News from the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Mexico

Department of Civil Engineering News and Events

EWB Featured in Recent Issue of the ABQ Journal

The UNM student chapter of Engineers Without Borders was recently recognized in the August 3rd issue of the Albuquerque Journal for its work on the Tsimane Development Project. In June, nine members of EWB’s Tsimane Project team – including Dr. Andrew Schuler, current students, and project advisors – traveled to Bolivia to continue efforts in improving the availability of clean drinking water in the Tsimane region of the country. Read about EWB’s trip here.

The article, “Students Help Tribe Get Clean Water,” appeared on page C1 of the Journal and highlighted EWB’s accomplishments and project goals. Check out the article here; subscription is required but you may use a Trial Access Pass for onetime viewing.

Great job to all of those involved in EWB's Bolivia Project!

New M. Eng. Degree

Starting in Fall 2011, UNM will offer a Master of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering. Now students can choose between two distinct paths for their advanced degrees in civil engineering: the new Master of Engineering degree is a practice-oriented program that does not require a thesis, while the Master of Science degree is research-oriented and does require a thesis. UNM is the only institution to offer the Master of Engineering degree as well as degrees in Construction Engineering and Construction Management in the state of New Mexico.

Related Documents

Learn more about the new degree here.

CE Courses on Sustainability

Sustainability is a word we hear often and in many different contexts. As civil engineering and construction students, we are concerned with sustainable infrastructure – green building, intelligent transportation systems, resource management, water and wastewater treatment facilities, etc. There is a growing demand in both government and industry for professionals who are equipped to find solutions to complex problems involving sustainable development. As the CE Department continues to increase its focus on sustainable infrastructure, students can look forward to a number of new graduate-level courses in sustainability.

CE Sustainability Courses

Learn more about these classes here.

Engineers Without Borders

The UNM student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is making big strides in improving the living conditions for people in disadvantaged communities both in New Mexico and thousands of miles away in Bolivia. Students who volunteer their time to EWB work hard and face many challenges, but the educational and professional experience they gain in return is invaluable.

UNM Civil Engineering Student Receives Hydro Research Foundation Fellowship

Ryan Morrison, who is pursuing a Ph.D in Civil Engineering at UNM, recently received a prestigious two-year, $94,000 fellowship from the Hydro Research Foundation. Fellows are selected based on research vision, innovation, academic performance, potential for leadership and overall strength of their research proposal. Morrison.s fellowship is for his study on analysis methods and modeling… Read More

Civil Engineering Students, Staff, and Faculty Honored The 2011 School of Engineering Annual Awards ceremony recently recognized the many hard-working and talented students, faculty, and staff within UNM’s engineering community. The CE Department would like to highlight the successes of its outstanding student award winners, who have shared their thoughts on the UNM experience.
Continue reading about the student award winners here.

Shadow a WISE Student Day

On Wednesday, April 27 Ball Aerospace and the UNM Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program hosted “Shadow a WISE Student Day.” The Civil Engineering Department was featured during this year’s event, and visiting students from Albuquerque High School were given a special introduction to civil engineering along with the opportunity to visit classes, observe laboratory demonstrations, interact with students, and get a general feel for what it means to be a Lobo.

Albuquerque High student Andrea Romo shadows C. Ariana Plant.

Student Feature: Lauren Jaramillo

Engineering students are no strangers to demanding courses and difficult schedules; finding a proper school/life balance is a struggle we all face. Despite the many pressures and demands, however, there are some who not only excel in class, but also work, exercise, participate in student organizations and, believe it or not, have fun. Senior Lauren Jaramillo is one such student. Her story reminds us that not only is it possible to successfully balance school with other activities, but that you can do it with a smile on your face.

Continue reading to learn more about Lauren’s experience as a CE student.

Graduate Students Inducted into Honor Society

CE doctoral students Mohammad Jalalpour and Eslam Soliman have been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, a national academic honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all fields of higher education. Those elected to membership in Phi Kappa Phi include the upper 10% of students in their respective colleges. This is an outstanding academic honor, and we wish to congratulate both of our students.

Students, Staff, and Faculty Celebrate E-Week

Only one small bag of trash was collected after nearly 500 UNM students, staff and faculty enjoyed a “minimal waste lunch” organized by faculty in the UNM Civil Engineering Department as a part of Engineering Week.

Continue reading to learn more about the E-Week event.

High School Students Discover Engineering at UNM

The third annual Bryant W. Lemon Sr. Distinguished Lecture was held on Thursday, Feb. 27th and was part of the UNM School of Engineering celebration of National Engineers Week. This year's distinguished lecturerer was Dr. Kerry Howe, UNM Civil Engineering Associate Professor. Howe talked to approximately 100 students from Rio Rancho High School, AIMS@UNM, and ACE Leadership High School about engineering, construction, and construction engineering. The students also participated in a range of activities to utilize the imagination and analytical skills of engineers and constructors.

Dr. Bruce Thomson elected to Flood Control Board of Directors

Bruce Thomson, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of UNM’s Water Resources Program, has begun a new adventure in politics. In the November 2010 general election, he ran for and won a seat on the Board of Directors of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA).

Students and Faculty Visit Elephant Butte Dam

Students and faculty from the Civil Engineering Department and the Water Resources Program toured Elephant Butte Dam near Truth or Consequences, NM on January 6th. Galan Hanson of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation hosted the group for a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the historic structure.

Field Trip to the New I-40 Pedestrian Bridge

On November 23, CE 442 (Hydrology & Hydraulic Engineering) and CE 424 (Steel Design) took a break from the classroom for a combined field trip to the I-40 pedestrian bridge in Albuquerque. UNM graduates and Bohannan Huston engineers, Sean Melville and Tandy Freel discussed various design components including storm water drainage, soil retention, vertical alignment, structural design, and scheduling. Dr. Gerstle talked about bridge design while Dr. Coonrod discussed restoration efforts of the Rio Grande through Albuquerque.

Professor John Stormont Selected as Chair of Civil Engineering

Professor John Stormont has been selected as Chair of the Civil Engineering Department at UNM after having served as interim chair for the past 17 months. He brings 16 years of experience at UNM, 12 years at Sandia National Labs, and is an enthusiastic teacher and active researcher. “Prof. Stormont has accomplished important objectives as Interim Chair, including engaging the department in developing a strategic plan and preparing the department for accreditation reviews,” said UNM School of Engineering Interim Dean Arup Maji. “I am confident that he will now be able to focus more on the strategic goals of the department, along with hiring new faculty.” Stormont’s research interests are related to geo-environmental issues associated with mining operations and landfills, unsaturated hydrology, and geomechanics. He has brought in more than $3.2 million of externally funded research and has been principal advisor to 19 Masters and 4 PhD students. He is a registered professional engineer in New Mexico and received his PhD from the University of Arizona in 1990.

Candyce Torres Wins Staff Recognition Award

The Office of the President and the Staff Council announced that Candyce Torres is one of three recipients of the 2010 Gerald W. May Staff Recognition Award. This year, the Staff Council Rewards and Recognition Committee received 39 nominations. Committee Chair, Kathy McKinstry said, "We were excited to receive so many nominations. It's amazing to read about all the dedicated, hard-working staff that we have on this campus." Congratulations to Candyce!

Bridge Load Rating Project

The Department of Civil Engineering has a contract with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to load-rate 80 bridges per year. The purpose is to produce bridge information models of all of New Mexico’s bridges, to structurally rate the bridges, and to identify those bridges that require structural remediation. The project, led by Professor Walter Gerstle, has so far employed five graduate students: Scott Chapman, Kelly Montoya, Artemio Zavala, Bhanu Kiran Tuniki, and Asif Rahman. The students have learned a great deal about bridge design by reading bridge plans and entering bridge information into the VIRTIS bridge information modeling system. The project is funded at the level of approximately $100,000 per year over five years.

Lunch for the FE and PE Exam

The UNM Chapter of Chi Epsilon, with funding from the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers, provided lunch on Civic Plaza in Albuquerque on October 29 and October 30 for approximately 150 people taking the Fundamentals of Engineering and the Professional Engineers’ Exams. Kelly Montoya, Chi Bui, Jeff Samson, Karen Jacobsen, Chris Johnson and Walter Gerstle provided and served the lunch.

International Workshop on Energy and Environment

Professors Rafi Tarefder and Kerry Howe have organized an International Workshop on Energy and Environment in the Development of Sustainable Pavements. The workshop was sponsored by National Science Foundation (USA) and National Natural Science Foundation (China). The workshop was held in Xian, China, June 7-9, 2010. Workshop details and presentations can be found at http://www.unm.edu/~tarefder/workshop

Scharrer Awareded AAUW Selected Professions Fellowship

Amelia Scharrer has been awarded an AAUW Selected Professions Fellowship for the 2010-2011 academic year. Selected Professions Fellowships provide opportunities for women to pursue degrees in fields where women traditionally have been underrepresented. Amelia is studying for her Masters degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Construction Engineering and Management. Her research interest is in developing new methods to overcome cross-cultural communication barriers related to construction safety.

Taha Wins American Concrete Institute Award

Mahmoud Reda Taha, associate professor & Regents’ Lecturer of Civil Engineering (Cross appointed to Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering) has been presented the 2010 Walter P. Moore Jr. Faculty Achievement Award by the American Concrete Institute. This national award recognizes Taha’s dedication and commitment to student involvement in concrete research and his ability to connect theory with practice in the classroom.

Stone Awarded NSF Grant

Dr. Mark Stone was recently awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to investigate the influence of riparian vegetation on flood waves. The aim of the research is to improve tools used to predict flood wave propagation and the effectiveness of riparian restoration in reducing the risk of flooding. Read More

Taha Receives Junior Faculty Research Excellence Award

Mahmoud Reda Taha, associate professor & Regents’ Lecturer of Civil Engineering was awarded the School of Engineering (2009-2010) Junior Faculty Research Excellence Award. The award recognized Taha’s achievement on research in the field of nanotechnology, biomechanics and structural composites.

CE Capstone Course Wins National Award

The Civil Engineering Department Capstone Course has been awarded a prestigious "Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education" by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). This award recognizes engineering programs for engaging their students in collaborative projects with professional licensed engineers. UNM’s submittal for the award emphasized our Capstone Course’s unique integration of construction management and civil engineering skills into a design/build project format. Read More

Tarefder Named Editor of the IACMAG Newsletter

Dr. Rafi Tarefder has become the Editor of the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG) Newsletter. IACMAG has been active for over two decades (http://www.iacmag.org/). IACMAG organizes international conferences about every three years; the 13th will be held in Australia in 2011. It participates in other activities such as cosponsoring the International Journal of Geomechanics published by the ASCE, cosponsoring other international and national conferences, symposia and short courses, and publication of the Newsletter. IACMAG Newsletter is published twice a year with items useful to the geomechanics community such as personal and community news, conference and course news, and technical articles including those for ongoing research at international institutions.

Thomson Wins the 2010 New Mexico Earth Science Achievement Award

Civil Engineering Professor Bruce Thomson is the co-recipient of the 2010 New Mexico Earth Science Achievement Award "for outstanding contributions advancing the role of earth science in areas of applied science and education in New Mexico." Bruce was honored with the award in the rotunda of the state capitol building on February 4 during the legislative session. The award is sponsored by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, and was established in 2003 to honor "champions of earth science issues vital to the future of New Mexico.

New Book Released by Professor Ross

The first edition of Fuzzy Logic with Engineering Applications (1995) was the first classroom text for undergraduates in the field; the second edition was published in (2004). Now updated for the second time, the new third edition (2010) features the latest advances in the field including material on expansion of the "Modified Learning From Examples" method using genetic algorithms, cognitive mapping, fuzzy agent-based models, and recent advances in approximate possibility distributions.