Spring News Roundup
UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT NEWS
ANDREW G. ALLEYNE, University of Minnesota professor and Dean of the University’s College of Science and Engineering (CSE), has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer. Only 124 new members were elected this year worldwide. Alleyne is an accomplished researcher, educator, and academic leader. He has been the dean of CSE since January 2022. GREG PARKER (BS Mining Engineering, 1957) and his wife Bea Parker recently made a philanthropic gift in support of the geoengineering program. The lab used by many students each year to prepare rock samples is now named the Greg and Bea Parker Rock Preparation Lab.
TIFFANY RALSTON, CEGE Student Programs Coordinator, was nominated for a new award sponsored by the College of Science and Engineering that honors the outstanding work of support staff. Ralston advocates tirelessly for our students, whether helping with financial aid applications, answering questions about graduation requirements, or ordering rings for the Order of the Engineer ceremony. Through her excellence, Ralston helps make CEGE an outstanding place for our students to study.
THE CLASS OF 2019 established the Graduating Class Gift to support future engineering students through scholarships and a water bottle filling station near the ASCE Student Office, nestled between the Charles Fairhurst Rotunda and the lounges. The water bottle filling station is a tangible symbol of our students’ embrace of philanthropy and their concern for the environment and their fellow students.
KLARA KONDRAK is a sophomore majoring in environmental engineering with a focus in water/wastewater treatment; she is also very creative and experienced in managing social media for an organization. CEGE recently hired Kondrak to help increase our social media reach. Kondrak says, “I love social media because of how it connects people to information and to each other. Through my work in social media, I have expanded my collaboration and communication skills. Working on the social media accounts for CEGE has given me the opportunity to learn more about the amazing people, projects, and achievements within the department. In all engineering fields, including environmental, projects are very collaborative. I am excited to further enhance my collaboration skills through both social media and engineering work.” Follow CEGE on Instagram @umnCEGE and on Twitter @CEGEtweets.
The CENTER ON GEO-PROCESSES IN MINERAL CARBON STORAGE (GMCS), one of the University of Minnesota’s two Energy Frontier Research Centers, was established in August 2022 to develop the fundamental science and engineering capability in support of large-scale subsurface storage of CO2 via mineralization. The Center, directed by Emmanuel Detournay, brings together researchers from UMN, Georgia Institute of Technology, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Northwestern University, and University of Southampton. GMCS is busy assembling the team, which now consists of 16 senior investigators, ten postdocs, eight graduate students, three undergraduate students, and an administrator. The researchers have been meeting and holding seminars on the three themes of the center, with each covering a distinct length scale of the subsurface processes: porous medium scale, fracture-porous medium scale, and fracture network scale. In early May 2023, GMCS will host the DOE CO2 Mineralization Workshop on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The workshop will include talks and attendees from academia, national laboratories, Department of Energy, United States Geological Society, and the private sector. GMCS is also planning their annual meeting in late July 2023 with members of the GMCS community and their Scientific Advisory Board in attendance.
The new CIRCULARITY IMPACT PROGRAM, funded by the NSF for five years, is well underway in planning programs, recruiting students, and launching a new class on the circular economy. This interdisciplinary program brings students and faculty together from engineering, science, urban planning, and public policy to study and research the circular use of water, energy, and materials. Graduate students are applying to the program now to join a cohort in Fall 2023 when they will take core classes, participate in skills development workshops, work with the program’s Artist in Residence Gudrun Lock, and participate in internships related to their research. In the fall, a cohort of graduate students and their faculty advisors will come together to officially kick off this exciting new program. The inaugural offering of the class Introduction to Circularity Systems is being taught this spring semester. Twenty-six students enrolled in the course, representing undergraduates and graduate students from engineering and policy. Bill Arnold and Gudrun Lock are co-teaching and helping students expand their perspectives while learning about the science and policy behind circular economies. In addition to educating students and building strong relationships within UMN and beyond, an aim of the first five years of the program is to equip the program to serve UMN and the community for years to come. Opportunities are open for graduate students and for industry partners who would like to establish internships or work experiences in future summers. To learn more, visit circularity.umn.edu or reach out to the Program Coordinator at circularity@umn.edu.
STUDENT NEWS
AKASH BHAT, a graduate student advised by Bill Arnold, is a 2023 Graduate Student Awardee in Environmental Chemistry. Bhat will receive a monetary award and a one-year annual membership in the Environmental Division of the American Chemical Society.
LUCAS CLAKE BURNETT, a civil engineering graduate student, along with undergraduates Addison Thompson, Sierra Charwood (both from Biology, Society, & Environment), Laila Gourd (Environmental Science), and Prof. Catherine French, drove to Cloquet, Minnesota, their car loaded with an earthquake simulator and some hands-on bridge-related activities. They had been invited to the Fond Du Lac Indian School to present to 7th graders who were studying earthquakes and bridges. The students built structures and tested them on a shake table. UMN students also shared their journey to college and their experience.
XIATING CHEN, a Ph.D. student advised by Xue Feng, studies how vegetative covers and built infrastructure alter the way that water moves through an urban environment and how urban hydrology informs engineering and management decisions in communities. Her work was picked up in the August 28, 2022, issue of the St. Paul Pioneer Press article, “U of M researchers in St. Paul study how urban trees affect environment.”
DANIEL KENNEDY graduated with a Ph.D. degree in December 2022. He was co-advised by Bojan Guzina and Joe Labuz. An article about Kennedy’s Ph.D. research, which was supported by a MnDOT project, was published by MnDOT. It begins, “A new testing method will allow MnDOT to determine the underground foundation pile depths of high-mast light towers (HMLTs) without digging or dismantling. HMLTs need to meet design standards to ensure load-bearing stability. By using the new method to evaluate pile depth, MnDOT could avoid costly retrofits or replacements, and prioritize light towers in need of redesign” (z.umn.edu/DOTresearch_ Kennedy). Kennedy now works at Barr Engineering.
TIANYI LI (graduate student advised by Raphael Stern) was awarded the prestigious Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) Graduate Fellowship from the Federal Highway Administration for 2023. Li had also received the award for 2022. As part of the fellowship, Li attended the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, in January through a Transportation Research Board (TRB) Student Travel Award from UMN’s Center for Transportation Studies. Li was also honored with a 2022 ITS Minnesota Educational Scholarship, which comes with a $1000 scholarship, and he received an NSF Travel Award that supported his trip to the NSF AI in Transportation Workshop at the University of Florida.
SHI’AN WANG, a Ph.D. student advised by Michael Levin, defended his doctoral research on Planning, Operation, and Management of Automated Transportation Systems. Wang joined the faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso in the spring of 2023 at the rank of Assistant Professor.
ALUMNI
Alumni of the UMN Geoengineering program are leaders in the field. The list of keynote speakers for the 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium boasted three out of four graduates from the Minnesota Geoengineering program: MARK BOARD (retired from Hecla Mining Company, “Development of a Mining Method to Control Fault-Slip Seismicity at the Lucky Friday Mine”), CHRISTINE DETOURNAY (Itasca Consulting Group, Inc., “The Joy of Geomechanical Modeling”), and EMMANUEL DETOURNAY (University of Minnesota, “Insights into Mechanics of Drilling”). The fourth keynote speaker, John McLennan (University of Utah, “Geothermal Energy – An Opportunity at Any Temperature”) was advised by UMN alumnus JEAN-CLAUDE ROEGIERS (now deceased). The conference chair, HAIYING HUANG, is another CEGE graduate.
BERNIE BULLERT’S work to establish the Minnesota Water Research Fund (MWRF) was highlighted in the Fall 2022 issue of the American Water Works Association Minnesota newsletter, The Breeze. The article is the second of a four-part series related to the MWRF.
RICHARD W. CHAMBERS (BCE 1965) passed away in December 2022. He was living in California with his wife Magdalena Chambers.
Where is he now? ANTHONY ELIAN (BCE 2022) delivered the student perspective at CEGE’s 2022 winter graduation celebration. He recently started a new position as a Water/Wastewater Designer at Stantec. Elian reported, “The past four weeks at Stantec have been a wonderful experience with a diverse and energized water team. I look forward to many more projects. Shout out to my supervisor ASH HAMMERBECK (BCE 2011) for a smooth start and a warm welcome!”
MONICA HEIL (BSCE 2003), WSB’s Vice President of Municipal Services, is the 2023 president of American Public Works Administrators Minnesota Chapter (APWA-MN). The president serves a one-year term. In addition to chairing meetings, duties include being the chapter’s spokesperson to and representative from APWA, coordinating with the Awards Committee, and promoting public works.
STEVEN L. KUMMER, PE (BCE 1999) was recently promoted to a Principal Contract Administrator at the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES). Kummer provides construction contract administration services for various wastewater interceptor, lift station, and treatment plant projects throughout Metropolitan Council Environmental Services’ seven-county service area. His civil engineering career spans 23 years and includes stints at BKBM Engineers, the City of Maplewood, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
JANE LANSING (BCE 1976), Former Vice President at Emerson, was appointed chair of the CSE Dean’s Advisory Board. Dean Andrew Alleyne appointed Lansing to a three-year term. Made up of both University of Minnesota alumni and members of industry and academia, the board plays an active role in advising the Dean on issues related to industry partnerships, industry requirements from education, and maintaining the College’s place as one of the top engineering and science academic programs in the country. Lansing is the first woman to serve as the board’s chair.
SUMNER NAESS (BCE 2020) is a Structural Design Engineer at Sandman Structural Engineers in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where he started as an intern. Naess’s focus is on housing and hospitality projects; he has been the design engineer on multi-family, mixed-use, and senior living campuses. Naess commented, “It’s rewarding to witness my calculations and drawings evolve from paper to construction. I enjoy serving my community by providing innovative and efficient structural design to our clients and future residents.”
JEFF STEWART (BCE 1979) and ANN JOHNSON STEWART (MSCE 1994, adjunct professor in CEGE) established a new scholarship. Both have enjoyed serving as mentors for the University of Minnesota Engineers Without Borders (EWB) student chapter. As civil engineers, Stewart and Johnson Stewart value their role in society of providing reliable infrastructure that promotes community development and independence. Involvement in EWB provides opportunities to bring clean water to areas in need, develop engineering and leadership skills, and work collaboratively to create a better world. The new Jeff and Ann Johnson Stewart/PE Services Scholarship will support CEGE’s civil engineering students who share the same passion.
ROMAN WENGLER (BCE 1952) passed away last August. Wengler was a global leader in the design of concrete dams and spent his entire career with Harza (now MWH Treatment). Wengler contributed to infrastructure projects in China, Iran, Pakistan, Uganda, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. A tribute to his life and work was published in International Water Power and Dam Construction (November 2022). (See also this obituary.)
FACULTY
PATRICK BREZONIK and WILLIAM ARNOLD recently published the second edition of their well-respected and widely used textbook, Water Chemistry. The first edition came out in 2011, so many CEGE alumni—as well as water resource professionals around the world—learned their trade from this book.
PAUL CAPEL, an adjunct professor, was selected as an inaugural UMN Honors Faculty Fellow for Fall 2023. The new program brings faculty into the University Honors Program (UHP) to share their expertise and passions with undergraduate honors students in multiple ways. The program hopes to build up to 20 Fellows per year, who will join UHP for one or two semesters, teaching one honors seminar and participating in other programmatic activities. Capel teaches a long-running and popular undergraduate honors seminar titled “Experiencing Local Environmental Solutions” (HSEM 2515H). Capel also works with the Engineers Without Borders University of Minnesota Student Chapter. Paige Novak, department head for CEGE said that the department is “excited to see what additional ways Paul will create learning opportunities for, and engagement among, our honors students.” Ian Ringgenberg, Associate Director of Curriculum & Outreach for UHP said, “We are excited to have Paul be a part of our inaugural class of fellows this year, and I’m grateful to CEGE for sharing such an exceptional faculty member with us. Paul really is an exceptional faculty member, and we are lucky to have someone so willing to share his time and expertise with us and with our students.”
GARY DAVIS received the Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer Award from the Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science and Technology Societies, in recognition of his outstanding lifetime achievements in the practice of engineering, contributions to the engineering profession, and actions enhancing the image of engineering in our society. Davis is a long-time professor in CEGE. In addition to his transportation classes, Davis currently teaches Engineering Ethics. Davis is a worthy recipient of the title Distinguished Engineer.
EMMANUEL DETOURNAY, the Theodore W. Bennett Chair Professor in Mining Engineering and Rock Mechanics in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, delivered the 2022 Maurice A. Biot Lecture on November 29 at Columbia University in New York. The topic of his lecture was “Hydraulic Fracture in Weak Permeable Rock.”
KETSON R. M. DOS SANTOS joins Structural Faculty. The newest addition to the CEGE structural faculty is Ketson Roberto Maximiano dos Santos. dos Santos comes most recently from his position as a Scientist in the Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics (EESD) Lab at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. Prior to that, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Shields Uncertainty Research Group (SURG) at Johns Hopkins University
MARGARET FAIRHURST, wife of Professor Emeritus CHARLES FAIRHURST, passed away peacefully Christmas morning 2022. Charles and Margaret’s marriage was a solid union, and their love was an example to all. They had seven children. Charles took leave twice from the University of Minnesota to take the family to live in England for a year, and once for six months in France. Charles’ work offered them many opportunities to travel, something Margaret relished and lived to the full each time. A funeral was held January 5, 2023.
BOJAN GUZINA is co-organizer of the Advanced CISM School on Wave Motion in Heterogeneous Media, to be held at the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences (CISM), in Udine, Italy, June 19-23, 2023. His co-coordinator is Bruno Lombard from the Laboratoire de Mécanique et d’Acoustique in Marseille, France. The program features six invited lecturers from France, Switzerland, USA, and the UK. Being asked to host this Advanced School is a notable distinction for researchers working in the area of mechanics.
JIA-LIANG LE received the IASSAR Early Achievement Research Award from the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability. The ICOSSAR 2021-2022 Conference Awards Ceremony was held online in September 2022. This prize is awarded only once every four years to a researcher under the age of 45 for outstanding contributions and accomplishments in the field of structural safety and reliability. The recognition represents an important milestone in Le’s career. The IASSAR Early Achievement Research Award is one of the highest honors one can receive in the field of risk and reliability.
AWARDS. The Minnesota Department of Transportation Research Steering Committee and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board announced their funding for academic transportation research. Six projects proposed by four professors from CEGE have been selected for funding. Most projects are anticipated to begin July 2023 or sooner.
• JOHN GULLIVER “Wet Pond Modeling for Contaminant Retention and Maintenance,” sponsored by LLRB
• MIHAI MARASTEANU “Using Electric Vehicle Onboard Data for Pavement Quality Assessment and Management,” sponsored by MnDOT, and “Sawing and Sealing Joints in Bituminous Pavements to Control Cracking,” sponsored by LRRB
• JIA-LIANG LE “Investigation on Mix Design of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Materials,” sponsored by LRRB
• MICHAEL LEVIN “School Times Impact on Students Walking or Biking to School: Safe Routes to School,” sponsored by MnDOT, and “Impacts of Shared Mobility on Infrastructure usage, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Accessibility,” sponsored by LLRB
The U.S. DOT awarded $15 million to the U of Michigan and a team of nine Midwestern research partners, including the U of M Center for Transportation Studies (CTS), to help lead the transition to connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). Zhi-Li Zhang (Computer Science and Engineering) and CTS associate director Gina Baas will lead the UMN team; RAPHAEL STERN is one of the researchers.