Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering

a large wave is cresting beneath a blue sky

Oct 9, 2024

New Tool Aims to Boost Ocean-Based Renewable Energy

Researchers have created a new modeling tool that can be used to help develop marine hydrokinetic energy projects.

a roaring river rushes by a road. half of the road has been washed away by the river

Oct 8, 2024

How Can You Tell Whether a Road is Safe After a Flood?

How do you test the safety of roads, dams and bridges? And what do engineers have to consider when rebuilding roadways? These experts have answers.

a multi-lane highway is blocked with mud and debris

Oct 7, 2024

How Has Flooding from Helene Affected Transportation in Western NC?

We had questions about how Hurricane Helene has affected roadways and traffic in western North Carolina. So we talked to an expert.

Oct 3, 2024

How Do You Restore Power After a Flood?

A brief overview of what needs to be done to safely restore power after a flood.

a row of windmills is silhouetted against a sunrise

Sep 30, 2024

Model Projects Energy Storage Needs for Fossil Fuel-Free Energy System

The model offers policymakers critical information for long-term energy system planning.

factory smokestacks spew smoke against the backdrop of a blue sky

Sep 18, 2024

Study Outlines Cost-Effective Paths to Eliminating Greenhouse Gas Production

A new study lays out a wide range of options available to cost-effectively eliminate greenhouse gas production from the U.S. energy system by 2050.

photo of an industrial landscape with large smokestacks billowing white clouds

Jun 5, 2024

Climate Change Will Make Air Pollution Worse. Here’s How.

The study finds climate change is likely to make upward spikes of ozone at ground level worse by 2050.

photo shows pedestrians and cars moving through a busy intersection in a city

Mar 12, 2024

New Traffic Signal Would Improve Travel Time for Both Pedestrians and Vehicles

Adding a fourth light to traffic signals would shorten wait times at street corners for pedestrians, as well as improve traffic flow for both autonomous vehicles and human drivers.

Feb 27, 2024

Podcast: Sanitation (or, what do we do with all this poop?)

Francis de los Reyes talks about sanitation practices and challenges.

a small brick building with five wooden doors that open directly into a tidy, dirt courtyard.

Oct 31, 2023

Poop, Pee and Microbes: The Complicated Ecology of Pit Latrines

The findings are relevant for efforts to both improve public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with global climate change.

photo shows two rows of cars backed up as far as the eye can see.

Aug 14, 2023

Self-Driving Cars Can Make Traffic Slower

“Connected” vehicles, which share data with each other, improve travel time through intersections – but automated vehicles can actually slow down travel time if they are not connected to each other.

image imagines STEM career pathways as a braided river with many ways of achieving a career in STEMM

Jul 18, 2023

How Do You Create New Career Paths for the STEMM Workforce?

A new AAAS working group focuses on improving access to the STEMM workforce and helping people navigate STEMM careers.

sunlight shines through young corn plants onto dark soil

Jun 28, 2023

New Tool Predicts Crop Yields in the Southeast

The tool is designed to inform decisions about crop selection and irrigation techniques in the face of a changing climate.

time-lapse image shows cars moving through an intersection at night

Feb 7, 2023

Researchers Propose a Fourth Light on Traffic Signals – For Self-Driving Cars

The new light would enable autonomous vehicles to help control traffic flow – and let human drivers know what’s going on.

Nov 11, 2022

Wastewater, Syndromic COVID-19 Surveillance Are Important Pieces of COVID-Monitoring Toolkit

Wastewater and syndromic surveillance monitoring are useful complements to lab-confirmed case surveillance during a pandemic.