Environmental Sciences and Engineering News
New book details dangers of airborne pollutants, charts a path forward
January 12, 2021 The release of the book — co-authored by Dr. William Vizuete in the UNC Gillings Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering — coincides with heightened concerns about air quality around the world.
Department of Energy recognizes Dubbs for contributions to clean energy
January 4, 2021 The U.S. Department of Energy honored Dr. Lindsay Dubbs with a U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative (C3E) Award in the education category this week at the Ninth Annual U.S. C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium.
NSF grant supports research into droughts, electric power, air pollution and health
December 1, 2020 Droughts disrupt electric power system operations by reducing the availability of hydropower and nuclear power — the latter is vulnerable to insufficient cooling water supply. One result of droughts, then, is an increased reliance on fossil fuel power plants, which emit pollutants that contribute to poor air quality.
Virtual Water and Health Conference gives new platform to necessary WaSH conversations
November 24, 2020 For the first time since it was established in 2009, the UNC Water Institute held the 2020 Water and Health Conference online. The conference saw record attendance as it brought together experts and policymakers from around the world to examine the latest trends and evidence to inform policy and practice in water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH).
Does air pollution increase women’s risk of dementia?
November 18, 2020 New study finds high levels of fine particle pollution in the air are associated with brain shrinkage patterns that are common in Alzheimer’s.
Researchers receive $900K+ in grants to investigate links between arsenic exposure, COVID-19 risk
October 30, 2020 Researchers in the UNC Superfund Research Program will use two new grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to research how exposure to arsenic and other environmental contaminants may contribute to SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and severity.
20 undergraduates from the Gillings School inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
October 19, 2020 Twenty students from the UNC Gillings School of Global Health have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the country’s oldest and most honored college honorary society. They represent all four of the departments that offer a Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree.
WaSH deficiencies identified in response to COVID-19 require urgent attention
October 19, 2020 A recent review that features work from the UNC Water Institute has shown that deficiencies in water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) strategies are limiting our ability to fight the pandemic.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will make managing droughts more complicated
October 16, 2020 Near-term concerns about the impact the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will have on water availability for Egypt and Sudan are unlikely to materialize, but drought preparedness will require careful coordination, suggests research published by researchers from five major universities.
Understanding how cirrus clouds form can improve climate change modeling
October 8, 2020 New research has found that trees and plants play an important role in the formation of cirrus clouds. This finding that has implications for agriculture, urban development and climate change modeling.
