NSF Awards $3 Million for Research Traineeship Grant
Will prepare a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists to tackle urban environmental problems Boston University faculty Lucy Hutyra (from left), Pamela Templer, and Jonathan Levy are leading an NSF Research Traineeship program aimed at providing graduate students the technical, policy, and communications skills needed to help cities address multidimensional environmental and public health issues. Photo […]
Yes, Harvey Could Happen Here
CAS climate expert Anthony Janetos on the causes, effects of extreme weather Harvey made landfall for a second time, striking southwest Louisiana early Wednesday. Moss Bluff, La., residents (above) rescue those stranded and retrieve items from flooded homes on Tuesday, August 29. Photo by Rick Hickman/American Press via AP. In the last week, Tropical Storm […]
Fighting Tick-Borne Disease with Computer Science
BU scientists on team building predictive tool to keep insects in check BU ecologists Tempest McCabe (GRS’21) and Michael Dietze develop computational tools to study the complex interactions between plants, animals, and climate. They want to find ways to predict ecological changes, such as fluctuations in tick populations, which could affect human health. Photo by […]
The High Cost of Summer Energy Price Spikes
Cranking up the AC during peak electric hours will raise your electricity bill Forecast for the future: hotter summers, more peak power consumption, and higher electricity bills. Photo by Dan Logan/iStock. On one of the hottest days on record in recent Massachusetts history—August 2, 2006—the mercury hit 37 degrees Celsius (about 99 degrees Fahrenheit), with […]
Zika: The Next Pandemic
SPH professor concerned about virus, but also “prepared to be alarmed” The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads dengue, chikungunya, and zika. On February 1, 2016, Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), declared Zika virus “a public health emergency of international concern.” Chan’s statement said the 2016 outbreak is an “extraordinary event” and […]
CAS Prof Investigates “the Mother of All Gas Leaks”
Many sickened, thousands made homeless in California New footage released by the Environmental Defense Fund offers the first bird’s-eye, infrared view of the natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility owned by Southern California Gas Company. Video courtesy of the Environmental Defense Fund. Of all the thousands of natural gas leaks he’s tracked, […]
Earth House Doubles as Environmental Classroom
New student residence teaches more sustainable everyday living At Earth House, BU’s residential program in sustainability, both the house and its director, Nathan Phillips, serve as instructors. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi. Vivien Chen takes a five-minute timer with her to the shower. So does Mark Holaday, and they both use watt-counters when turning on lights […]
BU Students Discover Corals in Unlikely Place
Research offers insight into little-known, endangered habitat Underwater images courtesy of the Boston University Marine Program. The photos evoke what a stoner must see while watching Fantasia: a kaleidoscope of vibrant-hued corals in all kinds of shapes. As striking as their colors and forms—although you wouldn’t know it by looking at the photos—is their neighborhood: […]
A New Map for Greenhouse Gas
Novel tool can help cities meet climate change goals By: Barbara Moran Lucy Hutyra, Conor Gately, and Ian Sue Wing, from the GRS department of earth and environment, developed a new way to measure CO2 emissions from cars. The new system, called DARTE, could help cities combat climate change. Photo by Michael D. Spencer. The […]
The Search for Ancient Ice
Understanding what happened to the climate millions of years ago may tell us a lot about what will happen next Antarctica researcher studies past climate change to learn about the future. High in the Transantarctic Mountains, the McMurdo Dry Valleys are the largest part of Antarctica not covered with ice. Instead, a seemingly endless carpet […]