 | | The Third Mode of Transportation | May 13, 2008 |
David Hitchcock recently gave a presentation entitled The Third Mode: Choices Not Given; Choices Not Made ( 726 KB) at the 2008 Transportation Choices Forum. This forum addressed such issues as gasoline prices, traffic congestion, inadequate transit, traffic fatalities, mobility, accessibility to jobs and health care, transportation funding, air quality, sprawl, peak oil, potholes, speed bumps, climate change, globalization, carbon emissions surrounding traffic in San Antonio. |
 | | HARC Provides Testimony to Federal Committee | May 13, 2008 |
HARC was invited to provide testimony to the U.S. Committee on Science and Technology subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Hon. Nick Lampson [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding, for a hearing titled “Energizing Houston: Sustainability, Technological Innovation, and Growth in the Energy Capital of the World”. Bob Harriss submitted written testimony on “Urban Sustainability: An Emerging Field of "Use-Inspired" Research, Education, and Innovation” ( 28 KB). The hearing was convened at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas. |
 | | Low Impact O&G Operations in Environmentally Sensitive Areas Forum | May 8, 2008 |
The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) and the Texas A&M University Crisman Institute are sponsoring a forum concerning low impact oil and gas operations in environmentally sensitive areas. The forum will be at Texas A&M on May 30, 2008. Rich Haut will discuss various technologies to reduce the environmental footprint. |
 | HARC has recently posted 3 new job openings. HARC is seeking a Senior Research Scientist/Engineer to be the Program Director of NTRD who will continue oversight of the current portfolio and provide guidance and direction for the future of the New Technology Research and Development (NTRD) program. HARC is also seeking a GIS/RS Research Associate with experience in ArcGIS, ArcIMS, ArcServer/SDE, and other ESRI products; ERDAS, ENVI or related image analysis tools. Additionally HARC is looking for one intern for a 2008 Summer Computer Game Design Internship Opportunity - Texas Climate Initiative to support the goal of designing and producing computer-aided games that engage citizens in learning about systemic connections between energy, environment, and society. |
 | | HARC sponsoring Ninth International Conference on Permafrost | May 6, 2008 |
Permafrost on a Warming Planet: Impacts on Ecosystems, Infrastructure and Climate is the theme for the 2008 International Conference on Permafrost. HARC is one of the conference sponsors and will have an exhibit to collect information about regulatory and environmental issues associated with the impact of warming on the energy infrastructure in the Arctic. |
 | HARC is accepting grant applications for RFGA-15 - Proof-of-Concept Testing to Evaluate NOx Reductions from Hydrogen Enhanced Diesel Combustion, with anticipated maximum funding available in the amount of $250,000. Visit the TERC web site for more information. |
 | | Earthday 2008 | April 25, 2008 |
Volunteers from HARC participated at the Woodlands Earthday on April 12, 2008. The HARC booth this year focused on the Conroe School District School bus Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) retrofits and The Big Thicket National Preserve. Dr. Rudy Smaling participated in a white glove test to show the particulate matter filtered from the exhaust of school busses. Dr. Richard Haut presented Dr. Don Stockton with the Conroe Independent School District the Green award on behalf of Woodlands GREEN for their work on retrofitting the school busses with DPF filters. The public was encouraged to visit The Big Thicket and participate in the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, sponsored by the National Park Service and the Big Thicket Association. Information was also available on invasive species in the area. |
 | | Rudy Smaling to Speak at EPA Science Forum | April 17, 2008 |
Rudy Smaling will speak at the 2008 EPA Science Forum. The Science forum will be held from May 20-22 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The meeting will focus on innovative technologies that are key to environmental and economic progress. |
| | NightSat Mission Feasibility Workshop Convened | April 17, 2008 |
The first mission feasibility and design workshop for a small satellite that will provide unique global observations of human settlements was recently convened at the NASA Ames Research Center. Bob Harriss, a member of the NightSat ( 197 KB) science team, participated in the definition of science objectives, instrument and mission requirements, and development of an action plan for a mission proposal. |
 | | Global Warming and Human Health | April 17, 2008 |
Bob Harriss gave a presentation on global warming and human health at the University of Texas School of Public Health on World Health Day, April 10, 2008, noon – 1:00p.m., in the Reuel A. Stallones Building Auditorium. The presentation emphasized the need for enhanced scientific innovation and policy flexibility in dealing with the complexity of this emerging new area of global concern. |
 | The Texas Environmental Research Consortium (TERC) is pleased to announce four new NTRD grants. As a result of the Request for Grant Applications 12: "Proof-of-Concept Testing to Evaluate NOx Reductions in Hybrid Truck and Bus Applications", 4 project proposals have been selected for funding. Additional details are available. |
 | | New Houston Air Quality Field Study | March 24, 2008 |
The Board of Directors of the Texas Environmental Research Consortium (TERC) recently approved funding for a new air quality field study in 2008 and 2009 to be known as the Study of Houston Atmospheric Radical Precursors (SHARP). SHARP was originally envisioned by HARC staff and local Texas research scientists as a follow-up to the 2006 Second Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS II) that would more sharply focus on key issues identified during recent analyses of TexAQS II data, primarily the role of the radical precursors formaldehyde and nitrous acid in determining ozone productivity, and hence the effectiveness of control strategies, in the Houston region. |
 | HARC has developed a new Texas Coastal Waterbirds interactive mapping application resource implemented for the Central Southwest Gulf Coast Information Node of the National Biological Information Infrastructure. The Texas coast serves as a major nesting area for a number of species of colonial waterbirds, which are an important indicator of ecosystem health. The Coastal Waterbirds project implements nesting data available along the entire Texas Coast in an interactive mapping application displaying location and interactive graphs with the annual abundance associated with 13 species. Data extends back thirty years; annual fluctuations in nesting populations are clearly displayed in the mapping application. |
 | | Climate change looming over the future of South Texas | February 26, 2008 |
An important new climate assessment, The Changing Climate of South Texas, 1900 – 2100: Problems and Prospects, Impacts and Implications, was released recently. James Norwine and Kuruvilla John at Texas A&M-Kingsville co-edited this comprehensive overview of how scenarios of climate change may interact with society and environment to challenge the future of the region. Sixteen contributors, including Bob Harriss, analyze potential impacts of climate change on South Texas coastal areas, water resources, air quality, ecology, and wildlife. The book can be purchased from The Environmental Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX. 78363 [c/o Ms. Rose Rodriguez, Associate Director, CREST-RESSACA]. |
| HARC has an internship opportunity providing technical input regarding testing of emerging technology including fuel cells, batteries, superconducting wire, and related technologies. Test engineering experience with strong electronics background is needed. This is the third opportunity for HARC's 2008 Scholars Program. Previous opportunities include four internships in Social Science with Field Work and three internship opportunities with the Texas Climate Initiative. |
 | | The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation Creates $6 Million Texas Energy and Climate Change Program | February 19, 2008 |
The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation today announced a $6 million initiative to help advance clean-energy technology in Texas. The initiative’s goal is to reduce global warming pollution while growing the Texas economy. To implement this new grant-making initiative, The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation will partner with the Energy Foundation, a partnership of major donors based in San Francisco. The three-year program will support technical and economic analysis, model policy development, and policy-maker education to spur big new clean energy markets. Such clean technologies, especially energy efficiency and renewable energy, can meet Texas energy needs, reduce pollution, and grow the economy. |
| HARC has just posted 2 new opportunities for its 2008 Scholars Program. This includes four internships in Social Science with Field Work conducting ethnographic research on fisheries communities on the Texas Coast and an additional three internship opportunities with the Texas Climate Initiative working with numerous stakeholders, legislators, climate scientists and universities to establish the Texas Climate Initiative. |
 | | Bob Harriss Participated in Science Panel at Focus the Nation | February 1, 2008 |
Bob Harriss presented a brief overview of climate change science and participated in a science panel on mitigation and adaptation options at a Focus the Nation event on the University of Houston main campus. Focus the Nation is organizing a national teach-in on global warming solutions for America - creating a dialogue at over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, places of worship, civic organizations and businesses, and directly engaging millions of students and citizens with the nation’s decision-makers. |
 | | HARC to Participate on EPA's P3 Peer Review Panel | January 28, 2008 |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has selected Rich Haut to be a member of the Peer Review Panel for the EPA's People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition for Sustainability. The P3 competition provides grants to teams of college students to research, develop, and design solutions to sustainability challenges. The competition is focused on benefiting people, promoting prosperity and protecting the planet through innovative designs to address challenges to sustainability in both the developed and the developing world. The National Academies (National Academy of Science/National Academy of Engineering/Institute of Medicine) convene the panel to judge the competition. |
 | | New Technology R&D Workshop | January 28, 2008 |
HARC is hosting a workshop to provide information about the New Technology Research and Development (NTRD) program, managed by HARC for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). In addition to an overview of the NTRD program, selected NTRD grant award winners will be presenting on their technology and product development efforts. Andrew Trenholm, with the Air Pollution Control Technology (APCT) Center, will provide an overview of the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) process. The workshop is on February 13, 2008. Additional details are available in the flyer ( 646 KB). |
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