Currently, I am working on the following projects (click on project titles for more info):

Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA)

The Economic Input Output-Life Cycle Assessment model traces out the various economic transactions, resource requirements and environmental emissions required for producing a particular product or service. The model captures all the various manufacturing, transportation, mining and related requirements to produce a product or service. For example, you might wish to trace out the implications of purchasing $ 46,000 of reinforcing steel and $ 104,000 of concrete for a kilometer of roadway pavement. Environmental implications of these purchases can be estimated using EIOLCA. The latest version of the model is based upon the Department of Commerce's 1997 input-output model of the US economy, augmented by data on energy use (from the US Department of Energy), environmental emissions (from the US Environmental Protection Agency).

Tracking Heavy Metal Life Cycle Pathways

Heavy metals are of considerable concern as they are in widespread use and many are quite toxic. Understanding how and why we use these toxic materials can help us to use them more efficiently. This project is developing mass flow input-output models of several heavy metal flows (i.e. cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury and nickel) through nearly 500 sectors of the US economy and integrated with our own life cycle analysis model, EIO-LCA. These models will enable us to identify steady-state flows from the supply chain, releases, uses and recycling for individual products or industrial sectors. The models will also be used to estimate changes in heavy metal flows due to new technologies, growth in economic activity and changes in the mix of economic activity. Scenarios leading to long-term sustainable economic activity and material use will be identified involving both new technologies and management strategies. With comparisons to multiple datasets and simulation results, the data and model uncertainty will be identified and characterized. The project will implement the models on the Internet for widespread use, including educational modules and a specialized interface intended for middle and secondary school students.

Assessment and Redesign of Processes for Sustainable Construction

The construction industry has a significant impact on resource use, environmental emissions, and energy use in the United States. The products of construction activity (e.g. buildings, roads) further contribute to impacts in these areas. This project will create "hybrid" life cycle models of the environmental implications of construction process activities, including both traditional process-based and input-output models. In this project, we will integrate an existing input-output model, EIO-LCA, with process-specific data from existing inventories (e.g. BEES). By using the model and framework described above, more detailed information about the impacts of various construction process activities will be created. The result of this project will be freely accessible on the Internet to aid in public and private decision-making issues related to the implications of construction. For example, assessments of "green buildings" can estimate the overall environmental effects of various processes (e.g. transportation of materials to the site) and be more informed about which of these processes has the smallest environmental burden. In the longer term, such results could better inform and define the ways in which green building/construction projects are rated via a better understanding of the relative impacts of various processes.

Assessment Tool and Visualization for Regional Supply Chain Impacts

We are developing a decision-support tool to examine the spatial distribution of supply chain environmental impacts and sustainability implications of producing many different goods and services in the United States. Currently, most models in this domain provide only total national level estimates. We will take the first steps to highly detailed estimates in this project by providing regional and state-level indicators. Local analyses of economic changes typically omit the many indirect supply chain effects that occur. For example, the emissions related to automobile manufacturing extend well beyond the assembly plant. Our supply chain analysis will trace purchases among 485 economic sectors in EIO-LCA and identify possible supplier locations among existing plants. The spatial distribution of impacts, the location of supply chain and transportation routes will be visualized in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Typical analyses include location of a new automobile assembly plant, infrastructure investment, shifts to ecommerce, growth in service sectors, etc. Use of the analysis system is intended help reduce environmental effects of the regional economy, e.g., by reducing transportation demands, moving suppliers closer to the production facilities, showing onesÕ indirect impacts, etc. This method will allow specific firms to compare their known supply chains with our estimates from each sector.

Pervasive Sensing for Embedded Commissioning

Critical Infrastructure Interdependencies

Achieving effective infrastructure security and survivability requires system-wide comparisons and inter-disciplinary approaches. The objective of this project is to explore the critical connections between core infrastructure service sectors (e.g. electric power, telecommunications, transportation, etc.) using a total supply chain analysis model to help better understand their threats and vulnerabilities, identify the hidden links among infrastructures, and inform efficient resource allocations and investments to assure infrastructure capabilities. Publicly available data from Department of CommerceÕs Bureau of Economic Analysis shows the actual economic dependencies between critical infrastructures and the service economy in general. We are using EIO-LCA to study the interconnections among critical infrastructures. Linkage connections are to be explored through supply chain driven requirements. A multi-criteria risk model is to be created to include diverse vulnerability factors.

Economic Assessment of US-VISIT Program

The US-VISIT program is marketed as a security enhancement in the face of increased needs for homeland security that will supplement existing border controls. The program includes implementation of new technology for screening and identification. Some aspects of the US-VISIT program have already been publicly identified as potential problems. For example, there have been concerns that US-VISIT will have negative impacts on the emerging global economy and its ability to have international supply chains. Further, economic impact assessments of security programs and technologies are not prevalent. We are focusing on the life cycle benefits and costs of the US-VISIT program at land ports of entry along the northern and southern US border. The goal of the study is to provide the US-VISIT program officers with insights into the various aspects of the program that affect its visibility and economic efficiency. Included in the project are:

• Social benefits (e.g., criminal activity, environmental impact, etc).
• Direct costs and their relationship to the program.
• Indirect costs, externalities, and environmental effects (e.g., vehicle emissions, increased/decreased wait times, vehicle type and idling times, identification of change to travel patterns and/or characteristics).
• Border crossing issues recognizing regional effects, economic clusters, bi-national planning efforts and socio-economic impacts.
• Analysis of specific market segments and potential impacts (some base markets that have been identified include, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, energy and timber).