Zach's blog on environmental engineering

Today I plan to talk about La Niña and how the switch from El Niño to La Niña this upcoming winter is going to affect the US. The weather phases, El Niño and La Niña, are warm and cool phases of climate across the tropical Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide. During La Niña, the Northern part of the US experiences wetter and colder climates, while the Southern part of the US experiences warmer and dryer winter months. Below is a picture of the temperature outlook for this upcoming 2025-2026 winter. 

In today’s article, I’ll talk about a research paper I discovered to learn more about planetary-boundary frameworks and land-use risk, which ties into environmental engineering’s broader context. Reading the article “Earth’s Safe Zones Are Vanishing Fast” (06 Sep 2025) helps me prepare for thinking about large-scale system boundaries, sustainability, and how engineering solutions fit in. The paper discusses how human demands on land have pushed much of Earth outside its safe biosphere zone.

In today’s article, I’ll talk about a research paper I discovered to learn more about rooftop green infrastructure, which fits nicely with my environmental-engineering interests. Reading the article “Annual greenhouse gas fluxes from a thin-layer rooftop lawn” (published 07 Aug 2025) helps me prepare for my internship and future projects connecting engineering and sustainable systems. The paper discusses greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from a shallow rooftop lawn system.

In today's post I will be talking about my trip to the Philippines for my internship with Comfac Corporation. I spent six weeks in the Philippines for an internship with Comfac Corp. and to write a research paper about Comfac's plant, Cornersteel Systems, and their new project of creating a photobioreactor to minimize carbon emissions. During my trip I met and discussed Cornersteel's project with local university professors and PhD students while experiencing the full extent of the Philippines through visiting underprivileged communities and the wildlife in the island's diverse ecosystem. Below, I'll summarize my vacation to the Philippines, including both the employment and the exploring aspects.

In today's article, I'll talk about a research paper I discovered to learn more about photobioreactors, which is required for my internship. Reading the article The design and performance of a low-cost, automated, large-scale photobioreactor for microalgae production will help me prepare for my internship at Comfac Systems Corp., who is developing a photobioreactor for their factory. The paper discusses the use of Tetraselmis chuii as the algae for the photobioreactor.

This month I will be reviewing the LA fires, devastating wildfires that have killed 25 people, displaced 100,000, and caused tens of billions of dollars in damages. Looking at the BU article How and Why the LA Wildfires Grew So Fast—and Lessons for the Future, I will be briefly covering the LA fires summarizing the main details about the event.

In this post I will be talking about my latest activity with the Fair Haven Green Team, Love Where You Live Day. The team and I set this up to celebrate the town and support local businesses. People from around the town came to the event, which had live music and many local businesses that were there to promote their work. While many local residents were walking around, I got many to sign a pledge to help better the environment to help Fair Haven. Activities like biking more or using recyclable water bottles are what people would pledge to do, and with enough signatures, Fair Haven gains points from the state, which can be awarded for grants. 

In this post I will reviewing another method of carbon capture other than an algae bioreactor. A Monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent is another project which focuses on the capture of carbon emissions. It intends to capture the CO2 from diesel ovens and the flue gas exhausted by the power plant in order absorb pure CO2 and store it.

This month I will be reviewing an article on FAU's new technology which prevents harmful algal blooms. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing globally, driven largely by high nitrogen-to-phosphorus (N:P) ratios in water bodies, making phosphorus a key contributor. FAU researchers attempted to solve this issue by removing the phosphorus from the water. 

In this post I will be examining an article on how scientists found a new way in which phytoplankton are involved in the ocean's cycling and storage of carbon. The article writes about MIT scientists and their discovery of how the phytoplankton, Prohlorococcus, contributes to the ocean's nutrient cycles by cross-feeding DNA building blocks to other microbes.

This month I will be researching bioreactors, a device or system designed to support and control biological processes by providing a controlled environment with specific conditions. The article, Design and Construction of a Low-Cost compressive Loading and Perfusion Flow Bioreactor, highlights the bioreactor's functionality, design, flow system, and data acquisition.

This month, I will be researching aquaculture, the practice of cultivation aquatic organisms for commercial recreational or research purposes. The article, Towards a Low-Carbon Footprint: Current Status and Prospects for Aquaculture, reviews the potential to lower CO2 emissions by aquaculture and the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in aquaculture.