Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World articles from April 2009

Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World archives from April 2009

Agriculture and cities converge in the minds of middle schoolers.(FROM THE PRESIDENT)
April 1, 2009... Don Erbach, Wayne Bogovich, and I recently spent an enlightening day judging the national finals of the Future Cities competition of Engineers Week. Thirty-eight teams of middle-school students from across the United States explained to us how...

Renewable energy technologies in agriculture: solar, wind, geothermal, and anaerobic digestion.(ENERGY ISSUES Series)
April 1, 2009... Renewable energy technology advances, federal and state mandates and incentives for renewables, volatile fossil fuel prices, and growing interest in sustainability are all prompting interest in clean energy practices on the part of farmers and...

Engineering solutions for biomass feedstock production.
April 1, 2009... Liquid fuel--such as gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and ethanol--will continue to be important for powering our transportation systems in the foreseeable future. Transportation fuels derived from various forms of biomass have many obvious...

Evapotranspiration covers for landfills and waste sites.
April 1, 2009... The modern world produces mountains of municipal, mining, and industrial wastes. These materials typically have very low value; however, they have the potential to contaminate the environment. Municipal and industrial wastes are usually...

Radio frequency energy for postharvest control of pests in dry nuts and legumes.(FOOD SAFETY Series)
April 1, 2009... With increasing globalization facilitated by World Trade Organization agreements and other treaties, the international trade in agricultural commodities has become an integral part of the global economy. The total value of world agricultural...

Traceability in the bulk grain supply chain.(FOOD SAFETY Series)
April 1, 2009... Consumer experiences with food safety issues combined with a growing demand for high-quality food and feed products have increased interest in systems to aid in food traceability efforts. Implementation of a traceability system in the bulk...

Remediated water expands irrigation options.(UPDATE)
April 1, 2009... In Brief: Irrigating with recycled water is one potential solution to water scarcity, according to research conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists Jean McLain and Clinton Williams. The scientists are examining the effects...

GPS device could put Purdue unmanned aerial vehicle on autopilot.(UPDATE)
April 1, 2009... In Brief: Purdue's unmanned aerial vehicle may soon be running its agricultural data-collecting missions with almost no human intervention, thanks to global positioning system technology. For several years, Michael Leasure, an assistant...

Researchers improving food safety with irradiation technology.(UPDATE)
April 1, 2009... In Brief: Michigan State University researchers are helping a technology startup company improve the safety of leafy greens and other foods as more consumers seek to eat fresh and healthy. A SABE member Bradley Marks and Sanghyup Jeong are...

Pennycress tested for biodiesel potential.(UPDATE)
April 1, 2009... In Brief: Field pennycress may go from weed to "wonderfuel," thanks to studies by ARS scientists in Peoria, III. A team of ARS scientists led by Terry Isbell has been researching the annual winter weed's potential to yield a bumper crop of...

" Solar farming is the future: imagine a crop that can be harvested daily on the most rocky, barren, acrid land ...(LAST WORD)
April 1, 2009... ... with no fertilizer or tillage input and that produces no harmful runoff or emissions. Imagine an energy source so huge it has the potential to provide many times the energy we could ever expect to need. You don't have to imagine it--it's...