Skip to main content
Topics

Infrastructure and the Built Environment

Society is built on increasingly complex and interconnected infrastructure systems to support our way of life. The National Academies study transportation, energy, water systems, and urban design to improve how we build and live. Explore research that advances safe, sustainable, and future-ready infrastructure to connect people, places, and economies. 

What's happening

How does Ebola spread from person to person?

Based on Science

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of a symptomatic person or with contaminated clothing or other materials. Ebola virus is in saliva and other body fluids but has not been found to spread as easily as airborne viruses, such as COVID-19 or measles.

May 22, 2026
Light micrograph histologic section showing human liver infected with Ebola virus causing African Hemorrhagic Fever

New Report on Managing Highway Stormwater Quality

Announcement

Stormwater infrastructure plays an important role in protecting water resources, but contaminants from highway runoff are not adequately removed by current structures, and improved management of the various types and sources of pollutants is needed. A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies recommends methods state departments of transportation could use in their strategies to manage highway stormwater quality.

May 21, 2026
Drenched road from heavy rainfall.

New Technologies and Approaches Needed to Shore Up Interconnected U.S. Energy and Water Systems, Says New Report

News Release

As demands on the nation’s deeply interconnected energy and water systems grow, potential disruptions can have far-reaching consequences for communities, the economy, and national security. A new National Academies report examines how the systems’ interdependencies create both risks and opportunities and how collaborative, coordinated approaches can strengthen resilience and reliability.

May 19, 2026
Tom Miller Dam, Lake Austin, Colorado River, Austin Texas. Lake Austin (formerly Lake McDonald) is a water reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority.

Featured Publications

Featured work

Subscribe to Emails from the National Academies
Stay up to date on activities, publications, and events by subscribing to email updates.