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Postdoctoral research fellow wins two first-place awards at Penn State symposium

12/19/2022

Lissa Melis, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, took home two first-place awards at Penn State’s 15th Annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium.

Conference draws transportation professionals to campus

12/8/2022

Back in-person for the first time since 2019, the annual Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference (TESC) gives industry leaders a chance to connect and share knowledge and ideas.

Eric Donnell named college's associate dean for research

12/7/2022

Eric Donnell will take over as associate dean of research for the College of Engineering at Penn State, effective Jan. 1.

Engineers to explore ways to improve rural-urban commutes

12/1/2022

Penn State researchers have received a planning grant from the Civic Innovation Challenge to study ways to improve rural-urban commutes. The six-month, $50,000 civic-engaged research award is funded by the National Science Foundation in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy.

Climate plays large role in carbon release from streams, researchers find

11/22/2022

A team of Penn State engineers has determined that both water discharge — or the volume of water flowing through a river or stream — and climate itself may have significant influence on dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations in rivers and streams.

Bruce Logan to deliver renewable energy talk to Danish parliament

11/21/2022

Bruce Logan, director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment, Evan Pugh University Professor and Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State, has been invited to speak to the Danish parliament about energy as Europe wrestles with energy costs and insecurity.

Assistant research professor receives innovation, green electrochemistry awards

11/18/2022

Ruggero Rossi, assistant research professor in the Penn State Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has received two awards: the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology 2022 Innovation Award for best technological development, and the International Society for Electrochemisty-Elsevier Prize for Green Electrochemistry.

PJ Dick and Trumbull support engineering facilities expansion with $1M gift

11/16/2022

A $1 million gift from PJ Dick and Trumbull Corporation will name classroom 102 inside West 1, a new engineering facility set to open at University Park in spring 2024. The classroom, which is the largest in the building, will be named the George Mezey and Jeff Turconi Classroom.

Founder of Cold Climate Research Center to give Hankin Lecture Nov. 2

10/27/2022

Jack Hébert, founder of the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) and senior research adviser at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will deliver the 2022 Hankin Distinguished Lecture at 4 p.m. on Nov. 2 via Zoom.

Population aging, economic status may amplify air pollution health impacts

10/24/2022

Population size and economic development drawbacks may outpace the benefits of less pollution and slowed climate change, according to projections by Penn State-led researchers. The team used past and predicted data to model five future scenarios estimating premature deaths due to air pollution, as well as which areas of the world could be the most impacted.

Q&A with Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding

10/21/2022

Steve Bloser, director of Penn State's Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, discusses 25 years of Pennsylvania's Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Roads Program with Department of Agriculture Secretary Redding.

Media mention: ‘Goodbye Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Hello, Luxury Bus?'

10/19/2022

Andisheh Ranjbari, Tracy Early Career Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was quoted in a New York Times article that discussed sleeper and luxury coaches as an alternative to plane and train travel.

Bruce Logan named fellow of international microorganisms and electrodes society

10/13/2022

Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh University Professor and Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, has been named a fellow of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology.

28 new faculty members join the College of Engineering

10/6/2022

Twenty-eight new faculty members have joined the Penn State College of Engineering since the end of the spring semester. The 17 tenured or tenure-line members and 11 non-tenure-line members represent 12 units and departments and include two new department heads.

Min Liew: ‘I Engineer Resiliency’

9/22/2022

The “I Engineer” campaign highlights excellence across Penn State’s College of Engineering and how the college is made stronger by the diversity of perspectives, experiences and backgrounds of those in the engineering community. Featured here is Min Liew, recent recipient of a Penn State doctoral degree in civil engineering. CoE Headline: Min Liew: ‘I Engineer Resiliency’

Grad student earns fellowship for extraterrestrial concrete research

9/20/2022

Peter Collins, doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering at Penn State, was recently named the recipient of the 2022-23 ACI Presidents’ Fellowship from the ACI Foundation, a nonprofit subsidiary of the American Concrete Institute.

Penn State shares $25M DOE grant to study climate change impacts and adaptation

9/19/2022

Penn State was named a collaborating institution in a $66 million U.S. Department of Energy Urban Integrated Field Program designed to study the impacts of climate change on American cities. Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh University Professor and Kappe Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is one of 21 Penn State faculty members working on the grant.

IEE leadership helps shape report to NSF on climate change, role of engineering

9/13/2022

Two Penn State researchers, including Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh University Professor, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering and director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment, provided key leadership in the creation of a report to the National Science Foundation on engineering research areas needed to address climate change. Logan served as a co-chair and member of the report’s Thematic Task Force. He also guided content creation and report editing.

Penn State leads project to improve air quality models for state decision makers

9/13/2022

Penn State researchers received $1 million from NASA to help states improve the way they address air quality issues. Wei Peng, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of international affairs, is a co-investigator on the project.

Penn State ranks 31st among national public universities in U.S. News ranking

9/12/2022

Penn State ranked 22 out of 212 schools in "Best Engineering Programs" at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. The University also ranked well in a number of engineering specialties.

Electricity-driven water purification method may extend to saltier waters

9/8/2022

Engineering researchers have received a $570,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research to improve upon membrane capacitive deionization, a portable, lightweight, and easy to operate water purification method that has the potential to desalinate seawater.

Media Mention: ‘Vikash Gayah, Penn State — Improve Traffic Flow in Cities by Banning Left Turns’

8/30/2022

Vikash Gayah, associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State, was featured on The Academic Minute radio broadcast. Gayah discussed making busy intersections safer by eliminating left turns.

Media mention: “‘Over & Over Again’ exhibition bridges gap between science, art at Penn State’s HUB Galleries”

8/30/2022

Sven Bilén, professor of engineering design, electrical engineering and aerospace engineering, and Ali Memari, Bernard and Henrietta Hankin Chair in Residential Building Construction, director of PHRC and professor of architectural engineering and civil and environmental engineering, were recently featured in a Daily Collegian article.

Ilgin Guler: ‘I Engineer Travel’

8/18/2022

“I Engineer” highlights excellence across the Penn State College of Engineering, as well as how the college is made stronger by the diversity of perspectives, experiences and backgrounds of those in the engineering community. Featured here is Ilgin Guler, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.

Media Mention: ‘Concrete mix for lunar applications is one step closer’

8/18/2022

Aleksandra Radlinska, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, discusses Penn State research into extraterrestrial construction materials done in collaboration with NASA researchers.

Penn State engineers contribute to global study on managing extreme weather risks

8/11/2022

Penn State engineers contributed to a global study, by more than 90 researchers and published in Nature, on the effectiveness of traditional risk management tactics on mitigating extreme weather event impacts.

Bruce Logan named director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment

8/9/2022

Bruce E. Logan, Evan Pugh University Professor and the Stan & Flora Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will serve as the new director of the Penn State Institutes for Energy and the Environment, effective Aug. 15, 2022. Logan is also affiliated with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Graduate student receives Deep Foundations Institute awards

8/9/2022

Xiaohang Ji, a doctoral candidate studying geotechnical and materials engineering at Penn State, received $7,500 in scholarships from the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) Educational Trust.

Civil and environmental engineering research faculty wins communications award

8/1/2022

Gopal Bhatt, an assistant research professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, was part of a multi-institutional team that recently received a 2022 Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Award from the National Association of Government Communicators.

Penn State engineering ranks highly in Academic Ranking of World University Subjects

7/28/2022

Penn State ranks in the top 50 in 16 subject area rankings — two of which are from the College of Engineering — and in the top 100 in the world in an additional 14 subjects — including three related to the College of Engineering — according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Media mention: ‘Impact of Climate on River Chemistry Across the United States’

7/26/2022

A project led by Li Li, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, was highlighted in Eos, a science news magazine. The project investigated how climate affects long-term river chemistry.

Engineering faculty named director of research for the Penn State Water Council

7/18/2022

Alfonso Mejia, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named the director of research for the Penn State Water Council.

Shelley Stoffels named associate dean of faculty

7/13/2022

Shelley Stoffels, professor of civil and environmental engineering, was named associate dean for faculty in the Penn State College of Engineering, which she began on May 15. She will assist Anthony Atchley, incoming acting dean of the College of Engineering, with tenure-line and professional track faculty affairs.

Thermally regenerative battery produces ample energy using low-grade waste heat

7/11/2022

Thermally regenerative ammonia batteries can produce electricity on demand from low-grade waste heat. A new process for creating these batteries improves their stability and affordability and may help address the country’s growing grid-scale energy storage problem, according to Penn State researchers.

Media mention: ‘Study: Drilling waste on Pennsylvania roads bad for health, land’

6/30/2022

William Burgos, professor of environmental engineering, was recently quoted in a story by the Chesapeake Bay Journal discussing his research into the effectiveness of conventional oil and gas brine as a dust suppressant.

Bridging the gap to better infrastructure

6/29/2022

Bridge deterioration models to predict future bridge conditions

Engineering associate dean named fellow of Big Ten Academic Alliance leadership program

6/29/2022

Shelley Stoffels, associate dean for faculty in the Penn State College of Engineering and professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named a fellow of the Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Academic Leadership Program.

Media mention: ‘Microbes clean pollution from abandoned mines’

6/27/2022

William Burgos, professor of environmental engineering, was featured in a WPSU video discussing the acid mine discharge from abandoned Pennsylvania coal mines.

Two students in the Penn State College of Engineering named Fulbright finalists for the 2022-23 academic year

6/27/2022

Two students in the Penn State College of Engineering were named Fulbright finalists for the 2022-23 academic year.

Eight Penn State engineering students receive Diefenderfer Graduate Fellowships

6/24/2022

Eight Penn State engineering graduate students received the Diefenderfer Graduate Fellowship in Entrepreneurship for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Media mention: 'Fern Hollow Bridge inspection troubling but did not suggest imminent danger, experts say'

6/22/2022

Kostas Papakonstantinou, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, was featured in a Trib Live article that discussed the collapse of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge, as well as the results of a routine inspection that took place before the collapse.

Penn State wins third place at Solar Decathlon Design Challenge

6/21/2022

A team of engineering and architecture students from Penn State brought home third place in the Retrofit Housing Division of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2022 Design Challenge Competition on April 23 at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

College of Engineering recognizes early career alumni

6/3/2022

The Penn State College of Engineering will recognize 11 early career alumni for their achievements and demonstrated commitment to their professions, communities and Penn State at a ceremony on June 17 at University Park.

Engineer named first holder of Barry and Shirley Isett Professorship

6/2/2022

Li Li, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State, was named the first Barry and Shirley Isett Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The professorship was established in 2019 as a $1 million gift by Barry and Shirley Isett.

Faculty featured on podcast discusses impact of biofilms on microplastics in water

6/2/2022

Margaret Byron, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was featured on a recent episode of IEE's Growing Impact podcast to discuss her research on how biofilms may impact the transport of microplastics through water.

Media mention: "Hydropower’s future is clouded ... it’s also essential to the US electric grid"

6/2/2022

Caitlin Grady, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Lauren Dennis, doctoral student in civil engineering, wrote an article that appeared on The Conversation, an online source of news stories and research reports with accompanying expert opinion and analysis.

Oil and gas brine control dust ‘no better’ than rainwater, researchers find

5/26/2022

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection published a report from Penn State researchers showing that spreading wastewater from conventional oil and gas wells on unpaved roads, a longstanding practice for dust suppression, works "no better" than rainwater and is harmful to the environment.

Penn State announces academic promotions, effective July 1

5/19/2022

Penn State announced academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at the University, including 33 in engineering. The promotions will take effect on July 1.

Engineer appointed to international advisory board on carbon capture

5/5/2022

The Novo Nordisk Foundation CO2 Research Center has appointed Bruce Logan, the Penn State Evan Pugh Professor in Engineering and the Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, to its advisory committee.

Civil engineering student receives Department of Defense fellowship

4/22/2022

Sarah Torhan, a second-year doctoral student in the Penn State Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received a Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship to research and evaluate geospatial land use, demographic and hydrological information and analyze their effects on the access and availability of food-energy-water resources in Paraguay.

Three engineering students receive awards at the 2022 Graduate Exhibition

4/20/2022

Three engineering graduate students received awards for their research and scholarship in the 37th annual Penn State Graduate Exhibition.

NASA features concrete project led by Penn State

4/19/2022

The Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification project, an ongoing endeavor run by the Concrete Research Group at Penn State, was recently featured on NASA’s website as one of five research studies contributing to deep space exploration.

2022 spring student marshal: Allison Cottle

4/18/2022

Allison Cottle has been named the spring 2022 student marshal for civil engineering.

2022 spring student marshal: David Taglieri

4/18/2022

David Taglieri has been named the spring 2022 student marshal for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

Penn State joins $360 million national water research effort

4/11/2022

Penn State will join a national consortium led by The University of Alabama to translate water research into operations that improve the country’s ability to predict weather-related hazards and effectively manage water resources. NOAA is funding the effort with $360 million.

College of Engineering adds 15 faculty members

3/30/2022

The Penn State College of Engineering has added 15 faculty members this semester, with 11 tenured or tenure-line members and four non-tenure-line members.

Eleven alumni to receive College of Engineering’s highest honor

3/30/2022

Eleven Penn State engineering graduates will be honored on April 4 at the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awards ceremony at Hyatt Place State College. Charlie Blenko, an undergraduate student majoring in civil engineering, will serve as the event’s emcee.

From the ground up: Taking 3D printing technology to the next level

3/30/2022

Researchers at Penn State are at the leading edge of the field now known as additive manufacturing, working to advance the capabilities of 3D printing with a goal of addressing pressing problems in human health, housing and transportation, among other areas.

Penn State engineering alumnus named head of SEDTAPP

3/30/2022

David Mazyck, a three-time alumnus of the Penn State College of Engineering, has been named the next head of the college’s School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs. Mazyck will also serve as a professor of engineering design, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He will start on May 16.

Penn State engineering rises in U.S. News & World Report graduate rankings

3/30/2022

In the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Engineering Programs rankings released today (March 29), engineering at Penn State University Park ranked No. 32 overall, advancing one place from last year’s report, and No. 18 among public institutions. Seven engineering specialty disciplines offered by the College of Engineering also climbed in the rankings, and eight are now ranked in the top 20 nationally.

Penn State to hold NSF-funded machine learning symposium on water resources

3/30/2022

Penn State will hold the first National Science Foundation-funded symposium on how machine learning can contribute to the field of hydrology. The event, titled “HydroML Symposium on Big Data Machine Learning in Hydrology and Water Resources,” will be held May 18-20 in person at University Park and online. Early registration ends on April 1, while regular registration ends on May 1.

2022 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award: Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar

3/25/2022

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, professor of nuclear engineering and associate dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Idaho State University, has been named one of 11 recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award by the Penn State College of Engineering.

Andisheh Ranjbari joins Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

3/25/2022

Andisheh Ranjbari joined Penn State as the Tracy Early Career Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering on Jan. 1. She received a bachelor’s degree from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran, a master’s degree in transportation engineering from the Iran University of Science and Technology and a doctorate in transportation engineering from the University of Arizona.

New geoscientific modeling tool gives more holistic results in predictions

3/3/2022

Chaopeng Shen, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State, and other researchers have developed a new geoscientific model known as differentiable parameter learning that can be applied broadly and lead to more aggregated solutions. Their model, published in Nature Communications, is publicly available for researchers to use.

Nine engineers recognized with $5.5 million in NSF early career awards

2/28/2022

Nine faculty members in Penn State’s College of Engineering earned National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards. Each project funded ranges in duration from three and a half to five years, with grants from roughly $500,000 to more than $800,000.

Penn State named "outstanding university" by professional society

2/25/2022

Penn State was recognized as a 2021 outstanding university by the American Concrete Institute. The distinction recognizes universities for their participation in select ACI-related activities and programs.

Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory capstone project winners announced

2/22/2022

The College of Engineering Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory showcases for the fall 2021 semester took place virtually from Dec. 10 – 17 and in-person on Dec. 7. Students in the senior capstone design courses presented the culmination of their semester-long projects at the events.

Media Mention: How to clear the air in the most polluted cities on Earth

2/22/2022

Wei Peng, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of international affairs, was quoted in an article published by Vox on Feb. 20.

Penn State faculty members, student receive best paper award

2/17/2022

The Federal Highway Administration recently honored a student and two faculty members for their paper, “A State Based Markov Model Approach to Impact Echo Signal Classification,” which was selected as the first-place winner in the bridge category of the 2020-21 Long-Term Infrastructure Performance Student Data Analysis Contest.

Study abroad program offers collaborative sustainability research experiences

2/11/2022

A new study abroad program at Penn State provides graduate students with leadership and professional development training before they embark on a research internship to collaborate with experts and local communities as they address complex sustainability challenges associated with interconnected water-energy-food systems.

Interdisciplinary Penn State team places second in coastal design competition

1/27/2022

An interdisciplinary team of Penn State landscape architecture and civil engineering students was awarded second place in the biennial Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) Design Competition, which focused on coastal resilience planning in Hampton, Virginia.

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The Penn State Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, established in 1881, is internationally recognized for excellence in the preparation of undergraduate and graduate engineers through the integration of education, research, and leadership.

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

212 Sackett Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802-1408

Phone: 814-863-3084