Departments Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Hurricane Laura is the strongest storm to hit Louisiana in 160 years. How can communities defend themselves against it?

As state and local officials brace for Hurricane Laura’s impact, they rely on numerical weather prediction models developed by researchers like Qin Jim Chen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern, to help them make decisions about road closures, flood monitoring, and evacuation orders, along with other life-and-death matters.

by Khalida Sarwari August 28, 2020

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Face masks help prevent you from spreading the coronavirus. But can they prevent you from catching it?

The scientific evidence is growing about the importance of masks in fighting COVID-19. But one important question is whether homemade masks can protect people wearing them. The answer depends on the fit of a mask and the materials within it, research by Northeastern engineers suggests.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 29, 2020

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Our drinking water was always full of microbes. Are the wrong ones thriving in the pandemic?

It’s been months, and life has changed dramatically across the planet. Zooming in where only a microscope can see, Northeastern researchers are trying to determine how the lifestyle changes caused by COVID-19 might be helping harmful bacteria grow in our drinking water.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa June 25, 2020

Ming Wang, distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern, developed a testing device to monitor glucose levels using rapid saliva samples. The device, he says, can be tweaked to test for COVID-19. Photo illustration by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Could a new tool for diabetes patients solve the problem of coronavirus testing?

Ming L. Wang, distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been perfecting a new home testing kit to monitor diabetes using saliva. Now, he’s redesigning the sensors within it to test for SARS-CoV-2.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa May 1, 2020

Questions about how to make homemade face masks that will seal your nose from the novel coronavirus abound. Loretta Fernandez, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is starting to get some answers. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Pantyhose? Toilet paper? Coffee filters? Which materials make the best masks?

The techniques Loretta Fernandez uses to study hazardous environmental pollutants could help determine the best recipe for do-it-yourself face masks to protect people from inhaling the novel coronavirus.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa April 20, 2020

Andrew Myers, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern, is developing a new kind of floating turbine to take advantage of offshore wind energy in shallow and deep waters. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

It’s hard to anchor wind turbines to the ocean floor. He’s building one that floats.

The ocean is like a gold mine of wind energy, says Northeastern engineer Andrew Myers, who has designed a new kind of wind turbine that could help the offshore wind industry finally pick up speed.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa April 5, 2020

Michael Tormey, who studies civil engineering and economics Northeastern, was awarded a Marshall Scholarship, which he will use to study transport engineering at the University of Leeds and the London School of Economics. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

This 2020 Marshall Scholar wants to fix the big transportation problems in the US

The scholarship will allow Michael Tormey to study transportation for the next two years in the U.K. He dreams of creating urban systems that will ease congestion, reduce pollution, and save lives.

by Molly Callahan and Ian Thomsen December 9, 2019

Aron Stubbins, associate professor of marine and environmental sciences, uses a solar simulator to inspect microplastics from the open ocean in the Mugar Life Sciences Building. Stubbins received a grant from the National Sciences Foundation to study the effect of sunlight on microplastics. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Nearly eight million tons of plastic is missing from our oceans. Where did it go?

Marine and environmental sciences professor Aron Stubbins believes that the sun’s ultraviolet rays could be contributing to the disappearance.

by Kerry Benson - contributor August 7, 2019

Ron Mikulaco, right, and his nephew, Brad Fernandez, examine a crack caused by an earthquake on Highway 178, Saturday, July 6, 2019, outside of Ridgecrest, Calif. Crews in Southern California assessed damage to cracked and burned buildings, broken roads, leaking water and gas lines and other infrastructure Saturday after the largest earthquake the region has seen in nearly 20 years jolted an area from Sacramento to Las Vegas to Mexico. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

After two major earthquakes rocked the state, is California ready for ‘the Big One’?

Two powerful earthquakes shook Southern California in back-to-back days last week, stoking fear among residents that a major earthquake isn’t far off. Jerome F. Hajjar, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern, says it’s not a matter of if California will experience a huge, devastating earthquake, but when. And only some of the buildings in the state are prepared to withstand such a quake, he says.

by Molly Callahan July 9, 2019

The U.S. coasts are rich with potential for wind farms, but much of these coastal waters are undeveloped. There’s one fixed-bottom wind farm on the East Coast, off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island. Photo by Stefan Sauer/AP

Why aren’t energy companies capitalizing on ‘the Saudi Arabia of offshore wind’?

It will require specialized equipment and in-depth engineering research to stabilize offshore wind farms on the United States coasts, says Jerome Hajjar, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern University.

by Molly Callahan March 20, 2019