CEE Research

June 16, 2022

Cracking the code: Engineering team devises improved way to predict cracks

Rogelio Muñeton-Lopez, left, receives congratulations during the Engineering Mechanics Institute conference earlier this month where he was a finalist in the student paper competition for his work on predicting cracks. Cracks can cause serious problems on roads and bridges, as they compromise the strength and soundness of a structure. A Mizzou Engineering team has devised a way to better predict not only where a crack will occur but also the path it could take as it progresses. The work earned Rogelio Muñeton-Lopez, a master’s student in civil engineering, runner-up status at the Engineering Mechanics Institute conference earlier this…

June 7, 2022

ZouSim uses simulated environment to study driver behavior

Ericka Zhou participates in a traffic study using a simulated environment with graduate student Qingzhong Zeng in Professor Carlos Sun’s ZouSim Lab. Erika Zhou is “driving” 50 in a 60-mile-per-hour zone. When she approaches road work, her speed drops to about 15 below the posted limit. A few days later, Stuart Aldrich speeds down the same stretch of interstate, slowing slightly within the work zone. Here, there’s no right or wrong way to drive. Welcome to the ZouSim Lab at Mizzou Engineering, where highways and traffic come to life in a virtual setting. The lab has a driving simulator built…

May 23, 2022

Engineer develops underwater imaging system to investigate natural seeps

A still image from Binbin Wang’s research into natural seeps. It’s estimated that roughly 160,000 tons of oil and gas naturally enter North American waters each year. These so-called “natural seeps” are hydrocarbons that come out of plant or animal fossils under the seafloor. Depending on where they are, the bubbles of oil and gas can dissipate or, in more shallow spots, rise to the surface, sending methane into the atmosphere. But how do they behave and impact surrounding water at the point they arise from the ocean floor? That’s what Binbin Wang hopes to find out. Wang, an…

May 13, 2022

Mizzou celebrates opening of MU Materials Science & Engineering Institute

A new institute at Mizzou will advance collaboration around materials research and education across campus. University and College leaders celebrated the grand opening of the MU Materials Science & Engineering Institute (MUMSEI) at a symposium and ribbon cutting event on Friday.

April 14, 2022

Engineering team receives $3M to develop improved blast-resistant curtain walls

A Mizzou Engineering team is investigating ways to keep large glass exteriors from shattering.

April 13, 2022

Researcher studying ways to maximize environmental benefits of green algae

Diatoms are abundant in nature and their structures could be used for environmentally friendly, high-value products, technologies to clean our air and new methods to purify our water.

April 12, 2022

Undergraduate presents research around health of streams impacted by mining

Castonguay presented early findings from that work at a Joint Annual Meeting between the Missouri Section American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Missouri Water Environment Association (MWEA).

April 8, 2022

Civil engineering team takes best poster award at TRB annual meeting

A Mizzou civil engineering team took a best paper award at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in January.

March 28, 2022

Buttlar gives keynote at International Data Science for Pavements Symposium

A civil engineering professor gave the keynote address around using big data to inform transportation decisions.

Driving simulator

March 23, 2022

Mizzou Engineer studies motorist behavior around truck platoons

Professor Carlos Sun recently led a study investigating how motorists behave when faced with a truck platoon in work zones.