Engineering
Cleaning Up Hunters Point
The Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard bears traces of a toxic — and historic– military legacy. It could also be the site of the new 49ers stadium. But cleaning up this 500 acre Superfund site is costly and time consuming.
Audio Report on Jun 07, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Putting Our Greenbacks Into Green
The Whirlpool Duet clothes washer is among the most energy- and water-efficient washers out thereWell, we finally did it. After 16 months of looking, my wife Michele and I bought a house! We move in at the end of this month. It seems fitting that the family we are buying the house from is moving [...]
Post on Jun 01, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
Reconsidering Nuclear Power
Not long ago, nuclear power was unthinkable among environmentalists, particularly in California, where a moratorium on new power plants has put a lid on the industry for thirty years. But that sentiment may be changing. You may listen to the "Reconsidering Nuclear Power" Radio report online. Amy Standen is a Reporter for QUEST and Radio [...]
Post on May 24, 2007 by Amy Standen
Reconsidering Nuclear Power
Not long ago, nuclear power was unthinkable among environmentalists, particularly in California, where a moratorium on new power plants has put a lid on the industry for thirty years. But that sentiment may be changing.
Audio Report on May 24, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Why Some Houses Blow
I was talking with Matt Golden of Sustainable Spaces, a home performance contractor in San Francisco, at the annual Affordable Comfort conference in Cleveland last month. Matt is what I like to call a "friend of Home Energy," someone who is enthusiastic about our common cause: making homes healthier and more energy efficient. And Matt [...]
Post on May 18, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
The Dark Side of Green
One of our goals at the California Academy of Sciences is to be as green and sustainable as humanly possible. We don't just want to talk about it. We want to live it. But, what we are finding is that going green sounds good on paper, but it can have unintended consequences. Such was the [...]
Post on May 16, 2007 by Donovan Rittenbach
Video Games– Access for All (TV)
Can someone who's quadriplegic or hearing impaired play a video game? QUEST TV takes you to the international Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, where a group of gamers used colorful tactics to convince mainstream developers to make video games accessible for everyone.
Video on May 01, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Underwater Flight with Graham Hawkes
It's not James Bond– it's Graham Hawkes, record holder for the deepest underwater solo dive and inventor of Deep Flight, a winged submersible that may revolutionize underwater travel. QUEST TV Reports.
Video on May 01, 2007 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
LIDAR: Lasers Nab Leadfoots
A growing number of Bay Area police are putting away their old radar guns and embracing new laser beam guns, clocking cars with much more precision than before. QUEST TV finds out how they work.
Video on May 01, 2007 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Video Games– Access for All
Can someone who's quadriplegic or hearing impaired play a video game? QUEST TV takes you to the international Game Developers Conference celebrated recently in San Francisco, where a group of gamers used colorful tactics to convince mainstream developers to make video games that are accessible for everyone. You may watch the Video Games– Access for [...]
Post on May 01, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós
Underwater Flight with Graham Hawkes
Graham Hawkes, an internationally renowned ocean engineer/inventor, has been responsible for the design of many of the manned and remote underwater vehicles in use today. Mr. Hawkes currently holds the world record for the deepest solo dive, which he achieved while test piloting his Deep Rover submersible. Now he’s taking that expertise and building new [...]
Post on May 01, 2007 by Chris Bauer
LIDAR: Lasers Nab Leadfoots
LIDAR (Light-Imaging Detection and Ranging) is the new generation replacement for the older Radar systems that police have been using to catch speeders. LIDAR uses an IR Pulsed Laser Diode to measure speed, distance and direction. By using beam width of less than one-degree, it’s significantly more accurate than the older radar systems. As the [...]
Post on May 01, 2007 by Chris Bauer
Hinode means sunrise
A typical, Earth-sized sunspot as seen by Hinode. Credit: Hinode, National Astronomical Observtory of Japan (NAOJ)A new day has dawned– so to speak… Last September, the Japanese space agency, JAXA, launched a new solar observatory satellite, originally designated as "Solar-B." Upon its successful launch, the spacecraft was bestowed its nickname, Hinode (pronounced “heh NO day”), [...]
Post on Apr 27, 2007 by Ben Burress
Energy efficiency: get your ducts in a row
Getting ready for the summer? Want to be more comfortable and save some money? Then pay attention. A good percentage (up to 30% by some estimates) of energy for heating and cooling homes is lost through leaky ducts. The California Energy Commission rightly figures that connecting a high efficiency furnace to leaky ducts is like [...]
Post on Apr 20, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
Discuss the "Earth Day Special: The History of Environmental Justice" radio report
Thirty-seven years after the first Earth Day, studies are still finding that people of color and low-income families have higher rates of exposure to hazardous waste sites and industrial polluters than the general population. A debate continues over why that is and just what to do about it. QUEST radio takes a look at the [...]
Post on Apr 19, 2007 by Amy Standen
Fly By Night, SOFIA
Artwork of SOFIA with backdrop of astronomical objects; Credit: NASA/USRA.Soon, the nighttime Bay Area skies may be graced with a new astronomical wonder– and I'm not talking about a celestial object or event. I'm talking about something that’s a bit of a cross between an astronomical observatory, a stealth aircraft, and a NASA spacecraft… I’m [...]
Post on Apr 13, 2007 by Ben Burress
Little Fish, Big Crisis
Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) – photo credit: US Fish & Wildlife ServiceThe little delta smelt is back in the headlines. An Alameda County judge has ruled that giant pumps operated by the Department of Water Resources are illegally killing delta smelt and Chinook salmon, two species protected under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). He [...]
Post on Apr 05, 2007 by Ann Dickinson
Distrust of Science, part II
Last blog I talked about some of the reasons scientists are to blame for the public’s distrust of science. This week I want to look at what all of this means in the context of a concrete example–evolution. In the near future, I'll talk about this topic with regard to genetically modified organisms In both [...]
Post on Apr 02, 2007 by Dr. Barry Starr
Discuss the "Devil's Slide" Radio report
The coast between Pacifica and Montara is unsurpassed in scenic beauty. Carved out of the steep cliff sides, Route 1 hugs the coastline for much of the distance between these two towns. In one part, the road crosses the aptly named Devil's Slide region, a steep, unstable geological formation. This section of road has a [...]
Post on Mar 30, 2007 by Amy Standen
Devil's Slide
An infamous stretch of Route 1 is on its way to becoming the site of California's first tunnel in 43 years. For those working on the project, it's an opportunity of a lifetime.
Audio Report on Mar 30, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
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