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A slab of conductive concrete demonstrates its de-icing capability outside the Peter Kiewit Institute in Omaha during a winter storm in December 2015. The concrete carries just enough current to melt ice while remaining safe to the touch. Credit: Courtesy photo/Chris Tuan and Lim Nguyen

Civil engineers are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to perfect the de-icing properties of concrete that can conduct electricity. A 200-sq-ft slab of seemingly ordinary concrete sits just outside the Peter Kiewit Institute as snowflakes begin parachuting toward Omaha on a frigid afternoon in late December. The snow accumulates on the grass surrounding the slab and initially clings to the concrete, too...