As the World Warms
Hurricane Ian, which hammered Cuba and the southeastern United States in late September, killed at least 130 people. An early October Washington Post article said the Category 4 monster was “shaping up to be the deadliest storm to pound Florida since 1935.” It also ranks among the state’s costliest, with damages topping $60 billion. That same month saw Hurricane Fiona leave a swath of death and destruction from the Caribbean to Canada and Super Typhoon Noru devastate the Philippines before slamming into Vietnam.
A surge in dangerous Category 4 and 5 storms is just one of the many challenges our warming planet will face, climate researchers predict. Already, higher air and sea-surface temperatures have resulted in record rainfalls and rapidly intensifying wind speeds. (Ian hit Florida having revved from 75 mph to 155 mph in under 48 hours.) Other alarming consequences of global warming: drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, and flooding along with displacement, famine, and illness.
Millions of people already are experiencing the impact of this new reality on their daily lives, including how they live and commute. This issue of Prism examines engineering solutions.
In our cover feature, former Prism editor Mark Matthews revisits geoengineering, a strategy that was once the stuff of science fiction. As efforts to keep rising global temperatures in check gain new urgency, once pie-in-the-sky ideas for blocking solar radiation from Earth’s stratosphere or a million miles out in space are picking up support.
In a companion feature, Prism chief correspondent Tom Grose highlights such close-to-home innovations as cooling “paper” that could reduce air-conditioning use by reflecting solar energy from rooftops.
Also, don’t miss the profile of 2022–23 ASEE President Jenna Carpenter by frequent contributor Pierre Home-Douglas. As Campbell University’s founding engineering dean and now as ASEE President, Carpenter is pushing to shift the mindset from weeding students out to weaving them in to engineering education. The effort holds promise for increasing equity, broadening the nation’s technical workforce, and solving society’s grand challenges.
In this issue you’ll also see the first signs of Prism’s own exciting changes. Our revamped Heritage Month section now occupies a prominent place at the front of the magazine and offers inspiring conversations with leading engineering educators. Our debut Career Corner provides practical, action-oriented advice. You also will find more links to supplemental Prism Online content. Coming soon: a new Prism website, with exclusive digital-only content, improved search functions, and more. We’re also working to better integrate Prism with other ASEE offerings to create a more valuable experience for you!
As Prism’s team continues to brainstorm, experiment, and revise, we welcome your feedback and ideas. Contact me at e.miller@asee.org.
Eva Miller
e.miller@asee.org