The completion of the ILL Endurance upgrade programme was officially celebrated yesterday, 27 November 2024, in the presence of representatives of the ILL Associate Countries – France, Germany and the United Kingdom –  and of several ILL Scientific Member Countries, European neutron facilities and key partner institutions.  For over 50 years, the ILL has been the world’s leading facility for neutron science, and has set the gold standard for running a scientific user facility. The completion of the Endurance Programme marks the conclusion of more than two decades of continuous investment. Within the last seven years, Endurance has delivered 30 new and upgraded instruments and infrastructures, with a total investment of around 50 M€. The celebration was also the official inauguration of the resulting suite of 43 state-of-the-art neutron instruments which is unique in the world. “With the completion of the Endurance programme, the ILL has consolidated its position as a world-unique and state-of-the-art facility for neutron science in the decade to come” concludes ILL director Ken Andersen.

The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) has begun its 2024 plasma experiments, aiming to secure advanced plasma operation technologies.

Paula Salo, Professor of Psychology at the University of Turku, Finland, answers ten questions on Climate nudging. Professor Salo is the Director of the CLIMATE NUDGE project and specialises in health psychology studying approaches to climate change mitigation based on behavioural science.

The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), an institute under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and ICT, has announced the development of a groundbreaking technology that significantly enhances semiconductor packaging productivity while reducing manufacturing costs.

Vyorius’ evolution from a drone manufacturer to an integrated management software provider offers insights into the future of the autonomous vehicles industry. The company's pivot came after an important realization – while unmanned systems promise to reduce human intervention, current operations still require significant human involvement – a fact that undermines the very purpose of automation. In the latest podcast from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), the founder of drone technology startup, Vyorius, Nishant Singh Rana, shared his journey from building drones to creating an ecosystem for unmanned drone systems management. Vyorius aims to position itself at the forefront of the drone revolution, with a vision of skies populated by millions of autonomous vehicles.

36 kilograms is the average amount of plastic packaging waste generated by a single EU citizen per year. Longer-term projections are equally grim, with the amount of plastic waste estimated to triple by 2060 globally. Increasing consumption is driving the search for alternatives – biodegradable and durable materials that would not only replace but also outperform synthetic plastics.

The 2024 election has put a new administration in the White House, but the nation remains deeply divided on a large number of issues, including many policy proposals that implicate energy and climate change.

The impact of Donald Trump’s second presidency, dubbed by some as “Trump 2.0,” on climate and energy was the center of discussion at a recent roundtable event with David Victor, professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, who was joined by Thad Kousser, professor in the UC San Diego Department of Political Science and Varun Sivaram, who served in the Biden-Harris administration as senior advisor to U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.

Education should promote deep inquiry and individual autonomy — but often, it has been used as a vehicle for indoctrination. That’s what Agustina S. Paglayan, a UC San Diego assistant professor of political science in the School of Social Sciences and the School of Global Policy and Strategy, argues in her new book, “Raised to Obey: The Rise and Spread of Mass Education.”