CEE magazine spring 2015

CEE

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Spring 2015

The Long View More classrooms, hands-on labs on the way with a Hydro expansion CEE honors Tami Bond, 2014 MacArthur Fellow Alumni news and features

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CEE

CEE is published twice a year for alumni and friends of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Those alumni who donate annually to CEE at Illinois receive every issue.

Benito Mari単as Professor and Head John Southwood Director of Advancement Celeste Arbogast Director of Communications and Alumni Relations Jamie Byrum Coordinator of Alumni and Corporate Relations Kristina Shidlauski Communications Specialist Sheree Fruzen Office Support Specialist Letters, comments and editorial submissions: CEE Magazine Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign 1210 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory MC-250 205 North Mathews Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61801 (217) 333-6955 celeste@illinois.edu Cover art: McKenzie Wagner Inc. cee.illinois.edu

Keep up-to-date on all CEE at Illinois alumni events by visiting

cee.illinois.edu/events

CEE Spring 2015

4 Modernizing our facilities/Benito Mariñas 7 Meet the new guy/Allen J. Staron (BS 74) 8 Shaping the Future of CEE at Illinois 14 García invested as Yeh Chair 15 Bond honored with MacArthur Fellowship 16 Autonomous aerial robots to monitor construction 18 Project will broaden access to, illuminate geoscience data 18 Soybean production in Sub-Saharan Africa studied 19 RailTEC project will improve transit track components 20 Taxi GPS data shows hurricane’s effect on NYC traffic 21 Sketch-based instruction improves learning 22 Illini 4000 ride from coast to coast for cancer awareness 26 Student organizations: what they’re up to, how to help 15

28 Department news 31 Alumni news 35 New scholarship honors Eric Kerestes (BS 04, MS 06) 36 In memoriam 37 Old Masters: Ven Te Chow 38 Individual donors 42 Corporate and foundation donors 43 Parting shot: Where in the world are CEE’s alumni?

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22 Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 3

Modernizing the facilities of our flagship CEE department

By Benito Mariñas Ivan Racheff Professor of Environmental Engineering and Head

O

Mariñas named Head

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rofessor Benito J. Mariñas has been named the new Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Mariñas has been serving as Interim Head of the department since the departure of former Head Amr. S. Elnashai in January 2014.

Mariñas joined the CEE faculty in 1995, having previously earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in sanitary and environmental engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. At Illinois, Mariñas is the Ivan Racheff Professor of Environmental Engineering as well as Director of the Safe Global Water Institute. In this role, Mariñas has worked with various interdisciplinary teams

cee.illinois.edu 4 4 cee.illinois.edu

to create sustainable solutions to sanitation and water purification issues in developing countries.

In a message announcing the appointment, College of Engineering Dean Andreas Cangellaris wrote, "Benito's exceptional scholarship, his global stature as a thought leader and an innovator in processes and technologies for water sustainability and safety, and his record of successful leadership as interim head of CEE over the past year make him the perfect choice to head the department."

Mariñas is the fifteenth Head of the CEE department since its establishment in 1967.

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ne of the activities that I have most enjoyed during the 15 months that I have had the privilege to serve first as Interim Head and since February 2015 as Head of our Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (CEE at Illinois), is the opportunity to meet and get to know alumni and friends of CEE at Illinois. (Admittedly I have many more to go since there are more than 12,000!)

These interactions have reinforced my belief that the main reason why our peers and the CEE profession at large considers us the Number One CEE department is that many of CEE at Illinois alumni are nationally and internationally acclaimed leaders. I also believe, as many of you have confirmed, that the outstanding accomplishments of CEE at Illinois alumni and friends are the result of a top-notch educational experience at Illinois. This has included close mentoring by many past legends and current legend-in-the-making members of our CEE faculty and staff, as well as access to world-class teaching and research facilities.

Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, inaugurated in 1967, and Hydrosystems Laboratory, inaugurated in 1970, have been wonderful facilities to train generations of CEE at Illinois students.

However, we must recognize that they are well into their fifth decade. Although CEE at Illinois has been active in modernizing these building over the years, with

The first phase, already completed, is the Yeh Student Center.

The second phase, currently underway, focuses on creating instructional laboratories and additional classrooms by adding two floors to the Hydrosystems Laboratory and modernizing the old parts of the building. the exception of the recent addition of the state-of-the-art teaching facilities in the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center, we feel that our efforts have been mostly both dispersed and incremental, and unable to catch up with the evolution in instructional needs demanded by the CEE profession. Thus, we feel that it is now time to undertake a major modernization effort. We are getting inspiration for our modernization plans from the Yeh Student Center. It is motivating both in terms of how a modern, state-of-the-art facility can enhance our educational mission and also in terms of how our alumni and friends can facilitate the achievement of our modernization goals through their involvement and financial support.

This edition of the CEE Magazine includes a description of our vision and preliminary plans for modernizing the CEE at Illinois facilities. The overall plan includes four phases. The first phase, already completed, is the Yeh Student Center. The second phase, currently underway, focuses on creating instructional laboratories and additional classrooms by adding two floors to the Hydrosystems Laboratory building and modernizing the old parts of the building. Phase 2 also includes the construction of a smart bridge that will connect the new classrooms and instructional laboratories with those in Newmark Lab. The bridge will have functional space, and be equipped with sensors so that it can serve as a laboratory for structural engineering courses. The bridge will also serve as a landmark proudly stating to visitors walking on campus that it is the

home of CEE at Illinois, the flagship CEE department in the nation and the world.

Key motivating factors for phase 2 of the modernization plan are the recognition by the CEE faculty that we need to develop new courses providing design and hands-on laboratory experience for our students, and also that we need additional classrooms to serve all courses now that the number of CEE students has gone up significantly—from approximately 1,200 when the Yeh Center was designed more than five years ago to 1,500 currently.

Phases 3 and 4 of the modernization plan will focus on expanding and renovating Newmark Lab. The modernized building will have a new main entrance in the southeast corner with professional motifs proudly communicating our stature as the Number One CEE department. The entrance will have large lobby and atrium spaces serving as venues for alumni and homecoming events, an auditorium serving as classroom and convocation center, modern offices and meeting rooms for faculty, staff and students, and state-ofthe-art research laboratories.

Please take some time to read about our modernization plans beginning on page 8 of this CEE magazine, and watch our website and future issues of the magazine for updates as plans progress. The CEE faculty and staff are looking forward to working with you and getting your support in making the modernization of CEE at Illinois facilities a reality. With your help, we will continue with Illini pride our tradition of being the Number One CEE department in the world! i

Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, inaugurated in 1967, and Hydrosystems Laboratory, inaugurated in 1970, have been wonderful facilities to train generations of CEE at Illinois students.

However, we must recognize that they are well into their fifth decade.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 5

CEEAA Board of Directors President Allen J. Staron, P.E., (BS 74) Clark Dietz Inc. Chicago Vice President Colleen E. Quinn, P.E., (BS 84) Ricondo & Associates Inc. Chicago

Excellence.

Flexibility.

Illinois.

Second Vice President and Secretary John P. Kos, P.E., (BS 77) H.W. Lochner Chicago Past President Tracy K. Lundin, P.E., (BS 80, MS 82) Fermilab Batavia, Illinois Directors Daniel F. Burke (BS 92, MS 93) City of Chicago DOT Chicago David Byrd, P.E., (BS 01, MS 06) Bully and Andrews General Contractors Chicago

CEE at Illinois Online • Interact with other students through projects and assignments.

• Earn the same M.S. degree with the same degree requirements as on-campus students.

• Access lectures and course materials online.

• Work toward professional development hours and certificates.

• Enjoy the flexibility and convenience of an online program.

Nick Canellis (BS 94) Turner Construction Chicago Lynne E. Chicoine, P.E., (BS 78, MS 80) CH2M HILL Portland, Oregon John E. Conroyd, P.E., S.E., (BS 83, MS 85) Tishman Construction Corp.

Chicago James M. Daum, P.E., (BS 77) Bowman, Barrett & Associates Chicago James K. Klein, P.E., S.E., (BS 78) Illinois Department of Transportation Springfield Dana B. Mehlman, P.E., (BS 99, MS 01) Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Chicago Paula C. Pienton, P.E., S.E., (BS 85) T.Y. Lin International Group Chicago

Professional Development Hours, Certificates You can register as a non-degree student for a single course or pursue a 3-course certificate as a non-degree student. Afterwards, you can apply for the M.S. program and transfer up to 12 hours (3 courses) to be used toward your 36-hour M.S. degree program requirement.

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Frank Powers, P.E., S.E., (BS 82, MS 83) H.W. Lochner Inc. Chicago Julian Rueda, P.E., (BS 80, MS 82) Geo Services Inc. Naperville, Illinois David A. Schoenwolf, P.E., (BS 77, MS 78) Haley & Aldrich Inc. McLean, Virginia C. Wayne Swafford, P.E., S.E., (BS 78, MS 82) Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. Oakland, California Scott Trotter, P.E., (BS 90) Trotter and Associates Inc. Saint Charles, Illinois Daniel J. Whalen, P.E., (BS 84, MS 85) Hanson Professional Services Inc. Springfield

The new guy

By Allen J. Staron, P.E., (BS 74) President, CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors

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llow me to introduce the new guy. My name is Allen Staron, the first-born and arguably the best-looking child of Theresa and Adam Staron. I was the first in the family to attend college and somehow, through divine intervention perhaps, was fortunate to work my way through the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois and earn a degree. I have had the good fortune of working as a civil engineer in the Chicago area my entire career, with my work occasionally taking me across the country. My wife, Paula, and I have three adult children and four (soon to be five) grandchildren. I assume the office of President of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association Board of Directors with humility and a sense of awe in my predecessors. First and foremost is Tracy Lundin, who has guided the ship for the last two years.

He has become a friend and a mentor over my years on the CEEAA Board. I will attempt to stay on course during my term in office.

As I move into my new role, I reflect on what I have learned while serving on the CEEAA Board for the past 10 years and how has it prepared me to serve you now. Three overarching themes have been consistent the past decade for the CEE department: a commitment to excellence, the ability to overcome challenges and a strong desire to have fun.

The accolades and high rankings for the CEE department are well-deserved. As with any successful organization, the foundation for its success lies with its people: dedicated staff, talented students, and accomplished alumni. The teaching and research staff of professors, graduate assistants and research assistants is extraordinary.

Their ability to work cross-discipline to meet the challenges of today is amazing. Supporting the education mission are also skilled professionals like John Southwood, Celeste Arbogast and Jamie Byrum; they keep the CEEAA Board on track and help make my job much easier.

Next, the CEE students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are equally amazing. Every year the incoming freshman class has a new record of high achievement. They are smart, articulate and diverse in background and gender. I am confident that they will excel in meeting the challenges of the future.

Lastly, the achievements of our alumni across

our nation and the world are overwhelming. The CEEAA Board annually recognizes the achievements of our distinguished alumni. I have come to appreciate that our CEE graduates reflect the best of the best in education, research, engineering, management and construction around the world. Name any major infrastructure improvement in the last 50 years, and I bet you will find Illinois CEE graduates instrumental in its success.

Another unexpected observation during my board tenure is that higher education is also a business—different in many ways from the consulting engineering business that I operate in, but a business nonetheless. The CEE department has adroitly met its business challenges of leadership transition, recruitment, retention, funding, strategic planning and communication. As a student I did not have an appreciation for how the CEE department functioned; I was having a hard enough time trying to work my way through an introductory structures class taught by Bob Mosborg and a soils class with Herb Ireland. Today, I appreciate how hard the department’s leadership works to maintain high quality while living within its budget. I can attest that they are good stewards of their funds and extremely creative on how to leverage their resources.

All CEE alumni can help to keep student education affordable while maintaining high quality through a donation back to our school. With more than 12,000 CEE alumni, even a relatively small donation can have a positive impact. Approximately 6 percent of our alumni base makes a regular contribution to the CEE department.

Imagine the impact if that number doubled. To those of you who make regular gifts to the CEE department, thank you! To those of you who have not, why not? How much of what you have and what you have accomplished do you owe to the lessons learned on campus? Why not give back by making a donation today!

Lastly, I love to see how much fun our CEE graduates have when we gather together. Whether it is a golf outing, dinner meeting, beer tasting or boat ride, we like to have fun, tell stories and maybe share a beverage or two. I look forward to meeting many of you over the next few years and hearing your tales of survey camp, Murphy’s, the Quad, the Flying Illini, and especially how to improve the football program. Go Illini! i

Approximately 6 percent of our alumni base makes a regular contribution to the CEE department.

Imagine the impact if that number doubled.

To those of you who make regular gifts to the CEE department, thank you!

To those of you who have not, why not?

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 7

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CEE at Illinois has embarked on a comprehensive plan to modernize our facilities to improve the student experience and promote innovative and emerging instructional methods. The fourphase project began with the construction of the Yeh Student Center, continues with an extensive upgrade to the Hydro Lab and will end with the renovation and expansion of Newmark Lab.

Hydro Lab modernization to feature hands-on labs, classrooms T

he Hydrosystems Laboratory will be expanded and modernized over the next three years in a project supported by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), the College of Engineering, the campus and private gifts.

The goal is to provide classroom and laboratory space to support innovative and emerging instructional methods, such as hands-on and project-based learning.

Although located in the Hydro Lab, the new space will be utilized by students and faculty in all of the department’s areas of study. The expansion is another step in the larger, ongoing plan to modernize CEE at Illinois’ infrastructure, which began with the addition of the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center, dedicated in fall 2011. The Yeh Center brought state-of-the-art classrooms and collaborative spaces to Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, which is now a half century old. Soon after the Yeh Center was dedicated in 2011, however, it became apparent to department leadership and the faculty that there was more work to be done.

“We had outgrown the Yeh Center almost before it was completed,” said Benito Mariñas, Department Head and Ivan Racheff Professor of Environmental Engineering.

The department has now begun planning to continue the modernization of its facilities in multiple phases throughout the next decade. CEE leadership and faculty believe the move is critical to support modern instructional methods and retain the department’s preeminence as the top program in the nation for civil and environmental engineering education.

“The future of our educational and research missions requires a significant modernization of our facilities,” Mariñas said. “Our curriculum must evolve to provide design and laboratory experience to our students in modern instructional laboratories with flexible configuration and state-of-the-art equipment, and to impart fundamentals with interactive smart technologies that require more modern classrooms.”

Plans are still coalescing, but a definite feature will be the addition of an elevator to make the building continued on page 11 Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 9

“We created the cross-cutting programs, and now we need to provide the infrastructure, the modernized space, that will allow the faculty to implement this vision for our students.”

Preliminary conceptual design developed by CEE at Illinois students Alex Dowd and Matthew McClone, under the direction of Associate Professor Liang Liu.

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McCarthy Hathman Construction Company was the general contractor for the building construction.

The building was financed by funding from the State of Illinois and a federal grant from the National Science Foundation.

The lab’s largest tilting flume is 161 ft long, 6 ft wide and 4 ft deep, and required an outside consulting firm to design the mechanical and electrical systems associated with it.

continued from page 9 compliant with the Americans with Disspace for use by all CEE areas, includabilities Act. The project will also exing areas designed for cross-disciplinary pand the building’s footprint to create collaboration. laboratories, classrooms and collabora“We created the cross-cutting protive space. The Hydro Lab and Newmark grams, and now we need to provide the Lab will be infrastructure, connected modern“We want to afford the students the with a bridge ized space, designed to that will allow more hands-on experience.” include usethe faculty to able space implement for studying or collaboration and to be this vision for our students,” Mariñas visually striking and structurally innosaid. vative. The bridge will be instrumented Professor Marcelo García is leading with display panels outside at ground the committee that will plan the relevel showing the collected data, such design. García is director of the Ven Te as strain.

Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory and the “Our hope is that the bridge will beM.T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair in Civil come a north campus landmark—a and Environmental Engineering. source of inspiration and pride for cur“We have these classes that have rent students and returning alumni a lot of design content, but we don’t that communicates the department’s have a lot of design space,” García said. preeminence,” said Associate Professor “We want to afford the students more Liang Liu, CEE Associate Head and Dihands-on experience. Right now, my rector of Undergraduate Studies. feeling is that between the crane bay Completed in 1967, the Hydro Lab in Newmark and the crane bay over in has been the home of the department’s Hydro, students probably feel a lot more Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulike spectators of the whole scene. We lic Engineering area. It features a large, want to get them more involved, to use central experimental bay for hydrologimore of the lab and to do more things.” cal research, as well as labs, classrooms The longer term plan to modernize and offices. The renovations will create CEE’s campus buildings stems from a

desire to ensure that the department’s facilities support emerging innovative instructional methods being introduced by the faculty, Liu said.

“We have a lot of new ideas, new ways of teaching our students,” Liu said. “We need to ask ourselves, ‘What will the new facilities be that can cater to the new pedagogies, the new ideas? What are the spaces that will be needed?’”

The design of the renovated Hydro lab is scheduled to be completed by fall 2016, with construction finished by summer 2018.

The project is one of six facility projects totaling $23 million within the College of Engineering that are being funded by the departments, the college and the campus matching funds program.

The projects will provide upgrades to instruction that will benefit an estimated 6,000 students across the University of Illinois engineering campus.

For the Hydro Lab expansion and future phases of the CEE Modernization Plan, there will be opportunities for alumni to contribute by making a gift or even naming a classroom or lab. For information on giving to the CEE Modernization Plan, contact John Southwood, jfswood@illinois.edu, (217) 300-5480. i

Look what you helped create!

In 2011, CEE students received a special gift from department alumni and friends: a brand new student center, complete with a sunny atrium, study areas, modern classrooms and meeting spaces. The three-story Yeh Student Center provides a central “home” for CEE students who previously had classes in more than two dozen locations on campus.

The meeting rooms allow for collaboration, the open spaces encourage socializing and gathering, and the state-of-the-art classrooms provide students and faculty with a modern environment for education.

The student center was funded entirely by gifts, including a $4 million naming gift from CEE Alumnus M.T. Geoffrey Yeh (BS 53).

A unique oscillatory flow tunnel was built in the lab as part of an initiative for the Office of Naval Research, to help them locate unexploded mines on the ocean floor.

In the mid-1960s, a Congressional bill rider was required in order to import a water tunnel for the lab from Hamburg, Germany.

At one point in the lab’s history, repurposing the space so Facilities & Services could use it for condensers was under consideration.

Fortunately for the department, the Chancellor nixed the idea.

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My, how we’ve grown In the past decade, the CEE department has experienced significant growth in applicants, enrollment and faculty. The graduate program in particular has increased in great numbers but data shows gains in many areas, highlighting the need for expanded infrastructure.

Undergraduate Program Undergraduate enrollment has been stable in recent years, though when current numbers are compared with those from 2005 a noticable increase is clear.

Total undergraduate student enrollment:

2005 2014

493

712

Teaching Assistants:

2007 2014

28

CEE Online The CEE Online graduate program, while still relatively new, has shown marked increases in the number of applicants and enrolled students. Between degree and non-degree students, 235 students have taken nearly 400 classes online since the program began. Five degrees have been awarded to date.

Applications to online program: 2011 7 2014

43

Students enrolled in degree program:

86

FACULTY and Staff Hiring of faculty has mirrored the growth of the student body and the development of new cross-disciplinary programs that provide education, research and global outreach opportunities for undergraduates and graduates alike. CEE currently has 50 faculty members and four additional faculty positions are expected to be filled in the coming months.

As the number of programs, students and faculty has increased, the staff has grown accordingly. Additional professional staff, Postdocs, hourly employees and service staff have been hired to provide support to the department.

2011 12 2014

61

Number of courses offered: 2011 13 2014 19 (soon to be 25) Student Organizations Student groups provide an opportunity for students to engage with others in the program, learn things outside of a classroom environment and establish connections with professional organizations. The opportunities for student engagement have more than tripled since 2005.

Number of student organizations within CEE: 2005 7 2014 27

ncel Expansion

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Large, three-story building addition on the southeast corner will add an auditorium, classrooms and modern office space. Target completion 2024.

green roof

In addition to a modernized “face,” the NCEL expansion project will include installation of a green roof.

Yeh Student Center

Opened in 2011. Provided new classrooms and meeting space for students. Made possible by funding from CEE alumni and friends.

Graduate program Interest in the CEE at Illinois graduate program continues to increase every year. Since 2005, the number of applications received has more than doubled and graduate enrollment exceeds that of the undergraduate program. CEE at Illinois’ reputation as a top civil and environmental department extends beyond the nation’s borders: the number of international students enrolled in the M.S. program has more than quadrupled in the past nine years.

Graduate program applications: 2005

2014

645

1,373

Graduate program offers of admission:

2005 2014

254

666

Total graduate student enrollment:

2005 2014

398

730

Help shape the future of CEE at Illinois As plans progress on the new infrastructure project, beginning with the Hydro Lab modernization, alumni and friends will find many opportunities to contribute to the continued excellence of the department in a very concrete way: −− N aming opportunities for classrooms, labs, student spaces and meeting rooms. −− I n-kind donations of equipment, materials or other assets. −− Company gift-matching.

International M.S. student enrollment:

−− Ideas and input.

Donors will be recognized on a giving wall.

2005 2014

63

281

Domestic M.S. student enrollment:

2005 2014

127 209

Graduate research assistants:

2005 2013

193 248

Connecting BRIDGE

Part of the initial project plan from the 1960s, which was scrapped due to lack of funding.

Bridge design still conceptual.

To learn more about the ways in which you can be a part of the CEE Modernization project by making a gift to the department, please contact John Southwood, Director of Advancement, (217) 300-5480, jfswood@ illinois.edu.

Below: Preliminary conceptual design developed

by CEE at Illinois students Alex Dowd and Matthew McClone, under the direction of Associate Professor Liang Liu

hydrosystems laboratory updates

Expansion will provide new classrooms, offices and lab space. Target completion date 2018.

“At the end of the day, doing physical testing and experiments is very relevant, and affording that opportunity to our students is very important. That’s going to give them an edge with respect to the education other students receive at other schools.”— Professor Marcelo García 13

García invested as Yeh Chair

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rofessor Marcelo H. García was invested December 9, 2014, as the second holder of the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering. CEE alumnus Yeh (BS 53) established the chair in 1998.

Yeh is a philanthropist and the retired chairman of Hsin Chong International Holdings Ltd. Special guests at the investiture included García’s wife, Estela, and their daughter, Emma; former University of Illinois Chancellor and Emeritus Professor of Psychology Morton W. Weir and his wife, Cecelia; and Jon Khachaturian (BS 78), president of Versabar Inc., who with his wife, Bobbi, made a gift to name Khachaturian Hall, where the investiture was held, after Jon's father, Narbey Khachaturian (BS 47, MS 48, PhD 52), deceased professor emeritus of CEE. “I would like to thank Geoffrey Yeh for his generosity to his alma mater,” García said. ”Becoming the holder of the Geffrey Yeh chair is, for me, just incredible.”

García is a leader in the field of river mechanics, sediment transport, sedimentation engineering and environmental hydraulics. He is best known for his research in sediment entrainment from riverbeds, flow and transport in vegetated channels, the mechanics of oceanic turbidity currents, and the dynamics of mudflows in mountain areas. García joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an assistant professor in January 1990. Since 1997, he has served as the Director of the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory. He was Editorin-Chief of the American Society of Civil Engineers Manual of Engineering Practice 110 "Sedimentation Engineering," published by ASCE in 2008.

Speakers at the investiture included College of Engineering Dean Andreas Cangellaris; Abbas Benmamoun, vice provost for faculty affairs and academic

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Marcelo García with his daughter, Emma, and his wife, Estela. policies; CEE Professor Emeritus and former Head Robert H. Dodds Jr. (MS 75, PhD 78), who in 2000 became the first holder of the Yeh Chair; and CEE Professor Gary Parker, the W.H. Johnson Professor of Geology, who was García’s adviser at the University of Minnesota.

“I extend my most sincere congratulations to you, Marcelo, for this welldeserved honor,” Dodds said. “You’re an extraordinary scholar by every measure, an inspiring classroom teacher and a wonderful colleague. During my tenure as department head you set a very high mark for energy, enthusiasm and passion for our missions and, without question, earned the most frequent flyer miles of any faculty member I ever knew. I greatly enjoyed our 20 years shared together on the CEE faculty.”

Dodds spoke about Geoffrey Yeh and his devotion to the department, demonstrated by his funding of both the Yeh Chair and a significant portion of the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center.

“Geoffrey is a most impressive person,” Dodds said. “Words that immediately come to mind to describe him include charming, kind, warm, exceptionally gracious and humble. He has a quick wit. He

loves to discuss international politics … and the hope he has for future generations.”

Yeh has long been a supporter of the University of Illinois, from which he earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1953. He went on to earn a master’s degree from Harvard in 1954. In 2011, he founded the Yeh Family Philanthropy, a family foundation. A member of the President’s Council of the University of Illinois Foundation, Yeh was the lead donor for the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center, a 20,500-square-foot addition to Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory that provides state-of-the-art classrooms, meeting rooms and informal gathering space for students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Illinois.

Endowed chairs and professorships help the department retain top professors. Faculty recipients receive a significant career honor that also elevates the stature of the department.

They also receive additional funding that stimulates innovative research not covered by traditional sources. i Full story at cee.illinois.edu//garcia_invested_as_yeh_chair.

Tami Bond wins MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant”

C

EE Professor Tami Bond has been awarded a 2014 MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as a “genius grant,” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The fellowship carries an unrestricted $625,000 stipend to be used as the researcher sees best. According to a statement from the MacArthur Foundation, the fellows are chosen according to three criteria: “Exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.”

Bond is a world leader in the study of aerosol emissions. She studies particles released into the air from burning all sorts of fuels, from biomass burning to kerosene lamps to diesel engines. She has been a pioneer in understanding the effects of black carbon, the dark soot that floats into the air when organic matter is burned – a hazard for human health and the environment, affecting air quality both indoors and out. She has formed partnerships with the World Bank to measure emissions from diesel vehicles in developing nations and with nonprofit organizations to measure biofuel-cooking emissions. Understanding is only half the battle, though, and Bond seeks innovative solutions through practical, low-cost interventions, such as training people in developing countries to measure and evaluate their own cookstoves.

“Professor Bond is an exemplary scholar, a great mentor and teacher, and a dynamic voice for using science and practical engineering solutions to address the grand challenges of aerosol and black carbon pollution threatening our environment and our health,” said Phyllis M. Wise, chancellor of the Urbana campus.

“This recognition by the MacArthur Foundation is well-deserved and­ —to those

of us who know her on this campus—not at all a surprise. We’re proud to have her as a colleague and all of us here at Illinois offer our congratulations to her for this honor.”

Bond earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, focusing on combustion, from the University of California at Berkeley in 1995 and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, civil engineering and mechanical engineering from the University of Washington in 2000. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and served as a visiting scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research before joining the faculty at Illinois in 2003. She also is affiliated with the department of atmospheric sciences at Illinois.

Professor Tami Bond speaks at an Oct. 28 reception hosted by the department to honor her as the department’s first MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient. Point your smart phone’s QR code reader at the code above to view a video about Bond’s work.

Bond received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in 2004 and was named a University Scholar by the U of I in 2012. She has been a part of a number of panels and reports on air pollution for governmental agencies, and has served on committees to promote standards and testing for clean cookstoves. i A video about Bond’s work created by the MacArthur Foundation is available at http://tinyurl.com/bond-macarthur.

Bond poses at the reception with some of her students. Front row (left to right): Cheryl Weyant, Laura Fierce, Bond, Tianye Sun, Liang Liu. Back row (left to right): Francisco Mena Gonzalez, Nick Lam, Kevin Hade, Ryan Thompson, Alex Torres Negron, Rishabh Shah.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 15

Autonomous Aerial Robots to Monitor Construction

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One of the team’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) flies over a residence hall construction project on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To view the video, point your smart phone’s QR code reader above.

computer-controlled to fully automate the data collection and, more importantly, the analysis and reporting of progress information on the construction site.

They have also developed a way for these robots to install cameras on elements of the site automatically. They are envisioning the use of these cameras for other tasks such as tracking the location of workers and equipment and maximizing accuracy in activity interpretations for performance monitoring purposes.

Construction is a $900 billion industry with 25-50 percent waste in coordinating labor and equipment and in managing, moving and installing material, said Golparvar-Fard. In addiStudents bring a UAV to a residence hall project at U of I.

Photos courtesy of Mani Golparvar-Fard

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magine a construction site in which small, computer-controlled aerial robots autonomously navigate the job site indoors and outdoors, conduct visual inspection with onboard cameras and more. The robots measure construction progress and provide detailed and continuous performance data on workers and equipment.

This futuristic scene is probably a lot closer than you think, thanks to research

by CEE assistant professor Mani Golparvar-Fard and collaborators Timothy Bretl, associate professor of Aerospace Engineering, and Derek Hoiem, assistant professor of Computer Science.

Quadcopters, small aerial robots with four propellers ranging in size from two to four feet across and also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, are being deployed already at some construction sites, but their use is currently limited to taking photographs and videos. In addition, all quadcopters now being used at construction sites can operate autonomously only when access to GPS data is available; otherwise they must be operated by people. Golparvar-Fard and his research team are developing something very different: quadcopters that will be

tion, he said, productivity arguably has been declining for many years at the industry level. This has led the National Research Council of the National Academies to identify improving the efficiency of construction as a key national need.

Construction monitoring improves efficiency by characterizing the extent to which construction plans are being followed and the extent to which workers and equipment are fully utilized. Current methods can be expensive, timeconsuming and subjective, resulting in less frequent monitoring than is optimal, Golparvar-Fard said.

“The need for prompt feedback about actual or potential performance deviations on job sites is growing because the margins of profit are getting smaller, and companies need to be more competitive.

Also current data collection methods are tedious, arduous and prone to being done only intermittently. … Many companies end up having incomplete performance data, and you cannot mount any analytics or root-cause assessments on top of it,” Golparvar-Fard said.

The system Golparvar-Fard and his team are developing works this way: the quadcopters take photos and videos of the construction site, guided by a cloud-

based computer program that can direct them to the right spots, resulting in automatic data collection. The activities of the aerial robots are fully autonomous, including take off, navigation, landing and charging. The captured images and videos are then used to create an actual 3D model of the site under construction.

The system compares this automatically generated 3D model to the as-designed 4D (3D plus time) Building Information Model, resulting in more frequent and complete progress monitoring information. The system also autonomously mounts battery-operated and WiFi-enabled surveillance cameras on different elements of the site to automatically capture videos of ongoing construction operations. Once the data is captured and transferred to the cloud, the system automatically detects and tracks workers and equipment in real time from the video feeds and categorizes activities of the resources automatically. The progress and activity monitoring results are visualized in a web-based, 4D augmented reality (D4AR) environment—a representation of the construction site in 4D with additional performance information superimposed on it. These D4AR models can also be made available to construction professionals through smartphones and tablets, enabling them to make effective control decisions on- and off-site more quickly and easily.

“The autonomous nature of the system in terms of data collection and the automated performance analytics will significantly improve monitoring and control practices in construction,” Golparvar-Fard said.

An expert in developing innovative construction monitoring methods, Golparvar-Fard (PhD 10) is an alumnus of both CEE at Illinois and the Computer Science department. His research interests include creating and developing computer vision, image processing and machine learning methods to automatically monitor building and construction per-

formance. Hoiem’s contribution will be in visual analysis, which is necessary for enabling the computer system to recognize construction materials from the surfaces of images, identify the actions of workers and track construction equipment. Bretl’s focus will be automating the process of data collection with the aerial robots. His team will develop methods of navigation and control that get the robots safely from one place to another in the site, enable the placement and retrieval by robots of cameras on structural elements, and guarantee that enough video is taken to support the visual analysis.

In order to test and develop their system, the researchers have been granted access to several active construction sites around the U.S. being operated by Zachry Construction and Turner Construction, including the new Sacramento Kings arena in Sacramento, Calif. In addition, the University of Illinois Facilities and Services division has granted access to a current residence hall construction site. The result will be a new way to increase efficiency on the job site by giving the routine, tedious jobs to the quadcopters and the associated cloud-based computer systems, so construction professionals can focus on the more important tasks of decisionmaking and root-cause analysis of performance deviations.

“We want to minimize the time to access accurate performance information, and we don’t want construction professionals to spend any time doing analytics on how things are running on the job site,” Golparvar-Fard said. “All we want them to do is focus on how things could be improved.”

The preliminary work for this project was funded through an interdisciplinary faculty fellowship grant from National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

The National Science Foundation awarded the team a $1 million grant to kick off the full project from January of 2015. i Full story at cee.illinois.edu/golparvarfard_ UAV2015

Rutherford to study tidal turbines with CAREER award

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EE Assistant Professor Cassandra J. Rutherford has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award to study foundation systems for undersea tidal current turbines. The turbines generate energy when they rotate in response to tidal flows, similar to the way windmills make electricity from wind.

“Relative to wind, the energy resource potential for tidal current power is the least understood, and its technology is the least mature. Decreasing the cost of the foundation system is an important part of making tidal power a viable source of renewable energy,” Rutherford said.

Currently, there are no commercial grid-connected turbines operating in the United States, but a few prototypes and demonstration units have been tested globally, Rutherford said. There are plans to install turbines on the Pacific Northwest and east coasts of the United States, she said.

Rutherford’s project is the first experimental study of the loading on tidal current turbine foundations with the objective of decreasing the cost of the foundation system. Tidal turbine foundations must be designed to resist high lateral loads as well as vertical and horizontal cyclic loading from the oscillating blades, allowing the turbines to effectively absorb and harness the source of energy while attached to the sea floor. Rutherford’s research will evaluate suction caisson foundation systems for tidal current turbines.

CAREER awards, administered under the Faculty Early Career Development Program, are the NSF’s most prestigious form of support and recognition for junior faculty. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 17

Soybean production in Sub-Saharan Africa studied

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Project will broaden access to, illuminate geoscience data

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ach day, millions of researchers across the geoscience field and around the world are busy collecting data for unique research projects. They develop equally specific models to utilize that data for their individual purposes. These collections are called “long-tail” data and models, because large numbers of researchers collecting relatively small amounts of data add up to an extensive data trail.

They represent a potential goldmine for the scientific community, but for one problem: they are too different. Data collections and unique models that reflect differences in units, time intervals, locations and a host of other variables are generally so dissimilar that using them is more difficult for researchers than simply starting from scratch.

That may soon change, thanks to a project led by Illinois researchers to develop a way to make this data much easier to utilize, promising a significant savings of money and time for researchers wishing to utilize long-tail data and models.

The team, led by CEE Professor Praveen Kumar, has received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a semantic framework for integrating long-tail data and models.

“We’re developing the semantic framework in software so that we can extract all this information from the different data types and different model components and help them talk to each other,” Kumar said. “It cuts down the man18

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ual effort that is required in discovering suitable data for a model and converting data so that it’s in a suitable format for a model. All that could be done automatically.”

The effect will be similar to giving scientists access to a translator, said team member Mostafa Elag, a CEE Research Associate.

“Just as languages have a semantic structure, we need semantic techniques for data,” Elag said. “With French and English, the root language is Latin. They have a similar structure but not the same structure. It’s the same for data and models.

They need an interpreter or a translator.”

In addition to making long-tail data and models easier for other researchers to utilize, the project also will shed light on the very existence of additional scientific resources, Elag said.

“The broader impact of this project will be helping to increase the visibility of our resources—either models or data,” Elag said. “Without this framework, we cannot see what other communities are doing. Through this framework, we will be able to reuse other resources that we are not currently aware of.” i Full story at cee.illinois.edu/framework Photo: From left, CEE Professor Praveen Kumar, CEE Research Associate Mostafa Elag and National Center for Supercomputing Applications Senior Research Programmer Luigi Marini are part of a team working to make long-tail data and models easier to utilize.

emand for soybeans in Sub-Saharan Africa is growing at a rapid pace, while production lags far behind. This non-native crop is valued for its nutritional value, high yield and versatility, yet productivity is hampered by a lack of information. Farmers are not familiar with growing it, households are unfamiliar with processing and cooking methods, and communities must learn how to profit from it. CEE Assistant Professor Jeremy Guest is part of a multi-disciplinary effort to further soybean research and development in the region.

The Soybean Innovation Laboratory (SIL) at the University of Illinois is a consortium of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, local stakeholders and researchers from diverse disciplines with a common goal of increased soybean productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. As the Environmental Sustainability Lead for the SIL, Guest is researching the environmental impact of growing soy in countries such as Ghana, Mozambique, Malawi and Ethiopia.

“We’re trying to understand the local, regional and global environmental implications of transitioning to soy in Sub-Saharan Africa, and to use that understanding to inform policies and agri-

cultural decision-making,” Guest said.

Part of that process is having a solid understanding of agriculture in SubSaharan Africa. In March, Guest and his Ph.D. student Kia Alexander traveled to Ghana to visit demonstration farms where soy cultivation practices are being tested. They looked at soil and water quality, erosion and other related factors to measure the impact of soy production. They also studied how equipment, chemical and energy usage is changing as a result of new farming methods, and what unintended consequences might result. Food security, a concept that is loosely defined as physical and economic access to food that meets dietary needs, is another topic that Guest feels is important to address.

“My research group is interested in understanding nutrient and water flows around populations, and developing technologies and resource management strategies that enable us to create closer links between populations and their food supply,” Guest said.

The SIL is funded by a $25 million federal grant awarded to the University of Illinois and administered by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The project is part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative.

More information about the SIL can be found at soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu. i Demonstration farm in Ghana. Photo: Soybean Innovation Laboratory

RailTEC project will improve transit track components

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esearchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will work to develop better track components for rail transit systems, thanks to a $2.4 million, two-year grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) in U of I’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) will develop new designs for concrete crossties and fastening systems used in light rail, heavy rail and commuter rail infrastructure that take into account their unique loading conditions.

“The resulting components will be more resilient to their respective loading environments and should allow transit agencies to increase the effectiveness of their capital spending by designing infrastructure components that will accommodate the specific types of loads encountered,” said J. Riley Edwards, senior lecturer and research scientist at RailTEC. The research team—made up of experts in transportation, structures and materials in CEE—will work with transit industry partners from across the country.

Just one such partner, New York City Transit, is among the largest transit providers in the world, providing more than 5.5 million weekday rides through the operation of 8,000 trains per day, Edwards said.

The work will be done at RailTEC’s new Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) at the Schnabel Laboratory on the campus of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in northwest Champaign and at rail transit field test sites around the nation, including one on New York City Transit.

“This is our first project sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration and we are excited about the opportunity,” said CEE Professor Chris Barkan, director of RailTEC. The University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign has been a leader in rail education and research for more than a century. RailTEC at Illinois has the most extensive curriculum in railroad engineering of any university in North America, complemented by an extensive research program in rail engineering and transportation.

The project, “Resilient Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Designs for Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and Commuter Rail Transit Infrastructure,” will involve the following rail transit industry partners: the American Public Transportation Association, New York City Transit, MetroLink (St. Louis), TriMet (Portland, Ore.), Metra (Chicago), Amtrak, CXT Concrete Ties Inc., GIC Inc., Pandrol USA, Amsted RPS and Hanson Professional Services Inc. i Photo: CEE graduate research assistants (left to right) Matthew Csenge, Henry Wolf and Matthew Greve in a New York City subway station.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 19

Taxi GPS data shows hurricane’s effect on NYC traffic

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hen Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast in late October 2012, the “superstorm” disrupted traffic in New York City for more than five days, but the evacuation proceeded relatively efficiently with only minor delays, according to transportation researchers at the University of Illinois. The largest Atlantic hurricane on record, Sandy offered a chance for Illinois researchers to try out a new computational method they developed that promises to help municipalities quantify the resilience of their transportation systems to extreme events using only GPS data from taxis.

Dan Work, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Brian Donovan, an M.S. student in CEE’s Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems program, analyzed GPS data from nearly 700 million taxi trips—representing four years of taxi travel in New York City—to determine the city’s normal traffic pattern and study the variations during extreme events like the hurricane and snowstorms. The data, routinely recorded by taxi meters, shows travel times and the metered distance for various trips around the city at different times of the day and night. The researchers’ method works by computing the historical distribution of pace, or normalized travel times, between various regions of a city and measuring the pace deviations during an unusual event.

“The first step was to figure out from the data what is normal,” Work said.

“There is a heartbeat pattern to the city every single day. In the middle of the night when traffic is light, you can get from one side of the city to another very quickly, and every morning during rush hour the roads are congested. The data shows us the typical heartbeat, and then we look for the arrhythmia.”

A resilient transportation system is one that can weather an extreme event with only minimal damage or service dis-

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ruption and bounce back to normal relatively quickly, Work said. When cities know how their traffic systems respond to extreme events, they can examine ways to improve them. For example, an unexpected effect of Hurricane Sandy was that the longest traffic delays occurred as people returned to the city to resume their normal activities immediately after the storm, Work said.

“That was the one surprising piece to us,” Work said. “A lot of literature on disasters has been very much focused on how to get people out of the city quickly and safely. It makes sense. But the re-entry process is also important, because you don’t want your first responders stuck in gridlock.”

There is still work to be done to translate this research into improved infrastructure resilience, Work said, but now there is a way to quantify the progress at a city scale.

“Importantly, this project shows us that the period immediately following the disaster should be the focus of additional research, with the ultimate goal of enhancing post-disaster transportation management and policy,” Work said.

The researchers obtained the taxi data through a Freedom of Information Law request to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, which already collects it routinely. This gives it advantages over traditional methods for monitoring traffic that rely on sensors in the roadway or video cameras; that equipment can be expensive to deploy throughout a city, Work said.

A visualization of GPS data from taxicabs showing how Hurricane Sandy affected traffic in New York City. The color spectrum from blue to red represents the pace of traffic, with red being the slowest. View a 3-minute video of this visualization at http://tinyurl.com/taxigps. Point your smart phone at the QR code above for a direct link to the video.

“Although the taxi data isn’t primed for traffic monitoring purposes because it is so coarse, with the right processing, you can still see things about the cityscale performance that you would expect to observe from a dense network of traditional traffic sensors,” Work said.

“One thing that I think is kind of cool about this project,” Donovan said, “is that taxis are designed to just get people from point A to point B, but this is a second use for them. The taxis themselves act as sensors to tell you what’s going on in the city.”

With 700 million records, the size of the data set creates its own set of challenges. One of Donovan’s significant contributions to the project involved optimizing the efficiency of the calculations to speed up the analysis, Work said.

“One of the major challenges when you’re dealing with a large data set like

this is that you don’t want the program to run for 24 hours. In a disaster, that’s too long to wait; you need an answer immediately. So you have to design the algorithms appropriately,” Donovan said.

Donovan, who earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science, was drawn to the M.S. program at Illinois because of the opportunity to work on multi-disciplinary projects like this one, he said, through the Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems program. The combination of computer science and transportation systems knowledge is the key to the success of a project like this, Work said.

“Our background in transportation engineering helped us choose the data set, clean it, and determine the performance metrics to study,” Work said. “At the same time, we needed the right computational tools to be able to process this much data and turn it into actionable information.”

A paper on this work, “Using coarse GPS data to quantify city-scale transportation system resilience to extreme events,” published in the Conference Proceedings of the Transportation Research Board, is available online at http://tinyurl.com/workdonovan-taxigps. The researchers have also made the data set available to the public, and the source code is available on Github.

Work is also a research assistant professor in the University of Illinois’ Coordinated Science Laboratory and a faculty fellow in the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), also based at Illinois. Donovan is a graduate research assistant in both CEE and NCSA. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CNS-1308842. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. i

From left, Josh Peschel, Cassie Rutherford and Megan Konar.

Sketch-based instruction improves learning

By Mike Koon group of CEE professors believe their use of sketch-based instruction could help revolutionize learning.

Sketch recognition involves teaching computers to understand the meaning and intent of what humans draw by hand.

That understanding can then be integrated into a decision or learning system. The technology allows students to learn faster by offering immediate feedback for problems involving drawing.

Research Assistant Professor Joshua Peschel is the principal investigator on a team that is piloting the technology in classrooms, using funding from the College of Engineering’s Strategic Instructional Initiatives Program.

“Sketch Recognition really lies at the intersection between the liberal arts— understanding how and why people perceive things—and computational science and engineering—artificial intelligence,” Peschel said. “We have a lot of experience with pen-based computing, such as recognizing basic shapes and handwriting. By taking the next step in teaching computers to understand what it is we’re drawing by hand, it is allowing us to take some specific algorithms and package those up in a new and different way."

The technology is being tested in CEE courses taught by CEE assistant professors Megan Konar and Cassandra Rutherford using a concept called flow nets.

Konar teaches a water resource engineering course with a focus on surface and subsurface hydrology. Rutherford teaches geotechnical engineering, which concerns, among other things, how water flows into an excavation, including

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around buildings and under dams.

In both classes, students are asked to draw or diagram the lines and curves for flow net problems to visualize how water flows through soil. Currently, students learn flow nets using the traditional pen and paper method, which typically takes weeks to grade given the 100 or more students in the classes. With sketch recognition, however, students can sketch on a tablet, which can tell them immediately whether their drawing is correct while also reminding them of the set of properties by which the problem needs to be solved.

“With this program, if they start drawing the line incorrectly, it tells them,” Rutherford said.

For the pilot study, the students were divided into three groups. The first used the pen and paper method, which offered no feedback; the second required students to solve problems on a computer using a finite element program, which asks them to copy what they see; and the third used the tablet with the sketch recognition software. The team found that those who used the tablet with the sketch-based recognition performed an average of three to five points higher on those types of questions than those who did not.

Peschel believes this is a launching point for uses in engineering and beyond.

“The beauty of the software we have developed is we can apply it to many different uses. ... We don’t think it’s limited to engineering. For example, imagine learning Japanese with this same concept.” i

Civil Civiland andEnvironmental EnvironmentalEngineering EngineeringAlumni AlumniAssociation—Spring Association—Spring2015 2015 21 21

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Never assume there are no more hills. — Illini 4000 rider rule In May 2014, three individuals from the CEE department embarked on a cross-country bicycle ride to raise money for cancer research and increase awareness of the fight against cancer.

Alex Knicker, a new CEE alumna who was a senior when she signed up for the ride; Arthur Tseng, an undergraduate; and Blake Landry, a post-doctoral researcher at the time of the trip and now a research associate/lecturer in the department, joined 17 other University of Illinois students on the 2014 Illini 4000 Bike America Team. Starting in New York City, the team rode for 4,490 miles through 16 states, across stretches of prairie, mountain ranges, high desert and forests, before reaching San Francisco 71 days later.

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The ride is an annual student-run event to raise money for cancer research, spread awareness of the fight against the disease and collect stories of those affected by cancer all across the nation (see portraitsproject.org). The 2014 fundraising total was $96,273.48, of which the CEE students raised $11,943.80.

More information about the organization, as well as information on the 2015 ride, can be found at illini4000.org.

The following pages feature blog excerpts and photographs from Blake, Alex and Arthur documenting their journey.

Getting ready…

Arthur Tseng, Alex Knicke

r, Blake Landry

getting ready “Three years ago this week, my grandma was taken by breast cancer. Today is her birthday. And I am still celebrating. … As I take part in the Illini 4000, I can celebrate further in each lap I make around the track in training and in each mile I will bike across the States.

This journey will celebrate all of the birthdays that will be saved by cancer research. It will celebrate the people we have lost in that we ride for them. It will celebrate the precious lives that all of us have, the struggles and challenges we face, and the strength and perseverance and love that we share. This ride is about change, about hope, about community and about each individual touched by cancer. That’s something we can all celebrate.”

— Alex Knicker, February 28, 2014 “It did not dawn on me until I actually sat in the saddle of the bike for a prolonged period of time during the initial bike fitting that I was completely overwhelmed with emotions of concern and nervousness. Typically, I have always been very selective on the days I bike ride for commuting around town. If it is too cold, hot, windy, rainy or if I just do not feel like riding, I always would opt out. However, during the 72 days of the Illini 4000 journey I will not have the luxury of choosing the ’perfect’ days to ride, and I will be exposed to all of nature’s splendor for the entire 72 days. There will be no nice windshield or roof to protect me from the elements (sun, wind, rain, hail, etc.), no air conditioning to offset the temperatures, no radio to help pass the time, and no engine other than my own body to move this precisely crafted small collection of aluminum, plastic and rubber at speeds of ~15 mph for 4000+ miles across mountains, deserts, hills, prairies, farmlands and forests under whatever elements Mother Nature decides to provide that day.”

— Blake Landry, March 1, 2014

“It might seem like we are doing something outrageous, but we are just a few kids on some bikes striving to make a change.” — Alex

“Tomorrow is the big day. The start of my crazy, 71-day trip. We start at the north east corner of Central Park, and will try to find our way to the Atlantic sea and do the traditional dipping of our rear wheels in it. It should be alright, the only problem is the 5:45am waking time.”

— Arthur Tseng, May 24, 2014 23

Blake (April 24): “Why I ride?

Day 4

Arthur (May 28): “I realized that I should actually try to eat out as much as possible, because I want to try the food from different parts of the country, as opposed to eating PBJ for lunch every day and wasting the fact that I’m travelling across the country.”

Pennsylvania: cheesesteak

Illinois: rice & duck jaws

Iowa: BLT

Colorado: chicken curry

“It is such a simple question, but one to which the answers seem to be never ending. Distilling it to the purest form, I ride to fight for everything I hold dear and can be summed up in two simple four-letter words: HOPE and LOVE. I ride to support hope (through raising awareness and fundraising for new research efforts) that someday the diagnosis and successful treatment of cancer will be common day practice and the pain and heartache that it caused will be fleeting distant memory, something that we only read in history books. I ride to bring hope to close family members and friends that are currently battling (or have battled) this terrible disease, so that they know that they are not alone, we are all connected and that only together we can provide the needed support to weather the storm. I ride to bring hope and love to those that have lost their way and save precious friendships that are priceless. I fight to restore my hope in humanity, because a world in which noble pursuits, commitments and selfless acts of kindness and compassion are not done is a world that I cannot fathom to live in. Lastly, I ride to better myself to always remember what is truly important in life and to never lose sight of it.“ Alex (June 27):

Utah: fried fish taco

Idaho: eggs, potatoes, salmon cake

Oregon: claypot rice

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California: In-N-Out burger

pre-ride

Day 34

“So many people say that they want to make the most of every single day and live life to the fullest, but I think few really succeed. I am thankful for this ride and these portraits which have made me realize even more how precious our time is and how we can be positive and cherish the right things. So many of the things we hold dear are so disposable and so trivial. We waste so much time on social media and we spend hours shopping for things we don’t need and we are often selfish. We need to look up from our phones and computers. We need to foster relationships and take care of them. We need to put our hearts and our actions into things that we care about and things that can make a difference. “

Alex (July 6 ):

Day 44

“Cancer is so prominent that everyone probably at least walks by someone every day who has been touched by cancer. In general, every day people walk past others who are suffering or worrying or hurting from something.

Yet we get angry at the slow driver in front of us or we get annoyed by the restaurant service or we walk through the park without smiling at anyone we pass. Looks are deceiving. That waitress might be smiling but she just lost a relative. That person relaxing at the park is actually wondering how he’s going to pay the bills. The man we did a portrait with today was kind and talkative and friendly, but when the portrait began he immediately teared up when sharing the story of his deceased father.

“If we hadn’t taken a moment to just stop and listen, we wouldn’t have known this story which defined part of his life and touched him so deeply.

If we jump to conclusions about other people in the world, we could be missing out on relationships and we could miss so many opportunities to learn and grow.”

BLAKE (July 11):

Day 49

“To be honest at the onset of the ride, I thought I would plenty of time to myself to internalize my thoughts and document my experiences each day of the ride here on my rider’s blog. However, given the packed schedule on top of the physical and mental demands, I am amazed that I make it though each day. What I once thought was just a simple activity of riding a bike has become elevated to a whole new level of required focus, attenuation, determination, stamina and dedication.”

“There are days when this trip is fun and easy, like yesterday.

And there are days when it’s just really difficult and mentally exhausting, like today. As I finish climbing each hill, and peer over the crest, I see another five hills in front. Rolling hills are my worst enemies.” — Arthur Arthur (August 2):

Day 71

“All I can really say is ‘wow.’ This summer has been pretty crazy, this still doesn’t quite make sense in my head, how the hell did I get from New York to San Francisco on a bike?? This summer has been an eye opening experience, it made me fall even more in love with cycling, the country and the people.

The views in Crater Lake and the Rockies, the conversation with the cowboy cancer survivor, and the memories of climbing the Appalachians, Rockies and Cascades, will all stay with me forever.

“It’s ironic how when the trip was almost over, I wished that it would end sooner. But now that it is over, I feel a certain emptiness, kind of an uncertainty. Because whereas in the trip, I knew exactly what I’m going to do the next day, now it’s more like, ‘what should I do tomorrow?’ I will miss making my body suffer every day, and getting hyper from orange soda and the Double Torture coffee drink and having superhuman energy from those drinks.

I will miss making people’s mouths drop when I tell them that we were biking from New York to San Francisco.

“This might just be the best summer I’ve ever had in my life.”

Blake (August 29):

post-ride

“Rarely did I stop to think of how the ride was becoming my own vehicle for internal change through all the difficulties and adversities that were encountered. Looking back, the ride will forever serve as a constant reminder as to the countless daily battles that people are fighting against cancer and other illnesses, which often have no clear finish lines in sight and still people manage to press on. …

“There is a simple yet powerful quote that I came to more fully understand and appreciate; “I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person.” – Walt Whitman, Song of Myself. Without a doubt, this ride was indeed my way of becoming a wounded person on all levels: physical, emotional, and mental. …

“The emotional roller coaster of highs and lows was constant throughout the journey; there was never a day that tears were not shed or large smiles had. Through it all I pushed, because this was exactly what I had signed up for and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The frequent change of emotions help me to truly appreciate all the complexities in life and to taste the sweeter side of life all the more.”

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Student Organizations Some of the many student organizations for civil and environmental engineers at Illinois tell what they’re up to and how alumni can get involved. A more extensive list of CEE student organizations and links to their websites appear here: cee.illinois.edu/student_organizations.

American Concrete Institute

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) Student Chapter promotes student interest in all aspects of concrete. During monthly meetings, members gain perspective from guest lecturers who discuss unique challenges facing concrete in the field and in the laboratory. The student chapter is affiliated with ACI-Illinois, the professional liaison chapter located in Chicago. This school year, the members have the opportunity to attend ACI conventions in Washington, D.C., during the fall semester and in Kansas City during the spring semester, where they also compete in the undergraduate student competitions—a reinforced concrete egg protection device in Washington, D.C., and a concrete beam with fiber-reinforced polymer rebar in Kansas City. They also operate the popular Concrete Coasters and High-Strength Concrete Demonstration exhibits at Engineering Open House every March. For information, please contact aciuiuc@gmail.com.

American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s student chapter of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) was founded in the fall of 2008 and has since grown to 70 members, representing undergraduate and graduate students from six different majors. The 2014 AREMA Annual Conference was held in Chicago in late September and 45 chapter members attended, providing them valuable networking and educational opportunities. In addition, chapter members were afforded the opportunity to become CPR certified, gain hands-on experience with track maintenance, and learn from guest speakers representing a wide array of careers within the railroad industry. This year, chapter members participated in their seventh annual Engineering Open House and went on field trips to gain insight into the field of railroad engineering.

The chapter is seeking guest speakers, hosts for field trips, and donations to help fund travel to the 2015 AREMA Conference in Minneapolis.

For more information, contact Matthew Greve at aremauiuc@gmail.com.

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American Society of Civil Engineers

Founded in 1921, the U of I chapter of ASCE is one of the largest in the nation with a membership base of over 250 student and faculty members. The chapter is committed to the goals of ASCE and aims to provide a valuable experience to members. The student chapter helps prepare students for the work life after graduation. To achieve this aim, the student chapter hosts professional events with invited industry leaders, social events and informative events about new developments in the civil engineering industry. ASCE also participates in the Great Lakes Regional Conference this year at Notre Dame University. This is an annual conference where students from 18 regional colleges compete in various events like steel bridge, concrete canoe, materials competition, environmental competition, surveying competition, mystery design and quiz bowl competition. This competition helps student apply their analytical and practical knowledge in a competitive atmosphere. If you are interested in helping out or sponsoring the ASCE Student chapter, please contact Megh Patel at mrpatel6@illinois.edu.

Chi Epsilon Honor Society

Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society is a collection of students who excel in academics and have a passion for their chosen field of study. This semester the Illinois chapter is excited to initiate 17 new numbers. Every general meeting a civil engineering firm comes to speak with the students about their company and one of their current projects. This year’s lineup includes Kimley-Horn, Terra Engineering, and Crawford, Murphy and Tilly. Student members are encouraged to network and connect at social events like the wine and cheese mixer where students get to meet CEE faculty at one of the professor’s house in a social setting. Other events include happy hours after meetings and service events such as ihelp and can food drives. Chi Epsilon is always looking for scholarship sponsors and guest speakers at their meetings. If interested, please contact President Emma Kay at EmmaKay2@illinois. edu. Visit their website at https://sites.google. com/site/chiepsilonuiuc/home.

Construction Management Association of America

Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) is an organization geared toward aspiring Construction Managers. Construction Managers plan, coordinate, budget and supervise projects as they develop from paper to reality. These professionals interact with both the designers and clients in order to deliver the desired project. The CMAA Student Chapter at Illinois strives to introduce students to the dynamic industry of construction. CMAA relies on general contractors for construction site visits and presentations at general meetings. In addition, students have the opportunity to receive scholarships and attend the CMAA national conference held in the fall. These events give students a look into the work of a general contractor, the industry as a whole and potential career opportunities. Any students interested in events with CMAA should join the Facebook group: “Construction Management Association of America UIUC Chapter” and/or email Becca Nothof at nothof2@illinois.edu.

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) is a leading technical society in earthquake risk and engineering research. They give any student the chance to make contacts and learn about subjects in earthquake engineering. EERI also hosts visiting professionals for guest lectures. The recent range of topics has included SAP2000, engineering, risk analysis and policy. Another event is the Seismic Design Competition. The National EERI also holds an undergraduate competition at their annual conference. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has participated for the last four years and performed consistently well.

Undergraduates who join the design team are introduced to earthquake engineering concepts, design and construct a 5-foot-tall balsa wood building, and give a presentation at the conference. Finally, their structure is tested on a shake table to simulate a real earthquake.

They are also actively seeking funding to support students to participate in this competition.

For more information, contact Carol Chen, at chen396@illinois.edu.

Geotechnical Engineering Student Organization

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chapter of the ASCE Geo-Institute graduate student organization provides geotechnical graduate students with a forum to pursue and discuss their research interests in an educational and constructive environment as well as allow them to develop the leadership and interpersonal skills they will need as future engineers. The chapter continues to have frequent research roundtables, which include student member presentations on their current research and professional speakers from the private or public sector. Last school year, GESO sent a team of undergraduate and graduate students to the annual GeoCongress conference in Atlanta, Ga., to participate in the GeoPrediction competition. The U of I GeoPrediction team won third place, competing against other top geotechnical engineering schools throughout the United States and world. This school year, GESO plans on attending the GeoCongress conference in San Antonio, Texas, to participate in all three student competitions: GeoWall, GeoPrediction, and GeoPoster. For more information, please contact Steve Wilk at swilk2@illinois.edu.

International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research

The IAHR is an 80-year-old independent organization of engineers and scientists who work in the area of hydro-environmental sciences and their practical applications. The IAHR student chapter at the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign organizes field trips to local hydraulic works and research facilities, professional development seminars and reading groups, and coordinates the exhibits for Engineering Open House at the Ven T. Chow Hydrosystems Lab. It also organizes social activities which include the annual Hydro T-Shirt design contest, pumpkin carving contest, cookouts and mixers.

For more info visit: https://sites.google.com/ site/uiuciahriwra/ or email iahr.iwra@gmail. com.

International Water Resources Association

The student chapter of the IWRA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is dedicated to expanding the understanding of water resources issues by promoting education and collaboration in research and decision-making.

The chapter works locally to raise awareness of water resources issues through educational

events open to the campus community. They also promote interaction among students and faculty within the lab, and provide members with networking opportunities. As of 2014, the main activity of the IWRA student chapter was to organize the annual Illinois Water Day, following the spirit of the United Nations’ World Water Day. The First Illinois Water Day, held on April 11, 2014, was a half-day conference featuring four speakers, around than 100 participants, and more than 30 posters. The second Illinois Water day was held on April 10, 2015, featuring a water resources-related documentary followed by panel of expert discussion to further engage scientists, students, researchers and the community. Additionally, they hold professional development seminars, support community activities such as Boneyard Creek Community Day, and host social and networking events to facilitate interaction between students, faculty, alumni, companies and other student chapters. They also publish a newsletter, Water, every semester. For more information, visit http://waterday.illinois.edu, https:// www.facebook.com/IllinoisWaterDay, or contact shafiee2@illinois.edu.

Steel Bridge Team

The Steel Bridge team is currently preparing for the regional competition at the University of Notre Dame. Their design approach was made more complex than past years in order for the team to try to win a place at the National Competition at the University of Notre Dame. For more information regarding the team or the competitons, please feel free to contact captain Anna Marie Cowan at avcowan2@illinois.edu.

Structural Engineers Association

The Structural Engineers Association student chapter serves to educate students about structural engineering through networking events and professional opportunities. They have monthly meetings given by structural engineers, tour active construction sites, give lectures on engineering software, visit engineering offices in the Chicago area and host various research panels. Their social events include barbeques each semester, bowling nights, broomball, field days and bar crawls with various other organizations within the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. This year they celebrated their 10th Anniversary by hosting a dinner and listening to speeches from

their past presidents to congratulate this organization on all of their achievements. To get involved or to ask any questions, please contact Peter Busch at pabusch2@illinois.edu or visit their website at https://sites.google.com/site/ seauofi/ for more information.

U.S. Green Building Council

USGBC Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is officially affiliated with U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students. USGBC is the developer of the LEED green building certification program and the convener of the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. USGBC Students is a registered student organization, and a member society of Engineering Council of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their goal is to advance USGBC’s mission to move towards a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. Their activities include monthly general meetings, campus projects, service work and LEED GA exam study sessions.

Water Environment Federation

The Water Environment Federation-American Water Works Association joint student chapter is a place for students who are interested in pursuing fields related to water. They provide the opportunity to grow as students professionally, academically and personally through their network of professional connections and support.

They take frequent drinking water and wastewater treatment plant tours, engineering firm office tours and host company representatives as well as professors to speak to their organization. Through their student design team, they compete with other universities at the regional level in Madison, Wis., and at the national level between Chicago and New Orleans during WEFTEC. As they grow, they anticipate expanding their involvement to attend more conferences and host more events. The best way to keep up with their organization and contact them is through their website http://publish. illinois.edu/wef-awwa-uiuc/.

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department news

Adjunct Professor William F. Baker was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Academy elects Fellows from diverse backgrounds, including leading engineering and manufacturing companies and worldleading academic institutions. Fellows are invited to join the Fellowship in recognition of their outstanding and continuing contributions to engineering.

Professor Tami Bond has been awarded a 2014 Campus Distinguished Promotion Award to support her scholarly activities. Her dossier was identified as one recommended for special recognition, based on the scope, quality and impact of her scholarship, teaching, service and engagement efforts.

Professor Tami Bond was chosen as a Chi Epsilon Chapter Honor Member for the University of Illinois’ Alpha Chapter. As such, she joins the ranks of Ira O. Baker, Nathan M. Newmark and Narbey Khachaturian. Bond was chosen because she embodies the definition of a CHM: an outstanding individual who has made an impact in the field of civil engineering and the lives of students. according to chapter leadership.

Assistant Professor Eun Jeong Cha has been awarded the “Enabling the Next Generation of Hazards & Disasters Researchers Fellowship.” The prestigious NSFfunded program is aimed at developing junior faculty to become active scholars in both their individual disciplines and in the broader hazards and disasters research

Middle school students from Blessed Sacrament School in Springfield, Ill., toured the department in October 2014. The students are part of the Illinois Math and Science Academy’s Fusion program, a satellite program which seeks to promote excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In this photo, they pose overlooking the crane bay.

community. The program fosters the development of hazards scholars who will expand and strengthen the interdisciplinary research community by providing mentoring from leading scholars in the field and through organized workshops.

PhD Student Hajin Choi won the student paper competition in the area of sensors, nondestructive testing and industrial applications at the 2014 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, held in Chicago this month.

The title of the winning poster was “Application of air coupled ultrasound to full-scale concrete columns using tomography.”

Assistant Professor Roland Cusick was awarded the 2014 Paul V. Roberts/AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dis-

sertation Award for his Ph.D. dissertation work on “Nutrient and Heat Recovery from Waste Streams Using Microbial Electrochemical Technologies.” This annual award from the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors is given in recognition of a rigorous and innovative doctoral thesis that advances the science and practice of water quality engineering for engineered or natural systems. Cusick’s work involved the development of two new METs to enhance the sustainability of wastewater treatment.

Associate Professor Rosa Espinosa-Marzal was selected for an NCSA fellowship for “Critical Molecular Interactions Underlying Biomineralization.” This project will provide understanding of the molecular interactions responsible for mineral formation and self-healing

Workshop encourages women to pursue advanced degrees

T

he CEE department will host the inaugural Women Exploring Graduate Opportunities in Civil and Environmental Engineering (We Go CEE) workshop at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on September 18-19, 2015.

The We Go CEE workshop is focused on encouraging women engineers to seek graduate degrees. Junior, senior and master’s level women students from

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around the U.S. and our own women students will be invited to attend the event.

The seminars will be focused on preparation for graduate school, writing effective fellowship applications, mentoring, networking and developing leadership skills.

The keynote lecture, “Pathways to Success,” will be presented by CEE alumna Dr. Sharon Wood (MS 83, PhD 86), Dean of En-

gineering, the University of Texas at Austin. If you are interested in attending the alumni/networking dinner on Friday evening please contact Assistant Professor Cassie Rutherford, cjr@illinois.edu. More information about the event can be found at wego.cee.illinois.edu. i

properties by directly exploring them through ab initio quantum chemistry methods. The long-term goal is to establish design principles for sustainable self-healing biomimetic materials.

Research Program Coordinator L.B. Frye and advancement team member Sheree D. Fruzen recently completed the Citizen Police Academy training at the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. The Citizen Police Academy is a 10-week educational and informative program that allows citizens the opportunity to learn about the issues that face law enforcement efforts in the county. The goals of the academy are to provide stronger citizen/police relationships, to enhance lines of communication, and to help reduce crime in the community.

Professor Youssef Hashash has been selected as a governor of the Geo-Institute (G-I). The G-I is a specialty membership organization focused on geo-professionals and the geo-industry. It is one of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ eight specialty Institutes.

Professor Youssef Hashash was a keynote speaker as part of the University of Maryland’s Mpact Week on Disaster Resilience, a comprehensive exploration of what engineers, researchers and scientists can do to help prevent, mitigate, respond to and recover from disasters, and make our society and infrastructure more resilient.

The title of his keynote presentation was “Geotechnical Engineering Perspective on Sustainability and Resiliency Implications of Hurricane Sandy,” and took place during the Mpact Week session on Coastal Infrastructure.

The event was organized by Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Professor Gholamreza Mesri is the 2015 recipient of the Karl Terzaghi Award. This prestigious award is presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers to recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge in the fields of soil mechanics, subsurface and earthwork engineering, and subsurface and earthwork construction.

Professor Mesri was recognized for his pioneering work on soil mechanics and soil behavior including consolidation and settlement analyses, shear strengths for static and seismic slope stability analyses, and undrained shear strength of soft clays and loose sands.

Professor Gary Parker is the winner of the 2014 G.K. Gilbert award from the AGU EPSP Focus Group. This award

CEE alumni, students cruise Chicago River

A

bout 125 CEE alumni and students set sail on the Chicago River Aug. 29 for a boat tour hosted by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association (CEEAA). The tour was narrated by a two-person team including CEE alumnus Richard F. Lanyon (BS 60, MS 61), retired executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and Constance Rajala, a docent from the

Chicago Architecture Foundation.

The author of “Building the Canal to Save Chicago,” Lanyon spoke about the importance of the canal system to the city in historical and contemporary terms.

Rajala talked about the city’s architectural history and buildings along the route.

The CEE Chicago River boat tour will be offered again on August 29. Check cee.illinois.edu/events for more information as it develops. i

GAMES 2015 Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Camp June 21-27, 2015 GAMES is a residential, week-long camp for rising 10th through 12th grade girls.

Topics will include sustainability and how the environment, culture, society and economics are all linked; environmental pollutants and the cycles they follow as they move through the air; water and soil; climate change; renewable energy sources and energy efficiency; water resources and clean water technologies; and air quality management. Classroom, field and laboratory sessions and activities are taught by CEE faculty and advanced graduate students. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/environmentalgames2015.

Continued on page 30 Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 29

department news

Continued from page 29

is given to a scientist who has either made a single significant advance or sustained significant contributions to the field of earth and planetary surface processes and who has in addition promoted an environment of unselfish cooperation in research and the inclusion of young scientists into the field.

Professor Billie F. Spencer Jr. won the 2014 J.M. Ko Medal of Advances in Structural Engineering for the paper “Full-Scale Experimental Validation of High-Fidelity Wireless Measurement on a Historic Truss Bridge,” Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 93-101, by Shinae Jang, Billie F. Spencer, Jr., Jennifer A. Rice and Zhihao Wang.

Embedor Technologies, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign startup in structural health monitoring based on the work of Professor Billie F. Spencer Jr. and Professor Gul Agha, Department of Computer Science, won the Cisco/Chicago Exchange Challenge sponsored

by Cisco’s EIR program to support early-stage startups in the Internet of Things. As a winner, Embedor should receive financial support from Cisco and the CIE, as well as the opportunity to incubate in the CIE’s primary 17,000 square foot space, along with collaboration/mentoring

CEE at Illinois gratefully acknowledges the sponsors of lunch at the CEE job fairs Fall 2014 Bowman, Barrett & Associates Inc. Chevron Civiltech Engineering Inc. Sargent & Lundy LLC Trotter & Associates Inc. Union Pacific Railroad

Spring 2015 Bowman, Barrett & Associates Inc. Civiltech Engineering Inc. Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. CTLGroup Union Pacific Railroad

from Cisco engineers and executives.

Professor Erol Tutumluer, research assistants Debakanta Mishra and Yu Qian, and student Hasan Kazmee were awarded the GeoShanghai Prize for Best Paper at the GeoShanghai International Conference 2014 for their paper entitled “Behavior of Geogrid Reinforced Ballast at Different Levels of Degradation.”

Professor Emeritus Marshall R. Thompson has received the 2014 Carl L. Monismith Award from the ASCE Geo-Institute. The award was presented June 2 during the 12th International Society of Asphalt Pavements (ISAP) Conference at NC State University, Raleigh, N.C. The award citation reads: “For five decades of leadership in pavement engineering, including pioneering research

Principal Partners

Corporate Partners Program The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering gratefully acknowledges the following companies who contribute to CEE at Illinois as Corporate Partners.

cee.illinois.edu/cpp

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Legacy Partners

on the geotechnical aspects of pavements and mechanistic pavement design and performance prediction.”

Thompson’s Monismith Lecture, delivered at the conference, considered the historical development of M-E (Mechanistic-Empirical) design, materials characterization, structural modeling and design criteria.

Assistant Professor Daniel B. Work was selected for an NCSA fellowship for “Improving the Efficiency of Taxi Systems Through Real-time Seek Time Prediction.” The goal of this project is to assess if the seek time for a taxi is predictable, and if so, to also learn the predictors. This work will examine a dataset of more than 700 million taxi trips in New York City to predict seek times, ultimately enabling predictive taxi information services to improve system efficiency.

alumni news

2010s

Shorma (Bianca) Bailey (MS 14) has been named as one of the Historically Black College University “2014 Top 30 Under 30.” Bailey was awarded the White House “Champion of Change Award for Women & Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math” in 2012, and was nominated by Girls Incorporated for her volunteer work and engineering leadership with Engineers Without Borders. Her master’s thesis focused on using black and green tea leaves to purify and clean water. She is now a Ph.D. candidate in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and will continue researching sanitation and water purification using plant-based methods. As a mentee of First Lady Michelle Obama and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., Bailey is committed to scholarship and service in the community and abroad.

At left, at a reception following Geagea’s lecture, the CEE alumnus and Chevron Senior VP visits with students in the Yeh Center. Below, Geagea poses with CEE students during a check presentation on the quad. CEE Professor Emeritus Marshall Thompson is at far left.

Donald E. Manhard III (BS 14) has joined Manhard Consulting, a civil engineering and surveying firm with offices nationwide, as staff engineer. His hiring represents the third generation of Manhards practicing civil engineering at the firm. In his new position, he will work closely with Don Manhard Sr., P.E.; Don Manhard Jr., P.E.; and Peter Manhard, P.E.

2000s

Kevin R. Day (MS 02), assistant chief engineer, technology, testing and standards for Canadian National Railway has been selected as one of Progressive Railroading’s 2014 Rising Stars. The finalists were chosen based on their contributions to railroading, career achievements, education, demonstrated leadership, professional association activity and/or community involvement.

Matthew A. Johnson (BS 04, MS 08) has joined the Fehr Graham engineering and environmental office in Champaign, Ill., as a project manager. He will be responsible mainly for water and wastewater projects, as well as business development in the local office. Johnson has 12 years of project management experience and is licensed as a professional engineer and structural engineer.

Yung-Cheng Lai (MS 04, PhD 08) received the Wu DaYu Memorial Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is the most prestigious award for young researchers under the age of 42 in Taiwan.

Continued on page 32

Chevron Senior VP, CEE alumnus delivers Dean’s Distinguished Leadership Lecture

J

oseph C. Geagea, senior vice president of technology, projects and services at Chevron, delivered the College of Engineering’s Dean's Distinguished Leadership Lecture October 22. His presentation, “Meeting our Energy Needs For a Better Tomorrow,” took place in Khachaturian Hall at the Yeh Center in Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory.

A CEE at Illinois alumnus, Geagea (BS 81, MS 82) joined Chevron in 1982 as a design engineer. In his current position, which he has held since January

2014, he is responsible for energy technology, delivery of major capital projects, procurement, information technology, upstream production services and talent selection and development in support of Chevron’s upstream, downstream and midstream businesses.

During his visit, Geagea presented a $100,000 gift from Chevron to the University of Illinois and met with various faculty across the engineering campus. After his talk that evening, Geagea mingled with CEE students at a reception in his honor at the Yeh Center. i

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State Capitol and the new geothermal system for the adjutant general’s office at the Illinois Army National Guard’s Camp Michael C. Quill (BS 06) engiLincoln, all in Springfield; multiple Bank of neer intern, recently joined HanSpringfield locations in Illinois; the Armed son Professional Services Inc.’s Forces Reserve Center in Muscatine, Iowa; Chicago regional office. He will and the expansion of an International assist with infrastructure-related Broadcasting Bureau station in Kuwait. projects. Quill was previously a project enHe is a member of the Illinois Society of gineer for a construction firm in Chicago, Professional Engineers, National Society where his responsibilities included helpMichael Quill of Professional Engineers and the Society ing with field operations and coordinating of American Military Engineers. He is a liwith architects and designers for submittals and requests. He also served as a surface warfare censed professional and structural engineer and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited officer for the U.S. Navy in San Diego. professional.

1990s

Dennis C. Evans (MS 97) is the new commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Research & Development Center in New London, Conn. His military awards include the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal and the Coast Guard Commendation Medal. The Research & Development Center supports the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. government agencies and the international maritime community with technology for search and rescue, law enforcement maritime safety, environmental protection and ports, waterways and coastal security. The center’s everyday mission ensures each Coast Guard unit has the equipment, training and policies needed.

Denny C. Fish Jr. (BS 94) has joined RS Investments, a global investment management firm, as a senior technology analyst. Previously, he was the co-head of the Technology Team and senior equity research analyst at Janus, primarily focusing on the technology sector, including hardware, software and services.

Michael W. Flatt (BS 95, MS 96) P.E., S.E., PMP, LEED AP®, federal operations and project manager at Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Springfield, Ill., headquarters, recently became a certified project management professional (PMP). The Project Management Institute, a non-for-profit professional membership association, offers the PMP credential that recognizes demonstrated competence in leading and directing project teams.

Flatt has provided project management and structural engineering services on a variety of projects, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the University of Illinois Springfield’s University Hall and Founders Residence Hall, renovations at the Illinois 32

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Mathew A. Fletcher (BS 94) P.E., S.E., a vice president and project manager at Hanson Professional Services’ Peoria, Ill., office, received the Civil Engineer of the Year Award from The American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Central Illinois Section, which recognizes distinguished civil engineers for significant engineering contributions. His work at Hanson includes being the engineer of record for the 3,300-footlong Tanana River Bridge that is part of Alaska Railroad Corp.’s Northern Mathew Fletcher Rail Extension between North Pole, Alaska, and Delta Junction, Alaska, and Union Pacific Railroad’s (UP) Proviso Third Main (B2) project from Elmhurst, Ill., to Melrose Park, Ill., for the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program; structural design engineer for BNSF Railway Co.’s intermodal facility expansion in Memphis, Tenn.; and project engineer for UP’s Global III facility in Rochelle, Ill. Fletcher was selected as a Rising Star in Structural Engineering

by ZweigWhite’s Structural Engineer magazine in 2012.

He is a licensed professional engineer in multiple states, including Illinois, and the Canadian province of British Columbia; and he is a licensed structural engineer in Alaska, Illinois, Oregon and Nevada.

Howard N. Gotschall II (BS 99) P.E., S.E., a structural engineer at Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s St. Louis regional office, recently celebrated 15 years of service with the firm. Gotschall joined the company in 1999 at

CEE alum, retired general inducted into ROTC Hall of Fame CEE alumnus Brigadier General (Retired) Jack Kotter (BS 63, MS 65) was inducted into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame on October 24 on the University of Illinois campus.

Kotter retired from AT&T, formerly Illinois Bell Telephone Co., after 30 years of service in numerous state area field and headquarters staff management assignments. He is a retired soldier of the U.S. Army Reserve, having served in a variety of engineer units, where he held command positions from platoon to division level for more than 36 years. Kotter is active in multiple church, civic and military organizations and holds several board positions throughout Illinois in these areas of interest. He is currently serving his fourth term as an Army Reserve Ambassador. Kotter is pictured above, left, with CEE Professor and Head Benito J. Mariñas at his induction ceremony in Huff Hall.

the Springfield, Ill., headquarters and moved to the St. Louis regional office in 2001. He has provided bridge design for highway and rail projects, including multiple bridges for the Illinois and Missouri departments of transportation; reconstrucHoward Gotschall tion of an interchange at interstates 90 and 39; the Paducah and Louisville Railroad relocation for the Kentucky Dam lock addition on the Tennessee River in Kentucky; and the Alaska Railroad Corp. northern extension, which includes the Tanana River bridge in Salcha, Alaska. Gotschall is a member of the Structural Engineering Exam Development Committee for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois and the Structural Engineers Association of Kansas and Missouri.

Nicholas G. Hyatt (BS 94, MS 96) P.E., S.E., has been promoted in the London office of Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, to associate principal.

Michael F. Smithson (MS 99) has been promoted to vice president of operations responsible for underground projects throughout Skanska USA Civil’s western region as well as supporting national underground projects. A 20-year industry veteran, Smithson is one of the nation’s foremost experts in the underground market.

Since joining Skanska two years ago, he has played a key role in expanding Skanska’s underground work in the west including the recently awarded LA Metro Regional Connector project. Smithson is a licensed professional engineer.

Jerome S. Silagyi (BS 93) manager of technical services at Lane Enterprises Inc., Camp Hill, Penn., has received the Kenneth Boekecker Jr. Distinguished Service Award from ASTM International Committee A05 on MetallicCoated Iron and Steel Products. The award recognizes exemplary contributions to the success of the committee. A member of ASTM International since 2007, Silagyi also serves on Committees B07 on Light Metals and Alloys, D18 on Soil and Rock and F17 on Plastic Piping Systems in addition to A05. He is a licensed civil engineer in

Alum makes second largest gift in CEE history Lyle Hughart (BS 60), third from left, visited the department in March and had lunch with CEE department head Benito Mariñas, second from left, and members of the engineering advancement team. Pictured are College of Engineering Associate Dean for Advancement Dale Wright, far left, and CEE Director of Advancement John Southwood, far right. Hughart recently pledged the second largest gift in the history of the department, a $2.4 million estate gift in support of scholarships and professorships. A resident of Plainfield, Hughart is the retired General Partner of Hughart Family Ltd. Partnership.

orange is your color

Show your CEE at Illinois pride with an item from the CEE webstore! New items are being added all the time! Visit https://my.cee.illinois.edu/buy.

Continued on page 34 Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 33

alumni news Continued from page 33

the state of Michigan. As manager of technical services, he provides engineering support for the design, construction and maintenance of underground structures, small bridges, retaining walls and buried conduit. Silagyi is a member of the National Corrugated Steel Pipe Association in addition to ASTM International.

Lee A. Staab (MS 90) is the incoming city manager for New Minot, N.D. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers for 28 years before spending more than seven years in private industry. He has made more than 50 trips in connection with his work to Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Eric M. Widstrand (BS 93) P.E., T.E., P.T.O.E. has joined Michael Baker International as the Active Transportation Manager for Southern California and will support active transportation efforts throughout the company’s West and Mountain regions. Widstrand has a strong background in transportation, with emphasis on full traffic impact analysis and multi-modal traffic operations. He has more than 20 years of experience working on various traffic and transportation projects for both public and private agencies. He is a registered Professional Engineer in California, Illinois, New York and Washington, as well as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer and Traffic Engineer in California.

1980s

Manson K. Brown (MS 85), retired Vice Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard, has been nominated by President Obama to be the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. He will be overseeing the nation’s weather satellite programs, the Joint Polar Satellite System and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R. Brown retired after more than 36 years in the Coast Guard. Over the last decade, he has been a constant military executive presence at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Training and Career Fair Conference. Brown’s many military decorations include the U.S. Transportation Secretary’s Gold Medal, Legion of Merit, and Iraq Campaign Medal. In 1994, he was honored as the first recipient of the Coast Guard’s Captain John G. Witherspoon Award for Inspirational Leadership. He is a registered professional civil 34

cee.illinois.edu

Maidment lectures on flood mitigation, Chow David R. Maidment (MS 74, PhD 76), the Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair in Civil Engineering in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, visited the Hydrosystems Laboratory in October. He delivered two lectures, one on the National Flood Interoperability Experiment, an initiative to create a new national flood data, modeling, forecasting and flood inundation mapping system for the United States. The other lecture focused on former CEE faculty member Ven Te Chow, with whom Maidment studied during his time at Illinois. Maidment, center in the back row, is pictured above with members of the Hydrosystems faculty. Assistant Professor Ashlynn Stillwell, seated at right in the front row, organized Maidment’s visit. Maidment is a Distinguished Alumnus of CEE at Illinois.

engineer.

William J. Hupperich (BS 88), BSCE, has been hired as a Senior Project Manager at Manhard Consulting, a civil engineering firm headquartered in Vernon Hills, Ill. Daniel J. Whalen (BS 84, MS 85), P.E., has been named a senior vice president at Hanson Professional Services Inc. Whalen, principal of the power and industry market, works at the firm’s Springfield, Ill.

Dan Whalen

headquarters. He also recently celebrated a cumulative 25 years with the company.

As market principal, he oversees project planning, design and construction support services for Hanson’s industrial and power generation and transmission clients. Throughout his career at Hanson, he has provided geotechnical engineering, project management, feasibility studies, site evaluations, quality assurance and quality control and other services for proj-

NOMINATIONS INVITED CEE Alumni Awards If you know of a deserving colleague who graduated from CEE at Illinois, consider nominating him or her for a CEE Alumni Association award. The Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award and the Young Alumnus/Alumna Achievement Award recognize those who have distinguished themselves in the field at different career stages. The next deadline is August 1, 2015. For more information, please visit our alumni awards page of the CEE website at cee.illinois.edu/CEEAAawards.

Interested in serving on the CEEAA Board of Directors?

The CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2013. If you’re interested in serving the department as a board member, fill out an online application at cee.illinois.edu/alumni. For more information, contact Jamie Byrum, jbyrum@illinois.edu, (217) 244-6804.

ects nationwide and in several foreign countries. He is a licensed professional engineer and a member of the CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors.

1970s

Gautam H. Oza (MS 70) has co-authored two books, “Dock and Harbour Engineering” and “Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering,” and has also been selected as Author of the Month for September 2014 by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India.

1960s

Edwin G. Burdette (PhD 69), the Fred N. Peebles Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee (UT), has been named the Peter G. Hoadley Award winner for 2014. The award is given to the outstanding engineering educator by the Tennessee Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Burdette is considered an expert in the study of concrete and concrete-based construction. He has spent almost six decades at UT, and has won numerous accolades for his teaching. He is a Fellow of both the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Concrete Institute.

Marvin E. Criswell (MS 66, PhD 70) has been named by Tau Beta Pi as the 21st Outstanding Adviser at Colorado State University in its program to recognize engineering faculty who make important contributions to students and collegiate chapters. Criswell was cited in his nomination for setting an example with his leadership style, thirty-plus years of dedication to the association, and infusing the human component within advising. Criswell joined Colorado State University in 1970 as an assistant professor. He became an adviser to the Colorado Delta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi in 1977, and began two decades as Chief Adviser in 1996. He continues to perform vital tasks for the prosperity of the chapter such as processing class rankings, guiding officers, and encouraging organized agendas and goals.

To submit alumni news, contact Celeste Arbogast, celeste@illinois.edu, (217) 333-6955.

Kerestes honored with scholarship fund

A

scholarship fund established in memory of deceased CEE alumnus Eric J. Kerestes (BS 04, MS 06) will make its first award to a CEE student this spring.

Kerestes died on August 14, 2012, at the age of 30, when he was struck by a taxi in Chicago. Kerestes’ parents, Bob and Carol, and his younger brother, Jeff, with the support of Eric’s wife, Tatijana Stafets, established the Eric J. Kerestes Memorial Scholarship fund to honor Kerestes, who his parents say was so committed to the University of Illinois that, as a high school student, he applied only to Illinois.

At the time of his death, Kerestes worked for Kiewit, an international construction and engineering firm. He lived in Chicago with Stafets, who had also attended the University of Illinois, having graduated with two degrees from the University’s architecture program. Kerestes was working toward his Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Chicago.

“He wanted to be a CEO,” said his father, Bob, a mechanical engineer at Exelon Power Corporation in Clinton, Ill. The scholarship will be awarded to CEE undergraduate students, with preference given to those whose primary concentration is in structures, transportation, geotechnical engineering, construction management or construction materials.

Kerestes’ undergraduate primary concentration in CEE at Illinois was transportation, and his master’s degree was in construction management.

“Eric had a great base at U of I,” said his mother, Carol, who teaches English as a Second Language at Illinois State University. “What he learned was a great help to him when he went out into the business Continued on page 36

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 35

36 cee.illinois.edu cee.illinois.edu 36

IN MEMORIAM

Continued from page 35 world. He loved the U of I; I think he kind of hated to leave.”

More than 80 individuals and companies donated to the scholarship fund, Carol said, including a group of alumni who had performed as Chief Illinwek, who were encouraged to give by Eric’s uncle, Scott Christensen, also a former Chief. Eric’s brother, Jeff, who now works in advertising in New York City, was instrumental in establishing the scholarship fund just days after Eric died, as the family pondered what to do with the donations they received from people who had seen the news of Eric’s tragic death, his parents said.

Eric’s company, Kiewit, also honored his memory with an award named for him. A few months after he died, his family was contactTo make a gift to ed by Kiewit and told that the Eric J. Kerestes they were planMemorial Scholarship ning to name one of their anFund, please contact nual awards in John Southwood, honor of Eric.

They flew his jfswood@illinois.edu, parents and his (217) 300-5480. wife to their annual meeting in Omaha for the inaugural presentation, Carol said.

“At the lunch, many people spoke about Eric and then they gave the award named after him. It would be awarded from then on in his name,” Carol said.

“It was very touching. Afterwards, they gave us a book in which people who had known Eric wrote about their memories of him as an employee and a person. It was amazing to us that a company of this size would do this for us and for Eric.”

That honor, as well as the U of I scholarship fund, will help to memorialize Kerestes, who is still remembered by faculty and staff in CEE at Illinois as a friendly, engaged student.

“He was a wonderful person. He had a lot of friends,” his mother said.

“You would want him for your son,” his father said. i

1990s

Garth DeShong Hall (MS 97) died July 29. He was 42. He was a partner at Raths, Raths & Johnson.

1980s

David A. Johnston (BS 80) died May 21.

He was 56. He worked three years at a Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, Calif., and for 31 years at CompuTrus Industries.

1970s

Howard L. Hellerstedt (MS 74) died June 17. He was 67. He was an officer in the Army for 21 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel of Merit. He had a second career as a professional engineer and retired again in 2010.

Robert M. Meccia (MS 73) died July 24. He was 70. He was an Airborne Ranger in Vietnam. He was an environmental engineer at Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp.

Richard S. Muller (BS 74) died July 25. He was 65. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and was a commander in the U.S. Coast Guard.

1960s

Ronald L. Day (BS 63) died July 30. He was 74. He was formerly a senior engineer specialist with Scott Paper Co. of Mobile, Ala. Dennis J. Leary (MS 64) died May 23. He was 79. He enlisted in the Army at age 19 and was honorably discharged a disabled Korean War Veteran in 1956. He was a geotechnical engineer and partner in Langan Engineering and Environmental Services for 26 years.

Wayne R. Wolter (BS 63) died July 16. He was 74. He worked for the Illinois State Highway Dept. and then for Azzarelli Construction.

1950s

Richard J. Beck (MS 58) died June 15. He was 87. His memories of WWII were published in the book “WWII, Duty, Honor, Country: the memories of Those Who Were There.” He taught construction technology at Indiana University Purdue.

John D. Daigh (MS 57, PhD 57) died June 2. He was 83.

He spent 20 years in the U.S. Army. From 1961-1971 he was an engineering professor at West Point and later taught at Eastfield and Richland colleges.

William G. Emrich (BS 50) died July 23. He was 86.

He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and retired as Deputy Regional Administrator for Region 5 after 30 years of service with the Federal Highway Administration.

Harwood Oxley Herlocker (BS 51) died July 29. He was 88.

He worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Chicago District Office for more than 40 years and is a member of their gallery of Distinguished Employees.

Gerald V. McCollam (BS 50) died August 1. He was 87. In a 25-year career at James McHugh Construction Co., he played a significant role in the construction of more than 100 notable projects, including Marina City and Water Tower Place.

Curtis A. Tack (BS 58) died July 10. He was 81. He served four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and 24 years with the Seabees and in public works. He had three tours of duty in Vietnam and earned the Bronze Star.

1940s

Matthew J. Atkinson (BS 47) died June 19. He was 91. He was a U.S. Navy veteran with service in the Pacific Theater during WWII and served as an engineer for People’s Gas in Chicago for 34 years.

Charles B. Bruggen (MS 47) died June 20. He was 89. He was a U.S. Marine Corps officer in the Korean War. During his professional career in Chicago, he was involved in the construction of the John Hancock building and the Willis (Sears) Tower.

He retired as Senior Vice President of Anning-Johnson after 38 years.

James H. Gallivan (BS 48) died August 29. He was 90. He was a machine gunner in the U.S. Army in World War II. During a career in the ready-mix concrete, road, bridge, sand and gravel businesses, he spearheaded the Healey Street Detention Basin.

Robert D. Mahan (BS 47, MS 49) died June 18. He was 91.

He was retired from Burgess & Niple Ltd. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. He worked as an engineer for the University of Illinois, the State of Illinois, the consulting firm of Horner & Shifrin and the U.S. Air Force.

George H. Paris (BS 40) died June 24. He retired from the Portland Cement Association in 1983.

Max J. Weberling (BS 49) died May 14. He was 89. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II. He worked for Amoco Oil for 38 years.

To submit news of an alumni death, please contact Celeste Arbogast, celeste@illinois.edu, (217) 333-6955.

Old Masters

Engineering giants of the department’s history Ven Te Chow 1914-1981

Educator, hydrologist, water resources engineer

By Professor Emeritus William J. Hall May 2005

A

s a renowned educator, researcher, and water resources engineer, Ven Te Chow significantly influenced the understanding and importance of water resources throughout the entire world.

Chow was born in Hangchow, Checkiang, China on August 14, 1914. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering with honors from National Chiao Tung University, China, in 1940, his M.S. Degree in Structural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1948, and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Hydraulics) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1950. He joined the faculty of the Department of Civil Engineering at Illinois in 1951, advancing through the ranks to Professor of Hydraulic Engineering in 1958. In the intervening years, between these various degrees, he held a variety of technical positions in China and in the United States. As a professor he was immersed in research and instruction, and national and international professional assignments.

A summary of Ven Te Chow’s known activities and honors would fill more than three single-spaced pages; a few highlights follow. Ven was a founder and first president of the International Water Resources Association. He was also president of the American Geophysical Union’s Section on Hydrology, as well as fellow and founding member of the American Academy of Mechanics.

He received honorary doctorates from universities in India, Korea, France and Canada. The Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France, awarded him an honorary doctorate, as well as the Louis

Pasteur Medal (1976). He was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering (1973), a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academician of the Academia Sinica and of the China Academy, and on and on.

Among his long list of awards was the Silver Jubilee Commemorative Medal of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. Medals and awards galore came from such groups as the U of I, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Western Electric Fund, Fulbright-Hays, and the National Science Foundation, to mention a few. The State of Texas named him an Honorary Citizen.

Chow was a consultant and lecturer to many governments, governmental agencies and private entities in such countries as Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Puerto Rico, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Yugoslavia and the United States.

His professional contributions of major societal importance included USAID assistance to the Pan American Union, TVA and the Texas Water Development Board. Chow was an adviser on water problems to the United Nations Secretariat, as well as an adviser to the U.S. State Department on foreign policy on water management in developing countries.

Chow was the author and editor-inchief of two well-known books, long considered to be classics, namely OpenChannel Hydraulics (1959), and the

Handbook of Applied Hydrology (1965).

He was also the co-author of another popular textbook, Applied Hydrology, published after his death in 1988. He wrote his first book at the age of 27 on the Theory of Structures (in Chinese). He was the author or co-author of more than 218 other publications covering a wide range of subjects in hydrology and water resources. In addition he was editor of, and contributor to, a wide range of journals, such as Water Resources Research, the Academic Press Series’ Advances in Hydrosciences, Journal of Hydrology, the Elsevier’s series Developments in Water Science, McGraw-Hill’s Water Resources and Environmental Engineering. He was Editor-in-Chief of Water International until very shortly before his death.

Chow was an admired and highly respected colleague at Illinois, revered by his legion of students both here at the university and worldwide. He often was described as a giant in his field, as both a developer and a disseminator of knowledge. It is fair to describe Chow as a worldwide educator and public servant in hydrology and water resources, a stature rarely achieved. He was a true ambassador and leader for the then-emerging field of Hydrologic Science. He organized the first U.S. Meeting of Hydrology Professors at Illinois in 1969.

Ven Te Chow died on July 30, 1981, in Champaign, Ill. He and his wife, Lora, had two children, Margot and Marana. i

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 37

Individual Donors The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering thanks its alumni and friends who have made it possible for our students and faculty to pursue their education and research in the best CEE department in the country. We could not do it without your support.

President’s Council We thank those who have joined the University of Illinois President’s Council with a commitment of $25,000 or more.

Below are members who joined before June 30, 2014, and who have given to the department.

Friends:

Lalit R. Bahl and Kavita Kinra Antoinette D. Berkel Estate Walter L. and Carole A. Crowley Anna Allen Farnsworth (dec) Richard W. and Gayle D. Landuyt Paul M. and Susan N. Mayfield David Boyce Mary Barlow Medearis William E. O’Neil Helen F. Grandone Marilyn Smith Brown Hunt George-Anne Oliver Kelly Narbey Khachaturian David A. and Rise R. Lange Jon C. Liebman Phyllis Oschwald Vern and Jeannie Snoeyink Albert J. Valocchi Robert J. Watkins

1995

1977 William J. Nugent

Perry C. and Linda S. Hendrickson James J. Brown and Emi K. Kawasaki

1976

Jeffrey A. and Kristin L. Liggett Robert W. and Andrea C. Cusick

1975

Leslie J. and Theodora I. Benson Dan and Mary Guill

1974

Dean J. Arnold

1971

Larry C. and Rhonda S. Wesselink

1982

1969

1980

William F. Baker John L. and Karen E. Carrato James K. and Rebecca S. Clinard

1979

John A. Frauenhoffer Susan Douds and Jack L. Goertz

Marshall Ray Thompson

1961

Neil Middleton and S. Ann Hawkins William A. Jr. and Delores Huston Robert W. and Donna Mikitka Thomas K. Liu and Olive M. Chen-Liu

1960

Lyle W. and Nancy M. Hughart Phillip L. and Deborah P. Gould Norman C. and Sharon L. Riordan

1959

Thomas C. H. Lum Robert E. Morgan Joseph H. Pound

1958

Joshua L. Jr. and Eleanor W. Merritt Benjamin A. Jones Jr.

1957

Ronald R. and Margaret M. Watkins

Thomas J. Byrne Jerry J. Felmley

1984

Kevin J. and Carey A. Dulle

1964

1973

Bengt I. and Kathryn A. Karlsson Michael G. and Cinda J. Berry Fred and Paula Garrott Joseph M. and Patricia A. Kaiser

1981

Larry M. Sur

1956

1972

Joseph C. and Marianne J. Geagea Donald E. Jr. and Patricia M. Manhard Julian Rueda Tracy K. Lundin

1965

Sergio ‘Satch’ Pecori Richard J. and Linda J. Sieracki Richard Jr. and Helen A. Cramond

1991

David G. and Janet S. Peshkin

cee.illinois.edu

Robert H. Dodds Jr. and Deana Bland-Dodds Jon E. and Barbara B. Khachaturian Damon S. Williams Stanley M. Herrin and Elizabeth A. Small Andrew W. Richardson

Wilbur C. III and Dawn C. Milhouse

1987

38

1978

James L. and Doris I. Willmer Ronald W. and Lois T. Crockett

Brian E. and Lin Healy

Donors to any fund in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, are listed here. We strive to make these lists as accurate as possible. If your name is listed incorrectly or omitted, please accept our apologies. For corrections or further information about making a gift, please contact John Southwood, (217) 300-5480, jfswood@illinois.edu.

Bruce A. Johnson Stuart A. Klein Thomas A. Beck Jane C. Penny

Barry J. and Pauline G. Dempsey Richard J. Erickson Gholamreza Mesri

1968

Arthur R. Robinson

1955

1954

David C. Crawford Maurice A. and JoAnn Wadsworth William J. and Elaine F. Hall

1952

John E. Barrett

1951

William K. Becker Louis Bowman Jr.

1950

Burton A. Lewis William E. and Margarite D. Stallman

George K. Varghese Paul D. and Barbara C. Koch Robert G. and Flo Anne O’Brien

1949

1967

1948

Arthur R. Jr. and Judy B. Jensen

Melvin and Theda Febesh

1966

1943

Richard A. Pattarozzi Norman Allen and Lee Ann Dobbs Marvin A. Wollin

Wendall Lee Rowe Robert J. and Stella F. Mosborg

Sidney and Sondra Berman Epstein

Dean’s Club The department is honored to acknowledge members of the Dean’s Club of 2013-2014. Listed below are those who gave $1000 or more to CEE from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014.

Friends:

Timothy S. Engelbrecht Soledad Juamiz Esmilla

2014

Brent R. Pflederer

2004

George Avery Grimes Tjen N. Tjhin

2002

Daniel B. Oerther

1997

Preetindar Kaur Ghuman

1994

Ron Juamiz Esmilla

1993

Henry Matt Bellagamba

1992

John A. and Gail L. Balling

1989

Robert J. Risser Jr. and Martha A. Boling-Risser

1987

Rudolph Pio and Susan Irene Frizzi

1984

Sung-Wan Hong Colleen E. Quinn

1983

Bartholomew E. Weldon and Deborah A. Zroka Kenneth M. Floody Charles E. Gullakson

1982

Gregory R. Ashley C. Wayne Swafford

1980

James Robert Harris

1978

Dennis D. Beckmann

1977

James M. Daum Alan J. and Karen A. Hollenbeck John P. and Catherine M. Kos Michael T. McCullough

1975

Thomas D. O’Rourke

1974

David and Diane M. Darwin Vernon E. Dotson Michael Ray Lewis Douglas J. and Jacqueline A. Nyman

1973

Sponsoring Associates The department gratefully acknowledges the Sponsoring Associates of 2013-2014. Listed below are those who gave $500 to $999 to CEE from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014.

Friends:

Michael F. DeSantiago

2006

Robert Alan Rodden

1981

Peter E. Manhard David A. and Frances K. Sabatini

1980

Marco David and Mary Lynn Boscardin Pedro J. Cevallos-Candau Lynne C. Chicoine Carlos E. Rodriguez-Perez

1979

Christina Kochanski Drouet David A. and Kathleen A. Twardock

1978

Glenn E. Frye Wilbur Charles Jr. and Sarah H. Greer Lawrence Paul Jaworski

2004

Mark H. Erwin

1972

2001

Bruce R. and Lois D. Ellingwood

Dana Beth Mehlman

Michael G. and Bette Wallerstein Lombard Takehira Takayanagi

1971

1997

Thomas L. and Margaret V. Roscetti

Hector Estrada

1975

1969

1995

Kyle R. and Katharine M. Duitsman

Robert R. Goodrich Jr.

Alan B. Butler Michael W. Shelton

Stephen H. Wassmann

1968

Kai Tak and Alisa Ocker Liu

Hershell Gill Jr. Winston E. and Barbara G. Kile

1965

Frederick B. Plummer Jr. Richard A. and Charlotte Wiseman

1963

1993

Ranji S. Ranjithan and Imara Y. Perera

Raymond F. and Arlene L. Wojcieszak

1956

Keiichiro Hayashi

1971

Robert L. and Debra V. Keiser

1990

1970

1986

1957

1972

Charles H. III and Jane D. Dowding John and Eleanor W. Ramage John E. Schaufelberger

1958

Robert L. Gende Trust

Luke Cheng Richard Alan Guinn

1991

H. S. Hamada

1962

1974

Robert C. and Joan B. Bauer

1992

Deron G. Huck Keith E. Johnson Robert Scott Trotter Howard P. Walther

James O. Jirsa

1977

John F. and Linda S. Harris Gregory L. Perkinson

1969

William J. Pananos

Kristina A. Lang Sharon L. Wood

1966

1985

1965

George E. Leventis Paula C. Pienton

1984

Paul J. Kilgallon

1984

David W. and Elizabeth W. Snyder

1983

Siu-Wang Stephen Huang

1982

Maynard A. and Mona C. Plamondon John R. Abbott Salah Y. and Frances M. Khayyat

1962

Shamsher Prakash PhD Richard N. III and Teresa Rios Wright

1958

Eugene J. Fasullo and Maxine J. Hyrkas

1957

Jeffrey L. Arnold Blaine F. and Kathryn G. Severin

Gary G. and Donna J. Stokes

1955

Glenn E. Nordmark

1954

Ashley B. Craig Jr. Robert A. and Frances A. Fosnaugh

1949

Robert Dale Mahan (DEC)

Contributors CEE gratefully acknowledges the Contributors of 2013-2014.

Below are those who gave up to $499 to CEE from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014.

Friends:

Curtis L. and Heather Apperson Lee and Nancy Apperson Celeste Arbogast Elizabeth Lyman Barkan Thomas J. and Marjorie J. Barrett David C. Bergman James K. Campbell Charles E. Corley Mary Lou Davidson Janice M. Decker Carol H. Godoy Nancy L. Hansen Frances Hinesly Rolfe B. Jenkins Jimmey L. and Mona A. Kaiser David L. King Cinda Klickna B. Michael and Ann S. Korte Constance Ann Kus Liang Y. Liu Susan Bahrenburg Matthews Barbara S. Minsker Kathy Culver and Randall L. Nickell Wilma J. Reed Donald H. and Betty L. Rice Betty A. Roth Patsy M. Rowland David F. and Margaret B. Schmid Kristina Shidlauski Brian J. Sinclair Catherine A. Somers Lee A. Spacht Mark W. and Rebecca L. Stanza Barbara C. Swain Becky Ann Webb Arnold R. Wieczorek Karen A. Witter Leo G. Woerner Betsy P. and Kam Wu Wong Daniel Work

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 39

2013

Jason L. Frericks Kaleb S. Steidinger Timothy J. Truster Jiali Zhang

2012

Ryan S. Altemare Jeffrey T. Schroeder Robert P. Whiteside

2011

Thomas A. Burkland Matthew J. Dunne David M. Gebka Alan Phelps Ava H. Strough Brett C. Zitny

Carlos H. and Ana L. Caldas Jason M. Curl Timothy E. Frank Jason C. and Meggie D. Fuehne Matthew D. Heron Zhanping You and Qingli Dai

1996

Nathan Evan Carrell Tanai Charinsarn Joel M. Krettek Robert Najera Eric B. and Joanna Schmid Williamson

Kevin W. Kleemeyer Timothy G. LaGrow Frank Russell and Laura Anne Phillips-Manella Thomas F. Plinke Barry E. and Christine M. Klepp

Thomas J. Waldron III J. Dennis and Sally S. Wermcrantz Dale R. Wilhelm Kevin M. Wilson John A. and Lynn D. Worley Lawrence P. Zablock

2002

1995

1986

1981

Kevin P. Huberty Jensen P. John and Alice S. Martin Jayaraj Eric O. and Shannon Johnson Matthew Robert Pyles Jeffrey John Tardy Beida Xie

Kevin R. Collins Richard T. and Carri R. Nickel Anthony and Kellie S. Sak Christopher T. Sosnowski Theodore F. Szyszka Jr.

1994

2010

Thomas M. Carrato Jie Zuo

Katherine D. Dombrowski Erich S. Flessner Kyle A. and Valeri N. Kershaw Thomas E. Riordan Mark S. and Tracey L. Salvatore

Nicholas L. Canellis Gregory B. and Laura B. Heckel Jason E. Hedien Julie A. Lomax Bryan J. McDermott Timothy J. Wendt Charles J. Wienrank

2009

2000

1993

Patrick C. Johnston Jack W. Montgomery Lexie S. Parmar Elizabeth Caitlin Richter

2008

Jordan J. and Jennifer J. Card Michael D. Gustavson Joshua M. Hendrix Katherine E. Kelly Martin W. McDonald Jeffrey D. Viano

2007

Jun Ji Shaoyun Sun Janice M. and Ryan Wenzel

2006

Colin C. Coad Kurt A. Keifer Allison S. Kmett John M. Storm

2005

David M. Boddy Gabriel Carvajal Edward W. East Andrew J. Keaschall Darren A. Lytle David A. and Carolyn J. Tayabji

2004

Robert A. Bevins Evaristo Quiroz Michael B. Sulser

2003

Craig A. Alteri

40

cee.illinois.edu

2001

Christian M. Carrico Wayne M. Helge Joshua E. Saak Kimberly A. Schmidt Keri A. Schwager Angela S. Wolters Andrew J. and Karen H. Martin

1999

Ghassan Abu-Lebdeh Anthony J. Butzek James P. and Nancy E. Hall Thomas J. Mitoraj Simon S. Shim Aaron T. and Brandee L. Toliver

1998

Scott Thomas Forrest Andrew L. Goldman Brian L. Hackman Michele E. Hamm John R. Hayes Jr. Matthew J. Niermann Matthew John Pregmon and Karen T. Hou Paul R. and Lisa A. Ruscko Michael M. Wieczorek Amy J. Wildermuth

1997

Brian S. Chaille Brian S. Heil John A. Kerrigan Todd C. and Genevieve Anne Missel Jeffrey B. Naumann Keri A. Nebes Ryan M. Thady Tracy L. Willer

Gregory T. and Lori W. Buchanan Daniel F. Burke James W. Carter III David T. Lewandowski Pete J. Prommer Monty J. and Rebecca Ellen PerrineWade Arlin C. Williams

1992

Robert S. Gwiasda Sava S. and Sponenka Nedic William M. Rexroad II

1991

Ronald Michael Hubrich Gary J. Huels David M. Riordan Sophie B. Sacca Susan M. Wallner

1990

Matt R. Fauss Allen B. Gelderloos Michael J. Jelen

1989

Edward M. Brazle John W. and Michelle S. Hackett

1988

Kevin J. and Victoria L. Ahern David Arenas Stacey E. McNamara Alan D. Stuemke Lisa J. Taccola

1987

Fariborz Barzegar-Jamshidi Steven C. Jirschele

Michael J. Cronin T. and Cynthia A. Knox Andrew J. Querio John E. Sato David T. Soong and Joanne W. Chou Edmund H. Tupay Jr. and Beda B. Tupay

1985

Brian T. and Claire A. Aoki Jan I. Blok and Laura M. Melcher Charles R. and Janet E. Conlon David L. Greifzu Melissa A. Kennedy Anthony G. Myers Brian E. Peck Ronald J. and Jennifer G. Roman Amy M. Schutzbach Peter J. Stork Daniel J. Whalen

1984

Randall R. Ackerman Marc P. Beisler Delph A. Gustitus Irvin P. Kirkwood Martin A. Ross Mark S. Wylie

1983

Michael S. and Dawn M. Szatkowski Robert E. Bassler III Anthony J. Charlton David Daniel Davis James A. and Carol A. Fischer John M. Heinz David E. McCleary James K. and Donna J. Moore Daniel C. Powers Francis J. Powers Brian D. Smith Robert H. and Anjali M. Sues Carl Weber Brian R. Welker

1982

Timothy M. Dixon Mark Steven Engelen Scott G. Frandsen Paul A. Fruin Jeffrey R. Livergood James M. Nau Donald J. Nelson Thomas S. Palansky Gerald L. Siekerka

Robert A. Bauman Mark D. Bowman James M. Casey Michael S. Cheney Guy W. Marsh Linda R. Musser Daniel R. Rehak Frank R. Wengler

1980

Keith W. Benting Paul H. Boening Richard P. Byrne Mark R. and Mary Ann Ericksen Michael D. and Mary T. Grimm James F. Hall Jack P. Moehle Carl M. Nagata Mark W. Randolph Daniel J. Rubel Timothy Joseph and Mary Jo Sheehan Ya-Hu and Hsiu-Mei Shen Steven J. Sieracki Robert W. Steen James B. Sullivan Timothy P. Tappendorf Francis P. Jr. and Leslie K. Wiegand George Ziska Jr.

1979

Thomas K. Connery Carl A. and Margaret Ellen Erikson Theodore P. Georgas Thomas E. Havenar Mary L. Miller James T. Olsta Mehdi Saiidi Linda G. Schub John C. Singley John R. Wolosick

1978

Roger W. Baugher Dennis J. Benoit Darrell J. Berry Lawrence K. Cunningham Gary W. Ehlert Richard C. Frankenfield Charles D. Morris Neil A. and Barbara Parikh David W. Reed David A. and Adrienne D. Schoenwolf Charles A. Zalesiak

We are grateful for your support. To make a gift to the department, visit the giving page on our website: cee.illinois.edu/alumni/gift.

1977

Jose R. Danon David L. and Patricia M. Dunn Robert W. Hutson Byung R. and Young H. Kim Michael J. Koob Joel C. and Helen J. Maurer Daniel K. Moss Charles E. and Diane L. Peabody Terrence L. Schaddel Dietmar Scheel

Robert B. and Eileen F. Hunnes Jeffry E. and Arlene S. Lamb John W. Laws Ronald E. Meissen Clinton C. and Rae J. Mudgett Toan T. Nguyen Richard C. Reed Larry J. and Marjorie M. Rhutasel Richard S. Weiss James K. Wight Theodore R. Williams

1976

1972

James T. Braselton Armen and Nelly Der Kiureghian Dennis W. Dreher Patrick Kielty Dennis D. and Kristine L. Lane Richard W. Liesse Larry W. Mays Douglas C. Noel David E. Rensing Joel Smason Edward J. Tunelius William W. Jr. and Pamela R. Wuellner

1975

Ghulam M. Bajwa Larry A. Bolander Gary S. Brierley Michael P. Fallon Gautam and Susan A. Ghosh Gary J. Klein David A. Mifflin Richard W. Myhre Douglas W. Ounanian William James Zelnio

1974

Robert J. Andres G. Tim and Susan R. Bachman Andrew D. Cohn Donald R. and Marianne Doonan Edward C. Gray Patrick W. Healy Robert W. Horvath Kevin J. and Margaret M. Kell Billy J. Murphy John V. and Gayle P. O’Holleran Gary A. Rogers Allen J. and Paula L. Staron Robert H. Wicklein Patrick F. and Carol B. Wilbur

1973

Thomas A. Broz Martin G. Buehler Ronald W. Deverman Philip A. and Kathleen McMahon Gazda John H. Gulledge Robert W. and Cheryl Y. Hahn Daniel W. Halpin

Thomas J. Cech Reggie K. Chong James A. Hanlon Daryl D. Moeller Anand K. and Aruna Singh Richard J. and Barbara V. Zdanowicz

1971

Patrick P. Brennan Gregory D. and Kathryn T. Cargill Adisak Intaratip Peter A. Lenzini Gregory C. Martin Stephen W. Moulton Dennis D. Niehoff William A. and Julie H. Rettberg Lee J. and Judith W. Scherkenbach Gary A. Wilken Lyle D. Yockey

1970

William D. Berg Larry A. Cooper Marvin E. and Lela L. Criswell Robert L. Fark Roger R. Fitting Gary R. and Janice K. Marine William E. and Katherine McCleish Earl J. Schroeder Robert F. and Elberta J. Wood

1969

Jeffrey E. and Barbara G. Anderson Harold T. Brown Edwin G. Burdette Yuan Chun Eugene and Isabel L. Chang Jerome E. Heinz Terry W. Micheau Eric C. Pahlke Alan Zimmer

1968

Clyde L. Anderson Robert L. Carter John P. Elberti James M. Fisher Jack A. Groner Thomas F. Hintz Carl H. Johnson

William N. Lane James R. Levey Donald F. and Marian L. Meinheit Robert W. and Patricia C. Nowak Raman K. Raman Roger W. Wright

1967

Kenneth A. Clausen Dennis H. File Lonnie E. Haefner Lawrence F. Kahn Harry H. West John G. Wolan Harry J. Woods Jr.

1966

Charles H. Allen Donald R. and Ann W. Aukamp Danny N. Burgess Allan W. and Susan Crowther Jerry R. Divine Paul David Ellis German R. Gurfinkel Dennis R. Lagerquist Michael R. and Sandra J. McLamore Edward R. Pershe

1965

Ernest J. Barenberg William M. and Jane S. Derby Samuel S. Doak Donald D. Oglesby Herbert J. Seagrim Clarence R. and Mary L. Warning Mehdi S. Zarghamee

1964

Paul D. and Amelia R. Andresen George A. Brunner Bernard J. Casey Stewart W. Johnson Darrell G. Lohmeier Theodore W. Nelson Robert L. Nickerson Richard L. Plambeck Russell Ramon Rudolph Charles E. and Jean Sandberg Donald R. Sherman

1961

Walter L. Allen Jr. William L. Hartrick Harry Moore Horn Wayne L. and Margaret F. Johnson John A. Kuske Richard F. Lanyon Jack C. Marcellis William Mirza James A. Tambling Raymond E. Untrauer

1960

Harold J. Abramowski Lester D. Bacon Brendan T. Nelligan Martin K. Payne Wallace W. Sanders

1959

William M. and Lois Jane Cazier Robert L. Dineen Donald McDonald William K. Stockdale Walter A. Von Riesemann

1958

Richard James (dec) and Sarah Louise Beck Kamil A. Bikul John M. and Elly J. Brandt Philip C. Brumbaugh Richard A. Davino Robert H. Meyer Frank A. Perry Jr.

1957

Pedro Jimenez-Quinones William P. Taylor Robert K. Wen Virgil A. Wortman

1956

1963

Robert L. Almond (RET) William A. Kreutzjans David M. Lee Robert N. and Carol S. Leslie Stanley L. Paul Allen N. Reeves Emile A. Samara Wayne R. Wolter (DEC)

1962

Ned H. Burns Chunduri V. Chelapati Bing C. Chin Carroll T. Dunn John T. Gannon Stephen J. III and Janet M. Madden Joseph A. Morrone

J. Dewayne and Mary A. Allen

Robert W. and Ruth Hawkins Bein Robert E. and Aneita Atwood Gates Robert G. Grulke Miroslaw Noyszewski

1955

Howard Y. and Ellen H. Fukuda Gerhardt Henry Platz (dec) James G. and Diana Spyros John Variakojis Ronald A. and Lois Wisthuff

1954

Edward Robert and Mary Massey Baumann Leo R. DiVita C. Terry Dooley Paul A. and Sharon L. Kuhn Ronald J. Swofford Daniel W. Urish Roger H. Wood Michael and Dorothy Zihal

1953

Richard E. and Janet L. Aten Harold F. Honath Charles L. and Joan L. Sheppard Donald E. Thompson Anestis S. Veletsos Clement D. Zawodniak

1952

Arthur M. Kaindl

1951

Tung Au Benny L. Cochran Neil M. Denbo Samuel J. Errera Gerald E. Hann Joseph J. Jeno Frederick F. Kwasnik John L. Mataya Dean C. Merchant Wayne V. and M. Oriana Miller John W. Ratzki

1950

Philip G. Dierstein Fred R. Perlman John R. Ross

1949

Gary David Cass (dec) Donald W. Kaminski Walter L. Kevern

1948

Walter W. Jr. and Carol Giffhorn

1947

Harold Clinton Ward M. Dobbin Chester C. Kohl Bernard J. Krotchen Wilho E. Williams

1946

Richard H. and Honor F. Hebenstreit Anthony N. and Bette S. Konstant

1945

Lewis A. and Roberta M. Crea

1943

William A. Hickman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association—Spring 2015 41

Corporate and Foundation Donors The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is proud of its strong ties to industry and practicing engineers. We gratefully acknowledge the corporations, foundations and professional associations that contributed to CEE from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. This list includes organizations that made gifts directly to the department, as well as those who matched gifts made by their employees. CEE Corporate Partners are denoted in bold.

Accutest Laboratories, Inc. Accutest Labs Southeast, Inc. The Ace INA Foundation AECom Technical Services Inc. Aestus, LLC Alfred Benesch & Company AMEC Ameren American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. American Society of Civil Engineers American Water Charitable Foundation Amsted RPS Apple Junction Design Services PLC ARCADIS Association of American Railroads Axion International Inc Barr Engineering Company Bassler Family Trust Bayco Products Bechtel Corporation Bechtel Group Foundation Belfor Environmental BlueScope Foundation BNSF Railway Company Boart Longyear Company The Boeing Company Bowman, Barrett & Associates, Inc. BP Foundation Canadian National Railroad Company Carollo Engineers Catholic Education Foundation CB&I CTEH Century Group Inc. CH2M Hill, Inc. Chevron Corporation Chicago Bridge & Iron Company Clark Dietz, Inc. Clayco Inc. Clean Air Task Force Clean Harbors Environmental Services Climate and Health Research Network CN Railroad Coleman Industrial Construction, Inc. Conestoga-Rovers and Associates, Inc. Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. CSX Good Government Fund PacMatch CSX Transportation, Inc. CTL Group U of I Dad’s Association, Inc. Deep Foundations Institute Educational Trust Delbert’s Clothing, Inc. 42

cee.illinois.edu

Dell Employee Giving Program Donald & Patricia Manhard Charitable Foundation Donohue & Associates Dow Chemical Duke Energy Foundation EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. Employees of Republic Bank EMR, Inc. Enviance Envirocon, Inc. Environ International Corporation Environmental Engineering Science Foundation Inc. Environmental Restoration, LLC Environmental Works, Inc. EnviroScience, Inc. Epstein ERM-West, Inc. Ernst & Young Foundation Exelon Expanded Shale, Clay and Slate Institute ExxonMobil Corp. Research and Engineering Exxon Mobil Corporation Ferromex F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Assoc., LLC Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund The Fluor Foundation FMC Corporation-ESD FMC Technologies, Inc. Fullerton Engineering Consultants, Inc. Fundacao Padre Leonel Franca Gannett Fleming Companies GATX Corporation GE Foundation GEI Consultants, Inc. Geo-Cleanse International, Inc. Georgetown Rail Equipment Company Geosyntec Consultants Geosythetic Institute GIC Ingenieria y Construccion, S. A. de C.V. Global Quality Corporation Golder Associates Graef The Greater Cincinnati Foundation The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation Greeley and Hansen, LLC Hanson Professional Services Inc. Hatch Mott MacDonald HDR Engineering, Inc. HiRail Corporation Holland Company, LP Hulcher Services, Inc.

Huston Family Trust IBM Matching Grants Program ICF International Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association Illinois Association of County Engineers, Inc. Illinois Professional Land Surveryors Association Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Assoc Road Builder Charities Illinois Society of Professional Engineers Inc. Industry Advancement Foundation Central Illinois Builders Chapter Ingenii, LLC IntegriCo Composites, LLC Intel Foundation Intertechne Consultores SA Irvine Institute of Technology JL Arnold Engineering, Inc. John Deere Foundation JRW Bioremediation, LLC The Kansas City Southern Railway Company Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Inc. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. Kinectrics Inc. KSA Lancaster Laboratories Environmental Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc. LB Foster Company Leidos Leopardo Charitable Foundation Lewis Bolt & Nut Company LightGuard Systems, Inc. Manhard Consulting, Ltd. Marine Research Specialists Marion Environmental Inc. Marshall Miller & Associates, Inc. dba Cardno MM&A The MathWorks, Inc. McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Microsoft Corporation Mike & Dorothy Vondra Foundation Milhouse Charities Monahan Filaments Monsanto Company MWH Network for Good Norfolk Southern Corp.

Norfolk Southern Foundation O’Neil Industries, Inc. OSI Environmental, LLC Oil Skimmers, Inc. Ozinga Bros., Inc. Pace Analytical Services, Inc. Pandrol USA

Phillips 66 Pinnacle Engineering, Inc. Polystar, Inc. Primera The Procter & Gamble Fund Quandel Consultants, LLC RailPros, Inc. Marketplace Chaplains USA Raths, Raths & Johnson, Inc. RF IDeas, Inc. Ricondo & Associates The RJN Foundation, Inc. RJN Group, Inc. Sargent & Lundy LLC Schlumberger Foundation, Inc. Schwab Charitable Fund Shell Oil Company Foundation The Sidney Epstein and Sondra Berman Epstein Foundation Signal-Tech Silicon Valley Community Foundation Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP Southern Company Services, Inc. Southwest Jiaotong University St. Paul United Church of Christ Stone Energy Corporation Summit Environmental Services, LLC Sunpro SWS Environmental Services Terracon Foundation TestAmerica Laboratories, Inc. Tidewater Inc. Transpo Industries, Inc. Transportation Technology Center, Inc. TranSystems Corporation TRC, Inc. Trotter and Associates, Inc. Turner Construction Company TY Lin International Unilever United States, Inc. Union Pacific Railroad URS Corporation Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program W. E. O’Neil Construction Company Walker Parking Consultants/Engineers, Inc. Walsh Construction Company The Walt Disney Company Foundation Waste Management The Watkins Family Foundation Willamette Valley Company Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. Inc.

CEE alumni: where are they now?

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . .

California . . . . . . . . . . .

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . .

Connecticut . . . . . . . . .

District of Columbia . . .

Delaware . . . . . . . . . . .

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Guam . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34 44 30 163 984 326 62 16 16 456 175 3 59 71 19 5299 155 71

Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . .

Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . .

Massachusetts . . . . . . .

Maryland . . . . . . . . . . .

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . .

Minnesota . . . . . . . . . .

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mississippi . . . . . . . . . .

Montana . . . . . . . . . . . .

North Carolina . . . . . . .

North Dakota . . . . . . . .

Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Hampshire . . . . . .

New Jersey . . . . . . . . . .

New Mexico . . . . . . . . .

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New York . . . . . . . . . . . .

54 50 120 147 21 148 103 267 29 15 136 4 27 27 128 54 55 164

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . .

Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . .

Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . .

Rhode Island . . . . . . . . .

South Carolina . . . . . . .

South Dakota . . . . . . . .

Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . .

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Virgin Islands . . . . . . . .

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . .

Washington . . . . . . . . .

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . .

West Virginia . . . . . . . .

Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . .

206 27 87 179 34 19 64 3 111 536 28 307 1 11 283 193 10 8

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory MC-250 205 North Mathews Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61801

Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 75 Champaign, IL 61820