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Emergency and disaster management briefing for May 25, 2018: A suspect is in custody following a school shooting in Indiana that injured at least two, a man opened fire and shot two people in a restaurant in Oklahoma City, another Kilauea eruption sends ash 10,000 feet in the air as a third lava flow reaches the ocean, NASA assists first responders with the evolving Kilauea eruption in Hawaii, new NOAA technology is set to improve the cone of uncertainty for hurricanes, an illegal immigrant was fatally shot by a border patrol agent in Texas, mussels off the coast of Seattle test positive for opioids, Cyclone Mekuni pounded the island of Socotra on its way to Oman, the federal government is sued by two survivors of the 2016 Tennessee wildfires, and runaway coal barges wreaked havoc on traffic and hit bridges as they freely floated down the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania.

  1. A suspect is reportedly in custody following a school shooting in Indiana that has injured at least two people and prompted the school to lockdown. An adult and a teenager were reportedly injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment after the incident. The shooting occurred at the Noblewest Middle School, in Noblesville, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis.
  2. A man walked into an Oklahoma City restaurant and opened fire, [link url=”http://www.kcrg.com/content/news/1-dead-multiple-injured-in-Oklahoma-City-shooting-483653801.html” title=”shooting two people”], before being killed by an armed citizen. The incident occurred at Louie’s On The Lake, at around 6:30 p.m., and an adult female and a female juvenile were both shot and taken to an area hospital where they underwent surgery. [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oklahoma-shooting/gunman-at-oklahoma-restaurant-shot-dead-by-bystander-idUSKCN1IQ0AJ” title=”Both victims are expected to survive”] and although police are still unsure about the motive for the shooting, they do not suspect terrorism.  
  3. Another eruption at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano very early Friday morning sent [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/25/newest-hawaii-volcanic-ash-plume-rises-to-about-10000-feet.html” title=”a plume of ash 10,000 feet in the air”] before trade winds carried it to the southwest. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) also said that there are [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/24/latest-ash-from-hawaii-volcano-settles-in-small-towns.html” title=”now three rivers of lava that have reached the ocean”] after a previously opened fissure in the Leilani Estates area began spewing large volumes of lava on Thursday. Lava reaching the ocean is dangerous due to laze, or lava haze–a combination of hydrochloric acid and glass shards expelled into the air when lava mixes with the salt water.  
  4. [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/05/24/how-nasa-tech-is-helping-hawaiis-kilauea-volcano-response.html” title=”NASA is helping first responders in their efforts to successfully manage the ongoing eruptions”] from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano. NASA and partner satellites used seven special instruments to identify where fissures were located, and where lava flows were originating. Other critical data and actionable information NASA continues to provide first responders in the ongoing eruption, includes the [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/05/24/how-nasa-tech-is-helping-hawaiis-kilauea-volcano-response.html” title=”composition and size of newly emitted volcanic plumes, and the movement of molten rock underground”], helping them keep citizens out of harm’s way.  
  5. New improvements in technology are helping the [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/05/17/national-hurricane-center-gives-sneak-peek-newly-improved-technology.html” title=”National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) track and measure hurricanes more accurately”]. More sophisticated satellites, in conjunction with better track forecasting and improved computer codes, will help make the cone of uncertainty smaller and more accurate. [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/05/17/national-hurricane-center-gives-sneak-peek-newly-improved-technology.html” title=”Narrowing the cone of uncertainty allows for more targeted evacuation areas”], reducing the number of people who need to evacuate ahead of the storm. These new tools will also help extend advisories, warnings, and watches out to 72 hours–adding an entire day to allow for storm preparations. Experts at the National Hurricane Center in Miami caution, however, that the [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/05/17/national-hurricane-center-gives-sneak-peek-newly-improved-technology.html” title=”cone provides a probable accurate track only about two-thirds of the time”], and a failure to evacuate could cost lives during a storm.  
  6. An illegal immigrant was fatally shot by a border patrol agent who was attacked by a group when responding to a call about illegal activity near a culvert on Wednesday. The incident occurred in Rio Bravo, Texas, and a statement issued by the [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/23/border-patrol-agent-shoots-kills-illegal-immigrant-in-texas-authorities-say.html” title=”U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)”] noted that he was the only agent to arrive on the scene, and and when he found and tried to apprehend the illegal immigrants, he was attacked by the group with blunt objects. During the attack, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/23/border-patrol-agent-shoots-kills-illegal-immigrant-in-texas-authorities-say.html” title=”the agent discharged his firearm”], striking and fatally wounding one of the attackers.  
  7. Mussels off the coast of Seattle [link url=”https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mussels-test-positive-for-opioids-seattle-puget-sound/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a” title=”tested positive for opioids”] during an ongoing study to monitor offshore water pollution. Mussels are filter feeders, absorbing contaminates from their environment, indicating that the opioid epidemic is now impacting humans in a broader scope. Although the study revealed the presence of the opioids, the doses were thousands of times smaller than a human dose, and were not metabolized by the shellfish nor were they harmed, [link url=”https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mussels-test-positive-for-opioids-seattle-puget-sound/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a” title=”but fish are affected, even by small doses”].  
  8. Meteorologists are predicting [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/05/24/latest-images-show-residents-sheltering-from-cyclone.html” title=”landfall of Cyclone Mekuni to occur near the heavily populated city of Salalah in Oman”], near Yemen, on Saturday morning. The Cyclone is being described as very severe, and is currently pounding the island of Socotra on its way to the Oman/Yemen border area. Strong winds and pounding rains from the nearby cyclone [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/05/24/latest-images-show-residents-sheltering-from-cyclone.html” title=”produced flash flooding and mudslides on the island Friday”], which sent island residents scrambling to find shelter amid its impact.  
  9. Two survivors from Tennessee’s wildfires in 2016 have [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/24/federal-lawsuit-seeks-14-8m-in-deadly-tennessee-wildfires.html” title=”filed a lawsuit against the federal government seeking $14.8 million in damages”]. The lawsuit states that [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/24/federal-lawsuit-seeks-14-8m-in-deadly-tennessee-wildfires.html” title=”federal park employees violated established fire-management policies”], including a failure to monitor the Chimney Tops 2 fire for five consecutive days, and to contain, rather than put out, the fire during existing severe drought conditions. Instead, the fire, unmonitored and unattended, was spread rapidly by hurricane force winds that blew embers into Gatlinburg, downed power lines, and ultimately resulted in [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/24/federal-lawsuit-seeks-14-8m-in-deadly-tennessee-wildfires.html” title=”a rapidly moving wildfire that killed 14 people and destroyed or damaged 2,5000 buildings”], including homes and businesses.  
  10. [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/25/coal-filled-barges-break-loose-on-river-2-sink.html” title=”Runaway coal-filled barges on a river in western Pennsylvania”] caused havoc as they floated freely down the river on Thursday. Two bridges spanning the [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/25/coal-filled-barges-break-loose-on-river-2-sink.html” title=”Monongahela River were shut down to traffic for hours”] as the barges drifted toward them, colliding with at least one of them, and a railroad bridge was also hit. Two of the coal-filled barges sank, while there rest of the free floating barges were finally apprehended by tugboats and other vessels.   

Interview with Dr. Angela Gibson and Rachel A. Adler

This is not your typical networking event. In this podcast we interview two STEM enthusiasts, Dr. Angela Gibson and Rachel Adler. At these socials attendees are also given direct access to scientists, engineers, and researchers at NASA.

By Rachel A. Adler
Online Career Tips Contributor

Recently I was one of 25 people selected to attend NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Media Day at their location in Goddard, Maryland.  Aside from learning about the MMS, I also got to look at how NASA cultivates public relations and provides professional development for their scientist and engineers. Attention big companies – take a page from NASA on how to run a successful and informative media day.

By Rachel A. Adler
Online Learning Tips Contributor

The Apollo 11 mission motivated a generation of innovators, technologist, mathematician, dreamers, scientist and engineers. The Moon Landing confirmed that, if you could dream it, arouse it, campaign it, and finance it, almost anything could be accomplished. The Apollo 11 Mission had three major factors…

Law enforcement and space travel share a high degree of risk in much of what they are required to do —the margins for error in both professions are very narrow! Dr. James Reilly, Associate Vice President at American Military University, shared lessons he learned about teamwork and leadership from his 13 years working for NASA as an astronaut. Learn more about their successes and failures and how this can be applied to your career.