The research efforts of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering contribute to the facilitation of appropriate technology, beneficial infrastructure, and social change in the world. Current projects have impact both locally and abroad, and cross disciplinary boundaries.
Research activities in the department advance knowledge in the multifaceted disciplines of civil engineering and environmental engineering, as well as in several cognate areas. Faculty expertise spans environmental and infrastructural sustainability, design in the developing world, civil materials and structures, construction, environmental engineering education, hydrology and hydraulic structures, transportation, and biogeochemistry, and includes numerous other areas of focus.
The department’s annual research expenditures exceed $3 million, funded by a variety of sources including federal and state governments, industry, and foundations. The department maintains more than 43,000 square feet of high-caliber research and teaching laboratories, including Benedict Laboratory, one of only a few facilities in the world equipped to test and evaluate ultrahigh-performance concrete.