Sustainability

911�� researchers bolster flood resilience of Virginia towns

tdonnel — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:28 +0000

911�� researchers bolster flood resilience of Virginia towns tdonnel Mon, 10/12/2026 - 12:43

In This Story

For residents of Waverly and Jarratt in southeastern Virginia, flooding is an increasingly frequent concern. Intense rainfall, aging drainage infrastructure, low-lying terrain, and unpredictable weather patterns threaten homes, businesses, and public safety. 911��’s Celso Ferreira, a professor of civil, environmental, and infrastructure engineering and director of the Flood Hazards Research Lab, is working to improve the towns’ flood resilience.

Ferreira's project builds on his long-standing work partnering with local governments to apply advanced flood modeling, hazard assessment, and resilience planning tools to real-world community challenges. This project grew from a partnership with the Crater Planning District Commission and the Virginia Climate Center.

Through his research and teaching, Ferreira has created opportunities for students and researchers to provide technical expertise that many smaller communities would otherwise struggle to access. His work combines engineering analysis, data-driven decision making, and community engagement to help local leaders identify vulnerabilities and prioritize solutions.

Cars in a flood. Adobe Stock.

"Communities like Waverly and Jarratt are facing increasingly complex flood challenges," said Ferreira. "Our goal is to provide science-based information that helps local leaders understand their risks and make informed decisions about protecting residents, infrastructure, and economic activity."

The initiative will leverage cutting-edge hydrologic and hydraulic modeling techniques to evaluate flood hazards under a range of conditions. The resulting analyses can help communities identify areas most vulnerable to flooding, assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures, and develop strategies that improve long-term resilience.

For 911��, the effort reflects a broader commitment to applying research expertise to statewide challenges. As Virginia experiences growing pressure from extreme precipitation events, climate variability, and expanding development, engineering solutions are important for safeguarding communities and critical infrastructure. The College of Engineering and Computing is advancing research that not only expands scientific understanding but also delivers practical benefits across the commonwealth.

"Engineering research should create measurable impacts in people's lives," Ferreira said. "By working directly with communities, we can translate advanced modeling and analysis into tools that support better planning, stronger infrastructure, and safer neighborhoods."

The partnerships with Waverly and Jarratt also demonstrate the value of university-community collaboration. Through these relationships, 911�� researchers bring innovative technologies and specialized expertise to local governments while gaining insight into the practical challenges communities face.

"Flood resilience is not just about responding to the next storm," Ferreira said. "It's about helping communities prepare for the future, adapt to changing conditions, and build confidence that they can withstand and recover from flood events."

As the project moves forward, Ferreira and his team aim to provide Waverly and Jarratt with actionable knowledge that supports long-term resilience. The work exemplifies 911��’s mission to serve Virginia through research, innovation, and partnerships that address some of the commonwealth's most pressing challenges.

Topics

Sustainability

civil engineering; stormwater infrastructure; climate variability

Research

GCI-Climate

Unlocking value from silicon-rich waste with help from biology

tdonnel — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:20:34 +0000

Unlocking value from silicon-rich waste with help from biology tdonnel Mon, 10/05/2026 - 13:20

Mine tailings and other silicon-rich wastes may look like materials with little value left. But locked within their tough mineral structures can be valuable elements and resources that are difficult—and often energy-intensive—to recover.

Mine tailings, one of the silicon-rich waste streams being considered in the project. Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain.

As part of a newly funded National Science Foundation collaborative research project, 911�� researchers are exploring whether nature can offer a different way to unlock those resources.

“Many of these materials still contain valuable resources, but they are locked inside very stable silicate structures,” said Xijin (Emma) Zhang, an assistant professor in 911��’s Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering. "We would like to explore alternative and sustainable ways to break down these materials and recover what is valuable from them."

Silicon is the second most abundant element in Earth’s crust and is a major component of minerals in rocks, mine tailings, concrete, and many industrial materials. Yet breaking down these stable silicate structures can require high temperatures, substantial energy, or highly corrosive chemicals. Zhang and her collaborators are investigating whether biological processes can accomplish some of these transformations under much milder conditions.

Xijin (Emma) Zhang. Photo provided.

The effort brings together researchers from five institutions, including 911��, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the University of Maryland, the University of California San Diego, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. By combining expertise in engineering, biology, geochemistry, and materials science, the researchers hope not only to develop new approaches for processing silicon-rich materials, but also to establish a new interdisciplinary field they call “Si-X TechnoBioGeoChemistry.”

At 911��, Zhang is working with Monique Van Hoek, a professor in the School of Systems Biology in the College of Science, to explore how microorganisms and the molecules they produce interact with silicate minerals. The collaboration brings together biological and engineering perspectives to better understand how natural processes can be harnessed to transform materials that are otherwise difficult to break down.

Monique Van Hoek. Photo: Creative Services, Office of University Branding.

The project builds on Zhang’s years of research in biomineralization. After studying calcium-based biomineralization during her PhD work, Zhang expanded her work to silicon-rich materials while continuing to explore how biological systems can reshape materials in sustainable ways.

The researchers are especially interested in waste streams such as mining residues, demolished concrete, and industrial byproducts. Rather than viewing these materials simply as waste to be managed, the team sees them as potential resources. According to Zhang, these materials often contain valuable elements trapped within strong silicate matrices, while the silicon-rich material itself may also have potential for reuse.

"We can turn these waste resources into useful material, and that can first create new value, and second, reduce some waste and reduce some management cost associated with the waste," she said.

Zhang's lab is developing bio-enabled methods to break down and transform silicate materials under mild conditions. They are investigating how microorganisms, biological molecules, and other nature-inspired processes can replace or complement conventional approaches that rely on extreme temperatures and harsh chemicals.

"We're focusing on how to use sustainable and bio-enabled pathways to break these waste materials down in a low-energy and low carbon–emission way,” Zhang said. “At the same time, we want to understand how we can release valuable components and make the remaining materials useful again."

Silica-based skeletons in glass sponges. Photo: Randolph Femmer/USGS, Public Domain.

The approach could open new pathways for using resources recovered from silicon-rich waste. Silicon-containing materials produced through these processes could potentially be reused in a wide range of applications, including new cement and concrete materials, glass products, electronic technologies, while valuable elements released from the silicate matrix could contribute to the recovery of critical minerals. During the initial two-year phase, researchers will investigate the fundamental biological, chemical, and geological processes that control these transformations and evaluate the feasibility of the overall approach. Those findings will help the team identify the most promising directions for future development.

Beyond the scientific advances, the initiative will provide interdisciplinary training opportunities for graduate students and researchers working across traditional disciplinary boundaries. By bringing together biology, geology, and engineering, Zhang and her collaborators aim to rethink how society extracts value from secondary resources and how materials now considered waste might become resources for the next generation of technologies.

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of building a more climate-resilient society.

Discover more GCI climate research >>

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911�� is one of the first 14 institutions to receive Carnegie's new classification for sustainability. Read More >>

In This Story

Emma (Xijin) Zhang

Topics

Sustainability

Department of Civil Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE)

School of Systems Biology

Systems Biology

Research

College of Engineering and Computing

College of Science

GCI-Climate

After historic sewage spill, 911�� researchers monitor for long-term impacts with support from NSF grant

sholla4 — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:59:50 +0000

After historic sewage spill, 911�� researchers monitor for long-term impacts with support from NSF grant sholla4 Thu, 09/24/2026 - 10:59

On January 19, 2026, a sewer line in Montgomery County, Maryland, collapsed. More than 240 million gallons of wastewater overflowed into the Potomac River. It was one of the largest sewage spills in United States history, right in 911��'s backyard.

While a temporary fix to the pipe was completed in March and DC Water continues to actively remediate the area, questions of long-term impact to this distinctive tidal freshwater estuary system linger. The team at 911��'s Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC) hopes to find answers.

This summer, seven 911�� researchers received a RAPID grant of $299,886 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate how the sewage spill may have impacted water quality, aquatic life, and the overall health of the estuary. Led by co-PIs Amy Fowler, associate professor and interim director of PEREC, and Jennifer Salerno, associate professor of environmental science and policy and faculty fellow at PEREC, the grant team includes environmental science and policy faculty Thomas Reid Nelson, Cindy Smith, and Rosalina Christova, as well as Brittany Hupp, assistant professor of atmospheric, oceanic and earth sciences, and Benoit Van Aken, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

Students and alumni collect water samples in Gunston Cove for PEREC researchers. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

One defining feature of PEREC—and the reason why this team was awarded the NSF grant—is its historical record of Gunston Cove water samples dating back to 1984. That data is invaluable in a project like this, as it gives the researchers points of comparison. And prior to receiving the NSF grant, the team was already taking samples, with support of seed funding from the College of Science, to start tracking the effects of the sewage spill as early as February 2026.

"We have 11 different sampling locations where we sample water quality and organisms each month," said Fowler. Their partners in the Potomac River Keeper Network, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and others are also aiding in sampling along the river.

Water quality monitoring includes standard measures such as temperature, salinity, clarity, and nutrients. The team is including a few additional measures. Checking for traces of PFAS, the chemical used on Teflon pans, is one addition, led by Van Aken. Hupp is monitoring heavy metals.

The team is also utilizing new technology: environmental DNA (eDNA). Macro- and microscopic species leave detectable traces of DNA as they interact with and move through the environment. Through an environmental sample—such as a water sample—researchers can detect the presence of the organism in an area from their DNA and map biodiversity without needing to directly sample or see the organisms themselves, from phytoplankton to fish.

"Typically, if you have big, severe, acute disturbances like this, you'll expect to see reductions in diversity," Salerno said. "So, we're going to test that theory, as well as examine if those changes affect the food web."

Students and alumni sample the waters of Gunston Cove. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Funding for the project ends in May 2027, though PEREC's standard water and organismal sampling in Gunston Cove, funded by Fairfax County, will continue to keep building their extensive library of historic data.

A second component of the NSF grant is tying this research into teaching and outreach—a good fit for PEREC, whose key pillars include educational outreach. Findings from this research will be incorporated into the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) program with Fairfax County Public Schools, led by environmental science and policy professor Cindy Smith. The team has also recruited more than 10 graduate, undergraduate, and high school student researchers. They will be trained in sampling, laboratory analysis, data interpretation, and science communication, and paired with graduate student mentors for additional support.

"The outcomes of this research could have a significant impact on how organizations prioritize and allocate funding in the future. In addition, the opportunity for students to gain hands-on field and/or laboratory experience through such a high-profile project would be an invaluable professional experience and meaningful addition to their resumes," said Fowler.

Students and alumni sample the waters of Gunston Cove. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Contaminated drinking water reservoirs and disease spread as a result of a large sewage spill in a public water source are, of course, top concerns. But Fowler and Salerno both note the cultural value of the river as well, and the importance of keeping it clean.

"There's been a cultural shift over the past few decades that has increased regional interest in the waterfront," Salerno added. "More and more, people want to use these water systems for recreation, which means there's growing interest in the water being clean and in conserving the ecosystem."

"The Potomac is known as the 'Nation's River' because it flows through the heart of the nation’s capital," said Fowler. "It’s history also played an important role in raising awareness about the nation’s water pollution crisis and the need for stronger protections."

The co-PIs noted that none of this work would be possible without continued collaboration and cooperation amongst the PEREC researchers and faculty.

"This grant is the culmination of years of expertise, effort, and collaboration," said Salerno. "We all specialize in different areas, with unique strengths and research backgrounds. But the river is what brings us together."

Students and alumni collect water samples in Gunston Cove for PEREC researchers. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Topics

Research

Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center

College of Science

Atmospheric Oceanic and Earth Sciences

Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)

National Science Foundation

GCI-Health

Sustainability

Learn more

Learn more about 911��'s Grand Challenge Initiative

Discover the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center

911�� earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability

lclarkg — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:27:20 +0000

911�� earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability lclarkg Tue, 09/22/2026 - 10:27

911�� has earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, becoming one of the first 14 institutions to receive the new classification for integrating sustainability across the curriculum, research, operations, career preparation, and community engagement.

911�� is the only institution in Virginia and the only public R1 university on the East Coast to earn the classification. 911�� is also one of three Carnegie Opportunity Colleges in the inaugural group of 10 public and 4 four private universities, which represent 10 states and one U.S. territory.

“This certification is an acknowledgment of 911��’s leadership and thoughtful integration of sustainability across our academic, research, and operational enterprises,” said Julie Zobel, senior vice president and chief operating officer. “Our holistic approach supports the scholarship, research, and career pathways that prepare our students to tackle the global challenges that will shape tomorrow.”

911�� participated in the 2025 pilot program, which brought together diverse higher education institutions in a national community of practice to test and shape the classification framework, application, and review criteria. Tom Wood, associate professor of integrative and interdisciplinary studies, led a small team of staff from University Sustainability in completing a rigorous self-study process. The team also helped Carnegie develop critical assessment tools and served as team leaders in the review of other pilot institutions’ applications.

Students and alumni collect on-the-water samples from Gunston Cove for the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability is now hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder, working alongside the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education. The 911�� team continues to offer support to both entities in an advisory capacity and by reviewing new applications.

“Sustainability has long been an important interdisciplinary endeavor at 911��,” said Janette Muir, vice provost for academic affairs. “This recognition acknowledges the deep commitment of faculty and staff across the university as they contribute their expertise and diverse perspectives, creating opportunities for students to explore complex challenges and develop solutions. That breadth of engagement is one of the significant ways 911�� stands out as an institution.”

Presidents Park Greenhouse on the Fairfax Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The university hosts standout programs and research centers like the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE), Virginia Climate Center, Center for Climate Change Communication, and the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, among others.

“These centers and institutes drive research related to solving the grand challenge of creating a sustainable future, serving communities locally, nationally, and worldwide,” said Wood, who serves on the National Advisory Committee for the Carnegie Foundation Sustainability Classification.

911�� continues to improve operational performance through built environment exemplars like Fuse at Mason Square, the university’s first LEED Platinum-certified building. The university also sees its campuses as Living Labs, encouraging students to test sustainability solutions directly on site.

Student research projects have resulted in key sustainable campus improvements including solar installations, enhancements to the Greenhouse and Gardens, green roofs, stormwater restoration projects, and native plant forests and pollinator habitats. Many of these improvements were made possible by grant programs like the Patriot Green Fund and ISE’s Living Labs grants.

The Patriot Packout's free store redistributes items that might otherwise end up in a landfill after students move out from their residence halls. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

911�� prepares its students to apply sustainable concepts through 17 sustainability-related degree programs, as well as more than 100 sustainability-focused or sustainability-inclusive courses, known as Green Leaf courses within the Mason Core curriculum. More academic opportunities are available through sustainability-focused study abroad programs, Residential Learning Communities, and semester-away courses at SMSC.

“Students who want to learn more about sustainability and pursue careers in related fields have many options and pathways to do so at 911��, including at Mason Korea,” said Muir.

With support from campus stakeholders, student engagement drives the creation and continuation of sustainability initiatives on campus. Student volunteers support University Sustainability’s Greenhouse and Gardens and Patriot Packout programs and further influence sustainability on campus through capstone projects, internships, and fellowships.

Sustainability-focused student organizations like 911��’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network collaborate with Mason Dining staff to sort, package, and deliver food to local community and campus partners like the Patriot Pantry.

“One of the most inspiring aspects of sustainability at 911�� is our campus community’s willingness to work collaboratively to improve outcomes,” said Amber Saxton, sustainability program manager in University Sustainability. “Partnerships and working groups like the one we formed to achieve this classification continue to be the key to developing campus-wide systems to address critical needs, institutionalizing change, funding innovative projects, and making sustainability an essential part of campus life.”

Solar panels at the campus greenhouse. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

This year, one such collaborative working group applied for and received a grant of more than $1 million from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to support improved food waste prevention, food rescue, and composting programs on campus.

Through such efforts, 911�� has earned four consecutive Gold ratings in the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) Assessment. STARS is a self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their comprehensive sustainability performance and is offered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

As a pilot institution for the Carnegie Classification for Sustainability, 911�� is once again leading the way.

“The first group of inaugural institutions help bring this new classification to life,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “We’re proud to recognize their leadership and the many ways they are advancing sustainability across their campuses and communities.”

911�� will retain the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability for six years, through 2033.

Explore our work in climate resiliency through the Grand Challenge Initiative

Sustainability at 911��

Topics

Sustainability

Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

Virginia Climate Center

Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation

University Sustainability

Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center

Center for Climate Change Communication

Campus News

Carnegie Foundation

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

Research

In This Story

Janette Muir, PhD

Helping City of Fairfax respond to Beech Leaf Disease on the 9/11 Day of Service

Serena Iyinbor — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 18:06:10 +0000

Helping City of Fairfax respond to Beech Leaf Disease on the 9/11 Day of Service Serena Iyinbor Mon, 09/21/2026 - 14:06

Before September 11, 2026, first-year Honors College student Talia Marziale did not know what beech leaf disease was. But on the Honors College Day of Service, Marziale helped the City of Fairfax tackle the disease.

Honors College students mapped beech trees and disease symptoms in Daniels Run Park in Fairfax. Photo provided by Ian Candy/Honors College

Beech leaf disease is a threat to the Fairfax area’s estimated 4.2 million beech trees. A group of first-year 911�� Honors College students, including Marziale, got involved by mapping beech trees and symptoms in Daniels Run Park in Fairfax, which will help the City of Fairfax manage the disease.

A separate group went to local neighborhoods and noted yards with beech trees, so the City of Fairfax can target specific houses with resources to prevent and treat beech leaf disease.

Beech leaf disease is caused by a nematode infestation and is characterized by dark stripes in the leaves when they are held up to light. Without a treatment available for forested areas, beech leaf disease will kill many mature beech trees within the next decade. Beech trees provide canopy and food for local ecosystems, as well as stormwater control with their roots.

“What we're worried about is within 10 years seeing a real decline of our beech forests,” Honors College alum Sophia Chapin, BS Environmental Science '21, told the group.

For some local homeowners, treating beech trees every year is financially inaccessible. Fairfax City received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service in 2024 to promote “tree equity,” which will give Fairfax residents who cannot treat their trees annually the materials to keep their source of canopy and environmental stability. By giving resources to homeowners to either replace or expand their tree canopy, the city is hoping to offset “an inevitable loss” of tree canopy in local forests, Chapin said.

Chapin is spearheading the community forestry effort for Fairfax City as its stewardship coordinator. Part of that effort is series of guest lectures and collaborative partnerships with Honors College classes. She previously guest lectured in Professor Julie Minde’s Honors 260 Public Participation in Environmental Governance class about the city’s Urban Forest master plan.

Photo by Ian Candy/Honors College

In Honors College Connects, Chapin is partnering with a group of Honors College students who are tasked with creating a communication plan to inform residents about beech leaf disease and how best to treat it.

Beech leaf disease is a tremendous task, but Chapin’s Honors College education gave her some of the tools she needs to take it on.

“This is another of what we would call a ‘wicked problem,’ kind of how climate change is a wicked problem. Beech leaf disease, there's not an easy one-stop solution to fix it,” she said. “It's going to take a multifaceted approach involving both private and public sectors. And those are the kind of issues that you take on in the Honors College.”

911�� alumna Sophia Chapin (right) is spearheading the community forestry effort for Fairfax City as its stewardship coordinator. Photo by Grace Miller/Honors College

A challenge to combating the disease is simply that it is not well-known.

“I think a lot of us, there's basically a green wall outside of our dwellings that we live in and we're not super aware that there's actually a bunch of organisms that have relationships out there that can be more or less in balance,” Richard Todd Stafford, the communications director for the Honors College and an Honors College Connects professor, said. “They can be more or less facing challenge, and humans play a role in the active management of those landscapes in making sure that we have a flourishing environment to live in.”

The Honors College Day of Service taught volunteers how to be good stewards of the environment and community.

Marziale said, “It’s making me learn more about nature and the different diseases that can spread."

The 9/11 Day of Service tradition at 911�� was founded in 2012 by then Honors College Living Learning Community coordinator Kevin Stoy. His hope was that students would “do something for someone or something that’s bigger than yourself.”

Stoy had been in New York on the day of the attacks, and "after seeing that, the way that the community came together, I wanted to make sure that was something that college students understood,” he said. “It was what can and should be a result of when something terrible like that happens.”

Explore Sustainability at 911��

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New 911�� professor connects weather, water, and the communities they affect

Nathan Kahl — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:59:35 +0000

New 911�� professor connects weather, water, and the communities they affect Nathan Kahl Fri, 09/11/2026 - 08:59

During her postdoctoral research in Oklahoma, new 911�� College of Engineering and Computing Assistant Professor Taereem Kim was on the phone with her mother in South Korea. Her mother mentioned heavy rain they were experiencing there, while Kim was seeing similar conditions where she lived. This got her thinking about how weather patterns separated by enormous distances can be connected and, more importantly, how those large-scale atmospheric connections translate into local effects.

Taereem Kim. Photo provided

For Kim, who joined the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering this semester, weather is more than a forecast. It’s a connection between information and the people who need it and even between people living on opposite sides of the globe.

Kim’s research involves hydroclimatology, the interdisciplinary study of the interactions between Earth's climate system and the hydrologic cycle, and water resources engineering. And her focus is to make it all accessible and useful. “My goal is translating complex weather and climate information into something communities can use to support their decision-making. We live in a world with tons of information, but I want people to understand and easily get the information they need,” she said

She did not initially envision becoming a professor, but her mentors in the United States changed that. “Working with two particular advisors gave me the ambition to be a faculty member,” she said. “They showed me how to be a good mentor, how to make a positive impact on a person's life, and how to build a fulfilling career while also prioritizing family.” This semester she is teaching her first full-semester class, an experience she is greatly enjoying.

Kim's daughter starting her research early at her mother's poster session. Photo provided.

She credits her parents with helping to shape her career. They also work in water resources engineering, which made the field feel familiar to Kim from an early age and helped foster her interest in it. They have also been trusted advisors throughout her career. “They are not just my good friends, but also good colleagues I can talk with about both life and work,” she said.

Kim hopes ultimately to connect atmospheric science, which seeks to understand phenomena such as tropical cyclones, with engineering, which asks what those phenomena will mean for people and communities. “We need to care about our communities, the hazards they face, and the impact on us, our families, and our friends,” she said.

Kim is enjoying her new home in Northern Virginia, where she moved with her family. She said the diversity here, including its large Korean community, is making the transition easier. At home, Kim speaks Korean with her young daughter and hopes growing up surrounded by people from many backgrounds will help her daughter feel comfortable with her Korean and American identities.

Parenthood has transformed Kim’s life outside academia as well. Before her daughter was born, she enjoyed traveling, yoga, and drawing. These days, her answer when asked about her hobbies is singularly focused: “Parenting.”

As she “weathers” that challenge, she continues to help her neighbors prepare for what’s next.

Topics

Department of Civil Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE)

civil engineering; stormwater infrastructure; climate variability

weather event

Climate

Research

College of Engineering and Computing

Sustainability

Sustainability commitments have serious consequences

Katelynn C Hipolito — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:29:09 +0000

Sustainability commitments have serious consequences Katelynn C Hipolito Fri, 08/07/2026 - 13:29

Amid increasingly stiff competition for capital, one way for a business to stand out is to make strong social impact pledges.

Yi Cao, assistant professor of accounting at Costello College of Business at 911��. Photo provided by Yi Cao.

For example, companies can voluntarily commit to environmental impact goals in hopes of attracting sustainability-minded investors and lowering cost of capital. However, it isn’t easy to tell whether these commitments, in and of themselves, make a difference to the marketplace—or, for that matter, to the planet.

“In regular settings, it’s really hard to evaluate the real economic effect of providing environmental commitments, and also establish that in making the commitment, the company is catering to real stakeholder preferences as opposed to their own idiosyncratic preferences,” says Yi Cao, assistant professor of accounting at Costello College of Business at 911��.

Cao’s paper in Review of Accounting Studies capitalizes on a unique setting that helps isolate the impact of environmental commitments. It was co-authored by John (Jianqiu) Bai of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Xiumin Martin of Washington University in St. Louis, and Chi Wan of San Diego State University. In 2018, leading crowdfunding platform Kickstarter added an optional “Environmental Commitments” section to project pages where creators could post about their sustainable practices (e.g., responsible sourcing, recyclable packaging, and/or low-emission manufacturing). The new feature was rolled out gradually across product categories, enabling the researchers to compare not only project-to-project differences, but also overall changes within entire Kickstarter verticals.

The researchers scraped information from Kickstarter pages to form a data-set comprising 173,874 observations of unique projects during the years 2016 to 2021. They also gathered data on a host of outcome variables, such as whether the project was successfully funded, how much money each project ultimately raised, how long it took for fully funded creators to deliver products to backers, etc.

The researchers found that, on average, about one-third of creators chose to declare an environmental commitment once doing so became possible in their category. Several of the largest categories (e.g., Design, Technology and Games) saw significantly higher take-up rates.

On the whole, projects that included environmental commitments were 13.2 percent more likely to be funded and increased the pledged amount relative to the funding goal by 8.7 percent.

Using Google BERT, a natural language processing model, the research team separated projects into two categories: those with largely local appeal, and those with a national market base. “We pre-trained the AI with all projects from 2010 to 2016 that had at least 50 backers, and measured the geographic dispersion of these projects’ backers traced by their IP address,” Cao explains.

The purpose was to spare the human researchers the tedious and painstaking work of hand-classifying every project in the data-set. The BERT results showed that national projects with eco-commitments received 62.2 percent more backers from more environmentally aware states—that is, states whose residents reported above-average levels of concern about climate change on the Yale Climate Opinion Maps—than local projects that had made eco-pledges.

For Cao, these findings add crucial nuance to the general idea that pledges of social responsibility help attract capital. In the Kickstarter example, projects of national scale benefited much more from eco-commitment because they were pitched to a larger and more diverse backer base, including environmentally aware consumers from other states.

Additionally, projects offering physical products, as opposed to intangible services, confronted tougher economic trade-offs resulting from e-commitment. “First and foremost, the Kickstarter creators want to know whether [e-commitment] will benefit them,” Cao says. “Because this is pretty costly, based on our analysis. It delays delivery and increases costs, because recycled and other eco-friendly materials, for example, are a little bit more expensive.”

The fact that entrepreneurs were clearly grappling with these economic challenges suggests that e-commitment amounts to more than mere “greenwashing.” “We find consistent evidence that when these small businesses are trying to access environmentally aware consumers through e-commitment, they do incur cost. It isn’t cheap talk. And that means that consumers are attracted by a genuine commitment, rather than lip service or a nice-sounding pitch,” Cao says.

In sum, Kickstarter’s e-commitment feature was a net improvement for the ecosystem, giving creators (especially those with national aspirations) access to an untapped source of consumer demand—namely, environmental awareness. At the same time, creators had to weigh the financial benefit against the increased costs of making good on environmental commitments.

Cao suspects that the same basic rules might apply to other types of pledges related to issues that animate large groups of consumers. “For example, AI is especially polarizing nowadays. You could appeal to consumers or investors who are polarized against the technology with a declaration that no AI was used in the creation of a product, etc. It could be anything where there are differing preferences, and a broader impact on the social perception of those preferences,” he says.

In This Story

Yi Cao

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Accounting - Costello

Costello Research Non-Financial Disclosure

ESG - Costello

Entrepreneurship

Costello Research Sustainable Operations

Costello College of Business Faculty Research

Research

Costello College of Business

Sustainability

Costello College of Business News

Entrepreneurship

The little water treatment plant that could

tdonnel — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:51:24 +0000

The little water treatment plant that could tdonnel Thu, 07/30/2026 - 12:51

On a small organic farm in rural Puerto Rico sits a revolutionary water treatment facility ready for action: the AguaClara PF250, a compact, nonelectric drinking water treatment plant designed specifically for small communities. 911�� researchers Daniel Smith and Catherine Akplah are combining engineering innovation, field research, and community partnership to participate in piloting the facility and assess its viability throughout the island nation.

While most Puerto Ricans receive water from the territorial utility system, 100,000 in rural areas rely on small, community-managed water systems that often struggle with aging infrastructure, limited resources, and vulnerability to hurricanes and power outages.

Unlike conventional treatment facilities, the PF250 operates using hydraulic principles and gravity, entirely without electricity. The system uses the same fundamental processes found in large municipal plants, including coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and chlorination, but in a smaller, prefabricated design that can be installed in remote locations. The PF250 was designed and fabricated by the nonprofits AguaClara Reach and Agua Para el Pueblo.

AguaClara PF250 water treatment facility at Plenitud PR. Photo provided.

Smith, an assistant professor in 911��’s Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, has spent much of his career working on drinking water treatment systems around the world. His connection to PF250s stretches back nearly two decades through the AguaClara program in Honduras.

“It will be very fulfilling to see something that was a concept 15 or more years ago become a practical solution for communities that need it,” he said. “It's a drinking-water treatment plant that has all of the processes you typically find for big town but, with clever engineering, made as small as possible and able to work without any electricity.”

The 911�� team is partnering with VersaWater, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator initiative that includes Cornell University, Syracuse University, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, and AguaClara Reach. VersaWater focuses on technology development and deployment, and 911��’s role is to help understand how the PF250 performs with respect to organic matter removal and determine where in Puerto Rico it is most likely to succeed.

Smith and Akplah are working directly with community water boards across Puerto Rico, equipping communities with turbidity meters that measure how cloudy local water supplies become throughout the year. This data will help identify systems where advanced treatment is most needed.

Akplah (left) and Smith (R) in Puerto Rico. Photo provided.

“It's the very first thing you need to know to decide which treatment option is going to be a potentially good fit,” said Smith.

Akplah, a PhD student in Smith's lab whose research focuses on sustainable water treatment, sees the project as an opportunity to create tangible benefits for communities.

“A win for me would be to see one community where we're able to transition this system into something that people can rely on to get drinking water” she said.

The team will operate a pilot PF250 installation at Plenitud PR, an organic permaculture farm in Las Marías, Puerto Rico, to study how well it removes organic matter and controls disinfection byproducts, an important step toward meeting U.S. drinking water regulations. Ultimately, they hope their work will provide communities with data they can use to secure infrastructure funding and improve public health.

If successful, the PF250 could provide a model not only for rural Puerto Rico but also for small, underserved communities across the United States that face similar drinking water challenges.

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of building a more climate-resilient society.

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Making every drop count at the campus greenhouse

lclarkg — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:03:01 +0000

Making every drop count at the campus greenhouse lclarkg Wed, 07/29/2026 - 13:03

A new rainwater harvesting system is coming to 911��’s Presidents Park Greenhouse, thanks to a donation from the Society for a Secure and Sustainable Water Future, a nonprofit organization based in James City County, Virginia, and dedicated to advancing long-term water sustainability through practical solutions, sound policy, and public education.

The Presidents Park Greenhouse, located on the Fairfax Campus, is managed by University Sustainability's Greenhouse and Gardens program. Alexander Jarvis, a graduate student in 911��’s MS in Environmental Science and Policy Program, founded the nonprofit and runs it with his parents, Leslie and Tyrone Jarvis.

The Jarvis family is installing the rainwater harvesting system themselves, in collaboration with Facilities and Campus Operations. Photo by Ariba “Zoa” Sharin/Facilities and Campus Operations

“The project is intended to help demonstrate practical sustainability implementation while contributing to broader conversations surrounding resilience, infrastructure demand, and future environmental planning,” said Jarvis.

The rainwater harvesting system will collect, store, and filter rooftop runoff through a solar-powered pumping system. The nonpotable water will be used to water the nonedible plants at the greenhouse and will be transported to other campus gardens during drought. The Jarvis family is completing the installation themselves in coordination with Facilities and Campus Operations staff.

The amount of rainwater recovered by the system will vary, depending on rainfall amounts, but 911�� students or staff could collect data on the system in the future.

In addition to the donation from Jarvis’s nonprofit, the project received approximately $2,000 from the Patriot Green Fund, an sustainability fund that 911��’s Facilities and Campus Operations unit administers to support sustainable infrastructure improvements and student research projects on campus.

A solar array was installed at the Presidents Park Greenhouse last year. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The Presidents Park Greenhouse, which uses hydroponics and aquaponics to grow produce, has other sustainable features. With support from student researchers and the Patriot Green Fund, a solar array was installed last year to offset the energy consumption for the equipment and temperature controls in the greenhouse.

The rainwater harvesting system further advances the greenhouse as a model for sustainable agriculture and infrastructure.

“This project brings together sustainability, education, and community partnership in a meaningful way,” said Christine Powell, project manager in Facilities and Campus Operations. “This installation will serve as a living demonstration of how rainwater can be captured, treated, and reused, providing educational value for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.”

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This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities

ckearney — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:32:10 +0000

This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities ckearney Tue, 07/21/2026 - 16:32

What difference does a tree make? That’s what 911�� researcher Luis Ortiz wanted to find out—before it was planted. Cities increasingly experience extreme heat that poses danger to anyone outside. The urban environment, even on a very small scale, can either help alleviate the problem or make it vastly worse.

Professor Luis Ortiz with his Micrometeorological Modeling class. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“We teach students the fundamentals of how the broader weather interacts with very, very local aspects of the built environment,” said Ortiz, who teaches in 911��’s J. Shukla Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences. “By very, very local, I mean, what happens if I put a certain tree in one location, or if I apply a coating to a building’s surface to reflect the sun.”

Ortiz’s course, CLIM 759 Micrometeorological Modeling for Local Climate Action, targets “hyperlocal” community needs. It’s a way of taking research out of the lab and into the real world where it can have immediate impact. Ortiz and other professors—in collaboration with 911��’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth—piloted a model to create classes that work almost like nonprofit start-ups with municipalities and neighborhood groups as clients.

“We are meeting communities where they are and figuring out what their needs are related to weather hazards on heat, flooding, and air pollution. This is all based on the extensive community engagement that we've been doing with the Virginia Climate Center,” said Ortiz, who is the codirector of the VCC.

This is the second year that Ortiz is offering the graduate-level class, which is open to every major. The students work individually with community groups to study their needs and model the outcomes of various interventions. Last year, students worked with South Side ReLeaf in Richmond to model extreme heat zones around schools and shopping centers. This year, they ran individual projects with the cities of Fairfax, Alexandria, and Arlington, as well as Groundwork USA. These stakeholders were all invited to a day of final presentations at the end of the semester.

“The students are learning urban microclimate physics, as well as the software and models needed to understand them and answer real-world questions,” said Ortiz.

The course is truly interdisciplinary, attracting students majoring in fields from across the university, including GIS, civil engineering, mathematics, and fluid dynamics. They use social science methods to determine the communities’ needs.

Ivy Stempkovski, a climate dynamics PhD student who helped develop the course and is now taking it, created models to evaluate how public water features, such as splash parks, help kids cool down.

“My peers are thinking of things that never would have crossed my radar,” said Stempkovski. “That’s important because the whole goal is to make sure that we're maximizing impact for our community partner and the community themselves. If it weren't for the different perspectives, I think we could risk falling short. For instance, the engineers take a more practical perspective, and the GIS students know more about zoning laws.”

Gavin Middleton, a PhD student in earth and geoinformation sciences, took the course in its first year. His models revealed startling facts about how a lack of green spaces increased citizens’ susceptibility to heat stroke.

“The area I was looking at was an elementary school,” said Middleton. “This school was right next to a six-lane road that had no trees. We found that if kids were walking down that road in the middle of the summer heat, there was about a 5 percent chance that you got a heat stroke on any one kid.”

Other projects showed high risks of heat stroke and asthma attacks around unshaded shopping complexes with large parking lots, as well as bus stops where people would have to wait for long periods with no relief.

“I would say that it was a very important experience to actually get to know the people that my science affected,” said Middleton. “It's definitely not something you see at every university.”

Ortiz built the course as part of his work at the VCC and based it on the lean start-up model for businesses.

"Our students are both learning state-of-the-art modeling techniques and using them to answer important questions for stakeholders in the commonwealth and beyond,” he said. “With this model, students work on real-world problems, and our partners get access to science-backed data and insights to help them build stronger, more resilient communities.”

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of building a more climate-resilient society.

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