Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department Head and Program Director: Davis
Professors: Bower, Davis, Mays, Welch
Associate Professors: Brown, Ghanat, Michalaka, Watson, Wood
Assistant Professors: Batouli, Burke, Giles, Laughton, Ryan, Shetty
Visiting Professor: Nale

Department’s Mission Statement

The mission of the Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering programs is to provide a nationally recognized student-centered learning environment for the development of principled leaders in the civil engineering and construction engineering communities through a broad-based, rigorous curriculum, emphasizing theoretical and practical engineering concepts, strong professional values, and a disciplined work ethic.

The Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering programs recognize that civil engineers and construction engineers are people-serving professionals who manage resources as well as technology. Civil engineers and construction engineers plan, design, construct, and maintain facilities essential to modern life in both the public and private sectors. Accordingly, the Department strives to develop the skills of its engineering students in the management of resources-time, materials, money, and people through effective combination of the academic with military discipline. Consistent with the high aims of the civil engineering and construction engineering professions, the department seeks to ensure its academic program is underpinned by a broad base of ethical knowledge and behavior as well as modern leading-edge technology. The department accomplishes its mission by connecting students, faculty, and staff in a unique academic environment, achieving the intended development of the student through the enriched personal, professional, and educational growth of each individual.

Goals and Objectives

Program Educational Objectives

Civil Engineering program and Construction Engineering program educational objectives are for alumni, 3-5 years after graduation, to achieve success through:

Design and Construction: Service to society as practicing engineers, or like positions, by providing sustainable design and construction solutions, while holding paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
Principled Leadership: Contributions to the engineering profession, or like fields, as principled leaders through selfless service, inclusive collaboration, and ethical decision making.
Sustainable Growth: Employment of effective strategies for professional development, self-directed learning, and career advancement.

Departmental Core Values

The Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering programs have adopted the following core values:

Students are our Focus: We believe the education, development, empowerment, and welfare of our students are the primary focus of our efforts.

Civil Engineers and Construction Engineers as Principled Leaders: We believe the engineering profession requires the highest professional and ethical standards, which we seek to model, teach and prepare our students to embrace.

Collaborative Teaching and Learning Environment: We believe a collaborative collegial environment among our faculty, staff and students is critical in sustaining advancement in educational excellence.

Growth through Assessment: We believe data-driven inquiry and improvement will lead us to sustained advancement in educational excellence.

Student Outcomes

At the time of graduation from the Civil Engineering program and Construction Engineering program, a student should achieve an acceptable level of skills and knowledge in the following outcomes:

Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Main Computer Lab - LeTellier 203
LeTellier 203 is the primary teaching and student-use computer facility in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. The twenty-four student stations and one projection-capable instructor station and laser printer located in this lab are connected to the campus-wide network, and provide direct Internet access via Ethernet. The software in the labs is Windows based. The department’s standard general purpose software includes: Microsoft Office, Mathcad, AutoCAD, and ArcGIS. In addition, there are a number of course-specific software packages. Faculty also post: classroom presentations, handouts, programming examples, class notes, and solutions to tests and homework on Canvas (learning mangement system) so that students may review as needed before and after class.

Special Application Lab - LeTellier 206
LeTellier 206 hosts the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Special Applications Lab. The 21 student dual monitor computers and instructor podium computer station serve primarily as AutoCAD Civil 3D, GIS (ArcView) and structural design workstations. Other uses involve construction management, Global Positioning System (GPS) data analysis/adjustment, and traffic engineering studies. Occasionally, small sections of courses may be scheduled in the lab utilizing the instructors-only workstation and projection system. This laboratory is equipped with a networked A-B size laser printer and E-size plotter.

Graphics Lab - LeTellier 308
LeTellier 308 is the home of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Graphics Instruction Lab. The instructor’s station is equipped with a projection system for both the computer and document camera. The twenty student computers serve primarily as AutoCAD and ArcGIS workstations. This laboratory is equipped with a networked A-B size laser printer.

Materials Testing Laboratory: Major items of equipment include a 300,000 pound concrete cylinder testing machine; two 60,000-pound hydraulic universal testing machine; and equipment for making tension, compression, shearing, and most other accepted and significant tests on metals concrete, wood and other structural materials.

Construction Materials Laboratory:
Bituminous Materials Testing. This laboratory contains equipment for making the significant quality control and identification tests on asphalt cements. Equipment for the design, mixing, compaction by both hammer and gyratory means, and testing of asphalt concrete paving mixtures by the Marshall and superpave methods are included.

Concrete Materials Testing: A curing room, mixing equipment, air entraining measuring apparatus, scales, and other minor equipment are provided in this laboratory. Testing is accomplished using materials laboratory equipment.

Geotechnical Laboratories: The soil laboratory is equipped with consolidmeters, triaxial and direct shear machines, unconfined compression machines, permeameters, Atterberg limit equipment, Proctor and Modified AASHTO Proctor compaction apparatus, standard sieves, soil hydrometers, C.B.R. apparatus, and other equipment needed for tests and experiments with soils.

Fluid Mechanics Laboratory: Equipment is provided for a wide variety of experiments and tests involving the flow of water over weirs or through pipes, meters, orifices, or a Parshall flume. Other major items of equipment include a head loss and flow measurement fluid circuit apparatus, a Reynolds number device, two hydraulic demonstration units permitting experiments involving many phenomena of open channel flow, and a centrifugal pump equipped to measure input and output of energy. In addition, a parallel-series pumping unit is available for students to study parallel-series pumping under a variety of system conditions.

Environmental Engineering Laboratory: Equipment is provided for water analysis determination (primarily according to “Standard Methods”) of pH, alkalinity, turbidity, conductivity, D.O., and color. Bacteriological examinations may also be made for wastewater analysis, biochemical oxygen demand, solids content and coliform testing. The equipment includes incubators, a muffle furnace, pH meters, dissolved oxygen probes, electrophotometic devices, a constant temperature refrigerator, a spectrophotometer, a drying oven, a type I water generator, a fume hood, a microscope, and essential minor tools and equipment.

Other engineering equipment: Special equipment is available for the courses in engineering graphics, surveying, geospatial representation, as well as for the junior and senior courses. This equipment includes levels, level rods, tapes, total stations, data collectors, and Global Positioning System (GPS) survey grade receivers.

Fundamentals of Engineering Examination: Each graduating student is required to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination and provide documentation to the department head.

Degree: The degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (B.S. in C.E.) or Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering (B.S. in Con. E.) is awarded to those who successfully complete the respective programs of studies outlined in the course offerings section of this catalog.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Design Capstone

Each Civil Engineering major must complete a two-semester capstone design experience. The capstone sequence provides students an opportunity to:

function with intra-disciplinary teams
identify, formulate, and solve realistic engineering problems where economic, environmental, and sustainability, and manufacturability are considered
understand professional and ethical responsibilities
communicate effectively
understand the political, global, and social impacts of engineering solutions
understand the regulatory review process

Programs

Majors

Minors

Courses

Civil Engineering

Construction Engineering