Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here’s the GeoWire conversation for the week of August 10. WORK SMARTER.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Northern Illinois University and Argonne have engineered liquid fuel (ethanol) from carbon dioxide. [NIU]
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- Related: Carbon-capture company Carbon Engineering and supersonic jet producer Aerion have signed an MoU to work on carbon-neutral supersonic flights. [Forbes]
ICYMI: Geosynthetics in geothermal heat exchange applications [Geosynthetica]
We are seeing more solar installations added to landfill caps, which makes this question quite relevant: Why do solar farms kill so many birds? [Wired]
GEOSYNTHETICS
REMINDER: Dr. Craig Benson and the University of Virginia hold the first of a four-part geosynthetic clay liner webinar series on August 12. Solmax has sponsored the series. [Geosynthetica]
In a geosynthetics first, the GeoAmericas 2020 conference is going entirely online this October. And: the rate is exceptional. [Geosynthetica]
The complete 19th IGS Council has been announced [Geosynthetica]
AND … the most active chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society in 2019 was >> drum roll << [IGS]
RESOURCE: Keep up with the latest online learning opportunities here
GOVERNMENT
Russia is opposing the EU’s carbon border tax plan, as an impediment to trade. It also believes the policy would violate WTO rules. [Energy Transition]
Japan has approved a rather unique pilot project: construction of a dam by a crew almost entirely made of robots. The country has struggled to retain construction workers, with 35% of the industry now aged 55 and older. [Nikkei Asian Review]
INTERESTING READS
The world preserves a number of cultural sites, such as Stonehenge and Yosemite National Park. Should we preserve Neil Armstrong’s footprints on the moon as an artifact of human and technological achievement? [NY Times]
The most common term in Spanish for “geogrid” is “geomalla.” You can still find some use of “geogrilla,” which was an attempt to use a more phonetically similar word to geogrid. However, “grilla” can mean female cricket. Phonetics can cause a lot of confusion in translation, especially for brands. [Industry Week]
Cris Liban, chief sustainability officer for LA Metro, talks about engineering, civility, and creating lasting, beneficial impacts on society. [ENR]
JOBS
Geofabrics has a number of great opportunities, including for a civil engineering and applications professional (New Zealand), a sales coordinator (Australia), and a mining business development manager.
The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is taking resumes for many engineering and research positions.
Itasca Consulting Group, makers of FLAC software and many other programs, is hiring an Engineer – Technical Marketing in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
TECHNOLOGY
My 8-year-old daughter is in awe of this, as am I. She wants one for a pet. I want to see one walking about a geosynthetics manufacturing plant. We’re talking about “robot dogs” being used in industrial facilities. [World Economic Forum on LinkedIn]
How to double your webinar attendance [Inc.]
WORK LIFE
Need to add some skills to improve your work or advance your career but don’t know where to begin? Here’s a 2×2 matrix to help you prioritize. [Harvard Business Review]
There is a wide gap between organizations that engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work and those that value it. What can you do to improve DEI value in your workplace? Plenty. [Knowledge @ Wharton]
This is the August 10, 2020 GeoWire from Geosynthetica. GeoWire is published on Mondays with thought-leading links to help infrastructure professionals work smarter. News and ideas to share? Contact us.
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August 3, 2020
July 27, 2020
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