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Headlines from the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering:
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Luciana Barroso |
Dr. Luciana Barroso, associate professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, received a 2008 University-level Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching on April 29 in Rudder Theater. The Distinguished Achievement Awards are presented annually by Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students to recognize outstanding members of Texas A&M’s faculty and staff for their commitment, performance and positive impact on Aggie students, Texas citizens and the world around them.
“I am extremely honored to receive this award, particularly since my nomination came from the Student Engineers Council,” said Barroso. “I believe my fundamental role as an educator is to develop a mentoring relationship with my students in order to develop their scholarship in the field. The fact that the students recognize and appreciate my efforts in this area is deeply rewarding, in both a personal and a professional level.”
Seven Dwight Look College of Engineering faculty and staff members were among the 24 recipients of the 2008 awards. Each honoree received a $4,000 check, an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque.
The Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University honored outstanding faculty and staff at its annual spring banquet held on April 23. Ten faculty and staff of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering were recognized.
Dr. Robert Randall was named a Halliburton Foundation Professor. Dr. Mark W. Burris was recognized as the Charles H. Barclay, Jr. ’45 Faculty Fellow. Dr. Kelly Brumbelow received the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Excellence in Engineering Teaching Award. Dr. Paolo Gardoni was named a Texas Engineering Experiment Station Select Young Faculty. Senior Academic Advisor Richard Bartoskewitz was recognized for receiving a University-level Distinguished Achievement Award for Individual Student Relations from the Association of Former Students.
Dr. Burris and Dr. Francisco Olivera were recognized for receiving tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, effective Sept. 1, 2007. Associate Professor Dr. Gene Hawkins was recognized for receiving tenure, also effective Sept. 1, 2007. Drs. Giovanna Biscontin and Patrick Lynett received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, effective Sept. 1, 2008. Dr. Randall and Dr. David Trejo were recognized as 2007-2008 endowed professors.
The Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University will be offering two short courses during the month of June. The Shrink-Swell Soils course will be offered June 19-20 and will cover topics such as suction measurements, flow properties, slope stability, and retaining walls. The Soil Erosion course will be June 26-27, covering fundamental concepts in soil mechanics and fluid dynamics, bridge scour, surface and beach erosion, and meander migration. These courses are endorsed by the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. To register for these courses or for more information please visit http://ceprofs.tamu.edu/briaud/ or call (979) 845-3795.
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Dallas Little |
Dr. Dallas Little has been selected to deliver the Kent Distinguished Lecture in Transportation Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) on April 10. Little holds the E.B. Snead Chair Professorship in materials engineering in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University. He also serves as Associate Director of the Center for Aggregates Research and as a senior research fellow at the Texas Transportation Institute.
“It is a huge honor for me personally to be so honored by this preeminent department and distinguished colleagues with whom I have had the pleasure of working,” said Dr. Little. “I have the honor of holding a [master’s] degree from UIUC, which makes this all the more special”.
The topic of Little’s lecture will be “Using Thermodynamics and Molecular Properties to Help Solve Civil Engineering Materials Problems: Perspectives on Self-Healing and Deleterious Chemical Reactions in Pavement Materials.”
The Kent Distinguished Lecture was established by UIUC’s civil engineering department two years ago to recognize leaders in the transportation field who have made significant contributions to the advancement of transportation research.
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Jennifer Irish |
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Patrick Lynett |
The U.S. Department of the Army has presented prestigious civilian awards to Drs. Jennifer Irish and Patrick Lynett, assistant professors of coastal and ocean engineering in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Irish received the Superior Civilian Service Award, which is the third highest Department of the Army honorary award granted by a Commander. Lynett received the Commander’s Award for Public Service, the fourth highest public service honorary award that may be granted to a private citizen.
The professors were recognized for their contributions as members of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET), which was established by the Chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide scientific and engineering answers to questions about the performance of the New Orleans hurricane and flood protection system during Hurricane Katrina. Irish and Lynett worked alongside some of the nation’s leading engineers and scientists from government, academia and private industry to help provide insight and information necessary for the reconstitution of New Orleans and its hurricane protection system.
“We are enormously proud of the professional service of Professor Irish and Professor Lynett in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,” said Dr. David Rosowsky, civil engineering department head and A.P. and Florence Wiley Chair. “Their recognition shines brightly on our entire department and on Texas A&M University.”
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The 37th Dredging Short Course |
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Dr. Randall explains a dredge pump testing demonstration in the Dredging Laboratory |
A record number of participants attended Texas A&M University’s 37th Dredging Engineering Short Course, held Jan. 7-11.
The Center for Dredging Studies in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering sponsored the course, which drew more than 60 participants, hailing from as far as Brazil and Australia and representing consulting firms, Corps of Engineers, dredging contractors, ports and state agencies.
This short course covered a wide range of dredging and dredged material placement topics, such as wetland creation, sediment resuspension, beneficial uses of dredged material and a case study of island reclamation projects in the Arab state of Bahrain.
Lecturers included Texas A&M University’s Dr. Billy Edge, Bauer Professor and director of the Reta and Bill Haynes '46 Coastal Engineering Laboratory, Dr. Bob Randall, professor and director of the Center for Dredging Studies, and Dr. Charles Aubeny, associate professor in civil engineering’s Construction, Geotechnical & Structural Engineering Division, as well as 16 industry professionals
For more information, please visit http://oceaneng.civil.tamu.edu/.
Texas A&M University’s chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (TAMU-ITE) has won the Best Student Chapter Award at the Texas district level of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). The annual award recognizes the outstanding chapter in the Texas district of ITE, which includes seven student chapters, and the winner advances to ITE headquarters to compete for the international award. Jon Re, a graduate student in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and a TAMU-ITE officer, won the award for Best Student Paper.
Founded in 1930, ITE is an international organization of transportation professionals. TAMU-ITE works to promote the transportation engineering profession while encouraging students to find out more about the field and its opportunities and challenges. Please visit http://stuact.tamu.edu/stuorgs/ite/ for more information.
Five Zachry Department of Civil Engineering Students earned awards for their research posters and presentations at the 11th Annual Student Research Week (SRW), held March 24-28.
Participants were divided according to subject and degree level, with multiple sessions within each division. Awards were given in sessions, divisions, and special categories.
Two undergraduate seniors received awards. Chelsea Humbyrd won first prize in Mathematical Sciences and Leslie Gates placed first in her Materials Science session and finished second overall in that division.
Three doctoral students received awards. Joshua Peschel competed in Computational Sciences and received an award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Interdisciplinary Research. Mir Emad Mousavi received second place in Applied Physics and an Environmental and Safety Recognition Award. Srinivas Geedipally won second place in the Systems Engineering division.
SRW includes students from all degree levels and seeks to recognize and celebrate student research at Texas A&M University.
Nevena Vajdic, a graduate student in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, has received a distinguished International Road Federation (IRF) Fellowship. Vajdic is currently earning her master’s degree in construction engineering and management. Dr. Ivan Damnjanovic, assistant professor in the construction, geotechnical and structural engineering division, serves as Vajdic’s faculty advisor.
“It is a great honor to be selected among nominees from all around the world,” said Vajdic, who researches project finance and specifically, analysis of the financial performance of toll roads. “This is a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with my colleagues from other countries and to contribute to the diversification of professional network which is created by the IRF.”
IRF has supported the Fellowship Program for graduate engineers and transportation managers for more than 50 years. Through the International Road Educational Foundation, the IRF awards grants to graduate engineers and other transportation professionals from around the world in support of full-time academic training.
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Edward L. Clancy |
Edward L. Clancy ’65, P.E., L.S., was given the Pat Patterson Surveyor of the Year Award at the 2008 Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association’s (IPLSA) conference in February in Springfield. Clancy graduated from the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University in 1967.
Clancy is Executive Vice President of Berns, Clancy and Associates, with offices in Urbana and Danville, Ill. He is a licensed professional engineer and professional land surveyor in both Illinois and Indiana.
IPLSA presents the award to members who show “consistent involvement in state and local meetings, have demonstrated the ability to enhance the land surveying profession by tutoring new surveyors, and have emphasized continuing education.”
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Amber Holguin receiving the award |
Amber Holguin, a 2004 graduate of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, received the Commander's Award for Public Service from the United States Department of the Army on March 15. Holguin has been serving as an engineer for Kellogg, Brown & Root in Iraq since April 2005.
The Commander's Award for Public Service is the fourth highest honor the United States Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian. As a Director of Engineering in Baghdad, Holguin “designed and engineered over 1322 projects resulting in a secure infrastructure and improved quality of life for Coalition Forces,” and she provided “exceptional service during operation Iraqi Freedom,” according to the award’s text.
This marks the second time that the Army has recognized Holguin’s efforts in Iraq. In 2007, Holguin received a General’s Coin in recognition of her design efforts for the Iraqi-Based Industrial Zone. A General’s Coin is another one of the highest honors that a civilian can receive in Iraq.
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Robert F. Pence |
The Fort Worth Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers has named Robert F. Pence, a 1972 graduate of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, 2008 Engineer of the Year. He was honored Feb. 19 at a banquet commemorating National Engineers Week.
“I’m deeply honored,” said Pence. “This is a tremendous honor to be recognized by your peers and I feel fortunate to work for a company with such great history in Fort Worth. We’ve had great past leadership to help carry it on.”
Pence specializes in water and wastewater engineering and also has a master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M. He began his career at Freese and Nichols as a design engineer in 1978 and has since directed numerous major projects, including the $125 million expansion of the Trinity River Authority’s central regional wastewater treatment plant in the 1990s. Since Pence was named president and CEO of the 114-year-old company in 2002, Freese and Nichols has seen revenues increase 64 percent.
Pence is a member of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering advisory council and is also actively involved in the Fort Worth community as chair of the technology advisory committee for the Fort Worth Independent School District, co-chair of the “Stay in School” initiative and vice-chair of the board of directors for Circle T Council of the Girl Scouts.
