UCLA School of Law online forum brings together international experts on human rights and legal issues

Unable to resolve conflict in Libya by issuing an arrest warrant for former president Moammar Gadhafi, the International Criminal Court sought the opinion of experts brought together by a UCLA School of Law forum.

Bill to turn traffic into electricity awaits review by Gov. Jerry Brown

Turning traffic into electricity is the goal of a bill currently on the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown.

AB306, proposed by Silver Lake Assemblyman Mike Gatto, proposes to convert the vibrations created by passing traffic on a highway into electricity.

Transforming mechanical pressure into electricity is a science called piezoelectricity, said Qibing Pei, a professor of material science and engineering at UCLA.

“Certain materials, when you press on them, generate a voltage – and we’re trying to capture it,” Pei said.

Pei has been working on creating a more efficient material from which to extract piezoelectric energy.