Welcome to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Congratulations to Dr. John Ma who was selected as an ASCE Tennessee Section Outstanding Engineering Educator for 2009. The award will be presented this Friday during the annual Section meeting at the Smyrna Town Center in Smyrna, TN.
Read all the latest departmental news in the newsletter
Dr. Glenn Tootle’s Glacier Research Spotlighted in National Media
The Associated Press recently highlighted the research of Dr. Glenn Tootle, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Tootle’s research demonstrates that some of the largest glaciers in the Teton Range have lost more than 20% of their surface area over the last 40 years. The glaciers contribute to regional stream flow long after the annual snow pack has melted and are an important source of irrigation water for people in Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. The story was carried in many newspapers in the Western US including the example here.
Civil Engineering Students Tour Construction Project Site
In keeping with the department goal of providing a high quality learning environment to allow students to enter the general practice of civil engineering, over 30 undergraduate and graduate students toured a nearby project site to expand their knowledge of deep foundations. This site tour afforded the students an opportunity to see firsthand the construction of a foundation system which they design in their future career.
On November 20 th, Long Foundation Drilling Company facilitated a site tour of the new Electrical and Computer Engineering facility under construction at the College of Engineering. Chris Long and Billy Powers with Long Foundation Drilling Company (pictured below in orange and red hardhats, respectively) discussed the planning and construction of drilled shaft foundations which will support the new building. The students were able to witness the construction sequence and understand the quality control measures undertaken to install these deep foundations. Recent graduate, Loren Litton, PE, with Professional Engineers, Inc. was also available to explain the quality assurance role that civil engineers perform in the construction process.
Institute of Geotechnology Sponsors Field Demonstration at Proposed Estabrook Building
In the continuing series of seminars sponsored by the Institute of Geotechnology (IG), Master Drillers, Inc. recently mobilized a drilling rig to the site of the proposed new Estabrook Building to demonstrate bedrock coring techniques. The field demonstration offered a unique opportunity for students in civil and environmental engineering to observe a very important aspect of geotechnical projects….subsurface investigation. The students asked questions about the proposed Estabrook Building project, as well as learned about other field exploration projects conducted by the local drilling company. Master Drillers’ president, Sam Wilkinson, supervised the field demonstration and answered questions, as well as challenged the students with questions about local geology and deep foundations.
IG concludes the fall 2008 seminar series on November 20th with a presentation entitled “Design of Tieback Wall System for New Electrical and Computer Engineering Building”. Presentation will be given by Vaughn Godet, P.E., with construction manager with Schnabel Foundation Company. The seminar is open to the public; contact the department office for more information.
ASCE Student Chapter Places Third in Southeastern Region Conference
The ASCE Student Chapter recently traveled to Orlando, Fla., to participate in the annual ASCE Southeast Regional Student Conference. The Department of Civil Engineering was well represented with 38 students and four faculty/staff attending. UT competed in all 12 engineering events, and received third place overall in a field of 22 other universities. The students earned points in all events and placed in the following events: 1st place visual display, 1st place mystery, 3rd place geotechnical, 3rd place T-Shirt, 3rd place steel bridge stiffness, 4th place professional paper, 4th place balsa tower, and 6th place concrete canoe. Traveling with the UT group were 11 students and faculty from Tongji University in Shanghai China, and one visiting student from Venice, Italy.
Student Completes Master's Degree via Distance Education while in Iraq
Jeremiah Manning is completing his Masters's degree in civil engineering, while serving in Iraq. Distance education is
one of the tools that allowed his remote interaction with professors in the classroom and provides our faculty with a
unique opportunity to bring some sense of normality back in the life of student soldiers such as Lt. Manning.
ead more about Jeremiah and our distance program by clicking here.
High School Student Presents Research Results at the 2008 Water Professional Conference
Graduate student Zhenwei Zhu and high school research scholar Michael Hsueh presented results on the anaerobic treatment
of high strength food waste along with municipal sewage sludge for pollution control and renewable energy recovery
at the 2008 Water Professionals Conference held July 20-23 at Knoxville, TN. Zhenwei Zhu is a doctoral student in
the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. His advisor is Dr. Qiang He. Michael Hsueh, a high school junior
from Farragut High School, participated in this research project through the UT Pre-Collegiate Research Scholars Program.
Department of
Civil & Environmental Engineering
223 Perkins Hall
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-2010
Phone: 865-974-2503
Fax: 865-974-2669
E-mail: cee@utk.edu
Dr.
Dayakar Penumadu
Department Head