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

Pile of logs.

News

600 years of tree rings reveal climate risks in California

An interdisciplinary collaboration used paleo information and reconstructed weather scenarios to better understand California’s flood and drought risks and how they will be compounded by climate change.

  • Climate Change
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
Headshot of Professor Sunghwan “Sunny” Jung.

News

President Martha E. Pollack announced the recipients of the 2023 Stephen H. Weiss Teaching Awards, which honor faculty members who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to teaching and mentoring undergraduate students.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Global Development
A sceientist examines something under a microscope.

News

Cornell scientists have replaced the harsh chemical processing of rare earth elements – used to power electric cars, wind turbines and smartphones – with a benign practice called biosorption.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Environment