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› 2020 › 2020
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Peters Named CEE’s Distinguished Alumni
During CEE’s 2020 Alumni Awards reception, Catherine Peters (CE ’90 and '92) was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award. The award recognizes CEE alumni who have one or more major achievements that have improved the work of professional engineers or have improved people’s lives in some way.
Monday, December 14, 2020
CEE Annual Alumni Awards Goes Virtual to Highlight Graduates’ Successes
For the first time in CEE’s history, our annual alumni awards went virtual! Dave Dzombak, Hamerschlag University Professor and CEE department head, hosted a virtual celebration honoring some of the best and brightest alums for their contributions and work. After accepting their awards, the winners answered questions submitted by current students, focusing on everything from work/life balance to overcoming bumps in a career path.
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Lai Builds Location-Specific Climate Forecasting Tools for Engineers
Yuchuan Lai recently completed his PhD studies remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lai’s second paper, co-written with his advisor Professor Dave Dzombak, “Use of the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) Model to Forecast Near-Term Regional Temperature and Precipitation,” was recently published in the AMS Journal of Weather and Forecasting.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Hendrickson Receives 2020 Torrens Award
The Subcommittee on Technical Advancement announced that Hamerschlag University Professor Emeritus Chris Hendrickson is the recipient of the 2020 Richard R. Torrens Award for outstanding performance as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Transportation Engineering: Part A, Systems. This journal focuses on technical and professional engineering articles on the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of air, highway, rail, and urban transportation systems and infrastructure.
Monday, November 09, 2020
Electricity For All
CEE/EPP’s Destenie Nock led a study outlining a more equitable model of electricity planning in developing regions like Liberia.
Wednesday, November 04, 2020
Bielak Elected as Honorary Member of EERI
Hamerschlag University Professor Emeritus Jacobo Bielak has recently been named as an Honorary Member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
Wednesday, November 04, 2020
Alum Helps Organizations Construct the Workplace of Tomorrow
As Carnegie Mellon alum Harvey Beckham, P.E. (CE and EPP ’90), left his office in March of 2020, everyone around him was also departing. His colleagues were preparing to work from home in response to COVID-19, but Beckham was preparing for something more. Before the pandemic began, he had decided to launch his own business, GPS Partners, offering conception-to-completion project advising services in commercial real estate construction and design.
Tuesday, November 03, 2020
CEE and Coronavirus Research
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an unprecedented wave of research among investigators across varied disciplines. At Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, faculty are looking into detection and treatment methods as well as socio-economic impacts.
Monday, November 02, 2020
CEE Introduces Undergraduate Environmental Engineering Program
For decades, environmental engineering courses have been a cornerstone of the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program at Carnegie Mellon, a program that has consistently been named among the best in the nation for studying environmental engineering. In Fall 2021, CEE will be starting a new BS in Environmental Engineering degree program that will continue to grow this legacy.
A Home for Innovation & Collaboration
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
A Home for Innovation & Collaboration
The second level of Porter Hall, last renovated in 1994, is now a newly-remodeled 6000 square-foot facility. It features a spacious layout that highlights the building’s original brick walls and natural light, flowing through arched windows.
The Multidisciplinary Way
Thursday, October 22, 2020
The Multidisciplinary Way
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, Michele Blazek (CEE/EPP BS ’87) and her team at Stanford Health Care jumped into action to keep their staff safe and their patients cared for—all while creatively tackling the challenges of limited space and personal protective equipment.
Ken-Opurum Awarded Business Case Award
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Ken-Opurum Awarded Business Case Award
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) awarded Bobuchi Ken-Opurum, PhD Candidate in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Management (AECM), the Business Case Award at the annual Climate Corps Summit.
Babaei Identifies Lipid Rafts as Way COVID-19 Invades Cells
Tuesday, October 06, 2020
Babaei Identifies Lipid Rafts as Way COVID-19 Invades Cells
As the coronavirus pandemic continues its march across the globe, researchers—including CEE Professor Kaushik Dayal and recent graduate Mahnoush Babaei—are discovering new information that could help to fight the disease in the future. Their work examined how viruses utilize what they call lipid rafts to change the walls of human cells.
Two CEE Students Named Andrew Carnegie Scholars
Monday, September 21, 2020
Two CEE Students Named Andrew Carnegie Scholars
Seniors Valentina Ortiz de Zárate and Ryan Rusali have been named as Andrew Carnegie Scholars. ACS Scholars are selected each year by their deans and department heads to represent their class in service and leadership.
Provost Garrett Elected to National Academy of Construction
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Provost Garrett Elected to National Academy of Construction
Provost and Chief Academic Officer for Carnegie Mellon University, James H. Garrett, Jr., the Thomas Lord Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-director of the Pennsylvania Smart Infrastructure Institute, has been selected for membership into the National Academy of Construction (NAC).
Rounce Joins CEE Faculty
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Rounce Joins CEE Faculty
David Rounce recently joined CEE as an assistant professor. For the past three years, he’s worked on an open-source global glacier evolution model to improve projections of glacier mass change and runoff. The opportunity to continue his research and help to develop the next generation of engineers motivates Rounce in his new chapter at CEE. “The department excels at seamlessly weaving together world-class science with societal applications,” he states.
Jones Named Steinbrenner Institute and Heinz Presidential Fellow
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Jones Named Steinbrenner Institute and Heinz Presidential Fellow
Jones is a dual degree PhD. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon. He received his B.S. in Biological Engineering from the University of Florida in 2010 and his M.S. in Energy Science, Technology & Policy with a concentration in CEE from Carnegie Mellon in 2019. Jones is a certified middle school mathematics teacher, Teach for America alumnus and has several years of teaching experience in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Nanoparticles for Cleaner Water
Monday, August 17, 2020
Nanoparticles for Cleaner Water
For more than two decades, the material nanoscale zero valent iron (NZVI) has been used for groundwater remediation. It is a strong reductant that dechlorinates industrial solvents and reduces heavy metals in groundwater. However, it does not discriminate, also reacting with the water itself and reducing it to form hydrogen gas that fizzes away. Researchers throughout the field searched for a way to alter the material so it would react with water less and the contaminants more.
CEE Professor Samaras and Alum Francis Named to NASEM Committee
Wednesday, August 05, 2020
CEE Professor Samaras and Alum Francis Named to NASEM Committee
Wang Named Provost Inclusive Teaching Fellow at Eberly Center
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Wang Named Provost Inclusive Teaching Fellow at Eberly Center
Congratulations to CEE Assistant Professor Jerry Wang who has been selected as one of the 2020-2021 Provost’s Inclusive Teaching Fellows at the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation.
Shooting for the Moon: Making Smart Cities Ethical and Sustainable
Monday, July 06, 2020
Shooting for the Moon: Making Smart Cities Ethical and Sustainable
Mario Bergés is the Principal Investigator on the Autonomous Technologies for Livability and Sustainability initiative, which recently won funding from the CMU College of Engineering’s Moonshot 2020 competition. United by a bold vision, the initiative brings together people from across Engineering as well as Architecture, Computer Science, Philosophy, and Heinz College. The group will also partner with industry and local government as they develop and test theories, methodologies, and technologies to solve wide-ranging ethical and sustainability concerns around autonomous systems.
Engineered Nanoparticles Target Specific Structures on Plant Leaves
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Engineered Nanoparticles Target Specific Structures on Plant Leaves
Carnegie Mellon University’s Greg Lowry is creating nanoparticle (NP) coatings that will revolutionize the agricultural industry. His research has demonstrated that molecules, such as vital nutrients, coated with his team’s NPs can be applied to plants with 99 percent uptake efficiency. This is in stark contrast to current methods of delivery, in which as little as one percent of the desired molecules will actually enter the plant—the other 99 percent will drain into the surrounding environment.
Hegglin Challenges Norms and Brings a Fresh Perspective
Wednesday, May 06, 2020
Hegglin Challenges Norms and Brings a Fresh Perspective
Miriam Hegglin knew she would be one of few women on the ExxonMobil offshore oil platform to which she was assigned in 2016 as part of a program for new employees. But she was determined to learn as much as she could during the six-month assignment, and to earn through hard work the respect of the platform crew she was joining.
LoGrande Named DoD SMART Scholar
Monday, May 04, 2020
LoGrande Named DoD SMART Scholar
PhD student Kevin LoGrande was recently named a SMART (Science, Math, and Research for Transformation) Scholar by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). LoGrande will receive research and educational funding, a summer internship, and a guaranteed position with the DoD after graduation.
Choudhary’s Team Takes “Best Overall Design” in Rethink the Rink Competition
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Choudhary’s Team Takes “Best Overall Design” in Rethink the Rink Competition
Rethink the Rink is a week-long Make-a-thon that challenged students, including sophomore Dhruv Choudhary, to find solutions that provide hockey players with a greater range of motion and flexibility—while still providing appropriate coverage.
Serving the Community: Donating Cloth Masks to Essential Workers
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Serving the Community: Donating Cloth Masks to Essential Workers
Inspired to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic, two CEE students pulled out their sewing machines and quickly jumped into action to create cloth masks for others. Eliza Bell (CEE 2021) and Emma Clement (CEE 2023) have created and donated masks to friends, family, restaurant workers, grocery store workers, and even nursing home employees. Both found patterns online and found that after some practice, they could create masks in less than 20 minutes.
Flanigan to Join CEE Faculty in Fall 2020
Thursday, April 09, 2020
Flanigan to Join CEE Faculty in Fall 2020
Katherine Flanigan, who will join CEE’s faculty this fall, was attracted to the university thanks to its philosophical discussions surrounding the identity and role of the civil and environmental engineers in a changing world. “The growing needs of society are changing the ways in which we carry out research and train students to serve the common good,” she says. “CEE is one of the first programs to rigorously embrace these technological advancements in both its research and curriculum.”
ANSYS HALL: A Creative Epicenter
Wednesday, April 08, 2020
ANSYS HALL: A Creative Epicenter
Fully opened in October 2019 as part of the College of Engineering’s larger maker ecosystem known as TechSpark, ANSYS Hall is a great boon for CEE courses. “What I can do with students just got bigger,” says Jim Thompson, who teaches the 12-401 Civil & Environmental Engineering Design capstone course.
Farrell Competes in Jeopardy 2020 College Championship
Friday, April 03, 2020
Farrell Competes in Jeopardy 2020 College Championship
Emma Farrell, a senior majoring in civil and environmental engineering and history, bested over 18,000 applicants to earn one of the 15 competitor spots in the Jeopardy 2020 College Championship.
Wall Premieres Film Festival Winning Documentary in Pittsburgh
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Wall Premieres Film Festival Winning Documentary in Pittsburgh
Mary Wall’s (CEE ’98) career path has taken her in a direction she may not have expected. While at CMU, she minored in Creative Writing and Spanish to balance out the intensity of her engineering courses. She soon discovered a love for visual storytelling. Today, she’s preparing to premiere her first movie in Pittsburgh—a documentary titled The Fan Connection. The film has already been named the Audience Award Winner of the 2019 Buffalo International Film Festival and an official selection of the 2019 Film Festival of Columbus.
Lee Awarded Fok Presidential Fellowship
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Lee Awarded Fok Presidential Fellowship
PhD candidate Daryn Lee has recently been awarded a Thomas and Maria Fok Presidential Fellowship. Lee earned her undergraduate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley. She is co-advised by professors Sean Qian and Costa Samaras and her research focuses on developing reliable methods to evaluate the accessibility and equity impacts of transportation projects and optimizing transportation improvements in low-access areas.
Hegde Presents Data Privacy Paper at 2020 TRB Conference
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Hegde Presents Data Privacy Paper at 2020 TRB Conference
CEE senior Sharika Hegde’s 2019 summer internship at the Federal Highway Administration’s Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory not only allowed her to work with connected and automated vehicles—it sparked her interest in the data privacy implications of connected vehicle data logs.
Leech Awarded ESWP Metcalf Award
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Leech Awarded ESWP Metcalf Award
CEE Adjunct and alumnus Thomas Leech, PE, SE (BS '69) was honored with the ESWP 2020 William Metcalf Award at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) awards dinner on February 6th.
Katti Awarded Miller Presidential Fellowship
Friday, February 07, 2020
Katti Awarded Miller Presidential Fellowship
PhD candidate Radhika Katti has recently been awarded a Ruth Furman Miller and David H. Miller Presidential Fellowship in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Stein Wins George Washington Prize
Friday, February 07, 2020
Stein Wins George Washington Prize
CEE/EPP senior Simone Stein was awarded the George Washington Prize at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania awards dinner on February 6. The honor is presented yearly to a College of Engineering senior who demonstrates qualities of academic excellence, service, and leadership.
Wang Awarded Smith Fellowship
Wednesday, February 05, 2020
Wang Awarded Smith Fellowship
Advised by Professor Pingbo Tang, Yanyu Wang uses simulators to model air traffic to better understand accidents on the runway as well as take-off and landing.
Martinez Awarded Fok Presidential Fellowship
Tuesday, February 04, 2020
Martinez Awarded Fok Presidential Fellowship
Martinez, co-advised by professors Sean Qian, Costa Samaras, and Scott Matthews and is focused on analyze changes which would result from America's public transportation transitioning to an autonomous, electric bus fleet.
Using AI to Detect Energy Waste
Monday, February 03, 2020
Using AI to Detect Energy Waste
Liu’s decision to work in asset management was in service of improving the Artificial Intelligence (AI) software he had spent years developing with Burcu Akinci, the Paul Christiano Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Associate Dean for Research. That software, now offered through Liu and Akinci’s 2016 CEE spinoff LeanFM Technologies, provides facilities managers with the means to analyze data collected from existing sensors to identify, diagnose, and eliminate energy waste in their building’s HVAC systems due to faults. LeanFM is a PropTech, a company uses information technology for the real estate industry.
Wei Awarded the Liang Ji-Dian Graduate Fellowship
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Wei Awarded the Liang Ji-Dian Graduate Fellowship
PhD candidate Yujie Wei has been awarded the Liang Ji-Dian Graduate Fellowship. Wei, who is advised by professor Burcu Akinci and is focused on using unstructured visual data, such as images captured by cellphones and tablets, to reconstruct a semantically rich 3D model of construction sites. These will be used for providing accurate as-built information to support change documentation, progress monitoring, and facility management.
Sainarayanan Awarded the Parnika ACS Legacy Fellowship
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Sainarayanan Awarded the Parnika ACS Legacy Fellowship
MS student Sadhana Sainarayanan has been awarded the Parnika ACS Legacy Fellowship. Sainarayanan, who is in the Engineering & Technology Innovation Management Master's Program, is advised by professor Scott Matthews. Currently, she is working to developing traffic color light detection from dash-cam video streams by creating ground-truth labels for traffic colors and trains aggregated channel features to to detect the traffic light colors in live dash-cam videos.
Divergent Path: Joining Engineering and Creativity
Friday, January 24, 2020
Divergent Path: Joining Engineering and Creativity
Jolita Mo (CEE BS ’13, MS ’14) works as a product designer with online high-end retailer Net-A-Porter. Her job allows her to merge both her engineering and analytical skills, with her passion for design
Ibekwe Awarded Miller Presidential Fellowship
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Ibekwe Awarded Miller Presidential Fellowship
PhD candidate Uwakmfon Ibekwe has recently been awarded a Ruth Furman Miller and David H. Miller Presidential Fellowship in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from the College of Engineering and the University.
Katti Awarded Miller Presidential Fellowship
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Katti Awarded Miller Presidential Fellowship
PhD candidate Radhika Katti has recently been awarded a Ruth Furman Miller and David H. Miller Presidential Fellowship in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from the College of Engineering and the University.
Jacobs Retires after 32 Years of Service
Monday, January 13, 2020
Jacobs Retires after 32 Years of Service
In 1987, Dr. Alan Jacobs stood in front of a Carnegie Mellon CEE class for the first time, sharing his geology expertise with Dr. Paul Christiano’s Foundation Engineering course. Each year and under different professors, Jacobs returned to speak, even after moving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Youngstown, Ohio. Eventually, that geology course module evolved into a full course offered twice a year at CEE and taught by Jacobs and James Kilburg in alternating semesters. Now, after 33 years of service, Jacobs is retiring from the CEE Department, grateful for the experiences he’s had here and the joy he’s gained from teaching.
Modeling Excellence, Chatterjee Brings Skills and Collaboration to Engineering Solutions
Wednesday, January 08, 2020
Modeling Excellence, Chatterjee Brings Skills and Collaboration to Engineering Solutions
When people comment on Sumon Chatterjee’s strong computational and modeling skills, he sees it as much a comment on what he learned at CEE as on his own innate abilities.
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