VACCINESCOVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the Military Is a Manageable Challenge By Douglas D. Jackson Published 4 January 2022 The military has vaccinated the vast majority of service members, but pockets of hesitancy remain. What’s driving the reluctance, and what should be done to overcome it? The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is in the final stages

INFRASTRUCTUREExamining Life-Cycle Bridge Performance and Cost Management Published 4 January 2022 A new book is an authoritative resource for “students, researchers, practitioners, infrastructure owners and managers, and transportation officials to build up their knowledge of life-cycle bridge performance and cost management at both project level and network level under various deteriorating mechanisms, hazards, and climate

ADVERSARIAL AIAiding Evaluation of Adversarial AI Defenses Published 4 January 2022 There are many inherent weaknesses that underlie existing machine learning (ML) models, opening the technology up to spoofing, corruption, and other forms of deception. Evaluation testbed, datasets, tools developed on GARD program were released to jump-start community and encourage creation of more robust defenses

OUR PICKSLog4j Flaw Attack Levels Remain High | Spotting Extremists | Spies & Actors, and more Published 4 January 2022 ·  Winnipeg Professor Developing Tool Kit to Help Teachers Spot Burgeoning Extremism in Students ·  Hate Crimes Are Soaring. Extremists Have a New Recruitment Tool: Video Games. ·  Hackers Breached Florida Health Care System, Potentially Exposing Data

CLIMATE CHALLENGESDecember in Texas Hottest on Record in More Than 130 Years Published 4 January 2022 The state climatologist says last month was the warmest December since 1889. From Dallas through Abilene to Del Rio, temperatures averaged 5 to 9 degrees above normal. Last month Texas experienced its warmest December on record since 1889, said John Nielsen-Gammon, a

NEUROTECHNOLOGYThe Big Promises and Potentially Bigger Consequences of Neurotechnology By Elise Thomas Published 3 January 2022 Neurotechnology is an umbrella term for a range of technologies which interact directly with the brain or nervous system. This can include systems which passively scan, map or interpret brain activity, or systems which actively influence the state of

NUCLEAR POWERGermany Closes Three of Its Six Operating Nuclear Power Plants Published 3 January 2022 The shutdowns of three plants take place as Europe faces one of its worst-ever energy crises and as support for nuclear as a low carbon energy is, once again, on the rise. Germany is to shut down three nuclear power plants

SURVEILLANCEIn 2021, the Police Took a Page Out of the NSA’s Playbook: 2021 in Review By Jennifer Lynch Published 3 January 2022 Dragnet searches were once thought to be just the province of the NSA, but they are now easier than ever for domestic law enforcement to conduct as well. With increasing frequency, law enforcement

TERRORISMFollow the Money: Bringing IS Extremists to Justice By Cathrin Schaer Published 30 December 2021 Financing terror, chemical weapons, forensics and digital archives: The ex-German prosecutor now heading the UN’s special team on crimes of the “Islamic State” explains where the search for justice will focus. Who profited from the rise of the extremist group known

COASTAL CHALLENGESAntarctica’s “Doomsday” Glacier: How Its Collapse Could Trigger Global Floods and Swallow Islands By Ella Gilbert Published 3 January 2022 Driven by global warming, sea level has risen around 20cm since 1900, an amount which is already forcing coastal communities out of their homes and exacerbating environmental problems such as flooding, saltwater contamination and