ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment

06/04/2026

At an abandoned mine near Prescott, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Assistant Professor Hamed Khodadadi Tirkolaei and his team test ways to stabilize mining waste and reduce erosion that could carry contaminants into nearby waterways.

“By using an enzyme-based process to form natural mineral bonds within the soil, we can create a protective crust that helps limit erosion and dust generation while avoiding more chemically intensive treatments,” Khodadadi Tirkolaei says.

This Arizona Department of Environmental Quality supported project, is an example of how researchers across ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment explore ways to advance responsible critical-mineral production, reduce environmental impacts and strengthen domestic supply chains.

It also reflects the ASU Mining Innovation Initiative’s priorities to collaborate with industry to identify research, sustainability and workforce development needs and raise awareness about mining careers among K-12 students. https://ow.ly/KLA650Z7Hhh ⛏️

06/03/2026

💰Seeking scholarships or fellowships? ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment students in any degree program are invited to learn more about and apply for the Paul C. Helmick Undergraduate Scholarship or the Paul C. Helmick Graduate Fellowship before the June 19, 2026, deadline at https://ow.ly/So5U50Z7ejJ 🎓

06/01/2026

Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering researchers are working on a multidisciplinary Arizona State University team to test affordable methods to reduce windblown dust from unused farmland in Pinal County and improve soil health. https://ow.ly/Rntq50Z6nQm

The project tests an enzyme‑induced carbonate precipitation for rapid, short‑term chemical crust formation and engineered bio-crust restoration for long‑term, self‑sustaining stabilization. This research is funded by a grant from the Arizona Board of Regents.

A typical dust storm that occurs during the summer monsoon season, moves dust from unused farmland in Pinal County into the atmosphere then brings it into the Phoenix metropolitan area, says ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Professor Matthew Fraser, co-principal lead investigator.

“When fields go idle, dust becomes everyone’s problem,” says ASU School of Life Sciences Regents Professor Ferran Garcia-Pichel, co-principal lead investigator. “We now have evidence‑based strategies to distinguish where land needs intervention, where it does not and how to manage both responsibly and effectively.”

The research team installed continuous air quality sensors and measured particulate matter during high‑wind events.

“Like many farmers in Arizona, this land has been in my family for decades and we cannot afford solutions that fail under real conditions,” said Pat Dugan, owner of Du-Brook Dairy. “What makes a difference is when ideas are tested in the field, not just discussed. Working with the universities means we get practical, proven information, and that matters when both your land and your livelihood are at stake.” https://ow.ly/YRVJ50Z6p1V 🌱 💧

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05/29/2026

Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Professor Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Professor Bruce Rittmann and former graduate research assistant Taylor Davis developed a new model that shows how gut microbes help shape how many calories you absorb from food.

This new model "gives us a powerful new way to quantify how those microbial partners contribute to human health and energy balance, and also point at the importance of properly feeding our gut microbes,” Krajmalnik-Brown says.

This model could help researchers better understand obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders by showing how different diets affect the body and the microbial community inside the colon, and it could help health care providers design more personalized diets for patients.

The model is "a framework designed to evolve. As we discover more on how diet, metabolism and the microbes interact, the new insights can be incorporated into the model, allowing it to grow with us as we learn,” Davis says. https://ow.ly/YE7z50Z5Ite 🍲

05/27/2026

Enjoy photos from the thoughtful and spirited celebration for Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Emeritus Professor Klaus Lackner, the founding director of the ASU-Center for Negative Carbon Emissions and the pioneer of direct air capture, as he starts a well-earned retirement.

"He has a truly extraordinary career defined by vision, impact and enduring contributions to science and society," says Ram Pendyala, professor and director of the ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment.

Lackner's colleagues, including Center for Negative Carbon Emissions Director and Semte Professor Matthew Green and Vice President and Vice Provost of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory Peter Schlosser, shared stories, laughter, their reflections on the remarkable impact he has had on the science of sustainability and wished him well on his new adventures. More photos at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCTcVc 🍃

05/26/2026

Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Helmick Professor of Infrastructure Resilience Mikhail Chester says infrastructure, like everything else, is “rapidly becoming part of a cyber ecosystem," in an article in the American Society of Civil Engineers' Civil Engineering Source.

While digital technologies simplify tasks for civil engineers and make monitoring more efficient, this cyberspace tech means accepting the risks of operating in an evolving landscape.

“I think cybersecurity has become a higher priority,” says Brad Allenby, who recently retired from the ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and served as the Lincoln Professor of Ethics and Engineering at ASU’s Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics. “But at the same time, I think that the awareness and the level of concern is still way below what it needs to be. And the cycle time of the challenge has gotten far faster than the response time of the engineering community.”

The power system has done a lot in terms of cybersecurity and digital technologies are becoming more prevalent in the transportation sector, which makes it “ripe for cyber disruption,” Chester says.

Part of what makes infrastructure vulnerable to cyberattacks is the shift in the geopolitical environment that has occurred in the past decade, where nation states use cyber to target adversaries, Allenby says. Civilian infrastructure, such as pipelines or water treatment plants, is “probably one of the softest places to attack,” he says.

Engineers' civilian work, their designs, their buildings, their maintenance, "all of that is now considered a legitimate military target by our adversaries,” Allenby says. “That's a very fundamental change, and it changes the threat under which civilian infrastructure operates.” https://ow.ly/1vmT50Z4vn8 💻

Digital technologies are here to stay, but infrastructure is still playing catch-up with cybersecurity.

05/22/2026

An ASU research team led by Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Assistant Professor Emmanuel Salifu is using fungi as a cost-effective, sustainable way to stabilize land after wildfire.

See how the team — including undergraduate students Henry Nakaana, who studies civil engineering at ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and Lune Martin, who pursues an environmental engineering degree at the school — use the common oyster mushroom's mycellium to help.

These ASU researchers say the mycellium — an underground network of rootlike structures that break down dead plant matter and recycle nutrients back into the soil — can reduce erosion and stabilize desert soil after fire.

Next, they want to explore how to stimulate native fungi already in the soil to offer similar benefits. https://ow.ly/oOQt50Z3i4k 🔥 🍄‍🟫 🏜️

05/22/2026

🎉 Check out your photos! It's time to find and download your photos from the ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Graduation Celebration for Graduate Students. Then, share them with the people who've helped you along the way! https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCTNkE 🎓

05/20/2026

💰Seeking scholarships?

Undergraduate students in any ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment degree program are encouraged to learn more and apply for the Paul C. Helmick Undergraduate Scholarship before the June 19, 2026, deadline at https://ow.ly/7Ggp50Z2suH 🎓

05/20/2026

🎉 The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering celebrates Grand Challenges Scholar Jacob Underwood, who earned a BSE in civil engineering (sustainable engineering).

Underwood found his path in civil engineering after realizing he wanted to work on physical systems that benefit society. With a focus on sustainability, he connected computing and infrastructure during a study abroad experience in Tokyo, where he simulated pedestrian and train traffic. He also served his community through food pantry and sustainability volunteering.

After graduation, Underwood will join Rocky Mountain Youth Corps to contribute to conservation efforts before deciding on his next step. He also passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, keeping open the possibility of a traditional civil engineering career.

“My long-term career aspirations mostly focus on fulfilling the following requirements: The job is interesting, the job directly helps people and I like the people I work with,” he says. https://ow.ly/bq0o50Z2e9v 🎓