Civil and environmental engineering

Photo of MIT's Building 10 at an angle with trees in front

MIT rates No. 1 in 12 subjects in 2018 QS World University Rankings

MIT ranked within top 5 in 19 out of 48 subject areas.

February 28, 2018

A new study found that cities with an orderly pattern, like the street grid seen in most of this map, have a much greater urban heat island effect than those with a more disorderly pattern, such as areas in the upper right.

Urban heat island effects depend on a city’s layout

The way streets and buildings are arranged makes a big difference in how heat builds up, study shows.

February 22, 2018

Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Water and Food John Lienhard was ranked fourth in Top 25 Global Water Leaders list by Water and Wastewater International.

MIT’s growing global leadership in water achieves industry recognition

Water industry publication recognizes J-WAFS director John Lienhard and other influential water sector leaders with strong connections to MIT, in 2018 Top 25 list.

February 21, 2018

A new special subject, 1.S992 (Agricultural Microbial Ecology) from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, took a group of undergraduate students to Israel over MIT’s Independent Activities Period to learn cutting-edge techniques used to study microbial communities.

A microbial approach to agriculture

A new special subject, Agricultural Microbial Ecology, takes students to Israel.

February 14, 2018

Maps depict the close correlation of crop production, rainfall and temperature in the U.S. Midwest in the last half of the 20th century. In this map, the number of bushels of corn produced are shown in shades of green.

Intensive agriculture influences U.S. regional summer climate, study finds

An increase in corn and soybean production in the Midwest may have led to cooler, wetter summers there.

February 13, 2018

In addition to fieldwork, TREX students explored local landmarks, including the Kilauea Iki Crater.

In fieldwork program, students take the lead

TREX program from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering takes students to Hawaii to conduct environmental research.

February 12, 2018

MIT engineers working with scientists in Kuwait have found that volcanic rocks, when pulverized into a fine ash, can be used as a sustainable additive in concrete structures.

Cities of the future may be built with locally available volcanic ash

Study finds adding volcanic ash reduces the overall energy required to manufacture concrete.

February 6, 2018

SuperUROP scholars, including EECS senior Emily Damato, discussed their research projects during an intensive Proposal Pitch session near the end of fall term.

Coding, thinking, sharing, building

More than 130 MIT juniors and seniors dig deeply into research in the Advanced Undergraduate Research Program (SuperUROP).

January 26, 2018

Electron microscope images of marine bacteria infected with the non-tailed viruses studied in this research. The bacterial cell walls are seen as long double lines, and the viruses are the small round objects with dark centers.

New type of virus found in the ocean

The unusual characteristics of these abundant, bacteria-killing viruses could lead to evolutionary insights.

January 24, 2018

Students in the initial class examine electronics components as they begin their year-long course of studies.

New program from MIT offers refugees a career boost

ReACT will award credentials in computer and data science through online and in-person instruction.

January 23, 2018

Graduate student Tianli Zhou (left) during a lab meeting. Zhou is studying how to make transportation systems more efficient, particularly through vehicle-sharing services.

Designing vehicle-sharing networks

Graduate student Tianli Zhou works to make transportation systems more efficient.

January 23, 2018

Postdoc Kathryn Kauffman and former guest researcher Aidong Ruan process ocean water samples at Canoe Cove in Nahant, Massachusetts. The researchers were observing how microbial communities change over time in a particular location.

Microbial communities demonstrate high turnover

New research provides insight into the behavior of microbial communities in the ocean.

January 18, 2018

Members of the MIT engineering faculty annually receive a myriad of honors and awards in recognition of their scholarship, service, and overall excellence.

School of Engineering fourth quarter 2017 awards

Faculty members were recognized for excellence via a diverse array of honors, grants, and prizes over the last quarter.

January 16, 2018

MIT researchers found a more dramatic decline in organic aerosol across the U.S. than previously reported, which may account for more lives saved than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency anticipated in a 2011 report on the Clean Air Act and amendments. The study found that the decline is likely due to human behaviors.

Cleaner air, longer lives

Research shows the Clean Air Act was likely responsible for a dramatic decline in atmospheric organic aerosol.

December 25, 2017

Microbiology Graduate PhD Program participants celebrate their 10-year anniversary at their fall 2017 retreat.

Celebrating a decade of interdisciplinary microbiology

The Microbiology Graduate PhD Program spans 50 labs across 10 departments and divisions, offering a broad approach to microbial science and engineering.

December 12, 2017

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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