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 Cornell Duffield Engineering.

Environmental Engineering News

Cornell facilities staff answer questions from students in a tour of Olin Hall's mechanical room.

News

From the Living Lab: Rooftop heat recovery slashes Cornell’s energy use

For the latest advance in sustainability on Cornell’s campus, look to the new heat recovery systems atop Olin Hall, Duffield Hall and the Biotechnology Building.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Environment
Sunny Jung (left) places a tomato in a prototype bubbler for cleaning produce while Yany Lin films the experiment with a camera.

News

A bubble bath with a constant acoustic sound in the water may be the best chemical-free, gentle method for cleaning agricultural produce.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
Yicong Fu, mechanical engineering doctoral student, injects dye into his custom-built, bio-inspired thermal dispenser to observe how particles disperse.

News

Researchers have developed a bio-inspired approach to mixing heat and molecules in fluids – findings that could inform future biomedical devices, heat exchangers and soft robotics.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering