Civil engineering is the ideal engineering concentration for those who aspire to combine the technical aspects of engineering with the kind of high-level planning, coordination and analysis required by complex, large-scale projects. Professional opportunities for civil engineering master's students can include leadership on large construction projects, such as bridge design and housing development or oversight of expansive...

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Each semester, the department hosts the series, Graduate Seminars. The seminar features a prominent guest speaker from industry or academia and spans current topics in structural, geotechnical and environmental engineering, as well as transportation. The seminars are organized by Professor Rayan Assaad and are held on Monday afternoons.

Topics included:

• Moving From Treatment to Resource | Bruce E. Rittmann, Ph.D.
• Membrane Technology for Water Treatment and Resource Recovery from Wastewater | Yongsheng Chen, Ph.D.
• Ionic Liquid Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Fly Ash | Ching-Hua Huang, Ph.D.
• Modeling aging and flooding of sewer systems in coastal urban areas | Ting Liu, Ph.D.
• Inadequacy of the Conventional Pore Water Pressure Concept in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering | Ning Lu, Ph.D.
• Evaluating Physics-Based Thermo-Hydrologic Models of Seasonally Frozen Ground and Permafrost in Mountain Regions: Case Studies from the Colorado Front Range and High Mountain Asia | Harihar Rajaram, Ph.D.

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The Geomechanics for Geo-Engineering and Sustainability (GGES) Lab is working on cutting-edge research at the intersection of rock mechanics, energy, biotechnology and sustainability. Our group investigates mechanical responses in microbial-rock interactions, and the multiscale failure and behavior of rocks and rock-like materials. Based on laboratory tests, our group further develops theoretical and numerical models to predict and mitigate geotechnical-related hazards triggered by natural or man-made causes at multiscale, ultimately elucidating these processes' impact at the field scale. 

Our research areas of interest are: experimental and computational rock mechanics, the engineering behavior of rocks, biogeomechanics, carbon geo-sequestration, geo-energy development & underground energy storage, geotechnical-related hazard mitigation, thermal-induced rock deformation, underground drilling and excavation, the stability of slopes and underground openings.

https://www.gges-lab.com/research

Wen Zhang's research group works with New Jersey water conservation agencies, lake commissions and industrial partners to develop microbubble-enabled air-flotation/filtration platforms to replenish water quality and remove harmful algal blooms (HABs) from New Jersey Lakes. This work is funded by the NJDEP (Award number: WM20-040). The group was awarded $500,000 from NJDEP to work in partnership with the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) and BRISEA Inc. to design and launch a mobile floating platform to mechanically remove and mitigate harmful algal blooms at Branch Brook Lake and Deal Lake, two New Jersey lakes that are negatively affected by algal blooms. The team proposes to apply filtration and air flotation, as well as unique engineering technologies to mechanically remove HABs from water. The boat, depending on the designed treatment capacity, has flexible and tunable dimensions and functionalities such as, water quality monitoring. The purged air micro-nano bubbles in the air flotation process also aim to replenish water with dissolved oxygen that may abate anoxia and hypoxia. This three-year demonstration project will involve three major stages: designing the boat’s specifications, including size and power with intensive water quality and algal characterization; building and deploying the boat in two lakes for demonstration testing; verifying its performance of algae removal and evaluating its impact on the lakes' water quality and restoration. Details can be found below:

https://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2020/20_0009.htm

Celebration is s festive evening of dinner, dancing and live entertainment which provides support for scholarships and honoring individuals for achievements of great benefit to New Jersey and our nation, and organizations that have been exceptional in their commitment to the university’s mission.

Lara Rios is a senior enrolled in the Newark College of Engineering at who studies civil engineering. She was raised in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and currently resides there with her parents, Jairo and Laura, and two brothers, Jared and Liam.

When filling out college applications, Rios' aptitude for math and physics led her to choose civil engineering, a largely white, male-dominated field. However, this path was difficult to visualize for a half-Chilean and half-Puerto Rican woman with very few engineers in her family, let alone women engineers. Her father, an NJIT alum and structural engineer, provided a piece of that picture. His influence on Lara’s life was the other reason she chose civil engineering. As a first-generation college student, her father had to overcome many obstacles including poverty and living in unsafe neighborhoods. Going to his alma mater to follow in his footsteps was her way of honoring him for all the sacrifices and struggles he endured while providing for his family. Both of Rios’s parents constantly inspire her to be the determined and hard-working student she is today. 

Thanks to scholarships from NJIT, Avanade and the Albert Dorman Honors College, Rios has been able to focus on her studies and work diligently to create a better environment for her peers. As a commuter, she knew the struggles they face and joined the Student Senate in her first year. By spending four semesters on the student organizations committee, she saw that these organizations were the key to engaging students. During her junior year, Rios served as Director of Student Organizations, the committee which revived clubs that had become inactive during the pandemic, and she created a system to encourage and award student organization activities. Later inspired by a student government conference, she sought to create a diversity and inclusion position in the Student Senate. 

This year Rios, serves in that role, taking a more targeted approach to continuing her efforts to foster a sense of belonging among her peers. With the administration at her side, she will use this position to and provide students with any resources they need. Rios is also president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), whose purpose is to empower the Hispanic community to realize its full potential. So far she has led her board members in hosting events for Hispanic Heritage Month, a “How To” professional workshop series, and a trip to the SHPE National Conference, in which 30 students where sponsored to attend. Following graduation, Rios hopes to continue her education by pursuing a Ph.D. in structural engineering and eventually take a full-time role at an engineering firm. 

Bio link here

On October 7, approximately 40 civil and environmental engineering students attended the annual Moles' student field trip at Newark Liberty Airport's New Terminal A construction site. According to NJ.com, the 2.7 billion dollar project is set to open at the end of this year.

The Moles' Education Committee has hosted an Annual Students Day since 1962, a widely popular event offered to Junior-year students attending participating colleges and universities, including the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and U.S. Military Academy.

During the visit to the new terminal, project managers presented their construction plans. Some of the presentation topics included the geology and soil profile of Newark airport, low voltage systems, the design-build process of the connection bridges and more.

The visit was very informative and allowed the students to explore different specialty areas within civil and environmental engineering.

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Hosted annually during the fall semester, the New Jersey Innovation Acceleration Center runs the New Business Model Competition. Many entrepreneurs submit practical innovative ideas for review by a panel of judges with the chance to win a $3,000 summer fellowship to pay them to work on their idea. Although submission is free, each submission must follow the guidelines of the NAVC program.

The purpose is to showcase a product within the technology discipline. The participants had seven minutes to convince a panel of six judges, followed by a five minutes Q&A session, that their product was the most innovative. For the competition, the participants were asked to define a product and elaborate on its benefits and commercial usefulness. The participants identified the target audience and market size for the product, as well as its feasibility. The event offers two tracks in which participants can compete as students or as community members in N.J.

Kewalramani was a finalist in this event in 2019, where he presented the potential for commercializing his research topic: high-frequency ultrasound for environmental remediation. However, at that time, the product was new and didn't fully demonstrate its value to customers. After taking notes from the judges and some refinement, he returned and won 2nd place.

Kewalramani said, "For the last three years, I worked on developing my product, evaluated its market potential, found an early adopter and filed a patent application. We are currently in the stage of developing a field prototype for demonstration."

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Tchouassi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering (1995, NJIT) and a Master of Science degree in Transportation Engineering (1998, NJIT). Since 2012, she has served as an instructor and coordinator of activities for undergraduate students in the NJIT Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department and in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies. Most recently, from 2019 to 2022, Tchouassi served as the Associate Director for Learning Communities and First-Year Seminars at the Office of Student Transition. Her duties there included design and implementation of programs for learning communities that link learning, social interaction and self-empowerment for first-time, first-semester college students. Among Ms.Tchouassi's many recognitions and awards are the Excellence in Advising award of NCE, and a Certificate of Recognition by the Committee of Women Leadership.

Carlos Lopez earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from NJIT in 2010, followed by a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, with a concentration in transportation, in 2011. He is a project manager at Michael Baker International, based in the Newark, N.J. office. He manages the design of roadway transportation projects for clients across the region, including the N.J. Department of Transportation and the City of Newark. Carlos serves as the current President of the ASCE North Jersey Branch, representing one of the largest ASCE branches in the country, with a membership of nearly 2000 members. Carlos also volunteers for the NJ Future City Competition as a competition day coordinator, bringing together hundreds of New Jersey middle school students to imagine, research and design cities of the future.

Lopez said, "During my presidency, I hope to continue providing technical events and networking opportunities for our members so they can reconnect with colleagues and help to deliver the infrastructure needed to support our growing society."

On September 9, Adams spoke at a conference called "Locally Sourced: Municipal Green Policy Solutions" with the Mayor of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, about how simple local policy initiatives can result in major boosts to sustainable construction practices. Check out the video below.

Kori Hodges comes to us from Macy's, where she spent two years as a sales captain. As a member of management, she honed her team-building, training, and customer service skills. She supervised and directed leadership priorities to optimize the customer experience, support sales volume and assist with customer service. She maintained a proactive and solution-oriented customer-centric culture. Before Macy’s, Kori worked with Blue Cross Blue Shield as a customer advocate. While assisting insurance holders and providers with procedure approvals, she also led new hire training for her team.