News
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Engineers Without Borders Supported by Professional Partners
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Thanks to our High-Tech Data Collection Partners! EWB-UMN by Westwood Professional Services, Professional Engineering Services, and Frontier Precision stepped up to support Engineers Without Borders in Guatemala. Westwood Professional Services provided the drone and a skilled drone pilot. U of M instructor Ann Johnson (also with Professional Engineering Services) will assist the student team by importing the drone mapping into AutoCAD/Civil 3D for analysis and future design. Frontier Precision supplied the team GPS surveying equipment at a deeply discounted cost and supported the team with dedicated technical assistance. EWB-UMN also works with Long Way Home, a non-governmental organization based in Guatemala that helps EWB-UMN with logistics support, local coordination, and translation services.
CEGE research is surging ahead
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Six recent projects characterize the reach and import of CEGE faculty research. From circularity ($3 mil) to water distribution systems ($2.1 mil), from mineralized carbon storage ($10.95 mil) to PFAS ($560K), from snowfall ($2.9 mil) to Zebra mussels ($500K), CEGE is facing grand challenges and ensuring human health and welfare.
A Call for Collaboration
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Sandra Larson, BEnvE 2023, addressed her fellow graduates on graduation day. Her message highlighted some of the big challenges they will face and the need for collaboration in addressing these challenging issues. CEGE magazine caught up with her before she left campus to begin her new life as a civil/environmental engineer with Carlson McCain. We were able to learn more about her convictions regarding challenging engineering problems and the role of collaboration.
Environmental engineering major wins Bizpitch
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The Biz Pitch Contest offers University of Minnesota undergraduate students an opportunity to present their new business ideas to a panel of entrepreneurs and investors. Brian Balquist, an Environmental Engineering major in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, proposed a company that applies existing wastewater surveillance technology to new areas. His business idea and his pitch led to him taking home two prizes. Balquist won for the Most Innovative idea and the Overall Grand Prize, which came with a check for $2,000.
CEGE magazine, Fall 2023
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Read a roundup of news from the summer and fall of 2023 in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering
Inspired and Innovative Teaching in CEGE
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Training inspired and innovative engineers requires inspired and innovative teaching. Here we share with you some of our teachers and some new classes and programs that are inspiring CEGE students.
Study explores impacts of a warming climate on global snowfall patterns
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NASA awarded Ardeshir Ebtehaj $2.9 million to provide the longest and the most accurate satellite record of global snowfall. Ebtehaj is an associate professor and researcher in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering (CEGE) at the University of Minnesota.
Summertime is fieldwork time: Stream sampling
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Summertime is fieldwork time! Here researchers and students step into a stream for a lesson on the United States Geological Survey protocols for stream sampling. Students learned how to collect samples from the thalwag, the line that connects the deepest points of the stream. They also learned how to measure a stream's velocity, depth, cross-section, and how to log that information into a mobile GIS data collection program.
Trees affect stormwater
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Have you noticed trees in St. Paul parks wearing foil cumberbunds? The foil is protecting instrumentation designed to monitor the flow of sap within the trees. That data, along with several other data points about the trees, will help researchers learn more about the role trees play in urban watersheds.
How is our environment affected by wide use of antibiotics?
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When the COVID-19 pandemic arose, the use of antibiotics soared. Levels of use evened out as we learned more about how the virus is transmitted. People concerned about water, however, are still concerned about the large amounts of antibiotics introduced into the environment and how they might move into and through our water systems. Zihang Wang, a graduate student advised by Bill Arnold, is taking aim at this question with support from a Hsiao Shaw-Lundquist Fellowship.