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Microgrid will let these Menifee homes keep lights on during outages
UC Irvine has been quietly turning its entire campus into a microgrid for the past decade, using gas- and steam-powered turbines to provide 19 megawatts of power. “What sets a microgrid aside is (power) generation,” said Scott Samuelsen, a UC Irvine engineering professor and Menifee project researcher. “It can operate on its own in case of a grid outage.” [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries.
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Mantis shrimp's dactyl clubs could hold secrets to more resilient surfaces for human use
University of California, Irvine materials science researchers are learning about resilience from the mantis shrimp. The ancient crustaceans are armed with two hammerlike raptorial appendages called dactyl clubs that they use to bludgeon and smash their prey. These fists, able to accelerate from the body at over 50 mph, deliver powerful blows yet appear undamaged afterward.
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Most vulnerable to flooding: Long Beach north to Bell Gardens
In LA, drought and fire are considered the biggest climate problems. But Angelenos should also worry about flooding, according to a new study from UC Irvine. Researchers found that hundreds of thousands of LA County residents could be inundated by at least a foot of flood water — should a once-in-a-100-year storm hit the area. One of the researchers is Brett Sanders, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine. Read More