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National Geographic By Stephen Leahy Published March 12, 2019 Millions of possible scenarios were analyzed, and only a few are acceptable, the scientists said. A NEW SCIENTIFIC analysis of millions of possible climate futures found only a narrow window to keeping global warming to levels the international community has deemed safe. Out of 5.2 million possible climate futures, carbon emissions must reach zero by 2030 in every country in the world if we are to stay at less than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) by 2100 of warming, the target set by the United Nations to avoid the worst... Read more

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

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Richard E. Schuler, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering and economics at Cornell University. He passed away on Wednesday, February 13, at the age of 81. Dick grew up in Allentown PA, where he met and married Mary, his beloved wife of 56 years. Dick cherished his family and children, including his son Rick Schuler (Natalie), daughter Anne Schuler and daughter Judy Miller (Joel). Dick was the proud grandfather of Max (Tatyana), Nikhon and John Schuler and Jake, Cassie, Elizabeth and Zach Miller. He will be remembered by... Read more

Creating new opportunities for industry partnerships and increasing engagement with the world beyond the lab could help researchers make a broader impact and meet grand challenges, said speakers at the “Deep Tech Eats Social Media for Lunch” panel, held Jan. 28 in the Upson Hall lounge. “As we all know, venture capitalists are often investing in safe software technology [rather] than more ‘moonshot’ and more ambitious ventures,” said Andrea Ippolito ’06, M.Eng ’07, executive director of the Engineering Management Program, who moderated the panel. “But a piece of software alone won’t remove CO2... Read more

CEE Professor Tom O’Rourke along with Dean Lance Collins were among the engineering experts brought in to re-engineer the L Train Tunnel project. Last month O’Rourke and Collins toured the L Train's Canarsie Tunnel with Governor Cuomo and along with experts from Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. On January 3, 2019, at a press conference O’Rourke, Collins and experts from Columbia recommended a series of “a series of innovative engineering methods to streamline the required repair work and limit the impact on L Train service.” Professor Tom O’Rourke... Read more

The Mekong River, flowing from the Tibetan Plateau through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to the South China Sea, is a hotbed of ecological diversity. The roughly 60 million people who live in the region, many in poverty, depend on the river and its tributaries for food and income. But a surge in hydropower projects is threatening to plunge the Mekong River basin into catastrophic ecological collapse, hampering the flow of fish, nutrients and sediment, unless a viable alternative is found. Enter Thomas Wild, Ph.D. ’14, who as an Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future... Read more

Professor Patrick Reed has been awarded an endowed chair with the title of Joseph C. Ford Professor of Engineering. Dr. Reed's primary research interests relate to sustainable water management given conflicting demands from renewable energy systems, ecosystem services, expanding populations, and climate change. Read more