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- Calif.'s $68B high-speed rail: The "project of the century"
The 141-mile Bakersfield-to-Los Angeles section of California's $68 billion, high-speed rail project presents a monumental engineering challenge, as the rail will need to pass through the Tehachapi Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains and more than six earthquake faults. Football-field-long boring machines will need to be maneuvered into the mountain canyons to create access roads, viaducts and tunnels. "It is the project of the century," said Bill Ibbs, professor of civil engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)
(11/12)     
| Infrastructure Watch | | |
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- Lawmakers: Drop light rail from $3.5B CRC bridge plan's design
Several Republican lawmakers in Washington state have called for the removal of a proposed light-rail line of the $3.5 billion Columbia River Crossing after voters rejected a sales tax increase that would have funded it. The group has suggested a redesign that would focus on other forms of transit. However, getting rid of the rail line could mean the project would lose $160 million in funding since many of its milestones are tied to light rail. The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)
(11/8)
| Trends & Technology | | |
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- Designers, engineers weigh in on 2012's 25 "coolest" buildings
Various architects and engineers shared their opinions on what made 25 buildings from all over the world top the list of "coolest" new buildings for 2012. From Moscow's Mercury Tower to New York City's Freedom Tower, authors Jennifer Polland and Melissa Stanger selected the buildings based on their "innovation, creativity, structure, sustainability and buzz." Business Insider
(11/12)
| Sustainable Development | | |
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- More sports teams are going green, report shows
An increasing number of professional sports teams in North America are shifting toward greater use of renewable energy, according to a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Of the 126 professional sports teams in the five major professional North American leagues, 38 teams have shifted to renewable energy for at least some of their operations," the report stated. The NRDC has partnered with investment and project management firm Vulcan to form the nonprofit Green Sports Alliance, which links sports organizations with environmental experts. United Press International/Medill News Service
(11/9)
- Concrete: A better way to store solar heat
Many materials have been used to create storage systems for heat produced at concentrating solar power plants, but concrete might be the most effective, safest and least expensive, according to researchers at the University of Arkansas. They created a proprietary concrete to make plates and used a thermocline system to set the plates parallel in a storage tank. Heat was conducted with an efficiency of 93.9%, they say. EarthTechling.com
(11/10)
| Advancing the Profession | | |
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- GoldieBlox: Toy that could bring more women into engineering
Stanford engineering student Debbie Sterling has developed GoldieBlox, a toy designed to get girls interested in engineering. "Once I introduced the Goldie character and her story about building a machine that helps her friends, girls engaged," Sterling said. "It provided the context for 'why' they’re building the machine, rather than just the 1-2-3 steps of how to build it." FastCoDesign
(11/12)
- How managers lie to themselves
Among the myths that managers need to abandon is that low turnover means they're doing a good job, Alison Green writes. "Little or no turnover is often a bad sign since no one is perfect in hiring, and low turnover can indicate a manager who doesn't correct her hiring mistakes or hold employees to a high bar," Green writes. The Fast Track
(11/9)
| News from ASCE | | |
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Bridges 2013 calendar highlight: Colorado River span in Utah
The context-sensitive U.S. 191 Colorado River Bridge in Moab, Utah, a finalist for the 2012 ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award, blends into the landscape, preserving the natural beauty of the surrounding area, which includes two national parks. More interesting facts about the bridge are in ASCE’s Bridges 2013 calendar. Order today. Don’t miss your chance to promote your business with a custom ASCE Bridges 2013 imprint calendar. Learn how.
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Civil Engineering online exclusive: California Rolls Out Building Efficiency Loans
CaliforniaFIRST is the largest property-assessed clean energy finance program in the nation, offering an attractive option for investing in energy efficiency upgrades to structures. See how the program works, then discover more fascinating articles at www.asce.org/cemagazine.
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