MIT CEE
@mitcee.bsky.social
Latest news and research from MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
A new study from Prof. Desirée Plata, graduate student Amélie Lemay, and colleagues at Princeton University found that increasing adoption of electric vehicles was associated with declines of major air pollutants — including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, fine particles, and even summer ozone.
November 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
A new study from Prof. Desirée Plata, graduate student Amélie Lemay, and colleagues at Princeton University found that increasing adoption of electric vehicles was associated with declines of major air pollutants — including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, fine particles, and even summer ozone.
In a recent study, Comm Lab Manager Jared Berezin found that simple peer-support activities can strengthen learning and wellbeing—boosting connection, reducing stigma, and improving teamwork. mitcommlab.mit.edu/cee/2025/10/...
Beavers, Care Bears, and the Power of Compassionate Communication : Civil and Environmental Engineering Communication Lab
Helping scientists communicate.
mitcommlab.mit.edu
November 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
In a recent study, Comm Lab Manager Jared Berezin found that simple peer-support activities can strengthen learning and wellbeing—boosting connection, reducing stigma, and improving teamwork. mitcommlab.mit.edu/cee/2025/10/...
Congratulations to Prof. Darcy McRose on being named a 2025 Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering! 🎉 Her research explores how antibiotics shape ecosystems, agriculture, and health. @packardfdn.bsky.social news.mit.edu/2025/darcy-m...
Darcy McRose and Mehtaab Sawhney ’20, PhD ’24 named 2025 Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering
MIT professor and environmental microbiologist Darcy McRose is named 2025 Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering to pursue her research on secondary metabolites. Her research aims to uncover…
news.mit.edu
October 16, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Congratulations to Prof. Darcy McRose on being named a 2025 Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering! 🎉 Her research explores how antibiotics shape ecosystems, agriculture, and health. @packardfdn.bsky.social news.mit.edu/2025/darcy-m...
A concrete “battery” developed by Professors Admir Masic, Franz-Josef Ulm, and researchers in the MIT CSHub now packs 10 times the power—unlocking the potential to turn the concrete around us into massive energy storage systems.
news.mit.edu/2025/concret...
news.mit.edu/2025/concret...
Concrete “battery” developed at MIT now packs 10 times the power
New concrete and carbon black supercapacitors with optimized electrolytes have 10 times the energy storage of previous designs and can be incorporated into a wide range of architectural forms.
news.mit.edu
October 3, 2025 at 2:04 PM
A concrete “battery” developed by Professors Admir Masic, Franz-Josef Ulm, and researchers in the MIT CSHub now packs 10 times the power—unlocking the potential to turn the concrete around us into massive energy storage systems.
news.mit.edu/2025/concret...
news.mit.edu/2025/concret...
A new framework developed by @gioele-zardini.bsky.social, PhD student Yujun Huang and colleagues could change how engineers design autonomous vehicles, commercial aircraft, or transportation networks to handle real-world unpredictability. news.mit.edu/2025/account...
Accounting for uncertainty to help engineers design complex systems
MIT researchers developed a framework that can help engineers design systems that involve many interconnected parts in a way that explicitly accounts for the uncertainty in each component’s…
news.mit.edu
October 2, 2025 at 3:00 PM
A new framework developed by @gioele-zardini.bsky.social, PhD student Yujun Huang and colleagues could change how engineers design autonomous vehicles, commercial aircraft, or transportation networks to handle real-world unpredictability. news.mit.edu/2025/account...
South Asia is facing record-breaking heatwaves that could put millions at risk of life-threatening conditions. In a TIME op-ed, Prof. Elfatih Eltahir calls for urgent adaptation and aggressive action to curb carbon emissions. time.com/7319322/sout...
How South Asia Can Adapt to Extreme Heat
Extreme heat waves could soon make conditions in large parts of our planet extremely dangerous.
time.com
September 29, 2025 at 6:00 PM
South Asia is facing record-breaking heatwaves that could put millions at risk of life-threatening conditions. In a TIME op-ed, Prof. Elfatih Eltahir calls for urgent adaptation and aggressive action to curb carbon emissions. time.com/7319322/sout...
Prof. Josephine Carstensen and PhD student Hajin Kim-Tackowiak created a new design method that accounts for 3D printer limitations to better control materials’ performance in aerospace, medical, and other applications. news.mit.edu/2025/techniq...
Technique makes complex 3D printed parts more reliable
MIT engineers are incorporating the limitations of 3D printers into computer designs, to better control materials’ performance. The approach helps ensure printed structures perform the way they’re…
news.mit.edu
September 26, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Prof. Josephine Carstensen and PhD student Hajin Kim-Tackowiak created a new design method that accounts for 3D printer limitations to better control materials’ performance in aerospace, medical, and other applications. news.mit.edu/2025/techniq...
Ready to engineer solutions for a sustainable future? Join us Sept. 25 @ 2PM ET for a Graduate Admissions Info session to learn how you can make a global impact through advanced study and research. Ready to apply now? Our grad application portal is open. apply.mit.edu/register/?id...
September 15, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Ready to engineer solutions for a sustainable future? Join us Sept. 25 @ 2PM ET for a Graduate Admissions Info session to learn how you can make a global impact through advanced study and research. Ready to apply now? Our grad application portal is open. apply.mit.edu/register/?id...
Congrats to @gioele-zardini.bsky.social on receiving a 2025 DARPA Young Faculty Award to support his research into scalable, verifiable design of multi-agent autonomous systems. #AutonomousSystems #ScalableDesign #MIT #EngineeringResearch lids.mit.edu/news-and-eve...
Gioele Zardini receives 2025 DARPA Young Faculty Award
The award will support research into scalable, verifiable design of multi-agent autonomous systems Gioele Zardini has been named a 2025 recipient of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency…
lids.mit.edu
September 9, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Congrats to @gioele-zardini.bsky.social on receiving a 2025 DARPA Young Faculty Award to support his research into scalable, verifiable design of multi-agent autonomous systems. #AutonomousSystems #ScalableDesign #MIT #EngineeringResearch lids.mit.edu/news-and-eve...
Prof. César Terrer and Trevor Cambron SM ’25 examine plants under elevated CO2 and their impact on climate models in a new review paper published in @natclimate.nature.com
cee.mit.edu/plant-nutrie...
cee.mit.edu/plant-nutrie...
Plant nutrient strategies could reshape carbon sink predictions - cee.mit.edu
New study examines plants under elevated CO₂ and their impact on climate models Each year, plants and trees absorb roughly one-third of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) that human activities release into the…
cee.mit.edu
August 18, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Prof. César Terrer and Trevor Cambron SM ’25 examine plants under elevated CO2 and their impact on climate models in a new review paper published in @natclimate.nature.com
cee.mit.edu/plant-nutrie...
cee.mit.edu/plant-nutrie...
A new study led by Prof. Cathy Wu and colleagues reveals that eco-driving measures, such as dynamically adjusting vehicle speeds to reduce stopping and excessive acceleration, can cut carbon emissions between 11 and 22 percent. news.mit.edu/2025/eco-dri...
Eco-driving measures could significantly reduce vehicle emissions
Implementing co-driving techniques, like the use of intelligent speed controls to mitigate congestion at traffic lights, can significantly reduce intersection carbon dioxide emissions without…
news.mit.edu
August 11, 2025 at 2:15 PM
A new study led by Prof. Cathy Wu and colleagues reveals that eco-driving measures, such as dynamically adjusting vehicle speeds to reduce stopping and excessive acceleration, can cut carbon emissions between 11 and 22 percent. news.mit.edu/2025/eco-dri...
New research from Prof. Lydia Bourouiba and mentee and postdoc Naijian Shen uncovers a blind spot in how we model epidemic spread: combining data from different regions can skew estimates of contagion. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
August 6, 2025 at 1:45 PM
New research from Prof. Lydia Bourouiba and mentee and postdoc Naijian Shen uncovers a blind spot in how we model epidemic spread: combining data from different regions can skew estimates of contagion. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
A new study led by CEE research scientist Evan Fricke highlights the critical role seed dispersing animals play in forest carbon absorption, showing that when these animals decline, forests recover significantly less carbon—a key factor in climate change mitigation. news.mit.edu/2025/why-ani...
Why animals are a critical part of forest carbon absorption
Following deforestation, tropical forests with healthy populations of seed-dispersing animals can absorb up to four times more carbon than similar forests with fewer seed-dispersing animals,…
news.mit.edu
July 31, 2025 at 1:02 PM
A new study led by CEE research scientist Evan Fricke highlights the critical role seed dispersing animals play in forest carbon absorption, showing that when these animals decline, forests recover significantly less carbon—a key factor in climate change mitigation. news.mit.edu/2025/why-ani...
Congrats to Giorgio Rizzo, postdoc in the Marelli Lab, on receiving a Kavanaugh Fellowship. This award will support his work focused on a seed coating that boosts plant growth and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers.
📸: Jason Sparapani
dmse.mit.edu/news/three-w...
📸: Jason Sparapani
dmse.mit.edu/news/three-w...
July 21, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Congrats to Giorgio Rizzo, postdoc in the Marelli Lab, on receiving a Kavanaugh Fellowship. This award will support his work focused on a seed coating that boosts plant growth and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers.
📸: Jason Sparapani
dmse.mit.edu/news/three-w...
📸: Jason Sparapani
dmse.mit.edu/news/three-w...
Prof. John Ochsendorf is reimagining how we build and preserve America’s bridges—by looking to the past. “How do we build bridges that are cost effective, have lower environmental impact, and are also beautiful to look at?" he asks. www.wcvb.com/article/exte...
Extending the life of America's aging bridges with technology
UMass and MIT are testing out a cold spray technique to restore local bridges.
www.wcvb.com
July 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Prof. John Ochsendorf is reimagining how we build and preserve America’s bridges—by looking to the past. “How do we build bridges that are cost effective, have lower environmental impact, and are also beautiful to look at?" he asks. www.wcvb.com/article/exte...
Prof. Elfatih Eltahir joins The Joy of Why podcast to explain why we need more local and social data, like disease spread and population growth, to better predict and address climate-related challenges. www.quantamagazine.org/how-can-regi...
How Can Regional Models Advance Climate Science? | Quanta Magazine
Elfatih Eltahir explains why we need more local and social data, like disease spread and population growth, to better predict and address climate-related challenges.
www.quantamagazine.org
July 15, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Prof. Elfatih Eltahir joins The Joy of Why podcast to explain why we need more local and social data, like disease spread and population growth, to better predict and address climate-related challenges. www.quantamagazine.org/how-can-regi...
Prof. Saurabh Amin has received a 2025 MIT Energy Initiative Seed Fund to develop DecarbAI—an AI-powered tool using LLMs and ML to help plan clean energy grids as data center electricity demand surges. energy.mit.edu/news/mit-ene...
MIT Energy Initiative funds seven early-stage energy research projects
This spring, the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) awarded more than $1.2 million in grants to support seven novel energy research projects as part of its Seed Fund program. Each project will receive…
energy.mit.edu
July 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Prof. Saurabh Amin has received a 2025 MIT Energy Initiative Seed Fund to develop DecarbAI—an AI-powered tool using LLMs and ML to help plan clean energy grids as data center electricity demand surges. energy.mit.edu/news/mit-ene...
Congrats to postdoc Maya Anjur-Dietrich on receiving a Career Award at the Scientific Interface from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund. This honor supports early-career researchers at the intersection of biology and the physical, computational & mathematical sciences. www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-ann...
July 10, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Congrats to postdoc Maya Anjur-Dietrich on receiving a Career Award at the Scientific Interface from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund. This honor supports early-career researchers at the intersection of biology and the physical, computational & mathematical sciences. www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-ann...
A study from the Marelli Lab shows how a common fertilizer ingredient could enable new ways to increase plants’ resilience to UV stress and enhance seedling growth. news.mit.edu/2025/study-s...
Study shows how a common fertilizer ingredient benefits plants
MIT researchers found fertilizer additives called lanthanides can increase plant resilience to UV stress and enhance seedling growth. Until now, little has been known about how these rare earth…
news.mit.edu
July 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
A study from the Marelli Lab shows how a common fertilizer ingredient could enable new ways to increase plants’ resilience to UV stress and enhance seedling growth. news.mit.edu/2025/study-s...
Nth Cycle, co-founded by Prof. Desirée Plata, is advancing critical metals refining in the U.S. by producing nickel and cobalt from battery scrap in Ohio. news.mit.edu/2025/nth-cyc...
Nth Cycle is bringing critical metals refining to the U.S.
Nth Cycle, co-founded by MIT Associate Professor Desirée Plata, aims to recover critical metals from industrial waste and ores using a patented technology known as electro-extraction.
news.mit.edu
July 3, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Nth Cycle, co-founded by Prof. Desirée Plata, is advancing critical metals refining in the U.S. by producing nickel and cobalt from battery scrap in Ohio. news.mit.edu/2025/nth-cyc...
A new study by @mancusosci.bsky.social and @contaminatedsci.bsky.social shows that intraspecies microbial conflict can block new strains from settling in. If we want long-lasting probiotics, we must account for battles within species, not just between them. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
July 2, 2025 at 3:02 PM
A new study by @mancusosci.bsky.social and @contaminatedsci.bsky.social shows that intraspecies microbial conflict can block new strains from settling in. If we want long-lasting probiotics, we must account for battles within species, not just between them. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Congratulations to Prof. David Simchi-Levi on being awarded the Harold Larnder Prize from the Canadian Operational Research Society. The award recognizes an individual who has achieved international distinction in operational research.
June 25, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Congratulations to Prof. David Simchi-Levi on being awarded the Harold Larnder Prize from the Canadian Operational Research Society. The award recognizes an individual who has achieved international distinction in operational research.
Congrats to Ernie Lee on being awarded a Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study. This award will support Lee’s research exploring the impacts of spatial heterogeneity and seasonal variations on the salt marsh wave attenuation performances.
CEE graduate student Ernie Lee awarded Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study - cee.mit.edu
Graduate student Ernie (In Him) Lee has been awarded the prestigious Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study from the Croucher Foundation in Hong Kong. This award provides financial support for…
cee.mit.edu
June 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Congrats to Ernie Lee on being awarded a Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study. This award will support Lee’s research exploring the impacts of spatial heterogeneity and seasonal variations on the salt marsh wave attenuation performances.
Community members gathered with Vice President for Energy and Climate Evelyn Wang to explore the Climate Project at MIT, make connections, and exchange ideas. news.mit.edu/2025/each-of...
“Each of us holds a piece of the solution”
Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff turned out on May 6 for a community gathering hosted by Evelyn Wang, vice president for energy and climate, to learn about the Climate Project at MIT, make…
news.mit.edu
June 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Community members gathered with Vice President for Energy and Climate Evelyn Wang to explore the Climate Project at MIT, make connections, and exchange ideas. news.mit.edu/2025/each-of...
In a new study, researchers in IDSS, LIDS, EECS and CEE collaborate to discover the root cause of a type of bias in LLMs, paving the way for more accurate and reliable AI systems. news.mit.edu/2025/unpacki...
Unpacking the bias of large language models
MIT researchers discovered the underlying cause of position bias, a phenomenon that causes large language models to overemphasize the beginning or end of a document or conversation, while neglecting…
news.mit.edu
June 20, 2025 at 5:15 PM
In a new study, researchers in IDSS, LIDS, EECS and CEE collaborate to discover the root cause of a type of bias in LLMs, paving the way for more accurate and reliable AI systems. news.mit.edu/2025/unpacki...