During his time at EPFL under the Erasmus program, Romain van Wassenhove came up with an idea for a connector that could be used to make modular structures out of sustainable bamboo rather than wood, plastic or metal. “I wanted…
Tag: CIVIL ENGINEERING
Visualizing cement hydration on a molecular level
Imaging technique could enable new pathways for reducing concrete’s hefty carbon footprint, as well as for 3-D printing of concrete.
Study shows cities can consider race and income in household energy efficiency programs
Climate change and social inequality are two pressing issues that often overlap. A new study led by Princeton researchers offers a roadmap for cities to address inequalities in energy use by providing fine-grained methods for measuring both income and racial…
Technique inspired by lace making could someday weave structures in space
Lauren Dreier was paging through a 19th century book by the German architect Gottfried Semper when she spotted some intriguing patterns inspired by lace. A professional artist and designer who often incorporates technology into her work, Dreier, who is also…
Coastal flooding increases Bay Area traffic delays and accidents
Almost half of the world’s population currently lives in cities and that number is projected to rise significantly in the near future. This rapid urbanization is contributing to increased flood risk due to the growing concentration of people and resources…
Acoustic solutions made from natural fibers can reduce buildings’ carbon footprints
Aalto University researchers discovered that wood-based pulp fibers are also well-suited for making acoustic materials
Panayiotis ‘Panos’ Diplas recognized with 2021 Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award
ASCE’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute honors Lehigh University water resources engineering professor for outstanding contributions to the study of hydraulics and waterways
Self-aware materials build the foundation for living structures
New research in Nano Energy introduces revolutionary scalable material that senses and powers itself
Seeking sustainable solutions for the global challenge of safe drinking water
Pitt’s Leanne Gilbertson will use a $500K CAREER award to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal to ensure access to clean water
40 top scientists to WHO: requirements for ventilation systems must be reinforced
The group of experts includes Professor and Academician of Tallinn University of Technology Jarek Kurnitski, who said that improving ventilation can be regarded more broadly as a paradigm shift equal in scale to the transformation in the standards of drinking…
uOttawa, Wesley Clover launch Alacrity Ottawa to build new generation of Canadian tech entrepreneurs
The University of Ottawa and Wesley Clover International have launched Alacrity Ottawa, a new technology business program. Together, uOttawa and Wesley Clover will educate, train and support engineering graduates with mentorship and investment opportunities aimed at fostering a pipeline of…
Warm ice may fracture differently than cold ice
New study suggests old rules on how ice breaks may not always hold up
As water sources become scarce, understanding emerging subsurface contaminants is key
USC researchers modeled complex subsurface water flow to help assess the risk of contaminants appearing in high, unsafe concentrations in variable water sources.
Innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with graphene concrete
First commercial pour of engineered graphene concrete takes place in UK using Manchester technology
Food scraps get a bold new life
Tokyo, Japan – Most people don’t think much about the food scraps they throw away; however, investigators from the Institute of Industrial Science at The University of Tokyo have developed a new method to reduce food waste by recycling discarded…
UTA civil engineer developing better flood warning tools for Texas communities
Saving lives and property during Texas floods
New optimization approach helps design lighter carbon fiber composite materials
New design approach for manufacturing carbon fibers with optimized orientation and thickness achieves weight reduction in fiber reinforced plastics
Rural America primed for mileage if $2 trillion infrastructure plan passes
Rural communities help fuel the nation, though decades of aging and deteriorating infrastructure have stifled the potential of the American economy and way of life, according to West Virginia University experts. A proposed $2 trillion federal infrastructure plan, announced by…
Multi-story buildings made of wood sell for 9% more than other construction in Helsinki
Study shows for first time that wood construction is economically feasible
Making sure ships, other marine craft find their way
New edition of a popular textbook addresses guidance, navigation and control of marine craft.
ENLIGHTENme project hosts “Shaping Light for Health and Wellbeing in Cities”
Growing urbanization around the world has led to an exponential increase in human exposure to electric light at night. This includes public outdoor illumination and the artificial sky glow created by highly urbanized areas as well as exposure to light…
World first concept for rechargeable cement-based batteries
Imagine an entire twenty storey concrete building which can store energy like a giant battery. Thanks to unique research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, such a vision could someday be a reality. Researchers from the Department of Architecture and…
‘We’re playing Moneyball with building assets’
New tool uses AI to target smarter repairs with limited funds
‘Cool walls’ get a boost from US Green Building Council
Berkeley Lab research helps city-cooling measure get test integration with LEED rating system
Snakeskin can inspire to safer buildings
New research shows that it might be a good idea to look for inspiration in nature when designing load-bearing foundations for buildings.
Lead found in rural drinking water supplies in West Africa
Scientists are warning that drinking water supplies in parts of rural West Africa are being contaminated by lead-containing materials used in small community water systems such as boreholes with handpumps and public taps. They analysed scrapings taken from the plumbing…
Previously unrecognized tsunami hazard identified in coastal cities
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –A new study found overlooked tsunami hazards related to undersea, near-shore strike-slip faults, especially for coastal cities adjacent to faults that traverse inland bays. Several areas around the world may fall into this category, including the San Francisco…
Researchers find how tiny plastics slip through the environment
Washington State University researchers have shown the fundamental mechanisms that allow tiny pieces of plastic bags and foam packaging at the nanoscale to move through the environment.
Faster Air Exchange in Buildings Not Always Beneficial for Coronavirus Levels
Modeling study suggests vigorous ventilation can cause spike in viral concentrations
Marine Animals Inspire New Approaches to Structural Topology Optimization
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) have uncovered a new approach to structural topology optimization is outlined that unifies both design and manufacturing to create novel microstructures. Potential applications range from improved facial implants for cranial reconstruction to better ways to get materials into space for planetary exploration.
City, University of London joins forces with Engineers Without Borders UK
The strategic university partnership is aimed at embedding global and social responsibility into education and student experience.
Construction of new low-carbon hydrogen pilot plant gets underway
Producing clean and versatile hydrogen will fulfil a vital role in meeting global decarbonisation goals.
Research reveals household water consumption changes during lockdown
Cranfield University research using data from smart meters has found that household water consumption changed significantly after the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, shifting from predominantly higher usage early in the morning to multiple peaks and continued demand throughout the…
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Waste Management and Resource Optimization webinar
This seminar is especially addressed to non-economists, with the aim of demonstrating how potent and illuminating the economic perspective may be, but also warning about the possible misuse of economic concepts. The objective of this seminar is to discuss the…
World’s largest public scenario database for testing and assuring safe autonomous vehicle
The Safety PoolTM Scenario Database, the largest public repository of scenarios for testing autonomous vehicles in the world, has been launched today by WMG at the University of Warwick, and Deepen AI
Professor Qingwei Ma seeks to unlock the potential of marine wave energy
The City, University of London academic will lead on the development of a new generation modelling suite, combining machine learning techniques, for the survivability of wave energy converters in marine environments
Getting the inside track on street design
Pedestrian movements are tricky to track, but now the first large-scale statistical analysis of pedestrian flow using anonymous phone data collected in three European capital cities, London, Amsterdam and Stockholm, has been conducted by researchers from KAUST with Swedish colleagues…
Mobile app generates data for the energy management of the future
Wind farms and solar plants play a central role in the success of the energy transition and thus in climate protection. However, these renewable energies also cause disruptive fluctuations in the energy grid because they do not always produce energy…
Researchers at Stanford and Carnegie Mellon reveal cost of key climate solution
Perhaps the best hope for slowing climate change – capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions underground – has remained elusive due in part to uncertainty about its economic feasibility. In an effort to provide clarity on this point, researchers at…
Mixed reality gets a machine learning upgrade
Researchers at Osaka University use machine learning to enhance the ability of a mixed-reality mobile viewer to digitally remove obstructions and add greenery, which may improve sustainable architecture and urban planning
Josephine Carstensen receives prestigious NSF Career Award
Award recognizes outstanding research and education from junior faculty
New fire-simulating tool could improve in-flight fire safety
Some of the most dangerous fires are the ones you don’t see coming. That goes not only for fires in buildings but for those kilometers off the ground, aboard commercial airliners. Many aircraft have systems to detect fires early on,…
Stay on track! Support system to help the visually impaired navigate tactile paving
Scientists develop improved image processing algorithm that can more accurately detect tactile paving in various lighting conditions and environments
Knitting roads
Empa scientists are investigating how roads could be reinforced with simple means and recycled easily after use. Their tools are a robot and a few meters of string.
Energizing India
India has an ambitious plan for developing more renewable energy; researchers say the country can aim even higher
Houston refines hunt for COVID in wastewater
Rice University-led study evaluates methods to find signs of virus in municipal plants
TU Graz Researchers Identify Chemical Processes as Key to Understanding Landslides
Mass movements such as landslides and hill-slope debris flows cause billions of euros in economic damage around the world every year. Between 20 and 80 million euros are spent annually from the disaster fund to repair disaster damage in Austria,…
Using ships themselves to monitor and predict waves
An algorithm and some preparatory calculations are cheaper and faster than current alternatives
Go with the flow: New model helps cities crack bottlenecks, decrease commute times
A world-first ‘flow model’ devised by Australian researchers could drastically slash public transport commuter times during peak periods on some of the busiest roads in major cities, new research shows. When this flow model was implemented to improve the worst…
Scientists develop new magnetic nanomaterial for ?ounterfeit money prevention
An international research team led by NUST MISIS has developed a new iron-cobalt-nickel nanocomposite with tunable magnetic properties. The nanocomposite could be used to protect money and securities from counterfeiting. The study was published in Nanomaterials . Presently, research on…