With its energy grid under fire, some in Ukraine turn to small-scale renewables

The hospital that serves the small village of Horenka, just outside Kyiv, has dealt with many challenges since Russia’s invasion began — including a missile strike, followed by power outages and rolling blackouts affecting medical care for several months. That changed in the first week of February when the hospital turned on its new solar panel system. It now runs reliably on renewable energy and a heat pump, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional heating methods.

Cheap and green: Heat pumps take hold around the world

2022 was a big year for the humble heat pump. In the U.S., more people bought heat pumps for their homes than traditional fossil-fuel furnaces. In Poland, the market for heat pumps more than doubled. China is installing more than any other country. Based on refrigeration technology that’s more than 200 years old, the heating contraptions have gained popularity thanks to their green footprint and low cost to operate. “After maybe buying an electric vehicle or taking the bus more often or carpo

As Ukraine plans its recovery, a climate group has a seat at the table

When world leaders and international experts met Tuesday to discuss how to rebuild Ukraine, they were joined by a small group hoping to make a big impact on the country’s energy future. Alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was Svitlana Romanko, an environmental lawyer and founder of Razom We Stand, a Ukrainian climate advocacy group that is pushing for the Ukrainian government to “greenify” the nation’s reconstruction.

Surviving Self-Quarantine: 3 Tips from an Astronaut

As millions of citizens around the world hunker down in their homes to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic, many struggle with the emotional and physical toll of isolation. When separated from friends, family, and coworkers, it can be difficult not to feel bored, lonely, or restless. Al Sacco, a chemical engineer and astronaut, was isolated in orbit on the International Space Station, and he has some sage advice for those currently sheltering in place.

The Caltech 6: America’s First and Only All-Female Class of ChEs

The lives of six women reflect how far we have come, and how much further we have to go. On an unseasonably warm late-October day in Pittsburgh, PA, Rosemarie Wesson took the stage at AIChE’s 2018 Annual Meeting. Under the muted glow of a dozen spotlights, she told the story of six women who entered the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2001. Four years later, they would become the first and only all-female chemical engineering class to graduate from any American coed college.

How Bats Could Help Scientists Stop Ebola Outbreaks Before They Start

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to at least 58 people, and has killed nearly half of those individuals, according to an update today (May 23) from the World Health Organization (WHO). This is the nation's ninth Ebola outbreak since 1976, when the deadly virus was first discovered in a village near the country's Ebola River. But what if scientists were able to predict Ebola outbreaks and stop them before they even started?
Load More Articles