HIDDEN CURRENTS

Scientists/Artists: Jorge Vargas Lara, Felipe Carreño, Hamidreza Khoshtarash, Eleanor Fadely, Jasquelin Peña, Verónica Morales
​
This piece reveals the intricate pathways that groundwater follows as it weaves through the nooks and crannies of soil and rock. Understanding these hidden currents is key to predicting contaminant spread and designing effective remediation strategies.
​
Water Resources

CARBON EXPORT AFTER THER FIRE

Scientists/Artists: Sarah H Hirschey, Jasquelin Peña

In late summer 2021, the Caldor Fire ignited more than 240,000 acres, including the headwaters of the Cosumnes River. In partnership with concerned citizen scientist volunteers at the American River Conservancy, our group is comparing the post-fire stream chemistry with historical data. When wildfire occurs, carbon-rich organic matter builds up on the surrounding hillslopes until precipitation ushers it into the stream. This chronology of photographs, provided by our citizen scientist team, is overlaid with the dissolved organic carbon load exported over time, depicting the recovery of the resilient Cosumnes Watershed.

Environmental Engineering

CONCRETE REINVENTED

Scientists/Artists:  Elisabeth Van Roijen, Seth Kane, Sabbie Miller

Image of concrete blocks. Discover a trio of novel concrete mixtures that push sustainable building to new heights. One mixture eliminates cement entirely, slashing CO2 emissions. Another captures carbon by incorporating energy waste products, while the third blends in organic materials to enhance both insulation and carbon storage. By tackling carbon footprints head-on, these forward-thinking materials promise a more resilient and eco-friendly future for construction.

Structures

EYES IN THE SKY: ALGAE RESEARCH AT LAKE TAHOE

Scientists/Artists: Adrianne Smits, Brandon Berry

Image of Lake Tahoe shoreline, as captured from pictures taken by helicopter flights. TERC researchers use images captured from helicopters and drones to estimate the amount of algae in the lake and track how it changes seasonally. This data is shared with local management agencies to make science-informed policy decisions.

Water Resources

FORCE TRANSMISSION INSIDE SOIL

Scientists/Artists: Damon Nguyen, Alejandro Martinez Vela

This simulation shows a triaxial compression test on sand, where a soil sample is squeezed under pressure until it fails. The model represents soil grains as spheres that transfer forces when they touch. These forces create "force chains," which carry most of the load, especially in the vertical direction. The thick, light-blue lines show stronger forces.

When soil supports weight, like a building, the load does not spread evenly. Instead, force travels through specific paths of connected particles. The formation of these force chains depends on factors like particle shape, size, material, and how the load is applied.

Geotechnical Engineering

GO STALK SHEDDING SALT

Scientists/Artists: Casey De Finnda

The GO Stalk is a graphene-oxide-based material that harnesses the energy in sunlight toward the vaporization of salty wastewater (known as brine), leaving behind crystallized salt. This material can dramatically reduce the area required for evaporation ponds that are traditionally used to manage brines from municipal and industrial operations, while providing opportunities to harvest salts for a circular economy.

Environmental Engineering

LAMINAR FLOW IN A TURBULENT WORLD

Scientists/Artists: Alex Forrest

Laminar flow is the silent grace of a fluid moving in perfect uniformity—smooth, predictable, and undisturbed. Yet, even in the most controlled environments, turbulence lurks beneath the surface. In this simple experiment, a drop of dye reveals the delicate balance between order and chaos, shedding light on an invisible force that shapes our world. Just as fluid resists disruption, so too must we find resilience in the face of life’s inevitable turbulence.

Water Resources

NATURE'S MOST POWERFUL MINEARAL

Scientists/Artists: Gaitan Gehin, Jasquelin Peña

Manganese oxides are potent oxidizers and effective adsorbents of contaminants. These minerals are produced by bacteria. This microscope image shows that biomineralization occurs at the surface of the bacteria, but not all bacteria participate in the process (left). Using genetically modified organisms, we track which individual bacteria participate in the precipitation of these minerals (right), providing insights into the social interactions between bacteria and their coordinated efforts to produce highly reactive minerals.

Environmental Engineering

PORE-SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL REACTIONS

Scientists/Artists: Eleanor Fadely, Jasquelin Peña

Biofilms—communities of bacteria—can trap metals from water, transforming their environment. This artwork presents a biofilm growing among sand grains, as seen through different imaging techniques. Each panel highlights a unique perspective: the biofilm itself, the minerals it captures, and a digital analysis of its structure. By combining these views, we can infer the biogeochemical processes at play, uncovering how microbial life shapes its surroundings.

Environmental Engineering

ROCK DISSOLUTION

Scientists/Artists: Jaclyn Nguyen, Kimberly Jimenez, Verónica Morales

Images of three classic rock dissolution patterns as acidified water is injected into a reservoir formation deep underground. The native rock is shown in white and black marks the areas dissolved. Controlling how rocks dissolve is central to engineering applications like energy production and carbon storage.

Water Resources

SOLID, VAPOR, SOLID

Scientists/Artists: Holly Oldroyd

Hoar frost on the guy wires that support our flux tower at Sagehen Creek field station. The flux tower instruments measure evapo-sublimation, which is the combination of evaporation, water to vapor, and sublimation solid to vapor. Water vapor in the air comes from the snow surface. Moist air can then freeze on cold surfaces and to form beautiful ice crystals called hoar frost.

Water Resources

STEEL TUNED MASS DAMPER

Scientists/Artists: Boris Jeremic

Massive heavy weight suspended on springs and dampers inside a skyscraper in Singapore. This structure was designed to reduce vibrations and sway caused by wind or seismic activity by counteracting building motion in the opposite direction of the sway.

Structures

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

Scientists/Artists: John Roy Akumu, Kari E Watkins

Taken from a 21-passenger matatu in Mombasa, Kenya, this photo captures a long-distance matatu and a tuk-tuk—key modes of transport that, along with walking, make up most daily trips. Research on travel behavior and mobility options aim to find more sustainable solutions for transportation and alternatives to driving.

Transportation

THE END OF THE EARTH

Scientists/Artists: Chris Cappa

Middle of Nowhere - Sometimes research takes you to the ends of the Earth. Like with the 2008 ICEALOT campaign, when we traveled via ship to the high Arctic to characterize the impact of pollution on sea ice.

Environmental Engineering

A WINTER INSIDE LOOK AT LAKE TAHOE

Scientists/Artists: Julie Critchfield

During the winter, Lake Tahoe's water layers mix more easily due to a weak temperature difference between the surface and deeper water. Strong winds and cold air can stir the lake, mixing the water from top to bottom. In the 2024 winter storms, high winds increased water velocity, shown in turquoise blue. The cold storm air also cooled the lake, with the drop in water temperature shown in magenta throughout the water column.

Water Resources