The U’s ASCE Student Chapter Shines Bright at Symposium

Every year, the ASCE Student Symposium brings the ingenuity and passion of engineering students together for camaraderie, competition, and shared learning. We’re pleased to report that our student chapter came back from this year’s Symposium with some well-earned accolades, including 2024’s Distinguished Chapter Award and their second Certificate of Commendation.

Utah State University hosted the ASCE Student Symposium in Logan, UT from April 11 – 13th, drawing students from across the Intermountain Southwest Conference Region. For the U’s ASCE chapter, this event served as a platform to demonstrate their recent hard work and dedication.

Amidst the spirited symposium atmosphere, the U’s ASCE chapter distinguished itself with remarkable achievements:

• 2nd Place in the Paper Competition: Erik Bond’s eloquent presentation on ethics captivated the audience, earning accolades and recognition for the chapter’s insightful contributions.
• 2nd Place in the Construction Institute Competition: Led by Evan Blass, Sarah Neves, Kyle Wineteer, and Szymon Zeliszcak, the chapter excelled in tackling real-world construction challenges, showcasing their expertise and professionalism.

Leadership in Action

Congratulations to ASCE for another successful year! President Kamryn Cupal has led with dedication, fostering a sense of collegiality while striving for every member’s success. As Evan Blass steps into the presidency next year, the chapter looks forward to continuing its momentum.

Behind the scenes, Dr. Christine Pomeroy has been a guiding force in her role as faculty advisor, nurturing a culture of excellence and innovation within the chapter.

“I am so proud of our ASCE student chapter,” said Dr. Pomeroy. “Our membership is comprised of future industry leaders. They are a group of bright, hardworking, and enthusiastic students.”

Dr. Pomeroy, faculty advisor for ASCE for 7 years, has been instrumental in the chapter’s growth and success. Under her guidance, the chapter was recognized for its commitment to excellence and innovation by receiving the Distinguished Chapter Award, which is only given to one out of the 36 student chapters in the Intermountain Southwest Conference Region.

Additionally, thanks to Dr. Pomeroy’s efforts, the chapter has received two Certificates of Commendation (2024, 2024) for its outstanding activities as recorded in the ASCE’s Chapter Annual Report. This is a distinction earned by only the top 5% of all student chapters worldwide.

Standing as a testament to the power of mentorship and the potential of passionate engineering students, the chapter is poised to continue its legacy of excellence at future symposiums and within the engineering community.

Dr. Peter Zhu’s Rail Engineering Proposal Secures Funding for Innovative Research

Dr. Peter Zhu, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah, recently secured funding to enhance railroad infrastructure safety, resilience, and efficiency. Crafted in collaboration with the University of Illinois, his research proposal has been accepted for funding by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) as part of their 2024 Grand Challenges in Railroad Engineering.

Managed in partnership with MxV Rail, the AAR’s call for proposals received nearly 40 submissions vying for limited funding slots. Titled “Improvements on Machine Learning – Rail Neutral Temperature Predictive Tool,” Dr. Zhu’s innovative approach to addressing critical issues within the railway industry ultimately secured the funding to move forward with his project.

One of the most pressing challenges faced by the railway sector is the risk of rail thermal buckling, a leading cause of train derailments. Further, with the rising average temperatures and increasing occurrences of extreme heat events, the risk of thermal buckling now poses significant challenges to the reliability of rail networks.

To mitigate this risk, Dr. Zhu’s research will work to engineer superior load and stress measurement techniques in railroads by using machine learning algorithms and cutting-edge technologies. By utilizing contactless measurement techniques and machine learning models, the team aims to enable real-time anomaly detection of thermal stress at a network level.

Leveraging this funding from MxV Rail and AAR and existing fully instrumented test site on the UTA’s Frontrunner track, Dr. Zhu‘s team will work to pioneer advancements in detecting thermal stress anomalies with in-motion sensing technology to make significant contributions towards enhancing rail infrastructure safety, resilience, and efficiency.

We look forward to seeing the power of interdisciplinary research, collaborative partnerships, and engineering excellence in Dr. Zhu’s work on this project!

Engineering Students Spend a Day with Dunn Associates, Inc.

Hands-on experience is key to shaping the engineers of tomorrow. Recently, 22 students from the senior course 4900 got that chance to take a site visit to view seismic testing and soil borings. This project, focusing on building expansion and site improvements with a strong emphasis on sustainable practices, offered students a glimpse into the real-world applications of their studies.

Partnering with Dunn Associates, Inc., a trusted local Consulting Structural Engineers company, our students had the privilege of witnessing professionals in action. They observed Dunn engineers conducting seismic testing and soil borings, gaining invaluable insights into industry practices and standards.

During the visit, the parking lot buzzed with activity as Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) and Standard Penetration Testing (SPT) were conducted to analyze soil conditions. This data is instrumental in designing safe and stable structures, highlighting the practical applications of classroom knowledge.

This field trip was just one aspect of the Professional Practice & Design course sequence (4900 and 4910), where Civil and Construction Engineering students engage with real clients to engineer integrated design solutions. This capstone experience has been a pivotal component of our BSCE program since 2003, providing students with real-world design experience before graduation. Empowering them to address community challenges in Civil and Construction Engineering, this sequence ensures that our students are well-prepared to make a meaningful impact in their field.

We extend our sincere thanks to Dunn Associates, Inc. for their partnership on this capstone project, as well as to Applied Geotechnical Engineering Consultants Inc. (AGEC) for their support. The collaboration between academia and industry is crucial in preparing students for their future careers. Together, we’re building a brighter future, one project at a time.

At the University of Utah’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, we are committed to providing our students with the tools and experiences they need to succeed in the ever-evolving field of engineering. Through partnerships with industry leaders like Dunn Associates, Inc., we ensure that our students are equipped to tackle the engineering challenges of tomorrow with confidence.

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One Engineering Student’s Impact on Utah’s Asphalt Industry

Beatriz Fieldkircher, an engineering PhD candidate at the U, has long been passionate about making a meaningful impact on the world around her. She’s now doing exactly that, though in an unexpected way—by creating better solutions for asphalt pavements.

But how did such a broad desire to create a better world get chiseled down to the very specific and intricate field of asphalt and pavement research?

When she started studying Civil Engineering at the University of Santa Catarina in Brazil, Beatriz realized that by creating more sustainable and enduring infrastructure, she would be creating a more sustainable and enduring environment and society.

Specifically, while studying asphalt pavements, her interest piqued when she learned that pavements are, intriguingly, designed to fail within certain parameters. Which is what brought her to Utah.

In 2022, Beatriz sought an internship in the asphalt materials lab at the University of Utah under the guidance of Dr. Pedro Romero, an esteemed professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering whose research on asphalt pavements has been instrumental for the state of Utah. Initially driven by the desire to design enduring pavements, Beatriz’s research began to hone in on asphalt’s behavior under varying temperature conditions.

While in Utah, she watched the challenge of the temperature’s extreme variation affect the pavements.

“I saw that the studies conducted by Dr. Romero’s group addressing temperature conditions on asphalt benefit not just the contractors and agencies, but also society. And this sense of purpose increased my desire to be in academia, producing scientific knowledge.”

Now a PhD student with Dr. Romero, Beatriz recently earned recognition at the Utah Asphalt Conference, where she was awarded The Utah Asphalt Pavement Association’s $1,500 One-Time Annual Scholarship—a distinct and prestigious recognition in the state’s engineering and transportation industry.

Beatriz’s research continues to focus on asphalt mixtures and their behavior in varying temperatures. She will continue to pursue creating materials that can better endure climate change with increased temperature differentials leading to accelerated infrastructure deterioration, specifically by looking at thermal cracking. Determined to make a difference, she aims to utilize her expertise in asphalt materials, pavement design, and climate prediction to develop solutions capable of withstanding Utah’s extreme temperatures.

While balancing a full-time job as a research assistant with her graduate studies, Beatriz still makes time for her physical and mental health by taking daily workouts, having regular conversations with her family back home, and indulging in the rhythmic delights of samba, a cherished part of her Brazilian heritage.

On weekends, one can find Beatriz immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of a samba school in Salt Lake City, where she dances with joy and passion, finding solace and inspiration amidst the rhythms of her culture.

As Beatriz Fieldkircher navigates the challenges of academia and the complexities of asphalt research, she remains passionate about her pursuit of knowledge, driven by a deep-seated desire to make a meaningful impact on the world around her.

Dr. Pedro Romero Honored with Friend of Industry Award at the 2024 Utah Asphalt Conference

The Utah Asphalt Paving Association—the driving force behind our road infrastructure—recently hosted the 2024 Utah Asphalt Conference from February 27 to 28. Recognized as the premier asphalt-related event in the state, the conference brought together the industry’s best minds, including Dr. Pedro Romero, an integral member of our Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for over 20 years.

On the first day of the conference, Dr. Romero received the prestigious Friend of Industry award from the Utah Asphalt Paving Association. This honor is given to individuals who exemplify and champion the spirit of public-private collaboration. The recipients work diligently to elevate infrastructure standards in the State of Utah via the asphalt pavement sector. These awardees are at the forefront of advocating for policies and initiatives that foster a secure and innovative environment for the asphalt pavement industry. They work towards reducing operational costs while upholding principles of responsibility, safety, and ethical conduct.

Receiving this award proves that the research produced from Dr. Romero’s group is not confined to theoretical realms; rather, it is actively applied by the industry to enhance transportation infrastructure, benefiting the well-being of Utah residents.

This is aligned with University president Randall’s commitment to expand the university’s learning and knowledge enterprise beyond campus borders. The goal is to improve lives and make a global impact, a mission that Dr. Romero’s research actively supports.

Receiving the Friend of Industry award is a true honor as it affirms that the work undertaken at the University of Utah is positively impacting the world we live in—Dr. Romero’s efforts are playing a vital role in actively improving the overall quality of Utah’s infrastructure. Congratulations, Dr. Romero!

Congratulations, Dr. Romero!

Faster and Smarter Nuclear Forensics

The University of Utah’s Nuclear Engineering Program (UNEP) recently made waves with its study published in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Journal. The research, led by PhD student Ted Goodell, focuses on improving the efficiency of nuclear forensics through rapid image analysis.

Ted and UNEP professors tackled the challenge of precisely analyzing particle morphology in electron microscope images of uranium oxides. Typically, this requires a great deal of manual labor to analyze large datasets using a program called Morphological Analysis of Materials (MAMA) from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). They modified MAMA to rapidly segment and quantify the morphology of massive image databases without human interaction.  By employing parallelization strategies in a high-performance computing (HPC) environment, they achieved an efficient approach, showcasing an Amdahl fraction of 0.985 and a rapid image processing rate of approximately 0.251 seconds per image.

This success not only contributes to our understanding of nuclear materials but also sets the stage for automating interactive image segmentation on a large scale. With support from LANL and the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, this study reinforces UNEP’s commitment to pioneering research in nuclear science and engineering.

Congratulations to Ted and team for their significant step forward in advancing nuclear forensics!

The output of MAMA’s hierarchical watershed segmentation system. The original (left) is processed by MAMA to produce green outlines of the particles it segmented (right).

Speedup curves for each parallelization method on one node and curves created with the fitted Amdahl fractions.

Joe Davies: Engineering Major and Elite Skier

Engineering majors often have a lot on their plate due to the demanding curriculum. And then there’s Joe Davies, who’s (somehow) successfully balancing his studies with a career as a competitive cross-country skier and a key member of the University of Utah Ski team.

In addition to staying on top of coursework, Joe is currently gearing up for the U23 World Championship this February, and next month, he’ll be defending his title as Individual Champion at the NCAA Championships in Steamboat, Colorado (no pressure).

A third-year student at the University of Utah’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Joe’s journey in the world of competitive cross-country skiing began at the age of 10. After years of persistence and dedication, he’s now a proud member of the Division I University of Utah Ski team, while also taking his talents to the international stage by racing in the World Cup.

Having completed his first two years at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and skiing across the globe, Joe could have chosen any path for his competitive spirit and high educational pursuits. But with its perfect blend of academic excellence and unparalleled access to the mountains, there’s no place quite like the U.

Beyond skiing, Joe’s ambitions at the U are deep-rooted. “Ever since I was a child I knew I wanted to pursue some sort of career in the environmental sector, I just didn’t know exactly what type of job that would be,” said Joe. After a gap year dedicated to full-time skiing, he decided that Civil Engineering would allow him to make the most positive impact in the environment.

Having completed his first semester at the U in the Fall, Joe has particularly enjoyed working with Dr. Lenart in his Technical Communications class as well as Professor Brockmann in his Engineering Economics class, and he looks forward to focusing more on Environmental Engineering in the coming years.

Being both a student-athlete and an engineering major presents its challenges, but for Joe, it’s a journey worth making sacrifices for. Balancing schoolwork with a rigorous racing schedule taught him the importance of time management and goal-oriented work ethic.

Outside the classroom, Joe enjoys backcountry skiing in the winter, mountain biking in the summer, brewing specialty coffee, and enjoying his vinyl collection.

Joe Davies exemplifies the dedication of an engineering student at the University of Utah. As Joe carves his way through both engineering challenges and snowy slopes, his story epitomizes the unique and vibrant culture fostered at the U, where academic excellence and a love for outdoor adventure are aplenty.

Join us in wishing Joe the best of luck with both this season and semester!

“I chose to come to the University of Utah for the large level of support it provides its student-athletes, as well as the opportunity to train with one of the strongest teams in the country.” – Joe Davies

Dr. Shahrzad Roshankhah to Edit a Special Issue in Journal of Geosciences

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Shahrzad Roshankhah has been invited to serve as a guest editor for a special issue in collaboration with Dr. Wenfeng Li of the Los Alamos National Laboratory for the Journal of Geosciences.

This journal issue, titled “Fracture Geomechanics – Obstacles and New Perspectives,” will focus on understanding the challenges and exploring novel viewpoints within the realm of fracture geomechanics.

This special issue provides a unique opportunity for researchers interested in fracture geomechanics to share their insights and findings with a wider audience: Interested researchers can click here to find detailed information about the objectives of the issue, a comprehensive list of relevant topics, and guidance on the manuscript submission procedure.

For those eager to contribute or with any inquiries, Dr. Roshankhah and Dr. Li can be reached at mailto:Shahrzad.Roshankhah@utah.edu and mailto:wli23@lanl.gov, respectively. Engagement and questions are not only welcomed but encouraged as they contribute to the collaborative spirit of this initiative.

As a department, we are excited about the prospect of our faculty playing a key role in harboring collaborative research in the field of geomechanics. Best of luck to Dr. Shahrzad Roshankhah and Dr. Wenfeng Li in their spearheading this endeavor!

The U Donates Nuclear Reactor to ISU

The AGN-201 reactor, the University of Utah’s inaugural reactor, was decommissioned in 1996, and all AGN fuel and nuclear instrumentation was transferred to Idaho State University (ISU). Yet the AGN tank remained, and occupying valuable lab space of the Utah Nuclear Engineering Program (UNEP) for over 20 years.

In November 2023, the AGN tank was finally transferred to ISU, but transporting it was a seriously complex operation. Andrew Allison, UNEP’s Reactor Operations Manager, orchestrated the logistics between Idaho State University’s reactor supervisor, the University of Utah’s project management office, and the University police. They arranged for a contractor to handle the rigging and transportation, all while maintaining the security of the facility, even with lab’s bay door open.

ISU stands to gain significantly from the AGN reactor, further enhancing nuclear engineering education. Originally built in the 1950s and 60s, AGN reactors served as a training tools for universities, shaping the first generation of nuclear engineering in higher education. Its design and fuel composition, utilizing 20% enriched U-235 in a polyethylene matrix with modest dimensions and a maximum power of 5.0 Watts, made it unique.

In contrast, UNEP’s current TRIGA Reactor is a swimming pool reactor that doesn’t require a containment building and is designed for diverse research and testing purposes. Using uranium zirconium hydride (UZrH) fuel, it boasts unique safety features, allowing safe operations up to 100kW.

With the removal of the old AGN tank, Andrew and UNEP can now repurpose the space for TRIGA reactor maintenance and other essential lab projects, ensuring the continuation of Utah’s sole Nuclear Engineering Program.

Utah Universities Partner to Launch Innovative Transportation Electrification Certificate Program

University of Utah is awarded around $600,000 by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE)’s Deep Technology Talent Initiative to introduce a pioneering Transportation Infrastructure Electrification Joint Certificate Program. USHE’s Technology Talent Initiative aims to support the creation of multidisciplinary programs that would develop students’ proficiency for technology-focused job roles. This certificate program is going to be a collaborative effort pulling domain experts from two major state universities in Utah: the University of Utah and Utah State University. Dr. Cathy Liu at the UofU (program director) and Dr. Regan Zane (program co-director) at USU will be leading the effort.

The program will address critical challenges in the transition to a clean and sustainable electric power sector, particularly focusing on the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy sources into the existing power grid. The move comes as the nation grapples with the need for sustainable solutions to combat climate change and, importantly to Utah, improve air quality.

With its interdisciplinary approach, the program will prepare graduates to tackle complex societal issues while adapting to an increasingly interconnected world. The curriculum covers mobility-energy system modeling, renewable energy adoption, charging solutions, and AI-enabled learning. Additionally, modules on equity, policy, and economics provide students with a comprehensive understanding of technology adoption within a societal context.

The certificate program, stackable on top of a regular graduate degree, consists of 15 credit hours and welcomes students from diverse backgrounds. Courses will be offered online and in-person, encouraging collaboration across campuses.

This program marks a big step in developing a skilled workforce for electrified transportation. Its launch showcases Utah’s dedication to shaping a sustainable future through education and innovation.