Dear CEE Community and Friends,

In celebration of Earth Month, we highlight the new undergraduate major in Climate System Science and Engineering and the work being done by the Methane Emission Removal Project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prof. Lydia Bourouiba’s research on fluid dynamics influenced new World Health Organization guidelines for infectious diseases, and Prof. Mike Howland joins the TILclimate Podcast to discuss the risks of wind turbines to birds. Prof. Elfatih Eltahir discusses how popular vacation destinations will be affected by climate change. We congratulate Prof. Saurabh Amin on receiving the 2024 HSCC Test of Time Award and Prof. Emeritus Eduardo Kausel on being inducted to the Mexican Academy of Engineering.

Also in this issue, we share research from my group that reveals a new way to measure homophily in large group interactions, and a new paper from Prof. Michael Howland and postdoc Liying Qiu examines the complex impact of renewables on climate and weather. Lastly, senior Mikayla Britsch is profiled by MIT News.

Sincerely,

Ali Jadbabaie

JR East Professor

Department Head, MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering

Core Faculty, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

The new Course 1-12 major jointly launched by the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences combines engineering, earth system science, and social sciences to address climate change.

Prof. Lydia Bouroubia’s research influences new guidelines for respiratory diseases

In 2020, Bourouiba’s research suggested that the 6-foot distancing guidelines for Covid-19 may not be enough to prevent transmission and was based on outdated research. Her work has been incorporated into new guidelines for respiratory diseases set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Smith Family Foundation highlights Bourouiba’s research and its impact in a new feature video.

Do wind turbines kill birds?

Wind power is the largest source of clean, renewable energy in the United States, but the large turbines can endanger wildlife. Prof. Michael Howland joins the TILclimate Podcast to answer a listener's question about the risks of wind energy to birds.

By 2100, Some Destinations Will Lose Half of Their Nice Weather Days

In Bloomberg, Prof. Elfatih Eltahir discusses the effect of climate change on tourism-dependent destinations such as the Dominican Republic, which will have 124 fewer “outdoor days” in 75 years — implying a huge hit to its quality of life and economy.

Prof. Saurabh Amin honored with 2024 HSCC Test-of-Time Award

Prof. Saurabh Amin has received the 2024 HSCC Test-of-Time Award for his paper “Reachability Analysis for Controlled Discrete Time Stochastic Hybrid Systems.” This award recognizes research published at the Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC) Conference in 2013 or before that has proven to be the most visionary and impactful, leading to new directions of research being initiated, or new applications being brought into the hybrid systems research community.

Prof. Emeritus Eduardo Kausel Inducted to Mexican Academy of Engineering

Prof. Emeritus Eduardo Kausel was inducted as a corresponding member in the Mexican Academy of Engineering for his scientific contribution in the field of civil engineering.

Arnab Sarker, a graduate student in the Institute for Data, Systems and Society (IDSS), Natalie Northrup ’22, and Ali Jadbabaie, JR East Professor of Engineering and head of CEE developed a new way to measure homophily in large group interactions. Their work helps identify when certain characteristics are important for predicting if groups will interact in the future.

Going beyond decarbonization: Designing renewables for environmental co-benefits

In an article published in the journal Joule, Prof. Michael Howland and postdoc Liying Qiu discuss the complex impact of renewables on climate and weather. Understanding these side effects could unlock additional environmental and social benefits beyond decarbonization.

Researchers in the Methane Emission Removal Project, led by Prof. Desirée Plata, are developing a system to reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas at dairy farms and other sites.

For senior Mikayla Britsch, civil and environmental engineering is a vocation that requires both technical and people skills.

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