WRF commits $6.4 million to 2012 projects
DENVER – The Water Research Foundation's (WRF) board of trustees approved $6.4 million in 2012 funding for three key research programs. This research budget will be leveraged with partnerships and in-kind support, raising the total amount of funds dedicated to drinking water research to approximately $15 million. The approved funds are allocated to the three programs as follows:

• Focus Area Program (60 percent of budget) identifies a limited number of broadly relevant subscriber issues and solves them with a targeted, multi-year research response.
• Emerging Opportunities Program (20 percent) enables the WRF to respond quickly to emergent subscriber challenges and research ideas identified throughout the year.
• Tailored Collaboration Program (20 percent) enables the WRF to partner with utility subscribers on research that may be more limited or regional in impact.

FGI offers graduate research grant
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI; www.fabricatedgeomembrane.com) announced the availability of a FGI Graduate Research Grant. FGI will award research funds for an initial two-year period to support ideas that advance the use of fabricated geomembranes in containment applications. The research grant is $10,000 per year for two years (subject to annual review). Research can focus on any aspect of fabricated geomembranes such as formulation, welding, field testing, installation, durability in exposed and unexposed applications, chemical resistance, or any other measure of fabricated geomembrane performance.

Projects that involve participation by the private sector and/or other universities are welcomed and encouraged. FGI recommends that students and faculty members network with one or more FGI members to better understand the questions that need to be answered in the field of fabricated geomembranes before submitting a proposal.

AAR issues 2011 Edition of Railroad Facts
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) released the 2011 Edition of Railroad Facts, containing more than 80 pages of facts and statistics for 2010, as well as historical data on critical aspects of railroad business including finance, operations, plant and equipment, employment and compensation, fuel consumption, and costs. Railroad Facts also contains a profile of each major U.S. Class I railroad, Amtrak, major Canadian railroads, and large Mexican railways. Copies of the publication can be purchased online at http://pubs.aar.org/pubstores.