CEE Magazine fall 2020 by Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

CEE

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The Grainger College of Engineering University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Fall 2020

Still together, six feet apart Modernization donors tell their stories Alumni news and features

VISIT THE CEE MODERNIZATION WEBSITE modernize.cee.illinois.edu Read the latest news about the plan to modernize Illinois CEE, support the project, learn about named spaces, and scroll through our photo archives.

CEE

The CEE magazine is published twice a year for alumni and friends of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Albert J. Valocchi Professor and Interim Head Celeste Bock Senior Director of Advancement Operations Kristina Shidlauski Associate Director of Communications Vicki Dixon Associate Director of Operations Katya Trubitsyna Strategic Data Manager Keely K. Ashman Coordinator of Alumni and Corporate Relations Sheree Eyestone Office Manager

CEE Magazine Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The Grainger College of Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1201 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory MC-250 205 North Mathews Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61801 (217) 333-6955 celeste@illinois.edu Cover: The Quintessential Engineer statue in the quad outside Newmark Lab, outfitted for the pandemic. Photo by Brian Stauffer cee.illinois.edu

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Connections/Albert J. Valocchi

History and transformation/Paula Pienton

Modernization update 10 First-floor spaces

14 Second-floor spaces 18 Third-floor spaces 23 Basement spaces 26 Smart Bridge named spaces 29 Top 10 reasons to give to the Modernization 30

Q&A: Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, US Army Corps of Engineers

CEE job fair goes virtual

Remembering Illinois: Dhruti Patel

Starting your career during COVID-19/Katie Bell

Milhouse, Wood named Distinguished Alumni

New faculty chairs, professors, scholars and fellows

New CEE Head Ana Barros to start in February

Student orgs persevere during pandemic

Infographic: U of I’s innovative COVID-19 testing explained

Parting shot: Don’t forget to smize

43 Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 3

CEEAA Board of Directors

President Paula C. Pienton, P.E., S.E., (BS 85) T.Y. Lin International Group Chicago

New research shows that slight deviations from a perfect design would impact the functionality of origami-inspired metamaterials, of interest for use in engineering applications.

Vice President David L. Byrd (BS 01, MS 06) Blinderman Construction Chicago Second Vice President and Secretary Dana B. Mehlman, P.E., (BS 99, MS 01) Vedder Price Chicago

Check out these and other stories at

uCEE.ILLINOIS.EDU/NEWS

Past President John P. Kos, P.E., (BS 77) H.W. Lochner Inc. Chicago Directors Nick Canellis (BS 94) Forge Projects Chicago Kimberly Cummins (BS 98) Cummins Engineering Corporation Springfield, Ill. John E. Conroyd, P.E., S.E., (BS 83, MS 85) AECOM Hunt Construction Chicago Kevin C. Fuhr (BS 96) Hanson Professional Services Chicago James K. Klein, P.E., S.E., (BS 78) Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick Inc. Springfield

Justin R. Lewis, P.E. (BS 07, MS 08) Keller Chicago

A new joint research center with Zheijiang University in Haining, China – the Center for Infrastructure Resilience in Cities as Livable Environments (CIRCLE) – will focus on the resilience of cities against natural and humanmade disasters.

Michael J. Mack (BS 89) Burns & McDonnell Downer’s Grove, Ill. Andrew J. Martin Greeley and Hansen LLC Chicago Douglas S. Pelletier (BS 95) Fermi Research Alliance LLC Batavia, Ill. Katherine Pripusich-Sienkiewicz (BS 03, MS 13) Fermilab Batavia, Ill.

new seminar series cou Asponsored by UIUC and CEE research group has been awarded u Aa grant to study electric vehicle community charging hubs for residents of multi-unit dwellings who don’t have reliable access to home charging infrastructure. 4

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the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety will focus on promoting research and collaborations in the field of tornado science and engineering.

Robert Risser (BS 87, MS89) Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Chicago David A. Schoenwolf, P.E., (BS 77, MS 78) Haley & Aldrich Inc. McLean, Virginia Richard Sieracki (BS 74) The Kenrich Group LLC Chicago Michael Vitale, P.E., (BS 82, MS 84) Mott MacDonald Cleveland, Ohio Daniel J. Whalen, P.E., (BS 84, MS 85) Hanson Professional Services Inc. Springfield

Connections By Albert J. Valocchi Abel Bliss Professor and Interim Head As I write this, my attention is diverted by the vivid autumn colors I see across our campus. The changing colors that accompany our fall semester are one of the few experiences which remain the same during this unusual year. Our students are here, but less visible as they attend some classes remotely and gather in small groups. The fall colors, however, are on full display. I continue to serve the department as Interim Head during these challenging times for academia. Since my first column, which appeared in the summer issue, the department and campus have made great progress toward meeting our goals for top quality instruction, research and outreach. Despite the limitations we have imposed to manage the pandemic, we have remained connected in meaningful ways here on campus and beyond. I expect that many of you know about our truly impressive COVID-19 screening infrastructure, consisting of an innovative saliva test developed by UIUC researchers, testing sites across campus, and the Safer Illinois cell phone app used by students, faculty and staff to monitor and display their status for entry to campus buildings. Our efforts have garnered considerable attention and praise in the national media. In the last week of August, 20 percent of all COVID-19 tests performed in Illinois were done on our Urbana campus. On any given day, 1.5 percent of all COVID-19 tests in the nation are done on campus. The mandatory testing program enabled the campus to rapidly identify and control an early surge of cases shortly after the start of the semester, thereby allowing a return to hybrid teaching. I am pleased to report that our laboratory research activities are operating at full capacity, that we were able to offer about half of our fall semester classes with some in-person experiences, and that our student organizations are ramping up. Despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, I am happy to report an exciting milestone in the CEE Modernization Phase II renovation of the Hydrosystems Laboratory. We had a true “bridge raising” the weekend of October 17, with the placement of the steel framing and cables of the Kavita and Lalit Bahl Smart Bridge (photo on page 27 of this issue.) As far as I know, CEE at Illinois will be the only Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with its own smart

bridge! Our smart bridge will become one of the iconic structures on campus. While literally connecting the Hydrosystems and Newmark labs, the bridge will also figuratively connect all the sub-disciplines of CEE. On a practical note, I will not miss dashing across Main Street from the Hydro lab to my lecture room in Newmark on cold winter mornings! And while I will appreciate the protection from the elements, I hope that the bridge will give all who traverse its span a moment to reflect on the societal benefits of our work as engineers, and our shared goal of improving communities through our profession. We are in the final stages of construction for the project. We could not have come this far without the generosity and support of CEE alumni and friends. We could not have accomplished so much without the vision, energy and dedication of Benito Mariñas. But we have not yet crossed the finish line! Please see Benito’s message on page 8 about the importance of your support, and on the following pages see messages from donors who are supporting the named spaces – many of which still need funding to cross the finish line. As a long-term CEE faculty member, I have experienced and appreciated the tremendous impact of your gifts on the lives and education of our students – another critical connection for which we are deeply grateful. Your continued gifts to support scholarships and endowed professorships have helped us attract the best and brightest students and to attract, retain and recognize exceptional faculty scholars. Speaking of professorships, you will see in this issue that we have had a banner year, and you will note that some of the professorships are named after distinguished former CEE faculty who have had an impact on generations of students. The CEE Modernization Phase I – the Yeh Student Center, funded entirely by private gifts – had an immediate and profound impact on the daily life of our students and faculty. The more ambitious Modernization Phase II will expand the scope of benefit for our department and our students. As a faculty member, I understand the many ways that the Modernization Phase II project will be a game changer for the department. Because of this, I am honored and proud to join with my spouse, Anne Silvis, to give to the project. We Continued on the next page

Despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, I am happy to report an exciting milestone in the CEE Modernization Phase II renovation of the Hydrosystems Laboratory. We had a true “bridge raising” the weekend of October 17.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 5

Connections Continued from page 5 have directed our gifts for two purposes. The first is to support the Ben Chie Yen Library and Distinguished Faculty Office on the third floor of the Hydrosystems Laboratory. As I wrote in my first column, I joined the Hydrosystems faculty nearly 40 years ago. I have considerable nostalgia for my former faculty colleagues and our old building with its iconic water tower. Without a doubt, I would not have made it through my early years as an assistant professor or the rigors of earning tenure without the friendship and honest mentoring of Professor Ben Chie Yen. While small in stature, he was a giant in the field of hydraulic engineering and hydrology. Unlike now, back when I started teaching, there was no formal mentoring program in the department and no engineering education academy at the college. Ben saw the panic in my eyes and came to my rescue. It also helped that those were the years prior to his marriage, so his nighttime working schedule synched well with that of a starting assistant professor. He was unfailingly kind, considerate and empathetic as I improved my teaching, organized a research agenda, and learned how to be a professor – as a teacher and researcher. It was a sad day when he died suddenly in December 2001. While those memories are from long ago, my gratitude still feels current. My gift is a personal connection back to a distinguished CEE faculty member, friend and mentor. This will also connect Ben’s legacy to our future distinguished faculty who are honored to have the office, and to all the students who benefit from the collection of historical reports and books in the library. Our second gift might seem unusual, but if we think of bringing our whole selves to our work and study, it does make sense. We are donating to purchase a piano for the collaboration space on the smart bridge. We hope that the piano will provide an opportunity for students to take a break from the usual routine of classroom work, lectures, homework and 6

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studying, and enjoy music for a few minutes, whether they are playing or listening. Maybe some of our faculty will join in. Anne and I sincerely hope that the piano and nearby space help students connect with one another and with faculty in new and different ways. Because of COVID-19, I am sorely missing face-to-face connections with colleagues and students, and I cannot wait to see the bridge bustling with students (and hear the piano!) When reflecting on our gift of the piano placed in the connecting bridge, I thought of another important connection – namely between the analytical/ methodical and artistic/creative, i.e., the so-called left and right sides of the brain. While we often place more value on the former as scientists and engineers, we can all agree that the best engineers are also creative. I had the opportunity to exercise the right side of my brain recently when I was asked to help select art to be installed in the new building. Our campus Art-in-Architecture program sets aside a small percentage of the budget of construction projects to purchase art for public spaces. This assignment turned out to be challenging and a lot of fun. It has been interesting to compare my preferences with the others on the selection committee. The building will showcase art that inspires us to see the world in different ways, expands our thinking, and helps us fulfill the mission of the department. Although we have spent much of this year “social distancing,” we are doing well in maintaining our most vital connections – within our families, within our campus community, and within the extended family of all of you – our alumni and friends. I look forward to the day when we can gather again in person – to teach and learn, and to celebrate the completion of our new building and Smart Bridge. In the meantime, know that your home department at Illinois considers you close at heart. i

In embracing the changing times and with an eye on meeting the future needs of our college, the department has also been busy transforming the space we recognize as home.

History and transformation By Paula Pienton, P.E., S.E. (BS 85) President, CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors The Fall issue of the Alumni News for the University of Illinois highlighted the 150th anniversary of the Illinois Industrial University (did you know that was the original name?) going “coed.” In this year celebrating women’s suffrage, I was fascinated to read the arguments for and against enrolling women into my alma mater. In 1870, the 14 female students admitted were allowed to study any of the course offerings, outside of “military science;” this included civil engineering. I was unaware that my opportunities were tied to the University’s first regent, John Milton Gregory, who cast the deciding vote on allowing women to study at the school. Though vocally against the idea and having voiced concern that it would “lower the school’s standards of scholarship,” Regent Gregory cast his vote in favor of allowing co-educational instruction to advance, for the future. (He ultimately became a champion of co-educational experiences.) What really fascinated me about the article, and many articles in alumni news publications, were the historical photos included. It fascinates me to imagine the campus as it was, not as it is (or was in my days on campus). I try to visualize the campus I knew in comparison to the images portrayed. The transformation of the Engineering campus from my days on campus is beyond words. Then, the Hydrosystems Lab and Newmark were the “newer” buildings north of Green. Strawberry Fields was in an older bungalow on Mathews Street and the baseball team held their matches in the open fields outside of Newmark Lab. The arrival of the Grainger Engineering Library occurred in my early years of involvement on the CEEAA Board and was the harbinger to dynamic changes north of Green.

The student body in CEE was a bit lean on women and minorities during my student experience as well, and the department’s focus on attracting and retaining this population through my years on the board has been met with success and improving percentages. By hiring more women professors and focusing on outreach to develop relationships between faculty and students, CEE has a model record of recognizing the need to embrace our full population and the contributions this can bring. The administration’s and faculty’s efforts for this are notable. In embracing the changing times and with an eye on meeting the future needs of our college, the department has also been busy transforming the space we recognize as home. The success of the Yeh Center addition can be witnessed on any visit to campus by the collaboration and networking observed in the study spaces and the activity that in ongoing well into the evening. The updates to labs and redefining space in Newmark has allowed for expanding staff and grant opportunities, and has allowed more students to engage in research. And now, the current modernization of the Hydrosystems Laboratory with the Smart Bridge connecting to Newmark Lab will present to the campus the connection between these buildings and the visionary approach the department has taken for the education of our future peers. A physical and visual representation of the relationships between disciplines in civil and environmental engineering to match the evolving curriculum is being realized and nearing completion. Prior to my joining the board, the planning for the Yeh Center was well underway. I perceived the donors for the project to be the “connected” alumni, not someone like me. I was wrong. Yes,

there was a namesake donation made, but it was the numerous donations of our many alumni that brought that project to fruition. I may have been late to the party, but knowing that I was able to pay it forward for the future of our industry brings a great sense of accomplishment when I am on campus. The Modernization affords all of us this unique opportunity again. Perhaps you are a recent graduate, not anxious to reminisce and return to campus, or perhaps you are many years in experience, but have not felt the call to come “home.” I offer you the perspective of the tomorrow you can support. Opportunities to support the Modernization Project remain, and all contributions are appreciated. While delayed by the pandemic, the project is well positioned to be completed in the coming months. Someday you may find yourself engaged in the Alumni Association and regret the missed opportunity. Don’t let that be your reality. Join your fellow alumni in paying it forward. On behalf of the CEEAA Board, I want to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Ana Barros, the new Donald Biggar Willett Chair of Engineering and the new Head and Professor of CEE, effective in February. How fitting that in this year, the department has selected the first woman to be named Head of the department. We look forward to working with you to maintain the reputation the department has built. While our social and networking activities remain suspended due to the pandemic, our outreach efforts to support students have evolved and continue. It is anticipated we will begin scheduling activities in 2021 and will respond quickly as gathering becomes safe again. Until then, we are considering ways to sponsor virtual programs to bring us together. Stay tuned for more information. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 7

M O D ER N IZ AT I O N

U P D A T E Named spaces, fundraising progress and how to help By Benito Mariñas Professor and Former Head Dear alumni and friends, When I stepped down as head eight months ago, I did not anticipate that I would be writing to you again in the CEE magazine. But as you know, 2020 has brought the world many unexpected developments. I write again today with a critical update about our CEE Modernization Project. When we planned this $32 million project five years ago, our department intended to fund $18M from CEE tuition dollars (at a rate of $2 million per year for nine years) the campus and the Grainger College of Engineering each pledged one-time contributions of $2 million, and the remaining $10 million would need to come from fundraising. However, unexpected developments in recent years have required a gradual change in our plan. Decreasing enrollments, exacerbated by the pandemic this year, will have a ripple effect in the coming years, lessening the number of tuition dollars that the department is able to devote to the Modernization project to $11 million, and increasing our fundraising target to $17 million. We embarked on the project knowing that success would depend greatly on the enduring generosity of CEE alumni and friends of the department, and our partner companies. You did not disappoint us. To date, fundraising has resulted in approximately $12.4 million in gifts and pledges. We are overwhelmed by your generosity and your commitment to support your home department at Illinois, and to honor faculty and alumni that impacted you during your time at Illinois 8

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We embarked on the project knowing that success would depend greatly on the enduring generosity of CEE alumni, our partner companies and friends of the department. You did not disappoint us. Please help us finish the work. and career thereafter. When I think back on the past several years of visiting our CEE alumni and friends all over the world to inspire gifts to this project, I realize it was the most rewarding phase of my career. Hearing your stories about your time at Illinois, hearing about the CEE professors and peer students who mentored you and influenced your careers, learning about the illustrious careers you have had as Illinois civil and environmental engineers — all of this has broadened my understanding of why our department has maintained its preeminence for so long. The Illinois spirit is indomitable. Now back to fundraising. Our final revised plan has $4.6 million remaining to be raised to fully fund the project. And so, one final time, with hope and gratitude, I ask you today: • If you have not yet made a gift to the project, please consider doing so. • If you have already made a gift, but could contribute more, please consider increasing your gift or pledge. • If you are a donor, please consider advocating for this project to inspire generosity among your fellow alumni and corporate gifts from your companies (taking advantage of your company’s match-

ing gift program if available to magnify the impact of personal gifts). • Please also consider making a pledge to the project as part of your estate planning. I look forward to seeing each and every one of our donors at the grand opening celebration, once it is safe to gather again. I am certain we will celebrate together soon, just as I was confident five years ago when we began fundraising that through the commitment and generosity of our CEE at Illinois alumni and friends, we could achieve this ambitious leap forward for civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois. I wish you all could see the beautiful new building and smart bridge taking shape just outside Newmark lab. It is a striking visual reminder of how much your generosity has done for the department and for the generations of CEE students who will pass through its halls. It is also a reminder that there is much work still to be done. You and I started this together five years ago when my visits, calls and emails asking for your help resulted in a resounding yes. Today I ask you, please do what you can to help us finish the work. Go Illini! i

modernize.cee.illinois.edu

l l l l l l l l l

New building in location of former Hydrosystems Lab 125 percent more square feet Four finished levels State-of-the-art classrooms Hands-on teaching laboratories Faculty and graduate student offices Collaboration and study areas Alumni welcome center Instrumented smart bridge connecting to Newmark Lab

The Grainger College of Engineering contribution $2 million UIUC campus contribution $2 million

Gifts and pledges from CEE alumni, companies and friends $12.4 million

CEE department contribution (tuition funds) $11 million

Naming opportunities still exist u Name the entire building for a gift of $16 million u Name one of two large laboratories in the basement u Name the large graduate office suite on the second floor For more• information about naming opportunities and to donate online, please visit the website: modernize.cee.illinois.edu. Have additional questions? Please contact: Benito Mariñas Professor, Former Head (217) 333-6961 marinas@illinois.edu

There are many reasons to give back to the institutions who

Project funding Gifts and pledges still needed to fully fund the project $4.6 million

By William A. Rettberg (BS 71) Concrete Canoe Display

Katya Trubitsyna Strategic Data Manager (217) 300-0194 katia@illinois.edu

Albert J. Valocchi Interim Head (217) 333-3176 valocchi@illinois.edu

taught you and inspired you, and leave a legacy to future generations of students and visitors. I was a junior taking professor Clyde Kessler’s Concrete Mix design class in 1970. He challenged us to create an innovative project. Dr. Kessler was former president of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) which sets the design standards for concrete. Previous classes had made concrete picnic tables and mail boxes which we considered too pedestrian, and someone blurted out: how about a canoe? The idea of a concrete canoe resonated with the class and we were off to the races so to speak! The concept quickly advanced by determining the keel length and center width of the canoe, and how we would form the gunwales and reinforce the skin. With the basic dimensions determined, we advanced to Newmark lab to weld the reinforcing bars to make the basic frame of the canoe and then drape chicken-wire to make the basic shape of the skin. Next Continued on the next page

Civil and Environmental Engineeringcee.illinois.edu/give—Fall Alumni Association—Fall 2020 99

FIRST FLOOR

William and Julie Rettberg made a leadership gift to establish a display honoring the history of concrete canoe construction and racing, established at the University of Illinois in 1971. Additional gifts are needed to realize this display, intended for the first floor of the new building. The very first Concrete Canoe Team, pictured in their canoe, Mis-Led. Bill Rettberg is the second from the right.

Rettberg

Continued from page 9 we made the mix design of the concrete which included pea gravel in a thick cement mortar. We literally hung the canoe shape from a crane rail and plastered the cement mortar by hand placement and consolidation. I recall a professor seeing us working in the lab and asking if we thought it would float. We answered that ships are made of steel so why wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t concrete float? So, we floated the first concrete canoe, which we named Mis-Led as a play 10 cee.illinois.edu cee.illinois.edu 10

on words and appropriately painted her pink. We got publicity from the ASCE, ACI and the local media and the idea went viral. The next year Purdue challenged us to a race in which our 365-pound canoe defeated their sleeker racing hull (120 pounds) winning three out of five races! Now concrete canoes are built and raced all over the U.S. and the world by colleges and universities. But more important than the friendly competitions is that the concrete canoe has evolved into a practical and innovative engineering and concrete mix design project including project management,

planning, design analysis and innovative concrete mixes and reinforcement. Today I live in the California Bay Area far away from Champaign-Urbana fixing concrete dam spillways, but I remember where my roots in civil engineering were planted and how innovation and practical solutions in concrete are still alive and well. My wife, Julie, is an Illinois graduate (Occupational Therapy â&#x20AC;&#x2122;74) too. We are proud to contribute to the permanent Concrete Canoe Exhibit and encourage others to help us reach our $50,000 goal. Go Illinois! i

modernize.cee.illinois.edu

By Daniel J. Malsom (BS 14) Robert H. Dodds Jr. Commons

I'm excited about this entire project, but I chose to donate to the Dodds Commons. When I think back to where I spent my time on campus while at UIUC, I realize that I spent a big chunk of it with my classmates and friends working together in collaborative common spaces. Most often, this collaboration took the form of Drew Bishop (BS 14, MS 15), Sarah Klarich (BS 14), Alex Knicker (BS 14), Paul Papazisi (BS 14, MS 15) and I all struggling together to make sense of our TAM homework well past midnight every Tuesday. I never thought I would look back too fondly on those late nights of hanging out and maybe getting work done, but six months of working from home due to COVID-19 has provided more than enough perspective. Collaborative common spaces matter for today's (and tomorrow's) students. The great engineers in the making at Illinois become greater through opportunities to work together. I hope that the Dodds Commons will be a great space for that collaboration. i

Mike and Cyntha Slavish, standing, visiting with Professor Emeritus Bill Hall in December 2018.

By Michael F. Slavish (BS 85) William J. and Elaine F. Hall Classroom

During the fall semester of my senior year at CEE, my dad lost his job. Money was tight with three children at Illinois. Not knowing if I would be able to finish in the spring and possibly be forced to drop out of school, I approached the financial aid and academic services office to inform them. They couldn’t answer immediately, but two days later I was notified I would be receiving three scholarships from CEE, covering my remaining tuition and allow-

ing me to graduate on time. Telling this story 35 years later to Benito Mariñas, then the department head of CEE who was in Madison, Wis., on a fundraising trip for the new William J. and Elaine F. Hall classroom, we realized the decision to issue those scholarships many years ago was made by department head Bill Hall. A few months after Benito’s visit, I returned to Champaign to speak with students about engineering careers and was able to finally meet Professor Hall, then 91, and his wife, Elaine, to thank him personally for that amazing gift and experience that truly changed my life! When Benito asked if I would consider giving, I gratefully seized the opportunity to pay it forward! i cee.illinois.edu/give—Fall 2020 11

FIRST FLOOR

By Stanley T. Rolfe (BS 56, MS 58, PhD 62) William J. and Elaine F. Hall Classroom Robert H. Dodds Jr. Commons

In the ‘50s, my family lived in northern Illinois. At that time, most high school graduates simply went to their state universities. Obviously, I was fortunate, because the civil engineering department at the University of Illinois was (and still is) one of the best (if not the best) in the world. Not only did I receive an outstanding education, but I was exposed to the culture of a truly unique faculty, particularly Bill Hall. Bill’s philosophy was that he was a professor who taught engineering, but also he was an engineer who helped solve real-world problems. I know that all graduates of CEE at Illinois have had similar outstanding faculty members who both educated and inspired them, as evidenced by their professional careers and financial support of the department. Hav-

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Tom, Jyl and Ava Gillogly

By Thomas E. Gillogly (MS 95, PhD 99) Vernon L. Snoeyink Water Chemistry Laboratory A legacy of internationally recognized leaders teaching at worldclass facilities filled with cutting edge equipment, were compelling reasons for why I attended our great institution — but not why we give. We give because of how the individuals at the University of Illinois impacted me. We give because of all the time and technical knowledge my professors and peers gave me; many of whom still continue to give decades later. We give because of the personal wisdoms shouted at me during volleyball games, laughed at over evening iced teas, and passed along during research group meetings. We give because of the insights shared by a quiet

gentleman after his early morning bicycle ride.

Through our giving we hope to impress upon future Illini that as they step into the Snoeyink Water Chemistry Laboratory, they should take a moment to recognize Vern Snoeyink’s influence on the University of Illinois and the water industry, and appreciate all they are being given. i

ing Bill as a professor, mentor and friend was a real blessing. Years later, I met Bob Dodds when he joined the civil engineering department at the University of Kansas as a fellow faculty member. Bob and I worked together on many professional and educational issues, both at Kansas, and at Illinois after he returned to Illinois as a faculty mem-

ber and department head. I am fortunate to know Bob both professionally and personally and have enjoyed working with him. Thus, it is only fitting that I help to honor both Bill Hall and Bob Dodds by a gift to the CEE Department in their names. My education at the University of Illinois has allowed me to do so. i

And we give because of the indelible mark that Vern and Jeannie Snoeyink have left on so many lives.

modernize.cee.illinois.edu Funding status of some key first-floor spaces

By Joseph C. Geagea (BS 81, MS 82) William J. and Elaine F. Hall Classroom I always knew that attending the University of Illinois would serve as a great foundation for my career, but I never dreamed it would take me this far. Since earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois, I have enjoyed 38 years of a well-rounded career at Chevron and have been privileged to serve as the Executive Vice President of Technology, Projects & Services since 2015. I am proud to be part of a company like Chevron that partners with schools such as U of I to develop and provide opportunity to some of the best and brightest through a variety of programs. And as I’ve progressed through my career, there are two things I know for sure: there’s always time to give back, and it’s important to show gratitude to those who had a hand in my success. With this year’s campaign to fund U of I’s Modernization Project, I wanted to honor my adviser, Professor Bill Hall, who recently passed away. Contributing to a

Robert H. Dodds Jr. Commons Gifts and pledges received $65,344

classroom in his honor is a small way to say thanks for the tremendous impact he had on my life and others like me. It’s also a way to invest in the future so the next generation of students can have the right resources available to help them succeed.

As a proud alumnus of U of I, I invite my fellow alumni to join me and others in giving back to our

Bill Hall speak and asked him to be my adviser. Little did I know how fortunate I was to have him be a mentor in my early engineering days. I am currently retired but held various positions with Shell Energy North America for 17 years. Before that, I was employed by Sempra Energy for 20 years where I held various positions

William J. and Elaine F. Hall Classroom Gifts and pledges still needed $805,493

school community. Not only does it feel good, it’s the right thing to do. i

By Beth A. Bowman (BS 78) William J. and Elaine F. Hall Classroom

As an undergraduate, I heard

Gifts and pledges still needed $434,656

in Engineering, Finance, Regulatory, Business Planning/Bud get, Fuel and Purchased Power, and Energy Trading. I am grateful to University of Illinois and the education that I received as an undergraduate. It prepared me for a lifetime of challenges in the workplace. I donated to the Bill Hall Classroom with gratitude for his guidance to me and to honor the contributions he made to U of I. i

Gifts and pledges received $1,194,507

Vernon L. Snoeyink Water Chemistry Laboratory Gifts and pledges still needed $924,792

Gifts and pledges received $1,075,208

cee.illinois.edu/give—Fall 2020 13

SECOND FLOOR

The Liebman Gallery was

By Vernon L. Snoeyink Judith S. and Jon C. Liebman Gallery

named with a nod to Jon and Judith Liebman’s love

It was a pleasure for me to sup-

of art. They plan to donate

port the Liebman Gallery! Jon and

this art glass rendition of an

Judith Liebman’s contributions are

engineer for display

at the heart of what makes our department and University great. Jon’s devotion to undergraduate teaching by developing the first environmental course as a self-paced course is especially noteworthy because it was both innovative and effective in educating our students. Jon was a leader in the environmental program, first leading by example through his emphasis on undergraduate education and second through his excellent mentorship of young faculty who were just getting their “feet on the ground.” His leadership skills were later 14 14 cee.illinois.edu cee.illinois.edu

in the space. Vern and Jeannie Snoeyink

used for the entire department when he was in the position of Department Head and responsible for keeping our department strong. Judith made her mark both as an outstanding professor and as a role model for young women engineers as the first woman professor in our department. She also excelled as a University-wide research leader in her later position as one of the top administrators at the U of I. We were indeed fortunate when Jon and Judith decided to leave the Johns Hopkins faculty and come to the U of I. i

Wilbur C. Milhouse III, seated in front, poses with employees of Milhouse Engineering and Construction Inc. He made the naming gift to establish the Milhouse Family Classroom.

My journey from Avalon Park to

By David G. Peshkin (BS 86, MS 87) Moreland Herrin Distinguished Faculty Office There are many who know from an early age what their career will look like and then follow the most direct path to that end. I’m not one of them. At 28 I ended up in the civil engineering program, settled on a degree but not a profession. Professor Moreland Herrin, like many of the other faculty in the department, provided a

the University of Illinois wasn’t easy but with the support of my

great classroom experience that led to a job in pavement engineering. More importantly, he was supportive and encouraging both in and out of the classroom. He always had time to listen and advise, and his input formed an integral part of my early career decisions. I give to the department to acknowledge and give thanks for the impact of Moreland Herrin’s encouragement in my career. Without him I would not be where I am today. I also give to the department because I believe it’s a good habit. It helps others afford the best civil engineering education from the best educators, which then enables them to go on to make positive contributions to society.

This habit is as important today as it was when I started; I encourage everyone David and Janet Peshkin

to pick it up. i

By Wilbur C. Milhouse III (BS 95, MS 96) Milhouse Family Classroom

family and the peers and teachers that became family, my experience was greater than I could have ever imagined. It was then I made a commitment to return and “reinvest by giving” to ensure that each future problem solver had a solid foundation to build on. After embarking on an entrepreneurial journey and establishing Milhouse Engineering and Construction Inc. and the Milhouse Family of Companies it was important for me to keep my commitment to be a positive impact in the families and communities in which we work. The Milhouse Family Classroom in the modernization program is the manifestation of my obligation and legacy to the extended family and students and is one of my proudest achievements. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 15

SECOND FLOOR By David A. Lange Multiple Named Spaces

This most recent capital pro- research funding. gram elevates our facilities, attracts great students and faculty, and ensures that our department will be successful for many years to come. Risë and I are pleased to contribute to the CEE modernization program. Our gift honors several mentors and role models who impacted my career in the department. We donated to spaces named for Bob Dodds, Neil Hawkins, Bill Hall, Ernie Barenberg, Jon Liebman, Marshall Thompson and Barry Dempsey. Bob served as CEE Head during the years I served as Associate Head. Along with Al Valocchi, we led a successful period of growth and expansion. The Yeh Center was constructed in those years, and we saw about 50 percent growth in enrollment along with strong progress in

Neil Hawkins, Bill Hall, and Jon Liebman were department heads who led the department in the 1980s and 1990s. All of them were committed leaders who set high standards and inspired positive morale from everyone in the department. Neil was CEE Head when I arrived in CEE, and he has been one of my closest colleagues in the American Concrete Institute over many years. Ernie Barenberg and Marshall Thompson included me in transportation research activities in my early years, helping me establish a strong start as young faculty member. I am especially grateful to Barry Dempsey for his leadership of the FAA Center of Excellence for Airport Technology and his generous invitation to me to

cee.illinois.edu

assume the role of director after his retirement. My 15 years as CEAT Director was a professional highlight for me, and it gave me an opportunity to involve other faculty from CEE and around campus just as Barry had opened doors for me. Our gift is given in appreciation of these faculty members who were such strong and influential leaders in the department. When people ask why CEE is consistently ranked among the best in the nation, I immediately point to the scholarship and accomplishment of the faculty who preceded me. Our reputation is founded on a long track record of excellence, and it needs to be the focus of continued investment. i

I was thrilled to be a part of the

By Ryan S. Altemare (BS 11, MS 12) CEE Alumni of ExxonMobil Conference Room From the time I enrolled at the University of Illinois I have always had ambitions for a rewarding career in construction, one that would constantly challenge me and eventually take me to projects around the world. The CEE program allowed me to make these ambitions a reality, and now eight years out of school I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to achieve many of my personal and professional goals because of it. During my career to this point I have had the opportunity to work on some of the most challenging projects in the energy industry, and been fortunate to

David and Risë Lange at Valparaiso University in 1980.

effort with my colleagues from ExxonMobil to contribute to the Ryan Altemare at the Cleveland Browns game at Twickenham Stadium in London

travel to the Gulf Coast, to Europe and now back here to Illinois. The skills I acquired and experiences I had in school prepared me well, and I am very excited for the next class of CEE students as they begin working toward their own professional journeys, even in these challenging and ever-changing times. For me, the CEE Modernization Project was the perfect opportunity to give back and support that next generation of CEE students as they pursue their ambitions.

CEE Alumni of ExxonMobil Conference Room. All of us who have had rewarding careers to this point have our experiences in UrbanaChampaign to thank for them. I still look back fondly on the classes I took, the incredible friendships I formed, and all the experiences I had and hope that the CEE Modernization Project helps today’s CEE students enjoy their experience at Illinois as much as I did. i

modernize.cee.illinois.edu Funding status of some key second-floor spaces Judith S. and Jon C. Liebman Gallery Gifts and pledges still needed $139,900

By John P. Kos (BS 77) Leonard A. Lopez Faculty Office CEEAA Board of Directors Student Collaboration Space

As an Illini family, supporting

Gifts and pledges received $360,100

and contributing to CEE department initiatives such as the Mod-

Maurice N. Quade Faculty Lounge

ernization Project is our way of

Gifts and pledges still needed

acknowledging past generationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

$181,746

sacrifice and vision, while ensuring that future generations, including our grandchildren, have access to quality facilities and programs. Professor Leonard Lopez was honored with the CEE Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award in 2018 for his role in research and development of Civil Engineering Systems (computer-aided design and software for engineering applications), resulting in a system used worldwide revolutionizing computer-aid-

John and Catherine Kos, with their granddaughter, Claire, at Memorial Stadium

ed structural analysis and design. A gift to help sponsor the Len Lopez Faculty Office honors a true pioneer in the area of engineering applications that paved the way for future generations of Civil Engineers. i

By Robert Gilbert (BS 87, MS 88, PhD 93) Geotechnical Laboratory I am honored to support the department. I am a successful civil engineer because of the fantastic education I received and the network of colleagues I built at UIUC. My parents met there (Dad in Mining Engineering and Mom in Math) and my son now goes there (Ph.D. student in Chemistry).

I strongly encourage my fellow Baker Prize winners to give back to the department that has given them so much. i

Gifts and pledges received $68,254

Graduate Student Office Suite Gifts and pledges received $125,100

Gifts and pledges still needed $874,900

Second Floor Faculty Offices Gifts and pledges still needed $616,000

Gifts and pledges received $384,000

cee.illinois.edu/giveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Fall 2020 17

THIRD FLOOR

By Marcelo H. Garcia Ben Chie Yen Library and Distinguished Faculty Office

The original Hydrosystems Laboratory was completed in 1967 and funded by the State of Illinois and a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Professor Ven Te Chow secured the NSF grant.

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My motivation for supporting the Ben Chie Yen Library has the dual purpose of honoring Ben by supporting a space designed to continue his legacy. I benefitted immensely from Benâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mentorship and support when I was a junior faculty, both directly by getting his advice while developing my early career, and indirectly by observing how he mentored and supported our students in their path to becoming scholars. The Ben Chie Yen Library will continue his legacy of supporting our students by providing them with a collection of rare books and publications and a place to enjoy a peaceful moment while reading and relaxing. This would have made Ben happy, since he loved books and enjoyed talking to students and helping them with their lives, sometimes very late in the day!

I would like to encourage our many alumni that benefitted greatly from their interactions with Professor Yen to consider supporting this project named in his honor. i

modernize.cee.illinois.edu

By Mickey Kupperman (BS 57, MS 58) Sidney Epstein Alumni Welcome Center William J. and Elaine F. Hall Classroom

Sixty-eight years ago, I arrived at the University of Illinois eager to become a civil engineer. I was fortunate to have Bill Hall as a teacher and subsequently as a graduate adviser. I never was the smartest guy in the room, but Bill convinced an average student that he could achieve above-average success. That encouragement had a great influence on my life, for which I will be eternally grateful. During the summer of 1957, while in graduate school, I landed an internship at A. Epstein and Sons, a large architectural-engineering firm in Chicago. I was hired by Sidney Epstein (BS 43), and that launched a 60-year personal and professional relationship. I was with the firm for

By Richard D. Payne (MS 83) James Clark Faculty Office I worked for Jim Clark at Clark Dietz in the 1970s, and again in the 1980s at ESCA Consultants. ESCA continues to thrive today, thanks primarily to the strong foundation Mr. Clark built. Jane and I are both grateful to Mr. Clark and his wife, Jan. We cherish many fond memories of the time that we spent with them. Mr. Clark was a wonderful mentor to countless engi-

Mickey and Janice Kupperman, center back row, on a family ski trip

47 years, the last 25 as CEO. Sidney taught me that the money you give away is more important than what you keep. Janice and I have lived by that thought. We consider it a privilege that we can honor Bill and Sidney by contributing to the Bill Hall Classroom and the Sidney Epstein Alumni Center. I couldn’t think of any better place to “give something back” than at the CEE campus that shaped so

much of my life. Equally important, Janice and I hope we are being good role models for our children and grandchildren. We want them to have a sense of responsibility to the community and to experience the satisfactions of giving something back.

Bill, Sid, thanks for everything. We miss you. i

neers during both his tenure at the University of Illinois, and through his consulting firms.

We’re sure he was a positive influence on everyone he worked with, and we encourage all of those who are so inclined to make a contribution to the Jim Clark Faculty Office.

Richard and Jane Payne. Richard is President of ESCA Consultants. Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall2020 2020 19 19 cee.illinois.edu/give—Fall

THIRD FLOOR By Donald R. Uzarski (BS 70, MS 80, PhD 91) Transportation Faculty Classroom Opportunity, inspiration and gratitude: That’s why I choose to give back. I love being a civil engineer! I’m passionate about it. But how did I get that way? The opportunity to enroll at UIUC as a civil engineering undergraduate was something I seized upon, but I really had little idea what being a CE meant other than that they design and build things like roads. I majored in transportation and interacted with some of the best, well-versed and respected engineers and educators anywhere.Among those, professors Herrin, Thompson, Dempsey and Hay were especially influential. They served as role models and were a great inspiration for me. Professor Herrin was a tremendous mentor and “above and beyond” helpful. As such, my civil engineering interest morphed into a passion for the profession. Those few words above briefly describe why I give back to CEE. I encourage others to do so, too, because I’m sure many of you have similar experiences. My monetary contribution to the new state-of-the-art Transportation Faculty Classroom will, in part, aid in attracting and retaining outstanding and inspiring faculty and the best students so that the CEE legacy will continue. My education and interactions with the faculty helped mold me into the successful professional engineer that I am today, and I’m certain that future CE’s will, as I’m doing here, look back fondly and with gratitude. i Don Uzarski (BS 70, MS 80, PhD 91), retired Adjunct Professor 20

cee.illinois.edu

Bob Risser, at right, with his wife, Martha Boling-Risser, and their daughter, Megan, a current U of I student.

By Robert J. Risser (BS 87, MS 89) Ernest J. Barenberg Laboratory Transportation Faculty Classroom CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors Collaboration Space boys and two girls, one of whom now at-

When asked to write a re- tends U of I herself. So, you see, any other sponse to “Why We Gave,” the engineering major other than civil at Illishort answer really is: how can we not? It is not an exaggeration to say that I owe my family and my career to being a CEE student at Illinois. Let me explain. As always, family first. Because I was a civil engineering student at Illinois and had chosen to focus on transportation and materials, I found myself in Geology 250 in my last semester as an undergrad in the spring of 1987. Also taking that class was a young woman named Martha Boling who was in the class because she was majoring in Ceramic Engineering. We became friends that semester. When I returned to campus the next fall to begin my master’s program, we ran into each other at Kinko’s and went on our first date a week or so later. We still joke about courting at Zorba’s and Murphy’s. We were married in 1992 and have two

nois and my life is very different indeed. Now the career part. As luck would have it, during my senior year Professor Ernest Barenberg was looking for an hourly research assistant to work on a project on concrete pavements. Second semester senior year he approached me about continuing for my master’s and continuing our work on design methods for concrete pavements. During my graduate program, a fellow civil engineering friend of mine had gone to work for the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA). That was when I discovered what trade associations are all about. It so happened that the entire industry was interested in the advanced new pavement design methods we had been working on with Professor Barenberg. ACPA offered me a job in the spring of 1989, and I am now in my thirty-second year in the concrete industry, almost all of it with various trade associations. My experience has been that association work allows you to combine technical work with writing and presentations. I have also had the pleasure of meeting and working with thousands of people

modernize.cee.illinois.edu Funding status of some key third-floor spaces Ben Chie Yen Library and Distinguished Faculty Office

By Dean J. Arnold (MS 72) Richard Shaffer Faculty Office

Gifts and pledges still needed $213,300

I am grateful to have made a donation for the Building Modernization Project for the Dick Shaffer Faculty Office.

Dean Arnold

Bob Risser, continued across the country and the world. I urge all alumni to get involved with professional groups like ACPA, PCI, ACI, or any of the other groups in engineering and construction. I guarantee you will get back more than you put in. It’s an honor to serve on the CEE Alumni Association Board, and when the opportunity arose for the board to sponsor the Student Collaboration Space, we knew we had to follow in the footsteps of previous boards who had supported major department initiatives. We have all benefited from those who came before us who made an investment in our world-class department. Now is our time to give back. For me personally, the transportation faculty – especially professors Carpenter, Barenberg, Thompson, Darter and Dempsey – gave me the inspiration, tools and knowledge to set out and thrive in a very rewarding career. Supporting the Transportation Faculty Classroom and the Barenberg Concrete Materials and Pavement Lab is the least I can do. Why did I give? How could I not? i

I was hired by Dr. Shaffer to come to the University of Illinois as a graduate student and be a research assistant at the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Laboratory (CERL) starting in August of 1971. I attained my U of I master’s degree in Civil Engineering Construction Management in August of 1972. Dr. Shaffer was at the forefront of modern construction management techniques with his research and publication activities. His noteworthy background and the renowned Department of Civil Engineering were instrumental in my decision to come to the U of I. I was fascinated with the research work I did at CERL and with my coursework at the U of I, including construction management courses taught by Dr. Shaffer. At CERL I did research on state-of-the-art topics such as construction process simulation and multiple regression analysis of construction and engineering costs. After my U of I experience I worked in the construction industry for 45 years, from 1972 until retiring in 2017 from W.E. O’Neil Construction Company in Chicago. My area of emphasis and expertise over all these years was in controlling the construction process, the foundation which was established at the U of I. I have been a proud donor to the U of I civil engineering department, having donated to the Yeh Student Center, being honored to have my name listed at the entrance to the O’Neil Classroom; providing an endowment which annually funds Research Experiences for Undergraduates; and most recently my gift for the Modernization Project, honoring Dr. Shaffer. My giving has been very meaningful to me, and I encourage others to follow suit and give and honor Dr. Shaffer. i

Gifts and pledges received $36,700

Transportation Faculty Classroom Gifts and pledges still needed $1,335,637

Gifts and pledges received $664,363

John D. Haltiwanger Graduate Student Office Suite Gifts and pledges received $20,650

Gifts and pledges still needed $299,350

Named Faculty Offices Gifts and pledges still needed $464,675

Gifts and pledges received $435,325

cee.illinois.edu/give—Fall 2020 21

THIRD FLOOR By Robert G. O’Brien (BS 66) Ellis Danner Faculty Office Why did I choose to support CEE’s Modernization Plan? The easy answer is that Professor Benito Mariñas, then CEE Department Head, asked me to. How could you say no to Benito? I now realize the education received at Illinois was the bedrock for my career. When I was there I had little understanding of how excellently a degree from Illinois would serve me. My professors included Ven Te Chow, Ralph Peck, German Gurfinkel, Bill Gamble, Bill Hall and Ellis Danner with Nathan Newmark, department head. The Dream Team. A Navy Seabee tour in Diego Garcia convinced me construction was my passion. While building a hospital in Austin,

Texas, and pursuing a master’s at UT, my sponsoring professor was Ned Burns, Ph.D. Illinois. Later in my career I worked Bob and FloAnne O’Brien. FloAnne graduated from the University with Marshall Thompson of Illinois with a degree in elementary education. on construction aggreI graduated from this great progate research. Since retiring, my wife and I have volunteered in Haiti working to gram and I wanted to give back to build back after the 2010 earthquake using the engineering techniques learned keep Illinois in the forefront of this at Illinois. I remember Professor Danner as he great profession. I would strongly patiently guided me in choosing the right courses when I was not sure myself what encourage every CEE graduate to I wanted to be, so I was excited to be able give forward for the next generato honor him by contributing to the Ellis Danner Faculty Office. tion of Illinois CEE students. i

By Ashlynn Stillwell General Modernization Fund

We gave to the CEE Modernization campaign because we value research and teaching at Illinois. The new building provides modern research facilities, innovative active learning spaces, and hands-on laboratories that support our undergraduate curriculum modernization. i Ashlynn Stillwell, a CEE assistant professor, with her husband, Andrew, and their sons, Alton, 9; and Anderson, 7. Andrew is on the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 22

cee.illinois.edu

“The time is now to express your gratitude to your alma mater

BASEMENT

and help ensure a strong future for civil and environmental engineering worldwide.”

By George E. Leventis (MS 85), Rudy P. Frizzi (MS 87) and Alan R. Poeppel (BS 91, MS 93) Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory honoring Edward J. Cording, Alfred J. Hendron, Gholamreza Mesri, Melvin T. Davisson, Gabriel G. Fernandez, Alberto Nieto and Peter A. Lenzini Through our gift to the CEE Modernization Project, Langan Engineering, Environmental, Surveying, Landscape Architecture and Geology, DPC and our employee donors want to safeguard the future and honor the past. We owe a lifelong debt of gratitude to the teachers, researchers and mentors who gave us the foundation for successful careers. By supporting education for the geotechnical engineering students of today, we ensure that Illinois’ program continues producing the civil and environmental engineering leaders that will shape our world in the future. We are proud to say that a corporate gift from Langan, along with additional gifts by Langan employees who are also alumni of CEE at Illinois, formed the leadership gift to establish the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory honoring past and present CEE geotechnical engineering faculty members Edward J. Cording, Alfred J. “Skip” Hendron, Gholamreza Mesri, Melvin T. Davisson, Gabriel G. Fernandez, Alberto Nieto and Peter A. Len-

zini. In the fall of 2016, Langan hosted an event at our New York City corporate office to spread the word about the CEE Modernization Project and encourage our fellow alumni to contribute. George E. Leventis (MS 85), Rudolph P. Frizzi (MS 87) and Alan Poeppel (BS 91, MS 93) contributed to this leadership gift, and additional Langan employees have also stepped up to contribute. We believe in the CEE Modernization Project because we recognize the importance of strong connections between industry and academia. We want to help ensure that today’s geotechnical engineering students have state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities – as well as the extra advantages of close contact with leading professional engineers and access to active, innovative projects that close industry connections can provide. We want our engineers to be aware of the

From left, George Leventis, Rudy Frizzi and Alan Poeppel of Langan

latest developments in research. We want to recruit students from Illinois’ secondto-none geotechnical engineering program. To our fellow companies, please consider supporting the CEE Modernization Project. To our fellow CEE at Illinois alumni, please consider becoming a champion for this project within your company. The time is now to express your gratitude to your alma mater and help ensure a strong future for civil and environmental engineering worldwide. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 23

BASEMENT By Charles H. Dowding (MS 68, PhD 71) Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory

When the three-quarters of a century mark is reached, one begins to think about the path that led to this milestone. Who was met

Side-by-side photos from Charles Dowding comparing the technology he used during his time as a Ph.D. student and that used today.

along the way? Who lent a helping is important that the well of knowledge, hand? Who provided guidance? support, and guidance be as full for our successors as it was for us. It is up to those

Who supplied support? Who were of us who are fortunate to have sufficient the teammates? While there are many, some of the most important were those encountered during my graduate school days in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois. Without their support, guidance and fellowship the path would not have been as productive nor as enjoyable. These reminiscences naturally lead to thoughts of ensuring that those who follow have the same access to the resources as we who earlier walked the path. It

By Robert H. Dodds Jr. (MS 75, PhD 78) General Modernization Fund

Robert H. Dodds Jr. in December 1973, just before he started graduate school at UIUC 24 cee.illinois.edu cee.illinois.edu 24

resources to refill the well. Thus we give partially to repay a past debt as well as to ensure a bright future. My contributions have been made to the Geotechnical Laboratory and to the general Modernization Fund to give a helping hand to future geotechnical engineers. In some ways our careers were enhanced by a fever pitched expansion of the infrastructure in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s. Being simultaneously constructed were nuclear power plants, water and waste water facilities, subways in multiple cities, new interstate highways, and defense facilities. It was a full employment economy

for civil engineers. On the other hand there was little to no digital infrastructure. Computers were mainframe and programmed in Fortran with cards. There was no internet. The digital transformation can be illustrated in the photos above by comparing instrumentation employed for my Ph.D. thesis with that employed today. All that in the circle on the left has been condensed into the brick-sized seismograph encircled on the right. It is solid state with no moving parts, operates autonomously and can be connected to the internet. Yes, my hair color has changed as well. i

Private support for our department remains more essential than ever. In these trying times for all of us, our nation needs the very best educated, talented and professional civil and environmental engineers to help lead the way forward in pandemic recovery. CEE at Illinois has graduated generations of exceptional students while also advancing critical research needs often appearing in today's headlines. Private support for our department remains more essential than ever. Through

our giving, students see clearly the commitment of those who preceded them to make a difference in their lives. Gifts to support the naming of classrooms, labs, offices and meeting spaces for faculty and alumni provide a strong connection from the history of excellence and leadership in our department to the future. This is why I give gratefully to CEE at Illinois! i

modernize.cee.illinois.edu

By Gary S. Brierley (MS 70, PhD 75) Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory Two score and 12 years ago I set foot on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana and my life was forever transformed. Back in the late 1960s and early ‘70s the U of I employed some of the greatest engineering and geology professors of that era including Peck, Deere, Hendron and Cording together with a group of graduate students all of whom went on to become distinguished professionals and academicians in their own right including Parker, O’Rourke, Heuer, Hansmire, Mesri, Fernandez and Dowding. Sometimes people ask me what was the best investment I ever

made and the answer to that question is easy; my best investment, by far, was the time I spent at the U of I. In closing, I would like to encourage each alumnus to think hard about how the U of I has contributed to their lifetime of achievements and to contribute as much as possible to helping the U of I continue its educational commitment for every current and future student.

Gary Brierley

Or, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, may the knowledge, the dedication, and the excellence represented by the U of I never perish from this earth; largely as a result of the support provided by the U of I alumni. i

By Jeffery R. Roesler (BS 92, MS 94, PhD 98) Multiple Named Spaces The University of Illinois Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been at the center of most of the major changes in my life, and I am grateful for all opportunities it has given me from the beginning of the journey until the present day. As a young kid growing up in a small blue-collar town in Illinois, I met a few University of Illinois graduates, and I was very impressed with them. They were wise, distinctive and leaders in their respective fields. I desired an education like that, which would make me equally distinctive and distinguished. I later met an engineer who had graduated from Illinois while I was in high school, and I knew if I could be accepted into engineering at Illinois, this would be transformative for my life. I didn’t know much about engineering but did know a family friend who was a civil engineer and thus I made it my application choice. In February 1988, I received that acceptance letter into CEE at Illinois, and my first big change had occurred. Four years later, I was working as an undergraduate hourly for Profes-

sor Ernest Barenberg on an innovative project of designing and constructing a 1,200-foot, prestressed, fiber-reinforced concrete taxiway. One day Professor Barenberg called me into his office and said that I should go to graduate school for a master’s degree and he would hire me as a research assistant. I had not really thought about it, but I decided shortly after this conversation to take his advice. A few years later he called me again into his office and said, “I think you should study for a Ph.D. What do you think?” I said yes, even though I was unsure, but I had a high degree of respect for his judgment and knowledge. This again was another pivotal moment on my career trajectory from the U of I. Concurrently, another life-changing event occurred during my graduate studies. I met an attractive Coast Guard officer and civil engineer who was stationed in Urbana, Ill., studying for an M.S. in civil engineering. A few years later, Sandra and I were married and moved to the Bay Area, where she worked at CEU Oakland in facility engineering and I was a post-doctoral researcher at UC-Berkeley.

Jeff and Sandra Roesler (MS 95)

In 2000, one more monumental change associated with CEE at Illinois happened: Department Head David Daniels called me and offered me a faculty position. This has led to an exciting journey the past 20 years with faculty colleagues, tremendous students and many wonderContinued on page 28

cee.illinois.edu/give—Fall 2020 25

KAVITA AND LALIT BAHL SMART BRIDGE SPACES

By Thomas C. H. Lum (MS 59) Chester P. Siess Smart Bridge Gateway Collaboration Space I am a retired structural engineer in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a proud graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I selected Urbana-Champaign over Stanford and MIT based on its curriculum and a financial aid package. Upon arrival, I took a course on reinforced concrete taught by Dr. Chester Siess. I quickly learned that Dr. Siess was an industry leader and extraordinary teacher who inspired me. Through classes and informal office hours, I learned cutting edge techniques on the use of prestressed concrete. A research assistantship at Talbot Laboratory also defrayed my tuition costs, allowing me to focus exclusively on my education. Following graduation, I spent almost five decades designing reinforced concrete buildings, bridges and structures in Hawaii. I was fortunate to return during a construction boom that followed statehood — a time when the construction crane became informally known as one of our “state birds.” We built innovative structures that minimally interfered with our state’s natural beauty. I designed a circular hotel, using new structural tech26

cee.illinois.edu

Tom Lum

niques. While a junior engineer, I also designed the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The structure spanned the remains of the sunken battleship and required supports having a clear span of 110 feet. The girder and foundation design required the integrated use of pretensioned and prestressed elements. The techniques were not widely used in Hawaii at the time, so I drew heavily upon the knowledge I gained from Dr. Siess. Much of my professional success depended on the foundation I acquired from Dr. Siess and other Grainger Engineering faculty members. I have therefore donated to the school for many years, and recently supported the Chester Siess collaboration space on the smart bridge.

I urge other alumni to make contributions, to support our school and perpetuate the circle of learning. i

By Mehdi S. Zarghamee (MS 63, PhD 66) Arthur R. Robinson Collaboration Space I had the distinct pleasure of being accepted into the graduate program of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois in 1962 to pursue my doctorate in structural engineering. The department was headed by a giant in this field, Dr. Nathan Newmark, and the faculty consisted of other eminent national and international leaders in their areas. In my first meeting with Professor Bill Hall, he assigned me as advisee to Art Robinson. In the next three years, Art guided my development in Structural Engineering, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, and Mathematics, and taught courses which I was happy to take. I had a flair for mathematics and Art was the only professor who was able to prove the convergence of the numerical integration method known as the Newmark Method on the blackboard. To Art, mathematics and mechanics were intertwined and he was equally fluent in both. He regularly read the latest work of Russian researchers in Prikladnaya

The department is deeply grateful for the generosity of Lalit and Kavita Bahl, pictured above, whose gifts fully funded the smart bridge structure. The deck of the Kavita and Lalit Bahl Smart Bridge was raised in October (photo at right). Student collaboration areas along the bridge are being named in honor of beloved faculty of the department. These spaces are in need of additional gifts.

Heather Coit/The Grainger College of Engineering

By Daniel J. Katzenberger (BS 88) German Gurfinkel Collaboration Space

Mehdi Zarghamee

Matematika i Mehanika (Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics). He inculcated in me, as in many of his advisees, the same passion for applied mathematics and mechanics. After I left Urbana, Art and I continued our correspondence and after I returned to the U.S. in 1979, we met regularly during his annual car trips to the east coast when he met with a number of his ex-students along the way. Once, he told me that he had 16 advisees who successfully completed their Ph.D. programs and are now successful consulting engineers and academicians in the U.S. and abroad. In memory of this brilliant engineer, teacher and mentor, I would like to invite all who cherish his memory to join me in supporting the Art Robinson Collaboration Space on the Smart Bridge, a part of the Modernization Project of the home of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. i

I’m pleased to have been donating to the German Gurfinkel Student Collaboration Space on the Smart Bridge for a few years now. The reasons I do so are many. I have opened many of my career opportunities with two phrases — “University of Illinois” and “Civil Engineering.” I feel a true need to give back to the school. Professor Gurfinkel always stood out to me. The man is a gentleman, had the benefit of living in different cultures prior to that of Urbana-Champaign, and was a rigorous but genial professor. In particular I have my memories of his Wood Engineering course during a great summer semester I was having in Urbana. At the time we needed a concrete, steel and wood structures course at a minimum. I remember thinking — when would I ever need the wood specialty? As life turned out, my specialty became Real Estate Development Operations, with work product that was generally high-density housing of Type 1 struc-

Dan Katzenberger, right, with (left to right), son Kurt, wife, Katy, and daughter, Claire, on a trip to Death Valley.

tures, but also a large number of Type V and type IIIA wood structures. Being in California, the seismic engineering of wood structures is the driver of structural design. Just recently, the real economics, code interpretations and structural/fire components of CLT structures brings a new and promising technology. I have a payment plan in which I give my gift regularly over a period of time. Please find a way to give! i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 27

KAVITA AND LALIT BAHL SMART BRIDGE SPACES Roesler

continued from page 25

ful interactions with CEE alumni.

Sandra and I feel privileged to give back to CEE at Illinois to honor professors who had an impact on our careers and professional successes. We know that soon there will be a new set of freshmen students and graduate students who will be able to experience the multiple transformations that this department will make on their lives and then in turn, these students will impact the lives of those around the world. We will be giving to the Barenberg Lab, because Professor Barenberg saw potential in me, opened many doors and gave me the freedom to uncover my passions. With a gift to the Transportation Faculty Classroom, we will honor professors Dempsey and Thompson who have been ever-present mentors for me and many other CEE alumni for over a half century. Finally, with a gift to sponsor graduate student office areas, we want to honor John C. Haltiwanger who established the Coast Guard program and brought so many talented Coast Guard engineers to learn and grow in the department. We encourage all CEE alumni to honor the department or faculty that contributed to transformations in their lives with a pledge to the building and invest in the lives of future student stories. i 28

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Some of Mete Sozenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research assistants in 1978. Identification by M. Saiid Saiidi. Back row from left: Denby Morrison; Noreen [last name unknown]; Mike Kreger; M. Saiid Saiidi; (standing) Dan Abrams. Front row, left to right: Jack Moehle; Bekir Algan.

By M. Saiid Saiidi (MS 77, PhD 79) Mete Sozen Collaboration Space

Mete Sozen was a legend! His most extraordinary attributes in the academic world included his vast scholarly knowledge in concrete and earthquake engineering seeing well beyond the formulas and technics and his ability to attain the philosophical mastery of these subjects. He approached the subjects in depth and in broad view without getting bogged down by the routine, text book complexities that mask the view of the forest by saturating the site with congested trees. He expected his students to do the same. Another unmatched talent of Meteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was his ability to motivate and guide so many graduate students not by salesmanship or persuasion but by expressing his refreshing unconventional

ideas and perspectives that made the students ponder and revisit the ordinary way of thinking and approaching the technical world. These students have carried on with this trait and passed it on to numerous students of their own. I felt privileged to have Mete as an adviser. My only regret is not to have spent more time working with him. My contribution is only a small token of my admiration for Mete. i

modernize.cee.illinois.edu

TOP 10 REASONS to make a gift to the CEE Modernization Project

By Ryokichi Higashionna (MS 65, PhD 70) Mete Sozen Collaboration Space

10. To finish 2020 with

something positive for a change

I first met Professor Mete

9. To get an invitation to the

Sozen in the Fall of 1963 as

grand opening celebration (once large groups are safe again — see reason 10)

a graduate student in the University of Illinois Civil Engineering Master’s program. I was very much enthralled by his approach to teaching structural concrete. Dr. Sozen emphasized that the most important aspect of concrete design is knowing how concrete behaves; whereas the undergraduate course usually covers design formulas without much discussion on concrete behavior. The behavior of unreinforced and reinforced concrete, obtained from experimental data, is instrumental in developing design formulas included in American Concrete Institute building requirements for concrete structures. In 1967, Dr. Sozen visited Hawaii and suggested that I return to

8. To add your name to the Ryokichi Higashionna

University of Illinois and help with his project as a research assistant while working for a Ph.D. I took some time to consider his offer, then decided to return to Urbana in the Fall of 1968. One of the memorable things I remember is attending informal gatherings on Friday nights at his home where a number of faculty members and graduate students were invited. A subject was discussed by those engaged in a particular research. Then another group made the presentation when we met again later. Dr. Sozen inspired many of us in understanding the characteristics of concrete behavior. i

HOW TO GIVE For more information about giving to the CEE Modernization Project and to donate online, please visit the website: modernize.cee.illinois.edu. Have additional questions? Please contact: Benito Mariñas Professor, Former Head (217) 333-6961 marinas@illinois.edu

Albert J. Valocchi Interim Head (217) 333-3176 valocchi@illinois.edu

Katya Trubitsyna Strategic Data Manager (217) 300-0194 katia@illinois.edu

wall of people who made CEE history happen

7. To make U of I the only

CEE program in the world with a Smart Bridge

6. Because your heart is orange and blue 5. Because concrete canoes and steel bridges rock

4. To honor a favorite

faculty member, alum or friend of CEE

3. To ensure future CEE

students have the very best classrooms, labs and public spaces

2. Because an investment

in CEE education is an investment in our future

- -

1. I L L... cee.illinois.edu/give—Fall 2020 29

Q&A

Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon (MS 97)

Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) The United States Senate confirmed CEE alumnus Scott Spellmon’s appointment to lead the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers on July 20, 2020. Where are you from originally? Bloomingdale, New Jersey. Why did you choose to earn your Master’s degree at the University of Illinois? I chose CEE because I wanted a challenging academic experience that would prepare me for future assignments. It was the #1 rated school in civil engineering and the #4 rated school in environmental engineering. It was a learning experience like no other. Illinois also fully understands the unique challenges military students present, and the CEE team was incredibly helpful and accommodating during my graduate work. Why, and when, did you join the military? I graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point in 1986. We all join for different reasons but the great thing about USMA is the history and sense of tradition that pervades the campus. West Point was actually the nation’s first engineering school and the founding superintendent, Jonathan Williams, also became the Chief Engineer of the Corps. In our nation’s early history, the United States relied on Army Engineers to build coastal fortifications and navigable waterways that paved the way for commerce and exploration. Today, ports and waterways developed by Army engineers move more than $2 trillion in cargo every year. Army engineers also mapped much of the American West, they constructed lighthouses that guided both military and civilian shipping, built jetties and piers. Again, building the economy while providing for the common defense. Army engineers are not just builders, 30

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we have a rich history of contributing to the warfighter. The U.S. D-Day force, for example, was 25 percent engineers – clearing beaches so the invasion force could land, preparing ammunition resupply points and clearing roads inland. In combat situations, engineers are often a lead element providing vital services to combat commanders. Engineers have contributed substantially to every major conflict the U.S. has been involved in, and we’re always looking for strong engineer officers and NCOs to join us. West Point provides a lot of tradition and history for all cadets, regardless of the Army branch they go into. For me though, the stories of Army engineers throughout our history and the fact that many of our early engineers attended West Point, has made a lasting impact on my reasons for serving. How does it feel to be named Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers? It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I also serve as the Chief of Engineers on the Army Staff and the Chief of the Engineer Branch. It’s an amazing opportunity to lead, grow and give back. I’ve worked with some great leaders over the years and I now have an opportunity to take those lessons I’ve learned to encourage strong leadership among both soldiers and civilians and set the course that will take Army Engineers and USACE into the future. What are your responsibilities/duties? As I mentioned earlier, I actually wear three hats. As Chief Engineer and Chief of

Scott A. Spellmon

the Engineer branch, I am responsible for all Army engineer functions in combat, topography and the geospatial enterprise, construction, water and energy security and environmental management. I’m also responsible for the development of engineer combat capability, to include training, doctrine and equipment. As the commander of USACE, my responsibilities include Military and Civil Construction; Contingency Operations (disaster response and recovery); Geospatial support (mapping); navigation and flood control, locks and dams, the Institute for Water Resources (IWR); support to federal agencies; research and development; environmental clean-up and real estate. There are 36,000 people in USACE and only 800 are military personnel. USACE consists of nine Divisions, 44 Districts, nine labs and engineering centers and a headquarters in Washington D.C. and we’ve got about 90,000 Engineer Soldiers in the Regiment. Combat Engineers specialize in complex tasks like building hasty bridges, breaking through enemy defenses and protecting the flanks of maneuver units using defensive structures and mines. Lt. Gen. William McCaffrey probably summed it up best: “… it is a very fine thing to be an Engineer Soldier. Not only do you participate in the

success of operations on the battlefield, but you also make it possible for us to get there and get away from there.” Some interesting facts that might give a better perspective on what USACE does: 1. USACE is the fifth largest supplier of electricity in the U.S. We generate more than 75 billion KW hours of clean, renewable energy – enough to power 10 cities the size of Seattle. 2. We manage 12 million acres of land and water in 43 states (about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined). 3. We manage more than 25 million acres of real property assets for the Army. 4. We are a leading provider of recreation: 36,000 picnic sites and 93,000 camping sites visited by about 250 million people each year. Our recreation areas have about 45,000 volunteers providing about 1.6 million hours of time to run those facilities. What are some of the challenges/priorities you are facing in that role? I have a campaign plan with four goals: 1. Support National Readiness. The Army is modernizing and our Engineer Force needs to keep pace with new requirements and priorities. The most important thing we can do in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support the Army’s and Nation’s readiness is deliver our program — in other words, finishing quality projects on time within budget. 2. Modernize USACE. Data governance, cyber security and our internal software that we use day to day must be up to date and provide safe and secure execution of our work. We’ve made significant strides in the recent past but there is still more to do. 3. Improve partnering and strengthen partnerships. We live in an age of limited resources and we have a number of federal and non-federal partners who work with us on projects that support mutual goals, oftentimes this is where funding requirements have increased and we are able to pool resources. In other cases we work with partners like the Nature Conservancy in our Engineering with Nature effort. The Nature Conservancy provides grassroots advocacy for our efforts to promote civil construction with water resources that also provide an environmental benefit. There are many opportunities with partnerships and we’re on the lookout for ways to get better at it.

4. Revolutionize the way we do things. This is an effort that started a few years ago and we’ve made a lot of improvements. We are a 245-year-old institution and most of our missions are tied to legislation, regulation and internal processes, many of which were written 10 or more years ago. Policies and processes need review every few years to ensure we’re being efficient. Fast food is a great example. McDonald’s and Burger King didn’t deliver food 10 years ago. Today I can use Grubhub or Uber Eats to order dinner and use that extra time to do something else. Leveraging technology is only part of it though. Organizationally, we need to reduce bureaucracy and empower leaders at the lowest level to get things done without waiting for someone else to make a decision. That may sound obvious but in a large organization, things can get complicated fast. So, we are working to correct course. This is paying huge dividends for us. What impact do you hope to have in the position? This job is an amazing opportunity to contribute to engineer history. For the Engineer Regiment, we live in a pivotal time because the Army is modernizing; the previous focus was on smaller scale conflict where we’ve been technically superior to our adversaries for many years. Times have changed and the Army is moving to meet new threats. For Army Engineers, this means greater investment in new capabilities to support the warfighter – faster river crossings, better maneuver defense and safer, more reliable obstacle breaching on the battlefield. For USACE, our program has grown from $24 billion a few years ago to over $68 billion today. A record number of storms in recent years have contributed to disaster supplementals from Congress that we use to rebuild impacted areas – that rebuilding can take years. In other cases we have increased construction requirements due to modernization efforts – but we also have more requests for our services. People like what we do and they want more of it. Other construction requirements are due to Department of Defense modernization efforts or even foreign military sales. As I begin my time as the 55th Chief, I am going to focus on four key areas: First, people. People will always be

It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers. my #1 priority. Since 1775, the men and women of the Corps have been our greatest strength and asset, and we owe our people the best technology, leader development, safety and education programs so they can each achieve their full potential. USACE is rated in the top 100 federal agencies to work in — and we need to be. The nature of our mission requires that we attract and retain the very best talent. We also have an ambitious developmental assignment program that allows people to move into a vacant position and learn that job while a hiring action is being done. Allowing people to broaden skill sets makes them more competitive but it also makes us a more responsive force. We’re always looking for strong talent: we even have an app for people who want to join our team: https://www.usace.army. mil/careers/. Readiness: The most important thing we can do for the Army and our Nation’s readiness is deliver our program. We must empower leaders at all levels to be open to new ideas, explore new methods and apply every available resource to finish quality projects on time within budget. Partnerships: We accomplish very little on our own. Our relationships with commanders, industry, project sponsors and academia are as critical as ever given the historic levels of investment the Army and Nation are making in its infrastructure. Achieving our vision requires the best partnerships and partnering practices with our wide array of teammates. Reform: Over the past few years, we have fundamentally changed many aspects of program and project delivery across the Corps. We must now expand, deepen and accelerate these efforts. Our headquarters and Division headquarters are limited in how big they can be. As our mission grows, we need to look for better ways of getting things done. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 31

No masks required: CEE holds virtual job fair The COVID-19 pandemic has meant finding new approaches to long-standing traditions, including the CEE Job Fair. This year, on September 23-24, 2020, CEE held a virtual job fair for the first time. The job fair was hosted on the vFairs platform and saw over 300 recruiters from 90 companies participate. More than 500 students attended the event to visit virtual company booths and chat with the recruiters. Despite some first-day hiccups,

the event received positive reviews from students and recruiters alike. “When researching virtual platforms, I wanted to find one that gave an authentic job fair feel and I think both the students and recruiters felt that with the vFairs platform,” said event organizer Keely Ashman, Coordinator of Alumni and Corporate Relations for CEE. “I really loved that recruiters could pre-screen student resumes and invite students for a scheduled

one-on-one chat. Plus, students were able to explore company booths and sign up with recruiters the day of the event. It was a great success and recruiters felt they saw the quality of students they associate with the University of Illinois Civil and Environmental Engineering program.” The CEE Spring Job Fair will also be a virtual event, on February 25, 2021. More information about the Spring job fair can be found at cee.illinois.edu/jobfair.

Resume Search Virtual Environment A 3D animated lobby was the gateway to the virtual job fair. From here, students could choose which Exhibit Hall to enter or seek technical assistance at the Help Desk. Designed to invoke the feeling of being on campus, the Illini Union can be seen through the lobby windows.

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The Resume Search function allowed recruiters to search for students in target areas of interest prior to the job fair. When students registered to attend the job fair, they filled out basic profile information (for example, their area of specialization and year in school), a resume and optional headshot. Recruiters could review and download these resumes in advance and invite students to chat.

Exhibit Halls and Booths

Feedback

Companies were divided into three exhibit halls, each with Engineering Hall visible in the background. In an exhibit hall, attendees could scroll through the company booths and click on any in which they were interested. Companies designed their own booths with logos, documents and links, and uploaded information for students to read or download. Each booth also had a dedicated group chat room which students could enter at any time to chat with a company recruiter.

Post-event surveys reflected a general consensus that the platform would benefit from improved scheduling functions, but overall the feedback was very positive. Here is a sampling:

STUDENT FEEDBACK “I liked being able to set up video times with recruiters rather than waiting in line to meet people. I also liked that the companies got to see our resumes beforehand.” “It was nice doing virtual chats since you weren’t pressured by a line behind you or the noise of other chats. Chats seemed more personal.”

Student-Recruiter Chats One reason CEE selected the vFairs platform to host the job fair was because of the chat options they provide. Not only did each company have a dedicated group chat room, but recruiters could review student resumes in advance, and invite students to reserve a private chat time with them. Additionally, each company recruiter was able to specify hours they would be available for one-on-one chats, which students could reserve for 15-minute slots. While each chat began in text format, recruiters could invite students to switch to video or audio chats.

“It gave a chance to talk to the companies for much longer than I would have at the normal career fair. It was so easy to talk, no technical problems and I never had to wait. It was really nice that you could reserve a time – in the normal engineering career fair you could be waiting for over an hour to talk to a company.” “It was cool to see the company booths virtually. I also liked the chat and video interaction option. Made it feel like a real job fair.”

RECRUITER FEEDBACK “The virtual experience was great for our team. We were able to have recruiters attend that otherwise would not have been able to. We liked the ability to review resumes prior to the fair.” “[My favorite thing was] the resume search, by far! I felt like it was hard to get a lot of traffic at the in-person fairs, but the resume search allowed me to target students that appealed to us.” “The ability to personalize our booth and add our own content was amazing.” “The virtual ‘booth’ was a good setup for students to look at the company information. I would say students were more knowledgeable of our company compared to in-person career fairs.” Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 33

Dhruti Patel An interest in environmental issues as a teenager in London eventually led alumna Dhruti Patel (BS 11, MS UIC 16) to the University of Illinois, and later to a career focused on sustainability, clean energy and climate risk management. She currently resides in Chicago, where she is Energy Manager at Brookfield Properties, a global operator and developer of retail real estate. Here, she shares some memories of her time at CEE: My fondest memories of the University of Illinois are deeply rooted within friendships. Some relationships were short-lived for the semester while others are now decade-long friendships. Some of my current and close friends I met through study group projects, through other friends, and a few house parties. It is also the little things that shaped my experience on campus such as the TAM 335 teaching assistant calling me out on laboratory write-ups. I remember him telling me that I can do better and it is a choice that I control. I recall a vibrant conversation between my anthropology professor (ANTH 101), a guest lecturer and myself on the influence of modern society on race and gender. I was often frustrated by that particular class because as an engineer I saw the world as a problem that needed to find its solution. A big reason I went to Structural Dynamics every lecture from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. is because Professor Duarte had impeccable style. And, during CEE 422, I was pranked by Faraaz Rab and typed â&#x20AC;&#x153;80085â&#x20AC;? as an answer during a live clicker lecture. I was mortified! For me, the small moments built-up a beautiful memory. In 2011, during the infamous blizzard, my friend, Alan Phelps, and I got into a snowball fight. I am truly uncertain as to who threw the first snowball, but it rapidly escalated into a battle. Overnight, two teams were formed and spies were planted in the lecture halls, Grainger and student committee meetings. A few friends stayed loyal while others did not because I vividly remember getting hit with a snowball by Francis Yuen after a student committee meeting right in the back! Looking back, I believe I did win with a final snowball to the head in Grainger. It was easy to slip into a competitive nature with friends and acquaintances. As an immigrant with immigrant parents, the pressure to succeed was and is overbearing. However, I surrounded myself with friends who were willing to define success for themselves. I did not quite understand their influence at that time and place but I did eventually have that epiphany.

If you would like to share your University of Illinois memories for the CEE Magazine, contact Celeste Bock (celeste@illinois.edu) for details. 34

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ALUMNI NEWS

Starting your career during COVID-19 By K atie Bell (BS 07), YED Chair The first year after graduation is a very exciting time. For many, it has meant starting work at a new office, getting to know your co-workers, and attending fun industry networking events. Over the past year, COVID-19 has drastically changed what that first year of work looked like for many people. Instead of working in an office setting, many recent CEE graduates find themselves working from home. Casual interactions with coworkers are few and far between, as most work interactions will only be with those you directly work with, and in-person networking events have moved to a 100 percent virtual setting. With all of these changes, many young alumni may feel they are missing out on opportunities to build their network and grow as a professional. However, there are several things you can do to make sure you are making the most of the current virtual work world. Below are some ideas on how you can continue building your professional brand regardless of your physical work location. 1. Turn On Your Camera. We have all learned how to navigate Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, and a host of other virtual meeting platforms, but many people still shy away from turning on the camera. I recommend always having your camera on for one-on-one or small meetings (less than 5 people) to give it a more personal touch. Being able to read one another’s facial cues can also help to have more collaborative discussions, with (hopefully) less interrupting one another. If you don’t want people to see your background, most virtual meeting platforms allow you to blur your background or apply a different background. You can even have some fun with this by “changing up” where you’re working from every day. 2. Build Up Your LinkedIn Presence. Your online professional brand is more im-

portant than ever. Make sure to keep your profile current, including a professionallooking headshot. LinkedIn’s research has shown that just having a picture makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed by others. Sharing relevant industry articles/links will also increase your exposure and likely result in meaningful dialogue and new industry connections. 3. Attend Virtual Networking Events. At this point, most professional networking organizations have successfully made the jump from in-person to virtual events. I have attended several of these events over the past year and while I initially had my doubts I have had a lot of fun and gotten to know new people through these events. When you are cooped up all day interacting with a small circle of people, it’s so refreshing to meet new people even if it is from the comfort of your couch. The YED Networking Committee hosted our first virtual happy hour on September 30, and we are working hard to plan more exciting virtual events for the fall and winter. 4. Take Advantage of Discounted Professional Development Opportunities. Similar to networking events, many technical trainings and conferences are now being held online. Since many of the typical costs of these events (renting space, purchasing food, printing materials, etc.) are no longer required, it is common to see training events/conferences being offered at much lower prices than in previous years (some are even free). The lower cost of these events likely means that your company can send more people than they have in the past. As a young professional, you definitely want to take advantage of these educational opportunities as much as you can. The YED Career Development Committee is creating a wiki to compile resources related to professional development, licensure and higher education for students and young alumni. The wiki

Katie Bell

The Young Engineers Division (YED) of the CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors was established in 2019 to engage young alumni and provide opportunities for them to develop and refine leadership and other skills that enhance their abilities to advance in their careers.

is expected to be released soon, so stay tuned! Whatever your situation is during this time, know that you are not alone. We are all learning how to adapt to our new virtual work world, and YED is working hard to identify ways our young alumni can support one another, as well as current students, through COVID-19 and beyond.i To reach Katie Bell, email her at katiebell529@gmail.com.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 35

ALUMNI NEWS

Milhouse and Wood named Grainger Distinguished Alumni Wilbur C. Milhouse III (BS 94, MS 95) and Sharon L. Wood (MS 83, PhD 86) have been awarded The Grainger College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service. Recipients are recognized for professional distinction through outstanding leadership, contributions to the field of engineering, creativity and entrepreneurship; as well as service to society, the professional community and to the department, college or university.

Sharon L. Wood Wilbur C. Milhouse III

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Milhouse Engineering & Construction BS, Civil Engineering, UIUC, 1994 MS, Structural Engineering, UIUC, 1995 For entrepreneurship that advances opportunities for minorities in the engineering field, exceptional commitment to mentoring children and lifting up disadvantaged communities in the United States and abroad, and for dedicated support and service to the University of Illinois. Wilbur C. Milhouse III is the Chairman and CEO of Milhouse Engineering & Construction Inc. He is an award-winning entrepreneur who has transformed more than 25 years of diversified civil and structural engineering experience into a global enterprise that has drawn national attention. The company has been ranked as the 5th largest design firm in Chicago by Engineering News Record, widely regarded as one of the construction industry’s most authoritative publications. Founded in 2001, the firm is a dedicated, multidisciplinary team of more than 250 talented professionals, headquartered in Chicago with branch offices throughout the United States, Africa and Bermuda. On the international stage, Milhouse has founded both power and energy companies in Nigeria, where he is developing a 60 MW thermal power plant. The plant is expandable to 300 MW – enough power to supply the needs of millions of citizens in the Southeastern quadrant of Nigeria. In 2012, Milhouse co-founded Milhouse Charities – a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing academic achievements and opportunities for minorities and other underrepresented youth by supporting STEM-focused organizations.

cee.illinois.edu

Dean, Cockrell School of Engineering University of Texas at Austin Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #14 BS, Civil Engineering, University of Virginia, 1982 MS, Civil Engineering, UIUC, 1983 PhD, Civil Engineering, UIUC, 1986 For pioneering leadership in engineering education at the University of Texas at Austin; for championing the role of women and advancing diversity efforts in engineering; and for an ongoing career of academic leadership in structural engineering research, teaching and service. Sharon L. Wood is dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering and holds the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #14 at The University of Texas at Austin, where she has been a member of the faculty for more than 20 years. Wood is a structural engineer whose research interests focus on improving the structural response of reinforced concrete buildings, design and evaluation of bridges, and development of passive sensors for infrastructure systems. Wood began her career as a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1986, and she joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin in 1996. Prior to her appointment as dean, she served as chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering for five years, and as director of the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory, one of the nation’s leading research centers in the large-scale study of the behavior of bridges, buildings and structural components, for one year. Wood is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2013).

2020s Matthew Kuechenberg (BS 20) recently became

a full-time water resources specialist at Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Chicago regional office. He joined Hanson in 2019 as an intern. As a water resources specialist, he will provide hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and design for infrastructure projects. Sital R. Uprety (MS 19, PhD 20) was awarded a 2020 Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award. The International Achievement Awards recognize outstanding alumni, faculty and students whose exceptional work, service and/or scholarship has made a significant, global impact.

2010s Ugwem I. Eneyo is part of Climate and Capital

Media’s Ten to Watch list, feature young climate entrepreneurs working to transform the world with dynamic ideas and low carbon innovation. Nathan A. Kebede (MS 12) was appointed as ARRB Group Inc.’s chief operating officer. AARB Group Inc., along with its global family of companies, is a leading provider of roadway and pavement evaluation services and equipment.

1990s Michael W. Flatt, P.E., S.E., PMP, LEED AP® (BS 95,

MS 96) has been promoted from assistant vice president to vice president and to the role of chief project management officer by Hanson Professional Services Inc. in Springfield, Ill. He will oversee the company’s project controls, governance, administration functions and team, and will lead project management training. Jennifer Bennett (BS 95) was elected president of Shive-Hattery, a 425-person architecture and engineering firm based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Bennett joined the firm in 2003 and has 25 years of experience in client service, talent development and market growth. Robert A. Victor, P.E., F.ASCE (MS 95) has joined Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, as an operating unit manager to lead its mid-Atlantic engineering operations, based in Fairfax, Va. He will oversee offices representing extensive services, such as engineering, geospatial, survey and mapping, environmental, and construction across federal, state and local, and commercial markets, including real estate and commercial development.

Sital R. Uprety

Jennifer Bennett

1980s David A. Sabatini (BS 81) has been selected as an

Hanson Professional Services Inc. has been recognized by the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) with the Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence for its work on the emergency repair of Norfolk Southern Corp.’s collapsed

1970s John P. Coombe, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE (MS 78) has

IN MEMORIAM

inductee into the 2020 Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. He is the director of the Water Technologies for Emerging Regions (WaTER) Center and serves as the associate director of the Institute for Applied Surfactant Research. He joined Oklahoma University in 1989, and is a David Boyd Professor and Sun Oil Co. Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science.

become the corporate quality assurance officer for Hanson Professional Services Inc. in Sarasota, Fla. He will be responsible for directing the company’s quality assurance programs and protocols. He is also a senior vice president and a senior principal consultant. Glenn W. Passavant (MS 78) has retired as senior principal research engineer from Ingevity Corporation, where his primary role was technical and policy coordination with government and industry on the implementation of technology solutions to motor vehicle related air pollution problems. He was also a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a full Colonel in 2009.

1960s Richard F. Lanyon (BS 60, MS 61) has published a new book, Calumet First and Forever: Draining the South Area of Chicago and Territorial Expansion.

1950s Joseph R. Sidor, P.E., G.E. (BS 59) has retired as

chief geotechnical engineer after 20 years of service with Landmark Consultants Inc. based in El Centro, Cal. He previously held positions specializing in the design and construction management of large dams.

1960s Takeshi Yoshihara (MS 61, PhD 63) died June

25. He was 89. He was a career U.S. Navy officer and the first Japanese-American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. He served for 21 years in various assignments to Midway Island, Pearl Harbor, Port Hueneme and Virginia with the Navy Civil Engineer Corps before retiring in 1974. He then taught civil engineering at the University of Hawaii.

1950s Colonel Guy E. Jester (MS 58, PhD 69) died March 2. He was 90.

Colonel William C. Trefz (MS 50) died August 20. He was 96. He was a licensed Professional Engineer and a member of several Military, Engineering and Environmental organizations. William E. Myers (BS 52) died May 24. He was 90. Following his 1975 retirement as a Colonel in the Army Corps. of Engineers, he began a second career in Pittsburgh with ALCOSAN, retiring as Executive Director in 1996.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 37

DEPARTMENT NEWS

Parker named to Center for Advanced Study permanent faculty Professor Gary Parker was appointed to UIUC’s Center for Advanced Study permanent faculty. This appointment is one of the highest forms of academic recognition bestowed by the university upon faculty members. Parker was selected based Professor Emeritus William L. Gamble has been elected an Honorary Member of the American Concrete Institute. Associate Professor Mani Golparvar-Fard is project lead for the National Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction. Mingu Kang (PhD 17), a graduate research who works with Professor Erol Tutumluer, has received a Graduate Research Award sponsored by Federal Aviation Administration and a Geosynthetic Institute fellowship based on his research on innovative sensor technology development.

on his many significant contributions to and extremely high standing in his field. Parker teaches courses in fluid mechanics, river engineering and sediment transport. His research focuses on morphodynamics, the study of landscape

and seascape changes in response to erosion and sedimentation associated with rivers, debris flows and turbidity currents. Parker also holds a 25 percent appointment as the W.H. Johnson Professor of Geology in the Department of Geology. i

New faculty chairs, professorships, fellows and scholars Ana Barros Donald Biggar Willett Chair of Engineering Gary Parker Grainger Distinguished Chair of Engineering

Professor Wen-Tso Liu was awarded the 2020 Walter J. Weber Jr. AAEESP Frontier in Research Award. Professor Benito Mariñas has been named a 2020 Fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. Professor Arif Masud has been elected to the Board of Governors of the Engineering Mechanics Institute.

Paolo Gardoni Arif Masud Armando Duarte Alfredo H-S. Ang Family John and Eileen Nathan Newmark Endowed Blumenschein Endowed Endowed Professor in CEE Professor in CEE Professor in CEE

Professor Arif Masud was elected Fellow of the Society of Engineering Science (SES) and elected to the SES Board of Directors. Professor Bill Spencer is co-lead of the Center for Infrastructure Resilience in Cities as Livable Environments (CIRCLE), one of three new Grainger Engineering joint research centers with Zhejiang University. Professor Erol Tutumluer has been selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Geo-Institute to give the 2021 Carl L. Monismith Lecture. Antonio Zaldivar, a structural engineering PhD student advised by Assistant Professor Franklin Lombardo, was awarded the 2020 O.H. Ammann Fellowship in Structural Engineering by ASCE and SEI. 38

cee.illinois.edu

Helen Nguyen Ivan Racheff Endowed Professor in CEE

Jeff Roesler Erol Tutumluer Ernest Barenberg Abel Bliss Endowed Endowed Professor in CEE Professor in Engineering

Rosa Espinosa-Marzal Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Scholar

John Popovics Caterpillar Faculty Scholar

Ahmed Elbanna Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Fellow

DEPARTMENT NEWS

New CEE Head, Ana Barros, to start February 2021 Ana Barros has been named as the new Donald Biggar Willett Chair of Engineering and new Head and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering. The appointment will be effective February 1, 2021, pending approval by the Board of Trustees. Barros is currently the Edmund T. Pratt Jr. School Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University. Her primary research interests are in hydrology, hydrometeorology and environmental physics with a focus on water-cycle processes in the coupled land-atmosphere-biosphere system, particularly in regions of complex terrain. She has expertise in the critical area of water security and environmental sustainability, with emphasis on the study of water cycle processes taking place in the land-atmosphere-biosphere system. Her

research relies on intensive field and laboratory experiments, large-scale computational modeling, nonlinear data analysis and environmental informatics. She has received multiple prestigious awards for her numerous pioneering technical contributions and many leadership roles in Ana Barros major national and international research and professional programs, including election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2019. She is a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Geophysical Union.

Barros said her priorities as Head will include undergraduate education; fostering and enabling transformative interdisciplinary research leveraging UIUC’s vast resources; and strengthening interactions and partnerships with industry and governmental agencies. “CEE has a long tradition of innovation and leadership in all areas of civil and environmental engineering education and research,” Barros said. “I am excited to work with our students, faculty, staff and alumni toward affirming and expanding this tradition looking forward, to address 21st century challenges and opportunities." i

Ven Te Chow honored at 2019 symposium A symposium honoring Ven Te Chow (PhD 50) was held in November 2019 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Chow’s alma mater. About 600 people attended a Distinguished Lecture by CEE alumnus David Maidment (MS 74, PhD 76), who was invited to speak due to his recent election into the National Academy of Engineering. The event marked what would have been Chow’s 100th birthday. Additional presentations were given by Ximing Cai, Marcelo Garcia and Hong Lie Chow. Ven Te Chow served on the civil engineering faculty at UIUC from 1951 until his death in 1981. His accomplishments significantly influenced the understanding and importance of water resources throughout the entire world. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering. i

Above left to right, Marcelo Garcia, David Maidment, Ximing Cai at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2019. Inset, Ven Te Chow in 1980. Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 39

CORPORATE PARTNERS PROGRAM PRINCIPAL PARTNERS

LEGACY PARTNERS

cee.illinois.edu

Student organizations persevere through pandemic One of the best ways for CEE students to make friends in the department and learn things outside the classroom is through registered student organizations (RSOs). But during a semester in which many aspects of student life have been curtailed due to COVID-19 concerns, there was every chance that RSO activity would suffer. It turns out that in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic, CEE RSOs are finding ways to move forward safely. There are 15 active student organizations this year, and groups like Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge are operating much as usual, albeit with Personal Protective Equipment and online meetings replacing some in-person gatherings. Caroline Kulach, a Concrete Canoe project manager, said that the group – which has 50 active members this year, including 15 freshmen – enforces social distancing, requires masks, disinfects equipment before meetings, limits meeting attendance to achieve effective social distancing and checks COVID-19 test status before meetings. “We are happy with the decision to meet in person,” Kulach said. “We are seeing people who return regularly because they enjoy paddling or working with tools. Members are connecting with each other and learning new skills. And as for captains, we are able to test our experience and leadership on a new challenge and on a new set of members.” Like their Concrete Canoe counterparts, the Steel Bridge team is doing the majority of their design work online and fabrication in person. The group has 20 members but, for safety, only three people are allowed in the shop at one time. Masks are required, and each Steel Bridge member received their own gloves and

The steel bridge team gets to work in the Newmark Lab crane bay.

safety glasses for the year to avoid virus transmission. Both groups are preparing for regional competitions in April 2021, although it is still unclear whether those will be held in person or in a virtual space. Other RSOs are also finding ways to conduct their business, network and have fun. For example, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) student chapter is hosting guest speakers virtually rather than on campus, and they plan to participate in events like Engineering Open House and the ACI national conference remotely. The Geotechnical Engineering Society Organization kicked off the year with a virtual welcome event that served as a meet-and-greet for students and have supplemented their regular online group meetings with two outdoor social events

“The other captains and I firmly believe that the extracurricular projects like Steel Bridge, Concrete Canoe, etc., are one of the best parts of civil engineering at UIUC.” — Scott Young, Steel Bridge team head captain – a picnic in the park and a golf outing. Overall, the desire to welcome in new students and continue the traditions of their groups has outweighed the inconvenience of following safety guidelines for in-person gatherings and the limitations of virtual interactions. For Scott Young, head captain of the Steel Bridge team, the extra effort to keep the group active this semester is worth it. “The other captains and I firmly believe that the extracurricular projects like Steel Bridge, Concrete Canoe, etc., are one of the best parts of civil engineering at UIUC,” Young said. “It gives freshmen a practical project that they are able to be involved in besides their normal classes and an opportunity for everyone to make friends and meet other people. Despite extenuating circumstances, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive this year.” i

Photos at top and right: Concrete Canoe team members practice paddling all masked up. Below, A friendly game of frisbee puts the social in social distancing at the Geotechnical Engineering Society Organization picnic.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 41

CAMPUS TESTING

710,148

How it works: Walk-up testing sites administer the innovative tests developed by the University of Illinois, which involve “dribbling” saliva into the bottom of a test tube. Results are received within five to 48 hours.

Total COVID-19 tests conducted at 14 testing sites across campus* At times, daily tests have accounted for 20% of all COVID-19 tests performed in Illinois, and 1.5% in the United States. *As of November 4, 2020

TESTING SCHEDULE Once per week: Faculty, staff and graduate students Twice per week: Undergraduate students Three times per week: Undergraduate students at higher risk of recent exposure

See more about the campus response at:

covid19.illinois.edu CEE supplies: 78 gallons of hand sanitizer

WHAT DOES THE FALL SEMESTER LOOK LIKE DURING A PANDEMIC?

CLASSES 45 CEE classes

are available to take online or in-person

CEE supplies: 1,200 face masks

23 CEE classes

are available online only All in-person classes will switch to online-only after the Thanksgiving holiday for the remainder of Fall semester, to avoid students traveling then returning to campus.

ENROLLMENT

601

CEE undergraduate student enrollment

graduate student 548 CEE enrollment

107

Students deferred admittance to CEE

RESEARCH Residence halls: Reduced occupancy (5,336 students) to allow for social distancing. Carry-out meals plus limited in-person dining are offered.

cee.illinois.edu

CEE faculty have been involved with several research efforts related to COVID-19, including:

BUILDING Newmark Lab is only accessible by one entrance during the week from 8:00a.m. - 6:00p.m. A recent negative test result is required for building entry, which is monitored during these hours. Classrooms and bathrooms are cleaned twice daily.

CEE supplies: 34,040 disinfecting wipes • Development of a face shield for health professionals • Pooled testing methodology • Quick sanitization of N95 respirator masks

Photo: Punit Singhvi

SMIZE SIgns across campus — this one in front of the Illini Union — encourage the university community to adopt safe COVID-19 practices, including wearing face coverings, maintaining a safe distance from others and being tested regularly. Smizing, reportedly invented by supermodel Tyra Banks, means smiling with one’s eyes. Photo: Fred Zwicky, UI Public Affairs

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Fall 2020 43

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The Grainger College of Engineering University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory MC-250 205 North Mathews Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61801

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID CHAMPAIGN, IL PERMIT NO. 453