Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering faculty conduct research to support the planning, design, construction, and operation of civil infrastructure in a sustainable and efficient manner. These scholarly endeavors provide opportunities for our students to develop innovative and appropriate solutions to the serious challenges facing humanity in the context of finite nonrenewable resources, population growth, and climate impact.
Tracy Abbott
Biography
Tracy Abbott is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University. Previously, she worked for 15 years in industry as a structural engineer designing bridges, buildings, and a variety of unique structures. She holds professional Civil and Structural licenses in the state of California. Tracy received her Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1996 and her Masters degree in Structural Engineering from the University of California, San Diego, in 1997. She joined Santa Clara University in 2012.
Current Research Interests
N/A
Awards
N/A
Society Memberships and Service
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- American Institute of Steel Construction
- Structural Engineers Association of Northern California
Professional Design Experience
- San Francisco Bay Bridge, Self-Anchored Suspension Span
- Highway 152-156 Interchange
- Mary Avenue Pedestrian Cable-Stay Bridge, Cupertino
- Bay Street Pedestrian Arch Bridge, Emeryville
- Bay Street Retail and Movie Theater Buildings, Emeryville
Professional Registration
- Registered Civil Engineer, State of California
- Registered Structural Engineer, State of California
Courses Taught
- CENG 43 Strength of Materials
- CENG 137/237 Earthquake Engineering Design
- CENG 231 Bridge Engineering
- CENG 232 Masonry Engineering
Expertise: Structural engineering, design of buildings and bridges.
Mark Aschheim
BiographyMark Aschheim is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University. Previously, he was on the faculty of the University of Illinois, after receiving his doctoral, masters, and bachelors degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1995, 1992, and 1986, respectively. Dr. Aschheim works in the area of earthquake-resistant structural engineering and green building materials. His research has produced improved techniques for the design of earthquake-resistant structures and improved structural systems for resisting earthquake actions. Dr. Aschheim has reported on the damage in past earthquakes in the US and abroad, and works to improve the practice of structural engineering through activities with the Applied Technology Council and participation on the Provisions Update Committee of the Building Seismic Safety Council. Dr. Aschheim is a registered professional engineer in California. Current Research InterestsDr. Aschheim maintains a strong interest in performance-based earthquake engineering. He is developing techniques for performance-based seismic design and is developing improved structural systems made with conventional and more sustainable (green) building materials. Recent Publications (through 2006)1. Gil-Martín, L. M., Hernández-Montes, E., Aschheim, M. (2010). “Optimization of piers for retaining walls,” Journal of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization 11(6):979-987. Awards
Society Memberships and Service:1. Associate Editor, EERI Spectra Professional Registration:Registered Civil Engineer, State of California. Courses Taught
|
Expertise: Earthquake-resistant structural engineering.
Steve Chiesa
Biography
N/A
Current Research Interests
N/A
Recent Publications
- Chiesa, S.C., "Social Justice Issues in Civil/Public Works Engineering Projects," Explore (A quarterly examination of Catholic identity and Ignatian character in Jesuit higher education), 4 (1), pp. 11-16, 2000.
- Chiesa, S.C., "Growth and Control of Filamentous Micobes in Wastewater Management Systems," in Biodegradation Technology Developments, Volume II, S.K. Sikdar and R.L. Irvine (eds.), Technomic Publishing Company, Lancaster, PA, pp. 1-34, 1998.
Awards
- Santa Clara University School of Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award, 2003
- ASCE Outstanding Service Award / San Francisco Section, 2003
- Santa Clara University Brutacao Teaching Award, 1996
- ASCE Service Award / Student Chapter Advisor, multiple years
- University of Minnesota, Institute of Technology Outstanding Professor Award, 1986
- University of Minnesota, University Student-Alumni Association Citation of Merit, 1986
Courses Taught
- CENG 115 Civil Engineering Materials
- CENG 143 Environmental Engineering
Expertise: Environmental engineering, water supply and pollution control, biological processes for waste management.
Laura Doyle
Biography
Before coming to SCU, Laura was a post doctoral scholar for the John Muir Institute of the Environment at University of California, Davis where she used multi-dimensional models to examine the San Francisco Bay Delta system. She earned her masters and doctoral degrees at UC Davis and her undergraduate degree is from Loyola Marymount University. It was during her time at LMU that her desire to return to teach at a Jesuit University began. Dr. Doyl'es PhD research focused on the development of a three-dimensional water quality model which was applied to the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel section of the San Francisco Bay Delta. The purpose of the model was to investigate transportation processes that contribute to low dissolved oxygen concentrations in the channel.
Current Research Interests
Dr. Doyle's research interests include using complex hydrodynamic and water quality models to investigate how to manage fragile and failing estuarine ecosystems to meet the increasing human demands but simultaneously maintain native ecology. She focuses on systems in California.
Recent Publications
1. Doyle, Laura, William Fleenor, Jay Lund. "Modeling insights on effects of flooded island depth and configuration on phytoplankton production for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta". Submitted to San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science Online Journal.
2. Doyle, Laura, William Fleenor, Jay Lund. 2010. "Modeling insights on effects of flooded island depth and configuration on phytoplankton production for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta." Bay Delta Science Conference, Sacramento, CA. Abstract accepted.
3. Doyle, Laura, William Fleenor, Francisco Rueda, Geoff Schladow. 2010. "Mixing, transport and oxygen dynamics of a tidally driven freshwater system of channels." Bay Delta Science Conference, Sacrament, CA. Abstract accepted.
4. Doyle, L., Durand, J., Fleenor, W. 2010. "Physical drivers of biological productivity following levee breaches on islands in the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta. California Water and Environmental Modeling Forum, Pacific Grove, CA. Abstract accepted.
5. Doyle, l., Durand, J., Fleenor, Moyle, P. 2009. "Flooded island ecosystems: physical drivers of biological productivity following levee breaches on Delta island. State of the Estuary Conference, Oakland, CA. Abstract accepted.
6. Monismith, Steven, Hench, Jim, Fonk, Derek, Nidzieko, Nick, Fleenor, William, Doyle, Laura, Schladow, Geoff. 2008. "Thermal Variability in a Tidal River". Estuaries and Coasts. 32(1); 100 - 110.
Awards
- Donald W. Pritchard Award for Estuaries and Coasts Geophysics Paper, 2011
- Presidential Citation, Loyola Marymount University, April 2003
- Outstanding Engineering Scholar, Loyola Marymount University, April 2003
Society Memberships and Service:
Member, Society of Women Engineers
Member, California Water and Environmental Modeling Forum
Courses Taught
- CENG 10 Surveying
- CENG 15 Computer Applications in CENG
- CENG 41 Mechanics I: Statics
- CENG 140 Water Resources Engineering
Expertise: Engineering education, water supply, management and quality in California.
Rachel He
BiographyN/ACurrent Research InterestsTransportation network modeling, OD demand estimation and forecasting, and Personal Navigation Systems.Recent Publications
AwardsN /ACourses Taught
|
Expertise: Intelligent transportation systems, transportation network modeling, traffic simulation and analysis.
Ed Maurer
Biography
Edwin Maurer holds a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, a Masters in Civil Engineering (Water Resources) from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington. He joined the faculty of the SCU Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering Department in September 2003. His general areas of expertise are in water resources and hydrologic modeling. His past experience includes work in municipal water supply and wastewater engineering, climate change studies, water resources studies in support of western tribal water rights, and rural community water supply projects in Peru. His most recent research is in simulating large scale hydrologic dynamics, looking for potential improvements in long-lead forecasting, and studying regional hydrologic effects of climate change.
Current Research Interests
Impacts of climate change on water resources, large-scale hydrologic variability and predictability, effect land use changes on streamflow, parameterization of land surface characteristics in hydrology.
Recent Publications
- Maurer, E.P. and D.P. Lettenmaier, 2003, Predictability of seasonal runoff in the Mississippi River basin, J. Geophys. Res. 108 (D16) 8607 doi:10.1029/2002JD002555.
- Ziegler, A.D., J. Sheffield, E.P. Maurer, B. Nijssen, E.F. Wood, and D.P. Lettenmaier, 2003, Detection of intensification of continental-scale hydrological cycles: temporal scale of evaluation, J. Climate 16, 535-547.
- Maurer, E.P., J. Rhoads, R.O. Dubayah, and D.P. Lettenmaier, 2003, Evaluation of the Snow-Covered Area Data Product from MODIS, Hydrological Processes 17(1), 59-71, doi:10.1002/hyp.1193.
- Maurer, E.P., A.W. Wood, J.C. Adam, D.P. Lettenmaier, and B. Nijssen, 2002, A long-term land surface hydrologic data set for the conterminous United States, J. Climate 15(22), 3237-3251.
- Maurer, E.P., S. Gibbard, and P.B. Duffy, 2006, Amplification of streamflow impacts of El Niño by increased atmospheric greenhouse gases, Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 33, No. 2 L0270710.1029/2005GL025100.
- Maurer, E.P. and P.B. Duffy, 2005, Uncertainty in Projections of Streamflow Changes due to Climate Change in California, Geophys. Res. Let. 32(3), L03704 doi:10.1029/2004GL021462.
- Maurer, E.P. and D.P. Lettenmaier, 2004, Potential effects of long-lead hydrologic predicatability on Missouri River main-stem reservoirs, J. Climate 17(1), 147-186.
- Maurer, E.P., D.P. Lettenmaier, and N.J. Mantua, 2004, Variability and predictability of North American runoff, Water Resour. Res. 40(9), W09306 doi: 10.1029/2003WR002789.
- Maurer, E.P., 2007, Uncertainty in hydrologic impacts of climate change in the Sierra Nevada, California under two emissions scenarios, Climatic Change, Vol. 82, No. 3-4, 309-32.
- Maurer, E.P., I.T. Stewart, C. Bonfils, P.B. Duffy, and D. Cayan, 2007, Detection, attribution, and sensitivity of trends toward earlier streamflow in the Sierra Nevada, Journal of Geophysical Research 112, D11118, doi:10.1029/2006JD008088.
- Maurer, E.P., H.G. Hidalgo, T. Das, M.D. Dettinger, and D.R. Cayan, 2010, The utility of daily large-scale climate data in the assessment of climate change impacts on daily streamflow in California, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 14, 1125-1138Girvetz, E., Zganjar, C, Raber, G., Maurer, E.P., Kareiva, P., Lawler, J.J., 2009, Applied climate-change analysis: The Climate Wizard Tool, PLoS ONE 4(12): e8320.
- Maurer, E.P., J.C. Adam, and A.W. Wood, 2009, Climate model based consensus on the hydrologic impacts of climate change to the Rio Lempa basin of Central America, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 13, 183-194
-
Girvetz, E., Zganjar, C, Raber, G., Maurer, E.P., Kareiva, P., Lawler, J.J., 2009, Applied climate-change analysis: The Climate Wizard Tool, PLoS ONE 4(12): e8320.
Awards
- University Fellowship, University of California at Berkeley, 1988-89
- Phi Kappa Phi honor society, University of Rhode Island chapter, 1985
- Graduation with High Distinction, University of Rhode Island, 1985
- Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, University of Rhode Island chapter, 1983
- Packard Fellowship, Santa Clara University, 2004-05
- School of Engineering Researcher of the Year, 2009
Courses Taught
- CENG 41 Statics
- CENG 139/259 Groundwater Hydrology
- CENG 141 Hydraulics
- CENG 140 Water Resources Engineering
- CENG 142/242 Water Resources Design
- CENG 160/260 GIS in Water Resources
- CENG 161 Sustainable Water Resources
- CENG 162/262 Computational Water Resources
Expertise: Hydrology, water resources, hydrologic modeling.
Tonya Nilsson
Expertise: Engineering education, sustainable materials in structural engineering.
Hisham Said
Biography
Hisham Said is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering at Santa Clara University. Before joining SCU in January 2012, he was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Said holds bachelors and masters degrees from Cairo University in Egypt, and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his academic background, Dr. Said has experience in the building industry both as structural engineer and contract administrator. Dr. Said's research interests include developing optimization and simulation models for modular construction production management, construction logistics planning, sustainable supply chain management, and sustainable development and resiliency of critical infrastructure systems.
Current Research Interests
Dr. Said's research interests are directed to improve the efficiency of construction operations and sustainable development of our built environment. He is developing new decision making and simulation models to optimize the planning and control of construction production processes, construction logistics, green building projects, and sustainable infrastructure development and management.
Recent Publications
1. Said H., El-Rayes K. (2013). "Optimal Utilization of Interior Building Spaces for material Procurement and Storage in Congested Construction Sites." Journal of Automation in Construction, Elsevier, 31, 292-306.
2. Su X., Cai H., Said H., and Kandil A. (2012). "GIS-Based Dynamic Construction Site material Layout Evaluation for Building Renovation Projects Automation in Construction." Automation in Construction, Elsevier, 27, 40-49.
3. Said H., Kandil A., and Cai H. (2012). "Agent-Based Simulation of Labor Emergency Evacuation in High-Rise Building Construction Sites." Construction Research Congress (CRC), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), May 21-23, West Lafayette, IN.
4. Jeerangsuwan T., Said H., Kandil A., Ukkusuri S. (2012). "Optimization Application for Financial Viability Evaluation of PPP Toll Road Projects." Construction Research Congress (CRC), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), May 21-23, West Lafayette, IN.
5. Said, H., El-Rayes, K. (2010). "Optimizing Material Procurement and Storage on Construction Sites." Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, 137(6), 421 – 431.
6. Said, H., El-Rayes, K. (2010). "Optimizing the Planning of Construction Site Security for Critical Infrastructure Systems." Automation in Construction, Elsevier, 19(2), 221 - 234.
7. Said, H., and El-Rayes, K. (2010). "Optimizing Material Logistics Planning in Construction Projects." Construction Research Congress, Construction Institute (CI), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Banff, Alberta, Canada.
8. El-Rayes, K., Said, H. (2009). "Dynamic Site Layout Planning using Approximate Dynamic Programming." Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, ASCE, 23(2), 119 - 127.
9. Said, H., Marzouk, M., and El-Said, M. (2009) "Application of Computer Simulation to Bridge Deck Construction: Case Study." Automation in Construction, Elsevier, 18(4), 377 - 385.
10. Marzouk, M., Said, H., and El-Said, M. (2009) "A framework for multi-objective optimization of launching girder bridges." Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, 135(8), 791 – 800.
11. El-Rayes, K., Said, H. (2009) "Global Optimization of Dynamic Site Layout Planning in Construction Projects." Construction Research Congress (CRC) Conference, Construction Institute (CI), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Seattle, WA, USA.
12. Marzouk, M., Said, H., and El-Said, M. (2008). "Special Purpose Simulation Model for Balanced Cantilever Bridges." Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE, 13(2), 122-131.
13. Marzouk, M., Zein, H., Elsaid, M. (2006) "Bridge_Sim: Framework for Planning and Optimizing Bridge Deck Construction Using Computer Simulation." Proceedings of the 2006 Winter Simulation Conference, Monterey, CA, USA.
Society Memberships and Service
- Co-chair, Construction Planning, Control, and Risk Management Track, Construction Research Congress, West Lafayette, IN, 2012.
- Associate Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
- Member, Organizing Committee, First Global Leadership Forum for Construction Engineering and Management Program, West Lafayette, IN, March 20-22, 2011.
- Member, Career Services Council, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2009 – 2010).
- Reviewer, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, ASCE (2009 - present).
- Reviewer, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE (2007 - present).
- Reviewer, Journal of Automation in Construction, Elsevier (2007 - present).
- Reviewer, Construction Research Congress, Seattle, WA, April 2009.
Awards
- ELECTRI International Early Career Award 2013, Research project Title: Industrialization of Electrical Contracting: Supply Chain and Logistics Management.
- Best Paper Award, Construction Research Congress 2012, for paper: "Optimal Material Logistics Planning in Congested Construction Sites."
- ASCE ExCEEd Fellowship, American Society of Civil Engineers (2012)
- Eminent Engineer Honor, Order of the Engineer, SCU Chapter (May 2012) http://www.order-of-the-engineer.org
- AAAEA Student Scholarship (2008 and 2009), Chicago, Illinois.
- CAPSCU Award for Distinguished Post-Graduates (2008), Cairo University, Egypt.
-
Undergraduate Excellence Award (2003). Cairo University, Egypt.
Courses Taught
- CENG 41 Statics
- CENG 43 Strength of Materials
- CENG 128/208 Engineering Economics and Business
- CENG 184/284 Construction Administration
- CENG 186/286 Construction Planning and Control
- CENG 187/287 Construction Operations and Equipment
- CENG 288 Engineering Decision and Risk Analysis
Expertise: Construction management and process modeling, sustainable built environment, infrastructure management.
Reynaud Serrette
Biography
Dr. Serrette joined the SCU faculty in 1991 and founded the Light Gauge Steel Research Group (LGSRG), currently the Center for Light Frame Structural Research (CLSFR), in 1994. Work conducted by the LGSRG/CLSFR has contributed to the design provisions for cold-formed steel structures and the development of several innovative light frame products. In addition to his research professional activities, Dr. Serrette is a past president of the Light Gauge Steel Engineers Association (currently, the Cold Formed Steel Engineering Institute) and serves as a faculty advisor to the National Society of Black Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapters.
Current Research Interests
His current interests are in the area of performance-based seismic resistant design of light frame structures, and sustainable, innovative and affordable design of residential and institutional structures. He has an emerging interest in methodologies for evaluation the environmental performance of construction materials.
Recent Publications
-
Serrette, R. and Peyton, D. (2009). Strength of Screw Connections in Cold-Formed Steel Construction. American Society of Civil Engineers, Journal of Structural Engineering, Reston, VA, August, pp. 951-958.
-
Serrette, R. and Nolan, D. (2009). Reversed Cyclic Performance of Shear Walls with Wood Panels Attached to Cold-Formed Steel with Pins, American Society of Civil Engineers, Journal of Structural Engineering, Reston, VA, pp. 959-967.
-
Serrette, R (2008). Estimating the Effective Yield Strength of Cold-Formed Steel Light-Frame Shear Walls. Proceedings from the 19th International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures, St. Louis, MO, October, pp. 457-470.
-
Serrette, R. (2008). Qualifications for Equivalence: An Illustration and Discussion of New Seismic Evaluation Provisions. NCSEA/CASE/SEI, STRUCTURE Magazine, August, pp. 19-23.
-
Serrette, R. (2003). Proposed Acceptance Criteria for Shear Wall Assemblies Consisting of Wood Structural Panel Sheathing Attached to Cold-Formed Steel Framing with Pneumatic- or Gas-power-driven Pin Fasteners. ICC-ES AC230, International Code Council, Whittier, CA, October.
-
Serrette, R., et. Chau, K., (2003) Performance of Deep Leg L-Headers. Research report No. CLSFR 01-7/03, Center for Light Frame Structural Research, Santa Clara, CA, July.
-
Serrette, R., et. al., (2002) Performance of Cold-Formed Steel-Framed Shear Walls: Alternative Configurations. Research report No. LGSRG-06-02, Light Gauge Steel Research Group, Santa Clara, CA, June.
-
Serrette, R., et. al., (2002) Adhesive Applications for Shear Walls: A Pilot Study. Research report No. CLSFR-12-02, Center for Light Frame Structural Research, Santa Clara, CA, December.
-
Serrette, R., et. al., (2002) Performance of Wood Framed Shear Walls with Non-wood Structural Panels. Research report No. LGSRG-2-02, Light Gauge Steel Research Group, Santa Clara University, CA, April.
Awards
-
Santa Clara University Packard Mentor/Scholar Professor: 1998-2002
-
Santa Clara University School of Engineering Research of the Year, 2001
-
Santa Clara University President's Recognition Award, 2000
Courses Taught
-
CENG 43 Strength of Materials Structural Analysis
-
CENG 44A/44B Strength of Materials I/II
-
CENG 143 Structural Steel Design
-
CENG 146/246 Cold-Formed Steel Design
-
CENG 234 Structural Steel Design II
Expertise: Light-framed construction and design, seismic resistant design, steel structures.
Sukhmander Singh
Biography
N/A
Current Research Interests
N/A
Recent Publications
- Singh, S., "A Critical Examination of Dynamic Shear Modulus vs Shear Strain Relationships for Municipal Solid Waste", Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Civil and Structural Engineering Computing, September 13, 1999, Oxford, England.
- Madabhushi, S.P.G. and Singh, S. "Centrifuge Modelling of Seismic behavior of Waste Containment Systems. Centrifuge Test SC-3: A Brief Report. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1999.
- Madabhushi, S.P.G. and Singh, S. "Integrity of landfill liners following earthquake loading." International Symposium on Physical Modelling and Testing in Environmental Engineering Conference, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, 1999.
- Madabhushi, S.P.G. and Singh, S. "Integrity of landfill liners following earthquake loading." International Symposium on Physical Modelling and Testing in Environmental Geotechnics, La Baule, France, May, 2000.
- Singh, Sukhmander. "Dynamic Strength Characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste." Proceedings of 4th International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics, ISSMGE, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August, 2002.
Awards
- Researcher of the Year Award (1997)
- Distinguished Alumni Award (1997)
- Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Service (1996)
- Visiting Professor on sabbatical at Cambridge University, England (1997 & 2003)
- Co-Chairman, ASCE Soil Dynamics Committee Session, San Francisco (1978)
- Citizen of the Day Award given by KABL radio station, San Francisco, California (1977)
- Special Certificate Award from Alyeska Pipeline Company for Contributions as Project Engineer (1976)
- Outstanding Immigrant Award (1977)
- Scholarship for M.S. studies (1964-1966)
- Gold Medal for M.S. thesis (1967)
Courses Taught
- CENG 20 Geology
- CENG 121 Geotechnical Engineering
- CENG 138/238 Geotechnical Engineering Design
Expertise: Geotechnical engineering, liquefaction of silts, stability of sanitary landfills.