Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill: Energy Storage

On July 16, Discover Magazine's noontime, congressional briefing series examines how wind and solar energy storage could play a key role in dramatically changing the nation's energy infrastructure. Top experts address the major challenges facing alternate energy storage technologies and how close the nation is to achieving a critical breakthrough.

These congressional briefings are open to the press. The National Science Foundation, IEEE-USA, and ASME jointly host the briefing with Discover Magazine.

What:"Road to the New Energy Economy" briefing series discusses alternate energy storage in a noontime congressional briefing on Capitol Hill. When:Thursday July 16, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Lunch provided)Who:Dr. Ralph Masiello, Senior Vice President, and Innovation Manager, KEMA Inc.
Dr. Daniel Nocera, The Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and Professor of Chemistry, MIT.Where:SR-385, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. Media may register by July 15 at events@discovermagazine.com.

To see a video of the first briefing in the series, go to http://discovermagazine.com/interactive/new-energy-economy/biofuel/flash/main.html#/potential-of-cellulosic-biofuels.

To learn more about the partnership and the energy series, see http://discovermagazine.com/events/road-to-new-energy-economy/.

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New Hope for Fisheries on the Horizon?

Scientists have joined forces in a groundbreaking assessment on the status of marine fisheries and ecosystems.The two-year study, led by Boris Worm of Dalhousie University and Ray Hilborn of the University of Washington and including an international team of 19 co-authors, shows that steps taken to curb overfishing are beginning to succeed in five of the 10 large marine ecosystems that they examined.The paper, which appears in the July 31 issue of the journal Science, ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115279&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Membrane Breaks Through Performance Barrier

Engineers have developed a new method for creating high-performance membranes from crystal sieves called zeolites; the method could increase the energy efficiency of chemical separations up to 50 times over conventional methods and enable higher production rates. The ability to separate and purify specific molecules in a chemical mixture is essential to chemical manufacturing. Many industrial separations rely on distillation, a process that is easy to design and implement but consumes ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115332&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Researchers Link Jellyfish, Other Small Sea Creatures to Large-Scale Ocean Mixing

The ocean's smallest swimming animals, such as jellyfish, can have a huge impact on large-scale ocean mixing, researchers have discovered."The perspective we usually take is how the ocean--by its currents, temperature, and chemistry--is affecting animals," says John Dabiri, a Caltech bioengineer who, along with Caltech graduate student Kakani Katija, discovered the new mechanism. "But there have been increasing suggestions that the inverse is also important, ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115295&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

NSF Selects University of Michigan Historian to Head Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected University of Michigan historian Myron Gutmann, director of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, to head its directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). The directorate supports research that builds fundamental knowledge of human behavior, interaction, social and economic systems, and organizations and institutions.Gutmann, who specializes in historical demography and ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115316&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

What Scientists Know About Jewel Beetle Shimmer

"Jewel beetles" are widely known for their glossy external skeletons that appear to change colors as the angle of view changes. Now they may be known for something else--providing a blueprint for materials that reflect light rather than absorbing it to produce colors.Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta recently discovered jewel beetles change color because of the light-reflecting properties of the cells that make up their external skeletons, not ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115304&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.