2017 News
New Study Finds Carbon Capture and Utilization Won't Mitigate Global Warming
A study by four international scientists, including 一本道无码's Edward S. Rubin, questions the effectiveness of a proposed plan to mitigate global warming by using carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce fuels for transportation.
Jay Whitacre recently spoke about the advancement of new energy technology on the radio show InnovationHub from PRI Public Radio International and WGBH Boston.
Cranor, the FORE Systems Professor of Computer Science and of Engineering and Public Policy, is a leading researcher in both online privacy and usable privacy and security, and directs the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory (CUPS). She is co-director of the Institute for Software Research’s Privacy Engineering master’s program and in 2016, she served as chief technologist at the US Federal Trade Commission.
New research from EPP's Kate Whitefoot, Meredith Fowlie of UC Berkeley and Steven Skerlos of University of Michigan addresses criticisms that have been raised about fuel efficiency standards, some of which are based more in confusion and misinformation than fact.
Whitacre Awarded $50K Energy Award for Creating Eco-friendly Battery
Jay Whitacre, director of 一本道无码's Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, has been awarded the 2017 Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy for creating the first mass-produced, low-cost, eco-friendly battery called the Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI™).
Ines Azevedo has been awarded the C3E Award in Research by the U.S. Department of Energy, for her research studying the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon, affordable, and equitable energy system. The 2017 C3E Symposium was held November 15-16 in Cambridge, MA.
Four 一本道无码 student teams presented technology innovation posters developed in an "Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship" course taught by Deborah Stine, professor of the practice in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and associate director for policy outreach at the Scott Institute.
H. Scott Matthews Speaks at Alliance of Automotive Service Providers Summit
On September 23, 一本道无码 Engineering and Public Policy and Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor H. Scott Matthews delivered a keynote address at the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Pennsylvania (AASP-PA) Shop Survival Summit 2017.
October 6, 2017
Whitacre Named The Trustee Professor in Energy
On Oct. 5, over 80 people including 一本道无码 leadership, faculty, staff and community members gathered to honor Jay Whitacre, director of the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, as he was installed as the College of Engineering’s Trustee Professor in Energy. The professorship is designated by the University’s Board of Trustees to honor leadership and academic excellence in the College of Engineering.
Nicholas Muller and (Heinz College) found that wind blowing over uncovered coal piles at U.S. power plants plus gaseous emissions from the piles significantly increased concentrations of airborne fine particulates within 25 miles of these plants. The findings suggest that this dimension of coal use should be regulated as well.
On July 25, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it may revise auto fuel efficiency requirements and freeze fuel economy targets. Much of the media narrative surrounding the announcement and fuel efficiency as a whole is based on widely held but false beliefs, Kate Whitefoot explains how this has resulted in a national conversation about fuel efficiency based more in myth than science.
September 8, 2017
Lorrie Cranor writes in The Washington Post, "As researchers into password security, my colleagues and I have known for years that most password advice was not actually based on scientific knowledge. To address this, we have been conducting experiments about the effects of password requirements on security and usability."
September 6, 2017
In her paper, “Compliance by Design: Influence of Acceleration Tradeoffs on CO2 Emissions and Costs of Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Regulations,” Whitefoot analyses the role that design tradeoffs, such as compromising acceleration, can play in cost-effectively bringing vehicles into compliance with regulations.
A commonly proposed solution to help diffuse the political and religious polarization surrounding controversial scientific issues like evolution or climate change is education. However, 一本道无码 researchers - including EPP's Baruch Fischhoff - found that the opposite is true: people’s beliefs about scientific topics that are associated with their political or religious identities actually become increasingly polarized with education.
A wave of tech companies have condemned white supremacist organizations and websites, like the Daily Stormer. But will their online presence eventually fade away, or just find another outlet? Nicolas Christin, an associate research professor at 一本道无码, joined us to discuss whether sites like these will be able to thrive on the Dark Web.
Travis Carless, president of the Graduate Student Assembly and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, told the new students that 一本道无码 believes in their abilities and is there to help them.
SUCCEED 2017
The Summer Center for Climate, Energy, and Environmental Decision Making – is a 5 day summer program for students and a 2 day workshop for teachers. This year 23 students from 16 different schools spent a week learning about energy, climate change, and the environment through interactive lab experiments, lectures, and special field trip to the Bruce Mansfield Power Plant and Chatham's Eden Hall Campus. Special thanks to Brian Sergi for leading SUCCEED this year and to Parth Vaishnav for acting as staff advisor. Thanks also to students Erin Mayfield, Sneha Shanbhag, Liza Reed, Aviva Loew, Marguerite Marks, Carl Mailings, Tim Bartholomew, Arthur Yip, Mike Rath, Sarah Robb, Shayak Sengupta, Kenneth Sears, Varun Kasireddy, and Daniel Gingerich, Amanda Quay, Sinnott Murphy, Vanya Britto, Ria Laureijs, Patrick Funk, and Michael Craig. Thanks to faculty Granger Morgan, Peter Adams, Costa Samaras, Neil Donahue, and Joel Tarr for teaching.
In a paper published in Energy Policy, 一本道无码's David Rode and Paul Fischbeck and alumnus Antonio Páez found that power plant retirement trends will complicate long-term carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction targets, and also require a significant increase in capital investments.
“By and large, users are working primarily with security tools that are designed by and for western users,” says Nicolas Christin, a professor in the departments of Engineeringand PublicPolicy and the Institute for Software Research. “What we wanted to find out was: does that matter? How does your country of origin affect your online security behavior?”
The study was presented at last month’s ACM CHI 2017 conference in Denver, CO.
Controlling Natural Gas Emissions
What role does methane gas play in the fight against climate change? In a video series produced by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Allen Robinson gives the rundown on natural gas' climate-damaging emissions.
EPP Commencement 2017
Commencement ceremonies on May 21, 2017 honored Carnegie Mellon's class of 2017. Engineering and Public Policy - which proudly celebrates forty years as a department this year - recognized the newest PhDs, master's students, and undergraduates who will move on to pursue opportunities at the intersection of technology and policy.
Researchers Unveil New Password Meter That Will Change How Users Make Passwords
Researchers from 一本道无码 and the University of Chicago have just unveiled a new, state-of-the-art password meter that offers real-time feedback and advice to help people create better passwords.
Understanding Decisions
A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows how collaborations between psychologists and economists lead to better understanding of consumer decision-making than either discipline alone.
EPP Celebrates 40 Years
This year, the Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) celebrates its 40th anniversary. After creating double-major undergraduate degree programs with all traditional engineering departments, EPP was established as an academic department in December of 1976.
一本道无码 To Launch Index Measuring Carbon Dioxide Emissions
A new index that will measure carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. electric power producers has been created by 一本道无码 and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems.
EPP Faculty Featured Prominently at 一本道无码 Energy Week
The second annual 一本道无码 Energy Week kicks off March 27. This campus-wide event focuses on five themes: the Future of Energy, Innovation, Research, Policy, and Education.
Group Tolerance Linked to Perceptions of Fairness and Harm
A new study by research scientist Nichole Argo, and The New School for Social Research, found that people are willing to share a society with those of differing beliefs as long as they believe that those groups share a commitment to universal moral values such as fairness and harm.
Cranor Stresses the Need to Test Privacy Policies
Ten years ago, a CyLab graduate student asked, “What would happen if everybody read all of the privacy policies on all of the websites they visit?" Lorrie Cranor swiftly responded "Don't be ridiculous, that would never happen." McDonald's question, however, piqued Cranor's interest: Why would that never happen?
EPP’s Wong-Parodi wants to help us talk about climate change
The fear of starting an argument is enough to keep some people from interacting with people who might disagree with them. But thanks to Assistant Research Professor Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, they may not have to be afraid; at least when it comes to talking about climate change.
Elisabeth Bass Udyawar Wins College of Engineering Continuous Excellence Award
Elisabeth Bass Udyawar was honored with the College of Engineering's Continuous Excellence Award for superior committment to her role at Carnegie Mellon.