
Wang receives funding to develop technology to study natural seeps
A thousand feet under the ocean, plumes of gases are rising out of plant and animal fossils. These natural seeps provide necessary food and energy for marine life. In rare situations, they could also pose challenges to oceanic exploration if they are massive in volume and could be releasing methane into the environment in shallow waters.

Drivers, start your monitors: Inside the virtual world of the ZouSim Lab
Carlos Sun and his team have developed innovative vehicle technology becoming leaders in transportation.

Driving innovative solutions for advancing use of ‘plastic’ roads
In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), researchers from the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) recently created a real-world test road using recycled materials like scrap tires and plastic waste along a portion of Interstate 155 in the Missouri Bootheel.

Mizzou Engineer develops method to break down PFAS left on water treatment filters
In a recent study, Feng “Frank” Xiao and colleagues at the University of Missouri demonstrate an innovative method using thermal induction heating to rapidly break down PFAS left on the surface of two solid materials — granular activated carbon and anion exchange resins — after these materials have been used to filter PFAS from municipal water systems.

Civil Engineering team develops realistic artificial data set for road safety studies
A Mizzou Engineering team is hoping artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged to prevent vehicle crashes in the future. To that end, they’ve developed realistic artificial data sets (RAD) that can be used to train machines to predict the factors that cause wrecks. These data sets are now available through the U.S. Department of Transportation. The three-year $1.1M project was supported by the US DOT’s Exploratory Advance Research Program.

Graduate student to use environmental engineering, data analysis skills at NASA
He grew up in a water-strapped village in Afghanistan, worked as a water engineer who helped similar communities and wants to continue to conduct research around environmental problems while teaching future generations. In the meantime, Jaweed Nazary will spend his summer working at NASA.

Pioneer in degradation of ‘forever chemicals’ brings research to Mizzou
Before most of his peers knew them as “forever chemicals,” Feng “Frank” Xiao knew they were a problem. It was the early 2010s, and he was reviewing Centers for Disease Control data when he noticed a disturbing trend. Pre- and polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS) — compounds mass marketed since the 1940s — were showing up in more than 95% of blood samples, and they appeared to be wreaking havoc on human health.

Giraldo-Londoño stresses importance of emerging design tools during keynote
Mizzou Engineer is demonstrating that simulation-drive technologies can be used to design efficient structures that can withstand variable loads.

Civil Engineers assessing effectiveness of J-turn intersections in Missouri
A Mizzou Engineering team has been tasked with assessing the effectiveness of J-turn intersection designs across Missouri’s state highway system.

Missouri Water Center works to monitor water quality, quantities; train students
When it comes to water, there are a lot of stakeholders. Not only do we all need access to clean water—including fish and wildlife—but local economies rely on lakes and rivers for agriculture and tourism. When there’s not enough, droughts can destroy a year’s worth of crops. Too much can cause flooding that devastates communities. With those factors in mind, Mizzou established the Missouri Water Center a year ago, merging two former centers.