News: CEE

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been on the rise in New York State, and Cayuga Lake experienced more blooms than any other NY waterbody in 2020. In fact, 10% of the HABs reported to the NYS DEC statewide in 2020 (94 out of 930) were from Cayuga Lake. Algalblooms are triggered by the presence of excessive nutrients like phosphorus, which spur the growth of the naturally occurring microbe cyanobacteria that congregate into colonies, creating the appearance of “pea soup” at the surface of the water. However, not all algal blooms are classified as HABs: only some types of cyanobacteria produce... Read more

Long commute times and household crowding may be good predictors for a higher number of transmissible coronavirus cases in metropolitan settings, according to Cornell urban planning, architectural and public health researchers, in a July study published in the journal Buildings and Cities. Neighborhoods that had populations with predominantly longer commute times to work – from about 40 minutes to an hour – were more likely to become infectious disease hotspots, the research said. “We are trying to determine how the built environment influences coronavirus propagation,” said senior author... Read more

Concrete expert Ken Hover, Ph.D. ’84, professor in the College of Engineering’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will play a key role on an expert team assembled by the federal government to investigate the June 24, 2021, partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Aug. 25 announced the composition of the team, which will be led by Judith Mitrani-Reiser, associate chief of the Materials and Structural Systems Division in NIST’s Engineering Laboratory. Read more

Researchers say the future of transportation will be shaped by three “revolutions” – vehicle electrification, driverless cars and ride-sharing – that could result in fewer automobiles on the road, less fossil fuels extracted from the Earth and less pollution in the air. While the environmental gains may seem self-evident, the health benefits are difficult to quantify. Now for the first time, a Cornell-led team has used transdisciplinary systems modeling to calculate those health benefits in the United States. By 2050, these innovations could potentially slash petroleum consumption by 50% and... Read more

"Accelerating Carbon Removal Through Enhanced Weathering by Capturing Heavy Metals From Alkaline Sources" is the title of this recently awarded Atkinson Center Academic Venture Fund research project, which is being led by faculty members from CEE and CALS. The PI of the project, Greeshma Gadikota said, “this proposal is exciting because it brings together engineers and scientists from COE and CALS to leverage our understanding of how engineered and natural processes work to create hybrid carbon removal solutions. To have a truly positive impact on responsible resource utilization and on the... Read more

The Diversity Programs in Engineering Awards honor students, faculty and staff who show dedication to building a community that embodies empathy and belonging. Read more

Philip L-F. Liu, Class of 1912 Professor of Engineering Emeritus from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University and Distinguished Professor from NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering and NUS researchers will be working on a state-of-the-art Coastal-Inland Flood Model based on the nation’s densely built-up and urbanised environment. Read more

H. Oliver Gao, professor of civil and environmental engineering, H. Oliver Gaohas received the inaugural Howard Simpson Professorship that will take effect on July 1, 2021. Howard Simpson was a CEE graduate, Class of 1942, who was one of the partners who founded Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) in Boston. Read more

The Science magazine perspective offers key considerations for addressing the increasing likelihood of relocation for potentially millions of people due to global environmental changes. Read more

Last Thursday, May 27th, CEE held a virtual recognition event for graduating seniors and on Friday, May 28th, a similar virtual celebration for our graduate students. Our alumni guest speakers, Prashanth Chandrasekar, CEO of Stack Overflow, Veronica Davis, Director of Transportation & Drainage Operations for the City of Houston, James McCormick, Director of Construction for D&A Development Partners, Mike Rolband, Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., and Professor Ken Hover gave helpful advice and words of encouragement to the graduates. "And so for civil... Read more