CEAE Department News Highlights - Alumni Newsletter — Jan. 2025
Department Headlines
Disaster survivors want to rebuild safer, more sustainable homes, but cost misperceptions often stand in the way
Professor Abbie Liel and her collaborator Susan Ostermann at Notre Dame are exploring solutions for building homes that can withstand disasters like hurricanes and fires.
The end of lead pipes: An engineer’s take on the historic national effort to eliminate them
As water utilities around the country race to identify and replace lead service lines, Assistant Professor Julie Korak reflects on new rules and how individuals can protect themselves from lead in water.
Ҵýƽ establishes worldwide standards for repairing inaccessible, leaking pipelines
Ҵýƽ Center for Infrastructure, Energy, and Space Testing (CIEST) has pioneered testing procedures for innovative pipe replacement solutions for aging urban pipes buried beneath buildings and roads.
Faculty News
Wil Srubar named associate dean for innovation & entrepreneurship at Ҵýƽ
Professor Wil Srubar has been appointed as Ҵýƽ first Deming Associate Dean for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. This newly created role will focus on fostering innovation by providing education, mentorship and resources to faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students to drive the commercialization of intellectual property.
Ҵýƽ faculty recognized for advancing environmental engineering
Associate Professor Sherri Cook and Assistant Professor Cresten Mansfeldt have been honored by The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists through its 40 Under 40 Recognition Program.
Three department-affiliated teams awarded $125K each in Lab Venture Challenge
Three professors — Mark Hernandez, Gregor Henze and Tony Straub — were each awarded $125,000 with their researchers and graduate student innovators in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge for University of Colorado Boulder faculty start-ups.
Three CEAE faculty selected for Climate Innovation Collaboratoryresearch awards
Kyri Baker, Mija Hubler and JH Song were selected for the Deloitte/University of Colorado Boulder Climate Innovation Collaboratory Research Awards for translating climate research and data into meaningful climate solutions for businesses, organizations, government agencies and communities.
Bolhari leads DEI workshop on neurodivergent students through Fulbright Brazil
Associate Teaching Professor Azadeh Bolhari was selected by Fulbright Brazil as a U.S. specialist to lead a workshop about fostering DEI for neurodivergent undergraduate engineering students.
Amy Javernick-Will: Q&A with CEAS's new associate dean for faculty advancement
In this Q&A, Amy Javernick-Will, the new associate dean for faculty advancement, discusses the meaningful ways she has felt welcomed into the College of Engineering leadership.
Student News
Ҵýƽ takes second place in national design-build student competition
A team of five students, mentored by Teaching Professor Matt Morris, took second place in the national Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) student competition, held Nov. 7-8 in Dallas, Texas.
Survivors in Indonesia grapple with trauma as they rebuild their lives 20 years after devastating tsunami
Near Lampuuk Beach in Banda Aceh, homes built for 2004 tsunami survivors now sit abandoned. Ilham Siddiq, a tsunami survivor and PhD student in civil systems engineering, cites trauma and environmental challenges as key issues in rebuilding efforts.
Two outstanding seniors honored with Clarence L. Eckel Award
Brooklyn Lash and Carl Fischer are the winners of the Clarence L. Eckel Award.
Chaya Farley honored with college perseverance award
Chaya Farley, an architectural engineering student, was awarded the College of Engineering & Applied Science Perseverance Award.
CEAE senior wins two college awards
Brooklyn Lash, a civil engineering major, received two college honors: the Community Impact Award
and the Research Award.
and the Research Award.
Research News
Could wet winters start to refill Colorado River reservoirs? What researchers are saying
Professor Balaji Rajagopalan research suggests that increased precipitation in the Colorado River basin over the next 25 years could boost river flows despite rising temperatures. However, he warns of more frequent extreme droughts, highlighting the need for improved reservoir management.
How prisons fall short in protecting the incarcerated from climate disasters
In a new paper, drawing on accounts from nearly three dozen previously incarcerated people, Ҵýƽ researchers reveal a disturbing story of how prisons and jails in Colorado have failed to provide humane protections from growing environmental hazards brought on by climate change.
Dept. of Energy offers Prometheus Materials $10M to study CO2 removal in concrete
Prometheus Materials, a zero-carbon building materials company spun out of the labs of Wil Srubar, Mija Hubler and Sherri Cook, along with partner groups will receive $10 million from the DOE to study the removal of carbon dioxide from cement.
Using nanoscale membranes to clean water on the Moon
Anthony Straub is making major advances in water purification technology for industry and human consumption on Earth and in space, with his work on a nanotechnology membrane process taking a major step toward commercialization, thanks to a new NASA grant.
How Earth’s most intense heat wave ever impacted life in Antarctica
In a study published on July 31 in the journal Earth’s Future, scientists, including Ҵýƽ researchers, revealed how heat waves, especially those occurring in Antarctica’s cold seasons, may impact the animals living there.
Can viruses help clean wastewater from fracking? It’s a “yes, but” from researchers.
Early research shows viruses can hijack and kill bacteria in oil and gas wastewater — and potentially offer big savings to the industry — but it’s not a cure-all, says Professor Joe Ryan.
Mark Hernandez: Indoor air monitoring goes to school
Across the US, schools have begun measuring air quality en masse. Professor Mark Hernandez is helping to interpret the data
In Memoriam
Jim Heaney, former CEAE professor and chair, remembered for mentorship, bridging water resources and environmental engineering
Jim Heaney, former professor and chair of Ҵýƽ Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering passed away on Aug. 24. He was 84 years old.