The story of the marshes of southern Iraq is the story of civilization. It is the birthplace of Abraham, the written word, the wheel, and irrigated agriculture. For millennia, the natural pulse of the floods was the drum beat of the symphony of biodiversity of the marshes. Rendered dried by the former regime, the marshes have since been revived, yet the loss of the flood pulse has caused the biodiversity of the area to change.
In the first lecture of a two part series, Dr. Alwash described the Iraqi marshlands, their history, and their process of restoration on Tuesday, April 6th. |
It is so commonly accepted that it is almost a mundane claim: Inequality and injustice are hardwired into current models of technological design and technical work in the U.S.. The onus for addressing this problem, however, rests not only on those who officially make social policy—politicians, lawyers, and business people—but also those who build social policy and create possibilities—engineers. Dr. Darshan Karwat believes that engineers can create possibilities for deep good by aligning their work with those traditionally marginalized and exploited in and by technical work.
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Playback: YouTube
For the past century, the prospect of holding the Olympic Games has come with promises of economic benefits and infrastructure improvements for the host city. Yet in recent years, increasingly vocal opposition has raised concerns about the Games’ tendency to run grossly over budget, underachieve on its predictions, and further marginalize local communities. To understand the implications of Los Angeles’ mega infrastructure investment to host the 2028 Olympics, ASCE at UCI and ASCE at UCLA have collaborated to hear from two outspoken voices in their respective fields. |