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Civil & Environmental Engineering News

Consortium for Holistic Steel Systems members John Klein, Hannah Blum, Andrea Hicks and Thomas Sputo
June 27, 2024

With a strong foundation, new steel consortium at UW-Madison blends sustainability with structural integrity

A new research consortium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison leverages structural engineering research excellence and the applied experience of industrial partners. Hannah Blum, an associate professor of civil and environmental…

Christy Remucal
June 5, 2024

Finding PFAS: New Center of Excellence will amplify ability to detect and identify ‘forever chemicals’

Federal support is helping the University of Wisconsin-Madison broaden its ability to study potentially harmful “forever chemicals” that are infiltrating our soil and water. Christy Remucal, a professor of civil…

WiscWind team members demonstrate their wind turbine during 2024 Collegiate Wind Competition
May 21, 2024

Offshore wind: UW–Madison undergrads win national award with design for floating wind turbines on Lake Michigan

Winds on the Great Lakes could provide more than enough clean energy to meet the needs of the eight bordering states, yet logistical, social, and environmental challenges have stymied development…

April 10, 2024

With NSF CAREER award, Pujara studies the motion of marine pollution

Every year, millions of tons of human-made garbage ends up in the world’s oceans and major lakes. Some of it sinks to the bottom, while other trash floats out to…

A CEE student checks a concrete specimen for cracks
March 18, 2024

Cracks in the code: Parra-Montesinos tests structural code revisions in structures lab

One structural engineering professor’s research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may inform how concrete building codes are set for structures across the country. Professor Gustavo Parra-Montesinos has conducted a series…

CEE students students Maya Pardanani, Kris Alvarado, Clara Zwolanek, Dylan Schindler and Rachael Heck
March 18, 2024

Student team tackles deep challenge in northwestern Wisconsin lake

Day by day, sand piles up on Lake Altoona’s lakebed. It’s a problem that builds over time and beneath the surface, making the 840-acre reservoir less suitable for fish and…

PhD student Jenna Swenson working in the lab
March 18, 2024

Upper Midwest water samples key in future industrial chemical breakdown

Sometimes it’s best to embrace the complexities of environmental science. That’s one big takeaway from research that sheds light on how manganese oxides break down contaminants in water. Fourth-year civil…

Pavana Prabhakar and PhD student Hridyesh Tewani testing material in the lab
March 18, 2024

New ‘structures within structures’ foam softens a blow and bounces right back

It might put an extra bounce in your step or add resilience to the hull of a ship: The unique internal structure of a lightweight 3D-printed syntactic foam created by…

Southwest view of the outside of the new UW-Madison College of Engineering building
March 6, 2024

Wisconsin approves new UW-Madison engineering building

On March 6, 2024, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers gave final approval to fund a new College of Engineering building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The approval of a new building…

Students in the renovated mechanics of materials testing laboratory
February 27, 2024

Renovated materials mechanics lab enhances classroom, testing options

Renovations to the mechanics of materials testing laboratory in Engineering Hall will expand student understanding of materials deformation physics and demonstrate how materials choices affect every engineering discipline. Mechanical Engineering…