UF ESSIE Insights Magazine, Fall 2023

ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT

INSIGHTS INTO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING | 2023

PROTECTING OUR COASTS A $2.5 MILLION GRANT WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP ADVANCED TOOLS AND DATA FOR PREDICTING AND MANAGING HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS IN FLORIDA’S WATERWAYS. PAGE 10

FACULTY NEWS PAGE 7

STUDENTS PAGE 12

RESEARCH PAGE 18

MAITANE OLABARRIETA, PH.D. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

DAVID KAPLAN, PH.D. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

MESSAGE from the DIRECTOR Greetings from the Engineering School of Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE), As we gather to reflect upon another year of academic excellence, innovation, and growth, it is with great pride and enthusiasm that I welcome you to ESSIE Insights, our annual magazine.

The past year has been nothing short of remarkable, marked by the unwavering dedication of our faculty, the outstanding achievements of our students, and the invaluable contributions of our staff.

To begin, we are proud to welcome four new faculty members (page 4): Nina Stark, Ph.D., who joined the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering as an associate professor, and Sungyoon Jung, Ph.D., Chamteut Oh, Ph.D., and Katherine Y. Deliz Quiñones, Ph.D., who joined the Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences as assistant professors. Their research spans from air pollutants remediation to viral pathogens.They will be great additions to the School.

Our faculty are being recognized for their research and expertise by renowned organizations around the nation (page 6).

Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D., PE, PMP, LEED-AP, was one of nine members selected as a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education for her research in workforce development. Lily Elefteriadou, Ph.D., was one of 19 faculty selected from the University of Florida to be recognized as a Lifetime Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

We have been dedicated to continuous improvement, prioritizing education, research, and outreach as our core missions. For the fifth consecutive year, our departments have ranked among the best public graduate programs. According to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools, the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering and Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences graduate programs have been ranked No. 16 and No. 20, respectively. This achievement is due to the collective efforts of everyone in the School.

We are in a unique position in Florida to research and combat environmental problems as they arise. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded $2.5 million to the University of Florida and other intuitions to predict and mitigate harmful algal blooms (HABs). David Kaplan, Ph.D., Maitane Olabarrieta, Ph.D., and others will use the HiPerGator, UF’s supercomputer, to develop data predictive

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models to manage HABs, (page 10). Moreover, our coastal and environmental researchers have been able to find a correlation between animals and salt marsh accretion along our coasts. This unprecedented study, led by Sinéad M. Crotty, Ph.D., ESSIE alum and associate director of science of the Carbon Containment Lab at Yale University, and UF doctoral students, found that animals may have a far greater role in helping coastal systems adapt to climate change than what has been previously expected (page 19).

Outreach and building relationships with peer institutions is essential for conducting impactful research that benefits both our students and faculty. Three representatives, Kyle Riding, Ph.D., a professor, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Ph.D., a professor, and Nancy McIlrath, the school’s graduate academic coordinator, went to South America to explore exchange opportunities among institutions and organizations (page 8). The school is initiating efforts to pursue university-wide agreements, so any group within the university can explore research and student exchange opportunities within Panama and Colombia.

Speaking of building relationships and preparing for the next generation of engineers, Dr. Simmons led a study to explore racial inequities in the engineering workforce. She found that a work environment that can perceive and enact change is vital to boosting the number of Black employees (page 18). Our student groups continue to impress. The Eckhoff Steel Bridge team and the Concrete Canoe team (page 12), along with a makeshift design class (page 15) have achieved remarkable success in their respective national competitions. We are proud to cheer them on and can’t wait to see their success next year.

Finally, it is with a heavy heart that we had to announce the passing of Paul Gader, Ph.D. (page 5). Dr. Gader pursued his master’s and doctorate at UF and joined as a faculty member over 20 years ago. We had the pleasure of working with Dr. Gader for seven years, and he was a wonderful colleague and friend. Dr. Gader will be truly missed.

Wishing you good health and happiness, as always.

Kirk Hatfield, Ph.D. DIRECTOR, ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE INFR ASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT

2023 D I R E C T O R ’S M E S S AG E ....... 2 FAC T S & F I G U R E S ............. 3

PROGRAM RANKINGS

10

#

IN UNDERGRADUATE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

FAC U LT Y ...................... 4 -7

12

S C H O O L N E W S .............. 8 - 9

#

F E AT U R E ................... 10 -11 S T U D E N T S ................. 1 2 -1 5 A LU M N I ..................... 16 -17

IN UNDERGRADUATE CIVIL ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

17

#

IN GRADUATE CIVIL ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AMONG PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

R E S E A R C H ................. 1 8 -19

19

IN GRADUATE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

#

RESEARCH METRICS

Forrest J. Masters, Ph.D. INTERIM DEAN, HERBERT WERTHEIM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Kirk Hatfield, Ph.D. DIRECTOR, ENGINEERING SCHOOL O F S U S TA I N A B L E I N F R A S T R U C T U R E & ENGINEERING

24.3

16.8

$

$

MILLION IN RESEARCH EXPENDITURES

MILLION SECURED IN NEW AWARDS

Michael Annable, Ph.D. D E PA R TM E NT H E A D, E N V I R O N M E N TA L E N G I N E E R I N G

Robert Thieke, Ph.D. D E PA R TM E NT H E A D, CI V I L & C O A S TA L E N G I N E E R I N G

6.1%

1.4%

LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS ARE EES GRADUATES

LICENSED PROFESSIONAL CIVIL ENGINEERS ARE CE GRADUATES

Allison Logan C O M M U N I C AT I O N S M A N A G E R

Reba Liddy M A R K E T I N G & C O M M U N I C AT I O N S S P E C I A L I S T

FACULTY BREAKDOWN

50 15

%

TENURED, TENURETRACK FACULTY, NAE MEMBERS AND LECTURERS

35

%

UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS

WOMEN

As of September 2023, information sources from the 2024 U.S. News & World Report and departmental resources.

BY THE NUMBERS

INSIGHTS

← TABLE OF CONTENTS | ESSIE.UFL.EDU

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FA C U LT Y

FACULTY HIRES

Sungyoon Jung, Ph.D.

Chamteut Oh, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Dr. Jung’s research interests are the identification and quantification of emerging air pollutants and their remediation using advanced nanomaterials.

She expects that her research will be helpful in developing public policy and community awareness of different air pollutants.

Dr. Oh’s research interests focuses on monitoring and controlling viral pathogens in the environment to improve public health. His previous research built a platform to study and understand the mechanisms by which emerging disinfectants can deactivate viruses.

Katherine Y. Deliz Quiñones, Ph.D.

Nina Stark, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Associate Professor

Dr. Deliz’s research in environmental biotechnology focuses on fate, transport & remediation of pollutants and pathogens.

Her other research interests include resilience, sustainability and public health.

Dr. Stark’s research focuses on coastal and marine geotechnics applied to coastal processes, hazards, and extreme events, naval applications, and offshore renewable energy development. She develops tools and methods for the geotechnical characterization and studies the relationships between geotechnical properties and coastal and aquatic processes and sediment dynamics.

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ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT

HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. PAUL GADER A MESSAGE FROM INTERIM DEAN FORREST MASTERS, PH.D., P.E It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that our colleague and friend, Dr. Paul Gader, passed away on Tuesday, June 6, surrounded by his loved ones.

Paul received his master’s and doctorate in mathematics from the University of Florida in 1983 and 1986, respectively. He served as a faculty member at UF since 2001, beginning as an associate professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) and later, in 2003, becoming a full professor. Paul served as chair of CISE from 2012 to 2015 and joined ESSIE as an affiliate professor in 2016.

Paul was an internationally recognized expert in machine learning and algorithm development, initially working on land-mine detection and handwriting analysis and later expanding this work to study hyperspectral image analysis and a broad range of environmental issues. He published more than 300 total papers, served as an associate editor of IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing Letters, enjoyed a three-year term as a UF Research Foundation Professor, and was elected a Fellow of the IEEE. These accolades tell only part of the story about why Paul was such an important influence on his students and colleagues, as well as the college. He was brilliant but humble, always willing to step up and help irrespective of the complexity of the situation or current demands on his time. Anyone who knew him will tell you that Paul was truly one of the best of us.

Paul, you will be greatly missed. We offer our condolences to his loved ones and to those of you who were close with him.

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FA C U LT Y

DR. ELEFTERIADOU RECOGNIZED AS LIFETIME FELLOW BY AAAS

by UF News

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals, elected LILY ELEFTERIADOU, PH.D. 19 faculty from the University of Florida to its newest class, breaking previous records for the number of faculty awarded in a single year.

Lily Elefteriadou, Ph.D., the Barbara Goldsby Professor of Civil Engineering and director of the University of Florida Transportation Institute, was honored as a lifetime fellow by AAAS. Her research focuses on traffic flow theory, highway capacity analysis, traffic simulation, autonomous

and connected vehicles, signal control optimization, freeway management, traffic data collection and analysis, and intelligent transportation systems.

Dr. Elefteriadou has developed several methods and analysis tools that have been published in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), the major traffic operations publication used by most highway transportation agencies in the U.S. and widely used and referenced internationally.

She has led a series of research projects with funding from NSF and FDOT to develop algorithms for a smart intersection that would control autonomous vehicle trajectories to optimize movement. She has also published extensively and has been invited to present her work at many conferences and institutes worldwide.

DR. SIMMONS SELECTED AS ASEE FELLOW FOR EXEMPLARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVIL ENGINEERING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

by Reba Liddy

DENISE R. SIMMONS, PH.D.

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Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D., PE, PMP, LEED-AP, was selected as a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Dr. Simmons, the associate dean for workforce development in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, is one of nine selected.

in the context of civil engineering workforce development, expanding our understanding of competence development especially through out-ofclass activities, and furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering education and practice.”

The ASEE Fellow nomination is an honor bestowed on individuals to spotlight their significant contributions to engineering education. The nominee must be recommended by another Fellow or active ASEE member. ASEE acknowledged Dr. Simmons for her “leadership in anchoring engineering education research

Dr. Simmons is an accomplished civil engineer who has been widely recognized for her research in workforce development. Prior to her promotion to associate dean in August 2022, Dr. Simmons joined ESSIE’s Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering in 2018 as an associate professor.

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FA C U LT Y

DR. FERRARO RECEIVES JUNIOR FACULTY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND MENTORSHIP

by Reba Liddy Christopher Ferraro, Ph.D., P.E., an assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, is the recipient of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s 2022-2023 Pramod P. Khargonekar Junior Faculty Award.

The Pramod P. Khargoekar Junior Faculty Award was created by Dr. Khargonekar, former dean of the College. It is awarded each spring to the most outstanding junior faculty member among those reviewed for tenure and promotion in the previous fall.

The recipient has a record that demonstrates excellence in teaching, outstanding mentorship of students, impact in their research field and exceptional potential for growth as a leader in scholarships.

CHRISTOPHER FERRARO, PH.D.

Dr. Ferraro is active in mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. He is the faculty advisor for the American Concrete Institute (ACI) student chapter, and the former faculty advisor for the American Society of Civil Engineers/American Institute of Steel Construction’s Steel Bridge team. Under his leadership, the teams have had exceptional performances, winning ACI’s national pervious cylinder competition in 2012 and the steel bridge national championship in 2016. He was named a Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Undergraduate Faculty Advisor/Mentor in 2016.

Dr. Ferraro is recognized for his research on Portland cement and durable concrete in sustainable construction engineering. Since joining the university, he had research funded by the Department of Energy, National Academy of Science – National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Electric Power Research Institute, U.S. Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Space Grant Program, and the Rural Railroad Safety Center, along with partners from the concrete industry.

He has also been recognized for his service contributions to sustainable construction engineering. In 2017, he was elected as an ACI Fellow and last year he won the Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award from ACI. Beyond his appointment, he was chair of the Mass Concrete Committee, and he is the current vice chair for the Low Carbon Code Committee, Secretary of the Mass Concrete Subcommittee for Specifications, and a voting member on other committees in ACI. He currently serves as the secretary of the Concrete Durability Committee for the Transportation Research Board.

TENURE AND PROMOTIONS Eric “Jing” Du

David Kaplan

Promotion to Full Professor

Promotion to Full Professor

Lili Du

Ana Mohseni

Promotion to Full Professor

Promotion to Instructional Associate Professor

Lily Elefteriardou

Taylor Rawlinson

Awarded the title of Distinguished Professor

Promotion to Associate Engineer

Christopher Ferraro

Siva Srinivasan

Promotion to Associate Professor

Promotion to Full Professor ESSIE.UFL.EDU

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S C H O O L U P D AT E S

REPRESENTATIVES

STRENGTHEN CONNECTIONS

IN LATIN AMERICA

by Reba Liddy

As part of efforts at the University of Florida (UF) Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE) to build relationships in Latin America and explore student and professional exchanges there, representatives from the school embarked on multiple visits to South America this past February. The team completed five site visits to Panama and two to Colombia.

ESSIE representatives included Kyle Riding, Ph.D., a professor, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Ph.D., a University Term Professor, and Nancy McIlrath, the School’s graduate academic coordinator.

Throughout these meetings, the team was able to meet with Eduardo Ortega, Ph.D., the National Secretary of the Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, equivalent to the National Science Foundation, and Edgardo Diaz Ferguson, Ph.D., executive director of the Coiba Scientific Station (COIBA AIP) to discuss student exchanges and research opportunities. They also met with Oris Sanjur, Ph.D., deputy director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, and Jorge Isaac Peren, Ph.D., president of the Society of Panamanian Engineers and Architects (SPIA), and the SPIA’s board members.

“Dr. Otega is extremely influential in helping agencies, faculty and students by considering funding allocations for research and educational purposes,” McIlrath said. “Our meetings with Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Sanjur helped clarify the needs of COIBA AIP and STRI and determined how ESSIE can become more actively involved in the research being performed there.”

During the visit, the school’s representatives had the opportunity to speak with ESSIE alumna Gisselle Esther Guerra Saval, Ph.D., (MS ’12, Ph.D. ‘18).

Dr. Guerra Saval arranged for the group to meet Omar Olmedo Aizpurúa, Ph.D., the newly appointed Rector, or chancellor, of the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP), and other university representatives. The group also visited the Universidad del Norte (UniNorte), Colombia, where they spoke with Julián Arellana, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering, Carlos Arteta, Ph.D., department chair of Civil Engineering, Jeannie

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ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT

S C H O O L U P D AT E S

Caicedo, director for International Cooperation, and other faculty.

“We hope to gain partners in research and student and faculty exchanges in the future,” Dr. Riding said.

“We discussed with prospective students the potential opportunities to study at UF within our master’s and doctoral programs in civil, coastal and environmental engineering, and opportunities for students to improve language skills at the UF English Language Institute.”

WE HOPE TO GAIN PARTNERS IN RESEARCH AND STUDENT AND FACULTY EXCHANGES IN THE FUTURE. Representatives from the School embarked on multiple visits to South America to build relationships and explore student and professional exchanges.

Dr. Valle-Levinson, who served as an interpreter when needed, said it was a highlight to see the willingness of the engineering societies in Colombia and Panama to support students and professionals in education and training activities at UF. The group hopes this visit will continue to strengthen relationships with Latin American students and faculty and increase research opportunities for the school.

The group travelled to Barranquilla, Colombia, to attend the Sociedad Colombiana de Ingenieros (SCI) conference and were met by UF alumna, Paola Castillo. The UF team was invited by the SCI President, Germán Pardo Albarracín, to give a presentation on opportunities at UF that are available for attendees. Albarracín also sponsored an exhibitor’s booth at the event, where UF personnel interacted with congress participants. ESSIE established its first Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Latin American with SCI in 2019. MOUs are agreements that open the door to funding opportunities and the possibility of research collaborations or student exchanges. The SCI organization sponsors a competitive scholarship that also allows the selected participant to receive the Latin American Caribbean scholarship from UF, if admitted to ESSIE. Like the relationship that has been built with SCI, ESSIE is in the process of developing an additional MOU with all the organizations that were visited. The school is initiating these efforts to be university-wide agreements, so any group from UF can explore research and student exchange opportunities with Panama and Colombia.

This visit is part of the school’s graduate recruitment endeavors, spearheaded by McIlrath, to connect with students from around the world, especially in Latin American countries and the Caribbean. Representatives appreciated arrangements by Gladys Bernett, senior EducationUSA advisor and UF Alumna, who coordinated meetings with several Panamanian entities.

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RESEARCHERS TO EXPAND ALGAL BLOOM RESEARCH ALONG FLORIDA COASTS

by Megan Sam

THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AWARDED $2.5 MILLION TO UF AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS TO DEVELOP ADVANCED TOOLS AND DATA FOR PREDICTING AND MANAGING HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS IN FLORIDA’S WATERWAYS.

A team of 11 professional researchers and scientists from the University of South Florida (USF), University of Florida (UF), and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) were awarded a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support the development of new THIS TEAM WILL state-of-the-art water quality THE KNOWLED data and models to better predict TOOLS SURRO and manage harmful algal blooms THESE BLO (HABs) in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee River watersheds.

The three-year grant will fund a new decision support system that will allow end-users to rapidly interpret short term forecasts, predict future HABs, and deliver crucial information and tools.

HABs occur when rapid growth of algae leads to an accumulation of individual cells that, in turn, discolor water, often produce floating mats that produce unpleasant odors, and may negatively impact fish, birds and other animals.

DAVID KAPLAN, PH.D. 10

ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT

C O V E R S T O RY

The research team will take a multidisciplinary approach to fill any knowledge gaps by utilizing water resources modeling, water quality monitoring, physical oceanography, stakeholder engagement, and HAB source tracking, characterization, and prediction.

“The goals of this project are to generate actionable knowledge and develop a tool that will allow managers to better predict and manage HABs in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee River watersheds,” said Wendy Graham, director of the UF Water Institute, a campus-wide interdisciplinary institute that brings scientists and stakeholders together to understand and solve complex water challenges.

“With collaborative interdisciplinary expertise and strategic actions that targets HABs on multiple fronts, this team will advance the knowledge and tools surrounding these blooms, furthering a future of cleaner waters for the state of Florida,” said David Kaplan, director of L ADVANCE the Howard T. DGE AND Odum Center OUNDING for Wetlands OOMS and associate director of the UF Center for Coastal Solutions.

“HABs cause many negative environmental, health, and economic effects throughout the state” said Mauricio Arias, assistant professor at the USF Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and principal investigator for the project. “This three-year

grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supports the development of new state-of-the-art water quality data and models to better predict and manage HABs in this vitally important and environmentally sensitive ecosystem.”

“Improving water quality and addressing harmful algal blooms remains a top priority for the South Florida Water Management District,” said Cassondra Armstrong, Section Administrator of the Coastal Ecosystems Section at the South Florida Water Management District.

“The South Florida Water Management District continues to expedite long-term efforts that improve water quality, and we are taking action now to tackle algal blooms that impact people and the environment. The District continuously works with our federal, state, and local partners to improve water quality and we are thankful to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for this new grant which will enable us to have more data, which will in turn, help the agency implement additional solutions.”

Other key personnel in the project include Detong Sun, from the South Florida Water Management District; UF researchers Maitane Olabarrieta, Ph.D., Elise Morrison, Ph.D., and Edward J. Phlips, Ph.D.; Paloma Carton de Grammont, Ph.D., a research coordinator in the UF Water Institute; Lisa Krimsky, Ph.D., regional water resources extension agent with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and Florida Sea Grant Program; and Qiong Zhang, Ph.D., from USF. Their goals are as diverse as their areas of expertise, from defining drivers of phytoplankton dynamics to improving modeling tools by utilizing the HiPerGator supercomputer at UF, one of the fastest supercomputers in the world.

MAITANE OLABARRIETA, PH.D. ESSIE.UFL.EDU

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BUILT DIFFERENT:

CONCRETE CANOE, STEEL BRIDGE DEFEAT REGIONAL COMPETITION

by Reba Liddy

The University of Florida’s American Society of Civil Engineers (UF ASCE) Concrete Canoe and Eckhoff Steel Bridge teams made history, again. The two design teams placed first in their regional competitions and the collective group, UF ASCE, placed first overall at the Southeast ASCE Student Symposium which was held from March 23rd to 25th at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

STEEL BRIDGE This year, the Student Steel Bridge Competition tasked students to design an innovative prototype bridge that could be used on the Sweetwater River to provide San Diego National Wildlife Refuge visitors access trails along the river.

“The ASCE Regional Conference hosts more than just the Steel Bridge Competition. It is a good opportunity to learn

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ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT

more about the other design teams in the organization, get to know fellow students, and show our support for them,” said Anthony Perez Ortegon, a second-year civil engineering student and logistics manager on the team.

Joseph Brock Sullivan, a first-year structural engineering graduate student and project manager on the team, said the group’s success came from the support of faculty and advisors along with hard work and determination of team members.

“Winning is obviously the biggest highlight of the competition. After nearly nine months of preparation and hard work, nothing is more gratifying than knowing that we are the best in our region and will compete on the national stage again,” Sullivan said.

“Winning your region to earn a place in this annual national

STUDENTS

competition is a tremendous accomplishment for any school,” said Robert Thieke, Ph.D., a concrete canoe faculty advisor and civil engineering department head.

UF will be competing for an unprecedented third consecutive national championship in steel bridge.

CONCRETE CANOE The Concrete Canoe team paddled its way to first place with Incinegator, named due to the coal incineration along the side of the canoe. The team described it as “a canoe prepared to ignite a fire in its wake.”

“We aimed to highlight life-cycle sustainability assessments

as a tool to make concrete environmental gains in the face of a changing climate,” said Lance Fischer, a fourth-year environmental engineering student and project manager on the team. “Many hours went into finishing the canoe over the past two months.”

Jackson Carcaba, a third-year civil engineering student and also a project manager on the team, credits the group for the effort put forth from the beginning. “We have 12 core captains and 14 technicians that make the execution of the project possible. Lance and I may have gotten most of the praise, but they all made our lives easier through their commitment to their respective duties, and I can’t express the level of appreciation I have for every one of them.”

STEEL BRIDGE

CONCRETE CANOE

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STUDENTS

STUDENTS WIN BIG AT THE ITE COLLEGIATE TRAFFIC BOWL

by Ada Lang

UFTI students took a big Gator bite out of the competition at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Florida Puerto Rico District Traffic Bowl’s competition, held in Orlando, FL. Bryce Grame, Renan Favero, Ryan Kenis and Kirk (Yanjun) Shi attended the event. As a result, the team will be going to Portland, Ore., to compete in the Collegiate Traffic Bowl Grand Championship.

In 2009, ITE student chapters from the United States and Canada began participating in the ITE Collegiate Traffic Bowl. It features teams of up to three students who get to test their collective knowledge about transportation planning and engineering topics, as well as some fun categories, in a jeopardy-style game. Since Traffic Bowl was established, GatorITE team won the Florida District round eight times, advancing to the international round.

The team has also won the international championship twice.

Founded in 1930, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international membership association of transportation professionals who work to improve mobility and safety for all transportation system users and help

From left: Kirk (Yanjun) Shi, Bryce Grame, Ryan Kenis, and Renan Favero.

build smart and livable communities. Through its products and services, ITE promotes professional development and career advancement for its members, supports and encourages education, identifies necessary research, develops technical resources including standards and recommended practices, develops public awareness programs and serves as a conduit for the exchange of professional information.

HONORS AND AWARDS Nicholas Chin • Spring 2023 UF Water Institute Travel Award

Alexis Jackson • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Yiyang (Calvin) Kang • SNRE Symposium Best Poster Presentation • SWS William Conner Student Travel Award • UF IFAS Travel Grant • SNRE Travel Grant • SWS Global Change Ecology Section Travel Grant

Leanne Olson • CDM Smith Fellowship Award

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ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT

Sharmin Siddiqui • Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education Postdoctoral Fellowship • 2023 Presidential Management Fellow Finalist, United States Office of Personnel Management

Jiahua Qiu • Ken Courage Scholarship

Elizabeth Volpe • 2023 Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion • Editor’s Choice Award in the Journal of Civil Engineering Education

UNDEFEATED STREAK CONTINUES Students Secure Second Design Competition Victory

by Reba Liddy In a feat of ingenuity and teamwork, a group of University of Florida students from the Solid Waste Systems Design course placed first at a recent design competition. Their dedication and problem-solving skills propelled them to first place in the 2023 International Solid Waste Design Competition organized by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA).

The students displayed their exceptional abilities to tackle the pressing challenges of solid waste management, securing their position as industry leaders.

This marks the second time in five years that UF emerged as undefeated champions. The team, comprised of students from the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE), also claimed the Best Presentation Award during the Awards Ceremony and Networking Event held in April.

in environmental engineering and competition participant. “To help the county decide, we did a costbenefit analysis of the economic, environmental and social impacts each method resulted in.”

The team spent three months, roughly 700 working hours, interviewing professionals in the field, visiting

of practice in the Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences within ESSIE, who served as a faculty advisor by providing them with insights on waste management solutions. Dr. Laux has over 35 years of experience in solid waste management system design.

“We really appreciate the support of Professor Laux and the other industry professionals who shared their time and knowledge to help us learn about organics composting and RNG production,” said Hannah Sackles, an environmental engineering master’s student and team member.

In addition to Bielecki and Sackles, the team included Jordan Magnuson, Kevin Nguyen and Sean Plechy, all students within the Department of Environmental From left: Kevin Nguyen, Sean Plechy, Hannah Sackles, Engineering Sciences. The group and Jordan Magnuson (not pictured: Julie Bielecki). explored four scenarios to consider which would have the most facilities in Florida and conducting This annual competition tasks positive economic, environmental and extensive research to solve this participants with finding solutions to social impacts on the county. After issue. Since there were two methods, the daily struggles that solid waste completing their evaluations, they they explored both options. The professionals face. This year, students suggested implementing a renewable first method focused on separating were challenged with comparing two natural gas facility would be the organic materials, like food scraps options for managing organic waste in best option. To view their complete and garbage, and using them to make an unidentified county. presentation, visit the SWANA compost. The second solution sends Competition website. organic waste to a landfill, where it “The county was considering either separating the organic waste at homes decomposes and produces landfill gas, “We are very honored and proud which can then be used as a renewable to have won First Place and Best and diverting it to a composting facility or installing a renewable natural natural gas.

Presentation among a great group gas plant that can capture the organic of student teams from the U.S. and The team expressed appreciation waste decay's gas to be converted to Canada,” Sackles said. for Steven Laux, Ph.D., a professor energy,” said Julie Bielecki, a senior ESSIE.UFL.EDU

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ARTICLE IN REVIEW ALUMNI

GENER ATIONS OF GATOR ENGINEERS

CREATE A LIFELONG LEGACY

by Reba Liddy

LARRY SMITH SR. PAVED THE WAY FOR HIS SON, LARRY SMITH JR., TO EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATION

Born and raised in Gainesville, Lawrence “Larry” Smith Jr. (BSCE, ’85) knew that he would one day be a Gator just like his father, Lawrence “Larry” Smith Sr. (BSCE, ‘55, MSCE, ‘66).

“My Dad was definitely one of the most influential people in my life. From a very early age, I knew I wanted to be like him,” Smith said. “I can remember my dad talking about asphalt, concrete, aggregate, bridges and roadways my entire life. I guess I was going to be a civil engineer from the day I was born.”

Smith’s experience as an undergraduate was filled with a mixture of hard work and fun. He spent most of his time in the libraries or at sporting events. He frequented Library West and Smathers Library, then called Library East, and made time to watch the Gators play football, basketball and gymnastics.

He was part of the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) Student Chapter, where he participated in the annual Concrete Canoe competition, and in his senior year, was named the second

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vice president. In between studying and extracurriculars, his most notable experience is when he met his wife, Maggie, during summer break, and now they are embarking on celebrating 38 years of marriage later this year.

Smith was aware that real-world experience in his career would add to his lifelong learning in civil engineering.

There was a long road prior to Smith becoming CEO of DRMP in 2022. After graduating, Smith was a project manager at HNTB for two years, where he learned about plan production and roadway design in the highway department. Then, he joined DRMP and hasn’t looked back.

“I started as an entry-level engineering intern in the Drainage Department.

I had some great mentors that I was fortunate to work with, and they helped me advance my career,” Smith said. “I never imagined that I would be the CEO one day.”

His three-decade tenure at DRMP allowed him to advance within the company. After spending five years

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in DRMP’s Drainage Department, he transferred to the Land Develop Department as a project manager and later was promoted to department manager. In 1999, he was named vice president and joined the Board of Directors. He was named chief operating officer in 2013 and took the role of CEO in 2019. He is also president and CEO of Trilon Transportation Platform, which is one of four platforms within the Trilon family. Trilon is bringing together some of the best infrastructure consulting firms throughout North America.

Although his father’s path from being the first college graduate in his family and working in the public sector differed from Smith’s path in private industry, his father instilled the importance of giving back and being involved.

“My father served on the Civil and Coastal (now ESSIE) Advisory Board for decades. Because he lived in Gainesville, he made himself available to both staff and students. He was always an active member in both the Florida Engineering

ALUMNI

I WAS GOING TO BE A CIVIL ENGINEER FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN Society and the ASCE where he held many positions and served on several committees,” Smith said. “He was also awarded the Bryon Spangler Distinguished Service Award and was the first inductee into the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering’s Hall of Fame.”

Honoring a Legacy by Empowering the Next Generation Smith wanted to honor his father’s legacy after his passing in 2021.

“In recognition of my father’s accomplishments and both of my parents’ dedication to the University of Florida, our family has established as endowment known as the ‘Larry and Ann Smith Fund’,” Smith said.

From left: Larry Smith Jr., his wife, Maggie Smith; father, Larry Smith Sr.; and mother, Ann Smith.

Established in 2022, the fund was created to honor his parents’ contributions to UF, especially to the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering. The fund will support an Undergraduate Teaching Scholar who will work in assisting an instructor in the classroom and laboratories within Civil Engineering.

Smith’s advice for current students and recent graduates is to be prepared to learn and to forge their own paths.

“My father’s legacy is a tough one to follow. However, the values that he instilled in me have helped me to be dedicated and committed to not only my profession but to my family,” Smith said. “Before you follow a parent’s footsteps in a particular field, make sure it’s really what you want to do. I was lucky — I cannot imagine doing anything else.”

Top: Ann and Larry Smith created the The Larry and Ann Smith Fund to support an Undergraduate Teaching Scholar in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering.

Right: Larry Smith Jr.’s children Amy (left), Michael (right) and Matthew (far right) take a family photo with grandparents, Larry Smith Sr. (left) and Ann Smith (middle).

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RESEARCH

DENISE R. SIMMONS, PH.D.

EXPANDING PATHWAYS FOR BLACK ENGINEERS

by Shawn Jenkins As the demand grows for a diverse pool of future researchers, faculty and Ph.D.-level hires, the dynamics that affect the recruitment and retention of Black doctoral engineering students come under necessary scrutiny. Black students historically are among the smallest demographics of enrollment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, and researchers at the University of Florida have hypothesized that a culture that builds ‘agency’ is fundamental to boosting the number of Black engineers by cultivating a professional identity.

“Agency is the ability to perceive and enact change within one’s environment,” said Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering and associate dean for Workforce Development in the Herbert Wertheim College of

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Engineering. “What that requires is a certain amount of self-efficacy — the ability to believe in one’s own ability to do something. Organizations need people. And employees are, likewise, trying to determine what organization they want to be a part of. The nexus between the two is where I like to focus my research.”

Dr. Simmons is the principal investigator for the $1.28 million, four-year project, “Critical Conversations: Systemic and Agentic Empowerment of Black Ph.D. Students and their Faculty Advisors in Engineering,” which is sponsored by the Racial Equity in STEM Education program, an initiative of the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources (EHR) division that supports racial equity in STEM. The interdisciplinary research team includes Dr. Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education,

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and Jasmine McNealy, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Media Production in the College of Journalism and Communications.

In this project, academic partners will help refine and co-develop materials, procedures and policies to mitigate racial inequities in their respective disciplines. One of the focal points of this work will be to explore agency and to investigate and uncover coping and advocacy strategies in engineering. Critical communication strategies and policy strategies for instituting change and empowerment within engineering and engineering education will also be addressed.

“We hope to effect systemic change in this nexus by bringing these students and academic partners together in the small scale, then developing tools, strategies and methods for how this is done between them in the larger context across academia,” Dr. Simmons said.

RESEARCH

ANIMAL ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS MUCH STRONGER DRIVER OF SALT MARSH ACCRETION THAN EXPECTED SINÉAD M. CROTTY, PH.D.

by Sharon Ryan The fate of coastal ecosystems depends on their ability to keep pace with sea-level rise—yet projections of accretion, the process by which marshes build up vertically, have widely ignored effects of animal ecosystem engineers. Researchers at the University of Florida (UF) and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research combined observational, experimental, digital mapping and modelling work to show that ecosystem engineering by mussels in Southeastern U.S. salt marshes is a much stronger driver of accretion rates than expected, as shown in a new study recently published in Nature Communications.

“This result suggests that animals may have a far greater role in helping coastal systems adapt to climate change than previously thought,” said lead author Sinéad M. Crotty, associate director of science of the Carbon Containment Lab at Yale University who earned a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from UF in 2019. “Up to now, there’s been no study showing this connection.”

To first see whether mussels contribute to marsh accretion at smaller scales, Dr. Crotty and UF doctoral students Hallie Fischman and Sydney Williams set up several

experiments on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Results from these experiments were used by UF doctoral student Daniele Pinton and Alberto Canestrelli, Ph.D., assistant professor at UF, to build a numerical model, called Delft-3D-BIVALVES, the first model of marsh accretion to include mussel effects. The goal of this model was to predict the size of mussel effects at landscape scales.

UP TO NOW, THERE’S BEEN NO STUDY SHOWING THIS CONNECTION. Then, to test the real-world implications of experiments and numerical modeling, Dr. Crotty and a team of UF students conducted a large-scale mussel removal and addition experiment, which involved removing more than 200,000 Atlantic ribbed mussels, Geukensia demissa, by hand and moving them to a new location. Collin Ortals, Ph.D., geospatial data engineer with the UF Center for Coastal Solutions, built a digital elevation model to assess how the presence of mussels affected

either the gain or loss in elevation of the marsh surface.

“We found that, in reality, the effects of mussels are far greater than predicted by the models, and occur at large, landscape scales,” Dr. Crotty said.

The findings suggest that initiatives to protect and restore coastal areas, specifically efforts to support these systems in adapting to climate change, should consider a larger suite of organisms. In the case of salt marshes, mussels may be the key ‘difference maker,’ Dr. Crotty said.

In addition to coastal defense, salt marshes, which stretch over one million acres of the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast, supply many other ecosystem services.

“Salt marshes are vital to the cultural identity, economic security and health of the millions of residents that live along the coast in this region,” said Christine Angelini, Ph.D., UF associate professor and project lead. “These wetlands sustain valuable recreational and commercial fisheries, such as blue crabs, oysters and shrimp, and they store large quantities of carbon, thereby helping offset the impacts of climate change.”

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