About the UNM Department of Civil Engineering
The UNM Department of Civil Engineering is New Mexico’s premier and most comprehensive department of civil engineering. Housed within UNM’s impressive Centennial Engineering Center (CEC), the Department has more faculty than all other CE departments in the state combined and offers active research programs in construction, environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources engineering.
The CE Department offers accredited bachelor’s programs in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Construction Engineering. Students in our program have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, in addition to an exceptional faculty dedicated to teaching critical thinking, teamwork, communication skills, and engineering fundamentals through a combination of laboratory experience, practical field work, and classroom instruction.
The Department of Civil Engineering moved into the CEC building in the fall of 2008. The facility is home to spacious classrooms; hydraulics, environmental, and structures laboratories; and state-of-the-art equipment that affords students unique research opportunities and exceptional hands-on experience.
Eyes on the Future
Sustainability within civil engineering – within engineering as a whole, for that matter – is becoming an increasingly important concept. As civil engineers, construction engineers, and construction managers, we are concerned with sustainable infrastructure – green building, intelligent transportation systems, industrial ecology, aquifer management, and smart structures. We have a responsibility to find and implement solutions that balance functionality with environmental efficiency. Engineering is about problem solving. Furthermore, it is about solving problems responsibly, making decisions that affect society positively, and designing sustainable infrastructure that meets the needs of a community without compromising the natural environment or future generations.
The CE Department at UNM is increasing its focus on sustainability in engineering and construction in order to better prepare our students for the future. Our curricula, training, and research focus heavily on the concept of sustainability and we are continuing to add new graduate courses on sustainability in addition to introducing sustainability topics into our undergraduate curriculum. Graduates of our program will be equipped to solve the challenges associated with creating sustainable infrastructure; furthermore, they will be poised for success as leaders and innovators in their respective fields. Read more about our focus on sustainable infrastructure here.
Committment to Success
The CE Department is committed to excellence in education. Our students, faculty, and staff are truly the legs on which we stand. We promote success within our program by fostering a strong community – a community that promotes diversity, camaraderie, respect, and integrity.
Over the past several years, our department has undergone a number of exciting changes that have served to strengthen our position as a leading educator in the engineering and construction disciplines. Since 2002, we have hired seven new faculty members, all of whom have developed active research programs. In 2008, our department moved into the new and impressive Centennial Engineering Center (CEC), home to state-of-the-art technology and research facilities. Students in our program achieve academic and professional success for a number of reasons – they are innovative, intelligent, and forward-thinking; they have the support of dedicated faculty and staff; and they have access to unique research opportunities in the various branches of engineering and construction that are not offered elsewhere in the state of New Mexico.
Diversity
Our department prides itself on fostering a multicultural environment that enriches every program we offer. Students develop a breadth of concepts and thinking from cultural diversity and it is our responsibility as a department to cultivate a community in which all students, faculty, and staff are welcome, respected, and recognized for their unique contributions. Our students come from all reaches of the globe and bring with them unique experiences and backgrounds that truly strengthen the CE Department.
As a department, and within the entire UNM School of Engineering (SOE), diversity is a priority. The September 2010 issue of Hispanic Business magazine ranked the UNM SOE as the fourth-best engineering graduate school for Hispanic students in the nation. We are proud to be part of such a unique community!
Excellence in Research
Civil engineering is an extremely broad field. There are opportunities for research in a number of subjects – structures, roads, bridges, microbiology, and air and water pollution. Some of the current research taking place within the CE Department is concerned with nanotechnology, environmental restoration and rehabilitation, and sustainable water resources management. Learn more about our faculty and their research here.
Community Involvement
The Civil Engineering Department is actively engaged with the community in a variety of ways:
- Education and research collaborations
- Ecomonic development
- Programs to encourage young people to pursue education in science, technology, engineering, and math
During their senior year, undergraduate students in our department work closely with local engineering professionals to carry out a senior project. Students typically work on projects in which they are challenged to solve a real-world problem. The experience of working with a local professional on a real engineering problem is invaluable and incredibly rewarding. In fact, our department recently received a prestigious engineering award from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). The grand prize was awarded to the CE Department Capstone Design Course (CE 497/499) for their project, Integrated Infrastructure Improvements for a Youth Scout Ranch. NCEES selected the UNM CE project specifically for its exceptional promotion of collaboration between the engineering profession and education. Students in the class worked closely with four local engineering professionals to design infrastructure improvements for a youth scouting ranch located in New Mexico.
We believe community involvement is essential to the success of the CE Department and of our students. In addition to collaboration with local professionals, we work hard to encourage young people to pursue degrees in science, math, and engineering related programs. We do this by hosting events on UNM’s campus for local high school students, and by volunteering at events off campus. We also promote community involvement within the department and amongst our own students by supporting student organizations like Engineers Without Borders (EWB) that work to improve the living conditions for people in disadvantaged communities.