Mission
Dedicated to advancing science, the Center for Environmental Engineering, Sensing, and Integrated Modeling (CEESIM) seeks to advance transformative research and innovation at the intersection of environmental science, engineering, sensing, computation, and decision-making. Our mission is to develop and apply transformative tools, technologies, and frameworks that improve understanding and stewardship of natural and built environments.
CEESIM drives the development of applied solutions for water, air, and soil systems; climate-resilient and sustainable infrastructure; and nature-based approaches to environmental challenges. Enabling real-time environmental monitoring and predictive capabilities, our team designs and deploys:
- Advanced in-situ platforms
- Remote sensing platforms
- Autonomous sensor networks
- Integrated modeling frameworks
This work takes place across coupled atmosphere–land–water–biogeochemical systems. Leveraging hybrid physics-AI approaches, data assimilation, and ensemble-based uncertainty quantification, the center transforms complex data into actionable insights.
Vision
By bridging physical, biogeochemical, and computational sciences with social, policy, and decision-making dimensions, CEESIM empowers stakeholders to address critical challenges in climate change adaptation and mitigation, resilient energy and infrastructure planning, risk analysis, disaster response, and the stewardship of Great Lakes and coastal ecosystems.
Leadership
- Associate Director, Great Lakes Research Center
- Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering
- Director, Center for Environmental Engineering, Sensing, and Integrated Modeling
- pexue@mtu.edu
- 906-487-1837
- GLRC 208
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Introductory Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
- Hydrodynamic Modeling
- Water Resources Engineering
- Ecosystem Dynamics Modeling
Research Interests
- Hydrodynamic modeling
- Regional climate modeling
- Coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics
- Data assimilation and machine learning
- Biophysical processes in the Great Lakes
- Estuary and coastal ocean processes
- Senior Research Engineer
- Assistant Director, Center for Environmental Engineering, Sensing, and Integrated Modeling
- Relief Captain
- hmhender@mtu.edu
- 906-487-1584
- GLRC 305
Areas of Expertise
- Limnology and physical oceanography
- Application, fabrication, and deployment of advanced technology and integrated observing systems
- Surface and underwater autonomous or remotely operated research platforms
- Meteorological and biogeochemical sensor instrumentation
- Quality assurance and control of in-situ data
- USCG 100 GRT Master Captain
Research Interests
- Establishment of long-term climate observations
- Great Lakes acidification
- Ship based flow-through systems
- Nutrient cycling and subsequent productivity
- Advanced technologies for increasing public safety
- Data science and tool building