News: CEE

The severity and far-ranging consequences of megadisasters are establishing a new normal for natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires—and a corresponding challenge to the engineering profession to help develop the resilient infrastructure needed to reduce their impact, writes Tom O'Rourke in the latest issue of The Bridge, a publication of the National Academy of Engineering. O'Rourke, the Thomas R. Briggs Professor of Engineering in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is guest editor for the July 1, 2019, issue, which tackles the rapidly growing need for... Read more

Projects ranging from a soil-swimming robot that can sense conditions in the root zone in real time to computational models that can predict produce spoilage received seed funds from the Cornell Initiative for Digital Agriculture’s new Research Innovation Fund. Read more

The American Lung Association’s 2019 “ State of the Air” report released in April ranked Houston ninth nationally for worst ozone pollution and 17th for particle pollution. But Cornell researchers express hope for the future of Houston’s breathable air: By replacing at least 35% of Houston’s gasoline cars and diesel trucks with electric vehicles by 2040, Houstonians could breathe easier, live longer and enjoy a better economy. “The built environment plays a significant role in affecting our daily life and health,” said H. Oliver Gao, professor of civil and environmental engineering and senior... Read more

A Cornell-Environmental Defense Fund research team has found there is more methane being emitted from the ammonia fertilizer industry than the EPA had estimated for all industrial processes in the U.S. Read more

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Cornell Engineering ranks #14 among engineering colleges in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings released on March 12, 2019. Cornell also ranked highly in 11 specialty rankings: #12 Aerospace Engineering #03 Biological/Agricultural Engineering #14 Biomedical Engineering #18 Chemical Engineering #11 Civil Engineering #09 Computer Engineering #09 Electrical Engineering #10 Environmental Engineering #09 Industrial/Systems Engineering #08 Materials Engineering #08 Mechanical Engineering Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted... Read more

"Aggressive and immediate investments in reducing carbon dioxide emissions are key for securing a tolerable climate for future generations," said Lead Author Prof. Jonathan Lamontagne, (former CEE Postdoc and CEE Alumn). CEE Prof. Patrick Reed also contributed to this article "Robust abatement pathways to tolerable climate futures require immediate global action" published in Nature, March 11, 2019. A new comprehensive study of climate change has painted over 5 million pictures of humanity’s potential futures, and few foretell an Earth that has not severely warmed. But with immediate action... Read more

From The Ithaca Journal, Thomas Giery Pudney, Published 12:59 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2019 U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand on Thursday announced $1.4 million in U.S. Department of Transportation funding for Cornell University to continue leading the Transportation, Environment, and Community Health Center. “This grant will enable Cornell University and its new transportation center to continue producing game-changing research on the technology that could preserve our environment and protect our communities from harmful pollutants,” Schumer said. “Modernizing America’s infrastructure... Read more