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Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering

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. 

a coal-fired power plant in Texas releases a white cloud against a blue sky

Sep 13, 2022

Cutting Coal Has Huge Health Benefits – But Environmental Justice Issues Remain

While Black and low-income communities also benefit, they still face higher levels of air pollution. 

three pallets of bundled cardboard waste sit on a loading dock

Jan 20, 2022

New Tool to Help Solid-Waste Systems Reach Cost, Environmental Goals

The free tool that uses models to help solid waste systems achieve their environmental goals in the most cost-efficient way possible. 

Chris Frey and Joe DeCarolis

Oct 5, 2021

NC State Faculty Nominated for Key White House Roles

The faculty have been asked to take on leadership roles at the EPA and Department of Energy. 

aerial photograph of the ocean, beach, dunes, a highway, and then wetlands

Sep 28, 2021

Quantifying Change on Barrier Islands Highlights the Value of Storms

Researchers have developed a way to quantify landscape changes on barrier islands. What they found may surprise you. 

aerial view of a farmhouse, vehicles and outbuildings during a flood. all of the structures are submerged, leaving only roofs exposed

Aug 24, 2021

Human, Swine Waste Pose Dual Threats to Water Quality After Flooding

People in eastern NC face multiple water pollution hazards after hurricanes. 

diagram of metamaterial in cross-section explaining how its properties can be manipulated

Aug 17, 2021

Using Bioinspired Microvasculature to Control Material Properties

A vascular metamaterial can be reconfigured to modify its thermal and electromagnetic properties. 

A group of middle school students sit on a log and look out onto a lake.

Aug 10, 2021

Researchers Incorporate Marginalized Voices in Climate Change Solutions

As experts at NC State study aspects of climate change, they strive to center marginalized voices to ensure groups facing the highest risk aren’t overlooked.