Dr. Rob Sowby, a 2018 PhD graduate from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received the ASCE Daniel W. Mead Prize for Younger Members for his paper “To Uphold and Enhance the Profession.”

According to the article, "The Daniel W. Mead Prize for Younger Members is awarded to the author or authors of a paper on professional ethics. Each year the specific topics, if any, of the contest for the forthcoming year are selected by the Committee on Younger Members."

Dr. Sowby's Mead Prize is the third young professional awards in the past few years. Last year he received recognition by the American Water Works Association and the American Water Resources Association. Congratulations Dr. Sowby on your accomplishments!

ASCE announcement: https://news.asce.org/sowby-picked-for-mead-prize-for-younger-members/

If researchers want to know more about the nature of the COVID-19 virus, they are starting to look at a seemingly odd place – human waste.

University of Utah civil and environmental engineering professor Ramesh Goel has received a $130,000 National Science Foundation RAPID Response grant to analyze samples from wastewater treatment plants for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The project is based on the idea that a person’s urine and feces contain traces of the virus.

The purpose of the project is two-fold: Goel will analyze the viral metagenomic data obtained after sequencing of the purified viral contents from wastewater samples to determine if different strains of the virus exist in different areas. He is looking at samples from seven to eight wastewater plants along the Wasatch Front in Utah as well as from several other major U.S. metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and Chicago. He will also study the concentrations of the virus in each sample to determine if a higher concentration means the area that wastewater plant services has a higher infection rate.

Learning if there are different strains of the virus is important because “when researchers develop vaccines, they can develop something that encompasses all of the different strains,” Goel said.

Goel said he hopes to have results of the study by the end of the summer and might perform additional analysis with the help of computer scientists from the U’s School of Computing.

Goel is one of three U College of Engineering faculty members who have received an NSF RAPID Response grant in the last month to tackle issues involving the COVID-19 pandemic. Electrical and computer engineering professor Massood Tabib-Azar has received a grant to develop a portable, reusable COVID-19 sensor that works with a cellphone, and biomedical engineering assistant professor Jessica Kramer is researching the role mucus plays in spreading the virus.

Researchers across the world are working on new projects to help learn more about the COVID-19 virus, including many researchers at the University of Utah. Dr. Jennifer Weidhaas, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is working with a team of researchers from Utah State University, University of Utah and Brigham Young University to cover different areas of the Beehive State’s water treatment plants.

In knowing how other pathogens appear in the waste water, Dr. Weidhaas knew that there was a need to test the wastewater for COVID-19. She reached out to the State of Utah to see if anyone was looking at this unique perspective of the virus. No one was, so she partnered with the state to start her research.

Dr. Weidhaas is starting pilot testing to determine the correlation between COVID in the waste water and the number of cases found in certain areas. So far, the research has shown a correlation between the levels found in the waste water and the number of cases in certain areas. This data is being reported back to the department of health to provide modeling data.

Professors Pantelides and Zhu, were recently awarded a grant from the USDA U.S. Forest Service Wood Innovations Grant program for their project “BRB BRACED FRAMES FOR SEISMICALLY RESILIENT MASS TIMBER BUILDINGS”. The project is proposing a mass timber buckling-restrained braced frame as the lateral force resisting system to enhance the resilience of mass timber buildings. Constructed using wood generated from the national forest system, the mass timber buckling-restrained brace will be integrated with a mass timber frame for structural energy dissipation under seismic or wind loads. The team will improve and optimize the design of structural components based on feedback from a real-time health monitoring system. The goal of the project is to showcase quantifiable structural and economic benefits of using mass timber buckling-restrained braced frames for sustainable and resilient buildings.

As students approach graduation, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers a unique experience to prepare students to enter the work force. Through the 4910 course, students are given the opportunity to solve real world issues in the local community. For Spring 2019, two sections of 4910 are working on two separate issues in Salt Lake City area.

Dr. Steve Burian, Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is leading students in a Water and Environmental Engineering project with the City Creek Water Treatments Facility. Dr. Burian's class is working to develop an idea and preliminary engineering design of a water supply solution to maximize the yield of City Creek as a water supply source for Salt Lake City. Students are provided engineering and global objectives for them to meet as they work on solutions for the project.

Dr. Doug Schmucker, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is leading students in a Civil Engineering project, working to develop concepts and preliminary engineering design of a replacement bridge at 200 S over the Jordan River in Salt Lake City.  Dr. Schmucker noted some items the students will need to consider as they move forward. “The bridge’s location adjacent to the historic Albert Fisher Mansion and Carriage House adds important architectural, heritage, and destination criteria to the replacement the project.  The recently completed Jordan River Parkway Trail must also be accommodated in the design as are fairly difficult demands from adjacent water infrastructure.”

Previous projects presented by students have been implemented to resolve issue identified in the community. This experience provides students a taste of the real world because they are working with industry professionals and solving relevant issues. Not only does this give students real world work experience, but they are also helping the community.

Keep checking in with us, will provide updates on the progress of the projects through the semester.

More than two dozen companies attended the Civil and Construction Engineering Career Expo on January 22, 2020 at the University of Utah. Students from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering were invited to meet with potential employers.

With graduation around the corner, Civil Engineering students are eager to start their career in the industry, just as companies are ready to hire recent college graduates. Civil Engineers are in high demand due to the rapidly growing industry. The need for Civil Engineers through 2026 is predicted to grow by 11% throughout the nation. 60% of the University of Utah’s Civil Engineering students graduated with job offers in Spring 2019

Career fairs provide a convenient and purposeful networking opportunity for both students and professionals.