Civil Systems /ceae/ en Wildfires pose growing threat to drinking water systems /ceae/2022/10/03/wildfires-pose-growing-threat-drinking-water-systems <span>Wildfires pose growing threat to drinking water systems</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-10-03T16:57:39-06:00" title="Monday, October 3, 2022 - 16:57">Mon, 10/03/2022 - 16:57</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/img_2171_copy_resized.jpg?h=d08f423e&amp;itok=gkIXABNx" width="1200" height="600" alt="Water discharging from an open pipe into the foundation of a burned property."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/215" hreflang="en">Brad Wham News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>In this American Society of Civil Engineers article, Assistant Research Professor Brad Wham talks about the steps water utilities can take to protect their infrastructure from wildfires.</div> <script> window.location.href = `https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/article/2022/10/wildfires-pose-growing-threat-to-drinking-water-systems`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 03 Oct 2022 22:57:39 +0000 Anonymous 3001 at /ceae Studying the Marshall Fire recovery to help communities rebuild /ceae/2022/09/16/studying-marshall-fire-recovery-help-communities-rebuild <span>Studying the Marshall Fire recovery to help communities rebuild</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-09-16T11:24:06-06:00" title="Friday, September 16, 2022 - 11:24">Fri, 09/16/2022 - 11:24</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/drone_fire_research.cc20.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&amp;itok=O3TeDa1l" width="1200" height="600" alt="A home destroyed by the Marshall Fire."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/213" hreflang="en">Abbie Liel News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/141" hreflang="en">Amy Javernick-Will News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> </div> <span>Jeff Zehnder</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/drone_fire_research.cc17.jpg?itok=jszRlQHa" width="1500" height="1034" alt="A team of people looking at the remains of a building."> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"> <div class="ucb-box-inner"> <div class="ucb-box-title"></div> <div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"> <div class="ucb-box-inner"> <div class="ucb-box-title"></div> <div class="ucb-box-content"> <h2 class="text-align-center"><strong>Related News</strong></h2> <h3 class="text-align-center">Webinar: Building Capacity for Safe, Disaster-Resilient Housing - Sept. 20</h3> <p class="lead text-align-center">Tuesday, Sept. 20 | 12:00 p.m. | <a href="http://cuboulder.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RIyo6LYzTQCmYkQz0g4nhA" rel="nofollow">Zoom - Register Now</a> </p><p>Safe, disaster-resilient housing is critical to our way of life, prosperity, and sense of security. Yet, many houses remain vulnerable to damage from earthquakes, hurricanes, and other hazards, affecting communities in the near and long term.</p> <p>In this webinar, Professors <a href="/ceae/amy-javernick-will" rel="nofollow">Amy Javernick-Will</a> and <a href="/ceae/abbie-b-liel" rel="nofollow">Abbie Liel</a> will describe findings from research that their team conducted to enhance housing safety in the multi-hazard context of Puerto Rico.</p> <p>Considering that a large portion of housing stock is built informally, where building codes and regulations may not be followed, they argue that how builders and residents perceive housing safety influences how housing is designed, built, and maintained.</p> <p>Focusing on one misalignment, the installation of hurricane straps, they will discuss their initial efforts to build capacity in the region by partnering with a community-based organization.</p> <p><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-white ucb-link-button-full ucb-link-button-regular" href="http://cuboulder.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RIyo6LYzTQCmYkQz0g4nhA" rel="nofollow"> <span class="ucb-link-button-contents"> <i class="fa-solid fa-building">&nbsp;</i> Find out more and register to attend </span> </a> </p> </div> </div> </div> <p></p> </div> </div> </div> <p>The Marshall fire screamed across the prairie, exploding into homes with 80 mph winds and destroying entire neighborhoods. It caused over a billion dollars in damage in less than a day and took everything from more than 1,000 homeowners in Superior and Louisville, Colorado, leaving behind little more than ash and concrete foundations.</p> <p>Nine months have passed since the disaster, and as families work to rebuild, an interdisciplinary team of University of Colorado Boulder researchers has received a major National Science Foundation grant to study long-term community impacts to help improve outcomes from future disasters.</p> <p>“In this project, we’re really interested in how jurisdictions and homeowners are rebuilding, particularly in light of future risks,” said <a href="/ceae/node/381" rel="nofollow">Amy Javernick-Will,</a> a professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering and lead investigator on the grant. “There have been other fires in California and Oregon, but the scale of this destruction was pretty dramatic.”</p> <p>As disasters increase, destroying homes and infrastructure, families and governments have to make decisions on how to rebuild. Those decisions include adoption and enforcement of building codes that can have a long-term influence on community outcomes in resiliency and environmental sustainability. Those codes, however, come with a tradeoff, including potential increased costs and time to rebuild.</p> <p>It is an obstacle facing one member of the research team first-hand. <a href="/cmci/people/communication/matthew-koschmann" rel="nofollow">Matthew Koschmann,</a> an associate professor of communications, owns a rental property in Superior that was destroyed by the fire.</p> <p>“Do I want to incorporate this new ordinance or opt out? I’m part of these conversations on Slack channels online. Some people are saying we should upgrade our houses to be more fire resilient, that it will help protect the entire neighborhood, but others are saying the added cost to their rebuild is insurmountable,” Koschmann said.</p> <p>The research is particularly focused on the social aspect of rebuilding: how communities are connecting, influencing each other, and making major decisions about moving forward. A goal of the grant is &nbsp;to provide guidance on the decisions and uncertainties homeowners and governments face during the rebuilding process and identifying the processes and codes that meet collective goals after a disaster.</p> <p>“In fires, what your neighbors do affects your property,” Javernick-Will said. “This shared action is really important, and we want to uncover this process. Most studies look at just the immediate response, the first couple of weeks. There are far fewer long-term studies.”</p> <p>Much of the work will be conducted through personal interviews with homeowners, as well as builders, insurance companies, and municipal government officials. Noah Gershon, a civil engineering PhD student, is leading this part of the effort.</p> <p>“There is a complicated interplay between the different groups,” Gershon said. “We want to study each to see how we can make things better. There’s a perception that after a disaster, everything is taken care of and funding is available for everyone. It’s just not true. Homeowners have to figure out a lot themselves. We want to improve that process.”</p> <p>A goal of the work is to bridge the gap between engineering and human social interaction to understand the real-world impacts of decision making after disasters.</p> <p>“There are complex social interactions here. It isn’t just technical scientific stuff. It’s both,” Koschmann said. “There’s a level of stress and tension that’s part of it and dealing with different insurance policies, neighbors, building codes. This isn’t abstract. It has real personal impact.”</p> <p>In addition to Javernick-Will, Koschmann, and Gershon, the research team also includes <a href="/ceae/node/371" rel="nofollow">Abbie Liel,</a> a professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, and Megan Ellery, a civil engineering PhD student.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The Marshall fire screamed across the prairie, exploding into homes with 80 mph winds and destroying entire neighborhoods. It caused over a billion dollars in damage in less than a day and took everything from more than 1,000 homeowners in...</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 16 Sep 2022 17:24:06 +0000 Anonymous 2990 at /ceae Intense heat waves, flooding are battering America’s aging infrastructure /ceae/2022/09/07/intense-heat-waves-flooding-are-battering-americas-aging-infrastructure <span>Intense heat waves, flooding are battering America’s aging infrastructure</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-09-07T14:26:08-06:00" title="Wednesday, September 7, 2022 - 14:26">Wed, 09/07/2022 - 14:26</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/file-20220907-14-w43w1h.jpeg.jpg?h=06ac0d8c&amp;itok=pYrbQPvE" width="1200" height="600" alt="People lifting pallets of water."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/183" hreflang="en">Paul Chinowsky News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>A heat wave that pushed California’s power grid to the limit and the water system failure in Mississippi are just two examples of how a growing maintenance backlog and increasing climate change are creating a golden age of infrastructure failure. CU engineering expert <a href="/ceae/paul-chinowsky" rel="nofollow">Paul Chinowsky</a> shares on The Conversation.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2022/09/07/intense-heat-waves-flooding-are-battering-americas-aging-infrastructure`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 07 Sep 2022 20:26:08 +0000 Anonymous 2979 at /ceae Chinowsky discusses heat-induced rail problems with ABC News /ceae/2022/07/14/chinowsky-discusses-heat-induced-rail-problems-abc-news <span>Chinowsky discusses heat-induced rail problems with ABC News</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-07-14T13:56:37-06:00" title="Thursday, July 14, 2022 - 13:56">Thu, 07/14/2022 - 13:56</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/paul-chinowsky_0_png_0.jpg?h=7b9cbdc9&amp;itok=5FwS-HJb" width="1200" height="600" alt="Paul Chinowsky"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/183" hreflang="en">Paul Chinowsky News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/paul-chinowsky_0_png_0.jpg?itok=N3jgmTfh" width="1500" height="1500" alt="Paul Chinowsky"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Professor <a href="/ceae/paul-chinowsky" rel="nofollow">Paul Chinowsky</a> discusses solutions to heat-caused problems with railroads in a new piece by ABC News</p> <p>The article highlights how heat waves are causing warping on Amtrak rail lines, leading to travel slowdowns.</p> <p>Chinowsky, an emeritus professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and director of the Environmental Design Program, is an expert on climate and infrastructure.</p> <p class="lead"><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-heat-wave-force-delays-amtrak-service/story?id=86664902" rel="nofollow">Read the full article at ABC News...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 14 Jul 2022 19:56:37 +0000 Anonymous 2943 at /ceae Researchers to explore link between women’s perspectives and resilient housing design /ceae/2022/04/27/researchers-explore-link-between-womens-perspectives-and-resilient-housing-design <span> Researchers to explore link between women’s perspectives and resilient housing design </span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-04-27T11:39:37-06:00" title="Wednesday, April 27, 2022 - 11:39">Wed, 04/27/2022 - 11:39</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/abbie-b-liel-civil-environmental-and-architectural-engineering-university-of-colorado-boulder_png.jpg?h=8f1ceb71&amp;itok=iQ93076e" width="1200" height="600" alt="Abbie Liel"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/213" hreflang="en">Abbie Liel News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Engineers have studied disaster resilience in housing for decades – exploring and creating better solutions to keep people safe and in place after events like earthquakes with minimal disruption to their daily lives.</p> <p>New research from CU Boulder aims to take that work further by better incorporating the perspectives and attitudes of those living in impacted homes in that development process. <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2135669&amp;HistoricalAwards=false" rel="nofollow">Funded by the National Science Foundation, the project will look specifically at how the inclusion of women’s knowledge, priorities, and perceptions in the decision-making process changes both the policies proposed and ultimately selected, as well as the development of new approaches over time.</a></p> <p><a href="/ceae/abbie-b-liel" rel="nofollow">Professor Abbie Liel</a> in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering is leading the work. She said she has become increasingly convinced of the vital importance of both engineering better, more resilient housing and the central role women will play in that process.</p> <p>“In Turkey, I saw seismic safety education programs directed at children and their mothers that were more successful at addressing risks than other programs. And in Oklahoma I saw&nbsp;homeowners – the most visible of whom are women – filing class-action lawsuits about earthquake damage to their homes caused by deep injection of wastewater from oil and gas activities,” Liel said. “So while there has been a lot of progress made in building codes and construction standards, women’s and residents’ knowledge – and their ‘ways of knowing’ – are not well represented in this process and are underserved by our approaches.”</p> <p>Liel said that while more than half of U.S. households – about 60% among Black households – have female heads, women continue to be underrepresented in the building engineering, architecture, and construction professions, as well as in the development of standards and policies that govern design, construction, permitting, and inspection of homes.</p> <p>“And despite decades of advances, houses still remain particularly vulnerable to damage from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and other hazards,” she said. “This idea for this research argues that the problem of underrepresentation of women and women of color in the building industry and the problem of inadequate disaster resilience of housing are indeed linked together closely.”</p> <p>Liel has conducted extensive structural resilience research in her career. However, this time she is approaching those questions through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens. The goal of this project, she said, would be to use focus groups and other activities to better understand perspectives around seismic upgrades and what makes a home habitable after an earthquake. Ideally, the information gathered could be used to improve building codes or shape construction standards over the next few decades.</p> <p>“Safe, disaster-resilient housing is critical to our way of life, prosperity and sense of security,” she said. “I am really excited to start this project and see where the research goes with these new perspectives included.”</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.location.href = `/irt/rise/2022/04/26/researchers-explore-link-between-womens-perspectives-and-resilient-housing-design`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 27 Apr 2022 17:39:37 +0000 Anonymous 2906 at /ceae Sherri Cook discusses wastewater management with KGNU /ceae/2022/04/19/sherri-cook-discusses-wastewater-management-kgnu <span>Sherri Cook discusses wastewater management with KGNU</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-04-19T09:31:15-06:00" title="Tuesday, April 19, 2022 - 09:31">Tue, 04/19/2022 - 09:31</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/profsherricook.png?h=7b9cbdc9&amp;itok=muAkpKFW" width="1200" height="600" alt="Sherri Cook"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/207" hreflang="en">Sherri Cook News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/profsherricook.png?itok=AFufdS47" width="1500" height="1500" alt="Sherri Cook"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Assistant Professor <a href="/ceae/node/413" rel="nofollow">Sherri Cook</a> is featured in a new piece by KGNU radio on "Putting Wastewater to Work in Boulder County."</p> <p>Cook, an expert in sustainable water design and resource recovery from waste, discusses opportunities for wastewater to benefit humanity.</p> <p class="lead"><a href="https://news.kgnu.org/2022/04/zero-waste-2022-putting-wastewater-to-work-in-boulder-county/" rel="nofollow">Listen on KGNU.org...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 19 Apr 2022 15:31:15 +0000 Anonymous 2897 at /ceae Baker discusses electric cars as a power grid backup with Vox /ceae/2022/03/10/baker-discusses-electric-cars-power-grid-backup-vox <span>Baker discusses electric cars as a power grid backup with Vox</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-03-10T13:37:37-07:00" title="Thursday, March 10, 2022 - 13:37">Thu, 03/10/2022 - 13:37</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/kyri_2021_2.jpg?h=b45e11b7&amp;itok=PjwQTYWW" width="1200" height="600" alt="Kyri Baker"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/145" hreflang="en">Kyri Baker News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/kyri_2021.jpg?itok=_kLGJYaq" width="1500" height="1600" alt="Kyri Baker"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Assistant Professor <a href="/ceae/node/1430" rel="nofollow">Kyri Baker</a> is featured in a new piece by Vox on a California pilot project to use electric cars to back up the power grid.</p> <p>Baker, whose research focuses on power systems, smart grids, and renewable technology, discusses pluses and pitfalls of the project, which is a joint effort between General Motors and Pacific Gas and Electric.</p> <p class="lead"><a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22969335/california-gm-electric-cars-power-grid-batteries-blackouts" rel="nofollow">Read the full piece at Vox...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:37:37 +0000 Anonymous 2849 at /ceae Science Friday interviews Abbie Liel on infrastructure resilience /ceae/2022/02/25/science-friday-interviews-abbie-liel-infrastructure-resilience <span>Science Friday interviews Abbie Liel on infrastructure resilience</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-02-25T15:50:21-07:00" title="Friday, February 25, 2022 - 15:50">Fri, 02/25/2022 - 15:50</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/abbie_liel_1.jpg?h=7b9cbdc9&amp;itok=-0UKiJnF" width="1200" height="600" alt="Abbie Liel"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/213" hreflang="en">Abbie Liel News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/197" hreflang="en">Structural Engineering &amp; Structural Mechanics</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/abbie_liel_1.jpg?itok=cLxgd_PU" width="1500" height="1500" alt="Abbie Liel"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Professor <a href="/ceae/node/371" rel="nofollow">Abbie Liel</a> was interviewed by Science Friday, a weekly NPR program dedicated to science and technology.</p> <p>She discusses <span> bridge infrastructure and new ways of building more resilient structures</span> in a segment produced following the recent bridge collapse in Pittsburgh.</p> <p>Liel's research focuses on ways to make communities safer and more resilient in the face of natural hazards.</p> <p><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-gold ucb-link-button-default ucb-link-button-regular" href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/pittsburgh-bridge-collapse-america-infrastructure/" rel="nofollow"> <span class="ucb-link-button-contents"> <i class="fa-solid fa-volume-up">&nbsp;</i> Listen to the interview at Science Friday </span> </a> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 25 Feb 2022 22:50:21 +0000 Anonymous 2833 at /ceae What the Marshall Fire can teach us about future climate catastrophes /ceae/2022/01/25/what-marshall-fire-can-teach-us-about-future-climate-catastrophes <span>What the Marshall Fire can teach us about future climate catastrophes</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-01-25T10:17:28-07:00" title="Tuesday, January 25, 2022 - 10:17">Tue, 01/25/2022 - 10:17</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/air_quality.cc097.jpg?h=a0b5afc1&amp;itok=m4O9g83W" width="1200" height="600" alt="Damage from the Marshall fire."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/215" hreflang="en">Brad Wham News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/161" hreflang="en">Cresten Mansfeldt News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/50" hreflang="en">Environmental Engineering</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/163" hreflang="en">Fernando Rosario-Ortiz News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/203" hreflang="en">Geotechnical Engineering &amp; Geomechanics</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/233" hreflang="en">Julie Korak News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/171" hreflang="en">Keith Porter News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/197" hreflang="en">Structural Engineering &amp; Structural Mechanics</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Nearly one month after the Marshall Fire became the most destructive and one of the most unique wildfires in Colorado history, CU Boulder researchers from across campus—many of them personally affected by the fire—have pivoted and applied their expertise to the aftermath, hoping to learn from a tragedy in their own backyard and help prepare the country for the next “climate fire.”</p> <p><a rel="nofollow">“What makes this fire really unique is that it happened in a community that is full of researchers that study this exact topic,” said Natasha Stavros, </a>director of the Earth Lab Analytics Hub at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder. “We are going to have measurements unlike anywhere else.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large feature-layout-callout-float-right clearfix"> <div class="feature-layout-callout-inner element-max-width-padding"> <p>&nbsp;</p> <blockquote> <p>What makes this fire really unique is that it happened in a community that is full of researchers that study this exact topic. We are going to have measurements unlike anywhere else.”<br> <strong>–Natasha Stavros</strong> </p><p>&nbsp;</p> </blockquote> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> <p>As a grass-fueled December wildfire in a crowded suburb, the fire was quite different than the state’s massive forest fires of 2020, resulting in many novel impacts on the environment and human health. More than a dozen research projects are already underway, investigating everything from its impact on air and water quality, to the fire speeds that drove it, and how changes in infrastructure and insurance could limit damage from future fires like it. Researchers hope the findings can help inform homeowners, local governments and communities today and shape policies for tomorrow.</p> <p>“In between all of us, there is so much expertise to address the causes and the impacts of this fire,” said Joost de Gouw, CIRES fellow and professor of chemistry. “If we come together to produce and publish research, we can really change the future of how we think about wildfire.”</p> <h2>Recipe for a winter wildfire</h2> <p>Three ingredients contribute to fire on the landscape: fuel, climate and ignition, said Stavros.</p> <p>Due to higher-than-normal snowpack levels in late winter of 2021, a wet spring and a rainier than normal July, grasses grew abundantly in the Front Range throughout the year. By the time December rolled around, fuel accumulation was up 60% to 70% compared with a normal year. These plentiful dry grasses, combined with a 3-foot snow deficit and fierce Chinook winds, set the perfect stage that day for a spark to spiral out of control.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge feature-layout-callout-float-right clearfix"> <div class="feature-layout-callout-inner element-max-width-padding"> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="image-caption image-caption-none"> <p> </p><p>Avery Hatch, a CU Boulder doctoral&nbsp;student in environmental engineering,&nbsp;monitors&nbsp;indoor air quality in a spared home after the Marshall wildfire. (Photo by Casey A. Cass/CU Boulder)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="image-caption image-caption-none"> <p> </p><p>Environmental engineering faculty Julie Korak and Cresten Mansfeldt collect water samples. (Credit: Fernando Rosario-Ortiz)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> <p>This abundant fuel would not have existed without increases in precipitation and snowmelt in the first half of 2021, followed by a drastic lack of moisture in the second half of the year—both of which point to climate as the driving cause.</p> <p>“It’s the first time in my career I have felt comfortable saying this is a climate fire,” said Stavros.</p> <p>Climate change will continue to have a hand in the future of wildfire, increasing the length and intensity of fire seasons as well as changing how, when and where water is distributed, said Stavros. &nbsp;</p> <p>In addition to analyzing the impacts of fuel growth, researchers in the Earth Lab are also examining the role of another major factor in the Marshall Fiire: speed.</p> <p>The Marshall Fire only burned 6,000 acres, less than half the size of Colorado’s second most destructive fire in state history, the Black Forest Fire. Yet it tore through twice as much infrastructure, accounting for 39% of all homes lost to wildfire disasters in the state since 1999, according to Maxwell Cook, doctoral student in the Department of Geography and the Earth Lab.</p> <p>The fire also now ranks in the top 15 most destructive wildfire events in the western United States, only one of two grassland fires in that list.</p> <p>Cook is currently working with Jennifer Balch, director of the Earth Lab, to conduct research on the factors which make a fire most likely to burn down homes.</p> <p>So far, their data shows speed matters most. This may seem obvious, but Cook, Balch and their colleagues have developed new data that now allows them to track and quantify that impact.</p> <p>“The speed of the fire is also really what makes it difficult for emergency management personnel to respond, to get evacuation orders out in time,” said Cook. “Management strategies that are aimed at reducing the speed of wildfires could be critically important for communities.”</p> <p>This could include creating fire/fuel breaks around suburban neighborhoods and removing vegetation next to homes—strategies already broadly in use in foothills communities around Colorado. Early detection systems and quick emergency responses are also key, especially in densely populated neighborhoods.</p> <p><a href="https://earthlab.colorado.edu/" rel="nofollow">The Earth Lab</a> is also involved in helping develop better maps of where homes are at risk of wildfire across the West, which can help communities and insurances companies better plan for and mitigate that risk.</p> <p>“We may need to think hard about what we define as the wildland urban interface (WUI). There's a lot of flammable landscape and development out there that's maybe not accounted for,” said Cook. “Building smarter, both in terms of where we build and how we build, that's going to be a big thing moving forward.”</p> <h2>Clearing the air</h2> <p>Three weeks after the fire, homeowners and renters who did not lose their residences still face an important unknown: Is it safe to go home?</p> <p>Buildings were inundated with smoke, full of unhealthy compounds created as the blaze burned paint, fried refrigerators and melted metals in nearby homes. These chemicals, absorbed by surviving structures like a sponge, now pose a previously unquantified problem.</p> <p>Air quality scientists from CU Boulder, CIRES and NOAA quickly compiled an <a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/how-mitigate-post-fire-smoke-impacts-your-home" rel="nofollow">online resource</a> about the impacts of post-fire smoke cleanup in homes. Led by de Gouw, they next installed instruments in several surviving homes to measure levels of harmful gases and understand the lingering effects of smoke on indoor air quality. Another team of scientists have also been driving through affected neighborhoods with a mobile laboratory to measure what the remains of buildings emit into the immediate atmosphere.</p> <p>An interdisciplinary team including engineers, social scientists and chemists from across campus will continue to collect data indoors over the coming months to <a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/marshall-fire/cdphe-offers-tips-to-clean-up-homes-impacted-by-smoke-ash-from-marshall-fire" rel="nofollow">inform residents and local governments</a> and learn more about lingering human health concerns that wildfires in urban areas can present.</p> <p><a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/how-does-marshall-fire-smoke-affect-indoor-outdoor-air-quality" rel="nofollow">Read more from CIRES.</a> </p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge feature-layout-callout-float-right clearfix"> <div class="feature-layout-callout-inner element-max-width-padding"> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="video-filter"> <div class="fluid-width-video-wrapper">&nbsp;</div> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> <h2>Downstream effects</h2> <p>Meanwhile, <a href="/even/people/faculty/fernando-rosario-ortiz" rel="nofollow">Fernando Rosario-Ortiz </a>and his colleagues are studying water.</p> <p>For years, the associate dean for faculty advancement at the College of Engineering and his colleagues in the Environmental Engineering Program have worked to understand the implications of wildfire on water. But they usually study forests.</p> <p>“Combusting homes is a whole different ball game,” said Rosario-Ortiz.</p> <p>It’s not just wood that’s burning in a suburban fire: It’s homes, vehicles and all the stuff in them: fabric, plastics, electronics, batteries, you name it. Those remains and the compounds created can find their way into local water systems. When a fire is quickly followed by rain or snow, as was the case with the Marshall Fire, concerns about contamination are even higher, he said.</p> <p><a href="/even/people/julie-korak" rel="nofollow">Julie Korak</a> and <a href="/ceae/cresten-mansfeldt" rel="nofollow">Cresten Mansfeldt</a>, assistant professors of environmental engineering, have partnered with colleagues across campus, local community organizations and municipalities, to collect surface water samples in the area, test for concerning chemicals and address questions of watershed safety posed by residents. In the next month or so, the team will have initial results to share with stakeholders.</p> <p>“Everyone here takes their water very seriously,” said Mansfeldt. “This work provides a first fingerprint of how a fire like this impacts a community, and how we can assist recovery.”</p> <h2>Building back better</h2> <p>Now that we know a fire like this is possible, the big question the Front Range faces is: How do we keep this from happening again?</p> <p>A first step in answering: To get a comprehensive, birds-eye view of the damage.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large feature-layout-callout-float-right clearfix"> <div class="feature-layout-callout-inner element-max-width-padding"> <p class="hero"><strong>Read more</strong> </p><ul class="list-style-nobullet"> <li><a href="/today/node/47315/" rel="nofollow">After the fire: A look at the Marshall Fire’s community impact</a></li> <li><a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/how-does-marshall-fire-smoke-affect-indoor-outdoor-air-quality" rel="nofollow">How Does Marshall Fire Smoke Affect Indoor, Outdoor Air Quality?</a>&nbsp;(CIRES)</li> <li><a href="/today/node/47313/" rel="nofollow">If you really listen, survivors and emergency responders will tell you what they need</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthlab.colorado.edu/blog/climate-crisis-marshall-fire-perfect-example" rel="nofollow">The Climate Crisis: The Marshall Fire is the Perfect Example</a> (Earth Lab blog)</li> </ul> <hr> <p class="hero"><a href="http://www.colorado.edu/fire-resources" rel="nofollow">&nbsp;<strong>Fire resources</strong></a> </p><p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> <p>To that end, Brad Wham, assistant research professor in the Center for Infrastructure, Energy and Space Testing, will join a national team of colleagues this week to fly drones over the burn sites before cleanup begins, gathering valuable clues about what happened that day. The work is part of a larger collaborative research effort, supported by the <a href="/irt/rise/about" rel="nofollow">Resilient Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity IRT (RISE)</a> within the College of Engineering and Applied Science, formed in the wake of the fire to connect environmental engineers, social scientists, first responders, and policy experts conducting work on natural disasters.</p> <p>And once rebuilding begins?</p> <p>“It is entirely practical to build back better,” said <a href="/ceae/keith-porter" rel="nofollow">Keith Porter</a>, adjoint professor of civil, architecture and environmental engineering.</p> <p>Porter explains that using fire resistant materials to build a home doesn’t only make it less likely to burn, but they’re a relatively cheap upgrade (less than $10,000 compared to replacing a home worth $600,000) and due to their longevity, can lead to immense savings over the life of the home.</p> <p>The International Wildland Urban Interface Code, for example—adopted in parts of Boulder County—requires that fire resistant materials be used in new construction. Porter points out, however, that unless cities and counties mandate this kind of fire code, homebuilders aren’t required to swap wood shingles for a non-combustible roof or to replace vinyl siding with stucco in new developments. When rebuilding, insurance companies may mandate that a house be replaced “like for like,” potentially inhibiting homeowners from replacing flammable building materials with fire resistant ones—even if it could save insurance companies money to let people do so, according to Porter.</p> <p>As affected residents navigate their insurance policies, find temporary housing in a tight market and try to stay healthy during the omicron surge, fighting for fire resistant materials may not be able to be a top priority. This is why, Porter points out, the real power to protect public safety is not on the individual, but in the hands of local officials.</p> <p>“Everybody else is affected by somebody else's house burning,” said Porter. “Both in an economic sense and in a moral sense, we really are all in this together.”</p> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2022/01/25/what-marshall-fire-can-teach-us-about-future-climate-catastrophes`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 25 Jan 2022 17:17:28 +0000 Anonymous 2781 at /ceae Research In Focus: How Professor Sherri Cook Uses Sustainable Water Treatment Systems /ceae/2021/12/01/research-focus-how-professor-sherri-cook-uses-sustainable-water-treatment-systems <span>Research In Focus: How Professor Sherri Cook Uses Sustainable Water Treatment Systems</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-12-01T16:27:21-07:00" title="Wednesday, December 1, 2021 - 16:27">Wed, 12/01/2021 - 16:27</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/sherri_cook_1.jpg?h=55e7f62f&amp;itok=Ey5KKwwp" width="1200" height="600" alt="Sherri Cook"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/195" hreflang="en">Civil Systems</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/50" hreflang="en">Environmental Engineering</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/193" hreflang="en">Mortenson Center</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/207" hreflang="en">Sherri Cook News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p><span>When working with University of Colorado Boulder Assistant Professor Sherri Cook, you'll push beyond the boundaries of what's possible. Watch and learn how she's building a more sustainable future, for everyone, through clean water systems.</span></p> <p>[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0YzzbunfbI]</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 01 Dec 2021 23:27:21 +0000 Anonymous 2745 at /ceae