The dense urban concentration of megacities creates new environmental problems, associated with consumption, transportation and utilization of resources. Viterbi experts are pioneering new methodologies. Constantinos Sioutas has carried out, by far, the most detailed and accurate measurements of soot and dust pollution in the Los Angeles area at the USC Southern California Particle Center, filling a major gap in knowledge about conditions. By enabling medical researchers to look for medical correlations to pollution levels, Sioutas is undergirding the important discipline of environmental health. Ronald Henry has long been an expert in air quality. Joe Devinny used bacteria to get rid of noxious vapors from wastewater, and his work estimating costs for storm-
najmedin Meshkati
Costas Synolakis
Constantinos Sioutas
Joe Devinny
drain water treatment last year won him an award from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. A team led by Mike Pirbazari developed ways to clean up water contaminated by gasoline and other pollutants. Teh Fu Yen has pioneered an innovative multiagent process using bacteria, fungi and other methods to clean up highly dangerous toxic waste. Energy, water and other resources issues are of equally critical dimension in a megacity context. Don Zhang, who recently joined the Viterbi School, specializes in modeling and the study of the complex movement and changes in groundwater, as well as the potential of geological formations as holding places for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Carbon sequestration is of key and immediate concern to the use
Geoff Martin
Don Zhang
1995 CEE teams up with contracter C.C. Myers to strengthen freeways to make them more quake-safe.
1993 Center for Research in Environmental science, Policy, and Engineering (CREsPE) founded with the usC College and The Chemical Engineering department
1997 founding of international institute for innovative Risk Reduction Research for Civil infrastructure systems Minor in Construction Planning and Management established
1992–1996 geoff Martin, Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering department 1996–2006 l. Carter Wellford, Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering department 1992 Master of Construction Management (MCM) program founded
1994 Association of general Contractors (AgC) student Chapter formed
SPRING 2008 VitErBi.USC.EDU
1998 Master of Engineering in Computer-aided Engineering established