This year marks the frst time Construction Engineering and Construction Management majors graduated together as part of the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Program fulflling a promise to the local industry which was years in the making. Our faculty, students, and staf have immense gratitude for all that the local Construction industry has done for the Program.
It is deeply inspiring to see the unparalleled support of the local industry as our students attend feld trips, and guest lecturers, and are rewarded with scholarships, internships, and full-time jobs. Our faculty has been on task working hard to accommodate the growing number of students we are educating, and I am very thankful for everyone's impact on our students' career growth and success.
Without the support of the local industry, we would not be in the business of building careers and educating the future of the Construction industry. Thank you for your unwavering support over the years.
Thais Alves, Ph.D.
AGC - Paul S. Roel Chair in Construction Engineering and Management, Senate Distinguished Professor J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program
Changing Lives through Program Support
Beavers Lecturer in Heavy Construction Endowment
The J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program received fve gifts and a large donation match to fund the Beavers Lecturer in Heavy Construction Endowment.
The funds will be used to support the salary of a lecturer within the CEM program.
CONE 280 Field Trip to Marathon Construction - RDO - AGC
Living the Aztec Experience
Sara Lopez, Class of 2026 Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: College of Engineering
Major: Construction Engineering
Since I began my academic career in the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering Program as a frst-generation college student, I have felt a vast number of opportunities and support.
In my two years in this major, I have achieved multiple internships, scholarships, and networking opportunities.
The faculty and professors who I have had the chance to receive education from have been nothing short of amazing. However, without the generous donors who support not only the entire program but also individual students such as myself, I would not have been able to achieve these benefcial outcomes.
One of the biggest events ofered to construction students nationally is the ASC Reno Competition. I was lucky to have been a part of the Commercial team last school year. The parallels between lessons learned in the classroom and reallife industry problems have allowed me to grow fundamentally as a rising woman in the feld of construction. From this opportunity, I received multiple internship ofers and met students and industry personnel from all over the country.
Without donors and funding, others and I would not be able to receive these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Without donors and funding, others and I would not be able to receive these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Tristen Montalvo-Benedetto, Class of 2025
Class
Level: Undergraduate Student College: College of Engineering
Major: Construction Management
My journey through the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering & Management Program has led to a career path that I am truly passionate about. I am beyond grateful to be part of the program and a greater community beyond the classroom.
Initially, my understanding of construction engineering and management was limited, but the program’s comprehensive curriculum and hands-on experiences opened my perspective to the vast career opportunities.
Since joining the program, I have simultaneously been a member of the AGC/CMAA Student Chapter. With the chapter’s focus on the construction industry and sense of community, I have experienced countless opportunities for growth in team building, industry engagement, and leadership development. The support from generous donors and local industry professionals has been crucial for the chapter’s growing participation and growth among the program.
Joining the College of Engineering has been incredibly rewarding for my personal growth and goals towards a successful career.
Thank you to all the program's supporters and for making a lasting impact on the next generation of construction engineering and management professionals.
Thank you to all the program's supporters and for making a lasting impact on the next generation of construction engineering and management professionals.
Celebrating Shared Success
Statistics of Interest
14 Construction Management majors and 14 Construction Engineering majors graduated in May 2 graduate students with a Construction specialization graduated in May
Our CEM Advisory Board met twice and helped us fne-tune the Program's immediate needs and strategic goals as we experience major growth.
The Construction Management major has been welcoming 50+ students per year, including frstyear students, transfers, and current students who intend to switch majors into our programs. The program had 170 students and about 20-30 additional students working on courses before ofcially switching to our majors.
Recent Highlights
For the frst time this past academic year, as part of the Construction Management degree, new courses were ofered. CONE 400 Preconstruction Management and CONE 495 Construction Management Capstone Design Project were ofered and taught respectively by industry professionals Daniel Shikey (Sr. Director of Technology & Operations Improvement, Balfour Beatty) and Paul Jackson, DBIA (Program Management, SDSU Mission Valley Development).
Thanks to the support of our local industry and the leadership of Jim Ryan, Mark Filanc, Mike Furby, Jef Harper, Eddie Sprecco, and AGC San Diego, the successful campaign to fund the Jim Ryan Chair in Construction Management was completed. Under the leadership of Dr. Reza Akhavian, a committee of fve faculty from the Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering department conducted an extensive months-long faculty search with over 100 applicants from the United States and abroad.
Juhyeon Bae joined SDSU in August 2024 as a new faculty member for the CEM Program. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, Ann Harbor, over the summer. Bae's area of expertise currently focuses on the use of wearable devices by workers and artifcial intelligence to assess workers’ safety risks, including mental stress, fatigue, and heat strain. He will augment the research currently being developed within the CEM Program by Dr. Reza Akhavian on the interface between humans and robots.
Donor Support
The J.R. Filanc CEM Program was established by philanthropic support. Industry support continues to advance and expand the program.
Helping to Build a Brighter Future
Reza Akhavian, Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering College: College of Engineering Achievement:
Dr. Akhavian published a paper titled "Assessing Trust in Construction AI-Powered Collaborative Robots Using Structural Equation Modeling" in the prestigious ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, co-authored with his former Master's student Newsha Emaminejad and SDSU professor Lisa Kath.
Dr. Akhavian is also working on a published paper with his current Ph.D. advisee on "Ergonomic Optimization in Worker-Robot Bimanual Object Handover: Implementing REBA Using Reinforcement Learning in Virtual Reality"
Virtual Immersive Teaching and Learning (VITaL) Research Center Fellowship: SDSU VITaL Research Center serves as an incubator to enable experiences that would be impossible or out of reach in a traditional learning environment
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Congratulations Dr. Akhavian on your recent published paper!
Faculty Achievements
Nensi Lakrori, P.E., M.S., LEED AP BD+C
Title: Full-Time Lecturer, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering College: College of Engineering
Achievement: Professor Lakrori received the Most Infuential Faculty Award from two distinct departments this year.
The Valedictorian in the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering department (Jamie Medlin), in the College of Engineering, and the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student in SDSU's ARMY ROTC Military Science Leadership Studies Minor (Andrew Tobia), in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA) both selected Lakrori as the faculty who mostly infuenced their careers while they were at SDSU. This award is a major accomplishment when received by a faculty, and Professor Lakrori received this award at the same time from two diferent colleges.
Lakrori also did an exceptional job leading her CONE 280 Construction Methods class with 62 students this Spring 24 semester. The class went through an initial safety training led by Dan Earhart from McCarthy Builders and visited project sites around San Diego. Her semester closed with a visit sponsored by Marathon Construction, RDO Equipment, and AGC San Diego. Students had a chance to drive heavy civil construction equipment in RDO's yard in Lakeside, and pilot heavy equipment using AGC simulators used to train the equipment operators.
She is also slated to become an endowed lecturer in the next academic year as the Program is working alongside the industry to create an endowed lecturer position.
Thanks to Lakrori's commitment to our students and their success, the Beavers Charitable Trust has agreed to support the Beavers Lecturer in Heavy Civil Construction endowment with a $250K grant, which local companies will match. This will establish the frst endowed lectureship in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering.
