Connect with us...
News archive: Academic year 2012-2013
August 2013: EnE’s graduate Marilla Lamb is featured in a Flagstaff Daily Sun’s news article about the Eco-Pedaler she designed that charges a cell phone using a bicycle. The Eco-Pedaler is located on the 3rd floor of the EGR building.
June 2013: Congratulations to two CE student teams for placing 3rd and 4th in the region* in PCI’s 2013 Big Beam Contest!
Each student team collaborated with TPac Precast (Phoenix) to build a 20-ft. long precast-prestressed concrete beam. Students designed the beam to carry 20,000 lbs. without cracking and to fail at a load less than 39,000 lbs. Prior to testing, students predicted the cracking load, ultimate load, and ultimate deflection. Teams are judged based on the efficiency of their design, accuracy of predictions, maximum deflection, and thoroughness of their approach. 3rd Place Team: Junfeng Qian, Qi Wang, Shiyu Wang. 4th Place Team: Jessica Kettelkamp, Eric Rocha, Daniel Washburn). The 3rd place award earned $500 to support CENE Student Projects.
*Region 1 = AK,AZ,CA,HI,NV,OR,WA.
Students from left: Junfeng Qian - Qi Wang - Shiyu Wang - Jessica Kettelkamp and Daniel Washburn
June 2013: The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) awarded $7,500 to NAU’s Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management and Environmental Engineering, in recognition of the project “Paper Pulp Sludge Characteristics and Applications.” The award recognizes engineering programs that encourage collaboration between students and professional engineers. Students Amy Anderson, John Jowers, Daniel Hamill, Gabe Murray, Nathaniel Lail and Annalise O’Toole worked with faculty mentor Wilbert Odem to determine whether it is feasible for Cinder Lakes Landfill in Flagstaff to generate cost savings by using paper pulp sludge in new ways instead of burying it with incoming waste. The team’s research, testing and analysis projected the landfill could save more than $8 million on material costs alone.
Students from left: John Jowers (2nd from left)- Nathaniel Lail - Gabe Murray - Annalise O'Toole - Daniel Hamill and Amy Anderson
June 2013: NAU is a designated university by the FHWA to operate a Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program on the Mountain campus. The Fellowship Program provides funding for NAU Native American students and Hispanic students in the pursuit of a degree (BS, MS/MEng, PhD) in transportation-related fields at NAU. NAU students who receive a fellowship will conduct a research project under the supervision of their adviser. For more information and detail regarding the NAU Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, please contact the Campus Program Manager, Dr. Chun-Hsing (Jun) Ho, at chun-hsing.ho@nau.edu or 928-523-5307. Two NAU students have received these prestigious $10,000 awards: Leondo Benally (CM) and Alejandra Quesada (CE).
- Leondo is going to evaluate the recent geologic landsliding that occurred on Highway 89 near Page and propose a rerouting construction plan. The result of his research will be served as an example for future excavation on highways within or near the Navajo Reservation that need improvements or rehabilitation. Dr. Ho is his faculty advisor.
- Alejandra will be conducting research related to the service-life of concrete bridges. Usually built to last 50 years, the average bridge in our country is 43 years old. Given projected funding shortfalls, “business as usual” is economically unsustainable and demands an infrastructure constructed for – not only safety – but longevity. In response to this need, Alejandra’s research project includes the experimental testing of reinforced concrete beams with the goal of improving upon current design provisions and construction details related to their serviceability behavior. Dr. Tuchscherer is her faculty advisor.
