They have been described as the water towers of the world, and with good reason.

Picture a Northern California vineyard, rows of grapevines bathed in morning fog, workers hand-thinning vines, exposing them to sunlight, and the slow rhythm of the seasons guiding each harvest.

The rise in wildfires globally brings into sharp focus how such disasters increasingly threaten our health and security. One question many people ask is how poor air quality could be harming their health.

Shortly after the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out in Los Angeles Jan. 7, 2025, engineers from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering mobilized across burn zones to support recovery efforts and implement immediate mitigation strategies, including field reconnaissance, soil and water testing and infrastructure mapping.

A University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher will share her work on applying new technologies in greenhouses to extend the growing season in northern environments.

In the aftermath of historically severe wildfires in 2020, a study of Cascade Range watersheds found that stream vertebrates are doing surprising well, highlighted by flourishing fish populations.

A new study co-led by the University of Oxford has found that global aviation emissions could be reduced by 50-75% through combining three strategies to boost efficiency: flying only the most fuel-efficient aircraft, switching to all-economy layouts, and increasing passenger loads. Crucially, the study shows that around a 11% reduction in global aviation emissions is achievable immediately, by using the most efficient aircraft that airlines already have more strategically on routes they already fly.

Industrial waste, dyes and chemicals all potentially pollute our waters.

Evaporative cooling is far from new – it has been used to cool living spaces and drinking water for centuries – but the Matter of Tech Lab at Cornell Tech has come up with a new way to deploy an old idea.

Artificial intelligence is getting more powerful – but it’s also racking up a massive energy bill.