Transforming the classroom

CEAE UpdateFALL 2018

Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas

Letter from the Chair

Dear Friends,

There’s a lot going on in Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, and this newsletter gives us a great opportunity to bring you up to date as we start the new school year.

Especially exciting are the changes underway in how professors work with students, as highlighted

in our main story on transforming the classroom. These changes involve “flipped” classrooms. In the new model, a lot of the basic instruction is now presented online in advance of the class, and the classroom is being used by the students to work individually and in groups to solve what were formally homework problems. Students and professors see the advantages, and the evidence suggests that the method is highly effective.

In this issue, we highlight one of our outstanding alumni, David A. Ross, president of the David E. Ross Construction Company, and one of our recent B.S. graduates, Breta Horton, who is now pursuing a graduate degree at KU.

We also are pleased to highlight the newly formed CEAE Chair’s Council, loyal alumni who have provided the resources to recognize our junior faculty, and the inaugural Chair’s Council Assistant and Chair’s Council Associate Professors.

This year we completed fundraising for the Geotechnical Lab, the last major laboratory requiring renovation since the construction of the new engineering facilities, with those renovations planned for completion in February 2019. Our next major effort will be to upgrade the graduate student offices in Learned Hall so that they match the offices used by our graduate teaching and research assistants in the new engineering complex.

This past year has seen continued increases in both graduate and undergraduate enrollment and continued strengthening in our undergraduate retention in the first year through graduation, placing CEAE first within the School of Engineering.

This fall our undergraduate programs in architectural and civil engineering will undergo their six-year ABET

(Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation. The Department, with leadership from professors Bob Parsons and Mario Medina, has been preparing for this accreditation since the last visit in 2012, with the major push occurring during the past year.

2018 marks the decision by the environmental engineering and water resources groups to combine, a decision that was especially advantageous because we had the opportunity to hire three great new faculty members, highlighted in the issue, that bridge those disciplines.

This fall CEAE, in partnership with the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, has stepped up in a big way to provide live online graduate courses in all majors, including construction management. These online courses are aimed at professionals who can now communicate right from their desktops in real time with the instructors as the classes meet, or view the classes in recorded form if they are not able to log-in at the appointed time. These classes are being offered from both our Lawrence and Edwards Campus locations. This fall we’re offering eleven courses, with additional offerings planned for next spring and summer.

We are now offering graduate-level certificates in the fields of Structural Analysis, Structural Design, Structural Forensics, and Water Resources, with additional certificates planned for Construction Management and Environmental Engineering in the coming academic year.

With so much going on, it’s a real pleasure to serve as CEAE Chair. It is always great to hear from you, so please keep in touch.

Wishing you the very best,

Dave DarwinDeane E. Ackers Distinguished Professor and Department Chair

Photo by Susan B. Scott

CEAE Update is published annually byThe Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering at The University of Kansas

Department ChairDavid Darwin, Ph.D., P.E.

EditorSusan B. Scott

DesignChris Millspaugh Design

Comments, suggestions, or address changes may be emailed to sbscott@ku.edu or sent to:2150 Learned Hall 1530 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, ioa@ku.edu, 1246 West Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, TTY 711.

@kuceae

ceae.ku.edu

ON THE COVERDr. Elaina Sutley with students. Photo by Susan B. Scott

CEAE Update

Photo by Susan B. Scott

CONTENTS4 News & Notes

6 Alumni Profile

8 Transforming the Classroom

10 Student Spotlight

12 New Faculty

13 CEAE Academy / CEAE Chair’s Council

14 Funding Our Future

FACULTY UPDATESDR. ELAINA SUTLEY led a first of its kind recovery-based field study in Lumberton, North Carolina. Lumberton was severely

impacted by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The team consisted of 24 multi-disciplinary researchers from across the county, including KU M.S. student, Lauren Badeaux.

PROF. ANIL MISRA was awarded the inaugural Eugenio Beltrami Senior Scientist Prize by the International Research

Center for Mathematics & Mechanics of Complex Systems, Università dell’Aquila, Italy, in recognition of his widely-disseminated and high-regarded publications, his leadership and management of scientific projects, and his many contributions to pioneering research. Dr. Misra was also named a Bellows Scholar by the School of Engineering.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR JIAN LI was awarded the Takuji Kobori Prize by the International Association of Structural Control and Monitoring (IASCM) for his published paper in the Journal of Structural Control and Monitoring (SCHM) (2016). This is the highest award accorded by SCHM and IASCM.

Road Materials and Pavement Design, an International Journal, awarded DR. MASOUD DARABI the Best Scientific Paper Award 2017. The title of the paper is “Modelling Moisture-Mechanical Damage in Asphalt Mixtures Using Random Microstructures and a Continuum Damage Formulation.”

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR MATT O’REILLY was chosen by students as the 2018 Gould Teaching Award winner, the top award for teaching within the School of Engineering.

DR. WILLIAM COLLINS received the prestigious Early Career Faculty Award from the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction).

The award recognizes faculty who demonstrate promise in the areas of structural steel research, teaching and/or other contributions to the structural steel industry. Dr. Collins was also named a Miller Scholar by the School of Engineering.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR CAROLINE BENNETT received the 2018 Sharp Professorship, which recognizes excellence in engineering instruction.

PROFESSOR STEPHEN RANDTKE was elected to the Board of Directors of American Water Works Association (AWWA), representing Kansas.

After 31 and 38 years of service respectively,

DRS. BRUCE MCENROE and DAVE PARR have retired.

DR. DENNIS D. LANE was named the new Director of Graduate Studies for the Department, following Dr. Bruce McEnroe’s retirement.

DR. STEVEN SCHROCK has been promoted to Professor.

DR. BELINDA STURM has accepted an interim position as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. She will be working closely with Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Rodolfo Torres and two other Interim Associate Vice Chancellors for Research, Erik Lundquist and Kathleen Lane. Dr. Sturm will continue her research, mentoring, and teaching in the Department.

DR. JIE HAN was elected to a four-year term on the Council of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Dr. Han was also named a Bellows Scholar by the School of Engineering.

DR. STEPHEN RANDTKE was recognized for 35 years of service; DR. MARIO MEDINA and DR. ROBERT PARSONS for 25 years; DRS. ANDRES LEPAGE, REMY LEQUESNE, JIAN LI and DAN TRAN for 5 years; and SUSAN SCOTT for 5 years.

STUDENT UPDATES PIPER BLACKBURN (Jr.) and VANESSA NOTARIO (Sr.), were named the ASCE Outstanding Junior and Senior for spring 2018.

BRITTANY MULTER, as a senior in CE, was named the Sally Mason Woman Student in Science by the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity.

JULIA BLANK (ARCE-BS) was one of five winners in the AISC Steel Day Student Competition.

Our GEO-WALL TEAM, consisting of MICHAELA BUTLER, CASSIDY DIEBOLD, MUSTAPHA RAHMANINEZHAD, and ZEXIA LI (captain), was selected as one of the top teams and was invited to compete at the ASCE G-I National Geo-Wall Competition with a $2,000 travel grant.

XIANGXIONG KONG (CE PhD candidate) who received the One University Open Access Author Fund from KU for publishing his research work entitled “Image Registration-Based Bolt Loosening Detection of Steel Joints” in the open access journal Sensors. He is also the leading inventor (co-inventor Dr. Jian Li) for filing a US provisional patent on this work through KU Innovation and Collaboration (KUIC).

JAMES LAFIKES (CE PhD student) was selected for the 2018 Graduate Student Distinguished Service Award by the Office of Graduate Studies.

News & Notes

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ZAHRA ANDALIB (CE PhD student) was awarded the Graduate Studies GTA Award for the 2017-18 academic year.

KIEN NGUYEN (PhD candidate), won 2nd place for his poster at the PaintSquare special conference.

TINGYU WU (visiting scholar) won second place in the ASCE Geo-Institute GeoPoster competition.

M. SAJED HUQ’S (PhD candidate) research with DRS. LEPAGE and LEQUESNE, was profiled in an article entitled “Tests of Concrete Walls with High-Strength Rebar Lay Foundation for Code Change” in the January 2018 issue of Engineering News-Record.

SARAH MORTON (PhD candidate) was selected as President of the Graduate

Engineering Ambassadors (GEAs). She and KENDALL BELCHER (PhD student) will be serving as GEA for the 2018-2019 term.

XIANGXIONG KONG (PhD candidate) presented his research work “Dense Capacitive Sensor Array for Monitoring Distortion-induced Fatigue Cracks in Steel Bridges” at the SPIE Smart Structures / NDE Conference in Denver.

STAFF UPDATES SUSAN SCOTT, Graduate program coordinator, won a School of Engineering Staff Impact Award. Susan won in the category of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Making KU a Welcoming and Inclusive Environment, for significant contributions by taking the lead in making the Department a welcoming place for all graduate students, and for being an exemplary listener, counselor, advocate, and problem-solver for graduate students.

SCHOLARSHIPS JOHN HANDLEY (Environmental Engineering MS student) was awarded The Bruce W. Long Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate student who has demonstrated both leadership and service to others.

ADEYOYIN (TOBI) IMAM (CEAE senior) was awarded the Sharon D. Banks Undergraduate Scholarship by WTS (Women’s Transportation Seminar) Greater Kansas City Chapter.

JENNIFER WARREN (Environmental Engineering MS) was awarded the Barron Award, which is presented annually to an outstanding graduate student in the Environmental Engineering & Science Graduate Program.

Undergrads REID ABBOTT, NICOLE HENRY, and JESSICA GJERDE were each selected to receive scholarships by The Builders’ Association Scholarship Awards Program.

KATE LEAGUE received a Robert J. Besal Fund Undergraduate Scholarship Award; and HANKUN LI (MS) and FARZANEH MAHLAB (PhD student) received a Robert J. Besal Fund Graduate Scholarship Awards. Both awards are in the field of illumination.

JESSICA BUDY (ARCE) received the $5k 2018 Richard Dearing Scholarship for ARCE students.

JOE ROUBINEK (CEAE) was chosen as the 2018 Kansas Chapter of ACI Scholarship recipient.

MUSTAPHA RAHMANINEZHAD was awarded a $5k Fellowship by the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) for his research on “Bearing Capacity and

Deformation of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Retaining Walls with Flexible Facing Subjected to Footing Loads.”

Bridge team 2018.

KU’s Concrete Canoe Team competed in the regional competition in Carbondale, Illinois.

Fall 2018 / 3

David A. Ross got an early start in the construction business.

Ross, the owner and president of David E. Ross Construction of Raytown, Missouri, remembers fondly working at job sites alongside his father, who founded the company in 1948.

“When I was 10 years old, he gave me a broom and would take me on projects during the summer or on weekends, and I would clean up,” he says.

Before long, he traded in his broom for a hammer. By the time he was in high school, Ross says, “I was a full-blown journeyman carpenter. My dad told me since I was doing the work of the men he was paying, I was going to get the same wages.”

Curious about the design behind the projects he was working on, Ross decided to put his earnings toward an engineering degree at KU.

“‘Why is that beam this size? Why is that plumbing line this size?’” Ross remembers wondering. “I was just infatuated. That’s what I wanted to find out, and that’s why I went into engineering.”

His experience in the construction business gave him an advantage in his studies.“Having the background of actually putting things in that other people had designed kind of gave me a leg up,” he says.“I had a better understanding of the construction process.”

After graduating with a B.S. in civil engineering in 1973, Ross briefly considered going to law school, but he ultimately decided that a career in the construction business would be a better fit.

“I had to get out and see things done, because that’s what I grew up doing,” he says.

To acquire the business understanding he would need on the job, he enrolled in the MBA program at KU. After

graduating in 1975, he applied for jobs with top design-build engineering and construction companies, eager to find out what it was like to work for a large contractor. He landed a job with C. F. Braun & Co., the second-biggest construction company in the world at the time, and moved to California.

Ross advanced quickly in the company. After just a few years, he found himself overseeing 400 people building a chemical plant in Houston, Texas. When he was offered the chance to relocate to Australia, he turned down the move, however, deciding instead to return to Kansas City with his wife, Patty, and the first of their four daughters. Family was his top priority, and it was time to join his father in business.

“I had always wanted to go back and work with my dad,” Ross says.

Ross returned to Kansas City with an expanded vision of what the family company could accomplish in the future. Working for a big contractor “just kind of opened my eyes, that you can do anything you want to do,” he says.

Ross’ father soon handed the family business over to his 27-year-old son.“I did one or two jobs, and he just let me take over,” Ross says.“He basically just said, ‘Go. I’m here, and we’ll work together, and you take the lead.”

In the early years of the company, Ross’ father had found a niche building service stations for the major oil companies. By the time Ross returned from California, the company had grown and begun to take on different types of projects, including medical buildings, office buildings, and projects for the State of Missouri.

Since taking over as president, Ross has continued to seek new opportunities for the company, keeping up with developing technology and adapting as the economic climate has required. Medical construction, including

Building on a LegacyBy Anne McDonald

DAVID A. ROSS

Alumni Profile

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work for many of the hospitals in the Kansas City area, now accounts for the largest part of his company’s business. Its projects include operating rooms and high-tech facilities for specialty procedures like CAT scans, PET scans, and MRIs.

Working in hospitals requires sensitivity and a commitment to quality that his company has become known for, Ross says.

“A lot of times we’ll be in one room, and in the next room they’ll be operating on somebody. You’ve got to think about them,” he says.“Everything’s got to be right, everything’s got to be the highest quality—because one day you’re either going to be in there or somebody you really love is going to be in there.”

High-tech projects for the aviation industry are another of the company’s specialties. Working for major public airports and the defense contractor Raytheon, the company has built radar stations all over the country, including at KCI airport. One major project for the Department of Defense on the West Coast provided for satellite communication from the navy in the Pacific back to the mainland.

Projects closer to home include churches, museums, retail stores, and water and wastewater treatment plants. The company completed a $22 million water treatment plant in Independence, Missouri last fall.

Since Ross took over in 1978, the company has grown to employ around eighty people, but it continues to be a family business. Ross’ daughter Allison Ross McClain now works as the vice president and a project manager, and his wife of 42 years, Patty, is the company’s accountant.

David E. Ross passed away in 2015, but his values still direct the company today.“He had a sense of quality. He

wanted to be proud of what he built and what he did,” Ross says of his father.

Ross is proud that return customers account for 95 percent of the company’s business. He credits his customers’ loyalty to the company’s commitment to delivering a quality product for a good value.“They know what they’re going to get, and they know it’s going to be a fair price,” he says.

After forty years in the business, Ross still enjoys his work. “I just have always loved what I do. I love construction,” he says.

Visiting job sites is still a favorite part of his job.“I just like going out and seeing what’s being accomplished, and making sure it’s being done right,” he says.

Looking to the future, Ross has no immediate plans to retire, but he is taking care to train his younger workers in the values of the company.“Bring them in, teach them the right way, teach them the core values of what you want to do, and then they’re on a solid foundation to keep going,” he says.

A loyal alumnus of the KU CEAE department, Ross also invests in the training of young engineers. He donated a state-of-the-art freeze-thaw machine to the department, and he contributed 25 percent of the funds necessary to renovate its geotechnical lab.

Outside of work, Ross spends time with his family, including his 10 grandchildren, and avidly follows KU basketball. A longtime season ticket holder, he says he hasn’t missed an NCAA tournament game in 10 years.

Not everyone at his Missouri office shares his affection for KU, but he doesn’t mind a little friendly rivalry with coworkers. “We’re an equal opportunity employer,” he jokes.

“Bring them in, teach them the right way, teach them the core values of what you want to do, and then

they’re on a solid foundation to keep going,”

Fall 2018 / 5

By Joel Mathis

Much has changed since 1873 with the graduation of a civil engineer* in the first graduating class at KU. One aspect, however, has remained mostly

unchanged: The classroom experience. For most of the department’s history, instruction for

one generation of students looked like the instruction received by another: Students would gather in class. A faculty member would spend an hour or so lecturing. The students would take notes, then use time away from class to read more deeply, or to do homework assignments showing they’d mastered the material. Styles changed, chalkboards became whiteboards, and computers became part of the process, but the experience was recognizably similar from one decade to the next.

That’s still the model for many classes in the department. But changes are afoot!

Over the past several years, members of the CEAE faculty have been upending their teaching techniques, using technology and experimentation to create a

“student-centric” classroom experience that amounts to a quiet revolution in how instructors go about the business of education.

“There has been a lot of change here,” said Caroline Bennett, an associate professor in the department who oversees the School of Engineering’s “Engaged Learning Initiative,” and is a faculty fellow at KU’s Center for Teaching Excellence.

The underlying idea: To engage students more deeply. Classroom time is no longer about lectures — instead students use that time to work together and solve problems with a faculty member ready to step in an offer guidance. Lectures? They’re often delivered via video, to be consumed by the student on their own time outside of class. And the videos? Well, sometimes they’re made by older students who took the same class last semester.

“There’s a ton of support in the literature for these methods resulting in better student learning,” Bennett said.

If the student experience is being transformed, so is the teaching experience. Faculty say the effort to incorporate new techniques has required a culture change that has put teaching back at the forefront of their complicated, often-research-driven jobs.

“We’ve done a good job to change that culture as a department,” said Alexandra Kondyli, an assistant professor. “I think, as a department, we do a really good job trying to push new ways of teaching.”

THE BIG FLIP Three examples of the change happening to instruction at CEAE:

TRANSFORMED CLASSESLectures used to be the main course of classroom time. Now, they’re often the appetizer.

“Students are basically expected to come to class prepared,” said Molly McVey, a post-doctoral teaching fellow helping lead CEAE’s efforts to revamp its teaching practices.

“They’ve either watched lecture videos, or read the book, or reviewed slides, and then they come to class,” she said.“Usually there is some sort of quiz in the first few minutes of class to make sure that they’re kind of on board with the main concepts. Everyone does it differently, but generally the instructor will lecture for 10 or 15 minutes to hit the highlights and then they’ll spend the rest of class working.”

“You start from the assumption they’ve read what they are supposed to, then build on that, move the knowledge a little bit forward,” said Kondyli, who redesigned her Introduction to Transportation Engineering course for undergrads.

Why redesign classes in this fashion? Several reasons.First: It’s a way to use class time to ensure students are

engaging the material being taught.

TRANSFORMINGTHE CLASSROOM

* Murray Harris was also the first engineer to graduate in Kansas.6 / CEAE Update

Second: It’s expected that working on problems, instead of sitting passively through a lecture, increases student learning. And having other students around to collaborate with on a problem can be helpful, too.

“You’re actually struggling with the concepts while the support is available, versus just listening and then going home and struggling on your own,” McVey said.

And third: Putting lectures on video lets students replay sections until they understand what a lecturer is saying.

“Some students said they replay them as much as they want,” said Jian Li, an assistant professor who flipped his undergrad Structural Analysis class.“In regular instruction, they don’t have that chance. They could come to me and ask, but it’s not as easy as going to the video and replaying.”

UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING FELLOWSThis program started in just four classes during the spring 2015 semester and has spread to dozens of courses in the School of Engineering. It’s a form of “peer mentoring’ in which older students help younger students learn.

The program engages “students who have recently completed the course and done well,” McVey said.“These students go to every class … walking around the tables, asking and answering questions.”

Younger students obviously benefit when older students share their knowledge. But it turns out that the older students may benefit even more.

William Collins, an assistant professor said students often learn a concept long enough to pass a test, and then promptly forget it. The result: Faculty in higher-level classes have to repeat concepts supposedly mastered at a lower level. Undergraduate teaching fellows, on the other hand, have to retain what they’ve learned in lower-level classes so they can help younger students.

“It forces them to go back and refresh what they learned,” Collins said. “To teach, you have to have a pretty good grasp of the concept. And that sets them up for success in the next class.”

TIERED MENTORINGTo expand on those benefits of peer mentoring, CEAE faculty have tried something else: Students in higher-level courses are now making videos for their younger colleagues, explaining the concepts those newer students are encountering for the first time.

“If you want to teach someone something…you must have in-depth knowledge of the topic in order to explain it in layman’s terms and by using analogies,” said one student in semester-end comments on the video-making process. “So yes, I do have a deeper understanding, because I had to research the topic to explain the subject to others.”

That’s work. But it can also be fun.“Many of the students are excited,” Li said.“They try to

make the videos interesting, funny and informative. They

try to show the best side of themselves to their peers.”The result of such efforts is an unbroken chain of

learning, then mentoring the students who follow. “Every student in CE 562 (Design of Steel Structures)

makes a video for students in CE 461. Every student in CE 461 (Structural Analysis) makes a video for students in 310 (Strength of Materials) and those are courses that are directly related to each other,” McVey said.

“We have connections at every single level,” Collins added.“Younger students are getting help from older students, students are reviewing what had come before, and they are all connecting throughout the curriculum.”

CHANGING THE CULTUREWhile most of the focus is on how the new teaching techniques affect students, faculty members say they’ve also benefited.

“It’s more fun not lecturing all the time,” Kondyli said. Li agreed.

“I’ve benefited tremendously,” said Li. I am able to be more engaged with the students, instead of just standing in front of the classroom and talking,” he said of his transformed course.“My last evaluation in CE 461 was the highest I’ve ever received in my five years at KU.”

But it continues to take a lot of work. After every semester, faculty members evaluate how they did to plan for the next round of innovation.

“It took some effort to flip it,” Kondyli said.“It was mostly trying to figure out the right way to do it. I’m sure there are several recipes. It depends on the class, and your own personality as an instructor. I’m changing it every time, based on the feedback I get from students, and based on my experience [in] the class.”

Faculty are not on their own. Many have revamped their courses with the aid of mini-grants from TRESTLE, (TRansforming Education, Stimulating Teaching and Learning Excellence), a coalition of institutions that uses funds from the National Science Foundation to improve STEM education at public research universities.

It’s also been a highly collaborative effort, McVey said. “The collaboration in CEAE really allows the professors

to make big changes fast,” she said. “No one has to be working by themselves. They’re really good at working together and then taking on big things.”

The effort remains a work in progress, Collins said. “I think it’s been good for the students. I think there are

still kinks we have to work through,” he said.“I think the biggest change is the culture in our

department,” he said. “It’s common for us to have meetings about education. In our job, we have to be good teachers, but it’s easy to let research take the lead.

“The new techniques and approaches in the classroom have brought teaching to the forefront. I think that’s been a really positive outcome.”

Fall 2018 / 7

Working with math and science comes naturally to recent Architectural Engineering graduate and current Architectural Engineering

graduate student Breta Phillips Horton. The daughter of two science professors (University

of Missouri and Stephens College — both in Columbia, Missouri), Horton grew up around labs. “I started doing research in return for Skittles when I was probably seven,” Horton says. She recalls stocking pipette boxes and doing dishes in the laboratory run by her mother, a biochemistry professor.

At home, math and science were central to the home improvement projects she would undertake with her father, a professor of biological sciences.

“My dad and I would design something every summer,” Horton says. One summer, the two built a stream in the family’s backyard, complete with a water pump and a natural self-filtration system. Another summer, they designed and installed an irrigation system in the family’s large backyard garden.

Along with an early introduction to math and science, Horton gained from her parents a strong appreciation of nature.“We’re very ‘granola,’ as some people have called us,” Horton says.“We go hiking and camping and make all our food from scratch, and my dad has a huge vegetable garden. We really appreciate the beauty of this earth.”

With her appreciation of nature, Horton says, comes a commitment to protecting it. “From my perspective the earth is something that God gave us. We’re called to be stewards of the earth. It’s part of our future; it’s part of what we’ve been given to work with.”

As she considered possible career paths in high school, Horton knew she wanted to combine her interest in math and architecture with her commitment to protecting the environment. She imagined building houses in the future, and when she learned about the field of architectural engineering, it sounded like a perfect fit. But she never imagined becoming a Jayhawk.

“I’d never have thought I would have chosen KU, as I’m from Columbia, Missouri,” she says. “I didn’t like that the mascot was a fake bird, and it was named after mercenaries, the Jayhawkers, and I didn’t really like the colors.”

Despite growing up in Mizzou territory, she did her best to remain impartial as she conducted her college search. She applied to the top three programs in her prospective field — including KU. To her surprise, KU won her over almost as soon as she arrived on campus for a visit.

“I just loved the campus, I loved the professors I talked with. I was sold on KU so fast, and the Honors Program made it even better. So KU was the one I chose.”

By Anne McDonald

Crimson & Blue, and Green

Student Spotlight

Breta Phillips Horton

8 / CEAE Update

At KU, Horton found that her major required even broader study than she had imagined, including coursework in four different areas of engineering: electrical, mechanical, structural and construction management. Undeterred, Horton welcomed the opportunity to acquire a wide knowledge base, and she committed herself to learning all she could about each area.

As she pondered what a career in architectural engineering might look like, Horton continued to explore possibilities for protecting the environment through applied math and science. In the summer of 2016, she studied alternative fuel technology as part of a NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Missouri.

She ultimately decided to focus her studies on building electrical systems, which will allow her to work with renewable energy. She welcomes the difficulty of the abstract concepts she will have to master.

“I like how challenging electrical is,” she says.Horton began taking graduate coursework toward

her master’s degree in architectural engineering during her junior year. She was recognized as the Outstanding Senior in Architectural Engineering when she graduated with honors in May, earning her B.S. degree with highest distinction. She will continue her graduate work in the fall, aiming to finish her degree in May 2019.

Horton completed a building electrical systems internship with the DLR Group in Overland Park in the summer of 2017. This past summer, as a building electrical systems intern in the Aviation and Federal Global Practice at Burns & McDonnell in Overland Park she worked on electrical design and engineering for the building systems for airports and military bases. Horton was offered, and has accepted, a full-time position to start next July in the same department. Having the

opportunity to work on microgrids, which often include some renewable electricity, was especially enticing. Such technology will become increasingly important as natural resources become scarcer, Horton says.

“There’s a lot of cool stuff that I see coming up in the future that is going to be based around power,” she says.

After her sophomore year at KU, Horton was accepted into the SELF (Self Engineering Leadership Fellows) Program, which aims to develop outstanding engineering and computer science students into strong leaders within technology-based corporations. As a Self Fellow, Horton says, she acquired “soft skills” that will be useful for working in industry, and she learned to think more broadly about how to use her engineering skills in the business world.

Horton once dreamed of becoming CEO of her own company, but while she remains “business-oriented,” she says her priorities have changed somewhat. She highly values time spent with her family and with her husband, whom she met at KU and married in August 2017. The two share an enthusiasm for outdoor activities, and they enjoy hiking and playing disc golf and soccer together.

Instead of owning her own company, Horton plans to work toward bettering an existing company while improving the relationship between the built environment and the natural environment — something architectural engineers are in a unique position to accomplish.

“That’s something I really enjoy, and I feel fulfillment out of being able to do that. Engineering is great because it’s easy to feel like you’re making a difference,” she says.

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“I just loved the campus, I loved the professors I talked with. I was sold on KU so fast, and the Honors Program

made it even better. So KU was the one I chose.”

Fall 2018 / 9

AMY HANSEN received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2012. Most recently, Amy has been at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Post-doctoral Fellow. Her

research has focused on watershed scale controls of nitrate export from intensively managed agricultural landscapes. Her research interests meet at the junction of hydrology with aquatic ecology and include watershed scale water resource engineering, eco-hydrology, sustainable water resource design in human impacted systems, and aquatic bio-physical feedbacks. Prior to her Ph.D., Amy earned a Masters of Engineering degree at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in Mechanical Engineering (1995) and a Bachelors of Engineering degree at California Institute of Technology in Engineering and Applied Science (1993). After completing her Master’s degree, she held professional engineering positions in the automotive and semiconductor industries. Amy also served for two years in the United States Peace Corps – Honduras as a Water and Sanitation Engineering volunteer providing rural communities with access to clean drinking water through watershed protection and gravity fed drinking water system design and construction. Through these experiences, Amy has developed a broad perspective on the societal contributions of engineering, which will be a valuable resource for KU students considering a range of career paths. Amy is excited to be joining the CEAE faculty at KU where she looks forward to collaborative research opportunities within and outside the department. She also looks forwards to sharing her enthusiasm and expertise for water resources through teaching and mentoring and welcomes students to contact her about research opportunities in her lab.

ADMIN HUSIC received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2018. His research motivation is to understand physical transport and biogeochemical fate processes as they relate to water resources, human-environment interactions, and sustainability. He is an

active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Admin’s research interests include using numerical modeling tools and stable isotope technology to understand sediment, carbon, and nitrogen fate and transport. During his doctoral

studies, he applied these tools within the context of subsurface karst caverns and their ability to impact downstream water quality. Admin employs field instrumentation of continuous sensors and time-integrated samplers to inform numerical models, constrain fluvial budgets, and reduce uncertainties associated with agricultural land use practices. Additionally, he is interested in field and laboratory turbulence research to advance fundamental knowledge of transport processes. He intends to use his research knowledge and interests to craft courses that prepare students to serve Kansas well as civil engineers. Admin Husic is looking forward to his first semester at KU, teaching his first class, and establishing his research program.

JUSTIN HUTCHISON received his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2018. Justin also holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Augustana College and a master’s degree in Environmental

Engineering from UIUC. He is active in professional organizations including the American Chemical Society and the American Water Works Association. Justin’s research focuses on evaluating drinking water treatment technologies, through the development of novel, protein-based technologies addressing micropollutant contamination in drinking water. In his dissertation work, he developed a biocatalytic system to break down perchlorate, the micropollutant and endocrine disrupting compound, into harmless components. He implemented a multi-disciplinary approach to link design decisions to cost and life-cycle environmental impact using deterministic models built on biological, chemical, and physical first principles. In recent efforts, he partnered with Carollo Engineers to evaluate biological nitrate treatment in a pilot-scale demonstration. Justin’s research seeks to connect fundamental understanding with practical applications, assuring his research objections for biocatalytic applications are impactful. His teaching philosophy similarly links fundamentals to application having taught undergraduate courses in Chemistry and graduate courses including Remediation Design and Biological Principles. Justin’s awards include the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2012), the American Water Works Association Larson Aquatic Research Support Scholarship (2016), and the Richard S. and Mary E. Engelbrecht Fellowship (2017). Justin and his family are pleased to be starting the next chapter in their professional and personal lives as part of the KU community.

We welcome three new faculty to the CEAE department. These faculty bring a wealth of experience in water resources and environmental engineering to the program.

New Faculty

10 / CEAE Update

JULIE PIERCE B.S. Architectural Engineering 1994Vice President, Henderson EngineersElected 2017

Julie Pierce is Vice President of Henderson Engineers. As the director of operations for Henderson’s Kansas City office, Julie leads an engineering team that focuses primarily on sports & recreation, higher education, and corporate markets.

CEAE ACADEMY We are happy to announce the election of three new members to the CEAE Academy. The Academy honors our Department’s most distinguished alumni and former faculty. Chosen by the CEAE Advisory Board, Academy members are recognized for their outstanding professional achievements, high ethical standards, and advocacy and support for KU CEAE.

INAUGURAL CHAIR’S COUNCIL

We are pleased to announce the formation of the CEAE Chair’s Council. Harold Phelps, President of Phelps Engineering Inc., and David A. Ross, President of David E. Ross Construction, are the first members of the Council. They will take on projects to assist the department, the first of which is to fund term salary supplements for professorships.

Seven faculty have been named as inaugural CEAE Chair’s Council professors. Drs. Caroline Bennett, Ted Peltier, and Andres Lepage received this honor as Associate Professors. Drs. Matt O’Reilly, Remy Lequesne, Dan Tran, and Jian Li received this honor as Assistant Professors.

CINDY WALLIS-LAGE M.S. Environmental Health Engineering 1990President, Global Water BusinessBlack & VeatchElected 2017

Cindy Wallis-Lage is President of Black & Veatch’s water business, leading more than 2,500 professionals in over 75 offices worldwide. She is well known in the water industry for her expertise in water reuse and treatment.  

DAVID A. ROSS B.S. Civil Engineering 1975President and Owner, David E. Ross ConstructionElected 2017

David Ross is president and owner of David E. Ross Construction, a Kansas City-based construction firm.  Under David’s leadership, the firm’s capabilities have expanded to include design-build projects for Fortune 500 companies and high-tech infrastructure projects nationwide. 

(l to r) Matt O’Reilly, Caroline Bennett, Remy Lequesne, Dan Tran, Ted Peltier, Jian Li and Andres Lepage.

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Premier Society: Individuals Giving $100,000 or more during their lifetimes

*Adaline L. Ames*Jane V. BarberFrank J. Becker and Barbara A. Becker

*Henry H. Benjes, Sr.John P. Fowler II and Doris M. FowlerGeorge E. Nettels Jr. and *Mary Joanne Myers NettelsTed K. Pendleton and Marlene McGregor PendletonHarold A. Phelps and Donna R. Brady-Phelps

*John H. Robinson and *Patricia Odell Robinson

*Thomas B. Robinson and *Suzanne RobinsonDavid A. Ross and Patricia P. Ross

*James M. Secrest and *Betty Gunnels Secrest

*Charles E. Spahr and *Mary Jane Bruckmiller Spahr

*Bert F. Steves and *Dorothy F. StevesGerald A. StoltenbergJ.A. Tiberti FamilyMurli Tolaney and Mona Tolaney

*James L. Tyson*C. Keith Willey*Carol Jean Witter

Deans Club Champions: Individuals who have given $50,000 or more

*Carol Jean Witter

Deans Club Diplomats: Individuals who have given $25,000 to $49,999 Robert W. Agnew, PhD and Margaret Rose AgnewHarold A. Phelps and Donna R. Brady-PhelpsDavid A. Ross and Patricia P. Ross

Deans Club Ambassadors: Individuals who have given: $10,000 to $24,999Frank J. Becker and Barbara A. BeckerJames R. BessDiane M. Darwin and David Darwin, PhDJames M. Kring Jr. and Donna M. KringTito Tiberti

Deans Club Benefactors: Individuals who have given $5,000 to $9,999Bob Benz and Janet B. Benz

*Lynne McGraw DearingBrian A. Falconer and Virginia Lamb FalconerMichael W. Karr and Janet Phelps KarrDon R. Landeck Marlene VanGundy Penny and William J. PennyDave G. Ruf Jr. Joseph A. Waxse and Marianne C. WaxseRichard A. Worrel and Susan M. Worrel

Deans Club Patrons: Individuals who have given $3,000 to $4,999Euiso Choi, PhD and Kyunghee Min ChoiSamarendra Gogoi

William J. Hall, PhD and Elaine Thalman HallGregory P. Pasley, PhD and Sonia Martinez PasleyJames L. Patton and Marilyn S. Patton

*Ernest C. Pogge, PhDJohn H. Robinson Jr. and Kyle Simmons Robinson

Deans Club Donors: Individuals who have given $1,000 to $2,999Jon B. ArdahlPaul D. Barber and Diane M. BarberBrian J. Burke and Helen BurkeWilliam C. Clawson, PhD and Marnie S. ClawsonKenneth F. Conrad and Leslie Sauder ConradCraig K. Denny, PhDJohn W. FilbertPhilip D. Gibbs and Kathleen G. GibbsJie HanLeaman D. Harris and Judith L. Harris, PhDAnthony G. Kempf and Teresa Mulinazzi KempfLes K. Lampe, DE and Karen Craft LampeDennis D. Lane, Ph.D. and Kristine L. LaneBruce F. McCollom, DE and E. Irene McCollomJohn L. Meyer and Marilyn A. MeyerMir Y. Norouzian, PhDMarilyn Miller Pattison and David C. Pattison

Funding Our FutureInnovative research. State-of-the-art facilities. Talented and dedicated faculty. Distinguished alumni. All are part of the fabric that makes the KU Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) Department student experience one of the best in the region. Our success is due, in large part, to the philanthropic contributions from our alumni and friends.

From one’s first donation to the CEAE unrestricted fund, to the creation of endowed scholarships and professorships, the passion that our graduates have for the department makes the difference for our students and faculty.

Thank you to our donors below who contributed to the CEAE department from July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018.

Your support will encourage and guide the next generations of leaders in engineering. You have truly propelled our department to a higher level of excellence by participating in Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas. To discuss opportunities for investing in CEAE, such as creating a named endowment, and equipping our new spaces, or to learn more about how to include the department in your estate plans, please contact Susan Reilly 785-832-7351 or sreilly@kuendowment.org.

You can also donate to the CEAE department online by visiting kuendowment.org/engineering (be sure to specify that your gift is to the CEAE department).

Or you can send a contribution by mail to:KU EndowmentAttn: EngineeringPO Box 928Lawrence, KS 66044-0928

2017 – 2018 Donors (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018)

*Indicates that a donor is deceased12 / CEAE Update

Ted K. Pendleton and Marlene McGregor PendletonJoel C. RifeStanley T. Rolfe, PhD and Phyllis W. RolfeLawrence A. Schmid, PhDLt Col Zachary T. Schmidt and Nicole Mehring SchmidtVicki J. SecrestRobert L. SkaggsGayle Slagell and Curtis W. Slagell, PEJ. Angelo Tiberti III and Lindsey Fisher Tiberti, PharmDKenneth J. Vaughn and Marilyn L. Vaughn

Deans Club Rising Stars: Individuals 35 years of age or younger who have given $500 to $999Zack BradyEmily Reimer Royal

Campanile Club: Individuals who have given $500 to $999Michael S. Branicky, ScD and Danielle M. Olds, PhDCarlis J. Callahan and Sandra P. CallahanTheodore J. Cambern Jr., DE and Marcia Alexander CambernRay E. Carter Jr., PhDMichael J. Falbe and Melanie A. FalbeDeena Goodman and Philip J. GoodmanKathleen Gilman Hess and Michael R. HessThomas L. Jenkins and Judith Gripton JenkinsSteven M. LongJohn L. Meyer, Jr.Kenneth A. Mikkelson, PhDJolene Muir Myers and Kent N. MyersRobert L. ParsonsCarol A. Reifschneider, PhDJoseph C. Roth, DE and Leta Cathcart RothLowell D. SeatonJeffrey A. Smith, PhDL. Darby SmithDeborah L. Smith-Wright, MD and David I. Wright, PhDTraci L. Steinmetz and Jay D. SteinmetzJames E. White

Crimson and Blue Club: Individuals who have given $300 to $499J. Douglas Ashbrook and Marilyn Stone AshbrookCreg S. Bishop, PhDTheresa C. Browning and Keith A. BrowningCarl E. Burkhead, PhD and Joyce BurkheadAmanda M. CarterJoel A. Crown and Deborah A. EnglishColin P. Davidson and Mary D. DavidsonJulie Peters KnudtsonJeffrey A. LanaghanJames D. MontgomeryFrank B. NelsonTim PowellSteve and Jessie RandtkeRADM James T. Taylor, CEC, USN, Retired and Rosa Lea TaylorDean M. Testa and Karen L. TestaJeffrey M. Valentino and Jennifer Zammit Valentino

1865 Club: Individuals who have given $100 to $299Nicholas S. ArtzBarbara Banzet and Paul BanzetJames A. Bellerive and Dawn S. BelleriveDorris L. Bender and John L. BenderPaul E. Bengtson and Joyce L. BengtsonE. Dean Bevan, PhD and Judith L. BevanJohn C. BocoxJeremy S. BogerRichard W. Bond and Susan Shockley BondJeffrey A. BoosMarcus A. BrewerSean M. Butler and Kristine Blakley ButlerPatrick J. CassidyPhilip E. CiesielskiCynthia A. CogilJohn T. CorsonClyde H. CoxDaniel W. DeaverGerard E. DeZernApril R. EscamillaPenny L. EvansMelanie S. GriffinJessica L. HaberstockTerence D. HagenDaniel B. HaltonMary McGreevey Horner and J. Michael Horner, PECharles E. HuffmanPaul R. JordanStuart A. Knutson and Hazel Z. KnutsonKevin Londeen and Karen LondeenMarian K. Massoth and Vic RobbinsElyse Gundersen McBride and Thomas P. McBrideBruce M. McEnroe, PhDJames W. Mellem and Kendall Celeste MellemJohn A. Metzler and Suzanne M. MetzlerAlyssa Auld Meyer and Joseph D. MeyerKrista Wendt Murphy and Zach MurphyFred R. Porta II and Judith U. PortaHeather Reavey, PECarl B. Reed, P.E., D.E. and Melody A. Miller ReedJerry D. Rees and Sallie L. Veenstra, MDWilliam RhinesmithSusan M.T. RhodesM. Luke SchulerJohn T. Schwaller and Jennifer Pownall SchwallerLarry E. Shankles, PEGeorge D. Sloop and Nancy L. SloopLucille J. SmithWilliam D. SmithMichael F. SpoorCynthia Steinmetz and Doug SteinmetzL.G. Suelter and Micki K. SuelterLeroy E. ToblerMerary TrevinoNathan T. TritschThomas C. TuckerLance M. WilloughbyLihua Xing, PhDJohn T. Yarnell, PE and Leona L. YarnellYuan Zhao, PhD

Donors: Individuals who have given up to $99Mane M. AssiAndrea L. AustinBrian J. Barnes, PharmD and Jessica R. Barnes, PharmDDerek J. BarnesDavid G. BeachWilliam J. Benne and Veronica Rose Hellmer Benne

Leland D. BowenDaniel R. BrownCraig A. Buhr and Ellen K. BuhrMeredith B. ButlerSusanne ButlerGrace S. CapsCaitlin CarlsonVincenzo A. CrifasiGeorgeane J. Devlin and Michael R. DevlinElizabeth S. DuvallElizabeth Ryan Gaines and Jon W. GainesAudrey N. GleasonJacksen H. GoyerIrma GuillenJames F. HallSusan Jane Harker and Jay N. HarkerRebecca HimangoGlenn A. JacksonAmi JarrettJohn D. JohnstonDaniel A. JonesQuinton T. JonesJohn W. KoenigBob L. Kopfman and Ann C. KopfmanCecilia R. KurlbaumHazel M. Lauppe and George M. LauppeButch LedfordWendy LedfordSusan E. LichatowichPaige E. McCarthyErin A. McCulloughDavid McGuffinJohn F. Mehnert and Millie B. MehnertJolyn MurrinShelly OlsonJennifer OtteSabrina OverfieldEmilia Paz OjedaSharon K. Peterson and Trev PetersonDaphne Pogge and Jay A. PoggeWarren G. Riekenberg, PE and Carol Lee RiekenbergEmily C. RobbinsJennifer RuhnkeGarrett J. RussellElias Santoyo and Ubelina SantoyoLuz SantoyoNicole T. SavastanoDan Schmidt and Debbie SchmidtMichael J. Schmidt and Tuija K. SchmidtKenny Slayton and Lisa SlaytonJayne M. Sperry, PhDGeorge G. StrellaMatthew L. SugarDavid Trevino, Jr.Leonard A. WallJulia M. Werthmann

Corporate and Foundation DonorsAffinis Corp.American Institute of Steel ConstructionBartlett & West, Inc.Black & Veatch FoundationGeorge Butler Associates, Inc.J. E. Dunn Construction CompanyExxon Mobil CorporationHenderson Engineers, Inc.HNTB CompaniesKansas Contractors Assn. Construction Education FoundationKansas Section American Society of Civil EngineersPenny’s Concrete, Inc.Phelps Engineering, Inc.Power Foundation, Inc.Turner Construction Company

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Photos by Susan B. Scott

ceae.ku.edu

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