Civil Engineering Institute - GMU CEIE

Civil Engineering
Institute (CEI)
Civil Engineering Institute
2011 Annual Report
Chairman’s Letter
Civil Engineering
Institute (CEI)
February 9, 2012
Dear Members and Friends of the Civil Engineering Institute,
Momentum.
To many people, momentum is a sports
term describing a team’s temporary condition
of having a psychological advantage against their
opponents. Hopefully, most of you reading this
letter think of momentum as one of the foundational concepts of engineering science. To those
of us on the Civil Engineering Institute’s (CEI)
Board, momentum defines what is in the hands
of the Department of Civil, Environmental and
Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE), specifically:
“Capacity for progressive development; the
power to increase or develop at an ever-growing
pace.1” I am simply amazed at where the CEIE CEI partnership envisions our program, and the
momentum it possesses. In the next decade, our
program will:
• attract some of the highest qualified
scientific high school students in the world;
• produce some of the world’s finest
engineers to build our physical
surroundings in a new age;
• be recognized by our federal government
as a superior resource for research in
infrastructure, construction and design;
• be known globally as part of a university
‘going global’ and for civil engineering
leadership throughout the world.
Yes, the CEIE has the power — and is using
that power — to develop at an ever-growing pace.
On the next page, our Department Chair,
Dr. Deborah Goodings will highlight where the
department and our students stand today. As you
read her report, remember our humble beginnings and my words above — the power
is still growing. The CEI has played a significant
role in this success. In the past year, the members
of CEI have:
• provided the CEIE Department with
valuable advice and guidance on the
increasingly challenging curriculum;
• held counseling and advisory sessions for
students to assist in their career opportunities;
• provided funding for many significant
out-of-the-classroom student learning
experiences including: Chi Epsilon, ASCE,
DBIA, and EfID.
• provided close to $30,000 in scholarship
funding in 2011 and 2012, and added to
the perpetual Bronzini Scholarship Fund;
• committed to services through three CEI
member construction firms — Shirley
Contracting Company, Lane Construction
Corporation, and Balfour Beatty Construction,
confirming the construction of the teaching and research laboratory this summer;
• supported fundraising for the laboratory.
In addition to these successes, the Directors
of the CEI and other members have received
great satisfaction out of our relationships with
each other and with the students and faculty of
the Department.
Come join us. Over the coming year we will
address new challenges as well as those ongoing:
• supporting the department in maintaining
its re-accreditation;
• fundraising to purchase advanced teaching
and research equipment for the laboratory;
• advising department leadership on
curriculum and educational needs;
• supporting further growth of the
Engineers for International Development
and other learning initiatives;
• offering scholarship development
initiatives and funding; and
• providing industry vision for the CEIE’s
next level of achievement.
The Board of Directors takes great pride in
presenting this 2011 Annual Report to you. The
Institute continues to run on a sound fiscal basis
and is operated in an open and collaborative
manner. We invite you to join us to be a part of
the accomplishments, rewards, satisfaction, and
fun that we all enjoy.
Best wishes for a happy and successful 2012.
Sincerely,
William G. Fry, PE
Chairman
1 Encarta Encyclopedia
Welcome
1
Welcome from the Department Chairman
I
n summer 2012, George Mason University
welcomes its sixth president, Dr. Ángel
Cabrera, an academic leader, an international
management expert, and an engineer. In a university that is all about change, with the largest student
population in the Commonwealth of Virginia,
the Department of Civil, Environmental, and
Infrastructure Engineering is eager to enter this
new stage of development under his leadership.
Since our department graduated its first four
students in 1992 under the banner of Urban
Systems Engineering, our trajectory has been
steadily upward. Consider, as one measure, the
size of our undergraduate graduating classes
now. With 50 B.S. graduates in the 2010-2011
academic year, we are the third largest civil
engineering program in the Commonwealth of
Virginia, and nearing the size of the graduation
class at the University of Virginia. Of the six
universities with civil engineering programs
in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, we
are second in size only to the University of
Maryland. We have emerged, then, as the civil
engineering program in the heart of Virginia’s
economic engine, and the Virginia choice for
civil engineering education in the nation’s
capital region.
But numbers reveal only a small part of the
story. This annual report provides a snapshot
of the department. It describes the outcomes
of the hard work of our students and our faculty,
both of which benefit from our enviable partnership with engineering practice, and the Civil
Engineering Institute in particular. These efforts
have resulted in:
• Expanded curriculum offerings at the undergraduate level, including a new CEIE Honors
Program.
• Initiation of a Master of Engineering degree
that combines geotechnical, construction,
and structural engineering in a program
not offered at any other U.S. university,
complementing our existing M.S., Ph.D.,
and accelerated B.S.-M.S. offerings.
• Introduction of actual senior design projects
into the curriculum, developed and offered
by adjunct faculty from: Atkins PBS&J, Balfour
Beatty Construction, the Washington D.C.
Department of Transportation, the
Engineering Groupe, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, and the U. S. Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board.
• Undergraduate extra-curricular activities that
include, for example, a full year of self-directed, intensive engineering effort by students
to prepare to compete at the University of
West Virginia in ASCE student competitions;
or to travel to the Peruvian Andes to work
alongside the villagers of San Isidro to
improve their water supply system.
But as proud as we are of our accomplishments, our efforts are focused on where we’re
headed. In the next five years we mean to elevate
our status in civil engineering higher education
locally in the mid-Atlantic states, as well as
nationally and globally. This will require investment in faculty development, student scholarships, and department facilities, investment that
needs partners who recognize the huge impact
of investment in higher education, and who
understand the deep satisfaction of creating
a lasting university legacy.
Our highest priority this year is to create a
new civil engineering laboratory. As the CEIE
Laboratory Challenge section (pg 6) explains,
the laboratory will be built in summer, 2012,
through the far-sighted partnership and investment of Civil Engineering Institute members
Balfour Beatty Construction, Lane Construction
Corporation, and Shirley Contracting Company.
But a laboratory without equipment is a job
only half done. Even after an equipment grant
from Dominion Energy Foundation, we have
a $470,000 challenge, this year, to open
the laboratory to students in fall, 2012.
In our global economy where routine jobs
are being steadily outsourced, this department
is educating engineers as nimble “knowledgeworkers” prepared to evolve and to lead in a
profession that in 25 years will be very different
from today. Partner with us in this venture.
Sincerely,
Deborah J. Goodings, Ph.D., P.Eng, F.ASCE, D.GE
Dewberry Professor
and Department Chairman
2
Mission/Membership
Mission and Membership
T
he Civil Engineering Institute is a nonprofit
corporation registered in the State of
Virginia since 1989, with the purpose
of assisting the Civil, Environmental and
Infrastructure Engineering program of George
Mason University. The objectives of the Civil
Engineering Institute include:
• advising on curricula changes to keep
the program on the leading edge of the
professional practice;
• providing liaison with the business
community for teaching and advising;
• assisting in internship placement for students;
• assisting in securing nationally-recognized
faculty by raising private Eminent Scholars
endowments; and
• fundraising for scholarships, student activity
support, and academic program assistance to
supplement that provided by the university.
Membership in the Civil Engineering Institute
is open to private companies, public agencies, and
individuals, who are committed to the importance
of investing in engineering education. Members
join because they are committed to:
• building the CEIE Department;
• developing relationships
with CEIE faculty, students
and industry;
• expanding and sustaining
student scholarships and
education; and
• partnering with GMU and
industry leaders in providing
employment opportunities.
In return, Civil Engineering
Institute members receive the
following benefits:
• special invitations to attend
student and visiting lectures;
• special access to CEIE
students and recruiting
events;
• recognition of members as CEIE Department
supporters on the CEIE website;
• invitations to social events organized annually
by CEI Board Members and Committees; and
• oppportunity to earn a seat on the CEI
Board of Directors.
By participating in a variety of CEI and
Volgenau School of Engineering activities —
academic, leadership, educational and social —
companies become integrated into the most
quickly advancing civil engineering program
in the Washington DC metropolitan region.
Membership Category
Individuals:
Industry:
Under $5 million
in annual revenues
Over $5 million
in annual revenues
Public Services:
Those serving population
under 25,000
Those serving population
over 25,000
Annual Dues
$ 150
$ 500
$1,250
$ 500
$1,250
Member Organizations
Representatives
Individuals
Ammann & Whitney
Consulting Engineers, P.C.
ATCS, P.L.C.
Atkins
Balfour Beatty Construction
Bowman Consulting, Inc.
Camp, Dresser & McKee Inc.
christopher consultants, ltd.
R.E. Daffan, Inc
Dewberry
ECS Mid-Atlantic, LLC
The Engineering Groupe, Inc.
Fairfax Water
GeoConcepts Engineering, Inc.
Kiewit Building Group
Lane Construction
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Patton Harris Rust & Associates, P.C.
Phoenix Group
Shirley Contracting Co., LLC
Tri-Tek Engineering, Inc
Vanasse Hangan Brustlin, Inc.
Washington Gas
Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.
William A. Hazel, Inc.
Mr. Bal Cherwoo
Mr. Richard Benton
Mr. Michael Bronzini,
Emeritus
Mr. Charlie Crowder, Jr.,
Emeritus
Mr. Sidney O. Dewberry,
Emeritus
Mr. David Donahue
Mr. William Fry
Mr. John Gaston
Mr. H.S. Humle, Jr., Emeritus
Mr. James Kirk
Mr. Peter Rigby
Mr. Harold L. Rodriguez
Mr. Howell B. Simmons
Mr. Joseph Vilseck, III
Mr. Adam J. Volanth
Mr. Bill Caruthers
Ms. Terry Suehr
Mr. David Laib
Mr. Michael Bruen
Mr. Thomas McNulty
Mr. Lou Canonico
Mr. Larry Dickenson
Mr. Kurt Thompson
Ms. Tricia Shelton
Mr. John S. Groupe, V
Ms. Jaime Bain Hedges
Mr. Ted Lewis
Mr. Herb Ruess
Mr. John Roddy
Mr. Eric Ulsh
Mr. Edward G. Venditti
Mr. Suresh Chukkapalli
Mr. Michael E. Post
Mr. Kevin Murray
Mr. David Bohn
Mr. Hardeep S. Rana
Mr. Brian Chromey
Mr. David M. Speed
Board of Directors
3
Board of Directors
T
he Civil Engineering Institute Board of
Directors meets regularly to conduct
its business, to interact with the Civil,
Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering
Department, and to report on committee
activity. Directors are elected by the Civil
Engineering Institute membership, and serve
three-year staggered terms. The Board elects its
officers from among its ranks. Mr. William G. Fry,
P.E. (Chairman), Mr. Hardeep S. Rana, P.E. (ViceChairman), and Dr. Deborah J. Goodings, P.Eng.
(Executive Director), were elected in 2011;
Mr. Brian Chromey serves as the appointed
CEI Treasurer. In January, 2012, Mr. William Fry
completes his term as CEI Chairman.
Directors serve on the CEI committees,
chaired by the following members of the Board:
• Annual Meeting Planning – Mr. Brian Chromey
• Alumni Committee – Mr. Harold Rodriguez
• Bylaws, Nominating, and Awards –
Mr. Rich Benton
• Civil Engineering Institute Membership –
Mr. Kurt Thompson
• CEIE Laboratory Committee – Mr. John Roddy
• Curriculum and Programs (and ABET) –
Mr. Larry Dickenson
• Internships, Scholarships and Fellowships –
Ms. Jamie Bain Hedges
The Civil Engineering Institute is grateful for
the service of Mr. Adam Volanth and Dr. Terrance
Ryan who are departing the Board in 2012;
and of Mr. Farid Hamad, whose Board position
has been filled by Mr. John Roddy, also of Lane
Construction. Dr. Ryan’s contribution is of
particular note: he left his mark not only
through his long time participation on the
CEI Board, but also through the central role
he played as program administrator of Urban
Systems Engineering in the earliest years of
the department’s development.
2011 Board of Directors
Mr. Richard Benton, P.E., FASCE
Mr. Michael Bruen, P.E
Bowman Consulting, Inc.
Mr. Hardeep S. Rana, P.E.
Washington Gas
Mr. Peter Rigby, P.E.
Mr. Lou Canonico, P.E.
christopher consultants, ltd.
Mr. John Roddy
Lane Construction
Mr. Brian Chromey, P.E.
Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.
Mr. Harold L. Rodriguez, P.E.
Mr. Larry Dickenson
R.E. Daffan, Inc.
Ms. Terry Suehr, P.E.
Atkins
Mr. William Fry, P.E.
Mr. John Gaston, P.E.
Mr. Kurt Thompson, P.E.
Dewberry
Mr. John S. Groupe, V, P.E.
The Engineering Groupe, Inc.
Mr. Eric Ulsh
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Ms. Jaime Bain Hedges, P.E.
Fairfax Water
Mr. Edward G. Venditti, P.E.
Patton Harris Rust & Associates, P.C.
Mr. David Laib, P.E.
Balfour Beatty Construction
Mr. Joseph Vilseck, III, P.E.
Mr. Kevin Murray, P.E.
Tri-Tek Engineering, Inc
Mr. Michael E. Post
Shirley Contracting Co., LLC
Mr. Howell B. Simmons, P.E., L.S.
Emeritus Members
Dr. Michael S. Bronzini, P.E.
Mr. Charlie C. Crowder, Jr.
Mr. Sidney 0. Dewberry, P.E., L.S.
Mr. H. S. Hulme, Jr., P.E.
CEIE Faculty Ex Officio
Dr. Tomasz Arciszewski
Dr. Michael Casey, P.E.
Dr. Sharon deMonsabert, P.E.
Dr. Liza Wilson Durant
Dr. Deborah Goodings, P.Eng.
Dr. Mark Houck, P.E.
Dr. Laura Kosoglu
Dr. Burak Tanyu
Dr. Girum Urgessa, P.E.
Dr. Mohan Venigalla, P.E.
4
Annual Meeting
CEI Awards Lunch
and Annual Meeting
O
ver 200 people attended the Civil
Engineering Institute Awards Luncheon
and Annual Meeting on January, 25,
2011, with nineteen firms and individuals sponsoring tables. Guests were welcomed by Mr. Bill
Fry, the Civil Engineering Institute Chairman, and
Dr. Lloyd Griffiths, Dean of the Volgenau School
of Engineering. New Civil Engineering Institute
Board members were elected; and outgoing
and continuing Board members were recognized
for their service. CEIE Department Chairman,
Dr. Deborah Goodings, provided an overview of
the department’s current status and described
the department’s ambitions for the next year.
Mr. Bill Fry introduced the distinguished
2011 Engineering Excellence and Leadership
Awardee, Dr. Joseph Hartmann, who is responsible
for the Federal Highway Administration’s bridge
and tunnel research and strategic planning. His
years of structural engineering research at the
FHWA Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
have made him the lead forensic investigator
when major bridges in the U.S. experience
structural failure, and he has been recognized
for that work with the highest level agencywide awards. In addition to these demands, Dr.
Hartmann is a gifted adjunct faculty member
teaching structural analysis to Civil, Environmental,
and Infrastructure Engineering students.
Enjoying the CEI 2011 Awards Lunch (l to r):
Professor Michael Casey, Mr Michael Post, Dr. Joseph Hartmann
(honoree), and Mr. Hardeep Rana.
CEI Board members gather at the 2011 CEI Awards Lunch.
GMU Civil Engineering
Institute 2011 Awards Luncheon
and Annual Meeting
Special Sponsors
Platinum Table Sponsors
Accenture
Dewberry
Shirley Contracting Co., LLC
The Lane Construction Corporation
William A. Hazel, Inc.
Gold Table Sponsors
Balfour Beatty Construction
Bohler Engineering
Bowman Consulting Group
Burgess & Niple, Inc.
christopher consultants, ltd
Dewberry
Fairfax Water (2 Tables)
Howell B. Simmons
Jacobs
PB Americas
PBS&J, an Atkins Company
PHR&A
The Engineering Groupe, Inc.
Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.
Program Overview
5
CEIE Academic Program Overview
T
he Department of Civil, Environmental
and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE)
enrolled 300 undergraduates in fall, 2011.
With a quarter of all George Mason undergraduates
now living on campus, the percentage of fulltime, residential civil engineering students is
growing; their median age is falling; and the
representation of out-of-state students is increasing.
While the Volgenau School of Engineering works
to meet the needs of part-time, working, and
mature students, George Mason University is no
longer characterized as a commuter school for
CEIE undergraduate learning in progress.
older students. The department has responded to
this growth and this change in student profile by:
• launching the CEIE Honors Program in 2011
with its first class of outstanding scholars;
• offering a broader spectrum of senior
electives within the framework of a modified
CEIE curriculum that allows undergraduates
to choose between specializing or remaining
general;
• providing greater variety in the culminating
senior design projects;
• supporting more choices of extra-curricular
activities that build professional development,
as well as student camaraderie within the
department; and
• raising academic standards for student
retention.
These initiatives not only impact CEIE’s ability
to recruit and retain talented undergraduates,
but they also raise the competitiveness of
graduates for the long term benefit of both
their careers and their employers.
The Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure
Engineering graduate program includes 100
students. George Mason’s prime location in
Northern Virginia is a key advantage, one the
department leverages in two respects. First, the
department continues to tap into the exceptional
engineering talent in Northern Virginia by inviting
leading engineers in practice, and
research engineers and scientists
at the world-class, yet local, federal
research laboratories, to join the program as guest lecturers and adjunct
faculty. And second, the department
attracts both full-time students as
well as practicing engineers eager to
upgrade their engineering education
through either full-time or part-time
study.
In 2011, the department’s
Master of Engineering degree was
approved, complementing the existing
M.S., Ph.D., and accelerated B.S.-M.S. offerings.
The M.Eng. GeoConstruct degree integrates the
study of geotechnical, construction, and structural
engineering into one body of practice-oriented
study, and is the first of its kind in the United
States. In 2012, the department is turning its
attention to re-envisioning the environmental
and water resources graduate program in
coordination with anticipated new faculty hires.
Innovation at the graduate level also benefits
undergraduates, making it an excellent time to
be joining the department at all levels of study.
6
CEIE Laboratory Challenge
CEIE Laboratory Challenge
I
n 2011-2012, the department faces a major
challenge to raise funds to construct and
equip a new Civil Engineering Laboratory.
This laboratory is essential for the department to
forge ahead, and to take its place in transforming
engineering science. With this laboratory, we can
explore how micro-organisms can be injected
into soil to consume contaminants, or to alter
soil properties reducing risk of earthquakeinduced liquefaction. We can re-imagine use of
existing materials for radically new applications,
and create new materials which are self-healing,
for use in building construction or in prosthetics.
We can develop students’ critical thinking, and
their understanding of scientific inquiry. We can
unleash independent study, underpin student
design projects, and provide the essential
foundation to both applied and fundamental
research.
The transition from vision to reality is already
underway. A 1,250 square-foot laboratory in the
heart of the CEIE Department will cost $450,000
to renovate, and $550,000 to equip. Through the
far-sighted partnership and investment of Civil
CEIE students testing water quality
at the Mason Pond.
Engineering Institute members Balfour Beatty
Construction, Lane Construction Corporation,
and Shirley Contracting Company, the laboratory
construction will be completed in summer, 2012.
But a laboratory without equipment is a job only
half done. Even with an equipment gift from
Dominion Energy Foundation, $470,000 remains
to be raised this year, to open the laboratory to
students in fall, 2012.
To explore opportunities for a partnership
that will complete our laboratory, a laboratory
that will impact hundreds of civil engineering
students at George Mason University, and an
opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in the
Department of Civil, Environmental, and
Infrastructure Engineering, contact the CEIE
Department Chairman, Dr. Deborah Goodings,
at goodings@gmu.edu.
Scholarships
7
Recognizing Scholarship
I
n 2011, the Civil, Environmental, and
Infrastructure Engineering Department
implemented the CEIE Honors Program
to create a community of high-achieving civil
engineering undergraduates in the most
demanding honors program at George Mason
University. CEIE Honors students are required
to complete the same number of credits as other
civil engineering B.S. graduates, but they must
also: retain a high GPA; complete 18 credit
hours of honors courses; and select between an
advanced business communications course and
a risk communication course in their senior year.
Honors programs are proven to be effective in
both recruiting outstanding students, and motivating them to continue to strive for excellence.
The Civil Engineering Institute is the department’s partner in recognizing outstanding CEIE
students by awarding scholarships. In 2010-2011,
they awarded $9,700, and in 2011-2012, they
awarded $18,500 in scholarships to the following
students who distinguished themselves
academically.
Senior Design Project presenter,
Moustafa Ibrahim Awad.
Undergraduates:
Graduate students (2011-2012):
Seniors (2010-2011):
• Chris Dean, CEI Scholar
• Tracy Xi Zhou, CEI Scholar
• Moustafa Ibrahim Awad, CEI Scholar
• Trevor Hughes, CEI Scholar
• Matin Kheyrani, CEI Scholar
• James Milliken, CEI Scholar
Juniors (2011-2012):
• Zachary Malone, CEI Scholar
• Anh Nguyen, CEI Scholar
• Quan Ton, CEI Scholar
Sophomores (2011-2012):
• Trevor McGahey, PHRA-Bronzini Scholar
• Kelsey Ryan, CEI Scholar
• Robert Williams, CEI Scholar
In addition to these Civil Engineering
Institute Scholars, the Volgenau School of
Engineering recognized the following CEIE
students with named scholarships in 2011-2012:
• Perry Buckley, Armed Forces
Communications and Electronics
Association
• Christopher Evans, Knowledge Consulting
Group
• Carlos Flores-Garay, McKimmens Scholarship
• Gina Goettler, Engineering Dean’s
Scholarship
• Zachary High, A. James Clark Scholarship
8
Research
Research Highlights
T
he department’s requirement that M.S.
students complete independent projects
or theses at the completion of their
studies is consistent with the university’s emphasis
on developing independent research skills and
critical thinking. Increasingly undergraduates are
also asking to engage in research, and with the
prospect of a new CEIE laboratory, more opportunities will become available. The following
work was presented by M.S. students in 2011,
projects that provide insight into the interests
of our students, and of the faculty.
• Ezgi Acur, Do Existing MSE Wall Design
Procedures Capture Creep Effectively?
• Mohammad Bilal Alsarayreh, Floodplain
Mapping for Cameron Run
• Lenin Andrade, BIM Based Cost Estimating
• Phillipe Douthard, Stability of Rebar Cages
during Construction
• Andrew Fix, BIM/GIS: Information exchange
• Gary Gardner, Virginia Dam Safety Optimal
Spillway Design
• Lindsay Gardner, Methodology for Analyzing
Traffic Impact Analysis
• Mona Kaim, Stream Restoration Effects
on Nitrogen Reduction
• Chris Lett, Carbon Abatement Strategies
for Time Warner
• Colin Maloney, Analysis of Blast Parameters
on Biomechanical Systems
CEIE student teamwork
• René Mariscal Valenzuela, Expansive Soils
and Lime Stabilization in Northern Virginia
• Benyamin Marks, Cub Run Recenter:
Water Balance Analysis
• Michael McCarn, The Impacts on the
Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant
Due to Increasing Precipitation and
Its Effect on Inflow and Infiltration
• Scott Remer, Piedmont – Tidewater Rain
Garden Project
• Prutha Rueangvivatanakij, Assessment
of Carbon Impact from Public Transit
• Hoa Vinh Quach, Sustainability
Implementation and Achievements in
Arlington County
• Dan Wolfe, Implementing a Microbial Cell
at a Waste Water Treatment Plant
CEIE students at work in the
Senior Design Studio.
International Initiatives
9
International Initiatives
G
PS Location: latitude:-3.2435; longitude:
-72.92953. That is the email message
received for each of the six days in
January, 2012, when the GMU Engineers for
International Development team was working
in the Amazon region of north eastern Peru. It
confirmed both their location and their wellbeing.
Dr. Barry Liner, the GMU Director of
International Engineering Programs, co-led a
small team with Dr. Michael Gilmore, a GMU
ethno-biologist, that included two students:
CEIE undergraduate, Gabriel Stonebraker, and
Sociology major, Leslie Temple. They are the
assessment team to evaluate the water and
sanitation needs of the remote, indigenous
Maijuna people of Peru, and to determine the
feasibility for implementing appropriate engineering infrastructure to address those simple
needs. If they develop a plan that meets the
needs and wishes of the Maijuna villagers; that
is feasible and sustainable from an engineering
point of view; and at the same time, that is
suitable for a team of students to design and
build, living and working side by side with
the villagers, this project will become another
GMU Engineers for International Development
project. The Maijuna project builds on the
great success of the first GMU Engineers for
International Development project, completed
only last summer, 2011. That project is described
in the Student Group Activities section (pg 10)
of this CEI report, led, again, by Dr. Liner.
While few people would dispute the
importance of re-affirming to college students
the value of community service, these GMU
Engineers for International Development projects
have a profound effect on students, from the
points of view of developing their engineering
skills; of developing deep pride in being engineers;
and of developing confidence in their ability
to be global citizens, global engineers, and global
Americans.
Dr. Barry Liner explaining
water quality issues with
Maijuna tribes people, Peru.
At the faculty level, global interests are also
apparent, and encouraged by the Provost’s
support for international initiatives. In 2010
and 2011, Dr. Thomas Arciszewski carried the
CEIE flag abroad as he lectured on Inventive
Engineering in Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland,
Singapore, Taiwan, and Britain, as well as overseeing publication of his book, Successful Education:
How to Educate Creative Engineers, in China
and Poland. The ongoing expansion of CEIE
program offerings will dovetail well with recently
signed memoranda of understanding with
foreign universities — more than one through
the efforts of Dr. Arciszewski — to increase
exchange of scholars.
The Volgenau School of Engineering has
also begun to receive undergraduates from the
Chinese University of Southwest Jiaotong in
Chengdu, and that university has requested
opportunity for their students to study civil
engineering in the CEIE Department. Chinese
students in this program complete their first and
final undergraduate years at the University of
Southwest Jiaotong, but spend their middle years
at GMU, to receive two degrees: one from China
and one from George Mason University. This
program is the result of a sustained effort from
the university’s Office of Global Strategies.
10
Student Group Activities
Student Group Activities
C
EIE students distinguished themselves
again this past year with the energy they
invest in professional development outside the classroom, taking ownership of activity
in a range of student chapters. Many of these
activities are underwritten with funding from
the Civil Engineering Institute.
The GMU chapter of Chi Epsilon, the national
civil engineering honor society, headed by
Mariana Cruz in 2010-2011, and Daniel
Lavarnway, in 2011-2012, inducted 16 new
students into its ranks in 2011, bringing the
total number of GMU members to 57 since its
creation in May, 2010. Chi Epsilon’s travel to Los
Angeles in spring, 2012, to attend the biennial
conclave meeting, and to purchase the distinctive
white stoles that Chi Epsilon students wear at
graduation in May, were both supported by the
Civil Engineering Institute.
In November, 2011, nine GMU CEIE seniors and
M.S. students were joined by two graduates of
Virginia Tech to take the oath of the Order of
the Engineer, led by Harold Rodriguez, CEIE
alumnus, Civil Engineering Institute member, and
CEIE adjunct faculty member. The oath sets forth
an ethical code of professional integrity
for engineers, requiring members to
shoulder their responsibility to serve
and to protect the public in their
engineering practice. This was the
second year for this now annual
ceremony at GMU.
The GMU chapter of Design-Build
Institute of America (DBIA) was led
by student president Kristen Stevens,
in 2010-2011, and by Matin Kheyrani,
in 2011-12. Student membership has
grown, and the chapter has been
proactive in sponsoring leading designbuild professionals as guest speakers,
frequently working in concert with
the DBIA parent chapter. The Civil
Engineering Institute also supported the
chapter, subsidizing student travel for
two field trips. In May, 2011, twelve DBIA
members and their faculty advisor, Dr. Mike
Casey, traveled to New York City for a tour of,
and lecture about, the World Trade Center redevelopment and the Transit Hub hosted by
Skanska Civil USA. And in October, 2011, seven
members of the chapter traveled to Orlando, FL
for the National DBIA Conference and
Exhibition.
The Society of American Military Engineers
(SAME) student chapter, this year headed by
student president Carlos Flores-Garay, benefits
from its close relationship with its SAME parent
chapter at Fort Belvoir, and its very active GMU
student membership. The student chapter
supported the April, 2011, lunch at Mason Inn,
co-sponsored by the SAME parent chapter and
the Civil Engineering Institute, with GMU Vice
President for Facilities, Mr. Tom Calhoun, as
speaker, preceded by a review of student
résumés by SAME members; and they hosted a
lunch in October, 2011, featuring guest speaker,
Mr. Eric LaRocque from Dewberry, who spoke
about water reuse in Fairfax County. In
November, 2011, they joined with the ASCE
DBIA students on their field trip to New York.
Student Group Activities
11
San Isidro (Peru) villagers and
CEIE Engineers for International
Development lift a new water tank
into place.
student chapter to organize a career fai for civil
engineering students, to help CEIE students
connect with potential employers. They organized
two outreach efforts: one, visiting Thomas
Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
in Alexandria in February for Engineering Day
to communicate their excitement about civil
engineering; and the other in support of the
Relay for Life, in which they raised $500 for
the American Cancer Society.
In summer, 2011, GMU’s Engineers for
International Development (formerly the
International Engineering Group) undertook
their first implementation project installing two
10,000 litre water storage tanks in San Isidro,
a village in the Peruvian Andes, not far from
Machu Picchu, but 3000 feet higher in elevation.
The team worked with the villagers to hoist
the two 500-pound tanks to the installation site,
where they were connected to the existing
water system fed by a natural spring. The student
team leader was CEIE senior student Sean
O’Bannon, who worked through the preceding
academic year on design, logistics, and fund
raising with CEIE undergraduates and fellow
travellers, Jim Milliken, Trevor Hughes and John
Guenther; guided and accompanied by Dr. Barry
Liner, ECS Mid-Atlantic engineer, Joanna Vivanco,
and Prince William County Service Authority
engineer, Katty Overcash. The team also benefitted
over the year from the frequent design assistance
of several local, practising engineers.
The comments of John Guenther capture
their experience: “Nothing on the project went
according to plan, but everything went right. We
listened to the advice and input of the villagers
and strove to fulfill their expectations, even
when that meant throwing out some of our
preconceived notions about how the project
would progress. Creativity in the face of limited
resources and flexibility in a challenging work
environment were the keys to success. Among
the most gratifying moments of the trip was
arriving at the work site to find thirty community
members—out of a total population of only one
hundred—already working at digging out a place
for a slab and clearing rubble. They took owner-
ship of their project and in their characteristically
gracious manner accomplished what needed to
be done. It was very humbling. The trip was
a great experience. I learned a lot about dealing
with people, about effective leadership, and
about the world outside America.”
The San Isidro project was supported from
several sources, including the GMU Provost’s
Office; the Civil Engineering Institute; the Fairfax
County Department of Public Works and
Environmental Services; and separate student
fundraising events including one assisted by
the Embassy of Peru. A return to San Isidro is
planned to pursue a follow-up project, and an
assessment trip for another project in north
eastern Peru — described under International
Initiatives (pg 9) — was completed in January,
2012.
CEIE Engineers for International Development
are welcomed by the San Isidro (Peru) leadership.
2011 has been a remarkable year for the GMU
student chapter of the American Society of
Civil Engineers with increased membership
and a new record for participation in ASCE
activities.Throughout 2011, students met regularly
to plan events, tours, service projects, fundraising
and GMU’s participation in the Virginia Regional
ASCE Student Conference, under the leadership
of Moustafa Ibrahim Awad, student president in
2010-2011, and Jordan Dively, president in 2011-12.
12
Student Group Activities
Student Group Activities, continued
CEIE students testing Chesapeake Bay water quality
on the ASCE boat trip.
Tours of local major civil engineering projects
such as the Bayview Office Building, the I-495
Hotlanes and the Blue Plains Water Treatment
plant were highlights for the students. These
tours enable students to envision how their theoretical knowledge is applied to projects of local
importance. ASCE students also participated in a
boat tour and field study of the Chesapeake Bay.
The field study afforded students an opportunity
to conduct water quality analyses and to understand application of their knowledge of environmental engineering processes.
ASCE students participated in service projects
such as the ASCE Family Day at the National
Building Museum and the Washington, DC,
Boundary Stones project. They served the
CEIE Department by meeting with prospective
freshman, serving on the CEIE Undergraduate
Advisory Board, and leading CEIE students to
participate in activities that reinforce their
academic studies.
In November, 2011, the student chapter
organized the fifth annual ASCE Civil
Engineering Career Fair, in coordination with the
GMU SAME student chapter, generating revenue
to support forthcoming events and travel for
student members. Eleven companies, including
several Civil Engineering Institute member
companies, attended the fair and recruited CEIE
students for summer internships and entry-level
positions.
In April, 2011, the ASCE student chapter fielded
its third student team to attend and compete at
the Virginia Regional ASCE Student Conference
held at West Virginia University, accompanied by
their faculty advisor, Dr. Liza Durant. The GMU
team was matched against engineering schools
from the Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington,
DC area in competitions related to AutoCAD, surveying, sustainable development, environmental
engineering and general engineering knowledge.
The highlight of the conference was GMU’s
participation in the steel bridge design and build
competition, an effort which takes the better
part of an academic year to design, and to practice assembling. The team logged in the fastest
build time in the competition, although the
bridge was eliminated from the finals due to a
small design shortcoming associated with the
new requirement for a cantilever in this year’s
competition. The GMU team was supported by
Cives Steel of Winchester, VA, who supplied and
fabricated the steel for the bridge according
to the student detailed design; and by Patton,
Harris, Rust & Associates who provided surveying
equipment. ASCE student members are already
at work on their design for the next steel bridge
competition scheduled in March, 2012, at
Virginia Tech.
The GMU Student Chapter of ASCE gratefully
acknowledges the generous support of its participation in the Virginia Regional Conference by
the Civil Engineering Institute.
Members of the ASCE Steel Bridge team.
New Faces
13
New Faces in the Department
T
he Department bid farewell in 2011 to
Dr. Aimee Flannery, associate professor
of transportation engineering; she has
moved to Denver where she is engaged in
consulting and continues to expand her research.
Dr. Flannery joined the department in 1999 and
brought important research and teaching expertise in the areas of highway operations and safety,
as well as performance measurement. During her
time at GMU, she developed new transportation
engineering courses for the department
at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She
worked collaboratively on research with faculty
in the GMU School of Public Policy and the
Department of Psychology. As the department’s
Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Flannery managed
the process to create the Civil and Infrastructure
Engineering Ph.D. program, distinct from the
Volgenau School of Engineering-wide program
under which the department previously
graduated its Ph.D.’s.
Dr. Laura Kosoglu
joined the CEIE
Department as an assistant professor in August,
2011. Dr. Kosoglu is a
geotechnical engineer
whose Ph.D. research
at Virginia Tech focused
on the experimental
study of factors that
influence clay behavior
for time-dependent
processes such as secondary compression
Dr. Laura Kosoglu
and shear deformation.
That research, while
very fundamental, also relates to the prediction
of slippage along fault lines that may lead to
earthquakes. In addition, Dr. Kosoglu has conducted research focused on the use of geofoam
to reduce lateral earth pressures on retaining
walls as well as on the integration of dispersed
nano-iron slurries with electrokinetics to remediate soils. She brings to the classroom her geotechnical consulting experience as well as her
work as a water resources engineer. In addition
to teaching, she is advising the GMU student
chapter of the Society
of American Military
Engineers and is a key
member of the new
CEIE laboratory planning team, a facility
she will be using in
both her teaching and
her research.
Dr. Burak Tanyu also
joined the CEIE
Department in August,
2011 as an assistant
professor. He is a geological/geotechnical
Dr. Burak Tanyu
engineer whose Ph.D.
research at University
of Wisconsin-Madison focused on use of industrial by-products and geosynthetics to construct
working platforms and sub-base for flexible
pavements. Between his Ph.D. graduation and his
return to academics in 2011, Dr. Tanyu was a
senior engineer for eight years in the Chicago
office of the consulting firm, Geosyntec, where
he focussed on landslide mitigation, site characterization and design of residual waste landfills
for power companies, and design of earth
retaining structures. Dr. Tanyu is a core faculty
member in the new Master of Engineering program, teaching in the areas of groundwater and
geo-environmental engineering; earth retaining
structures; slope stabilization; and geotechnical
data analysis in design. He is developing research
in reinforced soil structures and in landslide
analysis, both of which will benefit greatly
by the creation of the new CEIE laboratory.
14
Faculty
Faculty
F
ull-time faculty are the backbone of the
Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure
Engineering Department, teaching classes;
advising students; overseeing student chapter
activity; conducting research; envisioning new
curricula; serving in leadership roles in civil
engineering professional societies; and administering a program for 400 students. These outstanding faculty include:
• Girum Urgessa, P.E., Assistant Professor. Ph.D.,
University of New Mexico. Expertise: structural
engineering; computational mechanics;
composite materials
• Tomasz Arciszewski, Professor. Ph.D., Warsaw
University of Technology. Expertise: structural
and inventive engineering; education;
international engineering.
• Mohan Venigalla, P.E., Associate Professor.
Ph.D., University of Tennessee. Expertise:
transportation engineering; transportation
planning; transportation air quality.
• Burak Tanyu, Assistant Professor. Ph.D.,
University of Wisconsin. Expertise: geotechnical
engineering; engineering geology; geo-environmental engineering.
• Michael Casey, P.E., Assistant Professor. Ph.D.,
University of Maryland. Expertise:
construction and project management;
building information modeling;
geographic information systems.
• Sharon deMonsabert, P.E., Associate
Professor. Ph.D., Purdue University.
Expertise: environmental engineering;
sustainability; energy.
• Liza Wilson Durant, Assistant Professor
and Associate Department Chairman.
Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University.
Expertise: environmental engineering,
bioremediation, contaminant
fate/transport, water treatment.
• Deborah Goodings, P.Eng., F.ASCE, D.GE.,
Dewberry Professor of Civil Engineering
and Department Chairman. PhD, Cambridge
University. Expertise: geotechnical engineering;
extreme geotechnics; international
development engineering.
• Mark Houck, P.E., F.ASCE., D.WRE, Professor.
Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University.
Expertise: water resources; infrastructure
security; water management.
• Laura Kosoglu, Assistant Professor. Ph.D.,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University. Expertise: geotechnical engineering;
water resources; geo-environmental
engineering.
Professor Mark Houck advises a CEIE student.
Director of International
Engineering Programs:
• Barry Liner, P.E., LEED GA. Ph.D., George
Mason University. Expertise: sustainability,
water resources, international development,
engineering management.
Faculty
CEIE students see how steel is fabricated at the
Arlington Iron Works (photo: Sean Kennedy).
Research Faculty:
• Michael Bronzini, P.E., F.ASCE, Emeritus
Dewberry Professor. Ph.D., Pennsylvania State
University. Expertise: national transportation
networks; transportation security; remote
sensing.
• K.T. Thirumalai. Dr.Ing., Freiberg Technical
University (Freiberg Academy), Germany.
Expertise: Multimodal transportation;
innovation policy; infrastructure systems;
engineering mechanics .
Adjunct Faculty:
The prime location of George Mason University
in the Washington, D.C. area enables the department to recruit outstanding leaders in engineering practice and in research to enhance the CEIE
program. They enrich the curriculum as guest
lecturers, and by service on academic and career
panels, and many of those volunteers are members of the Civil Engineering Institute. The most
committed of these join the department as parttime, adjunct faculty taking full charge of a course,
beginning to end, preparing and delivering
lectures, grading assignments, and engaging with
students to bring them insights distilled from
high level practice. This demanding and underpaid gift to CEIE students, and ultimately to civil
engineering practice, is a signature aspect of the
program, and as such we recognize and thank
the following professionals who joined the
department as adjunct faculty in 2011:
15
• Ms. Melany Alliston-Brick, CH2M Hill
• Mr. Rich Benton, SR Benton & Associates, LLC
• Mr. David Binning, Applied Engineering
Management Corporation
• Dr. Carlos Coronado, Bechtel
• Mr. David Donahue, Arlington County
Department of Environmental Services
• Mr. Matthew Doyle, Fairfax County
Department of Public Works &
Environmental Services
• Mr. Alex Faghri, Virginia Department of
Transportation
• Dr. Gary Greene, Professional Service
Industries (for Federal Highway
Administration)
• Dr. John Halkias, Federal Highway
Administration
• Dr. Matthew Hardy, American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials
• Dr. Joseph Hartmann, Federal Highway
Administration
• Dr. Firas Ibrahim, Federal Highway
Administration
• Mr. Sean Kennedy, BEI Structural Engineers
• Dr. Michael Krimmer, Northern Virginia
Community College
• Mr. David Laib, Balfour Beatty Construction
• Mr. Michael Loulakis, Esq., Capital Project
Strategies
• Ms. Genelle McDonald, Balfour Beatty
Construction
• Ms. Laura Miller, Global Engineering
Solutions (for US Army Corps of Engineers)
• Mr. John Moore, independent consultant
• Mr. Ronaldo Nicholson, D.C Department
of Transportation
• Dr. Tae Oey, independent consultant
• Mr. Dean Randall, HydroLogics, Inc.
• Mr. Duane Reger, Trademasters Service Corp
• Mr. Harold Rodriguez, Jacobs Engineering
• Ms. Kathie Stein, Esq., Environmental
Protection Agency
• Mr. Paul Swanson, Facility Engineering
Associates, P.C.
• Mr. Harry Ward, Harken-Reidar, Inc.
• Ms. Anna Wolgast, Esq., Environmental
Protection Agency
16
Financial Report
Financial Report
T
he consolidated Treasurer’s Report for
FY2011 appears opposite, covering the
university’s fiscal year from July 1, 2010
to June 30, 2011.
The upper portion of the report shows the
Civil Engineering Institute operating account.
Institute income is derived principally from Civil
Engineering Institute membership dues, and the
Annual Meeting Luncheon. Foundation expenses
are shown below that. The CEI allocated $19,400
for student group activities, senior design dinners,
and graduation gifts; $13,450 on scholarships,
including $3,750 transferred into the Bronzini
Scholarship endowment account; $1,974 on
brochure development and printing; and $706
on meeting and miscellaneous expenses.
The lower section of the report shows the
status of the three Civil Engineering Institute
scholarship endowment funds. Endowed scholarship funds are invested by the George Mason
University Foundation, and distributions are
permitted only when the account value exceeds
the original gift value. The CEI Scholarship
View of Word Trade Center site
and new 9/11 memorial
under construction.
account value was slightly above gift value on
June 30, 2010, and the PHRA (Patton, Harris, Rust
& Associates) Scholarship fund remained below
the original gift; distributions were not drawn
from either account in FY2011. The Civil
Engineering Institute Bronzini Scholarship Fund,
which requires a minimum balance of $25,000
before distributions can be made, exceeded that
threshold with the transfer of $3,750 of CEI
scholarship funds into that account. The market
values of two of the three accounts were above
their gift values as of June 30, 2011, making
distributions available in FY2012.
Once again the Civil Engineering Institute
has handled its funds conservatively, positioning
it to address three priorities in FY2012. These
include scholarship awards; continuing support
for student group activities; and outfitting of
an essential materials testing undergraduate
laboratory. The department is grateful for the
important ongoing support of the Civil
Engineering Institute.
Financial Report
17
George Mason University Civil Engineering Institute
Consolidated Treasurer's Report FY 2011
CEI Account
Opening Balance
Income
$ 50,016.11
Member Dues
Contributions
CEI Annual Meeting
Total
Total Funds Available
$27,075.00
$ 510.00
$17,900.00
$45,485.00
Expenditures
$ 2,718.30
$ 486.93
$ 875.00
$10,524.45
$18,525.26
$ 1,973.61
$13,450.00
$ 218.65
$48,772.20
$ 95,501.11
GMUF Administrative Fees (6% of income)
Meeting Expense
Graduation Luncheon
CEI Annual Meeting
Student Travel
Brochures, Posters, Reports
Scholarships
Other
Total
$ 46,728.91
Endowment Funds
CEI
Scholarship
PHRA
Scholarship
Bronzini
Scholarship
Gift Value
Contributions during FY 11
Market Value June 30, 2010
Net Earnings, FY 11
$ 87,041
$ 87,525
$ 2,673
$ 37,727
$ 32,795
$ 3,165
$ 23,950
$ 4,100
$ 19,850
$ 2,684
Distribution for current use*
-
-
-
Market Value June 30, 2011
$ 90,198
$ 35,960
$ 26,634
On the cover:
CEIE Engineers for International
Development students celebrate
project completion in San Isidro, Peru.
Civil Engineering
Institute (CEI)
Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering
The Volgenau School of Engineering
George Mason University
MSN 6C1
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
703-993-1675 phone
703-993-9790 fax
www.civil.gmu.edu