Potential for carbon dioxide reduction from cement industry through increased use of industrial pozzolans

Concrete is the most widely used material on earth, eclipsing the combined volumes of all other man made materials by a factor of ten. In terms of its embedded carbon, it is a benign product, being associated with relatively little CO2 per unit mass when compared with metals, glasses and polymers. Conversely, it is made in such vast quantities, that it is responsible for over five percent of anthropogenic CO2. Despite recent advances in kiln design and alternative, low energy clinkers, it seems likely that the greatest carbon savings from the industry are likely to be made by the inclusion of supplementary cementing materials. This article reviews some of the options currently under investigation, especially from the UK perspective, and highlights that some of the research needs to be satisfied before such materials are more widely adopted

Seeking Resonances for Remote Communal Chanting Practices

We take a Research Through Design (RtD) approach to explore Buddhist communal chanting practices, seeking to develop tangible design research products that support meaningful techno-spiritual remote connections. This work is informed by an autoethnography in a Buddhist community in the UK. We focus on the experiential and multi-sensory aspects of these practices, presenting three experiments that expose the sound environment as a design material for our future work. In doing so, our attention is drawn to the resonances we encounter in the chanted vocalisations, the interplay with sonic ritual equipment, and the soundscapes of the rooms in which they are practiced

Progress with CEM-Zero

Almost half the papers presented at the 2010 SCMT conference in Ancona described replacement materials for cement in concrete. The ultimate aim of such research must eventually be to replace all of the cement in concrete with environmentally friendly alternatives. The term CEM0 is derived from the European cement types such as CEM1 and is used to describe a cementitious powder without cement. This paper will present results for types of CEM0 that have been made and also discuss problems which affected the models that were used to predict strength. These were caused by the variability of the secondary materials that are used to replace the cement. New models are being developed which rely solely on the observed properties of the materials such as their oxide contents. The paper will present initial findings from this new study and show how it could be used in a CEM0 production process

Conducting Interdisciplinary Research with Vulnerable Populations in Computing: Challenges, Practices, and Lessons Learned

The need for interdisciplinary approaches has become a necessity in Computer Science (CS) research. This is particularly the case with research involving the design and development of technologies that can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of people who are deemed vulnerable (e.g., those living with stigmatized conditions or identities). However, in most cases, interdisciplinary research collaborations in CS fail to include experts from key areas whose knowledge and perspectives could benefit the end users and make the technology design process more ethical. In response, we propose a workshop bringing together researchers and practitioners from CS and the Social and Health Sciences to discuss the challenges, practices, and lessons learned regarding such interdisciplinary research collaborations in the context of technology design with and for vulnerable groups. The outcomes of the workshop would provide insights on how to conduct this type of research more effectively and ethically