In most American families led by couples, both parents are in the workforce. Almost three-quarters of American mothers with children under 18 work. At the same time, nearly 1 in 4 U.S. children are being raised by single moms.
Around the world, however, most employed women automatically get paid maternity leave. And in most wealthy countries, they also have access to affordable child care.
These holes in the U.S. safety net are a problem for many reasons, including one I’ve been researching with my colleagues for years: Paid parental leave and child care help women stay in the workforce and earn higher wages over time. This lack of parental leave and child care may explain why the U.S. is no longer a leader in women’s workforce participation.
Maternity leave
The U.S. is one of a handful of countries worldwide that doesn’t mandate paid maternity leave. The others are Papua New Guinea and some small Pacific island nations.
Paid maternity leave, which typically lasts at least three months, needs to be designed thoughtfully. When women can and do take 15 months or more off after having a baby, as they may in a few countries, long leaves can limit mothers’ work experience and lead to discrimination.
Denmark offers what I think is a strong example of a national policy.
There, moms get almost 22 weeks of paid maternity leave and dads get two weeks of paid paternity leave. On top of that, mothers can take another 19 weeks and fathers can take another 11 weeks of paid parental leave. This policy, which includes additional flexibility, grants parents both the time and resources necessary to care for children, without “mommy tracking” mothers.
Child care
In many wealthy countries, child care and preschool are considered a mainstay of the educational system. But in the U.S., only about two-thirds of all children between the ages of 3 and 6 are getting publicly supported child care of any kind, including kindergarten, versus nearly all of the kids that age in France.
High-quality early childhood education programs are associated with many excellent outcomes for children from lower-income families, including higher rates of educational attainment, employment and wages.
In other words, when governments invest in child care and maternity leave, it fosters a more productive, healthy and creative workforce.
This article, originally published April 19, 2018, was updated on May 10, 2024, with more recent data.
While on the road, you’re probably thinking more about your destination than the pavement you’re driving over. But building roads requires a host of engineering feats, from developing the right pavement materials to using heavy equipment to lay them down. The better they’re built, the longer roads last and the fewer construction delays drivers have to endure.
Asphalt binder is refined from crude oil. From crude oil, refiners first extract gasoline, kerosene and oil, and what remains at the bottom becomes the asphalt. Portland cement is manufactured using several different ingredients, including limestone, sand, clay, silica and alumina.
Engineers compact the mixture of asphalt binder and aggregates together at an elevated temperature, about 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius), which glues the aggregates together into the final product, called asphalt concrete.
Hydration bonds the cement to the aggregates to make the product, called Portland cement concrete, stronger. With this process, there’s no external heating involved.
Pavement structure
Asphalt concrete’s pavement structure typically has three main layers: the base layer, the intermediate layer and the surface layer.
Engineers call the existing ground where the pavement goes the subgrade. On top of the subgrade goes a new layer of unbound soil and stone, where the aggregates aren’t glued together. This is called the subbase, or unbound aggregate base.
The base layer can be either stones packed together without any binding agent or a combination of stone and asphalt binder.
Once road builders make the base, it is time to build the asphalt concrete layers: the base layer, the intermediate layer and the surface layer. All these layers contain the aggregates – the pieces of rock and sand – glued together with the asphalt binder in some way.
Engineers determine how many layers to build and how thick to make each layer by figuring out how much traffic will drive over the road. The more traffic, the thicker the pavement needs to be. For example, on interstate highways, the depth of the layers combined could be 20 inches (51 centimeters) or more.
Building a strong road
The road builders place the material on the road with an asphalt paving machine called a paver. An operator runs the paver, which takes the materials from a truck and places them on the road. After that, heavy-duty rollers compact it down, make it strong and get it ready for vehicles.
For a strong and durable road, engineers first pick the best subgrade, or place on top of which to build pavement. If the subgrade is too weak, the road might crack and fail – even if the pavement uses the best materials.
First, the road builders use rollers to pack the subgrade down. Once they’ve compacted the subgrade, they place the stone aggregates directly on top of the subgrade and compact them down. This aggregate base on the subgrade provides a sturdy foundation for the asphalt layers.
If the road builders do not use the right materials, or do not put them together correctly, or do not design the pavement structure for the expected traffic, then the road can crack, rut and fail.
Cracking occurs either at extremely low temperatures or from heavy trucks and buses repeatedly driving over the road. Rutting, which refers to noticeable impressions in the road’s surface, occurs mostly during summer heat under heavy trucks or at road intersections.
Potholes are a big road problem you’ve probably seen before. They often show up in the spring after water trapped in the pavement freezes over winter and then melts in spring. This melting process weakens the road, making it more breakable. Then, when vehicles drive over it, they can create potholes.
Before the road gets built, the materials undergo testing in a laboratory to make sure they can stand the loads from traffic and environment.
Engineers in the lab expose the pavement materials to both freezing and very hot temperatures to make sure they can withstand any weather. They also expose the pavement materials to water to make sure the materials will not fall apart if it rains or floods.
At the Penn State pavement laboratory, my team is testing asphalt mixtures to which we’ve added substances called modifiers. These include special polymers and fibers that could make the road stronger.
The next time you’re on the road, remember that it takes a good amount of engineering and tremendous teamwork to create that smooth pavement surface you drive on.
The newest members of the California Highway Patrol were sworn in on Friday during a graduation ceremony at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento.
The 106 officers are part of the CHP’s multiyear recruiting campaign to fill 1,000 vacant officer positions by hiring qualified individuals from California’s diverse communities.
“These men and women have chosen to dedicate themselves to a career in public service. They have completed several months of rigorous training at the CHP Academy to prepare them to serve the people of California,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “While this job is one of the most difficult things they will do in their entire life, it is also the most rewarding thing that they will do, and we are proud to have them as part of the CHP family.”
The swearing-in ceremony for the new officers marks the completion of a challenging 26-week journey at the CHP Academy.
They will report to one of the 103 CHP Area offices throughout the state to begin serving the people of California.
At the CHP Academy, cadet training starts with nobility in policing, leadership, professionalism and ethics, and cultural diversity.
Additionally, cadets receive instruction on mental illness response and crisis intervention techniques.
Training also covers vehicle patrol, crash investigation, first aid, and the apprehension of suspected violators, including those who drive under the influence.
Cadets also receive training in traffic control, report writing, recovery of stolen vehicles, assisting the motoring public, issuing citations, emergency scene management and various codes, including the California Vehicle Code, Penal Code, and Health and Safety Code.
The CHP has seen an outpouring interest in joining the ranks since the onset of a multiyear recruitment campaign in June 2022.
In the first four months of 2024, the CHP received more than 7,600 cadet applications — a more than 100% increase from the same period in 2022.
To accommodate the surge of interest, the CHP has been holding three Academy classes simultaneously for the first time in the Department’s history.
The next cadet graduation from the CHP Academy is scheduled for July 12.
For more information about a life-changing career with the CHP, visit the agency’s website and register for our online hiring seminar at 6:30 p.m. on May 22.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In an effort to help North Coast residents kickoff National Wildfire Preparedness Month, Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) hosted his annual virtual Wildfire Preparedness and Prevention Town Hall with Cal Fire Director/Fire Chief Joe Tyler on Wednesday.
During the Town Hall, Senate Leader McGuire and Chief Tyler discussed how communities can best prepare for wildfire season, with summer approaching and temperatures on the rise.
The state of California has made record investments during the past several years to hire thousands of additional firefighters, expand the ground and aerial attack firefighting fleets, modernize emergency alert policies, manage changing landscapes through dead and dying tree and vegetation removal, and create new fire breaks surrounding communities.
“As fire season becomes longer and more extreme, we are taking big, bold action to better prevent and respond to wildfires,” Pro Tem McGuire said. “California is on the frontlines of our climate crisis and we are making historic investments to increase our firefighting resources and capabilities in every corner of the state. We have seen our communities devastated by wildfires over the years – we’ve seen lives lost, homes burned to the ground, and beloved communities forever changed. California is committed to ensuring lasting change through new fire prevention projects and that our communities are more equipped and prepared than ever before.”
Over the past eight years, the state has expanded Cal Fire ranks from 6,700 to 12,000 positions, including positioning a few hundred new Cal Fire and county firefighters in the North Bay and North Coast, and California will hire an additional 1,000 full-time Cal Fire firefighters over the next few years.
California also has expanded training facilities to bring on new firefighters and formerly incarcerated residents to enter the fire service, and expanded the number of new firefighting planes and helicopters.
And just last year, Pro Tem McGuire secured funding for new fire trucks, fire training facilities and equipment in all corners of the North Bay and North Coast.
In recent years, California also has treated more than 545,000 acres of California forest lands to make them more fire safe and resilient, treated 96,500 acres of wildlands with prescribed burns, and invested millions of dollars to deploy wildfire detection cameras to areas most under threat of fire danger, which aids in response to pinpointed incident locations.
“It’s never too early to start preparing for wildfire season in California,” said Cal Fire Director/Fire Chief Joe Tyler. “By taking steps now to harden homes and create defensible space, Californians can dramatically reduce their risk of fire damage. At Cal Fire, we are deploying firefighting resources throughout the state to keep families and communities safe this upcoming fire season.”
With more than 25 percent of Californians living in areas considered at risk of very high or extreme fire threat, the need to get fire-ready is more important than ever.
Click here to see tips from Cal Fire on hardening your home, creating a defensible space and more.
NASA engineers, managers, and flight directors recently traded their cubicles and conference rooms for an ancient volcanic field in the northern Arizona desert to participate in a field geology course aimed at arming them with first-hand experience in what Artemis astronauts will do when they explore the Moon.
The two-and-a-half-day exercise for Artemis mission support teams was a condensed version of the rigorous training astronauts receive to prepare for Artemis missions to the lunar South Pole region, but shares an important purpose.
“We are building a common language and a common understanding of what it will be like to do field geology on the surface of the Moon,” said Cindy Evans, Artemis geology training lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “This is so the people who are building spacesuits, building tools, building software systems, the people who will be flight controllers, and the managers who direct and fund all of this, can all understand the interlocking parts of surface exploration.”
Small teams led by geology experts from NASA, the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey), and academia studied maps, built hypotheses about the geologic history of the area, and trekked for miles to test whether those hypotheses match reality. This field test required smashing rocks with hammers to study their mineral makeup, and carefully selecting a few to examine further after returning from the field in the same way Artemis astronauts will return samples from the Moon.
Geology studies help uncover the rich physical history of an area. Each rock type represents a process and the order of layering of those rocks reveals a story that could unlock a planet’s secrets, offering clues for how it was formed and evolved over time.
“The Moon doesn’t have an atmosphere or flowing water like we have here on Earth, and doesn’t have plate tectonics, which are processes that erase a lot of the evidence from the early Earth,” said Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist in the Exploration Systems Development Mission directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The Moon still has that evidence, so we can go to the Moon and learn lessons about our home planet that we can’t learn here on the Earth.”
In the desert, as the mission support team members practiced the fundamental methods used by geologists to study an environment, they pieced together the story of the region. The planned walking paths, known as traverses, frequently changed based on what they were finding.
Teams embraced the principle of “flexecution” — or flexible execution — a practice that could come into play as astronauts explore the lunar surface and report findings to a backroom of scientists supporting the mission in the Mission Control Center at Johnson, referred to as the science evaluation room.
“The geologists will be the science evaluation room during Artemis missions, assimilating real-time mission data to understand the observations, tracking the samples, going back to the maps that they’ve built trying to understand how all those pieces fit together on a day-by-day and traverse-by-traverse basis,” said Evans. “When the astronauts return home with the samples and with their full observations, the scientists can hit the ground running to address key science questions.”
With Artemis, NASA will study the history of the Moon and its relationship with Earth and build a blueprint for deeper space exploration.
“What we’re doing now is laying the groundwork for long-term exploration at the Moon,” Bleacher said. “Laying that groundwork will then help us explore other destinations like Mars. The Moon is a part of everything that we understand here on the Earth. It’s also an anchor point to help us understand how to interpret everything else in the solar system.”
NASA conducts field tests in locations on Earth that have lunar-like landscapes to test a variety of operations and procedures, as well as new technologies, before leaving Earth for Artemis missions on the Moon. In addition to this geology training to build a foundation for mission support teams, another team will conduct simulated moonwalks in the Arizona desert this spring with mockup spacesuits to test hardware and new capabilities, like a heads-up display using augmented reality, for future Artemis missions.
Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts – including the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut – to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before prepare for human missions to Mars for the benefit of all.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday released a May Revision proposal for the 2024-25 fiscal year that his office said ensures the budget is balanced over the next two fiscal years by tightening the state’s belt and stabilizing spending following the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic, all while preserving key ongoing investments.
Under the governor’s proposal, the state is projected to achieve a positive operating reserve balance not only in this budget year but also in the next.
This “budget year, plus one” proposal is designed to bring longer-term stability to state finances without delay and create an operating surplus in the 2025-26 budget year.
In the years leading up to this May Revision, Newsom’s office said the administration recognized the threats of an uncertain stock market and federal tax deadline delays — setting aside $38 billion in reserves that could be utilized for shortfalls. That has put California in a strong position to maintain fiscal stability.
“Even when revenues were booming, we were preparing for possible downturns by investing in reserves and paying down debts — that’s put us in a position to close budget gaps while protecting core services that Californians depend on,” Newsom said. “Without raising taxes on Californians, we’re delivering a balanced budget over two years that continues the progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve, from getting folks off the streets to addressing the climate crisis to keeping our communities safe.”
Below are the key takeaways from Governor Newsom's proposed budget:
A BALANCED BUDGET OVER TWO YEARS. The governor is solving two years of budget problems in a single budget, tightening the state’s belt to get the budget back to normal after the tumultuous years of the COVID-19 pandemic. By addressing the shortfall for this budget year — and next year — the governor is eliminating the 2024-25 deficit and eliminating a projected deficit for the 2025-26 budget year that is $27.6 billion (after taking an early budget action) and $28.4 billion respectively.
CUTTING SPENDING, MAKING GOVERNMENT LEANER. Gov. Newsom’s revised balanced state budget cuts one-time spending by $19.1 billion and ongoing spending by $13.7 billion through 2025-26. This includes a nearly 8% cut to state operations and a targeted elimination of 10,000 unfilled state positions, improving government efficiency and reducing non-essential spending — without raising taxes on individuals or proposing state worker furloughs. The budget makes the California government more efficient, leaner, and modern — saving costs by streamlining procurement, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and reducing redundancies.
PRESERVING CORE SERVICES & SAFETY NETS. The budget maintains service levels for many key housing, food, health care, and other assistance programs that Californians rely on while addressing the deficit by pausing the expansion of certain programs and decreasing numerous recent one-time and ongoing investments.
NO NEW TAXES & MORE RAINY DAY SAVINGS. Gov. Newsom is balancing the budget by getting state spending under control — cutting costs, not proposing new taxes on hardworking Californians and small businesses — and reducing the reliance on the state’s “Rainy Day” reserves this year.
HOW WE GOT HERE: California's budget shortfall is rooted in two separate but related developments over the past two years.
First, the state's revenue, heavily reliant on personal income taxes including capital gains, surged in 2021 due to a robust stock market but plummeted in 2022 following a market downturn. While the market bounced back by late 2023, the state continued to collect less tax revenue than projected in part due to something called "capital loss carryover," which allows losses from previous years to reduce how much an individual is taxed.
Second, the IRS extended the tax filing deadline for most California taxpayers in 2023 following severe winter storms, delaying the revelation of reduced tax receipts. When these receipts were able to eventually be processed, they were 22% below expectations. Without the filing delay, the revenue drop would have been incorporated into last year's budget and the shortfall this year would be significantly smaller.
CALIFORNIA’S ECONOMY REMAINS STRONG: The Governor’s Office said his revised balanced budget sets the state up for continued economic success. California’s economy remains the 5th largest economy in the world and for the first time in years, the state’s population is increasing and tourism spending recently experienced a record high. California is No. #1 in the nation for new business starts, No. 1 for access to venture capital funding, and the #1 state for manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.
Additional details on the May Revise proposal can be found in this fact sheet and at www.ebudget.ca.gov.
An extensive CO2 monitoring network set up around the San Francisco Bay Area by an atmospheric chemist from the University of California, Berkeley, has recorded the first evidence that the adoption of electric vehicles is measurably lowering the area's carbon emissions.
The network of sensors, most of them in the East Bay, is the brainchild of Ronald Cohen, UC Berkeley professor of chemistry, who envisions inexpensive, publicly funded pollution and carbon dioxide monitors widely distributed around urban areas to pinpoint emission sources and the neighborhoods most affected.
An estimated 70% of global CO2 emissions come from cities, yet few urban areas have granular data about where those emissions originate.
In 2012, Cohen began setting up a Bay Area sensing network that has now grown to more than 80 stations, including seven in San Francisco, that stretches from Sonoma County through Vallejo and down to San Leandro.
Between 2018 and 2022, 57 of the sensors in the Berkeley Environmental Air Quality and CO2 Network, or BEACO2N, recorded a small but steady decrease in CO2 emissions — about 1.8% annually — that translates to a 2.6% yearly drop in vehicle emission rates.
Looking at California data for electric vehicle adoption — which is very high in the Bay Area — Cohen and graduate student Naomi Asimow concluded that the decrease was due to passenger vehicle electrification.
“That's 2.6% less CO2 per mile driven each year,” said Asimow, who is in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science.
The study, Cohen said, shows the utility of an urban network for monitoring and managing federal, state and city mandates for CO2 reduction.
“We show from atmospheric measurements that adoption of electric vehicles is working, that it's having the intended effect on CO2 emissions,” Cohen said.
This good news is tempered by the fact that, to meet California and Bay Area carbon reduction goals, the yearly decrease needs to be much greater.
“The state of California has set this goal for net zero emissions by 2045, and the goal is for 85% of the reduction to come from actual reduction of emissions, as opposed to direct removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. What we report is around half as fast as we need to go to get to net zero emissions by 2045,” Asimow said.
“We're at 1.8% per year today. To get to the state's goal, we would need 3.7%,” Cohen added. “So it's not crazy higher than where we are; we're almost half of the way to that goal. But we have to sustain that for another 20 years.”
The results emphasize the urgent need for accelerated actions to reduce CO2 in order to achieve the ambitious zero emission targets that cities seek, he said.
Asimow, Cohen and their colleagues published their findings online today, April 4, in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
How to monitor climate goals
One impetus for the study was to see whether the BEACO2N network could detect any downward trend in vehicle emissions since the state set goals for greenhouse gas reduction and the electric vehicle market has blossomed.
“We were curious if our data would show us our progress toward meeting California's emissions goals,” Asimow said.
Typically, CO2 emissions are estimated from known sources of carbon: how much gas is used in heating and, for vehicles, the fuel efficiency of registered vehicles in an area and overall fuel consumption.
Asimow and Cohen noted that this "bottom-up" method for estimating carbon dioxide emissions did not predict the small but significant downward trend in CO2 emissions.
The UC Berkeley team's estimates combined direct CO2 measurements with meteorological data to calculate ground-level emissions — an approach using atmospheric observations that did pick up the modest downturn in CO2 levels.
The researchers employed a Bayesian statistical analysis that started with estimates based on economic data, but they revised them based on their network's measured CO2 concentrations and a meteorological model to predict where the emissions originated.
Cohen argues that his sensors are inexpensive enough — less than $10,000 per sensor, versus 20 times as much for pollution monitoring stations operated by the Environmental Protection Agency — that major cities could afford to install a network to get a more granular view of unhealthy areas and sources of pollution.
The network sensors also measure five critical air pollutants: carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides (NO and NO2), ozone and particulates (PM 2.5).
Los Angeles, California; Providence, Rhode Island; and Glasgow, Scotland, have already adopted Cohen's sensors to create their own pollution monitoring networks.
"We show that you can make observations and measure changes due to policies of all kinds in a cost-effective and relatively rapid way," Cohen said. "The network involves about half a million dollars' worth of equipment — a one-time investment — and a person per year thinking about it. One of our goals is to demonstrate, both on the CO2 and the air quality side of what we do, that this is cost-effective and translatable and easily accessible to the public in a way that nothing else is."
In the future, satellites could monitor carbon dioxide levels across wide areas and with more granularity, but those satellites are not yet available, Cohen said.
"The optimal solution will be some combination of space-based assets and ground-based measurements," he said.
Asimow was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (1752814). Former Miller Postdoctoral Fellow Alexander Turner, now at the University of Washington in Seattle, also contributed to the research.
Robert Sanders writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A solar storm is bringing Lake County a special treat this weekend.
Overnight, the aurora borealis was visible in Lake County’s sky.
The light show was faintly visible to the naked eye, but showed up more clearly with use of photography.
An extreme geomagnetic storm is causing the auroras to be more widely visible across the globe.
Based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, aurora activity was expected to peak early Saturday morning but could continue to be visible through Sunday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
An artist’s illustration of hydrogen disappearing from Venus. Aurore Simonnet/ Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics/ University of Colorado Boulder
Today, the atmosphere of our neighbor planet Venus is as hot as a pizza oven and drier than the driest desert on Earth – but it wasn’t always that way.
Over time, that water has nearly all been lost. Figuring out how, when and why Venus lost its water helps planetary scientists like me understand what makes a planet habitable — or what can make a habitable planet transform into an uninhabitable world.
Scientists have theories explaining why most of that water disappeared, but more water has disappeared than they predicted.
In a May 2024 study, my colleagues and I revealed a new water removal process that has gone unnoticed for decades, but could explain this water loss mystery.
Energy balance and early loss of water
The solar system has a habitable zone – a narrow ring around the Sun in which planets can have liquid water on their surface. Earth is in the middle, Mars is outside on the too-cold side, and Venus is outside on the too-hot side. Where a planet sits on this habitability spectrum depends on how much energy the planet gets from the Sun, as well as how much energy the planet radiates away.
The theory of how most of Venus’ water loss occurred is tied to this energy balance. On early Venus, sunlight broke up water in its atmosphere into hydrogen and oxygen. Atmospheric hydrogen heats up a planet — like having too many blankets on the bed in summer.
When the planet gets too hot, it throws off the blanket: the hydrogen escapes in a flow out to space, a process called hydrodynamic escape. This process removed one of the key ingredients for water from Venus. It’s not known exactlywhen this process occurred, but it was likely within the first billion years or so.
Hydrodynamic escape stopped after most hydrogen was removed, but a little bit of hydrogen was left behind. It’s like dumping out a water bottle – there will still be a few drops left at the bottom. These leftover drops can’t escape in the same way. There must be some other process still at work on Venus that continues to remove hydrogen.
Little reactions can make a big difference
Our new study reveals that an overlooked chemical reaction in Venus’ atmosphere can produce enough escaping hydrogen to close the gap between the expected and observed water loss.
Here’s how it works. In the atmosphere, gaseous HCO⁺ molecules, which are made up of one atom each of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen and have a positive charge, combine with negatively charged electrons, since opposites attract.
But when the HCO⁺ and the electrons react, the HCO⁺ breaks up into a neutral carbon monoxide molecule, CO, and a hydrogen atom, H. This process energizes the hydrogen atom, which can then exceed the planet’s escape velocity and escape to space. The whole reaction is called HCO⁺ dissociative recombination, but we like to call it DR for short.
Water is the original source of hydrogen on Venus, so DR effectively dries out the planet. DR has likely happened throughout the history of Venus, and our work shows it probably still continues into the present day. It doubles the amount of hydrogen escape previously calculated by planetary scientists, upending our understanding of present-day hydrogen escape on Venus.
Understanding Venus with data, models and Mars
To study DR on Venus we used both computer modeling and data analysis.
The modeling actually began as a Mars project. My Ph.D. research involved exploring what sort of conditions made planets habitable for life. Mars also used to have water, though less than Venus, and also lost most of it to space.
To understand martian hydrogen escape, I developed a computational model of the Mars atmosphere that simulates Mars’ atmospheric chemistry. Despite being very different planets, Mars and Venus actually have similar upper atmospheres, so my colleagues and I were able to extend the model to Venus.
We found that HCO⁺ dissociative recombination produces lots of escaping hydrogen in both planets’ atmospheres, which agreed with measurements taken by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission, a satellite orbiting Mars.
Having data collected in Venus’ atmosphere to back up the model would be valuable, but previous missions to Venus haven’t measured HCO⁺ – not because it’s not there, but because they weren’t designed to detect it. They did, however, measure the reactants that produce HCO⁺ in Venus’ atmosphere.
By analyzing measurements made by Pioneer Venus, a combination orbiter and probe mission that studied Venus from 1978-1992, and using our knowledge of chemistry, we demonstrated that HCO⁺ should be present in the atmosphere in similar amounts to our model.
Follow the water
Our work has filled in a piece of the puzzle of how water is lost from planets, which affects how habitable a planet is for life. We’ve learned that water loss happens not just in one fell swoop, but over time through a combination of methods.
Faster hydrogen loss today via DR means that less time is required overall to remove the remaining water from Venus. This means that if oceans were ever present on early Venus, they could have been present for longer than scientists thought before water loss through hydrodynamic escape and DR started. This would provide more time for possible life to arise. Our results don’t mean oceans or life were definitely present, though – answering that question will require lots more science over many years.
There is also a need for new Venus missions and observations. FutureVenusmissions will provide some atmospheric measurements, but they won’t focus on the upper atmosphere where most HCO⁺ dissociative recombination takes place. A future Venus upper atmosphere mission, similar to the MAVEN mission at Mars, could vastly expand everyone’s knowledge of how terrestrial planets’ atmospheres form and evolve over time.
With the technological advancements of recent decades and a flourishing new interest in Venus, now is an excellent time to turn our eyes toward Earth’s sister planet.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has many dogs waiting for new homes this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Alaskan husky, Anatolian shepherd, Chesapeake Bay retriever, Chihuahua, German shepherd, hound, Labrador Retriever, pit bull terrier, Rottweiler and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
Those dogs and the others shown on this page at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The shelter is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg gives Jenni Ingram, band teacher for Terrace Middle School and Clear Lake High School, a plaque honoring her as the 2024 Lake County Teacher of the Year on Friday, May 10, 2024. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Office of Education. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Jenni Ingram, band teacher at Clear Lake High School and Terrace Middle School, has been named Lake County Teacher of the Year for 2024.
“Jenni Ingram's passion, leadership, and commitment to educational excellence not only inspires her students but also her colleagues and community members," said Liesl Hendrix, principal of Clear Lake High School. “She is a true role model whose influence extends far beyond the classroom.”
Ingram received notification of the honor on Friday, May 10, during Teacher Appreciation Week.
Her students and colleagues gathered at Clear Lake High School, where she was presented with the Teacher of the Year plaque and flowers.
Ingram was chosen as the Lakeport Unified School District Teacher of the Year in March.
In late April, Ingram participated in an interview at the Lake County Office of Education. She was chosen from a group of four other Lake County District Teachers of the Year to represent Lake County at the California Teacher of the Year competition this fall.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg acknowledged the fantastic work of each Lake County teacher. “Each and every one [teacher] works diligently to foster a thriving learning environment for students. Their empathy, courage, and support are exemplary.”
Other District Teachers of the Year include:
• Heather Koschik — Kelseyville Unified School District; • Jenny Johnson — Konocti Unified School District; • Angela Stevenson — Middletown Unified School District; • Mara Hesterberg — Upper Lake Unified School District.
With 16 years of service in the district, Ingram has been pivotal in nurturing the musical talents of students ranging from eager middle school beginners to ambitious upper-class teenagers.
At the heart of Ingram's teaching philosophy is her commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere that respects the individuality of each student. Her approach is tailored to meet diverse learning styles, abilities, and backgrounds, ensuring that all students receive the personalized support and resources they need to succeed.
“Music is for everyone,” Ingram said. “Music opens doors to emotional and academic growth for every student. It is more than just learning an instrument, it's about building confidence, empathy, and resilience, which are essential for success in all areas of life.”
Her classroom is more than a learning space; it is a sanctuary where students feel safe, supported, and valued. Here, they are encouraged to express themselves and explore music without fear of judgment.
“Mrs. Ingram’s influence goes beyond the classroom and even beyond the district. She collaborates with band instructors across Lake County, enhancing the musical education of students throughout our community. Her commitment to sharing best practices and resources with fellow educators ensures a high standard of musical instruction and enriches the learning experiences of all band students,” Hendrix said.
Members of the interview panel included: Rebecca Walker, deputy superintendent of schools; Anna Sabalone, Lake County Teacher of the Year 2023; Jennifer Kelly, former Lake County and California Teacher of the Year; Alan Siegel, former Lake County and California Teacher of the Year; and Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.
Lake County has had three California Teachers of the Year in the last 18 years. Erica Boomer from Upper Lake Unified School District was named a California Teacher of the Year 2019. Jennifer Kelly from the Middletown Unified School District received the honor in 2011, and Alan Siegel from Konocti Unified School District received the honor in 2005.
The Lake County Teacher of the Year program is administered through the Lake County Office of Education and the California Department of Education. For more information about Jenni Ingram and the Lake County District Teachers of the Year, please visit lakecoe.org/TOY.
Jenni Ingram, band teacher for Terrace Middle School and Clear Lake High School, received flowers for being named Lake County Teacher of the Year during her celebration at the Clear Lake High School as Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg looked on on Friday, May 10, 2024. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Office of Education.
One of the entries from the Lakeport Memorial Day Parade in May 2023. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce. LAKEPORT, Calif. — A favorite community event is set to roll through downtown Lakeport this month.
The Lake County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the volunteer organization known as Ladies of the Lake, announced the Lakeport Memorial Day Parade, continuing a cherished tradition that has delighted families for decades.
The parade is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 25, starting at 11 a.m. and will wind its way down Main Street, Lakeport.
The Lakeport Memorial Day Parade holds a special place in the hearts of residents and visitors alike, serving as a poignant tribute to the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.
It also provides an opportunity for the community to come together in celebration and remembrance.
“We are honored to once again coordinate the Lakeport Memorial Day Parade, now with the help of a group of amazing volunteers known as Ladies of the Lake,” said Laura McAndrews Sammel, CEO of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce. “This event not only pays tribute to our fallen heroes but also fosters a sense of unity and camaraderie within our community. It's a time for families to come together, enjoy the festivities, and reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day.”
The parade welcomes participants from all walks of life, including community groups, businesses, schools, individuals, and equestrians.
Those interested in participating in the parade are encouraged to submit an application by visiting www.tinyurl.com/lakeportparade24.
The deadline for applications is May 15.
“We invite everyone to join us for this beloved tradition,” said Sammel. “Whether you're marching in the parade, cheering from the sidelines, or simply enjoying the day with loved ones, the Lakeport Memorial Day Parade is sure to be a memorable experience for all. We are delighted to work with the Ladies of the Lake — their dedication to a thriving Lakeport is contagious.”
For more information about the Lakeport Memorial Day Parade and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.lakecochamber.com or contact the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..