Dear CEE Community and Friends,

In this month’s newsletter, we celebrate our recent graduates and recognize recipients of the 2023 CEE Awards, including the School of Engineering Infinite Mile Award, given to CEE staff members Jarina Shrestha and Jay Matthews, and the Samuel M. Seegal Prize, awarded to Prof. Heidi Nepf. Professors Colette Heald and Noelle Selin discuss the impact of Canada’s wildfires on climate change and human health. Prof. Jesse Kroll explains how a small fraction of CO2 in the atmosphere can cause global warming on the MIT Climate Portal. We congratulate graduate student James Brice on being selected as a Morningside Academy for Design fellow and new research from Prof. Cathy Wu explores possible methods for increasing the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles.

This Pride Month, we celebrate members of the LGBTQIA+ community in CEE. We are pleased to highlight Helena Vallicrosa, a postdoc in the Terrer Lab. Also in this newsletter, postdoc Mohammed Reza Alizadeh discusses Canada's wildfires in an interview with Australian ABC News. Lastly, we share a recording of the C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series with Prof. Arun Majumdar.

Ali Jadbabaie

JR East Professor

Department Head, MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering

Core Faculty, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

Earlier this month, smoke from Canada’s wildfires caused hazardous air quality and poor visibility in states throughout New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest. Prof. Colette Heald of CEE and EAPS and Prof. Noelle Selin of IDSS and EAPS weigh in on climate change, the effects of wildfires on human health, and what we can expect as the wildfire season continues into summer.

How can such a small amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause so much warming?

In June 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that measurements of carbon dioxide had reached 424 parts per million, less than 0.05% of our atmosphere. As a part of MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative Ask MIT Climate series, CEE and ChemE Prof. Jesse Kroll explains how the small fraction of CO2 can be misleading.

CEE graduate student selected to join Morningside Academy for Design fellows

James Vincent Brice has been named a 2024 MIT Morningside Academy for Design fellow. As a graduate student in the Nepf Lab, James is investigating wave dissipation by oyster reefs and the design of nature-based coastal adaptation. He hopes to provide coastal communities with the guidance needed to create physically, ecologically, and socially resilient waterfronts.

Autonomous vehicles can help reduce traffic and boost driving efficiency, however human drivers surpass autonomous vehicles in their ability to make quick decisions and perceive complex environments. In a new study, Prof. Cathy Wu and colleagues find that human supervisors have the potential to reduce barriers to deploying autonomous vehicles.

Postdoctoral Spotlight: Helena Vallicrosa

In celebration of Pride Month, Helena Vallicrosa, a postdoc in the Terrer Lab, discusses how to create an atmosphere of inclusion for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and how her research contributes to sustainability, climate change, and human health.

Climate change intensifies wildfires, endangering ecosystems and communities

In an interview with Australian ABC News, CEE postdoc Mohammed Reza Alizadeh discusses how Canada’s wildfires are a harbinger of climate change and what to expect as the wildfire season intensifies.

Commencement

MIT held commencement ceremonies the week of May 31 to celebrate this year's graduates. Congratulations to the class of 2023!

2023 CEE Awards Ceremony

The annual CEE Awards Ceremony was held on May 17 at the Samberg Conference Center. Congratulations to the students, postdocs, faculty and staff for their outstanding work and exceptional achievements.

C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series: Prof. Arun Majumdar

Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and Jay Precourt Provostial Chair Professor Arun Majumdar gave a talk on “Climate & Sustainability: The defining issue of the 21st century.”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Civil 

and Environmental Engineering

77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 1-290 Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 

(617) 253-7101

CEE.MIT.EDU