Environmental Engineering

  • A photo showing a factory blowing large clouds of smoke into a sunset sky
    A first-of-its-kind study, led by Professor Daven Henze and collaborators at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, assesses how health benefits of aggressive climate policy travel across international borders. The researchers say that ambitious climate action to improve global air quality could save up to 1.32 million lives per year by 2040.
  • Research team lined up in red jackets near Lake Fryxell in Antarctica. The ground is dry and there are small mountains in the background with a dusting of snow on them.
    Researchers at the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Program have spent more than three decades studying ecosystems in one of the world’s most hostile environments.
  • Professor Karl Linden stands on the Âé¶¹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder campus with the Flatirons and campus buildings in the background on a sunny day.
    Karl Linden was presented with the Âé¶¹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØsystem’s highest faculty honor, Distinguished Professor, on Feb. 6. A pioneer in ultraviolet water treatment and a dedicated educator and mentor, he has advanced both water quality innovation and student success.
  • Darwin Hanson in the field at her internship
    Environmental engineering student Darwin Hanson (EnvEngr'26) pushed beyond her environmental intern role at Langan Engineering, taking on diverse projects from site assessments to geotechnical fieldwork to broaden her skills and experience.
  • Evan Thomas and another man stand on a stage holding an award during a formal ceremony. A large screen behind them reads “Winner – IWA Water and Development Award – Research” and displays the name Evan Thomas, along with text honoring his contributions to sustainable water security.
    Evan Thomas, a professor and director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience, has been awarded a career honor from the International Water Association for work that has reshaped how safe drinking water is delivered in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

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  • A photo with a dark, black background showing orange and blue fire embers
    PhD student Laura Shannon, alongside Professors Greg Rieker and Peter Hamlington of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering are setting fires inside wind tunnels to gain a better understanding of how fire spreads across different terrain. The team says their findings could help keep communities safer in a world where climate-driven wildfire is becoming more common—and more dangerous.
  • Professor Evan Thomas stands next to a water treatment system installed at a school in Rwanda.
    Evan Thomas, director of Âé¶¹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder’s Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience, is pioneering climate-financed clean water programs that have brought safe drinking water to over 5 million people in Africa. Using carbon credits to fund long-term maintenance and real-time water quality monitoring, the center aims to reach 3 million more people by 2030.
  • Professor Karl Linden stands on the Âé¶¹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder campus with the Flatirons and campus buildings in the background on a sunny day.
    Professor Karl Linden received the American Water Works Association’s 2025 A.P. Black Research Award, which honors outstanding contributions to water science and supply. Linden was recognized for his pioneering work in developing and applying ultraviolet technologies to improve water and wastewater treatment.
  • Tess Eidem, wearing a lab coat and safety googles, holds a jar of fungus used to produce allergens for research.
    Researchers in Professor Mark Hernandez's lab have discovered that a passive, generally safe ultraviolet light treatment can rapidly inactivate airborne allergens. They believe this approach could serve as an additional tool to help reduce allergens in homes, schools and other indoor environments.
  • Burned trees on a mountain side with a mountain lake beneath it.
    A new study published today in Nature Communications Earth & Environment is the first large-scale assessment of post-wildfire water quality. Ben Livneh, associate professor in civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was the principal investigator and co-author of the study.
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