Past Events

Future Leaders in CEE: Can Microbes Help Us Remediate “Forever Chemicals”

Join the MIT Civil and Environmental Department for its Future Leaders in CEE: Supporting research, career development, diversity, equity and inclusion seminar series that brings together speakers from diverse backgrounds who are considered future leaders in STEM and civil and environmental engineering to share their journey to achieve success. This month's speaker is Dr. Natalie Cápiro at Auburn University.

Seminar topic: The use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to extinguish fuel-based fires at military, industrial, and municipal sites since the 1970s has resulted in widespread contamination of persistent per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS- “Forever Chemicals”). The management and remediation of AFFF-impacted sites is challenging in part due to our limited understanding of PFAS environmental fate and behavior under representative subsurface conditions. Most prior studies documenting biotransformation of select PFAS found in AFFF have been conducted under oxic conditions, utilizing bacteria from activated sludge reactors, pristine soils, and aerobic bacterial enrichment cultures. However, it is anticipated that PFAS biotransformation will differ between experimental systems established with activated sludge and aquifer materials, leading to different transformation byproducts and pathways. Therefore, the on-going work that will be discussed in this presentation aims to demonstrate the potential biotransformation, including anaerobic defluorination, of representative PFAS under conditions more representative of AFFF-impacted sites using native microbial communities. In addition to discussing her research, Dr. Cápiro will also discuss her academic journey, and share her experiences as a non-tenure-track and tenure-track faculty member. Dr. Natalie Cápiro is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and an adjunct faculty in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at Auburn University. To learn more or register, email Stephanie at smartino@mit.edu

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Characterizing Hurricane Turbulence via Numerical Simulations

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Marco Giomentto, of Columbia University, who will discuss "Characterizing Hurricane Turbulence via Numerical Simulations" Faculty host: Prof. Howland

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

For more information or how to attend this seminar virtually, please contact lumidi@mit.edu

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Challenges to safe drinking water in Iowa

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Dave Cwiertny, of University of Iowa, who will discuss "Far from heaven: Challenges to safe drinking water in Iowa" and include policy, environmental chemistry, and engineering topics. Faculty host: Prof. Plata & Des Marais

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

For more information or how to attend this seminar virtually, please contact lumidi@mit.edu

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis and Sensing in Environmental Waters

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Will Tarpeh, of Stanford University, who will discuss "Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis and Sensing in Environmental Waters" Faculty host: Prof. Plata

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

For more information or how to attend this seminar virtually, please contact lumidi@mit.edu

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: A drier future for Europe and the Mediterranean

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Alexandre Tuel, of University of Bern, who will discuss "A drier future for Europe and the Mediterranean" Faculty host: Prof. Eltahir

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

For more information or how to attend this seminar virtually, please contact lumidi@mit.edu

CEE Graduate Admissions Webinar

This webinar will provide an overview of all the graduate degree paths in CEE at MIT and the process for applying.

Led by Civil and Environmental Engineering Admissions Staff

Graduate Catalyst Event

This interactive webinar provides participants with useful information for applying to and thriving in graduate school. Sessions are open to all students exploring the option of graduate studies in CEE at MIT

Led by Current CEE students and Graduate Officer, Professor Colette Heald
Registration closed

Climate Talks | Josh Fisher: The Fate of the Terrestrial Biosphere

A talk show series about Climate Science with some of the most influential scientists in the field. This will be a dynamic conversation about climate change, not a lecture, where you will learn about the latest research on carbon and climate science. These talks are accessible to everyone, whatever your background is, you are welcome.

The series is kicking off with Dr. Joshua B. Fisher. Dr. Joshua B. Fisher is a Climate Scientist focusing on terrestrial ecosystems, water, carbon, and nutrient cycling using a combination of supercomputer models, remote sensing, and field campaigns from the Amazon to the Arctic. He completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UC Berkeley and his postdoctoral work from the University of Oxford.

Dr. Fisher was at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for over a decade, and was the Science Lead for the ECOSTRESS mission, focused on plant water use/stress from the International Space Station. He is currently Presidential Fellow of Ecosystem Science on the faculty at Chapman University; and is also now the Science Lead for Hydrosat, which is launching a constellation of thermal satellite missions.

Dr. Fisher has been named one of the world’s “most influential” researchers, in the top 0.1% of scientists with papers in the top 1% by citations for the past 3 years in a row.

Faculty Host: César Terrer/The Terrer Lab

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Molecular-level reactivity of dissolved organic matter in natural and engineered systems

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Christy Remucal, of University of Wisconsin, who will discuss "Molecular-level reactivity of dissolved organic matter in natural and engineered systems" Faculty host: Prof. Plata

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

For more information or how to attend this seminar virtually, please contact lumidi@mit.edu

CEE Faculty Seminar Seminar Series: Vegetation Hydrodynamics for Restoration, Climate Mitigation and Adaption

Please join us for the CEE Faculty Seminar Series with speaker Prof. Heidi Nepf, who will discuss "Vegetation Hydrodynamics for Restoration, Climate Mitigation and Adaption" Faculty host: Prof. Carstensen

The seminar will be held in-person at 1-131. For more information or how to attend this seminar virtually, please contact Jeanette at jmmarch@mit.edu