RWU SECCM Newsletter

Roger Williams University

SECCM NEWS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, COMPUTING, AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

FALL 2022

Welcome!

Welcome to the first newsletter of the School of Engineering, Computing, and Construction Management at Roger Williams University! We plan to distribute two of these each year. We hope that you find this communication informative and that it encourages you to maintain a connection with us.

You may be unaware that SECCM has a relatively new administration. My name is Rob Griffin, and I started as Dean of SECCM in July 2021, after a 21-year academic career at other institutions. Dr. B. Gökhan Çelik, whom many of you know from his time as a faculty member in Construction Management, was appointed as Associate Dean in January 2022.

Over my first year as Dean, I have been impressed by the determination of SECCM students, the dedication of SECCM staff, the passion of SECCM faculty, and the enthusiasm of SECCM alumni. I also had the opportunity to continue to learn about the RWU and SECCM cultures and to identify our School’s strengths and opportunities. Furthermore, as a SECCM community, we are developing a SECCM strategic plan centered on Impact, Innovation, and Inspiration (I3) to guide us for the coming five years. The I3 plan should be available publicly later this fall so please stay tuned!

I invite you to read this newsletter to learn about recent happenings in SECCM. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments – I’m always available by phone or electronic mail (401-254-3498, rgriffin@rwu.edu). Better yet – stop by if you are in Bristol so we can meet face-to-face and give you a tour of our exciting new SECCM Laboratories building, which opened its doors in January 2020.

I look forward to getting to know you and growing the interaction between SECCM and our friends and alumni.

I hope this finds you and yours safe and well.

With warmest regards, Rob November 2022

RECENT NEWS We are pleased to announce that two new full-time, tenure-track faculty members joined us as of August 2022. Dr. Jung Hyun Lee received her Ph.D. from Georgia Tech earlier this year and is serving as an Assistant Professor of Construction Management. Dr. Allison Marn has spent the past two years at RWU in adjunct/visiting faculty roles. She received her Ph.D. from Boston University and is serving as an Assistant Professor of Engineering. In addition, we are happy that Mr. Jon Gomes (an alumnus of our program) has joined our team for the 2022-2023 academic year as a Lecturer in the Construction Management program. Warmest welcome (back)! In other faculty news, Dr. Khalid Al-Hamdouni was granted emeritus faculty status by the Board of Trustees in May 2022. Dr. Lily Jeznach and Dr. Issa Ramaji were granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Engineering and Construction Management, respectively, as of July 2022. Congratulations!

Lily Jeznach

Issa Ramaji

Jung Hyun Lee

Allison Marn

Jon Gomes

Khalid Al-Hamdouni

We are sad to announce the passing of Emeritus Professor of Engineering Dr. Ram Gupta. During his long tenure at RWU, Dr. Gupta was a driving force for many of the changes that occurred within the engineering program. In the 1990s, he oversaw the development of an ABETaccredited environmental engineering degree, one of only a few in the country at that time. In addition, his research in hydro- and wind power led him to be one of the founding developers of the sustainability program at RWU. His contributions to the engineering program are still evident today as we continue the success of the program and its graduates. Please keep the Gupta family in your best thoughts. (J. Baldwin)

ENGR poster session

As the pandemic began to wane, we were able to open ‘officially‘ the Bready Applied Learning Laboratory (aka the ‘SECCM Labs Building’ or ‘SELB’). The event coincided with the Fall 2021 RWU Board of Trustees meetings and featured a speech by alumnus Jay Cobleigh (’19, ENGR with Civil Specialization, currently with Beta Group, Inc.), presentations by President Miaoulis and Dean Griffin, and tours of the new facility. If you are ever in Bristol, come check it out! A small, private event honoring Dean Potter’s contributions to the building and to SECCM more broadly was held in August 2022.

With the opening of SELB and a decrease in the severity of the pandemic, we were able to utilize the spaces much more extensively. The Women in Construction program held an open house event in the CNST Materials Lab, and the ENGR program hosted a live poster session where members of the ENGR Professional Advisory Board (PAB) and selected alumni interacted with seniors presenting their capstone projects.

SELB Opening event

CM banquet

A highlight of the academic year for the Construction Management program was the banquet hosted at the Bristol Yacht Club for graduating seniors. It was a fantastic opportunity (after two years off due to the pandemic) for graduating students to celebrate their hard work, interact with alumni, and network with our industry partners. In addition, a team of Construction Management students led by Dr. Anne Anderson visited a local high school to give hands-on demonstrations about Construction Management education as part of our continuing efforts to diversify our student body.

CM outreach

We are excited to report that the 2nd annual Engineers Without Borders USA fundraising campaign donations exceeded expectations and led to our chapter receiving an extra $2000 in support!

The Computer Science program has been working with the Math department to offer Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning courses on a more regular basis. These courses are now cross listed with the Math program, and we hope that a Data Science degree program will be available soon.

Finally, Dean Griffin’s favorite event from his first year – participating in the ‘Pie the Professor’ event sponsored by RWU’s Women of Color club to raise money for domestic services for women in Providence…. The SECCM students who showed up were maybe a little too enthusiastic about smashing a whipped cream pie in Dean Griffin’s face!

Pie in the face!

FACULTY NEWS Our amazing faculty members contribute to SECCM’s success in a variety of ways - through their teaching, scholarship, and service, as well as their dedication to our students. Below are some highlights of their accomplishments over the past year, from publications to course development to leadership in national activities. A special note of thanks to the SECCM staff – Marygrace Staton (Assistant to the Dean), Jim Dorothy (Director of Operations), and Steve Pulver (Laboratory Manager). All of these successful efforts would have been impossible without their support and effort.

Dr. Ahmet Akosman (ENGR) received the Optica APC best early career presentation award Dr. Anne Anderson (CNST) published a paper in the Journal of Information Technology in Construction focused on global virtual teams in building information modeling projects Dr. Chunyan Bai (COMSC) mentored three undergraduate student research projects that were presented at the 2022 National Conference on Undergraduate Research Dr. Janet Baldwin (ENGR) spent part of her spring 2022 sabbatical in England exploring and expanding opportunities for our students to study abroad Dr. Maija Benitz (ENGR) published with Prof. Li-Ling Yang (RWU Education) a fourth paper about the KidWind Community Engagement Project in August 2021 in Sustainability Dr. Sonya Cates (COMSC) presented a talk entitled “Programming Practice Logs as a Tool to Support Equity and Inclusion” at SIGCSE: The ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education Dr. Michael Emmer (CNST) traveled with a team of construction students to participate in the commercial category of the Associated Schools of Construction Region 1 competition in Albany, NY Dr. Amine Ghanem (CNST) participated in the presentation of two posters that included student co-authors at the RWU SASH and at the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) International Conference in Atlanta Dr. Lillian Jeznach (ENGR) had a project contract (Water Quality in DCR Reservoirs) with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst renewed for 2022-2023, allowing for the support of two undergraduate research students Dr. Pamela Judge (ENGR) developed a new course in Foundation Design for our Civil Engineering specialization Dr. Allison Marn (ENGR) published some of her thesis work in an article entitled “Multiplexed, High-Sensitivity Measurements of Antibody Affinity Using Interferometric Reflectance Imaging Sensor” in the journal Biosensors

Dr. Nicole Martino (ENGR) collaborated with two undergraduate students on a research project funded by the RIDOT to diagnose the condition of concrete subbase using ground penetrating radar prior to the start of roadway rehabilitation projects Dr. Koray Özer (MATH) hosted a well-attended event to provide guidance to SECCM students regarding paths to graduate degrees Dr. William Palm (ENGR) presented the long-term results of RWU’s Engineering Living-Learning Communities at the ASEE Annual Conference and was judged as the best presentation in the First-Year Programs Division Dr. Issa Ramaji (CNST) published a paper focused on best practices to enhance phase-based cost and schedule performances in complex construction projects in Engineering Management Journal Dr. Anthony Ruocco (COMSC) was active with the IEEE Providence as the section chair and will be one of its representatives at the WIE Region 1 and 2 Forum in Fall 2022 Dr. Matthew Stein (ENGR) employed two SECCM students on an Office of Naval Researchfunded project “Skills Learning for Goal-Directed Behavior by Humanoid Robots in Complex Unstructured Environments” as a sub-grant to Brown University Dr. Gordon Stewart (ENGR) was invited (with two students) to present work quantifying the effects of wind/wave misalignment on the wakes of floating wind turbines at the NAWEA (North American Wind Energy Academy) conference in September 2022 Dr. Charles Thomas (ENGR) participated in faculty planning efforts as a SECCM representative to revamp the RWU general education program

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

DR. ANNE ANDERSON

When you were a student, did you wish that you knew something a little bit more about your faculty members? This edition of the SECCM newsletter shines a spotlight on Dr. Anne Anderson, Associate Professor of Construction Management and one of the newest additions (Fall 2020) to the tenure-track faculty ranks in SECCM.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

I grew up in Kodiak, Alaska, which is known for its large King Salmon, the biggest grizzly bears in the world, and an internet prank that resulted in Pitbull giving a concert at Kodiak’s Coast Guard base.

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR DEGREES?

I have a BS in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, an MS in Civil Engineering (emphasis in structures) from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and a PhD in the Built Environment (emphasis in construction management) also from the University of Washington.

WHAT’S THE LAST BOOK YOU READ FOR FUN?

I’m a fan of Michael Shur who co-created Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place. I just finished reading his book “How to be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question,” which is a funny – and surprisingly edifying – book about ethical theories.

WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I like to be adventurous and try new things, which is how I wound up bungee jumping, driving formula cars at Laguna Seca Raceway, playing on a beer league hockey team, being chased by an elephant in Botswana, and climbing to the peak of Huayna Picchu in Peru.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO BE A PROFESSOR?

After 15 years of working in the building industry, I returned to graduate school because it provided a good platform for developing and implementing changes needed in the industry. I enjoy all aspects of higher education, especially working with students as a club advisor, ASC team coach, and research coordinator.

Dr. Anne Anderson at Huayna Picchu

WHY RWU?

In the summer of 2020, I packed my three pets into my car and drove from Washington state to my new job in Rhode Island. I love working at Roger Williams University for several reasons: it’s situated in a beautiful part of the country (that I had never seen prior to my interview!), has amazing facilities to promote student learning, and, of course, great people.

STUDENT CLUB SPOTLIGHT

ENGINEERING CLUB

Early in his tenure, Dean Griffin indicated that he would love to see the SECCM student clubs working together to build community. The presidents of the student engineering clubs responded by organizing a mini-golf night but not at a local course. Rather, several clubs designed, prototyped, and constructed their own holes – and came together to have a course. The engineering clubs worked with groups from across campus to turn it into a food, drink and mini-golf extravaganza that was used as a fundraiser for the SECCM clubs. All had a good time – and the groups are already looking forward to next year’s event. The clubs also plan to make the course available for student recruiting events like Open Houses and Accepted Student Days. A big thanks to the student clubs (and to Professor Charlie Thomas for his assistance)!

Engineering Club Mini-Golf Event

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

NICK MORRISON ’19

One of the goals of this newsletter is to provide you an opportunity to update your alumni network with recent happenings in your professional and personal life. Did you get a new job? Move across the country? Take up a new hobby? Let us know (you can contact Dean Griffin), and we will include it in future editions of the newsletter! We also plan to have alumni spotlights. Here, we spotlight a recent alumnus, Nicholas Morrison, class of 2019, Construction Management.

DID YOU HAVE A MINOR OR CORE CONCENTRATION? Double Minor in Business and Psychology

WHAT INTERNSHIPS DID YOU HAVE?

Two Project Management summer internships with Consigli Construction and one Estimating winter internship with Consigli Construction

WERE YOU A PART OF ANY COMPETITIONS?

2017 ASC Region 1 Heavy Civil Competition - Project Engineer; 2018 ASC Region 1 Heavy Civil Competition - Chief Scheduler; 2019 ASC National Preconstruction Competition - Safety Director Nick Morrison ’19

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE COURSE AND WHY?

Although the most daunting, senior year’s capstone project was my favorite. It was easily one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career, as my teammates and I were able to showcase everything we had learned over the past three and a half years and, in the end, receive valuable feedback from proven, experienced professionals from the industry.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT POSITION? Estimator, Consigli Construction

WHAT MAJOR PROJECTS HAVE YOU BEEN A PART OF?

I estimate mainly within the healthcare and life science markets. The most notable project I have been a part of was the pre-construction efforts of the 212,000-square-foot, five-story Patient Pavilion at DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center, currently under construction in Lebanon, NH.

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS?

Now a few years into my career, I enjoy working on healthcare projects that ultimately can make a great difference in someone’s life. Along those same lines, I eventually want to be working on projects that benefit society as a whole, more specifically, working on sustainable projects. It’s an exciting time to be in construction, as now, more than ever, we are developing and implementing new technologies and building materials with sustainable goals in mind.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE RWU CM?

Honestly, as a 17-year-old junior in high school, I was not at all positive on what to study in college. I was always a diligent student, but I had no experience in the construction field, just an interest from a young age. I was considering engineering, marketing, and accounting, but I knew that in the long run, the job opportunities in the construction field would never be in short supply. So, I took a shot, and declared Construction Management after being accepted to RWU. It only took a few weeks of Construction Management classes for me to realize I was in the right place. The small class sizes, hands-on lab courses, and highly knowledgeable professors from a variety of backgrounds all reassured me that I had made the right decision. The views of the bay and downtown Bristol didn’t hurt either!

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA We invite you to follow us on Twitter - @DeanRobGriffin and @Go_khan, as well as the Twitter of RWU and the Construction Management program: @myRWU and @RWUCM. Check out the Instagram accounts as well! We’re trying to increase our presence on social media – so look for us soon on Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, etc., and keep an eye on our webpage for new format and content coming soon!

OPPORTUNITIES Interested in giving to SECCM? You can do so in many ways, in addition to the traditional ‘annual fund gift.’ Hire our students for internships, externships, or permanent employment. Offer to present to one of our student clubs or to one of our courses. Be a mentor. Sponsor a field trip or a student competition team. Apply to become a member of one of our Professional Advisory Boards (which provide feedback and input to each of our programs).

If you are interested in getting involved and don’t know where to start, just contact Dean Griffin!