We live in a time when no part of the natural environment is untouched by human activities. Great strides have been made in addressing many of the natural resources and environmental problems caused by human activities; however, population growth and rising standards of living continue to stress the natural environment and generate a spectrum of environmental problems that need to be solved.

Environmental engineers are called upon to understand, arrange and manipulate biological, chemical, ecological, economic, hydrological, physical and social processes to balance our material needs with our impacts on the environment. Such are the challenges of sustainability, while global climate makes these tasks all the more important.

At Cornell, environmental engineering majors pursue these challenges in a joint program of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Engineering.

Environmental Engineering News

Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute, associate professor of astronomy and author of “Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos,” said the thousands of exoplanets detected to date suggest there are “billions and billions” of possibilities for life beyond Earth. Photo by Sreang Hok.

News

Sagan celebrated for scientific mind – and imagination

In person and online Nov. 9, thousands attended an interdisciplinary program of research presentations and music celebrated Carl Sagan’s legacy on what would have been his 90th birthday.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Department of Communication
  • Biology

News

A Cornell-led team will use a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to develop a “microbe-mineral atlas,” a catalog of microorganisms and how they interact with minerals, key for mining critical metals used for generating sustainable...

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
With the community, the 2024 Engineers in Action project team built a bridge over the Black Mbuluzi River in Eswatini - connecting 5,400 people to schools, health care and markets.

News

The Engineers in Action project team has built footbridges connecting thousands in Eswatini to schools, health care and markets - now the group is expanding their impact with two new projects.

  • Agriculture Sciences Major
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Environment