Dr. Carlos Molina Hutt Awarded The Shah Prize by the EERI
Congratulations to Dr. Carlos Molina Hutt, who has been awared the 2019 EERI Shah Family Innovation Prize by the Earthquake Engineering Research Insititute! The Shah Prize is awarded annually to young professionals and academics for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit in the field of earthquake risk mitigation and management. In the press release by the EERI, they stated “(c)onsidering the breadth and excellence of Carlos’s leadership, research and engineering practice, it was clear to the prize committee that he is on a trajectory to be an outstanding leader in the field of earthquake risk mitigation in the coming decades.” Carlos will receive the award […]
UBC Civil Design Team Places First at WEFTEC Competition
Congratulations to the UBC Civil Design Team members who took home first place 2019 WEFTEC Student Design Competition! The 18th annual competition showcased innovative ideas from 30 teams from 26 WEF Member Associations and three countries during WEFTEC 2019, WEF’s 92nd annual technical exhibition and conference. UBC team members Luthfi Subagio, James Craxton, Daniel Luo, and Johnson Li were led by faculty advisor Noboru Yonemitsu on behalf of the British Columbia Water and Waste Association. Their task was to complete a comparative analysis and design of two treatment, conveyance, and disposal solutions for aircraft de-icing fluid runoff and stormwater runoff at the Vancouver […]
Annual Orientation Welcomes New Civil Engineering Majors
On September 3rd, 2019, the Department welcomed new Civil Engineering majors with its annual undergraduate student orientation. The orientation consisted of a scavenger hunt and popsicle stick model bridge-building competition. This Fall, we welcome over 120 new majors into the Bachelors in Civil Engineering program. The new students started off their first day with an introduction and welcome by the Department Head, Dr. Bernard Laval. The introduction was followed by details of the academic program, services for students, and clubs and community involvement. Following the orientation, the students participated in a scavenger hunt, which is designed to familiarize the students with the […]
UBC Civil Welcomes International Students for Summer Program
During July 13- August 13, 2019, the Department of Civil Engineering hosted dozens of international undergraduate students for the annual Vancouver Summer Program. The Vancouver Summer Program (VSP) is a four-week academic program offered by various Faculties at the University of British Columbia, Canada for students from cooperating universities. The program provides the opportunity to take two academic courses while learning about Canadian practices and culture. This year, the Department of Civil Engineering offered courses in two concentrations: Structural Materials and Advanced Concrete Structures. The courses included field visits, laboratory experiments, as well as, computer modeling. The program this year hosted 41 undergraduate students, between […]
UBC Steel Bridge Design Team Triumphs At 2019 Nationals
In May 2019, the UBC Steel Bridge Design Team competed at the 2019 Canadian National Steel Bridge Competition at l’Université de Montréal. UBC Engineering Student Design Team, composed of 14 undergraduate engineering students, competed against 18 teams from Canada, USA, Mexico, and China. Out of the teams that competed, UBC Steel Bridge ranked 1st in lightness, 3rd in oral presentation, and 3rd overall, making this year’s result the best one they’ve ever achieved in this competition. Congratulations to the UBC Steel Bridge Design Team!
Civil Engineering Welcomes New Department & Associate Heads
On July 1st, 2019, the Department of Civil Engineering welcomed Dr. Bernard Laval as the new Department Head. Laval has demonstrated outstanding leadership and administrative skills since joining Department of Civil Engineering in 2002, serving as the Co-director of the UNBC/UBC Environmental Engineering Program and Associate Head of Undergraduate Students. He has also shown a strong commitment to supporting student clubs, promoting and recognizing student achievements, enhancing the quality and diversity of the department’s student body and otherwise ensuring that students have a positive experience at the Faculty. In addition to his service to the Department and Faculty, Dr. Laval has received a […]
Dr. Tarek Sayed announced as Canada Research Chair
On June 14, 2019, UBC Civil Engineering Professor Tarek Sayed, was announced as a new Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transportation Safety and Advanced Mobility. Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced an investment of over $275 million for 346 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 52 institutions across Canada for research excellence. The Canada Research Chair’s program is part of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top five countries in research and development by attracting and retaining some of the world’s most accomplished and promising researchers. Professor Sayed’s research applies a wide spectrum of transportation […]
IC-IMPACTS Signs Agreement with First Nation Community
On Thursday, May 1, 2019 IC-IMPACTS was invited to the Chawathil First Nations community in Hope, B.C. on Thursday, May 2, 2019 for a groundbreaking ceremony to set up an infrastructure technology demonstration project. IC-IMPACTS advanced self-repairing pavement technology will soon be deployed and the community will see the installation of new pavements using fiber reinforced concrete. The pavement will be composed of concrete incorporating scrap tire fibers, cellulose fibres, and other recycled material. The deployment is part of an ongoing research project spearheaded by UBC Civil Professor, Dr. Nemy Banthia, who is the IC-IMPACTS CEO and Scientific Director and theme […]
2019 Civil Undergraduate Teaching Award Recipients
After a vote by the undergraduate student body, we are pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Civil Undergraduate Teaching Awards: Undergraduate Teaching Award Winner 2nd year Student Appreciation Award Dr. Gregory A. Lawrence 3rd year Student Appreciation Award Dr. Bernard Laval 4th year Student Appreciation Award Dr. Yahya Nazhat Exceptional Commitment to Students Pamela Rogalski, P.Eng Each award recognizes a professor who has demonstrated a commitment to fairness, communication, and quality teaching to students in his or her courses this past academic year. Furthermore, the Exceptional Commitment to Students Award was voted for by students across all years and it focussed on the professor’s […]
Professor Alex Bigazzi speaks on proposed Rapid Transit Lines
Professor Alex Bigazzi spoke with CBC on the $9.4B 4-track rapid transit line in Metro Vancouver, proposed by former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt. Recently, both Vancouver city council and the Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Council have voted to endorse a rapid transit extension to the University of British Columbia. The project would bring rapid transit from the VCC-Clark station to Arbutus Street, with thecost is expected to run roughly $7 billion. However, former B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt thinks this plan is not enough of a push for long-term plans, and the city needs to think bigger. His pitch is to build a rapid transit line all the way […]
UBC Civil Staff and Faculty Team Competes in Vancouver Sun Run
Congrats to the Department of Civil Engineering Sun Run Team for completing the 2019 Vancouver Sun Run! This years CIVIL Sun Run Team included (left to right): Professor Bernard Laval, Professor Terje Haukaas, Diego Pastor Bartoli, Professor Alex Bigazzi, Jade Koide, Professor Carlos Molina Hutt, Shannon Remillong, Chris Gorczynski, and Daniela Hajdukovic (not pictured) Despite some team members having to run through an unprecedented hail storm, the CIVIL Team, which included both staff and faculty, all completed the run within 1 hour 17 minutes. The Vancouver Sun Run is Canada’s largest 10K road race. Run through a beautiful scenic course that […]
UBC Civil Engineering Alumnus to Strengthen Disaster Resilience
The Nepal Safer Schools Project (NSSP) is a Department for International Development (DFID) funded project seeking to increase the safety of approximately 250 vulnerable schools in Nepal and build the resilience of pupils, staff and the wider community to disasters. It is a consortium of Crown Agents, Save the Children and Arup international and NSET is implementing the one of the programme. The project is one part of DFID’s wider ‘Strengthening Disaster Resilience in Nepal” programme seeking to build the resilience of vulnerable people and reduce the impact of natural hazards in Nepal. For more details on Wesley’s journey to Nepal, as well […]
Celebrating the 3rd Annual UBC Design & Innovation Day
Celebrating its 3rd consecutive year, the UBC Design & Innovation Day on April 4th showcased UBC Engineering students’ capstone projects, design initiatives, and research activities throughout the academic term. Capstone design projects are a major component of the UBC Engineering curriculum where undergraduate students have the opportunity to design a product or service, and solve an open-ended problem within their chosen discipline. Forming groups of four to six team members, students were responsible for overseeing everything from idea generation to product deployment to prototype building and finally, to presenting their overarching findings and key solutions. The Design & Innovation Day began with outstanding hands-on demonstrations and interactive […]
Dr. Sheryl Staub-French Discusses Gender Gap in BC Engineering
Recent data from Statistics Canada indicates that despite the shortage in skilled engineers in British Columbia, the percentage of female students enrolled in post-secondary engineering programs (55.7%) continues to lag behind other programs such as health (72.7%) and law/social sciences (66.4%). In industry, women make up 12% of engineering jobs in BC and 20% of engineers-in-training (recently graduated category). UBC Civil Engineering Professor and Dean’s adviser on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Dr. Sheryl Staub-French, along with Dr. Kathy Tarnai-Lokhorst, President of Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC), were recently featured in an article published in Business Vancouver. Both Dr. Staub-French and Dr. Tarnai-Lokhorst note that […]
Call for Participants: Road User Interactions Survey
HOW WELL DO ROAD USERS INTERACT IN VANCOUVER? We are looking for participants who travel in Vancouver to take our survey. Participation requires about 15 minutes and involves viewing and rating a series of video clips of real-world interactions. All participants will be entered into a draw for one of four gift cards of $25 each. For more information, or to participate, please visit Road User Survey Link. Principle Investigators: Dr. Alex Bigazzi and Dr. Meghan Winters
Prof. Banthia wins award for excellence in technology & innovation
We are pleased to announce Dr. Nemkumar (Nemy) Banthia’s recent achievement in being honored with a Distinguished Alumnus Award 2018-19 for Technology Innovation Excellence (“TIE”). The award, presented by the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (“VNIT”) and NVIT Nagpur Alumni Association, recognizes leaders contributing a minimum of 25 years of service in their designated professional field, change-makers who have introduced ground-breaking technologies and innovations, and alumnus who have made social impacts on local, regional, national, and international levels. Dr. Banthia is a cherished alma mater of the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology and praised Faculty Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of […]
Seismic risk study & resilience plan with Professor Carlos Ventura
UBC takes great pride to ensure that all students, staff and faculty are safe and well-prepared in the event of an earthquake in British Columbia. One of the largest earthquakes to strike the coast of BC was on June 23, 1946 with a magnitude estimated at 7.3. More recently on October 27, 2012, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Haida Gwaii region resulting in trigger warnings across north-central BC. The Earthquake Engineering Research Facility (EERF) of UBC, a premier seismic testing laboratory, has been the forefront in conducting research, developing innovative teaching methods, and developing community outreach initiatives that actively reduce or mitigate […]
Prof. Tarek Sayed’s Research on Pedestrian Cellphone Use
(Photo Credit: KEVIN VAN PAASSEN/THE GLOBE AND MAIL) On Tuesday, February 12, 2019, The Globe and Mail hosted their second annual Globe Drive Mobility Summit, a half-day conference focused on the technology, innovations and societal shifts giving rise to the transformation of urban transportation. One of the major topics for this year’s summit is how the growing trend of pedestrians being distracted by using their cellphones when walking in crosswalks, poses a danger for both pedestrians and vehicle road users. For urban planners the focus now is on how to measure and analyze these sidewalk dangers better and even prevent them. In an article on […]
Professor Emeritus to be awarded George W. Housner Medal
Congratulations to Dr. Liam Finn, Professor Emeritus at UBC, who will be presented with the George W. Housner Medal in 2019! The award will be presented do Dr. Finn on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at the EERI Honour Ceremony and Annual Business Meeting in Vancouver British Columbia. The George W. Housner Medal of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute is awarded to recognize members of the Institute and others who have made extraordinary and lasting contributions to public earthquake safety through the development and application of earthquake hazard reduction practices and policies. This award is not established to recognize major engineering or scientific […]
Congratulations To Harald Schrempp On His Retirement
Congratulations to Harald Schrempp, Manager of Civil Labs & Workshops, who has retired from UBC Civil Engineering after 33 years with the department! Harald Schrempp joined the Department in September 1985 as an Engineering Technician 4. In July 1998, he was promoted to Workshop Supervisor (Eng. Technician 5), and in January 2014, he was promoted to Manager, Workshop and Laboratories, which is an M&P position. Harald has spent exactly one-third of a century – 33 years and 4 months – as a member of the Department of Civil Engineering. Best Wishes from all of us at the Department of Civil Engineering!