Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seen as she takes part in a debate with French students at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, Thursday June 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seen as she takes part in a debate with French students at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, Thursday June 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? Myanmar has changed dramatically over the last year, but one thing won't change anytime soon: the country's name.
Authorities in the Southeast Asian nation sternly warned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday to stop calling the country "Burma." They said she should use the constitutionally decreed title, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Its then-military rulers changed the English name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, ostensibly to better reflect the country's ethnic diversity. The term Burma connotes Burman, the dominant ethnic group in the country, to the exclusion of ethnic minorities. But regime opponents and exile groups from a range of ethnicities ? as well as foreign governments including the United States ? have persisted in calling the country Burma in protest and defiance against an undemocratic regime they long saw as illegitimate.
Myanmar's election commission, which supervises laws dealing with political parties, issued the complaint in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper. The statement cited Suu Kyi's repeated references to the country as Burma during her landmark trips in recent weeks to Thailand and Europe, and it said she and her National League for Democracy Party must "respect the constitution" and use the proper name.
It's not clear whether there are any legal consequences for not doing so.
A former political prisoner, Suu Kyi became a lawmaker after her party won dozens of parliament seats in April by-elections, a vote that was symbolic of the post-junta changes that have swept the country under the leadership of President Thein Sein. Weeks later, she and her opposition colleagues took the oath of office, which includes an official vow to uphold the constitution.
Suu Kyi's party spokesman Nyan Win said the election commission's complaint was a non-issue. "Referring to the country as Burma does not amount to disrespecting the constitution," he said.
In the official state language, the country and its people are both pronounced Myanmar.
They defined a generation, are revered by critics and adored by fans. In an epic career spanning 30 years and more than 40 million albums sold, Simple Minds travelled from the streets of Glasgow to become one of the world?s biggest bands with a musical majesty that still inspires awe.
Devo?s pioneering sound, style and philosophy had a profound effect on the new wave movement. Influential, subversive and downright entertaining, Devo?s cult status quickly spread to the mainstream and after 30 years, they are finally returning to NZ.
In what promises to be one of the most captivating concerts of the year, Simple Minds and Devo will perform a one-off show in New Zealand for a day on the green in the stunning surrounds of Villa Maria Estate.
Joining them, and adding another highlight to savour, will be one of Australia?s finest, the church. Simple Minds, Devo and the church all in one night ? now that?s what we call a concert not to be missed!
This is the first announcement for the upcoming a day on the green season and marks the fifth year of the acclaimed winery series in New Zealand. With more than 30 concerts presented at five wineries across the country, the event is now well and truly established as a huge part of the summer concert calendar.
And what a show to kick off the season!
Australia was the first place in the world to embrace Simple Minds? music giving the band their first hit single ?Love Song? and first Gold album ?New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)?. It began a lengthy love affair with Australasia fuelled by a stellar array of hits like ?Don?t You (Forget About Me)?, ?Alive and Kicking?, ?Love Song?, ?Promised You A Miracle?, ?Glittering Prize? and ?Waterfront?.
In the live concert arena, Simple Minds have few peers. This is a band that has played countless sold out stadium tours including three times at Wembley stadium, has been voted the prestigious Q Magazine?s ?World?s Best Live Act? and has retained a an enviable reputation as one of the great live concert bands.
Simple Minds commence a lengthy European tour in late June in support of their just released box set ?Simple MindsX5? which features their ground-breaking first five albums ?Life in a Day?, ?Real to Real Cacophony?, ?Empires and Dance?, ?Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call? and ?New Gold Dream (81?82?83?84)? as well as a bonus disc of rare and previously unavailable B-sides and remixes.
According to the UK Guardian Newspaper ?Simple Minds are suddenly alive and kicking again? whilst the Metro says: ?It?s official, Simple Minds are cool again.?
There?s no denying the influence Devo ? brothers Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald and Bob Casale - have exercised over a new generation of artists.
Devo was an extension of a multi-media exploration of the concept that mankind's progress had ceased, and the process of de-evolution had begun. Their early work from the visionary debut ?Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo? caught the attention of such icons as Brian Eno and David Bowie, and with hits like ?Whip It? and ?Girl U Want? and the accompanying revolutionary music videos, the group became one of the defining acts of the 1980s.
Devo?s surrealist and highly innovative stage shows have been an influence on artists from Rage Against the Machine to Lady Gaga. Kurt Cobain once said, "Of all the bands who came from the underground and actually made it in the mainstream, Devo is the most challenging and subversive of all."
In 2010 Devo released their first album in 20 years ?Something For Everyone? and have re-ignited their passion for live performance. They are about to tour the US with Blondie so will be in fine form when they hit our shores for the first time since 1982. Devo-tees - expect the unexpected!
Having recently celebrated their 30th anniversary, the church continue to redefine what it is to be a band, evolving without compromise into one of the world?s most acknowledged melodic art-rock groups.
We had such a fun time walking around San Clemente with Miranda & Mike!? Miranda is a photographer in Canada & wanted to do a photo shoot while they were honeymooning in California. It turned out to be quite a windy day, but they both looked so happy and in love! It was such a pleasure to work with you guys and capture some beach side honeymoon memories :)
BigHand, the market leading voice productivity software vendor in the global legal and professional services sector, has today announced that leading national accountancy firm, Crowe Clark Whitehill is replacing traditional analogue tapes and standalone dictation equipment with BigHand digital dictation workflow software and BlackBerry App. The upgrade will strengthen the firm?s disaster recovery and business continuity strategy by ensuring that fee earners are equipped with mobility voice technology to retain productivity during the anticipated travel disruption surrounding London?s summer sporting events. Ian Norman, National IT Director, Crowe Clark Whitehill commented: "Our aim in introducing BigHand digital dictation technology, with the added option of dictating via the BlackBerry, was primarily as a means of disaster recovery and business continuity strategy given the possible travel disruption this summer; and secondly, as a means of sharing work more effectively across and between offices..htm
Contestants stand during a beauty pageant for Holocaust survivors in the northern Israeli city of Haifa on June 28, 2012. The winner, Hava Hershkovitz, is on the right.
The Associated Press reports ??Fourteen women who lived through the horrors of World War II paraded on stage Thursday night in an unusual pageant, vying for the honor of Israel's first 'Miss Holocaust Survivor'. The unusual event was hosted by an Israeli group that aids Holocaust survivors. Around 20 women, all in their 80s and 90s, told the audience their life stories.?
"I have the privilege to show the world that Hitler wanted to exterminate us and we are alive. We are also enjoying life. Thank God it's that way," said Esther Libber, a 74-year-old runner-up who fled her home in Poland as a child, hid in a forest and was rescued by a Polish woman. She said she lost her entire immediate family.
Billed by organizers as a celebration of life, the event also stirred controversy. In a country where millions have been touched by the Holocaust, many argued that judging aging women who had suffered so much on physical appearance was inappropriate, and even offensive.?Read the full story.
Abir Sultan / EPA
Holocaust survivor Genia Schwartz-Bardt, 89, has her hair made up before the Holocaust Survivor Pageant.
Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
Pageant contestant Mania Herman, 87, dances during the event.
Sebastian Scheiner / AP
A man sends a kiss to Holocaust survivors participating in the pageant.
Abir Sultan / EPA
Winner Hava Hershkovitz is kissed after her victory.
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Women who lived through the Holocaust gathered in Haifa for Israel's first "Miss Holocaust Survivor" pageant. Some have criticized the contest saying it was in bad taste. Msnbc.com's Craig Melvin reports.
Specialist Gregg Maloney works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, June 25, 2012. U.S. stocks are sliding at the opening of trading, following global markets lower after Spain requested help for its struggling banks. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Specialist Gregg Maloney works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, June 25, 2012. U.S. stocks are sliding at the opening of trading, following global markets lower after Spain requested help for its struggling banks. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK (AP) ? When the stock market began tumbling Thursday, many people assumed the selloff had something to do with the Supreme Court ruling to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law. But for a lot of investors, it was the same old concerns about Europe, along with a few new worries.
The market fell sharply in early trading, before the high court's announcement, as investors questioned whether a European Union meeting in Brussels would yield the same results as many meetings before it ? vague pledges, rather than concrete plans for what to do with struggling countries like Greece and Spain.
Bank stocks also declined, in part because of a report that a trading loss at JPMorgan Chase first estimated at $2 billion could be as much as $9 billion.
U.S. stocks still closed lower for the day, but they bounced back in the last half-hour of trading. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down nearly 25 points, after falling as much as 177.
There were varying explanations for the late comeback, but most seemed to focus on Europe, including rumors that the European Central Bank would cut interest rates and that EU leaders might actually emerge from this week's meetings with a plan. Late Thursday, a top EU official said leaders had agreed to devote $149 billion to "immediate growth measures."
Nicholas Colas, ConvergEx Group chief market strategist, said blaming the health care ruling for the market's losses was "a convenient excuse."
"No doubt that the court's decision was disappointing," he said, "but I really think the indecisiveness of European policy makers at the nth summit on the same topic is the cause of the decline."
Other traders had similarly low expectations.
"The first one thousand summits, I was pretty excited," deadpanned Jeff Sica, president and chief investment officer of SICA Wealth Management in Morristown, N.J.
In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was down about 100 points around 10 a.m., just before the Supreme Court ruled. Then it fell more steeply but recovered most of those losses, ending down 24.75 points at 12,602.26.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 2.81 points to end at 1,329.04 and the Nasdaq composite fell 25.83 points to 2,849.49. Both indexes bounced back from bigger losses.
There was disappointment to be found in almost all corners of the market. The Commerce Department said the American economy expanded at a 1.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter, a weak pace that isn't expected to pick up. Family Dollar fell after reporting that it missed analysts' profit estimates.
David Lefkowitz, senior equity strategist at UBS wealth management research in New York, was immune to the media frenzy around the Supreme Court ruling. He watched for news out of Europe because, he said, "There's not much else going on." Health insurance companies make up only about 1 percent of the Standard & Poor's 500, he said.
Some critics of the new health care law say it will hurt small businesses by requiring more of them to provide insurance for employees.
Piling that extra cost on businesses is "not a way to get people off the fence to hire people," said Rick Fier, vice president of stock trading at Conifer Securities in New York.
Lefkowitz disagreed. The Supreme Court was never considering whether to strike down the provision affecting employers, but only the mandate requiring individuals to buy insurance. So businesses should have already been expecting to take on the extra costs, he said. (However, if the Supreme Court had rejected the individual mandate, that could have eventually led to getting rid of the employer mandate as well.)
Paul Zemsky, head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management in New York, thought the Supreme Court ruling was affecting the market, but indirectly. The ruling, he said, crystallizes the federal government's polarization ahead of the election.
Republicans, who will feel ripped off, and Democrats, who will feel vindicated, are now less likely to agree on how to solve looming complications like tax increases and spending cuts that are supposed to take effect in January. "This doesn't make me feel like the spirit of compromise will be in the air," Zemsky said.
Though health care stocks fell overall, the companies had disparate reactions to the ruling. Insurers WellPoint and Aetna fell. Hospitals such as HCA Holdings and Community Health Systems rose.
When all of the new health care requirements kick in, insurers will have more customers, but they'll also be subject to more taxes and regulations. They'll also have to take on less-profitable customers, such as patients who are already sick.
But hospital emergency rooms, which have to treat patients regardless of whether they're insured, are more likely to get paid if almost everyone they treat has insurance. Having insurance will also spur more people who might have otherwise put it off to seek medical treatment.
"Insured people have more purchasing power, and they'll buy whatever you make, whether you're a supplier of drugs or devices," said Gerard Wedig, a health care economist at the University of Rochester.
U.S.-listed shares of Barclays, the British bank, plunged 12 percent. A day earlier, the bank had agreed to settle charges with U.S. and U.K. regulators who accused it of manipulating key international interest rates.
New York-based bank JPMorgan Chase fell 2.5 percent, more than any other company in the Dow index, after the New York Times reported that a trading loss there first estimated at $2 billion could eventually reach $9 billion.
The new single from Los Angeles boy band Big Time Rush, hit digital outlets earlier this week. 'Windows Down' is the first single off the bands upcoming third studio album, which is still currently untitled. The song reached number 62 on the iTunes sales chart within six hours of the songs release.
After the release of the music video for 'Windows Down', fans (and new listeners) instantly could tell that 'Windows Down' was meant for the summer. With the band shooting the music video in Maui, Hawaii, everything about the song screams to fans that it's summer and it's time to have a good time. 'Windows Down' samples 'Song 2' from English rock band, Blur. The song was originally intended for use by pop singer, Ke$ha, for her song 'Woo-Hoo', but was then passed from her over to BTR. Using the catchy chorus from 'Song 2' to their advantage, Big Time Rush adds into the chorus and creates their own unique twist that makes the song's chorus just as catchy. "Woo-hoo! All the windows down. Woo-hoo! When I'm rolling through your town. Woo-hoo! Saying yeah, yeah. Woo-hoo! Saying yeah, yeah." The band also provides electronic aspects to the track to make the song into more of a dance song instead of a normal pop song. With the lyrics, high-tempo dance beat, and some sample help from one of the most well-known rock songs in the past 15 years,
'Windows Down' has potential to be a huge summer song this year. 'Windows Down' is available on digital outlets now. There is currently no scheduled release date for Big Time Rush's new album. Catch BTR on tour this summer with Cody Simpson and Rachel Crow. Fans can hear 'Windows Down' on AOL Radio's Teen Pop by Cambio Radio station.
Europe's second-highest court has finally denied Microsoft's 2008 appeal of its 899 million euro ($1.35 billion) EU antitrust fine, while reducing the award to 860 million euros ($1.07 billion). If you can't remember that far back, Redmond was hit with the penalty for delaying information about its operating system to rival companies, impeding their progress in competing with the software giant. It's not known if a further appeal is possible, but we suspect that the company won't give up if it's got any options -- it's not exactly pocket change we're talking about.
Following a big redesign of Chartbeat's real-time analytics service, CEO Tony Haile says the company has returned its attention to providing features that are specifically useful for online publishers. And it's launching a big one today. With the new Heads Up Display, Chartbeat is making its data directly visible on websites ? as Haile puts it, publishers no longer have to "try and translate" the data from their Chartbeat dashboard to figure out how it applies to their site.
This week our guest posts focus on adapting the traditional to the new.?The week will culminate on Thursday with a?webinar on How to Socialize Your Newsroom.
Today: Relationships?by?Pat Rhoads.
Last month Gini Dietrich asked, ?Is Facebook making us more lonely??
Her post was based on a study in The Atlantic, concluding that indeed people seem to be more lonely in the age of social media.
The theory is that greater numbers of connections had not led to more meaningful ones. Gini?s reaction is she was torn about how she felt.
But I was not torn.
Although the study had ?a number of valid observations, I disagree it is making us more lonely. The social media tools aren?t to blame; how we use them is the culprit.
I lost my wife Aimee in a boating accident a week before Christmas this past year. In the immediate aftermath of this terrible loss ? not ?not only to me but also to our then three-year old daughter, Aimee?s family, loved ones, and friends ? I turned to social media.
Other than the closest family and friends whom I called, I made the announcement of Aimee?s death via Facebook the day after the accident. That same day, I started a blog titled Missing Aimee, through which I?ve shared my grief process. As word began to spread through various social media outlets, much needed support came pouring in.
Facebook clearly was not contributing to loneliness ? it was facilitating the opposite. Social media in general, were saving my life. All those connections I?d made were coming through for me.
The reason those connections were so valuable was because of the effort I?d made in the years prior to that tragic day, when I had built and maintained real relationships with the people I was connected to via social media.
In other words:
I treat my online relationships the same way I treat my offline relationships. I treat them like they?re important to me, because they are.
So when the proverbial stuff hit the fan in my life, a lot of those ?connections? were real friends. The love, support, and help I needed were there because those people genuinely cared about me.
In their tough times, I had been there for them.?I had invested time in those relationships. Many of these connections were more than just a number of ?friends? or ?followers? in a social media profile. They were real, in the most important sense of the word.
Before the advent of social media, we all knew popular people who had lots of friends. But most of those friendships were pretty shallow and didn?t mean much in the long run. Today is no different. It?s just virtual and more global than ever.
There are many articles debating the quality of?online vs. offline relationships.
People, I?m here to tell you that it doesn?t make a difference. Yes, I believe it?s important to get to know people ?in real life? and spend face time with them, but you can have a real friendship with someone without it.
Where the rubber really meets the road, what truly determines the quality of the relationships in your life, online or off, is the time you invest in them.
Pat Rhoads is the social media specialist for AdoptUSKids, a position he?s held for a little more than a year and a half. More importantly, he?s the father of an amazing four-year-old daughter. In addition to playing with her and wasting hours a day on Twitter, Pat also enjoys the outdoors, photography, and playing both the guitar and golf very badly (though not at the same time). You can follow him on Twitter @patmrhoads. He blogs at Missing Aimee.?
Contact: Kevin Korpics kevin@engconfintl.org Engineering Conferences International
An ECI Conference
US President Barack Obama introduced the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) during his speech on June 24th 2011 at Carnegie-Mellon University when he announced the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. The aim of MGI is "to discover, develop, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials at twice the speed than is possible today." The related document "Materials Genome Initiative for Global Competitiveness" released by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy details the Materials Innovation Infrastructure (Figure 1) as consisting of computational tools, experimental tools and digital data. This conference will bring scientists and engineers together to discuss the state-of-the-art development on all three fronts of the Materials Innovation Infrastructure. The conference will be entirely focused on the technical side of these tools and their integration for accelerated materials design
Outline of the Conference Topics:
Computational methods for various materials properties
Multiscale modeling of microstructures and kinetic processes
New strategies to handle multi-scale and multi-temporal computations
Through process modeling
Multimodal characterization and digitization of microstructures
High-throughput measurement techniques for various materials properties
Combinatorial and experimental design approaches
Materials database structure and informatics tools
Industrial insertion and experiences
Confirmed Invited Speakers (April 27)
John Agren, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden
"Purpose-based modeling of microstructure evolution and kinetic processes"
John Allison, University of Michigan, USA
"Integrated Computational Materials Engineering - An essential ingredient of the Materials Genome Initiative"
Thomas Bligaard, Stanford University, USA
"Materials database structure and informatics tools"
David Cahill, University of Illinois - Urban-Champaign, USA
"High throughput mapping of the thermophysical properties of materials"
David Cebon and Michael Ashby, Cambridge University Engineering Department, UK
"Strategies for materials design"
Stefano Curtarolo, Duke University, USA
"Addressing the Materials Genome Initiative through the AFLOWLIB.ORG consortium: thermoelectric properties of sintered compounds with high-throughput ab initio calculations"
Dennis Dimiduk, Air Force Research Laboratory, USA
"Materials performance prediction for Integrated Computational Materials Engineering"
Ralf Drautz, Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Germany
"Simplified models of the electronic structure for analyzing high-throughput data"
Giulia Galli, University of California - University of California Davis, USA
"Harvesting the energy from the sun: insights from atomistic and ab initio materials modeling"
Xin-Gao Gong, Fudan University, China
"Designing semiconductor PV materials by first principles method"
Somnath Ghosh, Johns Hopkins University, USA
"Modeling fatigue and failure in ductile materials"
Christopher Hutchinson, Monash University, Australia
"The use of diffusion couples in physical metallurgy: model calibration and mapping transitions in alloy behavior"
Karsten Wedel Jacobsen, TU Denmark
"Atomistic materials design using the computational materials repository"
Surya Kalidindi and T Fast, Drexel University, USA
"Leveraging data science to enable multiscale materials modeling and design"
Peter Lee, University of Manchester, UK
"Coupled microstructural-property models of structural materials validated via in situ synchrotron observations"
Zi-Kui Liu, Pennsylvania State University, USA
"MaterialsGenome: properties of individual phases from first-principles, statistic mechanics, and CALPHAD modeling"
Alfred Ludwig, Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Germany
"Development of new materials using high-throughput thin film experimentation and up-scaling"
William Marsden, Granta Design, UK
"An information architecture for ICME"
Nicola Marzari, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland
"Fast routes to screening electrical and thermal transport in novel materials"
Jrg Neugebauer, MPI Eisenforschung, Dsseldorf, Germany
"Materials design based on ab initio thermodynamics"
Toshio Ogata, NIMS, Japan
"New stage of MatNavi, materials database at NIMS"
Greg Olson, Northwestern University / QuesTek, USA
"From genome to flight"
Kristin Persson, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, USA
"The Materials Project - a public Materials Design Platform"
Tresa Pollock, University of California - Santa Barbara, USA
"Integration of models and experiments: A case study for new Co-base single crystals"
Dierk Raabe, MPIE, Germany
"Rapid prototyping of structural bulk alloys"
John Rodgers, Innovative Materials Technologies, Gatineau, Canada
"Design of erosion resistant nanocoatings - from TRL 1 to TRL 6"
Gerhard Schneider and D. Goll, Hochschule Aalen, Germany
"High-throughput synthesis and analysis for searching new permanent magnet materials"
Ichiro Takeuchi, University of Maryland, USA
"Combinatorial discovery of novel multifunctional materials at structural phase boundaries through integrating combinatorial X-ray data with ICSD"
Michael Uchic, Air Force Research Laboratory, USA
"Modern methods to quantify microstructure and local mechanical properties in engineering alloys"
Yoshitaka Umeno, T. Tada, S. Hara, N. Shikazono,, University of Tokyo, Japan
"Multiscale modeling for material design of solid oxide fuel cell electrode"
Terrell Vanderah, NIST, USA
"NIST materials databases"
Yunzhi Wang, The Ohio State University, USA
"Better property modeling through microstructure and micromechanisms"
Jim Warren, NIST, USA
"The Materials Genome Initiative and a new paradigm for materials data"
Christopher Wolverton, Northwestern University, USA
"Materials for alternative energies: computational materials discovery and crystal structure prediction"
Rui Yang, Institute of Metal Research, China
"Computation-assisted design and development of a beta-titanium alloy for biomedical applications"
J.-C. Zhao, The Ohio State University, USA
"Materials property microscopy tools for the Materials Genome Initiative"
Alex Zunger, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
"The inverse design problem: given a target property to find the material"
Conference Organization
Chairs
Prof. J.-C. Zhao (The Ohio State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
Prof. Mark Asta (University of California, Berkeley, Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
Prof. Dr. Peter Gumbsch (Institutsleiter, Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Werkstoffmechanik IWM)
Prof. Boyun Huang (Central South University, China)
International Advisory Committee:
Prof. John Agren, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden; Prof. John Allison, University of Michigan, USA; Prof. David Cahill, University of Illinois - Urban-Champaign, USA; Dr. David Cebon, Cambridge University Engineering Department, UK; Dr. Julie Christodoulou, Office of Naval Research, USA; Dr. Ram Darolia, GE Aviation (retired), USA; Dr. Dennis Dimiduk, Air Force Research Laboratory, USA; Dr. David Furrer, Pratt & Whitney, USA; Prof. K. Ishida, Tohoku University, Japan; Prof. C.T. Liu, City University of Hong Kong, China; Prof. Alfred Ludwig, Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Germany; Prof. Jens K. Nrskov, Stanford University, USA; Prof. Greg Olson, Northwestern University, USA; Prof. Tresa Pollock, University of California - Santa Barbara, USA; Dr. John Rodgers, Innovative Materials Technologies, Gatineau, Canada; Prof. Ichiro Takeuchi, University of Maryland, USA; Prof. Ding-Sheng Wang, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Dr. Erich Wimmer, Materials Design, Inc., France; Prof. Jim Williams, The Ohio State University, USA .
###
Vail and the Vail Marriott Resort and Spa
Vail is a central access point for all kinds of on-mountain year round activities. Named after state highway engineer Charlie Vail who built the first highway through the area, the mountain wasn't "discovered" until the mid-1950s by 10th Mountain Division trooper Peter Seibert and local rancher Earl Eaton. When Seibert and Eaton hiked to the top of the mountain they looked out upon the vast open bowls and realized it was the perfect spot for ski slopes. In January 1962, their dream came alive and the U.S. Forest Service granted the final permit to Seibert and Eaton. Vail Mountain opened in December of the same year. Today Vail Mountain is North America's largest ski area, covering 5,289 acres with seven legendary bowls.
The locals split Vail into three neighborhoods: East Vail, Vail and West Vail. Within the "Vail" vicinity lie two villages. Coming into the valley on I-70 east, you'll drop into the gorgeous East Vail. East Vail is a residential neighborhood that shared one, quaint marketplace and is surrounded by the White River National Forest. The Forest provides an abundance of hiking trails in the summer and snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice climbing in the winter. East Vail is five miles from Vail's two villages with access to the gondola. Vail's free shuttle system runs through East Vail, a convenient service as curbside drop off plops you into Vail Village, the heart of all action. Also in East Vail is the popular Vail Racquet Club, which offers accommodations as well as an athletic facility including tennis and racquetball courts.
Only two miles from Vail Mountain is West Vail, which offers a variety of restaurants, retail shops, lodging and full-sized grocery markets - all with their own distinctive character. From sushi to Captain Crunch French toast to the best omelets in town, you can find it here. The free Town of Vail Shuttle service runs throughout the area. .
Marriott built its first resort in Colorado, the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa in 1971. Guestrooms offer unparalleled comfort with down pillows and custom duvets, an indoor pool, and outdoor heated pool, hot tub, fitness center and spa.
Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a global engineering conferences program, originally established in 1962, that provides opportunities for the exploration of problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.
The format of the weeklong research conference provides morning and late afternoon or evening sessions in which major presentations are made. Available time is included during the afternoons for ad hoc meetings, informal discussions, and/or recreation. This format is designed to enhance rapport among participants and promote dialogue on the development of the meeting. We believe that the conferences have been instrumental in generating ideas and disseminating information to a greater extent than is possible through more conventional forums.
All participants are expected both to attend the entire conference and to contribute actively to the discussions. The recording/photographing of lectures and presentations is forbidden. As ECI conferences take place in an informal atmosphere, casual clothing is the usual attire.
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Contact: Kevin Korpics kevin@engconfintl.org Engineering Conferences International
An ECI Conference
US President Barack Obama introduced the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) during his speech on June 24th 2011 at Carnegie-Mellon University when he announced the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. The aim of MGI is "to discover, develop, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials at twice the speed than is possible today." The related document "Materials Genome Initiative for Global Competitiveness" released by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy details the Materials Innovation Infrastructure (Figure 1) as consisting of computational tools, experimental tools and digital data. This conference will bring scientists and engineers together to discuss the state-of-the-art development on all three fronts of the Materials Innovation Infrastructure. The conference will be entirely focused on the technical side of these tools and their integration for accelerated materials design
Outline of the Conference Topics:
Computational methods for various materials properties
Multiscale modeling of microstructures and kinetic processes
New strategies to handle multi-scale and multi-temporal computations
Through process modeling
Multimodal characterization and digitization of microstructures
High-throughput measurement techniques for various materials properties
Combinatorial and experimental design approaches
Materials database structure and informatics tools
Industrial insertion and experiences
Confirmed Invited Speakers (April 27)
John Agren, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden
"Purpose-based modeling of microstructure evolution and kinetic processes"
John Allison, University of Michigan, USA
"Integrated Computational Materials Engineering - An essential ingredient of the Materials Genome Initiative"
Thomas Bligaard, Stanford University, USA
"Materials database structure and informatics tools"
David Cahill, University of Illinois - Urban-Champaign, USA
"High throughput mapping of the thermophysical properties of materials"
David Cebon and Michael Ashby, Cambridge University Engineering Department, UK
"Strategies for materials design"
Stefano Curtarolo, Duke University, USA
"Addressing the Materials Genome Initiative through the AFLOWLIB.ORG consortium: thermoelectric properties of sintered compounds with high-throughput ab initio calculations"
Dennis Dimiduk, Air Force Research Laboratory, USA
"Materials performance prediction for Integrated Computational Materials Engineering"
Ralf Drautz, Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Germany
"Simplified models of the electronic structure for analyzing high-throughput data"
Giulia Galli, University of California - University of California Davis, USA
"Harvesting the energy from the sun: insights from atomistic and ab initio materials modeling"
Xin-Gao Gong, Fudan University, China
"Designing semiconductor PV materials by first principles method"
Somnath Ghosh, Johns Hopkins University, USA
"Modeling fatigue and failure in ductile materials"
Christopher Hutchinson, Monash University, Australia
"The use of diffusion couples in physical metallurgy: model calibration and mapping transitions in alloy behavior"
Karsten Wedel Jacobsen, TU Denmark
"Atomistic materials design using the computational materials repository"
Surya Kalidindi and T Fast, Drexel University, USA
"Leveraging data science to enable multiscale materials modeling and design"
Peter Lee, University of Manchester, UK
"Coupled microstructural-property models of structural materials validated via in situ synchrotron observations"
Zi-Kui Liu, Pennsylvania State University, USA
"MaterialsGenome: properties of individual phases from first-principles, statistic mechanics, and CALPHAD modeling"
Alfred Ludwig, Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Germany
"Development of new materials using high-throughput thin film experimentation and up-scaling"
William Marsden, Granta Design, UK
"An information architecture for ICME"
Nicola Marzari, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland
"Fast routes to screening electrical and thermal transport in novel materials"
Jrg Neugebauer, MPI Eisenforschung, Dsseldorf, Germany
"Materials design based on ab initio thermodynamics"
Toshio Ogata, NIMS, Japan
"New stage of MatNavi, materials database at NIMS"
Greg Olson, Northwestern University / QuesTek, USA
"From genome to flight"
Kristin Persson, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, USA
"The Materials Project - a public Materials Design Platform"
Tresa Pollock, University of California - Santa Barbara, USA
"Integration of models and experiments: A case study for new Co-base single crystals"
Dierk Raabe, MPIE, Germany
"Rapid prototyping of structural bulk alloys"
John Rodgers, Innovative Materials Technologies, Gatineau, Canada
"Design of erosion resistant nanocoatings - from TRL 1 to TRL 6"
Gerhard Schneider and D. Goll, Hochschule Aalen, Germany
"High-throughput synthesis and analysis for searching new permanent magnet materials"
Ichiro Takeuchi, University of Maryland, USA
"Combinatorial discovery of novel multifunctional materials at structural phase boundaries through integrating combinatorial X-ray data with ICSD"
Michael Uchic, Air Force Research Laboratory, USA
"Modern methods to quantify microstructure and local mechanical properties in engineering alloys"
Yoshitaka Umeno, T. Tada, S. Hara, N. Shikazono,, University of Tokyo, Japan
"Multiscale modeling for material design of solid oxide fuel cell electrode"
Terrell Vanderah, NIST, USA
"NIST materials databases"
Yunzhi Wang, The Ohio State University, USA
"Better property modeling through microstructure and micromechanisms"
Jim Warren, NIST, USA
"The Materials Genome Initiative and a new paradigm for materials data"
Christopher Wolverton, Northwestern University, USA
"Materials for alternative energies: computational materials discovery and crystal structure prediction"
Rui Yang, Institute of Metal Research, China
"Computation-assisted design and development of a beta-titanium alloy for biomedical applications"
J.-C. Zhao, The Ohio State University, USA
"Materials property microscopy tools for the Materials Genome Initiative"
Alex Zunger, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
"The inverse design problem: given a target property to find the material"
Conference Organization
Chairs
Prof. J.-C. Zhao (The Ohio State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
Prof. Mark Asta (University of California, Berkeley, Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
Prof. Dr. Peter Gumbsch (Institutsleiter, Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Werkstoffmechanik IWM)
Prof. Boyun Huang (Central South University, China)
International Advisory Committee:
Prof. John Agren, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden; Prof. John Allison, University of Michigan, USA; Prof. David Cahill, University of Illinois - Urban-Champaign, USA; Dr. David Cebon, Cambridge University Engineering Department, UK; Dr. Julie Christodoulou, Office of Naval Research, USA; Dr. Ram Darolia, GE Aviation (retired), USA; Dr. Dennis Dimiduk, Air Force Research Laboratory, USA; Dr. David Furrer, Pratt & Whitney, USA; Prof. K. Ishida, Tohoku University, Japan; Prof. C.T. Liu, City University of Hong Kong, China; Prof. Alfred Ludwig, Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Germany; Prof. Jens K. Nrskov, Stanford University, USA; Prof. Greg Olson, Northwestern University, USA; Prof. Tresa Pollock, University of California - Santa Barbara, USA; Dr. John Rodgers, Innovative Materials Technologies, Gatineau, Canada; Prof. Ichiro Takeuchi, University of Maryland, USA; Prof. Ding-Sheng Wang, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Dr. Erich Wimmer, Materials Design, Inc., France; Prof. Jim Williams, The Ohio State University, USA .
###
Vail and the Vail Marriott Resort and Spa
Vail is a central access point for all kinds of on-mountain year round activities. Named after state highway engineer Charlie Vail who built the first highway through the area, the mountain wasn't "discovered" until the mid-1950s by 10th Mountain Division trooper Peter Seibert and local rancher Earl Eaton. When Seibert and Eaton hiked to the top of the mountain they looked out upon the vast open bowls and realized it was the perfect spot for ski slopes. In January 1962, their dream came alive and the U.S. Forest Service granted the final permit to Seibert and Eaton. Vail Mountain opened in December of the same year. Today Vail Mountain is North America's largest ski area, covering 5,289 acres with seven legendary bowls.
The locals split Vail into three neighborhoods: East Vail, Vail and West Vail. Within the "Vail" vicinity lie two villages. Coming into the valley on I-70 east, you'll drop into the gorgeous East Vail. East Vail is a residential neighborhood that shared one, quaint marketplace and is surrounded by the White River National Forest. The Forest provides an abundance of hiking trails in the summer and snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice climbing in the winter. East Vail is five miles from Vail's two villages with access to the gondola. Vail's free shuttle system runs through East Vail, a convenient service as curbside drop off plops you into Vail Village, the heart of all action. Also in East Vail is the popular Vail Racquet Club, which offers accommodations as well as an athletic facility including tennis and racquetball courts.
Only two miles from Vail Mountain is West Vail, which offers a variety of restaurants, retail shops, lodging and full-sized grocery markets - all with their own distinctive character. From sushi to Captain Crunch French toast to the best omelets in town, you can find it here. The free Town of Vail Shuttle service runs throughout the area. .
Marriott built its first resort in Colorado, the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa in 1971. Guestrooms offer unparalleled comfort with down pillows and custom duvets, an indoor pool, and outdoor heated pool, hot tub, fitness center and spa.
Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a global engineering conferences program, originally established in 1962, that provides opportunities for the exploration of problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.
The format of the weeklong research conference provides morning and late afternoon or evening sessions in which major presentations are made. Available time is included during the afternoons for ad hoc meetings, informal discussions, and/or recreation. This format is designed to enhance rapport among participants and promote dialogue on the development of the meeting. We believe that the conferences have been instrumental in generating ideas and disseminating information to a greater extent than is possible through more conventional forums.
All participants are expected both to attend the entire conference and to contribute actively to the discussions. The recording/photographing of lectures and presentations is forbidden. As ECI conferences take place in an informal atmosphere, casual clothing is the usual attire.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Cinega de Santa Clara unchanged after pilot run of Yuma Desalting PlantPublic release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mari N. Jensen mnjensen@email.arizona.edu 520-626-9635 University of Arizona
Mexico's Cinega de Santa Clara has not changed since the 2010-11 pilot run of the Yuma Desalting Plant, according to a new report from a University of Arizona-led binational team of researchers.
The 15,000-acre cinega, the largest wetland in the Colorado River Delta, is home to several endangered species and is a major stopover for birds migrating north and south along the Pacific Flyway. It lies within Mexico's Biosphere Reserve for the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River delta.
The Mexican community of Ejido Johnson operates a small ecotourism business at the wetland. Birdwatchers are attracted by the birds found there, including the Yuma Clapper Rail, listed as an endangered species by the U.S. and as a threatened species in Mexico.
How running the desalting plant would affect the water quality, vegetation and birdlife of the cinega was not known. The cinega receives its water primarily from Arizona's Wellton-Mohawk irrigation district - water that is used by the desalting plant when it operates.
When the plant is running, the water it desalinates is returned to the Colorado River. The remainder, a smaller amount of saltier water, does flow to the cinega.
Some scientists predicted that having a smaller and saltier portion of water flow to the cinega would alter the ecosystem, said Karl W. Flessa, the UA geosciences professor who leads the U.S.-Mexico team of researchers that has been studying the cinega since 2006.
To ensure that the cinega would continue receiving the same amount and quality of water as before, U.S. and Mexican government agencies and non-governmental organizations from both sides of the border worked together to provide replacement water to the cinega during the May 2010 to March 2011 pilot run of the Yuma Desalting Plant.
The international agreement was added to the 1944 water treaty between the U.S. and Mexico and represents the first time that water was allocated across the border for environmental purposes.
Chuck Cullom, Colorado River Programs Manager for the Central Arizona Project, said, "This unique and fruitful collaboration exemplifies the new spirit of binational cooperation and collaboration in monitoring and evaluating different environmental resources in the Colorado River system."
As part of the agreement, the researchers monitored conditions in the cinega before, during and after the plant's pilot run.
"There was no significant change to the cinega's hydrology, water quality, vegetation and marsh birds," said Flessa. He and his colleagues reported the team's findings in a report released by the International Boundary and Water Commission on June 25.
Cullom said, "The report really represents the most comprehensive monitoring effort to date of the cienega wetland system. It's good work that adds to the body of knowledge about the cienega."
The replacement water was delivered to the cinega over the period of October 2009 through July 2011. The U.S. contribution was delivered before the pilot run started and another large portion of replacement water was delivered after the pilot run, said Cullom.
"There was fluctuation in water quality and salinity during the pilot run," he said. "However over the course of the monitoring there were no lasting adverse impacts to the cinega."
Francisco Zamora, who managed the monitoring team, said the times when the plant was running and no replacement water was delivered, the vegetation seemed less healthy. However, it recovered once more water was delivered. He said it's not possible to tell from the monitoring program how long a dry spell the cinega can recover from.
"The fact the replacement water came at a different time than when the desalting plant ran allowed us to see these short-term changes and learn that the cienega is resilient," said Zamora, director of the Sonoran Institute's Colorado River Delta Legacy Program. "The fact that the cienega can handle these short-term changes is good."
Flessa, who is also director of UA's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said, "This tells us they can run the plant and little will happen -- so long as they find replacement water for the cinega."
However, he had expected changes from the April 4, 2010 earthquake, which occurred just before the pilot run started, and the three-day wildfire that burned about 80 percent of the cinega in late March 2011.
In both cases, he was wrong neither the earthquake nor the fire made harmful changes. If anything, the fire burned away accumulation of dead vegetation and returned nutrients to the soil, he said.
"It turned out to be a great way to find out the beneficial effects of fire. The bird populations this year were unaffected, productivity is up, and the cinega is greener than ever," he said.
The team's report said, "The Cinega de Santa Clara appears to be an ecosystem that is resilient in the face of short-term disturbances."
The agencies and organizations that forged the agreement to operate Yuma Desalting Plant's pilot run, provide replacement water and to support researchers to monitor the cinega are: the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the environmental organizations Pronatura, Sonoran Institute and Environmental Defense Fund, CONAGUA, Mexico's national water commission, SEMARNAT, Mexico's ministry of the environment, and the International Boundary and Water Commission.
To assess whether running the desalting plant affected the cinega, the scientists placed instruments to record water quality and water level every 30 minutes at 20 locations all over the cinega -- some in open water, some along the edges of the marsh, and others deep in cattail thickets.
Every month, the researchers used small boats to visit every instrument and download the information stored in it. The team also measured water flow into the cinega from its main sources of water.
The researchers also assessed the bird populations during the breeding season and during the spring and fall migrations. The team used satellite images to measure the extent and health of the vegetation.
The team found the biggest factors affecting the cinega's water budget are the inflow of water, the evaporation of water, and loss of water from the plants themselves, Flessa said.
During summer months, plants and evaporation consume more water than flows into the cinega, increasing its salinity. In the winter, about half the inflow water drains through the cinega to the lower basin. That flushing keeps salinity within the range tolerated by the plants.
During the plant's pilot run, salinity went up when water was diverted to the plant but no replacement water was being supplied. Salinity returned to normal levels when the replacement water was supplied and when the pilot run concluded, the report said. Other aspects of water quality were largely unaffected by the plant's operation.
"This story has a happy ending, and here's why," Flessa said. "It doesn't appear that there's been any lasting harm to the cinega, and it demonstrates that by working together we can find solutions to tough environmental problems even across international boundaries."
He credits the scientific success of the project to cross-border interactions among scientists that were fostered by the National Science Foundation-funded Lower Colorado River Delta Research Coordination Network that began in 2005.
"It would have been really hard to put this team together on short notice had we not already had a respectful and collaborative atmosphere among the scientists," he said.
###
Funding for the monitoring project was provided by Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Southern Nevada Water Authority, with additional funding from Mexico's Comisin Nacional de reas Naturales Protegidas and the Instituto Nacional Ecologa.
The monitoring project was a collaborative effort among the University of Arizona, the Sonoran Institute (Tucson, Ariz.), Pronatura Noroeste (San Luis, R.C., Sonora), the Universidad Autnoma de Baja California (Mexicali campus), and Centro de Investigacin en Alimentacin y Desarrollo (Guaymas, Sonora) and the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Biosphere Reserve.
Researcher Contacts
Karl Flessa
520-621-6000
kflessa@email.arizona.edu
Chuck Cullom
Colorado River Programs Manager
Central Arizona Project
623-869-2665
ccullom@cap-az.com
Francisco Zamora
Director, Colorado River Delta Legacy Program
Sonoran Institute
520-290-0828 x1137
fzamora@sonoraninstitute.org
Osvel Hinojosa (in Mexico)
Program Director, Pronatura Noreste
52-612-121-2800
ohinojosa@pronatura-noroeste.org
Jennifer Pitt
Director, Colorado River Project
303- 440-4901
jpitt@edf.org
Related websites:
Cinega de Santa Clara Monitoring Program
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/cienega/
International Boundary and Water Commission
http://www.ibwc.state.gov/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Cinega de Santa Clara unchanged after pilot run of Yuma Desalting PlantPublic release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mari N. Jensen mnjensen@email.arizona.edu 520-626-9635 University of Arizona
Mexico's Cinega de Santa Clara has not changed since the 2010-11 pilot run of the Yuma Desalting Plant, according to a new report from a University of Arizona-led binational team of researchers.
The 15,000-acre cinega, the largest wetland in the Colorado River Delta, is home to several endangered species and is a major stopover for birds migrating north and south along the Pacific Flyway. It lies within Mexico's Biosphere Reserve for the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River delta.
The Mexican community of Ejido Johnson operates a small ecotourism business at the wetland. Birdwatchers are attracted by the birds found there, including the Yuma Clapper Rail, listed as an endangered species by the U.S. and as a threatened species in Mexico.
How running the desalting plant would affect the water quality, vegetation and birdlife of the cinega was not known. The cinega receives its water primarily from Arizona's Wellton-Mohawk irrigation district - water that is used by the desalting plant when it operates.
When the plant is running, the water it desalinates is returned to the Colorado River. The remainder, a smaller amount of saltier water, does flow to the cinega.
Some scientists predicted that having a smaller and saltier portion of water flow to the cinega would alter the ecosystem, said Karl W. Flessa, the UA geosciences professor who leads the U.S.-Mexico team of researchers that has been studying the cinega since 2006.
To ensure that the cinega would continue receiving the same amount and quality of water as before, U.S. and Mexican government agencies and non-governmental organizations from both sides of the border worked together to provide replacement water to the cinega during the May 2010 to March 2011 pilot run of the Yuma Desalting Plant.
The international agreement was added to the 1944 water treaty between the U.S. and Mexico and represents the first time that water was allocated across the border for environmental purposes.
Chuck Cullom, Colorado River Programs Manager for the Central Arizona Project, said, "This unique and fruitful collaboration exemplifies the new spirit of binational cooperation and collaboration in monitoring and evaluating different environmental resources in the Colorado River system."
As part of the agreement, the researchers monitored conditions in the cinega before, during and after the plant's pilot run.
"There was no significant change to the cinega's hydrology, water quality, vegetation and marsh birds," said Flessa. He and his colleagues reported the team's findings in a report released by the International Boundary and Water Commission on June 25.
Cullom said, "The report really represents the most comprehensive monitoring effort to date of the cienega wetland system. It's good work that adds to the body of knowledge about the cienega."
The replacement water was delivered to the cinega over the period of October 2009 through July 2011. The U.S. contribution was delivered before the pilot run started and another large portion of replacement water was delivered after the pilot run, said Cullom.
"There was fluctuation in water quality and salinity during the pilot run," he said. "However over the course of the monitoring there were no lasting adverse impacts to the cinega."
Francisco Zamora, who managed the monitoring team, said the times when the plant was running and no replacement water was delivered, the vegetation seemed less healthy. However, it recovered once more water was delivered. He said it's not possible to tell from the monitoring program how long a dry spell the cinega can recover from.
"The fact the replacement water came at a different time than when the desalting plant ran allowed us to see these short-term changes and learn that the cienega is resilient," said Zamora, director of the Sonoran Institute's Colorado River Delta Legacy Program. "The fact that the cienega can handle these short-term changes is good."
Flessa, who is also director of UA's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said, "This tells us they can run the plant and little will happen -- so long as they find replacement water for the cinega."
However, he had expected changes from the April 4, 2010 earthquake, which occurred just before the pilot run started, and the three-day wildfire that burned about 80 percent of the cinega in late March 2011.
In both cases, he was wrong neither the earthquake nor the fire made harmful changes. If anything, the fire burned away accumulation of dead vegetation and returned nutrients to the soil, he said.
"It turned out to be a great way to find out the beneficial effects of fire. The bird populations this year were unaffected, productivity is up, and the cinega is greener than ever," he said.
The team's report said, "The Cinega de Santa Clara appears to be an ecosystem that is resilient in the face of short-term disturbances."
The agencies and organizations that forged the agreement to operate Yuma Desalting Plant's pilot run, provide replacement water and to support researchers to monitor the cinega are: the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the environmental organizations Pronatura, Sonoran Institute and Environmental Defense Fund, CONAGUA, Mexico's national water commission, SEMARNAT, Mexico's ministry of the environment, and the International Boundary and Water Commission.
To assess whether running the desalting plant affected the cinega, the scientists placed instruments to record water quality and water level every 30 minutes at 20 locations all over the cinega -- some in open water, some along the edges of the marsh, and others deep in cattail thickets.
Every month, the researchers used small boats to visit every instrument and download the information stored in it. The team also measured water flow into the cinega from its main sources of water.
The researchers also assessed the bird populations during the breeding season and during the spring and fall migrations. The team used satellite images to measure the extent and health of the vegetation.
The team found the biggest factors affecting the cinega's water budget are the inflow of water, the evaporation of water, and loss of water from the plants themselves, Flessa said.
During summer months, plants and evaporation consume more water than flows into the cinega, increasing its salinity. In the winter, about half the inflow water drains through the cinega to the lower basin. That flushing keeps salinity within the range tolerated by the plants.
During the plant's pilot run, salinity went up when water was diverted to the plant but no replacement water was being supplied. Salinity returned to normal levels when the replacement water was supplied and when the pilot run concluded, the report said. Other aspects of water quality were largely unaffected by the plant's operation.
"This story has a happy ending, and here's why," Flessa said. "It doesn't appear that there's been any lasting harm to the cinega, and it demonstrates that by working together we can find solutions to tough environmental problems even across international boundaries."
He credits the scientific success of the project to cross-border interactions among scientists that were fostered by the National Science Foundation-funded Lower Colorado River Delta Research Coordination Network that began in 2005.
"It would have been really hard to put this team together on short notice had we not already had a respectful and collaborative atmosphere among the scientists," he said.
###
Funding for the monitoring project was provided by Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Southern Nevada Water Authority, with additional funding from Mexico's Comisin Nacional de reas Naturales Protegidas and the Instituto Nacional Ecologa.
The monitoring project was a collaborative effort among the University of Arizona, the Sonoran Institute (Tucson, Ariz.), Pronatura Noroeste (San Luis, R.C., Sonora), the Universidad Autnoma de Baja California (Mexicali campus), and Centro de Investigacin en Alimentacin y Desarrollo (Guaymas, Sonora) and the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Biosphere Reserve.
Researcher Contacts
Karl Flessa
520-621-6000
kflessa@email.arizona.edu
Chuck Cullom
Colorado River Programs Manager
Central Arizona Project
623-869-2665
ccullom@cap-az.com
Francisco Zamora
Director, Colorado River Delta Legacy Program
Sonoran Institute
520-290-0828 x1137
fzamora@sonoraninstitute.org
Osvel Hinojosa (in Mexico)
Program Director, Pronatura Noreste
52-612-121-2800
ohinojosa@pronatura-noroeste.org
Jennifer Pitt
Director, Colorado River Project
303- 440-4901
jpitt@edf.org
Related websites:
Cinega de Santa Clara Monitoring Program
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/cienega/
International Boundary and Water Commission
http://www.ibwc.state.gov/
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Public release date: 27-Jun-2012
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