Fourth-year student receives two Pipeline Engineering awards
Jezarah Ebel was always destined for a bright future in engineering. After excelling in math and physics in high school, choosing to study Civil Engineering at UBC was a no-brainer. Driven by a newfound interest in project management, she decided to further specialize in pipeline engineering. This year, Jezarah is one of three students (along with recent Integrated Engineering graduate Rene Rao and Materials Engineering MASc student Kaiya Yamada) to receive the International Pipeline Conference (IPC) Foundation Award. She is also the sole recipient of the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC) Prize. The IPC Awards, totaling $5,000 annually, recognize outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in the […]
MEL students use free public Wi-Fi to increase citizen engagement
How can cities increase public engagement? Students in the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Urban Systems: Infrastructure for Resilient Cities program worked with the City of New Westminster to explore how adding to the number of free public Wi-Fi spots in the city’s high-pedestrian traffic areas could enhance citizen engagement. New Westminster was one of the first cities in BC to install free Wi-Fi access points in public facilities such as community centres, arenas, city hall and the library. As part of an effort to engage with more citizens through social and civic outreach programs, municipal staff were interested in assessing the […]
In Memoriam: Dr. William Kaye (Bill) Oldham
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. William Kaye Oldham (Bill to his friends and colleagues.) Bill died peacefully on Tuesday, Oct. 6th at his home in Merville, B.C.—just a few miles from where he was born. Born in Cumberland on Vancouver Island, BC on May 27, 1936, Bill graduated with a BASc in Civil Engineering from UBC and completed his graduate studies at the University of Texas-Austin. After spending a few years working at Stanley & Associates in Edmonton, Bill joined the UBC Department of Civil Engineering as a faculty member in 1968. “Like several […]
Professors Li and Yang receive province’s top awards for engineers
We are excited to announce that two faculty members in our Department received the 2020 President’s Awards from Engineers and Geoscientists BC. The awards are the province’s top awards for professional engineers and geoscientists and recognize those with outstanding achievement in professional, technical, and community contributions. Professor Loretta Li received the R.A. McLachlan Memorial Award, while Professor Tony Yang earned the Meritorious Achievement Award. “These awards demonstrate how UBC Civil Engineering faculty members continue to make exceptional contributions through their groundbreaking research and their dedication to excellence in teaching and innovation,” said Department Head Bernard Laval. “On behalf of our Department, my warmest […]
Years after Mount Polley disaster, study reveals ongoing problems
Six years ago – on August 4, 2014 – the Mount Polley mine spill released 24 million cubic metres of waste. The spill flowed into Hazeltine Creek, Quesnel Lake, and other waterways in the Likely, B.C. area and is by far the largest mine waste spill in Canadian history. In the years that followed, tests by B.C. officials have revealed that the water quality met provincial guidelines, while geochemical studies of mine tailings at the bottom of Quesnel Lake have demonstrated it is not releasing metals into the water. However, a new study suggests that the problem isn’t over yet. The new […]
Impact Report highlights research, funding, academic success
There’s a reason we are consistently ranked at #1 in Canada and among the top 30 civil engineering schools worldwide by the QS World University Rankings. Over the past decade, our renowned faculty have provided tremendous leadership in educational and research activities, and fostered close relationships with industry and government. Our alumni are also leaders in their fields who continue to contribute to the enhancement of our society. The report presents a historical analysis of research areas, publications, and industry partnerships, as well as funding success. It also outlines the success of our undergraduate and graduate programs using metrics on diversity, enrolment, […]
Pamela Wolf hired as Assistant Professor of Teaching
We are pleased to announce that Pamela Wolf (previously Rogalski) has been hired as Assistant Professor of Teaching with the UBC Department of Civil Engineering. Pamela joined UBC School of Applied Science as a Faculty Lecturer in 2013 and has developed and delivered numerous technical communication courses to students in Civil Engineering, Material Engineering, and Engineering Physics. Among Pamela’s most significant contributions at UBC Civil is her steadfast dedication to cultivating communication, leadership and other soft skills in engineering students—a direct response to what she sees as a real cultural shift in the engineering industry. “There is now an expectation of […]
UBC Civil professor to develop wastewater testing for COVID-19
Update: July 9, 2020, The team’s research, titled “ Expanding the wastewater-based epidemiology toolkit for monitoring COVID-19 community transmission in Canada,” has received the NSERC Alliance COVID-19 grant for one year. NSERC is providing up to $15 million in total support to stimulate collaborations between university academic researchers and the public and not-for-profit sectors, and industry to address pandemic-related research and technical challenges. Ryan Ziels, an Assistant Professor of environmental engineering in the UBC Department of Civil Engineering, and Natalie Prystajecky at the BC Center for Disease and Control (BCCDC) and UBC Faculty of Medicine, are developing a method for detecting and […]
UBC Civil Engineering standing up against racism
The Department of Civil Engineering stands in solidarity with the global Black community and supports the calls for justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Tony McDade, Trayvon Martin and other Black individuals who have experienced historic, systemic, and ongoing violence and brutality at the hands of police and others. These recent events in the United States and Canada remind us that we haven’t done enough to address the historic, systemic and ongoing racism faced by racialized groups. In saying this, the Department of Civil Engineering joins UBC President Santa Ono and the Faculty of Applied Science in developing meaningful ways to […]
Female-led UBC Engineering student team wins at Solar Decathlon
UBC Engineering student design team, Third Quadrant Design, won first place in the Urban Single-Family Division at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, held April 17-19, 2020. Supervised by UBC Engineering faculty members Dr. Adam Rysanek, Dr. Sheryl Staub-French, and Dr. Susan Nesbit, Third Quadrant Design comprises of 25 UBC students across multiple engineering disciplines. It is led by three female students, Zoë Le Hong (Integrated, ’20), Aleesha Hsu (Civil, ’21), and Claire Pibrovec (Integrated, ’20), and is majority femme-identifying. The group is also supported by Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Integral Group, RJC, RDH Building Science, and Francl Architecture. Solar Decathlon is an international collegiate competition that challenges teams to […]
Application open for new UBC environmental engineering program
Have questions for the program directors? We’re hosting a Virtual Information Session this Thursday, April 30th from 11AM to noon PST. Join us on Zoom at https://ubc.zoom.us/j/94665090991! To meet the rising demand for environmental engineers by government agencies and the manufacturing, agricultural, and resource sectors, as well as consulting firms, the University of British Columbia is proud to announce a new four-year undergraduate environmental engineering degree to begin in fall 2020. The result of an innovative partnership between UBC’s Departments of Civil Engineering and Chemical & Biological Engineering, the four-year program will adopt a collaborative, team-based approach to prepare students with the tools and […]
Civil Engineering alumna strives to decrease gender imbalance
Kelsie Priest, a UBC Civil Engineering Alumna and a Structural Engineer with Glotman Simpson, is actively working to decrease gender imbalance in the engineering community. Priest currently serves as the co-chair of Women in Consulting Engineering (WCE), which is focused on “supporting and empowering women in engineering and increasing gender diversity and inclusion in [the] industry.” Priest believes with the support of groups like WCE, she has gained the tools and confidence to aspire to leadership roles in engineering despite gender biases. She encourages parents with daughters interested in engineering to talk to a professional in the industry. There are an abundance […]
Alex Bigazzi promoted to associate professor with tenure
Dr. Alex Bigazzi, a faculty member in the UBC Department of Civil Engineering and the School of Community and Regional Planning, has received tenure and been promoted to Associate Professor. Tenureship recognizes exceptional faculty members for their distinguished scholarship, dedication to teaching and mentorship, and exemplary service to the University in helping achieve its vision as a globally influential institution. In so doing, Dr. Bigazzi is “helping create an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship, promotes the values of a civil and sustainable society, and supports outstanding research,” said UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa J. Ono in a statement. Dr. Bigazzi’s research […]
Dr. Nemy Banthia’s revolutionary new pavement product
A Canadian-engineered pavement technology that has withstood five South Asian monsoon seasons with flying colours holds significant promises for revolutionizing road and building infrastructure in Canada and all over the world. Pioneered by the Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence IC-IMPACTS , which is headed by UBC Department of Civil Engineering professor Dr. Nemy Banthia, this pavement material’s financial, functional, and sustainable advantages have begun to help modernize India’s infrastructure. Compared with traditional concrete, this material’s unique inclusion of fibres that allow for the pavement to be very thin makes it cheaper to produce. It is also more durable, and with 60% […]
Dr. Tarek Sayed on crosswalk safety used in report investigation
Back in 2016, the city conducted a pilot project at two crosswalks, which added side-mounted lights to existing overhead flashing lights. At the end of this study it was “found that driver compliance rates increased 100 percent when [vehicles were] sixty metres away from the crosswalk when the lower level lights were used with the overhead lights.” However, instead of presenting this report to upgrade the additional 170 pedestrian crosswalks with no side lights, it was never made public. In 2018, two separate incidents of young children killed while using crosswalks with only overhead lights occurred. In repose to these tragedies, […]
UBC Civil Team wins third place in Seismic Design Competition
Congratulations to the UBC students who won third place in the 2020 Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition at the National Earthquake Conference. Over 51 teams from universities across the United States and around the world participated in this competition. Each team designed a complex tall building model made from balsa wood that was tested on a shaking table. The teams were judged on their oral design presentation, their summary poster, the model’s architectural design, their ability to fit within the design criteria and constraints, their analytical prediction of their model performance, and the response of their model during shaking table testing. Along with their […]
Dr. Bigazzi: Vancouver’s car sharing landscape is safe and healthy
Dr. Alex Bigazzi, an assistant professor in UBC’s Department of Civil Engineering, was recently interviewed by the Vancouver Sun on changes to Vancouver’s car-sharing services. Vancouver had four popular services: Evo, car2go, Modo and ZipCar. However, as of February 29th, car2go was pulled out of Vancouver and all of North America citing the “volatile state of the global mobility landscape.” This car-sharing service was incredibly popular in Vancouver with 1,200 cars and 20,000 members. Although it would seem that car2go’s departure would create a huge hole in the market, Dr. Bigazzi states that “Vancouver’s car-sharing landscape, which [now] includes Evo, Modo, and Zipcar, […]
Dr. Jongho Lee featured in magazine for novel desalination process
Dr. Jongho Lee, an assistant professor in UBC’s Department of Civil Engineering, recently published his new study on a clean alternative to clearing up flood water in Science Advances Magazine. The researcher was inspired by how mangrove trees, which like other trees, employ a water transport system that can evaporate moisture from their leaves. This process further produces tension in their water-conducting tissues that helps to draw water into their roots. In developing a synthetic system using a polymer membrane, the researchers demonstrated through evaporation “a huge negative pressure was generated to drive water flow through a semi-permeable, reverse-osmosis membrane, thereby desalinating […]
Dr. Donald Mavinic Appointed to the Order of Canada
Donald Mavinic, a professor emeritus in UBC’s Department of Civil Engineering and an internationally recognized expert in water treatment, has been appointed to the Order of Canada “[f]or his contributions to environmental engineering science and technology in Canada.” One of the country’s highest honours, the Order aims to recognize people “whose service shapes our society, whose innovations ignite our imaginations, and whose compassion unites our communities.” Mavinic joined the UBC Applied Science faculty in 1973 and has led numerous advances in the field of wastewater management over the course of his career. These include the development of a system that transforms […]