The Infrastructure Show - Podcasts
By Professor Joseph Schofer, Thomas Herman and Marion Sours
To listen to an audio podcast, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to download and subscribe to podcasts.
Podcast Description
The Infrastructure Show consists of monthly podcasts in which some of the nation’s top infrastructure experts discuss with host Professor Joseph Schofer of Northwestern University the condition of our infrastructure today, and what can be done about it. While many subjects are addressed, including repairs, upgrades and new construction, there is an emphasis on the topics of preventive and predictive maintenance, as well as “structural health monitoring” – a special focus of the Northwestern Infrastructure Technology Institute, of which Dr. Schofer is Director.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Alternative fuels – an overview of U.S. progress | According to the U.S. Department of Energy, transportation accounts for about two thirds of the United State’s oil consumption, and one third of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. As with the green buildings movement, the emerging clean | 1/31/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Challenging inspections — how one company performs hands-on evaluations of difficult-to-access structures | The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the Washington, D.C. area on Aug. 23 caused some damage to the Washington Monument, including façade cracks, that required it to be temporarily closed to the public for inspection. Sent to evaluate the damage | 12/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
The Wells Street Bridge — a look at the upcoming rehabilitation of a historic Chicago bridge | Chicago and Cook County, IL have the largest number of movable bridges in the world, a number of which are also historic. One such bridge is the Wells Street Bridge, a lift, or bascule, bridge over the Chicago River, which was built in 1922. The | 11/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Improvements needed in U.S. floodplain management | In 1993, following the Great Flood in the Midwest along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, a White House committee was formed to assess the causes of the flood and make recommendations for improved floodplain management in the future. Lead by Gerald | 10/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
The Fukushima I accident, and its implications for nuclear plant design | The March 11, 2011 earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan caused massive loss of life and property destruction on the northern coast and islands. In that same hard-hit vicinity, on the coast, is located the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, which | 9/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Assessing Electric Productivity in the U.S. | The U.S. wastes a lot of energy, but in fact energy efficiency has been improving significantly in recent decades. However, this progress is not uniform – electric productivity in some states is markedly better than others. The details of this | 8/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
The quest for transportation data – knowing how people travel is key to infrastructure management, but how can this data be | “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” is a commonly heard engineer’s truism. Yet many engineers who work in U.S. transportation unfortunately are faced with this dilemma on a regular basis. That is, they’re tasked with planning | 7/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Avoiding disasters – how planning and wise spending can achieve effective prevention | When a natural hazard, like an earthquake, strikes one country and causes great damage and loss of life, while another country, struck by a similar earthquake, is nearly unscathed, the difference often can be traced to preventive measures. Joining the | 6/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
Philadelphia’s green infrastructure – a model for enlightened water resource management | Over the past 20 years, “green infrastructure” has evolved into a sophisticated concept that cities and towns across the U.S. are beginning to use. That is, they examine ways to manage water, wastewater, energy and air quality with natural | 5/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
The Panama Canal – a historic project still vital to world transportation | The Panama Canal, begun in 1879 by the French and ultimately completed by the United States between 1904 and 1914, is a 48-mile-long ship canal that crosses the country of Panama, allowing ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is | 4/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
11 |
The Dulles Airport Metrorail Project – overview of an important new transit link | Rail transit connections between airports and city centers have become increasingly common and heavily used around the world in recent decades. A particularly high-profile link is now being constructed in the Washington, D.C. area – a 23-mile | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
12 |
Structural failures of infrastructure projects | In the month of August, 2005 and again in August, 2007, the United States experienced major infrastructure failures – in New Orleans and Minneapolis – that stunned the country with their traumatic loss of life, and drew the attention of the world. | 2/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
13 |
Bus rapid transit systems | Imagine a bus that travels in its own dedicated lane at the speed of a subway train, dramatically faster than conventional buses; a bus that brings high-speed transit to areas of the city where subways don’t run; and the costs of which are far below | 1/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
14 |
Gas and oil pipeline safety in the U.S. | There are about 2.3 million miles of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines in the U.S. This pipeline infrastructure is overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation, whose sub-department, the Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration | 12/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
15 |
New materials for infrastructure projects | Throughout history, materials used for infrastructure and transportation-related projects have followed a continuous course of development and change – from the first use of concrete in bridges by the Romans, to the first steel bridge, the Eads | 11/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
16 |
Privately owned dams | According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, there are currently more than 85,000 dams in the U.S. Surprisingly, the majority of these dams are privately owned – the Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that fraction number at 65%. | 10/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
17 |
State of good repair for the MTA | The target condition for physical infrastructure on mass transit facilities in the United States is called the state of good repair, or SGR. The concept of the state of good repair is used to help gauge current and future | 9/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
18 |
Valuing the infrastructure – a look at America’s inland waterways | The inland waterway system of the United States, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, includes 12,000 miles of commercially navigable rivers, canals and other waterways, and 240 locks. This system, which includes the Mississippi, Ohio, | 8/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
19 |
Earthquakes and structures in the U.S. | Two major earthquakes happening within a month of each other in early 2010 galvanized the world’s attention. Highly publicized was the role that building codes played in the differing losses of life in the two events, in Haiti and Chile. What are | 8/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
20 |
Recycled plastic bridges - innovative Virginia project showcases environmentally friendly material | Corrosion of steel bridges, and of reinforcing steel in concrete bridges, is a major cause of bridge deterioration. The search for a wonder material that bears heavy loads, yet won’t corrode, has been a dream of infrastructure engineers for many | 6/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 20 Episodes |
Listeners also subscribed to
- Metro Matters Podcast
- Next American City
- View In iTunes
- We The People Stories
- National Constitution Center
- View In iTunes
- Townhall.com - Dennis Prager
- Dennis Prager
- View In iTunes
- Free
- Category: News & Politics
- Language: English
- © 2009-2012, The Infrastructure Show and show creators
