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Research Engineer Hossein Yousefpour (Ph.D. 2015) received the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s 2016 Robert J. Lyman Award for a paper that provides unique insight into the behavior of concrete arches built by an accelerated construction method.
The award, named in honor of PCI’s third president, recognizes a paper that offers the greatest contribution to the advancement of plant production, site erection, or general construction of precast concrete structures. The paper, “Construction Stresses in the World’s First Precast Network Arch Bridge”, was co-authored by Professor Todd Helwig and Professor Oguzhan Bayrak, who also received the award.
The researchers reported major findings from a monitoring study on the West Seventh Street Bridge in Fort Worth, Texas. Designed by the Texas Department of Transportation, the bridge is believed to be the first precast concrete network arch bridge in the world.
The innovative bridge, completed in 2013 as a replacement for a century-old bridge, consists of 12 prestressed, precast concrete network arches. Due to the state-of-the-art construction of this bridge, some of the most critical stresses in the life of the arches occurred during construction. The research team conducted an instrumentation program to make sure that the arches were not damaged during the fabrication, transport, and erection procedures.
They instrumented the bridge with 224 vibrating-wire gages that were embedded in the arches prior to concrete placement. The gages were monitored during post-tensioning, handling, and transport as well as deck construction.
The instrumentation provided data on the stresses induced in the arches, which were used to ensure a safe environment throughout construction. The measurements also provided a means for evaluating the accuracy of stress calculations that were made during design.
This research was also featured in the PCI Journal September-October 2015 issue.
Students will focus on creating solutions to environmental challenges facing the planet.
Professor Kerry Kinney and Associate Professor Atila Novoselac have completed a study of the air quality inside portable classrooms. The research team collected a detailed set of building ventilation and microbiological measurements from school portables and made suggestions for low-cost methods to improve the indoor air quality in these increasingly common structures.
Over one third of U.S. schools use portables, also known as temporary buildings, to provide classroom space when there is a capacity shortage. The research team is particularly interested in understanding the relationship between ventilation factors and the microorganisms and pollutants that are found in the air within these portables.
Their study, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, found that while portables all tend to look the same, they can vary substantially in construction, design and operation. They also found that even though portable classrooms are different from conventional classrooms, the indoor levels of carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds in the older portables were similar to those found in conventional classrooms.
Fourteen portable classrooms situated in a hot and humid climate were investigated, with nine classrooms selected for detailed examination. The HVAC system, building, and environmental conditions were characterized in these classrooms. The classrooms were similar in size with a suspended ceiling or a small attic space; a crawl space also existed beneath each portable. Each portable building contained two classrooms, divided by an interior wall.
In some cases, the attic spaces were vented to the outdoors. When combined with loose-fitting suspended ceiling tiles, this vented attic creates a large leakage path of indoor air to the outdoors and vice versa. Open vents may allow wildlife or unwanted pests to enter into the attic space. The leaky ceiling and attic space also make pressurization of the occupied space difficult.
A properly operating mechanical ventilation system could provide the necessary pressurization of the conditioned/occupied space while controlling the source of fresh air and preventing air from crawl spaces or attics from entering the classroom. However, this was not the case in many of the tested classrooms, where insufficient pressurization allowed wind and temperature differences between the indoor and outdoor environment to drive uncontrolled airflow from the attic and crawl spaces into the classroom.
Microbial samples collected during the study indicate that some of the microorganisms found in the indoor air were also found in the attic and vice versa, suggesting that there is communication between the spaces. Not surprisingly, though, human-associated bacteria were the most commonly detected taxa in the indoor air of these classrooms, which are typically occupied by 20 to 25 students. Also, positively pressurizing the classroom with fresh outside air increased the fraction of outdoor microorganisms in the indoor air, although human-associated taxa persisted.
The HVAC systems also differed substantially from portable to portable, with most being undersized and/or improperly configured for fresh air delivery. A frequent finding was that the fresh air intake system was disabled by closing the fresh air damper or by taping over the external air vents; anecdotal evidence suggests that this was done to overcome insufficient cooling capacity in the HVAC units. Only one portable in the study had a fresh air intake system with sufficient capacity to operate as intended.
Only a few of the classrooms investigated in this study met the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard requirements for ventilation; the majority of classrooms had a slightly lower ventilation rate than the standard’s recommendation. The results also show that buildings with a vented attic allowed for more uncontrolled infiltration due to weather-related pressure changes than their counterparts with non-vented attics. This resulted in greater overall ventilation rates for vented vs. non-vented attics.
Many of the indoor air quality indicators found in portable classrooms were similar to those found in regular classrooms. When comparing overall ventilation rates and indoor CO2, VOC and formaldehyde concentrations, the portable classrooms were similar to standard school buildings. It is important to note that for standard classroom buildings the air quality is managed through controlled ventilation, since interior classrooms of a large school building cannot directly exchange air with the outdoor environment. This differs from the infiltration ventilation mechanism prevalent in portable buildings, where every surface – walls, ceilings, and floors - leads to the outdoor environment.
The leakiness of the portable building shell combined with their proximity to the outdoor space results in overall ventilation rates similar to those found in typical school buildings and, thus, similar environmental conditions. However, this proximity to the outdoor environment also brings with it other issues. For instance, evidence of water intrusion due to weather was commonly found in portable classrooms.
The results collected to date suggest that several relatively easy solutions can be implemented to improve ventilation conditions and minimize uncontrolled ventilation in portables. These include:
- AC units should be sized for expected loads, which eliminates the need to close or disable the fresh air vents.
- The HVAC system should be designed to deliver fresh air independent of the cooling load through a dedicated ventilation system.
- Attics should be unvented, with insulation installed against the rafters rather than on top of the suspended ceiling; this will allow for positive pressurization of the occupied space to control infiltration.
- Regular maintenance of the portables should include verification of positive pressurization (2.5 – 5Pa) and proper ventilation (typically >3 air changes per hour); this will prevent uncontrolled infiltration that could transport undesirable pollutants into the occupied space.
Portables are here to stay as a cost-effective solution for schools trying to meet student enrollment demands. Since portable classroom buildings often remain in place for extended periods of time, it is important that they be treated the same as permanent school buildings.
Professor Ellen Rathje has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). She is recognized for contributions to civil engineering including research accomplishments in geotechnical earthquake engineering and leadership in technical organizations and large, collaborative projects.
ASCE Fellows have made celebrated contributions and developed creative solutions that change lives around the world. It is a prestigious honor held by fewer than 3.5% of ASCE members.
Rathje is the Warren S. Bellows Centennial Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering and is currently the principal investigator for the DesignSafe-ci.org cyberinfrastructure for the NSF-funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure. Her research spans the technical areas of seismic-site response analysis, seismic-slope stability, and satellite remote sensing of geotechnical phenomena.
Within earthquake engineering, she has promoted the incorporation of uncertainty in site-response analysis and seismic-slope stability analysis, and has developed tools and approaches for use in engineering practice. She also helped pioneer the application of satellite remote sensing to geotechnical engineering, using optical satellite imagery to document the occurrence of earthquake-induced landslides and measure ground displacements due to landslides and liquefaction.
"Being involved in earthquake engineering research is rewarding to me because it has the potential to save lives and reduce the effects of earthquakes on communities," said Rathje.
Rathje has taken on important leadership roles in various organizations. Since joining ASCE as an undergraduate student, she has remained active in the organization through the Geo-Institute’s Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics Committee and the Geo-Institute’s Awards Committee. From 2007 to 2015 she was an Associate Editor for the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
She is a founding member and current co-chair of the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association. She was also a member of the board of directors of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute from 2010 to 2013.
The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering is once again ranked in the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings, strengthening the department's position as one of the nation’s elite engineering departments.
The undergraduate program in Civil Engineering is ranked No. 4 and the Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering is ranked No. 7.
In addition, the Cockrell School of Engineering is ranked as the No.11 best engineering school in the country, and several of UT Austin’s engineering programs ranked in the nation’s top 10 for their respective programs, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings released on Sept. 13.
Assistant Professor Paola Passalacqua has been selected to receive the 2016 Association of Environmental Engineering & Science (AEESP) Award for Outstanding Teaching in Environmental Engineering and Science.
This nationally recognized award within the environmental engineering and science profession is given annually to honor a faculty member (typically early-career faculty) who has made substantive contributions toward excellence in classroom performance and related activities, both at the individual's home institution and beyond.
Award winners demonstrate extensive knowledge of the subject area, commitment to professional mentoring and inventiveness in design of classroom and field activities that motivate and challenge students.
“I’m very honored to receive this award and thankful to the colleagues and students who have supported my nomination and who have given me feedback," said Passalacqua. "Teaching gives me the opportunity to interact with students, improving me as a person, a teacher, and a researcher.”
Passalacqua’s research interests lie at the intersection of water resources engineering, hydrologic sciences, and geomorphology. The goal of her program is to advance our understanding of how topographic patterns arise, evolve, and interact with climate and ecosystems in order to improve predictions of the response of the Earth-surface to disturbance and change and develop sustainable management solutions. Her research group merges the analysis of remote sensing data (high-resolution topographic data – LIDAR Light Detection and Ranging - and satellite images), numerical modeling, statistical analysis, and fieldwork.
She will receive the award at the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference on Sept. 26 in New Orleans, LA.
Professor Kenneth Stokoe, the Jennie C. and Milton T. Graves chair in engineering, was recently named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Distinguished Membership is the highest honor ASCE can bestow. It is reserved for civil engineers who have attained eminence in some branch of engineering or in related arts and sciences, including the fields of engineering education and construction. Stokoe is recognized for world-renowned contributions to the understanding of soil dynamics in geotechnical engineering.
Several of Stokoe's developments are commonly used by engineers worldwide, including resonant column apparatus to assess soil properties, cross-hole seismic methods for measuring in situ wave velocities in soil and rock, and a spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves method for geotechnical and earthquake engineering applications.
Stokoe was an early advocate of the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) program at the National Science Foundation, and his team at The University of Texas at Austin developed a world-class, large-scale, mobile field capability for nonintrusive and nondestructive characterization of the ground. He was also the first to measure modulus degradation of soil in situ using the large NEES Center shakers.
As an educator, he has mentored many graduate and doctorate students and has played a key role in elevating the geotechnical engineering program at The University of Texas at Austin. His former students have gone on to successful careers in academia, business and government, a great source of pride for Stokoe. "I simply enjoy what I do," said Stokoe.
“This recognition is a reflection of the tremendous advancements that Ken has made in civil engineering, and particularly in geotechnical engineering," said Department Chair Richard Corsi. “His efforts contribute to our great stature as an academic community.”
Stokoe’s research achievements have earned him several awards, including the Karl Terzaghi Lecture and the H. Bolton Seed Medal from ASCE, the Harold Mooney Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysics, the Frank Friechkenect Award from the Engineering and Environmental Geophysics Society, and the C.A. Hogentogler Award from the American Society for Testing and Materials.
The 2016 class of Distinguished Members will receive their honors at the ASCE 2016 Convention, which will be held in Portland, OR, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1.
Former department chair and beloved professor Joseph F. Malina Jr. passed away on June 14, 2016, in Austin. After more than half a century with The University of Texas at Austin, he leaves a lasting legacy as a respected teacher, mentor, industry leader and professional engineer.
Joe grew up in Brooklyn, New York, as the second of nine children. He earned a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Manhattan College in 1957. After graduation, he went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and obtained his M.S. degree in 1959 and Ph.D. in 1961.
Joe joined the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering as an assistant professor in 1961 and was the C.W. Cook Professor in Environmental Engineering until his retirement in 2012. He served as chair from 1976 to 1988, helping to enhance the national reputation of the department and its academic programs. During this time, annual research expenditures increased from approximately $2 million to over $5 million and graduate student enrollment increased from 250 students to 360 students.
His research focused on biological treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters; handling, treatment and disposal of municipal sludges; industrial residuals and hazardous wastes; solid waste engineering; computer-aided-engineering of waste treatment systems; and the environmental impact of highway construction and highway runoff.
He served as a consultant to more than 70 companies, as well as to local, municipal, state and federal governments and agencies and international organizations. Environmental engineers regularly refer to his research, and the short courses he organized on advanced water pollution controls have shaped treatment plant design and operations across the world. He was also a founding member of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Environmental and Water Resources Institute.
His professional contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Water Environment Association of Texas, the ASCE Arthur M. Wellington Prize, the Edward J. Cleary Award and the Gordon Maskew Fair Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and the Engineer of the Year Award from the Travis Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers.
Throughout decades of dedicated service, Joe’s accessibility to students never wavered, and he helped thousands of students understand the real-world importance and applications of civil and environmental engineering. He supervised 192 graduate students, including 26 Ph.D. students, and he taught multiple generations of students from the same families.
“Joe devoted over 50 years of his life to CAEE and the Cockrell School of Engineering,” said CAEE department Chair Richard Corsi. “He was a husband, father, grandfather, friend and scholar, and we will miss him greatly. Our community and the environmental engineering profession is better because of Joe - he cared deeply for his students and colleagues. Joe was a man of integrity who loved his family and career.”
Eight alumni and one faculty member from the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have been elected to the Academy of Distinguished Alumni.
The department established the Academy of Distinguished Alumni to acknowledge the professional achievements and contributions of its graduates. Twenty-seven charter members were inducted into the academy in 2003, and 92 additional members have been selected since.
The 2016 honorees are recognized for expertise in their fields, research and education advancements and strong leadership qualities.
Active Membership
Valerie Briggs (BS 97, MS 00)
J. Crozier Brown (BS 65, MS 67)
Dewayne E. Hahn (BS 73, MS 74)
Moo Young Han (PhD 89)
Todd Helwig (BS 87, MS 89, PhD 94)
Kyuichi Maruyama (PhD 79)
Gregg A. Reese (BS 80, MS 83)
Glenn J. Rix (MS 84, PhD 88)
Honorary Membership
Dan L. Wheat (no UT degree)
“Members of the CAEE Academy of Distinguished Alumni have each had a profound and positive impact on the world we live in,” said Department Chair Richard Corsi. “They do much to help our students, not the least of which is to inspire them to do great things themselves. We are fortunate to have such a distinguished group of alumni, and the Class of 2016 adds to the impressive and multi-dimensional accomplishments of the Academy.”
The Class of 2016 will be inducted on September 30, 2016. Alumni, faculty and students are invited to attend the induction ceremony.
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