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CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING | COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING | SPRING 2021<br />
benchmark<br />
& beaker<br />
Alumni Power Bay Area<br />
Construction Company<br />
Power Engineering works amidst some<br />
of California’s most iconic sites<br />
— see Page 8
enchmark<br />
& beaker<br />
INSIDE<br />
03 FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR<br />
04 CE/ENVE CLUB UPDATE<br />
06 ALGAE RESEARCH STATION<br />
08 POWER ENGINEERING<br />
10 NEW PARTNERS SCHOLARS<br />
12 CLASSROOM RENOVATION<br />
14 NEW FACULTY<br />
15 STUDENT BOARD | SUMMIT<br />
▲ Civil engineering student<br />
Adam Monroe works on using<br />
nanoparticles to detect microbes<br />
in drinking water during his undergraduate<br />
research project sponsored<br />
by the Industrial Partners<br />
Program (See Page 10).<br />
2 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
From<br />
The Department<br />
chair<br />
Department chair Charles Chadwell<br />
shows work in progress in the Trophy<br />
Room, long used as the department’s<br />
showcase for its many club victories,<br />
as it converts to one of the most hightech<br />
rooms on campus with money<br />
provided by the Platinum Partners.<br />
(See article on Page 12).<br />
▲<br />
While we’re all excited about the prospect of inperson<br />
classes returning to campus in the fall,<br />
I’m also incredibly proud of what our faculty <strong>and</strong><br />
students achieved during this extremely challenging time.<br />
To cite just a couple of examples, recently, a team of<br />
students guided by Professor Hani Alzraiee won first<br />
place in the Virtual Design & Construction category at<br />
the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Student<br />
Competition, <strong>and</strong> Professor Stefan Talke’s important<br />
research on “nuisance flooding” was widely publicized,<br />
including stories in Popular Science, Wired <strong>and</strong> the BBC.<br />
Alzraiee <strong>and</strong> Talke are two of the six faculty members<br />
taking part in the exciting new Partners Scholars<br />
program, which pairs freshmen students with faculty<br />
research exploring relevant, real-world topics. The<br />
Partners Scholars is one of several initiatives funded by<br />
our successful Industry Partners Program (IPP), both of<br />
which you can read more about in this newsletter.<br />
This year, the department was once again named one<br />
of the top three of its kind by the U.S. News & World<br />
Report, <strong>and</strong> part of that success can be attributed to<br />
the incredible support we get from industry, alumni<br />
<strong>and</strong> friends. Like our IPP, which funds a wide array of<br />
initiatives, our donor-supported discretionary fund helps<br />
us address a variety of needs that surface —including<br />
unexpected ones. When the p<strong>and</strong>emic forced us to<br />
abruptly pivot to virtual classes, we were able to use<br />
our discretionary funds to purchase needed server<br />
systems. And once we do return, we will now have a new<br />
department van that will come in h<strong>and</strong>y for a multitude<br />
of projects.<br />
Of course, our rankings are also heavily influenced by our<br />
top-notch faculty, <strong>and</strong> this year, we’ve welcomed two new<br />
assistant professors, Shams Tanvir <strong>and</strong> Long Wang. Both<br />
have been actively involved in research, <strong>and</strong> they have<br />
already involved students in those endeavors. Both Tanvir<br />
<strong>and</strong> Wang participated in the Partners Scholars program.<br />
Club activity in our department serves many functions<br />
— providing social <strong>and</strong> industry connections <strong>and</strong> skills<br />
that further our signature Learn by Doing approach<br />
to learning — <strong>and</strong> as you’ll see here, our clubs have<br />
remained active even during the p<strong>and</strong>emic. But, of<br />
course, the rhythmic sound of students s<strong>and</strong>ing a<br />
concrete canoe will never sound so good when the<br />
activities we’ve come to love return to campus.<br />
It won’t be long. Until then, we wish you well. And, as<br />
always, we thank you for your support — be it with<br />
dollars, mentorship, jobs or a good word.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Charles Chadwell, Ph.D., P.E.<br />
Department Chair<br />
SPRING 2021 | 3
enchmark & beaker<br />
clubs<br />
zooming<br />
ALONG<br />
▲ Members of Cal Poly’s Institute of Transportation Engineers<br />
met for their Western District Panel Session<br />
Forced to go the virtual route by the<br />
p<strong>and</strong>emic, clubs continue to inspire<br />
Despite a global p<strong>and</strong>emic forcing all Cal Poly<br />
club activities to be virtual, student clubs<br />
in the Civil <strong>and</strong> Environmental Engineering<br />
Department continued to provide important<br />
career connections <strong>and</strong> professional development<br />
opportunities.<br />
Toward the beginning of winter quarter, the Society<br />
of Civil Engineers (SCE) <strong>and</strong> Society of Environmental<br />
Engineers (SENVE) co-hosted the Civil <strong>and</strong> Environmental<br />
Engineering Winter Career Fair. The event, held via Zoom,<br />
lasted six days, with scheduled time blocks for students<br />
to speak with companies.<br />
Despite Zoom bombers crashing the event one day, the<br />
career fair was a success, said SCE President Nadime<br />
Younan.<br />
▲ Members of Cal Poly’s Society of Civil Engineers met in the fall<br />
for Welcome 2020.<br />
“The most important part of the career fair was always<br />
giving students the opportunity to network with potential<br />
employers, <strong>and</strong> we were still able to provide that service,”<br />
Younan said.<br />
SCE <strong>and</strong> SENVE also foster connections through virtual<br />
social, professional <strong>and</strong> community service activities.<br />
The clubs provide different opportunities that encourage<br />
involvement among members. SCE <strong>and</strong> SENVE host<br />
game nights where students compete against each other<br />
in games like Cards Against Humanities or Codenames.<br />
They also promote membership engagement through<br />
mentorship programs or meetings with industry<br />
speakers.<br />
“It has been difficult to keep making events that are as<br />
engaging as the in-person events we would normally<br />
have, but SENVE has addressed<br />
that difficulty by planning high<br />
quality events but with less<br />
frequency,” SENVE President<br />
Keon Feldsien said.<br />
Cal Poly’s Chi Epsilon, the civil<br />
engineering honors society,<br />
hosted the 33rd annual Pacific<br />
District Conference (PDC) this<br />
past quarter. The PDC is an<br />
annual leadership conference<br />
that aims to develop students’ professionalism, connect<br />
4 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING<br />
4 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Chi Epsilon with industry <strong>and</strong> develop bonds within the<br />
community.<br />
When in-person, the PDC allows students from different<br />
Pacific District chapters to socialize <strong>and</strong> participate in<br />
activities, workshops <strong>and</strong> competitions.<br />
Planning the first virtual PDC presented many unique<br />
challenges for the Chi Epsilon PDC committee.<br />
The PDC typically takes place over a long weekend, but<br />
this year, it was held virtually for six days. The conference<br />
included mock speed interviews, a virtual career fair,<br />
networking opportunities, student committee meetings,<br />
project <strong>and</strong> professional development presentations <strong>and</strong><br />
a closing ceremony. According to Vice President <strong>and</strong> PDC<br />
Chair Meagan Chan, the committee “wanted to make<br />
events that would provide the opportunity for attendees<br />
to network while<br />
also spurring the<br />
competition to win<br />
the PDC Cup.”<br />
student chapter of the professional organization, has also<br />
adapted to the virtual learning environment <strong>and</strong> taken<br />
advantage of its opportunities.<br />
Within a month, ITE hosted two fully virtual Student<br />
Leadership Summits (SLS) in winter quarter. The first,<br />
held in January, connected students within the Western<br />
District. The second SLS hosted 14 student chapters,<br />
which attracted over 270 students representing 90<br />
universities worldwide.<br />
According to ITE President Katherine Lee, organizing<br />
virtual conferences is easier in some respects over inperson<br />
ones. Lee said they ease responsibilities like travel<br />
restrictions <strong>and</strong> food <strong>and</strong> venue costs. ITE committee<br />
members also learned the capabilities of Zoom <strong>and</strong> found<br />
creative solutions for transitioning to virtual events.<br />
The PDC Cup is<br />
awarded to the<br />
chapter with<br />
the most points<br />
from conference<br />
events like chapter<br />
projects <strong>and</strong><br />
presentations,<br />
committee reports,<br />
industry quizzes<br />
<strong>and</strong> other fun<br />
activities.<br />
The conference<br />
surpassed<br />
expectations with<br />
200 participants<br />
from 14 other<br />
chapters within the Pacific District. The PDC committee<br />
chose “Unity” as the conference theme.<br />
▲ Members of the Cal Poly Chi Ipsilon, the civil engineering honor society, hosted the 33rd annual Pacific District Conference.<br />
“During this year of adversity, we believe that it is critical<br />
to reconnect <strong>and</strong> unite so that the Chi Epsilon chapters,<br />
members, <strong>and</strong> community will continue to thrive, grow,<br />
<strong>and</strong> succeed as we continue our professional journeys,”<br />
Chan said.<br />
“The virtual format of this [SLS] conference allowed our<br />
committee members to really think outside the box <strong>and</strong><br />
experiment various ways to make ‘traditional’ events...<br />
into something more interactive,” Lee said.<br />
ITE committee members worked together to overcome<br />
virtual restrictions.<br />
The Cal Poly chapter was the provisional winner of the<br />
33rd annual PDC <strong>and</strong> PDC Cup holder.<br />
The Cal Poly Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), a<br />
“The conference is not meant to be a one-man show<br />
<strong>and</strong> relying on each other makes organization less<br />
overwhelming,” Lee said. “With great communication <strong>and</strong><br />
teamwork, everything is achievable!” n<br />
SPRING 2021 | 5<br />
SPRING 2021 | 5
enchmark & beaker<br />
6 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Green DAYS<br />
Algae research adapts <strong>and</strong><br />
grows despite p<strong>and</strong>emic<br />
“Give us water <strong>and</strong> sunshine <strong>and</strong> we’ll<br />
find plenty of things to do.”<br />
— Tryg Lundquist<br />
Although the coronavirus p<strong>and</strong>emic<br />
has limited activities at the<br />
Sustainable Utilities Research <strong>and</strong><br />
Education Field Station for more than<br />
a year, environmental engineering professor<br />
Tryg Lundquist says research opportunities<br />
continue to flourish at the facility located<br />
on the edge of the City of San Luis Obispo<br />
wastewater treatment plant.<br />
Lundquist said about half of the usual 50<br />
students per quarter are currently doing<br />
research inside three on-campus algae labs<br />
<strong>and</strong> outside at the field station, which has<br />
the tiny green aquatic plants growing in 20<br />
biological treatment tanks each holding<br />
260 gallons of wastewater.<br />
“Our numbers are down but, fortunately, we<br />
have a lot of lab space <strong>and</strong> we are adapting,”<br />
he said. “We are wearing masks at all times<br />
— even outdoors — <strong>and</strong> face shields when<br />
they have to work close together. Plus,<br />
everybody’s got their own lab coat <strong>and</strong> their<br />
own safety glasses, so none of the PPE is<br />
shared. Even with COVID, the work <strong>and</strong> project<br />
development continues!”<br />
Lundquist said most of the current research<br />
projects are a continuation of ongoing studies<br />
involving nature-based water treatment<br />
practices <strong>and</strong> the development of algae<br />
biofuels. One current study, dubbed the<br />
“Phos Project,” examines how algae treats<br />
wastewater by removing excess phosphorus,<br />
an element that affects the oxygen levels in<br />
water.<br />
▲ Cal Poly students Allie Ahern (environmental engineering), above, <strong>and</strong> Kai Nakahara<br />
(marine science), left, work at the Sustainable Utilities Research <strong>and</strong> Education Field Station<br />
located at the City of San Luis Obispo wastewater treatment plant.<br />
Another project on the horizon is the creation of a public educational<br />
display for riders <strong>and</strong> walkers on the Bob Jones City to the Sea Bike<br />
Trail which borders the facility.<br />
“I would say there is about 150 feet of trail in front of the station <strong>and</strong><br />
we want to put up informational signs along the fence to let the public<br />
know that the City of San Luis Obispo <strong>and</strong> Cal Poly are participating in<br />
advancing water <strong>and</strong> energy research.”<br />
Lundquist added with a laugh: “We have a rare opportunity to have<br />
the general public get very close to all the action.” n<br />
SPRING 2021 | 7
enchmark & beaker: COVER<br />
On the<br />
waterfront<br />
Cal Poly graduates help Bay Area company design<br />
<strong>and</strong> build at some of the most iconic West Coast sites<br />
As soon as the divers at Power Engineering<br />
Construction Co. slip beneath the ocean surface,<br />
they begin multi-tasking, performing skilled<br />
construction while battling currents, monitoring<br />
oxygen levels <strong>and</strong> struggling to see in low-visibility<br />
conditions.<br />
“The ocean is not kind,” said Ken Lindberg (Civil, ’79),<br />
one of four co-owners of the company, which specializes<br />
in marine <strong>and</strong> civil projects. “It’s cold, <strong>and</strong> it’s a tough<br />
environment.”<br />
The Pacifica native knows about that first-h<strong>and</strong>, having<br />
been a diver for decades.<br />
“My dad put a tank on me when I was 11, <strong>and</strong> I probably<br />
weighed all of 70 pounds,” he said.<br />
Lindberg’s underwater experience was crucial to the<br />
success of Power, which he co-founded in 1986. Since<br />
then, the company has significantly invested in heavy<br />
equipment, which allows it to perform a wide variety of<br />
work, in <strong>and</strong> out of the water.<br />
“We don’t limit ourselves to a certain type of project,”<br />
said Brian Shalk, a project manager <strong>and</strong> 2010 Cal Poly<br />
alumnus. “We really feel like we can build anything. One<br />
day you can be working on a beach restoration project,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the next day you can be working on structural repairs<br />
for a pipeline 60 feet under water.”<br />
When the Alameda company was launched by Lindberg,<br />
Brian Stitt <strong>and</strong> Danny Reynolds, work typically came from<br />
clients with complex projects others wouldn’t consider.<br />
Many projects entailed work in surf zones, featuring rip<br />
tides <strong>and</strong> breaking waves.<br />
In company photos, Lindberg can be seen diving for<br />
some of those projects, using his water <strong>and</strong> engineering<br />
experience to the company’s advantage.<br />
8 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Power Engineering is working with the Water Emergency Transportation<br />
Authority to exp<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> improve facilities at the Downtown San Francisco<br />
Ferry Terminal.<br />
▲<br />
“Not everyone wants to get beat up by the water,” he said.<br />
“But robots can’t do everything down there.”<br />
In the early years, the company amassed a growing list of<br />
impressive projects, including a seismic upgrade to San<br />
Francisco’s Pier 1, the construction of four cofferdams at<br />
the Veterans Bridge in Sacramento <strong>and</strong> various repairs to<br />
Pacifica’s seawalls, bridges <strong>and</strong> piers after it was damaged<br />
by El Nino storms in 1998.<br />
After joining the Pile Driver’s Union in 1997, the company<br />
aggressively pursued larger projects <strong>and</strong> began investing<br />
in its own future. The biggest investment was the construction<br />
of two huge barges in 2012 <strong>and</strong> 2018 — the 90-ton<br />
derrick barge, DB Alameda, <strong>and</strong> the 250-ton crane barge,<br />
DB Pacific, the biggest of its kind in the West. The massive<br />
tools, which are delivered to sites via tugboats, greatly<br />
exp<strong>and</strong>ed the scale of projects the company could tackle.<br />
“We can drive whatever we need,” Lindberg said. “We<br />
always had to subcontract that portion of the work.”<br />
The floating cranes are custom-made for the company’s<br />
line of work, Shalk said, including pile driving <strong>and</strong> heavy<br />
lifting.<br />
“Having this special equipment gives us the access <strong>and</strong><br />
opportunity to pursue projects that others cannot,” he said.<br />
Today, the company’s 75 employees (three of the four<br />
current co-owners are Cal Poly graduates) include both<br />
engineers <strong>and</strong> construction workers, allowing them to<br />
both design <strong>and</strong> build.<br />
“What’s unique about Power is that we do a lot of the<br />
work ourselves,” said Lauren Rodriguez, a 2020 Cal Poly<br />
graduate, who began working as a project engineer last<br />
August.<br />
Many of the company’s projects have taken place in the<br />
shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, a marine engineering<br />
coup completed 84 years ago.<br />
“It’s mind-blowing how they built that,” Rodriguez said. “I<br />
think about it all the time.”<br />
A resident of the city’s Russian Hill neighborhood, she has<br />
plenty of opportunities to see the city’s famous bridges,<br />
visiting Power projects in the city. Recently, she spoke<br />
from one of those job sites – the Ferry Building, where the<br />
company was performing under-deck repairs.<br />
▲ Ken Lindberg (civil engineering, ’79) co-founded Power Engineering Construction<br />
Co. Three of the company’s four co-owners are Cal Poly graduates.<br />
“I never thought I’d be a city person,” said Rodriguez,<br />
a Palm Springs native, who l<strong>and</strong>ed the job through the<br />
Heavy Civil Career Fair at Cal Poly. “It’s so interesting to be<br />
in such an iconic place.”<br />
While safety <strong>and</strong> cost effectiveness are always major<br />
considerations, working on projects in an internationally<br />
known tourist destination has added responsibilities.<br />
“Not only does it have to function well, but it also has to<br />
look good,” Lindberg said.<br />
Anyone traveling the Bay Bridge into the city will see the<br />
ferry terminal, located next to the historic Ferry Building<br />
on the Embarcadero. Power used its two barges <strong>and</strong> a<br />
slew of other equipment for a highly visible terminal<br />
expansion.<br />
In addition to aesthetics, the company also has to<br />
consider protecting nearby structures, like the Ferry<br />
Building, which was completed in 1898.<br />
“If a historic building is adjacent to a project, we may<br />
install seismic <strong>and</strong> settlement instrumentation to monitor<br />
the building during disruptive construction activities,”<br />
Shalk said. “This gives peace of mind to us, our clients,<br />
<strong>and</strong> any onlookers.”<br />
With projects involving divers, massive equipment <strong>and</strong><br />
iconic locations, the company’s work provides plenty of<br />
highlight reel action. And it’s no surprise that employees<br />
like Lindberg, Rodriguez <strong>and</strong> Shalk all enjoy water sports.<br />
Shalk was even certified to dive – a company perk.<br />
“Most of our engineers are pretty adventurous <strong>and</strong> want<br />
to live life to the fullest,” Rodriguez said. n<br />
SPRING 2021 | 9
enchmark & beaker<br />
Seeking<br />
New<br />
solutions<br />
Partners Scholars<br />
Program pairs freshmen<br />
with faculty on relevant<br />
research projects<br />
When an octopus was found in a flooded<br />
Miami parking garage four years ago,<br />
it was one of many ongoing signs that<br />
rising sea levels have impacted Sofia<br />
Barale’s home community in troubling — <strong>and</strong> at<br />
times bizarre — ways.<br />
So when Barale saw that one of the Partners<br />
Scholars projects specifically looked at how human<br />
developments might be contributing to South<br />
Florida flooding, the Key Biscayne native was eager to learn<br />
more.<br />
“It makes me feel informed <strong>and</strong> a bit scared, honestly,” she<br />
said. “Studying how sea level rise is affecting my community,<br />
why it may be happening <strong>and</strong> experiencing it myself is<br />
affecting how I think about where I live.”<br />
Similar to the College of Engineering’s Summer Undergraduate<br />
Research Program, the new Partners Scholars program pairs<br />
10 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Environmental engineering professor Amro El Badawy<br />
works with civil engineering student Adam Monroe on<br />
conducting undergraduate research using nanoparticles<br />
to detect microbes in drinking water.<br />
▲<br />
freshmen Civil <strong>and</strong> Environmental Engineering students<br />
with faculty research projects. This year, 13 students<br />
received a $500 stipend to work directly with faculty<br />
members that are addressing real-world issues.<br />
Funded by the Industrial Partnership Program, Partners<br />
Scholars lasts a quarter, though students can continue to<br />
work with the faculty once the ten weeks has concluded.<br />
“They get to interact with our faculty, <strong>and</strong> it gives them a<br />
taste of research <strong>and</strong> problem solving,” said Department<br />
Chair Charles Chadwell.<br />
Barale worked with Stefan Talke, who has spent years<br />
studying how human alterations — including dredging<br />
<strong>and</strong> the construction of jetties <strong>and</strong> piers — have<br />
contributed to tidal changes that sometimes cause<br />
“nuisance flooding.” Barale’s roles included digitizing old<br />
bathymetric maps of Miami Harbor.<br />
“The maps show that the approach to the harbor of<br />
Miami is completely different today than it was around<br />
1900,” said Talke, an associate professor, who has<br />
analyzed tidal changes dating back to the 1820s. “Back<br />
then, one took a circuitous route around the barrier<br />
isl<strong>and</strong>s, through shifting s<strong>and</strong>s. Today, there is a giant<br />
15-meter channel cut directly through the barrier isl<strong>and</strong>.”<br />
While both of Talke’s Partners projects involve tidal<br />
research, Amro El Badawy’s two projects also involve<br />
water — but in a different way. His research seeks to<br />
support ongoing efforts to diversify water resources <strong>and</strong><br />
to develop a cost-effective sensor that would detect<br />
pathogens in water.<br />
For these projects, students reviewed existing literature,<br />
developed spreadsheets to track information <strong>and</strong><br />
conducted lab work.<br />
“They learned technical skills — for example, operating<br />
laboratory equipment, using wet chemistry techniques<br />
to manufacture nanomaterials or reverse osmosis<br />
membranes, analyzing information from the literature<br />
— as well as non-technical skills, including critical<br />
thinking, collaboration <strong>and</strong> independence,” said El<br />
Badawy, an assistant professor. “They recognized that<br />
we do not always obtain the desirable results from a<br />
research experiment. However, we learn from the failed<br />
experiments to improve the outcomes of the next trials.”<br />
Partners Scholars Participants<br />
Thirteen students <strong>and</strong> six faculty members<br />
participated in the first Partners Scholars projects.<br />
They include:<br />
Students:<br />
Gurtaj Khera<br />
Anubhav Dawadi<br />
Adam Monroe<br />
Grant Robinson<br />
Sofia Barale<br />
Philip Le<br />
Thomas Burt<br />
Abbie Wong<br />
Steven Sturkie<br />
Tong Hui Goh<br />
Ryan Young Trainor<br />
William Francis Killmond<br />
Jessica Mcarthur<br />
Faculty:<br />
Amro El Badawy<br />
Stefan Talke<br />
Hani Alzraiee<br />
Shams Tanvir<br />
Long Wang<br />
Anurag P<strong>and</strong>e<br />
Both projects seek to exp<strong>and</strong> drinking water availability.<br />
“I was interested in this project with Dr. El Badawy<br />
because I felt the project had a high potential for impact<br />
on the world with the importance of finding clean water<br />
sources,” said Grant Robinson, a student who assisted El<br />
Badawy. “The Partners Scholars program interested me<br />
because it was an opportunity to do something beyond<br />
classes during my time at Cal Poly.”<br />
Like Robinson, Barale picked up technical skills, learning<br />
about new software programs <strong>and</strong> how to use them to<br />
analyze data.<br />
“In addition, I learned how to look at a situation in<br />
different ways <strong>and</strong> how there could be multiple factors<br />
that cause an event like rising sea levels to happen,” she<br />
said.<br />
While the experience gives students a nice resume boost,<br />
it also helps the faculty conduct important work. Talke’s<br />
students performed important information gathering that<br />
helps test hypotheses <strong>and</strong> learn more about nature <strong>and</strong><br />
long-term changes.<br />
“It takes some grit to stick with some of these tasks,<br />
which are clearly within the 99-percent perspiration part<br />
of the equation,” Talke said. “However, in the end we<br />
hope to have gained new insights into how flood risk<br />
in bays <strong>and</strong> estuaries is changing with sea-level rise.<br />
The more we know, the closer — hopefully — we are to<br />
solutions.” n<br />
SPRING 2021 | 11
“This opens up a whole new avenue<br />
of not just bringing in our industry<br />
partners, but also excellent instructional<br />
collaborators from around the globe in<br />
support of student success.”<br />
— Charles Chadwell<br />
Trophy Room<br />
Transformed<br />
Department’s long-time showcase<br />
to be both a high-tech classroom<br />
<strong>and</strong> an industry meeting room<br />
The Trophy Room, long used as the<br />
department’s showcase for its many<br />
club victories, is about to become one<br />
of the most high-tech rooms on campus.<br />
Funded with money from the Platinum<br />
Partners (see side story), the Partners<br />
Distance Learning Lab will serve both as<br />
a place for industry to virtually connect<br />
with students <strong>and</strong> a high-tech classroom,<br />
complete with digital whiteboards, a<br />
surround sound audio system <strong>and</strong> noisecancelling<br />
microphones.<br />
Alumni will remember the room as a<br />
l<strong>and</strong>ing spot for past concrete canoes<br />
<strong>and</strong> scores of trophies — hence the name<br />
Trophy Room. But even before COVID-19<br />
created a greater dem<strong>and</strong> for virtual<br />
interactions, Department Chair Charles<br />
Chadwell was working to transform the<br />
room into a place where industry members<br />
from major markets could connect with<br />
prospective employees.<br />
“The thought was that rather than the<br />
having the companies make the trek here<br />
to give a one-hour talk to a club or our<br />
students, it would be great to be able to<br />
beam them in using Zoom <strong>and</strong> have them<br />
be able to give a presentation to a group<br />
of students in an environment that’s very<br />
interactive,” Chadwell said.<br />
When campus was shut down due to<br />
county-wide sheltering orders in March of<br />
2020, another potential purpose came to<br />
mind.<br />
“Then it became, wow, this is actually the<br />
perfect room for a digital, remote learning<br />
environment,” Chadwell said.<br />
12 12 | | CIVIL AND AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
With a facilitator <strong>and</strong> teacher’s aide<br />
in the classroom, remote lecturers<br />
would have access to multiple screens<br />
<strong>and</strong> touch-screen technology that will<br />
greatly enhance virtual teaching. The<br />
room itself has a capacity for roughly 80<br />
people.<br />
“This opens up a whole new avenue<br />
of not just bringing in our industry<br />
partners, but also excellent instructional<br />
collaborators from around the globe in<br />
support of student success,” Chadwell<br />
said.<br />
A similar room currently exists in the<br />
School of Education.<br />
Currently, the design phase has been<br />
completed for the $150,000 room, <strong>and</strong><br />
equipment is being delivered so the<br />
room can be ready this spring. n<br />
The department’s Trophy Room is being renovated<br />
<strong>and</strong> converted to a high-tech classroom <strong>and</strong> meeting<br />
room. At left, environmental engineering professor<br />
Tryg Lundlquist works under one of the new<br />
projectors in the classroom.<br />
▲<br />
Partnership Program Continues<br />
to Grow, Benefitting Students<br />
While the economy has experienced setbacks during<br />
the COVID-19 p<strong>and</strong>emic, the Industrial Partnership<br />
Program has continued to grow, benefitting student<br />
clubs <strong>and</strong> facilitating key industry connections.<br />
The program lost one partner during the p<strong>and</strong>emic but gained<br />
four. That reflects the appeal of both Cal Poly students <strong>and</strong> the<br />
market for jobs in the industry, said Department Chair Charles<br />
Chadwell.<br />
“The need for infrastructure <strong>and</strong> growth in California doesn’t<br />
stop just because of the p<strong>and</strong>emic,” he said. “The dem<strong>and</strong> on<br />
engineers is still there. And partners realize the strength of our<br />
Day One Ready engineers.”<br />
The Partners Program, Chadwell added, supports that Day One<br />
readiness through systemic lab upgrades.<br />
Chadwell revitalized the<br />
partnership program when<br />
he became chair. Partner<br />
companies that join choose<br />
between one of four<br />
commitment levels (bronze,<br />
silver, gold <strong>and</strong> platinum), with<br />
support ranging from $250 a<br />
year to $5,000. For partners,<br />
membership builds their br<strong>and</strong><br />
on campus <strong>and</strong> opens recruitment avenues.<br />
“Partners realize<br />
the strength of our<br />
Day One Ready<br />
engineers.”<br />
— Charles Chadwell<br />
For students, the IPP funds a host of items, including<br />
competitions; conferences; projects; Certificate of Excellence<br />
student awards; startup funding for an Environmental fee-forservice<br />
learning lab; <strong>and</strong> the annual Partners dinner (returning<br />
soon), where partners connect with college <strong>and</strong> department<br />
scholarship award recipients.<br />
The IPP has recently provided funding for the Partners Scholars<br />
program (see story, Page 10), the Partners Distance Learning<br />
Lab, graduation gifts <strong>and</strong> Professor Tryg Lundquist’s research<br />
using algae to treat wastewater (see story, Page 6), which has<br />
involved several students.<br />
The program, which raised $24,000 in the 2017-18 academic<br />
year, had raised $140,000 by February of this year. There are<br />
currently 49 partners, <strong>and</strong> 23 of those are in the platinum<br />
category. n<br />
SPRING<br />
SPRING<br />
2021<br />
2021<br />
| 13<br />
13
enchmark & beaker<br />
New Faculty<br />
Shams Tanvir <strong>and</strong> Long Wang add research<br />
skills while encouraging student participation<br />
Encouraging students to<br />
assist them in research, the<br />
department’s newest faculty<br />
members have backgrounds<br />
in the area of sustainable mobility<br />
<strong>and</strong> the intersection of structural<br />
engineering, material science <strong>and</strong><br />
data analytics.<br />
Shams Tanvir joined the<br />
Transportation Engineering team,<br />
while Long Wang joined the<br />
Structural Engineering team, both as<br />
assistant professors.<br />
Tanvir’s research, which focuses<br />
on sustainable mobility, explores<br />
the carbon footprint of emerging<br />
transportation technology.<br />
“As the number one polluter in the<br />
U.S., transportation plays a very vital<br />
role in climate change,” he said.<br />
Long Wang<br />
His research explores possible<br />
mitigating factors, including selfdriving<br />
technology, electric cars,<br />
<strong>and</strong> shared mobility options — such<br />
as Uber <strong>and</strong> Lyft — as possible<br />
efforts to decrease pollution. His<br />
interests encouraged him to come<br />
to California, because the state is a<br />
leader in sustainable mobility <strong>and</strong><br />
technology.<br />
Tanvir earned his bachelor’s <strong>and</strong><br />
master’s degrees in civil engineering<br />
from Bangladesh University of<br />
Engineering <strong>and</strong> Technology <strong>and</strong><br />
his Ph.D. in civil engineering, with<br />
a focus on transportation systems<br />
engineering, from North Carolina<br />
State University. He finished his<br />
postdoc fellowship at the University<br />
of California Riverside’s Center<br />
for Environmental Research <strong>and</strong><br />
Technology.<br />
Wang is interested in developing<br />
multifunctional smart materials, such<br />
as nanomaterials <strong>and</strong> polymers, that<br />
can be integrated with structural<br />
systems for simultaneously bearing<br />
loads, actuating <strong>and</strong> monitoring<br />
structural performance.<br />
Like Tanvir, he offers students<br />
valuable experience as research<br />
assistants.<br />
“My research will help create a<br />
more collaborative environment<br />
for faculty <strong>and</strong> students across<br />
different backgrounds <strong>and</strong> will<br />
create more visibility for the Civil<br />
Shams Tanvir<br />
<strong>and</strong> Environmental Engineering<br />
Department,” he said.<br />
He earned his bachelor’s degree<br />
in port, waterway <strong>and</strong> coastal<br />
engineering from Dalian University<br />
of Technology in China, his master’s<br />
in civil engineering <strong>and</strong> mechanical<br />
<strong>and</strong> aerospace engineering at the<br />
University of California Davis <strong>and</strong><br />
his doctorate at the University of<br />
California San Diego, where he<br />
also completed his postdoctoral<br />
fellowship. n<br />
14 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING<br />
SPRING 2021 | 14
CE/ENVE student advisory board<br />
engages students for 3rd year<br />
The CE/ENVE Student Advisory<br />
Board hopes to get students<br />
engaged with department<br />
opportunities soon after they become<br />
Cal Poly students while promoting<br />
events like Engineering Week, Open<br />
House <strong>and</strong> Academic Day.<br />
Now in its third year, the board,<br />
a consortium of various club<br />
representatives, also shares<br />
student concerns <strong>and</strong> needs while<br />
collaborating with the department on<br />
events <strong>and</strong> initiatives.<br />
“Our board meets regularly all-year<br />
with the department to discuss<br />
various department businesses <strong>and</strong><br />
bring up concerns of the students<br />
to create solutions,” said Meagan<br />
Chan, who heads the board. “Over<br />
the year, we have discussed topics like<br />
department fundraising <strong>and</strong> providing<br />
more resources for students.”<br />
The current board is comprised of 15<br />
representatives from the following<br />
groups: CalGeo, CE Transfer Students,<br />
Chi Epsilon (XE), Concrete Canoe,<br />
Engineers Without Borders (EWB),<br />
Engineers for a Sustainable World<br />
(ESW), ENVE Transfer Students,<br />
GeoWall, Graduate Students, Institute<br />
of Transportation Engineers (ITE),<br />
RainWorks, Steel Bridge, Society of<br />
Civil Engineers (SCE), <strong>and</strong> Society of<br />
Environmental Engineers (SENVE).<br />
Recently, Chan said, the collaboration<br />
between the board <strong>and</strong> department<br />
has experimented with methods to<br />
help students feel more engaged <strong>and</strong><br />
represented within the department.<br />
That has included promoting early<br />
exposure to opportunities within the<br />
department.<br />
Meagan Chan<br />
“During the 2020 – 2021 academic<br />
year, the board had successfully<br />
organized, hosted, <strong>and</strong> represented<br />
the department at various events,<br />
such as Academic Day, Open House,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the quarterly Open Discussion<br />
Forums,” she said. “Additionally,<br />
we hosted a series of events for<br />
Engineer’s Week.” n<br />
future of Engineering discussed at first summit<br />
The future of civil <strong>and</strong><br />
environmental engineering,<br />
graduate school <strong>and</strong> virtual<br />
networking were some of the topics<br />
covered in the department’s first<br />
Emerging Leaders in Engineering<br />
Summit, held in October.<br />
The virtual event, which included<br />
speakers, plenary talks <strong>and</strong> panel<br />
discussions, was offered free for<br />
students <strong>and</strong> alumni. Meanwhile,<br />
Zoom recordings from the summit<br />
can currently be viewed online.<br />
The keynote speaker was Jim<br />
O’Brien, a West Point graduate,<br />
who teaches at George Mason<br />
University <strong>and</strong> works at the ASCE<br />
Foundation, which support students<br />
in engineering.<br />
O’Brien discussed strategies for<br />
leadership in engineering. Addressing<br />
the challenges in the world, O’Brien’s<br />
topics included the value of diversity,<br />
succeeding through failure <strong>and</strong><br />
change.<br />
“We have to get ourselves into a<br />
position where we’re ready to change<br />
as change is happening,” he said.<br />
With panelists from industry <strong>and</strong><br />
moderators that included faculty<br />
<strong>and</strong> students, sessions touched<br />
upon those topics <strong>and</strong> more,<br />
including non-traditional engineers,<br />
engineering ethics <strong>and</strong> graduate<br />
school.<br />
The summit was sponsored by the<br />
Industrial Partnership Program. n<br />
“We have to get<br />
ourselves into a<br />
position where we’re<br />
ready to change as<br />
change is happening.”<br />
— Jim O’Brien, keynote speaker<br />
15 | CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING<br />
SPRING 2021 | 15
California Polytechnic State University<br />
1 Gr<strong>and</strong> Ave.<br />
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407<br />
Platinum Donors<br />
Gold Silver Bronze<br />
h Blois Construction h Wallace Group<br />
h Arcadis<br />
h DeSilva Gates<br />
h BNB Builders<br />
h Avila Traffic Safety<br />
Construction<br />
h Diablo Engineering<br />
h Carollo<br />
h Huitt-Zolars<br />
h Fehr <strong>and</strong> Peers<br />
h Churchill Cost<br />
h Mott McDonald h Gannett Flemming<br />
h Condor Earth<br />
h Murphy Structural<br />
Engineering<br />
h Kittleson & Associate h Diversified Project<br />
Services International<br />
h Stratus Engineering<br />
h DKS Associates<br />
h Truebeck Construction<br />
h ENGEO<br />
h FTF Engineering<br />
h HNTB<br />
h<br />
h<br />
h<br />
h<br />
h<br />
h<br />
h<br />
h<br />
h<br />
Montgomery & Assoc.<br />
MSD Professional<br />
Engineering Inc.<br />
NMG Geotechnical<br />
Parisi Transportation<br />
Consulting<br />
Pet Doors<br />
RJA-GPS<br />
Van S<strong>and</strong>e Engineering<br />
W.E. O’Neil<br />
W-Tran<br />
SPRING 2021 | 16