Student News

Students study metal contamination in Colorado waterways

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 17:37:24 +0000

Students study metal contamination in Colorado waterways Jeff Zehnder Fri, 09/12/2025 - 11:37

Jeff Zehnder

Collecting water samples in the field.

In the most beautiful places in Colorado, hazards to aquatic life lurk in the water.

A team at the 51�Թ�� is studying heavy metal pollution in a watershed near Aspen. Their efforts have a dual goal: contributing to efforts to clean up the area, and studying the potential of recovering some of those metals, including rare earth elements, from other similarly polluted streams.

“We gave a presentation to the public, and when you mention valuable minerals in Aspen, ears perk up,” said Adam Odorisio, a master’s student in environmental engineering.

The issue concerns tributaries of Lincoln Creek, which feed into a large reservoir above Aspen. The metals in the water represent more than just pollution. The potential for recovering and utilizing the rare earth elements found in natural and mine acidic drainage is an area of active research, driven by increasing demand for these elements in many industries, such as electronics manufacturing.

Metals often leach from old mines, a process called acid mine drainage. In the case of Lincoln Creek, the primary contamination is a natural phenomenon, according to Athena Bolin, a 2025 environmental engineering master of science graduate student working on the project.

“The leaching of metals and rare earth elements can be caused by humans when they excavate and expose rock formations, but it can also occur naturally. This happens when mineral-rich rock weathers and the resulting acidic water leaches metals from rocks along its flow path. Both processes can cause significant environmental pollution,” Bolin said.

Bolin and Odorisio are part of Professor Diane McKnight’s research team and 51�Թ��’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, which have been studying the problem. The contamination has caused significant fish kills in the area, and the team has determined that metal concentrations are increasing significantly, a trend that is evident both seasonally and over many years in multiple watersheds in the Colorado Rocky Mountains as summers have become warmer.

“We analyzed a sediment core from Grizzly Reservoir,” Odorisio said. “The reservoir was built in 1936, and the core shows the contamination is getting worse. The thought is the world is heating up, which is melting sub-surface permafrost more quickly, which flows through the ground and eventually reaches the surface.”

The study involves taking on-site samples of water from a small tributary, a mine outflow, and the main stream, as well as a type of sediment called flocculant material, and aquatic insects, bringing them back to the laboratory, and using analytical methods to determine elemental concentrations.

Sediment core processing in the lab.

“One of the things we've found in the samples is copper is more elevated. That causes a lot of environmental damage. It can be extremely harmful to fish. They can't breathe. They suffocate,” Odorisio said.

As regional officials investigate the best solutions for Lincoln Creek, McKnight’s group is also working with colleagues to see if it would be cost-effective to recover the metals and rare earth elements for sale at similar sites.

Damaging heavy metal drainage occurs at locations across Colorado and regions with mining history. Being able to generate revenue from cleanup presents a unique opportunity in locations that often present complex remediation challenges.

“This takes place in a very remote wilderness area above 11,000 feet. A standalone recovery operation would not be financially viable. However, if recovery from the small tributaries and mine outflows were to happen concurrently with remediation, the income from the operation could help offset the cost of cleanup,” Bolin said.

Regardless of the eventual outcomes, Odorisio said the research and public response have been a positive experience in an area of study that can be discouraging.

“There’s a lot of doom and gloom in environmental engineering,” Odorisio said. “It’s just the nature of the job. Here we have two different motivations. We have the potential utility of it, recovering rare earth elements, and understanding how to make creeks like this one more environmentally friendly sites.”

In the most beautiful places in Colorado, hazards to aquatic life lurk in the water. A team at the 51�Թ�� is studying heavy metal pollution in a watershed near Aspen. Their efforts have a...

Off

Traditional

White

Flickr Album: 2025 Environmental Engineering Graduation Ceremony

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 09 May 2025 20:47:28 +0000

Flickr Album: 2025 Environmental Engineering Graduation Ceremony Jeff Zehnder Fri, 05/09/2025 - 14:47

The Environmental Engineering Class of 2025 celebrated graduation May 9, 2025 with an ceremony at 51�Թ��.

Off

Traditional

White

Western Water Assessment hosts first cohort of Water Fellows

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 21:06:39 +0000

Western Water Assessment hosts first cohort of Water Fellows Jeff Zehnder Mon, 03/17/2025 - 15:06

This year, students interested in careers centered around water in the West were presented with an exciting opportunity. Four undergraduate students from a range of disciplines were selected as inaugural 51�Թ�� Water Fellows, a Western Water Assessment program that prepares the next generation of water leaders through training, networking, and mentorship from professionals across Colorado.

“We were very excited to host a water careers program at Western Water Assessment and CIRES for 51�Թ�� students who are passionate about water since there wasn’t anything like this before at CU,” said Water Fellows Program coordinator Ethan Knight. “I’m happy that there is now and for future students interested in the water field.”

The program began in 2017 through the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University. Since then, over 60 students have participated in the yearlong fellowship. In 2024, the program expanded across the state to include six colleges and universities. Fellows attend monthly meetings with guest speakers and travel to water-focused conferences like the Colorado Water Congress, Colorado 9 Basin (C9 Summit), and the Colorado Water Fellows Convening meeting — a gathering of all 45 fellows in Denver.

51�Թ�� fellows’ areas of study range from environmental engineering, sociology & environmental studies, atmospheric sciences, and geology.

Evelyn Hoffman is a senior majoring in environmental engineering who studies hydrology and fluid mechanics. Their interest in working in public service inspired them to apply for the fellowship. As an intern with the EPA, Hoffman has led drinking water treatment inspections in Wyoming, but they are more interested in hydrology and water resources, specifically ecologically conscious structures and dams.

Hoffman attended the Colorado Water Congress, where they learned about the complex web of water rights in the Western U.S. The conference also provided the opportunity to meet with others working in public sector water jobs and helped them understand what direction they want to take after graduation this spring.

“I was able to meet a lot of people doing this work on the state level, which was really interesting, because I did not have a good grasp of what people at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources did in their day to day work” Hoffman said.

Ethan Durham is a senior studying atmospheric sciences. Specifically, he studies clouds and Arctic sea ice using radiative transfer and remote sensing. At first glance, he didn’t see how his research directly overlapped with water issues in Colorado. But after attending conferences and learning about how water managers use the whole picture to plan for the future, Durham now sees Colorado water issues through the lens of his work.

“As a person who works on the climatological aspects of water, it’s interesting to look at the hydrological impacts of water and what it looks like from an agricultural standpoint,” Durham said.

The inaugural cohort will complete the fellowship this spring. The program will soon recruit new fellows for the 2025-2026 academic year. After a successful year, Ethan Knight is excited to see a new group of students find their path as water professionals.

“I think this was a great first year of the program,” Knight said. “We are excited for the next cohort of fellows and hope to continue creating opportunities for these future water professionals.”

Learn more about Western Water Assessment’s Water Fellows program on their website.

Off

Traditional

White

Top 10 ranking for Environmental Engineering Graduate program

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 15:43:11 +0000

Top 10 ranking for Environmental Engineering Graduate program Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/18/2024 - 09:43

The 51�Թ�� is among the top 25 engineering graduate programs in the U.S., according to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings for 2025.

When compared with its public university peers, the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s graduate program was ranked No. 12. The college was ranked No. 23 overall when compared to both public and private universities.

Dean Keith Molenaar said he was proud to see CU Engineering programs continue to be recognized by peers and the national media.

“We are home to leading scholars across disciplines and over 1,000 PhD students. Our rankings reflect our strengths in both established programs like aerospace and in new, growing programs like biomedical engineering,” he said. “We are a comprehensive research college, and that is going to continue to allow our graduates to pursue sustainable solutions to pressing societal challenges.”

In the engineering specialty rankings, three CU Engineering degree programs were also in the top 10 among public institutions, with an additional four in the top 20:

Aerospace engineering sciences: No. 5
Environmental engineering: No. 7
Civil engineering: No. 9
Chemical engineering: No. 11
Computer engineering: No. 16
Electrical engineering: No. 17
Mechanical engineering: No. 17
Biomedical engineering: No. 23
Biological engineering: No. 25
Materials science and engineering: No. 29.

As of fall 2023, more than 1,300 students were pursuing master’s in engineering and applied science at 51�Թ��.

Off

Traditional

White

Flickr Album: Environmental Engineering Graduation 2024

Anonymous — Tue, 21 May 2024 14:53:03 +0000

Flickr Album: Environmental Engineering Graduation 2024 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/21/2024 - 08:53

Off

Traditional

White

Environmental Engineering Graduation 2024

Anonymous — Mon, 06 May 2024 14:54:26 +0000

Environmental Engineering Graduation 2024 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/06/2024 - 08:54

The May 2024 Environmental Engineering Ceremony will be held:

Thursday, May 9, 2024
4pm - 7pm
JSC Biotechnology Building's West Lawn

The ceremony will be held in-person, in a large white tent on the JSC Biotechnology Building's West Lawn.

It is for graduating EVEN BS, MS, and PhD students along with their friends and family. Graduating students will walk across the stage, shake hands with the department chair, and receive a diploma cover. Official diplomas will be mailed at the end of June. Refreshments and dessert items will be served following the ceremony.

Student Arrival Time - 30-45 minutes before the ceremony.

Family and Guest Arrival Time - At least 15 minutes before the start time of the EVEN ceremony.

No ticket or reservation is required for family and friends of graduating students attending this ceremony. Parking is free.

Off

Traditional

White

Growing Society of Women Engineers chapter opens new opportunities for students

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 20:51:21 +0000

Growing Society of Women Engineers chapter opens new opportunities for students Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/08/2023 - 14:51

Samiha Singh (EnvEngr’23) was met with a decision during her first year at 51�Թ�� that changed the trajectory of her undergraduate career. It was between completing physics homework or applying to serve on the leadership board of 51�Թ��’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter.

Singh landed a board position after submitting her application during a night shift as a resident assistant. Last year, she led the organization during her last year at 51�Թ�� and reflected on the impact of SWE on her journey. Needless to say, waiting on finishing that physics assignment paid off in the long run.

“I had no idea the connections and opportunities Society of Women Engineers would bring to me. I was lucky to get mentorship through so many people especially from the professional Rocky Mountain Section of SWE,” said Singh.

SWE focuses on “building an inclusive community of strong female engineers and other minorities, while remaining open to all who support these groups in STEM”. Their 51�Թ�� student chapter is one of nine affinity-based student societies supported by the BOLD Center within the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Last year, the college provided a scholarship to 229 incoming first-year students who committed to joining SWE, increasing the group’s membership by about 50% from the year prior. Singh led some structural changes as membership increased by adding an outreach director to provide more opportunities for K-12 students, as well as a director of community engagement to maintain a close-knit community with members.

“SWE has hundreds of members, so I really wanted to create a more intentional space for meaningful connections to happen,” Singh said. “We hold ‘meet your major’ events, so you can meet other students within your major and this past spring semester, we actually had women faculty come and join us as well.”

Singh also got to attend national conferences in Houston and Seattle along with other members, which inspired her as a women leader in STEM.

“It’s a really cool opportunity if you attend. People were being offered interviews and jobs on the spot. I met women giving talks on topics you typically wouldn’t get in the classroom like ‘what does it mean to be a minority in engineering’, ‘how do you advocate for yourself’,” she said. “Seeing women who are successful in their careers and hearing their advice has helped myself and others gain more confidence and carry that confidence into other aspects of our lives.”

As incoming SWE president, Kyra Anderson (MechEngr’23) hopes to build on the growth and success of the society while bringing new ideas to the table.

“I’m getting committees started to get more incoming students involved earlier on and more mentorship opportunities for us. I’m really excited. There's not a lot of places where there’s all women engineers to engage with, so SWE is a great space for us,” said Anderson.

Along with their leadership board, she organized about 60 events last year and will bring her experiences leading those social, K-12 outreach and professional development events to the forefront even more.

“My junior year, I was director of Girl Scout outreach. We got to do fun activities with Girl Scout troops and taught them about STEM. We built little paper wind turbines with them and we had fun doing that.” And relevant for Anderson, she hopes to work in renewable or wind energy after she completes the mechanical engineering graduate program at 51�Թ��.

The national conference inspired the society to bring ideas back to SWE at CU. Professionals from the Rocky Mountain Section gave conference-style talks about being a woman in engineering and imposter syndrome, so members could gain wisdom for those not able to travel. They hope to continue this programming into this coming year.

Going into this fall semester, “I hope to continue making SWE a welcoming community,” said Anderson, “and make sure everyone feels like they have a place where they belong.”

Top photo: SWE hosts a networking event with professional engineers. Middle Photo: Members at the national conference in Houston. Bottom photo: End of the year banquet with graduating SWE members.

Off

Traditional

White

Environmental Engineering Class of 2023 Awards

Anonymous — Fri, 12 May 2023 19:37:51 +0000

Environmental Engineering Class of 2023 Awards Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/12/2023 - 13:37

Jeff Zehnder

See more Photos from Graduation in our Flickr Gallery

Congratulations to the Environmental Engineering Class of 2023! As part of our annual graduation ceremony, we recognized a select group of students with special awards for their achievements.

Colorado Engineering Council Silver Medal Award Finalist

Elizabeth Rose Wallace

Community Impact Award

Emily Marie Saldana

Community Impact Award

Samiha Singh

Global Engagement Award

Sophie Dolores Castillo

Outstanding Student

Sophie Elizabeth Woods

Perseverance Award

Lukas Rives Tiefel

Research Award

Kiersten Juliet Maxwell

Faculty Appreciation Award

Professor Joseph Ryan

Off

Traditional

White

Flickr Gallery: Environmental Engineering Graduation 2023

Anonymous — Fri, 12 May 2023 17:29:05 +0000

Flickr Gallery: Environmental Engineering Graduation 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/12/2023 - 11:29

Off

Traditional

White

Two environmental engineering students earn major NSF fellowships

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 21:49:11 +0000

Two environmental engineering students earn major NSF fellowships Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/27/2023 - 15:49

Jeff Zehnder

The National Science Foundation has bestowed two prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards to 51�Թ�� environmental engineering graduate students.

These top awards recognize and support outstanding grad students from across the country in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.

PhD student Kylie Boenisch-Oakes and master's student Annamarie Guth have each received the honor for 2023. Awardees receive a $37,000 annual stipend and cost of education allowance for the next three years as well as professional development opportunities.

Off

Traditional

White