"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Tag: Mechanical Engineering
Saltwater Intrusion Analytics
03/30/21
“How can we use analytics to detect saltwater intrusion?”
Saltwater can be highly corrosive. It rusts pipes, fries electronics, and messes up everything. To solve this, analytic software can be implemented to monitor if saltwater is entering a facility and take corrective action if too much buildup has occurred. This is how Saltwater Intrusion Analytics can be used to protect infrastructure.
Remote Climate Adaptation Collaboration
03/18/21
“How can we have remote climate adaptation project collaboration?”
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the mass proliferation of remote collaboration. The field of Climate Adaptation has been no exception, where people are working across continents to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The era of Remote Climate Adaptation Collaboration has begun, and will only accelerate from here.
Why Social Scientists Should Learn Engineering When Working in Climate Adaptation
03/14/21
“Why should social scientists learn engineering to work in climate adaptation?”
Social scientists are a vital part of the climate adaptation field. However, much of what they work with has to do with physical infrastructure designed by engineers. To make sure that their solutions can be implemented effectively, they should undertake study of how the built environment works. This is Why Social Scientists Should Learn Engineering When Working in Climate Adaptation.
Why Climate Adaptation Engineers Need to Understand Social Science
03/12/21
“Why do climate adaptation engineers need to understand social science?”
Climate adaptation engineers are going to be a core part of building resilience to climate change. However, physical infrastructure does not operate in a social and cultural vacuum. The way it is designed and maintained impacts everyone around it. Failure to understand this will only bring maladaptation to the surrounding community, whether it be river flood barriers leading to water crashing downstream or seawalls choking off fisherman from obtaining their catch. By being aware of how engineering work designed without community input fails to meet design objectives, these problems can be avoided. This is Why Climate Adaptation Engineers Need to Understand Social Science.
Why Simplified Infrastructure Documentation Could Be a Boon for Resilience
02/25/21
“How could simplified infrastructure documentation be a boon for resilience?”
Infrastructure documentation is the map that helps get engineers and architects to repair and reconstruct critical systems. However, if the plans are too complicated to comprehend, then it could lead to a lot of wasted time and money. However, if matters are simplified, resilience work and retrofits can be quickly done. This is Why Simplified Infrastructure Documentation Could Be a Boon for Resilience.
Why Historic Housing Is Much More Difficult to Retrofit for Resilience
02/21/21
“Why is historic housing much more difficult to retrofit for resilience?”
Historical homes sure look enchanting, whether it be turn-of-the-century Victorians in San Francisco, California or medieval mudbrick skyscrapers in Shibam, Yemen. However, since they were built before the advent of modern building codes and climate change, they often are very difficult to modify. This is especially apparent for resilience retrofits, where a large amount of new technology has to be used. This is Why Historic Housing Is Much More Difficult to Retrofit for Resilience.
Credit upload.wikimedia.org
Stockpiling For a Cold Storm
02/19/21
“How can we stockpile for a cold storm?”
Cold storms like the one seen in Texas recently (as of writing) are going to become more and more frequent as a fixture of climate change. To make sure that people don’t get caught by the wayside, preparations will need to be made to ensure safety. This includes keeping extra blankets around, having emergency power generators, and installing heating systems. Stockpiling For a Cold Storm is going to be something that people from all walks of life are going to have to think about.
Municipal Wildfire Risk Reports
02/17/21
“How can we create wildfire risk reports for municipalities?”
Wildfires affect municipalities of all types, from isolated villages in the mountains to major metropolitan urban centers. As such, having a detailed fact sheet about them on command would be incredibly useful. By compiling Municipal Wildfire Risk Reports, we can measure the vulnerability of particular areas and see what actions we can do to remedy them.
Why a Green New Deal Would Build Energy Resilience to Winter Storms
02/16/21
“Why would a green new deal build energy resilience to winter storms?”
If you are reading the news right now, you’ve probably heard about winter storms battering Texas, shutting off power. Much of this is due to Texas’s outdated energy infrastructure that was not built to handle such events in conjunction with their isolated, deregulated grid. If a Green New Deal is to play out, then Texas’s grid would receive much-needed upgrades and be connected with the rest of the United States, allowing for greater resilience to these events. This is Why a Green New Deal Would Build Energy Resilience to Winter Storms.
