Tag: environmental engineering
Plant detective: Missouri S&T professor studies plants as “bio-sentinels” of indoor pollution
Behold the common house plant, the front-yard shrub, the rhododendron around back that’s seen better days since the next-door neighbors put their home on the market. They brighten our lawns, increase our property values, even boost our mental and physical health by reducing carbon dioxide levels.
For Dr. Joel Burken, such plants are far more valuable than as mere window dressing. The Curators’ Distinguished Professor and chair of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology is an expert in phytoforensics, the process of using plants to study human exposure to pollutants.
Missouri S&T receives federal support for early-stage research into tapping “citizen scientists” to collect water quality data
Picture teams of smartphone-toting citizen scientists, poised to collect water samples and test for contaminants thanks to a user-friendly app that can crowdsource rapid responders to mobilize the next time a public water system is at risk.
Researchers from Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of South Florida are tapping National Science Foundation seed money set aside for “potentially transformative research” to advance the technology and hone the social mobilization efforts needed to summon trained, trusted teams of everyday water watchers.
Probiotics helps poplar trees clean up toxins in Superfund sites
Probiotics – or natural microbes – are believed to provide boost the human immune system and provide other health benefits. New research involving a Missouri University of Science and Technology professor indicates that microbes can also help remove pollutants from groundwater.
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Burken joins EPA advisory board
Dr. Joel Burken, Curators’ Distinguished Professor and chair of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been selected to serve on the U.S. Environmental Agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB is made up of experts from across the country, in areas such as epidemiology, public health, medical research, biology and other fields related to protecting human health and the environment.
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Greening mines
For more than 150 years, The Doe Run Co. has tapped the fertile mineral resources of southeast Missouri to mine the lead, copper and zinc that remain staples of products ranging from car batteries to X-ray equipment and military satellites.
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Joel G. Burken named Curators’ Professor at Missouri S&T
Dr. Joel G. Burken, professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been named Curators’ Professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering. Burken will be officially recognized during Missouri S&T’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 19.
Read More »What can be done about a water shortage?
The water crisis in the western United States – most notably in California and Washington – may be the most severe and most publicized, but other threats to the nation’s water supply loom, says Dr. Joel Burken, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
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Joel Burken receives UM System President’s Award
Dr. Joel Burken, professor civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been awarded the 2015 University of Missouri System President’s Award for Service. The recognition includes a $5,000 award.
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S&T researcher to study how window opening affects indoor air quality
When it’s snowing, raining or extremely hot, you may not expect many people to open windows in their homes. But, Dr. Glenn Morrison, professor of environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, says that lots of people have windows open even in extreme weather.
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Chemical transport in plants likened to that of humans
Plant roots and certain human membrane systems resist chemical transport in much the same way, say researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology in a recent journal article. This similarity could make it easier to assess chemical risks for both people and plants, and may even lead to a new approach to testing medications.
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