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The roots of scuba diving lie in exploration. But in an age when advanced instruments can drive research, too, why not stay dry on land? Researchers have used scuba diving as a tool for decades, but as technology evolves, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) can aid, and sometimes replace, divers in the research process. Still, argues Stephen Wood, no existing tools have the full capability of a human. The professor of ocean engineering says the ability to grab items or quickly turn one’s head is difficult to replicate in an ROV. He also argues that although robots can collect and send data, the ability to assess and interpret an environment through a human lens is essential. “The human cannot leave” the research, Wood says. The American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) defines scientific diving as “diving performed solely as a necessary part of a scientific, research, or educational activity by employees whose sole purpose for diving is to perform scientific research tasks.” With more than 140 organizational members, AAUS supports diving as a research tool and protects scientific divers’ health and safety. Researchers and students must obtain an AAUS certification, which Florida Tech offers, before undertaking a scientific dive. At Florida Tech, any diver who plans to use compressed air or air blends for activity involving teaching or research must comply with AAUS. Robert van Woesik, professor of marine sciences, studies the dynamics of coral reefs worldwide. He and his students scuba dive to examine and photograph coral assemblages, then return with information they can use to predict the impact of local and global disturbances, recovery from disturbances and future growth. The ability to personally identify different species underwater is crucial to understanding coral reef dynamics. He says that without scuba, the necessary training to develop that skill falls away. “I think it’s still worthwhile knowing the species composition of a reef underwater instead of just saying, ‘Okay, we don’t need scuba divers anymore. We just need photographs and ROVs,’” van Woesik says. He learns the most when he can descend to a reef and see the seascape himself. “I think there’s something to be said to just go in the water and ask some questions,” van Woesik says. “That’s the valuable part of being able to scuba dive, getting amongst it to experience the reef, in tandem with analyzing photographs from around the world on the computer.” Assistant professor of marine sciences Austin Fox says in his research in the Indian River Lagoon, diving is essential for operating—and sometimes finding—instruments. “We spend a lot of time trying to figure out ways to do this stuff without diving…but there’s just no replacement for it.” Austin fox, Assistant professor of marine sciences Scientific diving has taken Florida Tech researchers across the globe, from the murky floor of the Indian River Lagoon to the depths of Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound. Rich Aronson, department head and professor of ocean engineering and marine sciences, studies coral reefs in the tropics and subtidal communities in Antarctica. In 1997, he had the opportunity to visit the McMurdo Station to study invertebrate ecology—specifically, who eats what and whether they leave traces of their predatory activity on the shells of their prey. There, he completed 27 dives of up to 130 feet deep. Some were done through ice-cracks in remote areas, he recalls, whereas others were from holes drilled through 10 feet of sea-ice. He noted that the time to prepare for these dives was extensive—two 30-minute dives took eight hours—and they weren’t without risk. “That was the first and only time I’ve dived under the ice. It’s dangerous because there’s a ceiling above you,” Aronson says. “You jump in the hole and try not to screw it up because if you screw it up, you’re dead.” Though risky, Aronson says scuba diving was crucial to the research. He argues that neither ROVs nor oceanographic sensors could have collected or sampled organisms at fine scales, run transects and made behavioral observations like a human could. Additionally, he says his observations at depth, such as the “sting of subzero water” on his face and “the slowness of reaction of the animals living down there,” are what later inspired a project of his combining deep-sea oceanography and paleontology to project the future of Antarctic seafloor communities in a rapidly warming world. “Science is a lot more subjective than you might think, and feeling the environment helps you understand it.” Richard Aronson, department head and professor of marine sciences The risky nature of scuba diving is why programs like AAUS exist: to standardize safe and responsible diving practices for conducting scientific research. Divers are at risk for a number of pressure-related injuries, such as decompression sickness: a condition in which residual nitrogen can create bubbles in the blood and body tissue upon ascent if the diver rises to the surface too fast. To reduce their risk, divers must plan and track how deep they are going, the time at which they are that depth (and subsequent depths) and how long they need to wait before changing depth. Technology has also evolved since the beginning of scuba to support divers’ safety further. Digital dive computers, developed in the 1980s, help divers estimate how long they can stay at their current depth while underwater (among other things). Additionally, Enriched Air Nitrox (Nitrox) is a gas mixture that contains a higher percentage of oxygen than standard air. Divers who use Nitrox can extend their time at depth and reduce their risk of decompression sickness because of its reduced nitrogen pressure. Van Woesik predicts that dive technology will keep evolving. He imagines there could soon be a system that allows divers to upload data at depth, and a system that aids in species identification without having to decipher an image at the surface. He also believes that innovators will keep working to reduce hazards and prioritize safety, because despite the risks, divers will always get in the water. “Hopefully that technology will get better so we can go deeper, safer, and so we can stay down a bit longer to explore and further understand the natural wonders of the oceans,” van Woesik says. If you're interested in connecting with Stephen Wood, Austin Fox, Richard Aronson or Robert van Woesik - simply contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
Name: Linxia Gu Title: Professor of biomedical engineering and science, department head Department/college: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Science/College of Engineering and Science Current research funding: $5 million as co-PI of ASCEND General research focus: My research focuses on developing physically based computational models and conducting mechanical testing to investigate how mechanical stimuli influence cell and tissue responses, providing new insights into the interplay between mechanics and biology. Dr. Gu’s research expertise lies in the biomechanics and biomaterials using both computational and experimental methods. The specific application areas include vascular mechanics and indirect traumatic injury to the brain and eye. Her group is particularly interested in developing multi-scale multi-physics models to study and exploit tissue responses and cellular mechanotransduction, and to gain new mechanistic insights into the interplay of mechanics and human body. The multidisciplinary effort has resulted in > 130 journal papers, and $11 million research funding from NIH, NSF, ARO, and NASA. Q: What has you excited about your current research? The opportunity to bridge the gap between mechanics and biology drives my research. By integrating computational models with experimental data, we are uncovering how mechanical forces influence tissue and cellular responses, particularly in the areas of vascular stenting and traumatic injury to the eye and brain. This had the potential to drive breakthroughs in understanding, prevention and treatment. Q: Why is it important to conduct research? Conducting research is vital for addressing pressing societal challenges and advancing our understanding of complex biomedical systems. Linxia Gu is available to speak with media. Contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology, at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
Chemical and Life Science Engineering Professor Michael “Pete” Peters, Ph.D., is investigating more efficient ways to manufacture biologic pharmaceuticals using a radial flow bioreactor he developed. With applications in vaccines and other personalized therapeutic treatments, biologics are versatile. Their genetic base can be manipulated to create a variety of effects from fighting infections by stimulating an immune response to weight loss by producing a specific hormone in the body. Ozempic, Wegovy and Victoza are some of the brand names for Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists used to treat diabetes. These drugs mimic the GLP-1 peptide, a hormone naturally produced in the body that regulates appetite, hunger and blood sugar. “I have a lot of experience with helical peptides like GLP-1 from my work with COVID therapeutics,” says Peters. “When it was discovered that these biologic pharmaceuticals can help with weight loss, demand spiked. These drug types were designed for people with type-2 diabetes and those diabetic patients couldn’t get their GLP-1 treatments. We wanted to find a way for manufacturers to scale up production to meet demand, especially now that further study of GLP-1 has revealed other applications for the drug, like smoking cessation.” Continuous Manufacturing of Biologic Pharmaceuticals Pharmaceuticals come in two basic forms: small-molecule and biologic. Small-molecule medicines are synthetically produced via chemical reactions while biologics are produced from microorganisms. Both types of medications are traditionally produced in a batch process, where base materials are fed into a staged system that produces “batches” of the small-molecule or biologic medication. This process is similar to a chef baking a single cake. Once these materials are exhausted, the batch is complete and the entire system needs to be reset before the next batch begins. “ The batch process can be cumbersome,” says Peters. “Shutting the whole process down and starting it up costs time and money. And if you want a second batch, you have to go through the entire process again after sterilization. Scaling the manufacturing process up is another problem because doubling the system size doesn’t equate to doubling the product. In engineering, that’s called nonlinear phenomena.” Continuous manufacturing improves efficiency and scalability by creating a system where production is ongoing over time rather than staged. These manufacturing techniques can lead to “end-to-end” continuous manufacturing, which is ideal for producing high-demand biologic pharmaceuticals like Ozempic, Wegovy and Victoza. Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medicines for All Institute is also focused on these production innovations. Peters’ continuous manufacturing system for biologics is called a radial flow bioreactor. A disk containing the microorganisms used for production sits on a fixture with a tube coming up through the center of the disk. As the transport fluid comes up the tube, the laminar flow created by its exiting the tube spreads it evenly and continuously over the disk. The interaction between the transport medium coming up the tube and the microorganisms on the disk creates the biological pharmaceutical, which is then taken away by the flow of the transport medium for continuous collection. Flowing the transport medium liquid over a disc coated with biologic-producing microorganisms allows the radial flow bioreactor to continuously produce biologic pharmaceuticals. “There are many advantages to a radial flow bioreactor,” says Peters. “It takes minutes to switch out the disk with the biologic-producing microorganisms. While continuously producing your biologic pharmaceutical, a manufacturer could have another disk in an incubator. Once the microorganisms in the incubator have grown to completely cover the disk, flow of the transport medium liquid to the radial flow bioreactor is shut off. The disk is replaced and then the transport medium flow resumes. That’s minutes for a production changeover instead of the many hours it takes to reset a system in the batch flow process.” The Building Blocks of Biologic Pharmaceuticals Biologic pharmaceuticals are natural molecules created by genetically manipulating microorganisms, like bacteria or mammalian cells. The technology involves designing and inserting a DNA plasmid that carries genetic instructions to the cells. This genetic code is a nucleotide sequence used by the cell to create proteins capable of performing a diverse range of functions within the body. Like musical notes, each nucleotide represents specific genetic information. The arrangement of these sequences, like notes in a song, changes what the cell is instructed to do. In the same way notes can be arranged to create different musical compositions, nucleotide sequences can completely alter a cell’s behavior. Microorganisms transcribe the inserted DNA into a much smaller, mRNA coded molecule. Then the mRNA molecule has its nucleotide code translated into a chain of amino acids, forming a polypeptide that eventually folds into a protein that can act within the body. “One of the disadvantages of biologic design is the wide range of molecular conformations biological molecules can adopt,” says Peters. “Small-molecule medications, on the other hand, are typically more rigid, but difficult to design via first-principle engineering methods. A lot of my focus has been on helical peptides, like GLP-1, that are a programmable biologic pharmaceutical designed from first principles and have the stability of a small-molecule.” The stability Peters describes comes from the helical peptide’s structure, an alpha helix where the amino acid chain coils into a spiral that twists clockwise. Hydrogen bonds that occur between the peptide’s backbone creates a repeating pattern that pulls the helix tightly together to resist conformational changes. “It’s why we used it in our COVID therapeutic and makes it an excellent candidate for GLP-1 continuous production because of its relative stability,” says Peters. Programming The Cell Chemical and Life Science Engineering Assistant Professor Leah Spangler, Ph.D., is an expert at instructing cells to make specific things. Her material science background employs proteins to build or manipulate products not found in nature, like purifying rare-earth elements for use in electronics. “My lab’s function is to make proteins every day,” says Spangler. “The kind of proteins we make depends entirely on the project they are for. More specifically I use proteins to make things that don’t occur in nature. The reason proteins don’t build things like solar cells or the quantum dots used in LCD TVs is because nature is not going to evolve a solar cell or a display surface. Nature doesn’t know what either of those things are. However, proteins can be instructed to build these items, if we code them to.” Spangler is collaborating with Peters in the development of his radial flow bioreactor, specifically to engineer a microorganismal bacteria cell capable of continuously producing biologic pharmaceuticals. “We build proteins by leveraging bacteria to make them for us,” says Spangler. “It’s a well known technology. For this project, we’re hypothesizing that Escherichia coli (E. coli) can be modified to make GLP-1. Personally, I like working with E. coli because it’s a simple bacteria that has been thoroughly studied, so there’s lots of tools available for working with it compared to other cell types.” Development of the process and technique to use E. coli with the radial flow bioreactor is ongoing. “Working with Dr. Spangler has been a game changer for me,” says Peters. “She came to the College of Engineering with a background in protein engineering and an expertise with bacteria. Most of my work was in mammalian cells, so it’s been a great collaboration. We’ve been able to work together and develop this bioreactor to produce GLP-1.” Other Radial Flow Bioreactor Applications Similar to how the GLP-1 peptide has found applications beyond diabetes treatment, the radial flow bioreactor can also be used in different roles. Peters is currently exploring the reactor’s viability for harnessing solar energy. “One of the things we’ve done with the internal disc is to use it as a solar panel,” says Peters. “The disk can be a black body that absorbs light and gets warm. If you run water through the system, water also absorbs the radiation’s energy. The radial flow pattern automatically optimizes energy driving forces with fluid residence time. That makes for a very effective solar heating system. This heating system is a simple proof of concept. Our next step is to determine a method that harnesses solar radiation to create electricity in a continuous manner.” The radial flow bioreactor can also be implemented for environmental cleanup. With a disk tailored for water filtration, desalination or bioremediation, untreated water can be pushed through the system until it reaches a satisfactory level of purification. “The continuous bioreactor design is based on first principles of engineering that our students are learning through their undergraduate education,” says Peters. “The nonlinear scaling laws and performance predictions are fundamentally based. In this day of continued emphasis on empirical AI algorithms, the diminishing understanding of fundamental physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics that underlie engineering principles is a challenge. It’s important we not let first-principles and fundamental understanding be degraded from our educational mission, and projects like the radial flow bioreactor help students see these important fundamentals in action.”
AI-powered model predicts post-concussion injury risk in college athletes
Athletes who suffer a concussion have a serious risk of reinjury after returning to play, but identifying which athletes are most vulnerable has always been a bit of a mystery, until now. Using artificial intelligence (AI), University of Delaware researchers have developed a novel machine learning model that predicts an athlete’s risk of lower-extremity musculoskeletal (MKS) injury after concussion with 95% accuracy. A recent study published in Sports Medicine details the development of the AI model, which builds on previously published research showing that the risk of post-concussion injury doubles, regardless of the sport. The most common post-concussive injuries include sprains, strains, or even broken bones or torn ACLs. “This is due to brain changes we see post-concussion,” said Thomas Buckley, professor of kinesiology and applied physiology at the College of Health Sciences. These brain changes affect athletes’ balance, cognition, and reaction times and can be difficult to detect in standard clinical testing. “Even a minuscule difference in balance, reaction time, or cognitive processing of what’s happening around you can make the difference between getting hurt and not,” Buckley said. How AI is changing injury risk assessment Recognizing the need for enhanced injury reduction risk tools, Buckley collaborated with colleagues in UD’s College of Engineering, Austin Brockmeier, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and César Claros, a fourth-year doctoral student; Wei Qian, associate professor of statistics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and former KAAP postdoctoral fellow Melissa Anderson, who’s now an assistant professor at Ohio University. To assess injury risk, Brockmeier and Claros developed a comprehensive AI model that analyzes more than 100 variables, including sports and medical histories, concussion type, and pre- and post-concussion cognitive data. “Every athlete is unique, especially across various sports,” said Brockmeier. “Tracking an athlete’s performance over time, rather than relying on absolute values, helps identify disturbances, deviations, or deficits that, when compared to their baseline, may signal an increased risk of injury.” While some sports, such as football, carry higher injury risk, the model revealed that individual factors are just as important as the sport played. “We tested a version of the model that doesn’t have access to the athlete’s sport, and it still accurately predicted injury risk,” Brockmeier said. “This highlights how unique characteristics—not just the inherent risks of a sport—play a critical role in determining the likelihood of future injury,” said Brockmeier. The research, which tracked athletes over two years, also found that the risk of MSK injury post-concussion extends well into the athlete’s return to play. “Common sense would suggest that injuries would occur early in an athlete’s return to play, but that’s simply not true,” said Buckley. “Our research shows that the risk of future injury increases over time as athletes compensate and adapt to small deficits they may not even be aware of.” The next step for Buckey’s Concussion Research Lab is to further collaborate with UD Athletics’ strength and conditioning staff to design real-time interventions that could reduce injury risk. Beyond sports: AI’s potential in aging research The implications of the UD-developed machine-learning model extend far beyond sports. Brockmeier believes the algorithm could be used to predict fall risk in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Claros is also exploring how the injury risk reduction model can be applied to aging research with the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging. “We want to use brain measurements to investigate whether baseline lifestyle measurements such as weight, BMI, and smoking history are predictive of future mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease,” said Claros. To arrange an interview with Buckley, email UD's media relations team at MediaRelations@udel.edu
A final disbursement of $8.8 million completes the $17.8 million grant awarded by the Department of Defense (DoD) to Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Convergence Lab Initiative (CLI). The funding allows CLI to continue advancing research in the areas of quantum and photonic devices, microelectronics, artificial intelligence, neuromorphic computing, arts and biomedical science. “The Convergence Lab Initiative represents a unique opportunity to drive innovation at the intersection of advanced technologies, preparing our students to tackle the critical challenges of tomorrow,” said Nibir Dhar, Ph.D., electrical and computer engineering professor and CLI director. “By combining cutting-edge research in electro-optics, infrared, radio frequency and edge computing, we are equipping the next generation of engineers with the skills to shape the future of both defense and commercial industries.” Working with Industry Partnership is at the heart of CLI and what makes the initiative unique. CivilianCyber, Sivananthan Laboratories and the University of Connecticut are among several collaborators focusing on cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research and workforce development. The lightweight, low-power components CLI helps develop are capable of transforming military operations and also have commercial applications. The Convergence Lab Initiative has 25 collaborative projects in this area focused on: Electro-optic and Infrared Technologies: Enhancing thermal imaging for medical diagnostics, search-and-rescue operations and environmental monitoring. This improves military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Radio Frequency and Beyond 5G Communication: Developing ultra-fast, low-latency communication systems for autonomous vehicles, smart cities and telemedicine. Accelerating advancements in this area also address electronic warfare challenges and security vulnerabilities. Optical Communication in the Infrared Wavelength: Increasing data transmission rates to create more efficient networks that support cloud computing, data centers, AI research and covert military communications. Edge Technologies: Creating low size, weight and low power-consuming (SWaP) computing solutions for deployment in constrained environments, such as wearables, medical devices, internet of things devices and autonomous systems. These technologies enhance real-time decision-making capabilities for agriculture, healthcare, industrial automation and defense. Benefits for Students College of Engineering students at VCU have an opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research as part of the DoD grant. Specialized workforce development programs, like the Undergraduate CLI Scholars Program, provide hands-on experience in advanced technologies. The STEM training also includes students from a diverse range of educational backgrounds to encourage a cross-disciplinary environment. Students can also receive industry-specific training through CLI’s Skill-Bridge Program, which facilitates direct connections between business needs and academic education. Unlike the DoD program for transitioning military personnel, the CLI Skill-Bridge is open to students from VCU and other local universities, creating direct connections between industry needs and academic training. This two-way relationship between academia and industry is unlike traditional academic research centers. With the College of Engineering’s focus on public-private partnerships, VCU becomes a registered partner with the participating businesses, collaborating to design individualized training programs focused on the CLI’s core research areas. This approach ensures students receive relevant, up-to-date training while companies gain access to a pipeline of skilled talent familiar with the latest industry trends and innovations. “The significance of this grant extends beyond immediate research outcomes. It addresses critical capability gaps for both the DoD and commercial sectors,” says Dhar. “This dual-use approach maximizes DoD investment impacts and accelerates innovation in areas that affect everyday life — from healthcare and environmental monitoring to communication networks and smart infrastructure. Breakthroughs emerging from these collaborations will strengthen national security while creating commercial spinoffs that drive economic growth and improve quality of life for communities both locally and globally. Advances in infrared technology, in particular, will position the VCU College of Engineering as a center for defense technologies and new ideas.”
University of Delaware's physical therapy program ranked #1 graduate school in the U.S.
The University of Delaware's physical therapy program has been ranked #1 in the 2026 edition of Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News and World Report. The program has revolutionized the use of prosthetics, helped students become trainers for Super Bowl champions and boasts unique specialized training. Darcy Reisman, chair of the program, can talk about the following: Research: One study incorporated walking into daily behavior for stroke patients. Our PT researchers have also revolutionized the use of prosthetics to improve the lives of those who have lost limbs. Professional outcomes: Two of our PT grads were on the Philadelphia Eagles’ training staff during their Super Bowl run. Another is working in Major League Soccer with a Tennessee-based team. Specialized training: UDPT has an accredited Manual Fellowship Program that provides post-professional training for physical therapists in the specialized area of Manual Therapy.Research In total, U.S. news ranked 24 UD graduate programs among the best in the nation. Among those, 13 were in the top 50, including chemical engineering at #8.
Executive Order - Energy and Power Perspective
The tariffs imposed by the Executive Order (EO) are expected to significantly impact the energy and infrastructure sectors. New build energy projects in the United States heavily depend on importing components such as inverters, transformers, cabling, solar panels, mounting racks, and batteries from regions such as Southeast Asia, China, and the European Union. These tariffs are likely to affect all energy and infrastructure projects. We are seeing large capital projects across the United States impose caveats within their EPC contracts; allowing for steep and continual price adjustments upward. This is impacting billions of dollars of critical material and contractual obligated componentry. This also includes all materials with high volatility (steel, copper, aluminum). Not only are projects costs on the rise but so are supply chain disruptions, potentially causing delays in project timelines and/or project cancellations. The United States continues to grow in energy demand requirements, provided the vast deployment of data centers. Because of this grid reliability, modernization and new build implementation is critical in the coming decade. The tariffs are likely to have a large impact on these projects as well, given their requirement for componentry from all the regions impacted. As this situation continues to develop, the full implications and responses for the energy and infrastructure industry will become more apparent. Jeremy Erndt is a seasoned power development, engineering, and operations professional, with experience in power generation, infrastructure, and the sector with J.S. Held. He has led utility-scale power, transmission, port, and water projects from early development and conceptual design through NTP and eventual operation. He is an international development expert and supports a variety of programs for capital project development. Jeremy is a subject matter expert in project due diligence, engineering, and constructability for large-scale projects. Jeremy has been involved in various project-related and company mergers and acquisitions, thus providing a comprehensive track record and perspective of financial transactions at all stages. He has nearly two decades of experience in the development, engineering, construction, and operations of energy and infrastructure projects, spanning more than 30 GW within energy projects and over $60B of capital expenditures within infrastructure. Looking to know more or connect with Jeremy Erndt? Simply click on the expert's icon now to arrange an interview today. For any other media inquiries - contact : Kristi L. Stathis, J.S. Held +1 786 833 4864 Kristi.Stathis@JSHeld.com
Weird and complex life emerged on Earth as the planet's magnetic field gave way
The Earth’s magnetic field plays a key role in making the planet habitable. It shields lifeforms from harmful solar and cosmic radiation. It helps limit erosion of the atmosphere and keeps water from escaping into space. But new data show a prolonged near collapse of Earth’s magnetic field that took place some 575-565 million years ago coincided with the blossoming of macroscopic complex animal life. We now face the possibility of a new, unexpected twist in how life might relate to the magnetic field, says John A. Tarduno, the William R. Kenan Professor of Geophysics and the dean of research at the School of Arts and Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Rochester. “That twist could reach deep into Earth’s inner core,” says Tarduno, who recently wrote about the findings for Physics Today magazine. Tarduno is frequently cited by news outlets, like CNN, The Washington Post, and Smithsonian magazine, on matters related to the Earth’s inner core, or dynamo, and magnetic field. He can be reached at john.tarduno@rochester.edu.
'Chemtrails' and other climate conspiracies: Florida Tech's expert sets the record straight
When Florida Today columnist Tim Walters wanted to 'clear the air' about a popular conspiracy theory, he connected with Michael Splitt, an assistant professor at Florida Institute of Technology's College of Aeronautics with a focus on meteorology. The "chemtrail" conspiracy follows the erroneous belief that condensation trails (contrails) that trail behind jets are actually being used on a large scale to manage radiation and combat global warming. In the column, Splitt argued against the conspiracy by explaining what might happen if that level of "climate engineering" was actually going on. I recently wrote a column about the “chemtrail” conspiracy theory, and to say it caused quite a stir would be a serious understatement. My motivation for writing the piece came because there is a bill being looked at by the Florida legislature to address concerns of people who think the skies are being seeded by commercial airplanes with poisonous, weather-manipulating substances. Some of those raising concerns claim there are vague amorphous operatives in the federal government leading this charge. I decided I’d try to find answers, and I did so by asking someone credible in the field of weather sciences. Answers from climate expert Can the climate be altered by humans? The idea of trying to manipulate weather is called “climate engineering.” There is a form of this called solar geoengineering. “We've been doing things like this for decades in terms of, for example, fog management products. People have used this kind of methodology of adding things to the air to help get rid of fog, like the ice fog problem in Salt Lake City. So, there are places where people try to manage a local cloud layer,” Splitt said. However, it’s not done to a scale that would impact the country or globe. That’s where conspiracy theorists take climate engineering a step too far. There are those who say commercial airliners are spraying other substances like aluminum and barium (and other metallic) nano particles to reflect the sun's heat to reduce global warming. Splitt said if this were real, it might have the opposite effect. “When you have more contrails, it actually ends up warming the planet. The cirrus clouds created by aircraft and their reflective power isn't as much as let's say, the warming impact from below, from infrared radiation, so they end up being warmer." March 20 - Florida Today In the full column, Splitt also takes on other common misconceptions such as, "Why do some contrails last longer than others?" And, "Are ‘chemtrails’ steering, strengthening storms?" It's a worthwhile read for those interested in meteorology or conspiracy theories. Are you curious or looking to know more about those chasing clouds? Michael Splitt is available to speak with media. Contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology, at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
Florida Tech Welcomes Visiting Australian Scholar to Aid in Antifouling Research
Florida Tech’s Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control is welcoming a new teammate for the semester. Tamar Jamieson, a postdoctoral researcher hailing from Australia’s Flinders University, is in Melbourne, Fla. to collaborate on biofouling research with assistant professor of marine sciences Kelli Hunsucker and professor of oceanography and ocean engineering Geoffrey Swain. Biofouling is the growth of a bacterial film or larger marine life, such as barnacles, after an object’s surface is submerged in water. It can inhibit a ship’s functionality by creating drag and slowing it down, which forces the vessel to use more fuel and emit more greenhouse gases. Over the course of the semester, Jamieson will help Hunsucker’s team develop a collaborative experiment to test antifouling techniques, combining Jamieson’s expertise with that of the lab. “I’m excited to have someone here who has this kind of wealth of knowledge in her field,” Hunsucker said. “She’ll be able to use her knowledge to help move our research forward and then kind of in return, use our knowledge to help move hers forward.” The Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control aims to understand and improve corrosion and biofouling control systems. Part of Hunsucker’s research involves evaluating materials that can protect surfaces, such as a ship’s hull, from unwanted growth. She is currently working with the U.S. Navy to see how antifouling techniques perform under different conditions. Jamieson’s research through Flinders’s ARC Training Centre for Biofilm Research & Innovation focuses on the small-scale microorganisms that make up biofilm. She also studies the genetic makeup of microbial communities, which Hunsucker wants to add to her own research. Jamieson is especially interested in learning how antifouling materials interact with local waters. Florida’s seascape is warmer than Australia’s, so fouling grows quicker here than it does there. She also wants to see how American antifouling materials vary from those used in Australia and collaborate on a versatile solution that can withstand a variety of conditions. “Materials that work well here will probably not work in other environments,” Jamieson said. “Seeing how to develop materials for all three environments will be an interesting pathway forward.” Hunsucker hopes this exchange will lead to even more collaboration with Flinders University. “The program that she’s involved with opens the door for collaborative efforts for us to maybe go to Australia in the future,” Hunsucker said. “Her colleagues can also similarly come back and work with us.” Jamieson’s scholarship is funded by the American Australian Association, a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to deepening and strengthening ties between the United States and Australia. The South Australia Defense, Space and Cyber Scholarship funds scholars from the U.S. and South Australia undertaking Ph.D. or post-doctoral research in those fields. Kelli Hunsucker and Geoffrey Swain are available to speak with media. Contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
