Many students who died during the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech tried to text 9-1-1 for help, but their messages were never received because police departments did not have the technology to receive text reports. Crime Fighter is a technology that revolutionizes the way we report crime. Crime Fighter is the first mobile technology that allows users to be completely anonymous and report crimes in less than 2 minutes for any situation using a text-based application for all smartphones. The technology includes the mobile application for general users and a software system for the police department and university safety services. Currently, no comparable product exists in the market, enabling Crime Fighter to lead the path to a safer community using the modern and popular technology of texting.
Currently, about 140 million rural mountain inhabitants lack access to an improved water source. Consequently, there is an urgent need to find an efficient solution to supply safe water to these populations by further developing the delivery of piped water. Piped water is necessary to conveniently supply the water volume required to meet personal and household hygiene and consumption needs. Unfortunately, willingness to pay for water is traditionally low, and sustainable financing of the necessary water supply infrastructure is known to be very challenging. Power for Water will overcome this obstacle by implement an innovative combination of policy and technology. Specifically, the project combines a proven infrastructure synergy and an efficient public-private partnership to sustainably address the lack of access to safe water and electricity in rural mountainous regions of the world. By overcome the technological and institutional barriers currently preventing millions of people from access to clean, reliable water, this project will improve the lives of millions of people living in remote mountain regions.
This project identifies and analyzes the obstacles presently barring the rise of renewables, evaluates the role of the current policy favorite emission pricing, and offers design recommendations for a comprehensive U.S. renewable policy. Successful climate change mitigation requires a timely shift to renewable sources of energy, such as sunlight, wind or tides, to decarbonize today’s high-carbon electricity sector. But market pull alone is not strong enough. This paper discusses the most widely cited economic barriers and identifies and evaluates additional obstacles related to the electricity sector’s regulatory framework. The project explores a number of policy approaches and their relative chances success. In light of the plethora of obstacles to a timely transition to renewables, this project calls for concerted policy action by scientists, engineers, economists, lawyers, marketers, and educators to fuel the renewables revolution. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Science, Technology, and Engineering Policy” category.)
Many piped potable water systems in developing countries do not provide continuous service. Intermittent supply is a nuisance to users and can degrade water quality. During much of the year the Capellanía water system in Coclé, Panamá provides only intermittent service to many of its clients. This project examines ways to address the issue of unreliable service in the Capellanía water system by managing demand rather than increasing supply. Many supply management approaches are explored, including improved metering, a changed billing structure and infrastructure improvements to prevent water loss. The paper finds that managing demand is a less expensive and more effective way to improve service quality for residents in developing countries affected by unreliable water availability. (Note: This project originally won in the Big ideas “Science, Technology, and Engineering Policy” category.)
This video invites viewers to imagine a more sustainable future and shows us how we can apply the 12 principles of green chemistry to live in a more environmentally friendly fashion.
One of today’s biggest environmental concerns is the emission of greenhouse gases and other harmful substances from the burning of fossil fuels. There is much need today for alternative energy sources, one of which is biodiesel. UC Berkeley dining services consumes an incredible amount of oil that UC Berkeley could both process and use as its own created biodiesel. Along with being a more environmentally safe and less toxic energy source than traditional fossil fuels, biodiesel could be economically viable and practical for the university. The applications of the made bio-fuels include anything from heating the dormitories to powering buses and other campus vehicles. In the long term, UC Berkeley could offset its monetary costs by promoting a more resourceful, direct, and community-based way of operating its systems.
This project proposes that UC Berkeley generate its own biodiesel using the 500 gallons of used cooking oil generated weekly by Crossroads Dining Commons, Foothill Dining Commons, and the Golden Bear Café, for consumption in the campus’s Bear Transit buses. The team has been able to project production of 500 gallons weekly if two reactors are used. Fuel can be produced for $1.44 per gallon and could be sold to Bear Transit for $2.00 per gallon, potentially making the operation financially sustainable.
