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VCU Engineering researchers are working to make clean energy easier and cheaper
Lane Carasik, Ph.D., assistant professor in VCU’s Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, is developing methods to make clean energy more cost-effective. He’s motivated by a simple principle. “The cheaper we make renewable and clean energy, the easier it is to implement it,” he said. With $100,000 in seed funding from the Jeffress Trust Awards Program, Carasik and his Fluids in Advanced Systems and Technology (FAST) research group are designing efficient, low-cost enhancements to equipment used in solar, nuclear and geothermal energy systems. Jeffress Trust awards support high-impact, one-year projects that integrate computational and quantitative scientific methodologies across a broad range of scientific disciplines. These energy systems use heat exchangers, which take energy from heat generation components and convert it to electricity. Heat exchangers usually comprise two working substances such as water, steam or air separated by tubes or plates. The FAST research group is optimizing a specialty insert that can be placed inside a heat exchanger’s tubes to improve performance. To visualize the insert’s form, imagine holding a piece of metal tape in both hands and gently twisting it. See the FAST Lab and examples of the heat transfer enhancements being designed there. “A liquid running through a tube is relatively undisrupted by the geometry of the tube or the shape of the fluid,” Carasik said. “But this twisted tape component spins the fluid. This increases turbulence, which increases heat transfer.” While “twisted tape” inserts are already in use in some advanced energy systems, the process of fabricating them has been limited by mechanical constraints. Typically, the inserts are placed inside a tube and tack welded at either end. But because of the metal’s limited tensile strength, these inserts can only be twisted a little before they break down and cause manufacturing defects. 3D printing, on the other hand, allows for a more complex — and effective — insert that can be used to characterize heat transfer performance. “With additive manufacturing, you can actually print tighter, ‘twistier’ versions of them,” Carasik said. “You can also add your own intentional defects to find out how to make the heat transfer better and improve the performance of the whole system.” Each geometric form the research group prints and tests starts with a world of calculations: thermal-hydraulics design calculations, solid geometry, material properties and more. From there, components are computer-designed, then printed in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Innovation Lab. Finally, they are tested in the FAST research group’s Modular Separation Effects Testing Facility (MSEFT), a scaled testing loop that emulates the operating conditions experienced by these components. Undergraduates — even first-year students — participate in each step of the process, alongside Carasik, postdoctoral research associate Cody Wiggins, Ph.D., and doctoral student Arturo Cabral. “I really like getting students into research early on, Carasik said. “By the time they’re three years in, they’re working at a level I would expect from bachelor’s level engineers in industry.” Senior Meryem Murphy was curious about undergraduate research but had never really participated. “One day, I was arguing with Arturo about something and Dr. Carasik said, ‘If you’re like this all the time, you should work for the lab.’” She took him up on it and spent her junior year working on an MSEFT redesign and running an experiment to see if 3D-prototyped concepts can be replicated with test metals. Over the summer, Murphy interned with Atomic Alchemy, a medical radioisotope startup in Boise, Idaho. She said the position built on the hard, and soft, skills she gained in the lab. “Sometimes in class, you’re required to collaborate,” she said. “But in research, it’s just ‘what you do’ to get it done.” Rising sophomore Ryan McGuire is also looking forward to starting his second year in the lab. During his freshman year, McGuire helped develop a 3D printing technology to duplicate sequences of 3D-printed parts for the FAST research group. It’s called Retrospective Additive Manufacturing Sequencing — RAMS for short. McGuire said the thrill of solving problems in the lab has made him reassess his own goals. “When I was younger, I wanted to be [famous],” he said. “But now I no longer want to be famous. Research seems like more fun.” Upon hearing about McGuire’s change in priorities, Carasik said, “Researchers can be famous too, and for good reason.”
Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero delivered a virtual State of the University fall 2020 address to faculty and staff, broadcast live from the Performing Arts Center on the Statesboro Campus on Aug. 12. Maxing out with 1,507 viewers at one point, University members tuned in from remote locations to hear the president discuss how Georgia Southern is successfully adapting during extraordinarily difficult times and will continue to be nimble during the fall semester. “We are being asked to be innovative, flexible, nimble and willing to adapt and change,” Marrero said after welcoming all back to the three campuses. “And I want to thank you. You all have been tremendous, remarkable, heroic even, as we made it through these times and as we navigate through these uncertain times.” Marrero touted the herculean efforts of faculty and staff, who maintained the integrity of the University’s five pillars — student success, teaching and research, inclusive excellence, operational efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability, and community engagement, in the midst of a pandemic that caused the University to move fully online in March. He cited specific examples of performance excellence since March with the following collective efforts: Moved more than 5,000 classes to fully online to complete the Spring 2020 Semester; Delivered summer term fully online while seeing credit-hour generation move up by more than 4%, compared to the Summer 2019 Semester; Moved 4,600 students out of housing and provided support for more than 100 students who remained on campus; Refunded almost $11 million in housing, dining and fees to students; Held virtual Spring 2020 Commencement, viewed by more than 100,000 worldwide; Provided more than $11 million in CARES Act grant funding directly to students; Developed and began implementation of Initial Return to Campus and Return to Campus Plans, based on input from more than 130 faculty staff across campus and public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health; Modeled a 14% state budget reduction for FY21, then completed a 10% realized reduction, totaling $14.2 million; Developed and implemented flexible and remote work processes; Assessed and modified almost 5,000 courses for fall 2020; Prepared campus with signage, cloth face coverings, face shields, PPE, hand sanitizer stations; Formed and implemented the CARES Service Center; Continued communication, coordination and monitoring of community health care providers, public/private schools, municipalities and agencies. Marrero also presented August figures showing that fall 2020 enrollment looks strong compared to this same time last year, however, he was quick to note that the figures may fluctuate based on various factors throughout the semester. Final fall enrollment figures will be released in October. “We can continue to move forward,” he said. “We can continue to elevate and live our mission and our vision and our values even in these times. We will adapt, we’ll be nimble and we’ll ensure that every day that the public health and safety of our faculty, staff, students and our community is of paramount importance. “I am confident that we are ready as we can be and together we’ll assess and navigate the entirety of the fall semester with the goal and outcome of our students being successful. As a whole Georgia Southern University can make it through this together.” If you are journalist and would like to know more about Georgia Southern university and how it is succeeding during COVID-19, simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
As a Black wildlife conservationist and field biologist devoted to the study of birds, Corina Newsome, a graduate student at Georgia Southern University, has long been confronted with the lack of diversity in the natural sciences. However, earlier this year, social media became a powerful interface for Newsome and a group of fellow Black scientists around the country, who discovered one another online and quickly formed a camaraderie. “We all met on Twitter,” Newsome explained. “I happened upon a tweet or post and I’m like, ‘Is that a Black person?’ Turns out they’re a Black scientist in herpetology or ornithology or whatever, so I immediately connected with them and said, ‘Hey, can we just know each other?’” Soon after, a video of a racially motivated confrontation in Central Park recorded by science editor and avid birder Christian Cooper went viral, and the network of 30 scientists banded to launch Black Birders Week on May 31. The group of virtual events, coordinated with hashtags like #BlackInNature, #AskABlackBirder and #BirdingWhileBlack, celebrated Black birders and naturalists from around the globe while pushing for inclusion and safe spaces in the outdoors. “For far too long, Black people in the United States have been shown that outdoor exploration activities, such as birding, are not for us,” Newsome stated in a video posted on social media to announce the weeklong initiative’s kickoff. “Well, we’ve decided to change that narrative. A group of Black birders, explorers and scientists got together to start the first-ever Black Birders Week. Help us to show the world, especially the next generation of young, Black birders and nature enthusiasts, that we exist, that they are welcome and that this space belongs to them, too.” The response was monumental as a multitude of Black scientists and naturalists shared their favorite birds, nature shots and professional settings online. “Black Birders Week showed us we are not actually alone,” said Newsome. “It created a community of Black people around the world. Just being on my phone and seeing a Black family outside or a Black professor somewhere teaching ornithology, people doing the thing that I do, encourages me. That makes me feel like it is possible to do well.” Newsome quickly became one of the recognizable faces of Black Birders Week and was featured in The New Yorker, Washington Post, National Geographic and NPR, among other media outlets. She also participated in a virtual roundtable discussion hosted by the National Audubon Society and included Cooper and fellow Georgia Southern student Alex Troutman. Online responses from the organization’s 1.4 million Facebook followers were largely optimistic, however there was some backlash. “We got comments from people saying we are creating division by talking about this,” Newsome said. “The division was already there. Now you know about it, and you’re uncomfortable. But we’ve been uncomfortable.” Such candor has especially captured the attention of students. “The most overwhelming, positive responses have been from young, Black people in college or pre-college who are interested in the sciences, messaging me or emailing me and saying, ‘It’s meant so much to see you doing your work,’” she said. Newsome noted that multiple wildlife and government agencies have also reached out, demonstrating that they are in the process of making structural changes within their organizations to expand diversity efforts. “Seeing these things actually materialize has been mind-blowing, and again, that’s because of the work of the group, the collective work of this movement,” she said. “I think that the one really encouraging element of that has been them choosing to use their platform to amplify our voices at the expense of losing some of their constituents.” While Newsome’s passion, “the thing that lights a fire under me constantly,” can be found at the intersection of wildlife conservation and human rights, birds continue to be her feathered muses. “They weigh sometimes a fraction of an ounce,” she said. “They are so physically fragile, yet they make some of the most physically intense migrations on the globe, from the tip of North America to the tip of South America. Birds as tiny as a hummingbird that weigh a tenth of an ounce fly over the Gulf of Mexico nonstop for over 18 hours. Just think of how much they’re accomplishing, even though they are easily one of the most fragile creatures on the planet. It feels oxymoronic, but it’s real. “Birds remind me that things that seem impossible happen.” If you are journalist and would like to know more about this particular story simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
Back to school anxiety - How can parents prepare kids as the time to go back to school gets closer?
The new school year is usually an exciting time for kids and a time to celebrate for parents who have been keeping busy all summer long. A new grade and new adventures at school await. But this year, with children heading back to class in just a few short weeks, anticipation has been replaced by anxiety as a lot of kids are stressed about the idea of returning during COVID-19. For most children, predictability can play a major part in being comfortable and feeling secure. As well, with children seeing the news, having spent months in lockdown and knowing that they’ll likely be wearing a mask all day, the pressure of the ‘unknown’ may be enormous. “It is normal for kids to feel nervous about returning to school, especially if they have been learning from home for months,” said Dr. Meredith Rausch, a leading counselor education expert and associate professor in the Department of Advanced Studies and Innovation in the College of Education at Augusta University. “To help ease their anxiety, I encourage parents to reassure their children about the safety measures in place to keep them safe and remind them about the positives, such as being able to see their friends and teachers.” Rausch also recommends the following tactics parents can do at home to help ease the back-to-school anxiety. Wear a mask at home: Wear one while playing a game, reading a book or having some screen time. Normalizing life in a mask may be the new normal. Share how you feel: Parents who can share their feelings will likely prompt children to share their own. Let kids know that adults are nervous and are sometimes afraid too, and encourage young ones to open up and express any lingering or pent up emotions. This coming school year will be like no other in memory, and as parents get kids ready to head back into the classrooms – there are still a lot of questions remaining. If you’re a journalist covering this topic – then let our experts help. Dr. Meredith Rausch is a leading expert in counselor education, and her research focuses on underserved populations, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals and women. Rausch is available to speak with media regarding this important subject. Simply click on her name to arrange an interview today.
As China clamps down on Hong Kong – Is Taiwan next?
As protests erupt again across Hong Kong against the recent imposing of new security laws essentially giving Beijing unprecedented powers – it has some worried about what is next as China pursues it’s One-China policy. In Taiwan people are watching, and concern is growing. Professor Elizabeth Freund Larus teaches political science at the University of Mary Washington and is an #expert on China and the field of Asian studies. She has also been interviewed by media such as CNBC, The Diplomat and CBN News regarding this topic. She has noted that the developments in China, especially with regards to Hong Kong and Taiwan are catching global attention and will impact economies and governments across the globe. Beijing has taken an especially hard line towards Taiwan since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), ramping up military, economic and diplomatic pressure. Tsai views Taiwan as a de facto independent nation and not part of "one China". But the pressure campaign has done little to endear China to Taiwan's 23 million people. In January, Tsai won a second term with a historic landslide and polls consistently show a growing distrust of China... Social media is filled with messages of support for Hong Kong's democracy movement. Some back Taiwanese independence, or highlight China's rights abuses in regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang. Wendy Peng, a 26-year-old magazine editor who said she often shared pro-Hong Kong democracy messages on social media, said she would now avoid visiting the city. "The national security law makes me wonder how far would China go. Right now I don't see a bottom line and there's probably none. I think it's possible they will target Taiwan next," she said. July -7 Yahoo! New/AFP If you are a reporter covering this progressing story – then let our experts help. Elizabeth Larus is available to speak to media, simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.
Maintaining intimacy in your relationship while in COVID quarantine
Whether you’re social distancing, in quarantine, or in lock down like I am here in Barcelona, I have been thinking about how we can all keep up our intimate relationships with ourselves and our partners during this time. It’s important for us to try to find joy and satisfaction in our daily routines (indoors). So I have put together an intimacy guide to help us all get through this period – whether you’re single, a couple living together or part of a couple living apart there should be something to help you. For the couples living together I can assure you that Netflix & Chill will get boring pretty quickly, so work your way through this list and keep the intimacy spark alive while you’re both stuck indoors. 1. Take a shower together and have some good, clean fun in the bathroom. 2. Cuddle through it. We’re all for social distancing but if you live with your partner, now is not the time to stop cuddling. 3. Sleep in different beds. Sometimes its good to have time apart and a good night’s sleep in separate beds. It can make it even more special when you do actually share a bed together. 4. Give each other massages with some natural oils. 5. Watch some adult movies together and maybe act out some of the moves after. For couples living apart I know it must be tough if you’re living apart and you can’t see each other due to quarantine, but thanks to technology there are lots of ways you can remain intimate with your partner, no matter the distance. 1. Send nudes! Need I say more? And while you’re at it you can send some intimate texts telling your partner exactly what you’d like to be doing if you were together. 2. Video call and enjoy being in each other’s company. 4. Write a list of all the intimate things you want to try together after quarantine. 5. Do the test to find out your love languages and learn about each other’s. 6. Ask each other the infamous 36 questions that lead to love. 7. Send each other love letters (via email if you can’t post!) For single (or self-partnered) people Now is the perfect time to fall even more in love with yourself… 1. Please, repeat after me: Don’t text your ex! Now is not the time to overthink your beak-ups and send a message to your ex. 2. Explore your body and re-discover your pleasures. Touch new parts of your body and find new erogenous zones. 3. Write a bucket list of all of the things you want to try alone. 4. Have a date night with yourself. Cook yourself a nice meal, listen to music, drink wine, massage your feet and write a list of all of the things that you love about yourself!
A New Kind of "Zoom" Science Lesson
With the end of the school year just around the corner and numerous COVID-19 restrictions still in place for the foreseeable future, many parents are worried. Summer camps in Pennsylvania are beginning to open—but with limited capacity. So, what are working caretakers to do with their kids all day? Villanova University professor of chemistry Marta Guron, PhD, and six of her students have created informative science lessons that bring learning and fun together in a virtual environment. In a typical year, Dr. Guron gathers a group together who volunteer their time by visiting local elementary schools to perform hands-on science experiments with fourth-graders, fifth-graders and sixth-graders. When in-person lessons were no longer an option due to the pandemic, the Villanovans adapted their strategy. Though finals are over and Villanova's campus remains empty, six dedicated undergraduate and graduate students are still finding time to go virtual with their lessons. In the following video, Dr. Guron and the Villanova students use PowerPoint, plastic containers, water and their choice of "solids" to talk about density. The supplies for this outreach program are typically provided by Villanova, but in light of everyone being "stuck at home," Dr. Guron encouraged the grade school students to experiment. "If there is something that you don't have at home, it's OK to try to replace different things. For example, some students, when they added different solids, they might have added a penny or a piece of wood. But others might have a bead or something else. It doesn't... much matter." She adds, "Please make sure you talk to your mom and dad before you take anything out!" Some other experiments the team has done include assessing symmetry in crystals, making the gooey, Double Dare-inspired "gak," building a fruit battery, investigating sound and studying capillary action in flowers. Dr. Guron is grateful that her students were still interested in the project, even after the end of a particularly unusual semester. "I thought it was awesome that these students all volunteered time and effort after their final exams were over because of their dedication to the program and to the kids. We are truly a community of helpers."
Black Gospel Music Expert Shares 10 of the Most Powerful, Enduring Freedom Songs, Protest Spirituals
By Robert F. Darden, Professor of Journalism, Public Relations & New Media, Founder and Director of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project at Baylor University WACO, Texas (June 19, 2020) – As the protests following the death of George Floyd began to roil the country, it was only a few days before the demonstrators began to sing an array of freedom songs and protest spirituals, as well as a few new adaptations, including Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.” Some of these songs have been sung by people fighting nonviolently for freedom and justice for hundreds of years. Many have been sung continually in the United States since the 1800s, right through the #blacklivesmatter and #metoo movements. Others have been adopted by freedom fighters in the Arab Spring, at Tiananmen Square and even now in Hong Kong. The Black Gospel Music Restoration Project at Baylor University has the world’s largest collection of digitized vinyl songs and sermons from gospel’s “golden age.” Not surprisingly, there are hundreds of freedom songs and protest spirituals in the collection as well. Below is a list of some of the most influential, most powerful, most enduring and beloved songs that have inspired and encouraged sings for two centuries. Each song is available for listening in the digital collections of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project. (Assistance provided by Baylor Libraries’ Digitization and Digital Preservation Services.) 10. “We Shall Not Be Moved” and “Which Side Are You On?” When labor unions admitted African Americans in the 1930s and '40s, labor protesters quickly absorbed and adapted the great protest spirituals. These two old union songs were quickly adopted and expanded by the civil rights movement of the '50s and '60s. Listen to “I Shall Not Be Moved” by the Mighty Wonders of Aquasco, Maryland. 9. “A Charge to Keep Have I” In the days before hymnals, a song-leader would sing or speak a line and the congregation, whether in a church or at a mass meeting, would sing it back, called “lining out.” One of the most popular lined-out hymns during the movement was the old hymn, “A Charge to Keep Have I.” Listen to “A Charge to Keep” by Betty Simmons. 8. “Up Above My Head, I Hear Freedom in the Air” This old spiritual became a favorite in the great singing protests of Albany, Georgia, and quickly spread throughout the South. Listen to “Up Above My Head, I Hear Freedom in the Air” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. 7. “If I Can Help Somebody” Not all freedom songs were defiant in tone. Some provided comfort in difficult times. Some helped encourage those in despair. This is one of those songs. Listen to “If I Can Help Somebody” by Dorothy Love Coates and the Gospel Harmonettes from the LP, Till My Changes Come. 6. “Freedom Highway” Some original songs were composed during the movement that were not only quickly adopted by the civil rights activists, they’ve remained in the repertoire of freedom fighters everywhere. One such song is “Freedom Highway” by the Staple Singers who themselves marched many miles with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Listen to “Freedom Highway” by the Staple Singers. 5. “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”/“Hold On” There are dozens of variations of this civil rights-era favorite. Most include the couplet about Paul and Silas in jail, but all were sung to bolster spirits in tough times. Listen to “Keep Your Hands on the Plow” by The Famous Ward Singers from the LP on Vista Records. 4. “This Little Light of Mine” Fannie Lou Hamer made this old children’s song one of the most popular and righteous of the freedom songs. It was easily adaptable to every situation and good for naming the names of your oppressors. Listen to “The Little Light of Mine” by the Ward Singers. 3. “99 ½ Won’t Do” “99 ½ Won’t Do” was one of the most powerful songs to come out of the Birmingham freedom movement, sung by choirs and soloists alike, and it has since become a staple for many gospel singers, along with “I’m a Soldier in the Army of the Lord.” Listen to “99 ½ Won’t Do” by the Greater Sabathani Baptist Church Mass Choir. 2. “Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around” This freedom song has been sung repeatedly during the George Floyd protests – and has been sung for a hundred years or more. It lends itself well to a tone of defiance against great odds and was another freedom song that was infinitely adaptable to the situation. Listen to “Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around” by the Five Trumpets. 1. “We Shall Overcome” Few songs can match the majesty and soulful power of “We Shall Overcome,” always sung standing, with arms crossed clasping the hands of those on either side. It is at its most powerful -- then and now -- when the lines “black and white together” are included. Listen to “We Shall Overcome” from the 45 by Alice McClarty and the Traveling Echoes. ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 18,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
MEDIA RELEASE: CAA announces the recipients of two provincial school zone safety awards
CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) is proudly awarding two dedicated school zone safety volunteers with Provincial Safety awards. Tyra Sayles, 13, from Brantford has received the CAA School Safety Patroller of the Year award, and Kerri-Ann Sagert a grade 4/5 teacher at Agincourt Jr Public School in Toronto, has received the CAA School Safety Patrol Supervisor of the Year award. “For over 90 years, the CAA School Safety Patrol® program (SSP) has been advocating for the safety of children on their way to and from school, and in school zones. Sayles and Sagert are true road safety champions,” says Leslie Rocha, community relations specialist, CAA SCO. Sayles has been in the program for three years, and excels in her extracurricular activities and academically as well. “I do my best to balance everything because I take pride in making the world a better place in the things I do,” says Sayles. The CAA School Safety Patrol program is a joint effort between CAA, the police, school boards, teachers, busing consortia, parents, and approximately 20,000 dedicated student volunteers. In Brantford, there are over 800 students that participate in the program. “The students really respect and listen to Tyra. When it was discovered that students acted differently once Tyra got off the bus, she offered to stay on the bus for an extra hour of the day with no hesitation,” says Richard Melski, SSP Patrol Supervisor. Sagert, has been a part of the SSP program for 10 years. “I believe in everything the program stands for so much that I actively promote the program to younger students at the school, who will become Patrollers themselves,” says Sagert. Toronto Police constable and nominator Claudia Bednarczyk says, “She understands the value of having the CAA School Safety Patroller program at the school, and knows how to run it effectively, with little help.” Both awards were announced last night in a year-end online celebration for patrollers in Ontario and Manitoba. Patrollers, teachers and supervisors took part in the virtual celebration hosted by DJ Metime also known as Sarah Barrable-Tishauer and choreographer, Boneless. In Ontario, approximately 900 schools participate in the CAA School Safety Patrol program. CAA SCO works with over 50 partners to help deliver the program. For more information, visit https://www.caaschoolsafetypatrol.com/.
Is Asia a powder keg ready to blow?
This week has seen rising tensions across Asia with key players facing off on what looks to be a dramatic rise in tensions with the potential for action. First off … Korea, where early Tuesday the first salvo was thrown: North Korea has blown up a joint liaison office with the South near the North's border town of Kaesong. The move comes just hours after the North renewed threats of military action at the Korean border. The site was opened in 2018 to help the Koreas - officially in a state of war - to communicate. It had been empty since January due to Covid-19 restrictions. In a statement, South Korea warned it would "respond strongly" if the North "continues to worsen the situation". The destruction of the office, it said, "abandons the hopes of everyone who wanted the development of inter-Korean relations and peace settlement in the Korean Peninsula". "The government makes it clear that all responsibility of this situation lies in the North." June 16 - BBC And this incident occurred which saw gun fire traded between China and India for the first time in almost a half century: Three members of India’s armed forces have been killed in a “violent face-off” with Chinese soldiers on their disputed Himalayan border, the Indian army has said in a statement. The deaths are the first loss of life in the border area in at least 45 years, and come amid a renewed dispute between the two countries in recent weeks. Indian and Chinese soldiers, who often do not carry weapons in the area to avoid escalating conflicts, have brawled, detained each other and deployed forces and equipment in the western Himalayas in recent weeks. “During the de-escalation process under way in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday [Monday] night with casualties on both sides,” the Indian army said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon Delhi-time. “The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers.” It said “senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation”. It was unclear whether shots had been fired or if the men were killed in hand-to-hand combat. Several Indian media reports cited defence sources claiming the fighting involved stones and clubs. The Chinese also military suffered casualties, according to a tweet by the editor-in-chief of China’s state-run Global Times newspaper. “Based on what I know, Chinese side also suffered casualties in the Galwan Valley physical clash,” Hu Xijin wrote. He did not give further details. June 16 - The Guardian The world seems on edge, and if you are a journalist covering these topics and you need the perspective and input of an expert who can help with your story – then let us help. Dr. Glen Duerr's research interests include comparative politics and international relations theory. Glen is an expert on this subject and is available to speak to media regarding this topic– simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
