"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Alkalis
10/08/25
“What makes bases that dissolve in water so special?”
Bases in chemistry come in all forms. Some of them dissolve in water. These soluble bases, or Alkalis, are vital for helping water absorb acids. Examples of bases include sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2).
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Lime Softening
10/07/25
“How can we use lime to remove magnesium and calcium ions from water?”
Water with an overabundance of magnesium and calcium ions requires water softening to prevent soap scum buildup. One way to accomplish this is to add limewater (calcium hydroxide) to the water to raise its pH level, forcing the magnesium and calcium to precipitate out by bonding with carbonate molecules. This process, often referred to as Lime Softening, is an effective way to soften water for practical use.
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Dissolved Oxygen
10/06/25
“How do we measure the amount of oxygen in water?”
Water usually contains free, unbonded oxygen molecules. This oxygen enables marine species and bacteria to breathe and facilitates wastewater treatment reactions. The amount of oxygen in water is measured as Dissolved Oxygen in mg/L. Water’s ability to hold dissolved oxygen decreases with increased salinity and temperature.
The New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Study (HATS)
10/05/25
“How is the New York-New Jersey Harbor region preparing for coastal storms?”
Hurricane Sandy shook the New York-New Jersey region in 2012. Dozens of lives, tens of thousands of homes, and billions of dollars were destroyed by the storm. This prompted many localities to reconsider how they will prepare for the next big storm event. The New York-New Jersey Harbor region is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate risks and amelioratory actions through The New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Study (HATS). The HATS project looks to identify water resources problems and opportunities, existing and future conditions, and plan formulation/evaluation/comparison/selection. The US Army Corps tentatively plans to focus on the East Riser Ditch Channel in New Jersey and the Harlem River and Oakwood Beach in New York.
Soil Boring Tests
10/04/25
“How can we determine the conditions and composition of the soil beneath our feet?”
Construction projects are usually built over soil. The soil’s properties have a sizable impact on the project’s design. To understand the soil conditions and composition, people can drill a hole into the ground, extract a soil sample, and then analyze the results. These Soil Boring Tests are an essential part of construction activities, helping people understand a multitude of important information, ranging from stormwater infiltration rates to support stability.
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Hard Water
10/03/25
“What’s special about water with high mineral ion content?”
Water will change depending on what it’s exposed to. When water percolates through limestone, chalk, or gypsum deposits, it might pick up ions such as calcium and magnesium. When this Hard Water comes into contact with soap, the fatty acids can react with the minerals to create a chalky precipitate that sticks to surfaces, leading to difficulty in cleaning, plumbing, appliance performance, and HVAC heating system efficiency. Water softening can reduce a water’s hardness
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Collect Pond NYC
10/02/25
“How did a former pond have a massive influence on the development of Manhattan?”
When we think of Manhattan, we imagine tall skyscrapers resting upon impervious concrete and flanked by hordes of honking cars in one of the most densely populated parts of the world. But hundreds of years ago, when Manhattan was under its rightful indigenous land stewardship, the island was mostly lush forest with plentiful fresh water. On the lower end in what is now Chinatown was a body of water that the colonizers later called Collect Pond. The A subdivision of the Lenape people lived in a settlement by the southwestern shore of Collect Pond. A while after the land was stolen by Europeans, the pond was used for fishing and later a summer picnic and winter ice skating rink. Businesses later discharged their contaminated wastewater into the pond, resulting in severe public health hazards. The city decided to drain Collect Pond by building a canal to the north and filling the pond with soil in 1811. This development paved the way for the creation of the modern Canal Street in New York City, forever altering the structure of the metropolis.
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Microirrigation
10/01/2025
“How can we make more optimal irrigation techniques using a low-pressure, low-flow approach?”
Traditional irrigation techniques might result in landscape overwatering, leading to wasted water and damage to foliage. We can avoid these issues if we apply more efficient, low-pressure, low-flow-rate techniques that bring water directly to the roots of a plant. These Microirrigation techniques can save large percentages of water applied to the system.
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Osmotic Pressure
09/30/25
“What’s the pressure needed to stop osmosis?”
Imagine a semi-permeable layer dividing a container of freshwater from a container of saltwater, each with equal volumes. Now imagine that the semi-permeable layer is small enough for water particles to pass through, but not for salt particles. Since there are more water particles on the saltwater side than on the freshwater side, there will be a water particle migration until there’s an equal amount on both sides. This will lead to a pressure differential in the direction of the salt water. The pressure necessary to overcome this imbalance and begin the reverse osmosis process is called the Osmotic Pressure, given by the equation pi = phi * (n/V)RT, where pi is the osmotic pressure, phi is the osmotic coefficient, n is the number of moles in the solute (in this case, salt), V the volume of the solvent, R the universal gas constant, and T the absolute temperature.
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