Civil Engineers are Changing the World!
These are exciting times to be a civil engineer as we are uniquely qualified to solve some of the most pressing contemporary issues including deteriorating infrastructure, clean water and affordable energy.
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Rhode Island has a dynamic faculty committed to provide you the tools to be an effective leader in the global economy. People like Dr. Vinka Craver who is developing sustainable technologies for water and wastewater treatment in South America. People like Dr. Mayrai Gindy who is developing advanced technologies to determine the condition of our aging bridges. People like Dr. Natacha Thomas who is designing effective systems for evacuation from areas subject to extreme events. People like Dr. Christopher Hunter whose work on intelligent transportation systems can solve some of the traffic problems in the urban environment. Or people like Dr. Aaron Bradshaw who is studying foundations for offshore wind turbines.
Our students enjoy a rigorous but satisfying curriculum including the award winning senior capstone studio class, a large number of hands-on laboratory experiences, a strong international program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, leadership opportunities in many student organizations and opportunities for research and close interaction with faculty members.
You can be a part of the solution. You can lead in improving our infrastructure and transportation systems, clean the air and the water and help to advance civilization and build our quality of life.
We invite you to explore our program and will be glad to provide you any additional information that you may need.
George Tsiatas
Professor and Chair
Class of 2013 Senior Capstone Project
Russ Morgan P.E., Principal, GZA Geoenvironmental Inc., is providing practical "real world" experiences to the seniors working on the capstone project. This year's project includes the development of a waterfront property in Tiverton, RI. Under this award winning program, students work in teams that operate as professional companies carrying out all tasks of a complex engineering project. Mark Fisher of Keough Construction is also assisting, acting as the owner of the project. Several engineering companies will be "mentoring" the student teams.
Shake Table for First Year Students
Professors Thiem and Tsiatas acquire an instructional shake table with funding provided by URI's "Innovative Approaches Using Technology to Advance the Student Experience" program. They will be using the shake table this Fall in the freshman engineering class, EGR105. The goal is to immerse first year engineering students in creative design of small structures, build them using balsa wood, K'Nex or other materials, and then test their performance under realistic earthquake conditions. At the same time, students will reinforce basic principles they learn in physics and other courses such as stiffness, mass and damping. Dr. Tsiatas expects this engagement will increase the hands-on component and the excitement level of the course and help learning and retention. The two also plan to hold "shake" competitions for K-12 students to help attract high quality students into the program.
New Courses on Sustainable Development
Reflecting the increase emphasis on sustainable development and global engineering two new courses have been introducd by Professor Vinka Craver. CVE 323 Designing Sustainable Solutions for Developing Communities focuses on creating awareness about the global challenges our society is facing and how to potentially solve them using appropriate and sustainable technologies. As part of the course students develop a prototype of an appropriate technology that will be tested in a developing community. CVE 477 Global Environmental Sustainability and Green Engineering provides the conceptual, methodological, and scientific basis to understand and reduce the impact of engineering decisions on the environment.
News and Events
Live capstone presentations on Friday May 3rd, 3 pm.
URI RIDOT Graduate Fellowship Program for students from University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. [read more]
Professor Vinka Craver and Students for Global Sustainability in Guatemala, assisting villagers in the design of a wastewater treatment plant for the local school. [read more]
Dr. Aaron Bradshaw, PE, joins the Geotechnical group at URI as an Assistant Professor of Civil and Env. Engineering. Bradshaw's research relates to offshore foundations, coastal geotechnical engineering and health monitoring of buried pipelines.
Dorothy S. Rasco, '81, receives the 2010 COE Distinguished Achievement Award. Rasco, who earned her BS in civil engineering from URI in 1981, is the manager of the Space Shuttle Business Office for the NASA-Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. [read more]
Money magazine debuted its list of the top 100 jobs in America and civil engineering came in at No. 6. Read the magazine's profile of civil engineering. Watch a short video on the experience of a young civil engineer in NY.
Professor Craver in San Mateo Ixtatan: "This manure is not a waste. You can use it to generate energy ... it can improve the quality of life of the people..."(URI YouTube video)
2009 URI graduate Mark Dowdell is interviewed on his experience in the civil engineering German IEP program (URI YouTube video)
The device looks deceptively simple – a porous clay pot placed in a five-gallon plastic bucket with a spigot – but Vinka Craver believes it can save millions of lives each year. [read more]
Professor Mayrai Gindy receives grant from Champlin Foundations to develop a Mobile Bridge Testing Laboratory for undergraduates. Students will obtain real world experience and develop expertise in structural health monitoring.
