EurekAlert! News by Subject: Business & Economics - News by Subject: Business & Economics

Business & Economics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 6-Aug-2025 07:11 ET (6-Aug-2025 11:11 GMT/UTC)

Engineering excellence: Engineers with ONR ties elected to renowned scientific academy

Office of Naval Research
Grant and Award Announcement

Three esteemed engineers with ties to the Office of Naval Research (ONR) have been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Class of 2025. NAE members are among the world’s most accomplished engineers from business, academia and government.

Growing solar: Optimizing agrivoltaic systems for crops and clean energy

SPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Combining solar energy and farming can be enhanced by smart tracking to adjust the position of solar panels based on weather conditions, crop types, and growth stages. This approach ensures an optimal balance between light available for photosynthesis and for electricity production, as demonstrated by a recent study published in the Journal of Photonics for Energy (JPE). The study explores optimized solar panel positioning in agrivoltaics, using apple orchards in southwestern Germany as a case study. Introducing tailored tracking strategies and specific irradiation targets to improve agricultural yields while maintaining energy production, the study addresses critical yield-loss thresholds. Results showed that optimized control can deliver 91 percent of the required light to apple trees with only a 20 percent reduction in energy generation. These findings and subsequent field tests will advance the understanding of the impact of agrivoltaic systems on crop growth and energy efficiency.

Journal: Journal of Photonics for Energy

Two factors could help close the hiring gap for autistic job seekers, VCU researcher finds

Virginia Commonwealth University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Neurodiversity training for employers and autism diagnosis disclosure by applicants could help level the playing field, says Christopher Whelpley of the School of Business.

Journal: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Why is plant-based diet still frowned upon in Europe?

University of Vaasa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

There are strong images – both admiration and irritation – associated with the popularisation of vegetarianism and the use of meat substitutes. Marketing researchers from the University of Vaasa, Finland, have studied attitudes towards vegetarianism and why meat substitutes still do not make it off the shelf and into the shopping basket. Their research shows that meat alternative consumers elicit not only admiration but also envy, fear, contempt, and anger in others.

Journal: Food Quality and Preference
Funder: Business Finland

11th International Granulation Workshop to showcase the latest in agglomeration, granulation and particle technology

Particuology
Meeting Announcement

The 11th International Granulation Workshop will be held in 2025. The workshop consists of two parts: a 2-day hands-on Course on 23^rd-24^th June 2025 in Sheffield, United Kingdom, and a 3-day scientific Conference on 2^nd-4^th July 2025 in Hamburg, Germany.

Latin American intensivists denounce economic and cultural inequities in the global scientific publishing system

D'Or Institute for Research and Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Brazilian, Argentine, and Uruguayan institutions analyze the barriers that low- and middle-income countries face in disseminating research on intensive care medicine, particularly in the treatment of critically ill patients. Published this month in The Lancet, the study highlights how historical and economic biases perpetuate inequalities and suggests changes to make the scientific publishing system more inclusive and representative of the global community.

Journal: The Lancet

Dramatic increase in research funding needed to counter productivity slowdown in farming

Cornell University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Climate change and flagging investment in research and development has U.S. agriculture facing its first productivity slowdown in decades. A new study estimates the public sector investment needed to reverse course.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: U.S. Department of Agriculture

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