Research
Professor Abbie Liel along with University of Notre Dame political scientist Susan Ostermann and María J. Echeverría, a civil engineering professor from California State University, Sacramento, have identified building code features that have the biggest impact on hazard resilience and translated those features into tangible, practical building solutions. The findings from their National Science Foundation-funded study were published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
Mark Hernandez is serving as a commissioner of the newly launched Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air to elevate indoor air as a critical public health priority and drive coordinated global action and solutions.
Researchers in Professor Mark Hernandez's lab have discovered that a passive, generally safe ultraviolet light treatment can rapidly inactivate airborne allergens. They believe this approach could serve as an additional tool to help reduce allergens in homes, schools and other indoor environments.
The study, led by CEAE PhD student Daniel Donado-Quintero, shows that setting carbon benchmarks can encourage asphalt producers to lower emissions for example by using more recycled materials or optimizing production processes—supporting Colorado’s Buy Clean Act and CDOT’s efforts to reduce embodied carbon.
At CU Boulder’s Living Materials Lab, Professor Wil Srubar is developing “bioblocks” made from microalgae that use sunlight, seawater and carbon dioxide to grow carbon-negative limestone—offering a sustainable alternative for use in concrete, cement and other building materials.
Zhi Li, joining CU Boulder as an assistant professor in August, leads the new Flood Lab, which develops high-resolution models to predict flood impacts with one-meter precision—technology not yet used in real time due to high computational demands.
Anthony Straub is developing ultra-thin nanoscale membranes to transform water purification on Earth and in space. His work has earned a prestigious NSF CAREER Award, a five-year, $550,000 grant to advance the research.
Henze was selected for his groundbreaking work on smart energy control systems, advanced building simulation tools and technologies that connect buildings to the power grid. He is also recognized for his global leadership in research and education.
The Boulder Daily Camera is spotlighting new water quality work led by Professor Evan Thomas, an expert in water and air testing and treatment and the director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience.
A new study published today in Nature Communications Earth & Environment is the first large-scale assessment of post-wildfire water quality. Ben Livneh, an associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was the principal investigator and co-author of the study.