The Federal Aviation Administration released a framework for local governments to prepare infrastructure for urban air mobility, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and placement of vertiports and links to transportation on the ground are covered in the guidelines. The Biden administration has created an interagency team for advanced air mobility, which includes the FAA, NASA and the FCC.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking public comments within the next two months on a crash test proposal within its New Car Assessment Program, designed to better protect pedestrians and drivers. The proposal centers on standards for automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection.

Mohsen Seifi, vice president of global advanced manufacturing AM programs, discusses the broad range of industries being transformed by AM and looks at the revolutionary potential of AM technologies.

As medical devices become more complex and widely used, they are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks and other security threats, according to Jessica Wilkerson of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The FDA is giving device makers until October to meet new rules for providing cybersecurity information before devices go to market.

Every state except Michigan has a statewide septic code in place and lawmakers have attempted to change that multiple times over the years to no avail. State lawmakers in both chambers are bringing the issue to the forefront once again with several bills that would enact statewide standards for septic systems as Michigan continues to grapple with water quality and aging infrastructure challenges.

The Washington Department of Health has rolled out a new public dashboard for tracking PFAS in drinking water wells that could help communities and water systems make more informed decisions about water testing. Public water systems encompassing nearly 4,000 wells are required to conduct PFAS testing before December 2025 and so far about 2% of the more than 25% of wells that have been tested show elevated levels of PFAS, per agency data.

Local green building codes of varying strength are cropping up and might herald national changes. Emily Gallagher examines codes in three cities that could set the national tone: Boston; Kansas City, Mo.; and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Boeing is making its Cascade data modeling tool widely available as a way to support progress toward net-zero aviation emissions. Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond says multiple technologies will be required to reach net-zero, including sustainable aviation fuel, and the company's "intent is to scale SAF and help it scale by first ... examining what has to change in an airplane to be 100% compatible with (SAF)."

Polestar is seeking partnerships in the auto industry to reduce carbon emissions in a vehicle's life cycle, including the supply chain and manufacturing. The company's Polestar 0 project is working toward a climate-neutral EV by 2030.

A study of three roofing workers of various ages and career and health backgrounds has found decreased pain, fatigue, injury and musculoskeletal discomfort from use of a passive back-support exoskeleton. The New Zealand-based study also shows benefits such as more restorative sleep and a higher balance between stress and recovery.

People who are passionate about their job may have lower stress, higher productivity and greater career growth than those who aren't, but it can also leave them feeling depleted and burned out. Workers can prevent passion from turning into exhaustion by taking time for rest and recovery, and managers should help their teams manage workloads, be on the lookout for emotional exhaustion and support work-life balance, write Joy Bredehorst, Kai Krautter, Jirs Meuris and Jon M. Jachimowicz.

It's not too late to register for the June Committee Week, taking place at the Sheraton Denver Downtown in Denver from June 4 to 9.