I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Inside Story 2

Inside Story 2

Inside Story 2

Inside Story 3

Inside Story 4

Inside Story 5

Inside Story 6

The Civil Scoop The Department of Civil Engineering The University of Minnesota Duluth

J U N E 2 5 , 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

www.d.umn.edu/civileng

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Meet the Faculty

& Staff 2

ASCE Student

Chapter 10

National Scholar-

ship Winner 11

Study Abroad 12

In Print

(publications) 14

will be able to stop by and see the new Swenson Civil Engineering Building.

Andrea Schokker Head of Civil Engineering

Welcome to the first news-letter for Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth! The department was founded in the fall of 2008 and we are looking forward to our first graduating class in May 2012. This fall will be our first full semester in the new Swenson Civil Engineer-ing Building and the first se-mester we’ll be offering the full Civil Engineering curricu-lum, including all of the core CE labs. It’s been an exciting 2 years with developing the curriculum, hiring faculty, and outfitting the new labs. Throughout this issue you’ll find stories about the excep-tional students, staff, and fac-ulty that have joined the UMD CE Department.

Please take a look at our website (www.d.umn.edu/civileng) for more informa-tion about the program in-cluding a youtube video, con-struction web cam, and all the latest news from our de-partment. I hope many of you

Dr. Andrea Schokker and CE student Matt Fournier

in front of the James I. Swenson Civil Engineering

Building during construction, summer 2009

Welcome

OUR MISSION The mission of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of

Minnesota Duluth is to prepare graduates for professional practice and

graduate study through a program firmly based in strong technical skills,

fundamentals, hands-on learning, sustainability, and professionalism.

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Highlight Project: Inspection of In-Place Bridges Constructed with Grouted Post-Tensioning Ducts Sponsored by: the Minnesota Department of Transportation Principal Investigator: Andrea Schokker (start date 9/1/10) Post-tensioned (PT) bridges such as the new St. Anthony Falls bridge in Minneapolis can be very durable struc-tures if properly con-structed with high perform-ance materials. The Florida DOT found durability problems with some of their bridges during the late 1990’s that brought an awareness to the industry

that new materials and methods were needed for grouting post-tensioned structures.

PT bridges have high strength bundles of stressed steel strand that resist tensile forces in the bridge span. Grout is pumped between the steel strands to bond the steel to the surrounding bridge and to provide corrosion pro-tection.

Schokker helped develop new grout designs and methods to address the issues found in Florida and other states. She has helped run the American Segmental Bridge Institute annual certification pro-gram for grout operators and inspectors since 2001. Bridges built after 2002-2003 include the new tech-

PT bridge on I-35 in Duluth

nology associated with PT grouting. The focus of the Minnesota Department of Transportation project is to evaluate all Mn/DOT owned PT bridges built prior to 2003 to ensure that these bridges will con-tinue to be durable for many years to come. The plans, inspection reports, and all background informa-tion will be reviewed and then 4-5 bridges will be chosen for an in-depth in-spection of the PT on site. A final deliverable of the project will be a concise, practical guide for inspec-tion of post-tensioned bridges for use by Mn/DOT.

Schokker is being assisted on the project by UMD Civil Engineering under-graduate student, Kyle Berg.

Andrea Schokker, PhD Dr. Andrea Schokker joined UMD as the first Department Head of the Civil Engineering program in the fall of 2008. She was previously the Associate Head in Civil Engineering at Penn State University, where she was in charge of the undergraduate curricu-lum. She is on the board of

directors at the American Concrete Institute and is an active member of multi-ple technical committees including chair of Sustain-ability and past chair of Prestressed Concrete.

Dr. Schokker’s teaching interests include Structural Analysis, Prestressed Con-crete Design, Sustainable

Design, and Bridge De-sign. Her main research focus is design and ma-terials related improve-ment in prestressed concrete, durability of concrete structures, and structural sustain-ability. She is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Introducing the Faculty and Staff...

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traffic measures and flow visuali-zation generated by TICAS can significantly facilitate the assess-ment process of freeway opera-tions.

Secondly, a comprehensive simu-lation environment for IRIS-based freeway operations has been de-veloped by integrating IRIS with a microscopic traffic model. The resulting IRIS-In-Loop simulation system (ILSS) can be used to emulate and refine various types

Developing efficient and robust traffic control strategies that can be directly implemented in the existing operational environment is of critical importance in im-proving the effectiveness of free-way management. Currently the freeway network in the Twin Cit-ies, Minnesota, is being managed with the Intelligent Road Informa-tion System (IRIS), a computer-ized traffic management system developed by Mn/DOT that oper-ates the field devices such as ramp meters, variable message/lane control signs and loop detec-tors. This research develops new innovative traffic management strategies that can improve free-way congestion and safety under the current IRIS environment. First, a traffic information and condition analysis system (TICAS) has been developed to quantify the performance of traf-fic flows for given freeway corri-dors with the real detector data processed by IRIS. The new

of freeway operational strate-gies prior to field implementa-tion. Currently, a set of new operational strategies, includ-ing a variable advisory speed limit system (VASL) and an adaptive ramp metering con-trol, are being developed and evaluated with the prototype ILSS. The VASL system is designed to improve traffic flow safety by diffusing the rapid propagation of a shock wave resulted from a recurring or incident bottleneck. In the new ramp metering strategy, a simplified adaptive control structure based on traffic den-sity measures is employed to make metering more respon-sive to the section-wide traffic conditions in a stable manner.

Eil Kwon, PhD, PE, PTOE Professor Eil Kwon received his Ph.D. and MSCE from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Transporta-tion Engineering. He has over 30 years of research and development experi-ence in transportation areas at both academic and gov-ernment institutions. Prior to joining UMD, Dr. Kwon worked for the Minnesota

Department of Transporta-tion, where he was in charge of the traffic re-search program. He spe-cializes in real-time opera-tions of traffic systems, modeling and simulation of traffic flows, telecommuni-cation-based infrastructure-driver interactions, planning and design of roadway net-works, and safety of driver/

Highlight Project: Development of Innovative Strategies for Freeway Operations Sponsored by: the Minnesota Department of Transportation

traffic systems. Dr. Kwon is also the direc-tor of the Northland Advanced Transporta-tion Systems Research Laboratory (NATSRL, www.d.umn.edu/natsrl), which is a federally funded research pro-gram at UMD focusing on intelligent transporta-tion systems.

Other research projects of Dr. Kwon include: Assessment of Capacity Estimation Methods for Multi-lane Roundabouts, funded by the Minnesota Department of Transpor-tation (ongoing) Estimation of Winter Main-tenance Performance Meas-ures with Traffic Flow Data, funded by Minnesota De-partment of Transporta-tion (Starting Date: 8/1/2010) Self-sensing pavement con-crete” funded by National Science Foundation, (co-PI, ongoing Pavement Structural Health Monitoring with CNT-concrete, funded by FHWA, US DOT (co-PI, ongoing)

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Block caving is the preferred method for extraction of large copper rich rock mass depos-its in Chile. In this mining method, an array of inter-connected galleries are exca-vated at two different under-ground levels, referred to as production and undercut lev-els, below the deposit to be mined out. Radial blasting is then applied from galleries at the undercut level to break the rock mass loose and to induce gravitational flow of the rock from upper to lower horizons within the deposit.

The broken rock is then collected at specially con-s t r u c t e d ‘drawbells’ at the production leve l . The block caving method i s summarized in the sketch (lower left) corresponding

to a typical block caving layout operation at El Teniente mine in Chile – this m i n e , o w n e d b y CODELCO (National Cop-per Corporation of Chile) is one of the largest under-ground mines in the world. A new mining project by CODELCO involves devel-opment of a large block caving underground mine below Chuquicamata open pit mine in Calama, north-ern Chile (Chuquicamata mine being also one of the largest open pit mines in the world). The particular-ity of the Chuquicamata underground project is that it will be the first of its kind to use block caving in com-bination with a macro-block production scheme – the macro-block scheme involves operating at least fifteen adjacent cells (or macro-blocks) ofapproxi-mately 1000 feet by 300 feet where the caving method represented in the

Carlos Carranza-Torres, PhD Dr. Carlos Carranza-Torres was appointed As-sociate Professor in the Department of Civil Engi-neering at UMD in 2008. Dr. Carranza-Torres re-ceived his PhD in Geome-chanics from the Depart-ment of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus, in 1998. Prior to joining UMD he spent ten years working as a geotechnical engineer for companies in the United

States and overseas in geo-mechanics projects, most recently related to analysis and design of excavations (underground subway sta-tions, underground and surface excavations in min-ing). Dr. Carranza-Torres’ cur-rent research interests are in the field of Engineering Geology and Rock Me-chanics, and in topics re-lated to design of under-ground and surface excava-

tions, strength and deform-ability of intact rock and rock masses and application of analytical and numerical modeling in Geomechanics. He serves as Chair of the Underground Construction Technical Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is a member of the editorial board of four leading jour-nals in the field of Engineer-ing Geology and Rock Me-chanics.

Highlight Project: Estimate of Rock Mass Stress Concentrations in Pillars of Caving Macro-Blocks at Chuquicamata Underground Mine Project, Chile Sponsored by: SRK Engineers and Scientists, Santiago, Chile

figure will be applied simulta-neously. A critical aspect of designing a caving operation such as the one at Chuqui-camata underground is con-trolling the stress concentra-tions developed in key areas of the excavations, such as abutments in pillars and rib-pillars (see figure). SRK Engi-neers and Scientists in Santi-ago, together with Hatch Company Canada, have been entrusted the engineering design of the underground galleries and infrastructures for Chuquicamata under-ground project. The research project to be carried out at UMD involves studying ways for determining stress concen-trations in pillars within and in between macro-blocks. The research work will involve application of analytical and numerical methods as a means of determining stress concen-trations in pillars, and is ex-pected to help engineers to come up with optimal designs for the underground works in this challenging project.

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ergy dissipation of the concrete and increase the resistance to fragmentation. This project examines various types, coat-ings, and geometries of carbon fibers to determine the most effective combination for im-proving the blast resistance. The fiber type and coatings are being developed by our re-search partners at Missouri University of Science and Tech-nology. UMD’s role is to de-velop a concrete mixture design that fully utilizes the properties of the fibers and to conduct testing to determine which fi-bers provide the highest level of performance. A preliminary mixture design has been com-pleted, and we are currently in the process of examining the performance of the fibers. The performance is measured by examining two properties: the workability of the concrete and the flexural or tensile strength of the concrete. The workability is important be-

One of the most commonly used materials for protective structures and construction is conventional reinforced con-crete. However, in a blast con-ventional reinforced concrete is susceptible to significant spalling (small to medium size chunks of concrete detaching from the original member). The force of the blast turns spalled concrete into projectiles, resulting in secondary fragmentation. Fur-thermore, the concrete debris makes for difficult and uncertain footing. Both phenomena en-danger personnel and compli-cate post-blast recovery efforts. Changes need to be made to conventional reinforced con-crete structures to improve their blast and impact surviv-ability and fragmentation resis-tance in order to protect per-sonnel and facilitate post-blast consequence management ef-forts. One potential solution is to use long fibers to increase the en-

cause the end goal of this project is to provide a material that is both practi-cal and effective, and if the concrete is too difficult to place it will not be used. The worka-bility is assessed by measuring the flow time through an inverted slump cone as shown at right (top). The flexural or tensile strength is tested by determining the load required to break a six inch square, 18 inch long beam (Shown at right [bottom]).

Highlight Project: Long Carbon Fibers For Blast Resistant Concrete Sponsored by: Leonard Wood Institute (joint project with Missouri S&T)

Measuring Workability

Measuring Flexural Strength

Eric Musselman, PhD Dr. Eric Musselman ob-tained his PhD in Civil Engi-neering from The Pennsyl-vania State University in 2007. He arrived at UMD in 2008 as a post-doctoral fellow and was hired as an Assistant Professor in 2009. Dr. Musselman is a struc-tural engineer focusing in the area of blast resistant

structures. He also has ex-perience in the area of con-crete materials, fiber rein-forced concrete, instrumenta-tion of structures and dynamic finite element analysis. His teaching interests include Structural Analysis, Design of Concrete Structures, Design of Steel Structures, and Struc-tural Dynamics. His research

interests include the development of novel cementitious materi-als to improve the blast and impact re-sistance of struc-tures, structural component testing, and concrete materi-als testing.

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Highlight Project: Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) Using Abandoned Mine Pits Sponsored by: Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment Joint project with UMD-NRRI, UMD-CE, UMD-LSBE, UMTC-SAFL, MN Power, GRE

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) is a method for managing the temporal variability in electricity available from renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power. Energy is stored by pump-ing water into reservoirs when wind or solar power is available. Subsequently, when electrical generation is needed (during times when wind or solar power is not available) water is released through a turbine and drives the generation of electricity. Minnesota’s

mining history has resulted in various mining pits that contain sufficient water resources that potentially can be used to supply the necessary water for PHES. The PHES project involves an interdisciplinary team of researchers from many departments within the university as well as indus-try partners. Dr. Johnson’s specific role in the project is to investigate the effects of PHES on water re-sources in the area. Imple-menting PHES in NE Minne-sota will likely involve the construction of new reser-voirs or rapid fluctuations in the water levels of exist-ing mine pits. Dr. Johnson and his team will work to answer questions such as: What will be the impact on the flow of water in local groundwater and surface waters? How might PHES affect drinking water supply or recreational use? What are the potential impacts

on water quality? What are the implications of PHES in terms of environmental permitting? The successful implementation of PHES on the Iron Range could bene-fit the region by incorporat-ing additional renewable energy resources into the MN power grid and by in-troducing a new industry to NE Minnesota, helping to diversify the economy. Dr. Johnson’s research in-terests lie more broadly in the areas of water quality in natural systems and biologi-cal and chemical processes related to contaminant transport and transforma-tions. He is also involved with research related to sediment contaminants the St. Louis River estuary in-cluding the methylation of mercury and the uptake of PAHs into the food chain.

Nathan Johnson, PhD Dr. Nathan Johnson joined the new CE Department in Duluth as a member of the Water Resources focus area in the Fall of 2009. He came to UMD from the University of Texas at Aus-tin where he completed his PhD in Civil Engineering in the Summer of 2009. He

will be teaching the core Hydrology and Hydraulics laboratory course in the fall of 2010 and is develop-ing other CE water courses including Introduc-tion to Environmental Engi-neering and Design of Hy-draulic Structures. Dr. Johnson’s research inter-

ests are related to the engi-neered management of water quality in natural systems. He has joined the graduate faculty of the Wa-ter Resources Science pro-gram and is partnering with local research and regula-tory entities including NRRI, MPCA, and MnDNR.

Lower Reservoir (existing mine pit)

John Rashid, Instructor Project Management

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John W. Rashid is a registered Architect with over 20 years experience in the design and construction industry. John earned his MBA from the Uni-versity of Minnesota in 2002 and is a LEED Accredited Pro-

fessional with the US Green building council. As Associate Director of UMD Facilities Management and the Manager of Construction and Opera-tions for the past 13 years, Mr. Rashid has managed over $200

million dollars in design and construction projects including four LEED Certified buildings.

polis. Paul oversees and facili-tates the completion of roads, building sites, recreational ar-eas, residential & commercial developments and bridges using both conventional and GPS survey methods. He performs ALTA/ACSM, boundary, cadas-tral, topographic, photogram-metric, and route surveys in-volving section subdivision, right-of-way acquisition, and prepa-ration of appropriate legal de-scriptions. Paul prepares design, concept plats, preliminary plats,

For the University of Minnesota- Duluth’s new Civil Engineering Program, Paul taught this year’s Land Surveying Class. He previ-ously taught Advanced Survey-ing for Lake Superior College’s Civil Tech Program. A Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Minnesota and Wisconsin, Paul received his Bachelor of Science degree from UMD. With 20+ years of surveying experience, Paul provides services for vari-ous private and public clients at LHB, Inc. in Duluth and Minnea-

final plats, site maps, and a vari-ety of exhibits for land trans-fers, right-of-way acquisition, easements, and utility infra-structure. His is on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Society of Professional Survey-ors (MSPS), and is a member of the Lake Superior College Technical Advisory Board. Paul is also a member of the Wis-consin Society of Land Survey-ors (WSLS) and the National Society of Professional Survey-ors (NSPS).

of New Mexico, and Central Lakes College in Minnesota, before coming to UMD as an instructor. He served in the Air Force as a military scientist working on nuclear weapons effects and developing advanced microwave source technologies for military applications. He has

also served as a senior scien-tist and technical program manager for several compa-nies involved in developing and employing state-of-the-art electromagnetic technologies for defense and intelligence applications.

Brian J. Kohn earned his BA degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1966 and an MS degree in physics from the University of New Mexico in 1972. Brian has taught engi-neering and physics at the Air Force Academy, the University

Brian Kohn, Instructor Engineering Mechanics

Paul Vogel, Instructor Surveying

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Katherine Acton, PhD

Eshan Dave, PhD Dr. Eshan Dave obtained his PhD in Civil Engineer-ing in 2009 from The Uni-versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He worked as post-doctoral research associate from fall 2009 to summer 2010 at UIUC. Starting in the fall 2010 Dr. Dave will join the faculty at UMD as a tenure-track Assistant Profes-sor. Dr. Dave specializes in the field of pavement engi-

neering with focus on as-phalt material and design flexible pavements. He has worked in projects involving analysis and design of as-phalt overlays for asphalt and concrete pavements, mitigation of cracking in pavements, development of new testing protocols for pavement materials and other topics related to as-phalt pavements. His teach-ing interests include Behav-

ior of Civil Engineering Materials, Design of Pave-ment Infrastructure, Char-acterization and Design of Asphalt Materials, and Pavement Asset Manage-ment. His research inter-ests span across fields of experimental and computa-tion fracture mechanics, viscoelasticity, rehabilita-tion of asphalt pavements and sustainable transporta-tion infrastructure.

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Dr. Katherine Acton will be joining the Civil Engineering Department at the Univer-sity of Minnesota Duluth in the fall of 2010 as an Assi-tant Professor. Dr. Acton graduated from Johns Hop-kins University with a de-gree in Civil Engineering in 2009. Her doctoral re-search focused on compu-tational modeling of fibrous composites, and the study of plasticity in compos-

ites. She has since been re-searching the viscous behav-ior of polymer tape material in her position as Adjunct Professor and Research Sci-entist at the University of the Pacific, which she has held for the 2009-2010 academic year. Her teaching interests include Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Structural Analysis, and Engi-neering Mathematics.

New Faculty starting Fall 2010

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Jill Bergman

Mark Roberts Mark Roberts is a north-east Minnesota native origi-nally from the Finland area along the north shore of Lake Superior. He brings 26 years of experience as a Civil Engineering Designer and Construction Techni-cian to his position of Sen-ior Laboratory Coordina-

tor. In addition to his ca-reer in Civil Engineering, Mark is active in local poli-tics, Chamber of Com-merce Board of Directors, Cloquet City Planning Commission, and chairman of the St. Louis River Trail Committee in the Cloquet area where he lives. Mark

was most recently elected to the Professional Staff Council here at UMD. “I am very excited for the opportunity to do my part in helping to develop a quality Civil Engineering Program at the UMD.”

the Physician Recruitment Department and prior to that held the position of Executive Assistant to the SMDC Board Chair and SMMC President. Jill worked within the SMDC

Health System for 13 years. She is currently pursuing a Communication and Psy-chology Degree at UMD and will graduate in May 2011.

Jill Bergman joined the De-partment of Civil Engineer-ing in December 2008 as Administrative Assistant to the Department Head. She was previously employed at SMDC Health System in

T H E C I V I L S C O O P

Chien-Chung Chen holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering (Chung Yuan Christian Uni-versity, Taiwan, 1998), M.S. in Construction Engineering (National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan, 2000), and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (The Pennsylvania State Univer-sity, U.S., 2009). Before coming to the United States, he was a structural engineer in Taiwan focusing in the area of structural analysis of buildings and

bridges. After completing his Ph.D. in August 2009, he joined the Civil and Environ-mental Engineering Depart-ment at the Pennsylvania State University as an in-structor and a postdoctoral researcher. In the Fall 2010, he will join the Civil Engi-neering Department at UMD as a Visiting McKnight Fellow. In the past, Dr. Chen has taught under-graduate courses in struc-tural engineering. He has research interests in the

areas of progressive col-lapse mitigation, large-scale experimental evaluation of structural components, evaluation of structures under extreme events, composite structures, ma-terial characterization at high strain rates, fracture mechanics, earthquake engineering, bridge engi-neering, and numerical modeling (finite element method).

2010-2011 McKnight Post-Doctoral Fellow

Chien-Chung Chen, PhD

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UMD ASCE Student Chapter Founded

In the fall of 2009, another step in the advancement of The University of Minne-sota-Duluth’s Civil Engi-neering program was taken. Students took the initiative to begin a student chapter for the newly added major.

With help from faculty, the chapter was sanctioned with the parent organiza-tion ASCE (American Soci-ety of Civil Engineers). Us-ing this affiliation, the ASCE Student Chapter will be able to participate in ASCE sponsored competitions. Additionally, this member-ship gives students connec-tions to guest speakers, field trips, community ser-vice projects and any other ASCE-Duluth Chapter events. Over the year, the club has struggled for funds and fi-nancial support from the university coupled with the Civil Engineering building being under construction for most of the year. The university saw its number of student clubs increase by 50% with no additional

funding available. However, competition shirts were made which proved to be a substantial fundraiser. In the future, the club plans on undertaking competi-tions, notably the concrete canoe next year, accompa-nied with community in-volvement and taking field trips.

The help from the very strong local professional chapter of ASCE this year is very much appreciated and we hope to be able to strengthen this connection in the upcoming semesters.

Submitted by Chris Bruhn, ASCE Student Chapter Presi-dent

From left: Chris Bruhn, President; Matt Fournier, Treasurer; Alison Carlson, Secretary, and Waylon Munch; Vice President.

members of the Duluth ASCE responsible for ar-ranging the tour as well as Mortensen Construction for allowing us onto their con-struction site. In November, ASCE stu-dents met at Canal Park to receive a tour of Duluth's main attraction and engi-neering accomplishment, the Aerial Lift Bridge. The tour was spent observing both the structural and me-chanical elements of the bridge, as well as the opera-

On April 20, members of the UMD ASCE student chapter were invited to attend a tour of the new addition to the Duluth En-tertainment Convention Center, which is currently in progress. Eight students joined the Duluth ASCE section in a tour of the new 6,000-plus seat hockey arena. The tour explored all areas of the arena, from the foundation level all the way up to the catwalks through the rafters of the building. The student chap-ter would like to thank the

tions that engage the process of lifting the bridge. A big thanks goes out to bridge operator Ryan Beamer for organiz-ing and guiding the tour.

Submitted by Waylon Munch, ASCE Student Chapter Vice-President

ASCE Students On Tour

UMD CE Students on a tour of the Lift Bridge

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C. Bailey MemorialScholarship. He was honored at the PTI Convention in Fort Worth. The scholarship committee was particularly impressed with the amount of experience Matt already had through his Mn/DOT internships.

From Matt:

The conferences have been amaz-ing experiences, something I will never forget, and it has changed my outlook as a Civil Engineering student.

To be able to sit alongside many of the nations most influential civil engineers and hear their input on how we can improve as an engi-neering society has been quite the opportunity. At both ACI and PTI, I was encouraged to give my opin-ion on the topics at hand because as students we are the engineers of tomorrow, and our innovative ideas are needed as we grow as a nation. The chance to participate in these conventions, at this level, as an undergraduate, has been the chance of a lifetime, and I

Matt Fournier won two major student awards in 2010, putting the UMD CE department on the map in the concrete indus-try. Competing against over 130 students in established con-crete research programs, in-cluding PhD students, Matt was awarded the ACI Elmer Baker Student Fellowship from the American Concrete Institute. He traveled to the Spring 2010 ACI Convention in Chicago for his final interview in front of an industry panel. He was hon-ored at the opening ceremony as a finalist and the awards were announced after the con-vention. His win includes $7500 toward tuition and books, at-tendance at 3 ACI National conventions (all expenses paid) and an internship at Baker Con-crete Construction. Matt is continuing his internship with Mn/DOT for this summer on the I-35 Mega Project and will take the Baker internship for the Summer 2011.

Matt also won the PTI (Post-Tensioning Institute) William

can’t wait to get our student com-petitions up and running so others will have this chance as well. It has been a great opportunity to network and gain knowledge in our field of study.

I would like to thank the University of Minnesota Duluth, Dr. Schok-ker, Mn/DOT and all of the other faculty and companies that have made this opportunity available to me. Without their support and confidence I would not have gotten to where I am today, but most of all I wouldn’t have believed that I have the power to make a differ-ence in our engineering society. The engineering community has been for myself, and many others one of the greatest tools we as students can use. Whether it is the Duluth ASCE Chapter, Mn/DOT, or other engineering compa-nies, they have all provided oppor-tunities that are invaluable to us. The future is bright for University of Minnesota Duluth Civil Engi-neering students and I am excited to make history in May 2012.

UMD CE Student wins two National Scholarships

“The engineering

community has

been for myself,

and many others

one of the greatest

tools we as students

can use.”

Grand Opening of the Swenson Civil Engineering Building

June 28th, 2010 Highlights in our

next issue

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Studying Abroad in Spain visit Marrakech and see how people in a third world country struggle to live on a daily basis while on the other side of the spectrum I saw how diverse each country in Europe can be from its neighbor. I learned valuable lessons on how to live on my own while adjusting to a new surrounding, people, lan-guage, culture, and set of customs.

I chose to study in Spain because I am also a Spanish major student - alongside being a Civil Engineering student - and my goal was to become fluent in Span-ish. I feel like I have accom-plished that and in the fu-ture hope that that will benefit my career so I may help someone on the inter-national side of Civil Engi-neering.

Whether or not that hap-pens, I won't ever say that studying abroad was any-thing other than one of the

best experiences and choices of my life. I advise anyone, no matter what major or program you are in, to consider studying abroad. Not necessarily for the education you will re-ceive in the classroom, but the education you get out-side the classroom through observation and absorbing the way others around the world see things.

Submitted by Matt Sather, UMD Civil Engineering class of 2012

In the Fall of 2009, I attended La Universidad de Alicante located in Alicante, Spain. This was the most monu-mental decision of my life thus far. Immediately being thrown into a foreign coun-try where the language is not your primary one, you know not a single person, and to find your own place in their culture after only three and a half months was beneficial beyond the helpfulness I can see today.

Studying abroad has impacted the way I see different cul-tures, including our own. I had the great opportunity to

Photos from La Universidad de Alicante

campus in Spain

Matt Sather

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Summer Study in Italy the world. I still can’t be-lieve I was able to have had the chance to listen to such esteemed scholars in Civil Engineering. I will also never be able to put into words how lucky I was to be able to visit the sites we did and also have guides who were so knowledge-able give us personal tours.

It was never a dull moment for those three weeks ei-ther. If we weren’t kayaking in the Mediterranean Sea you could probably find us having a snowball fight in the mountains near Bres-sanone, listening to a con-cert in the town square of Florence, or just relaxing on the Spanish Steps in Rome. There couldn’t have been a better group to travel with either. I can truly say I met twenty seven amazing people on this journey. I learned so much academically and per-sonally on this trip. I would

recommend participating in a study abroad program to everyone. It is one thing in life you will never regret. I know I won’t!

Submitted by Chelsea Han-son, UMD Civil Engineering class of 2012

Last summer I was mindlessly dreaming about someday traveling to Europe and thought why not look into a possible study abroad pro-gram? The three week May term session I found was perfect. A class that I could get credit for towards my major, a three week trip to kick off my summer starting right after finals, and obvi-ously the chance of a lifetime to see so many famous sites and structures. Never in my dreams could I have imagined the amazing experience I was able to have within my three weeks in Italy for a Civil Engi-neering summer course studying Ancient and Modern Structures.

The cities we stayed in were Rome, Cinque Terre, Flor-ence, Venice, Bressanone, Verona, and Milan. The sites we saw while there were endless. Just to name a few, we were able to see the Co-losseum, Roman Aqueducts, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Lean-ing Tower of Pisa, Calatrava footbridge in Venice, the David, the Last Supper, and many other famous sites. Even though I climbed enough stairs to the top of many towers and domes to last me a lifetime, the breath-taking views were worth it. While on the trip we also attended lectures from the architects of the buildings we were visiting, engineers who worked on famous projects (such as the Calatrava foot bridge), and professors who are renowned throughout

Chelsea Hanson with a view of Florence from the top of

The entire group in front of the Roman Aqueducts

In Print A sample of recent faculty publications

P A G E 1 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Carlos Carranza-Torres’ paper on "Analytical and Numerical Study of the Mechanics of Rockbolt Reinforcement

around Tunnels in Rock Masses” was published in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering in 2009. The paper dis-

cusses the mechanical effect of rockbolts installed as reinforcement in tunnels, and presents closed form and nu-merical solutions for estimation of loads in rockbolts and stress and displacement fields in the rockmass around a

circular tunnel under conditions of axi-symmetry of geometry and loading.

Nathan Johnson’s paper on “Biogeochemical Changes and Mercury Methylation beneath an in-situ Sediment Cap,” N. W. Johnson, D. D. Reible, L. E. Katz, is in press in Environmental Science & Technology. This article outlines the

results from laboratory and mathematical modeling of a common management strategy for contaminated sedi-

ments. The biological and chemical processes affecting the production of methyl mercury changed in location and

magnitude as a result of in-situ sediment capping.

Eil Kwon’s paper on “Agent-based On-Line Traffic Condition and Information Analysis System for Wireless V2I

Communcation,” E. Kwon, S. Song, D. Seo, and I. Jung, was presented at the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Elec-

tronics Engineers) conference on Ubiquitous Future Networks in June of 2010. The paper presents a traffic infor-mation and condition analysis system (TICAS) that can generate ‘customized’ traffic information from both real-

time and archived detector data.

Eric Musselman’s paper on “Behavior of Portable Fiber Reinforced Concrete Vehicle Barriers Subject to Blasts

from Contact Charges” was published in the May 2010 issue of the International Journal of Impact Engineering. Co-authors are A. Couglin, A. Schokker, and D. Linzell. The paper summarizes the testing of precast concrete barriers

exposed to blast loads from contact charges. The blast testing was conducted at Air Force Research Labs. In addi-

tion to the testing, a discussion of the dynamic finite element analysis of the barriers is included.

Andrea Schokker’s book, The Sustainable Concrete Guide, was released in March of

2010. The first 2500 copies have sold out and the second edition is in print. The

book is the first-ever comprehensive resource on concrete for sustainable con-struction and is published by the US Green Concrete Council. Pictures and case

studies from the UMD campus are included. The book is now being translated

into Spanish and Mandarin. The companion book, The Sustainable Concrete Guide:

Applications, is due for release in November of 2010.

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