Sustainability & environment

Postdoctoral researcher Florence Bonvin and David Sedlak use liquid chromatography as one of their tools to track chemical contaminants in water supplies

Hazards and opportunities in the pipeline

05/10/16 Berkeley Research — Environmental engineering professor David Sedlak, whose book Water 4.0 calls for a new revolution in urban water systems, is studying the fate of chemical contaminants in wastewater, seeking better ways to treat and clean the water we depend on.

Madeline Foster-Martinez at the marsh organ she built at Richmond Field Station

Restoring tidal marshlands

05/01/16 — Are biosolids the answer to making tidal wetlands less vulnerable to storm surges similar to that of Hurricane Katrina? Doctoral student and Louisiana native Madeline Foster-Martinez is working to find out.

Rising seas: A new look at resilient infrastructure

05/01/16 — A cross-disciplinary team of researchers is studying how sea-level rise will impact and disrupt the Bay Area using a variety of data modeling and analysis methods.

Postdoc researcher Chinmayee Subban and Ashok Gadgil are refining an affordable water treatment technology to produce fresh drinking water from brackish water

The search for smarter energy and water strategies

04/25/16 Berkeley Research — Environmental engineering professor Ashok Gadgil, principal investigator for a $64 million joint U.S.-China research center, is seeking innovative ways to meet the energy and water needs of both developing and industrial societies.

Architects name Jacobs Hall a top green project

04/22/16 American Institute of Architects — In an Earth Day announcement, the AIA's Committee on the Environment selected Jacobs Hall as one of ten top examples of sustainable architecture and ecological design projects that protect and enhance the environment.

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.

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.

A computer rendering of the Wave Carpet.

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 Eel River in the Angelo Coast Range Reserve

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 along the bay in BerBerkeley

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.

Discarded circuit boards ready for processing

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.