| News for and about the civil engineering community |  |
| Top Story |  |  |
|
- NYC's East Side Access project over budget, behind schedule
New York City's East Side Access project, which will bring Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal, is behind schedule and over budget, according to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The project, originally expected to be completed by 2009 and cost $4.3 billion, will not be finished until 2019 and could cost $8.76 billion. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s current estimate is $8.25 billion, excluding the full cost of rail cars. Bloomberg
(3/6)
| Infrastructure Watch | | |
|
- The big issues facing the next EPA chief
The Environmental Protection Agency has numerous pollution-related concerns awaiting action as part of enforcing the Clean Air Act, writes Brad Plumer. Utility-based carbon dioxide emissions, drilling-based methane emissions and EPA rules postponed during the past four years will all need to be addressed by nominee Gina McCarthy, Plumer writes. The Washington Post/Wonkblog
(3/4)     
| Trends & Technology | | |
|
- Building system said to protect concrete buildings from earthquakes
The Carmelo Group of Puerto Rico says its GCT Insulated Concrete Panel Building System for concrete buildings offers a fast and efficient way to build. In addition, it is "energy efficient, soundproof and resistant to termites and floods." It is also resistant to earthquakes of up to magnitude 8.5 and to winds of up to 250 mph. In a video taken at the World of Concrete, Edgar Figaro explains how the system works. DesignBuildSource.ca (Canada)
(3/1)
- New system cuts cost of cleaning up wastewater
New technology from Baswood Corp. provided for Dr. Pepper Snapple Group provides a low-energy pretreatment for wastewater from bottling plants that greatly reduces the cost of ridding the water of sugars. The BioViper system accomplishes this by lowering the biochemical oxygen demand, the amount of oxygen required by aerobic micro-organisms to decompose organic matter in water effluent. The system, which is modular and scalable, "represents an authentic paradigm shift across the whole spectrum of needs, from industrial pre-treatment to primary municipal treatment to the most demanding tertiary sludge reduction," said Baswood Chairman Edward Norton. TMCNet.com
(3/6)
| Sustainable Development | | |
|
- Sensors, meters at heart of IBM's smart building
Meters that gather energy consumption data every 15 minutes and devices that sense when a room is vacant and turn off lights are part of an IBM Smart Building initiative for energy savings. IBM reports that the project at its Living Lab tech center in Dublin was able to cut annual energy consumption by 20%. ITProPortal.com (U.K.)
(3/6)
- New "driver of economic land transformation?"
Garden plants might one day be used to provide usable materials from grounds polluted by industrial waste. The toxic metal ions extracted could be processed to yield metallic nanoparticles useful for multiple applications. "If we can make high-quality nanoparticles during the bioprocessing steps which follow the harvesting of the plants, we have a unique driver for economic land transformation," said Louise Horsfall of Scotland's University of Edinburgh. NBC News
(3/5)
| Advancing the Profession | | |
|
| News from ASCE | | |
|
-
Free ASCE eLearning Webinar: Careers in Structural Engineering
Structural engineers are at the forefront of designing the world's most impressive structures, from the tallest buildings to the longest bridges. They work to design the safe, sustainable, and efficient structures in which we all live, work, play, travel over and rely on each day. Join the leaders of ASCE's Structural Engineering Institute for a live webinar geared to students and younger members on career paths and employment opportunities in structural engineering. Get your questions answered live and learn more about how SEI can assist in launching your career. This eLearning Webinar, free for ASCE members only, will be held Wednesday, March 13, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. Sign up now.
| SmartQuote | | |
|
 | Scientific progress makes moral progress a necessity; for if man's power is increased, the checks that restrain him from abusing it must be strengthened."
--Anne Louise Germaine de Staël,
Swiss author
|
| |
|
ASCE SmartBrief is a daily news digest produced by SmartBrief, Inc., exclusively for ASCE.
|
| |
|
Read more at SmartBrief.com |
|
A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including:
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| | Recent ASCE SmartBrief Issues:
- Wednesday, March 06, 2013
- Tuesday, March 05, 2013
- Monday, March 04, 2013
- Friday, March 01, 2013
- Thursday, February 28, 2013
| | | Lead Editor: Jennifer Hicks
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | |
| |
|
| © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
