Agencies

FEMA Calls May Come from Unfamiliar Phone Numbers

Published: 25 June 2025
Categories: FEMA News

RSS feed source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

OKLAHOMA CITY – After Oklahoma residents apply for disaster assistance, they may receive a call from FEMA seeking more information to process the application, or to schedule an inspection. Survivors should remember that these calls often come with unfamiliar area codes and phone numbers.

It is important for applicants to answer FEMA’s call. For example, an inspection may be required to determine whether a home is safe, functional and accessible, or to verify the current state of the property. Without an inspection, there may be a delay in FEMA’s review of the application.

There is no charge for an inspection, and the inspector will have FEMA photo identification and the application number. Remember, FEMA representatives will never ask for money.

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a FEMA representative, you can reach out to the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 to verify the caller’s identity.

How to apply for FEMA assistance

Homeowners and renters in Cleveland, Creek, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Pawnee and Payne counties who experienced losses from the wildfires and straight-line winds that occurred March 14-21, can apply to FEMA in several ways, including going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, downloading the FEMA App for mobile devices or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT and help is available in most languages. If you use a

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Superconducting material stabilized at everyday pressure, another step toward real-world applications

Published: 25 June 2025
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

U.S. National Science Foundation-funded researchers have stabilized a composite material in a superconducting state at ambient or normal, everyday pressure. Their technique, called the “pressure-quench protocol,” offers a new approach for exploring and developing superconducting materials. Superconducting materials have the potential to enable highly efficient electronic devices and minimal energy loss in power grids.

Superconducting materials typically exhibit zero electrical resistance only at very low temperatures or very high pressures, depending on the material. Researchers at the University of Houston overcame these limitations by using their pressure-quench technique to stabilize a composite of bismuth, antimony and tellurium in a superconducting state under ambient pressure. This study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also included contributions from researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Illinois Chicago.

Credit: Liangzi Deng and Ching-Wu Chu

A multi-purpose measurement device used in the pressure-quenching experiments can reach a temperature of 1.2 degrees Kelvin (-457 degrees Fahrenheit).

The new protocol also opens up a new way to explore material phases that usually exist only under extreme pressure. “It should help our search for superconductors with higher transition temperatures,” says Paul Ching-Wu Chu, a study author and professor of physics at the University of Houston.

“The technique used in this study not only demonstrates potential

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Chemical process more efficiently converts carbon dioxide to methanol, a chemical used in manufacturing and a potential fuel

Published: 25 June 2025
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

A new chemical process funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation has produced methanol — a type of alcohol essential for manufacturing many common products and a potential fuel source — more efficiently than ever before. The method generates methanol from carbon dioxide nearly 66% more efficiently than the next best approach.

The process uses a dual combination of nickel- and cobalt-based compounds as a catalyst on nanotubes, where multiple chemical reactions and electricity convert carbon dioxide to methanol. More of the C02 is transformed into methanol and with comparatively less electricity consumption, making the overall process more efficient. The findings are published in Nature Nanotechnology by a team of scientists spanning Yale University, Oregon State University and The Ohio State University.

“Methanol is a flexible chemical feedstock that is used for hundreds of common products including plastics, chemicals and solvents,” says Alvin Chang, an OSU doctoral student and coauthor on the study. By improving methanol production, scientists could make it faster, cheaper and with less waste.

Methanol is being explored as a low-cost fuel for generating electricity, powering ships, supplementing gasoline for automobiles and more. In addition to using C02 from the atmosphere, the process could enable methanol production from plentiful agricultural and municipal waste.

Having steady access to such a versatile and renewable resource could transform many aspects of daily life, including the transportation

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NSF invests $25.5M in research to drive new U.S. manufacturing technologies and talent pipelines

Published: 24 June 2025
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced a $25.5 million investment to support fundamental research and workforce development aimed at enabling future generations of U.S. manufacturing. This year’s awards will support seven research grants and nine seed projects across 36 institutions and companies through the NSF Future Manufacturing (NSF FM) program.

The NSF FM program focuses on areas such as biomanufacturing, cyber manufacturing and ecomanufacturing, with some efforts exploring intersections with quantum manufacturing. The program emphasizes convergence, bringing together teams from across disciplines to create new, potentially transformative manufacturing capabilities, going far beyond improvements to current manufacturing processes.

“The FM program targets critical technical gaps and lays the foundation for emerging sectors, including technologies that haven’t yet been imagined,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “NSF is investing in teams that bring together scientific, engineering and manufacturing expertise to equip the American workforce for leadership in advanced manufacturing.”

This year’s FM awards include:

Seven research grants, each receiving up to $3 million over a four-year period, to support multidisciplinary teams conducting fundamental research to enable new manufacturing capabilities, materials, or systems. Projects span a range of topics, including bioengineering in resource-constrained environments, “recyclofacturing” using artificial intelligence to create products from metal scrap, and using robotics and digital twins for additive manufacturing of multi-material systems.Nine seed grants, each receiving up to $500,000 over

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