Civil & Environmental Engineering Newsletter: March 2023
Message From the Chair
In this issue of our newsletter, I would like to highlight faculty achievements in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. Our faculty are wholehearted in their efforts to improve society and the environment through engineering, and to share their knowledge with younger generations. The honors they have received are well deserved, and I am very proud to share news of them with you.
— Steven Wojtkiewicz, Professor/Chair of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Research Funded
Professor Yang Yang is very busy. He recently received a three-year research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Alliance of Water Innovation to fund his work in dehalogenation of emerging contaminants. This is in addition to an NSF CAREER Award that will fund his research in treating and destroying PFAS solid wastes.
Rare Honor
In keeping with the department’s goal of improving the world through sustainability and better environmental health, Professor Sulapha Peethamparan’s research focuses on sustainable concrete. She has contributed so much to the field, in fact, that she was elected a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute — an honor that less than 5% of members receive.
Concrete Award
Another faculty member to be recognized by the American Concrete Institute is Professor Robert Thomas, who received the Young Member Award for Professional Achievement. During his time as a member, Thomas has chaired committees, organized convention sessions and mentored students and young professionals, all while performing his own concrete research.