Researcher develops technology to provide cleaner energy and cleaner water

A researcher in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering has developed a novel method for direct lithium extraction from produced water to contribute to the high demand for electric vehicles and green energy.

Virginia Tech

 

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(From left) Graduate student Peidong Liu and mining and minerals engineering Associate Professor Wencai Zhang analyze water samples in the lab.

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Credit: Photo by Hailey Wade for Virginia Tech.

As the world transitions to cleaner energy sources, the need for energy-relevant metals and critical minerals has surged dramatically. Driven by the rise of electric vehicles and other green technologies, these essential materials are in high demand across the globe.  

Metals, such as lithium, cannot be grown. They must be mined or recycled, making this a top priority for researchers in the mining industry. Traditional methods of mining lithium are expensive and can be harmful to the environment, but researchers at Virginia Tech have found a way to minimize this environment impact. They will optimize and scale up this method with a pending Department of Energy grant worth over $1.8 million, including $1.5 million in federal shares.

Wencai Zhang, associate professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering, is leading this project to recover high-demand metals, such as lithium and rare earth elements, from produced water from the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin. Produced water is naturally occurring water that comes out of the ground during the production of natural gas and can contain pollutants such as lithium, along with sodium chloride, calcium, and magnesium that cause extremely high salinity levels. Researchers aim to reduce salinity levels and remove pollutants while extracting lithium for other manufacturing applications.

“High-demand metals and minerals, such as lithium, play an essential role in electric vehicle production and are present in virtually every battery worldwide,” said Zhang. “Our goal is to contribute to the supply chain of these critical materials while also making a positive environmental impact. We specifically aim to reduce the environmental consequences that can be associated with produced water.”

The novel approach

Although several studies have been performed on lithium recovery from produced water, a complete process that can produce battery-grade lithium has not yet been developed.

Enter Zhang and his team, who have developed a novel process for achieving beneficial uses of produced water, including valuable mineral recovery and carbon fixation. Their project involves five major phases to treat the produced water and harvest these high-demand minerals.

Phase one: Produced water treatment

Zhang and his team will begin by treating the produced water from the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin with the aim of removing any solid particles while maintaining minimal loss of valuable minerals.

Phase two: Rare earth elements and critical metals recovery

In order to recover these high-demand minerals, Zhang has developed patented and patent-pending technologies to recover critical minerals from the produced water. The concentration of the minerals in the produced water is too low for efficient recovery, so Zhang’s method, known as staged precipitation, concentrates critical elements from the solution so that they can be efficiently extracted and further refined.

Phase three: Direct lithium recovery

The conventional method of lithium extraction from the earth is costly and requires a significant amount of energy. The researchers will combine a specially designed ion-exchange system, which is used in the separation of substances and is specifically selective for lithium, and a multiple-stage solvent extraction process that has been significantly modified to suit produced water treatment. Zhang and his team’s novel method for direct lithium extraction is cost-effective and less energy-intensive. 

Phase four: Carbon mineralization

Produced water contains alkaline earth metals, such as calcium and magnesium, which contribute to the hardness of water, or how usable it is. Zhang and his team will be using carbon mineralization to remove these metals by adding carbon dioxide gas to a solution that contains alkaline earth metals, which then allows carbonate compounds, such as calcium carbonate, to form and settle out of the solution. By turning carbon dioxide and minerals into solid particles, they can then be filtered out of the water. 

Phase five: Phyto-microbial treatment

In the final project phase, Zhang and his team will be reducing salinity levels and removing pollutants from the produced water using phyto-microbial treatment, which involves employing plants and their respective microbes to clean up contaminants in the produced water. They will intentionally select certain plants with excellent purification characteristics that might not normally grow in the location of the produced water. These plants and microbes will be tailored to the removal of all contaminants, resulting in cleaner water.

Environmental improvements for the future

The minerals recovered from this project play a critical role in our modern society. With an electric vehicle future on the horizon, Zhang is teaming up with interdisciplinary researchers and industry partners that will contribute their expertise and relevant data for the project. Their partners include

• Colleen Doherty, associate professor of molecular and structural biochemistry at North Carolina State University, will lead phase five of the project. 
• Austin Elements, a battery-recycling company, will lead the effort of phase three and the pre-pilot construction and techno-economics for the commercialization.
• EQT Corporation, a leading natural gas producer in the United States with operations in the Appalachian Basin, will provide the team with sufficient produced water for experimental tests. 

When collaborating on a project with such significant impacts like cleaner energy and cleaner water, having a shared goal becomes crucial. The research team’s goal for this project happens to benefit our region.

“The Marcellus Shale is a significant geological formation known for its rich deposits of natural gas, particularly shale gas,” said Zhang. “It is located primarily in the Appalachian Basin in the eastern United States, which includes part of Virginia. This project offers the opportunity to unlock additional environmental benefits for this region.

“My knowledge itself cannot solve this issue, so it’s crucial to the project that we have collaborators who have industry relevant knowledge that will make a substantial impact on the project and get the issue resolved." 

The potential future impact of this project is substantial, and integrating this research into common practice could significantly enhance the benefits of shale gas production. Shale gas companies operate multiple production sites, often relying on centralized water facilities to collect and distribute water across various locations. Zhang and his team’s technology can be integrated into these facilities to optimize this process.

Treated produced water could also be used as irrigation water in the future, supporting agriculture in the region. 

“Our technology not only facilitates the recovery of valuable minerals like lithium, but also ensures that the water remains suitable for shale gas production," Zhang said. "We can also reduce water salinity, providing cleaner water to support agriculture in areas with low water supply."

 

‘Ice bucket challenge’ reveals that bacteria can anticipate the seasons

Bacteria use their internal 24-hour clocks to anticipate the arrival of new seasons

John Innes Centre

 

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Dr Luisa Jabbur - "There is something very precious about looking at a set of plates with bacteria on them and realizing that in that moment you know something that nobody else knows.” 

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Credit: John Innes Centre

Bacteria use their internal 24-hour clocks to anticipate the arrival of new seasons, according to research carried out with the assistance of an ‘ice bucket challenge.’ 

This discovery may have profound implications for understanding the role that circadian rhythms – a molecular version of a clock – play in adapting species to climate change, from migrating animals to flowering plants.  

The team behind the findings gave populations of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) different artificial day lengths at a constant warm temperature. Samples on plates received either short days, equinox days (equal light and dark), or long days, for eight days.  

After this treatment, the blue-green algae were plunged into ice for two hours and survival rates monitored.   

Samples that had been exposed to a succession of short days (eight hours light and 16 hours dark) in preparation for the icy challenge achieved survival rates of 75%, up to three times higher than colonies that had not been primed in this way. 

One short day was not enough to increase the bacteria’s resistance to cold. Only after several short days, and optimally six to eight days, did the bacteria’s life chances significantly improve. 

In cyanobacteria which had genes that make up their biological clock removed, survival rates were the same regardless of day lengths. This indicates that photoperiodism (the ability to measure the day-night cycle and change one’s physiology in anticipation of the upcoming season) is critical in preparing bacteria for longer-term environmental changes such as a new season or shifts in climate. 

“The findings indicate that bacteria in nature use their internal clocks to measure day length and when the number of short days reaches a certain point, as they do in autumn/fall, they ‘switch’ to a different physiology in anticipation of the wintry challenges that lie ahead,” explained first author of the study, Dr Luísa Jabbur, who was a researcher at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, in the laboratory of Prof. Carl Johnson when this study took place, and is now a BBSRC Discovery Fellow at the John Innes Centre.  

The Johnson lab has a long history of studying the circadian clock of cyanobacteria, both from a mechanistic and an ecological perspective. 

Previous studies have shown that bacteria have a version of a biological clock, which could allow them to measure differences in day-night length, offering an evolutionary advantage. 

This study, which appears in Science, is the first time that anyone has shown that photoperiodism in bacteria has evolved to anticipate seasonal cues.  

Based on these findings a whole new horizon of scientific exploration awaits. A key question is: how does an organism with a lifespan of between six and 24 hours evolve a mechanism that enables it not merely to react to, but to anticipate, future conditions? 

“It’s like they are signalling to their daughter cells and their granddaughter cells, passing information that the days are getting short, you need to do something,” said Dr Jabbur. 

Dr Jabbur and colleagues at the John Innes Centre will, as part of her BBSRC Discovery Fellowship, use cyanobacteria as a fast-reproducing model species to understand how photoperiodic responses might evolve in other species during climate change, with hopeful applications to major crops.  

A key part of this work will be to understand more about the molecular memory systems by which information is passed from generation to generation in species. Research will investigate the possibility that an accumulation of compounds during the night on short days acts as a molecular switch that triggers change to a different physiology or phenotype.  

For Dr Jabbur the findings amount to an early-career scientific breakthrough in the face of initial scepticism from her scientific mentor and the corresponding author of the paper, Professor Carl Johnson. 

“As well as being a fascinating person and an inspiration, Carl sings in the Nashville Symphony Chorus, and he has an operatic laugh! It echoed round the department when I first outlined my idea for the icy challenge, to see if photoperiod was a cue for cyanobacteria in their natural element,” said Dr Jabbur. 

“To be fair he told me to go away and try it, and as I went, he showed me a sign on his door with the Frank Westheimer quote: ‘Progress is made by young scientists who carry out experiments that old scientists say would not work.’ 

“It did work, first time. Then I repeated the experiments. There is something very precious about looking at a set of plates with bacteria on them and realizing that in that moment you know something that nobody else knows.” 

Bacteria can anticipate the seasons: Photoperiodism in cyanobacteria appears in Science.  

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Journal

Science

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Bacteria can anticipate the seasons: Photoperiodism in cyanobacteria appears in Science.

Article Publication Date

6-Sep-2024

Falling for financial scams? It may signal early Alzheimer’s disease

New USC Dornsife research reveals a link between the thickness of a certain brain region and vulnerability to financial exploitation in older adults.

University of Southern California

Older adults who are more vulnerable to financial scams may have brain changes linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the fifth leading cause of death among those 65 and older. The disease will carry an estimated $360 billion in health care costs this year alone, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. 

Researchers led by Duke Han, professor of psychology and family medicine at USC Dornsife, aimed to better understand the link between early Alzheimer’s disease and financial vulnerability by using high-powered MRI to examine the brains of 97 study participants over age 50.

The scientists focused on the entorhinal cortex, a region that acts as a relay station between the hippocampus — the brain’s learning and memory center — and the medial prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotion, motivation and other cognitive functions. It is often the first region to show changes in Alzheimer’s disease, typically becoming thinner as the disease progresses.

None of the study participants, age 52 to 83, showed clinical signs of cognitive impairment, but all underwent MRI scans to measure the thickness of their entorhinal cortex.

In addition, the researchers used a standardized tool called a Perceived Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale (PFVS) to assess the participants’ financial awareness and their susceptibility to poor financial decisions, which they term “financial exploitation vulnerability,” or FEV.

By comparing the adults’ FEV with the thickness of their entorhinal cortex, Han and the team found a significant correlation: Those more vulnerable to financial scams had a thinner entorhinal cortex.

This was especially true for participants age 70 and older. Previous research has linked FEV to mild cognitive impairment, dementia and certain molecular brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Han, who holds a joint appointment at Keck School of Medicine of USC, says the findings provide crucial evidence supporting the idea that FEV could be a new clinical tool for detecting cognitive changes in older adults — changes that are often difficult to detect.

“Assessing financial vulnerability in older adults could help identify those who are in the early stages of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” Han said. He added, however, that financial vulnerability alone is not a definitive indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or other cognitive decline. “But assessing FEV could become part of a broader risk profile,” he said.

Han also noted several limitations of the study. Most participants were older, white, highly educated women, making it difficult to generalize the findings to a more diverse population. Additionally, while the study found a link between entorhinal cortex thickness and FEV, it does not prove one. Finally, the study does not include specific measures of Alzheimer’s disease pathology. 

These limitations leave open the possibility that the relationship between FEV and entorhinal cortex thinning could be explained by other factors. Accordingly, Han said that more research, including long-term studies with diverse populations, is needed before FEV can be considered a reliable cognitive assessment tool.

About the study

In addition to Han, study authors include Laura Fenton, Aaron Lim, Jenna Axelrod and Daisy Noriega-Makarskyy of USC Dornsife; Lauren Salminen, Hussein Yassine and Laura Mosqueda of Keck School of Medicine of USC; Gali Weissberger of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University; and Annie Nguyen of the University of California, San Diego. 

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Journal

Cerebral Cortex

DOI

10.1093/cercor/bhae360 

Method of Research

Imaging analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Lower entorhinal cortex thickness is associated with greater financial exploitation vulnerability in cognitively unimpaired older adults

Article Publication Date

3-Sep-2024

New population model identifies phases of human dispersal across Europe

 News Release 4-Sep-2024

University of Cologne

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Cologne’s Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology and the Department of Prehistoric Archaeology has developed a new model, the “Our Way Model”. They modelled the movements and population densities over time and space during the Aurignacian (approximately 43,000 to 32,000 years ago) to better understand how the first anatomically modern humans populated Europe. The model reveals four phases of the process. The first phase saw a slow expansion of human settlement from the Levant to the Balkans, followed by the second phase of rapid expansion into western Europe. The subsequent third phase was characterized by a decline in human population, and the fourth phase brought regional increases in population density and further advances into previously unsettled areas of Great Britain and the Iberian Peninsula. The results have been published under the title ‘Reconstruction of human dispersal during Aurignacian on pan-European scale’ in Nature Communications.

The interdisciplinary collaboration between climate scientists and archaeologists enabled the team to examine how climate change influenced human dispersal quantitatively. Early anatomically modern humans survived as hunter-gatherers for extremely long periods. When they started spreading across Europe, global climatic conditions were different from today: The prevailing cooler and drier climate of the late Last Glacial Period was repeatedly interrupted by warmer interglacial periods, with some changes occurring abruptly and others gradually.

Reasons for human dispersal to Europe were likely diverse, including human exploratory spirit, evolution in social structure and progress in technology. The newly developed model, however, allowed the research team to clearly demonstrate how climate change impacted human dispersal. Previous numeric models of long-term dispersals of human populations on continental scales commonly relied on so called diffusion-reaction equations, i.e., a combination of slow, continuous dispersal in all directions driven by the constant reproducing and growing population. Agent-based models focusing on individual or group motivations of humans to migrate, in turn, are more popular on smaller scales. Recent new models feature data from paleoclimate models in their calculations, but focus on Net Primary Production, an indicator for the amount of stored CO2 in plants and animals, as a proxy for food availability and human mobility. The disadvantage of this approach is that it does not consider the accessibility and availability of these food sources, as only a fraction of them were usable by humans.

The research team assumes that early habitation in Europe involved highly complex processes of advance, retreat, abandonment and resettlement, driven by climatic changes as well as humans’ ability to adapt. The “Our Way Model” simulates human dispersal in two main steps: first, combining climate and archaeological data to model the Human Existence Potential (HEP), and second, modelling the human population dynamics constrained by the HEP. HEP defines the likelihood of human existence under climate and environmental conditions for a given culture. This vital quantity is estimated using an HEP model that takes into account paleoclimatic data for known archaeological sites. This machine learning approach constructs the climatic constraints for the Aurignacian culture, estimating which climate conditions humans of that culture preferred to live in. The trained model is then applied to estimate the spatial and temporal HEP patterns using data simulated by the so-called Global Climate Model as well as oxygen isotope data from Greenland ice cores.

The results showed that a first phase of relatively slow westward expansion from the Levant to the Balkans (approximately 45.000 to 43.000 years ago) was followed by a second phase of rapid expansion into western Europe (approximately 43.250 to 41.000 years ago). Although interrupted by brief setbacks, Homo sapiens populations now rapidly reached an estimated number of 60.000 people across Europe, spread across all the known archaeological sites during this period. The subsequent third phase was characterized by a decline in the human population, both in terms of its size and density as well as the area occupied by the population (41.000 to 39.000 years ago). This development resulted from a prolonged severe cold period which lasted almost 3.000 years, known as the GS9/HE4 period.  However, according to the model, humans survived in the climate shadows of large topography (e.g., the Alpes), which they had just occupied in the previous phase. In the fourth phase, when HEP conditions improved again, the population quickly recovered and grew further, starting at around 38.000 years ago. Regional increases in population density and further advances into previously unsettled areas of Great Britain and the Iberian Peninsula, which the model showed, are broadly in line with the archaeological evidence.

The HEP maps indicate that at the end of this process, parts of the human population were better adapted to cold climatic conditions than others, allowing them to push the boundaries of previously settled environments. “Regional studies can hardly capture all factors at play when trying to reconstruct human dispersal, including how they work together at different scales and contribute to overall long-term trends. This is a major advantage of the new modelling approach”, said Dr Isabell Schmidt at the Department of Prehistoric Archaeology.

In further research, the team will test the underlying assumptions made in the model, focusing on the role of cultural evolution in the human dispersal process. The project Human and Earth System Coupled Research (HESCOR) at the University of Cologne will integrate further aspects of Human-Earth system interactions into the model.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-51349-y 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Reconstruction of human dispersal during Aurignacian on pan-European scale

 

The Roman siege of Masada lasted just a few weeks, not several years

Archaeologists at Tel Aviv University contest a widespread myth:

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tel-Aviv University

 

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Masada National Park

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Credit: Omer Ze'evi-Berger.

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• The researchers: "According to the common myth, the Romans laid siege to the desert fortress of Masada for three long years. A new survey employing advanced technologies indicates that the siege was probably a much quicker affair."

 

Researchers from the Sonia & Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University used a range of modern technologies, including drones, remote sensing, and 3D digital modeling, to generate the first objective, quantified analysis of the Roman siege system at Masada. Findings indicate that contrary to the widespread myth, the Roman army's siege of Masada in 73 CE lasted no more than a few weeks.

The study was conducted by the Neustadter expedition from TAU's Sonia & Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, headed by Dr. Guy Stiebel, together with Dr. Hai Ashkenazi (today Head of Geoinformatics at the Israel Antiquities Authority), and PhD candidates Boaz Gross (from Tel Aviv University and the Israeli Institute of Archaeology) and Omer Ze'evi-Berger (today at the University of Bonn). The study is part of the expedition's extensive mission, implementing advanced tools and posing fresh questions, to attempt a new understanding of what really happened at Masada. The paper was published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology.

Link to the research Video
Caption: A view from a drone of the excavation site at the center of the mountain platform of Masada.

Credit: The Neustadter Masada Expedition

 

 

Dr. Stiebel: "In 2017 my expedition renewed, on behalf of TAU's Sonia & Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, excavations at Masada – a world-famous site explored extensively since the early 19th century and throughout the 20th century. Our expedition sets forward several new questions and implements many novel research tools that were not available to previous generations of archaeologists. In this way we intend to obtain fresh insights into what actually happened there before, during, and after the Great Jewish Revolt. As part of this extensive project we devote much scholarly attention to the site’s surroundings. We use drones, remote sensing, and aerial photography to collect accurate high-resolution data from Masada and its environs, with special emphasis on three aspects: the water systems, the trails leading to and from the palatial fortress, and the Roman siege system. The collected information is used to build 3D digital models that provide us with a clear and precise image of the relevant terrains. In the current study we focused on the siege system, which, thanks to the remote location and desert climate, is the best-preserved Roman siege system in the world."

Dr. Stiebel adds: "For many years, the prevailing theory that became a modern myth asserted that the Roman siege of Masada was a grueling three-year affair. In recent decades researchers have begun to challenge this notion, for various reasons. In this first-of-its kind study we examined the issue with modern technologies enabling precise objective measurements."

 

The researchers used drones carrying remote sensors that provided precise, high-resolution measurements of the height, width, and length of all features of the siege system. This data was used to build an accurate 3D digital model, enabling exact calculation of the structures' volume and how long it took to build them.

 

Dr. Ashkenazi: "Reliable estimates are available of the quantity of earth and stones a Roman soldier was able to move in one day. We also know that approximately 6,000-8,000 soldiers participated in the siege of Masada. Thus, we were able to objectively calculate how long it took them to build the entire siege system – eight camps and a stone wall surrounding most of the site. We found that construction took merely about two weeks. Based on the ancient historical testimony it is clear that once the assault ramp was completed, the Romans launched a brutal attack, ultimately capturing the fortress within a few weeks at the most. This leads us to the conclusion that the entire siege of Masada lasted no more than several weeks." 

 

Dr. Stiebel: "The narrative of Masada, the Great Jewish Revolt, the siege, and the tragic end as related by Flavius Josephus, have all become part of Israeli DNA and the Zionist ethos, and are well known around the world. The duration of the siege is a major element in this narrative, suggesting that the glorious Roman army found it very difficult to take the fortress and crush its defenders. For many years it was assumed that the siege took three long years, but in recent decades researchers have begun to challenge this unfounded belief. In our first-of-its-kind study we used objective measurements and advanced technologies to clarify this issue with the first data-driven scientific answer. Based on our findings we argue that the Roman siege of Masada took a few weeks at the most. As empires throughout history have done, the Romans came, saw, and conquered, quickly and brutally quelling the uprising in this remote location. Our conclusion, however, detracts nothing from the importance of this historical event, and many baffling questions remain to be investigated. For example: Why did the Romans put so much effort into seizing this remote and seemingly unimportant fortress?  To answer this and many other intriguing questions we have initiated a vast, innovative project in and around Masada – collecting data and analyzing it thoroughly in the labs of TAU's Sonia & Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, in collaboration with other researchers, to ultimately shed new light on the old enigma: What really happened at Masada?"

 

Link to the article:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-archaeology/article/roman-siege-system-of-masada-a-3d-computerized-analysis-of-a-conflict-landscape/32C59BE59ACD3E9A91C95F947DFD271E

 

3D model of Tower 7 and the circular feature to its left (view to the west). 

3D model of the ramp/staircase (view to the southwest).

Credit

The Neustadter Masada Expedition (Taken from the Journal of Roman Archaeology)

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Journal

Journal of Roman Archaeology

DOI

10.1017/S1047759424000084  

 

New report finds the changing nature of work provides new opportunities for workplace gender equality

Part-time roles dropped by 3.2 percentage points in past two years – – A rise in flexible full-time and hybrid roles has enabled more employee choice – – Labour market is shifting, especially in women's part-time and flexible work – – Call to

Curtin University

A new research report released today has identified an important shift in how employees choose to engage in the workforce, as they increasingly seek flexibility and opportunities to tailor work schedules and locations to their needs.

The ninth report in the Gender Equity Insights Series from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) provides an in-depth analysis of the evolving nature of part-time work and implications of this change for the future of work in Australia.

Despite Australia having one of the highest shares of part-time employment across OECD countries, the report identifies a decline in the share of women engaged in part-time work (down 3.2 percentage points to 29.7 per cent in the two years to 2022-23).

At the same time, full-time roles that incorporate flexible work arrangements, such as remote and hybrid work options are now becoming more prevalent in Australian workplaces, having risen by 2.3 percentage points to 42.5 per cent for the same period.

The findings present employers with a clear challenge to actively consider what more they can do to support part-time employees as well as those who need to, or choose to, work flexibly.

Report author and BCEC Director, John Curtin Distinguished Professor Alan Duncan, said there is a re-evaluation of part-time work, with more employees and employers valuing flexibility and autonomy.

“Driven by technological advancements, changing workforce demographics and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the growing demand for flexible work options presents a significant opportunity for women to enhance their economic participation and career progression,” Professor Duncan said.

“While these trends indicated a structural shift towards full-time employment and away from part-time work for many working women, the same isn’t true for men, where patterns of work between full-time, part-time and casual employment have remained mainly constant over the same three-year period.

“Of those that are working part-time, a rising share of both women and men are choosing part-time work out of preference and fewer are citing care of children as the main reason for doing so. However, an increasing number of women are also turning to part-time work because it’s their only option.

“The most significant increases in the share of women in full-time work over the past three years have taken place among women aged between 35 and 55.”

WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge said the report’s findings reinforced the need for employers to ensure their jobs are designed to be inclusive and not based on a full-time mindset.

“Women and men working part-time still face a promotion barrier due to the lack of flexible working arrangements and the capacity to work part-time as managers,” Ms Wooldridge said.

“Women are twice as likely to work part-time, so improvement in availability and support for part-time work will be a positive step for gender equality in Australia. Men also benefit from arrangements that better align with how, when and where they want to work.

“Enabling more management roles to be undertaken part-time and/or flexibly will expand employers’ access to a greater talent pool and support reducing their gender pay gap.

“Crucially, this report finds that employers who conduct a gender pay gap analysis, set targets and implement a formal policy or strategy on flexible work have higher rates of women managers working part-time.

“By embracing flexible work practices and addressing the challenges associated with part-time employment, employers create a more equitable and supportive work environment for all employees.”

The report calls on employers to develop a plan for action that normalises both flexible and part-time work, without career penalties. By normalising flexible arrangements, organisations can work towards removing the historical ‘flexibility stigma’ associated with career penalties in terms of pay and progression.

The report also recommends companies consider whether some jobs that may have traditionally been ‘off limits’ for flexible or part-time work might be re-imagined and re-designed to enable flexibility for employees.

Co-author Dr Silvia Salazar, from BCEC, said the move away from part-time work points to widespread structural change in the Australian labour market.

“The report shows that part-time work for women is less common in larger, male-dominated companies, but having women on company boards significantly increases part-time opportunities,” Dr Salazar said.

“Implementing policies on flexible work and conducting pay gap audits are crucial for promoting flexible work arrangements and advancing pay equity, particularly for female managers.

“As part-time work decreases, more people prefer additional flexible work options. This trend presents an opportunity for employers to make these arrangements standard without harming employee experiences.

“The move away from part-time work is particularly evident among non-managers across various industry sectors, so businesses must not focus solely on gender equity for managers and senior executives at the expense of non-managerial roles.

“Ensuring gender equity across all levels of the workforce is essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable progress in workplace equality.”

With the nature of work continuing to evolve, this Gender Equity Insights 2024: The changing nature of part-time work report serves as a vital resource for Australian employers seeking to adapt to the changing workforce landscape.

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Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Gender Equity Insights 2024: The changing nature of part-time

Article Publication Date

9-Sep-2024

Review: ‘Omnivore’ showcases the complex history of the coffee bean, and the steps of how it gets to us


By Markos Papadatos
September 8, 2024


Coffee beans in 'Omnivore.' Photo Courtesy of Apple TV+

“Omnivore” is a food docuseries on Apple TV+, which is narrated by chef René Redzepi, the co-owner of Noma in Denmark.

A three Michelin star restaurant, Nom has been voted as the “Best Restaurant in the World” five times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2021).

This series was created by Redzepi and Matt Goulding (who wrote the docuseries). The seventh episode, directed by Sami Khan and Collin Orcutt, is on “Coffee.”

It follows a coffee bean from tree to cup to uncover the complicated history, extraordinary craft, and unique collaboration behind the brew.

It is hard to imagine one’s day without coffee. “We drink coffee across all corners of the planet,” Redzepi said, prior to indicating that coffee is drank almost three billion times per day, this is an impressive feat and a worldwide “addiction.”

The history of coffee is mysterious since it is mostly unknown. “Every cup has a story to tell,” Redzepi admitted.

It was neat to watch them trace the path of a single bean (and all the sweat and toil that takes place for the bean to be picked, sorted, and roasted).

Redzepi described it as an “everyday miracle,” and rightfully so. He also acknowledged that the story of coffee is a “history of stimulation.”

The internationally-recognized chef went on to share a brief history of how the “miracle of coffee” originated and he shared the effects that caffeine has on our bodies.

This episode displays the beauty of the phenomenon of coffee in that there is no wrong way to drink it; moreover, it gives us a deeper appreciation and understanding of the people that are responsible for making the coffee, and ultimately, bringing it to our tables. This series is worth more than just a passing glance.

“Omnivore” is available to stream on Apple TV+ by clicking here.

Thousands protest Mexican judicial reform

By AFP

September 8, 2024


Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's plans for judicial reform have angered many - Copyright AFP Yasuyoshi CHIBA

Thousands of Mexicans, mainly court employees and law students, protested in the capital Sunday against a controversial judicial reform that would see judges elected by popular vote.

They gathered in Mexico City as the Senate prepared to debate the initiative pushed by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and approved by the lower house, called the Chamber of Deputies, in which the ruling party holds sway.

The proposed reform, which would see the election of judges of the Supreme Court and other tribunals as well as magistrates, has sparked diplomatic tensions with the United States, prompted protests by opponents, and upset financial markets.

“The judiciary will not fall,” changed protesters who marched on the Senate, expected to vote on the proposal Wednesday.

Striking judicial workers have asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter, a request that Lopez Obrador has said had no legal basis.

The United States, Mexico’s main trading partner, has warned that the reforms would threaten a relationship that relies on investor confidence in the Mexican legal framework.

Lopez Obrador, who will be replaced by his ally Claudia Sheinbaum on October 1, argues that the change was warranted because courts serve the interests of the political and economic elite.

Boeing, union reach preliminary deal to avert Seattle-area strike

By AFP
September 8, 2024


Work looks more likely to continue at Boeing's Everett, Washington plant after union leaders reached a prelminiary deal with the company on a new contract that would avert a strike - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File William Purnell
John BIERS

Boeing has agreed on a preliminary new contract with union leaders that includes a hefty wage hike that would avert a strike in the Seattle region, the two sides announced Sunday.

The agreement, which must be ratified by workers, includes a 25 percent wage increase over the four-year life of the contract, according to Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751, which represents more than 33,000 workers.

Other key elements include lower health care costs for workers, reduced mandatory overtime, 12 weeks of paid parental leave and a commitment to build Boeing’s next new airplane in the Puget Sound region of Washington state if the contract is ratified this week, according to a Boeing fact sheet.

The preliminary agreement comes just weeks after the arrival of new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who has been tasked with turning around the iconic plane-maker after its reputation was tainted by a series of air safety problems and other setbacks.

While Ortberg had pledged to “reset” relations with the union, the IAM as recently as Friday had described the two sides as “far apart” on key points.

In a message to rank-and-file members, IAM district president Jon Holden said the union’s “strength, solidarity and unity” had produced “the best contract we ever had.”

He urged members to review the proposal carefully, saying, “We believe this proposal will benefit all our members and our future.”

If workers ratify the contract, Boeing would follow in the steps of the United Parcel Service, which narrowly averted a strike in July 2023 after reaching agreement with the Teamsters union.

In contrast, Detroit automakers General Motors, Ford and Stellantis experienced a six-week partial strike last fall before reaching a deal with the United Auto Workers that included a 25 percent wage hike.

– Commitment to Seattle region –

Boeing commercial airplane president Stephanie Pope described the wage bump as the “largest-ever general wage increase,” in a video message to employees, Boeing said.

“Just as important, this contract deepens our commitment to the Pacific Northwest,” said Pope, adding that the new-airplane pledge means “job security for generations to come.”

Boeing has been under heavy scrutiny. In January, a fuselage panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX plane mid-flight, necessitating an emergency landing.

That revived questions about safety and quality control after the company had seemingly made progress following deadly MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.

The aerospace giant in March announced a management shakeup that included the exit of Dave Calhoun as CEO. Ortberg took the helm on August 8.

But workers have complained of retaliation after raising safety concerns.

These issues were spotlighted in a Senate hearing in April and at a National Transportation Safety Board hearing in August into the Alaska Airlines incident, with IAM representatives describing company safety and training programs as insufficient.

Analysts have broadly praised the hiring of Ortberg, a Boeing outsider with extensive engineering and aerospace experience at electronics supplier Rockwell Collins.

But Ortberg faces significant challenges at Boeing, which slowed commercial airplane production following the Alaska Airlines incident and announced an acquisition of supplier Spirit AeroSystems as part of an effort to improve quality control.

On September 3, Wells Fargo downgraded Boeing and lowered its stock price target in a note that described the company’s near-term profitability prospects as challenged.

Wells Fargo highlighted the need for Boeing to launch a new aircraft in the 2027 timeframe to compete with Airbus, dampening its medium-term outlook for free cash flow, even after the company pivots from its recent problems and boosts airplane production.