Newsletter from Purdue University Vol.4 Issue1 Summer 1999

C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G

TRANSITIONS

continued on page 7

Environmental Engineering TeamWins Top Honors

C ivil Engineering seniors whosurpassed 24 other colleges and

universities to win first place at the 9thAnnual Environmental Design Competitioneasily see the link between their challengeand that of the Hopi hoop dancer picturedin the sand painting award they received(photo on page 7). Figuratively and literally,jumping through hoops is not an easy task.

Yet that’s exactly what Purdue’s 28students on four teams did at New MexicoState University in April as they tackledthese real-world problems: a landfill cap,transuranic waste reduction, pipeline wasteremoval, and in-situ soil decontamination.

Semester-Long, Real-World ProjectsWeeks of study, evaluation, testingsolutions, and preparation by the CE 498students preceded the event, whereapproximately 50 judges from industriesand governmental agencies grilled themon their proposed solutions. “We met with10 different judging groups and had a lotof interaction with the judges,” saysDan Kamer of Chicago, a member of thepipeline project team that took secondplace. “Each team’s solution was different,so that made the competition a lot greater.”

For the landfill team, the challenge camein addressing dry New Mexico landconditions, says David Mohler of Indianapolis.“We first looked at the problem, at thingsthat have worked and things that have notworked.” The team’s final cover designinvolved multiple layers—vegetation,polymer-enhanced soil, native soil withhydraulic conductivity, a barrier of

Suresh Rao First in Civil Engineering tobe Named Rieth Distinguished Professor

T he Purdue Board of Trustees has namedP. Suresh Chandra Rao as the first Rieth

Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering.The appointment signalsCivil Engineering’sdramatically enhancedcommitment to environ-mental engineering andan expanded focus oninter-disciplinary research.

Dr. Rao comes to Purduefrom the University ofFlorida, where he hasearned an internationalreputation for his work overthe last quarter-century.

The Rieth Professorship inEnvironmental Engineeringwas established in 1991 tobreak new ground in CivilEngineering’s offerings.It was funded by MaryJane Rieth in memory of her husband, LeeRieth; her father-in-law, Albert Rieth; and herbrothers-in-law, Blair Rieth and William Rieth.All four were graduates of Purdue’s School ofCivil Engineering.

Fits CE’s Vision to AchieveUnrivaled Impact“This is a very exciting time for us,” saysDr. Vincent Drnevich, professor and head ofthe School of Civil Engineering. “Dr. Raobrings strengths in other disciplines andcouples them with strengths in our disciplines

to do things we wouldn’t ordinarily be engagedin doing. This is consistent with our vision forour School to have unrivaled impact on civil

engineering worldwide.”

A native of Warangal,India, Dr. Rao earned hisbachelor’s in 1967 fromA.P. Agricultural Universityin India; his master’s in1969 from Colorado StateUniversity; and his Ph.D.in 1974 from the Universityof Hawaii. In 1975, hejoined the Soil ScienceDepartment at the Univer-sity of Florida as a post-doctoral research fellow.Later appointmentsincluded assistantresearch scientist in1977, associate professorin 1982, and professor in1985. In 1993, he was

appointed to the special rank of graduate re-search professor; and in 1998, in recogni-tion of his inter-disciplinary researchcontributions, he was appointed researchfoundation professor.

He also was an affiliate professor in thedepartment of environmental engineeringscience and director of the Center for NaturalResources, where he coordinated inter-disciplinary research and extension efforts inecosystem management and restoration.

continued on page 20

Suresh Rao

Professor Emeritus Harold Michael passes away August 3, see page 23

2

Civil EngineeringAdvisory Council

C I V I LENGINEERINGP U R D U EUNIVERSITY

Faculty Features ............................................................................................................... 4-7New Faculty and Staff ................................................................................................. 4-5Faculty News ............................................................................................................... 6-7Faculty Promotions ......................................................................................................... 7

Student Highlights ........................................................................................................ 10-13Scholarships & Awards ........................................................................................... 10-11

Alumni Honored ............................................................................................................ 14-15Class Notes ................................................................................................................... 15-16

In Memorium ................................................................................................................. 17Calendar of Events ................................................................................................. Back Page

In this issue...

Editor ............................................................................................................... Donald R. FryAssistant ................................................................................................................. Taya CookContributing Writer ............................................................................................. Kathy MayerDesign & Layout ...................................................................... Engineering Production Office

Nicholas J. AschlimanATC Associates

Walter C. BellUnion Railways Limited, UK

Joseph BroylesIndianapolis Water Company

William F. BrumundGolder Associates

Christopher B. BurkeChristopher B. Burke Engineering

Dennis J. DragMoffatt & Nichol Engineers

Harold Force - ChairForce Construction Company, Inc.

Susan M. FreyCH2M Hill

David S. GedneyFluor Daniel

William H. HighterUniversity of Massachusetts

Transportation Center

Charles W. HoppeHoppe Consulting

Angela T. Jenkins-KirbyDuPont

John M. Knapp, Jr.General Mechatronics Corp.

James A. MapleJ. A. Maple & Associates

Za-Lee MohMoh and Associates, Inc.

Alex D. Oak - Vice ChairPaul I. Cripe, Inc.

Michael A. PierleSolutia Inc.

Dennis E. RobyADM Design Services

Roy WansikConsultant

3

Schoolof

Civil Engineering

HeadVincent P. Drnevich

Assistant HeadV. James Meyers

Assistant HeadJulio RamirezAssistant Head

James E. AllemanArea Heads:

Construction EngineeringDaniel W. Halpin

Environmental & Hydraulic EngineeringChad T. Jafvert

Geotechnical EngineeringAdolph Altschaeffl

Materials Engineering (Civil)Jan Olek

Structural EngineeringMark Bowman

Geomatics EngineeringEdward M. MikhailTransportation and

Infrastructure Systems EngineeringKumares C. Sinha

C I V I LENGINEERINGP U R D U EUNIVERSITY

Dr. Vincent P. DrnevichProfessor and HeadSchool of Civil Engineering

T his issue of Transitions will document another exciting year for Civil Engineeringat Purdue. It is hard to believe that I am completing my eighth year here. As the

saying goes, ‘‘Time really flies when you are having fun.” Thanks to the joint efforts ofour alumni, faculty, staff, and students, we are making progress on realizing our visionof having ‘‘unrivaled impact on civil engineering worldwide.” We gathered evidence ofthis from visits to California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Washington, as well as in ourown back yard (Chicago and Indianapolis). Let me extend my thanks to all of ouralums for your accomplishments and for carrying the Purdue banner so proudly.

We were especially proud of Purdue’s Women’s Basketball Championship this year.In April, Civil Engineering celebrated a national championship of its own with our studentswho won the travelling trophy in the Waste Management Engineering ResearchCoalition (WERC) national competition in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We are very proudof them and their faculty advisors: Inez Hua, Larry Nies, and Ron Wukasch.

Among the milestones of this past year are the retirements of Milton Harr andGilbert Satterly, and the departure of Rick Deschamps for a position in the consultingindustry. Joining us were Adam Hand in the Materials Area, Jeffrey Shan in Geomatics,and Suresh Rao, the Lee A. Rieth Distinguished Professor, in the Environmental/Hydraulics Area. The School is poised for the future with one of the finest facultyanywhere.

We have some challenges before us. First and foremost is the recruitment of top-quality students to continue the tradition of excellence associated with our program.Many of you are assisting us in recruitment and I thank you for this help. Another isour preparation for accreditation, both the North Central Association (this Fall) and theAccrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (Fall of 2001). We are engaged incurriculum review and instituting extensive outcomes assessment procedures. Newaccreditation criteria are much more performance-based than previous criteria. Wewill be enlisting the help of many of you to obtain our data. I thank you in advance forassisting us.

We hope that you enjoyed the summer and that some of you will stop by to visit us.We’d be glad to show you what changes have taken place and to share with you ourplans for the future.

Best regards,

Vince Drnevich

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◆

◆Faculty News

University of Brussels in Belgium, and wasinducted into the National Academy ofEngineering. From 1991 to 1994, he servedas area head of Geotechnical Engineering.

Teaching: A Way to Help OthersTeaching was his way of helping others,Dr. Harr says. “There’s something innate in allof us—a desire to help others. It’s one of theunwritten laws of society.” Besides CivilEngineering, Dr. Harr also shared with hisstudents a love of music, especially opera,and art. And a hallmark of Purdue’s CivilEngineering program, he says, is that “Purduerecognizes civil engineering as an art asmuch as a science.”

Dr. Harr’s consulting work—which broughtrich experiences to his classroom—spannedthe universe, with projects ranging from theleaning tower of Pisa to the lunar vehicle usedby the astronauts. His work included locks,dams, highways, levies, and airfields. Hecontinues those interests, and this summer isconsulting in Australia.

Professor Harr RetiresAfter more than four decades of triggering

a sense of amazement in Civil Engineer-ing students, Professor Milton Harr hasretired from Purdue University.

“Dr. Harr was a beloved teacher and acreative thinker,” says Dr. Vincent Drnevich,professor and head of the School of CivilEngineering. “He was tremendously amazedby things, often starting sentences with,‘Isn’t it amazing that. . .?’ and one of hisfavorite topics was that of probability.”

Geotechnical Engineering His ExpertiseDr. Harr came to Purdue in 1955 after earninghis bachelor’s at Northeastern and master’sat Rutgers. He also brought along severalyears’ experience with the MassachusettsState Highway Department, where he workedon the nation’s first limited-access highways.He earned his Ph.D. at Purdue in 1958.

During his tenure in geotechnical engineering,he published four books and countlessjournal articles, graduated about 50 Ph.D.s,earned an honorary doctorate from the

Maeve Drummond with Vicki Gascho and ProfessorGil Satterly at his retirement reception in May 1999.

Professor Satterly Retires

Dr. Harr and his wife Florence have homesin Rhode Island and Florida. Besides theSchool of Engineering, Dr. Harr says he’llmiss playing handball at Purdue. “And 1999will be the first year in 44 years that I won’tsee Purdue football. But I’m going to get asatellite dish so I can watch the games ontelevision.”

He became a professor of transportationengineering and research engineer in 1974.

He sums up his devotion to his career quitesimply: “I like to teach and I like to seestudents learn.” The students from all over theworld who filled Dr. Satterly’s classes evenincluded his own sons, Alan (BSCE ’81) andPaul (BSCE ’82 and MSCE ’83).

Besides teaching, his career achievementsinclude numerous publications and serviceon the landmark study committee that led totoday’s flexible Civil Engineering curriculum.

Recognized for Civic InvolvementDr. Satterly also made significant civiccontributions, including serving on theIndiana Governor’s Advisory Board on PublicTransportation for many years. He also wasinstrumental in studies and initiation of publictransportation in Tippecanoe County,

W ith a legacy of having counseled morestudents than any other living Purdue

faculty member, Professor Gilbert Satterlyhas retired from Purdue University’s Schoolof Civil Engineering.

“Many students reflect fondly on the ‘fatherlyadvice’ Dr. Satterly gave them over theyears,” says Dr. Vincent Drnevich, professorand head of the School of Civil Engineering.“He is known particularly for treating studentsas individuals, and for spending thoughtfultime with them.”

Transportation His SpecialtyDr. Satterly earned his bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees at Wayne State Universityand his Ph.D. at Northwestern University.He taught at the University of Michigan andWayne State, then joined Purdue’s CivilEngineering as associate professor in 1970.

Professor Milton Harr and Emily Ellis, ASCE StudentChapter President retirement reception, Purdue Memorial

Union, December 1998.

Indiana, and he chaired the board of thelocal public transportation company fornearly a decade. For his civic participation,he earned the distinguished Sagamore ofthe Wabash Award from former IndianaGovernor Robert Orr in 1981.

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T he 17th Surveying and Mapping Educa-tors Conference was held at Purdue

University July 11-14, 1999. The conferencemarked the 62nd anniversary of the firstNational Surveying Teacher Conferenceheld in 1937. Presentations covered a widerange of topics. Jeff Wright, Professor andDirector, Water Resources Research Center;Assistant Dean, School of Engineering atPurdue, conducted a workshop on EducationalMiddleware for Distance Education. Hispresentation encompassed tools such asWebCT, and higher-end environments.Professor Dan Budny, award-winning Asso-ciate Professor of Freshman Engineering,provided attendees to alternative teachingmethods. Presentations included CooperativeLearning Techniques and Teaching Techniquesfor Different Learning Styles.

The Transportation Research Board namedthe following committee appointments

through January 2002:

Leonard Wood — Characteristics ofBituminous Materials

Darcy Bullock — Applications ofEmerging Technology

Bob Jacko — Task Force on Environmental Impacts of Aviation

Andrzej Tarko — Safety Data, Analysis,& Evaluation

The Purdue Research Foundationrecently awarded several grants for the

1999 academic year. Receiving researchgrants and their projects were:

Jie Shan — GIS-based AutomaticBuilding Extractionfrom Digital Imagery

Mirek Skibniewski — Utility Assessment ofElectronic NetworkingTechnologies for Construc-tion Project Management

Andrzej Tarko — Automated Image-BasedEvaluation of HighwaySafety

Receiving summer faculty grants and theirprojects were:

Timothy Whalen — Analysis of NonlinearPassive Damping Systemswith Applications to Controlof Wind-Induced Vibrations

Antonio Bobet — Optimization of TunnelLiner Design

Graham Archer — A Nonlinear Static Push-Over Analysis Algorithm

Receiving international travel grants were:Ernest Blatchley— International Symposiumon The Learning Society and the Water Envi-ronment in ParisSrinivas Peeta —14th International Sympo-sium on Transportation and Traffic Theory inJerusalemMirek Skibniewski —16th International Sym-posium on Automation and Robotics in MadridTimothy Whalen —10th International Confer-ence on Wind Engineering in Copenhagen

Professor Rodrigo Salgado is the 1999recipient of the ASCE Arthur Casagrande

Professional Development Award.

Professor W. F. Chen received the BrownUniversity Engineering Alumni Medal

during this year’s Commencement Weekend,May 30,1999. Brown University introducedthis medal last year as part of its celebrationof 150 years of teaching engineering at Brown,and this medal is a means of recognizingdistinguished engineering alumni.

Chen also was elected to the prestigiousAcademia Sinica in Taiwan last year. The onlyother structural engineer receiving such anhonor was Professor T.Y. Lin who was electedmore than 20 years ago.

Professor Kumares C. Sinha chaired an invited panel to review the academic

program of the Department of CivilEngineering, University of Virginia,Charlottesville, VA on January 20 and 21,1999. He also chaired two meetings ofGroup 5 Council at the 1999 Annual Meetingof the Transportation Board, Washington DC.

Professor Steve Johnson has been askedto represent the American Congress on

Surveying and Mapping on the RelatedAccreditation Commission (RAC) of ABET.The RAC accredits programs that have highly-specialized educational requirements and closepractical and academic ties to engineering.These programs do not include the engineer-ing designation in the degree title. Survey andMapping and similarly named degree programsare included in the RAC. Surveying engineer-ing and similarly named degree programs areaccredited by the Engineering AccreditationCommittee (EAC).

A nother change in the UndergraduateOffice was the retirement of Vicki

Gascho, undergraduate secretary. Vickiofficially retired on December 31, 1998,after 20 years of service. She started hercareer in the Structures Area of theSchool of Civil Engineering in 1979 andmoved to the Undergraduate Office after12 years.

Vicki was a vital part of the studentservices team and is missed by faculty,staff and students. She was presentedwith some “special gifts” for her retire-ment years at the Civil Engineeringannual holiday party and also receiveda check, which she planned to use topurchase a computer.

An Open House was held in Vicki’shonor in mid-December. Faculty, staffand students enjoyed wishing her wellwhile sampling some delicious snacks.Vicki is looking forward to traveling withher husband and family. Rumor has itshe has already taken a cruise thisspring for starters. She was also anxiousto spend time with her grandchildren andtending to her flower garden.

Best wishes, Vicki!

ACD-ROM based training tool on designingTemporary Structures has been developed

in the School of Civil Engineering. This toolutilizes a wide range of multimedia to explainand describe the following topics associatedwith vertical above ground temporary structures;Legal Aspects, Codes and Design Standards,Construction Loads, Formwork Design, andShoring and Scaffolding Design. The course isoffered through the Continuing EngineeringEducation Office and four (4) continuingeducation credits (CEUs) are awarded aftersuccessfully completing the course. For moreinformation contact Bob McCullouch(765-494-0643, bgm@ecn.purdue.edu) orDavid Harmelink (765-496-2742,daveh@ecn.purdue.edu).

6

The National Engineering Week Committeenamed Professor Vince Drnevich the

Indiana Executive All Star for EngineeringWeek. To raise awareness, Dr. Drnevichcontacted nearly 300 Indiana companies,agencies, and educational institutions aboutEngineering wrote an article for the specialEngineering Week supplement to the IndianapolisBusiness Journal, and attended the EngineeringAll Star Summit in Washington on February23, 1999. At the Summit, he learned of someexciting new initiatives to help middle schoolstudents consider engineering as a career. Oneis an exceptionally well done websitedeveloped by Eastman Chemical Company(http://www.discoverengineering.org) TheExecutive All Star from Mississippi wasGovernor Kirk Fordice (BSCE’56). The featuredspeaker was Steve Bechtel, Jr. (BSCE’46).

P rofessor Ed Mikhail was invited toAustralia to visit Queensland University of

Technology and the Cooperative ResearchCenter for Satellite Systems in July 1998. Hepresented several seminars under the generaltheme: Cross Disciplinary Research in DigitalPhotogrammetry, Hyperspectral Classification,Computer Vision, and Visualization. He alsoparticipated in working sessions on currentresearch activities of mutual interest, assistedin general planning for the 2000 InternationalCongress in Amsterdam and assisted inplanning for the 2004 Congress of the Interna-tional Society for Photogrammetry and RemoteSensing where Professor Steve Johnsonattended the GIS/LIS ’98 Conference inNovember 1998 in Fort Worth, Texas. Theconference is jointly sponsored by the AAG,ACSM, ASPRS, AM/FM, URISA, and theAPWA. Topics of discussion included GIS andgeomatics education issues. The proposedchanges to the NCEES Model Law for profes-sional surveying registration was an importanttopic discussed at several sessions. The ModelLaw for registration of “land surveyors” will likelychange to include the practice of photogrammet-ric mapping under a title such as “professionalsurveyor”. The issue of whether or not surveyingand mapping performed by GIS practitionerswill be included in the proposed registrationrequirements is a hotly debated issue.

Faculty News continued The Geomatics Engineering area participatedextensively in the International Symposium

of Commission III, on Theory and Algorithms,of the International Society for Photogrammetryand Remote Sensing, in Columbus, Ohio.Professor Ed Mikhail presented the keynoteaddress. Professors Mikhail and James Bethelpresented four papers which were selected inthe small subset of papers from the symposiumproceedings to be included in a special issue ofPhotogrammetric Engineering and RemoteSensing.

P rofessor Steve Johnson was elected toFellow membership in the American

Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)at the GIS/LIS ’98 Conference in Fort Worth,Texas.

T he Second Annual Review of the Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative

(MURI) Project on Rapid and AffordableGeneration of Terrain and Detailed UrbanFeature Data, which Professor Ed Mikhaildirected, was held at the University of SouthernCalifornia in November 1998. Purdue wasrepresented by Professors Mikhail, Bethel,and Landgrebe (ECE).

P rofessor W.F. Chen has accepted to serveas a member of the International Scientific

Advisory Committee for the IMPLAST 2000,the 7th International Symposium on StructuralFailure and Plasticity to be held in Melbourne,Australia, October 4-6, 2000.

The Bridge Engineering Handbook edited byProfessor W. F. Chen with his former student,

Dr. L. Duan, will be published by the CRC Press.The 68-chapter book contributed by an interna-tional team of experts addresses to all facets ofbridge engineering—the planning, design, inspec-tion, construction, and maintenance of varietyof bridge structures.

I n recognition of many years of teaching,research, and service in the specialty of

cold regions engineering, C. W. “Bill” Lovellhas been awarded the Harold Peyton ColdRegions Engineering Award. This recognitionwill occur at the 1999 National Conferenceof the American Society of Civil Engineers inCharlotte, North Carolina.

Bill, who has a record of almost 51 years ofcontinuous service at Purdue University, is aProfessor Emeritus of Civil Engineering. For

the past 3 years, he has been assignedto Personnel Services as a LeadershipFacilitator.

Several Civil Engineering facultymembers received teaching awards

Excellence in TeachingAward and the ScholarshipAward were presentedto Professor DanBudny and ProfessorErnest “Chip”Blatchley,respectively. The HaroldMunson Award, whichrecognizes an outstandingCE teacher, was presentedto Professor Robert J.Frosch. The award for anoutstanding undergradu-ate counselor, the RossJudson Buck ’07 Memo-rial Award, was given toProfessor Ronald F.Wukasch.

PromotionsCongratulations to the followingfaculty members who receivedCivil Engineering promotions inMarch 1999.

Chip Blatchley — full professor

Chad Jafvert — full professor

Darcy Bullock — receipt oftenure

S.R. Govindaraju — receipt oftenure

Dulcy Abraham — associateprofessorwith tenure

Jan Olek — associateprofessorwith tenure

Rodrigo Salgado — associateprofessorwith tenure

Ronald F. Wukasch

Robert J. Frosch

Ernest Blatchley

7

geosynthetic clay, and a protective layer of native soil. “This was a new idea, and the judges werepretty apprehensive about our idea because it has not been tested,” Mohler admits. “Butpeople from industry were very interested,” says team member Anjana Phadnis of LongGrove, Ill. “It could be used somewhere,some day.”

Students on the transuranic waste reduc-tion team faced the added challenge of atopic brand new to them. “We spent 18 to20 hours a day as we reached certaindeadlines,” says Mindy Haack of Muncie.“It became a full-time job. My team mem-bers became my family and CE becamemy home.” The team’s efforts paid off in atie for first place and judge’s interest in thestudents. “In a large part, our group’s suc-cess came from our presentation skillsand handling questions from the judgesvery well,” Haack says. “As a bonus, wemet people from a lot of companies, andmany judges gave us business cards.”

Written and Oral Presentations,Bench-Scale ModelsThe competition judged written reports, oral and poster presentations, and working bench-scale model solutions that covered all the bases, from regulatory to economic, health, andpublic relations issues.

A unique solution helped the in-situ soil decontamination team tie for first place, says memberKimberly Prather of Lafayette. “We used ethanol, while others used hydrogen and carbon di-oxide.” Fellow team member Melanie Craig of Indianapolis says, “The simplicity of our pro-cess contributed to our winning.”

CE’s First Time to EnterSponsored by the Waste-management Education and Research Consortium, the contest isthe only one of its kind in the world challenging university students to solve an environmentalproblem in a competitive format. This was the first year Civil Engineering students partici-pated in the contest.

Besides overall first place honors, the Purdue team tied for first place in two out of the fourcompetitions it entered and took second in another. The teams brought home $11,500 in prizemoney.

“We had a very motivated group of students,” says CE Assistant Professor Inez Hua, one ofthe co-advisors. “And we had breadth as well as depth. With 28 students and three facultyadvisors, we had different view points and different strengths.” Assistant Professor Larry Niesand Professor Ron Wukasch also served as co-advisors for the Purdue teams.

“This is a real shot in the arm for Civil Engineering and an affirmation that our students arevery capable of leadership work,” says Dr. Vincent Drnevich, professor and head of theSchool of Civil Engineering. “Of course, it brings great recognition to Purdue University, andwill help us recruit quality students in the future.”

continued from front page Purdue Featured inU.S. News and World ReportThe latest U.S. News and World Report

graduate rankings were in March.Overall, the Schools of Engineering atPurdue ranked ninth. The top ten in engi-neering are:Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Stanford University (CA)

Georgia Institute of Technology

University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

University of California—Berkeley

University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign

California Institute of Technology

Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

Purdue University—West Lafayette (IN)

University of Texas—Austin

Civil engineering ranked fifth. (We weresixth last year.) The rankings of the top

ten civil engineering programs are:

University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign

University of California—Berkeley

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of Texas—Austin

Purdue University—West Lafayette (IN)

Stanford University (CA)

University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

Georgia Institute of Technology

Cornell University (NY)

Northwestern University (IL)

The top ten schools in EnvironmentalEngineering/Environmental Health are:

Stanford University (CA)

University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign

University of Texas—Austin

University of California—Berkeley

California Institute of Technology

Johns Hopkins University (MD)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology

University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill

Environmental Engineering Team

Professor Inez Hua and Lisa Koch display the first placeaward from the Environmental Design Competition.

8

Burke Family Recognized for their Supportto the School of Civil Engineering

Construction of the Burke Undergraduate Hydraulic Laboratory began in June1998, thanks to a generous donation from Christopher B. Burke (BSCE’77,

MSCE’79, PhD’83).

Located in the northwest corner of the existing Hydromechanics Lab, the new facilityoccupies approximately 1300 square feet and took six months to complete. The newlaboratory houses the equipment used for experiments in undergraduate hydraulics(CE340), which formerly occupied the open mezzanine area on the main floor over-looking the Hydromechanics Lab.

A dedication ceremony honoring Chris and Susan (BS’78, Liberal Arts) Burke washeld on Friday, April 30, 1999. The introduction was given by Dr. Vincent Drnevich,Head of the School of Civil Engineering, followed by remarks from Dean RichardSchwartz. A plaque commemorating the event was unveiled and a duplicate plaquewas presented to the Burkes.The plaque reads:

“Just as hydraulics andhyrdrology are an integralpart of civil engineering,experimental observationsare a necessary componentof hydraulic engineeringpractice and education.

This laboratory providesPurdue Civil Engineeringstudents with an opportunityto conduct experimentsand thereby observe thefundamental principles ofhydraulics in practice.

The laboratory is dedicatedto the living and deceasedfaculty of the HydraulicsArea who have inculcatedthese principles and trainedthe minds of Purdue CivilEngineering students overthe decades.”

(Above) Dr. Burke shows students new equipment(Below) The new hydraulics lab in the midst of construction.

PurdueGradHeadsINDOT

Following more than 10 years of service,Cristine M. Klika (BSCE’78) has been promotedto Commissioner of the Indiana Department ofTransportation. If all goes as planned, Klika willoversee the first major expansion of the state’sinterstate system since before she joined thedepartment—the proposed extension of I-69 fromIndianapolis to Evansville. The controversialproject has pitted state and business officialswho foresee an economic boost along theI-69 corridor against environmentalists, farmersand others fearing the destruction of farms andforest between Evansville and Bloomington.

To address the issue, INDOT is preparing tosign a contract for an 18 month study that willcompare the costs and benefits of alternateroutes between Indianapolis and Evansville.“By stepping back a little bit and looking at thebroader picture, we’re saying we’re going tolook at it and consider all alternatives fairly,”says Klika.

Klika also wants to make sure thedepartment uses the latest technology toassess and maintain the state’s highways andbridges so taxpayers get the biggest bang fortheir bucks. New technologies are beingdeveloped to monitor congestion and plan for anew and expanded highways to make sure thetransit system keeps pace with growth. Amongthe grow related projects the department plansto complete the next four to five years isreconstruction of U.S. 231 and the five-pointintersection of River Road and State Street inWest Lafayette.

Kumares Sinha, a Purdue civil engineering pro-fessor who knows Klika, said her years spent asa county highway engineer for Monroe Countyand later as an INDOT district employee mayprove as valuable as any. “She has developedquite an intimate knowledge of how local gov-ernment works. She’s a good person, not justan engineer. She’ll be open-minded, and that’sthe most important thing.”

Dr. Burke commented on his experi-ences at Purdue, acknowledging thefaculty and staff who guided him, aswell as four additional Burke familymembers, to invaluable degrees in CivilEngineering at Purdue University.Those in attendance toured the lab andsaw the many improvements that weremade along with the equipment used inthe experiments.

9

T he 85th Purdue Road School achievedhistorical significance when Governor

Frank O’Bannon spoke at the Road Schoolluncheon on March 24, 1999, as this was thefirst appearance by an Indiana governor at thetwo-day conference in almost a quarter century.Addressing an appreciative crowd in theMemorial Union, Governor O’Bannon stressedthe importance of good roads to Indiana’sprosperity and shared his vision of transporta-tion for the state in the 21st century. He alsoexpressed his appreciation for all that Purdue-educated civil engineers have contributedthrough the years to the development ofIndiana’s transportation system.

This year’s Road School had special signifi-cance also in that it was dedicated to twoformer Road School chairmen, ProfessorsEmeriti Harold Michael and William Goetz,both Purdue grads and retired from long out-standing careers in Purdue’s School of CivilEngineering. Many dramatic changes haveoccurred in transportation in the last 50 yearsand Professors Michael and Goetz havewitnessed and contributed greatly to many ofthem. Many years after their retirements, bothof them continue to attend Road School andwere on hand for this special dedication.

More than 1,300 people attended Road Schoolthis year, which was the largest attendance inthe last ten years. The opening session high-lighted the recently enacted TEA-21 legislationin Congress. Speakers included Walter

Sutton, Jr., associate adminis-trator for policy for the Fed-eral Highway Administration inWashington, DC; Curtis Wiley,commissioner of the IndianaDepartment of Transportation;Paul Helmke, Mayor of FortWayne, Indiana; and JohnSpangler, chairman of theboard of Milestone Contrac-tors. Each of the speakersgave their unique perspectiveon the legislation’s impact onthe citizens of Indiana andthe nation as a whole.Throughout the next two days,there were many topical ses-

sions on a wide variety of subjects, all ofthem geared to keeping road and street offi-cials current on techniques and technology is-sues, as well as offering them opportunitiesto polish their management skills and networkwith other transportation professionals.

Held at Purdue University since 1914, PurdueRoad School was the first state highwayconference in the nation, and is the largestoutreach and extension activity of the Schoolof Civil Engineering. It is coordinated by theJoint Transportation Research Program(JTRP) and the Local Indiana TechnicalAssistance Program (Indiana LTAP). JTRPis a 62-year old research partnership be-tween the School of Civil Engineering and theIndiana Department of Transportation,while Indiana LTAP provides technical sup-port, training, and technology transfer to localgovernment officials throughout the State ofIndiana. The partnership of these two programsprovides a unique blending of all levels oftransportation-related professionals, from theFederal Highway Administration in Washington,DC to the smallest municipalities in the state.Road School is free and open to the generalpublic; however, its audience consists mainlyof Indiana local and state officials, consultants,and suppliers. Several professional associations,such as the Indiana Section of the Institute ofTransportation Engineers, plan their regionalmeetings to coincide with Road School atten-dance by their members. Exhibitors representing

Govenor Frank O’Bannon addresses audience at the85th Annual Purdue Road School

Governor Frank O’Bannon Speaks at85th Annual Purdue Road School

numerous transportation-related productsand services fill the North and SouthBallrooms of the Purdue Memorial Union,where a complimentary lunch is servedcourtesy of the exhibitors.

The 85th Purdue Road School was dedicatedto Harold L. Michael and William H. Goetz,

Professors Emeriti of Purdue University, whoserved as co-chairmen of the Road School for

many decades. Al-though retired for sev-eral years, both ofthese distinguishedgentlemen continue toattend Road School.

Until his untimelydeath in August 1999,Professor Michael’s entireacademic career had

been at Purdue University since earning hismaster’s degree there in civil engineering in1951. Over a 45-year period, he served asthe associate director of the Joint HighwayResearch Project (now called the Joint Trans-portation Research Program) and eventuallyas its director. Professor Michael helped toestablish this highly successful joint researchprogram with INDOT, now in its 62nd year, as anenduring model for government and academiccooperation in the area of transportationresearch and presently serves on its board ofdirectors. Professor Michael also was head ofthe School of Civil Engineering at Purdue from1978 until his retirement in 1991.

Professor Goetz received his master’s degreein chemical engineering from Purdue

University in 1942 and also spent his entireacademic career at Purdue, retiring in 1985.He served as assistant head of the School of

Civil Engineering from1970 to 1982. Duringthat same period hewas also affiliated withthe Highway Extensionand Research Projectfor Indiana Cities andCounties (HERPICC).Professor Goetz madesignificant contributions

to his area of expertise, bituminous materials,throughout his career and participated innumerous research projects that have benefitedIndiana highway design and management.

Above and Beyond...

Harold L. Michael

William H. Goetz

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Scholarship & Awards

Megan Chikota Tara Opielowski Heather Guinn Matthew Cushman

Tom PaceBill Eidson

Tony Clark AwardsSteven P. Cline, Chesterfield, MODouglas A. Colbert, Houston, TXAdam R. Conard, Crown Point, INJanel M. Crosier, Orangevale, CAAllen M. DeSchepper, Bremen, INEddie D. Hannah, Jr., Denver, INJason M. Hickle, Mishawaka, INJosh C. Latour, Hanover Park, ILCourtney S. Lehman, Osceola, INDavid J. Mehl, Lexington, KYEric J. Ortman, Greensburg, INKelley E. Schultz, Evansville, INNicholas A. Veneris, Clarenton Hill, ILAlexander W. Wood, Warsaw, INTyler S. Wolf, Granger, IN

Martin J. Gutzwiller Memorial ScholarshipCharity D. Kruidhof, Fullerton, CATimothy R. Phelan, Grove City, OH

Harold E. Rein Society of AmericanMilitary Engineers ScholarshipAdam W. McAlpine, New Carlisle, INTara L. Opielowski, Poway, CA

Greeley and Hansen Elmer F. BallottiMemorial FellowshipRobert T. Threlkeld, Carmel, IN

John R. Blandford Memorial AwardChii Shang, Taipei, Taiwan

Donald E. Bloodgood Memorial AwardMark R. Knoff, West Lafayette, INMatthew B. Mesarch, Merrillville, INTimothy M. LaPara, South Bend, IN

Jacques W. Delleur AwardDaniel J. Schuller, Crete, ILHuey-Long Chen, Keelung, Taiwan

Matthew Edward Kern EnvironmentalEngineering Scholarship/FellowshipJulie E. Meszaros, Lafayette, INMegan M. Chikota, St. Claire Shores, MI

Eldon J. Yoder Memorial AwardWilliam C. Eidson, Glenview, IL

Myrtle Ford Tompt AwardKara L. Elliott, Frankfort, INThomas G. Pace, Owensboro, KY

Gerrit H. Toebes Memorial AwardLisa D. Koch, Elk Grove Village, IL

Albert J. Horth, CE 1915Memorial ScholarshipKara L. Elliott, Frankfort, INCraig W. Forgey, Huntington, INHeather M. Guinn, Hudson, INTara L. Opielowski, Poway, CA

Robert D. and Margaret J. MilesCivil Engineering ScholarshipKara L. Elliott, Frankfort, IN

Edna C. and William Y.H. LingCivil Engineering ScholarshipJeremy M. Gries, Indianapolis, INMatthew T. Cushman, Ossian, IN

CH2M Hill ScholarshipSara J. Leitner, Rochester, MN

Pai Tao Yeh ScholarshipHuan Zhao, Bridgeport, CT

Reith Riley Construction CompanyScholarshipHarmon N. Henderson, Goshen, INStephen J. Spitzer, Lafayette, IN

GAAAN FellowsKevin L. Staton, Lebanon, INRobert H. Kim, Lewisburg, PA

Estus H. and Vashti L. MagoonOutstanding Teaching Assistant AwardKenneth J. Mercer, Franklin, MATing Pong Chan, Hong KongTheodore R. Krull, Denver, COKevin E. Lynch, Belmar, NJRobert M. Wallace, West Lafayette, INJon A. Jonsson, Iceland

Nellie Munson OutstandingTeaching Assistant AwardKevin L. Staton, Lebanon, INAdamaris J. Quinones, Yabucoa, PR

Rosemary K. Burke Outstanding StudentTimothy R. Phelan, Grove City, OHRoger D. Radabaugh, Wabash, IN

LAND SURVEYINGOutstanding SeniorNathaniel D. Pfeiffer, West Lafayette, IN

Faculty Recognition AwardPaul E. Klodzen, Valparaiso, IN

John G. McEntyreEndowment ScholarshipErin E. Darlage, Brownstown, INDarren Norrington, Mitchell, IN

Jud and Betty Rouch Land SurveyingScholarshipJustin R. Frazier, Greensfork, IN

Roland S. Corning II Memorial FellowshipAde Komara Mulyana, Indonesia

AGC Outstanding Student: CEConJeff Schrock, Wakarusa, IN

Sara Leitner

Huan Zhao

Matt MesarchMark Knoff

Jon Jonsson

11

Craig Forgey Jeremy GriesSteven Spitzer

Kevin Lynch Ting Pong Chan

Adamaris Quiones

Lisa Koch Roger Radabaugh

Huey-Long ChenRobert Threkeld Dan Schuller

Kara Elliott

Ade Mulyana

Ken Mercer

Julie Meszaros

Jennifer Schram Tim La Para

Tom Cooper

Chii Shang

Jennifer Schramm with Professor InezHua receiving recognition for the Maple

Point Foundation Award.

Robert Threkeld with Amanda Baunerfrom Greely and Hansen.

StudentAwards

Huan Zhao with Dr. Yeh. Zhao isthe first recipient of the Pai Tao

Yeh Scholarship.

C I V I LENGINEERINGP U R D U EUNIVERSITY

Tim Phelan

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Student NewsRob Wallace, a Civil Engineering PhD

student working with Professor JeffWright, received the Stevan J. Kristof Out-standing Graduate Student in RemoteSensing Award on May 12. The award is givento recognize academic achievement and pro-fessional potential in remote sensing as relatedto a specific discipline at Purdue University.The award recipient is chosen by the membersof the LARS (Laboratory for Applications ofRemote Sensing) Awards Committee and theLARS Director. The award is a certificate anda monetary award from the earnings of theKristof Endowment Fund. Additionally, therecipient’s name is engraved on a plaque in theLARS office.

Jennifer Schramm, a Civil Engineering PhDstudent working with Professor Inez Hua,

received the Maple Point Graduate ResearchFellowship Award on May 6. This award is acash award of $5,000 given annually to awoman graduate student in the Purdue School ofCivil Engineering to further the recipient’sprogress toward her Ph.D. Along with themonetary award Jennifer received a framedcertificate. (See photo on page 11.)

Charity Kruidhof, who graduated this pastsemester with her BSCE, was named the

national winner of the Women’s TransportationSeminar (WTS) Undergraduate Scholarship.The award was in the amount of $2000. Charitywas nominated for the national award by theChicago Chapter, which had selected her asthe recipient of its chapter’s $1000 scholarshipaward. Charity was presented her nationalaward at a special reception and awards dinnerbanquet at the Drake Hotel in Chicago dinnerduring the 1999 National Conference of WTS,May 5-7th.

CE ’93 Co-Op NewsletterContinues to Thrive

A ccording to Professor Leonard Wood,Director of the CE Co-Op Program, the

newsletter published by Co-Op students fromthe Civil Engineering Class of 1993 continuesto accept submissions and is well-received bythose alumns. The newsletter is published twicea year and consists of letters, updates andphotographs from fellow classmates. If you werea member of the Class of 1993 Co-Op Programand would like to receive the newsletter orsend in your update, please contact ProfessorWood at the School or call 765-494-5020.

StudentAthletes

Staying eligible foran athletic scholarshipmeans spending a lotof time at the studytable in addition toattending practicesand games...

(Above l to r) Krista Waldbeiser,Ryan Weaver and Shahara Nixon

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They are called student-athletes, not athlete-students. For athletes pursuing a degree inCivil Engineering, that point could not be stronger. Staying eligible for an athletic scholarship

means spending a lot of time at the study table in addition to attending practices, games, andUniversity functions. Civil students—and engineering students in general—tend to have morehomework in relation to other degrees. They are expected to spend two to three hours for eachcourse credit hour studying out of the classroom. Maeve Drummond, Undergraduate ProgramAdministrator for Civil Engineering explains: “It’s a full-time job...if you want to get the grades.”

The School of Civil Engineering’s tough curriculum is a hurdle five Purdue student-athleteshave chosen to conquer. They are: Todd Stelma, Grand Rapids, MI, football (received his BSCEat the May 1999 Commencement); Christa Waldbieser, Terre Haute, IN, cheerleader (senior,graduating December 1999); Ryan Weaver, Richmond, IN, track (senior, graduating Decem-ber 1999); Jeremy Zeid, Colorado, swimming (senior, graduating December 1999); andShahara “Skeeter” Nixon, Glenwood, IL, softball (junior). All five students agreed that themost important success factor for any student-athlete is time-management. In Engineering,every class requires lots of time from the student. “There’s no down time. A student cannotsucceed in Civil if they are wasting time or missing class, especially when so much of theirtime outside of the classroom is spoken for by the sports program,” says Drummond.

Purdue athletes are fortunate to have convenient access to tutors, study tables, and re-sources through the academic learning center. This assistance does not necessarily givestudent-athletes an advantage over other students because it’s still up to the individualto know what’s going on in class. “I found that I didn’t really need the tutors to learn thematerial,” says Weaver. “I just needed to set aside a certain amount of time each weekfor each class.” Waldbeiser noted that going to help sessions has been a vital aspectof her studies.

Because Purdue expects its athletes to achieve at the same level as all its students,Civil Engineering student-athletes are on a particularly tough playing field. Their success in theclassroom may be due in part to the competitive nature of the individual, since engineering issuch a competitive field. Nixon’s advice to other student-athletes is to “get to know the profes-sors. The one-on-one talks really helped and some professors even come to my games.” Thecoaches also emphasize success in the classroom and most set goals to have a team gradepoint average above the University’s student average. They strictly enforce hours at the studytable or with a tutor for those who need extra help. Nixon added that her coach is “very con-cerned and involved with our grades. We are students before we are athletes.”

Participating in a Big Ten sport is a great opportunity for any athlete, but these student-athleteshad more on their mind when they chose Purdue’s School of Civil Engineering. “I came toPurdue because of its reputation as an excellent School of Engineering,” said Stelma. Othersmade their choice because of family involvement in Purdue and/or Civil Engineering. Or, asWeaver quipped, “being a Purdue fan all my life might have helped out a little bit, too.”

Plans after graduation vary as widely as the sports in which these students compete. Stelmahas accepted a position as a graduate structural engineer with Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr andHuber, a private architectural, engineering, and environmental firm of about 230 employeeslocated in Ada, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids. Zeid anticipates working for a medium-sized consulting firm following his graduation this December. He’s not ruling out returning toget a Master’s degree, “but I want to get some real world experience first.” Weaver plans towork for an engineering firm in the area of highway design, utilizing his structures knowledge,while Waldbeiser is considering pursuing an M.B.A. Both anticipate receiving their undergradu-ate degrees in December 1999. Nixon, who has a little more time before graduating with theClass of 2000, is currently interviewing for summer internships and is also contemplatinggraduate school.

INTERESTED IN HIRING CIVILENGINEERING GRADUATES?

To assist our students with job placement, theSchool of Civil Engineering has developed awebsite and is working directly with employersin assisting them with recruiting. We are postingpermanent job opportunities and summerinternship positions on this website. We are alsoproviding company information to our students,even if a specific position isn’t open currently.If you would like to be included on this website,please complete the information below and returnit to our office, or e-mail lhiggins@ecn.purdue.edu.You may also enclose information/literatureabout your company for reference. For moreinformation, contact Linda Higgins at765-494-2157. You may visit the website athttp://www.ecn.purdue.edu/Engr/employment.Our students resumes are also available on-line.December 1999 and May 2000 graduates will beadded in September 1999. You may access ourstudent resumes at http://CE.www.ecn.purdue.edu/CE/Resume/.Employment Recruiting Information

Name of Company: _________________________

Address: __________________________________

City/State/Zip: _____________________________

Contact Person: ___________________________

Telephone: ________________________________

Fax: ______________________________________

Email: ____________________________________

Website Address: __________________________

Area of Specialization: ______________________

Please provide above information to:Linda HigginsSchool of Civil Engineering1284 Civil Engineering BuildingWest Lafayette, 47907-1284765-494-2157e-mail lhiggins@ecn.purdue.edu

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Honorary DoctorateP urdue’s highest honor, Doctor of

Engineering, is bestowed upon individu-als of exceptional attainment and merit.

Fred M. Fehsenfeld, has combined engi-neering and entrepreneurial skills in a distin-guished career spanning five decades. He ischairman of the board of The Heritage Group,

an Indianapolis-based,family-owned businessinvolved in petroleummarketing, oil refining,road building, aggre-gate production andenvironmental man-agement with a strongemphasis on researchand development.

An Indianapolis native, Mr. Fehsenfeld cameto Purdue in 1942 to study engineering, butWorld War II interrupted his academic pursuits.After service as a decorated Mustang fighterpilot in Europe,he returned to West Lafayetteto earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical en-gineering in 1948. He began his career as apetroleum engineer at the Rock Island Re-fining Corporation, then joined his family’ssmall business, Crystal Flash Petroleum, in1952. He became the driving force in develop-ing the business into The Heritage Group, anorganization with annual revenues exceeding$800 million and more then 4,000 employeesnationwide among its range of companies.

Mr. Fehsenfeld has maintained an active rolein research and development, and Heritagehas been in the forefront of development ofsuch products as gelled asphalt, multigradeasphalt and an insoluble copper salt used asan animal feed additive, made from waste cir-cuit board etchant and industrial platingwastes. Additionally, he has taken on aninternational leadership role in studying thelong-term health effects of asphalt fumes onworkers.

A 1991 Distinguished Engineering Alumnus,Mr. Fehsenfeld has kept close ties to his almamater, working to locate the North CentralSuperpave Center at Purdue. Milestone Con-tractors, a Heritage company, did major work

on the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex up-grade. He was founding chairman of theSchool of Civil Engineering Advisory Council,and he is a member of the President’sCouncil and John Purdue Club.

Bob F. Jesse is an outstanding example ofa Purdue engineer who has combined ahighly successful career with decades ofunselfish service to his alma mater and hiscommunity.

The chairman and chief executive officer ofIndiana Construction Corporation, Mr. Jesseuntil recently was the senior member of thePurdue Board of Trustees. Originally ap-pointed in 1976, he was chairman of theboard from 1989 until 1993. He served aschairman of the board’s executive commit-tee, and completed his eighth term as analumni trustee.

A native of Fort Wayne,Indiana, Mr. Jesse ispresident of theIndiana University-Purdue UniversityFoundation at FortWayne, and is amember of the PurduePresident’s Council,John Purdue Club

and the Indiana University-Purdue Universityat Fort Wayne Advisory Board, among arange of Purdue affiliations.

Mr. Jesse enrolled in Purdue’s School ofCivil Engineering in 1945 after heroic war-time service in the U.S. Merchant Marine.During operations in the English Channel tosupply Allied troops in Normandy, his ship and,subsequently, his lifeboat, were sunk bytorpedoes. He was the sole survivor of thelifeboat sinking, and he received the MarinersMedal for his actions during the operation.

Earning his bachelor’s degree in 1949, hejoined the Indiana Highway Commission asa bridge design engineer. A year later, hebegan an affiliation with C & C ConstructionCompany in Fort Wayne as a field engineer.He was elected executive vice president in1959 and president in 1969 when the com-pany became a wholly-owned subsidiary ofWestinghouse Electric and was namedCebor Construction Corporation. Specializ-

ing in environmental engineering, he ex-panded the firm’s operations worldwide. Afterleaving Cebor, he acquired Indiana Con-struction Corporation in 1974.

He is past president of the AssociatedGeneral Contractor of Indiana. A registeredprofessional engineer in Indiana, he also is amember of the National and Indiana societiesof Professional Engineers. He is a memberof Chi Epsilon national scholastic civilengineering fraternity, and recently receivedthe Chapter Honor Member award from thePurdue chapter. He is a 1988 recipient of theSagamore of the Wabash..

DistinguishedEngineering AlumniThe Distinguished Engineering Alumnus

Award is given by the Schools of Engi-neering to recognize outstanding and lastingcontributions to engineering education, re-search, and practice.

Robert L. Bowen, BSCE 1962, Presidentand CEO of Bowen Engineering Corporation,the son of a Purdue civil engineer, grew upspending his summers learning surveying withhis father’s company. Mr. Bowen later foundedhis own company, Bowen Engineering. Hiscompany, which is involved in municipal, utility,industrial, and environmental construction, isthe largest environmen-tal contractor in theIndianapolis area. Thecompany employs 350people, 23 of which arePurdue graduates.Bowen Engineering haswon AGC of America(SIR), and the Contrac-tor of the Year Awardfrom Habitat for Human-ity. The firm is constantly looking for new andbetter ways of doing business; Bowen Engi-neering is now in the tunneling sector and isthe only contractor in the state doing post-tensioning concrete. Mr. Bowen was awardedthe Civil Engineering Alumni AchievementAward from Purdue in 1995 and the Ernst &

CE Alumni Honored - Honorary Doctorate, Distinguished Engineering Alumni, and the

Robert L. Bowen

Bob F. Jesse

Fred M. Fehsenfeld

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After graduating from Purdue, Bryan A. Erler,BSCE 1969, MSCE 1970, joined Sargent &

Lundy and has beenwith the company sincethen. He moved upquickly in the firm andwas appointed a partnerin 1986. He is nowSenior Vice Presidentand Owner, Sargent &Lundy, located inChicago. Mr. Erler wasthe chairman on the

Joint ASME/ACI Technical Committee onConcrete Pressure Vessels for Nuclear Appli-cation, which set standards for design re-quirements of reinforced and pre-stressedpressure vessels and contaminants fornuclear power plants. As the president of theStructural Engineers Association of Illinois,he created a political action committee to beinvolved in the engineering laws in the stateof Illinois. Mr. Erler was given the Civil Engi-neering Alumni Achievement Award fromPurdue in 1996.

1998 CEAAAsIn February 1999, the School of Civil

Engineering Faculty awarded the 1998 CivilEngineering Alumni Achievement Awardsto six outstanding Civil Engineering alumni.The Awards are based on the exceptionalcareers of the awardees, which reflect crediton the value of a Purdue University CivilEngineering education.

Receiving the 1998 awards were, Amos JoeAlter (BSCE 1938, PCE 1949), who afterserving as a commissioned officer in the USPublic Health Service, acted as Alaska terri-torial sanitary engineer for 21 years. He wasinvolved in the establishment of many organi-zations, including the Alaska section of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers. His workand ideas have lead to concepts in Cold Re-gions Engineering, which were used on suchprojects as the Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline.

Through working with the Illinois Departmentof Transportation James M. Barker (BSCE1965) was involved in the creation of cast-in-place segmental bridges. Later, while withFigg and Muller Engineers, Mr. Barker wasthe chief engineer for the Linn Cove Viaduct,which won numerous awards including thePresidential Achievement Award. As thecurrent vice-president of HNTB Corporation,he oversees all bridge design in the firm’sSoutheast Division.

In 1971 David R. Boyd (BSCE 1960) and hisclosest friend Rosser Edwards co-foundedWebcor Builders, Inc. The general contractingcompany started small but is now rankednumber one in San Francisco Bay AreaConstruction Volume and is ranked 54thnationally by Engineering News Record.Mr. Boyd and his company are involved inmany charitable organizations, such asChristmas in April and Habitat for Humanity.

Albert R. Curran (BSCE 1971, MSCE 1973)co-founded Woodard & Curran, one of thefastest growing full-service environmentalcompanies in the country. Mr. Curran hasserved as project manager on many waste-water and solid waste projects, some fundedwith EPA innovative/alternative funding.Under Mr. Curran’s direction as CEO, the

company has expanded to include hazardouswaste, privatization of water and wastewaterutilities and information technology.

After serving in the US Army Corp ofEngineers, Jerry R. Kerr (BSCE 1956) beganworking for Huber, Hunt & Nichols as a fieldengineer. He worked his way through themanagement ranks to Executive Vice Presidentin 1995. While working with Huber, Hunt &Nichols, Mr. Kerr was involved in theconstruction internship program. Recently, hehas been working with the constructionengineering and management faculty todevelop a construction managementbusiness course.

The research work of Ephraim Senbetta(BSCE 1974, MSCE 1975, PhD 1981) led toa standard test method that was adopted bythe American Society for Testing and Materi-als. He is currently vice president at StoCorporation, responsible for research anddevelopment, marketing, and technicalservices. Dr. Senbetta has a passion forteaching and spent ten years as adjunctassociate professor of civil engineering atCleveland State University.

1998 CEAAAs Albert R. Curran, MSCE 1973, CEO/Woodard & Curran, Inc., Amos Joe Alter, BSCE 1938, PCE 1949,Civil Engineer, James M. Barker, BSCE 1965, Vice President/HNTB Corporation, David R. Boyd, BSCE 1960, Chairman/

Webcor Builders, Jerry R. Kerr, BSCE 1956, Exec. Vice President (Retired)/Huber, Hunt & Nichols, Inc., EphraimSenbetta, BSCE 1974, MSCE 1975, PHD 1981, Vice President/Sto Corporation

Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Awards

Young Indiana Heartland Entrepreneur ofthe Year in 1998.

Bryan A. Erler

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Extensive Research BackgroundDr. Rao’s most recent research is indeveloping innovative technologies forcharacterization of hazardous wastesites and for enhanced remediation ofcontaminated soils and aquifers. Hehas field tested innovative techniquesfor alcohol and surfactant in-situ flushingof aquifers contaminated with waste oils,and developed and tested new tracertechniques for characterizing the amountand spatial distribution of non-aqueous

phase liquids at waste disposal sites.

In 1998, he received a patent fordeveloping a new tracer technique formeasuring interfacial areas between immis-cible fluids in flow systems. His inter-disciplinaryresearch has been supported by morethan $15 million in grants and contractsfrom industry and several state and federalagencies.

Dr. Rao’s publications include more than150 refereed articles, 30 book chapters andvarious technical reports and conferenceproceedings. He also has served as chair-man or co-chairman of dissertation/thesiscommittees for 17 Ph.D. and 30 master’sstudents.

The search to fill the Rieth DistinguishedProfessorship was a multi-year process thatfirst identified potential candidates from the top30 universities with highly respected environ-mental engineering programs. In all, about50 different candidates were considered inthe eight-year search, with about 20 makingcampus visits.

“I’m impressed by Purdue’s academic repu-tation and institutional commitment to excel-lence,” Rao says of his acceptance of the post.“The high quality of faculty members with

whom I will be working and their commitmentto developing strong, inter-linked programsis a major attraction.”

Purdue Focus: Subsurface Hydrology,Environmental ChemistryHis goals are to establish an ambitious re-search program with equal emphasis on ba-sic and applied research in subsurfacehydrology and environmental chemistry. “Iwant to build a nationally and internationallyrespected program by working closely withfaculty members in Civil Engineering,Agronomy and other faculty associated withthe Environmental Science & EngineeringInstitute at Purdue,” Dr. Rao says.

That goal reflects his career-long approach.“I have always dedicated my energies to de-veloping strong, productive inter-disciplinaryresearch and graduate education programsby bringing together faculty and studentsfrom engineering and science disciplines,”Dr. Rao says. “Blurring the lines of disciplin-ary distinctions has allowed us to developteams able to take on exciting projects thatany one discipline could not have worked on.”

Dr. Rao and his wife, Keiko, moved to WestLafayette in June 1999.

12th AnnualBurton D. Morgan

EntrepreneurialCompetition

and David Harmelink, assistant professorin the School of Civil Engineering, wereawarded the third-place prize of $2,000 for“VLS Application.” The VLS Application isa new software that was developed forscheduling and project management in thehighway construction industry.

First and second place prizes were awardedto Christoph Weismayer, MSM’97, and theteam of Malav Dani, LuAnn Evans, Jose

Morgan Burton (center) presents third prize award toProfessor David Harmelink (left) and Rene Yamin (right).

Rieth Distinguished Professor continued from front page

Bigger prize money, increased publicity, andthe opportunity to gain invaluable counselduring the 1999 Burton D. Morgan Entre-preneurial Competition encouraged 45 teamsto submit business plans, of which only sixwere selected for the final presentation andcompetition for prizes.

Rene Yamin, a doctoral candidate in theSchool of Civil Engineering who is alsoseeking a master’s degree in management,

Fortes, Nirav Kapadia, and Mark Lundstrom,respectively.

The entrepreneurial competition wasestablished to help students develop anappreciation of the free market system and therole of the entrepreneur in a market economy.

Professor Rao stands with Mrs. Mary Jane Rieth

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STAFFJohn Habermann returns to Civil Engineeringas a Research Engineer for the Indiana LocalTechnical Assistance Program (IndianaLTAP), previously known as HERPICC. Johnreceived his master’s degree from Purdue in1994 and specialized in bituminous materials.In his new position, John will be assistingcounty, city and town officials with their trans-portation-related problems. He will begiving short courses and providing one-on-one help. John is originally from San Antonio,Texas and lives in Indianapolis.

Andrea Wisaksono transferred from theNuclear Engineering Department where shewas a Secretary to Professor Ishii. Previouslyshe was a full-time student. She is currentlycompleting her nursing degree. Andrearesides in West Lafayette with her husbandand son. She was born in Germany and grewup in New York City. She enjoys working withcomputers, web designs and traveling. Shewill be working in the Indiana LTAP Center astheir new Resource Librarian.

Taya Cook joined the School as a Secretaryfor Alumni Relations and Development. Taya’sbackground is in public relations and computergraphics and she most recently worked for asmall printing company in Monticello, Indiana.Taya lives in Monticello with her son Jacoband enjoys being active in sports and iscoaching her son’s soccer and baseballteams.

Kevin Spires is the secretary for Indiana-LTAP.Kevin t ransferred from the Adapt ivePrograms for the University and has been aPurdue employee for 17 years. She is marriedand has a nine year-old son, Kenny. Herfamily is active in both church and schoolfunctions.

Mary Hoover is returning to the Universityafter almost two years of working in the over-the-road trucking industry. She found it verychallenging; however, she missed working inthe university setting. Mary and her husband,Ralph, have a home on Heritage Lake nearDanville, IN. Her favorite pastimes arespending time with her daughter and threegrandchildren. She also enjoys boating,crocheting and gardening.

GoldbergDistinguishedLectureSeries

A celebration of structural engineering achievements in 20th centuryChicago was held on the Purdue campus during the Fall 1998 semester.The John E. Goldberg Distinguished Lectures focused on engineering inthe city of the 20th century. The program of twelve guest lecturers wasdedicated in memory of John E. Goldberg, professor of structural engi-neering at Purdue University (1950 - 1975).The program participants included: C. William Brubaker, Perkins & Will;Clyde N. Baker, Jr., STS Consultants, Inc.; Eli W. Cohen and Robert P.DeScenza, TT-CBM Engineers; John J. Zils, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill;W. Gene Corley, Construction Technology Labs, Inc.; Barbara SchmidtHornkohl; Anthony E. Fiorato, Portland Cement Association; Bryan A.Erler, Sargent & Lundy; Stan-Lee Kaderbek, Chicago Department ofTransportation; Michael J. Tylk, Tylk Gustafson & Associates; Gary J.Klein, Wiss, Janney Elstner Associates, Inc.; R. Shankar Nair, Teng &Associates, Inc.For information about recieving Goldberg Lecture Series text, contactProfessor Robert Frosch via e-mail at: frosch@ecn.purdue.edu.

Daughter of CE Professor Receives Presidential AwardIn February 1999, President Clinton awarded twenty NSF Presidential Early Career

Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed bythe U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers whose talents andpotential are so great that they are expected to emerge as leaders on the frontiers ofscience and engineering during the next century. The twenty recipients were selectedfrom all disciplines in both science and engineering.This honor was bestowed on Purdue alumna Julie Jacko (BSIE 1990, MSIE1991, Ph.D. 1993) for her engineering accomplishments and research titled“Universal Access to the Graphical User Interface: Design for the Partially Sighted.Under her father Professor Bob Jacko’s tutelage and example as one ofPurdue’s Civil Engineering faculty, she aspired to a career in engineering educationand research. Currently she is assistant professor of industrial engineering at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her Ph.D. in industrial engineeringfrom Purdue University in 1993, when she was recognized as the first daughter ofan engineering professor to receive her Ph.D. in engineering from Purdue.

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(l to r) Don Fry, Professor Emeritus Bob Miles andMaeve Drummund, Undergraduate Program Administrator.

EPICS TEAMRECEIVES AWARDThe Civil Engineering EPICS (EngineeringProjects in Community Service project onConstructed Wetlands won the AMDAward for Design in the Spring 1999semester. The project team consists mainlyof Civil Engineering undergraduate students,but also electrical engineering, mechanicaland interdisciplinary engineering studentsfrom freshman to senior level. The projectpartner is Prof. George Parker in Forestryand Natural Resources. Industry advisorsare Furman Smith of Eli Lilly and Mike Scottof Great Lakes Chemical. The primaryfaculty advisor is Ron Wukasch. CivilEngineering EPICS team members wereAdrienne Flagg, Amanda Grose,Andrew Karch, Julie Meszaros, SunieRahardja, Brian Schmude, Chad Shockley,Jessica Starost, Jeremy Todd, and LeeYeung.

The constructed wetlands are designed totreat once-through water from the PurdueAquaculture center and agricultural drain-age water. The photographs show the stu-dents in the process of planting some of the9,800 wetlands plants in May.

A new school year is about to begin andthat means the Civil Engineering

Alumni Relations & Development staff hasmany events planned. Most are listed on theback of this issue of Transitions but be sureto get the current information at our CE website: http://CE.www.ecn.purdue.edu/CE/News/Alumni. If you’re a CE alumnus, CE friend,parent of a CE student or interested in learningmore about Purdue Civil Engineering you arewelcome to attend our events. If you have anyquestions about the upcoming events callus at (765) 494-2166 or e-mail us atcenews@ecn.purdue.edu.

I field many questions about funding needs inthe School of Civil Engineering. Every daybrings opportunities to the Head of the Schoolfor funding new initiatives. Each initiative has tobe evaluated by how it will affect our missionand goals set forth in the CE strategic plan.When outside funding is necessary then weget to work matching individuals whoseinterest may align with the planned new initiative.

There are many “needs” on our list—somerequiring several thousands or millions of dol-lars—but there are many more that can befunded by a single individual or family, or bycorporate or foundation support.

The good news is that there are several consis-tent needs. One is student support. At thegraduate level, students need financial incen-tives to attend our programs. We rely on privatesupport to attract the very best U.S. and inter-national students. Financial support is necessaryfor all our graduate students. At the under-graduate level, the School has, over time,improved the number of scholarships availablefor our CE students. All types of scholarshipsupport are needed, but today merit-basedscholarships are a priority for our programs.These allow us to recognize the academic suc-cess of individual students.

Faculty enrichment is another area that benefitsfrom outside funding. Incentives for facultysupport benefit our school. Private support isused by our faculty to learn current classroomtechnology and to understand the demandingchanges in industry’s needs. Laboratoriesspecific to a faculty member’s interest areneeded and constantly require upgrades, notonly to attract and retain the faculty membersbut to attract students too.

A few other areas that we would be delightedto talk about are completing the renovations ofthe environmental engineering laboratories;continuing a Distinguished Lecture Series, muchlike the Goldberg Series mentioned in thisTransitions issue; and establishing a permanent

Practitioner in Residence program. All of these“needs” are very worthwhile and you may havesome ideas in mind how you could help thePurdue Civil Engineering program. If you wantto help the School, we want to hear from you.

Once again the school has lost a very closefriend in Professor Harold Michael. To his familyand to those of you who knew him, you havemy deepest condolences. His family has askedthat memorial contributions be made to theHarold Michael Memorial Fund in the Schoolof Civil Engineering. If you wish to make acontribution in Professor Michael’s memory,make your check payable to the PurdueFoundation, and send to: CE DevelopmentOffice, 1284 Civil Engineering Building, PurdueUniversity, West Lafayette, IN 47906-1284.We will ensure the family is notified of yourcontribution to the school.

We had very encouraging responses fromour last Transitions for contributions to fundsestablished in memory of our faculty. In ournext issue we will publish the CE Honor Rolland the names of donors contributing to thosespecial funds, along with the gifts made toother funds in the CE School. We appreciateeveryone who has helped in many ways tosupport our projects as well as those sponsoringmany of our special events, like our annual CivilEngineering Golf/Tennis Open and the India-napolis Reception. A special thanks to Bob Bowenwho helped our Civil Engineering students makethe trip to New Mexico to participate in theWERC competition.

If I can be of any assistance to you in making agift to Purdue University or if you are consideringincluding Purdue Civil Engineering in yourestate planning, please let me know. I wouldbe happy to discuss how you can helpaccomplish the future needs of our School.My telephone number is (765) 494-2236 ande-mail fry@ecn.purdue.edu.

Best regards,

Don FryDirector, Alumni Relations and DevelopmentSchool of Civil Engineering

Incite to Insight

19

Civil EngineeringBreakfast for

CE Alumni & Friends

Post GraduationCelebration...

Shots fromthe CE Open

20

1950Allen L. Sklare, Indianapolis, IN—Mr. Sklarewas recently recognized for his nearly 50 yearsof service in housing and land development.As founder and President of Bay DevelopmentCorporation since 1977, Mr. Sklare leads anexperienced team of professionals who are ableto complete a development from the initialconcept to the final sale.

1953Gordon R. Archibald, PE, Pawtucket, RI—Mr. Archibald was presented the FreemanAward by the Providence Engineering Societyat its Annual Banquet at the Biltmore Hotel onMarch 18, 1999. The Freeman Award is givenin recognition of lifetime achievement andleadership in the engineering profession.Mr. Archibald directed his firm, Gordon R.Archibald, Inc., Professional Engineers, for28 years before being elected as Chairman ofthe Board in July 1988.

1957James E. Houmard, Akron, OH—Jamesretired from Aircraft Braking Systems Corp.and from Goodyear Aerospace Corp. after 40years of service on June 1,1998. The majorityof his career was in structural design andanalyses of inflatables for commercial, militaryand NASA applications. Some of these were theGoodyear advertising blimps, missile silo waterseals, satellite reentry parachute systems,parachutes for Project Viking Soft Landing onMars in 1976, and Apollo uprighting flotationbags (pages 14 &15 of Extrapolations, Spring 1999).

1959John G. VanSickle, Hamilton, OH—OnJanuary 1, 1999, Mr. VanSickle assumedownership of Criterium-Hough/Van SickleEngineers. They are one of 65 offices associatedwith Criterium Engineers, one of ENR’s Top500 Engineering Companies.

1962Christopher M. Timm, PE, Albuquerque, NM—Mr. Timm joined Commodore AdvancedSciences, Inc. as a Vice President in January1998 and was promoted to C.O.O. in July 1998.He serves on the Board of Directors for StartupTechnology Firm in Los Alamos, NM. He andhis wife, Celina, own a small ranch on the PecosRiver, east of Santa Fe and are redeveloping anold vineyard. They are also helping Cubanrefugee families get settled in New Mexico.Mr. Timm has taken up writing and hopes tobe published soon.

1965George Y. Baladi, PhD, PE, Kirtland AFB,NM—Dr. Baladi has been named DeputyDirector, Testing Division for the DefenseThreat Reduction Agency at Kirtland AirForce Base

1967Dan Powell, PE, Glendale, AZ—Dan recentlymoved to Glendale and is now ITS ProgramManager for PBS&J. He will manage thedivison’s western operations. Prior to thisappointment, he worked for the ArizonaDepartment of Transportation for 26 years.Most recently, Dan served as the chiefadministrator for the award-winning AZ TechModel Deployment Initiative project, one offour ITS model deployment initiative grantsselected in a nationwide competition. Theinitiative will provide an integrated ITS systemfor the Phoenix metropolitan area thatcoordinates freeways and traffic signal systemsacross jurisdictional boundaries and providesa privatized advanced traveler informationsystem. His other responsibilites for theADOT included serving as District Engineer,Equipment Services Administrator, andMaintenance Planning Engineer. In additionto his BSCE from Purdue, Dan has a master’sdegree in transportation from the Universityof Tennessee. He is a member of the IntelligentTransportation Society (ITS) of America; afounding member and past president of theITS of Arizona; and a member of the Instituteof Transportation Engineers, the APWA, andthe ASCE. He is a registered professionalengineer in Arizona and California and aregistered land surveyor in Arizona.

1968Jaime Logreira, Colombia, South America—As owner of his own company, CHS Ltda.,Jaime directed an AM/FM/GIS project, in theworks since 1985, which is said to be one ofthe world’s biggest and most complex(Transmission & Distribution, pg. 56, February1995). On May 29, 1998, he was awarded theNational Civil Engineering Excellence Awardfor distinguished services by the ColombianSociety of Civil Engineers. He has over 40years of experience in professional practicein environmental engineering and computerapplications to civil engineering projects.

1969Michael H. Wink, Veedersburg, IN—Michaelis a District Construction Engineer for INDOTin Crawfordsville.

1973Robert G. Carlson, Lakewood, CO—Roberthas served as President of Muller Engineeringsince 1996. The firm is a 26-person civilengineering consulting firm that serves thestate Department of Transportation and localgovernmental agencies. Mr. Carlson serves onthe Board of Directors of the West Chamber,serving Jefferson County. He is a member ofthe American Consulting Engineering Counciland is the ACEC Colorado Representative tothe National Quality Initiative (NQI) Colorado.He is also a member of the Institute ofTransportation Engineers and is a CertifiedConsulting Engineer.

1974P. Frank O’Hare, PE, Columbus, OH—Frank has joined ACE American Consulting,Inc. as Vice President of their Ohio operations.ACE began business in 1966, specializing intransportation and structural engineering.Now, after 33 years of steady growth, ACEoffers complete consulting services to theirclients throughout the United States.

1976Joseph M. Cibor, Houston, TX—Joseph hasbeen named President of Fugro South, Inc., aHouston-based engineering firm serving bothdomestic and international clients. He receivedundergraduate and graduate engineeringdegrees from Purdue and is also an alumnusof Harvard Business School. Ranked eighthon Engineering News Record’s list of the “Top200 International Design Firms,” Fugro is theworld’s leading provider of on- and off-shoregeotechnics and positioning services. The firmalso is engaged in field exploration, engineeringgeology and geophysics, construction materi-als testing, and pavement management systems.Fugro employs more than 5,000 peopleworldwide and operates in 40 countries. Its1998 revenues exceeded $600 million.

Jeffrey L. Stapleton, Aurora, CO—Jeffreyis a Senior Structural Engineer for Carter &Burgess, Inc. in Denver, Colorado. A highwaybridge that he designed, the I-225/I-70 flyoverramp in Denver, won an FHWA National Qual-ity Initiative (NQI) Award last year.

Class Notes

21

1977Glenn Reynolds, Durham, NC—Glenn iscurrently employed at Duke University andwas recently promoted to Assistant Director,Systems/Engineering Services. Glenn hasbeen employed at Duke since May 1998 in theFacilities Management Department. His newjob involves the planning, programming, andbudget responsibilities for the campus utilitydistribution systems, as well as coordinatingin-house and contract engineering services.Glenn’s wife, Sandra, is employed by the DukeUniversity Medical Center.

1978Cris Klika, Indianapolis, IN—Cris has beenappointed the new Commissioner of IndianaDepartment of Transportation (see story onpage 8).

1979Martin Brockman, Khobar, Saudi Arabia—Martin has been promoted to OperationsManager for Arabian CBI Ltd., a company ofChicago Bridge and Iron, NV. He lives in SaudiArabia with his wife and two children andwould love to hear from fellow Purdue gradsin SA or from his class of 1979/80. His emailaddress is: mmkbrock@sahara.com.sa.

1980Mark A. Kapouralos, Southlake, TX—Afternine years in Chicago, Mark moved to Dallas,Texas in 1998 to join Nokia Corporation, aFinnish-based company. Nokia is #1 in theworld in cellular telecommunications. He isthe Director for AMPS Product Management/Americas.

1981Glenn McArdle, Westlake, OH—Glenn isManager of Retail Operations for TravelCenters of America in Westlake.

1982Spencer Patterson, Jr., Albuquerque, NM—Spencer is now a Commander for the 877thCivil Engineer Squadron of the US Air Force,based at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico.

Dale Wills, North Liberty, IN—Dale nowworks as an estimator/project manager forSmall Inc. in North Liberty.

Debra A. (Smith) Wright, Elkhart, IN—InOctober 1998, Debra accepted a part-timeposition as a traffic engineer for the City ofElkhart’s Public Works and Utilities. She works

part-time while her children are in school andenjoys being home when the bus drops themoff after school. Co-worker Mike Machlan is afellow Purdue Civil alum; both studied hydrau-lics.

1984Lori Archibald Troxel, Nashville, TN—Afterworking for Tennessee Department of Trans-portation for two years, Lori obtained an MSand Ph.D. in civil engineering from Vanderbilt.Currently, she is an assistant professor of civilengineering at Vanderbilt and teaches statisticsand surveying. In the fall she will be teachingfull time. Lori and her husband Scott have twochildren—Beatrice, 6, and Archie, 4.

1986Vasilis J. Botopoulos (BSCE’86, MSCE’91,MBA’94), Athens, Greece—Vasilis has beennamed Vice President of Academic Affairs(Provost), for the University of Indianapolis,Athens.

1987Girish Agrawal (MSCE’87; PhD ’92),Sunnyvale, CA—Girish has resigned hisposition with HFA in Irvine and is now workingwith BSK & Associates in Pleasanton in theSan Francisco Bay area. His wife, Shalini, hasaccepted a post-doctoral position with theHoward Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford.

1991Frederick Mathis, Jr., Houston, TX—Afterworking for six years as a transportationengineer for the Michigan Department ofTransportation, Frederick moved to Texaswhere he currently works as a Bond ProjectEngineer for Harris Co. Public InfrastructureDept. (HCPIO). His responsibilities includemanaging over 15 consultants’ road designprojects in the Houston area. He and his wife,Tonia, have two sons, Cedric and Frederick III,who are 3 years old and were expecting theirthird child in April 1999.

Jason Sun, Seattle, WA—Jason recentlyaccepted a position with Media Passage Inc.,a brokerage firm for advertising betweenadvertising agencies and daily newspapers.He is involved in their information technology.

1994Beth (Hickman) Emerson, PE, Durham,NC—Beth married in September 1998 andreceived her PE in January 1999.

Ian Lundberg, Marietta, GA—In 1998, Ianfounded Resolve Environmental Engineering,an environmental consulting firm in Marietta.

Christopher M. Straub, Kansas City, MO—Chris is a project manager at Burns &McDonnell in Kansas City. He was recentlynamed manager of Burns & McDonnell’s TWAaccount. He and his wife, Regina, will soon beannouncing the birth of their first child.

1997Chester N. “Chip” Hahn II, Fort Drum, NY—Chip is currently the Combat Engineer PlatoonLeader in the 10th Mountain Division (LI) atFort Drum. He is preparing for a six-monthdeployment to Bosnia-Herzigovina to monitorhumanitarian demining efforts by the BosnianArmy. He is also conducting route and bridgesurveys to ensure freedom movement for U.S.forces and Bosnians throughout the country.Chip married Melissa A. Royston (CDFS’98)in December 1998.

Tolga Kilic, Chicago, IL—Tolga graduatedwith a Masters of Project Managementfrom Northwestern University in 1998,married Asli Kilic on January 30, 1999, andis currently employed as a constructionengineer with HARZA in Chicago. Tolga is amember of the NSPE and American InvestorsAssociates.

Jeffrey D. Pizanti, Pensacola, FL—Jeffgraduated from Aviation Maintenance OfficerSchool in Pensacola, FL and has orders tothe USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. On board, hewill work at the Aircraft Intermediate-levelMaintenance Department in a logistics andmanagement role.

Theresa Laughlin Silver, LaPorte, IN—OnMay 30, 1999, Theresa Laughlin marriedMichael Silver, Jr. in West Lafayette, IN. Thecouple now resides in LaPorte.

Julie (McCoy) Townsend, Richmond, VA—Julie is a project engineer for Anderson &Associates, Inc. She serves as a Chairpersonfor the Technical Drafting Advisory Council atHermitage High School in Richmond. In 1998Julie received her EIT registration. Shemarried Brian Townsend on January 10, 1998.

1998Kristine Nanney, Santa Monica, CA—Kristineis a Field Engineer for Charles PankowBuilders, Ltd. in Altadena, CA.

David J. Zientek, Joliet, IL—David is a landsurveyor for Ruettiger, Tonelli, and Associates,Inc. in Joliet.

22

In Memorium1920’s

Foster F. Schilt - BSCE ’27, Delray Beach, FLJoseph C. Paspisa - BSCE ’29, Toledo, OH

Eugene C. Bowman - BSCE ’29, Newport, ARWorl A. Wise - BSCE ’26, Bismarck, ND

William H. Jacobs - BSCE ’22, Coconut Grove, FL

1930’sThelma Weber - BSCE ’34, Louisville, KYHarry P. Wood - BSCE ’33, Lafayette, IN

Albert W. Cramer - BSCE ’32, Seattle, WAJohn D. Higgins - BSCE ’35, San Diego, CAChester H. Bowers - BSCE ’39, Roanoke, TX

Julius B. Christman, Jr. - BSCE ’31, Houston, TXDavid Primack - BSCE ’31, Silver Spring, MD

Benjamin S. Sheinwald - BSCE ’36, Rockport, MAWilliam F. Traylor - BSCE ’35, Evansville, IN

1940’sMax J. Farrell - BSCE ’41, Topeka, KA

Avis J. Anderson - BSSEH ’48, West Lafayette, INDr. Mary F. Hernandez -BSHE ’48, MSLA ’59, Las Cruces, NMCharles W. Lindner, Sr. - BSCE ’45, MSCE ’48, Springdale, OH

Roberto A. Blandon - BSCE ’41, West Long Branch, NJL. K. Modisett - BSAG ’49, Lafayette, IN

Robert W. Epple - BSSCI ’40, West Lafayette, INJoseph A. Romer - BSCE ’46, Sacramento, CA

Jean A. McCammon (wife of Lewis McCammon) - BSSCI ’44, Alhambra, CA

1950’sHarold J. Michael - MSCE’51, West Lafayette

George M. Eberhart - BSCE ’56, Big Sandy, TXM. N. Franklin - BSCE ’52, Buda, TX

John L. Wesley, Jr. - BSCE ’52, Lexington, KYGeorge W. Bishop - BSCE ’59, Beaufort, SC

E. N. Mose - BSCE ’52, Hinsdale, IL

1960’sEdward J. Cox - BSCE ’65, Brownsburg, IN

1970’sDr. Kevin K. Wolka - BSCE ’72, MSCE ’74, Shelby Township, MI

1990’sBrian C. Hood - MSCE95

Julie E. DePhillips - BSCE ’98, Chicago, IL

FriendsDon C. Foster - Mulberry, INKyoko A. Sato - Austin, TX

George E. Schmitt - Parkersburg, WVRobert W. VanHook - Fremont, OHIsaac A. Bercovitz - Indianapolis, IN

Theodore F. Hagerman - Fort Wayne, INSalvatore D’Amico - Brooklyn, NY

Samuel J. Hamrick - Robertsdale, ALGeorge Millikan - Muncie, IN

Richard A. Stapleton - Willis, TXDr. Walter Hirsch - West Lafayette, In

The Book of Great Teachers,a permanent wall displayin the west foyer of thePurdue Memorial Union,

is an extension ofAcademy Park. The

book bears the namesof the inaugural group

of 225 faculty members,past and present, who

have devoted their livesto excellence in teachingand scholarship. Theywere chosen by their

students and their peersas Purdue’s finest educators.

The nomination processfor inclusion in this bookwill be repeated everyfive years. Honoredteachers from the

School of CivilEngineering include:

Robert H. LeeRobert D. MilesWilliam DolchJohn T. Gaunt,Bevan B. Lewis

Martin Gutzwiller.

G R E A T T E A C H E R S

23

In Memory ofHarold L. Michael(Excerpts taken from Lafayette Journal & Courier, 8/5/99,and comments of Vincent P. Drnevich, 8/7/99)

Professor Harold Michael, retired head of the Purdue Schoolof Civil Engineering and long-time faculty member, passed

away August 3, 1999 at the age of 79. He was considered a“giant” in his field and, according to Purdue President StevenBeering, “was also a true gentleman and a dear personal friend.”After World War II, Harold came to Purdue where he studied CivilEngineering and graduated with highest distinction in the class of1950. This exceptional class is noted for many distinguishedpeople and for its gift to Purdue of the Class of 1950 Building.Harold earned his master’s degree in 1951 and joined the facultyof the School of Civil Engineering at that time. In the 40 years ofservice to Purdue, he had a great impact on countless people inthis community, in the states, and in the world. Over 200 gradu-ate students claim him as their mentor. Many came to Purdue tostudy under him. Chang Chia-Juch, who received his Ph.D. fromPurdue in 1978 and is now Republic of China vice minister oftransportation and communications, said “Harold Michael wasvery prominent—a leading expert in his field. I went to Purduebecause that’s where Harold Michael was.” The transportationengineering practiced in the U.S. and throughout the world isstrongly influenced by his work and teaching.He rose to leadership roles in nearly all transportation profes-sional and technical organizations, including the TransportationResearch Board, the American Road and Transportation buildersAssociation, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Heserved them until the moment of his death where he was attend-ing a meeting of ITE in Las Vegas. The Executive Director of ITEdeclared the Headquarters Library and the Institute’s digital li-brary of ITE on the worldwide web in memory of Harold.Professor Michael received many awards and much recognitionfor his accomplishments. For engineers, the premier recognitionis induction to the National Academy of Engineering, an honorHarold received in 1975, at age 55. Purdue awarded him an Hon-orary Doctorate of Engineering in 1992.While developing his national and international reputation, Haroldnever forgot his home community and the state. His leadership inthe Joint Highway Research Project (JHRP) from 1956 until 1991brought this joint venture between INDoT and Purdue to new lev-els of prominence and a model for many states to emulate.Harold’s family has asked that contributions be made to theHarold Michael Memorial Fund established in the School of CivilEngineering at Purdue. Checks should be made payable to Pur-due Foundation and sent to CE Development Office, 1284 CivilEngineering Building, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907-1284.

Harold came toPurdue where hestudied Civil Engineeringand graduated withhighest distinction inthe class of 1950

Professor Harold Michaeloversees construction of new

Civil Engineering Building wing.

OTEC BreakfastNovember 17, 19997:30-8:30 a.m.Hyatt Regency, Madison RoomColumbus, OhioFor reservations or more information, contact Frank O’Hare,(614) 418-1761, ohare@americons.com,or visit the OTEC website at http://www.otecohio.org

Commencement ReceptionDecember 19, 1999Immediately following graduation.G150, Civil Engineering BuildingAll graduating CE students, family and friends are invited.

CE Alumni ReceptionIn conjunction with Transportation Research BoardJanuary 10, 20005:30-7:30 p.m.Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DCAll Purdue CE alumni and friends are invited to attend.

CE Alumni Achievement AwardsFebruary 24, 2000Purdue Memorial Union

Advisory CouncilFebruary 25, 2000Civil Engineering Building

Gala Week / CE BreakfastApril 29, 2000G150, Civil Engineering Building

Purdue University 1284 Civil Engineering BuildingWest Lafayette, IN 47907-1284

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPurdue University

C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G

TRANSITIONSTransitions is published semiannually for alumni, faculty and staff, parents, and friends of the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. Send comments, news, and address changes to: Transitions

Editor, School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 1284 Civil Engineering Building, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1284 or e-mail: cenews@ecn.purdue.edu

Calendar of Events

http://ce.ecn.purdue.edu/CEC I V I L

ENGINEERINGP U R D U EUNIVERSITY

C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G

Advisory CouncilOctober 8, 1999

Civil Engineering Building

CE Breakfast & Steel Tree DedicationOctober 16, 1999

8:00-10:00 a.m. Breakfast10:15 a.m. Dedication

G150, Civil Engineering BuildingAll CE alumni and friends are invited.

CE Alumni ReceptionIn conjunction with ASCE National Convention

October 17, 1999, 4-5:30 p.m. — ReceptionRm. 217A, Charlotte Convention Center

October 18-20, 1999 — ConventionCharlotte, North Carolina

Indianapolis CE Alumni ReceptionOctober 26, 1999

5-7:00 p.m.Holiday Inn North, Indianapolis, IN

All CE alumni and guests are welcome! Door prizes!!

14th Annual CE Professional Development SeminarNovember 4, 1999

Third Floor, Stewart CenterFor more information, contact

Bob McCullouch at 765-494-0643.