We live in a time when no part of the natural environment is untouched by human activities. Great strides have been made in addressing many of the natural resources and environmental problems caused by human activities; however, population growth and rising standards of living continue to stress the natural environment and generate a spectrum of environmental problems that need to be solved.

Environmental engineers are called upon to understand, arrange and manipulate biological, chemical, ecological, economic, hydrological, physical and social processes to balance our material needs with our impacts on the environment. Such are the challenges of sustainability, while global climate makes these tasks all the more important.

At Cornell, environmental engineering majors pursue these challenges in a joint program of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Engineering.

Environmental Engineering News

A lit candle infront of a dark background.

News

Gil Levine, champion of international collaboration, dies at 96

Gilbert Levine ’48, Ph.D. ’52, whose 68 years of service to Cornell were devoted to fostering multidisciplinary and international collaboration, died Feb. 5 in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
An oval bacteria with a tail on a purple background.

News

To conduct low-cost and scalable synthetic biological experiments, Cornell researchers have created a new version of a microbe to compete economically with E. coli – a bacteria used to synthesize proteins.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Bacteria
A group of green leaves in a pile.

News

Cornell researchers have used high-speed cameras to analyze what happens when raindrops hit a leaf of a wheat plant infected with rust – a pathogenic spore that has decimated crops globally.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section