On any given day, the College of Engineering’s diverse and dedicated faculty members produce significant research contributions through peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books and book chapters. Learn more about those contributions in this month’s Faculty Research Roundup. If you would like your work to be included in a future roundup, submit your research here.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Stefan Talke

Civil and environmental engineering Professor Stefan Talke and his colleagues recently published the article "Human Footprint on Estuarine Tidal Hydrodynamics" in Nature Geoscience. The research examines how human activity — such as channel deepening, dam construction and land reclamation — has significantly altered tidal dynamics across 25 major estuaries worldwide. In some locations, tidal range has more than doubled over the past century, increasing coastal communities' vulnerability to extreme storms and flooding. 

Mechanical Engineering

Benjamin Lutz

Mechanical engineering associate professor Benjamin Lutz and his colleagues recently published the article “Exploring Patterns in Engineering Brainstorming Conversations by Combining Discourse Analysis and Statistical Methods” in Studies in Engineering Education. The research analyzes patterns in engineering brainstorming conversations and is based on a Cal Poly master’s thesis project.