Kennesaw State University assistant professor Ashish Aphale’s research focuses on the development of advanced materials, such as polymers, nanocomposites, ceramics, and alloys, which can be used to improve energy storage systems like batteries, fuel cells, and other energy conversion devices.

Fertility rates across the world have been steadily dropping since 1950. Pinpointing the reasons — despite the lack of typical causal conditions such as famine or war — is at the heart of one researcher’s work at the University of Notre Dame. Lakshmi Iyer, a professor in the Department of Economics, found that there was more to fertility rates than a simple economic or circumstantial explanation. She learned that understanding social norms leads to a better understanding of demography. And finding ways to change the salience of specific norms can be crucial in shaping fertility behavior.

To meet energy demands and reestablish the nation’s energy dominance, U.S. companies are developing several types of advanced reactors.

One type of advanced reactor, a molten salt reactor, uses fuels dissolved in molten salt coolants instead of the solid fuels used in traditional nuclear reactors. These reactors feature enhanced safety features and high temperatures, which will offer utilities more flexibility in the form of efficient heat and electricity.

“The Kansai area will never experience a major earthquake.” That was how many people felt before the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. But if we examine history, most areas in Japan have records chronicling the devastation caused by earthquakes, and Kobe is no exception. Project Associate Professor MATSUSHITA Masakazu leads the division promoting regional cooperation in education at the Office for Promoting Regional Partnership, and his activities are focused on making it easier for residents to be aware of past disasters, based on information provided by memorial stones and historical documents that remain in local areas. We asked him about the importance of learning from local records and passing on the culture of disaster preparedness to future generations.

When a natural disaster disrupts the lifeline services of water, electricity, gas, or telecommunications, this can wreak havoc on people’s lives. In order to build resilient lifelines, it is essential to analyze the impacts disasters may have, for example, on underground pipelines, and make use of this information in future designs. Professor KUWATA Yasuko at the Graduate School of Engineering is an expert in lifeline earthquake engineering and, in addition to the importance of strengthening facilities, she points out the need for taking measures based on the assumption that there will be potential damage in the event of a disaster, and for raising awareness among the public.

Department of Chemistry doctoral student Evan Fox is pioneering research on sustainable battery materials that could reduce reliance on traditional resources and power the future of energy storage.