Girls' Economic Security in the Washington Region

This issue brief highlights key issues and demographic trends in the Washington region, and dives specifically into issues of poverty and opportunity that affect girls' capacity to attain economic security in adulthood. Our objective is to better understand girls' experiences and circumstances and to work together with the community to identify strategies that reduce barriers, increase opportunities and increase the number of girls who are able to live economically secure lives both today and for generations to come

Nontraditional Jobs Case Study

A case study of nontraditional job training programs for women with lessons learned and recommendations for the field

A Review of Energy-for-water Data in Energy-water Nexus Publications

Published literature on the energy-water nexus continues to increase, yet much of the supporting data, particularly regarding energy-for-water, remains obscure or inaccessible. We perform a systematic review of literature that describes the primary energy and electricity demands for drinking water and wastewater systems in urban environments. This review provides an analysis of the underlying data and other properties of over 170 published studies by systematically creating metadata on each study. Over 45% of the evaluated studies utilized primary data sources (data collected directly from utilities), potentially enabling large-scale data sharing and a more comprehensive understanding of global water-related energy demand. The most prevalent geographic scale of the existing literature was at the individual city scale (39%), limiting comparisons between utilities. Additionally, energy-for-water studies span 34 different countries with 11 countries having at least 4 published studies. The analyzed literature often considered greenhouse gas emissions of energy demand as an important input for life cycle analysis, highlighting the broader impact of the energy-water nexus. As a result of the review, we identify several common practices for filling data gaps, discover that research and data are primarily concentrated in three countries (Australia, China, and the United States), and offer suggestions for the future of the energy-water nexus, specifically regarding energy-for-water

The standardizations of Catalan: Latin to present day

In this study, using Haugen’s (1972) model of language standardization, we argue that the standardization of Catalan is best understood to be two distinct processes of standardization following a common trajectory, with the second process being informed, though not determined, by the first. While much ink has been spilt discussing the nineteenth-century “re-birth” of Catalan and the linguistic normalization following the death of Franco, comparatively little work has been done on the early development of Catalan as the standard language of the medieval Kingdom of Aragon and less still examining both of these processes.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Probabilistic assessment of aquatic species risk from thermoelectric power plant effluent: Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus

As global populations grow, demand for generation of affordable and efficient electricity will likely increase, requiring tradeoffs between power generation and ecosystems sustainability, including water quality and species habitat. Once-through thermoelectric power plants, representing 30% of the electricity generation in the United States, withdraw and discharge large quantities of water for cooling purposes. This process can cause thermal pollution in waterways, adversely affecting aquatic communities. Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus can aid decision-makers in identifying tradeoffs and more effectively assessing and managing aquatic ecosystems. To quantify thermal pollution and the risk posed to aquatic species, we created an adaptable, novel methodology that utilizes plume mixing and probability distribution analyses on temperature and flow data for both a power plant’s discharge and the adjoining river. To assess risk, we developed a probability risk space that quantifies the probability of exceeding a given temperature. The Shawnee Fossil Plant on the Ohio River was selected to demonstrate the methodology, and three fish species with associated upper thermal avoidance limits were selected for comparison. Our results highlight that both the lateral and longitudinal location from the point of effluent mixing within the river affects the probability of thermal risk to aquatic species. A high degree of risk within a plume can reduce to a smaller total risk within the context of a large river cross-section. Our results emphasize the need for individualized risk assessment for Clean Water Act §316(a) requirements for power plant effluent temperature limits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. These findings are applicable in policy-making, environmental mitigation, and power plant operations management

Water Temperature Duration Curves for Thermoelectric Power Plant Mixing Zone Analysis

Thermoelectric power plants, constituting the largest withdrawals of fresh water in the United States, can cause thermal pollution in waterways via elevated temperature effluent. Thermal pollution can contribute to shifts in aquatic ecosystems, with many aquatic ecosystems already threatened by climate change. Thermal pollution can be quantified, via mixing models, to create a corresponding temperature duration curve (TDC). To demonstrate and compare TDCs, a scenario analysis was conducted using Energy Information Administration (EIA) power plant data and USGS river data. Thermal pollution on a medium and large river from small (300 MW), medium (650 MW), and large (1,575 MW) coal-fired, open-loop cooled power plants generated distinct temperature conditions. Overall, results show that the size of the receiving waterway and the temperature difference between intake and discharge water, ΔT, are the largest factors that influence TDCs. TDCs can inform thermoelectric power plant operational decision making, particularly in regards to regulatory mixing zones (RMZs), and also be used as a predictive tool in risk assessment, both with respect to power plants and aquatic ecosystems

Designing for Special Populations

We are interior design students at Eastern Kentucky University who are aware of the importance of continuing education beyond graduation. Because of this, we would like to educate the consumer of the design considerations for special populations. As students we have been learning about universal design concepts, and its importance, which is a topic we have become passionate about. Universal design is creating spaces in which all types of people can function easily within. We chose to approach universal design by addressing the needs of special populations - groups whose needs may not always be addressed. For example, special populations typically do not feel they could safely use the resources offered in disaster preparedness, relief and recovery. Specifically, we are representing those with hearing impairments, visual impairments and mobility limitations. In order to fully inform ourselves on these issues we conducted extensive research regarding these specific areas; the uses of lighting, furniture arrangement, acoustical properties and architectural elements. Our efforts are so that designers may be aware of the importance of these issues and the impact a successful environment can have on its everyday user

Design on the Move - Transporting Interiors that Empower Social Responsibility

In a world that struggles to meet basic needs in impoverished areas and disaster relief situations, there is room for new thinking in design. As Interior Design students at EKU we have tackled tough issues of our global social and sustainable responsibility. And, we have put the designs on the road, the water, and the air to bring Design to the People . Thinking of spaces that are transportable, we have used the tools of our trade to solve problems that center around basic human needs: shelter, food, water, and supporting services. These unique creations will serve as an “Oasis” and solution-based process centers. We hope this project will engage, stimulate, and inspire designers and consumers to think not about what design can do for us, but what we can do for design