Cornell University’s status as a land-grant institution, coupled with its location in Ithaca, far from New York’s urban centers, fosters a campus atmosphere of grounded normalcy. As a land-grant university, Cornell emphasizes practical education, research, and outreach, rooted in its mission to serve the public good. This ethos cultivates a community focused on collaboration and accessibility rather than elitism.
Ithaca’s rural setting, surrounded by gorges and rolling hills, creates a tight-knit, insulated environment where students engage deeply with academics and each other without the distractions of a bustling city. The slower pace encourages a balanced lifestyle, with traditions like Slope Day and local eateries fostering camaraderie. The lack of urban pressures allows for a focus on intellectual curiosity and personal connections, while diverse student organizations and cooperative extension programs reinforce a sense of purpose and community, grounding Cornell’s atmosphere in authenticity and approachability.
Energy 400: Codes and standards for energy systems between campus buildings. (District energy systems including interdependence with electrical and water supply)
A different “flavor of money” runs through each of these domains and this condition is reflected in best practice discovery and promulgation. Energy 200 is less informed by tax-free (bonded) money than Energy 400 titles.
Some titles cover safety and sustainability in both interior and exterior energy domains so we simply list them below:
There are other ad hoc and open-source consortia that occupy at least a niche in this domain. All of the fifty United States and the Washington DC-based US Federal Government throw off public consultations routinely and, of course, a great deal of faculty interest lies in research funding.
Please join our daily colloquia using the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
ICYMI – here is our 50th anniversary lecture from Professor Helen Thompson on the 1970s energy crises and what we can learn from it, with some great questions from our audience! https://t.co/9XUqc3fx5fpic.twitter.com/zHvqY8HYL1
LSU supports U.S. energy security through its renowned Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering, one of the nation’s top programs. Established decades ago, it trains engineers in drilling, production, reservoir management, and enhanced oil recovery, supplying skilled talent to the petroleum industry that underpins domestic oil and gas output.
Deep ties to Louisiana’s petroleum sector, including industry partnerships and research via the Center for Energy Studies, enhance production in a state central to Gulf Coast operations. Proximity to Henry Hub—the benchmark pricing point for U.S. natural gas in Erath, Louisiana—amplifies LSU’s role: the university’s expertise aids the stable supply, pricing transparency, and infrastructure that powers LNG exports and national energy reliability.
These Guidelines cover fossil-fueled power plants, gas-turbine power plants operating in combined cycle, and a balance-of-plant portion including interface with the steam supply system of nuclear power plants. They include performance monitoring concepts, a description of various methods available, and means for evaluating particular applications.
Since the original publication of these Guidelines in 1993—then limited to steam power plants—the field of performance monitoring (PM) has gained considerable importance. The lifetime of plant equipment has been improved, while economic demands have increased to extend it even further by careful monitoring. The PM techniques themselves have also been transformed, largely by the emergence of electronic data acquisition as the dominant method of obtaining the necessary information.
These Guidelines present:
• “Fundamental Considerations”—of PM essentials prior to the actual application, so you enter fully appraised of all the requirements, potential benefits and likelihood of tradeoffs of the PM program.
• “Program Implementation”—where the concepts of PM implementation, diagnostics and cycle interrelationships have been brought into closer conjunction, bringing you up-to-date with contemporary practice.
• “Case Studies / Diagnostic Examples”—from the large amount of experience and historical data that has been accumulated since 1993.
Intended for employees of power plants and engineers involved with all aspects of power production.
From ANSI’s PINS registry:
Project Need: This document is being developed in order to address performance monitoring and optimization techniques for different power generating facilities. The latest trends and initiatives in performance monitoring as well as practical case studies and examples will be incorporated.
Stakeholders: Designers, producers/manufacturers, owners, operators, consultants, users, general interest, laboratories, regulatory/government, and distributors.
This document will cover power generation facilities including steam generators, steam turbines, and steam turbine cycles (including balance of plant of nuclear facilities), gas turbines, and combined cycles. The guidelines include performance monitoring concepts, a description of various methods available, and means for evaluating particular applications.
No drafts open for public consultation at this time. The PINS announcement was placed on October 11th*. The PINS registry is a stakeholder mapping platform that identifies the beginning of a formal process that may interest other accredited, competitor standards developers. Many ASME consensus products may be indirectly referenced in design guidelines and construction contracts with the statement “Conform to all applicable codes”
The landing page for the ASME standards development enterprise is linked below:
Note that you will need to set up a (free) account to access this and other ASME best practice titles.
We maintain all ASME consensus products on the standing agenda of our periodic Mechanical and Energy teleconferences. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
Bryant University is elated to announce that the Bulldog Community has earned a prestigious five-star excellence rating from @QSCorporate Quacquarelli Systems, affirming Bryant’s place among the elite institutions of higher education worldwide. This comprehensive evaluation,… pic.twitter.com/0XzixVQbiN
The Head, Hand and Hertford Programme in Leadership and Innovation, a two-week study abroad course at Oxford, was envisaged by Bryant President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., and his Oxford counterpart, Principal of Hertford College Tom Fletcher, after they were introduced by former Bryant… pic.twitter.com/n8yNn0s0L5
Teacher pension funds, typically defined-benefit plans, were designed decades ago for stable, lifelong careers in one state or district. They fail to prepare for modern 50+ year careers (spanning multiple jobs, states, or even professions) due to structural flaws. They also buy the bonds that finance the construction of buildings where the teachers work.
Benefits are heavily backloaded: little value accrues early in a career, with most wealth spiking only after 20–30 years tied to final average salary and service years. Teachers leaving before vesting (often 5–10 years) get back only their contributions, sometimes with minimal interest — no employer match.
Portability is poor; pensions rarely transfer across state lines, penalizing mobility. Many teachers never reach full benefits, as turnover is high — over half leave before qualifying for meaningful payouts, while plans assume only a minority stay long-term.
Early retirement incentives (often after 25–30 years) encourage exiting in one’s 50s, not sustaining decades-long work. Unfunded liabilities divert contributions to debt rather than future benefits. Overall, these systems reward narrow, traditional paths but leave flexible, long careers underprepared, forcing reliance on personal savings or Social Security where available.
— National Council on Teacher Retirement (@NCTRtalk) February 12, 2026
The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA) was founded in 1918 by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie through the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In 1905, Carnegie had established a free pension system for college professors, but it proved unsustainable as higher education expanded rapidly. To create a permanent, portable solution, the Foundation launched TIAA as a nonprofit life insurance company, with Carnegie Corporation providing a $1 million endowment.
TIAA offered contributory, fully funded annuities where both employers and employees shared costs, ensuring secure retirement income for educators—predating Social Security. In 1952, it added CREF (College Retirement Equities Fund), the first variable annuity, to combat inflation. This innovative model focused on lifetime income for those serving academia.
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Fidelity does not offer a traditional “teacher pension plan.” Instead, it provides 403(b) retirement savings plans, which are the most common supplemental retirement option for K-12 teachers and higher-education employees across the USA.A 403(b) plan allows educators to contribute a portion of their salary on a pre-tax basis (or Roth after-tax), reducing current taxable income while building retirement savings. Contributions grow tax-deferred, and investments can include mutual funds, target-date funds, and other options managed through Fidelity.
Unlike state teacher pensions (defined benefit), Fidelity’s 403(b) is a defined contribution plan — the final amount depends on contributions and investment performance. It supplements a teacher’s primary state pension and Social Security.
Fidelity is one of the largest and most respected 403(b) providers, known for low-cost investment options and strong online tools. Availability depends on whether your school district has selected Fidelity as an approved vendor.
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New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
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