In the news

Anna Littlefield, program manager for Geothermal and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for the Payne Institute, said Illinois is a hot spot for CCUS because of the proximity of numerous ethanol plants.

The National Laboratory of the Rockies signed MOUs with Mines and the University of Utah that will help strengthen America’s energy and material supply chains through critical minerals innovation, commercialization, and workforce development.

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, and Jahara “FRANKY” Matisek, a senior fellow at Payne, co-authored this article along with Macdonald Amoah.

Nathan Lenssen, teaching assistant professor in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and a scientist with the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, said climate change has made El Niño events of the past less informative for events today.

Senior engineering geologist Jonathan Lovekin and hydrogeologist Lesley Sebol with the Colorado Geological Survey discuss the science of rocks, landscapes, soil and groundwater—and what those things reveal about Southwest Colorado.

Paul Santi, professor of geology and geological engineering and director of the Institute for Initiatives in Latin America, said an engineer or geologist who had access to data on abandoned underground mines could have predicted the sinkholes.

Anne Marie Mozrall, PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering, says while awareness of microplastics as a health concern has grown there are still gaps in understanding where they come from and the effects they have on the environment.

Matt Morgan, director of the Colorado Geological Survey, said the NASA airplane will be used to collect data on energy and mineral resources, and also for geologic hazards like landslides, debris flows, and rockfalls.

Anne Marie Mozrall, PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering, is leading a study looking at microplastics that have found their way into the South Platte River.

Christopher Higgins, AMAX Distinguished Chair and professor of civil and environmental engineering, says big conversations are being had on the best ways to handle PFAS; he is the director of the new PFAS Remedial Technology Engineering Center.

A new study in Nature Water by Adrienne Marshall, assistant professor of geology and geological engineering, and Steven Smith, associate professor of economics and business, provides insight into how climate change is impacting senior and junior water rights holders.

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, co-authored this article that examines how the Iran war is pushing Asian countries back toward the utilization of coal as an energy source.