Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering
George Mason University
CEIE News and Events
Engineers Across Borders
The GMU student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers visited Paris this year for an international engineering education trip, from January 6 to 13. The group was accompanied by faculty advisor, Dr. Barry Liner. The group visited the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees (LCPC, or Central Laboratory for Bridges and Roads) where Dr. Jean-Francios Semblat,
Director of the Dynamics, Waves, and Vibrations Unit of the LCPC's Division for Soil and Rock Mechanics and Engineering Geology, presented a discussion on seismic impacts of urban development. After the seminar, the students toured LCPC's soil mechanics and structural laboratories, under the direction of Dr. Myriam Duc. The group also attended an workshop on the use of earth as a building material. The cultural highlights of the trip included day trips to the WWII Normandy Beaches and to Versailles. Of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without touring the Eiffel tower, for both the structural engineering aspects and cultural significance.
$1.3 million Department of Transportation Research Contract Awarded
CEIE Dewberry Professor Emeritus Dr. Mike Bronzini, newly-appointed research professor Dr. K.T. Thirumalai, and CEIE associate professor Dr.
Mohan Venigalla have been awarded a two-year $1.3 million research contract to evaluate the advantages of diverting freight movement along
the I-95 corridor from highways to inland and coastal waterways (Short Sea Shipping). Short sea shipping has been practiced for several decades in Europe. The potential advantages of short sea shipping include reduced congestion in highways, reduced emissions and fuel use for moving freight, and reduced stress on highway infrastructure. The research will produce guidelines and evaluation tools for shipping operators, port authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, and state and local transportation engineers who will implement these system. The George Mason University Consortium research partners in the project are GeoEye, Inc., in Herndon VA; CSC Advanced Marine Center in Washington DC; Rutgers University in NJ; the German Aerospace Center in Berlin; the Virginia Department of Transportation; and the I-95 Corridor Coalition.
Annual CEI Board Meeting
Close to 200 engineers, students, and faculty attended the annual meeting of the Civil Engineering Institute (CEI) on Tuesday, January 27, in Dewberry Hall. The event marked the transition in CEI leadership from Mr. Ron Ewing, of Dewberry, to Mr. Bill Fry of Accenture; new board members were nominated and elected. The CEI Executive Director and Chairman of the Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering Department, Dr. Deborah Goodings, presented the CEI Annual Report, which provides a general overview of the department. She also used the event to describe the opportunities that a steady and marked expansion in both undergraduate and graduate student enrollment is permitting the department to undertake. The event concluded with an insightful presentation by General Henry Hatch, CEI's 2010 Engineering Excellence and Leadership awardee, on Engineering a Sustainable Future. The event was made possible with the generous support of CEI members.
New S2010 course: Sustainable Water Resources Infrastructure in Developing Countries
Twenty-six students in civil engineering and closely aligned sciences are enrolled in CEIE's first offering of CEIE690, Sustainable Water Resources Infrastructure in Developing Countries, taught by visiting assistant professor, Dr. Barry Liner. The course deals with the principles of infrastructure engineering and planning in developing countries, with a particular focus on sustainable technologies for rural and small-scale water and wastewater. It also incorporates technical, socio-cultural, public health, and economic factors into the planning and design of water and sanitation systems. Upon completion, students will be able to design simple, yet reliable, water supply and sanitation systems for developing countries designed to be compatible with local customs and available human and material resources.
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering is accredited by the ABET EAC.
We are constantly planning and assessing our curricula to meet the latest Civil Engineering Program requirements and to comply with ASCE's vision in the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge.
