Past Events

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Climate and Tea

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Colin Orians of Tufts University who will discuss “Climate and Tea: The Unintended Benefits of Herbivory”. Host: Des Marais Group

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

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

Future Leaders in CEE: Why Do Particles Make People Sick?

It is well established that air pollution is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, mostly due to cerebrovascular and ischemic cardiovascular diseases. Airborne particulate matter (PM) with diameters less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5 ) is most strongly linked to adverse health outcomes from air pollution. Since air pollution exposure is thought to be responsible for millions of deaths per year, there is an urgent need to understand PM toxicity. Despite decades of research, the PM components and biological mechanisms that contribute to PM toxicity are poorly understood. The goal of this talk is to introduce the audience to multidisciplinary approaches and challenges associated with PM toxicology research.

About the speaker:

Dr. David Gonzalez is an atmospheric chemist and aerosol scientist with postdoctoral training in environmental cardiology and toxicology. He is broadly interested in understanding the relationship between airborne particulate matter (PM) chemistry and mechanisms underlying health effects from PM exposure. He was born in Mexico, grew up in Texas, and moved to Southern California where he attended Moorpark Community College. He then transferred to UCLA and received a BS in Chemistry (2012) and an MS/PhD in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences (2019). His PhD work with Dr. Suzanne Paulson (UCLA) studied the chemistry of reactive oxygen species generated by biomass burning aerosols in lung fluid. Collaborative doctoral work with Dr. Andrew Ghio, a veteran pulmonologist at the EPA, investigated mechanisms of pulmonary toxicity from PM exposure. Dr. Gonzalez currently conducts postdoctoral research in the Environmental Cardiology & Vascular Biology Lab led by renowned physician-scientist, Dr. Jesus Araujo, at the UCLA School of Medicine. His postdoctoral work focuses on dissecting mechanisms by which PM promotes plaque buildup in the arteries (atherosclerosis) and ischemic cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Gonzalez has been supported by the Cota-Robles Fellowship, Switzer Environmental Fellowship, NIEHS Postdoctoral Diversity Supplement and NIEHS Molecular Toxicology Postdoctoral Training Grant at UCLA. Additionally, Dr. Gonzalez is a leader and committed advocate for enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia. At UCLA, he served as Co-President of the Organization for Cultural Diversity in Science (OCDS) and was inducted into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society in 2019.

CEE Annual Research Day: Climate Solutions and Integration of Sustainability at Scale

Join us for our annual research event that includes research presentations and talks by members of the CEE community on the following research themes: 1. Materials and structures; 2. Data-informed decisions; 3. Earth system science; 4.Environmental physics for mitigation and adaptation

The event will also include a poster session reception. Download the Program Agenda to learn more.

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Picophytoplankton population dynamics

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Bethany Fowler of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who will discuss “Picophytoplankton population dynamics from fixed and underway observations of cell traits”. Faculty Host: Penny Chisholm

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

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

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Forest fires in the tropics

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Clare Balboni of MIT who will discuss “The origins and control of the forest fires in the tropics”. Host: Des Marais Group

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

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

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Cellular resolution spatial ecology of predation within bacterial biofilms

Please join us for the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series with speaker Carey Nadell of Dartmouth University who will discuss “Cellular resolution spatial ecology of predation within bacterial biofilms”. Host: Matti Gralka, Cordero Group

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

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

ONE-MA3 Info Session

Professor Admir Masic will be leading the annual ONE-MA3 summer program in which MIT undergraduates conduct two weeks of fieldwork in Italy as a prerequisite for the Fall 2022 MIT course, 1.057 Heritage Science and Technology. The program involves real-world analysis of ancient infrastructures and materials and focuses on teaching ways to improve sustainability of the future through the study of ancient successes. CEE will be hosting an informational session about the program. Please RSVP at the link below and if you are interested in attending the session via Zoom, please email cee-apo@mit.edu

More information about how to apply to the program can be found at: https://cee.mit.edu/one-ma3/

Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series: Urban heat mitigation: is it a simple surface energy balance problem?

As the climate warms and as the urban population continues to increase, heat becomes one of the most pressing environmental health issues in cities. Various urban heat mitigation strategies such as white and green roofs have been proposed. From the physical science perspective, key questions to address include how effective these strategies are and where/when they are mostly effective. In this talk, Dan Li, assistant professor at Boston University, will use two examples to demonstrate that the surface energy balance provides a strong constraint on the cooling effects of urban heat mitigation strategies. A simple surface energy balance model’s results agree well with the simulated results from a state-of-the-art climate model. In both examples, it is found that the convective heat transfer efficiency and its parameterization play an important role in affecting the estimated/ simulated effectiveness of urban heat mitigation strategies. I will conclude the talk by discussing how to improve the parameterization of convective heat transfer in complex urban environments.

CEE Random Act of Kindness Events

MIT's annual Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week is scheduled for March 7-11, 2022 and CEE will be holding week-long #MITRAK events for the CEE Community.

Save the date on your calendar and come join us for:

3/7-3/11: POP into CEE | 11 am - 5pm
Fresh, hot popcorn with your choice of seasoning available all week in 1-290

3/7: Meditation with Amy | 2:30-3pm
Join Amy for a guided meditation in 48-308

3/8: Make Your Own Terrarium | 3pm
Drop in and create your own air plant terrarium or succulent pot in 1-143 and Parsons Kitchen

3/9: Waffles and Wuv with Winston | 11 am
Enjoy a build your own waffle bar and pet a pug in 1-143

3/10: Knitting Circle with Kiley and Hajin | 3-4pm
Bring your current project and unwind. Cookies will be served in 1-143

3/11: Waffles and Wuv | 11 am
Enjoy a build your own waffle bar in Parsons Kitchen

Gratitude cards: Card making supplies will be available all week in 1-143 and the Parson's kitchen. Send someone a card and make their day! Cards will be delivered on Friday 3/11.

Contact the Academic Programs Office with any questions: cee-apo@mit.edu

Climate Talks: Energy, Climate and Methane Mitigation

Prof. Rob Jackson and his lab seek scientific knowledge and use it to help shape policies and reduce the environmental footprint of global warming, energy extraction, and other issues. They are working to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the Global Carbon Project (globalcarbonproject.org), which Jackson chairs; examples of new research Rob leads include establishing a global network of methane tower measurements at more than 80 sites worldwide and measuring and reducing methane emissions.

As an author and photographer, Rob has published a trade book about the environment, two books of children’s poems, and recent or forthcoming poems in the journals Southwest Review, Cortland Review, Cold Mountain Review, Atlanta Review, LitHub, and more. His photographs have appeared in many media outlets, including the NY Times, Washington Post, USA Today, US News and World Report, Science, Nature, and National Geographic News.

Rob is a current Guggenheim Fellow and sabbatical visitor in the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He is also a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Geophysical Union, and Ecological Society of America. He received a Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering from the National Science Foundation, awarded at the White House.

Faculty Host: César Terrer/The Terrer Lab