UBC CSCE learns from Kiewit about the demolition of the old Port Mann Bridge

Monday, March 9, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin The UBC CSCE Student Chapter invited UBC alumni George Toews and Don Jacobsen from Kiewit to present an overview of the demolition of the old Port Mann Bridge, which was once the longest arch bridge in Canada. George is a 2014 IGEN graduate who completed 16 months of co-op […]

Civil professors help UBC SailBot detect obstacles in their upcoming cross-Atlantic voyage

UBC SailBot, the innovative robotic sailing team made up of computer science and engineering students, is getting ready for a potentially groundbreaking voyage. This summer, their 5.5 metre long sailboat will launch off the coast of Newfoundland in an attempt to become the first fully autonomous, unmanned vessel to cross the Atlantic. If all goes […]

UBC Concrete Toboggan Team celebrates a strong showing at GNCTR 2015

The UBC Concrete Toboggan Team recently returned from a strong showing at “the world’s most epic engineering competition,” Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race 2015, hosted by UBC-Okanagan.  Four days of networking with over 400 of their counterparts from other universities, faculty, and industry representatives; showcasing their innovative design at Tech-Ex (the annual GNCTR technical exhibition); […]

Professor Sietan Chieng Retires

Dr. Sietan Chieng retired from the Department of Civil Engineering in 2014, after 33 years at UBC.  Dr. Chieng grew up in Sarawak, one of the states of Malaysia, located on North Borneo Island.  His journey as an engineer began in 1968 when he was selected and sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Higher Learning Society to […]

Concrete Canoe Team on Global News!

Pictured L – R: Sophia Piche, Sadaf Farzanehfar, Christina Noël, Tyler Mann, Anthony McGill, Logan Schrum Concrete Canoe was featured on Global News, with comments from Dr. Staub-French on UBC Engineering’s record-breaking enrollment of women in 2014. Watch the segment online! 

Three Minute Thesis: Civil Heat Results

Pictured L – R: Md Nesar Khadem, Behzad Shoolestani, Dong Cui, Amir Shoolestani On February 13th, four 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 sushi lunch while they took in these engaging and informative three […]

Civil Professor Emeritus Dr. Peter M. Byrne awarded the R.F. Legget Medal

Prof. Byrne, pictured with former UBC Civil Engineering graduate students. Top row, L – R: C. Dharmasetia 2000; S Vazinkhoo 1996; D Wallis 1979; E Naesgaard 2011; N Singh 1999; M Seid-Karbasi 2009; J McIntyre 1996. Bottom row, L – R: F Esford 2002; L Yan 1990; M Beaty 2001; Professor Byrne; U Atukorala 1989; […]

Retiring Professor Sigi Stiemer featured in Ingenuity

After 33 years with the Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Siegfried “Sigi” Stiemer, P.Eng., has retired. 

Professor Tony Yang receives CISC 2014 H.A. Krentz Research Award

Civil Assistant Professor Tony Yang received a 2014 University Research Grant from the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC), for his research project entitled Development of High Performance Modular Steel Structures. Click for details from CISC.

Fourth year Civil students think outside the box with integrated engineering design for Granville Island

Fourth year Civil Engineering students recently competed in the annual end-of-term design competition. Twenty-two teams of students with expertise in various sub-disciplines of civil engineering presented their design solutions, which were judged by distinguished members of the industrial community and faculty representatives. This year’s term project focused on the retrofitting and re-purposing of the Granville […]

Professor Carlos Ventura’s Innovate 2014 Presentation Video Now Online

Last fall, Civil professor Carlos Ventura delivered a dynamic presentation on earthquake engineering at Innovate 2014, the APSC’s first annual showcase of some of the most advanced research coming out of the Faculty. All the presentations are now available online – click to view! 

Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race 2015: the countdown is on!

The UBC Concrete Toboggan Team is making the final preparations for the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race, which takes place January 21 – 25, 2015 at UBC-O. This year, a full team of 30 students will be travelling to Kelowna for the competition. The team consists of 11 GNCTR veterans and 19 first-timers, representing mainly […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Professor Nemy Banthia receives Aftab Mufti Medal for Best Paper in the Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring

The International Society for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure (ISHMII) has awarded the paper entitled “Corrosion detection in reinforced concrete using induction heating and infrared thermography,” co-authored by Dr. Nemy Banthia and K. Kobayashi, the 2011 Aftab Mufti Medal for Best Paper in the Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring.