Environmental engineering

The $4.3 million gift from Kiewit Corporation and Bruce Grewcock ’76 will grow Mines’ Construction Engineering program and industry impact.

PFAS contamination is one of today’s most persistent environmental challenges, and researchers at the Colorado School of Mines are leading the fight to clean it up. Through advanced PFAS research, Dr. Chris Higgins and his team study how these “forever chemicals” move through soil and water, develop cutting-edge cleanup technologies, and collaborate with communities to restore safe drinking water.

Moore Foundation backs Mines research turning municipal waste into biochar concrete, cutting carbon emissions from landfills and cement production.

As part of Colorado's 150th anniversary celebrations in 2026, a team of Colorado School of Mines students will be resurveying the famed Mile High Marker on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

Reza Hedayat, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Mines, sees mine tailings — the material left over from everyday mining operations — not as waste and a growing environmental concern but an opportunity.

Mines experts explain wildfire impact from emergency notification to debris flows to snowpack loss, highlighting post-fire recovery.

The Mines Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem is supporting Mines-grown research that is ready to launch from the lab through the new Faculty Startup Fellowship, which give Mines professors course relief and support from Beck Venture Center to commercialize their technologies.

The Center for Mining Sustainability will fund four new research projects focused on rare earth minerals, aquifer management, nature-based water treatment and the repurposing of mine tailings.

Mooney was honored for “his significant contributions to tunnel and earthwork construction technology, process improvement, and recognized leadership in underground construction research, education and outreach.”