Research

Mark Hernandez joins global commission on indoor air quality

Susan Glairon — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 16:45:17 +0000

Mark Hernandez joins global commission on indoor air quality Susan Glairon Mon, 09/29/2025 - 10:45

Mark Hernandez is serving as a commissioner of the newly launched Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air to elevate indoor air as a critical public health priority and drive coordinated global action and solutions.

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A new way to fight allergies: Switch on the light

Susan Glairon — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 19:43:51 +0000

A new way to fight allergies: Switch on the light Susan Glairon Thu, 09/18/2025 - 13:43

Researchers in Professor Mark Hernandez's lab have discovered that a passive, generally safe ultraviolet light treatment can rapidly inactivate airborne allergens. They believe this approach could serve as an additional tool to help reduce allergens in homes, schools and other indoor environments.

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New research paves way for greener construction practices

Susan Glairon — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 19:21:15 +0000

New research paves way for greener construction practices Susan Glairon Thu, 08/14/2025 - 13:21

Susan Glairon

Daniel Donado-Quintero

Researchers in CU Boulder’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering have developed a more accurate way to measure and set guidelines for the carbon impact of asphalt in public road projects.

The method was recently detailed in the Transportation Research Record, in a paper led by Daniel Donado-Quintero, a CEAE PhD student.

Teaching Professor Chris Senseney, one of the paper’s authors, said that by setting benchmarks, agencies can encourage asphalt producers to reduce their embodied carbon emissions, for example by using more recycled materials or optimizing production processes. The study supports Colorado’s Buy Clean Act, which focuses on reducing embodied carbon emissions within the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

“The research will lead to more sustainable construction practices,” Senseney said. “The benchmarking process that we present in the paper is a first of its kind, and is already being used by CDOT. Other states plan to use our process within their highway agencies, too.”

Embodied carbon emissions are greenhouse gas emissions that come from extracting, making and transporting building materials, activities that happen before the material is installed.

The Buy Clean Colorado Act requires CDOT to set benchmarks on the global warming potential (GWP) of certain building materials and to promote the use of lower carbon materials. GWP is a measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide. It’s used to understand and compare the climate impact of different materials.

Associate Teaching Professor Christopher Senseney

The CU Boulder study outlines a practical approach to setting GWP benchmarks for asphalt pavement used in road construction. The researchers developed a better way to evaluate different types of asphalt mixtures based on how they’re made and where they’re used.They also examined how much of each type of asphalt is used in real projects, to help set more accurate and realistic carbon emission limits.

”CDOT provided us with extensive data to analyze and offered us valuable insights,” Donado-Quintero said. “We extend our sincere thanks to CDOT for their support and for their ongoing commitment to delivering more sustainable public infrastructure.”

The study, led by CEAE PhD student Daniel Donado-Quintero, shows that setting carbon benchmarks can encourage asphalt producers to lower emissions for example by using more recycled materials or optimizing production processes—supporting Colorado’s Buy Clean Act and CDOT’s efforts to reduce embodied carbon.

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Materials Metamorphosis

Susan Glairon — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:41:38 +0000

Materials Metamorphosis Susan Glairon Thu, 07/17/2025 - 14:41

At CU Boulder’s Living Materials Lab, Professor Wil Srubar is developing “bioblocks” made from microalgae that use sunlight, seawater and carbon dioxide to grow carbon-negative limestone—offering a sustainable alternative for use in concrete, cement and other building materials.

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Why flood prediction in the US falls short and how researchers are working to fix it

Susan Glairon — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:30:05 +0000

Why flood prediction in the US falls short and how researchers are working to fix it Susan Glairon Thu, 07/17/2025 - 14:30

Zhi Li, joining CU Boulder as an assistant professor in August, leads the new Flood Lab, which develops high-resolution models to predict flood impacts with one-meter precision—technology not yet used in real time due to high computational demands.

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Faster, cleaner, better: revolutionary water treatment

Susan Glairon — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:23:05 +0000

Faster, cleaner, better: revolutionary water treatment Susan Glairon Thu, 07/17/2025 - 14:23

Jeff Zehnder

Anthony Straub is developing ultra-thin nanoscale membranes to transform water purification on Earth and in space. His work has earned a prestigious NSF CAREER Award, a five-year, $550,000 grant to advance the research.

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Gregor Henze honored as IBPSA fellow for building simulation research

Susan Glairon — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 21:12:31 +0000

Gregor Henze honored as IBPSA fellow for building simulation research Susan Glairon Tue, 07/08/2025 - 15:12

Professor Gregor Henze of CU Boulder's Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering has been named a fellow of the International Building Performance Simulation Association, one of the highest honors in the field. Building performance simulation uses detailed computer models to evaluate how buildings perform under varying conditions, in terms of energy use, carbon emissions and heating and cooling efficiency.

“Receiving this honor is a deeply satisfying affirmation that the community values my contributions to both the science and art of building performance simulation, as well as my efforts to educate the next generation of researchers in the field,” Henze said.

Henze was selected for his pioneering work in model predictive control, which uses mathematical models to predict building system behavior and optimize energy use and comfort; simulation model development, which involves creating and improving mathematical models to explore how buildings respond to factors like weather, utility price signals or occupancy; and building-to-grid integration, which connects buildings to the power grid so the former can respond to electric grid system needs, such as reducing usage during peak times. He is also recognized for his international leadership in research and education.

Charles Kutscher, a Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) fellow and former director of the Buildings and Thermal Systems Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), said in the nomination letter that Henze’s knowledge of building energy modeling and his ability to educate and encourage young staff made him an invaluable contributor to NREL’s building science research efforts.

“I was especially impressed by Professor Henze’s broad knowledge of the international research underway and how he applied that knowledge to the modeling of fifth generation district heating and cooling networks,” Kutscher said, referring to advanced urban energy systems which integrate renewable energy and recover waste heat. “His research resulted in many groundbreaking papers on this leading edge technology.”

Henze is widely recognized for advancing simulation tools and techniques that improve energy efficiency, comfort and grid responsiveness in buildings and urban energy systems. His research portfolio includes more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and spans topics such as advanced building control, data science for energy and buildings, energy flexibility and novel district heating and cooling networks.

Henze is also a co-founder and chief scientist at QCoefficient, Inc., a startup that creates technologies that help buildings proactively manage their energy use in real time to better integrate with the electric grid system operations.

He will be formally recognized in August at the Building Simulation 2025 conference in Brisbane, Australia.

Henze was selected for his groundbreaking work on smart energy control systems, advanced building simulation tools and technologies that connect buildings to the power grid. He is also recognized for his global leadership in research and education.

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Monitoring water quality in Boulder, London and Paris

Susan Glairon — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:28:26 +0000

Monitoring water quality in Boulder, London and Paris Susan Glairon Thu, 06/26/2025 - 12:28

The Boulder Daily Camera is spotlighting new water quality work led by Professor Evan Thomas, an expert in water and air testing and treatment and the director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience.

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Wildfires threaten water quality for years after they burn

Susan Glairon — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:27:45 +0000

Wildfires threaten water quality for years after they burn Susan Glairon Mon, 06/23/2025 - 09:27

Associate Professor Ben Livneh

Years after wildfires burn forests and watersheds, the contaminants left behind continue to poison rivers and streams across the Western U.S. — much longer than scientists estimated.

A new study led by CIRES researchers, published today in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, analyzed water quality in more than 500 watersheds across the Western U.S., and is the first large-scale assessment of post-wildfire water quality.

Ben Livneh, an associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, CIRES fellow and Western Water Assessment director, was the principal investigator and co-author of the study.

Read The Conversation article Read the CIRES article

A new study published today in Nature Communications Earth & Environment is the first large-scale assessment of post-wildfire water quality. Ben Livneh, an associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was the principal investigator and co-author of the study.

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Mortenson Center innovations delivering clean water to more than 16 million worldwide

Susan Glairon — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 21:49:16 +0000

Mortenson Center innovations delivering clean water to more than 16 million worldwide Susan Glairon Fri, 06/20/2025 - 15:49

CU Boulder's Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience is transforming global water access by treating clean water as a long-term service—not just a one-time infrastructure project.

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