CEE News April 2021
Dear CEE Community and Friends,
 
I hope you are taking time out for some joy and relaxation during this home stretch of our academic year and continuously challenging time. I also hope you are feeling optimistic about the future. I know that I can’t wait until we are back together on campus again. 
 
This month's newsletter shares new research about the microbiome from Professor Eric Alm, and PhD candidate Raj Dandekar is one of the researchers behind a new COVID-19 machine learning module. Congratulations to Professor Josephine Carstensen for receiving the prestigious NSF CAREER award. Learn more about the impactful work of MIT environmental engineer and educator, Susan Murcott in a profile story. If you are curious about what some of our faculty are working on in the lab, we share our new Faculty Seminar Series research talks with you to listen and learn at your own leisure. 

 
Sincerely,

Ali Jadbabaie
JR East Professor of Engineering
Department Head, MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering
Core Faculty, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
NEWS
Josephine Carstensen receives NSF CAREER award
Assistant Prof. Josephine Carstensen received the 2021 National Science Foundation CAREER award for her research on “Integrated Design and Digital Fabrication using Topology Optimization and Material Extrusion 3D Printing.”  Read more
Institute Professor Penny Chisholm featured in PBS documentary
"Picture a Scientist" premieres April 14th on NOVA and features a growing group of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists, exposing longstanding discrimination, and leading the way in making science more inclusive. 
Startup co-founded by Prof. Desirée Plata secures $3.2M in seed funding
Nth Cycle, the maker of recycling technology receives funding from Clean Energy Ventures to scale technology for battery recycling and sustainable mining. Read more
RESEARCH
How industrialized life remodels the microbiome
Thousands of different bacterial species live within the human gut. Most are beneficial, while others can be harmful. A new study from Prof. Eric Alm uncovers that these bacterial populations can remake themselves within the lifetime of their host. Read more
Bluetooth powered “virtual virus” to track COVID-19’s spread
CEE PhD candidate, Raj Dandekar, is one of the researchers behind a new scientific machine learning module that could provide real-time monitoring of COVID-19 transmission through a digital “virus.”  Read more
COVID-19 Virus Tracking Software
CEE PROFILES
Transforming lives by providing safe drinking water
Susan Murcott is an MIT environmental engineer, social entrepreneur, and educator who has spent her lifetime collaboratively developing and implementing effective, affordable solutions to provide safe water to the worlds neediest.  Read more
Emily Fang 23’ profiles her experience at the Conservation Law Foundation
Fang discovered through an internship with the MIT PKG Center for Public Service that “health” extends far beyond just illness. Read more
SEMINAR TALKS
Learn more about CEE research. Listen to the recorded talks by faculty members from our Faculty Seminar Series hosted by Prof. Josephine Carstensen at your own leisure. 
Professor Jesse Kroll: Laboratory studies of the oxidation of atmospheric organic compounds
Professor David Simchi-Levi: Bypassing the Monster: A Faster and Simpler Optimal Algorithm for Contextual Bandits