and Using LinkedIn to the Fullest. Read his full bio below.Help us continue to create great content! If you'd like to sponsor a future episode hit the support podcast button or visit www.environmentalprofessionalsradio.com/sponsor-form Showtimes: 0:35 - Fun Facts about Peppers3:36 - Nic and Laura talk bad bosses!12:03 - Interview with Sameer Begins25:52 - How to connect with your community as an introvert41:01 - Sameer's Field Story Please be sure to ✔️subscribe, ⭐rate and ✍review. This podcast is produced by the National Association of Environmental Professions (NAEP). Check out all the NAEP has to offer at NAEP.org.Connect with Sameer Neve at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nevesameer/Guest Bio:Sameer Neve is an innovative Environmental Engineer, sustainability advocate, and interdisciplinary researcher with a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. With over 7 years of experience at the intersection of science, policy, and impact, Sameer has led projects focused on decarbonization strategies, ESG frameworks, and advanced environmental site assessments across sectors ranging from energy and infrastructure to education and sports.Currently serving as an Associate Consultant at WSP USA and Advisory Board Member at HydraEarth Network, Sameer brings his expertise in clean energy and workforce development to shape equitable and resilient environmental solutions. His groundbreaking work in biochar research—particularly the sustainable reuse of spent biomass—has informed innovations in soil remediation, biodiversity restoration, and climate-resilient infrastructure. His efforts have been recognized through multiple peer-reviewed publications and a U.S. patent.A strong advocate for environmental justice and community-led solutions, Sameer has contributed to national-scale environmental justice datasets, urban decontamination projects, and inclusive sustainability strategies that prioritize historically underserved populations. He also brings sustainability thinking into non-traditional domains like sports, where he explores how athletic facilities, events, and infrastructure can align with low-carbon, nature-positive goals.From building local water purification systems in India to mentoring future environmental leaders in the U.S., Sameer continues to bridge technical expertise with real-world impact. His mission is clear: to design systems, inspire change, and build a future where biodiversity thrives, equity is embedded, and sustainability is second nature.Music CreditsIntro: Givin Me Eyes by Grace MesaOutro: Never Ending Soul Groove by Mattijs MullerSupport the showThanks for listening! A new episode drops every Friday. Like, share, subscribe, and/or sponsor to help support the continuation of the show. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and all your favorite podcast players.
What is our action plan for phasing out concrete? Mike interviews Martha Dillon, writer and policy researcher, about her research into the use of concrete in construction. Why do we continue to use a material we know is harmful and exploitative? Listen to the podcast via: - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ucem/id1524980861- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Czk2mZlZmknjUZfwLmLTa- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/universitycollegeofestatemanagement The topics discussed in this episode include:The environmental, health, ecological and political impact of concreteWhy are we so reliant on concrete?Why can't we just ban concrete?Are there more viable sustainable alternatives to concrete? Guest Martha DillonMartha Dillon is a writer and policy researcher specialising in housing, land and the climate crisis. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master's in Civil and Environmental Engineering, before starting her own critically-acclaimed print magazine, It's Freezing in LA!, and working in policy and research roles at the Greater London Authority, think tanks and Buro Happold Engineering. She writes regularly for the Architectural Review and Architect's Journal, and currently works at C40 Cities, a global network of 96 major cities.
The craft beer industry owes much of its success to the modern IPA. While IPA is a historic beer style, it has exploded in popularity in the last few decades, spawning new interpretations of the style. West Coast. East Coast. Double IPA. White IPA. Black IPA. Cold IPA. New England. Sour. Wild. And many, many others.Does “IPA” mean anything anymore? If it does, what motivates a brewer to push the limits of what IPA is and can be? How do brewers think about IPA recipes, especially when redefining it?Guests:Diana Locatelli was born and raised in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and from there went out to Boulder to study Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado. Having fallen in love with Colorado, one thing she could not ignore was the local beer scene. At some point after graduating, Diana got herself a homebrew kit along with some buddies, and that's where she really sunk her teeth in. From that point on, it became a major focus for her anywhere she went and Diana just loved seeing what a new city had to offer in the beer world. She got inspired to see if it was something she could make a career of, and lo and behold, she landed herself a job as an assistant brewer at Oskar Blues, where she brewed for about 4 and a half years. From there, Diana moved to Odell Brewing Company, where she spent another almost 5 years. After that, Diana picked up everything she could from those experiences with experienced breweries, and found an opportunity to move back to the homeland in Wisconsin where she started at Hinterland Brewery, which turns 30 this coming May. She became the head brewer at the beginning of the year, and has been continuing the learning journey! Diana loves hops and all things IPA. In her free time, Diana loves to camp, play soccer, watch football, and hang out with her two dogs. Alexandra Nowell has been in the brewing industry for over 15 years. She is the Co-founder and Brewer at Mellotone Beer Project in Cincinnati, Ohio and Technical Brewing Advisor for CLS Farms in the Yakima Valley. Alexandra's love of beer and inspiration for brewing is found in the roots of the recipe, where she strikes a balance between science, art, and intention. Over the course of her career, Alexandra has taken a special interest in the raw ingredient supply chain, with a focus on the crucial relationships linking brewers, growers, brokers, all facets in between, and how that plays out to create the highest quality beer possible.Natalie Rose Baldwin is the brewmaster at lager-focused brewery Wayfinder Beer in Portland, Oregon. She worked as a research and development brewer at Breakside Brewery from 2017 to 2023, and has been brewing since 2014. Natalie's brewing interests vary with a predominant focus on esoteric lagers, hop and malt innovation and specialty beers using seasonal flowers, tea, spices, and fruit. Natalie is a professional judge at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup as well as other international competitions. She works with the Oregon Brewers Guild Diversity and Equity Committee, was a Pink Boots Portland Chapter co-leader, and was the recipient of a Pink Boots scholarship in 2018. Outside of work, Natalie enjoys traveling, backpacking, baking, and forever frolicking in fields of flowers with her dog Beef.This Episode is Sponsored by:Brewery Branding Co.Since 2009, Brewery Branding has been crafting merch that helps breweries thrive.They're born and raised in Portland, Oregon, giving them front row seats to the craft beer revolution and inspiring them to serve as your industry ally for everything branded: apparel, headwear, drinkware, and all the “wouldn't it be cool if…” ideas you can dream up. Brewery Branding has been there, done that, and made the t-shirts to prove it. Brewery Branding didn't rise to the top by being just another supplier; they're your merch mercenaries ready to get in the trenches with you. Their expert design team, online stores, warehousing, and fulfillment services are here to make your life easier—and your custom goods more profitable than painful.Whether you're refreshing your retail space, gearing up for festival season, or launching a new product in retail, Brewery Branding delivers custom goods that are on-trend, on-brand, and ready to succeed. From the smallest batch to the biggest order, nothing gets them more excited than raising a glass to your success. RahrBSGNeed ingredients and supplies that deliver consistent, high-quality beer? RahrBSG has you covered. From hops to malt to yeast to unbeatable customer service, we are dedicated to your success. RahrBSG—Ingredients for Greatness.Westchester County Craft Beverage TrailReady to taste your way through one of New York's most exciting craft beverage destinations? Head to Westchester County in the scenic Hudson Valley, where more than 23 breweries, distilleries and cideries are pouring up local flavor in every glass. Get started with the Westchester County Craft Beverage Trail free digital passport that makes exploring easy (no app download required). Just check in at participating locations to earn points and prizes, all while enjoying a taste pour. Use the passport to tag your favorites and discover new hop spots like Broken Bow Brewery in Tuckahoe, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in Elmsford, Hardscrabble Cider in North Salem and River Outpost Brewing Company in Peekskill—and many more!Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, where trailblazing runs in the family. From crafting a movement with their iconic Pale Ale, to taking the IPA haze craze nationwide with Hazy Little Thing – it's an adventurous spirit you can taste in every sip. Find your next favorite beer wherever fine beverages are sold. With new brews for every season, there's always something to discover. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Still Family-Owned, Operated & Argued Over.Hosts: Don Tse and Em SauterGuests: Alexandra Nowell, Natalie Rose Baldwin, Diana Locatelli Sponsors: Brewery Branding, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., RahrBSG, All About BeerTags: IPAPhoto: John HollThe following music was used for this media project:Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeodFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-callLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseArtist website: https://incompetech.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
In this episode of Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski is joined by Lauren Ferguson from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for a riveting deep dive into the unseen forces shaping our indoor environments. Lauren unpacks her journey from biochemistry to environmental engineering and her groundbreaking work modeling childhood pollution exposure in London. The conversation spans wildfire smoke infiltration, the silent threat of PM2.5, and why ventilation might just be our best defense. Plus, hear why Lauren believes you “can't buy your way out of bad environmental conditions,” and why indoor air quality could be the next frontier in mental health research. With insights into the delicate dance between energy efficiency and human health, this episode challenges how we think about buildings—from private homes to public schools.More About Lauren FergusonLauren Ferguson is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Healthy Buildings Program. Lauren holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from University College London (UCL), UK, where she built a personal exposure model which estimated childhood exposure to PM2.5 for 1.3 million individuals in Greater London. The tool can be used to assess a number of “soft” (for example, behavioral modifications) and “hard” (for example, building interventions) policy interventions on childhood exposure to air pollution.Lauren's interests lie in using building physics and statistical models to assess population-level exposures to indoor environmental hazards, such as heat and air pollution, and understanding how these exposures lead to health impacts and inequalities. In addition to her doctoral research, she has applied these techniques to study population exposure to household air pollution in Nairobi's informal settlements and predict the extent of indoor overheating the UK housing stock may face under future climate scenarios. The goal of her work with the Healthy Buildings Program is to continue her research into indoor heat, where she will be building a US-based housing stock model.CONTACT:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-ferguson-55b178100/ https://hsph.harvard.edu/profile/lauren-ferguson/ Where To Find Us:https://bbfhpod.advancedglazings.com/www.advancedglazings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/better-buildings-for-humans-podcastwww.linkedin.com/in/advanced-glazings-ltd-848b4625https://twitter.com/bbfhpodhttps://twitter.com/Solera_Daylighthttps://www.instagram.com/bbfhpod/
Southern Portugal's alentejo region is the location setting for our tour of sustainability practices but Portugal is facing a range of different environmental challenges that will become more pronounced in coming years. In this episode with guest prof. Francisco Ferreira, we delve into the water, heat and other climate issues.Francisco Ferreira is a professor of Environmental Engineering at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and president of the environmental NGO ZERO, recognized for his extensive work on air quality, climate change, and sustainable development in Lisbon and across Portugal.Download the FREE ‘Into The Heat' ebook:
How do you stay motivated, ethical, and impactful in engineering—even when everything around you is changing? On this episode of the Engineer Your Success Podcast, Dr. James Bryant talks with Dr. Emily Grubert, a nationally respected researcher in infrastructure and energy systems at Notre Dame. They cover how engineers can adapt to shrinking grant funding, political resistance to climate policy, and a changing professional landscape—while staying true to their mission. You’ll walk away with practical strategies for building a future-ready engineering career, grounded in ethics, resilience, and real-world value.
Brazilian-born Carolina Triboni, a senior in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will lead the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering's class of 2025 as graduation marshal during spring commencement on Sunday, May 11. Find out why on the latest episode of the best podcast in higher education.
In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host Debra Chanil speaks with Andrew Dempsey, Director of Climate at REI, about the cooperative's evolving approach to sustainability. Andrew shares REI's commitment to local and accessible renewable energy and how the co-op is working to ensure its energy procurement has meaningful community impact. They explore the growing convergence of energy and climate within corporate structures, and how REI's climate strategy is directly tied to protecting the outdoor experiences that define its brand. Andrew discusses the role corporates can play in advancing climate solutions beyond compliance by leading with voluntary commitments and supporting innovation. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in… REI's cause and its structure as a co-op (01:29) How REI approaches its sustainability work (04:51) How REI's corporate sustainability team operates (07:05) The co-op's renewable energy journey and strategy (10:10) REI's climate programs and tools to achieve their goals (14:15) REI's approach to community impact and accessibility (20:45) Role of corporates in driving climate action (24:43) For detailed show notes, click here. Connect with Andrew Dempsey On LinkedIn Andrew Dempsey is the Director of Climate at REI, where he focuses on driving transformational change throughout the organization by leading the co-op's climate, energy, and waste strategies. His work is centered on achieving impactful outcomes for REI's business, employees, and broader community of members. Prior to REI, Andrew worked at Google, focusing on sustainable design and organizational strategy at the intersection of technology, experience, and human health. Andrew holds a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Connect with Smart Energy Decisions Smart Energy Decisions Follow us on LinkedIn Subscribe to Smart Energy Voices on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, aCast, PlayerFM, iHeart Radio If you're interested in participating in the next Smart Energy Decision Event, visit smartenergydecisions.com or email our Community Development team at attend@smartenergydecisions.com
This week on the LU Moment, we sit down with Dr. Liv Haselbach and Dr. Nicholas Brake from the LU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, to hear about a new flood monitoring program that will help streamline storm recovery efforts in Southeast Texas. For the full transcription of this episode, visit https://lamaru.us/lumomenttranscript.For updates on the latest news and events at Lamar University, visit lamar.edu/news.
If you're struggling to keep people engaged and loyal in your product or business, check out my FREE gamification course to learn how to do just that: professorgame.com/freecommunity-web Badges won't cut it. Katie Patrick reveals how focusing on feedback loops, imagination, and measurable actions makes climate programs actually work. Join us to explore how to crush environmental inaction with game-inspired design. Katie Patrick is an Australian-American environmental engineer and climate action designer. She's author of the books How to Save the World and Zerowastify and hosts a podcast where she investigates the academic research in environmental psychology. Katie specializes in the design of getting people to change. She applies gamification and behavioral science in a way that dramatically increases the adoption of environmental programs and has worked with organizations including UNEP, NASA JPL, Stanford University, U.S. State Department, Google, University of California, Magic Leap, and the Institute for the Future. Katie started UrbanCanopy.io, a map-based application that uses satellite imaging of urban heat islands and vegetation cover to encourage urban greening and cooling initiatives. She is also the co-founder of Energy Lollipop, a Chrome extension and outdoor screen project that shows the electric grid's CO2 emissions in real time. She was CEO of the VC-funded green-lifestyle magazine Green Pages Australia and was appointed environmental brand ambassador by the Ogilvy Earth advertising agency for Volkswagen, Lipton Tea and Wolfblass Wines. She has served on the board of Australia's national eco label, Good Environmental Choice Australia, and won the Cosmopolitan Woman of the Year Award for entrepreneurship. After graduating from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology with a B.Eng in Environmental Engineering, she worked as an environmental design engineer for building engineers WSP in Sydney on some of the world's first platinum-LEED-certified commercial buildings. Katie lives in Silicon Valley with her young daughter, Anastasia.
Today, we're thrilled to welcome Dennis Truax, a true leader and innovator in the field of civil engineering. With a career spanning over four decades, Dennis has made remarkable contributions as an educator, researcher, consulting engineer and mentor. He's the 2022 President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and professor emeritus of the Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Mississippi State University.An experienced department chair with a demonstrated history of working in higher education, Dennis is a strong business development professional skilled in academic advising, public speaking, private piloting, construction, and stormwater management. He's also a recognized expert in environmental and water resources engineering, holding multiple advanced certifications and awards, including ASCE's Edmund Friedman Professional Recognition Award and induction into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni at Virginia Tech.In this episode, we'll dive into the difference between a job and a career, finding your competitive advantage, creating loyalty, having pride in our work, the problem with billable hours, and avoiding the 'dinosaur mindset'. We'll also explore the opportunities and challenges you face whether you're just starting your career or in the middle of it, and the critical choice every civil engineer needs to make. All this and more with former ASCE President Dennis Truax. Enjoy this conversation with Dennis Truax.Chapters02:19 Journey to Civil Engineering06:29 The Difference Between a Job and a Career10:17 The Role of Civil Engineers in Society12:44 The Impact of Civil Engineering on Daily Life16:19 Understanding Infrastructure and Its Importance20:43 The Disconnect Between Public Perception and Infrastructure Needs25:14 Celebrating Civil Engineering and Infrastructure30:21 The Future of Civil Engineering and Its Societal Role30:52 The Shared Infrastructure of Society32:14 Understanding Civil Engineering's Role34:50 Expectations of Water Quality37:34 The Evolution of Civil Engineering39:43 Opportunities for Young Engineers42:00 Navigating Work Environments46:40 The Commoditization of Engineers50:25 Innovative Business Models in Engineering57:27 The Future of Civil EngineeringConnect with Dennis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-d-truax-4678308bConnect with us: The Level Design Podcast is a podcast for Architects and Engineers who want to thrive in this industry by creating more freedom, fulfillment and financial security.Dive deeper, fill out the form, and our leadership team will personally connect with you, address your questions and explore reclaiming your professional independence.www.leveldesignpartners.com
In this episode, host Jim Love kicks off his new profile series with a deep dive into the compelling career of Dr. Priscilla Johnson, an environmental advocate at the crossroads of technology and sustainability. Dr. Johnson discusses her work in building a data center in South Africa amidst a severe drought, her tenure as Director of Water Strategy at Microsoft, and her transition into cyber intelligence. She explains how her unique background and empathetic approach have informed her career decisions and advocacy for responsible resource management. The conversation also touches on the importance of situational awareness in cybersecurity, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersections of environmental engineering, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. 00:00 Introduction to the Series 00:29 Meet Dr. Priscilla Johnson 00:54 Challenges of Building a Data Center in Africa 01:16 Dr. Johnson's Background and Role at Microsoft 02:38 Addressing the Water Crisis in South Africa 06:34 Innovative Solutions and Collaborations 19:12 Dr. Johnson's Journey into Environmental Engineering 24:47 Discovering Texas and Dow Chemical 25:15 Environmental Impact and Agent Orange 27:00 Challenges in Environmental Management 29:00 Maternity Leave and Data Issues 34:46 Transition to Cybersecurity 37:19 Cybersecurity Threats and Preparedness 48:26 Mentorship and Career Advice 53:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Michigan State University is working toward climate neutrality by mid-century, doing its part to address the global climate crisis within our own community and on our own campus. The goal is to provide exemplary stewardship of institutional resources to foster the long-term sustainability of MSU and its high-quality education, research and outreach and engagement programs Ultimately, a desire to achieve climate neutrality. Joining MSU Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Bill Beekman on this episode of MSU Today to discuss the electrification of the MSU fleet are Adam Lawver, assistant vice president of IPF operations in Infrastructure Planning and Facilities; Stephanie O'Donnell, university traffic engineer in the MSU Department of Public Safety; and Dr. Mehrnaz Ghamami, associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Conversation Highlights: (2:12) – Adam, how many vehicles are in the MSU fleet? What kinds of vehicles? We began the process of electrification in 2022. How is that going? (6:37) - What are the lessons learned so far? (11:54) – Mehrnaz, as an electric vehicle researcher and based on your work studying electric vehicle issues at MSU and across the state of Michigan, what lessons are you learning? (20:28) - How do we develop a state-wide or national charging strategy? (22:34) – Stephanie, what is the role of a university traffic engineer? How do you spend your workday? (25:04) – How are electric vehicles impacting your work? (28:27) - Where are the problem areas or “hot spots” that you're working to make better? (32:46) - What changes are on the horizon for MSU parking, transportation, and safety? What will you be working on for the next three to five years? (34:21) – Mehrnaz, what will you be working on in the years ahead? (35:21) – Adam, what's ahead as our university fleet continues to evolve? (39:58) – Where do you like to travel when you're not working? Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.
In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Lewis Lehe, Assistant Professor in the Transportation Systems group of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at UIUC, to discuss congestion pricing's consequences, two months later. Has the toll worked in reducing congestion downtown? How might we measure that? And beyond simply reducing congestion, are there other benefits to this policy? This conversation explores answers to those questions, and probes further about the purpose of ambitious policies like this one.
Welcome to a new episode of Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies. In this episode, we explore the dynamic partnership between UConn School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, aiming to tackle workforce development challenges. Join us as we discuss with Eric Jackson, research professor and executive director of the Connecticut Transportation Institute, and Carlo Leone, Director of Workforce Development at the Connecticut DOT. Discover how collaborative efforts are reshaping engineering education to meet the real-world demands of infrastructure development. From curriculum adjustments to technology integration, learn about the strategies being implemented to prepare the next generation of engineers, and the long-term impacts these changes promise for Connecticut and beyond.
Dr. Edward DeLong is a Professor in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawai'i Mānoa as well as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. Research in Ed's lab brings together a variety of disciplines to study microbial communities in the ocean. He is interested in their ecology, evolution, biochemistry, genomics, and their impacts on marine systems. Particularly of interest for Ed are the microscopic organisms that are the primary producers or “forests of the ocean” responsible for releasing oxygen and serving as food for other organisms in marine food chains. When he's not working, Ed loves to be out in nature. He enjoys spending time outside with his family, hiking, kayaking, and snorkeling in the beautiful coral reefs near his house. Ed has also taken up yoga to help him stay limber and relaxed. Ed received his B.S. in Bacteriology from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at Indiana University. Ed has worked as a research scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, a faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and a faculty member at MIT before accepting his current position in Hawai'i. His honors and achievements include the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the DuPont Young Faculty Award, the Apple Bioinformatics Cluster Award, the Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal of the European Geosciences Union, the Proctor and Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology D.C. White Research and Mentorship Award, the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award, A.G. Huntsman Medal for Excellence in Marine Science, and the Moore Foundation Marine Microbiology Investigator Award. Ed is also an Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Microbiology. Ed has also been elected as an Associate of the European Molecular Biology Organization and is the Vice President and President Elect of the International Society of Microbial Ecology. In addition, he currently serves as the co-director of the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology (SCOPE). Ed joined us for a conversation about his experiences in life and science.
Consumers once complained about the short range of electric vehicles, but not so much anymore. Now, finding reliable public charging has become the top concern for EV drivers. Chargers can be broken, slow or just inaccessible for multiple reasons. In this episode of Unfold, we talk to UC Davis researchers studying public charging woes and tag along as they drive all over California to test thousands of chargers. In this episode: Alan Jenn, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies Gil Tal, director, Electric Vehicle Research Center at the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies
Children’s and young-adult authors often explore the pain and loneliness of growing up. Padma Venkatraman does it in an elegantly told story that also explores immigration, environmental change, and the power of friends to make everything better. Venkatraman is an award-winning author who was born in Chennai, India. Before becoming a novelist, earned a Ph.D. in oceanography from The College of William and Mary. She conducted postdoctoral research in Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and later worked in Germany. She also served as head of Inwoods Small School, and taught oceanography and directed diversity efforts at the University of Rhode Island. Venkatraman is the author of five novels including “Climbing the Stairs,” “Island’s End,” “A Time to Dance,” and “The Bridge Home.” She has written several other books, including: “Double Stars: The Story of Caroline Herschel (Profiles in Science),” “Women Mathematicians (Profiles in Mathematics),” and the illustrated “Growing Gold,” “Born Behind Bars” and “Cleverest Thief.” Her latest book is “Safe Harbor,” was published this month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rob van Haaren is a Dutch-born entrepreneur and CEO of Proximal Energy, a Cleveland-based SaaS company transforming asset management for solar and energy storage projects.Rob has long been interested in renewable energy engineering — he holds a Master's from Columbia University in Earth and Environmental Engineering and a PhD from Columbia as well with a focus on utility-scale energy storage optimization and engineering. He also has over a decade of experience blending bridging academia and industry, working as a photovoltaic and storage analyst at First Solar.Since founding Proximal, Rob leads a remote AI-driven team to deliver advanced analytics and agentic tools that help large asset managers optimize performance and reliability in utility-scale projects spanning multiple gigawatt hours of storage.In addition to his work at Proximal, he is also an Expert in Residence at BRITE Energy Innovators, which we've heard about from Rick Stockburger back on Episode 161.As you'll hear in our conversation today, Rob is an engineer, a problem solver, and a deep thinker who is passionate about transforming the way society manages utility-scale energy, and we're lucky to now have him as a founder in Cleveland!-----LINKS:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-van-haaren/- https://proximal.energy/-----SPONSORS: Impact Architects & NinetyImpact Architects & NinetyLay of The Land is brought to you by Ninety. As a Lay of The Land listener, you can leverage a free trial with Ninety, the platform that helps teams build great companies and the only officially licensed software for EOS® — used by over 7,000 companies and 100,000 users!This episode is brought to you by Impact Architects. As we share the stories of entrepreneurs building incredible organizations throughout NEO, Impact Architects helps those leaders — many of whom we've heard from as guests on Lay of The Land — realize their visions and build great organizations. I believe in Impact Architects and the people behind it so much, that I have actually joined them personally in their mission to help leaders gain focus, align together, and thrive by doing what they love! As a listener, you can sit down for a free consultation with Impact Architects by visiting ia.layoftheland.fm!-----Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here.Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and over 200 other Cleveland Entrepreneurs.Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/Follow Jeffrey Stern on X @sternJefe — https://twitter.com/sternjefeFollow Lay of The Land on X @podlayofthelandhttps://www.jeffreys.page/
Cobb Wines tasted today. Ross Cobb from Cobb Wines and Ziggy the Wine Gal from The Krush join Steve Jaxon on California Wine Country. Dan Berger is away this week. Ross Cobb first met Ziggy when he was at Williams Selyem in 1998 or 99, while he was working with Bob Cabral there. Cobb Wines is a winery inspired by creative freedom. A quote from Patti Smith provides context. Robb was always motivated by music and he lets “…Patti Smith explain the rest.” Ross has also been working with Les Claypool's Pachyderm Wines They start by tasting the Cobb Wines Riesling, from a 14-15 acre vineyard at a high elevation. It is officially the smallest appellation in America. The soil is limestone, at 1200 feet. It is the last of the Sonoma Coast vineyards that he picks every year. The fermentation is long and slow. He just tasted his 2024 vintage, which began last Fall, so even that step comes late with this wine. It is balanced between fruit and alcohol. How about some sushi? Fresh oysters? Fresh Dungeness crab? Ziggy says it is a dry Riesling that should go with “dry January” whatever that is. Ross Cobb's 25th Vintage Ross grew up in Valley Ford and his dad worked at Bodega Marine Lab. They were friends with other families that made wine in the area. The family moved away and later he went to UC Santa Cruz to study Soil Science and Environmental Engineering. They have lived at Coastlands Vineyard since 1989. He worked for a lot of different wineries in northern California. In 2001 He started Cobb Wines and this year will be his 25th vintage. He only started making the dry Riesling in 2016. He also makes Chardonnay in the traditional way, not the big buttery style that Ziggy calls “Chateau Two by Four” with too much oak. Cobb Wines dot com is the website with all of the wines they have today, available for sale. They are also at Bottle Barn and many local restaurants. They aren't a tasting room but they can receive guests.
"There are different approaches that can be used to make sure we are on the right path for different sorts of {climate} goals." This podcast focuses on the Housing Innovation Summit this coming May 2025. We encourage our listeners and partners to share and engage with us during this conference coverage! In this conversation, Devon Tilly and co-host Dennis Steigerwalt chats with Dr. Eric Holt of the University of Denver, and Dr. Melissa Bilec of the University of Pittsburgh. They discuss the history of the HIA Summit at the University of Denver and talk about the summit's new home this spring 2025 at the University of Pittsburgh. Keep up with the Art of Construction (AOC) podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn! Our co-host Dennis is active in all things real estate with a specific focus on innovation in the residential development and homebuilding ecosystems. He is a ULI Residential Neighborhood Product Council member, a Professional Builder 40 under 40 recipient, and an active member of Geek Estate. In his spare time he enjoys big adventures with his wife and sons on the water and in the mountains. Dennis is the president of the Housing Innovation Alliance, a future oriented community for production homebuilding. The Housing Innovation Summit is the best place to get engaged + connected where you'll gather insights + have a voice at each turn. The 2025 Summit is co-hosted by the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh. We'll be at Phipps Conservatory in the Oakland neighborhood and hosting Innovation in Action tours around Pittsburgh. Dr. Melissa Bilec is a prominent voice in sustainable engineering, climate change solutions, and environmental justice. She co-directs the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, a University-wide center promoting sustainable research and education. She serves as the Special Assistant to the Provost for Sustainability. Dr. Bilec's research is dedicated to developing sustainable solutions for buildings and healthcare to tackle climate change. Her work aims to mitigate climate change and address global waste challenges by advancing circular economy principles in the built environment. At the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Bilec has led greenhouse gas inventories since 2008 and serves on the Chancellor's Sustainability Council to guide the University's climate strategy. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and secured over $20 million in funding. Her earlier work focused on community-based infrastructure projects, including transforming a century-old hot metal bridge into a pedestrian bridge. Dr. Bilec led Civil and Environmental Engineering's inaugural Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee and serves as the co-faculty advisor for the Pitt Society for Women Engineers. Dr. Eric Holt is a Professor of the Practice in the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the University of Denver (DU). He teaches Construction Building Systems, Introduction to Architecture & Design Management, and Construction Estimating. He has 30 years of experience in the construction industry. His career includes construction material sales and marketing, plan reviewer and building inspector, custom/production home project manager, and small business owner and architectural designer for new homes and remodeling projects. Eric earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University in Construction Management. He serves on the NAHB Student Chapter Advisory Board at the national level and as the DU NAHB Student Chapter Faculty Advisor. His research focuses on the housing industry around alternative building methods, workforce development, affordability, and the technology utilized in homebuilding construction. Read more about the Burns School of Real Estate at the University of Denver! Subscribe to us and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Marilyn Waite leads the Climate Finance Fund. She has worked across four continents in renewable and nuclear energy, climate modeling, and investment. Author of Sustainability at Work: Careers That Make a Difference, Marilyn's writing has been featured in the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, and Trellis (formerly GreenBiz), where she served as editor at large. Marilyn holds a Master's Degree with distinction in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, magna cum laude, from Princeton University. She serves on multiple boards and investment committees, including Climate First Bank. In this episode, we discuss: ● The role of established companies and start-ups in battling climate change ● What being intentional about “where your money sleeps” means ● What a JEDI lens—justice, equity, diversity, inclusion—means when investing in climate solutions Key Takeaways: ● Maslow's Hierarchy and Climate Impact: Imagine mapping global spending against Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Right now, we can afford to focus higher up on the pyramid—on esteem and self-actualization—but climate change could drastically shift that. Depending on how climate scenarios unfold, global spending may be forced back to the basics: food, water, shelter, and safety. This raises an essential question: how do we prepare to protect those foundational needs while enabling humanity to thrive at every level of the hierarchy and ensure we do so equitably? ● Interconnected Ecosystems for Climate Solutions: Human survival is deeply intertwined with the natural ecosystems around us. We can't thrive in isolation from the world we depend on. Solving climate change requires more than a single silver-bullet solution; it demands an ecosystem of tools and approaches—just like the ecosystems we're working to protect. There's a beautiful symmetry in this: to preserve the balance of nature, we must harness the collective power of diverse, interconnected solutions. ● The Role of Startups in Transforming Big Business: While large, established companies can spark change, the reality is that creating rapid, sweeping transformations within massive global organizations is incredibly challenging. This is where startups step in, bringing fresh ideas, agile solutions, and new ways of operating. Large companies can play a critical role by supporting these startups—scaling their innovations or integrating new processes. Together, they create a powerful dynamic where nimble startups help established giants move the needle on sustainability and vice versa. References: ● Connect with Marilyn on LinkedIn ● Sustainability at Work: Careers That Make a Difference (Second Edition) by Marilyn Waite ● Climate Finance Fund ● Project Drawdown ● Global Alliance for Banking on Values ● Village Capital ● Sphere ● W Fund ● Enduring Planet ● Cap Table Coalition ● Clean Energy Credit Union ● Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials Connect & Share: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them! If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good! Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don't miss future episodes. This podcast is for you, the listener. I'd love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at info@KathyVarol.com.
Matters Microbial #72: Who is in Your Water? January 2, 2025 Today, Dr. Ameet Pinto, Carlton S. Wilder Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the microbiome of drinking water and how it can be used to optimize safety and health. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Ameet Pinto Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode A short review of a famous article by Dr. Norman Pace about the microbiome of showers and how microbial populations differed due to chlorination. An old discussion of microbial oligotrophy: the ability to survive on very low levels of nutrients. The story of John Snow, a water fountain, and cholera in England. The concept of “Live/Dead” staining of microbes. An overview of the concept of metagenomics. An article on the microbiome of shower hoses. A public science outreach program to study the microbiome of showerheads. The Instagram link for Dr. Pinto's wonderful cat, Nessie. A great book describing exceptions to Mendelian genetics using cats: “Cats Are Not Peas.” Highly recommended. An article about water supplies and the pathogenic microbe Legionella. An overview of water disinfection techniques. An introduction to a model system of a microbial soil community, called THOR by Jo Handelsman and colleagues. Thinking of water treatment and related technologies as a series of ecological niches, via Tom Curtis and Bill Sloane. Dr. Pinto's faculty website. Dr. Pinto's deeply fascinating research group website. Intro music is by Reber Clark Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com
Summary: In this episode of Regenerative by Design, host Joni Kindwall-Moore welcomes Anna Jones-Crabtree, Jessica Roberts, and Colleen Kavanagh to discuss the transformative potential of regenerative organic farming in Montana's Northern Great Plains. The conversation dives into the challenges and opportunities of building sustainable food systems prioritizing environmental stewardship, economic resilience, and community health.Show Notes:Guests: Anna Jones-Crabtree, Jessica Roberts, Colleen KavanaghAnna Jones-CrabtreeAnna Jones-Crabtree is a first-generation organic farmer and co-owner of Vilicus Farms, a 12,500-acre dryland crop farm in Northern Montana. She and her husband, Doug, have cultivated a diverse array of heirloom grains, pulses, oilseeds, and broadleaf crops using innovative five and seven-year rotations, integrated grazing, and extensive conservation practices. Vilicus Farms, which devotes over 26% of its land to non-crop conservation and pollinator habitats, is Bee Better and Real Organic Project Certified, with plans for Regenerative Organic and Biodynamic certifications.Anna is also the Executive Director of the Vilicus Institute, a learning hub supporting sustainable farming systems in the Northern Great Plains. With a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a focus on sustainable systems, Anna has served in leadership roles for the Xerces Society, USDA Advisory Council, and Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT. In addition to her farming and advocacy work, Anna is the Regional Director of Data, Information, and Geospatial Resources for the US Forest Service.Link:https://www.vilicusinstitute.org/Jessica RobertsWith over 20 years of hands-on farming experience, Jessica Roberts has dedicated her career to cultivating crops, developing value-added products, and driving systemic change in the food industry. She honed her expertise through roles at Wegmans grocery stores and their Organic Farm & Orchard, where she focused on research and development to strengthen regional food systems. As Associate Director of Certification for the Real Organic Project, Jessica led programs supporting over 1,100 farmer members, conducting more than 200 farm inspections to advance organic farming practices. Guided by principles of reciprocity and a belief in humanity's role as co-creators of resilient ecosystems, Jessica strives to build a food system that honors and rewards farmers for their essential contributions to their communities and the environment.Link:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-roberts-803034191/Topics Covered:The role of Villicus Farms and Villicus Institute in fostering regenerative organic practices.Barriers and innovations in crop diversity, soil health, and ecosystem services.Economic challenges of first-generation farming and market access for diverse crops.The need for a collaborative "supply circle" model to de-risk regenerative practices.The impact of local sourcing and shorter supply chains on community resilience and carbon emissions.Key Takeaways:Regenerative organic farming systems require fundamental shifts in market and policy support.Farmers often bear the greatest risk in a supply chain that needs collective risk-sharing strategies.Collaborative initiatives, like those from Villicus Institute, aim to transform how farmers are supported economically.Shortening supply chains and prioritizing US-grown products can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and strengthen local economies.Call to Action: Explore the work of Villicus Farms and the Villicus Institute through the links provided in the show notes. Share this episode to spread awareness of the importance of regenerative farming. Rate the podcast and connect with the team for more updates on their groundbreaking projects.Closing Thought: "Redesigning our food systems isn't just about farming differently; it's about showing up for one another in ways that build a more resilient and equitable future."The Regenerative by Design is hosted by Snacktivist. Snacktivist creates baking mixes and finished products that are allergy-friendly, soil, water, and carbon-focused, all while radically impacting human nutrition by transforming staple foods into something more than just empty calories. Visitsnacktivistfoods.com to learn more.Funding for the Regenerative By Design Podcast was made possible by a grant/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
Matters Microbial #71: Disinfecting the Built Environment December 25, 2024 Ever wonder what's growing on your toothbrush? Today, Dr. Erica Hartmann, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss how antimicrobial resistance can occur in the built environment we see all around us every day—and why it is vital to learn more about this association. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Erica Hartmann Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode An essay on the Hygiene Hypothesis. An overview of the “built environment.” The trouble with triclosan. An essay on heavy metal resistance. An article from Dr. Hartmann's group about the toothbrush microbiome (“Project Pottymouth”). A link to the Human Microbiome Project. An overview of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic resistance genes. An article about silver nanoparticles on toothbrushes. A blog post about probiotic cleaning products. An interesting post from Dr. Hartmann's team about viruses in your bathroom. A video by Dr. Hartmann about her research. Dr. Hartmann's faculty website. Dr. Hartmann's research team website. Intro music is by Reber Clark Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com
Today we talk about a post-pandemic effort to figure out, seriously, what would make public transit more attractive to more Californians, so that more of us actually use it. Our guest is Kari Watkins, co-director of the Transit Research Center and associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California at Davis. She's a member of a state committee you probably don't know about — the Transit Transformation Task Force, which has the job of figuring out how to seriously accelerate Californians' use of transit.
Send us a textToday's episode is about a career that is not only fascinating but also plays a critical role in shaping a greener, more sustainable world. Imagine being the hero fighting for a cleaner planet, reducing pollution, and designing systems to protect the Earth's resources. Yes, we are talking about the career of an Environmental Engineer.If you're passionate about protecting the environment, enjoy solving problems, and want to make a meaningful impact, this could be your dream career! Connect With Kapeel GuptaWhat You May Learn0:00 Introduction1:19 Mission Statement1:37 Scope in India and Abroad3:03 Nature of Work4:21 Educational Qualifications & Skills Required6:25 Salary in India and Abroad7:25 Conclusion8:11 Call to ActionSupport the show
As a child, Avry Prewitt's world was filled with construction — Lego towers, pillow forts and elaborate Minecraft creations. That early passion for building grew into a planet-saving purpose. Learn all about the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's latest wastewater wunderkind — and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering's latest graduation marshal — on the latest episode of the best podcast in higher education.
Owl Have You Know is pleased to welcome Twice-Rice grad Will Eldridge – a consultant at Bain & Company and the president-elect of the Rice Business Alumni Association Board.Will earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Rice in 2017. But after an unforgettable experience in MAcc program director Ben Lansford's class, he decided to pivot to accounting. Will went on to work at Deloitte as a senior auditor for oil and gas clients, before deciding to go back to school again for his MBA at Chicago Booth.Will chats with Owl Have You Know guest host Brian Jackson '21 about his path from accounting to strategy consulting, the importance of mentorship, and why board service has given him a way to give back to his community in fulfilling ways.Episode Guide:00:53 Will's Favorite Career Pivot02:00 Impact of Ben Lansford03:22 Choosing Rice and Career Path05:05 Experience at Deloitte08:11 Transition to Consulting09:46 Volunteering and Alumni Networks15:30 Consulting Challenges and Skills18:10 Personal Background and French Heritage20:39 Commitment to Rice Business23:33 Advice for Future Business Students25:01 Classic Cocktails and ConclusionOwl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Ben Lansford and MAcc program's impact in Will's journey from engineering to accounting01:48: [Brian Jackson]: Tell me about Ben Lansford. What type of impact did he have on you? Are there any memories from your time in the program that really stick out?01:56: [Will Eldridge]: Yeah, of course. Ben is this amazing dad figure for a lot of us who found our way to the MAcc. I say that because he has these great dad jokes, but he also helps a lot of people find their way and is someone who has made accounting, which gets a bad rap in a lot of circles, you know, the favorite class that some people take. [02:26] And, you know, when they announced bringing this program back to Rice, there were no current or former students to speak to, but Ben Lansford had been hired. And I got coffee with him, I remember, and started talking about the program, the opportunities. And it was just a great connection that I know he's made with a lot of the students going through the program, and he really helped me understand how I could marry my current background with a master's degree in accounting and make that transition despite having not lot of accounting experience yet and gave me that confidence to make the transition.After realizing that accounting wasn't his long-term goal, Will pivoted to strategy consulting.I figured that I loved the client service aspect of the job I was in. I, at some point, figured out the accounting and financial reporting path wasn't what I wanted to do long term, but I wanted to stay in client service. Did some exploring, I actually circled back to the Center for Career Development at Rice, reaching out to them to talk about different paths to explore and spoke to some other alums. Figured out I wanted to go into strategy consulting, so, a bit more of results-oriented work in some ways but keeping that analysis piece that I had learned as an auditor when we're looking at trends. And with that, I figured out the best way to do that would be to go to business school to set myself up for that recruiting process and eventuality.The power of empathy in consulting19:10: [Brian Jackson]: What skills do you really draw upon to buy that credibility with your clients?19:16: [Will Eldridge]: For one, approaching whatever you're presenting to them with a mindset of context reset, you're deep in the details, and it's hard to sometimes pull up and look at the work that you're presenting and remember the limited context that your client might have and how much else they have going on. So, there's definitely a level of empathizing that is really critical. And so, to put yourself in their shoes and think, you know, what are they coming at this from? What do they care about? What do they need to get out of this? And what is the one or two things they should take away from this conversation is a good frame of mind to take.Show Links: TranscriptGuest Profiles:Will Eldridge | Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University Brian Jackson | Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University Listen to The Sky Is Not the Limit feat. Rawand Rasheed here: https://business.rice.edu/owlhaveyouknow/season-4-episode-1
On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Timothy Gates, associate chair for undergraduate studies of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University, talks about a new report on the use of seat belts and hand-held devices by Michigan drivers.The report shows 92 percent of front-seat occupants in Michigan wear seat belts, down from 92.4 percent in 2023 and 92.9 percent in 2022.Gates talks about the demographic breakdown within those numbers, which show younger male drivers are less likely to wear seat belts. He also discusses the different kinds of drivers who populate the roads in the wake of the pandemic, as remote work remains the norm for more white-collar workers.Also discussed: speeding continues to be a problem post-pandemic, Gates says.
With world leaders gathered in Azerbaijan for the COP29 climate change summit, this week's podcast focuses on universities' role in advancing sustainability and reducing carbon emissions. As centres of teaching, research and innovation, universities are uniquely positioned to educate on environmentally aware leaders and help find ways out of this crisis. We spoke to two academic experts in this space to find out how they and their institutions are driving action on climate change. Tripp Shealy is associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. His research looks at how climate and environmental issues are handled in land development and construction. Liz Price is deputy pro-vice chancellor for sustainability at Manchester Metropolitan University and a professor of environmental education. She is responsible for driving sustainability across education, research and partnerships and developing Education for Sustainable Development, Carbon Literacy and Net Zero skills at the university. For more inspiration and advice on how to advance efforts on climate change within your own inspiration, take a look at our latest spotlight guide: A greener future for higher education.
Contaminated Site Clean-Up Information (CLU-IN): Internet Seminar Audio Archives
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting a Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to advance environmental health research. The series will feature SRP-funded researchers, collaborators, and other subject-matter experts who aim to better understand and address environmental health issues by applying AI and machine learning approaches to complex issues. Recent advances in AI and machine learning methods show promise to improve the accuracy and efficiency of environmental health research. Over the course of three sessions, presenters will discuss how they use AI and machine learning approaches to improve chemical analysis, characterize chemical risk, understand microbial ecosystems, develop technologies for contaminant removal, and more. In the second session ML & AI Applications to Environmental Engineering Contaminants & Bioremediation, invited presenters will discuss how they apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to environmental engineering applications including contaminants and bioremediation using biosensors, microbiome compositions, and screening tools. To learn about and register for the other sessions in this webinar series, please see the SRP website. Kei-Hoi Cheung, Ph.D., has an extensive history in data science, and has leveraged that expertise to lead natural language processing (NLP) projects in annotating, extracting, and retrieving environmental exposure data. He will present on the use of these NLP methods combined with ontologies in the in the context of scientific literature on emerging water contaminants. Mohammad Soheilypour, Ph.D., will discuss the application of a suite of computational methods to identify and predict microbial metabolism of various chemical compounds, with a focus on gut and environmental microbiomes. Specifically, he will cover the potential application of machine learning models in this context and their integration with other computational methods to enhance both accuracy and utility. Paul Westerhoff, Ph.D., will highlight the work of his research team utilizing and comparing two advanced multiple data imputation techniques, AMELIA and MICE algorithms, to fill gaps in sparse groundwater quality datasets to support State agencies in prioritizing future sampling activities. Historic water quality databases are often sparse due to financial budgets for collection and analysis, posing challenges in evaluating exposure or water treatment effectiveness — and this project aims to account for those by accurately assessing and managing risks associated with inorganic pollutants using this technology. Speakers:Kei-Hoi Cheung, Ph.D., Yale University School of MedicineMohammad Soheilypour, Ph.D., Nexilico Inc.Paul Westerhoff, Ph.D., Arizona State UniversityModerator: Rodrigo Rimando, U.S. Department of Energy To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/SRP-ML-AI2_112024/
Contaminated Site Clean-Up Information (CLU-IN): Internet Seminar Video Archives
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting a Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to advance environmental health research. The series will feature SRP-funded researchers, collaborators, and other subject-matter experts who aim to better understand and address environmental health issues by applying AI and machine learning approaches to complex issues. Recent advances in AI and machine learning methods show promise to improve the accuracy and efficiency of environmental health research. Over the course of three sessions, presenters will discuss how they use AI and machine learning approaches to improve chemical analysis, characterize chemical risk, understand microbial ecosystems, develop technologies for contaminant removal, and more. In the second session ML & AI Applications to Environmental Engineering Contaminants & Bioremediation, invited presenters will discuss how they apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to environmental engineering applications including contaminants and bioremediation using biosensors, microbiome compositions, and screening tools. To learn about and register for the other sessions in this webinar series, please see the SRP website. Kei-Hoi Cheung, Ph.D., has an extensive history in data science, and has leveraged that expertise to lead natural language processing (NLP) projects in annotating, extracting, and retrieving environmental exposure data. He will present on the use of these NLP methods combined with ontologies in the in the context of scientific literature on emerging water contaminants. Mohammad Soheilypour, Ph.D., will discuss the application of a suite of computational methods to identify and predict microbial metabolism of various chemical compounds, with a focus on gut and environmental microbiomes. Specifically, he will cover the potential application of machine learning models in this context and their integration with other computational methods to enhance both accuracy and utility. Paul Westerhoff, Ph.D., will highlight the work of his research team utilizing and comparing two advanced multiple data imputation techniques, AMELIA and MICE algorithms, to fill gaps in sparse groundwater quality datasets to support State agencies in prioritizing future sampling activities. Historic water quality databases are often sparse due to financial budgets for collection and analysis, posing challenges in evaluating exposure or water treatment effectiveness — and this project aims to account for those by accurately assessing and managing risks associated with inorganic pollutants using this technology. Speakers:Kei-Hoi Cheung, Ph.D., Yale University School of MedicineMohammad Soheilypour, Ph.D., Nexilico Inc.Paul Westerhoff, Ph.D., Arizona State UniversityModerator: Rodrigo Rimando, U.S. Department of Energy To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/SRP-ML-AI2_112024/
The U. S. is the largest importer of aquatic foods, which includes fresh and saltwater fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants served in restaurants and homes. A critical piece of this global market is the cold chain, keeping these foods chilled or frozen during storage and transport to market. With 44 percent of aquatic foods sold live or fresh globally, the percentage of fresh over frozen aquatic foods creates an extra logistical cold chain challenge. What's more, most aquatic foods become, well, fishy from cold chain disruptions, which can cause perceived food safety concerns, potentially resulting in food getting tossed into the bin. Until recently, research to understand just how much aquatic food gets wasted or lost has been spotty. However, in a recent Nature Food article, researchers argue that aquatic food loss and waste in the United States is actually half of earlier estimates. And that's good news that we'll explore today. This interview is part of an ongoing exploration of food loss and waste. This episode is co-hosted by environmental economist, Martin Smith at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. Interview Summary Martin Smith - So I'm really pleased to introduce our guests for today. First up from University of Florida, a natural resource economist, Frank Asche. Frank is a long-time collaborator of mine and a good friend. And he's also one of the world's leading experts in seafood markets and trade. And honestly, Frank has taught me just about everything I know about aquaculture. Also today, we have Dave Love from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Dave is someone whose work I'm also very familiar with and is a leading expert in food systems and sustainability. And recently in my classes, I have often said out loud to some student questions that I don't know the answers to. I'll bet Dave Love knows the answer to that question. Norbert Wilson - So Dave, let's begin with you. Why was it important to develop better estimates and methods of aquatic food waste in the US? Why did your team pursue this research question? Dave Love - Great question. So, the US government has a goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030. And if you want to know how much you need to cut, you really need to go out and measure. And that's one of the areas of food waste that we really don't know a lot about for many different types of foods. We know the production data. We know how much is produced. We have a pretty good sense of what's consumed, whether that's in an economic sense of being consumed or actually eaten. But we really don't know how much is wasted. And groups come to the table with different numbers, different estimates, and they, they make their way into reports, into national guidelines. But for seafood in particular, the estimates haven't been refreshed in a while. So, it was about time to do that. And this study aimed to tackle that issue from all the stages of the supply chain, from production to consumption, looked at different forms of seafood and among the top 10 species. So, we rolled those species estimates and stage estimates into a national number. So yeah, that that's, that's why we did it. And we were really surprised at what we found. Norbert - Well, what surprised you? Dave - Well, earlier estimates were that about half of seafood was lost or wasted in the US and that came from UN Food and Agriculture Organization data. And when we actually crunched the numbers for the US supply, we thought it was more like 22.7 percent is wasted. So, a lot less than the FAO estimate. Which means we're doing a good job in some areas, but there's also room for improvement in others. Martin - So, Frank, maybe you could tell us a little bit more about the key takeaways from this Nature food paper are? Frank Asche - It's really that it's important to recognize that we are consuming a lot of different species and they have very, very different characteristics. For instance, the filler yield of a salmon is about 65 percent while for a cod it is about 40%. That makes your starting point really important. Moreover, this thing of looking at the whole supply chain is important because there are different ways to organize it, and there are a lot of potential uses for what food is sometimes wasted. And to look into what different types of producers are actually doing. What different companies that are operating these cold chains that Norbert spoke about are doing. And what they are doing when these things break apart. Kind of, there's all these people in the supply chain that may help us, and some of them do. Some of them aren't very good at it. But it's really nice to find that there are best practices that can really help us a lot of people take the trouble to figure that out and follow that up. Martin - That's really interesting. And it makes me wonder with all this heterogeneity that you're describing, are large producers better positioned to manage or, or reduce food waste than small producers? Or is it the other way around? Frank - Oh, I'm a good researcher. So it depends. Martin - It depends. Of course it depends. It depends! Frank - If we're going to say anything general then, in wealthy countries, large producers are better. In poor countries, small producers are better. In the sense that when labor cost is low, and food is relatively expensive people are much more willing to eat a fish that is not the best quality. While, if you're a small-scale producer in a wealthy country where labor is really scarce, you tend to focus on your main production process, which is the fillet. While if you become a big producer, then the quantities that potentially gets weighed that become so large that they actually are a useful raw material for new products. And we see big producers developing new products that it doesn't make sense for smaller producers to look at. You've all eaten your hamburgers. One of the more popular products in recent years is different kinds of seafood burgers. And they are great because they are trimmings and cutoffs and slices that doesn't fit well into that fillet that you're normally thinking about when you're consuming a chunk of fish. Martin - Yeah, and I think many seafood consumers have had that experience of being at the fish counter and saying, 'Oh, I only want this much,' and they put too much in there and like take a little off. And then you start to ask yourself the question, who's going to eat that little, little bit that gets sliced off. That's really interesting and enlightening. I had another question for Frank. Before we go back over to Norbert. So, in this paper, you describe different points along the food supply chain where the seafood might be lost or wasted. Can you talk a little bit more about that in different points in the supply chain and why there are some of these differences between species? You mentioned the sort of, yield of salmon and cod for a filet being a little different. And so, I'd like you to talk a little more about why different species might, might get different rates of loss. Frank - I think it starts with this thing here that for most seafood species, there's a choice part that is sort of your preferred chunk of meat. Most species it's a filet, but for a mussel, you eat everything that is within the shell. But it's different. But even for all those species, kind of, there are shrimps with small heads, there are shrimps with big heads, there are fish that gives you really good fillet yield, fish that doesn't. There are fish where there's a lot of useful meat that, say, the head or in the tail, that normally doesn't make it to a store, but it's useful if somebody chooses to use it. And then you have the quality issues. If a fish, say, falls to the floor during the production process, what do you do with that? And, yeah, that's one of those things we learned that in Vietnam, they will give it to a worker, and they will eat it. And Norwegian salmon, they will typically put it into some kind of acid where they use it to make animal foods. Small scale producers will just throw it into the bin. Other producers have good systems which, within the right hygienic control systems, are using what they can and not what they cannot. In general, producers have been getting better, but producers are still one of the key points in the chain. The companies from the producer of the raw fish to the consumer is generally pretty good. And there's fairly little waste in transportation and processing and so on. Then there's a bit more waste in the store. One of the cool little episodes I learned during this project was that one of the biggest items of food loss for fish in US grocery stores were people buying shrimp for the salad, and then deciding that they didn't want the salad anyway, and they are putting it in a shelf somewhere else. But you and I are the biggest problems. That is, what do we do with what we do not eat when we come home? What do we do with this portion that we put out of the freezer, and we didn't eat all of it. And we are pretty bad when we go to a restaurant too. And too often we don't eat our full portion. We may wrap it, but, but do we actually eat it the next day? In general, we do not. Norbert - Dave, I have a question. I recognize you as a sustainability expert. So how does understanding the pinch points for aquatic food losses and waste help households, the food industry and, and policymakers? Dave - Seafood is one of the most expensive proteins. If you go to the grocery store, it's going to be, you know, $9, $10 up to $15 or $20 a pound. And really, consumers don't have that amount of money to throw out. If they're going to buy it, it's in their best interest to eat it. So, we're looking at ways that the seafood industry can package and sell products that are going to help consumers, you know, stretch that dollar. One of the ways is through frozen seafood. Selling prepackaged individual units frozen. And, through this project, I've started to buy a lot more of that type of type of seafood. And you can also buy it now for other kinds of meats. And you just, whatever you want to prepare probably that, that next night you, you know, cut out the packaging, put it in the fridge and a little bowl in case from food safety standpoint in case it leaks. And then you don't want to leave it on the counter overnight or leave it out for a couple hours. But so, there are ways that you can package products that perceive what consumers are going to ask for. And you can still get that freshness in seafood, even if it's frozen. Because a lot of frozen seafood is frozen on board the vessel. It's frozen sooner than it actually would be if it was processed in a processing plant. So, you know, I think it's kind of a win-win. We've been exploring cook from frozen as a not just food waste, but also for other angles of sustainability. Because of course when there's waste is also the embodied energy and the embodied water and all the things that go into making that food. And when it gets to the consumer, it's got a lot more of those steps involved. Norbert - Thanks, Dave. I will say from some of my own research looking at package size, and package configuration that smaller, more readily used products are less likely to be wasted. I can appreciate that kind of innovation in seafood products could also be beneficial. And my family, we're big users of frozen seafood, and the quality is good. So, these are really helpful ways of thinking about how we as consumers can make adjustments to our behavior that can actually mitigate some of the food waste that you all observed. And so, because of this research, what new insights do you have about loss along the supply chain for aquaculture versus wild capture fisheries? Dave - That's a really good question. I can speak to the production stage. That's one of the areas we looked at where you see the most amount of food loss - at the production stage anyway. But we sort of split it out as the fisheries losses were either discards or bycatch. And from aquaculture, people had not really estimated what food loss looked like in aquaculture. But we looked at disease and mortality as a cause of food loss. We asked farmers, what's your typical mortality rate when you're raising shrimp or salmon or tilapia? We got back their mortality rate, we did some modeling, some estimation and found out when a certain percent of that harvest dies. Not just when they're babies, but when they die close to the harvest period, we'd count that as, as food waste. Because there are ways to control disease in aquaculture. You know, it's not going to be zero. There are always going to be some animals that die. But, if you do control disease, you can cut down on some of this kind of perceived food waste in the process. So, we counted those two things differently. I would think a good example would be Alaska sockeye salmon. Over the last 10 or 15 years, they've instituted a lot of new methods for reducing damage to fish when they're captured. For example, now you get incentives as a fisherman to put down rubber mats. So, when the fish come off nets, they don't hit the boat hard, they'll hit a rubber mat. Their incentive is to bleed the fish, which helps with quality. And of course, to ice them when they're caught. You know, a lot of the catch of sockeye salmon in the '80s - '90s, didn't necessarily get refrigerated after it was caught. It went to a canning line. And folks eating canned salmon, they couldn't tell the difference. But as the salmon industry in Alaska transitioned to more of a value-based fishery, they increase the quality, increase the percentage of fillets compared to canned. I think a lot of these things go hand in hand with value. As you decrease food waste, increase food quality, you can sell it for more. I think that's a nice transition point for a lot of farms and producers to think about. Martin - Since we're on salmon, I have a quick follow up on that. I noticed in the paper there is some differences in the rate of food waste for wild caught sockeye and for farmed Atlantic salmon. And in my mind, I immediately went to, well is that because most of that wild caught sockeye is ending up frozen? Maybe it's sold at the fresh counter, but it's been previously frozen. That's certainly my experience as a seafood consumer. And most of that farmed Atlantic salmon is actually sold directly as fresh and never frozen. And so, I'm wondering how much of that is a driver or how much it's really the disease thing? Dave - It's probably a little bit of both. At the retail stage, if you're going to a grocery store and you're looking at that fresh display case, the rate of waste there is somewhere between five and 10 percent of what's in that display case. It's going to end up in the garbage. They want to just have a nice presentation, have a lot of different products laid out there and they don't all get purchased. Some grocery stores will prepare that and sell it on a hot bar. Others, their principle is we just want to provide the freshest thing and they are okay with a little bit of waste. For canned and frozen seafood, the rate is more like 1%. And as Frank alluded to, sometimes people pick up a frozen item and they get to the checkout counter and they go, you know, I didn't really want to buy that. And they might slip it into you know, another aisle where it shouldn't be. That middle of the chain, there's not a lot of waste that we saw. You know, wholesalers and distributors, that's their job to deliver food and they really do a good job of it. And then at the upstream stage, the production stage, there's a big range in waste. And it depends on the product forms and at what point is the fish cut and frozen. Martin - So, I have a question for both of you now, maybe changing topics a little bit. So, reducing food waste, food loss and waste, is an important element of environmental sustainability. I think we all agree on that. And that's particularly in response to climate change. We know that Greenhouse gas emissions associated with our food system are a major contributor to climate change. I'm wondering, sort of looking ahead, what role do you see seafood in general playing in a future in which we might price carbon emissions. We might actually make it costly to buy products that have a lot of that embodied greenhouse gas emissions in it. Frank - Yeah, pretty well actually. But it depends a little bit on what's your current diet. If it has lots of red meat, seafood is going to do really well because red meat in general have significantly higher carbon emissions. If you're a vegetarian, maybe not that much. So, in the bigger scheme of things, seafood looks pretty good in the category of animal proteins, largely together with chicken. The difference between most seafoods and chicken is not too big. And of course, there's a little bit of variation within the seafood. They of course have a problem though in that nature produces a limited quantity of them. And if the amount completely takes off, there's no way you can increase the supply. So, then it must be aquaculture. And then you are more than slightly better or approximately chicken. Dave - And I'd say you know, if you want to learn more about this topic, stay tuned. We've got a paper coming out about that. It should be out fall 2024 or early 2025. Similar to the waste piece, we've done the energy footprint, the greenhouse gas footprint, and the water footprint of all the products you see in the Nature Food paper. And we're really excited to share this finding soon. Martin - That sounds really exciting and I can't wait to see it. Norbert - I'm curious about your thoughts on how trade incentives or restrictions could be used to remote access to aquatic foods in addition to climate resilience of the food system? Frank, could you give us your thoughts? Frank - Oh, there's a short answer to that or a complicated answer. So, the short is, of course, you can do like you're done with some other challenges. You also have dolphin-safe tuna and turtle-safe shrimp and so on. And you could basically make it hard to enter the market for people with bad practices. And you can make it easier to enter the market for producers with good practices. But if you go to the more complicated thingy, and particularly if you are also interacting with domestic supply chains, then we do know really well that eating beef is a real environmental challenge. But I still cannot see a world, at least within the foreseeable future, where US policy is going to sort of suggest that we're going to import more seafood so that we can produce less beef. And when you get to all those complicated interactions, yes, you can use trade policies to advance some agendas. But they are certainly going to run into some others, and it's a challenge when there's so large heterogeneity when it comes to what do you think a good food system is. Norbert - Dave, what about you? Dave - Well, I sort of come at this from a different angle. You're thinking about local; you know. What's the value of local food and local and regional food systems? And so, in principle, I'd like to suggest that to people to buy their food from regional markets. Because of the connection to place and that's really important. Once you have that connection to place, then you start to value the environment where it comes from. You get a little bit closer tied to the labor market and the folks who grow and produce that food. So, I like to kind of come at it from that perspective. Invariably we're going to have some internationally traded seafood. Right now, 70 percent of seafood is imported. But I think looking at opportunities to support your local and regional fisheries, and your local and regional aquaculture, I think there's a lot of merits to that. Some of them could be climate arguments. And there's lots of other good arguments for it as well. Frank - I agree with that, but I really think that you should have the caveat that producing your seafood, or really any food under good microclimatic conditions, with good soils or water for that product, gives you food with a much smaller footprint than what you have necessarily locally. And particularly if you're producing something that doesn't really belong that well locally. And it's also really important that, except if you fly your food by air the carbon footprint of transports is tiny. Dave - Yes, that was, that was one thing we found. With air cargo be really careful. You want to buy live seafood or fresh seafood that's air freighted, that's going to be a big piece of the carbon footprint. And really for consumers, an easy way to chip away at their environmental impact is to cut out stuff that's flown in fresh. But, you know, that flies in the face of what restaurants and grocery stores are trying to sell, which is 'the freshest.' ‘We're going to give you never frozen super fresh.' So there's a bit of a disconnect there. And I think unlocking that is going to be getting into some of these chefs' minds and talking to them about - you know fresh is important, but how do you want to spin this in a way that you can have it fresh today, but you also can have it fresh in the future. Not just today, but a few generations down the road when it is possible to fly in food from all over the world that have that perfect plate. And you know, this is something that we need to engage with lots of different people on. Martin - It sounds a little bit like you're suggesting a, a world in which we, we seek to consume fresh local, and frozen global. In the sense that, that you cut down all those, those transportation, greenhouse gas emissions, if you're doing frozen seafood, and you can exploit that sort of natural comparative advantages of different places to farm and different places to catch seafood with those global markets. But, but for the real fresh stuff, there might be some benefits to eating locally, including those, those greenhouse gas emissions. Dave - When we looked at the trade from Asia, 99 percent comes by container ship. You know, almost nothing's being flown in. And then when you look at closer markets to the US. What was Europe... it was maybe closer to 50 /50 for flown versus shipped by water. And yes, I think South America was similar. I guess the closer you get to the US market, you know, there's that incentive to kind of fly it in and get the price premium. There's definitely a reason to do it, but it does come with a part of the carbon footprint, you know. It's, it's maybe a quarter, maybe a third, you know? Frank - But as Marty alluded to, as long as there's no cost associated with the carbon footprint as is the case now, nobody will really care. It's first when you actually have a system where there's a price to it that you would expect to see any real change. Dave - Yes. And, we did some work, sort of a spinoff to this. We looked at the US seafood industry and then they become more carbon neutral. We teased that out for a couple of different sectors: farmed catfish in Alabama and wild caught salmon. And there are steps that producers and fishers can do, but a lot of it's going to have to depend on their local utility. What's the energy mix of the utility? Because that utility energy mix is what feeds the plant. It feeds the energy going to a catfish farm. And they use a lot of electricity, but they don't have a big say in what the Mississippi Electric Cooperative or Alabama Electric Cooperative chooses as its energy mix. So, I think there's, it's really a 360 issue that when you start trying to unpack energy and climate, it goes well beyond the seafood sector really quickly. So, we can be a voice. But it's going to take a lot of people to make systematic change. Martin - Great. So, I had one final question to ask each of you. And that's really about what's next? And I know we have this other paper that's coming out to look deeply into the life cycle of the different species featured in your food waste paper. But I'm wondering specifically what's next on seafood waste and, and what kinds of things will affect what kinds of policy changes might be on the horizon, what kinds of things will affect change, short of, I guess, what we've already talked about. Which is some, you know, sweeping carbon legislation that, that prices carbon. But short of that, what other kinds of things are going to affect change and what else do we need to know? Let's start with you, Dave, and then then we'll go to Frank. Dave - I think we sort of laid out the big picture. The estimates for the US supply for different production stages. But I think we really need to drill down into case studies where folks, us and, and colleagues, I know Ronnie Neff is exploring this with you Norbert, but really drill down into case studies that try out some of these ideas that we have. Some of the innovations being implemented and see how they work and maybe scale up the best ones. Frank - Right. And beyond that is like companies are doing what companies always have been done at all stages in supply chain. As long as new technology makes it profitable for them to be more sustainable, they're going to be more sustainable. So, there's going to be a lot of new packaging and new ways of chilling and so on that will help. But at the end of the day, the biggest challenge is you and I as consumers, and what we both buy. Because that determines what products is going to be on offer. And then how we treat them after we have purchased them. This podcast is co-sponsored by the Recipes Food Waste Research Network Project, led by American University and funded by the National Science Foundation. BIOS Dave Love is a Research Professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Dave's work focuses on aquaculture and fisheries and the environmental, social, health and food system issues related to those industries. He also engages in a wide range of food-related topics including food waste, veterinary drugs and drug residues in foods, antimicrobial resistance, and CAFO worker and community health. In 2012 he founded a research and teaching farm at the Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore and oversaw the facility from 2012 to 2015. The farm is now called the Food System Lab and is a place where students of all ages learn about urban agriculture. The Food System Lab is a member of the Farm Alliance of Baltimore and sells produce at the Waverly Farmers Market. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins Dave was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Kara Nelson, working at the interface of engineering and microbiology, in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California Berkeley. Frank Asche is a professor of natural resource economics at the University of Florida School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences. He is a natural resource economist with a research focus on seafood markets, production of seafood from fisheries and aquaculture and the sustainability of these production processes. Frank is president of the International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management (IAAEM), editor for Aquaculture Economics and Management and associate editor for Marine Resource Economics. He was also a member of the team that developed the Fish Price Index of the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
With both Chris Martin from Coldplay and Olivia Rodrigo both falling through the stage in recent weeks, what is causing a spate of mishaps in live touring, and what can be done to safeguard performers?Joining Seán to discuss is Milad Highani, Senior Lecturer at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney…
Inspiring Future Environmental Leaders: Advice from Matrix New World's Team On this Phoenix Business RadioX episode, host Karen Nowicki welcomes members of Matrix New World Engineering, including Laurie LaPat-Polasko, her daughter Alexandra Polasko, and Bridget Hoagland. Laurie, Matrix's VP of remediation, shares her journey from marine biology to environmental engineering with career highlights like her […] The post Inspiring Future Environmental Leaders: Advice from Matrix New World's Team appeared first on Business RadioX ®.
Scientific Sense ® by Gill Eapen: Prof Jacqueline Gerson is Assistant Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. She studies how anthropogenic activities have altered the cycling of nutrients and contaminants through watersheds. She is particularly interested in linked biogeochemical cycles within complex socio environmental systems. She also evaluates the implications of contaminants for the people and animals that live in these landscapes. Please subscribe to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ScientificSense?sub_confirmation=1 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scientificsense/support
“Where we bridge the gap between water plant operators and engineers.” In Episode 40 of the Water Break podcast, host Heather Jennings, PE, is in conversation with Ibrahim Teres from Emco Engineering Inc. to dive into an intriguing case study involving a tannery in the United Arab Emirates. Ibrahim is a water solutions expert who serves as the head of the industrial division at EMCO group. Ibrahim holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences and a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering from UoB. Over the past 10+ years, Ibrahim has successfully designed, executed, and started up numerous municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment projects covering beverage, food processing, and oil & gas industries. Before moving to Arizona, Ibrahim worked on projects located in the middle east and Africa, thus bringing in a wealth of international experience and a proven track record of delivering innovative and effective water treatment solutions to his new role.
25 min. episode, with 10 mins of bonus content. Season five of Faculty Futures Lab is all about “Moving Theory into Practice.” We're talking to people whose professional activity is explicitly about blurring the already permeable boundary between theory and practice. In episode one, we're talking to Dr. Thais Alves about “Socially responsive” engineering, gender in the workplace, hope for the future, and her favorite topic: teaching. BIOS GUEST: Dr. Thais Alves is the AGC-Paul S. Roel Chair in Construction Engineering and Management in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at San Diego State University. https://ccee.sdsu.edu/people/thais-alves HOSTS: Dr. D.J. Hopkins (he/him) is a professor at San Diego State University where he serves as the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. His publications have focused on Shakespeare in performance and theatre in urban contexts. His current research includes immersive theatre, virtual reality, and AI in higher ed. Learn about his new book: https://go.shr.lc/4gKxC0w Dr. Pamela Lach (she/her) is the Digital Humanities Librarian at San Diego State University and Director of the SDSU Library's Digital Humanities Center, a values-oriented space designed to blur and disrupt disciplinary boundaries. She is co-director of SDSU's Digital Humanities Initiative. https://library2.sdsu.edu/people/pamella-lach#profile
Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a groundbreaking idea into a successful startup, especially in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges? In this episode of The Angel Next Door Podcast, Marcia Dawood sits down with Tricia Compas-Markman, a civil engineer turned entrepreneur, to explore the uncharted waters of innovative problem-solving and business resilience. Through their engaging discussion, listeners gain an intimate look at the complexities and triumphs of launching a mission-driven venture.With a background in civil engineering from Cal Poly and a passion for providing clean drinking water in disaster zones, Tricia shares her journey from a simple master's thesis to founding DayOne Response—a company dedicated to creating family-sized water treatment devices. Her story is one of visionary thinking, relentless determination, and an unyielding commitment to making a positive impact on vulnerable communities worldwide.In this episode, Marcia and Tricia go deep into the entrepreneurial process, covering topics such as tech transfer, investor engagement, complex sales cycles, and the strategic shifts required for sustainability. Listeners will learn about the importance of intellectual property, the challenges of regulatory approvals, and the intricacies of selling to large organizations and relief agencies. Moreover, Tricia's pivot to aiding other entrepreneurs through Venturewell showcases the enduring value of lessons learned, even when a startup doesn't survive. This episode is a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone intrigued by the journey of turning innovative ideas into impactful realities. To get the latest from Tricia Compas-Markman, you can follow her below!LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-compas-markman-04103239/ Sign up for Marcia's newsletter to receive tips and the latest on Angel Investing!Website: www.marciadawood.comLearn more about the documentary Show Her the Money: www.showherthemoneymovie.comAnd don't forget to follow us wherever you are!Apple Podcasts: https://pod.link/1586445642.appleSpotify: https://pod.link/1586445642.spotifyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/angel-next-door-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theangelnextdoorpodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marciadawood
With huge heads on top of spindly stalks, how do sunflowers defy gravity to stay standing? That was a question sent to CrowdScience by listener Frank, whose curiosity was piqued by the towering sunflowers on his neighbour's deck. They stay up not only when the weather is fine, but, even more impressively, during strong winds. Could this feat of strength, flexibility and balance inspire the construction of tall buildings? It's a question that takes presenter Anand Jagatia to a sunflower festival in England, to see how the sunflower's long evolutionary lineage has honed its structure. And from tall flowers to tall buildings, we turn to structural engineers, asking how these concepts factor into the design of the world's tallest skyscrapers. Can ideas drawn from sunflowers or other natural structures help buildings withstand wind, or even storm surges?Contributors: Stuart Beare, partner and grower at Tulley's Farm Roland Ennos, Visiting Professor in Biological Studies, University of Hull Sigrid Adriaenssen, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University Koichi Takada, founder of Koichi Takada Architects Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Tom Bonnett Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Bob Nettles(Image: Tall Sunflower blooming in a field, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Credit: Naomi Rahim via Getty Images)
Benedetto Marelli is a biomedical engineer by training and a materials scientist. He is an associate professor in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His work is focused on the fabrication of new biopolymers that can interact with biomolecules, living matter, and the environment. Here, Benedetto speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the advantages of using silk-based coatings in agriculture as well as for water filtration, and why being bold and creative can lead to powerful discoveries.Links:Laboratory for Advanced BiopolymersCivil and Environmental EngineeringMIT Climate ProjectTimestamps:(01:23) - The benefits of silk use for agriculture(06:00) - MIT's Climate Grand Challenges(07:12) - Using silk to filter out forever chemicals(09:31) - MIT's Climate ProjectShow notes and transcript:https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-8-hard-facts-soft-skillsJoin the mailing list or send us feedback:https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA
You're probably familiar with building assessments and forensic engineering, but what's the essential role they play in long-lasting infrastructure? In this episode, Stanley Stoll of Knott Laboratory, LLC joins the podcast for an in-depth discussion on identifying and preventing structural failures, how preventative is “too” preventative, the problem of water management, and a new take on what it means to be innovative. Stanley Stoll is CEO of Knott Laboratory, LLC. He was a combat engineer and SAPPER in the U.S. Army. He attended the J.B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY and graduated with both a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Masters of Engineering Degree. At Knott Laboratory, he leads a team of forensic engineers who investigate infrastructural failures throughout the Western US. Todd Takes Proactive Building Maintenance: Take the time to learn and implement best practices in building maintenance, ensuring a proactive approach to analyzing the structure. Stay vigilant for any areas of concern, as early detection and action can prevent costly and dangerous issues down the line. Building Trust and Credibility: Establishing trust and credibility is essential before people will listen and act on your insights. When you identify a problem and have already built trust, the conversation becomes much smoother, leading to quicker and more effective resolutions. Treat Maintenance Like Construction: Stanley emphasizes the importance of treating property maintenance with the same level of care, attention, and critical eye as the building process itself. This mindset ensures that maintenance is not an afterthought but a crucial part of preserving the building's integrity. Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts. Bridging the Gap Website Bridging the Gap LinkedIn Bridging the Gap Instagram Bridging the Gap YouTube Todd's LinkedIn Thank you to our sponsors! Applied Software Applied Software LinkedIn Other Relevant Links: Stanley's LinkedIn Knott Laboratory, LLC
Patricia Gallagher is Professor Emerita of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at Drexel University. She earned bachelor's degrees in civil engineering and geological sciences from Rutgers University, a master's in civil engineering from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. Her research expertise centers on geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering and sustainability. At Drexel, Trish taught courses in civil and environmental engineering, geology, and sustainability. Her course in sustainability, titled “Incorporating Sustainability Principles in Design” was inspired by her desire to teach design from a holistic, regenerative perspective that restores ecological balance and health in communities and ecosystems. The course explores how the concept of sustainability is fundamental to the planning, design, construction, operation, and renewal of resilient and sustainable infrastructure. Trish believes we need to work in our own communities to restore functional ecosystems in urban and suburban areas. She began volunteering with the Abington Township Shade Tree Commission (STC) in 2019, became an acting commissioner in 2021 and was officially appointed to the STC in 2022. Currently, she co-chairs the STC. Trish is happiest in nature and spends her free time hiking and backpacking around the globe. Since 2011 John Kennedy has been volunteering with the Abington Township Shade Tree Commission (STC) as an appointed commissioner and currently serves as co-chair. He has been an active Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Tree Tender since 2008. John regularly takes on a leadership role in formulating and delivering STC programs. His volunteer emphasis has been on park and public space tree planting with the Tree Vitalize - PHS Tree Tenders bare root tree program. Leading community volunteers to plant over 300 trees in parks and other public spaces in Abington Township. John's commitment to the treescapes around us has inspired him to educate others on the importance of trees in our environment. Conducting hands-on training through demonstration and coaching on how to plant, prune, and care for trees. While employed full-time in the food service profession, John returned to school in 2006 as a part-time student to study horticulture. In 2015, he completed his degree at Temple University's School of Environmental Design in Ambler, Pennsylvania. He also holds a Certificate in Horticultural Therapy. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/plantatrilliontrees/support
Dr. Carmel Majidi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. There, he also holds courtesy appointments in the Robotics Institute and in Civil and Environmental Engineering. In Carmel's soft machines lab, they are engineering new types of materials that can be used to make machines and robots soft, flexible, and more lifelike. The goal is for these machines to move more like natural organisms. When not working, Carmel is often out engaging in physical activities including hitting the gym or walking/jogging in nearby parks and along river trails. He also enjoys the arts and travel. Carmel travels frequently for work, and he likes to block off extra time on these trips to visit museums and cultural landmarks. Carmel received his B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton University as well as at Harvard University before joining the faculty at Carnegie Mellon. Over the course of his career, Carmel has received numerous awards and honors, including the Young Faculty Awards from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). He has also received the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Early Career Faculty Award, as well as the George Tallman Ladd Award and Carnegie Institute of Technology Dean's Early Career Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon University. In addition, Carmel was named a PopTech Science Fellow in 2013. In our interview Carmel discusses his experiences in life and science.
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