The trip wasn't about partying. It was about passing on what they know to help save lives.
"At first they were like why are you here and then we were like we wanna help you," mentioned sophomore and engineering management major Alexis Campbell, "So they were very welcoming."
"When we were talking to them anytime we came up, talked about water they would just say, 'Yes! Yes!', told senior and civil engineering major Dan Kientz, "Because they know it's a big problem and it's why their children get sick."
Water samples they collected showed traces of bacteria, E. coli and coliform in the area.

Posted by Mindy Limback at 02:15 PM in Engineers Without Borders | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

David Rogers is also mentioned or quoted here, here and here and probably elsewhere.

P.S. The reason the rumbler was felt in places like Kansas City and Louisville, and not in Rolla, is because these Midwestern quakes MOVE UP THE RIVERS. They also presumably move down the rivers.

Posted by Lance Feyh at 03:06 PM in Earthquakes | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

J. David Rogers, professor of geological engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, said the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone is "definitely capable of spawning 7.0 magnitude earthquakes approximately every 1,000 years. We know there was a large event about 4,600 years ago -- a magnitude 7 or above."

There also were large ones in 1891, 1968 and 1987.

"This zone has been crackin' off magnitude 5-plus events, and quite a few historic ones," Rogers said. The Missouri University of Science and Technology is based in Rolla.

One problem is that the federal or state governments haven't pumped money into research in the Wabash Valley zone like they have for the New Madrid quake zone. For example, the New Madrid zone has 13 seismographs.

"We don't even have a single seismograph in the Wabash Valley zone," he said. "We haven't spent the money looking up there as in the New Madrid zone."

That means that the shock waves for that quake were measured using instruments 100 or more miles away, in places like St. Louis, New Madrid and Kentucky.

"We're missing how much amplification you're getting at the epicenter. It's not going to tell you the severity of the shaking on the earth's surface," he said.

The 1968 quake, with its epicenter near Dale, Ill., was about 35 miles from the Wabash River. It measured a 5.3 magnitude. In June 1987, a 5.0 magnitude quake was centered in Olney, Ill., just north of today's earthquake.

Rogers said a 5.2 quake, which today's was, might cause shaking for 10 seconds and shouldn't cause a whole lot of damage.

"It might knock down a few chimneys, but we don't expect it to cause gross structural damage," Rogers said.

Via St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Posted by Mindy Limback at 11:19 AM in Earthquakes | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Mindy Limback at 11:09 AM in Earthquakes | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You never wish for an earthquake, but sometimes they serve as real reminders to non-scientists about why they should use the available and cost-effective solutions that minimize earthquake risk to structures.

Ronaldo Luna, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering and an expert in geotechnical engineering, is on the road with 40 engineers, insurance professionals and other nonscientists as part of the an annual earthquake field trip hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey. The two-day field trip, which began yesterday, is designed to help participants understand the earthquake history of the central United States and current exposures to earthquake hazards in this area. The field-trip route crosses the heart of the New Madrid fault zone and includes parts of Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. The tour has been cut short because of this morning’s earthquake in Illinois, which was felt by the group as they spent the night in Tennessee. Stops are made at sites that show geologic evidence of past large earthquakes, as well as methods for reducing risks.

Posted by Mindy Limback at 10:53 AM in Earthquakes | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We're keeping Dave Rogers busy this morning as he helps media tell the story of today's earthquake in Illinois. Here's why TV and newspaper reporters want to talk to him:

Dr. J. David Rogers, the Karl F. Hasselmann Chair of geological engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, says Midwestern earthquakes are potentially more powerful than California quakes. According to Rogers, unique geology in the Midwest increases the shaking intensity of earthquakes because seismic energy moves through the dense bedrock at very high speeds, then becomes trapped in soft sediments filling river channels and valleys. Rogers and several graduate students have been modeling synthetic seismic events in the New Madrid region, which produced magnitude 8.0 quakes in 1811 and 1812. Most of their scenarios are modeled after an 1895 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 that was centered in Charleston, Mo. The preliminary results are sobering, says Rogers, who is a member of Missouri's Seismic Safety Commission. Data indicates ground shaking would be magnified about 600 percent within the flood plain of the Missouri River, a development that would cause most of Missouri’s existing long-span bridges to collapse. “You don't even need a really big earthquake to do significant damage in Missouri,” Rogers says. “It could happen tomorrow.”

Posted by Mindy Limback at 09:30 AM in Earthquakes | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Missouri S&T students took home the top prize in a student design contest earlier this month. Here's why:

The winning team's design included an on-site hydrogen fueling station, a primary fuel cell system to provide 200 kW of power to the airport, back-up power supply to protect the airport's computer systems, portable fuel cell power for tools and communications, a hydrogen forklift and baggage tug for use on the tarmac, as well as two hydrogen vehicles designed to increase public attention: a hydrogen ICE shuttle bus to transport passengers from the airport to downtown, as well as a hydrogen fuel cell scooter for use at the airport. Not only does the system drastically reduce the emissions created by power and personal vehicle use at the airport, it saves over $28,000 in heating and electric costs annually.

"The design presented by the team from Missouri was completely realistic and technically accurate," said Columbia Airport Director Mike Flack. "If implemented, this design would greatly decrease our energy footprint and bolster airport operations as a whole."

Posted by Mindy Limback at 04:50 PM in Energy | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dr. Tom O'Keefe, Curator's Professor emeritus of materials science and engineering at Missouri S&T, passed away April 13 in Rolla. O'Keefe earned his undergraduate and doctorate degrees in Rolla and worked at the university for 34 years. He reitred in 1999.

“Unofficially, dad never retired," says Dr. Matt O'Keefe, who has followed in his father's footsteps at Missouri S&T. "He was still doing research and a lot of it was with me.”

You can read about one of those research efforts here.

Also, there's a nice piece in today's RDN about Matt's dad.

Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, at James and Gahr Mortuary in Rolla (with a prayer service beginning at 5 p.m.). The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 17, at St. Patrick Church in Rolla.

Posted by Lance Feyh at 08:54 AM in Materials | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Missouri S&T graduate Richard Stegemeier comes to the global warming debate from his perspective as the former chief executive officer of a big oil company. Dr. Stegemeier questions whether or not fossil fuels have really made a big impact on the environment. But that need not be a controversial stance, as far as he's concerned.

Stegemeier, former chair and chief executive officer of Unocal Corp., thinks global warming fears will soon be replaced almost entirely with energy concerns. Regardless of what you believe about global warming, Stegemeier says there aren’t enough fossil fuels left to cause major damage to the environment. “By 2050, the amount of emissions will be falling no matter what we do,” he told a Missouri S&T audience last Friday.

Stegemeier, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, gave his guest lecture, “Global Warming -- Physical or Political Science?”, to an overflowing crowd in the Havener Center on April 4. As part of his presentation, he attempted to demonstrate that, since the last ice age, the Earth has been going through a long-lasting period of global warming with some fluctuations. He also said that sea levels have been continuously rising since the last ice age.

But what Stegemeier is focused on is the rapid decline of fossil fuel resources. He says oil, gas and coal reserves have reached peak levels, or will very soon, and that demand for energy is exploding. He recommends a renewed emphasis on nuclear power and calls for young minds to help solve the impending energy crisis.

During his 45-year career with Unocal, Stegemeier worked in the United States, Japan, Australia, Borneo, Sumatra, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

When he became president and CEO of Unocal in 1985, the price of oil had dropped from $29 per barrel to $12 per barrel, and the corporation was fighting off a hostile takeover from tycoon T. Boone Pickens. Under Stegemeier, the corporation survived and thrived, becoming the ninth largest oil company in the U.S. Unocal eventually merged with Chevron Corp. in 2005.

Stegemeier is on the board of directors of 11 U.S. companies. In 1998, he was awarded the American Petroleum Institute’s Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement.

Posted by Lance Feyh at 09:53 AM in Energy | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Inspired by the highly interlocked structures of bird nests, vanadia-based structures which form a more highly entangled worm-like nanostructure were made. Photo via Chemical Science.

Aerogels are typically made from pearl necklace-like strings of silica nanoparticles, and can be strengthened with a polymer coating, so that the strands form crosslinks wherever they meet. But inspired by the highly interlocked structures of bird nests, Leventis switched to vanadia-based structures, which form a more highly entangled worm-like nanostructure.

'Both crosslinked silica and vanadia are very strong materials. But crosslinked vanadia aerogels never fail under compression, and can absorb at least four times the kinetic energy of the silicon carbide ceramics used for armour,' said Leventis. 'Killer applications will be in areas where we can take advantage of the multifunctional character of these materials - strength in combination with acoustic and thermal insulation - such as lightweight structural materials for buildings, and the automotive and airplane industries.'

This is not the first time Leventis has gained notice for his work with nanomaterials. Last June, the chemistry professor made Nanotech Briefs' Nano 50 list of top researchers in the field. Leventis made the list for his previous work with aerogels.

Posted by Andrew Careaga at 09:46 AM in Chemistry & Materials & Nanotechnology | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An interdisciplinary group of students from Missouri S&T won a hydrogen student design contest on Monday, beating teams from 22 other colleges and universities from around the world to develop and design hydrogen applications for airports.

As the winning team, Missouri S&T students scored the opportunity to present at the NHA's annual hydrogen conference, going on this week in California.

Posted by Mindy Limback at 08:13 AM in Energy | Permalink | add to del.icio.us| Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)