School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment

When Mary Jo Helmick cut the ribbon at the front doors of the Paul C. Helmick Center at Arizona State University, more than 100 education leaders, faculty, staff, family and friends cheered. “This has been a special day for me,” she said. “Thank you for coming from far and near.” Mary Jo smiled, laughed, shook hands and hugged guests outside the building that was recently renamed in honor of her late husband, a business leader in the Phoenix construction industry. The mixed-use space is home to the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and the Del E. Webb School of Construction, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. https://ow.ly/7skY50Um8z3 🎉 #ASUEngineering #ASUResearch

Confronting #transportation #sustainability and #resilience challenges requires a rethinking of the nature of these systems. Transportation systems are undergoing rapid changes in both what they fundamentally are and who controls them. To disregard these changes is likely to lead to ineffective policy and potential unintended tradeoffs. Nora Hennessy led ASU's Resilient Infrastructure Lab in outlining these challenges in a new perspective! https://lnkd.in/gWcZMNrD

#ASUEngineering student Joanna Ciol Harrison received the Fall 2024 Graduate Student Government ASU Outstanding Research Award. She is pursuing her doctorate with School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Associate Professor Kerry Hamilton. Harrison's #research focuses on using sustainable organic waste streams to grow agricultural crops and assessing potential human and environmental health risks from biological and chemical contaminants in waste-derived fertilizers. “Given that global nutrient reserves are being depleted and safe drinking water sources are diminishing — partly due to agricultural fertilization and irrigation — using organic waste as fertilizer offers a sustainable solution,” Harrison says. Organic waste is nutrient-rich and readily available, providing essential nutrients for crops, but it also contains biological and chemical contaminants that could pose health risks. “To better understand these risks, I cultivated romaine lettuce using composted biosolids, cattle manure, source-separated urine, and canal water for irrigation,” Harrison says. “At the end of the growth cycle, I tested the soil, lettuce and leachate for various biological and chemical contaminants of concern to assess concentrations present and see if they are above the limits set for health risk concern.” Harrison also is developing a computational risk trade-off model to evaluate which combinations of organic waste streams can be used effectively for lettuce cultivation while minimizing health risks. “In my fifth and final year as a PhD student, it’s essential for me to attend conferences to present my research and network within my field, especially as I search for post-doctoral and research scientist positions,” says Harrison, a graduate research assistant at the ASU Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering. "This award will help me pay to attend a conference in the last semester of my PhD." “Joanna has successfully navigated a complex study design and managed a collaboration between international and national colleagues to understand how we can improve agricultural sustainability while protecting public health,” says Hamilton, associate professor with a joint appointment in SSEBE and the ASU Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering. “She is an exemplary member of our team and great leader in and out of the lab,” Hamilton says. 🥬 #ASUResearch

School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and Del E. Webb School of Construction #students: Apply for Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University scholarships by Feb. 1! Last year, undergraduates were awarded more than $1.7 million in #scholarships. https://ow.ly/bObH50UxmyZ 🎓🎉 #ASUEngineering

School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Fulton Professor of Structural Materials Narayanan Neithalath led a panel discussion on innovations in low-carbon materials and design challenges and opportunities at the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Ltd (ULCCS Ltd)'s UL International Conclave on Sustainable Construction, held Dec. 5-8, 2024, at the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) in Chavara, Kollam. https://ow.ly/s6Fr50Uy7EP Neithalath also shared advancements in industrialized construction, precast systems and 3D concrete printing at the event that was part of the conclave's centenary celebrations and showcased cutting-edge technical sessions by international experts. https://ow.ly/tHtG50Uy7EM 🏗️ 🚧 #ASUEngineering #ASUResearch

Learn about #sustainability in the built environment in the book School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Associate Professor Elham Fini, PhD., P.E., F. ASCE co-authored, "Bio-Based and Bio-Inspired Pavement Construction Materials," that explores the role of materials in carbon management, performance enhancement and supply chain management in pavement construction. In the book, published by Elsevier in November, Fini includes production techniques, experimental characterization methods, applications, numerical modeling and simulation approaches for bio-based and bio-inspired pavement construction materials. Fini also shares how bio-based and bio-inspired materials can be used in pavements to solve problems related to sustainability while enhancing materials' mechanical properties. Supply chain management, life-cycle analysis and environmental assessment of using these materials are also covered in this helpful resource. https://ow.ly/7fkm50Uy4nv 🏗️ 🚧 #ASUEngineering #ASUResearch

Happy New Year from the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment! 🎉 #ASUEngineering

“‘Twas the night before the deadline and all through the lab, Not a creature was stirring, except for a grad.” Revisit the activities and achievements within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University community in 2024 through a coding carol adventure that honors the storytelling, creativity and poetry innate in coding. Inspired by the poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore, the reader will follow the journey of a student hurrying to finish an assignment the night before it is due. Through code errors and coffee breaks, the student learns the true spirit of engineering and not to procrastinate. https://ow.ly/4yPI50Uxma7 🎉 #ASUEngineering

About 108,000 of the 8 million vehicles on the road in Arizona are electric vehicles. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Research Professor Steven Polzin says potential buyers should consider cost, depreciation, range and charging infrastructure before making their decision. "Make sure you understand what's available, what the cost situation is, what's going to be available in the near future, and then make those decisions. Certainly look at the buy versus versus lease option as well," Polzin says. https://ow.ly/Cson50Uw9bo 🚗 #ASUEngineering #ASUResearch

#Students: Attend a Summer Research Initiative information session via Zoom on Jan. 6, then apply for these 8-week opportunities by Feb. 4. https://ow.ly/aBCq50UxlZf 🏗️🚰🔬#ASUEngineering #ASUResearch