CEMRC • SWTDI • WERC

Cover Photo Tom Freelove/IEE: Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (PREP) students observe rockets during the annual rocket launch competition near NMSU’s Horseshoe.

EDC winners head to 2008 EPA Science Forum 4

IEE/CEMRC build emergency preparedness 5

The GeoPolitics of Energy 8

2008 PREP Program graduates share inspiration 10

Calendar of Events/IEE Briefs Back Cover

Dr. Abbas Ghassemi • IEE Director • 575.646.2038 • 800.523.5996 • http://iee.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University • Box 30001, MSC WERC • Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 • E-mail: iee@nmsu.edu

CONTENTS

INSIGHT M. Therese Shakra Tom Freelove

Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center (CEMRC) A nuclear waste-management and monitoring centerSouthwest Technology Development Institute (SWTDI) A renewable energy research and development groupWERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education & Technology Development

The Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE)

INSIGHT is available in digital PDF format on the IEE Web site, http://iee.nmsu.edu

College of Engineering

NMSU civil engineers take bridge evaluation to new level 3

From the IEE director

Welcome. We at the Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) through New Mexico State University’s College of Engineering (COE) publish this 2008 September issue of INSIGHT for you. As the November presidential election approaches, the critical significance of energy, water, natural resources and the environment continue prominent in the candidates’ (more than one, mijita) general lexicon, each of these affect and are affected by the economy. Here at the Institute, we have continually been involved in various aspects of energy research, education, outreach and demonstration. These include fossil fuels and alternatives such as photovoltaic, wind, biomass, geothermal, and nuclear. We have continued to examine and research various aspects of natural resource issues, including water and its role in the sustainable resource mix to meet long-term growth demands. In that light I am pleased to share cutting edge progress of our civil engineering department and highlight our Design Contest winners selected to present at this year’s EPA Science Forum. This issue also highlights The GeoPolitics of Energy: Achieving a Just and Sustainable Energy Distribution by 2040, a book recently published by the director of CEMRC on the complex features that go into designing solutions to challenges faced by us all. We also spotlight students sharing the life-enhancing elements of PREP, our Pre-Freshman Engineering Program and comments from future leaders who have matriculated through the courses. Enjoy your copy of INSIGHT. As always, your comments or questions are welcome.

Warmest Regards,

Abbas Ghassemi

Photo by Tom Freelove/IEE

From the IEE director

Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center (CEMRC) A nuclear waste-management and monitoring center

WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education & Technology Development

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NMSU civil engineers take bridge evaluation to new level

State-of-the-art procedures in bridge evaluation have shown that several New Mexico bridges can handle load capacities that are 10-20 percent higher than originally thought.

Greater bridge load capacities could lead to savings for the trucking industry, eliminating the need for detours around bridges with low load capacities. The new evaluation methods could lead to reduced costs in bridge refurbishment and new construction.

David Jáuregui, associate professor of civil engineering at NMSU, recently concluded a research project for the New Mexico Department of Transportation and is currently conducting research for the Federal Highway Administration utilizing new methods to evaluate load capacities of bridges.

Load ratings determine the level of load a bridge can routinely handle over its service life and also the maximum occasional overload (those exceeding the legal limit, usually 80,000 pounds) that the bridge can safely accommodate.

Jáuregui evaluated the Tortugas Arroyo Bridge in Las Cruces and another concrete slab bridge that was retrofit with a carbon-fiber polymer system on Interstate I-10 near Lordsburg, NM. The new procedures have also been used to evaluate a Las Cruces bridge on U.S. Highway 70 over Sonoma Ranch Blvd. and a bridge near Hatch, NM, on N.M. Highway 187. These two steel bridges were designed and constructed using an innovative technique, only a few of which actually exist in the U.S. The two graduate students

involved in these projects are Brice Carpenter and Andrea Solis.

The NMSU bridge research team uses field testing and computer analysis methods that capture the three-dimensional behavior of bridges. First, sensors attached to various points collect strain measurements as a loaded vehicle travels over the bridge. The data is compared to a finite-element computer model of the bridge (representing the slabs and beams) to determine if the actual behavior of the bridge recorded by the sensors is similar to that of the model.

The new evaluation method could be applied to more than 80 percent of the bridges in New Mexico: those constructed of steel girders, pre-stressed concrete girders and reinforced concrete slabs. The NMSU civil engineering department is contracted by NMDOT to inspect and rate many of the state’s bridges.

“The findings will provide NMDOT with an alternative approach for assessing bridge capacity. Having more accurate information will aid transportation officials in making decisions related to important issues such as future rehabilitation work and permit load requests,” said Jáuregui.

Normally, bridge load capacities are based on the design assumptions of a bridge and typically these estimates are conservative.

Jáuregui said the new evaluation techniques could be used starting with the construction of a new bridge to create a baseline and track the bridge behavior over its service life to help engineers inspect, evaluate and develop better construction methods. ”It’s more quantitative—most bridge inspection is visual.”

In the case of the retrofit Lordsburg bridge, the analysis was used to determine the effectiveness of the repair. It also showed that the concrete traffic barriers on the sides of the bridge relieved some of the stress to the structure; something that design-based analysis would not have revealed.

“This is a cost-effective application of technology to evaluate bridge performance and supplements visual data gathered during inspections,” said Jáuregui. “It’s a good investment to insure the safety and serviceability of our bridges in the long-term.”

Dr. David Jáuregui (left) and graduate student Brice Carpenter are using modern computer methods to evaluate bridges. Courtesy of COE and UCOMM.

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IEE Design Contest winners head to 2008 EPA Science ForumInnovative technologies: Keys to Environmental and Economic Progress

Four of IEE’s 18th Environmental Design Contest (EDC) teams each won a $1,000 travel award to present their task design solutions (Task1 and Task 3 defined below) at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Forum in Washington, D.C.

Winning Design Contest team members from Roger Williams University, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Waterloo were also in attendance. The teams each presented their designs at the poster sessions and were identified and congratulated during the opening session by EPA’s Deputy Director. IEE staff hosted a booth and made contacts with many potential judges, student team leaders and faculty. IEE was also pleased to see several previous judges and a student that had participated in the 2002 design contest who is now working on his PhD.

IEE project managers Roseann Thompson and Chris Campbell, and IEE Director Abbas Ghassemi attended the 7th EPA Science Forum. Over 1,000 attendees participated in plenary talks, thematic breakout sessions, and the technology expo and exhibits. The Forum focused on three tracks: Technology Advances and Future Directions, including sessions on environmental monitoring, clean technologies, air pollution control and more; Energy, Climate, and the Environment, with

emphasis on Agency activities in the areas of energy, climate change and the environment; and Water Systems Infrastructure and Security, introducing technical solutions to improve the Nation’s aging water and wastewater infrastructure and advancements in water protection and security.

EPA Science Forum winners included:

Roger Williams University = Task 1University of New Hampshire = Task 1University of Waterloo = Task 3Montana Tech = Task 3

Task 1Innovative Technologies for an Existing Commercial Building Research, prioritize, develop and then demonstrate innovative technologies that can be applied to existing commercial buildings to improve efficiency.Task 3Inland Desalination Operation and Disposal in Rural, Isolated Communities Develop and demonstrate a low-cost, energy efficient, simple and reliable system for use in brackish water reclamation. The system must be able to produce fresh water for various sized communities throughout the Southwest.

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IEE/CEMRC build emergency preparedness

In a post 9/11 world, how do you prepare for the unthinkable? The very question is an oxymoron. However, it is possible to prepare for the more imaginable, such as a coordinated radioactive-weapons attack by determined terrorists in an international city. And what, if anything, should the public be told about such a threat? This is a question from the official trailer for the 2005 HBO/PBS film Dirty War, which asks if we are prepared as a nation to face such an attack. NMSU’s College of Engineering/Institute for Energy and the Environment partner, the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC) on July 17, sponsored a Dirty Bomb Full Scale Exercise to “train the trainers” and address first responder preparedness for such a scenario. First responders include Fire, EMS, Hazmat and Law Enforcement personnel.

CEMRC and MERRTT (Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training) conducted the three-day training that included classroom studies, a tour of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), and culminated in the release of a radiological dispersal device (RDD) exercise. The core participants included the 6th Civil Support Team/Weapons of Mass Destruction (CST/WMD) consisting of the Texas National Guard, while members of New Mexico’s 64th

CST/WMD also participated.

The CST unit faced orchestrated chaos, including strewn charred and simulated dead bodies, smoke plumes from blown-up cars, and traumatized or injured actors screaming for help. Secondary explosives were set to go off during the assessment phase as well. “The dirty bomb is a perfect terrorist weapon because it brings (immediate) fear and subsequent economic disruption,” said Dr. Jim Conca, CEMRC Executive Director. “Other than conventional explosives used to set off an RDD, the attack is probably not going to kill anyone, but mention the word ‘radioactive’ and mass hysteria can break out.” Training therefore, has to involve carefully dealing with a potentially panicked public as well as treating all explosions as if they were dirty.

The radioactive material (undetectable by sight, smell or touch) scattered from an explosion gives it the name “dirty.” While both are considered weapons of mass destruction, “radioactive” is not the same as a “nuclear” weapon such as the first atomic bombs used by the U.S. in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological (NBCR) attacks

Staff Sergeant Reggie Book (left) and Specialist John Buell of the 6th CST/WMD (Texas National Guard) precede first responders on the scene of a “dirty bomb” exercise at IEE/CEMRC in Carlsbad, NM. The team uses modern Geiger counters and other monitoring equipment to determine the Hot Zone (contaminated area) and contain the perimeter. Photo by Therese Shakra/IEE.

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are the areas of expertise among the CST/WMD units. Their primary mission is to support local and state authorities by identifying agents and substances, performing triage, assessing current and projected consequences, advising on response measures, and assisting with requests for additional military support. The highly-skilled, full-time National Guard members also assist in response operations where mass casualties from “acts of God,” i.e., natural disasters or severe weather are the cause.

Primary causes that propelled U.S. policy changes to fund and develop the CST divisions included the Sarin (deadly nerve agent) attack in a Tokyo subway in 1995 and the bombing attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, both resulting in mass tragedy. Additional support for expertly-trained domestic units is the Global Threat Reduction plan (GTR). The GTR was initiated in 2004 aimed at securing and disposing of nuclear material by 2010 to stop potential terrorists from building dirty bombs. There were 700 known cases of nuclear smuggling between 1991 and 2002 alone, according to a classified database at Stanford University. Further, the former Soviet Union is known to have been economically unable to guard, much less safely dispose of active nuclear materials.

Since 9/11 another response to the global NBCR threat includes the mass decontamination shower units in mobile response systems and hospitals. Many experts suggest it is only a matter of time before the WMD threat to a Western city is realized and the police, usually first on scene, will not have been trained to deal with a catastrophic attack. A feature article title in the JUNE 2008 National Defense Magazine

exemplifies the lack of public awareness, “Public Still in the Dark When it Comes to Dirty Bomb Threat.”

According to Captain Michael A. Torres, Survey Team Leader for the 6th CST/WMD, individuals need to be much more prepared on a personal level. “While our team is here to support the regional command, the system is likely going to get overwhelmed and the general public should be active in self-preservation in case that happens,” said Torres. One team member may be tasked with identifying the threat in the Hot Zone, another with medical priorities, and others checking the structural integrity of buildings if needed. To help themselves, individual civilians should consider a small reserve of food and water, reviewing preparedness guides from Centers for Disease Control, and having disaster plans and kits ready. Ultra-terrorism (any threat having to do with NBCR elements) mandates we all take as much responsibility as we can for ourselves.

“The complex geopolitical issues that make up energy and the environment include this type of logistical support for domestic security. We facilitate these activities in any way we can,” said Dr. Abbas Ghassemi, IEE Executive Director. CEMRC’s ability to implement effective first-responder training for dirty bombs comes from its years of experience in environmental training and education, nuclear energy issues and issues involving Homeland Security. The unique radiochemistry facility has a special plutonium-uranium lab, mobile laboratories, computing operations and offices. CEMRC monitors the WIPP site, a repository for transuranic waste generated as part of the nuclear defense research and production activities of the federal government.

SGT Robert Delano, Survey Team Member and Staff Sergeant Alfonso Garcia, Survey Team Chief, prepare to use the Gator,- which is used to move the soldiers more efficiently throughout the Hot Zone. The team is getting ready to conduct an area radiological survey using the Mobile Detection System. This system allows the team to detect Gamma and Neutron radiation while covering a large area. It automatically tracks and maps the movement of the vehicle via GPS while monitoring radiation levels. It marks artificial “cookies” along the route that give the exact reading and location at the time the measurement was taken. Usually a reading is taken every second. Photo by Therese Shakra/IEE.

7

What future do

environmental degradation

Jim Conca, Ph.D., is the director of the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center, one of three entities comprising IEE. Photo by Tom Freelove/IEE.

One of IEE’s directors recently published The GeoPolitics of Energy, Achieving a Just and Sustainable Energy Distribution by 2040. Co-authors Jim Conca, Ph.D. and Judith Wright, Ph.D., are geologists who work in environmental remediation, waste disposal, Antarctic and planetary geology, and paleochemical oceanography.

An excerpt from the introduction follows: What Is Our Energy Future?This book is for everyone who cares about the future. Solutions to the complex problems surrounding theenergy crisis require knowledge of all aspects of the issues, not just technical ones. This discussion will cover theglobal problems of energy including the technical and peripheral issues that control energy availability and cost,the environmental effects such as CO2 emissions and climate change, and the global politics and socioeconomics that drive energy production and consumption.The primary messages we want to convey are: 1) Energy consumption will

The GeoPolitics of EnergyAchieving a Just and Sustainable Energy Distribution by 2040 Jim Conca and Judith Wright

grow dramatically over the next 40 years regardless of what the U.S. does. Unlikethe 20th century, China, India, and other countries are having a greater effect on energy consumption than the U.S. This does not result from the 1 billion people already using vast amounts of electricity or from the 1 billion usingmodest amounts of electricity but rather from the 1.6 billion people that do not have any access to electricity, The 2.4 billion that have little access to electricity, and the 3 billion new people that will be born by 2050 who will also need electricity.

2) If alternatives are not brought online fast enough to handle this increase in consumption, fossil fuel use will also dramatically increase, more thandoubling, along with CO2 emissionsand many other unwanted side effects.

3) The biggest role that the U.S. can playis participation in global leadership, technological development and economic incentives, and proactive changes in its energy policy and distribution.

4) If we do not aggressively change direction by 2020, it does not matter what we do after that time because it takes 10 to 30 years to develop significant energy sources and distribution systems. Solutions must be started by 2010 and be effective by 2040 or it will be too late.

5) By 2040, the world must have: a. 3 million 3+ megawatt wind turbines or equivalent totaling 3 trillion kW hrs/yearb. Concentrated and ordinary solar arrays totaling 3 trillion kW hrs/year c. 1,700 new nuclear reactors to produce electricity totaling 10 trillion kW hrs/year that will also produce hydrogen for fuel cells and sufficient electricity for electric cars d. Over 100 bbl/yr of biofuels from algae, cellulosics and high-efficiency biomass, and e. 3 trillion kW hrs/year from other alternatives such as wave, tidal and biogas.

Marine turbines. Source MCT Ltd.

Altamont Pass, CA Source DOE EERE.

Backyard solar arraySource NREL

Source: DOE NREL

North Anna reactor, VA.Source: NEI

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Robert Foster • Program Manager • IEE

Robert Foster, Program Manager for the Institute for Energy and the Environment, recently volunteered to assist with the $20 million U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Afghanistan Water, Agriculture and Technology Transfer (AWATT) Program, where he serves as the Deputy Chief of Party in Kabul, Afghanistan with the NMSU College of Agriculture. Robert will be drawing on his quarter century of experience with renewable energy and rural development to help with Afghanistan reconstruction in the water and agricultural sectors.

Robert has worked at the NMSU College of Engineering since 1989 with the Southwest Technology Development Institute, the Southwest Region Solar Experiment Station, and IEE, where he has researched and developed solar and wind energy technology, with a focus on developing countries. He began his renewable energy career in Austin, where he worked for Cole Solar Systems in 1984. He then worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic (1985-88), where he built community water systems, improved cook-stoves, solar adobe homes, and helped pioneer the use of photovoltaic systems for rural regions of developing countries with Enersol Associates.

Since arriving at NMSU, Robert has worked in over 30 countries on renewable energy projects for the Department of Energy (DOE) – Solar Energy Technology Program, Sandia National Laboratories, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Winrock International, World Bank, Institute of International Education, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as for a variety of non-profits, utilities, and foreign governments. Robert was the technical manager for the USAID/DOE Mexico Renewable Energy Program from 1992-2005. Additionally, he assisted the USAID with solar and wind programs in Brazil, Central America, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and the Philippines. He has also worked closely with NASA

White Sands Test Facility, Fort Bliss, and the Clovis Agricultural Science Center on solar and wind energy development in New Mexico, and managed the installation of the first commercial PV system in the City of Las Cruces at the Southwest Environmental Center. He recently served as the Faculty Advisor to NMSU engineering and business students for the National Science Foundation New-Mexico-Chihuahua Partnerships for Innovation wind energy program.

Robert has been an active solar volunteer for 20 years, and has served as President of the Texas Solar Energy Society and the El Paso Solar Energy Association. He has a patent for solar distillation, and helped co-found SolAqua, Inc., which fabricates solar distillation water purification systems. He received the Governor’s Award for renewable energy development in the State of Chihuahua, and was also honored with the Guatemalan Renewable Energy Award for solar work with the Fundación Solar. He received the University Globalization Award from the NMSU Center for International Programs in 2004 for internationalization contributions. Robert is fluent in Spanish and

Robert FosterIEE Spotlight

Portuguese, and is now enjoying learning Persian in Afghanistan.

Robert has published over 120 papers and articles, and 90 technical reports on solar, wind, evaporative cooling, waste heat, and geothermal energy. He has taught more than 160 technical workshops on renewable energy technologies for over 7,500 participants around the globe. Robert is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, and also has a Masters in Business Administration from NMSU, where he wrote a thesis on the Mexican photovoltaic market. Robert is an Eagle Scout and a former Philmont Ranger. He enjoys traveling, hiking, spelunking, skiing, restoring antique cars, and harnessing windpower with his sailboat.

Robert Foster, IEE Photovoltaic (PV) installation team leader, installs solar panels with student interns at the first commercial PV site in Las Cruces. Photo by Tom Freelove/IEE.

Robert Foster and engineering students on November 2006 INSIGHT cover.

Photo courtesy of Robert Foster

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2008 PREP graduates share inspiration

“The Pre-Freshman Engineering Program has been

an honor for me. It hasn’t only helped me make new

friends and meet new people from different places,

but I got the encouragement to pursue my dreams.

It’s extraordinary what this program provides for

us. We have guest speakers, free transportation, free

food, field trips every Friday, and we have remarkable

mentors who have guided us and helped us through

PREP.” - Stephany Roblas

“PREP has taught me so many things. I know that every single thing I learned in this program will come in handy in the future. I’m not going to lie, there were some rough times where we got stressed for a quiz or an upcoming test, or we got caught up with the homework, but we all managed to pull it off. We know that our teachers are trying to prepare us for high school and college. This experience has been great from beginning to end. There’s not one thing I would change about it, from the activities on campus to the field trips far away. I think this program helps us develop new strategies for many of our needs for the future.” - Yazmin Gonzales

June 9 - July 18Pre-Freshman Engineering Program

PREP III

PREP III

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“The past two years we’ve visited so many interesting places like Fred Harvey Water Reclamation Plant, F & A Cheese Factory, Holloman Air Force Base, White Sands, Elephant Butte, Camino Real Landfill, War Eagle Air Museum, just to mention a few. In other words, places that if it wasn’t for this program, we wouldn’t even know they existed. Besides being fun, this program provides high school credits, and higher education standards with more complicated challenges, which makes us wiser and more mature.” -Jaime Gardea

2008 PREP graduates share inspiration

“Every moment of PREP has been something crazy, something memorable, something that I will take with me for the rest of my life. The time was well-spent. Algebraic Structures, Physics, Probability and Statistics, and math classes ranging from Pre-Algebra to Calculus will all serve us well in the future. PREP has prepared me for AP [Advanced Placement Honors Program]classes in the fall, and inevitably for college. We have all grown throughout the course of this program. We leave here with a much better perspective on college and engineering. I can’t recall all the fun times we have had together because there are too many. Talk about accomplishment, we have persevered for three years and now we are moving on. Moving on to bigger things, like college. PREP has prepared us well for this and we are ready.” - Brandon Day

June 9 - July 18

College of Engineering Dean, Steve Castillo and PREP Project Manager Karen Mikel present Jaime Gardea with his PREP graduation certificate. PREP staff photo. All other photos by Tom Freelove/IEE.

PREP II

PREP III

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 17-18 Water Stewardship Workshop TecH2o Water Resource Learning Center/El Paso, TX Bryan Swain

October 24 Water Quality Field Day Mountain View MS, Alamogordo, NM Bryan Swain

October 28-30 Community Water Ed. Festival TecH2o Water Resource Learning Center/El Paso, TX Bryan Swain

DATE EVENT LOCATION CONTACT

800.523.5996 • 575.646.2038 • E-mail: iee@nmsu.edu

http://iee.nmsu.edu

I E E B r i e f s

USDA/CSREES Organic Waste Utilization project managed by IEE’s David C. Johnson, has received renewal of funding for the 08-09 calendar year. Research efforts will continue to search for long-term solutions and new methods for remediation of problem wastes from the dairy, agriculture, industrial and municipal industries. Wastes from these sectors have been implicated for their contribution towards ground water, air, and soil pollution through highly-mobile inorganic compounds (nitrates, phosphates, sodium, etc.,) pervasive biological pathogens that have entered both the human and plant food chain (E. Coli, Salmonella) and recalcitrant organic compounds present in the environment (pesticides, herbicides, and chemical breakdown products).

IEE Pre-Freshman Engineering Program participants race solar-powered cars during the annual Rocket Launch Competition on the NMSU campus horseshoe field. Photo by Tom Freelove/IEE.

Chris Campbell of IEE/WERC

and Amy Henderson of the

Albuquerque BioPark’s Green

Team display at the Sustainable

Seafood Festival, August 14,

2008. Mr. Campbell is helping

to conduct a waste assessment

and pollution prevention plan

for the BioPark and Zoo in

collaboration with the Park’s

Green Team. Photo courtesy of

Chris Campbell.

Phot

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Tom

Fre

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E