Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department Overview
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering had a banner year of its own, with research funding at its all-time high of $4.9M (20% increase over the previous year, increasing for the fourth consecutive year, and representing an average of $350,000 per tenured/tenure-track faculty), degrees awarded at its all-time high of 142 (12% increase over the previous year, and increasing for the fourth consecutive year), and student enrollments at its all-time high of 839 (4% increase over the previous year, and increasing for the fifth consecutive year). The department is well poised to be the leading program in the entire state.
Department Highlights
Dr. Atorod Azizinamini was appointed as the Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering starting in January 2011. Dr. Azizinamini came to FIU from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was a Distinguished College of Engineering Professor and the Director of National Bridge Research Organization. Known worldwide as a leading visionary bridge engineer, Dr. Azizinamini has received a number of awards. Since joining FIU, he received the prestigious AISC special achievement award.
The Department was successful in hiring two new faculty members, Dr. Xia Jin and Dr. Omar Abdul-Aziz, who will join the department as assistant professors in August, 2011. Dr. Jin received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in 2007. Her research is in the area of urban transportation planning, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and travel demand modeling. Dr. Abdul-Aziz received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2008. His research specialties are in ecological-hydrological engineering, hydrologic and water quality modeling, and climate change mitigations.
Three instructors, Dr. Anna Bernardo Bricker, Dr. Khokiat Kengskool, and Dr. Cora Martinez joined the department in 2010-11. Dr. Anna Bernardo Bricker teaches the courses in air pollution area and manages all environmental engineering labs. Dr. Khokiat Kengskool is responsible for teaching engineering economics and engineering drawing courses. Dr. Cora Martinez serves as the undergraduate advisor.
In January 2011, the Center for Accelerated Bridge Construction (http://abc.fiu.edu) was established and has been very successful in creating strong network of communication with bridge community.
The FIU ACI Student Chapter, under the advice of Dr. Nakin Suksawang, was named an ACI Excellent University for 2010 and received this award during ACI’s 2011 Spring Convention in Tampa, FL on April 3, 2011. The FIU ASCE student chapter was selected to host the 2013 ASCE Southeast Student Conference in Miami.
The “Wall of Wind” (WoW) facility at FIU has made a significant impact on hurricane mitigation through extensive research, education and outreach activities conducted by the wind engineering team of FIU International Hurricane Research Center and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The development of the WoW has been completed in stages, an incremental strategy that has enabled FIU researchers to gain experience in the development, testing, and operation of the facility, and helped reduce unnecessary expenses. The 12-fan WoW, comprising of twelve electric fan-motor units controlled by two variable frequency drives (VFDs), is designed to generate sustained wind speed up to 63 m/s (140 mph) (Category Four wind speed being 59-69 m/s [131-155 mph]). Construction of the 12-fan WoW is now complete and will be commissioned in the upcoming weeks.
Research and Funding
The Civil and Environmental Engineering ranked first in the College for external funding awards in 2010-2011 academic year, with more than $4.9M of research grants.
Drs. Arindam Chowdhury and Girma Bitsuamlak received $972,000 from the DOE for a project titled “State of the Art Large-Scale Testing for Wind to Enhance Infrastructure Resiliency and Develop Energy-Efficient.” Dr. Azizinamini has received, since January 2011, four major grants from FDOT on competitive basis with total funding of about $800,000 for investigations related to steel bridges, while Dr. Albert Gan secured over $1.045M of research funding as a PI in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Fall Term Enrollment
Five Year Fall Term Enrollment CEE
Degrees Awarded
Degrees Awarded CEE
Sponsored Research Awards ($Millions)
Five Year Award History CEE