Agenda for the January 14, 2017 TXSSAR meeting. Agenda items include a members report, along with all of the known upcoming events for the new year. They also discussed meeting location and awards that will be given out by the chapter.

Registrar's report for January 2017. TXSSAR, Arlington Chapter 7 Registrar Kevin Snell Jorrey compiled the list of members and applicants.

Texas Daily Newspaper Associations' 2009 Bright Ideas Award submission guidelines. The Bright Ideas Award will be presented to four newspapers of different circulation classes with the best self-promotions of 2009. The document details how the newspaper may submit for entry.

PETRO Project: LBNL is modifying tobacco to enable it to directly produce fuel molecules in its leaves for use as a biofuel. Tobacco is a good crop for biofuels production because it is an outstanding biomass crop, has a long history of cultivation, does not compete with the national food supply, and is highly responsive to genetic manipulation. LBNL will incorporate traits for hydrocarbon biosynthesis from cyanobacteria and algae, and enhance light utilization and carbon uptake in tobacco, improving the efficiency of photosynthesis so more fuel can be produced in the leaves. The tobacco-generated biofuels can be processed for gasoline, jet fuel or diesel alternatives. LBNL is also working to optimize methods for planting, cultivating and harvesting tobacco to increase biomass production several-fold over the level of traditional growing techniques.

This project is a continuation of a long program supported by the Office of Basic Energy Science in the Office of Science of DOE for many years. The final three-year continuation started on November 1, 2005 with additional 1 year extension to October 30, 2009. The project was then granted a two-year No Cost Extension which officially ended on October 30, 2011. This report covers the activities within this six year period with emphasis on the work completed within the last 3 years. A total of 44 papers with acknowledgement to this grant were published or submitted. The overall objectives of this project are as follows. These objectives have been evolved over the six year period: (1) To use the state-of-the-art computational methods to investigate the electronic structures of complex ceramics and other novel crystals. (2) To further investigate the defects, surfaces/interfaces and microstructures in complex materials using large scale modeling. (3) To extend the study on ceramic materials to more complex bioceramic crystals. (4) To initiate the study on soft condensed matters including water and biomolecules. (5) To focus on the spectroscopic studies of different materials especially on the ELNES and XANES spectral calculations and their applications related to …

Broad Funding Opportunity Announcement Project: GM is using shape memory alloys that require as little as a 10°C temperature difference to convert low-grade waste heat into mechanical energy. When a stretched wire made of shape memory alloy is heated, it shrinks back to its pre-stretched length. When the wire cools back down, it becomes more pliable and can revert to its original stretched shape. This expansion and contraction can be used directly as mechanical energy output or used to drive an electric generator. Shape memory alloy heat engines have been around for decades, but the few devices that engineers have built were too complex, required fluid baths, and had insufficient cycle life for practical use. GM is working to create a prototype that is practical for commercial applications and capable of operating with either air- or fluid-based heat sources. GM’s shape memory alloy based heat engine is also designed for use in a variety of non-vehicle applications. For example, it can be used to harvest non-vehicle heat sources, such as domestic and industrial waste heat and natural geothermal heat, and in HVAC systems and generators.

The main objective of this project was to continue research to develop carbon cycle relationships related to the land biosphere based on remote measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentration and its isotopic ratios 13C/12C, 18O/16O, and 14C/12C. The project continued time-series observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and isotopic composition begun by Charles D. Keeling at remote sites, including Mauna Loa, the South Pole, and eight other sites. Using models of varying complexity, the concentration and isotopic measurements were used to study long-term change in the interhemispheric gradients in CO2 and 13C/12C to assess the magnitude and evolution of the northern terrestrial carbon sink, to study the increase in amplitude of the seasonal cycle of CO2, to use isotopic data to refine constraints on large scale changes in isotopic fractionation which may be related to changes in stomatal conductance, and to motivate improvements in terrestrial carbon cycle models. The original proposal called for a continuation of the new time series of 14C measurements but subsequent descoping to meet budgetary constraints required termination of measurements in 2007.

We review the use of Voronoi tessellations for grid generation, especially on the whole sphere or in regions on the sphere. Voronoi tessellations and the corresponding Delaunay tessellations in regions and surfaces on Euclidean space are defined and properties they possess that make them well-suited for grid generation purposes are discussed, as are algorithms for their construction. This is followed by a more detailed look at one very special type of Voronoi tessellation, the centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT). After defining them, discussing some of their properties, and presenting algorithms for their construction, we illustrate the use of CVTs for producing both quasi-uniform and variable resolution meshes in the plane and on the sphere. Finally, we briefly discuss the computational solution of model equations based on CVTs on the sphere.

HEATS Project: MIT is developing a thermal energy storage device that captures energy from the sun; this energy can be stored and released at a later time when it is needed most. Within the device, the absorption of sunlight causes the solar thermal fuel’s photoactive molecules to change shape, which allows energy to be stored within their chemical bonds. A trigger is applied to release the stored energy as heat, where it can be converted into electricity or used directly as heat. The molecules would then revert to their original shape, and can be recharged using sunlight to begin the process anew. MIT’s technology would be 100% renewable, rechargeable like a battery, and emissions-free. Devices using these solar thermal fuels—called Hybrisol—can also be used without a grid infrastructure for applications such as de-icing, heating, cooking, and water purification.

Minutes for the January 14, 2017 TXSSAR meeting. The minutes were written by TXSSAR, Arlington Chapter 7 Secretary David R. Friels. He included the chapter member that gave the information in his notes.

The Chariot site is located in the Ogotoruk Valley in the Cape Thompson region of northwest Alaska. This region is about 125 miles north of (inside) the Arctic Circle and is bounded on the southwest by the Chukchi Sea. The closest populated areas are the Inupiat villages of Point Hope, 32 miles northwest of the site, and Kivalina,41 miles to the southeast. The site is accessible from Point Hope by ATV in the summer and by snowmobile in the winter. Project Chariot was part of the Plowshare Program, created in 1957 by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), a predecessor agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to study peaceful uses for atomic energy. Project Chariot began in 1958 when a scientific field team chose Cape Thompson as a potential site to excavate a harbor using a series of nuclear explosions. AEC, with assistance from other agencies, conducted more than40 pretest bioenvironmental studies of the Cape Thompson area between 1959 and 1962; however, the Plowshare Program work at the Project Chariot site was cancelled because of strong public opposition. No nuclear explosions were conducted at the site.

The document is on the U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan webinar on emission trading.

Table regarding measured and forecasted carbon dioxide emissions broken down by macroeconomic indicators including industrial production indices and price indexes.

A report examining the Impacts of OCS activities on public infrastructure, services, and population in coastal communities in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"This report provides a summary of expenses incurred by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for conferences held during fiscal year 2013."

EPA response to Office of the Inspector General (OIG) final report "Procedural Review of Greenhouse Gases Endangerment Finding Data Quality Processes" (Project No. OPE-FY10-0017), dated September 26, 2011.

This report discusses the scenario-based and probabilistic projections of future sea levels for coastal-risk planning, management of infrastructure, and mission readiness.

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This is a study on technologies developments for harnessing energy from the ocean environment. Technological improvements in offshore renewable energy like wind and hydrokinetic captured energy. Passive acoustics allow researchers to analyze how the construction and use of such technologies affect marine species.

A report providing new evidence on Rhode Island's Temporary Caregiver Insurance law based on a survey of small and medium-sized businesses in the food services and manufacturing sectors in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

This report adds new evidence Rhode Island's Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) law.

Summary describing the work completed at Louisiana State University Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness for Assessing Impacts of OCS Activities on Public Infrastructure, Services, and Population in Coastal Communities Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It includes background information on the project funding and sponsorship, goals, methodology, and findings.

Summary describing the work completed at Louisiana State University Center for Energy Studies for Marginal Production in the Gulf of Mexico. It includes background information on the project funding and sponsorship, goals, methodology, and findings.

Section of the Federal Register related to rules and regulations established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as of January 2017. This text addresses the final rule for 40 CFR parts 171: Pesticides; Certification of Pesticide Applicators.