Civil and Environmental Engineering Content

With Flood Risk Rising, Can Community-Based Insurance Fill a Gap?

Katherine E Kerlin — February 26, 2024 - 9:15am

69�� helps Isleton, California, launch the state's first community insurance program focused on flood risk, climate adaptation and sustainability in Sacramento County.

Smart Home Lab Aims for a Cooler, Low-Energy Future

Katherine E Kerlin — September 14, 2023 - 2:17pm

69�� and partners demonstrate a smart home lab to help save energy now and in the near future.

Wastewater Monitoring for Public Health

Andy Fell — February 07, 2022 - 10:30am

Since September 2020, University of California, Davis, researchers have been monitoring wastewater on the 69�� campus and in the city of Davis for COVID-19 through the Healthy Davis Together program. A new article published Feb. 8 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reviews their experiences and the advantages and limitations of wastewater testing as a public health tool in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paving the Way to Zero Emissions From Cement

Andy Fell — October 22, 2021 - 3:42pm

Cement is the world’s most important building material. When mixed with water, cement glues together the sand and gravel in concrete, used for buildings, roads, tunnels, bridges, dams, pipes and other kinds of infrastructure. The world produces an astonishing four billion metric tons of cement a year — half a ton for everyone on Earth. Because it is the most critical material for creating infrastructure, demand for cement is growing faster than population growth.

VIDEO ADDED: ‘69�� LIVE’ on Mitigating Wildfire Hazards for Homes and Communities

Andy Fell — October 01, 2021 - 11:00am

Snakeskin-Inspired Pilings Could Stabilize Buildings

Andy Fell — May 24, 2021 - 12:35pm

Buildings, bridges and offshore infrastructure might one day stand on pilings modeled on snakeskin, based on research at the University of California, Davis, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. With surfaces designed to move through soil more easily in one direction than the other, snakeskin pilings would be easier to drive into soil but difficult to pull out.

Video Added: ‘69�� LIVE’ on Testing Wastewater for COVID-19

Andy Fell — May 17, 2021 - 1:00pm

Unfold Podcast, Episode 7: Decarbonizing Energy

Katherine E Kerlin — November 03, 2020 - 2:30am

A quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from heating and electricity. In the latest episode of Unfold, we talk with Alissa Kendall, professor in the 69�� Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering about our energy use. We’ll discuss renewable energy and other decarbonizing technologies and the importance of life-cycle analysis when discussing climate change solutions.

In this episode:

Tahoe’s State of the Lake Report Released

Katherine E Kerlin — July 30, 2020 - 9:00am

Turning out-of-control shrimp into dog treats, learning the lake physics of safe paddleboarding and maintaining a long-term data set during a pandemic are just some of the activities that have made for a unique year at Lake Tahoe.

Concrete Solutions That Lower Both Emissions and Air Pollution

Katherine E Kerlin — March 23, 2020 - 2:41pm

Sometimes, fixing one problem can create another.

Concrete production contributes 8 percent of global greenhouse gases, and demand continues to rise as populations and incomes grow. Yet some commonly discussed strategies to reduce the sector’s global GHG emissions could, under some scenarios, increase local air pollution and related health damages, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.