2 years later: UI researcher hopes to prevent deadly dust storms, wants more policy change
WCIA News
[{'start': '0.080', 'end': '5.040', 'text': 'About 17 miles of the highway were shut'}, {'start': '2.240', 'end': '6.799', 'text': 'down and dozens of cars piled up. UFI'}, {'start': '5.040', 'end': '8.559', 'text': 'researchers want to know the how and'}, {'start': '6.799', 'end': '11.400', 'text': "why. But they're also looking into ways"}, {'start': '8.559', 'end': '15.280', 'text': 'to prevent it from happening'}, {'start': '11.400', 'end': '15.280', 'text': 'again. May 1st,'}, {'start': '15.320', 'end': '20.320', 'text': '2023. A day first responders, community'}, {'start': '18.160', 'end': '22.880', 'text': 'members, and scientists alike will never'}, {'start': '20.320', 'end': '24.800', 'text': 'forget. And you feel for people who have'}, {'start': '22.880', 'end': '26.000', 'text': 'been injured, who who were and those'}, {'start': '24.800', 'end': '27.680', 'text': 'that lost their lives and their'}, {'start': '26.000', 'end': '30.560', 'text': "families. Like, it's just a tough tough"}, {'start': '27.680', 'end': '32.559', 'text': 'thing. 84 cars were piled up on I-55'}, {'start': '30.560', 'end': '34.719', 'text': 'just south of Springfield. It looked'}, {'start': '32.559', 'end': '36.719', 'text': 'like like the worst scene you could see'}, {'start': '34.719', 'end': '38.879', 'text': 'out of a movie. Eight people died and'}, {'start': '36.719', 'end': '40.879', 'text': 'the road was closed for nearly a day.'}, {'start': '38.879', 'end': '42.960', 'text': 'Now, U of I researchers inside this'}, {'start': '40.879', 'end': '44.719', 'text': 'building are looking into changes so it'}, {'start': '42.960', 'end': '46.399', 'text': "doesn't happen again. We would like to"}, {'start': '44.719', 'end': '48.160', 'text': 'see more of these federal dollars coming'}, {'start': '46.399', 'end': '50.559', 'text': 'to farmers in the state and helping them'}, {'start': '48.160', 'end': '52.640', 'text': 'invest in practices that will preserve'}, {'start': '50.559', 'end': '54.320', 'text': 'soil health or improve soil health and'}, {'start': '52.640', 'end': '56.160', 'text': 'avoid the kind of erosion challenges'}, {'start': '54.320', 'end': '58.480', 'text': 'that we saw or at least help mitigate'}, {'start': '56.160', 'end': '60.320', 'text': 'some of those challenges. Jonathan Copus'}, {'start': '58.480', 'end': '62.239', 'text': "says there's a few ways to do that."}, {'start': '60.320', 'end': '65.280', 'text': "Whether that's no tail practices, cover"}, {'start': '62.239', 'end': '67.119', 'text': 'cropping practices, or other kinds of uh'}, {'start': '65.280', 'end': '69.200', 'text': 'practices that help preserve the soil'}, {'start': '67.119', 'end': '71.360', 'text': 'and keep it from eroding. So far, his'}, {'start': '69.200', 'end': '73.520', 'text': 'research shows bare soil is the most'}, {'start': '71.360', 'end': '75.520', 'text': 'critical component of a dust storm. But'}, {'start': '73.520', 'end': '77.600', 'text': 'other aspects of the land can create the'}, {'start': '75.520', 'end': '79.360', 'text': 'problem too. Normally trees serve as a'}, {'start': '77.600', 'end': '82.320', 'text': 'windbreak. Well, the wind came out of'}, {'start': '79.360', 'end': '83.840', 'text': 'the north west and it concentrated dust'}, {'start': '82.320', 'end': '86.080', 'text': 'in front of those trees where if it come'}, {'start': '83.840', 'end': '87.759', 'text': 'out of the east for southeast, right,'}, {'start': '86.080', 'end': '89.439', 'text': 'the trees would have been a wind break.'}, {'start': '87.759', 'end': '91.520', 'text': 'No matter what conclusions come out of'}, {'start': '89.439', 'end': '93.119', 'text': 'the research, he knows changes are in'}, {'start': '91.520', 'end': '95.280', 'text': "the hands of someone else. We're"}, {'start': '93.119', 'end': '97.040', 'text': "watching closely what's going on with"}, {'start': '95.280', 'end': '98.960', 'text': 'current congressional debates and what'}, {'start': '97.040', 'end': '100.960', 'text': 'might happen to policy. Before that'}, {'start': '98.960', 'end': '104.000', 'text': 'happens, his goal is to help and work'}, {'start': '100.960', 'end': '106.240', 'text': 'with farmers so they see what he sees in'}, {'start': '104.000', 'end': '107.920', 'text': 'his research. The more we can do to'}, {'start': '106.240', 'end': '110.560', 'text': 'inform that, I think the better we might'}, {'start': '107.920', 'end': '112.159', 'text': 'see policy outcomes down the road. As'}, {'start': '110.560', 'end': '114.159', 'text': 'for the next steps in the research, he'}, {'start': '112.159', 'end': '115.439', 'text': 'says the team will look at models that'}, {'start': '114.159', 'end': '116.960', 'text': 'other scientists have been putting'}, {'start': '115.439', 'end': '118.719', 'text': 'together. If you want to look at'}, {'start': '116.960', 'end': '122.079', 'text': "everything he's done so far, we have a"}, {'start': '118.719', 'end': '122.079', 'text': 'link on wcia.com.'}]