A Note from Departing CAEE Chair, Bob Gilbert

Dear CAEE Community, 

I am very excited about the future of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, both in our department and across the world. 

Unprecedented environmental challenges, societal shifts and technological advances demand novel approaches that present our profession with both an opportunity and a pressing need. We will need to reimagine how we provide water, energy, shelter, transportation and waste management. We will need to develop new strategies and acquire new skills to understand and adapt to the emerging challenges. We will need to be as adept with integrated systems and public affairs as we are with conventional engineering design, construction and operation. We will need to develop new materials and new processes, and leverage data science, simulation, decision-making, and autonomous and smart technologies. 

Our department is poised to meet this challenge in education and research. Spurred by an investment from Fariborz Maseeh, we are transforming our curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels to instill critical thinking, adaptability and innovation in our students.  

Over the past decade, we have hired 20 new faculty who are talented, creative and energized about the future. They include chemical, mechanical and electrical engineers because the problems we are tackling are not confined to a single discipline. We have started an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering that now produces 60 additional CAEE graduates per year. We have fostered a student body that reflects the state of Texas in gender and socioeconomic status, attracting the top students admitted to the University.  

We are building state-of-the art laboratory facilities for chemical, biological and materials science research. We are hosting the first-ever Disruptive Innovation Summit next month on campus, an invitation-only convening of worldwide leaders shaping the future of the built and natural environment. The summit will explore the innovations needed across architecture, engineering, and construction to design and adapt global infrastructure to address society’s biggest challenges. 

In summary, the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering is trailblazing the future of the built and natural environment for civilization. As I step down as chair of the department, I have only one regret. I wish I were a student again so I could be part of our transformation throughout the entirety of my career.    

Best wishes and Hook ‘em, 

Bob