What civil engineers are reading this week

• $8.4B: Enormous cache of rare Earth elements discovered in America

  Coal ash in the U.S. holds substantial rare earth elements, potentially reducing dependence on imports, with ongoing research and pilot projects working to make extraction economically viable.

• Accurately determining how fast concrete degrades in nuclear reactors is focus of research

  The accelerated experimental testing methods that have been the standard may exaggerate the amount of quartz expansion and concrete cracking. What approach did the researchers take?

• Online access to FEMA standards added to ASCE AMPLIFY platform

  The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities standards are available now on ASCE AMPLIFY, bringing 12 standards to the digital platform.

• US DOT provides guidance on competitive grants

  After a directive was issued to review competitive grant programs, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued guidance addressing questions regarding energy, climate change, diversity, and equity.

• US to develop utility-scale geothermal power plants to support military operations

  Global energy technology company Baker Hughes is to explore the use of utility-scale geothermal power plants to supply energy to U.S. military bases.

• The Alps are melting: 4 decades of glacier loss captured from space

  The Alps, home to the iconic Aletsch Glacier, are undergoing a dramatic transformation. Satellite imagery spanning four decades reveals a stark retreat and thinning of the once-massive ice formation.