Engineering

  • New method of sensing concrete corrosion

    Researchers develop a novel sensor system to monitor the early signs of concrete corrosion, which could reduce expensive, long-term maintenance costs; the sensors measure the key parameters related to concrete corrosion -- pH, chloride, and humidity -- in highly alkaline environments

  • Bridges of the twenty-first centuryResearchers look for a better way to build bridges

    Canadian researchers look for ways to make bridges sturdier; one project looks at the use of advanced fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) to protect critical concrete infrastructure against extreme shocks; the second study involves the use of ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC) to build long-life, lightweight and cost-effective bridges

  • Higher educationRise in the number of U.S. students majoring in engineering

    Engineering schools are seeing a surge of interest, spurred in part by reports that engineering grads earn higher starting salaries than their classmates

  • Security professionals -- ISC West and Public Security & Safety Expo March 23-26

  • Space missionFirst winner in space elevator competition

    The contest requires their machines to climb 2,953 feet (nearly 1 kilometer) up a cable slung beneath a helicopter hovering nearly a mile high; the vehicle from the Kansas City-based LaserMotive zipped up to the top in just over four minutes and immediately repeated the feat, qualifying for at least a $900,000 second-place prize

  • Nuclear mattersR. Brooks's robots are called upon to inspect pipes at nuclear power plants

    The growing interest in nuclear power is good news for Brooks, a maker of remotely operated robotic inspection devices for pipes, especially in nuclear power plants; all power plants have intricate systems of pipes and systems whose internal condition is impossible to inspect by human eyes

  • Earthquake-proof airport terminal in Istanbul airport

    Large swaths of Turkey are earthquake prone; the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake, for example, killed 17,000 people, injured 50,000, and destroyed 27,000 buildings, leaving 500,000 homeless; estimates of property losses range from $3 billion to $6.5 billion; engineers claim they have made the terminal at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport earthquake-proof

  • Border Security Expo & Conference, Phoenix, Arizona – April 23 & 24, 2010

  • Nuclear mattersNRC rejects Westinghouse's new nuclear reactor design

    In what must be seen as a setback for the nuclear power industry, the NRC said that a key component of Westinghouse's new reactor design might not withstand events like earthquakes and tornadoes

  • Carbon fibers improve blast, impact resistance of conventional reinforced concrete

    Researchers find that adding longer carbon fibers to conventional reinforced concrete significantly improves a structure's ability to withstand blasts, hurricanes, and other natural disasters

  • New Bay Bridge span designed to endure major quake

    Twenty years ago a 250-ton section of the Bay Bridge fell into the water as a result of a 6.9 magnitude earthquake; the new bridge design will be able to withstand the largest plausible earthquake to occur within a 1,500-year period

  • International Wireless Convention & Exposition, Las Vegas, March 8-12, 2010

  • Indonesian experts: Dense soil, light materials vital for sturdier buildings

    In the wake of last Wednesday's devastating earthquake in Indonesia, experts call for more care in choosing sites for new buildings and communities; key factor: the stability of the soil; "If you build the foundation 20 to 30 meters deep, then you need very dense soil," an expert said

  • Earthquake-resistant building structure developed

    The system dissipates energy through the movement of steel frames that are situated around the building's core or along exterior walls; the frames rock off their foundation under large earthquakes

  • Researchers develop steel Velcro

    Researchers say that their "Metaklett" metallic hook-&-loop material could be used to hold together buildings, or to tape car parts to one another

  • Nuclear mattersU.K. assessing two nuclear reactors designs

    The United Kingdom wants to build more nuclear reactors, and the government is assessing two different reactor types -- the U.K.-EPR designed by Areva and EDF, and the AP1000 designed by Westinghouse -- for their suitability to meet U.K. regulatory standards

  • New Orleans storm pumps do not protect city

    The Army Corps of Engineers quickly installed new storm control pumps in New Orleans in the months after Katrina; trouble is, these pumps do not protect the city, the the Corps could have saved $430 million in replacement costs by buying proven equipment

  • Technical backgroundStudy: No high engineering dropout rate

    New study from Purdue University busts two education-related myths - - that engineering has a higher dropout rate than other majors and that women do not as well as men

Homeland Security NewsWire’s Education, Training, Certification Special Report –

The Long View

  • Shape of things to comeA simpler route to invisibility

    Two years ago Duke University researchers built an invisibility cloak -- a device that can make objects vanish from sight, at least when viewed using a narrow band of microwave frequencies; researchers now show how to create cloaks that work across a wider range of frequencies

  • Shape of things to comeNew reactor design lessens risk of weapon proliferation

    Nuclear materials for power reactors cannot be stolen by those interested in using it for nuclear weapons while the material is in the reactor -- it is too hot to handle; the risks of diversion are during the enrichment process, and while the material is being transported; to lessen the risk, researchers offer innovative reactor design