Course One eNews | May 2023

Dear CEE Community and Friends,

This month I am thrilled to share the news that Tal Cohen, Benedetto Marelli, and Serguei Saavedra have been granted tenure by MIT, bringing the total number of CEE promotions in the 2022-2023 academic year to six. In other news, we highlight the Climate and Sustainability Scholars Program developed with the help of Prof. Desiree Plata. New Scientist features the Marelli lab's biodegradable packaging that changes color when exposed to rotting foods. The Jameel Observatory-CREWSnet project led by Prof. Elfatih Eltahir will pilot in Bangladesh and Sudan to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. Prof. César Terrer and Stephen M. Bell explain the benefits of restoring abandoned croplands. Prof. Dave Des Marais received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from NSF, three CEE professors were named recipients of J-WAFS seed grants, and two CEE graduate students received NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. We congratulate Prof. Oral Buyukozturk on receiving the Mustafa Inan Special Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering, Prof. Otto Cordero was named one of the 2023 Simons Investigators in Aquatic Microbial Ecology, and Prof. Lydia Bourouiba named this year’s G.K. Batchelor Lecturer at the University of Cambridge.

Also in this issue, new research from Prof. Markus Buehler and colleagues uses artificial intelligence to generate bio-inspired materials and a machine learning method to explore the interior of materials from the outside. Research from Prof. Serguei Saavedra reveals a new method of monitoring wildlife, and researchers in the Chisholm lab find that some ancient microbes colonized the ocean by rafting on exoskeleton particles. Our May spotlight highlights graduate student Shailey Patel, who will receive her MEng degree in June.

Sincerely,

Ali Jadbabaie

JR East Professor

Department Head, MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering

Core Faculty, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

Three CEE faculty granted tenure

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is pleased to announce that Benedetto Marelli, Tal Cohen, and Serguei Saavedra have been granted tenure by MIT, effective July 1.

Several MIT students sitting at a narrow table collaborate in a classroom. Two have open laptops and there are snacks on the table.

Exploring new sides of climate and sustainability research

The Climate and Sustainability Scholars Program, a yearlong interdisciplinary experience developed by CEE Prof. Desirée Plata and Materials Science and Engineering Prof. Elsa Olivetti, allows MIT undergraduates to develop and implement climate and sustainability research projects with real world impact.

Produce wrapped in plastic in a grocery store.

Color changing wrap could let you know when food has spoiled

Prof. Benedetto Marelli and colleagues have created “packaging that can react to changes in the food it contains to better indicate when it has gone bad,” reports Karmela Padavic-Callaghan for New Scientist. The biodegradable plastic-like wrap, which is made from silk, changes color when it is exposed to rotting foods and degrades quickly in soil.

In a misty field dense with blooming sunflowers, six men examine the plants.

US and UAE governments highlight early warning system for climate resilience

One of MIT’s five Climate Grand Challenges flagship projects led by Prof. Elfatih Eltahir, the Jameel Observatory-CREWSnet project, will pilot in Bangladesh and Sudan to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Aerial view of an abandoned agricultural terrace in France.

3 Questions: Can disused croplands help mitigate climate change?

Prof. César Terrer and visiting doctoral student Stephen M. Bell explain the potential of restoring abandoned or marginal croplands to natural vegetation as an aid in the fight against climate change.

CEE professors named 2023 J-WAFS seed grant recipients

Otto Cordero, Dave Des Marais, and Darcy McRose receive 2023 J-WAFS seed grant in support of innovative MIT research tackling global water and food challenges.

CEE students awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Kirby Heck PhD ’26 and Elijah Martin PhD ’26 were named fellows of the prestigious 2023 National Science Graduate Research Fellowship Program for their research tackling the environmental challenges facing our planet.

Prof. Dave Des Marais receives Faculty Early Career Development Award

Prof. Dave Des Marais has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant will support his project “Mechanisms and consequences of genotype by environment interaction in a model grass.” His research addresses a fundamental challenge facing scientists as they work to ensure the resilience of ecological and agricultural systems.

Prof. Oral Buyukozturk receives Mustafa Inan Special Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering

Prof. Oral Buyukozturk has been awarded the Mustafa Inan Special Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering by his alma mater, Istanbul Technical University (ITU). The Mustafa Inan Special Award is considered the highest-level award bestowed by the university to its faculty and alumni.

Otto Cordero sits on an outdoor black metal staircase with buildings and car in background.

Prof. Otto Cordero named 2023 Simons Investigators in Aquatic Microbial Ecology

Prof. Otto Cordero is one of seven scientists named as 2023 Simons Investigators in Aquatic Microbial Ecology. The five-year awards support outstanding recently tenure investigators in the field of microbial ecology in marine or natural freshwater systems who will advance understanding through field studies, laboratory experiments, modeling or theory.

Prof. Lydia Bourouiba named G.K. Batchelor Lecturer

Prof. Lydia Bourouiba has been named this year’s G.K. Batchelor Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. This lectureship is named after one of the world's leading figures in fluid mechanics, George K. Batchelor. It provides for a one-week visit each year by an authority in fluid mechanics to Cambridge to present a keynote fluid mechanics lecture and to interact with members of the Cambridge applied mathematics and theoretical community.

Against an orange background, a neural network is made with white lines and circular nodes. The nodes each have a colorful protein design inside of them. Some proteins are twisting and tightly curled like ringlets while others are more like a pasta noodle.

AI system can generate novel proteins that meet structural design targets

In a paper published in Chem, Prof. Markus Buehler and a team of researchers use artificial intelligence to design new proteins that go beyond those found in nature. These bioinspired materials have the potential to replace materials made from petroleum or ceramics, but with a much smaller carbon footprint.

Three red-and-white cubes with mosaic squares lie diagonally against a gradient gray background. The top left cube shows a gray square at corner. The bottom cube has an outer white glow and is not blurred.

Deep learning system explores materials’ interiors from the outside

A machine-learning method developed by Prof. Markus Buehler and PhD student Zhenze Yang detects internal structures, voids, and cracks inside a material, based on data about the material’s surface. The results, published in the journal Advanced Materials, allows engineers to make predictions about the interior of a material based on observing the properties on the surface.

Rapid monitoring of ecological persistence

New research from Prof. Serguei Saavedra and colleagues reveals a new method of monitoring wildlife. The paper, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that a small snapshot of interactions between species is a reliable indicator of the health of entire ecosystems.

Ancestors of Prochlorococcus microbes rode out to see on exoskeleton particles

New research from the Chisholm lab suggests the carbon-capturing phytoplankton colonized the ocean by rafting on particles of chitin.

Shailey Patel sitting in a grassy field holding a bouquet of yellow tulips.

Graduate Spotlight: Shailey Patel

Shailey Patel, who will receive her Master of Engineering in Structural Mechanics and Design on June 1, was inspired to research historic structures through her love of architecture and physics.

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