Civil and Environmental Engineering

COVID-19 research funds back six new initiatives

Grants to Rice faculty will support diagnostic, environmental and social projects.

Rice faculty part of Baylor Superfund program

A $10 million federal grant establishes a center to study how toxic chemicals from Superfund sites impact preterm births.

Rice engineers: Make wastewater drinkable again

Delivering water to city dwellers can become far more efficient, according to Rice University researchers who say it should involve a healthy level of recycled wastewater.

Rice reacts to critical shortage of COVID-19 protective gear

Rice is responding to the critical shortage of COVID-19 protective gear with creativity, generosity and tenacity.

Rice researchers look to ‘trap and zap’ coronavirus

Rice University researchers plan to reconfigure their “trap and zap” wastewater-treatment technology to capture and deactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.

Rice awards first COVID-19 research grants

The Rice University COVID-19 Research Fund Oversight and Review Committee announced it will support projects to develop affordable diagnostic tools, seals to maximize the efficiency of surgical masks, a system to identify signs of the coronavirus in Houston wastewater and methods to ensure voter safety this fall.

Griffin named interim engineering dean

Rob Griffin, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and senior associate dean for the Brown School of Engineering, will begin serving as the school’s interim dean July 1.

New nano strategy fights superbugs

Rice researchers imprint carbon nitride nanosheets to catch and kill free-floating antibiotic resistant genes found in secondary effluent produced by wastewater treatment plants. The strategy would prevent the DNA molecules from making downstream bacteria more resistant to drugs.

Natural bayou better when floods threaten Houston

A comparison of flood plains around Houston’s two major bayous shows the natural Buffalo Bayou is far better at managing floodwaters than the channelized Brays Bayou.

Rice hosts middle schoolers for Engineers Week

Houston middle-school students visit Rice to take part in Engineers Week.

Nagarajaiah wins ASCE’s Newmark Medal

Rice engineer Satish Nagarajaiah has been awarded the 2020 Nathan M. Newmark Medal by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Rice duo named to National Academy of Engineers

Dean and incoming provost Reginald DesRoches, electrical and computer engineer Gene Frantz earn prestigious honor.

Rice lab turns trash into valuable graphene in a flash

Scientists at Rice University are using high-energy pulses of electricity to turn any source of carbon into turbostratic graphene in an instant. The process promises environmental benefits by turning waste into valuable graphene that can then strengthen concrete and other composite materials.