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US DOE awards ~$5M to expand research on methane hydrates

Green Car Congress

By extending a 3-D reservoir model to include methods of sediment deposits, compaction, pressure development, and methane creation, the project will provide valuable insights on the formation of massive hydrate accumulations, the role of free gas in their persistence, and locations where these massive accumulations might be possible. ?DOE

Oregon 230
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Study shows uncovers how beetle gut microbes serve as reactor for fuel production

Green Car Congress

These insights into how the beetle and its distinct microbiome have co-evolved provide a roadmap for the production of affordable, nature-derived fuels and bioproducts. A paper on the study is published in the journal Nature Microbiology. Credit: Javier Ceja-Navarro/Berkeley Lab). To understand the complex connections that make up the O.

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LA-based SMLC to lead new DOE Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute; ~$800M for 5 new hub competitions

Green Car Congress

In addition, the newly announced manufacturing innovation institute topics now under competition include: Robotics in Manufacturing Environments Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Oregon State U.; VRCO; and many more small and medium-sized manufacturers. Missouri U. of Virginia; Virginia Tech; U.

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Ford Smart Mobility shifts from research to implementation; company announces new programs, next areas of focus

Green Car Congress

Following six months of gathering data and consumer insights, Ford is honing in on two strategic areas: flexible use and ownership of vehicles, and multimodal urban travel solutions. InfoCycle: Research as to how bicycles can be best used in urban environments. That’s where Ford Smart Mobility comes in. —Mark Fields.

Ford 150
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DOE Joint Genome Institute approves 41 projects for 2012 Community Sequencing Program; climate, environment and bioenergy feedstocks

Green Car Congress

A team led by Joseph Spatafora at Oregon State University and Jason Stajich at University of California at Riverside is planning to fill in gaps in the Fungal Tree of Life by sequencing 1,000 fungal genomes over the next five years, providing at least two reference genomes for each of the 577 recognized families classified under Fungi.

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A Fresh Charge for Avista EV Program

EV Connect

Background Focused on the production, transmission, and distribution of energy, Avista Utilities provides electricity to nearly 403,000 customers and natural gas to about 369,000 customers across 30,000 square miles and four northwestern states, including Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of southern and eastern Oregon.

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Greedy AI Agents Learn to Cooperate

Cars That Think

What's more, RL agents can learn strategies that enable them to act even in an uncertain and changing environment, taking their best guesses at the appropriate action when confronted with a new situation. The challenges get even greater when an agent is acting in an environment with sparse rewards.