respiratory system

Air pollution leads to millions of ER visits for asthma attacks worldwide

Oct. 23, 2018

Nine to 33 million visits to the emergency room for asthma worldwide may be triggered by breathing in air polluted by ozone or fine particulate matter according to a study published by Associate Professor Daven Henze and collaborators.

environment study at cu boulder

Broad energy and environment study led by CU Boulder ends with significant findings

Oct. 10, 2018

A massive research and education effort on energy and environmental issues led by CU Boulder engineering faculty is ending after a five-year run with significant results relevant to Colorado’s growing energy industry.

Y-pods set up around Los Angels (Photo credit: Jacob Thorson)

Air quality from Greeley to Ghana

Sept. 10, 2018

You may have noticed that the air quality in parts of Colorado has been worse than usual for the past few days. Wildfires burning across the U.S. (although notably not in Colorado) have caused smokey skies of late. This far-flung smoke highlights how pollution in one area isn’t limited to...

Monitoring a skillet on a stove

CU and CSU professors work together to study indoor air quality

Sept. 7, 2018

Humans spend about 90 percent of our lives inside, so it’s time we analyzed what we’re breathing while we’re there. “There has been a huge gap between the research done indoors and out,” said Marina Vance, a professor in the mechanical engineering department. “When you think of the news and...

The laser device pointed across a field.

How CU Boulder Scientists are Using Lasers to Hunt for Leaky Oil and Gas Equipment

July 23, 2018

Wyoming and Colorado are in the top ten natural gas producing states. But in those states – and across the country – a lot of that gas is escaping straight into the air. Scientists are now working to come up with a better way to track those leaks down. In...

HOMEChem UTest House in Austin, Texas

Nation’s largest, most comprehensive indoor chemistry study now underway

June 12, 2018

Marina Vance HOMEChem field experiment seeks to understand how daily activities impact the home environment In the United States, as well as in most of the developed world, people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. In homes, workplaces, schools and every indoor environment, we are impacted by the...

Two graphs showing pollution rates from 2005-2016.

U.S. gains in air quality are slowing down

May 4, 2018

Study indicates challenges of meeting ozone goals After decades of progress in cleaning up air quality, U.S. improvements for two key air pollutants have slowed significantly in recent years, new research concludes. The unexpected finding indicates that it may be more difficult than previously realized for the nation to achieve...

Marina Vance with her award.

Marina Vance recognized as Outstanding Young Alumna

May 3, 2018

Congratulations to mechanical engineering assistant professor Marina Vance for being honored with an Outstanding Young Alumni by her alma mater, Virginia Tech. The VA Tech Academy of Distinguished Alumni recognizes alumni of the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for their accomplishments and commitment to the...

A visualization of multiple leaks in the field.

Detecting Methane from Miles Away

March 22, 2018

Update April 12: How Detecting Methane Leaks Could Turn Into Big Business : Greg Rieker and Caroline Alden discuss the new technology on Colorado Public Radio. Listen here University of Colorado, CIRES, NOAA and NIST team harnesses Nobel Prize technology to detect distant gas leaks A new field instrument developed...

Marina Vance in a labcoat.

Vance earns $1.25 million Sloan Foundation air quality grant

Dec. 18, 2017

Marina Vance , an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering and core faculty of the Environmental Engineering program at the University of Colorado Boulder has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to study the chemistry of indoor environments, where people spend at least 90% of...

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