Watching snow melt
04/11/16 — The collaborative Sierra Net project builds wireless sensor networks in major California watersheds to modernize the way the state's water supply is measured.
Sustainability & environment
Defining the original smart material
03/15/16 — Sonia Travaglini, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering, studies the properties of fungus to discover the composite materials of the future.
Making waves: Turning ocean power into electricity
03/15/16 — Ocean waves constantly generate energy. Berkeley engineers are trying to build a device to harness that power and convert it to electricity.
How to save water from California’s leaky infrastructure
03/07/16 California magazine — Thanks to outdated systems and structures, California's water managers don't know how much water the state truly has, how much we really use, or how much leaks from ancient pipes before it ever reaches a tap. Berkeley engineers like Paul Sagues (M.S.'80 ME) are working on ways to dry up that waste.
How deep learning gives us a precise picture of all the water on earth
02/26/16 MIT Technology Review — Scientists are using artificial intelligence to help them achieve precise, dynamic measurements of water levels around the world. CEE professor Steven Glaser says most current water models are based on readings from the last 50 years.
ME student team wins cleantech prize
02/25/16 — Students in mechanical engineering professor Hayden Taylor's group have won the $100,000 grand prize in the Berkeley Cleantech University Prize competition for their development of an omniphobic coating that can boost air conditioner efficiency.
The critical zone: Studying where all of life happens
02/16/16 — Sally Thompson, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, directs an interdisciplinary group of researchers studying northern California's Eel River.
The road to sustainability
01/28/16 CNBC — In a new video series on sustainable energy, civil and environmental engineering professor Arpad Horvath compares the environmental footprints of emerging transportation technologies, from biofuels and high-speed rail to maritime shipping and aviation.
Sylvia McLaughlin, last living founder of Save the Bay, dies at age 99
01/22/16 San Jose Mercury News — Sylvia McLaughlin, a co-founder of the Save the Bay organization and widow of Berkeley Engineering dean Donald McLaughlin, died Jan. 19 at her Berkeley home; she was 99.
Filtering water with graphene
01/15/16 — CEE professor Baoxia Mi is developing a more efficient water filtration membrane constructed from graphene oxide, a carbon-based material that's made from naturally-occurring graphite, the same material found in pencils.
Building an organ in the marsh
12/16/15 — A Louisiana native and environmental engineering Ph.D. student, Madeline Foster-Martinez is studying the fluid dynamics of a local marsh to better understand tidal wetland restoration.
Making furniture from fungi
12/16/15 Scientific American — For three years, doctoral mechanical engineering student Sonia Travaglini has been studying inventor Phil Ross's mushroom composite as a sustainable alternative to wood, plastic and other materials.
Celebrating World Toilet Day, reinventing sanitation
11/17/15 — United Nations World Toilet Day on Nov. 19 is environmental engineering doctoral student William Tarpeh's main chance - a time to proselytize about all things sanitation. For mechanical engineering grad student Emily Woods, it's a boost for Sanivation, the company she co-founded to convert human feces into charcoal for a poor community in Kenya.
Filtering the e-waste stream
11/16/15 — Alumnus Glen Langstaff (B.S'77 ME/NE) wants to use new technology to make disposing of old technology cheaper and more efficient. Here's how:
Pocket-sized docent tours
09/24/15 — For years, Arthur Bart-Williams (B.S'88 CE) had plans to build better tour-guide technology. Now he's done just that.
GM Foundation funding connects engineers with underserved communities
09/18/15 — A poster session focused on community engagement and improvement brings together students in the Engineering Scholars as Engaged Scholars program and their supporters from the GM Foundation.
Environment takes big hit from water-intensive marijuana cultivation
06/24/15 — A new study from the Nature Conservancy, co-authored by environmental engineers and other researchers from UC Berkeley, highlights the toll that the illegal cultivation of thirsty marijuana is taking on the environment, particularly on fragile watersheds.
Photos of ruptured oil pipeline provide clues of spill cause
06/17/15 Washington Post — Photos of the pipeline that spilled oil on the Santa Barbara coast in May show extensive corrosion and suggest that a pressure leak tied to the restart of failed pumps caused the break, said Robert Bea, a civil engineering professor emeritus.
For clean water
05/01/15 — Susan Amrose is building new technologies to address arsenic contamination in drinking water.
Clarity
05/01/15 — Clarity is a wearable air pollution monitoring and reporting device.