Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University

One of the special things about CEE is witnessing the way our talented and dedicated faculty and students attract other talented and dedicated researchers and future leaders. Lesly Rodriguez joined Sarah Fletcher and her doctoral student Jennifer Skerker through Stanford’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Great work and lovely post, Lesly!

Maria Correa is a rising senior in CEE, beginning her fourth year as a Stanford undergrad next month. Maria studies Environmental Systems Engineering with a focus in sustainable urban systems. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa this past June, following her induction into Tau Beta Pi last winter. She is elated to have earned membership in these prestigious organizations and is dedicated to continuing her pursuit of academic excellence during her last year at Stanford.

Here's a good chance to catch up with Catherine Gorle's team and their recent work on wind loading on structures.

We're still celebrating the many achievements—and many kinds of achievements—of our CEE community in academic year 2023-2024. Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD student Jennifer Skerker received the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s 2024 Excellence in DEI Award, alongside Earth System Science doctoral student Alexis Wilson. “The DEI Excellence Award recognizes those at the school who go above and beyond to bring about important change,” said Lupe Carrillo, PhD, director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the school. https://lnkd.in/gxDW-GEJ

Thanks to Stanford Energy and Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability for highlighting this important study, led by Mark Jacobson. ___ Bronze Age Technology Could Hasten Switch to Clean Energy Inexpensive thermal properties that make firebricks suitable for energy storage could speed up the world’s transition to renewable energy and slash industrial emissions at low cost, a new Stanford University study finds. “What excites me is that the impact is very large, whereas a lot of technologies that I’ve looked at, they have marginal impacts,” said Mark Jacobson. “Here I can see a substantial benefit at low cost from multiple angles, from helping to reduce air pollution mortality to making it easier to transition the world to clean renewables.” Heat-absorbing bricks are assembled in an insulated container, where they can store heat generated by solar or wind power for later use at the temperatures required for industrial processes. The heat can then be released when needed by passing air through channels in the stacks of “firebricks,” thus allowing cement, steel, glass, and paper factories to run on renewable energy 24x7. “By storing energy in the form closest to its end use, you reduce inefficiencies in energy conversion,” said Daniel Sambor, a postdoctoral scholar in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. “It’s often said in our field that ‘If you want hot showers, store hot water, and if you want cold drinks, store ice.’ This study can be summarized as ‘If you need heat for industry, store it in firebricks.’” Read the PNAS Nexus study: https://lnkd.in/gqAXXBg6 https://lnkd.in/gpFqqgXe

We'd like to tell you a little about one of our stellar doctoral students, Elana Chan. Elana is a third-year environmental engineering PhD candidate in Ali Boehm's Research Group. Like many people, Elana first learned about wastewater-based epidemiology at the start of the pandemic. She was fascinated by its potential as a reliable public health tool—especially as an environmental engineering and community health student at Tufts University at the time. Elana is thrilled that she now gets to contribute to the growing field of wastewater-based epidemiology through data science research. In her work, she evaluates potential use cases of wastewater monitoring data to understand how the data may be used for public health action. Elana is excited to see how wastewater monitoring continues to evolve and support infectious disease epidemiology! At Stanford, Elana appreciates the welcoming and supportive graduate student community. She is part of the Graduate Leadership Committee (GLC) within CEE, and she is one of the CEE representatives on the Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) for the Doerr School. Through GLC and GSAC, Elana moderates town halls for graduate students to voice their feedback about the CEE and Doerr school experience. GLC and GSAC members then co-develop solutions to the issues raised with departmental and school leadership. Be on the lookout for another town hall in spring quarter! Outside of CEE, Elana is a Community Associate (CA) for one of the graduate residences. She fosters well-being and community by planning all sorts of fun, social events alongside a team of amazing humans. In her free time, Elana enjoys running, reading, crafting (crocheting most recently), and trying new recipes with her friends. She loves meeting new people, so say hi if you see her around!

Kyle Douglas (CEE PhD '07) is a Research Engineer in CEE as well as a Lecturer, supporting faculty and graduate research in the Blume Earthquake Engineering Center's lab and teaching undergrads and grads in the classroom. At the commencement ceremony held at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability last month, he was recognized with an Excellence in Teaching Award. Read more about the award and his work in the linked article. https://lnkd.in/giQh6igB

"Rising water prices are forcing many households in the United States to choose between rationing water or risking shutoff by leaving bills unpaid. A new study in Environmental Research Letters shows government agencies and water utilities may be underestimating the true number of households at risk of losing affordable access to basic water service – and offers a solution." Read more about this important new study, led by CEE's Sarah Fletcher and her research team. https://lnkd.in/dSnizMyj

If you're headed to the beach for summer fun, be sure to pack a little science. Featuring Christine M Baker, a coastal engineer who joined CEE as Assistant Professor recently. https://lnkd.in/gJQfyvA3

Congratulations, Kiana M.! 🙌