Can Engineering Change Our Climate for the Better Part 1

Can Engineering Change Our Climate for the Better Part 1 Can Engineering Change Our Climate for the Better Part 1 Can Engineering Change Our Climate for the Better? Part 1Climate engineering is the process of designing large-scale systems that have the potential to control climate and reduce the impact of climate change. This is a highly controversial topic because of the complexity of the systems involved and the possible negative effects upon the environment and human populations.The field of climate engineering is in its relative infancy. New climate engineering techniques are likely to materialize the mora we learn. Prof. Deborah Gordon, Carnegie Mellon University Examples of climate engineering technologies. Source GAO. Image Jim Lee / US Government Accountability Office, Center for Science, Technology, and EngineeringClimate change technologies are largely theoretical at this stage and fall into two main categories greenhouse gas removal and solar radiation manag ement. So far these methods have been developed and tested via laboratory studies and simulations, with only a few small-scale prototypes tested in the field. No technologies have yet been deployed at a large-enough scale to have global impacts. But they are worth watching as the public and private sectors seek new solutions for specific applications.Greenhouse Gas RemovalGreenhouse gas removal strategies focus on removing greenhouse gasesfrom theatmosphere, especially CO2. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began, according to NASA, which calls CO2 the most important long-lived forcing of climate change. The top greenhouse gas removal strategies includeBioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). This approach takes advantage of carbon naturally stored by plants during photosynthesis. By burning biomass to generate energy before it decomposes and releases its bounty of carbon and then capturing the carbon re leased during biomass combustion and storing it underground, BECCS removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, says Deborah Gordon, the director of the Energy and Climate Program at Carnegie Mellon University. An active BECCS project is the Archer Daniels Midland project in Illinois, which captures carbon and uses it to enhance oil recovery in nearby wells. The project removes more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually.Biological Carbon Sequestration. ansicht technologies engineer biological building blocks of plants and other systems to take in more CO2, thereby reducing levels in the atmosphere. Experiments are under way to create plants with an increased appetite for carbon dioxide, Gordon says. Researchers at Max Planck Institute in Germany are attempting to use enzymes to alter the biochemistry of photosynthesisfor example, creating algae that is specially designed to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere.Direct Air Capture. These technologies capture indu strial-scale quantities of carbon dioxide from the air in the atmosphere. Several approaches are being tested, including designing mechanical trees that absorb carbon dioxide. Klaus Lackner, director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University, invented a version of the mechanical trees while he was a professor at the Columbia University Earth Institute. He covered the structure with artificial leaves made from a resin that absorbs CO2. As the windblows, these leaves take CO2 out of the air, he says. When the tree is dry, it loads and when it is wet, it releases CO2 back. We then pump it out of the chamber and compress it to liquid CO2.Other methods include running air through a caustic chemical process to remove carbon dioxide,geochemical techniques where CO2 reacts with certain minerals to create geologically stable carbonates. Another, air-capture plants, uses walls of fans to strip carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.Read Part 2 to discover more about of environmental engineering.fruchtmark Crawford is an independent writer.

What Is Your Ideal Career

What Is Your Ideal CareerWhat Is Your Ideal Career4Finding your ideal career doesnt have to be time consuming or difficult, it only takes answering the right series of questions to learn about your career passions. The Guardian published a 24-question personality test that is designed to help professionals learn about the things that interest them and how it corresponds to a career path.The Ideal Career QuizThe test, used to find areas of interest, does not have any right or wrong answers. Rather, the quiz is compiled of questions that support four answers that reflect a sliding scale from high interest to very low interest. Whereas typical career tests might focus on professional qualifications or experiences, this quiz focuses only on personal interests.Once the quiz is completed and submitted, results are scored and immediately delivered. The results will show the top areas of interests based on the answers throughout the quiz, so it is important to answer truthfully for the most accusatz results. In the results section, areas of interest are rated and include a small snippet on the schriftart of work in that career area, as well as a few examples of job titles that fit into the categories of interest.Finding Happiness with FlexibilityFlexibility can also be a big contributing factor to feeling happy in your career. Since we all spend a great deal of our time completing work-related tasks, its important to have something we are interested in doing and something that fits into our lives. If you are looking for a career that matches who you are and offers flexibility, consider the following1. Job Categories on Did the quiz reveal a different career than your current career path? Check out your careers of interest on through the job categories. The job categories are organized to deliver flexible jobs in over 50 areas of career experience and interest.2. Changing CareersFor those looking to make a change to their ideal career, make sure to check out the 100 D ays on Jobs for Career Changers. Although the campaign has finished, the information on approaching and managing a career change is still available and highly useful.3. Flexible Work OptionsMaybe you arent ready to ditch your current career path for something new, but still want to increase your career happiness. Evaluate the different flexible work options that are available and consider focusing your efforts on obtaining work-life balance. Flexibility in a job can make a big difference in how you rate your job/career satisfaction.4. Current Employer OpportunitiesLove your job and your current employer? Dont fret Many employers offer flexible work but dont have anything formalized. Create a presentation and approach your employer about utilizing flexible work in your current role.Readers, did you take the personality test? What is your ideal career? Are you currently in that field? Share with us below

Do you have a favorite child A majority of US adults think you do

Do you have a favorite child A majority of US adults think you do Do you have a favorite child A majority of US adults think you do Remember when your parents promised you that they loved you and your brother equally, despite your sneaking suspicions that he was always the favorite? Well according to a majority of Americans, they lied.Sorry to dash your hopes, but according to research by  YouGov Plan Track, 51% of US adults think that parents with multiple children tend to have a favorite. And the people who agree with them are pretty authoritative - 47% of parents with at least one child under 18 say the same.Credit:YouGovIf you need to take a moment to cry into your pillow, go right ahead. The truth hurts, but hey, knowledge is power.It seems that favoritism is especially present in homes with 2-3 children, or at least that’s what members of those households perceive. 46% of people in households with 2-3 kids thought parents with multiple kids tend to have a favorite. As the number of kids goes up, that statistic goes down - maybe because Mom’s too tired to even pick a favorite.Of course, none of these people are saying that THEIR parents have favorites. Or if they’re parents themselves, they’re not saying they love one of their children more than the others (wink, wink). Americans just think that generally, parents tend to have a loved child and then also a few other ones.Credit: YouGovIt’s okay, Jimmy, mommy still loves you. Just maybe not quite as much as she does Ingrid. Maybe if you had worn your retainer and done the dishes once in a while …Anyway, here’s to one mystery out there being thismuch closer to being solved. Even if your parents don’t love you less than your sibling, a majority of Americans think they do. And that’s what really matters, right?

Tips for Creating an Inclusive Workplace

Tips for Creating an Inclusive Workplace Tips for Creating an Inclusive Workplace Last Friday’s historic Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges guarantees same-sex couples in all 50 states the freedom to marry and the right to have their marriages recognized in each state. While this landmark decision guarantees same-sex couples important legal rights, acceptance of individuals who identify as LGBT will still take time. In fact, there is no federal law protecting LGBT workers against discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Although many states and municipalities have passed anti-discrimination laws, 32 states have not or offer limited protections, meaning that in the majority of states, workers can be fired simply for identifying as LGBT. Speakers at the MCCA Creating Pathways to Diversity ® Conference held in Washington, D.C. discussed ways to foster acceptance and enhance LGBT rights in the workplace. Below find tips to ensure that your firm or company is a welcoming place for all employees: Ensure that anti-discrimination policies are included in company’s official policies and employee handbook Provide Safe Space and Ally cards as a visible sign of inclusion Encourage employees to be out, if they feel comfortable Publicly support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act Create LGBT affinity groups Educate the HR department about how new laws impact benefits for married same-sex couples Treat same-sex married couples the same as straight married couples    FOLLOW VAULT ON TWITTER  @VAULTLAW, INSTAGRAM  @VaultCareers  and  FACEBOOK   Read More Have Wall Street’s Gay and Female Diversity Policies Gone Too Far or Not Far Enough?The One Case BigLaw Firms Won’t TakeBest Law Firms for LGBT Individuals

Vladimir Putin teaches you how not to compliment women

Vladimir Putin teaches you how not to compliment women Vladimir Putin teaches you how not to compliment women March 8 was International Women’s Day, which asked for exactly 24 hours of respect for women and their contributions to work and society. Some world leaders did not quite get the memo. From praising women for their childbearing skills to their supermarket-shopping prowess, here are some notable flubs that all of us can learn not to imitate when paying tribute to the women in our lives.Women have a broad portfolio of accomplishmentsMany women are proud to nurture their families - and that is not all they do. Women also commute to work to support their families, contribute to their communities, help charities, innovate,  and create new things in their own right. Recognizing the totality of a woman’s contribution - especially if you are complimenting a colleague - is important.Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a 213-word letter addressed to Russian women on International Women’s Day, and in his praise he focused solely on women’s contributions to the family: “You care day and night for your children, grandchildren and your family. Even today, on International Women’s Day, you are still caught up in your routine, working tirelessly, always on time….We always turn to women for inspiration and consolation, and always find it. Women give us life and perpetuate it in our children.”Why would anyone take offense? Because Putin framed women primarily as support for men, rather than humans in their own right. Like men, women are individuals. This is not the first time Putin has praised women primarily as mothers. In his 2015 letter on International Women’s Day, he described how good mothers provide the solid foundation to any Russian childhood with the expression: “to drink it in with your mother’s milk.” And yet, as women know, women have multi-faceted identities and challenges outside of their ability to reproduce, and these kinds of compliments are limiting. It has become habitual to compliment even the highest-achieving women - like rocket scientists! - on their “mean beef stroganoff.” To give a real, meaningful compliment to a woman, think more broadly than what she does at home.  Women are more than their looks  Just as it would be unthinkable to praise a man’s handsomeness as a personal accomplishment- even if it means he gets paid more -  praising a woman’s beauty falls short of the mark.Yet Putin complimented women, in his speech, for their being decorative: “You fill this world with beaut y and vitality, giving warmth and comfort, cordiality and harmony with your tenderness and generosity of spirit.”Complimenting a woman’s “beauty” can be a double-edged sword, and should be avoided, especially at work. Like complimenting a woman’s domestic prowess, it can feel reductive. And at work, it can be downright insulting: women, like men, go to the office to get things done, not to be stared at, sized up and evaluated for how decorative they are.As long as we’re human, we’ll notice - which is why some psychologists study “pulchronomics,” or why pretty people get paid  more. But work hard on seeing past people’s looks.  Evening the playing field so everyone is evaluated on their work will help team cohesion, and being able to see past looks to the human potential inside is good practice for managers and leaders.Women do more than shop  Brazilian president Michel Temer gave a speech on International Women’s Day that praised women’s economic skills - f or spotting the lowest prices in the supermarket.“Nobody is more capable to pointing out the unbalances in, let’s say, supermarket prices than women,” Temer said in his speech.“Nobody is more capable of detecting eventual economic fluctuation than women, since they monitor the increases and decreases of their home’s budgets.”Like Putin’s speech, Temer’s limited the potential of women to contribute more than domestic support.Protesters took to the streets in Brazil that day with signs that read “they want us as first ladies, never as presidents,” according to CNN.Women aren’t supposed to smile all the timeOn Wednesday, Putin also promised his citizens that Russia “will do our outmost to surround the women we love with care and attention, so that they can smile more often.” What’s wrong with smiling more often? Nothing. But being asked to smile is being asked to give up your own emotions to make someone else feel better. It also ties into the expectation th at women should be decorative at all times. It’s a small, but significant, form of unpaid “emotional labor” that women are asked to do every day. Back up your supportive words with your actions  If you’re not Putin or Temer, it’s pretty easy to be respectful and appreciative to the women around you - but being nice for 24 hours doesn’t accomplish much. Whether you’re a man or a woman, consider backing up the compliments by supporting women in other, tangible ways: hiring women at work, promoting women as often as you promote men, stopping people from interrupting women at meetings, and, if you’re a world leader, creating policies that help women achieve equal pay and equal status under the law. The warm cheer for women in Putin’s letter, for instance, starkly contrasts with his recent actions. In February, Putin signed legislation that decriminalizes “moderate” domestic abuse as an administrative offense. Before, this kind of family violence would get a two-year jail sentence; now, if it’s only happened once in a year, it can just lead to a 15-day sentence in jail or a fine.Of course, this only applies if you believe women belong in the workplace; a Gallup poll released on March 8 suggested that 30% of men worldwide believe women should stay at home.

Work at Home Jobs With ARO Contact Center

Work at Home Jobs With ARO Contact Center Work at Home Jobs With ARO Contact Center Industry BPO specializing in call centers, insurance, and telehealth Company Description Based in Kansas City, MO, ARO, Inc., utilizes an at-home workforce based inside the United States as it offers business process outsourcing (BPO) for companies in industries such as insurance, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and energy. Types of Work-at-Home Positions ARO hires only employees, not independent contractors. ARO offers both full- and part-time employees set schedules. Some of the people ARO hires to service its clients include call center agents (customer services and B2B), insurance agents and auditors, and nurses (RN and LPN). More specifically, the positions for which it hires is: Call center agents - Some positions are customer service only, e.g., medical history interviewers who take both inbound and outbound calls from applicants. These jobs require customer service skills, good listening and ability to document conversations using computer applications. Knowledge of medical terminology is a plus. Other call center jobs are for inbound and outbound sales. Experience in sales and a minimum commitment of 25 hours per week is required in these jobs.  Premium insurance auditor - Company hires both phone auditors and physical auditors. Phone auditors only use the phone and the computer to conduct premium audits for property and casualty insurance, i.e., general liability and workmans compensation. Physical auditors do the same but must do a final physical walk-through at the company being audited. Licensed insurance agents - Company has work-at-home jobs for both life insurance and property and casualty agents making both inbound and outbound calls.  Telehealth - Company hires nurses, both RNs and LPNs, for inbound and outbound calling positions.   Requirements While ARO hires in all U.S. states, it is not always hiring in every state. Applicants must have a dedicated workspace with a door. No noise background noise from pets, children or other sources is tolerated. Also, the agent must supply a computer, a high-speed Internet (cable or DSL), a dedicated phone line with no call waiting for features (VoIP services may be acceptable), and a basic telephone with amplifier and headset. Cordless and cell phones are not acceptable. Applying to ARO To apply for any of these positions, go to AROs website and click Apply to Be a Remote Employee Today! Fill out the contact information, choose which type of job for which you are applying and upload your resume. You should then receive a confirmation email. If the company is hiring in your area and you meet the requirements, you may receive another email inviting you to complete a full application and to interview by phone. Training Training varies based on the position and can be done remotely or at a corporate location. Training is paid at the same as the regular hourly rate and lasts 6 to 10 weeks for 3 to 8 hours per day. For telecommuting jobs in a variety of fields, a  directory of work-at home-companies  will be helpful. For more profiles like this, check out more  work-at-home call center company profiles. Disclaimer: Advertisements for work at home jobs or business opportunities placed on this page in the section labeled Sponsored Links or elsewhere are not necessarily legitimate. These ads are not screened by me but appear on the page due to having similar keywords to the text on the page.

The Art of the Thank-You Note

The Art of the Thank-You Note The Art of the Thank-You Note The days following an interview can be full of stress. You replay each part of the conversation in your head, second-guess your choice of outfit and constantly check your phone for missed calls. (Wait, are we talking about a first date or an interview here?) While the three-day rule of asking for a second date doesn’t apply, it’s important to follow up appropriately with your interviewer. A handwritten thank-you note isn’t necessary- and might even arrive too late. Instead, within one business day, send a short email thanking your interviewer for his or her time. Here, some ideas for crafting the perfect thank-you email: Spell your interviewer’s name correctly. Yes, it sounds obvious. But misspelling a name or title is more common than you would think. To avoid this, make sure to ask for a business card before you leave your interview. As a backup method, look up your interviewer’s contact information on the company’s website or LinkedIn. Mention something you discussed. Demonstrate that you were actively listening during the interview by referring to something interesting you learned about the company or position. For example, note that you enjoyed hearing about the impressive training opportunities available through the company. You can also cite a personal connection that you shared with your interviewer. If you discussed your passion for French films, reminding the interviewer of this will help to reinforce your rapport. Demonstrate your enthusiasm. Reiterate how excited you are about the opportunity. Stating that the interview increased your interest in the role is always a good idea. Provide references or a writing sample if requested. If your interviewer requested any follow up information from you, include it as part of your thank you note. Proofread your email. Asking a friend to take a look is not going too far! Just one typo could negatively affect your interviewer’s opinion of you. Have other thank-you note tips? Let us know in the comments!