Engineering
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
Discuss the "Nanotechnology Takes Off" TV story
Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating things atom-by-atom to produce the smallest human-made objects. It is among the hottest new research fields in the world, and the Bay Area is a center for its study. Within 15 years, experts predict, it will drive progress in virtually every field, from computing to medicine, manufacturing, energy and [...]
Post on Mar 27, 2007 by Josh Rosen
Who controls your thermostat?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star program has promoted programmable thermostats since 1995, estimating that consumers will save 10%-30% on their heating and cooling energy bills. Consumers who can accurately predict when they will be home, and who find it difficult to remember to set up their thermostat in the summer or set [...]
Post on Mar 23, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
Stormwatchers Predict Flooding
Global warming and seasonal storms are putting California's low-lying areas at risk. A new network of high-tech weather sensors is making the streams, tributaries and dams of the American River the country's most closely-monitored water system.
Audio Report on Mar 23, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Discuss the "Watching for Floods on the American River" Radio report
It’s been a fairly dry winter so far in California. One group who could really use some rain is a team of scientists trying to unlock the secrets of how storms work. What they find out has critical implications for people living in flood-prone areas like Sacramento, where information is the best defense. A new [...]
Post on Mar 22, 2007 by Amy Standen
Discuss the "Super Microscope" TV story
Cutting-edge microscopes at UC-San Francisco are helping scientists create three-dimensional images of cells, and may help lead to new medical breakthroughs, including a treatment for Type 1 diabetes. Eco-Architecture and Elk Return to the Bay Area (episode #105), in which this short segment also appears, airs tonight on QUEST at 7:30pm on KQED 9, and [...]
Post on Mar 20, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós
Green Building Revolution
An explosion in green building is underway. Cleverly engineered libraries, office buildings, even public housing projects are popping up across the Bay Area, championed as much by landlords as by environmental groups.
Video on Mar 20, 2007 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
Discuss the "Green Building Revolution" TV story
In Menlo Park, the headquarters of a multi-billion-dollar foundation is cooled with melting ice instead of air conditioning. In San Jose, a computer company linked its irrigation systems to local weather stations so they automatically adjust as the weather changes. In Los Gatos, a nuns' retreat center uses compacted straw for walls, recycled newspaper for [...]
Post on Mar 19, 2007 by Amy Miller
Horsing Around for the Home Planet
A friend who is an aficionado of classical music described rock and roll as "a man who got on his horse and rode off in all directions. In my version of the saying, about climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels, I think we all need to get on our horses and ride off [...]
Post on Mar 09, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
Discuss the "Video Games – Access for All" Radio report
Video games are becoming so popular that last year’s sales in the U.S. surpassed movie ticket revenue. And as their popularity increases, the almost 50 million people that are living with a disability in the U.S. are wanting a voice in how the games are designed. At the San Francisco Game Developers Conference, developers are [...]
Post on Mar 09, 2007 by Amy Standen
Video Games– Access for All (radio)
Video games are becoming so popular that last year's sales in the U.S. surpassed movie ticket revenue. The almost 50 million people that are living with a disability in the U.S. are wanting a voice in how the games are designed.
Audio Report on Mar 09, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
California's High Speed Rail
State transportation planners have nearly finished designing a high-tech bullet train system that would take passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in two hours at 220 mph — faster than a Ferrari. But will California voters pay for it?
Video on Feb 27, 2007 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Discuss the "California's High Speed Rail" TV story
A little-known state agency is drawing up a plan to radically reshape California's transportation system by constructing a 700-mile long high-speed rail system that would send sleek bullet trains whizzing at speeds of up to 220 mph from San Francisco to Los Angeles within a decade. The $37 billion idea is to stay ahead of [...]
Post on Feb 27, 2007 by Chris Bauer
My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nachos
Whenever I talk about my astronomy research, I realize that for most people, the fascination begins with star-gazing. I can't say that I know much about the constellations (I do recognize the Big Dipper and Orion, and that’s about it) but it is a constant reminder of how little most people know what they are [...]
Post on Feb 26, 2007 by Kyle S. Dawson
The Home Planet
I've had all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. I almost died when I was a baby and had the Last Rites before its name was changed to the Sacrament of the Sick. I was baptized, made my first confession when I was in second grade and during the rest of elementary school at St. [...]
Post on Feb 23, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
Discuss the "Investing in Clean Tech" radio report
Silicon Valley investors are betting that clean power is the Valley's next boom. With solar and other alternative energy industries evolving into big business, how are the faces of the environmental movement changing? You may listen the “Investing in Clean Tech” Radio report online. Amy Standen is a Reporter for QUEST and Radio News at [...]
Post on Feb 23, 2007 by Amy Standen
Investing in Clean Tech
Silicon Valley investors are betting that clean power is the Valley's next boom. With solar and other alternative energy industries evolving into big business, how are the faces of the environmental movement changing?
Audio Report on Feb 23, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Discuss the "Urban Heat Islands" Radio report
Climb into a black car on a hot day and you can feel a key principle of physics at work: dark colors retain heat. Now magnify that across an entire city of asphalt roofs, blacktop roads and parking lots–and you have what scientists call an "urban heat island;" an effect that triggers a vicious cycle [...]
Post on Feb 16, 2007 by Andrea Kissack
Plug-In Hybrid Cars
A group of Bay Area engineers is trying to launch a green car revolution at 100 mpg by souping up Toyota's Prius. The holy grail of their "plug-in hybrids:" less smog, less global warming and a cure for America's oil addiction.
Video on Feb 13, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
