2015 Spring Newsletter

Dear Friends,

It’s been a busy year in CECMEE. Student numbers are up in all programs AGAIN, we had an ABET visit, and faculty and students have been busy with projects of note – all described inside this year’s newsletter. Highlights of the past year include:

• CECMEE Spring 2015 enrollments are 340 in CE (from 311 a year ago), 169 in EnE (from 162), and 157 in CM (from 157). Growth is still manageable in CECMEE programs.
• Graduation numbers from Spring, Summer & Fall 2014 were 30 CM (29 last year), 20 EnE (24 last year) and 33 CE (41 last year).
• I’m VERY happy to report that both the CE and EnE programs were granted the full six-year ABET accreditation!
• CECMEE labs have taken on a new life with the hiring of Gerjen “Gary” Slim, an NAU EnE BS graduate, as a new Lab Instructor/Manager. Gary has overseen massive organization, recordkeeping, safety, repair and maintenance projects – and provided countless hours of additional support to students working on projects in CM, CE and EnE labs. We invested a lot in labs this year, and it will pay off nicely in improved student and faculty support.
• The CECMEE Field Station (aka “Trotta’s Farm”) was formally opened this fall with a dedication ceremony attended by IAB members, NAU’s new President Cheng, Provost Huenneke and Dean Jagodzinski – and, most importantly, the many students who will benefit from the new facility. Currently, the concrete canoe and steel bridge projects are comfy in their new home.
• We welcome Mark Lamer back this year as a Lecturer and say goodbye to retiring Professor Paul Trotta. We welcome new Instructors Fetiye Ozis and Gerjen Slim, new Lecturer Jeff Heiderscheidt, and new Assistant Professors of Practice Rob Morgan and Dianne McDonnell. Rob and Dianne are assigned to the D4P Program. We also welcome Josie Kinard as our new CECMEE Administrative Assistant. Josie is replacing the incredible Natalie Bouley who is graduating. Read about them in the Welcome New Faculty and Staff section inside.

Visit our websites at: http://nau.edu/CEFNS/Engineering/ and our LinkedIn groups to stay in touch year-round!

Sincerely Yours,

Bridget N. Bero, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor and Chair
Bridget.Bero@nau.edu

• Dedication of “Trotta’s Farm”: On October 10th, the newly renovated CECMEE Field Station (aka “Trotta’s Farm”) was formally “dedicated” to the students via a ribbon-cutting ceremony. New NAU President Rita Cheng, Provost Laura Huenneke and Dean Paul Jagodzinski were present, along with members of the CENE Industrial Advisory Board, faculty and students. IAB member and alumnus Jason Ramsey spoke in recognition of Dr. Paul Trotta, who assisted Dr. Cheng with the ribbon cutting. Renovations included a new access road, ADA compliance, and a renovated building with a large roll-up garage door, heated project space, an office, wireless internet, restrooms and storage. In addition to being a peaceful, scenic place amid the bustle of campus life, the Field Station will serve as a working lab for CENE and CM undergraduate and graduate student capstone and research projects.
• School partners and amazing community partners contributed to making the 2nd Annual Flagstaff Community STEM Celebration a success. On April 8th, an estimated 5,000 people celebrated STEM exhibits and activities from almost every school in Flagstaff. Including, CCC, NAU, and many STEM businesses, government agencies and non-profits. The NAU CM program had a booth at this event and enlightened younger students about the program.

New Programs of Study: As part of our continuous improvement process for our programs of study, we have updated/revised our three programs. The new 15-16 program of study changes are the result of the CECMEE faculty working with the input of our Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) members. A summary of the changes are:

• CM Program: Eliminated of STA270, Statistics and replacement with another CM Major Elective (2 are currently required). This change was driven by a change in ACCE accreditation requirements, and provides more in-depth study options for CM students. Statistics is still sufficiently covered in CM 253, our surveying course, among others.
• CE Program: Elimination of CENE401 (FE Prep) course, 1 unit; this course was scheduled to start this coming fall for students in the 2012 catalog but further review of FE results indicated that our students are sufficiently prepared. 1 unit was added to CENE 180 (CAD) as it is now offered in a blended format with content commensurate with 3 units.
• EnE Program: Same as CE plus:
  • Elimination of CENE 383, 383L (Geotech 1 and lab, 4 units) and its prerequisite CENE 253 (Mechanics, 3 units). Replacement with CENE 282L (Env Eng 2 Lab, 2 units) which will include necessary soils content for EnEs.
  • Addition of CENE 336 (Hydrology, 3 units).
  • Addition of a 3rd CENE Technical Elective, 3 units. Both CE and EnE programs now require 3 technical electives.

• CECMEE Students Win Golden Axe Award: Christina Holt, Chris Sobie, Diane Buzzard, and Sean Begay won the Spring 2015 Golden Axe Award. The Golden Axe Award is a prestigious award given to graduating seniors based on their outstanding contributions to the university in the areas of academic performance, service, leadership and participation in activities.
• 2015 ASC Student Competition; NAU Teams Place 1st, 3rd, and 4th: NAU CM students competed in the 28th annual ASC Student Competition on Feb 4-7th in Sparks, NV. 1178 students from 43 universities competed in 18 different construction problems. NAU sent 3 teams in the regional problems (Commercial, Heavy Civil, and Mixed Use) this year to the competition and placed 1st place, 3rd, place, and 4th place, respectively. In addition, two of our alternate’s team placed 1st and 2nd in the Alternate’s problem. Participation wouldn’t have been possible without the strong support from Kitchell Construction, Sundt Construction, Granite Construction, and Wespac Construction

• ASCE Concrete Canoe: This year, the ASCE Student Chapter took 3rd Place Overall in the Concrete Canoe Contest in the Pacific Southwest Regional Conference. This is the best finish for NAU in over 15 years in the most competitive conference! The team took 1st place in Final Product (i.e. they had the best canoe); 3rd in Oral Presentation, 4th in Design Paper, and 4th overall in paddling. One of the unique design aspects of the concrete mixture this year is that it used Fly Ash rather than more traditional Cement. Fly Ash is a waste byproduct. By substituting Fly Ash for cement, the final product had a 90% smaller carbon footprint. The students were the first team to use this innovative product. All in all, the team had a highly successful year as well as laid the groundwork for future success!

• NAU Students Visit India: NAU students Leah Richardson (CE, bottom left), Makenzi Beltran (EnE, bottom center) and Clay Anderson (CE, top right) met up with engineering students at the Banaras University in India on their way to the Tibetan refugee camp in Mainpat India as part of an NAU team. The students worked with CECMEE faculty member Lar Reiboldt (bottom right) to sample water sources at the camp and to identify future projects in waste treatment for the camp.

• CE Major, Fahad Aloqaili Fall 2014 Standard Bearer Outstanding Senior Award for the College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences. The CEFNS Outstanding Seniors received plaques and recognition at the CEFNS Pre-Commencement Reception in Du Bois Ballroom on Thursday, December 11, 2014.
• NAU Transportation Fellowship Recipients: Two NAU students presented their research project at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board. Sean Begay’s (CE and CM senior) project is to evaluate “Asphalt Binder Testing in Cold Weather Climates” while Mary Begay’s (ME senior) research is to conduct “Milton Road Dedicated Bus Lane Study.” Their projects under the supervision of Dr. Jun Ho have been sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration via NAU Dwight. D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship

• NAU Students Work Together at 2014 International Concrete Construction Competition: A group of 5 NAU students (3 CM: David Wilson, Jonathan Lance, and Jerson Hosteen, and 2 CE: Fawaz Almutairi and Fahad Aloqaili) participated in the 2014 International Concrete Construction Competition organized by the ACI and took overall 4th place (2nd place in the US). This was a great mix of NAU students and they worked hard together to solve a real world problem. All teams were given a problem statement and asked to submit their solution within two weeks. This year’s competition was to determine an appropriate concrete form and optimize construction costs based on students’ skills in engineering analysis, scheduling, takeoff, and cost estimate.
• NAU Students Achieve Success at State Conference: A group of 9 NAU students (6 CE, 2 ME, and 1 CM) under the guidance of Dr. Jun Ho, Assistant Professor, CECMEE, participated in the Student Poster Competition at the 2014 Arizona Pavements/Materials Conference at ASU. Awards received:
  • First overall place (tie in an ASU PhD student): Fawaz Almutairi and Fahad Aloqaili (CE seniors). Research topic: “Evaluating Freeze-Thaw Durability of Fiber Reinforced Pervious Concrete Mixtures”
  • 2nd place (undergraduate student category): Tassio Magassy, Tamyres Da Silva, and Joao Lima (CE seniors): Research topic: “Asphalt Mixture Beams in the Bending Beam Rheometer for Quality Control: Material Preparation, Testing Process, and Field Application”
  • 3rd place (undergraduate student category): Kaiqi Zhang (CM sophomore): Research topic: “Quantifying Effect of Solar Radiation and Wheel Pressure on Performance of Asphalt Pavements”

• Student Classes Visit Cameron, AZ: A group of nearly 75 CENE 450/550 and CM 360 students visited the ADOT Cameron Bridge project on 10/10/14. ADOT’s Rick Schilke (NAU grad) hosted our student group and gave an excellent overview of the project, with an emphasis on the drilled shaft foundations for the bridge piers. Professors Jun Ho and Charlie Schlinger accompanied the group, as did several CM students from ASU.

Scholarships: The following students were awarded scholarships for the 2015-2016 school year.

Jon & Christine Bourgeois Scholarship - Shawn Falleur (CM)	CEMEX Scholarship - Callie Johns (CM)
McFarland Scholarship - Daniel Rincon (CM)	GLHN Scholarship - Stephanie Romero Villar (CM) - Timothy Jacinto (CM)
Chuck Orr Construction Management Scholarship - Andrew Statsky (CM) - Aubrey Mollett (CM)	Kinney Construction Services Award - Timothy Jacinto (CM)
Construction Financial Management Association - Aubrey Mollett (CM) - Elizabeth Garcia Trujillo (CM) - Stephanie Romero Villar (CM)	NACE National Association of Corrosion Engineers - Trevin Sullivan (CM)
The Beavers Heavy Construction Scholarship - Logan Islas (CM)	Ben Griggs/ASA Scholarship - Stephanie Romero Villar (CM) - Mark Gildenstern (CM)
Construction Management Department Scholarship - Daniel Rincon (CM)

Engineering Scholarship Fund

• Mike O’Rielly (CENE)
• Trandon Struck (CENE)
• Tyler Saganitso (CENE)
• Ryan Halligan (CENE)
• Alex Anzar (CENE)
• Elizabeth Garcia Trujillo (CM)
• Jake Aschoff (CM)
• Teresa Rosales (CM)

• Professor John Tingerthal was appointed to the President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellows. The President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellows is awarded annually to outstanding teaching scholars who have made a significant impact on undergraduate learning at Northern Arizona University. The recipients are appointed for three years, and also serve as the Board of the Northern Arizona University Teaching Academy The president and provost will recognize his achievement at the Faculty Awards Reception on April 22nd.

Welcome new CECMEE faculty and staff

Dianne McDonnell; Dianne joined CECMEE in Fall 2014 as an Assistant Professor of Practice. However, she is assigned to the Design4Practice (D4P) program. She has a PhD in Environmental Engineering and substantial project experience in international engineering projects.

Retirements

Dr. Jun Ho Presented with Prestigious Award: Dr. Jun Ho was awarded the 2014 Pavements/Materials Community Service Award at the Arizona Pavements/Materials Conference in Tempe on 11/9/14. Dr. Ho is recognized for his significant contributions to the advancement of the pavement and materials technology. Three awards were given – one each in public sector, private sector and academia. Dr. Ho was the award winner in the academic division.

Dr. Stephen Mead and Alan Francis Writing New Textbook: These two CM Professors, Dr. Stephen Mead and Alan Francis, are working together to write a text book for CM 120 – Building the Human Environment. Though it is still in the beginning stages, Steve and Alan plan on writing about the history design and construction from Stonehenge to the present.

Dr. Mead Completing Book: During his sabbatical leave during the 2013-2014 year, he started working on his newest book titled, “Constructability Handbook: A visual guide for Engineers, Architects, and Builders.”

Brian Cooperider and Steve Mead Creating New Course: Dr. Cooperider and Dr. Mead are working through the pilot phase of a Product Development section of EGR 476/486C. There are three very cool products that will come out of this program this year including an innovative brewing analysis tool, a remote sensing shower head, and a collapsible concrete screed. Business students are working with the engineers to develop business plans that can be used to develop, finance, and market the products.

Professor Bridget Bero has secured $294,000 of support from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a variety of both undergraduate and graduate student projects: These funds represent the first two years of the five year project period cooperative agreement with the BLM. In FY14-15, two environmental engineering Capstone teams are working on BLM projects, and two graduate students are supported on a water/wastewater project and a stream monitoring project. Next year, three new Capstone projects (1 environmental, 2 geotech/hydrology) will be supported as will a new transportation project and another monitoring project for two graduate students. Professors Smaglik and Odem are leading the transportation and water/hydrology graduate student projects, respectively.

Congratulations to Dr. Paul Gremillion on his promotion to Professor with this year in the CENE program!

Alumni – CENE: Kenton Mills

A unique project

A plastics manufacturer was in need of treating over 500,000 gallons of water that condensed in a naphtha tank. Naphtha is essentially raw gasoline comprised of benzene, xylene, ethylene, and toluene–all of which are lighter than water. Kenton installed engineering controls to ensure safe fluid levels inside of the temporary water treatment tanks. The tank was a 310 foot, external floating roof. Operating day and night, it took 5 days at 140 gallons per minute to bring the water level down. Starting from the naphtha tank, the water was pumped into one 21K gallon tank that acted as a primary settling tank to remove the oil contaminants. Then water was directed to a secondary tank to allow further settling before sending to treatment. The flow went through (3) 100 micron bag filters then through (2) 25 micron oil-rated bag filters. The oil-rating was to ensure no breakthrough on our activated carbon vessels, which the flow split into (2) trains of (2) 3,000 lbs. vessels of carbon. Initial benzene levels were at 4 mg/L at the inlet and 0.0 mg/L at the outlet. By the end of the job, the benzene levels started to creep up to 1.5 mg/L but was still below the allowable maximum of 2 mg/L. The effluent from the treatment went directly to the plant’s wastewater treatment facility. After water treatment, naphtha inside the tank was pumped out until the external floating roof landed. At that point, pure nitrogen was pumped in the compensate for the liquid being pumped out. Once the liquid was removed, we used a thermal oxidizer to essentially burn off the rest of the vapor space. This was done until 5 to 6 vapor space volumes were turned over. This ensured no LEL’s (lower explosive limit) were present. Being only nitrogen, the tank could be opened to atmosphere without environmental concern.

Kenton’s role

Event Corporation is a highly specialized industrial environmental compliance contractor that provides equipment, specialized environmental permits, and manpower to address vapor and odor control issues; groundwater and wastewater management and treatment; remediation systems; and other customized environmental compliance products. Assignments include managing and coordinating the execution of operational projects, work on new equipment design and fabrication, handle compliance and permitting projects, and other developmental projects as directed.

If you’d like to be featured in a future newsletter, please contact Bridget.Bero@nau.edu

Directing a donation to the CECMEE Department is a great way to make sure your dollars help the programs you care about. You can specify which program you want to support (CM Students and Program – Fund #4847; CENE programs – Fund #4482; CENE students – #4740). Contact Bridget Bero (bridget.bero@nau.edu) or online at http://www.nau.edu/CEFNS/give-now (scroll to CENE and CM for fund numbers and descriptions).

If your company is interested in supporting the Construction Management Program, contact John Tingerthal to join our Generation Next campaign. Each sponsorship level gives companies priority to fundraising events and our Construction Industry Seminar presentations.

• Supporting CECMEE: the following groups have been very generous with supporting our programs!
• CM’s “Generation Next” fundraising campaign has raised over $77,000 so far this year thanks to our newest sponsors: Holder Construction, Henkels & McCoy, Barnard Construction, Weitz Company, Adolfson & Peterson Construction, and McCarthy Building Companies.
• Thanks to the following Capstone sponsors:
• Concrete Canoe Team: CEMEX, Speedie & Associates, Peak Engineering, 3M, ZRE Racing Equipment, Summit Divers
• Projects: Agate Inc., Copper State Bolt & Nut Company, and American Institute of Steel Construction.
• ASCE: El Capitan, Campus Coffee Bean, Hickory’s BBQ, Cracker Barrel, Aveda, Little America Hotel, Fratelli’s, Olive Garden, Bun Huggers, Delhi Palace, Outback Steakhouse, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Thunderbirds, Arizona Coyotes, Phoenix Suns, Little America Hotel
• The 2nd Annual NAU IAB Sporting Clays Tournament for the CM Program was a success, raising over $10,000 for the program. Congratulations to the winning teams: 1st Place – Loscavio Project Management, 2nd Place – Sundt Construction, 3rd Place – PCL

It’s easy – don’t forget to sign up for either our NAU-CM or NAU-CENE LinkedIn pages – or both! This is a great way to stay connected with former classmates, post job openings and connect with other industry leaders and professionals. Contact Bridget.Bero@nau.edu or John.Tingerthal@nau.edu for more information.