Two professors from 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering have been honored by The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists through its 40 Under 40 Recognition Program.

Associate Professor Sherri Cook and Assistant Professor Cresten Mansfeldt were recognized as 鈥渢alented individuals who have, either personally or as part of a team, been responsible for helping to advance the fields of environmental science or environmental engineering in a demonstrable way within the last 12 months,鈥� according to the academy鈥檚 website.

Cook received her BS from Virginia Tech and her MSE and PhD from the University of Michigan. At 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, she pioneered three courses that teach sustainability principles to students across disciplines. Her research focuses on sustainable solutions to global drinking water and sanitation challenges, aiming to improve treatment systems while minimizing risks to human health, the environment, and financial stability. Her research has included innovative technologies such as biochar-based micropollutant removal from wastewater and advancing zero-carbon bio-cement through her co-founded company, Prometheus.

Mansfeldt earned his PhD at Cornell University, after completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota.  He refined his expertise during a postdoctoral fellowship at Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. Mansfeldt teaches courses on material flows, from microbial carbon cycling to urban waste management. His research focuses on the interplay between natural and built environments, emphasizing water reuse, the microbiome of built environments and the impacts of disasters, such as 欧美口爆视频, on urban systems. Past projects include monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in campus wastewater, evaluating the risk of synthetic biology products and exploring the bioethics of biological innovations in environmental engineering. His current research examines contaminants from wildland-urban interfaces, tracking synthetic biology products in the environment and advancing water reuse.

Off

The College of Engineering and Applied Science gained a spot U.S. News and World Report鈥檚&苍产蝉辫; rankings this year, coming in at No. 17 among public institution peers.

Six degree programs in the college also earned top 20 spots among public universities in the engineering specialty rankings and  rankings:

• Aerospace engineering sciences (No. 6)
• Environmental engineering (No. 9)
• Chemical engineering (No. 13)
• Mechanical engineering (No. 15)
• Civil engineering (No. 17)
• Computer science (No. 19)

The rankings were released on the U.S. News and World Report website on Sept. 11. Undergraduate rankings are based on assessments of 1,500 U.S. bachelor's degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates, financial resources per students, and average alumni giving rate. .

Off

A team of EVEN students recently took third place at the

The University of 欧美口爆视频 Team featured undergraduate students Calvin Malkoski, Natalie Alvarado, Alise Gladbach, Alex Martin, and Titus Ellison. Together, they designed a geothermal heat pump for the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County.

The pump is designed to lower natural gas emissions for heating during the winter months while also being able to act as an air conditioner during the warmer months. Their system can produce four times the energy required to run, making it a fantastic renewable resource.

The competition, sponsored by the Department of Energy, aims to prepare 鈥渟tudents to scale up geothermal technologies in a way that prioritizes individual communities and their unique needs,鈥� says Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. The event, hosted annually, hopes to inspire the next generation of geothermal technologies.

As part of their third-place finish, the team won $2,500 in funding for their design. In addition, University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder also received $10,000 for their ongoing support.

Off

Beth Rossman, a sophomore majoring in environmental engineering, has been awarded a Udall Scholarship, becoming the 12th 欧美口爆视频 Boulder student to be honored with the scholarship.

Rossman, who is from Littleton and is specializing in water resources and treatment with the goal of becoming a water resources engineer, is one of 55 students honored with the scholarship nationally in 2022. The scholarships are awarded to students who show a commitment to leadership, public service, the environment and Native American issues.

鈥淭o me, inequitable access to clean water around the world is one of the most pressing challenges we face, and this issue has a profound impact on both people and the natural world,鈥� Rossman said. 鈥淯ltimately, my goal is to work toward solving the many water resources problems that are worsening as a result of climate change.鈥� 

awards scholarships of up to $7,000 each to college sophomores and juniors. This year鈥檚 scholars were selected out of 382 eligible candidates nominated by 181 colleges and universities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see Beth recognized for her commitment to environmental equity through water resources engineering,鈥� said Deborah Viles, director of the Office of Top Scholarships at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. 鈥淏eth says she hopes to bring the spirit of Morris and Stewart Udall into her career, and I believe she will do just that. Her success makes us all proud.鈥�

Sophomores and juniors interested in pursuing careers related to the environment, tribal public policy, or Native American health care should contact Viles at viles@colorado.edu for information on how to apply next year.

欧美口爆视频 Boulder Today chatted with Rossman about her time at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder and plans for the future. 

What are you up to this summer?

This summer I will be working as an engineering intern with Tacoma Water, which is a public utility that provides clean water to more than 300,000 people in Tacoma, Washington. I鈥檓 looking forward to this opportunity because I will be part of a team that works to provide crucial services to serve a community. 

Why 欧美口爆视频 Boulder?

I chose 欧美口爆视频 for its amazing environmental engineering program, as well as the opportunity to pursue a variety of hobbies, such as skiing, backpacking and music. 

What do you do for fun?

Outside of school and work, I spend most of my time outdoors or making music. I am the music director of one of 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 co-ed a capella groups, and I am also involved in the treble chorus. I love hiking, skiing and backpacking, and if I鈥檓 not out doing one of those things I鈥檓 typically planning my next big road trip. 

Best part of going to 欧美口爆视频 Boulder?

My favorite part about going to 欧美口爆视频 is the support I receive from my friends, coworkers and professors to pursue my goals, whether academic or just for fun. I鈥檝e been able to pursue so many different dreams, from becoming an engineer to singing in a college a capella group. I also love that 欧美口爆视频 values sustainability as much as I do.

What鈥檚 next after college?

Once I graduate, I hope to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in hydrology or environmental engineering, and then pursue my professional engineer license.

Off

Three December 2021 graduates of the Environmental Engineering Program are being recognized by the College of Engineering and Applied Science for their achievements.

Anthony Pimentel, Leah Rivera, and Bailey Vigil are each being honored for their efforts as undergraduate students. Each student and their award is highlighted below. You can also see the full list of honorees at the college of engineering Graduating Student Awards website.

Off

欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 Alumni Awards are recognizing a team of faculty and staff for their efforts on the COVID 19 pandemic.

Environmental engineering faculty members Cresten Mansfeldt and Shelly Miller are among a group of employees collectively referred to as the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Pandemic Scientific Steering Committee and Science Team (鈥淭he Team鈥�) receiving a 2021 Robert L. Stearns Award.

The full list of honorees include Kristen Bjorkman (笔丑顿叠颈辞颁丑别尘鈥�07), Gloria Brisson, Jose Jimenez, Mark Kavanaugh, Daniel Larremore (ApMath鈥�09; PhD鈥�12), Leslie Leinwand, Cresten Mansfeldt,Jennifer McDuffie, Matt McQueen (笔蝉测肠丑鈥�96), Shelly Miller,Roy Parker and Melanie Parra.

Most people will forever remember where they were in March 2020 as the world began to shut down. For many at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, an incredible haul of work instantly followed.

Like the COVID-19 virus, their tasks were new, momentous and immediate.

鈥淚 can think of no more difficult year than the one that began on March 13, 2020, and was dominated by COVID-19, its impact on our students, faculty and staff and our institutional response,鈥� said 欧美口爆视频 Boulder provost Russ Moore.

One group of faculty and staff 鈥� the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Pandemic Scientific Steering Committee and Science Team, or 鈥淭he Team鈥� 鈥� was set on determining how the university could remain operational during a pandemic.

鈥淲ithout being asked, and in the true spirit of public service, the members of the Scientific Steering Committee and Science Team dropped what they were doing in order to develop the science and many of the associated operations that allowed our campus to successfully open and operate,鈥� said Moore.

The Team consisted of Kristen Bjorkman, Gloria Brisson, Jose Jimenez, Mark Kavanaugh, Daniel Larremore, Leslie Leinwand, Cresten Mansfeldt, Jennifer McDuffie, Matt McQueen, Shelly Miller, Roy Parker and Melanie Parra. Their priority was the safety of the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder community and beyond.

Their work was evident in every aspect of campus life.

They developed saliva- and wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 screening tests to find both individual infections and larger outbreaks on campus. They created a contact tracing program that involved eager students and became one of the most responsive in the state. They helped design the HVAC systems that were installed throughout campus to reduce airborne disease transmission. They guided physical distancing and masking protocols. Most importantly, their solutions were grounded in science.

Their ideas and implementations were constant 鈥� sometimes happening from the hours of 2 to 4 a.m. or on weekends. The work is not done. Much of The Team鈥檚 scientific work will be studied, reviewed and published to help future crisis response practices.

 In the words of the provost, speaking on behalf of thousands positively impacted by their work, 鈥淭he Team鈥檚 dedication serves as an inspiration to us all.鈥�

Read more about all of the 2021 Alumni Awards winners.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Mozkke6GY]

Off

A trio of University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder environmental engineering students have earned scholarships from the

PhD student Duong Nguyen and master鈥檚 students Nadia Jorgenson and Michael Hernandez have each earned 2021 scholarships from AWWA, a water industry non-profit.

Learn more about the honorees and their awards below:

Off

A team of senior Environmental Engineering students have won three awards for their design work on PFOA and PFOS destruction at the

Claire Butler, Jenna Engelken, Mahalie Hill, Rita Trick, and Shelby Tllema are team BEHTT Insight -- the name comes from their initials. They earned second place in the Task Award on PFAS Destruction, a $1,000 prize, as well as the WERC Resources Center Pollution Prevention/Energy Efficiency (P2E2) award, with a prize of $500. 

Additionally, Butler received the Terry McManus Outstanding Student Award, with a prize of $1,000, after being nominated by Dr. Azadeh Bolhari.

The WERC Environmental Design Contest began in 1991 and awards over $30,000 in cash prizes for 鈥渟olutions to engineering tasks by industry partners and government agencies.鈥� 

Teams could choose from five different task tracks, which had options for desktop studies or lab-based studies. The BEHTT Insight team chose to tackle the issue of destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), specifically targeting two chemicals under the PFAS umbrella, PFOA and PFOS through a desktop study, completing their design while being fully remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PFAS do not naturally degrade which has led to mass accumulation in the environment. While PFOA and PFOS have been voluntarily phasd out by the industry since 2015, the health effects of the PFAS already present in the environment can be linked to cancer, endocrine system disruptions, developmental issues, and lowered vaccine response. Current PFAS destruction strategies can be expensive, time consuming, energy intensive, and can give rise to harmful byproducts. 

The task was sponsored by CDM Smith and proposed by the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility/US Bureau of Reclamation. The deliverables for the contest included an oral presentation, three poster sessions with teams of two judges, and an IEEE paper.

The BEHTT Insight design begins by pumping PFOA and PFOS contaminated groundwater and treating it off-site through reverse osmosis. Then, the concentrated PFOA and PFOS is passed through a biochar-filled column filter. The biochar is made from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. 

Ultimately, the biochar will be dried and mixed with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) before being heated to 850掳C to catalyze the defluorination of PFOA and PFOS, effectively destroying them. 

The treated biochar can then be used to prevent landfill leachate, in fertilizer, or in wastewater treatment. Using a cradle to grave approach, the BEHTT Insight design resulted in a treatment cost of $0.09 per gallon of water, which is significantly less than the current cost of $2.00 per gallon of water thermally treated.

Team members say they were drawn to this design competition for their capstone project because students are often left out of the conversation when tackling our world鈥檚 most pressing engineering issues. 

Hill said their assessment of environmental impacts made the project stand out in the competition.

鈥淭he judges said they were really impressed that it was sustainable and that we put in the effort to make it cyclical. There鈥檚 a need for that in the engineering community,鈥� Hill said.

The team worked well together throughout the process, and Engelken said their efforts shined at WERC.

鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e a team of five awesome, intelligent, and amazing women engineers, we鈥檙e able to create projects that are more creative that add to things that other teams may completely miss,鈥� Engelken said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to create things beyond science with a capital 'S'.鈥� 

With graduation just around the corner, the BEHTT Insight team is undoubtedly more prepared to enter the 鈥渞eal world鈥� after their experience and success through the WERC Environmental Design Contest. 

Congratulations Claire Butler, Jenna Engelken, Mahalie Hill, Rita Trick, and Shelby Tillema on BEHTT Insight鈥檚 well-deserved awards!

Off

Off

For environmental engineering major Selena Hinojos, graduating from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences is more than just a personal accomplishment.

鈥淭his represents the accomplishments of my parents and supporters along my journey,鈥� she said. 鈥淏eing a first-generation student, it was my personal duty to do everything my parents never had the chance to do.鈥�

Hinojos paid forward that support many times over in service to her fellow students during her time at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, earning her a College of Engineering and Applied Science Outstanding Undergraduate for Service award for spring 2020.

鈥淚t was an honor to be chosen as an Outstanding Graduate for Service,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his award symbolizes the collective time and energy I put into my passions, but overall this award symbolizes the various experiences and opportunities that I am grateful to have been a part of.鈥�

During her time at 欧美口爆视频, Hinojos served as a GoldShirt Scholar, supporting the academic success of younger engineering students. As a mentor and Academic Lead Mentor with GoldShirt, she helped welcome and support two new classes of GoldShirt Scholars through their Summer Bridge Program and first academic year. She was also a resident advisor in Aden Hall and the Engineering Quad Living & Learning Community, where GoldShirt scholars and 欧美口爆视频 Engineering students reside. 

Hinojos also worked as an Engineering Ambassador and was involved with the and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

鈥淭he greatest lesson I learned from my time at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder is that it doesn't matter what background and experience you have coming into a situation. It is about the grit and passion you have to finish and be better and do better,鈥� she said.

To get the most out of college, Hinojos encourages all students to take a step outside of their comfort zones. 

鈥淏ased on what I now know, the best piece of advice for other students is to be comfortable with uncomfortable situations, as these experiences allow for the most self-growth and success in your personal and academic life,鈥� she said.

Following graduation, Hinojos will attend Penn State University to pursue a PhD in civil engineering with a water resource focus. To support her studies, she earned Penn State鈥檚 Bunton-Waller Assistantship and the Robert W. Graham Endowed Graduate Fellowship. 

She got a taste of being a researcher during undergraduate research experiences in Assistant Professor Sherri Cook鈥檚 research lab and the at CSU.

鈥淚 will be investigating the ethical implications of connected critical infrastructure in the food-energy-water nexus,鈥� she said. 鈥淔rom there, I hope to further immerse myself in research centered around climate change and creating a sustainable future.鈥�

Off