Mikhail Chester, Fulton Schools assistant professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering, wants to help the Phoenix metro area avoid some of the infrastructure problems being faced by major urban regions such as the Los Angeles area. Narayanan Neithalath, also an assistant professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering, is trying to find cost-effective ways of providing new materials to enable reduced use of conventional cement and its problematic environmental consequences. Jeffrey La Belle, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is leading research to produce wearable monitors that provide people vital — and possibly life-saving — real-time information about their physical conditions.