CEE Magazine Summer 2008 by Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

CEE

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Summer 2008

Water for a changing world Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering at Illinois Alumni news and features

free your mind Earn Professional Development Hours from the convenience of your computer.

The Illinois Society of Professional Engineers and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have teamed up to offer a series of online seminars that make it easier than ever for civil and environmental engineers to earn Professional Development Hours.

how it works

aChoose an online seminar at http://www.illinoisengineer.com/UofIOnLineSeminars.asp and watch it at your convenience. aPrint out and complete the seminar quiz and Professional Development Hour request form. Submit your quiz and form with your payment of $20 (check or credit card) to ISPE. aIf you earn 80 percent or better, your PDH certificate will be sent to you. Quiz and certificate processing take about three weeks. aAll seminars are about one hour long and are worth one PDH. Professional engineers licensed in Illinois must earn 30 Professional Development Hours in each two-year renewal period. To learn more about the professional development requirements for engineers, to view a complete list of seminars, or to access the ISPE/University of Illinois Online Seminars, visit http://www. illinoisengineer.com.

seminars include Use of FRP in Seismic Design and Blast Mitigation Frieder Seible University of California Forensics Engineering Jeff Garrett CTL Inc. Bridge Engineering: the Other Structural Engineering John L. Carratto Alfred Benesch & Co. Failure Investigation Gary Klein Wiss, Janney & Elstner Structural Design of the Burj Dubai and Trump Towers Bill Baker Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

CEE Summer 2008

5 Great accomplishments/Robert H. Dodds Jr.

7 Farewell from the outgoing CEEAA president/John Carrato 9 Water for a changing world: Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering at Illinois 18 Safe after dark: ICT’s nighttime construction research 19 A different take on spring break: Environmental students in Mexico 20 Build the future: Gifts to the Yeh Student Center 22 Today’s department leaders, yesterday’s students

24 Concrete canoe, steel bridge regional competitions 26 2008 student awards 28 Department news 36 2008 CEE Alumni Association awards 37 Alumni news 41 Obituaries 44 Alumni events 46 Old Masters: Wilbur Wilson

22 29

Contents

One day the future of civil and environmental engineering will be in their hands.

CEE

CEE is published twice a year for members of the CEE Alumni Association and friends of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Robert H. Dodds Jr. Professor and Head John E. Kelley Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations Celeste Bragorgos Director of Communications Carla J. Blue Program Coordinator Danielle Gray Advertising

Today, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in yours. Please give generously to the Yeh Student Center building addition fund.

Letters, comments and editorial submissions: CEE Newsletter Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1117 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory MC-250 205 North Mathews Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61801 (217) 333-6955 celeste@illinois.edu Advertising inquiries: Celeste Bragorgos (217) 333-6955 celeste@illinois.edu Danielle Gray (217) 333-7501 dmgray2@illinois.edu Front cover: View of Niagara Falls, ÂŠ Peter Finnie/ istockphoto.com.

Build the Future To arrange your gift or pledge, contact: John Kelley, Director of Advancement, (217) 333-5120, jekelley@illinois.edu or Robert H. Dodds Jr., Professor and Head, (217) 333-3276, rdodds@illinois.edu

Great accomplishments by Robert H. Dodds Jr., Professor and Head, (MS 75, PhD 78) M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering

lasses are completed. Final exams are finished. New graduates have walked across the stage at commencement to the joy of parents, spouses and friends. As the summer begins with current students off to experience internships and faculty engaged more intensely in research with their graduate students, I want to highlight just a few of the great accomplishments in the department over this past year and their impact on our future. • Fundraising for the 23,000-square-foot Yeh Student Center addition to Newmark Lab continues at an accelerated pace. The Board of Trustees will select the AE firm this July with detailed design work to begin in August. Groundbreaking is set for early summer 2009, with completion in time for classes in the fall 2010 semester. Articles later in the newsletter highlight recent gifts and pledges. • CEE students Maren Somers and Benjamin Finnegan helped lead an Illinois team to win a $75,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant this spring to implement Phase II of a project called "Sustainable Water Development Program for Rural Nigeria." This project is featured on page 31. • Assistant Professors Ximing Cai (Environmental Hydrology & Hydraulic Engineering), Yanfeng Ouyang (Transportation) and Timm Strathmann (Environmental Engineering & Science) have each won $400,000 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards from the National Science Foundation. These are extraordinarily competitive research grants and to have three of our young faculty selected in one year is remarkable. • The U.S. News & World Report rankings continue to place the CE undergraduate and graduate programs at Number 1 in the country and our Environmental graduate program at Number 3. CEE remains the highest ranked department at the University of Illinois. • Our Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT) completes its first three-year agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation and begins the first three-year renewal on July 1 with more than $10 million of new support. Professor Imad Al-Qadi, the founding Director of ICT, has provided outstanding leadership in the extraordinary growth of ICT education and research activities, and in the state and national visibility of our excellent transportation program.

• The Mid-America Earthquake Center, directed by CEE Professor Amr Elnashai, “graduated” from National Science Foundation funding after an extraordinarily successful 11 years of education, research and engagement with practitioners and government agencies at all levels. • The 3,000-square-foot addition to the roof of Newmark Lab is underway to provide expanded laboratory space for our Environmental Engineering & Science program. Scheduled for a fall 2008 completion, this new space will support expanded education and research on advanced technologies for water treatment. • This past February 29, some 73 CEE companies (a new record!) participated in our annual Professional Development Fair held in the crane bay of Newmark Lab. Almost 400 CEE undergraduate and graduate students met with company representatives—many of them Illinois alums coming back to recruit and visit with faculty. Photos from this event appear on page 35. • The College of Engineering and the department completed the ABET accreditation review process this past October. As always, CEE received high marks and is expected to be again accredited through the 2014-15 academic year. We enjoyed another productive year working with our CEEAA board and president John Carrato (BS 79, MS 80). John has been instrumental in coordinating and expanding board activities with the department, including input for the ABET self-study report. We look forward to his continuing service as past-president and welcome the opportunity to work with incoming president Ken Floody (BS 83). The Illinois CEE family lost two gifted and treasured emeritus faculty this past year—professors Ralph Peck and William (Bill) Munse. Obituaries appear in this newsletter. Once the summer ends, we look forward to welcoming our largest freshman and transfer class in many years—more than 190 new students—this August. The future remains promising for CEE at Illinois and for our profession. Your thoughts, suggestions and comments are always welcome. Please feel free to contact me any time at rdodds@illinois.edu or call (217) 333-3276. Go Illini! i

The future remains promising for CEE at Illinois and for our profession.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

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University of Illinois College of Engineering alumni, students, faculty and staff

CEEAA Board of Directors President John L. Carrato, P.E., S.E., (BS 79, MS 80) Alfred Benesch & Company, Chicago Vice President Kenneth M. Floody, P.E., S.E. (BS 83) Ingenii LLC, Oak Park, Illinois Second Vice President Lawrence P. Jaworski, P.E., (BS 72, MS 73) Black & Veatch Gaithersburg, Maryland Past President Gregory D. Cargill, P.E., (BS 71) Clark Dietz Inc., Chicago Secretary Daniel A. Kuchma Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UIUC Ralph E. Anderson, P.E., (BS 77) Illinois Department of Transportation Springfield, Illinois Stanley M. Herrin, P.E., (BS 74, MS 78) Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Springfield, Illinois Alan J. Hollenbeck, P.E., (BS 75, MS 77) RJN Group Inc., Wheaton, Illinois

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Network with other engineering alumni and students in a secure, global online community Renew and maintain lifelong friendships Stay connected with the college, CEE and student or alumni organizations Expand your career opportunities

join re tol and u s Be e Civi ental th ironm ing Env gineer roup! En ni G m Alu

Get started 1. To request your alumni ID number, email:alwaysillinois@ engineering.uiuc.edu 2. Use the alumni ID number to register at www.alwaysillinois.org

Visit CEE on the web at http://cee.uiuc.edu

Deron G. Huck, P.E., (BS 90) CH2M HILL, Kansas City, Missouri John P. Kos, P.E., (BS 77) DuPage County Walter S. Kos, P.E., (BS 71) Cook County Highway Department, Chicago Tracy K. Lundin, P.E., (BS 80, MS 82) Hanson Professional Services Springfield, Illinois Kevin A. Michols, P.E., S.E., (BS 79, MS 81) Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. Northbrook, Ill. Wilbur C. Milhouse, P.E., (BS 94, MS 95) Milhouse Engineering & Construction Chicago Colleen E. Quinn, P.E., (BS 84) Ricondo and Associates Inc., Chicago Allen J. Staron, P.E., (BS 74) Clark Dietz Inc., Chicago David J. Stoldt (BS 80) Commonwealth Pacific Ventures Hopkinton, Massachusetts Christopher M. Thomas (BS 96, MS 97) Edgemoor Real Estate Services Bethesda, Maryland Elias Zewde, P.E., (BS 73, MS 75) Khafra Engineering Consultants, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

Farewell from the outgoing CEEAA board president by John L. Carrato, P.E., S.E., (BS 79, MS 80) President, Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association Board of Directors

t is hard to believe my two-year term as president is coming to an end and that I have been serving on the CEEAA board for 10 years. Time truly does fly when you enjoy what you are doing. It has been my honor and pleasure to serve as your president. During my tenure on the board we have had the pleasure of working with three highly qualified department heads, including our incredibly capable current head, Robert H. Dodds Jr. Bob has a special blend of vision and passion that is perfectly suited to lead the number one department in the country. I am sure some of you are wondering whether Bob is paying me to say these things (he is, but not nearly enough). Actually, my esteem for Bob increased each year that I have had the opportunity to work with him. Whether it is maintaining the integrity of the department with ever-decreasing financial support from the state of Illinois or championing the Geoffrey Yeh Student Center, Bob delivers. He has his eyes focused on the future, always staying one step ahead of the ever-changing environment in which the department competes. Obviously, Bob would not be able to accomplish what he has without the support of superior faculty and staff. I just wanted to take

this opportunity to assure my fellow alumni that the stewardship of the department could not be in better hands. Bob, it has truly been a pleasure working with you, the faculty and the staff. I wish you great success going forward. I also want to thank the members of the current board, as well as those who served before us. Although our role in the success of the department is limited, the people who serve on the board do so with great passion. We are constantly trying to strengthen the bonds among alumni, between the alumni and the faculty, and between the alumni and the students. In particular, I would like to thank the five directors who will be ending their terms on the board this fall. Ralph Anderson, Wally Kos, Kevin Michols, Dave Stoldt and Chris Thomas have all played very important roles on the board. Finally, I want to thank each of you who have supported the department, whether financially or through service. We have so much to be proud of as alumni of the most storied department in the country. The department cannot stay on top without our support. As my term comes to an end, I pledge to continue supporting the department, and I ask you to do the same. i

We have so much to be proud of as alumni of the most storied department in the country.

Keep in touch. Update your contact information at

alumni@uillinois.edu Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Summer 2008

http://cee.uiuc.edu/hydro/ Visit CEE Environmental and Hydraulic Engineering on the web at http://cee.uiuc.edu/hydro/ Visit on the webHydrology at http://cee.uiuc.edu

By Marcelo H. García Chester and Helen Siess Endowed Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering Director, Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory ater resources engineering at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign has a distinguished history, a dynamic present, and a promising future. Known today as Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (EHHE), this area of study within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering boasts a world-class faculty, state-of-theart laboratory facilities, and a vibrant research program. The University of Ilinois first made its mark in the field with the publication in 1887 of Professor Arthur N. Talbot’s renowned Talbot formula for determining the waterway area required to pass the floods from rain falling in a given watershed. In the following 60 years, studies on watershed hydrology were continued at Illinois on a relatively local scope, for example, the study of Illinois floods by Professor George W. Pickels in 1931. In 1936, Professor Hardy Cross, a structural engineer, published his method to compute flow and head losses in pipe networks. Cross also served as the Ph.D. thesis adviser of Professor Lorenz G. Straub, who went on to found the world-renowned St. Anthony Falls Hydraulics Laboratory (SAFL) at the University of Minnesota. Currently our group has three faculty members who graduated from SAFL— professors Gary Parker, Marcelo García and Praveen Kumar. In 1950, Ven Te Chow obtained his Ph.D. in civil engineering under the supervision of Professor James J. Doland, who had co-authored with Professor Harold Babbitt the classic textbook “Water Supply Engineering,” first published in 1926. In the early 1950s, professors Doland and

Chow worked on the design of storm water drainage for the Congress Expressway (later renamed Eisenhower Expressway) in Chicago. In 1959, Chow published the classic textbook “Open-Channel Hydraulics,” which was translated into several languages, including Chinese, Russian and Spanish. This seminal contribution was followed by the “Handbook of Applied Hydrology” published by McGrawHill in 1964. In the summer of 1969, the University of Illinois hosted the first national meeting of hydrology professors at the Urbana-Champaign campus. At that time, the University of Illinois was the first academic institution to build a large artificial rainfall machine for research purposes. Chow was featured in Time magazine standing under the rainfall generator with an umbrella. Professor Ben Chie Yen designed the unique rainfall apparatus. He went on to become a leader in the field of urban hydrology, hydraulics and flood management. The Hydrosystems Laboratory was built in 1970 with funding from the National Science Foundation and the state of Illinois. CEE Professor Emeritus William Hall Maxwell, also a graduate of the University of Minnesota, was in charge of designing the lab. Now known as the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory (VTCHL), the lab is the home of today’s Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering program. Today, the EHHE group are leaders in the general field of water resources science and engineering, eminently qualiContinued on the next page

The Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering program is building on a distinguished history and the expertise of a worldclass faculty to address fundamental challenges of water management and educate the next generation of hydrological engineers and scientists

©Kalev Leetaru/Phantasm

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

http://cee.uiuc.edu/hydro/

Continued from the previous page

fied to address water issues over a wide range of scales, from river and coastal engineering, floods and droughts, groundwater use and carbon sequestration, urban storm water management, water supply and re-use, the environmental impact of water projects, and the impact of water resources management on food and energy production both locally and globally. It is fair to say that the “hydro-systems” vision of Professor Chow for the water resources field—in which watershed hydrology, hydrometeorology, climatology, ecology, hydraulics, environmental fluid mechanics, geomorphology and water-resources systems planning come together— has been realized four decades after its conception. i

“Things are changing dramatically now. The greatest changes that have happened in human history have happened in the last 50 years. Change is now here to stay, and change is impacting on everything in the water cycle. The whole water cycle is changing, and the question is, can we predict it?”

—Murugesu Sivapalan

Reinventing hydrology for a new world

The 11,000-square-foot Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory has been in service since 1970. It features state-of-theart equipment for hydraulics research, including the world’s largest oscillatory flow tunnel. Researchers at the lab also have access to the computational facilities of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, located across the street.

http://vtchl.uiuc.edu/

loods, droughts, pollution, water shortages, related human conflicts—these and other issues surrounding our planet’s water supply have led many to conclude that the world is experiencing a water crisis. Driven by numerous factors including population growth, global warming, and increasing human demands, the problems are so complex and interrelated, and the world is changing so rapidly, that some believe nothing short of an entirely new approach to hydrology can assuage the crisis. “When change is happening very rapidly, the past is no longer a guide to the future,” says Professor Murugesu Sivapalan. “Our previous models are all based on the assumption that everything is fixed.” With funding from the National Science Foundation, Sivapalan and other Illinois researchers are at the forefront of a fundamental shift toward a new, multi-disciplinary approach to hydrology. Their four-year project, “Hydrologic Synthesis: Predicting Water Cycle Dynamics in a Changing Environment” will sow the seeds for a new science of hydrology, as well as innovative approaches for improved predictions. Better hydrologic predictions mean better water management, a critical need as the world changes quickly. There is plenty of fresh water, Sivapalan says, but in or-

der to move toward better distribution and more sustainable use, hydrologists need a more complete understanding of the new factors affecting the water cycle. “To manage water well in the presence of all this—increased demand, poor distribution, changing lifestyles—requires information about where the water is, how it is distributed, and how that distribution changes with increasing human use and climate change,” Sivapalan says. One of the researchers’ primary goals is to evaluate current hydrologic models to determine how inadequate they are in the presence of change and how they must be improved. The new generation of models will incorporate information from other disciplines, such as geomorphology, the study of landforms; pedology, or soils science; chemistry; and atmospheric science. Even economics, sociology and psychology will have a lot to offer. The models must also integrate the concept of evolutionary probabilities, the idea that there is nothing fixed and everything is evolving, he says. The researchers are partnering with other research teams around the world, hoping to leverage the findings from other, relevant projects. One of these is a Biosphere II initiative at the University of Arizona, in which researchers have created

Visit Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering on the web at http://cee.uiuc.edu/hydro/

“Historically we have a great reputation. One of the pioneers of this area, Ven Te Chow, was in this lab. The books he published are still in use today. We continue to do remarkable work, and we are able to place our students in good positions after they graduate.” —Praveen Kumar

artificial watersheds with different climates and soils under the dome in order to observe how soil formations change over time. Other contributing projects include a study of how biota, or living things, affect the water cycle; and a look at the effects of human impact and climate change at the watershed scale. The fruits of the project will be new ideas from other disciplines, early versions of new modeling frameworks, and demonstrated best practices for inter-disciplinary collaboration. The task of reinventing hydrology for a new world is daunting but necessary, he says. “It’s very hard, but we cannot improve the water management situation without considering all these things,” Sivapalan says. “We’re thinking that this is going to be a 25-year effort, but we need to get started.” Others involved in this project as Principal Investigators include CEE Professor Praveen Kumar; Geography Professor Bruce L. Rhoads; and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Donald J. Wuebbles. For more information, visit http://cwaces.geog. uiuc.edu/synthesis/index.html i

Predicting water supply as the climate changes

s hydrologists grapple with the implications of climate change for the world’s water supply, important clues exist all around us. Rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are already affecting the earth’s vegetation—from the grass on your lawn, to crops in the field, to the trees in the rain forest. Because plants are important regulators of the water cycle, a better understanding of how the earth’s vegetation is adapting to the changing climate would shed light on how climate change will affect the water cycle and human communities. In a four-year, $1.65 million project funded by the National Science Foundation, Professor Praveen Kumar is studying the response of plants to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. His goal is to produce a computer model to predict the global impact of climate change on the water cycle over the next 40 years. “All across the globe, the plant function is changing ever so slowly,” Kumar says. “These plants are dependent on water, and they also in many ways determine the availability of water, because the water that leaves through the plants from the soil into the atmosphere becomes rainfall. If the plant functions change, the rainfall patterns change, and people are affected.” A dramatic example of this is in sub-Sa-

haran Africa, where changing rainfall patterns force whole communities to migrate. But the availability of water is important everywhere, and the ability to predict the coming changes would allow communities around the world to prepare for them, he says. Kumar is utilizing data from a number of sources, including satellite data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and from research being done around the world to study the effects of climate change on a range of biomes, or collections of vegetation. One of these is SoyFACE (http://soyface. uiuc.edu/), being conducted at the University of Illinois to study the effects of higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and ozone on soybean production. The resulting computer model will provide a window on the future of the world’s water supply, Kumar says. “We are a unique planet because of water and vegetation,” he says. “Vegetation is essential, because it traps the light into chemical energy on which the rest of the life system depends, and very little changes can have very large consequences.” Others involved in this project include Murugesu Sivapalan, Professor of CEE/Geography; Xin-Zhong Liang, Adjunct Professor and Senior Scientist, Illinois State Water Survey; and Stephen P. Long, Professor of Crop Sciences. For more information, visit http://cee.uiuc. edu/people/kumar1/. i Photo: Pictured at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Kumar stands before a visual representation of his research showing the relative contributions of topographic attributes, climate, and soil properties to the growth of vegetation in the Blue Ridge ecoregion of the Appalachian Mountains.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

http://cee.uiuc.edu/hydro/

Rebuilding storm surge protection on the Mississippi Delta

ince Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, many have championed the idea of raising the height of the levees to protect New Orleans from future storm surges. While recognizing the necessity of that plan, a multi-disciplinary team of scientists funded by the National Science Foundation’s Center for Earth Surface Dynamics has proposed a longer-term solution: harnessing the power of the Mississippi River to replenish the soil of the Delta, which would restore the wetlands and the region’s natural storm surge barrier. Professor Gary Parker, an expert in sediment transport, is leading the effort to numerically model the restoration plan. The Mississippi Delta naturally “sinks into the sea under its own weight,” Parker says, but nature’s way of replacing the soil with sediment from the river has been interrupted by the levees, which funnel the sediment toward the Gulf of Mexico. As the land sinks with no replacement, the shoreline moves north, increasing the potential for damage from storm surge. The team’s plan is to open up strategi12

cally placed gaps in the levees to direct sediment from the river to the areas that need it the most. Parker has developed an advanced numerical code to predict the response of the river and the way the land would develop over decades. “The more land you have between your city and open water, the more you damp that storm surge,” Parker says. “Building new land will not correct that problem immediately, because it takes a long time to build the land, but if you don’t start doing something now, the loss of land is going to continue unabated. There is some talk that by the end of this century the shoreline might actually be at New Orleans, and if the shoreline were at New Orleans, your storm surge protection would be zero.” Rebuilding the land of the Mississippi Delta will be costly, with current estimates around $15 billion over 30 years, Parker says. Still, he says, it is necessary to address the land loss that has been occurring for many years and the vulnerability of New Orleans, which scientists foresaw

“What I do is morphodynamics, and that’s how river sediment and water interact to make shapes. I think that the stuff I look at is just plain old beautiful. I get to see things happen in my lifetime. The rivers—in a sense, it’s almost as if they have a mind of their own. It’s a bit different from any other parts of civil engineering, because if you build a road, it’s a road. But if you’re working with a river, the river is doing things all by itself, and you simply can’t tell it what to do, you sort of have to adjust with it, co-evolve with it.” —Gary Parker even before Katrina. “There’s a mindset [among politicians] that all we have to do is build the levees higher, and there’s no doubt that stronger and better levees do have to be built,” Parker says, “but the fundamental problem of the whole area sinking into the sea is not going to be solved by building the levees higher. This land-loss problem has occurred [for many years]. There are towns that no longer exist because they have sunk into the sea.” Parker has strong ties to the New Orleans area; both his parents were born and raised there, and his great-grandfather and great uncle worked on the city’s first Mississippi River bridge, the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish. “Since I know New Orleans well and have been there so many times I can’t count and have so many family ties to it, I’d very much like to see something done to protect the city,” Parker says. Achieving that protection will require not only money but a long-term commitment and a dynamic approach to the problem, Parker says. Because nature is constantly changing, any plan to influence it must be monitored over time and adjusted as necessary. “We need to operate on a century scale,” he says. “During that century, we may want to change the location of the diversions, or we may want to change the operations of how we divert the water as we see things develop. It’s like raising a child. It’s not as if you can do one thing and walk away from it.” i

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“I enjoy the idea that computers and equations can be used to represent physical phenomena. It’s not exactly the same as the real thing, but as we learn more about things we can make our computer models more and more accurate. I’m excited that we can use the computer as a tool to mimic what goes on in nature.” —Al Valocchi

Illuminating the hidden world of groundwater

nderstanding the way substances are transported in groundwater is valuable for many reasons, such as assessing environmental threats. Some recent work by Professor Albert J. Valocchi will open a window into the hidden world of groundwater transport in the form of advanced computer models designed to function on the newest generation of high-performance computers. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the project promises an unprecedented look at groundwater transport aimed at mitigating the effects of underground contaminants, as well as evaluating new technology for energy development and slowing climate change. An expert in the numerical simulation of the flow of water and pollutants underground, Valocchi is leading the modeling effort for a project funded by the DOE’s Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program. It is one of only two projects focused on environmental contamination ever to be funded through SciDAC, and its goal is an accurate depiction of subsurface transport at previously impossible levels of complexity and scale. Because of the high computer processing requirements, the models are designed to function on petascale supercomputers such as the Blue Waters computing system being developed on the U of I campus. An important application for such models is the cleanup of DOE sites contaminated by past improper disposal of waste from nuclear weapons production. Understanding how contaminants move through the groundwater—where they travel, how quickly they move, and the types of chemical and biological reactions they undergo along the way—will help engineers assess their risk to humans and the ecology and design effective remediation programs. The knowledge can also be used for better future design of underground waste repositories.

Professor Al Valocchi uses his physical aquifer model to help students better understand how substances, represented by dye, travel through groundwater.

Another application is in the evaluation of new technology to develop a deep underground storage system for carbon dioxide emitted from coal-fired power plants. Geological sequestration has been proposed to prevent the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming, but the technology is still being evaluated for viability and long-term risk. Valocchi’s models will allow a level of complexity that isn’t necessary for day-to-day engineering problems but becomes essential with novel challenges like those faced by the DOE. “As engineers, we’re always simplify-

ing. We can never put in all the complexity, so the art of engineering is to decide which processes and factors are important, and which can be neglected,” Valocchi says. “But these are really complicated problems, and we don’t have that much experience with them, so the safest thing is to have the ability to put in as much of the complexity as you can.” When it comes to subsurface transport, engineers have no choice but to rely on simulations, which at best provide only an abstraction of reality. Valocchi’s newest simulations promise to shed light on some very complex problems—even those buried deep under the earth. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

http://cee.uiuc.edu/hydro/

Uncovering the mysteries of Chicago’s waterways

he Chicago River is part of an intensively managed system of waterways that both enhances and complicates life in the city. The waterways are both essential components of Chicago’s elaborate wastewater management plan and attractive recreational features of the city. Numerous agencies with varying interests have a stake in how they are used and managed. But despite the fact that engineers once succeeded in reversing its flow, the river system has proven more complex than previously understood. A new project by Professor Marcelo H. García, the Chester and Helen Siess Endowed Professor in Civil & Environmental Engineering, promises a deeper-than-ever understanding of the river system and a valuable tool for managing it in the future. García already knows the Chicago River better than most, having modeled aspects of it both numerically and physically. This newest project, funded by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC), will result in the most comprehensive numerical model ever produced of the Chicago waterways. In 2001, García and fellow U of I researchers solved a mystery about

Professor García poses with one of the many physical models in the Hydrosystems Laboratory.

the Chicago River by explaining the presence of deep, reverse flows recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the main branch of the river. Through numerical and physical modeling, García’s team proved the presence of density currents, flows that result when water of different densities mix. In the main branch, density currents were causing water to flow toward Lake Michigan, compromising the quality of the city’s drinking water source. “This was the first time we thought, now wait a minute, this doesn’t work like a normal river,” García says. More than half a dozen federal, state and local agencies oversee the use of the river, including its primary management agency, the MWRDGC. As a result, plans for the river must balance competing needs, priorities and regulations, García says. Issues that complicate management Nearly 10 years of work culminated in the of the waterways publication this summer of the American include efforts to Society of Civil Engineers’ Manual of keep invasive spePractice 110—Sedimentation Engicies like Asian Carp neering: Processes, Measurements, Modeling and Pracfrom reaching Lake tice, edited by Professor Marcelo H. García and featuring the Michigan via the rivwork of 40 authors. García wrote chapters on Sediment Transers. Another issue port, Morphodynamics and Sedimentation Hazards. Profesinvolves local power sor Gary Parker contributed a chapter on gravel transport, and plants that use large Jorge D. Abad (MS 02, PhD 08) co-authored a chapter on river amounts of river meandering. For more information, visit http://www.asce.org. water for cooling purposes then dis14

charge hot water back into the river. The impact of this “thermal pollution” on water quality and fish is poorly understood, García says. Chicago’s growing population and continuing wastewater management challenges further complicate matters. As the MWRDGC evaluates plans to improve water quality and prevent flooding, a comprehensive, three-dimensional numerical model that reflects how the waterways truly function will be an invaluable resource, García says. In the current, first phase of the project, researchers are focusing on the area bounded on the north by Grand Avenue along the North Branch, on the east by Lake Michigan and on the south by Cicero Avenue on the South Branch. A critical portion is Bubbly Creek, the south fork of the river’s South Branch. Already highly polluted from years of dumping at the nearby Union Stock Yards, Bubbly Creek receives its flow from the combined sewer system overflow when the amount of storm water is more than the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant can accept. A better understanding of Bubbly Creek is critical, because the contaminated waterway is the single greatest source of combined sewer overflow into the Chicago waterways and because of development in the area and resulting calls for environmental renewal. “The City of Chicago has grandiose plans for the Chicago River,” García says.

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Chicago’s Deep Tunnel project: optimized by U of I researchers Illinois researchers now have a new vantage point from which to observe and study the Chicago River system with the establishment earlier this summer of the Chicago Waterways Observatory. The new facility is located along the river by Navy Pier in a rarely-used backup pumping station of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC). The observatory enables real-time observation of the waterways through data collected by the Illinois Water Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey and the MWRDGC, as well as video feeds from data collection sites. For researchers and students studying Chicago’s unique system of waterways, García says, the observatory offers both a prime location and a wealth of information. “You hear, ‘We’re going to transform it; in the year 2020, you’ll be able to swim.’ Don’t count on that, but what has happened is that the real estate has gotten so expensive, that now along Bubbly Creek—which is really a very industrial area—they’re building million dollar condos.” The numerical model García’s team is developing will incorporate data such as flow velocity and depth, water temperature at various locations, dissolved oxygen content, and biochemical oxygen demand. Data from both MWRDGC and the Illinois Water Science Center of the USGS are being used to calibrate the model. “My hope is that we will be able to understand how the system of streams works, so the recreational value of the river can be enhanced and habitat can be improved,” García says. “My hope is that with what we are doing, we’re going to have a tool that people can use not just to operate today to prevent flooding and pollution but for planning purposes in the future.” Among these plans include Chicago's bid to host the Olympics in 2016— another good reason to get Chicago's waterways in top shape. i

hicago-area residents with dry basements and a cleaner river probably don’t know that some of the credit goes to CEE researchers. But the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) has long relied on research by Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (EHHE) faculty and students to help optimize its $3.1 billion Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP), which for nearly 40 years has worked to alleviate the problem of flooding in the Chicago area and help improve water quality in the Chicago River and related waterways. The TARP project, in construction since 1972, is the Chicago area’s answer to its long battle with flooding and polluted waterways. The city of Chicago and 51 older municipalities in Cook County have combined sewers, meaning that rainwater mixes with everyday sewage from homes and industry. After heavy rains, the amount of water flowing through the sewers is sometimes more than the sewage treatment plants can handle immediately. Previously, to prevent sewer backup into basements and streets, the excess Combined Sewer Overflow was released or pumped into Chicago’s waterways, where it diminished water quality, and even into Lake Michigan, the city’s drinking water source. A joint project of the MWRDGC, the U.S. Envi-

Professor Marcelo H. García stands inside one of the massive tunnels deep under Chicago, part of the Tunnel and Reservoir Project.

ronmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TARP— also called the Deep Tunnel project—is one of the largest civil engineering projects ever attempted. Composed of 109 miles of massive tunnels and three huge reservoirs, the TARP system is designed to collect the sewer overflow in times of heavy rains and store it until the treatment plants can accommodate it. The system is scheduled for completion in 2015. In 1986, the American Society of Civil Engineers awarded TARP the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. Researchers in the EHHE program have made a number of significant contributions to TARP, including optimizing the Continued on the next page Research Assistant Professor Art Schmidt, far right; Research Programmer Nils O. Oberg, far left; and EHHE students view construction of the Little Calumet leg of the Calumet TARP system.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

http://cee.uiuc.edu/hydro/

Deep Tunnel Continued from the previous page

design of its reservoirs and developing a computer model to show what happens in the system during large storm events. The most recent research is focused on developing new computer models to help operate the entire system most efficiently and improving the accuracy of existing models through the incorporation of entirely new modeling techniques. The series of projects is being led by Professor Marcelo H. García and Research Assistant Professor Arthur R. Schmidt and involves about 16 graduate and undergraduate students. “A lot of what we’re doing now is retrospective,” Schmidt says. “We know that the storm in August 2007 was large enough that the gates had to be opened, allowing flow of polluted water from the Chicago River back into Lake Michigan. If we can look at what happened there— what the problems were that the gates had to open like that—then we can address questions such as, do they need to operate the system differently? Do they need to build additional tunnels for more conveyance capacity?” Simulations of past storms that caused trouble in the system will be helpful in devising a set of rules for TARP operators, Schmidt says. Ultimately, the MWRDGC may be able to use weather forecasts to set up the system hours in advance, but that is likely years away, he says. Residents of the Chicago area have already realized some benefit from TARP in the form of less flooding and better water quality in the rivers and streams, although the TARP system is still under construction. As it progresses, the work of Illinois researchers will ensure the optimal operation of this ambitious civil engineering undertaking. i

Considering the ecosystem

s hydrologists move toward sustainable engineering practices, they are hindered by a lack of information about how current watershed management practices affect stream ecology. Current hydrologic models aren’t built to consider ecological indicators like, for example, fish diversity and abundance. Assistant Professor Ximing Cai believes the key to watershed restoration and more sustainable management practices is buried in decades of data. With funding from the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award program, Cai is employing cutting-edge data mining techniques in an effort to incorporate ecological information into traditional water resources modeling. By investigating 50 years of data from the Illinois Natural History Survey and streamflow data from the United States Geological Survey, Cai hopes to identify some useful relationships between ecology and hydrology that can be incorporated into analytical models. “In that way we can really analyze the inter-dependency of ecology and hydrology,” he says. Once the quantitative relationship is established, Cai will incorporate it into a new type of hydrological model with an unprecedented level of complexity. This technology development is as important an outcome as the scientific discovery it will

enable, he says. Also critical to his project will be the testing of his prototype model at the Fox River Basin near Chicago. He plans to use his findings to develop an education program for policymakers, who in turn can provide feedback, leading to better dialog between researchers and stakeholders and even more accurate models. Cai’s is the first CAREER grant to be awarded through NSF’s Environmental Sustainability Program. He hopes his methodology and the scientific tools he is developing will be as great a contribution as his findings. “Through this project, I hope I will be able to develop some solid scientific understanding and techniques which will be used to explore the general sustainability problems,” he says. For Cai, this project is the culmination of a long interest in sustainable hydrological engineering and a belief in a holistic approach to watershed management. His previous work with a water management project in China funded by the United Nations Development Program, as well as past work with the International Food Policy Research Institute and the International Water Management Institute, convinced him that hydrologists must look beyond the traditional boundaries of their field to solve today’s more complicated water management problems. “Water management problems are very complex,” he says. “It’s not just a problem of engineering.” i

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“We have a very exciting synergy of the field work, the laboratory modeling and the numerical modeling to give tremendous insight into what’s happening in the systems we’re studying.” —Art Schmidt

Outstanding in the field

eliable data is critical to good hydrological engineering. Although engineers often use data collected by others, the best practitioners have a deeper understanding of the source and quality of the data behind their analyses. Knowing how the data was collected and the factors that affect its accuracy leads to better engineering decisions. This is the goal for students in the Field Methods class taught by Research Assistant Professor Arthur R. Schmidt (BS 83, MS 84, PhD 02), with the help of another CEE alumnus, Robert R. Holmes Jr. (PhD 03), of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The class gives students experience designing a measurement program, collecting data in the field, evaluating the quality of the data collected, and applying what they’ve learned in a project. It is taught in an accelerated fashion over just two weeks in early summer to allow students to earn credits without forgoing other plans, such as jobs or internships. The course also is a good fit for professionals wanting to earn college credit without taking too much time away from work, Schmidt says. Most of the class is taught

Research Assistant Professor Art Schmidt, foreground, at the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River with graduate student Daniel R. Christensen, left, and Bob Holmes of the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

outside, where students collect data in the field, and it includes a field trip by boat to a large river site. Last summer, students worked at the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River. Their project focused on collecting data necessary to address questions about stream restoration, sustainable yield of safe water supply, and the impact of wastewater disinfection and a created wetland on water quality. With the help of Holmes, then the Director of the USGS Illinois Water Science Center, Schmidt redesigned the class last year. Feedback from students who had taken an earlier version of the course also helped shape the curriculum, he says. Although students spend a lot of time in the field using an array of equipment on loan from the USGS and YSI Inc., the focus

goes deeper than just learning to operate the instruments, Schmidt and Holmes say. “We’re not really trying to make them into technicians,” says Holmes, who recently was appointed National Flood Coordinator for the USGS. “We’re trying to give them insight into how the data is collected to make them better technical people on the other end.” An expert in urban hydrology and hydraulics and the measurement of natural rivers, Schmidt joined CEE in 2003 after 12 years with the USGS. “I really enjoy teaching,” he says. “It’s just thrilling to watch students learn new concepts. [And] I enjoy that at least part of the time, my office is out on a river or somewhere other than behind a desk or a computer monitor.” i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Safe after dark

CEE researchers make nighttime road work safer By Leslie Sweet Myrick

This research project was sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation under grant number ICT R27-2. in addition to El-Rayes and Liu, the authors/researchers included Feniosky Peña-Mora, Frank Boukamp, Ibrahim Odeh, Mostafa Elseifi, and Marwa Hassan. Information for this article was compiled from the project’s final research report which can be viewed at www.ict.uiuc.edu/publications. asp. Please view this report for more details and illustrations on this study. The results of this research reflect the view of the investigators and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Illinois Center for Transportation, nor will the results constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. 18

Visit 18 CEE Visiton CEE theon web theatweb http://cee.uiuc.edu at http://cee.uiuc.edu

f you are lucky enough to zip through a deserted construction zone during your daily commute, it may be because that particular project is scheduled for nighttime construction. In addition to lessening construction delays for many daytime drivers, nighttime construction is a good alternative for many other reasons. First of all, having fewer travelers on the road can reduce the potential for work zone accidents. Other benefits of nighttime construction can include decreased pollution from stopped vehicles and lower temperatures for construction workers. However, nighttime construction comes with its own set of risks and problems. Poor utilization and placement of the lighting equipment that illuminates the work zone can cause glare that is dangerous to both drivers and workers. When drivers travel into a brightly-lit construction zone at night, their eyes may have trouble adjusting. Additionally, the bright lights can also impair the construction workers’ vision. With the goal of making construction zones safer, CEE researchers have analyzed and compared the levels of glare and lighting performance generated by typical as well as innovative lighting arrangements and have identified the factors that affect glare measurement in nighttime work zones. After conducting an extensive review of the existing research on this subject matter, the research team, led by principal investigators professors Khaled ElRayes and Liang Liu, visited and studied multiple highway construction zones, conducted field studies to evaluate the performance of selected lighting arrangements, and finally developed practical models to measure and control the levels of glare experienced by driveby motorists as they pass work zones. In the past, the major challenge in minimizing glare was that no practical and objective model existed to measure and quantify glare on construction sites. The lack of such a model often led to disputes among engineers and

contractors on construction sites as to what constituted acceptable or objectionable levels of glare. Further, there was no way to quantify the reduction in glare that could be achieved on the site. The primary goal of this project was to develop a practical method that can be used to measure and quantify glare during highway construction. The research team observed several construction sites where a variety of lighting equipment was used, including light towers, balloon lights, marine lights, and existing headlights of construction equipment such as roller and milling equipment. Then the team conducted its own lighting experiments in a simulated construction zone at the Advanced Transportation Research Engineering Laboratory (ATREL) in Rantoul. The team tested a total of 25 different lighting arrangements that were similar to the ones set up in the actual work zones they had visited. Based on its field observations and the experiments at ATREL, the research team made several practical recommendations to reduce and control glare in construction zones which included guidelines for the height of the light sources and the aiming and rotation angles for light towers. Most importantly, as a result of their observations and experiments, the researchers developed a model for quantifying glare, which they named Glare Measurement Model (G2M). This model will be used by engineers and contractors when they set up work zones. With nighttime construction zones becoming increasingly common, the problem of glare is a growing concern. Thanks to El-Rayes and his team, drivers and workers alike can look forward to all the benefits of nighttime construction, plus safer work zones for everyone. i

A different take on spring break A

n impoverished rural community in Mexico will receive a feasible plan for a safe drinking water supply system thanks to a group of students who spent their spring break in an unconventional way. Eight CEE undergraduates taking the class CEE 449 Integrated Design Project/ Laboratory Experience, along with their teacher, Professor Benito Mariñas, and their teaching assistant traveled to the village of Los Llanos in the Mixteca Poblano region of Mexico March 15-22 to take on a real-world water supply challenge. The class is being taught as part of a new partnership between CEE at Illinois and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Universidad de Las Americas-Puebla (UDLA-P). Mariñas coordinated with two UDLA-P professors, Erick Bandala and CEE alumnus Benito Corona-Vasquez (MS 00, PhD 04), who teach a similar course, to present joint lectures via videoconference and collaborate on the design project. The lectures provided the fundamentals for various candidate water quality control technologies for treating water from sources contaminated with both raw municipal sewage and a variety of untreated industrial wastewaters. The long-term goal of the partnership is to create a joint educational/ research program on Global Water Quality Engineering, a particular interest of today’s students, Mariñas says. “Our students are developing a social conscience in response to the tragic statistics about how many people die in the world as a result of lack of access to safe drinking water,” Mariñas says. The region of Mixteca Poblano is iso-

lated, arid and impoverished, Mariñas says. The local Atoyac River, from which residents of Los Llanos draw their water, is affected by raw municipal and industrial sewage discharged many miles upstream by the city of Puebla. The students met with community leaders to learn about socioeconomic issues relevant to the sustainability of their design. They also collected water samples from the Atoyac and local wells, analyzing them both on-site and at the UDLA-P water quality laboratories, and held joint design working sessions. At a joint seminar via webcast in April, the students presented their final design recommendation for a safe drinking water supply system at Los Llanos. This summer, two students from UDLAP will visit U of I to work with Illinois students on WaterCAMPWS research projects focusing on the development of sustainable technologies for providing safe drinking water from both the Atoyac River and groundwater sources at Los Llanos. The WaterCAMPWS is the Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems, headquartered at U of I. The trip was funded by CEE, UDLA-P and the WaterCAMPWS. The students who traveled to Mexico were William Lindsay, Steven Luu, James Meissen, Rory Polera, Amanda Poole, Nicholas Schrock, Micah Yergler, Paulina Ziminska, and teaching assistant Orlando Coronell. Heather Goetsch, Daekyo Koo, Matt Sugihara and Kory Watson also took the class and worked on the design project. Traveling to the site in question exposed students to “the many factors be-

yond the technical aspects—such as social, economic, political, cultural aspects—that need to be taken into account to provide successful, sustainable engineering solutions,” Mariñas says. CEE students Amanda Poole and Rory Polera agreed that visiting the site in person enhanced their perspective. “It was important to go in person to understand the water quality that we were dealing with, as well as the site-specific challenges such as topography, climate, etc.,” Poole said. Both said the trip renewed their commitment to water quality engineering, particularly in developing countries. “This field gives me a chance to learn about new people and serve people in attempts to solve their problems,” Polera said. “I consider my major and what I do to be ‘fighting the good fight.’” Plans for the program include developing more coordinated courses, increasing student/faculty exchange opportunities, enlarging and equipping dedicated water quality laboratories at U of I and UDLA-P, and targeting more students interested in dedicating their careers to solving the water quality challenges of the developing world. i Photo: The joint UIUC/UDLA-P design team poses for a group photo shortly after their arrival in Los Llanos, State of Puebla, Mexico, in March. Back row, l to r: Nick Schrock, Orlando Coronell, Professor Benito Mariñas, Micah Yergler, Will Lindsay, Rory Polera, Jim Meissen, Mandy Poole, Paulina Ziminska, Gerardo Madrid (UDLAP), Rodrigo Munoz (UDLA-P). Front row, l to r: Professor Benito Corona (UDLA-P), Steve Luu, and Bernardo Vazquez (UDLA-P).

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Build the Future Yeh Student Center campaign: Place defines mission

“We aspire to be the best, we want our students to see themselves as leaders in the profession, and we want to earn our standing as a preeminent department of civil engineering. We must work to provide a Place that fits our Mission.”

David and Risë Lange

A number of department leaders have pledged their support to the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center fund. Several of these are featured on the next few pages. Professor and Associate Head David A. Lange and his wife, Risë, have pledged $25,000. By David A. Lange Professor and Associate Head lace defines Mission” is a truism shared with me by a university president who spent 20 years leading one profound building initiative after another at his institution. He understood that the quality of physical spaces on a campus shapes the self-perceptions of students who do their work in those spaces. In CEE, we aspire to be the best, we want our students to see themselves as leaders in the profession, and we want to earn our standing as a preeminent department of civil engineering. We must work to provide a Place that fits our Mission. The M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center in Newmark Laboratory is no longer a dream; it is becoming reality. We have passed important milestones in the past

“P

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few months that will allow us to enter the design phase in fall 2008, leading to construction starting in fall 2009. The Yeh Student Center will fulfill the original vision for the building. As many of you know, the Yeh Student Center will be situated in the northeast corner of the facility where a never-built phase of the building was supposed to be. More than 40 years after Newmark first opened in 1967, the new construction will provide features that have been sorely lacking. First, the Yeh Student Center will make it possible for our students to take their CEE courses in CEE facilities instead of the current situation, in which classes are spread across 17 University buildings. Second, the Yeh Student Center will provide an auditorium and atrium that will allow the department to properly host larger forums and events for our students. Third, the spaces of the new Yeh Student Center will build a sense of community by providing a location for study, interaction and socializing. The construction will complete the vision, making Newmark truly a home for our students. This building project is driven by private giving. The incredible generosity of alumni and friends has built the critical

level of support to earn University approval, but the job is not yet done. There remains a substantial need for financial gifts for the project, and it is a perfect time for alumni, faculty, and friends of the department to join in and be a part of building a Place for our Mission. Why should we contribute to this cause? Philanthropy to universities is motivated by a variety of positive attitudes. The donor may want to give back to an institution that was instrumental in creating personal opportunity. The donor may believe in the mission of the university, and wish to participate in empowering the

Build the Future To make your gift to the Yeh Student Center building fund, please contact: John Kelley Director of Advancement (217) 333-5120 jekelley@illinois.edu or Robert H. Dodds Jr. Professor and Head (217) 333-3276 rdodds@illinois.edu

Former CEE faculty members Jon and Judith Liebman have pledged $50,000 to the Yeh Student Center campaign.

on and Judith Liebman don’t usually contribute to building campaigns, but CEE’s Yeh Student Center project is unique, Jon says. As former CEE faculty members, the Liebmans have a special place in their hearts for the department and a true understanding of the need for the building addition. “We worked here; we know what it’s like to be without—to go blocks to classrooms, not to have an auditorium, not to have a place for students to be anywhere near the faculty,” Jon says. “It’s just badly needed.” The Liebmans came to the University of Illinois in 1972. Jon taught on the CEE faculty from 1972-1996, also serving as associate head from 1976-1978 and as department head from 1978-1984. Judith had a joint appointment in CEE and the former Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (M&IE) from 19721978. She then became a full-time faculty member in M&IE until her retirement in 1996. “Civil is an area near and dear to our hearts, so almost anything civil wants to do, we feel we need to be part of,” Jon says. In addition to providing much-needed classroom and auditorium space, Liebman says, the Yeh Student Center will enable more faculty-student interaction and contribute to a greater sense of community in the department. “If there aren’t classes in or near the building where the faculty offices are, then the students don’t have the opportunity to sort of drop in on a faculty member at the end of class or 10 minutes before class, and I think that’s a shame,” Jon says. “The same is true for student ac-

Larry Kanfer

institution to do more for future students. The donor may want to memorialize former professors and friends. The donor may be moved by others who give generously, and wish to join in tribute to a tradition of excellence. There are many reasons to give. For me, the Yeh Student Center represents an historic opportunity to advance the central mission of our department—Education. My wife Risë and I have dedicated our professional lives to educational endeavors, and we have been inspired by the grassroots character of this building program. Over the years, we have enthusiastically supported worthy education-related causes, and we see the Yeh Student Center as a unique opportunity to support a department that means a great deal to us—a department that has a rich tradition and an exciting future. I have been on the faculty since 1992, and the department has been a wonderful home for my professional work. I have enjoyed working with distinguished faculty and staff, and it has been an honor to teach the best students in the nation. I am deeply connected to this department, so when this opportunity came along, Risë and I tried to respond in a fitting way. If you are reading this CEE magazine, you are connected too. You are connected in some way to the legacy of excellence and the promising future of the department. I’m on board, and I want you to join me and all the others who are committed to the cause. Please consider how you might participate. To make a pledge or a gift, please contact John Kelley, our CEE Director of Advancement, or Bob Dodds, Professor and Head. Their contact information appears in the box below. Place defines Mission. Help us advance the department by enhancing the place where our students learn, grow, and live. i

Former faculty members: CEE is near and dear to our hearts

tivities. If the offices for the student chapters of x, y and z are three blocks away, it’s another opportunity missed to have some interaction.” In their retirement, the Liebmans have become active volunteers and world travelers. Judith is a member of the Master Gardeners of Champaign County and helps maintain the grounds of the Crisis Nursery of Champaign and the Idea Garden at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences’ Arboretum. Jon operates two web sites for organizations to which they belong. They remain loyal supporters of the University, having funded lectureships in both CEE and what is now the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. They have three grown children—Chris, of Pasadena, Calif.; Becky, of San Antonio, Texas; and Michael, of Wheaton, Ill.—and eight grandchildren. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

A number of department leaders have made pledges to the Yeh Student Center fund. Before they were department leaders, they were CEE students. On these pages they explain their motivation for giving to the students of tomorrow with a glimpse back to when they themselves were CEE students.

Build the Future David J. Stoldt

(BS 80) CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors At U of I, Stoldt was an accomplished gymnast (shown left). He was an NCAA national champion and runner-up, an AAU national champion, a two-time Big Ten champion, and a U of I Big Ten Medal of Honor winner. He has pledged $60,000 to the Yeh Student Center fund.

am proud to participate in funding the new Yeh Student Center project, as well as to challenge other alumni leaders on the CEEAA Board to join me. There has long been a need to create a more collaborative space for the CEE student community and to bring classroom teaching home to the department. When I arrived at U of I in 1976, I made the trek to the engineering campus from the other end of campus—the six-pack of dorms across from IMPE—no shuttle buses, no Grainger library, no Bardeen quad, and the Boneyard was not an “aesthetic architectural fea-

ture.” I was also a gymnast spending four hours a day in Kenney Gym, so beginning sophomore year I moved to a run-down house on Sixth Street north of Springfield in order to be close to everything that filled my day. What I didn’t realize was that for the next three years I would spend much time trekking back south to the main campus for my CEE classes. They were everywhere except in my department’s buildings! It was also challenging for us CEE students to spend any quality time together, to get to know one another socially, because the department lacked an

inviting place to join and connect. While I think it is vital that a student in any college spend time on the main Quad and drift into all aspects of campus life, it is equally important that there be a welcoming and nurturing “home base” where peer students can congregate. Recently I have visited many college campuses with my children, and I am struck by how several schools have created environments that reflect today’s teaching and learning methods— collaborative student projects, small group instruction, seminar and small-scale lecture facilities, plus casual gathering areas that

invite “off-line” interaction. I was ecstatic when the Grainger Library went in and jealous when the Siebel Center was completed. Now is our chance to build an environment that will allow our CEE students to linger and learn—and importantly, to build stronger and longer-lasting bonds with each other, with their faculty, and with the CEE department for years to come. I applaud my fellow CEEAA Directors who have provided financial leadership on this project and urge all of our fellow alumni to step up and join us. Thank you. —Dave Stoldt

John L. Carrato (BS 79, MS 80) President , CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors At left, Carrato, left, is pictured in his student days with fellow CEE alumnus, Michael E. Kreger (BS 79, MS 81, PhD 83), now a professor at Purdue University. At right, Carrato and his wife, Karen. The Carratos have pledged $20,000 to the Yeh Student Center fund.

had so many great experiences and was influenced by so many wonderful professors during my time in Champaign, it is hard to know where to start. I enjoyed all of my introductory civil engineering courses, but when I took my first structures course with Professor Walker I was hooked. Someone I will never forget is Professor Robinson. I actually flunked the midterm in his class, but I aced the 22

final, and Professor Robinson gave me an A for the course. He knew that I understood the material and ignored the midterm grade. That taught me a lesson about fairness that I will always remember. If not for Professor Kesler, I probably would not have gone on to graduate school. He gave me a job helping a research assistant during my senior year and then gave me a research assistantship

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to carry on that work. We were performing experimental work to study the effectiveness of the J-integral as a measure of fracture toughness in concrete. The department head, Jon Liebman, actually took the time from his busy schedule to help me with my thesis. At every turn there was always someone who cared about my success as a student and was willing to help.

There are many others that I am indebted to as well. The opportunity to learn from such an incredible person as Professor Khachaturian is something I will always treasure. Professors Hall, Gamble, Sozen, Haltiwanger, Stallmeyer, Foutch—what a collection of brilliant men. I couldn’t have asked for a better collegiate experience. —John Carrato

Robert H. Dodds Jr.

(MS 75, PhD 78) Professor and Head M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering At right, Bob Dodds and Deana Bland-Dodds. They have pledged $50,000 to the Student Center fund. Below, Dodds as a college student, circa 1974.

I Stanley M. Herrin

(BS 74, MS 78) CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors Stan Herrin is the son of CEE Professor Emeritus Moreland Herrin. Above, father and son study the engineering marvel Route 1 in the Florida Keys in November 2006. Herrin has pledged $10,000 to the Student Center fund.

can remember the excite- Talbot Lab. We were still waiting ment when the Civil Engineer- for the third phase of Newmark ing department moved into its CE Lab, the phase with the classpresent building. I asked my rooms, to be built. father, Moreland Herrin, when During the 30 years since he would be moving into the my graduation, the transportanew building, and tion professors he said not until Just as there came were relocated the third phase, a point in my career to Newmark CE the phase with the Lab by shuffling classrooms, was when I had to shed offices throughcompleted. Now, the boots and blue out the building. 40 years later, the jeans and don a A new transporthird phase with tation lab was tie, now is the time the classrooms is started at the for the CEE Depart- old Chanute Air about to be built. When I was ment and Newmark Force Base. But a Civil Engineer- CE Lab to shed the Newmark CE Lab ing student in the still has a lim40-year-old, two1970s, I did not ited number of spend much time thirds-completed classrooms. Last in the Civil Engi- image and build the year, CE classes neering Laborato- third phase, the Yeh were taught ry. The only reason in 19 different I went into CE Lab Student Center, with buildings. The (this was prior to student classrooms. third phase, the the building being phase with the named for Nathan classrooms, has Newmark) was for classes in yet to be built. Soil Mechanics and Concrete When I was a student, Newand to visit friends with offices mark CE Lab was the lone buildin the building. My classrooms, ing north of Men’s Old Gym (or professor’s offices and labs were in Engineering Hall and Continued on page 24

arrived on campus in January 1974 to begin graduate studies, having just earned a BSCE degree from the University of Memphis. The next four years at Illinois were filled with intense study, learning and building lifelong relationships with fellow students and faculty. What a life-changing experience! Having been the first in my family to ever attend college, and having graduated from a new, small CE program at Memphis, I had no concept of the extraordinary level of excellent teaching, scholarship, research facilities and the brilliance of my fellow students that awaited me. The first semester was a real eye-opener and one of the greatest tests of my abilities over a long career to “kick it up a notch”—and in a hurry. My classes were CEE 361 Matrix Analysis with professors Dick Wright and Jamshid Ghaboussi; CEE 374 Structural Dynamics with Shunsuke Otani; and CEE 391 Computer Methods with Professor Len Lopez. To this day I remember specific exam questions in those courses. More than once, I thought to myself, What am I doing here? I survived, made great friends from the world over who came to Illinois like I did to study CEE with the very best, and have gone on to a successful career in education and research. As a graduate student, I shared a small office in CEB, now Newmark Lab, and moved daily around the north campus to take classes in Engineering Hall and Talbot Lab. Occasionally I ventured across Green Street to the Union, the Quad and to Murphy’s for “non-academic” activities. Even in those days—30 years ago—CEE students, especially undergraduates, were largely

disconnected from the faculty whose offices were in Newmark Lab. That situation has remained largely unchanged since my student days here. Now we are only two short years away from having a first-rate new teaching facility, the Yeh Student Center, as an integral part of Newmark Lab. CEE undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff and distinguished visitors for the first time will share the same space every day. These new opportunities for interaction among all parts of the CEE family will no doubt lead to new, exciting developments in our education and research programs. My wife, Deana, and I feel especially fortunate to provide our own measure of financial support to help match the extraordinarily generous gift of $4 million made by CEE alumnus M.T. Geoffrey Yeh. Over the past two years, many other alums have stepped forward to participate in making this project a reality. Their support has been most generous and heartfelt as well. I urge my fellow alums and friends of CEE to join with us in supporting this inspiring new facility. Go Illini! —Bob Dodds

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Great Lakes Build the Future Stan Herrin

Continued from page 23 was it Old Men’s Gym), sharing room with the baseball field. The baseball field is gone, replaced with many very nice buildings, including the Beckman Institute and the Nanotechnology Laboratory. Only one of these buildings is home to a department rated as best in the country, our own Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Luckily, the departments housed in the buildings surrounding Newmark CE Lab have been gracious, allowing their classrooms to be used by the CEE Department (housed in a building still waiting for the third phase with classrooms to be built). Now is my chance to provide future CEE students with the opportunity to use Newmark CE Lab like other U of I students use their departments’ buildings—the ability to go to one building in the morning and not have to leave for the rest of the day. With construction of the third phase, the Yeh Student Center, the long-awaited classrooms will be provided. But the third phase, the phase with the classrooms, will not be constructed without support from you and me. My quality of life is directly related to my civil engineering education at the University of Illinois. The quality of life for future CEE graduates will not suffer if the Yeh Student Center is not built. But just as there came a point in my career when I had to shed the boots and blue jeans and don a tie, now is the time for the CEE Department and Newmark CE Lab to shed the 40-year-old, two-thirds-completed image and build the third phase, the Yeh Student Center, with student classrooms. I want to see the completion of the Yeh Student Center. My gift to the CEE Department is to meet the challenge set forth by Geoffrey Yeh for the CEE alumni to raise $3 million. However, my gift is not enough to meet this challenge. Your gift is also needed. Please make a gift for the Yeh CEE Student Center and long-awaited classrooms! —Stan Herrin 24

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Novice bridge team wins in display By Brett Mattas he Steel Bridge Team traveled to Evansville University in Evansville, Ind., on April 19 to compete in the Great Lakes Regional Competition, sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Structural Engineers. The Illinois team faced 10 teams this year from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, including the powerhouse team from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Although we won the display portion of the tournament, due to our inexperience in manufacturing we were disqualified from the overall competition. The rules for this year’s competition dictated that the bridge be 20 feet long and have a single span. The bridge had to be designed to resist deflection from a 2,500-pound load placed at a random location along the bridge deck. In addition to this, the bridge had to be designed for ease of construction, as construction speed is a large factor in determining the score at the competition. The final design for the bridge was a trapezoidal truss with four seven-eighthsinch square, hollow structural shapes connecting the top chord of the truss to the roadbed. In the end, the bridge was designed for ease of construction and stiffness, at the cost of a lightweight construction. However since no one on the entire team had any experience, some design errors were made that reduced the ease of

construction. Although we were disqualified from the overall competition due to a usability constraint, we still consider this year a success, because not only were we able to present a bridge at the regional competition with an all new team (including the captain), we won the display (formerly aesthetics) portion of the competition and were able to construct the bridge in a time below the maximum time without penalty. Since the bridge was disqualified before the loading phase of the competition, we were unable to determine just how stiff it is, so we are planning to conduct a full loading of the bridge in the crane bay of Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, in order to measure the deflection from this loading. Four out of the five final members of this year’s steel bridge team plan to participate in next year’s team, and we gained a lot of experience in design for constructability, structural efficiency and manufacturing. We are very optimistic about our chance to succeed not only at the regional level but even to compete at the national level during next year’s steel bridge competition. i For more information about sponsoring the team for the 2008-2009 school year, please contact team captain Brett Mattas at bmattas2@uiuc.edu. Below, steel bridge members, left to right: Alex Carnahan, Brett Mattas, Chad Warrend, Brenden Walsh, and Matt Johnson.

s Regionals 2008 Boneyard Yacht Club’s Sustain-a-Boat finishes fourth By Will Kolbuk and Carrie Peterson After another year of hard work, the CEE concrete canoe team, the Boneyard Yacht Club, once again put together a phenomenal canoe. This year’s effort paid off in a fourth place finish at the Great Lakes regional competition in Evansville, Ind. A newly designed canoe and lots of involvement from our younger members contributed to our success. Early in the school year, the team decided to celebrate University of Illinois’ first LEED-certified building, the Business Instructional Facility, by choosing a theme of sustainability. This “Sustain-a-Boat” would have an emphasis on environmental conservation through a reduction of materials consumed. The first goal was to improve on last year’s hull design, which didn’t have much freeboard or distance between the top of the canoe and the water. We widened the canoe to displace more water or create more buoyant force and made the sides of the canoe two inches taller. Our second goal was to minimize the use of new materials. We used foam scraps and aggregate from last year’s canoe, Mis-led II, as end-caps for

Members of the 2008 Concrete Canoe Team, the Boneyard Yacht Club, including Carrie Peterson and Will Kolbuk, foreground, this year’s captains. This year’s theme was sustainability. The team reduced the amount of materials consumed in the construction of their boat, the Sustain-a-Boat, pictured above and at left. The colorful designs inside the boat are inlays.

our canoe. Next, we used blast furnace slag, a byproduct of steel manufacturing, as a replacement agent for cement along with the use of a new aggregate that was made from recycled glass. We redesigned our table surface so that it would not be warped or damaged from the canoe and could be reused for years to come. Our last goal was to create a canoe with a hippie-like feel. We accomplished this by using multiple colors of pigmented concrete arranged in a swirl pattern. After this was done, we cast four inlays: a smiley face, a peace sign, a flower and a racing stripe. With all of our efforts, we made a strong showing at regionals this year. We had great paddling efforts from a bunch of our new members and were able to win two out of the three petite finals. A

solid technical effort led to a third-place design paper. Though we didn’t place high enough to get to nationals, the team is quite young due to a major recruiting drive. We’re more than confident that the experience gained this year will help us finish strong when we return to next year’s regional competition at Notre Dame. i To learn more about the concrete canoe team or contribute as a sponsor, feel free to check out our web site at www.uiuc. edu/~boneyardyc. If you would like to be added to our alumni listing for emailed updates throughout the year, please send your name and contact information to the team at boneyardyc@ uiuc.edu.

CivilEnvironmental and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer Civil and Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 20082008 25 25

A. Epstein Award Michael Fornek Adam Janzen Alvord, Burdick & Howson Award Benjamin Burroughs Scott Uranich Anna Lee and James T.P. Yao Scholarship Lina Chan David Yaksic Bates and Rogers Scholarship Matthew Johnson Lauren Payne Luis De Pombo Micah Yergler

▲Todd C Ude (BS 89), back left, of Teng & Associates, Chicago, with the winners of the Wayne C. Teng Scholarship (from left) Dean P. Graves Jr. , Michael G. Kehoe, Ana A.P. Eisenman, Ezamil Suhaimi, and Adam B. Tate.

2008 Student Awards

Bob Zieba Memorial Scholarship Maren Somers

Ernest L. Docter Memorial Award Calvin Young

Bowman, Barrett & Associates Outstanding Scholar Award Lindsay Carpenter

George L. Farnsworth, Jr. Scholarship Lucas Fencl

Carroll C. Wiley Traveling Award John Zeman

Gordon and Monlea Dalrymple Undergraduate Scholarship Brian Schertz

CH2M Hill Transportation Endowed Scholarship William Lindsay Danny Rogers

Grant W. Shaw Memorial Scholarship Denise Soehrman

Charles E. DeLeuw Travel Award Matthew Beyer

Harold R. Sandberg Scholarship Manishkumar Kapatel

Chester P. Siess Award Blake Andrews Han-Hsiang Wang

Harry R. Hanley Memorial Scholarship Eunseok Choi

Chicago Outer Belt Contractors Association Scholarship Brian Hill Civil Engineering Class of 1943 Undergraduate Leadership Award Jodie Green Clement C. Lee Outstanding Scholar Award Lauren Stromberg Crawford, Murphy, & Tilly Award Jayce Locke

Harvey Hagge Concrete Scholarship Jacob Henschen Carol Peterson Henry T. Heald Award Thomas Frankie Illinois Association of County Engineers Award Eunseok Choi Brian Hill Brett Lukowicz Thomas Radovich

▲Alan J. Hollenbeck (BS 75, MS 77) of RJN Group, Wheaton, Ill., with Pamela T. Gronkowski, the winner of the RJN Foundation Civil Engineering Scholarship.

CSX Diversity Scholarship Tieranny Baker John Zeman Delores Wade Huber Scholarship Quinton Champer Peter Maraccini Doris I. and James L. Willmer Endowed Scholarship in Civil and Environmental Engineering Kelsey Flanagan Earle J. Wheeler Scholarship Johanna Gemperline Mark Messner

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◄Mark C. Hirschi, left, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) student chapter, with Associate Professor John S. Popovics, winner of the ASCE Outstanding Instructor Award.

Industry Advancement Foundation of Central Ilinois Builders of the AGC Scholarship Mark Cassidy

◄Professor and Head Robert H. Dodds Jr., center, with the winners of the Ira O. Baker Prize, Adam Jantzen, left, first prize; and Michael Fornek, second prize.

Ira O. Baker Prize Adam Janzen (first) Michael Fornek (second) Ira O. Baker Memorial Scholarship Manishkumar Kapatel Matthew Sugihara Klein and Hoffman, Inc. Scholarship In Honor of Frank Klein Angelia Tanamal Koch Scholarship in Civil and Environmental Engineering Kevin Swanson Sayo Chaoka Lawrence J. Fritz Undergraduate Scholarship Michael Martin Leigh F. J. Zebree Scholarship in Civil Engineering Alec Danaher

Wilfred F. and Ruth Davison Langelier Scholarship William Lindsey and Heather Geotsch William A. Oliver Endowed Scholarship Abigail Ekstrand William E. O’Neil Award Mani Golparvar Fard

Maude E. Eide Memorial Scholarship Aurora Ebert Joseph Lamplot Amanda Metz Maria Quinones Derek Vardon

William John MacKay Award Scott Banjavcic Kevin Foster Maciej Mroczek Anne Zhang

Max Whitman APWA Memorial Scholarship Daniel Fey

Woolpert LLP Scholarship Melissa Berena

Melih T. Dural Undergraduate Research Prize Christiana Barnas Claire Joseph Moreland Herrin Scholarship James Huntley Rory Polera

▲Harold R. Sandberg (BS 42, MS 47) Chairman of the Board of Alfred Benesch & Co., Chicago, with Manishkumar N. Kapatel, winner of the Harold R. Sandberg Scholarship. ▼Dean Arnold (MS 72), right, of W.E. O’Neil Construction Co., Chicago, with Mani Golparvar Fard, the winner of the William E. O’Neil Award.

Norman Carlson Scholarship Bryan Schlake RJN Foundation Civil Engineering Scholarship Pamela Gronkowski Samuel C. Roberts Award in Civil Engineering Joseph Blecha The Central Illinois Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers Brett Zitny Walker Parking Consultants Scholarship Mark Hirschi Walter E. Hanson Graduate Study Award Seth Hoffman Wayne C. Teng Scholarship Ana Eisenman Dean Graves Jr. Michael Kehoe Ezamil Suhaimi Adam Tate

▲ James Daum (BS 77), of Bowman, Barrett & Associates, Chicago, with Lindsay M. Carpenter, the winner of the Bowman, Barrett & Associates Outstanding Scholar Award. Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Department News Dodds elected to NAE membership

rofessor and Head Robert H. Dodds Jr. (MS 75, PhD 78) the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Chair of Civil Engineering, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in February. He was cited “for contributions in non-linear fracture mechanics and applications to practice in nuclear power and space systems.” “I’m extraordinarily grateful for the great support of the U of I over the years, and that of my colleagues and friends in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,” Dodds said. “I’m truly humbled by this award.” “This is a significant recognition and prestigious honor,” said Ilesanmi Adesida, dean of the College of Engineering and also a member of the NAE. “It was also great to see that several of our alumni were among the new NAE members as well. This is yet another indication of the impact our college and this university has on the world.” Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions in engineering. Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.” The addition of this year’s class of 65

new members and nine foreign associates brings the total U.S. membership to 2,227 and the number of foreign associates to 194. The NAE was established in 1964 under a charter from the National Academy of Sciences. Nathan M. Newmark, former CEE professor and head, was a Founding Member of the NAE. Dodds teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on structural analysis, finite element methods, fatigue and fracture mechanics and software development-design methods for civil engineering. His research interests focus on the field of nonlinear fracture mechanics fatigue and associated computational methods. Results of his research have wide-ranging applications in civil engineering, offshore, petro-chemical, naval and aerospace structures. He has published extensively in the areas of fracture mechanics, computational methods, and software engineering. In 1996, he became co-editor of Engineering Fracture Mechanics, a leading international journal on fracture mechanics for the past 30 years. He is an associate editor for the International Journal for Engineering with Computers and the international journal Engineering Computations. He is a contributing editor to the International Journal for Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, and previously served as an associate editor for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Journal of Structural Engineering. i

Assistant Professor Tami Bond of the Environmental Engineering and Science group has been appointed a Fellow in the Center for Advanced Study for one semester of the 2008-2009 academic year. The appointment will enable Bond to carry out her proposed study, Synthesizing Urbana and Regional Data into Global Emission Inventories.” This project seeks to improve emission estimates needed as inputs to global climate models which simulate the present and future atmosphere. Bond and her research group will develop computational tools to extract data on activity and technology from urban and regional air quality data, particularly in Asia, and synthesize these data into global emission estimates. Assistant Professor Ximing Cai of the Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering group received the 2008 Xerox Award for Faculty Research, given in recognition of his outstanding research accomplishments during the past year. Cai was cited for “innovative and creative research in water resources, his commitment to educating his students and his ability to forge successful collaborations across campus.” A s s o c i a te P r o f e s s o r Khaled El-Rayes of the Construction Management group has been named an O’Neil Faculty Scholar. The W.E. O’Neil family of construction companies across the U.S. fund two O’Neil Faculty Scholars to support the Construction Management group in CEE. O’Neil representatives also acContinued on page 30

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Two CEE students named 2008 Knights of St. Patrick

wo CEE undergraduates were among eight College of Engineering students inducted March 8 into the Knights of St. Patrick, an honorary organization for engineering students. The honor is bestowed annually on students who represent leadership, excellence of character, and who have made an exceptional contribution to the college and its students. The CEE students honored were seniors Scott Banjavcic and Kevin Spitz. The Knights of St. Patrick got its start at the University of Missouri-Rolla more than 100 years ago when the legend of St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland captured the imaginations of some book-weary engineering students on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day in 1903. The students reasoned that such a feat could have been accomplished only by an engineer and declared that if St. Patrick was in fact a fellow engineer, they deserved a break on his feast day. They celebrated by cutting classes. Over the years the tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on engineering campuses grew and

evolved into what is known today as one of the highest honors an engineering student can receive. In a nod to the anti-authority origins of the group, newly knighted students play pranks on the administration. This year’s group filled Engineering Hall with green balloons and streamers, festooned the Alma Mater in green, and created a Hawaiian luau—complete with limbo stick and tiki bar—in the College’s Academic Programs office. Another prank—planting shamrocks on stakes throughout the engineering quad—fell victim to the efficiency of the University’s Facilities and Services personnel, who managed to remove all 250 stakes before 8 a.m. The group also plans to complete a service project together. A senior from Belleville, Ill., Scott D. Banjavcic is studying in the Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (EHHE) and Geotechnical Engineering areas. His many involvements at Illinois include playing with the Marching Illini and the Basketball Band and serving as director of the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee and the National Association

of Engineering Student Councils’ National Conference. Next year he will pursue his graduate studies in CEE. “It’s great to be part of the tradition,” Banjavcic says. “They’ve told me that I’ve made a mark on this college, and that’s quite an honor.” Originally from Buffalo Grove, Ill., senior Kevin M. Spitz is involved with Engineering Council, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and Chi Epsilon. After graduation he plans to work as a railroad design engineer at Hanson Professional Services. “Being named a Knight means so much to me because of the company I am joining,” Spitz says. “If you look at the Knights of the past, you will see that they did some amazing things on campus and continued that success into the workplace.” For more information about the Knights of St. Patrick, visit their web site at http://ksp.ed.uiuc.edu/. i Photo: Some of the 2008 Knights pose for a picture after filling Engineering Hall with balloons. They are (l to r): Richard “Buddy” Erickson, Meagan Simantz, Scott Banjavcic (CEE), Patrick Sykes, David Rockwood, Catherine Wah and Jessica Wood. Not pictured is CEE student Kevin Spitz.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Department News Continued from page 28

Landry wins CEE alumni teaching fellowship

he recipient of the 2008 CEE Alumni Teaching Fellowship is Ph.D. student Blake Landry. The fellowship is made possible through gifts from CEE alumni. Its intent is to encourage promising students to consider careers in academia by offering recipients the opportunity to teach a class in the department and pursue their research. L an d r y w ill b e teaching CEE 452 Hydraulic Analysis and Design. His research, under the supervision of Professor Marcelo García, focuses on shallow water coastal morphodynamics. Present experiments, conducted in the large 50-me- Blake Landry is pictured by a tank in the Ven Te Chow Hydroter wave flume in the systems Laboratory. Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory, study the onset and evolution of sand conditions. The ultimate goal is for ripples and bars, as well as the induced the research findings to be applied in local scour around seafloor objects re- aiding the ongoing efforts to mitigate sulting from various wave and current coastal erosion, especially with the city focusing conditions. of New Orleans in mind. i Landry’s thesis work will extend curFor information about contributing rent findings towards the case of veg- to the CEE Alumni Teaching Fellowship etated coastal environments, explor- Fund, please contact John Kelley, Director ing the effect in which aquatic plants of Advancement and Alumni Relations, alter the flow and sediment transport jekelley@illinois.edu, (217) 333-5120.

tively participate in the activities of the Construction Management group. El-Rayes’ research interests focus on analyzing and optimizing the utilization of construction resources and information technologies during the construction of critical civil infrastructure systems. Associate Professor Daniel A. Kuchma of the structural engineering group received the 2008 Collins Award for Innovative Teaching. This College of Engineering (COE) award is named for W. Leighton Collins, a faculty member in the COE from 19291965 and former executive director of the American Society for Engineering Education. The recipient is chosen on the basis of outstanding development and/ or use of new and innovative teaching methods. Kuchma developed a new course, Experimental Methods in Structures and Materials, that provides undergraduate and graduate students with the skills needed to conduct leading experimental research on the response of laboratory test structures to imposed loadings as well as for making assessments of the condition of the built civil infrastructure including bridges, buildings and other structures. This course culminates in a six-week project in which students work in small groups to complete all aspects of an experimental investigation. Manish Kumar (MS 00), an environmental engineering graduate student, has won the 2008 Abel Wolman Doctoral Fellowship from the American Water Works Association. The award was established to honor Abel Wolman, known as the “Dean of Water Supply.” Wolman’s contributions to the water industry defined the development of the engineering profession, most notably in the area of public health. Kumar also won the 2008 Henry Ford II Scholar Award. This College Continued on page 32

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Students win EPA grant for African water project

dian Samaritans for Africa, was formed to carry out the [current] project by an expat with family living in the village. They ... needed additional help with the technical organization and leveraging financial support and so applied to Engineers Without Borders-USA to become a project. This project was delegated to EWB-UIUC by EWB-USA.” The village currently depends on contaminated surface water three kilometers away. This project will help them utilize water from the Ajali aquifer, a safer and more dependable option, Somers says. The Adu Achi project integrates designing and building infrastructure with elements that ensure sustainability, including relevant community health interventions, community management organization, and education efforts. Over the next two years, the team will build on the research, design, and implementation of the first phase of their project to conduct further research and to fully execute design concepts. In addition to the EPA award, the students’ project also won an honorable mention at the international UNESCO/ Daimler Mondialogo Engineering Award Competition in Mumbai in November 2007 and best student presentation at the NGWA Ground Water Summit in 2007. Community-managed infrastructure is not always the best option, Somers says, but it can be successful in some contexts. The more research and projects developed in this area, the more people will have water without having to rely on large top-down programs and ineffective governments, she says. “This project is really about working with a community that had the desire to take things into their own hands and working with them to bring in relevant technical expertise and the financial resources to get it done,” Somers says. In addition to Somers and Finnegan, the student team memThe Illinois team (l to r): Katia Sussman, Bruce ElliottLitchfield, Laura Fierce, Maren Somers and Cheryl bers from the University of Illinois Weyant, with George Gray, assistant administrator include students from Mechanical Science and Engineering, Agriculfor the EPA’s Office of Research and Development. Eric Vance

wo CEE students are members of an interdisciplinary team of University of Illinois engineering students who won a $75,000 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) award to implement the second phase of a water development project in rural Nigeria. The students, including CEE graduate students Maren Somers (BS 08) and Benjamin Finnegan (BS 07), are members of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). The EPA’s P3 Award competition focuses on benefiting people, promoting prosperity, and protecting the planet through innovative designs to address challenges to sustainability in both the developed and developing world. The group is creating a sustainable water development program for the village of Adu Achi in Nigeria, a country in which more than 50 percent of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. The students are helping to develop a water management program and distribution system for the village, which has long sought a local water supply system, says Somers, one of the student team leaders. “They had a piped water supply back in the late ‘60s, which we think was destroyed in the Biafra Civil War,” Somers says. “An NGO [non-governmental organization] in Canada, Cana-

Top: Maren Somers expresses her gratitude to Onyi Ilo, who provided meals during the students’ month-long stay in 2006. Middle: Benjamin Finnegan conducts water quality tests during the 2006 trip to Nigeria. Bottom: Professor Murugesu Sivapalan, right, meets with villagers in Adu Achi, Nigeria.

tural and Biological Engineering, Physics, Economics, General Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering and the WaterCAMPWS. Faculty advisers are Professor Mark Shannon, Mechanical Science and Engineering and Director of the WaterCAMPWS; Professor Bruce ElliottLitchfield, Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Assistant Dean in the College of Engineering; Cajetan Ilo, faculty of Education, Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Ebonyi State University, Nigeria; and Professor Murugesu Sivapalan of the departments of Geography and CEE. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Department News Continued from page 30

Peña-Mora is Gutsgell Professor

rofessor Feniosky PeñaMora of the Construction Management group has been appointed an Edward William Gutgsell and Jane Marr Gutgsell Endowed Professor by the Dean of Engineering and the Provost. T h e p ro fess o r shi ps were funded by an estate gift from the late Edward William Gutgsell and Jane Marr Gutgsell, who both earned B.S. degrees in 1934 and were supporters of the University until their deaths in 1989. In 1998, the University established the Gutgsell Professorships to recognize some of its most distinguished senior faculty, promote faculty development and ensure high achievement. The professorships are five-year renewable term appointments.

Professor PeñaMora came to the University of Illinois in 2003 following eight years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a faculty member and one year prior to that at the Boston Central Artery and Third Harbor Tunnel Project as a consultant to the Project Director. His professional interests represent a unique bridge between research and practice in construction management. At Illinois, Peña-Mora actively pursues the development of new construction management techniques and advanced information technology tools to address problems with the design-construction cycle and ultimately to provide solutions for sustainable infrastructure development. i

Correction: Sponsored research listing In the Winter 2008 issue of the CEE magazine, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) did not appear on a list of agencies that sponsor research within the department. The list was erroneously described as a list of current research sponsors but in fact listed only new research funding for the year. The editor regrets the error.

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Contrary to what was implied, IDOT is in fact a current research partner, most notably through its funding of a wide range of projects at the Illinois Center for Transportation in Rantoul, Ill. For more information on the transportation research conducted through ICT, please visit ICT on the web at: http://www.ict.uiuc.edu/. i

of Engineering award is made to two outstanding engineering graduate students during the second year of study. Kumar was selected on the basis of his excellent publication record, knowledge of practical problems, innovative research and exceptional social and management skills. Professor Mark Clark and Research Assistant Professor Julie Zilles co-advise Kumar. Professor Mark Rood of the Environmental Engineering and Science group received the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory’s 2007 Research, Development or Operational Team Award, along with other members of the Project Delivery, Particulate Matter Emissions for Dust from Unique Military Activities Team. The team consisted of researchers from several organizations, including U.S. Army Engineer Research & Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, the University of Illinois, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Yakima Training Center, and the National University of Ireland. The group was cited for the way they “overcame the problem of quantifying large fugitive dust plumes through the development and application of a very innovative optical remote sensing measurement system.” Rood was also recently named a Fellow of the Air and Waste Management Association. Associate Professor Charles Werth of the Environmental Engineering and Science group received the 2008 BP Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Instruction. This award is provided by the BP Foundation and is given for development of innovative approaches to undergraduate engineering and science education. Werth was selected based on his development of an entirely new course called Sustainable Urban Engineering. In this course, students design a sustainable redevelopment plan for an unused building located on an urban USEPA Region 5 Brownfield site.

Morgenroth named first Babbitt Faculty Scholar

ssociate Professor Eberhard F. Morgenroth of the Environmental Engineering and Sciences area has been appointed the first Harold E. Babbitt Faculty Scholar in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The position is named for Harold E. Babbitt, a noted sanitary engineer, U of I alumnus, and faculty member in the area of Sanitary Engineering (see inset). An expert in biological processes for cleaning water, Morgenroth joined the department in 2000. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in biological water and wastewater treatment, mathematical modeling of microbiological processes, and environmental biotechnology. Morgenroth’s latest work has been in the area of biofilms, colonies of bacteria growing on surfaces whose natural processes can be utilized in the cleaning of wastewater to remove organic material, degrade pharmaceuticals, and oxidize unwanted nutrients. Funded by a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, Morgenroth developed a way to capture images of biofilms for the purpose of analyzing how they grow, how various organisms are distributed throughout them, and what makes them detach from the surfaces on which they are growing. Detachment of biofilms has to be controlled when they are being used in wastewater treatment to remove excessive growth, but what makes them detach, how to best influence it, and how it affects the microbial ecology is not yet clearly understood. While some researchers have studied pure culture biofilms and their interactions at very small scales, Morgenroth’s research has focused on the bigger picture—how the different colonies of organisms that make up the biofilms are distributed and how they influence one another. This big picture is important, because empty patches on

a biofilm can make the rest of the biofilm vulnerable to being sheared off by hydrodynamic forces. One of the barriers to examining biofilms at a larger scale was that tools did not previously exist to capture images or to analyze them at this scale. Morgenroth’s team modified a desktop scanner to capture images of entire biofilms in a matter of seconds. The researchers then analyzed the biofilms using an image analysis tool they developed. They examined such factors such as the biofilms’ maturity and the physical distribution of bacteria to better understand the environmental factors that precede detachments. Building on this work, Morgenroth is developing new numerical models to more accurately represent the structure of biofilms. He recently completed two chapters, on biofilm reactors and biofilm modeling, for the textbook “Biological Wastewater Treatment,” to be published by IWA Publishing this year. In addition, he is working with industry to explore the possibility of making more targeted use of the biofilms growing in sewers as “free treatment” to clean the wastewater flowing through. Finding applications for the fundamental research he has done adds a satisfying dimension to his work, he says. “Just concentrating on very narrow and theoretical work wouldn’t be very exciting, and just doing applied research wouldn’t be exciting either,” he says. “But this combination—getting rubber boots on and going to the treatment plant, being able to talk to the operators and learn about their issues and their problems, and contribute some of what we’ve developed here, and then coming back with that experience— you have that cross-fertilization of ideas.” Morgenroth lives in Champaign with his wife, Barbara, and their three children: Sarah, 11; Alexander, 9; and Caroline, 6. To learn more about Morgenroth’s research, visit http://www.cee.uiuc.edu/research/morgenroth/. i

Harold E. Babbitt 1888 - 1970

arold E. Babbitt (MS 17) was a pacesetter in American sanitary engineering education for more than four decades. He was born in East Orange, N.J., in 1888 and received his S.B. degree in 1911 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the Department of Municipal and Sanitary Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an instructor in 1913. Babbitt received his master’s degree from the U of I in 1917, and in 1925 he became a Professor of Sanitary Engineering. When the Department of Municipal and Sanitary Engineering became part of the Department of Civil Engineering in 1926, Babbitt was put in charge of the area. Babbitt was a successful teacher, proficient researcher, and prolific writer. Two of his textbooks, “Sewerage and Sewage Treatment” (John Wiley & Sons 1922) and “Water Supply Engineering” (McGrawHill 1929), authored with James J. Doland, dominated sanitary engineering textbook literature for many years. In 1954 Babbitt retired as Professor Emeritus and began an international consulting career. He continued to participate actively in numerous technical organizations and societies. He died on October 10, 1970, in Seattle, Wash. Full biographies of Babbitt and other noteworthy Illini civil and environmental engineers are posted on the CEE web site: http://cee.uiuc. edu/news/history/default.htm. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Department News CEE student is FAA Student of the Year

ndrew F. Braham, a doctoral student in the department, is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Transportation Centers of Excellence “Outstanding Student of the Year.” The award is given by the Depart-

ment of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration based on the technical merit of a student’s research, academic performance, professionalism and leadership. Braham works within the Center of Excellence for Airport Technology researching the behavior of asphalt concrete for use in airport pavement rehabilitation. He also is developing and conducting mixed-mold fracture tests on asphalt concrete materials for his Ph.D. thesis research. “Andrew Braham is a standout scholar, engineer and practitioner,” said Patricia Watts, Ph.D., FAA Centers of Excellence Program Director. “His leadership qualities, professionalism and creative approach to asphalt concrete research make him a strong asset to the FAA’s Airport Technology and Centers of Excellence programs.” i

2008 Professional Development Fair A record 73 exhibitors crowded the Newmark Lab crane bay February 29 for the CEE Professional Development Fair, an annual event that connects hundreds of CEE students with potential employers. Members of the CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors—Kenneth M. Floody (BS 83) of Ingenii LLC in Oak Park, Ill., and Stanley M. Herrin (BS 74, MS 78) of Crawford, Murphy & Tilly of Springfield, Ill.—critiqued resumes for students seeking advice. To encourage networking, students were encouraged to participate in a game that rewarded those who visited the most exhibitors with prizes like gift cards, t-shirts and Illini gear. The department offers its sincere thanks to all the employers who participated in the fair, particularly Golder Associates and Sargent & Lundy LLC for sponsoring lunch for students and exhibitors. i 1

AAEE certification

Write home

Congratulations to the following department alumni, who were certified by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers in 2007:

Email your letters to the editor and alumni news to celeste@illinois.edu or mail them to: Editor, CEE Newsletter 1117 Newmark, MC-250 205 N. Mathews Ave. Urbana, IL 61801

Alan J. Hollenbeck (BS 75, MS 77) Charles N. Haas (PhD 78) Jain S. Jain (BS 59, PhD 72) Gregory D. Wetterau (BS 92, MS 94)

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1. From left: Sean Mahaffey (BS 07) and Mike Harrell (BS 97, MS 99) of Applied Research Associates Inc. 2. A bird’s-eye view of the Professional Development Fair. 3. From left: CEE student Jake Hohl with Jared M. Green (MS 02), Langan Engineering and Environmental Services. 4. From left: CEE student Alexa Krueger with Schnabel Engineering representatives Joan Bentel (BS 02, MS 04) and Kelly Farrell. 5. Students enjoy the lunch buffet, sponsored by Golder Associates and Sargent & Lundy LLC. 6. At right, Kenneth M. Floody of Ingenii LLC of Oak Park, Ill., Vice President of the CEE Alumni Association, critiques a student’s resume. 7. Students and employers mingle in the south crane bay.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Young Alumnus/Alumna Achievement Award Mark R. Tompkins Senior Technologist, River Restoration, Flood Management, Fluvial Geomorphology CH2M HILL, Oakland, California BS 1996, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MS 1998, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Ph.D. 2006 University of California at Berkeley For substantial contributions to the advancement of engineering and environmental planning aspects of river and floodplain management.

Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Awards

Arun Chaiseri President, Arun Chaiseri Consulting Engineers Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand

Carl W. Muhlenbruch (1915-2007) Chairman of the Board, TEC-Search Inc., Wilmette, Illinois

B.Eng. 1956, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand M.S. 1960, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

B.S. 1937, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign M.S. 1945, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh

For outstanding, long-term leadership and contributions to the development of civil/structural engineering practice and construction technology in Thailand, for extensive public service, and for commitment to mentoring youth in engineering. (Accepted on his behalf by his daughter, Siree Chaiseri, pictured above at left.)

For employing his broad educational background, including practice skills developed through his own making which serve as a model of what can be achieved nationally and internationally through personally reaching out to others, through vision, competence and creative leadership. (Awarded posthumously and accepted by his daughter, Phyllis Wallace, pictured above at left.)

Robert W. Cusick

Daniel W. Halpin

James K. Wight

Professor Emeritus, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Frank E. Richart Jr. Collegiate Professor of Civil Engineering

Executive Vice President, Hanson Professional Services Inc., Springfield, Illinois

B.S. 1961, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York M.S. 1969, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Ph.D. 1973, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor B.S. 1969, Michigan State University, East Lansing M.S. 1970, Michigan State University, East Lansing Ph.D. 1973, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

B.S. 1975, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign M.S. 1976, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

For improving the behavior of reinforced concrete structures through research, for dedicated service to the American Concrete Institute, and for outstanding education of students.

For leadership in practice, for major contributions to the management of engineering projects, for strong contributions to the profession, and for extensive public service.

For an exemplary 30-year-career as an educator and researcher, and for introduction of, and demonstrated use of, innovative tools for the simulation and Visit CEE on the web at http://cee.uiuc.edu analysis of construction operations.

Backdrop photo: Kalev Leetaru/Phantasm

2008 Alumni Awards

Each year, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association honors outstanding alumni with the Distinguished Alumnus/ Alumna Award and the Young Alumnus/Alumna Achievement Award, presented at the annual Chicago Regional Dinner Meeting. For more photos, see page 45.

Alumni News 1960s

W. Gene Corley (BS 58, MS 60, PhD 61) is president of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Gerald E. Goettsche (BS 59, MS60) is a Fellow of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. Charles D. Sanders (BS 64) of Chatham, Ill., and his wife, Barbra, celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in January. Sanders worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation for 35 years, retiring in 2000. They have three children, Frances Hollinger, C. Stephen Sanders, and John Sanders; 10 grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren. Robert J. Wernecke (MS 68) has been named the 2008 Vermont Engineer of the Year. The award recognizes exemplary talent, effort and involvement in the engineering profession and the community. Wernecke is widely recognized for his expertise in the areas of hydrology, hydraulics, water resources planning and management, stormwater management, and the design and construction of dams. Wernecke is Senior Vice President in charge of Engineering Operations for DuBois & King Inc., consulting engineers.

1970s

Douglas R. Brown (MS 79) has been promoted to vice president of CDM, a consulting, engineering, construction and operations firm based in Denver, Colo. Brown is an environmental engineer with more than 25 years of experience designing treatment plants and related infrastructures. Michael A. Burson, (BS 73) has been named President and CEO of the Lyles Construction Group (LCG), headquartered in Fresno, Calif. In this role he serves as Chairman of the Board for each of the companies comprising LCG: American Paving Co., Kaweah Construction Co., Lyles Mechanical Co., and W.M. Lyles Co. The companies are engaged in infrastructure, power and water construction throughout California. Lyles Construction Group is a member of the Engineering News Record Top 400 contractors in the U.S. Burson has spent his entire 35-year career with LCG. Continued on page 38

Fiorato elected to NAE

nthony E. Fiorato (MS 68, PhD 71), Chairman, CTL Group, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Fiorato was cited, “For research on improved concrete materials and construction, development of tests and standards, and technical leadership.” Membership in NAE honors those who have made outstanding contribu-

tions to engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature, and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education. i

Adiguzel named Director of the Year

lker Adiguzel (PhD 83), Director of the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), was named 2008 Director of the Year by the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer. The award honors three directors from among 250 federal labs whose leadership resulted in outstanding technology transfer for the previous calendar year. Adiguzel is a member of the Senior Executive Service and has served as CERL’s permanent director since 2006. He has held several other management and research positions at the lab over the past 20 years. He and his research staff were recognized for proactively seeking partnerships with industry and academia to transfer CERL-developed products into the commercial

market. During 2007, the lab signed a record 49 legal partnering agreements, which included 11 Cooperative Research and Development Agreements and six Patent License Agreements. Under Adiguzel’s guidance, CERL became the first Army laboratory to copyright software as a means to protect Defense Department inventions. Three other software license agreements in negotiation hold the potential for hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties to benefit the Army. One of seven laboratories comprising the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, CERL focuses its research and development on technologies for sustainable military installations. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Association—Summer Civil and Environmental Engineering AlumniAlumni Association—Summer 2008 2008 37

Alumni News Continued from page 37

Five CEE alumni honored by ACI CEE alumni were well-represented on the American Concrete Institute’s (ACI) annual awards roster. The five award winners and their honors and citations are: James O. Jirsa (MS 62, PhD 63) Janet S. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering University of Texas at Austin

Honorary Membership ”For his outstanding accomplishments in the research areas of design, behavior, and durability of concrete structures including repair and strengthening of structures, and for his leadership in improving ACI’s international relationships.” Chester Paul Siess Award for Excellence in Structural Research For the paper “Behavior and Capacity of Headed Reinforcement,” ACI Structural Journal, V. 103, No. 4, July-Aug. 2006, coauthored with M. Keith Thompson and John E. Breen “that develops a model to determine the anchorage capacity of headed reinforcement in structural concrete.” Jack P. Moehle (BS 78, MS 78, PhD 80) Professor of Civil Engineering, Director of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley

ACI Foundation Concrete Research Council Arthur J. Boase Award “For his research to improve understanding of the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete structures and for his leadership in transferring research results to practice.”

Harold R. Sandberg (BS 42, MS 47) Chairman Emeritus, Alfred Benesch & Co. Honorary Membership “For his lifetime achievements and contributions to ACI and the concrete industry; particularly for pioneering the advancement of design, construction, and maintenance of concrete bridges.” Mete A. Sozen (MS 52, PhD 57) Kettelhut Distinguished Professor of Structural Engineering, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper For his paper The Building of a Building Code, Concrete International, V. 28, No. 5, May 2006, “that presents a philosophy of development of a Building Code recognizing the interaction of theory, observation, and practice.” James K. Wight (PhD 73) F.E. Richart Jr. Collegiate Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Alfred E. Lindau Award “For his service and dedication in chairing Committee 318—Structural Concrete Building Code, for the 2005 and 2008 code cycles.”

Versabar Inc. has been honored with a Spotlight on New Technology Award, for the second year in a row, for its heavy lift system for retrieving sunken oil platforms toppled by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf of Mexico, the Bottom Feeder. The device was designed, built and commissioned within a period of 12 months. Versabar’s president is Jon E. Khachaturian (BS 78). Richard J. Marshalla (BS 76, MS 78), P.E., S.E., has been appointed a Vice President at Sargent & Lundy LLC. He is a Project Director in Sargent & Lundy’s Fossil Power Technologies group with responsibility for the direction of a new coal-fired power plant in Wyoming. John R. Wolosick (BS 78, MS 79), Director of Engineering for Hayward Baker Inc., Atlanta, received the 2008 Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award. Wolosick was cited, “For novel and innovative design and construction applications for micropiling, earth retention, slope and dam stabilization works and the dissemination of this experience through publications, presentations, seminars, and tireless promotion of new technology for acceptance in industry and government.”

1990s

Robert W. Bailey (BS 94) has been promoted to Water Business Group President for CH2M HILL, a global, fullservice engineering, construction and operations firm based in Denver, Colo. Bailey will have worldwide responsibility for the development, project performance, and risk management of all CH2M HILL’s water projects. He will continue to work from CH2M HILL’s Orlando, Fla., office. A 23-year employee of CH2M HILL, Bailey most recently oversaw the management of the firm’s southeast region. Jon M. Crispi (BS 91) is director of quality for MedSpeed LLC, a provider of transportation and logistics services to the healthcare industry based in Elmhurst, Ill. Chris Dagiantis (BS 94), P.E., has recently been named an associate at Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. (CMT), a consulting engineering firm. Dagiantis is assigned to CMT’s Aurora Water & Wastewater Group, specializing in water resources engineering. Continued on page 40

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Ballot to select new officers for the CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors According to the bylaws of the CEE Alumni Association, the board is required to publish the slate of nominations for constituent approval. Members of the Alumni Association are asked to cast their votes and return this ballot to Carla Blue, Alumni Coordinator, at the department. Alternatively, votes may be emailed to: blue1@illinois.edu. Open positions for Board of Directors for the new term: President 2008-2010: Kenneth M. Floody (BS 83), Ingenii LLC, Oak Park, Ill. Write in: Past President 2008-2010: John L. Carrato (BS 79, MS 80), Alfred Benesch & Co., Chicago

Vice President 2008-2010: Lawrence P. Jaworski (BS 72, MS 73), Greeley & Hansen LLC Write in: Second Vice President 2008-2010: Tracy K. Lundin (BS 80, MS 82) Write in:

Board Members 2008-2010 (vote for five): David L. Byrd (BS 01), CTLGroup, Skokie, Ill. Lynne E. Chicoine (BS 78, MS 80), CH2M HILL Paula C. Pienton (BS 85) , HDR, Chicago

Frank Powers (BS 82, MS 83), H.W. Lochner Inc., Chicago C. Wayne Swafford (BS 78, MS 82), CTE, DMJM Harris|AECOM Write in:

Bylaws changes Members of the Alumni Association should vote to accept or reject the proposed changes to sections 5 and 6 of the bylaws of the CEEAA Board of Directors, printed below. Bold-faced text represents added material, stricken text will be deleted. Some surrounding text has been reproduced here for context. For the complete bylaws, please see the CEEAA Board of Directorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Handbook, which is posted in the Alumni section of the CEE website: http://cee.uiuc.edu/alumni.

Yes, I accept the proposed revisions to the bylaws Comments: No, I reject the proposed revisions to the bylaws 5. Officers and Board of Directors.

(a) Officers shall be a President, Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and Immediate Past President. The officers shall constitute the Executive-Finance Committee of the Association. The President and Vice Presidents shall be elected from the members of the Association and must be Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Engineering. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be appointed by the President and may be a member of the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Secretary/Treasurer or designee shall provide minutes of board meetings and record all expenditures made on behalf of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association and shall provide a financial report at each board meeting. The term of office for all officers shall be two years beginning on October 1 at the Fall Board meeting following election or appointment. Election shall be held at a regularly called business meeting prior to the end of each two year period or by the balloting procedures described in Paragraph 5d. (b) The board of directors will consist of up to nineteen members including: President, Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Immediate Past President, and up to fourteen directors at least one of which shall not be older than 35 years at the time of election. Directors who are not officers will be elected for a term of four years as specified in Paragraph 5d or at a regular board meeting. Terms of office will expire in October at the Fall Board meeting of even numbered years and no director can serve for more than two consecutive terms. 6. Meetings. Meetings of the association shall be held upon call by the board of directors. Date and place of the meeting will be announced by direct mailing or in the newsletter. The annual meeting of the association shall be held in Chicago or ChampaignUrbana as directed by the board in the first or second quarter of each calendar year.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Summer 2008

Alumni News Continued from page 38

Jackie Dearborn (MS 96) is the city civil engineer in Yorkville, Ill.

Nominations invited: alumni awards

If you know of a deserving colleague who graduated from CEE, please request a nomination form for the Distinguished Alumnus Award or the Young Alumnus Achievement Award from Carla Blue, Program Coordinator, 1117 Newmark Lab, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801; fax 217-333-9464, blue1@illinois.edu. You must fill out the form, but we will assist

you as needed. Nominations are due no later than July 15 for consideration for the following year’s awards. Please make sure you make a clear case for the professional achievements and contributions of your nominee. A nominee will be considered for an award when the form is completed and returned by the nominator. Criteria for the awards are as follows:

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Young Alumnus Achievement Award

This award recognizes professional accomplishments or unique contributions to society of civil engineering graduates. Recipient will have distinguished themselves by outstanding leadership in the planning and direction of engineering work, by administration of major engineering work, by contributing to knowledge in the field of civil engineering, by fostering the development of young engineers, or by uniquely contributing to society. They should be dedicated to the ideals of the profession as evidenced by their contributions to the recognition and promotion of civil engineering activities and professional organizations. CEEAA board members are ineligible until at least two years after their terms have ended. UIUC faculty members are ineligible for at least two years after ending their faculty status.

This award recognizes a graduate who has received his or her most recent degree from the University within the past 10 years, with special consideration for those candidates who are 35 or younger. Recipients shall have distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavor and achieved a level of accomplishment significantly greater than that of other recent graduates. Recipients shall have demonstrated one or more of the following: outstanding technical advancement or achievement; design innovation and excellence; enhancement of civil and environmental engineering education; outstanding leadership resulting in significant accomplishments; exemplary service to the profession. Consideration is given to volunteer activities in civic, religious or charitable groups and organizations.

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Timothy J. Lubbe (MS 94) joined Dresner Partners, an investment bank based in Chicago, as manager, valuation services. Lubbe has more than eight years of valuation experience analyzing a wide array of assets with a combined fair value of more than $20 billion. Jeffrey G. Schmidt (MS 97) married Miriam A. Krueger on Nov. 11, 2007, in Phoenix, Ariz. Schmidt works for the MWH consulting engineering firm in Boston, Mass. Craig J. Van Duyne (BS 99) married Meagan K. Thraen on April 28, 2007, in Coal City, Ill. Van Duyne is a Project Manager for Itasca Construction Associates in Itasca, Ill. Derick Wiggins (BS 95), P.E., married Laura Horn on July 28, 2007, in Mt. Carmel, Ind. Wiggins is a project engineer and part-owner of Midwestern Engineers Inc. in Loogootee, Ind.

2000s

Brian Bond (BS 02, MS 04), P.E., has been promoted to Senior Engineer at Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. Consulting Engineers (CMT). Bond has been employed with the company since May 2004 and is currently assigned to CMT’s Springfield Highways and Bridges Group. He specializes in planning and design for state and local agencies. Andrew M. Meyer (BS 05) married Erika K. White on June 9, 2007. He works for the Walsh Group in Chicago. Thomas Pennington (BS 00, MS 01) married Kelli Judy in Lauralhurst Park, Portland, Ore., on Sept. 8, 2007. Pennington is a geotechnical engineer at Parsons Brinkerhoff in New York City. Brett M. Schmidt (BS 99, MS 00) is a Staff Engineer with Briliam Engineering in Pagosa Springs, Colo., firm specializing in drinking water and wastewater system design and construction oversight. Michael B. Sewell (BS 03, MS 04) married Kristina N. Grosse on June 9, 2007, in Springfield. Sewell works at Shive-Hattery in Bloomington.

In Memoriam William H. Munse

Book on Walt Hanson published

alter E. Hanson (MS 47), former CEE faculty member and founder of Hanson Professional Services Inc. is the subject of the biography, “From a Kansas Farm to the Engineering Hall of Fame” by Janice A. Petterchak. Hanson designed numerous buildings, bridges and dams throughout the United States and several foreign countries. He also co-authored “Foundation Engineering,” a textbook still used by engineers and engineering students around the world. The 310-page book, which includes reprints of several Hanson-authored technical articles, is available for $25 through Hanson Professional Services Inc., (217) 4147919. Proceeds benefit the Sangamon County Community Foundation, Sangamon County Historical Society, and the Brookens Library at the University of Illinois at Springfield. i

(1919 - 2008)

rofessor Emeritus William H. Munse, who made numerous and significant contributions to knowledge about the engineering properties of metals and their applications in metal structures, died January 9, in Champaign. He was 88. Munse was born in Chicago in 1919 to William C. and Martha Bischof Munse. He first attended the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago from 1937 to 1940, then the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He majored in structures and hydraulics in the Department of Civil Engineering and graduated with honors with his B.S. degree in 1942. After working as a structural detailer for the American Bridge Company in Gary, Ind., Munse returned to U of I as a graduate student in structures. He received the Master of Science degree in 1944. From 1944 to 1946, Munse served as a U.S. Naval Officer at the Los Alamos facility. In 1945 he was awarded a certificate of recognition from the Office of Scientific Research and Development under the National Defense Research Committee for research on reinforced concrete beams under impact. In 1946 the War Department awarded him a certificate of recognition for participating in the production of the atomic bomb. After additional graduate study at Lehigh University from 1946 to 1947, Munse returned to U of I as a member

of the faculty of the Department of Civil Engineering. His 34– year teaching career culminated in his retirement as professor emeritus in 1981. Munse’s area of specialization was in the basic engineering of metals and metal structures. He made numerous contributions through his research on the static, fatigue and brittle fracture behavior of riveted, bolted and welded metal construction, especially the difficult area of connections. He was particularly effective in developing techniques for demonstrating the engineering application of the results of his research. He introduced the results of his research into both the classroom and the practice of engineering. He was a member of the design specification and materials committees of a number of professional societies in the U.S. and internationally. Munse was an invited lecturer nationally and internationally, a prodigious researcher with more than 130 technical publications, journal articles and books, and 85 major research reports. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, whom he married on May 30, 1942, and with whom he danced in December at the department Christmas party. Also surviving are a son, William Allen Munse (Lamoura); a daughter, Patricia Munse Brenza (James); six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. i

CivilCivil and and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 20082008 41 41 Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer

In Memoriam 1930s

Raymond Epstein (BS 38) of Chicago died Dec. 29, 2007. He was 89. Epstein was the retired Chairman of A. Epstein and Sons International Inc., an engineering and architectural firm based in Chicago. In 1939 Epstein joined the firm founded by his father, Abraham Epstein. Together with his brother, Sidney Epstein (BS 43), he helped build the company into an international firm with offices worldwide. He was known as a leader in the Jewish community.

Burlington Railroad as a surveyor and for Charles Haver and Associates in Palm Desert, Calif. He retired in 1986.

Miller S. Pflager (BS 36) of Chambersburg, Pa., died Aug. 20, 2007. He was 93. Pflager served as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy Seabees construction battalion during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Pflager was a champion decoy carver and an avid outdoorsman and golfer.

Dean E. Zumwalt (BS 43) died Oct. 12, 2007. He was 86. During WWII, Zumwalt served in an elite, top-secret counter-intelligence unit of the U.S. Army in Oak Ridge, Tenn., supporting the American efforts to perfect the atomic bomb. Later in his career, he formed Zumwalt and Associates with his son, Gary, providing engineering services for many projects and developments in Central Illinois.

Paul M. Weberling (BS 35), retired vice president and director of worldwide construction for M.W. Kellogg Co., died Nov. 5, 2007. He was 94. As a student at the U of I in the 1930s, Weberling was a member of the interscholastic circus team’s flying trapeze act. He graduated magna cum laude. He joined Kellogg, an oil and chemical engineering and construction firm, in 1935, advancing over the next 20 years to chief field engineer, construction superintendent and construction manager. He was a licensed Professional Engineer in 11 states. He worked in Iran and London. He retired in 1978.

1940s

Jaime A. Mitrani (MS 48) died Oct. 9, 2007. He was 83. Born in Havana, Cuba, Mitrani became the first member of his family to attend college. His career included becoming Chief Structural Engineer for the Public Works Department of the province of Havana, Chief Engineer of the Bridge and Highway Department of Cuba’s Ministry of Public Works, and Chief Engineer of the Airports Department of the same agency. He is credited with expanding and modernizing the highway system in Cuba, introducing state-of-the-art traffic and transportation systems and improvements that met the standards of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Mitrani left Cuba in 1961 and settled in Miami. He was the first exiled Cuban engineer to obtain professional engineering licensure by examination. Frederick J. Pausch (BS 44) died July 24, 2007. He was 84. He was a decorated combat engineer, serving in Germany during WWII. His career included work for the 42

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Richard N. Wyatt (BS49) of Madera, Calif., died April 6. He was 83. Wyatt worked for Armco Steel for 30 years. He was a veteran of WWII and served the U.S. Army in the India Theater. During retirement, he volunteered for the Knights of Columbus and for an adult day care center, specializing in Alzheimer’s Care.

1950s

phy and Tilly Inc. for 45 years, retiring as vice president. In 1992 the Federal Aviation Administration awarded him a Distinguished Service Award. He also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. During his career and retirement, he volunteered his time, working on projects including Chamberlain Baseball Park, the Korean War Memorial and the Children’s Safety Village. Russell R. Roellig (BS 57) of rural Monroe City, Mo., died Nov. 12, 2007. He was 79. Roellig served twice in the U.S. Army and was a veteran of the Korean Conflict. Joseph C. Sciandrone (MS 53) died Jan. 30, 2007.

1960s

Frank H. Gorham (BS 65) died Feb. 23. He was 65. At the time of his death, Gorham was president and CEO of Robert H. Anderson and Associates Inc., a consulting engineering firm in St. Charles, Ill.

Wesley J. Brazas (BS 58), P.E., died Jan. 12. He began his career with the Illinois Department of Transportation and went on to work with the Water Reclamation District in Chicago and the village of Lombard. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Force.

Gordon A. Hultmark (BS 68), of Grand Junction, Mich., died Dec. 16, 2007, at age 63. Hultmark was employed by the City of Kalamazoo’s Department of Public Works at the time of his death. His career also included working 22 years for the Plainwell Paper Company.

Warren E. Campbell (BS 57) died Sept. 27, 2007. He was 86. Campbell graduated from the Air Force Engineer School and the Armed Forces Staff College. He entered into the Army Air Corps in 1943 as a navigator. He served in the 8th Air Force and flew 30 missions in Europe in WWII serving as a member of the Carpetbaggers, a top-secret Air Commando organization responsible for supporting the underground liberation movement during the war. After the war, he was awarded a regular commission in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineer. He served various assignments as a base engineer at air bases in Japan, Germany, England and Texas. He was on active duty in WWI, Korea, and Vietnam. He finished his 33-year career as a command engineer at Headquarters Air Training Command.

Harrison Kane (PhD 61), Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa, died Aug. 3, 2007. He was 82. Kane served on the faculty of the University of Iowa from 1965 to 1993, when he retired. His career also included time on the University of Illinois and Pennsylvania State University faculties, engineering consulting, and employment in Wuerzburg, Germany, for the Department of the Army.

Edwin J. Monke (PhD 59) of West Lafayette, Ind., died Nov. 17, 2007. He was 82. Monke was a professor in agricultural engineering at Purdue University for 32 years, retiring as professor emeritus in 1992.

1990s

Bruce L. Ratterree (BS 56) of Springfield died Oct. 10, 2007. He was 77. Ratterree worked for Crawford, Mur-

1970s

Darryll R. Bauer (BS 71) died Nov. 5, 2007. He was 63. Bauer served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. He practiced engineering in Illinois and Massachusetts.

Leo O. Wells Jr. (BS 91) of Kankakee, Ill., died Aug. 20, 2007. Wells worked for TRI Industry/Sodexho in Watseka, Ill. He was a member of the Association of Minority Students in Engineering and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Ralph B. Peck

alph B. Peck, Professor Emeritus of Foundation Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, died February 18 at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the most influential engineers of the 20th Century, Peck built a premiere geotechnical program at the University of Illinois. He was born in Winnipeg, Canada, to his American parents, Orwin K. and Ethel Huyck Peck on June 23, 1912. He earned a Civil Engineering degree in 1934 and a Doctor of Civil Engineering degree in 1937, both from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. From 1937 to 1938, Peck worked as a structural detailer for American

Bridge Company. During the 1938-39 academic year, he attended the Soil Mechanics course at Harvard University and was a laboratory assistant to Arthur Casagrande. From 1939 to 1942, he was an assistant subway engineer for the City of Chicago, representing Karl Terzaghi, who was a consultant on the Chicago Subway Project. He joined the faculty of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1942 and was a Professor of Foundation Engineering from 1948 until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 1974.

After his retirement from Illinois, Peck moved to Albuquerque and continued his active consulting practice, which included jobs in 44 states and 28 countries on five continents. His more than 1,000 consulting projects included the rapid transit systems in Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington; the Alaskan Pipeline System; the James Bay Project in Quebec; and the Dead Sea dikes. His last project was the Rion-Antirion Bridge in Greece. It received the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) OPAL Outstanding Civil Engineering Award for 2005 and is the only project outside the U.S. to be so honored. Maintaining a close association with the department’s faculty and students, Peck returned to the U of I twice a year to lecture. In 1987 he was celebrated by friends and former students with a symposium at the University of Illinois, the Art and Science of Geotechnical Engineering at the Dawn of the 21st Century. During the ASCE Geo-Institute Conference in 1999 at the U of I, Peck was honored, and the first ASCE Peck Medal was awarded to Professor Don U. Deere. Peck’s lasting contributions to his field through publishing were significant. In 1948, with Karl Terzaghi, Peck co-authored the most influential textbook in geotechnical engineering, “Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice.” A Third Edition of this book, with an additional co-author, CEE Professor Gholamreza Mesri, was published in 1996. In 1953 with Walt Hanson and Tom Thornburn, Peck co-authored the widely used textbook “Foundation Engineering.” He also authored more than 250 technical publications. Peck’s many professional honors included being awarded the National Medal of Science by President Gerald R. Ford “for his development of the science and art of

Fernando Moreu

(1912 - 2008)

Above: Peck in 2004. At left, Peck (fifth from left) in 1940 with colleagues at the Chicago Subway Soils Lab on Huron Street. From left, they are: Ben Eisenstein, Chester Siess, Everett Johnson, James Richardson, Peck, Thomas Speer, Michael Slago, Willard Wells.

subsurface engineering, combining the contributions of the sciences of geology and soil mechanics with the practical art of foundation design.” Peck’s life and work have been detailed in two books and a Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) publication. “Judgment in Geotechnical Engineering, The Professional Legacy of Ralph B. Peck,” was published in 1984 by John Dunnicliff and Don U. Deere. The “NGI Publication 207: Ralph B. Peck, Engineer, Educator, A Man of Judgment” was edited by Elmo DiBiagio and Kaare Flaate for dedication in 2000 of the Peck Library next to the Terzaghi Library at NGI. The most recent and detailed book about Peck is “Ralph B. Peck, Educator and Engineer, The Essence of the Man,” published in 2006 by John Dunnicliff and Nancy Peck Young. Peck married Marjorie E. Truby on June 14, 1937. She died in January 1996. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Nancy Peck Young and Allen Young; son and daughter-in-law, James and Laurie Peck; and grandchildren, Michael Young and Maia Peck. Contributions in honor of Peck may be made to the fund he established: The Ralph B. Peck Geotechnical Engineering Fund University of Illinois Foundation 1305 West Green Street, MC-386 Urbana, Illinois, 61801. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Summer 2008

Transportation Research Board

lumni, faculty and friends of the department attended the 15th annual CEE alumni reception at the 87th annual Transportation Research Board meeting on January 15 in Washington, D.C. Illini guests enjoyed hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres and cocktails at Petits Plats, a French restaurant near the conference site. The department gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors of the alumni reception at the 2008 Transportation Research Board meeting:

Silver Level Applied Pavement Technology Inc. Applied Research Associates Inc. Charlie Greer Fugro Consultants Inc. Soil and Materials Engineering Inc.

3 4

Bronze Level AJB Consulting LLC Dynatest Kathleen Hall Stan Herrin Bob Risser Katie Zimmerman

University Sponsors 5

1. CEE student Phillip Donovan. 2. From left: Associate Professor Lev Khazanovich (PhD 94) of the University of Minnesota; CEE Professor Imad Al-Qadi; and David Lippert (BS 80, MS 84) of the Illinois Department of Transportation. 3. From left: Associate Professor Jeffery R. Roesler (BS 92, MS 94, PhD 98) and Dennis Warner (BS 63, MS 66) of Catholic Relief Services. 4. From left: ICT Technical Editor Leslie Sweet Myrick and Katie Zimmerman (BS 83, MS 85) of Applied Pavement Technology. 5. Maggie Covalt (BS 85, MS 86) of Applied Pavement Technology and Jerry Daleiden (BS 82, MS 83) of Fugro Consultants. 6. From left: David Schoenwolf (BS 77, MS 78) of Haley & Aldrich and Wayne Seiler (MS 85, PhD 91) of Allabout Pavement. 44

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Uof I Transportation Faculty ATREL Illinois Center for Transportation

Chicago Regional Dinner Meeting

hicago-area alumni, CEE faculty, students and friends of the department gathered Feb. 7 at the Union League Club in Chicago for the annual Chicago Regional Dinner Meeting. The event includes a cocktail reception, dinner, the presentation of the CEE Alumni Association awards (see page 26) and a department update by Professor and Head Robert H. Dodds Jr. For the CEE students who sign up to attend the dinner, the day also includes a tour of a notable construction project. This year, 37 CEE students toured the construction site of the 300 N. LaSalle building. With gratitude, CEE acknowledges the following sponsors of the Chicago Regional Dinner Meeting 2008:

Gold Level Millhouse Engineering and Construction

Silver Level

Albin Carlson & Company Alfred Benesch & Company Bowman, Barrett & Associates CH2M HILL CTE H.W. Lochner MWH Patrick Engineering RJN Group Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

Bronze Level Baxter & Woodman Black & Veatch CDM CMT Clark Dietz F.H. Paschen Frauenhoffer & Assoc. Greeley and Hansen HDR Engineering HNTB Corporation

KHAFRA Engineering Consultants Kudrna & Associates Metcalf & Eddy Primera Engineers Ltd. Rocondo & Associates SEC Group SOM V3 Companies W.E. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil

1. From left: Carrie Wagener (BS 02, MS 03) of the Chicago Transit Authority, Alejandro Martinez (BS 02) of Sargent & Lundy, Dan Zacharski (BS 02) of Kudrna & Associates, and Eric Wesel (BS 92, MS 94) of SEC Group. 2. From left: Matt Bayer, CEE senior, CEEAA Board Vice President Larry Jaworski (BS 72, MS 73), vice president of Black & Veatch, and Xinyu Zhang, CEE Ph.D. student. 3. From left: Jack Barrett (BS 52), president of Bowman Barrett & Associates, and Burt Lewis (MS 50), retired vice president of Deleuw Cather. 4. CEEAA board member and RJN Group CEO Al Hollenbeck (BS 75, MS 77) . 5. From left: Danmeng Shuai , CEE Ph.D. student, Professor and Head Robert H. Dodds Jr., and Xing Wang, CEE graduate student. Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Summer 2008

Old Masters

Engineering giants of the department’s history

Wilbur M. Wilson

1881-1958 Teacher, analyst, researcher, experimentalist, structural engineer

By William J. Hall (MS 51, PhD 54) Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering Wilbur Wilson’s research advancements in the fields of fatigue of structures and the strength of joints and connections, and his contributions to the education of advanced engineering students, brought great credit to the University and had a major influence on engineering practice nationally and internationally. Born July 6, 1881, in West Liberty, Iowa, Wilson pursued his advanced education at Iowa State College, where he received the B.M.E. degree in 1900, and the C.E. degree in 1914. He received an M.M.E. degree from Cornell University in 1904. At Iowa State College, where he began his career, he rose from Instructor in 1901 to Associate Professor by 1906. At this point he entered practice as a structural detailer, designer and estimator for the Illinois Steel Co., a position he held from 1908 to 1911. In 1912 and 1913, he was the Chief Designer for the Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. At that point, Wilson joined the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, rising from Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering in 1913 to Research Professor in 1921, and retiring as Emeritus Research Professor in 1949, a career that was interrupted by his military service from 1917 to 1919. Beginning in 1919 until his retirement in 1949, Wilson’s experimental work on the strength and behavior of structures and structural elements was outstanding and widely acclaimed throughout the world. He developed laboratory appara46

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tuses to undertake the testing of nearly full-scale reinforced concrete arch and rigid frame bridges and promoted the art of design of such structures. This work led to studies of rollers for bridges and, during the 1930s, to the design and operation of large-scale walking-beam fatigue machines devoted to repeated loading studies of large structural elements and connections. One major application of this latter work centered on the design/ construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the decade before his retirement, Wilson became deeply immersed in research leading to improved structural

connections through the use of highstrength bolts. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Research Council on Riveted and Bolted Joints (RCRBJ) of the Engineering Foundation, which served to carry his research into practice; this is often cited as one of the most important structural developments of the period. He received a special award from the RCRBJ in 1956 for his outstanding contributions to structural practice. Through his research program and his contact with graduate students and the research assistants who worked with him in his laboratory, Wilson had a major influence on the careers of these future engineers, many of whom subsequently made major contributions to our nation in engineering education, research and professional practice. He was the author or co-author of 42 University of Illinois Engineering Station Bulletins and Circulars, as well as numerous journal articles. Among his many honors were two awards of the Octave Chanute Medal (1915 and 1937) of the Western Society of Engineers, the J. James R. Croes Medal (1936) and Honorary Membership (1949) from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Wason Medal (1939) from the American Concrete Institute, and the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering (1949) and the Marston Medal (1942) from Iowa State College. Wilson married Teresa May Stewart of Iowa City in 1905. They had two children, Grace and Matt. Wilson died November 28, 1958. i

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Railroad Environmental Conference 2008 Illini Union University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign November 4-6, 2008

The premier conference for railroad environmental professionals. Featuring presentations on: Noise & vibration Compliance EMS Pollution prevention Training Energy, emissions, & air quality Remediation Risk & liability management

Registration: http://cee.uiuc.edu/railroad 217-244-0841

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