The Civil Scoop by Andrea Schokker

The Civil Scoop www.d.umn.edu/civileng

The Department of Civil Engineering The University of Minnesota Duluth V O L U M E

Meet the Faculty & Staff

ASCE Student Chapter

National Scholarship Winner

Study Abroad

I N S I D E

T H I S

I S S U E :

Inside Story

I S S U E

J U N E

2 5 ,

2 0 1 0

Welcome

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

In Print (publications)

1 ,

Welcome to the first newsletter for Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth! The department was founded in the fall of 2008 and we are looking forward to our first graduating class in May 2012. This fall will be our first full semester in the new Swenson Civil Engineering Building and the first semester we’ll be offering the full Civil Engineering curriculum, including all of the core CE labs. It’s been an exciting 2 years with developing the curriculum, hiring faculty, and outfitting the new labs. Throughout this issue you’ll find stories about the exceptional students, staff, and faculty that have joined the UMD CE Department.

Dr. Andrea Schokker and CE student Matt Fournier in front of the James I. Swenson Civil Engineering Building during construction, summer 2009 Please take a look at our website (www.d.umn.edu/ civileng) for more information about the program including a youtube video, construction web cam, and all the latest news from our department. I hope many of you

will be able to stop by and see the new Swenson Civil Engineering Building. Andrea Schokker Head of Civil Engineering

OUR MISSION The mission of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth is to prepare graduates for professional practice and graduate study through a program firmly based in strong technical skills, fundamentals, hands-on learning, sustainability, and professionalism.

PAGE

Introducing the Faculty and Staff...

Andrea Schokker, PhD Dr. Andrea Schokker joined UMD as the first Department Head of the Civil Engineering program in the fall of 2008. She was previously the Associate Head in Civil Engineering at Penn State University, where she was in charge of the undergraduate curriculum. She is on the board of

directors at the American Concrete Institute and is an active member of multiple technical committees including chair of Sustainability and past chair of Prestressed Concrete. Dr. Schokkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teaching interests include Structural Analysis, Prestressed Concrete Design, Sustainable

Design, and Bridge Design. Her main research focus is design and materials related improvement in prestressed concrete, durability of concrete structures, and structural sustainability. She is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Highlight Project: Inspection of In-Place Bridges Constructed with Grouted Post-Tensioning Ducts Sponsored by: the Minnesota Department of Transportation Principal Investigator: Andrea Schokker (start date 9/1/10) Post-tensioned (PT) bridges such as the new St. Anthony Falls bridge in Minneapolis can be very durable structures if properly constructed with high performance materials. The Florida DOT found durability problems with some of their bridges during the late 1990â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that brought an awareness to the industry

PT bridge on I-35 in Duluth

that new materials and methods were needed for grouting post-tensioned structures. PT bridges have high strength bundles of stressed steel strand that resist tensile forces in the bridge span. Grout is pumped between the steel strands to bond the steel to the surrounding bridge and to provide corrosion protection. Schokker helped develop new grout designs and methods to address the issues found in Florida and other states. She has helped run the American Segmental Bridge Institute annual certification program for grout operators and inspectors since 2001. Bridges built after 20022003 include the new tech-

nology associated with PT grouting. The focus of the Minnesota Department of Transportation project is to evaluate all Mn/DOT owned PT bridges built prior to 2003 to ensure that these bridges will continue to be durable for many years to come. The plans, inspection reports, and all background information will be reviewed and then 4-5 bridges will be chosen for an in-depth inspection of the PT on site. A final deliverable of the project will be a concise, practical guide for inspection of post-tensioned bridges for use by Mn/ DOT. Schokker is being assisted on the project by UMD Civil Engineering undergraduate student, Kyle Berg.

VOLUME

ISSUE

PAGE

Eil Kwon, PhD, PE, PTOE Professor Eil Kwon received his Ph.D. and MSCE from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Transportation Engineering. He has over 30 years of research and development experience in transportation areas at both academic and government institutions. Prior to joining UMD, Dr. Kwon worked for the Minnesota

Department of Transportation, where he was in charge of the traffic research program. He specializes in real-time operations of traffic systems, modeling and simulation of traffic flows, telecommunication-based infrastructuredriver interactions, planning and design of roadway networks, and safety of driver/

traffic systems. Dr. Kwon is also the director of the Northland Advanced Transportation Systems Research Laboratory (NATSRL, www.d.umn.edu/natsrl), which is a federally funded research program at UMD focusing on intelligent transportation systems.

Highlight Project: Development of Innovative Strategies for Freeway Operations Sponsored by: the Minnesota Department of Transportation Developing efficient and robust traffic control strategies that can be directly implemented in the existing operational environment is of critical importance in improving the effectiveness of freeway management. Currently the freeway network in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, is being managed with the Intelligent Road Information System (IRIS), a computerized traffic management system developed by Mn/DOT that operates the field devices such as ramp meters, variable message/ lane control signs and loop detectors. This research develops new innovative traffic management strategies that can improve freeway congestion and safety under the current IRIS environment. First, a traffic information and condition analysis system (TICAS) has been developed to quantify the performance of traffic flows for given freeway corridors with the real detector data processed by IRIS. The new

traffic measures and flow visualization generated by TICAS can significantly facilitate the assessment process of freeway operations.

Secondly, a comprehensive simulation environment for IRIS-based freeway operations has been developed by integrating IRIS with a microscopic traffic model. The resulting IRIS-In-Loop simulation system (ILSS) can be used to emulate and refine various types

of freeway operational strategies prior to field implementation. Currently, a set of new operational strategies, including a variable advisory speed limit system (VASL) and an adaptive ramp metering control, are being developed and evaluated with the prototype ILSS. The VASL system is designed to improve traffic flow safety by diffusing the rapid propagation of a shock wave resulted from a recurring or incident bottleneck. In the new ramp metering strategy, a simplified adaptive control structure based on traffic density measures is employed to make metering more responsive to the section-wide traffic conditions in a stable manner.

Other research projects of Dr. Kwon include: Assessment of Capacity Estimation Methods for Multi-lane Roundabouts, funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (ongoing) Estimation of Winter Maintenance Performance Measures with Traffic Flow Data, funded by Minnesota Department of Transportation (Starting Date: 8/1/2010) Self-sensing pavement concreteâ&#x20AC;? funded by National Science Foundation, (coPI, ongoing Pavement Structural Health Monitoring with CNTconcrete, funded by FHWA, US DOT (co-PI, ongoing)

PAGE

Carlos Carranza-Torres, PhD Dr. Carlos CarranzaTorres was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at UMD in 2008. Dr. Carranza-Torres received his PhD in Geomechanics from the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus, in 1998. Prior to joining UMD he spent ten years working as a geotechnical engineer for companies in the United

States and overseas in geomechanics projects, most recently related to analysis and design of excavations (underground subway stations, underground and surface excavations in mining). Dr. Carranza-Torres’ current research interests are in the field of Engineering Geology and Rock Mechanics, and in topics related to design of underground and surface excava-

tions, strength and deformability of intact rock and rock masses and application of analytical and numerical modeling in Geomechanics. He serves as Chair of the Underground Construction Technical Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is a member of the editorial board of four leading journals in the field of Engineering Geology and Rock Mechanics.

Highlight Project: Estimate of Rock Mass Stress Concentrations in Pillars of Caving Macro-Blocks at Chuquicamata Underground Mine Project, Chile Sponsored by: SRK Engineers and Scientists, Santiago, Chile Block caving is the preferred method for extraction of large copper rich rock mass deposits in Chile. In this mining method, an array of interconnected galleries are excavated at two different underground levels, referred to as production and undercut levels, below the deposit to be mined out. Radial blasting is then applied from galleries at the undercut level to break the rock mass loose and to induce gravitational flow of the rock from upper to lower horizons within the deposit. The broken rock is then collected at specially constru ct ed ‘drawbells’ at the production level. The block caving method is summarized in the sketch (lower left) corresponding

to a typical block caving layout operation at El Teniente mine in Chile – this mine, owned by CODELCO (National Copper Corporation of Chile) is one of the largest underground mines in the world. A new mining project by CODELCO involves development of a large block caving underground mine below Chuquicamata open pit mine in Calama, northern Chile (Chuquicamata mine being also one of the largest open pit mines in the world). The particularity of the Chuquicamata underground project is that it will be the first of its kind to use block caving in combination with a macroblock production scheme – the macro-block scheme involves operating at least fifteen adjacent cells (or macro-blocks) ofapproximately 1000 feet by 300 feet where the caving method represented in the

figure will be applied simultaneously. A critical aspect of designing a caving operation such as the one at Chuquicamata underground is controlling the stress concentrations developed in key areas of the excavations, such as abutments in pillars and ribpillars (see figure). SRK Engineers and Scientists in Santiago, together with Hatch Company Canada, have been entrusted the engineering design of the underground galleries and infrastructures for Chuquicamata underground project. The research project to be carried out at UMD involves studying ways for determining stress concentrations in pillars within and in between macro-blocks. The research work will involve application of analytical and numerical methods as a means of determining stress concentrations in pillars, and is expected to help engineers to come up with optimal designs for the underground works in this challenging project.

VOLUME

ISSUE

PAGE

Eric Musselman, PhD Dr. Eric Musselman obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in 2007. He arrived at UMD in 2008 as a post-doctoral fellow and was hired as an Assistant Professor in 2009. Dr. Musselman is a structural engineer focusing in the area of blast resistant

structures. He also has experience in the area of concrete materials, fiber reinforced concrete, instrumentation of structures and dynamic finite element analysis. His teaching interests include Structural Analysis, Design of Concrete Structures, Design of Steel Structures, and Structural Dynamics. His research

interests include the development of novel cementitious materials to improve the blast and impact resistance of structures, structural component testing, and concrete materials testing.

Highlight Project: Long Carbon Fibers For Blast Resistant Concrete Sponsored by: Leonard Wood Institute (joint project with Missouri S&T) One of the most commonly used materials for protective structures and construction is conventional reinforced concrete. However, in a blast conventional reinforced concrete is susceptible to significant spalling (small to medium size chunks of concrete detaching from the original member). The force of the blast turns spalled concrete into projectiles, resulting in secondary fragmentation. Furthermore, the concrete debris makes for difficult and uncertain footing. Both phenomena endanger personnel and complicate post-blast recovery efforts. Changes need to be made to conventional reinforced concrete structures to improve their blast and impact survivability and fragmentation resistance in order to protect personnel and facilitate post-blast consequence management efforts. One potential solution is to use long fibers to increase the en-

ergy dissipation of the concrete and increase the resistance to fragmentation. This project examines various types, coatings, and geometries of carbon fibers to determine the most effective combination for improving the blast resistance. The fiber type and coatings are being developed by our research partners at Missouri University of Science and Technology. UMDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role is to develop a concrete mixture design that fully utilizes the properties of the fibers and to conduct testing to determine which fibers provide the highest level of performance. A preliminary mixture design has been completed, and we are currently in the process of examining the performance of the fibers. The performance is measured by examining two properties: the workability of the concrete and the flexural or tensile strength of the concrete. The workability is important be-

cause the end goal of this project is to provide a material that is both practical and effective, and if the concrete is too difficult to place it will not be used. The workability is assessed by measuring the flow time through an inverted slump cone as shown at right (top). The flexural or tensile strength is tested by determining the load required to break a six inch square, 18 inch long beam (Shown at right [bottom]).

Measuring Workability

Measuring Flexural Strength

PAGE

Nathan Johnson, PhD Dr. Nathan Johnson joined the new CE Department in Duluth as a member of the Water Resources focus area in the Fall of 2009. He came to UMD from the University of Texas at Austin where he completed his PhD in Civil Engineering in the Summer of 2009. He

will be teaching the core Hydrology and Hydraulics laboratory course in the fall of 2010 and is developing other CE water courses including Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Design of Hydraulic Structures. Dr. Johnson’s research inter-

ests are related to the engineered management of water quality in natural systems. He has joined the graduate faculty of the Water Resources Science program and is partnering with local research and regulatory entities including NRRI, MPCA, and MnDNR.

Highlight Project: Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) Using Abandoned Mine Pits Sponsored by: Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment Joint project with UMD-NRRI, UMD-CE, UMD-LSBE, UMTC-SAFL, MN Power, GRE

Lower Reservoir (existing mine pit)

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) is a method for managing the temporal variability in electricity available from renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power. Energy is stored by pumping water into reservoirs when wind or solar power is available. Subsequently, when electrical generation is needed (during times when wind or solar power is not available) water is released through a turbine and drives the generation of electricity. Minnesota’s

mining history has resulted in various mining pits that contain sufficient water resources that potentially can be used to supply the necessary water for PHES. The PHES project involves an interdisciplinary team of researchers from many departments within the university as well as industry partners. Dr. Johnson’s specific role in the project is to investigate the effects of PHES on water resources in the area. Implementing PHES in NE Minnesota will likely involve the construction of new reservoirs or rapid fluctuations in the water levels of existing mine pits. Dr. Johnson and his team will work to answer questions such as: What will be the impact on the flow of water in local groundwater and surface waters? How might PHES affect drinking water supply or recreational use? What are the potential impacts

on water quality? What are the implications of PHES in terms of environmental permitting? The successful implementation of PHES on the Iron Range could benefit the region by incorporating additional renewable energy resources into the MN power grid and by introducing a new industry to NE Minnesota, helping to diversify the economy. Dr. Johnson’s research interests lie more broadly in the areas of water quality in natural systems and biological and chemical processes related to contaminant transport and transformations. He is also involved with research related to sediment contaminants the St. Louis River estuary including the methylation of mercury and the uptake of PAHs into the food chain.

VOLUME

ISSUE

PAGE

John Rashid, Instructor Project Management John W. Rashid is a registered Architect with over 20 years experience in the design and construction industry. John earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota in 2002 and is a LEED Accredited Pro-

fessional with the US Green building council. As Associate Director of UMD Facilities Management and the Manager of Construction and Operations for the past 13 years, Mr. Rashid has managed over $200

million dollars in design and construction projects including four LEED Certified buildings.

Brian Kohn, Instructor Engineering Mechanics Brian J. Kohn earned his BA degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1966 and an MS degree in physics from the University of New Mexico in 1972. Brian has taught engineering and physics at the Air Force Academy, the University

of New Mexico, and Central Lakes College in Minnesota, before coming to UMD as an instructor. He served in the Air Force as a military scientist working on nuclear weapons effects and developing advanced microwave source technologies for military applications. He has

also served as a senior scientist and technical program manager for several companies involved in developing and employing state-of-the-art electromagnetic technologies for defense and intelligence applications.

Paul Vogel, Instructor Surveying For the University of Minnesota - Duluth’s new Civil Engineering Program, Paul taught this year’s Land Surveying Class. He previously taught Advanced Surveying for Lake Superior College’s Civil Tech Program. A Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Minnesota and Wisconsin, Paul received his Bachelor of Science degree from UMD. With 20+ years of surveying experience, Paul provides services for various private and public clients at LHB, Inc. in Duluth and Minnea-

polis. Paul oversees and facilitates the completion of roads, building sites, recreational areas, residential & commercial developments and bridges using both conventional and GPS survey methods. He performs ALTA/ACSM, boundary, cadastral, topographic, photogrammetric, and route surveys involving section subdivision, right -of-way acquisition, and preparation of appropriate legal descriptions. Paul prepares design, concept plats, preliminary plats,

final plats, site maps, and a variety of exhibits for land transfers, right-of-way acquisition, easements, and utility infrastructure. His is on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors (MSPS), and is a member of the Lake Superior College Technical Advisory Board. Paul is also a member of the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors (WSLS) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS).

PAGE

New Faculty starting Fall 2010

Eshan Dave, PhD Dr. Eshan Dave obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering in 2009 from The University of Illinois at Urbana -Champaign (UIUC). He worked as post-doctoral research associate from fall 2009 to summer 2010 at UIUC. Starting in the fall 2010 Dr. Dave will join the faculty at UMD as a tenuretrack Assistant Professor. Dr. Dave specializes in the field of pavement engi-

neering with focus on asphalt material and design flexible pavements. He has worked in projects involving analysis and design of asphalt overlays for asphalt and concrete pavements, mitigation of cracking in pavements, development of new testing protocols for pavement materials and other topics related to asphalt pavements. His teaching interests include Behav-

Katherine Acton, PhD Dr. Katherine Acton will be joining the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth in the fall of 2010 as an Assitant Professor. Dr. Acton graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Civil Engineering in 2009. Her doctoral research focused on computational modeling of fibrous composites, and the study of plasticity in compos-

THE

CIVIL

SCOOP

ites. She has since been researching the viscous behavior of polymer tape material in her position as Adjunct Professor and Research Scientist at the University of the Pacific, which she has held for the 2009-2010 academic year. Her teaching interests include Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Structural Analysis, and Engineering Mathematics.

ior of Civil Engineering Materials, Design of Pavement Infrastructure, Characterization and Design of Asphalt Materials, and Pavement Asset Management. His research interests span across fields of experimental and computation fracture mechanics, viscoelasticity, rehabilitation of asphalt pavements and sustainable transportation infrastructure.

PAGE

Mark Roberts Mark Roberts is a northeast Minnesota native originally from the Finland area along the north shore of Lake Superior. He brings 26 years of experience as a Civil Engineering Designer and Construction Technician to his position of Senior Laboratory Coordina-

tor. In addition to his career in Civil Engineering, Mark is active in local politics, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Cloquet City Planning Commission, and chairman of the St. Louis River Trail Committee in the Cloquet area where he lives. Mark

was most recently elected to the Professional Staff Council here at UMD. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am very excited for the opportunity to do my part in helping to develop a quality Civil Engineering Program at the UMD.â&#x20AC;?

Jill Bergman Jill Bergman joined the Department of Civil Engineering in December 2008 as Administrative Assistant to the Department Head. She was previously employed at SMDC Health System in

the Physician Recruitment Department and prior to that held the position of Executive Assistant to the SMDC Board Chair and SMMC President. Jill worked within the SMDC

Health System for 13 years. She is currently pursuing a Communication and Psychology Degree at UMD and will graduate in May 2011.

2010-2011 McKnight Post-Doctoral Fellow

Chien-Chung Chen, PhD Chien-Chung Chen holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering (Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan, 1998), M.S. in Construction Engineering (National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan, 2000), and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (The Pennsylvania State University, U.S., 2009). Before coming to the United States, he was a structural engineer in Taiwan focusing in the area of structural analysis of buildings and THE

CIVIL

SCOOP

bridges. After completing his Ph.D. in August 2009, he joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the Pennsylvania State University as an instructor and a postdoctoral researcher. In the Fall 2010, he will join the Civil Engineering Department at UMD as a Visiting McKnight Fellow. In the past, Dr. Chen has taught undergraduate courses in structural engineering. He has research interests in the

areas of progressive collapse mitigation, large-scale experimental evaluation of structural components, evaluation of structures under extreme events, composite structures, material characterization at high strain rates, fracture mechanics, earthquake engineering, bridge engineering, and numerical modeling (finite element method).

PAGE

UMD ASCE Student Chapter Founded

From left: Chris Bruhn, President; Matt Fournier, Treasurer; Alison Carlson, Secretary, and Waylon Munch; Vice President. In the fall of 2009, another step in the advancement of The University of Minnesota-Duluthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Civil Engineering program was taken. Students took the initiative to begin a student chapter for the newly added major.

With help from faculty, the chapter was sanctioned with the parent organization ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). Using this affiliation, the ASCE Student Chapter will be able to participate in ASCE sponsored competitions. Additionally, this membership gives students connections to guest speakers, field trips, community service projects and any other ASCE-Duluth Chapter events. Over the year, the club has struggled for funds and financial support from the university coupled with the Civil Engineering building being under construction for most of the year. The university saw its number of student clubs increase by 50% with no additional

funding available. However, competition shirts were made which proved to be a substantial fundraiser. In the future, the club plans on undertaking competitions, notably the concrete canoe next year, accompanied with community involvement and taking field trips. The help from the very strong local professional chapter of ASCE this year is very much appreciated and we hope to be able to strengthen this connection in the upcoming semesters. Submitted by Chris Bruhn, ASCE Student Chapter President

ASCE Students On Tour

UMD CE Students on a tour of the Lift Bridge

THE

On April 20, members of the UMD ASCE student chapter were invited to attend a tour of the new addition to the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, which is currently in progress. Eight students joined the Duluth ASCE section in a tour of the new 6,000-plus seat hockey arena. The tour explored all areas of the arena, from the foundation level all the way up to the catwalks through the rafters of the building. The student chapter would like to thank the

CIVIL

SCOOP

members of the Duluth ASCE responsible for arranging the tour as well as Mortensen Construction for allowing us onto their construction site. In November, ASCE students met at Canal Park to receive a tour of Duluth's main attraction and engineering accomplishment, the Aerial Lift Bridge. The tour was spent observing both the structural and mechanical elements of the bridge, as well as the opera-

tions that engage the process of lifting the bridge. A big thanks goes out to bridge operator Ryan Beamer for organizing and guiding the tour. Submitted by Waylon Munch, ASCE Student Chapter Vice-President

VOLUME

ISSUE

PAGE

UMD CE Student wins two National Scholarships Matt Fournier won two major student awards in 2010, putting the UMD CE department on the map in the concrete industry. Competing against over 130 students in established concrete research programs, including PhD students, Matt was awarded the ACI Elmer Baker Student Fellowship from the American Concrete Institute. He traveled to the Spring 2010 ACI Convention in Chicago for his final interview in front of an industry panel. He was honored at the opening ceremony as a finalist and the awards were announced after the convention. His win includes $7500 toward tuition and books, attendance at 3 ACI National conventions (all expenses paid) and an internship at Baker Concrete Construction. Matt is continuing his internship with Mn/DOT for this summer on the I-35 Mega Project and will take the Baker internship for the Summer 2011. Matt also won the PTI (PostTensioning Institute) William

C. Bailey MemorialScholarship. He was honored at the PTI Convention in Fort Worth. The scholarship committee was particularly impressed with the amount of experience Matt already had through his Mn/ DOT internships. From Matt: The conferences have been amazing experiences, something I will never forget, and it has changed my outlook as a Civil Engineering student. To be able to sit alongside many of the nations most influential civil engineers and hear their input on how we can improve as an engineering society has been quite the opportunity. At both ACI and PTI, I was encouraged to give my opinion on the topics at hand because as students we are the engineers of tomorrow, and our innovative ideas are needed as we grow as a nation. The chance to participate in these conventions, at this level, as an undergraduate, has been the chance of a lifetime, and I

can’t wait to get our student competitions up and running so others will have this chance as well. It has been a great opportunity to network and gain knowledge in our field of study. I would like to thank the University of Minnesota Duluth, Dr. Schokker, Mn/DOT and all of the other faculty and companies that have made this opportunity available to me. Without their support and confidence I would not have gotten to where I am today, but most of all I wouldn’t have believed that I have the power to make a difference in our engineering society. The engineering community has been for myself, and many others one of the greatest tools we as students can use. Whether it is the Duluth ASCE Chapter, Mn/ DOT, or other engineering companies, they have all provided opportunities that are invaluable to us. The future is bright for University of Minnesota Duluth Civil Engineering students and I am excited to make history in May 2012.

Grand Opening of the Swenson Civil Engineering Building June 28th, 2010 Highlights in our next issue

“The engineering community has been for myself, and many others one of the greatest tools we as students can use.”

PAGE

Studying Abroad in Spain Photos from La Universidad de Alicante campus in Spain

In the Fall of 2009, I attended La Universidad de Alicante located in Alicante, Spain. This was the most monumental decision of my life thus far. Immediately being thrown into a foreign country where the language is not your primary one, you know not a single person, and to find your own place in their culture after only three and a half months was beneficial beyond the helpfulness I can see today. Studying abroad has impacted the way I see different cultures, including our own. I had the great opportunity to

visit Marrakech and see how people in a third world country struggle to live on a daily basis while on the other side of the spectrum I saw how diverse each country in Europe can be from its neighbor. I learned valuable lessons on how to live on my own while adjusting to a new surrounding, people, language, culture, and set of customs. I chose to study in Spain because I am also a Spanish major student - alongside being a Civil Engineering student - and my goal was to become fluent in Spanish. I feel like I have accomplished that and in the future hope that that will benefit my career so I may help someone on the international side of Civil Engineering.

Matt Sather best experiences and choices of my life. I advise anyone, no matter what major or program you are in, to consider studying abroad. Not necessarily for the education you will receive in the classroom, but the education you get outside the classroom through observation and absorbing the way others around the world see things.

Whether or not that happens, I won't ever say that Submitted by Matt Sather, studying abroad was any- UMD Civil Engineering class thing other than one of the of 2012

PAGE

Summer Study in Italy Last summer I was mindlessly dreaming about someday traveling to Europe and thought why not look into a possible study abroad program? The three week May term session I found was perfect. A class that I could get credit for towards my major, a three week trip to kick off my summer starting right after finals, and obviously the chance of a lifetime to see so many famous sites and structures. Never in my dreams could I have imagined the amazing experience I was able to have within my three weeks in Italy for a Civil Engineering summer course studying Ancient and Modern Structures. The cities we stayed in were Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice, Bressanone, Verona, and Milan. The sites we saw while there were endless. Just to name a few, we were able to see the Colosseum, Roman Aqueducts, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Calatrava footbridge in Venice, the David, the Last Supper, and many other famous sites. Even though I climbed enough stairs to the top of many towers and domes to last me a lifetime, the breathtaking views were worth it. While on the trip we also attended lectures from the architects of the buildings we were visiting, engineers who worked on famous projects (such as the Calatrava foot bridge), and professors who are renowned throughout

THE

CIVIL

the world. I still can’t believe I was able to have had the chance to listen to such esteemed scholars in Civil Engineering. I will also never be able to put into words how lucky I was to be able to visit the sites we did and also have guides who were so knowledgeable give us personal tours. It was never a dull moment for those three weeks either. If we weren’t kayaking in the Mediterranean Sea you could probably find us having a snowball fight in the mountains near Bressanone, listening to a concert in the town square of Florence, or just relaxing on the Spanish Steps in Rome. There couldn’t have been a better group to travel with either. I can truly say I met twenty seven amazing people on this journey. I learned so much academically and personally on this trip. I would

Chelsea Hanson with a view of Florence from the top of recommend participating in a study abroad program to everyone. It is one thing in life you will never regret. I know I won’t! Submitted by Chelsea Hanson, UMD Civil Engineering class of 2012

The entire group in front of the Roman Aqueducts SCOOP

VOLUME

ISSUE

PAGE

In Print A sample of recent faculty publications Carlos Carranza-Torres’ paper on "Analytical and Numerical Study of the Mechanics of Rockbolt Reinforcement around Tunnels in Rock Masses” was published in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering in 2009. The paper discusses the mechanical effect of rockbolts installed as reinforcement in tunnels, and presents closed form and numerical solutions for estimation of loads in rockbolts and stress and displacement fields in the rockmass around a circular tunnel under conditions of axi-symmetry of geometry and loading. Nathan Johnson’s paper on “Biogeochemical Changes and Mercury Methylation beneath an in-situ Sediment Cap,” N. W. Johnson, D. D. Reible, L. E. Katz, is in press in Environmental Science & Technology. This article outlines the results from laboratory and mathematical modeling of a common management strategy for contaminated sediments. The biological and chemical processes affecting the production of methyl mercury changed in location and magnitude as a result of in-situ sediment capping. Eil Kwon’s paper on “Agent-based On-Line Traffic Condition and Information Analysis System for Wireless V2I Communcation,” E. Kwon, S. Song, D. Seo, and I. Jung, was presented at the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) conference on Ubiquitous Future Networks in June of 2010. The paper presents a traffic information and condition analysis system (TICAS) that can generate ‘customized’ traffic information from both realtime and archived detector data. Eric Musselman’s paper on “Behavior of Portable Fiber Reinforced Concrete Vehicle Barriers Subject to Blasts from Contact Charges” was published in the May 2010 issue of the International Journal of Impact Engineering. Coauthors are A. Couglin, A. Schokker, and D. Linzell. The paper summarizes the testing of precast concrete barriers exposed to blast loads from contact charges. The blast testing was conducted at Air Force Research Labs. In addition to the testing, a discussion of the dynamic finite element analysis of the barriers is included.

Andrea Schokker’s book, The Sustainable Concrete Guide, was released in March of 2010. The first 2500 copies have sold out and the second edition is in print. The book is the first-ever comprehensive resource on concrete for sustainable construction and is published by the US Green Concrete Council. Pictures and case studies from the UMD campus are included. The book is now being translated into Spanish and Mandarin. The companion book, The Sustainable Concrete Guide: Applications, is due for release in November of 2010.

Pledge Card Pledge amount $______________ _______ Check if you are interested in a named option (named labs or logo display) Donor Name(s) __________________________________ Address___________________________________________

A donation to the CE program in any amount is greatly appreciated â&#x20AC;&#x201D; our hands on type of program requires a significant amount of equipment to properly train students. Named giving options are available as well. Please contact Tricia Bunten with any questions (address at the bottom of this form).

City ____________________ST _________ Zip __________ (For named giving options, Tricia Bunten will contact you for plaque and/or logo information)

Payment Options: ____

Credit Card Charge

____ VISA

____ MasterCard ____ Discover _____ American Express

Named Giving Options: High Bay Lab $300,000

Credit Card Number ____________________________________________ Structures Lab Exp. Date ______________Security Code _________________ Name on Credit Card ___________________________________________

$300,000 Construction Material Lab $100,000

____

Check (Payable to University of Minnesota Duluth)

Soils Lab $75,000

I would like to be reminded of my pledge ____ quarterly Classroom (2) ____ semi-annually or ____ annually. ____

Securities (Please contact me with information about making my

$50,000 Transportation Lab $10,000

gift with securities). Model Shop Signature _________________________________________ Date ____________

$10,000 Conference Room

Please return completed form to: Tricia Bunten Senior Development Director 102 Engineering Building, 1303 Ordean Crt Duluth, MN 55812 218-726-6995 or tbunten@d.umn.edu

$10,000 Logo Display in Hallway (large company logo in hallway between Engineering Building and Civil Engineering) $5000

Dept of Civil Engineering 218-726-6444 221 SCiv 1405 University Drive Duluth, MN 55812 Civileng@d.umn.edu

http://www.d.umn.edu/ civileng/