Course One eNews | September 2023

Dear CEE Community and Friends,

This month’s newsletter highlights postdoc Leila Mirzagholi, whose research seeks to understand global warming’s impact on the terrestrial carbon cycle, and PhD student Jackson Jewett’s research that aims to shrink the construction industry’s carbon footprint. Prof. Desiree Plata is appointed co-director of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium, and MIT researchers explain the 1.5C climate benchmark. We congratulate Prof. Andrew Whittle and graduate student Cat Lu on being awarded grants from J-WAFS.

Also in this newsletter, new research from Prof. Josephine Carstensen and Jackson Jewett demonstrates how topology optimization improves the printing size and bond strength for 3D printing structures. We spotlight CEE alumnus Hejian (Patrick) Zhu PhD ’23 and one of CEE’s newest faculty members, Prof. Darcy McRose. Lastly, we share details about the upcoming C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Seminars.

Sincerely,

Ali Jadbabaie

JR East Professor

Department Head, MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering

Core Faculty, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

Black-and-white photo of Leila Mirzagholi standing at a whiteboard, writing equations.

Uncovering how biomes respond to climate change

As a postdoc in Assistant Professor Cesar Terrer’s lab, Leila Mirzagholi uses her background in physics to understand global warming’s impact on the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Jackson Jewett smiles inside Jaume Plensa’s Alchemist, 2010, a white sculpture made of latticed numbers.

Jackson Jewett wants to design buildings that use less concrete

PhD student Jackson Jewett’s research focuses on topology optimization, a method that uses algorithms to design large structures with less material—helping to shrink the construction industry’s carbon footprint.

Desirée Plata appointed co-director of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium

Effective September 1, Prof. Desirée Plata will serve on the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium’s leadership team, providing her expertise in academics and industry to advance MCSC’s mission to accelerate implementation of large-scale solutions across sectors of the global economy.

Blocky text says “1.5 °C,” and the number is sitting in a puddle of water. Fire emanates from the number against a red and orange background. Water droplets shoot out toward the viewer.

Explained: The 1.5 C climate benchmark

Climate scientists have agreed that to prevent worsening effects of climate change, the world’s average temperature should not exceed that of preindustrial times by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. “Even if we control the average at a global magnitude, we are going to see events that are extreme, because of climate change,” says Prof. Elfatih Eltahir.

2023 J-WAFS Solution Grant

Prof. Andrew Whittle has been awarded a 2023 J-WAFS MIT Solutions Grant. His research seeks to combat harmful algal blooms in water, which pose a threat to bodies of water worldwide.

2023 J-WAFS Travel Grant

Graduate student Catherine Lu has been awarded a 2023 J-WAFS at MIT Travel Grant and will attend the UNC Water & Health Conference in October.

Topology optimization for material extrusion-based additive manufacturing processes with weak bead bonding

New research from graduate student Jackson Jewett and Prof. Josephine Carstensen demonstrates how topology optimization improves the design of structures for 3D printing, allowing users to control important design details like printing size and bond strength.

Navigating the academic job market

Finding a full-time faculty position in academia can be a daunting task for doctoral students, but with the right resources and planning, it’s possible to attain before graduation. Patrick Zhu PhD ‘23 shares his pathway to a full-time position as an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Faculty Spotlight: Darcy McRose

Assistant Professor Darcy McRose is co-teaching 1.018 Fundamentals of Ecology this fall and 1.089/1.89 Microbial Biogeochemistry in the spring. Learn more about her research focus and what drew her to MIT in this Faculty Spotlight.