CSU Civil and Environmental Engineering

08/11/2026

Congratulations to Professor José L. Chávez for receiving the 2026 Excellence in Education Award from the Irrigation Association!

Chávez is known internationally for his work with remote sensing, evapotranspiration modeling, and precision irrigation. He currently serves as a Fulbright Specialist and delivered the keynote address at the Irrigation International Symposium in Uruguay.

He will be recognized at the Irrigation Show and Education Week in Las Vegas this December.

¡Felicidades! 🎉

07/23/2026

Congratulations to Ph.D. student Rafin Hasan on receiving a USGS 104b Graduate Student Research Grant for his coupled hydrodynamic-groundwater modeling project in the Cache la Poudre!

His research focuses on better understanding how low-tech process-based restoration structures can reconnect incised streams to floodplain aquifers. Stream incision can occur following wildfires when soil becomes sealed or hydrophobic, causing streams to erode vertically and disconnect from the water table. Hasan will study the South Fork, a tributary of the Cache la Poudre River heavily impacted by the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire.

The grant is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Institutes for Water Resources, and is awarded by the Colorado Water Center .

Learn more: https://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/ph-d-student-receives-10k-award-for-groundwater-modeling-project-in-south-fork-cache-la-poudre/

07/13/2026

Did you know we host the Water and Environmental Engineering seminar each semester? This is open to the public on campus or online, and students can enroll for credit!

Watch the spring 2026 sessions to hear speakers from NOAA, Virginia Tech, CU Boulder, Metro Water, and more: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvTD-VL2jnuAf4hCoIJO9T2wbdOY2xyGZ

Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming fall 2026 schedule!

The Colorado State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering hosts the Water and Environmental Engineering Seminar each semester, bringing...

07/07/2026

Three incoming Master of Engineering students have been named Scott Master's Scholars for 2026-27 and will receive a $5,000 scholarship:

Mazen Garrett is focused on water resources and plans to expand her technical knowledge so she can design resilient and sustainable infrastructure in the water and wastewater industry.

Taylor Miller is passionate about fluid mechanics and the behavior of water in a variety of environments. Her focus will be on hydraulic structures, river mechanics and restoration, and ecological engineering.

Kaitlyn Riggs enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, and kayaking, which influenced her academic focus on river and stream restoration as well as water management.

Congratulations to our CEE Scott Master's Scholars!

Learn more about our master's programs: https://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/graduate/master/

06/29/2026

Congratulations to environmental engineering senior Hugh McCurren on receiving the Cody Steven Oser Legacy Scholarship from the Broomfield Community Foundation!

"As I enter my final semester at CSU, I am excited to continue building on the experiences, mentors, and opportunities that have shaped my time in environmental engineering," Hugh shared.

The scholarship honors Cody Steven Oser, a civil engineering graduate from Colorado State University who died while serving in the Peace Corps in Panama on April 8, 2017.

https://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/environmental-engineering-senior-awarded-cody-steven-oser-legacy-scholarship/

06/25/2026

Kimia Yousefi Anarak won first place at the 2026 EMI Fluid Dynamics Committee Student Paper Competition!

Kimia studies how debris from extreme wind events like hurricanes impacts urban environments with her advisor, Yanlin Guo. Their collaborative project with the University of Florida and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette includes wind tunnel experiments at the NHERI facility.

Congratulations, Kimia!

https://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/ph-d-student-wins-first-in-fluid-dynamics-paper-competition/

06/11/2026

Josh Kates pushed himself to think bigger as an undergraduate. Now, he's encouraging other engineering students to do the same.

Kates was the only graduate in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering to earn the Mentored Research and Artistry Distinction (MRAD) this spring. He hopes to change that by making more engineering students aware of the award.

“MRAD pushed me to make the most of my time as an undergraduate. I never thought I’d get to work in an atomic physics lab, present research in Italy with the U.S. Air Force Academy, become a Goldwater Scholar, or have the honor of serving as Vice President of Engineering College Council and of CSU’s ASCE chapter.”

Learn more about Kates' accomplishments and how to earn the MRAD:
https://engr.source.colostate.edu/civil-engineering-graduate-earns-mentored-research-and-artistry-distinction/

06/08/2026

What if we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by repurposing waste into valuable materials rather than adding it to landfills?

That is the goal of Ficky Muabuay's waste-to-energy research, where he converts organic waste into volatile fatty acids needed for sustainable jet fuels, bioplastics, and more - a win-win for the environment.

Muabuay earned his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering this spring. He was named the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Student by the department, the 2025 Research Excellence Top Scholar by CSU's One Health Institute, and placed second overall in the Three-Minute Talk (3MT) Challenge.

“I’ve never been comfortable with public speaking, but I love to talk about my research,” he said. “These research stories need to be told so people can learn about the potential impact of our work.”

Read more: https://engr.source.colostate.edu/no-more-landfills-a-graduates-vision-for-repurposing-waste/

05/28/2026

Join Ryan Morrison's research group and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed on Thursday, June 25 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. for the Leave it to Beavers speaker series!

Emily Fairfax, ecohydrologist and assistant professor of geography at the University of Minnesota, will speak on the ability of beavers to mitigate wildfires and improve our climate resilience.

Free event, registration required: https://wrv.volunteerhub.com/vv2/event/d3325055-ec1c-4c56-b350-8645dcddfc70

05/26/2026

Congratulations to Pinar Omur-Ozbek for receiving a 2026-27 TILT Faculty Research Fellowship! 🎉

The fellowship will fund her project "Integrating Entrepreneurial Mindset and Community-Engaged Learning into Water and Wastewater Engineering: Effects on Sustainability, Ethical Reasoning, and Value Creation in Design."

Her award was announced last week during TILT's Summer Conference, where Omur-Ozbek gave a presentation on AI-assisted rubrics for equitable and efficient feedback.

Congrats to Dr. Oz!!