The CBBG ERC focuses on “nature-compatible” approaches to boosting the resiliency of civil infrastructure, improving the effectiveness of environmental protection and ecological restoration methods, and developing ways to make infrastructure construction and natural resource development operations more sustainable. CBBG’s researchers will conduct basic research to understand biological processes that act in the ground, including the action of bacteria, plants and animals. The Center will develop ways to directly use naturally occurring bacteria to strengthen the soil, to mitigate against earthquake-induced liquefaction, and clean up polluted sites. It will also use methods inspired by biological processes to design more efficient tunneling processes, foundations and sensors that can penetrate the ground and travel to desired locations. The expected benefits of this research will be less costly construction of civil infrastructure with reduced energy and material use and less environmental degradation.