Environmental Engineering Program - CU Boulder

Congratulations to one of the EVEN capstone design teams who received an honorable mention in NREL’s HeroX Solar District Cup competition! Team members Hannah Dirks, Sawyer Johnson, Gwendolyn King, William Lammons, and Sarah Millican designed a $15 million solar system for the University of Washington to maximize energy offset. Led by faculty advisor James Harper, the team competed against 250 teams from around the globe.

Congratulations to one of the EVEN capstone design teams who took 1st place in the RMWEA Student Design Competition! The project, led by students Caroline McClung, Bonnie Brudie, Grace Lee, Joaquin Garfias, and Tess Insalaco, focused on the biosolids handling process at the South Platte Renew Wastewater Treatment Plant. Thanks to faculty advisor Ben Stanford and the entire EVEN 4434 instructional team for their support.

Thanks to all who came to the EVEN Networking Event last week! We were joined by industry professionals from a variety of companies across the state for an afternoon full of networking (and maybe a few internships??)

Join the Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) for a seminar on the Evolution of Environmental Justice, this Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00 pm in SEEC S125.

The EVEN Seminar Series is back! Each Friday, we’ll bring in a guest speaker to give a talk on a topic within the realm of Environmental Engineering. Stop by SEEC S228 from 1:00 to 2:00 to check it out! For the most up-to-date scheduling, check our website or click here: https://bit.ly/48QnZsC

In a recent report, the EVEN program at CU was ranked #8 among public institutions, marking an improvement over last year’s ranking ( #9). CU Engineering department maintained the #17 spot from last year. To read more, click here: https://bit.ly/3Pq8pvp

Professor Karl Linden was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the UV World Congress. Linden called the award “one of the sweetest moments of my career.” To learn more about this achievement, click here: https://bit.ly/3ZsVBsJ

Join us for the first EVEN Seminar on September 8th from 1:00 to 2:00 pm in SEEC S228. We’ll be joined by Professor Alyssa Whitcraft, the director of NASA Acres and deputy director of NASA Harvest for a discussion on the most pressing challenges to sustainable, productive, and resilient agriculture. To learn more, click the link in our bio. https://bit.ly/3PtDkrX

Professor Balaji Rajagopalan was recently awarded a Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for his work on monsoon forecasting models. Rajagopalan, an Indian native, is giving back to his country by studying the relationship between the monsoonal climate system and public health. This August, he begins a 2-year tour across 4 Indian institutions to further his research. To learn more, click here: https://bit.ly/42O6QfC

Check out Evan Thomas’s TEDx talk discussing climate change and its impact on water around the world. Professor Thomas is the Director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering. To watch the TEDx talk, click here:

Valuing water to survive climate change Evan Thomas discusses climate change and its impac

Congratulations to our award-winning EVEN Students and our senior design class!
Emily Saldaña, Community Impact Award
Samiha Singh, Community Impact Award
Sophie Castillo, Global Engagement Award
Kiersten Maxwell, Research Award
Senior Design Class

Calling all CEAE students and alumni! Join us for the newest “Leading with Impact” seminar on November 9th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Halcyon Hotel in Cherry Creek. This seminar will focus on engineering solutions to climate change challenges. Come engage with alumni and industry leaders to see how CU engineers are changing humanity for the better. To register, click here:

Leading with Impact "Leading with Impact" draws together experts and i

Join us Wednesday, November 2nd from 5 to 6 pm for another installment in the Environmental Justice Series! Tara Bettale will lead a discussion on techniques for public outreach and communication with communities affected by the changing environment. This seminar will be hosted virtually via Zoom. Hope to see you all there!

Reminder to join us on Fridays for our ongoing Seminar Series! We’ve got a bunch of neat guest speakers lined up for the remainder of the semester, so you won’t want to miss out! Stop by SEEC N124 each Friday from 2:30 to 3:30 to check it out!

In a recent report from the U.S. News and World Reports, the EVEN program at CU ranks #9 in the nation among public undergraduate institutions! CU Engineering was ranked #17, marking an improvement over last year’s ranking. To read more, click here:

College continues to climb in national undergraduate rankings The College of Engineering and Applied Science came in at No. 17 among public institution peers, and six degree programs also earned top 20 spots in U.S. News and World Report.

It is that time of the semester again! Get your resumes updated and your interview clothes ready, because the Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Career and Internship fair is happening soon!

It will be held in the Glenn Miller Ballroom at the UMC on Wednesday, September 21, from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. To learn more about the fair and to see the list of companies attending, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/3RNf7v8

EVEN PhD student Kian Lopez has earned the 2022 NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity fellowship. Lopez is currently researching water recycling efforts for long-term space missions. Developing more efficient and compact water recycling technologies is crucial for NASA’s future crewed space exploration. To learn more, click here: https://bit.ly/3S4jJxE

Environmental Engineering PhD student earns major NASA fellowship Kian Lopez is being recognized with a presitigious

EVEN professor Mark Hernandez and the CU Aerobiology Lab recently partnered with DPS to install 800 air quality monitors. These sensors, placed in 10% of DPS classrooms, will monitor temperature, humidity, particulate matter, carbon dioxide, and organic compounds to evaluate the ventilation systems. With this data, DPS can “find the worst-performing buildings or classrooms first” to prioritize ventilation improvements, says Hernandez. To learn more, click here: https://bit.ly/3oiaigI

Denver schools to monitor indoor air quality using federal COVID money The $1.5 million investment is part of a broader pandemic-fueled effort to improve the air that Denver Public Schools students breathe.

The EPA recently awarded $25,000 to CU Boulder to aid in developing a drinking water risk assessment tool. The team aims to develop an alpha version of a project conceived by EVEN alum Matthew Bentley. Tools such as this “represent an important first step towards addressing the impacts of chemical pollutants on global health”, states Mortenson Professor Karl Linden. To learn more, click here: https://bit.ly/3OySpFR

EPA awards $25,000 to CU Boulder to develop drinking water risk assessment tool [box color="white" style="filled" float="right"] [

Three EVEN graduate students were recently awarded scholarships through the AWWA Scholarship program for their hard work and perseverance. To learn more about their awards, click here: https://bit.ly/3ytY9uL

AWWA Scholarship Recipients Three EVEN graduate students were recently awarded

A team of EVEN students took third place at the 2022 Geothermal Collegiate Competition. Together, they designed a geothermal heat pump for the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County. To learn more about this award, click here: https://bit.ly/3tSbNFg

We are proud to announce Dr. Christopher Corwin has been awarded the 2022 CU Boulder Environmental Engineering Alumni Engagement Medal! Dr. Corwin has been a long-time supporter of the EVEN program, where we worked as a Senior Instructor until 2018. Currently, Dr. Corwin is the chair of the EVEN Professional Advisory Board, where he reviews the curriculum and outreach of the department. To learn more about this award and Dr. Corwin’s numerous accolades, click here: https://bit.ly/3wVTik9

Corwin recognized for contributions to Environmental Engineering Program Congratulations to Christopher Corwin (MCivEngr’07

Congratulations to Florisel Rodriguez, Meghan Holland, Cole Pragides, Eva Thoresen, and Lindsey Benkelman for winning the Judge’s Choice Award at the WERC Environmental Design Contest! These student’s project consisted of a report, posters, and an oral presentation on monitoring virus removal by membrane bioreactors during water reuse.

Today is the final EVEN Seminar of the semester! Join us in welcoming Dr. Marfil-Vega for a discussion on nitrosamines and the concern surrounding these chemicals. Attend in-person at SEEC 2372A&B or online over Zoom. Hope to see you there! To learn more about the seminar series, click here: https://bit.ly/3B5DIEb

EVEN Professor Fernando Rosario-Ortiz and his colleagues recently published a study regarding the lasting effects of wildfires on the environment. “Our results from that work show the complexity of how a wildfire can impact water quality,” says Rosario-Ortiz. To learn more about the long-term effects of wildfires on the land and water, click here: https://bit.ly/3xTZ9bG

Smoke in the water Engineers examine effects on land and water after wildfires are extinguished

EVEN Professor Sherri Cook has been featured in a new piece by KGNU radio, “Putting Wastewater to Work in Boulder County.” Dr. Cook discusses the resources that can be found in wastewater and how they can be used. The piece also goes into detail about how Boulder’s Water Resource Recovery Facility treats wastewater and uses the resources that come from this process. To listen/read the piece, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/3uYxUe7

Zero Waste 2022: Putting Wastewater to Work in Boulder County Cole Sigmon, City of Boulder Wastewater Treatment Manager standing at aeration ponds at Water Resource Recovery Facility. (Credit H2O Media, Ltd.) Boulder County has a stated aim to get its waste s…

Looking for something to do during the final few weeks of the school year? Check out the Engineering Projects Expo! The expo is set to feature projects from a multitude of engineering disciplines, including Environmental Engineering. Four teams from the Environmental Engineering Design senior capstone class will be showcasing their projects during the expo. The expo will be on Friday, April 22, from 2pm to 5pm. It is being held in the Indoor Practice Facility. To learn more about the expo, please follow this link: http://bit.ly/2JIFlwt

Join us Monday, April 18th for the Environmental Justice Seminar and networking hour! We will be featuring Emilee Cook and Tara Bettale as they discuss navigating the environmental justice process. The networking hour begins in AERO N250 at 9 am, and the seminar follows at 10 am. To register for the networking hour, click here: https://bit.ly/3O5dLuJ

Please join us for one of the last few seminars for this semester! Next Friday, April 15, tune into Dr. Maya Trotz presentation on coral restoration and it's connections to coastal communities and climate change. To learn more about this event and to see the remaining seminars for this semester, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/3B5DIEb

Join us today, Friday, April 8th for the newest edition of the EVEN Seminar Series. This week we are featuring the Director of the Air Pollution Control Division for Colorado, Michael Ogletree, and his presentation on the opportunities of a career focused on air quality. Attend either in-person at SEEC S372A&B, or virtually over Zoom. To learn more, click here: https://bit.ly/3B5DIEb