Past Events

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Exploring the Sources and Fate of Chemical Contaminants in Indoor Environments

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with Professor Jonathan Abbatt from the University of Toronto, who will discuss “Exploring the Sources and Fate of Chemical Contaminants in Indoor Environments." The seminar is in-person at 15 Vassar Street, 48-316.

C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series with Prof. Arun Majumdar – Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Please join us on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4 pm in Room 1-190 for the C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series with Prof. Arun Majumdar. 

Refreshments: 4:00pm
Lecture: 4:15pm

Title talk: Climate & Sustainability: The defining issue of the 21st century

Abstract: The dramatic increase of human population and consumption over the last 100 years has led to exponential growth, both in the use of natural resources and the production of waste streams. The use of fossil fuels and the emissions of greenhouse gases is one example, as are the use of freshwater, minerals, plastics and others. This paradigm of economic growth is presenting unprecedented and interconnected challenges - global warming and climate change, water stress, food security, loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, and public health. While these trends and challenges were recognized in the 20th century, they have been elevated in our global discourse as the defining societal issue of the 21st century. This is raising the question about whether the current approach to economic development is sustainable without significant impact on humanity and our planet. In response, most major nations have now made climate commitments and more than 60 percent of major global corporations have announced climate or sustainability goals. The world is embarking on a once-in-a-century global economic transition; how to achieve these goals and commitments, however, remains largely unclear and uncertain. Addressing climate change and sustainability requires a deep understanding of earth, climate and society. It is a topic where science, engineering, business, law, social sciences, global health, and humanities are intricately connected. In short, the challenge is complex; and it spans all of academia. Therefore, our response to the challenge demands a whole campus effort towards a common goal. Recognizing this, Stanford University recently launched its first school in 75 years, with the goal of catalyzing an all-campus effort to address these challenges and offering an opportunity to reimagine academia and its value to society. This talk will describe scale, complexity and urgency of the challenge, and how academic research, education and the development of scalable solutions can provide significant value to the global society and our planet.

Bio: Dr. Arun Majumdar is the inaugural Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. He is the Jay Precourt Provostial Chair Professor at Stanford University, a faculty member of the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Science and Engineering, a Senior Fellow and former Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy and Senior Fellow (courtesy) of the Hoover Institution. Dr. Majumdar served in the Obama administration as the Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) and as the Acting Under Secretary of Energy. He served as a Science Envoy for the US Department of State and currently serves as the Chair of the US Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. Dr. Majumdar was also the Vice President for Energy at Google and advises numerous businesses in the energy innovation ecosystem. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, US National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1985 and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989. His current research focuses on redox reactions and systems that are fundamental to a sustainable energy future, multidimensional nanoscale imaging and microscopy, and an effort to leverage modern AI techniques to develop and deliver energy and climate solutions.

The C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series was founded and has been organized in honor of Prof. Chiang C. Mei. It aims to provide a vibrant forum for highly distinguished speakers, from around the world, to share their research with the CEE, MIT, and local Boston community. 

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Mixotrophy in marine picocyanobacteria: Glucose uptake and utilization by Prochlorococcus

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Jose Manuel Garcia Fernandez from University of Cordoba, who will discuss “Mixotrophy in marine picocyanobacteria: Glucose uptake and utilization by Prochlorococcus."

The seminar is in-person at 15 Vassar Street, 48-316.

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: The ecosystem impacts of concurrent biotic and climatic disturbances in temperate forests

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Jackie Hatala Matthes from Harvard Forest, who will discuss “The ecosystem impacts of concurrent biotic and climatic disturbances in temperate forests."

The seminar is in-person at 15 Vassar Street, 48-316.

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Ecological networks in dynamics and evolving landscapes

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Marie-Josée Fortin from University of Toronto, who will discuss “Ecological networks in dynamics and evolving landscapes."

The seminar is in-person at 15 Vassar Street, 48-316.

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: From Land Carbon Sink to Net Zero Emissions: How can Land be Part of the Climate Solution?

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Hanqin Tian from Boston College, who will discuss “From Land Carbon Sink to Net Zero Emissions: How can Land be Part of the Climate Solution?"

The seminar is in-person at 15 Vassar Street, 48-316

C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series: Prof. Pradeep Sharma

Please join us for the C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series with Professor Pradeep Sharma from University of Houston, who will discuss “Flexoelectricity & Electrets."

The seminar is in-person in Room 3-270.

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Lights out for fireflies, moths, and other insects

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Dr. Avalon C.S. Owens from Harvard University, who will discuss “Lights out for fireflies, moths, and other insects."

The seminar is in-person at 15 Vassar Street, 48-316

MIT CEE Annual Research Day: CEE for the 21st Century

This event brings together the CEE community for a thought-provoking experience and a great opportunity to discuss civil and environmental solutions for the 21^st century through lightning-fast research talks and poster presentations by CEE faculty, students, and postdocs. It will also include light food and drink during the poster presentation reception hour.

Download the Program agenda to learn more.

C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series: Prof. Alan Needleman

The C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series was founded and has been organized since 2015 in the MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in honor of Prof. Chiang C. Mei. The speaker series provides a vibrant forum for highly distinguished speakers from around the world, to share their research with the CEE, MIT, and local Boston community. Our November 28th speaker is Alan Needleman, University Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.