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Concrete Canoe Team attends 2014 APEGBC AGM

UBC’s Concrete Canoe Team was excited to have the opportunity to attend APEGBC’s Annual Conference and AGM in Vancouver this past fall; an experience which served as a unique opportunity to talk to attendees about the team’s activities, and to become more acquainted with local industry representatives.

New APSC Sustainability Pathway Initiative: Grant awarded to Civil’s Dr. Susan Nesbit, with CHBE Professor Naoko Ellis

Congratulations to Professors Naoko Ellis (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering) and Susan Nesbit (Department of Civil Engineering) who, in September 2014, were awarded a two year Sustainability Pathway Grant by UBC’s Sustainability Initiative Teaching and Learning Office.   The new APSC Sustainability Pathway Initiative aims to: assess the interest and support for a sustainability pathway in APSC […]

IC-IMPACTS Update: Dr. Nemy Banthia builds new partnerships in India

Pictured L – R, standing: BC Deputy Minister for Advanced Education Sandra Carroll, Aisa Pacific Foundation President and CEO Stewart Beck, BC Premier Christy Clark, BC Minister for Advanced Education Amrik Virk, UBC President Arvind Gupta, College of Surgeons of India Chairman Gautam Sen. Seated: Nemy Banthia, Reliance Senior Vice President Gunjan Sharma The following […]

The EERF welcomes BC’s Minister of Education

Pictured L-R: Civil Professor and Director of the EERF Dr. Carlos Ventura; Ann English, P.Eng., CEO and Registrar, APEGBC; Hon. Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education; Charlene Fassbender. Photo Credit: Wendy D Photography The Department of Civil Engineering was pleased to welcome Education Minister Peter Fassbender to the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility on Friday. During his visit, […]

Honourary Civil Engineering professor awarded ACI Concrete Sustainability Award

Honorary UBC Civil Engineering Professor Koji Sakai received the American Concrete Institute’s Concrete Sustainability Award at its ACI Fall 2014 Convention in Washington, DC on October 26. This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have “actively highlighted concrete’s role in sustainable construction.” Dr. Sakai, who was a professor at Kagawa University in Japan until 2013, is […]

Civil places first in APSC United Way Pumpkin Carving Contest!

The Civil staff team poses with their winning pumpkin. Pictured L – R: Sylvia Margraff, Daniel Crough, Bobpump Marleykin, Sheeraz Marfatia, Luyi Lang.

APSC 150 students launch into design

First year engineering students brought theory to life this term, thanks to an exciting new hands-on, team-based design challenge created by Civil Instructor Dr. Nobo Yonemitsu and innovative IGEN students. APSC 150, Engineering Case Studies, introduces students to the engineering design process. The course is divided into a series of cases presented by different engineering instructors. For […]

Go ENG Girl! outreach event a great success

UBC Engineering welcomed 100 Grade 9 girls from across B.C. to Go ENG Girl Saturday October 18 to learn about engineering from women professionals, academics and students. The outreach event, co-hosted by eng•cite and Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science & Technology (WWEST), is part of a national outreach effort in collaboration with the Ontario Network […]

BCWWA UBC students win top prize at WEFTEC Student Design Competition second year in a row

L – R: students Stephen Bertulli, Michael Thiessen, Robert D’Amours, David Saabas, and David Houghton, with Ed McCormick, President-Elect at Water Environment Federation. Photo: WEFTEC Daily Four students from the UNBC/UBC environmental engineering program and one student from CHBE made up the team that travelled to New Orleans for the 2014 Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and […]

The Department of Civil Engineering welcomes Dr. Yahya Nazhat

The Department of Civil Engineering is very pleased to welcome Dr. Yahya Nazhat as the newest member of our faculty team. Dr. Nazhat brings over twenty five years of experience in geotechnical engineering design and implementation; having held senior engineering and management positions in industry in both Australia and Iraq. Dr. Nazhat was appointed as […]

Civil Professor Dr. Tarek Sayed recognized with a Centennial Road Safety Award

UBC Civil Engineering Professor Tarek Sayed receiving the Academic Research Centennial Road Safety Award at the 2014 TAC Conference & Exhibition from Doug McNeil (left), Deputy Minister of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation and TAC President and Vern Janz (right), Director of Transport Services, Yukon Department of Highways and Public Works and Chair of the Canadian […]

International Steel Day: UBC CSCE tours George Third & Son steel fabrication facility

UBC CSCE Student Chapter reports on their visit to the George Third & Son steel fabrication facility: To celebrate International Steel Day, the UBC CSCE Student Chapter toured the George Third & Son steel fabrication facility in Burnaby, BC.  Before the tour, the chapter was treated to a brief lecture by Rob Third, Director of […]

Civil professors featured in Ingenuity magazine

Two major Civil news stories that have been developing in recent months have been featured prominently in the latest edition of the Faculty of Applied Science’s Ingenuity magazine. In the cover story “Keeping People Safe” found on page 8, APSC reports on the earthquake early-warning system developed by Civil Professor Carlos Ventura and his team of earthquake […]

Civil in the news: Dr. Carlos Ventura “on alert for the Big One”

UBC’s Carlos Ventura (Civil Engineering) is part of a team that is developing a new earthquake early-warning system. Photo: Paul Joseph. Click here for a five minute segment on the earthquake early-warning system from CBC News. Placing earthquake sensors in 50 schools is step one of a UBC engineer’s vision for a life-saving warning network. Ten, […]

New Civil students experience design, construction, and seismic testing on 2014 Imagine Day

Second year students work in teams to design and construct small-scale structures for testing in the EERF. On Tuesday, September 2, the Department welcomed 136 second-year students to the Civil Engineering Program. This year’s Civil Imagine Day offered exciting new activities that served to inform and inspire. The official Department welcome was conveyed by Dr. […]

Meet the new Civil Club President! Q & A with Alyssa Schultz

Meet the new Civil Club President! The Department presents a Q & A with Alyssa Schultz. 1. Please share a brief bio with us – who is our new President? Born and raised in North Vancouver, UBC has always been a dream of mine, although engineering was not always on my radar. My passion for math and […]

Civil in the news: Dr. Carlos Ventura provides expert commentary on recent California earthquake

Dr. Carlos Ventura, Civil professor and director of UBC’s Earthquake Engineering Research Facility, provided local media with commentary on a recent strong earthquake in California, and how a similar earthquake would affect BC. Click here to view the on-air interview.

Hitting the road, safely: Q & A with Tarek Sayed

As vacationers embark on summer road trips, a Civil prof talks about new ways for making the highways and byways collision free Tarek Sayed is a road safety engineer in the Faculty of Applied Science. He uses automated video analysis techniques at intersections to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. What causes road […]

Civil faculty members awarded over $300,000 in NSERC funding

Civil engineering faculty members were five of the thirty six APSC researchers to receive funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) as part of the 2014 funding competition. Research Tools and Instruments Grants Program awards went to Professor Pierre Bérubé for the Organic Carbon Characterization System research project and Professor […]

Civil faculty promotions: Congratulations to Dr. Susan Nesbit, Dr. Mahdi Taiebat, and Dr. Nobo Yonemitsu

Civil Engineering is pleased to announce that Dr. Mahdi Taiebat, Dr. Nobo Yonemitsu, and Dr. Susan Nesbit have been promoted to the ranks of Associate Professor with tenure, Senior Instructor with tenure, and Professor of Teaching, respectively. The Department congratulates each of them on this outstanding achievement. For Dr. Taiebat, this is a well-deserved recognition […]

Civil engineering research recognized at BC Legislative Assembly

At the BC Legislative Assembly on the technology for recycling of phosphorus from sewage, MLA Ralph Sultan spoke of Civil Engineering Professor Don Mavinic’s research on phosphorus recycling. Dr. Mavinic and his team of UBC engineers recently demonstrated how they extract phosphorus and convert it into a slow-release fertilizer at Annacis Island. Sultan was present at the […]

Professor Bernard Laval honoured with APSC Dean’s Excellence in Service Award

Applied Science staff and faculty were recently recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Faculty in three categories: the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service for staff, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service for faculty, and the Special Dean’s Award for Outstanding Service. Civil professor Bernard Laval was selected to receive one of the two the […]

Civil researchers report exciting findings in the field of superoxygenation

L – R: Civil graduate student Tyler Barber, Professor Don Mavinic, and Ken Christison, principal engineer at Northwest Hydraulic Consultants, pictured with the aeration column and dissolved oxygen monitors used for this research. Supplying oxygen via aeration for water treatment is an energy intensive process, accounting for up to 60% of the energy requirements in […]

Civil student wins CEMF Undergraduate Engineering Scholarship

Christina Noël, a Civil BASc student entering fourth year in September, has recently been selected as the recipient of the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation (CEMF) Undergraduate Engineering Scholarship for the British Columbia region. This scholarship recognizes her as one of the top five undergraduate women engineering students across Canada, based on her extensive leadership and […]

Dr. Sheryl Staub-French named inaugural holder of Goldcorp Professorship in Women in Engineering at UBC

From left to right: Tirajeh Mazaheri, MECH student and Goldcorp Intern, Applied Science Dean Marc Parlange; Florence Belanger, Goldcorp Intern; Jaime Awmack, UBC alumna (BASc/BA ‘07) and Process Engineer at Goldcorp; Sheryl Staub-French, Goldcorp Professor in Women in Engineering at UBC; Beverley Briscoe, UBC alumna (BComm ‘77), Director and Chair of the Audit Committee, Goldcorp […]

Civil Engineering Technician John Wong joins UBC 25 Year Club

The Department of Civil Engineering congratulates Engineering Technician John Wong on his induction into the UBC 25 Year Club. Established in 1971 by President Walter Gage to recognize non-faculty staff with 25 years of service to the University, the club honored a total of 117 new members at their annual dinner in May. After earning […]

Congratulations Civil Class of 2014

On May 27, 2014, a Graduation Reception for the Civil Engineering Class of 2014 took place in the Wayne & William White Engineering Design Centre. A large number of graduating students attended with their friends and family members, to celebrate and hear remarks from Professor Reza Vaziri, Head of the Department; Professor Bernard Laval, Associate […]

A Civil Valedictorian: Chris Young (BASc ’14) speaks at graduation

Chris Young, newly admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering, was selected to give the valedictory address to fellow Applied Science graduating students in the Civil and Mechanical departments on May 27, 2014. His stellar academic record (top overall GPA of graduating UBC Civil Engineering students, second overall GPA of […]

Professor Pierre Bérubé co-supervisor of AWWA Student Best Paper Award winner

Dr. Pierre Bérubé was co-supervisor for the paper entitled “Impact of Surface Shear Stress and Pre-Coagulation on Membrane Fouling,” which was selected to receive the American Water Works Association Student Best Paper Award at the 2014 Membrane Technology Conference. Dr. Heather Wray (Ph.D. candidate at the time and now a Civil Postdoctoral Fellow) was the student winner. […]

Steel Bridge Team places 1st in 2014 Pacific Northwest Steel Bridge Competition

The UBC Steel Bridge Team achieved the following rankings at the 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers Pacific Northwest Student Conference at Oregon State University: 3rd in construction speed, 2nd in lightness, 2nd in display, 1st in efficiency, and 3rd overall. This notable outcome qualified the team for participation in the 2014 National Student Steel Bridge […]

Civil researchers work toward a sustainable waste management system for the wastewater treatment industry

Dr. K. Victor Lo’s team of graduate students, research associates, and postdoctoral fellows in Civil are approaching pre-commercialization of their “sludge-busting” microwave technology for sustainable waste management in the wastewater treatment industry. The microwave enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H2O2) is a patented technology developed by Dr. K.V. Lo’s research team at the UBC’s Civil Engineering […]

Civil alumnus chosen for the 2014 UBC Engineering Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

Congratulations to Duncan McNicholl, who was honoured at the 2014 Engineering Excellence Celebration as the recipient of the 2014 UBC Engineering Outstanding Young Alumnus Award*! Duncan received his BASc in Civil Engineering in 2009, with distinction, but he was dedicated to more than just his studies during his time at UBC. In 2003, his life […]

UBC Concrete Canoe Team places 4th at Regional Competition

UBC Concrete Canoe is proud to announce their success at the recent regional Concrete Canoe Competition at the ASCE Pacific Northwest Conference, held at Portland State University April 25 – 26. Out of thirteen competing teams, they finished in fourth place, trailing behind the second runner up by a mere six points. Many of the […]

Civil professor accepts Chair in Earthquake Engineering at University of Auckland

After 11 successful years on faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Ken Elwood (PhD ’02, P.Eng.) will be leaving UBC to pursue exciting new opportunities at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where he will take on a newly created position as “Chair in Earthquake Engineering”. Professor Elwood first joined UBC Civil Engineering […]

Civil instructor awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Award for Historical Writing

Dr. Ruth Derksen has been awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Award for Historical Writing. It will be presented to her in June by The Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, during the BC Historical Federation Annual Conference. Dr. Derksen’s book, Daughters in the City, chronicles the stories of young refugee Mennonite women who […]

Civil Club honours top undergraduate professors

The Civil undergraduate student body has voted for their top undergraduate professors for the 2013/2014 academic year.  In recognition of their demonstrated commitment to fairness, communication, and quality teaching, the Civil Club has announced that Dr. Greg Lawrence (second year), Dr. Bernard Laval (third year), and Dr. Ken Elwood (fourth year) were selected by the students as this year’s best undergraduate […]

Civil student selected as Engineering Co-op photo contest winner

Photo courtesy of Joanne Chow and Engineering Co-op. Learn more about Engineering Co-op’s Photo Contest. Civil Engineering student Joanne Chow was awarded Second Prize in the Engineering Co-op Programs’s 2013 photo contest. Pictured is a tunnel boring machine, which Joanne encountered during her recent Co-op term in Hong Kong. Joanne shares a description of the machine: […]

Civil professor co-leads Building Information Modeling project

Dr. Sheryl Staub-French is one of the leaders of the Construction and ICT project research team who published a report this week on the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Canada’s construction industry. The report, entitled “The Inevitable Shift Towards Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Canada’s Construction Sector” details the main benefits, challenges and […]

CIVL 228 students test their timber trusses to failure in the Structural Teaching Lab

On Tuesday, April 1, students enrolled in CIVL 228 (Introduction to Structural Engineering) celebrated the culminaton of their course work during truss testing day. Each year, CIVL 228 students work together to apply the structural analysis knowledge learned in class to design, construct, and test a timber truss structure to failure. Students were divided into […]

Faculty Seminar Series: Dr. Nemy Banthia recaps IC-IMPACTS progress to date, shares plans for the future

Dr. Nemy Banthia, Civil Engineering Professor and CEO & Scientific Director of IC-IMPACTS, presented the faculty seminar “Canada-India Research Center of Excellence: Making a Difference in the Lives of Millions” on March 21. Dr. Banthia offered an enlightening overview of the history of IC-IMPACTS and the research being done in the areas of integrated water management, […]

Civil student to trek to Everest Base Camp for Tanzania Heart Babies Project

Civil Engineering undergrad student Kunal Sethi, far left, will be trekking to Everest Base Camp this spring as a member of the Tanzania Heart Babies Project team. This summer, a team of 12 UBC students, including a Civil Engineering undergrad, are travelling to Nepal to trek to the base camp of Mt. Everest in honour […]

UBC Professor to serve on the GIEES Board of Directors

The new, non–profit, Global Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability-GIEES, has been incorporated in the US, and will be based out of MIT, in due course. It will have an international Board, of 15 members, with a mandate to provide technical and research services/advice on topics of Energy, Environment and Sustainability , globally, but in […]

UBC Concrete Toboggan Team: Success at the 40th Annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race

This February, the UBC Concrete Toboggan Team competed in London, Ontario at the 40th annual GNCTR against 24 North American Universities and Technical Institutions. The team spent five days networking with over 400 students, Western University Alumni and industry representatives. The team raced with an all new, component-based design and after some last minute adjustments, made multiple successful runs down […]

Civil is hiring! Three faculty positions available

Find out more about Faculty opportunities in the Department of Civil Engineering, and discover why UBC is one of British Columbia’s top employers.

Why we need more women engineers: Q&A with Sheryl Staub-French

Few women and a looming skills shortage could create a crisis for the industry On the eve of International Women’s Day, UBC Public Affairs conducted a Q&A with Civil Engineering Associate Professor and Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science & Technology Faculty Associate Sheryl Staub-French, on her work to boost female enrolment. Why are you concerned about the […]

Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS) visits Civil Engineering

The Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS) visited UBC Civil Engineering on Saturday, March 8 to learn about earthquake engineering.  Twenty girls between the ages of seven and fourteen and their parents enjoyed a demonstration of the shake table in the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility.  The girls then worked in teams to construct straw buildings in the […]

Civil students win top prize at WEFTEC Student Design Competition in Chicago

Four Civil Engineering graduate students were part of the team of five that took home a top prize at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) Student Design Competition in Chicago in fall 2013. Christopher Lawson, Laith Furation (CHBE), Michal Simhon, Connor Wilson, and Rony Das earned the opportunity to compete in this […]

Faculty Seminar Series: Dr. Carlos Ventura gives overview of seismic risk in BC

Images courtesy of Carlos Ventura. At centre: BC Smart Infrastructure Monitoring System Shake Map, showing infrastructure currently being monitored. At right: Engineers inspect field vibration testing equipment at Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. Dr. Carlos Ventura, Civil Engineering Professor and Director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility (EERF), presented the faculty seminar “The Art and Science […]

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) UPDATE: Civil graduate student advances to UBC Semi-Finals

UPDATE: Kelly Graves placed third in the APSC heat, and will be advancing to the UBC Semi-Finals, to be held Tuesday March 11. Click here for details. On February 27th, six graduate students competed in this year’s Civil heat of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Staff, faculty and students made up the audience of nearly 50, and enjoyed a […]

Civil Executive Assistant completes 100-mile race across frozen Alaska wilderness

Susitna 100 fat-bike competitors. Photo: Frank Janssens Sylvia Margraff, Civil Engineering Executive Assistant to the Head, recently returned from a successfully completed Susitna 100, a renowned 100 mile wilderness race through the Susitna Valley, north of Anchorage. After five months of intense training, she joined over 100 of Alaska’s toughest adventurers, along with a handful of […]