Fourth-year student Jezarah Ebel earns rare honour as double recipient of 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 […]
MEL students use free public Wi-Fi to increase citizen engagement in New Westminster
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 […]
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 […]
Professors Loretta Li and Tony 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 […]
Six years after Mount Polley mine disaster, new 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 […]
Impact Report highlights a decade of 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 […]
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 […]
UBC Civil Engineering professor Ryan Ziels 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 […]
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 […]
Female-led UBC Engineering student team wins first place 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 […]
Application open for new UBC environmental engineering program launching fall 2020
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 […]
Civil Engineering alumna Kelsie Priest 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.” […]
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 […]
UBC Civil Engineering and COVID19: Updates, Resources and FAQ
Updated April 6, 2020 – 2:00 pm. PDT For the latest information on UBC’s response to COVID-19, please visit the following resources: UBC’s response: https://covid19.ubc.ca UBC Faculty of Applied Science’s response: https://apsc.ubc.ca/covid-19 Student resources: https://students.ubc.ca/covid19 Graduate student resources: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/covid-19 To support UBC’s social distancing protocols, a number of Civil Engineering staff and faculty will be working remotely. The Student […]
Dr. Nemy Banthia’s new pavement product set to revolutionize road construction
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 […]
Dr. Tarek Sayed gives expert opinion on crosswalk safety used in hidden safety 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 […]
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. […]
Dr. Alex Bigazzi highlights that Vancouver’s car sharing landscape is safe and healthy despite the departure of car2go
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 […]
Dr. Jongho Lee featured in The Guardian for novel desalination process inspired by mangrove trees
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 […]
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, […]