Engineering Out Loud

How can we remove toxic contaminants like TNT from groundwater? Jack Istok and Mandy Michalsen are using pioneering bioremediation and bioaugmentation methods developed here at Oregon State to restore the groundwater at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

• Underground Story of Water in Oregon
• Umatilla Army Depot Superfund Site
• Groundwater Research Lab
• "Clean Water for a Thirsty Region"
• "Evaluation of Biostimulation and Bioaugmentation to Stimulate RDX Degradation in an Aerobic Groundwater Aquifer"
• "RDX Degradation in Bioaugmented Model Aquifer Columns under Aerobic and Low Oxygen Conditions"

How do you ensure a product designed for the developing world is useful for the people it's intended to help? A team of researchers, led by Nordica MacCarty, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is combining engineering with anthropology in field tests of a water purification system.

How can students at Oregon State improve access clean water for rural communities around the world? We hear from three students who worked in Nicaragua and Cambodia on projects that changed people's lives -- including their own.

How long will the world's supply of clean fresh water last? Just the fact that we have to ask that question is enough to start worrying, as threats from pollution, climate change, and overpopulation continue to get worse. Fortunately, researchers like Tyler Radniecki are at the vanguard of the search for solutions to revive and restore this precious resource.

How can we clean up pollution from toxic chemicals that have seeped into the groundwater, hundreds of feet below the surface? Lewis Semprini, Distinguished Professor of environmental engineering, discusses strategies for bioremediation, using microorganisms to break down dangerous chemicals into harmless end-products.

• Clean and Sustainable Technology Initiative Workshop

• A Vision of Clean Water for Everyone

• Cultivating a Community to Clean Up Toxic Waste

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-7-clean-water/going-beneath-surface-s7e1

How does culture influence engineering design? Two seniors in civil engineering tell about how they incorporated their research on the culture of Ethiopia into the design of a housing structure, an irrigation system, and a restroom.

Javier Calvo-Amodio, Sage Kittelman, and Siqi Wang examine how teams and their communications function as systems within large, complex organizations. They are working with Boeing to understand how those systems can be improved to make manufacturing more efficient.

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-6-student-research/engineering-culture-problem-solving-s6e5

Can clean and renewable energy sources like wind and solar power reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? One major challenge is figuring out how to make that energy available when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. Lynza Sprowl, a chemical engineering Ph.D. student, says the key is building better batteries.

• Showcase winners tackle 21st century problems (CBEE News)

• Inspiring Student Innovation (Terra Magazine)

https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-6-student-research/building-better-battery-s6e4

Will a new breed of highly mobile, radiation-resistant soft robots become automated work horses for the nuclear industry—or save the day during nuclear disasters? A team of graduate students from Oregon State University wants to make sure they're up to the task.

How can two undergraduates impact the health of people with mental illness? Inspired by her own experience with bipolar disorder, Alison Bowden from Oregon State University created an app to help manage the daily challenges of living with mental illness. She co-founded Wellio with Houston Morgan from Arizona State University.