Message from the Department Head |
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2020 has indeed been a most interesting and memorable year. I am proud of the students, faculty and staff who have shifted into very different teaching, learning and research experiences. Hopefully 2021 will have us see the light at the end of the tunnel and a change to a new and better “normal."
It has been a pleasure, and certainly at times, a challenge, to steward the CAEE department over the past 16 years. As a department, we have strengthened the curricula, hired strong faculty who represent our future, and developed important research thrusts collaborating with other Drexel units and external partners. Having been department head for such a period, it has been a real joy to see many of the faculty hired on my watch develop into strong scholar-teachers, and take on leadership roles in the college.
With the department on such a footing, it is a suitable time to turn the reins of department leadership over to one of our strong faculty members of this next generation, Michael Waring. I have seen Professor Waring develop, and also interact at the national and international level. He truly has a good sense of the breadth of the CAEE department, and I have no doubt that he will be an effective leader.
I wish all well for 2021, as I prepare to return to the ranks of the general faculty.
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Danielle Schroeder receives Community Outreach and Service Award |
The Philadelphia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has cited Danielle (Dani) Schroeder as one of two recipients of its Community Outreach and Service Award for 2020.
Dani is an Assistant Bridge Engineer with Pennoni Associates in Mechanicsburg. She received her BS/MS degree in civil engineering in 2017 from Drexel University..
Dani is an active member of the Women's Transportation Seminar as well as the Philadelphia Sections Younger Member Forum. This past summer, she was elected to the Drexel University Alumni Board of Governors, the youngest person to serve on the board.
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Darin Gatti, PE, receives Philadelphia Civil Engineer of the Year Award |
The Philadelphia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has cited Darin Gatti, PE, as its Philadelphia Civil Engineer of the Year Award for 2020.
Darin is the Chief Engineer and Surveyor for the City of Philadelphia Department of Streets and is the President of the Departments' Board of Surveyors. He earned his Bachelors degree in civil engineering from Drexel University in 1982.
Darin has been the practitioner adviser for the Drexel ASCE Student Chapter and has assisted with efforts for students in the regional steel bridge and concrete canoe competitions. In 2014, he was cited by the Drexel University Alumni Association with a Special Distinction award to recognize his professional and community involvement.
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Gregory Dunn, PE, receives Structural Engineer of the Year Award |
The Philadelphia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has cited Gregory Dunn, PE, as its Structural Engineer of the Year for 2020.
Gregory is a Senior Bridge Engineer with
Michael Baker International in Fort Washington. He earned his Bachelors degree in civil engineering from Drexel University in 2009 and returned to Drexel for his Masters degree in civil engineering, which he received in 2016.
Gregory is an active member of the Philadelphia Section and serves as a member of the Board of Directors as well as the website coordinator. He was recognized by Drexel University as one of its Top 40 under 40 in 2018.
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Dr. Elias Ali appointed as Lecturer at the University of Alabama in Huntsville |
Dr. Elias Ali has been appointed as a Lecturer in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Elias received his PhD and MS degrees in civil engineering from Drexel University in 2020 and 2018, respectively.
Elias' research includes experimental and computational investigation on the structural response, stability and design of thin-walled structural systems under extreme loading environments such as blast and fire, investigating the potential application of novel composite materials such as thermal barrier in Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) structural framing through both experimental and numerical methods, material characterization, modeling and optimization of composite materials for resilient structural systems and infrastructures (gas pipelines), and application of 3D printing in construction.
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In Memoriam: John William "Johnny" Cook II |
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John William “Johnny” Cook II, a student in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, passed away suddenly on Saturday, October 3rd in a motorcycle accident. He was 25 years old.
Johnny was a senior in Architectural Engineering who was taking graduate level courses in hopes of going to graduate school right after completing his Bachelor’s degree. He had returned to Drexel in the fall of 2019 after four years of service in the Army including a tour in Afghanistan. In honor of Johnny and in recognition of completion of substantial coursework, he will be awarded a posthumous degree.
Johnny was a kind hearted and genuine person. He always went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome and like family. Johnny would often be willing to be lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. His warm smile and memorable laugh brightened any room he entered. Johnny loved to travel and was very driven. He juggled school, home, and his personal life with ease. Johnny had big dreams and wanted to make the most out of his life. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
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Distinguished University Professor, Joe Hughes, creates PeaceX Global Response Initiative for Co-op Students During COVID-19
by Elisa Selamaj, Drexel ‘23
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Welcoming Drexel co-ops to our Peace Innovation team was a spontaneous yet extraordinary experience that arose from the Covid-19 pandemic and the quick, progressive thinking of Environmental Engineering Distinguished University professor, Dr. Joe Hughes.
We began our very first co-op with the PeaceX Global Response Initiative (PXGRI): an open-resource research project designed to create a common operating picture of the pandemic. The mission of the PXGRI was to provide stakeholders with the data and assets that they need to make the best informed decisions during this crisis. Our first co-op cohort hit the ground running in April by experimenting, gathering and reporting on perishable data in student-led research groups. Their research groups focused on the impact of Covid-19 on hospitals and healthcare workers, education, vulnerable populations and many other aspects of society. Many of the 20+ Drexel co-op students in our first cohort were in STEM majors such as civil and environmental engineering, biological sciences, and physics.
As an organization with a brand new internship program, we encourage adaptability: having the space to think freely, creatively and independently, and adjust as we go. This means that we give our co-ops the opportunity to create and choose their own projects to work and collaborate on. Given this freedom and ambiguity, many of our co-ops learned to step out of their comfort zones and discover new skills, interests, and likes/dislikes in the workplace. As we transitioned into our second and current cohort, our internship focus shifted more towards peace engineering and business, marketing and entrepreneurship-related positions. One of our current, larger student-led co-op projects is focused on peace technology product development using game design thinking and behavior design. Our co-ops are also working on creating peace education courses and a global society for peace engineers, among many other projects that will create more good in the world. We even have students exploring and applying their personal interests such as drawing, video editing, and creating music! Our current group of 24 Drexel co-ops are in majors ranging from business administration, to biomedical engineering, to computing security.
Being an organization founded on the principles of positive peace, we hope to provide our co-op students with the skills, experience and networks that they need to have a positive impact on their own professional careers, in their lives, and in their communities. As a remote opportunity, we work with our co-ops to create an encouraging and empowering remote workplace based on effective team work, communication and cross collaboration. So far, we have been delighted to see our co-ops embrace change in these uncertain times to explore their interests and produce enriching, positive-peace related experiences. We are ecstatic to have such talented, bright-minded students on our team, and we are certain that the future they create will be brilliant.
Pictured above are Maggie McCurdy and Abigail Gard, two students working on this initiative.
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Upcoming Events
CAEE Virtual Seminar Series - Dr. Alice Alipour
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 4:30 at 12:00 p.m.
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Mohsen Foroughi, a PhD student in architectural engineering advised by Professor James Lo, received a Certificate of Recognition for his outstanding contributions to the success of the ASCE Construction Research Congress 2020 in the role of Expert Peer Reviewer.
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Elizabeth Le, a sophomore environmental engineering student, is the recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with funding provided by the U.S. government. Elizabeth was offered this scholarship to study abroad in South Korea in 2021.
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Jiachen (Ed) Liu, a PhD student in environmental engineering and a member of Professor Shannon Capps’ research group, received the George Hill, Jr. Endowed Fellowship, a three-year award from the College of Engineering.
This fellowship is used to provide a stipend and/or tuition assistance to a new doctoral student who will be partially supported by a research or teaching assistantship in the College of Engineering. Recipients have demonstrated excellence in their undergraduate and graduate careers and the potential to achieve academic excellence at the PhD level.
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Parsa Namakiaraghi, a PhD student in civil engineering advised by Professor Yaghoob (Amir) Farnam, won the third-place award in the poster presentation session at the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Virtual Conference from October 25 - 29, 2020. The poster entitled “Mechanical Evaluation of 3D-Printed Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) as Alternative for Concrete Reinforcement” was co-authored with MS student, Dane Bell, and Professors Grace Hsuan and Yaghoob (Amir) Farnam.
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Isaiah Sauvageau, a 2020 BS/MS alumnus and now PhD student in environmental engineering and member of Professor Shannon Capps' research group, received the Seiberlich Endowed Ph.D. Fellowship, a one-time award from the College of Engineering.
This award is designated for the benefit of a graduate student enrolled in a PhD program in the College of Engineering and will be used to provide financial support in the form of a fellowship. Selection of the award recipients are based on academic excellence.
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Correction: In our last newsletter, Rob Swan, who was recently promoted to Teaching Professor, was listed as being promoted to Associate Teaching Professor, |
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