Beyond Precision Agriculture

The climate impact of long-distance air travel is more substantial than most people realize. But the power requirements of jetliners are difficult—if not impossible—to meet without resorting to kerosene-based jet fuel. Writer Michael Abrams discusses the paths that researchers and entrepreneurs are exploring to develop a greener form of aviation and describes some fixes that could reduce the warming potential of flying.  

As more people around the world move from the countryside to cities, the climate effects of urbanization become increasingly important. One of these is the urban heat island effect, where unshaded concrete and asphalt absorb sunlight and radiate heat, warming the surrounding areas by several degrees. Moncef Krarti, a professor at the University of Colorado and an expert on urban heat islands, discusses steps that cities can take to turn down the heat on their microclimates.

Rockwell Automation’s John Miles talks about electric vehicles and how to charge them, along with upskilling the current workforce.

Greg Boerschig heads TVA’s Clinch River nuclear project. He talks about TVA’s nuclear options and the development of small modular nuclear reactors.

The Jetsons promised viewers from the 1960s and beyond that the future would see robots that could cook, clean, and basically run the household. However, developing those sorts of multi-capable robots for real households has been a challenge. Writer Kayt Sukel discusses the promise and future direction of this field.

In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European nations declared their intention to find alternatives to Russian natural gas. One nation that could become a strategically important supplier of gas to Europe is the United States, which has more gas than it can use thanks to the exploitation of its shale gas reserves. Energy economist Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy and professor of public policy at the Colorado School of Mines explains the implications and limitations of U.S. gas exports. 

Battelle’s Neeraj Gupta talks about the state of carbon capture and sequestration.

The International Space Station has been the main site of human exploration in orbit for the past 20 years. Crews have been shuttling back and forth for missions as short as a couple of weeks or as long as a year. But the ISS can't last forever. Matt Ondler, chief technology officer and director of spacecraft development at Axiom Space, a space hardware and services company in Houston, discusses the challenges and opportunities in developing a one of a number of commercial projects vying to become humanity’s next outpost in orbit.

 Doug Gudenburr, COO of DMI Companies, talks about the manufacturer's digital transformation.