Protected areas are often seen as refuges for plants and animals – yet they are also places where people live, work and relax. A new study led by the University of Göttingen in Germany, in collaboration with the Universities of Kassel in Germany, Jyväskylä in Finland, and Stockholm in Sweden, shows how deeply people are connected to these landscapes. The research team analyzed personal stories from residents, land managers, and visitors in protected areas of the district of Göttingen. Their findings reveal that protected areas foster local identity, support learning about nature, and provide spaces for recreation, working together and community engagement. The study was published in the journal People and Nature.

Two engineers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elevated to senior membership in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Researchers receiving the honor include Bryan Maldonado in the Building Envelope Materials Research Group and Jin Dong in the Interactive Controls Group.

From power grids and transport to healthcare systems, the functioning of modern society relies on interconnected networks. When these systems fail, the consequences ripple quickly across sectors. In his doctoral dissertation at the University of Vaasa, Finland, Bahaa Eltahawy shows that safeguarding these networks requires a holistic approach. It is a societal necessity requiring coordination between technology, governance, and human behaviour.

Researchers from Kelson Marine in Portland, Maine and the University of Maine developed a new tool that provides detailed economic analyses for kelp farmers and reveals strategies for reducing the cost of farmed seaweed. The tool incorporates many different factors from a farming scenario, including site specific-ocean and meteorological conditions, species-specific crop characteristics and growth, workboat types and sizes, labor structures, operational technology, local shore-side infrastructure, maintenance schedules and more. By resolving the comprehensive impact on the bottom line and the multitude of tradeoffs associated with specific operational and farm design decisions, the tool provides unique insight into the implications of cost-saving alternatives.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have used a “zap-and-freeze” technology to watch hard-to-see brain cell communications in living brain tissue from mice and humans.

To predict sea level changes, a University of Houston scientist has teamed with international partners to deliver an unprecedented view of the massive glaciers in Antarctica and to examine how they are shifting.  

Lehigh University researcher Hannah Dailey is leading a new international collaboration to improve predictions of how bone fractures heal. Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation, the four-year project partners with the AO Research Institute Davos (ARI) to develop computational models that combine mechanical factors—such as implant stiffness and loading patterns—with biological processes that vary from patient to patient. Using ARI’s extensive imaging library documenting fracture healing in sheep, the team will build probabilistic models capable of forecasting how recovery will progress. The models will ultimately be integrated into ARI’s online training platform to help surgeons understand how implant choices and rehabilitation strategies influence healing. Long term, the goal is to enable patient-specific simulations that help clinicians identify complications earlier and make more informed treatment decisions.