civil and infrastructure engineering

Deborah Goodings to serve on White House task force of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC)

Martha Bushong — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 21:41:07 +0000

Deborah Goodings to serve on White House task force of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) Martha Bushong Tue, 03/05/2024 - 16:41

In This Story

Deborah Goodings

Deborah Goodings, associate dean for graduate studies at the College of Engineering and Computing, has been appointed to a task force of the White House National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). The NIAC has created the Expanding the Workforce for Critical Infrastructure subcommittee in recognition that a skilled workforce is essential to plan, design, build, operate, maintain, and repair the infrastructure that supports the basic functions of American society. The task force will provide recommendations to incentivize workers to enter this critical infrastructure field and to broaden access to training and educational opportunities.

“Engineers and computer scientists are leaders in ensuring resilience and sustainability of existing infrastructure. And they are central in creating a future that depends even more on innovative and secure systems with increased capacity. Achieving the vision, however, depends on taking a holistic approach to the broader health of the ecosystem of our critical infrastructure workforce, said Goodings.

“This workforce is as much about construction crews, infrastructure operators, and maintenance workers as it is about engineers and cybersecurity experts. I am honored to join a group of such distinguished national leaders in workforce development serving America’s needs.”

Goodings’s leadership in engineering higher education and research spans four decades. During that time, she has been a department chair, chaired professor, and associate dean of engineering and computing at ��AV, a division director at the National Science Foundation, and a professor at the University of Maryland. Her experience and expertise have led to her service to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Academies/National Research Council, and to institutional visiting and review committees both in the United States and Canada.

She has developed programs that enrich the classroom experience of engineers to expand their sense of citizenship and responsibility. These experiences often include emphasis on the non-technical skills that engineers must develop to be successful in their jobs and lives. Her career accomplishments have been recognized with awards from the U.S. Department of the Army; the U.S. National Research Council; the U.S. Universities Council on Geotechnical Engineering Research; Professional Engineers Ontario; and the University of Maryland.

Topics

civil and infrastructure engineering

Faculty and Staff News

Mushrooming feats of engineering success

Rena Malai — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:12:44 +0000

Mushrooming feats of engineering success Rena Malai Tue, 10/24/2023 - 09:12

In This Story

Emma (Xijin) Zhang

It’s important not to crowd mushrooms in a pan, otherwise they won’t cook properly, according to well-known American chef Julia Child. But Child likely didn’t realize that those mushrooms crowded together can accomplish impressive feats of engineering within concrete structures.

Xijin “Emma” Zhang, assistant professor in civil engineering at ��AV, is working on exploring the use of fungi spores within infrastructures. The practice is relatively new, and Zhang is the first professor within Mason’s Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering to work on incorporating fungi materials for sustainable building purposes.

“The research I’m very passionate about is exploring how to utilize natural resources to solve challenges within civil engineering,” Zhang said. “Although I am not a biologist, studying these natural solutions to engineering can help make complex solutions to infrastructure challenges simple.”

In Zhang’s research, the fungal fibers that make up the "stem" part of the mushroom get mixed into the concrete mixture before the building process starts. If cracks later generate within the concrete structure, the air and moisture seeping through the cracks activate the fungi spores. The fungi fibers ‘bloom’ and produce chemical minerals. The strong fungal fibers and the chemical minerals help heal the cracks.

“The healing of the cracks is facilitated by the growth of the fungal fibers and the fungi’s productions of chemical minerals,” Zhang said. “This self-healing technology saves expensive and timely repairs to the structures.”

The fungi’s hydrophobic surface means just that—it repels water. This additional benefit prevents water from infiltrating concrete, deterring water-related distresses and improving the durability of the infrastructure.

Zhang is working on cultivating different fungi spores and testing what works best, as not all classes of fungi would necessarily work for cracks. She has discovered the fungi spores within oyster mushrooms have resilient fibers and can be developed to provide excellent properties in thermal insulation, while being safe for human beings to come in contact with.

She sees Mason as a hub of rich resources in research, collaboration, and connections. Being fairly new to the College of Engineering and Computing, Zhang is excited to partner with fellow colleagues in various fields, who are also interested in exploring the uses of fungi as a solution, beyond civil engineering.

“Fungi have many unknown properties, and I’m looking forward to exploring these types of green technology solutions,” she said. “If anyone is interested in joining me to collaborate, I hope they will reach out.”

Zhang can be reached at xzhang50@gmu.edu.

Topics

civil and infrastructure engineering

CEIE Success Stories

Research

CEC faculty research

Assessing climate change costs on careers and coastal communities

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:30:26 +0000

Assessing climate change costs on careers and coastal communities Nathan Kahl Tue, 05/30/2023 - 12:30

In This Story

Celso Ferreira

Watch the video

Coastal communities worldwide are seeing stronger storm surges, more powerful waves, and potential devastation for homes, infrastructure, jobs, and a way of life. Celso Ferreira, an associate professor in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering at the ��AV College of Engineering and Computing, studies the impacts of these threats and suggests ways to manage them.

In May 2023 he co-authored a paper, Jobs at Risk: Sea Level Rise, Coastal Flooding, and Local Economies. “This study is the first to evaluate potential future impacts of flooding from sea level rise and climate change to people’s jobs and incomes. This new methodology provides a more equitable analysis of the impacts of climate change and a vision into its potential implications for the region,” said Ferreira.

According to the study, approximately 263,500 jobs and $11.1 billion in wage income will be threatened by 100-year flooding in the Chesapeake Bay region by 2050. The nonprofit Resources for the Future, with whom Ferreira co-authored the paper states, “These (jobs) figures represent 3.3 and 5 percent of all jobs in the Chesapeake region now and in 2050, respectively. The study also identified several flooding ‘hot spots’ around the region—counties and cities in Maryland and Virginia where 25 percent or more of jobs are flood-exposed.”

“Working with MDDNR and TNC allows our research to directly impact decision-making at the state and local level. It has been a tremendous experience to see our research translated for stakeholders so they can benefit from the science that Mason is producing.”

In addition to quantifying the economic impact, the paper recommends ways to prepare for it. The recommendations include aiming government spending at developing areas outside current and future flood zones; giving coastal communities financial aid but with the condition that businesses are in areas with limited exposure to flooding; providing aid to enterprise zones that incorporates requirements for resilience, such as infrastructure changes to reduce potential flood damage; using FEMA dollars to relocate businesses to different areas within their existing community but out of flood zones; and encouraging communities to change zoning rules to account for climate change.

Ferreira visits the Chesapeake Bay to study the impacts of climate change

In a related project with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDDNR), Ferreira and colleagues are assessing the ability of tidal wetlands, marshes, and sea grass beds to absorb storm surges and waves, protecting developed areas.

Ferreira says, “We place sensors that measure wave energy across the coastal habitats during extreme coastal storms, capturing unique data documenting its flood protection capacity. We then use computer models to predict future scenarios through 2100, with different projections of sea level rise focusing on coastal flood protection. We are looking at how will these ecosystems provide coastal protection into the future.”

These coastal barriers are essential to absorbing destructive storm surges. The first few feet of tidal marsh can reduce wave energy by 90 percent, according to TNC. In addition, marshes can trap tidal water sediment, allowing them to grow naturally with sea level rise. “Living” shorelines improve water quality while creating a habitat for fish and increasing biodiversity.

Nicole Carlozo of MDDNR says, “The data collected will help us make better decisions about where to restore and protect coastal habitats and make decisions about coastal restoration strategies. For example, how wide does a marsh need to be, to provide protection benefits.”

Researchers believe that their findings will provide input for statewide models to understand how habitats will transition as sea levels rise, allowing Maryland to make strategic decisions about anticipating and responding to such changes.

Topics

Climate Change

coastal habitats

Chesapeake Bay

civil and infrastructure engineering

environmental engineering

Research

CEIE Success Stories

CEC faculty research

Emma (Xijin) Zhang

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 11 May 2023 15:34:29 +0000

Emma (Xijin) Zhang Teresa Donnellan Thu, 05/11/2023 - 11:34

Assistant Professor, Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

Contact Information

Campus: Fairfax
Building: Nguyen Engineering
Email: xzhang50@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-8832

Biography

Dr. Zhang's research focuses on addressing the challenges presented by climate change and its associated impacts. Her main interest lies in designing sustainable and resilient infrastructure through the use of innovative nature-based solutions, particularly emphasizing the application of fungi-mediated and fungi-sourced materials.

Degrees

PhD, Civil Engineering, Case Western Reserve University
MS, Architectural and Civil Engineering, Hebei University of Technology
BS, Civil Engineering, Hebei University of Technology

Catalina Gonzalez-Duenas

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 11 May 2023 15:28:03 +0000

Catalina Gonzalez-Duenas Teresa Donnellan Thu, 05/11/2023 - 11:28

Assistant Professor, Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

Contact Information

Campus: Fairfax
Building: Nguyen Engineering Building, Room 1405
Email: cgonza31@gmu.edu

Personal Websites

Research Group

Biography

Catalina González-Dueñas is dedicated to enhancing community and infrastructure resilience in the face of extreme events and climate change. Her research interests lie in the application of probabilistic methods to assess risks under extreme hazard events, community resilience under climate change conditions, climate justice, and the interaction of built natural, and social systems. Catalina aims to develop innovative solutions for complex problems by conducting convergent research at the intersection of civil engineering, climate science, and community dynamics.

In addition to her research pursuits, Catalina is a passionate advocate for effective science communication. She strongly believes in fostering engineering leadership, with a particular focus on empowering women and underrepresented communities. Through her work, Catalina aims to collaborate on building a more equitable and sustainable future.

Degrees

PhD, Civil Engineering, Rice University
MS, Civil Engineering, Universidad de los Andes
BS, Civil Engineering, Universidad de los Andes

Research Interest

Risk and resilience assessment of infrastructure systems
Performance‐based assessment of structural systems under multi‐hazard conditions
Structural adaptation engineering for climate change
Climate justice

Publications

Google Scholar

Kenneth Walsh, PhD

Tama Moni — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 19:20:21 +0000

Kenneth Walsh, PhD Tama Moni Mon, 03/13/2023 - 15:20

Kenneth Walsh, PhD

Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff, Office of the President

Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

Contact Information

Campus: Fairfax
Office: 5200 Merten Hall
Mail Stop: 3A2

Phone: (703) 993-5399
Email: kenwalsh@gmu.edu

Visit the Office of the Provost

In the News

Anne Osterman named Dean of the University Libraries
December 6, 2023
Goodbye 'Mason Shuffle': Transforming the student journey at Mason
November 8, 2023
New resources on mental health and student accommodations now available
October 31, 2023
Chief of staff and civil engineer Ken Walsh brings diverse background to his job
December 15, 2020

Biography

Dr. Kenneth Walsh joined Mason in 2020 as vice president for strategic initiatives and chief of staff in the Office of the President. He also serves as a professor in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering at Mason.

"I'm impressed with the strength and resilience of the Mason community. It has a supremely balanced perspective," says Walsh. "Teaching, learning, and personal growth are all done here more thoughtfully."

Walsh has authored over 40 articles in archival journals, book chapters, and dozens of papers at conferences. He has served as scientific chair and conference chair for the International Group for Lean Construction and the Construction Research Congress. Walsh’s research interests include lean construction and construction process improvement, residential construction, and the design-construction interface for geotechnical infrastructure. As PI or co-PI, he has been engaged in over $40M in sponsored activities over his career in academics.

Prior to joining Mason, Dr. Walsh served as senior assistant dean and chief of staff at the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. He was also a professor and chair of civil engineering at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he held the AGC-Paul S. Roel Chair in Construction Engineering and Management. While at SDSU, he was the founding dean of San Diego State University-Georgia in Tbilisi. Walsh started his academic career at Arizona State University after a career as a consulting foundation engineer in the Phoenix, Arizona, municipal area. He holds a BSE, MS, and a PhD in civil engineering from Arizona State University.

Education

BSE, Civil Engineering, Arizona State University
MS, Civil Engineering, Arizona State University
PhD, Civil Engineering, Arizona State University

Research Interests

Lean Construction
Construction Process Improvement
Residential Construction
Design-construction Interface for Geotechnical Infrastructure

Publications

Google Scholar

Remembering Sid Dewberry

Martha Bushong — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 11:12:03 +0000

Remembering Sid Dewberry Martha Bushong Fri, 07/22/2022 - 07:12

In This Story

Kenneth Ball

Sidney O. Dewberry, a long-time friend and benefactor of the College of Engineering and Computing, died at his home in Arlington, Va. of natural causes on July 16, 2022. Dewberry co-founded his professional services firm in 1956. Since then, the firm has grown from a single-office, six-person civil engineering and surveying practice based in Northern Virginia to a nationwide consulting enterprise with more than 2,000 employees and 50 offices throughout the U.S.

“Sid was a visionary and a leader in the engineering field in Northern Virginia, but to the college, he was also a dear friend. His sense of community and generosity has had a tremendous impact‑‑establishing programs, supporting faculty, and inspiring students,” says College of Engineering and Computing Dean Ken Ball. “We will miss him greatly.”

Dewberry’s association with the college began in the late 1980s when he led efforts to form the CEC’s Urban Systems Engineering Institute, now known as the Civil Engineering Institute. The CEI Institute remains an active and engaged volunteer board that raises money, lends expertise, and supports student and faculty endeavors.

In 2012, the college’s civil engineering department was named the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering in honor of the Dewberry’s extensive contributions to establishing and supporting the department. He was instrumental in establishing two faculty endowments for professorships, the first bearing his name in 2009 and the second honoring his long-time friends Bill and Eleanor Hazel in 2014.

"Sid will be remembered for so many years to come by the Mason community, especially our department which has been privileged by being named after Sid and his late wife, Reva,” says the department’s chair, Sam Salem.

Dewberry received multiple awards honoring his civic, charitable, and academic endeavors and his professional leadership including the CEC’s first-lifetime achievement award and ��AV Mason Medal the highest honor bestowed by the university. He was rector emeritus of the ��AV Board of Visitors, after serving an eight-year term as visitor and the last four as rector with a term ending June 2007.

Dewberry was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Reva, and his son, Michael Sidney Dewberry. He is survived by his son Barry K. Dewberry and wife Arlene Evans; daughter Karen S. Grand Pré and husband Bruce; son Thomas L. Dewberry and wife Christine; daughter-in-law Stephanie A. Dewberry; grandchildren Candace and Suzanne Grand Pré, and Michael, Katie, John, Kelly, Quinn, and Reagan Dewberry; his multiple great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Memorial services will be Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032 – details on the website www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com.

Topics

civil and infrastructure engineering

civil engineer

Civil engineering student’s internship leads to job in the heart of the Capitol

Martha Bushong — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 17:30:32 +0000

Civil engineering student’s internship leads to job in the heart of the Capitol Martha Bushong Fri, 12/10/2021 - 12:30

Lindsey Davis in front of the Cannon House Office Building. Photo by Evan Cantwell

When Lindsey Davis attended the American Society of Civil Engineers career fair in fall 2018, she was hunting for an internship with Christman Company. Armed with a list of company names, she had done her research and found that Christman had ties to her hometown, Richmond, Virginia.

“Christman did quite a few projects that I was very familiar with. I thought it was so cool how this company changed these landmarks in my hometown,” says Davis, who loves history. “The one that's closest to my heart is the beautifully restored Richmond Centerstage because every year, my grandmother would take me there to see The Nutcracker.”

The career fair led to an internship with Christman Company’s project with the Architect of the Capitol, the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. The nearly $1 billion project aims to renovate the Cannon House Office Building, built in 1908 in the Beaux-Arts style. The structure, last renovated in the 1960s, needed a serious upgrade and modernization.

After her first internship in 2020, Davis returned for a second summer, and in August 2020, was offered a job. In June 2021, she began full-time work and now spends 40-plus hours a week as a project engineer while completing her studies at Mason.

Davis enjoys being connected to the history and immersed in the hustle and bustle of Washington, D.C. “I pass by representatives who I see on TV and think I know who you are, or I know what you said on Twitter last night,” she says. “Most people in our country will probably never meet their representative and I’ve met a dozen.”

Davis says the representatives will ask questions about the renovation. “They're interested in what we're doing too because it's their building, they want to know that history.”

The project team has found old cigarette wraps, numerous soda bottles, and even a bowler hat that was hidden behind a wall.

She says the biggest challenge has been the steep learning curve. The renovation started almost eight years ago; there's a lot of historical information to piece together. Scheduling work can be a daunting task as they navigate special events and security issues.

“I am so thankful that the career fair led me to this terrific internship,” Davis says. “The job that it led to is everything I thought it would be and more.”

Topics

civil and infrastructure engineering

College of Engineering and Computing

Volgenau School of Engineering

Shoring up Maryland's coastline against sea-level rise

Martha Bushong — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 18:52:48 +0000

Shoring up Maryland's coastline against sea-level rise Martha Bushong Mon, 07/26/2021 - 14:52

In This Story

Celso Ferreira

Associate professor Celso Ferreira (on right) and graduate student Tyler Miesse lift sensors out of the water along Maryland's coast. Photo by Jay Flemming.

According to scientists, the Chesapeake Bay region has one of the highest rates of water level rise in the U.S., due to sea-level rise and sinking land. In the next 30 years, scientists predict that Maryland may see as much as an additional two feet of sea-level rise. Maryland’s coastline, however, has an abundance of habitats that can help mitigate the effects of sea-level rise, including marshes and submerged aquatic vegetation.

Celso Ferreira, associate professor from the College of Engineering and Computing, has teamed up with Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy to predict the effects of sea-level rise and consider strategies to address the situation as part of a three-year $738,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The project, called “Quantifying the benefits of natural and nature-based features in Maryland’s Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays to inform conservation and management under future sea-level rise scenarios,” will measure the water levels and the wave energy during extreme events in various locations along Maryland’s extensive shoreline.

“The base sea level is going up and of course when a hurricane, Nor’easter, or a regular storm hits the Chesapeake in the future, the water level is higher, and we expect to see more flooding,” says Ferreira. “The other thing we are investigating is coastal marshes and the protection they provide to the coastline.”

The team uses sensors, placing the instruments in the water so they can measure the storms of today and collect information about the protection the natural areas are providing. After the researchers download the data, they use computer modeling to extend that data into a future time. As they do this, the team runs a variety of climate change scenarios.

Ferreira says the biggest limitation is that they can’t physically and financially put sensors across the entire state. That’s where the other stakeholders come in. “We rely on stakeholders to help us decide the most representative and strategic locations that we should be monitoring,” he says, “So, there are six and there is a lot of generalization that we do. That’s where the computer modeling comes in.”

The team will be measuring living shorelines, the marsh, different types of vegetation, freshwater marsh, saltwater marsh, and the coastal bays. To do this they rotate the sensors around to collect data that provides the information they need. Due to underwater conditions during extreme events, and because they do not have telemetry equipment, the team must travel to the marshes to place the sensors, retrieve them, download their data, and then replace them.

In a pilot study from Deal Island, Ferreira and his team discovered that depending on the size of the wave and the amount of water, marshes can absorb up to 90 percent of wave energy. “If it’s a huge wave and a lot of water you don’t get 90 percent,” he says. “One of the things that we’re studying is how that protection is changing with climate change. We think when there’s more water, the protection lessens.”

The results from the project will help Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources assess the various scenarios and develop strategies to effectively cope with the situation.

“In a nutshell, the work will give us a window into the future, to see what kind of protection we can expect and that’s going to offer the state information so that they can proactively prioritize adaptation strategies,” says Ferreira.

Topics

Climate Change

civil and infrastructure engineering

Mason Momentum

Kirin Emlet Furst

Martha Bushong — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 15:42:14 +0000

Kirin Emlet Furst Martha Bushong Fri, 07/31/2020 - 11:42

Assistant Professor, Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

Contact Information

Building: Potomac Science Center
Room 2104
Email: kfurst@gmu.edu

In the News

Mason researcher measures troubles at the tap
April 29, 2024
New lab closes the loop on water sustainability
December 6, 2021

Biography

Kirin Emlet Furst (she/they) joined the College of Engineering and Computing as an assistant professor in 2020 and is a member of the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering group. The goal of her research is to identify engineering and policy strategies to mitigate health risks posed by contaminant mixtures in drinking water. To achieve this goal, the Furst lab takes an interdisciplinary approach spanning environmental chemistry, water quality engineering, human exposure analysis, and data science. Current work is focused on identifying which chemicals associated with wastewater reuse pose the greatest exposure risk and designing solutions to protect communities that cannot afford advanced treatment trains to produce highly purified water.

“Our research lab is primarily focused on removing organic contaminants in drinking water systems and potable reuse systems,”

Furst is dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion in STEM and believes diverse academic teams are essential for training the next generation of innovative engineers and environmental leaders. Furst is co-author and illustrator of We Can Do It! A Graphic Novel Problem Solving Guide for General Physics (2nd Ed. under contract, CRC Press 2020), and illustrator of XAFS For Everyone, a guide to x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.

Degrees

PhD, Environmental Engineering and Science, Stanford University
Master of Science, Environmental Engineering and Science, Stanford University
Bachelor of Arts, Liberal Arts, Sarah Lawrence College

Research Interests

Water treatment and wastewater reuse
Distribution system and tap water quality
Fate and transport of wastewater tracers and emerging contaminants, including PFAS

Publications

Google Scholar