Dear CEE Community and Friends,

This month's newsletter highlights a new lab class that provides students hands-on experience building smart sensing systems. Postdoc Moala Keshei Bannavti advocates for environmental justice while researching “forever chemicals,” we recognize the funding of a solar panel startup by CEE alum Shiv Bhakta, and students are featured on NBC News about their work on ancient Roman construction sites. We congratulate Prof. Franz-Josef Ulm on receiving the 2024 Paul Gray Public Service Award, Prof. César Terrer whose project on livestock grazing and climate change has been awarded a J-WAFS Grant, and graduate student Jennifer Schug who received a Fulbright fellowship to study carbon storage in Italy.

Also in this newsletter, we share a new equation developed by Prof. Charles Harvey to predict the shapes of carbon-capturing wetlands. We also celebrated our graduates during the commencement ceremonies held the week of May 27, and the annual CEE Award Ceremony that recognized the exceptional achievements of our students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. Lastly, we highlight a profile about recent graduate, Theo Rosenzweig, and honor the legacy of Jared Cohon PhD '73, a distinguished leader in civil engineering and former president of Carnegie Mellon University, who passed away on March 16.

Sincerely,

Ali Jadbabaie

JR East Professor

Department Head, MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering

Core Faculty, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

In 1.104 Sensing and Intelligent Systems with Prof. Saurabh Amin, undergraduates developed the hands-on skills and knowledge for building smart sensing systems for real world applications in energy, urban systems, and natural ecosystems.

Moala Keshei Bannavti wants environmental justice for all

Researching a class of “forever chemicals,” the postdoctoral fellow advocates for equity in remediation efforts.

Active Surfaces secures funding to revolutionize solar technology

Active Surfaces, an innovative flexible solar panel startup spun out from MIT by Shiv Bhakta LGO ’24 and Richard Swartwout EECS PhD ’21, is pioneering the next generation of solar technology with its lightweight, flexible solar panels that can be integrated into virtually any surface.

Pompeii excavation reveals "blue room" after nearly 2000 years

Students in 1.034/3.094 Materials in Human Experience are featured on NBC News about their work with Parco Archeologico di Pompei exploring ancient Roman construction sites.

CEE professor delivers plenary keynote lecture at EMI Conference

Prof. Oral Buyukozturk presented a plenary keynote lecture titled “Development of resilient and durable construction materials though a robust multiscale concept” at the annual Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI) of ASCE conference held May 28-30 in Chicago.

Prof. Franz-Josef Ulm named 2024 Paul Gray Public Service Awardee

Prof. Franz-Josef Ulm received the 2024 Paul Gray Faculty Award for Public Service. In addition to his research on concrete and climate change, Ulm’s efforts to uplift and support students is demonstrated through his Unity Faculty Initiatives, MENA + bi-weekly lunches, and mentorship.

Prof. César Terrer awarded J-WAFS Grant

The grant will support Terrer’s project focusing on the role of livestock grazing in climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to develop a better understanding of how these emissions can be managed and reduced.

CEE graduate student awarded 2024 Fulbright fellowship

Jennifer Schug has been selected to receive a 2024 Fulbright fellowship to fund a year in Italy conducting research on carbon storage in the Venice Lagoon at the University of Padua.

Prof. Charles Harvey and a team of researchers studied the Mendaram peat dome in Brunei to develop a new equation that predicts the shapes of carbon-capturing wetlands.

In celebration of Pride Month, CEE is excited to highlight recent graduate Theo Rosenzweig. Theo received a MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering and MBA through MIT LGO and will be working in the supply chain and analytics teams at Nike.

Commencement

CEE held commencement events the week of May 27 to celebrate this year’s graduates. Congratulations to the class of 2024!

CEE Awards and Honors 2024

The annual CEE Award Ceremony was held on May 16 at the Samberg Conference Center. Congratulations to the students, postdocs, faculty, and staff for their outstanding work and exceptional achievements.

Remembering Jared Cohon

CEE alum Jared Cohon PhD '73 passed away on March 16. Cohon went on to become the eighth president of Carnegie Mellon University, where he guided the university’s expansion toward national and international excellence. Considered a national authority on environmental and water resource systems analysis, Cohon was a distinguished member of the National Academy of Engineering and served on several government, corporate, and nonprofit boards.

Stay connected

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Civil 

and Environmental Engineering

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