Civil and Environmental Engineering News
Stanford researcher suggests storing solar energy underground for a cloudy day
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
A common criticism of a total transition to wind, water and solar power is that the U.S. electrical grid can't affordably store enough standby electricity to keep the system stable. Stanford researcher Mark Z. Jacobson proposes an underground solution to that problem.
Stanford engineers help discover the surprising trick jellyfish use to swim
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
A Stanford-led team shows how these ancient creatures' undulating motions cause water to pull them along. This counterintuitive insight could spur new designs for energy-efficient underwater craft.
Sustainable engineering in the 21st Century
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
New interdisciplinary major prepares Stanford engineers to build sustainable urban, coastal and freshwater systems
Plastic-eating worms may offer solution to mounting waste, Stanford researchers discover
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
An ongoing study by Stanford engineers, in collaboration with researchers in China, shows that common mealworms can safely biodegrade various types of plastic.
Stanford Engineering students and researchers win grants to commercialize energy inventions
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Building on the success of its first year, the Innovation Transfer Program at the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy is financially supporting 11 new teams composed mostly of Stanford students and recent graduates trying to put university research to work.
Four engineering faculty members' projects receive grants to tackle major environmental challenges
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment jump-starts interdisciplinary projects around the world.
Stanford engineers develop state-by-state plan to convert U.S. to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050
Monday, June 8, 2015
Professor Mark Z. Jacobson and colleagues show that it's technically possible for each state to replace fossil fuel energy with entirely clean, renewable energy.
Stanford engineers discover how microbes acquire electricity in making methane
Monday, May 18, 2015
New findings by Professor Alfred Spormann and colleagues could pave the way for microbial "factories" that produce renewable biofuels and chemicals.
Three engineering students receive Deans' Awards for Academic Achievement
Thursday, May 7, 2015
The award recognizes extraordinary undergraduates for their intellectual accomplishments.
Five faculty members receive NSF Early Career Development awards
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Assistant professors Amin Arbabian, Michael Lepech, Marco Pavone, Manu Prakash and Sindy Tang awarded grants to help promising junior faculty pursue outstanding research while also improving education.
Making drinking water safe at the source
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Researchers with the Stanford Woods Institute's Program on Water, Health and Development are finding affordable, sustainable solutions to the challenge of providing safe drinking water to nearly 1 billion people in city slums.
Stanford study shows ways to improve public health at beaches
Friday, December 19, 2014
Thanks to new Stanford research, an affordable, easy-to-implement system can provide significantly more accurate information on coastal water contamination to better protect public health.
Stanford faculty awarded seed grants for innovative energy research
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Stanford's Precourt Institute, Precourt Energy Efficiency Center and TomKat Center have awarded eight seed grants to Stanford faculty for early-stage energy research.
Stanford Engineering Professor Richard Luthy receives distinguished environmental engineering award
Monday, December 8, 2014
American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists recognizes Luthy's contributions to the field of environmental engineering and dedication to improving the quality of the world’s environment.
Stanford Engineers find that certain types of underwater waves may harm deep-water organisms
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Voluminous underwater waves known as “internal bores" can create major decreases in dissolved oxygen in water near the shore.
Learning from 1989: Stanford engineer studies the aftermath of earthquakes
Friday, October 17, 2014
Professor Anne Kiremidjian is an expert at assessing the likely intensity and duration of earthquakes and estimating the probable damage.
Stanford Engineering scholars work with bankers to encourage investments in sustainable projects
Monday, October 13, 2014
Two scholars in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are working on a model that could help banks reward borrowers for decisions that benefit the environment.
Stanford engineer says 'smart grid' needed to shift electrical system to alternative energy
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Solar, wind and other alternative sources are easier on the environment but less predictable than coal, gas or oil-fired plants, demanding a more sophisticated distribution and delivery system.
Stanford engineers show value of clams, mussels in cleaning dirty water
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
New research shows that bivalves can cleanse streams, rivers and lakes of potentially harmful chemicals that treatment plants can't fully remove.
Professor Anne Kiremidjian named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
Monday, August 11, 2014
Civil and environmental engineer honored for her career achievements in probabilistic seismic hazard assessment, for her commitment to educating the next generation of earthquake engineers and for her leadership in encouraging women to become engineers.
Stanford engineer's study shows effects of biomass burning on climate, health
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Stanford professor’s calculations indicate that wildfires and other types of fires involving plant matter play a much bigger role in climate change and human health than previously thought.
A clean energy roadmap for California
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
A study led by Professor Mark Jacobson outlines the path to a possible future for California where renewable energy creates a healthier environment, generates jobs and stabilizes energy prices.
Stanford Woods Institute announces 2014 Environmental Venture Projects
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Projects hold the promise of cleaning the air, reducing parasitic infections and uncovering pathways by which diseases are spread.
Stanford research: Watching the hand washers
Monday, April 14, 2014
Stanford researchers pioneer use of video surveillance to better understand essential hygiene behavior.
Offshore wind farms could tame hurricanes before they reach land, Stanford-led study says
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Computer simulations by Professor Mark Z. Jacobson have shown that offshore wind farms with thousands of wind turbines could have sapped the power of three real-life hurricanes, significantly decreasing their winds and accompanying storm surge, and possibly preventing billions of dollars in damages.
