North Carolina State University has recently reactivated its student chapter of Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC).  The chapter plans to focus on 1) educating students about their career future and  preparing them for interviews and communications with prospective employers and 2) promoting licensure.  Meetings will be held once a month and will include engineering representatives from the community.  The representatives will not only share information about their company but also share valuable insight about pursuing future employment.  The chapter also plans to further prepare students for the future by holding a ‘speed interviewing’ session before the Engineering Career Fairs held every fall and spring semester.  Students will be given the opportunity to meet and greet with professional engineers in the community through fieldtrips and outside activities.  The chapter will also assist students in joining the Adopt-a-Student program where local engineers adopt a student and give them guidance in their engineering future.  PENC at NCSU is open to all engineering students across campus.

Title: Engineers Without Borders: Implementation of a Rainwater Harvesting System in a Rural Village in Bolivia

Monday, September 28
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Mann 323

Speakers:  Danielle Touma, CCEE, NCSU,  Akeem Robinson, ChE

Abstract: Through the collaboration with an NGO called Save the Children, EWB-NCSU was able to plan and implement a water collection project in Asanquiri, Bolivia between July 27 and August 13, 2009. EWB-NCSU was informed by Save the Children that the community's water supply does not meet the demand and that water quality improvements are needed because of the prevalence of waterborne diseases in Asanquiri. Using the data that was collected during the assessment trip to Bolivia two years prior to the implementation trip, biosand filtration and rainwater harvesting were the methods that were chosen for the implementation. After arriving in Bolivia and speaking to the director of the capacitation center, the implementation team decided that the primary focus should be on water collection and storage rather than water treatment. The team proceeded with implementing a rainwater harvesting system on one of the roofs of the capacitation center along with at 5000L fiberglass tank for water storage. Experience from the trip has shown EWB-NCSU that focusing on the needs of the community is much more valuable to the local people than implementing a project that the EWB team has spent years planning. Future projects that will benefit the community include connecting water from a spring on a nearby mountain to the community, and teaching the students of the capacitation center about practical irrigation methods.

Brittany Boudreaux, a NC State University senior completing a double major in civil engineering and applied mathematics, has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). The scholarship was presented to Boudreaux by Apollo 16 astronaut and moonwalker Charlie Duke during a free public ceremony  held Wednesday, September 23, at the Park Shops on the NC State campus.

Boudreaux spent the summer of 2006 in New Orleans working as an engineering aide asssisting project managers overseeing reconstruction on  non-invasive techniques for evaluating non-porous materials. She co-authored an article which has been accepted for publication in Inverse Problems in Science and Engineering and plans to pursue a PhD with hopes of preventing future disasters such as the levee failure in New Orleans.

Boudreaux is one of 17 students nationwide to receive this scholarship. The Astronaut Scholarships are awarded annually to students who show exceptional performance in the fields of science, engineering or mathematics. Recipients must exhibit motivation, imagination and intellectual daring, as well as exceptional performance, both in and outside the classroom.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is a non-profit organization established by the Mercury Astronauts in 1984 with the goal of aiding the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology. The ASF has awarded more than $2.8 million in scholarships to date, including $188,000 to NC State students.

Frances de los Reyes, Associate Professor, has been selected as one of 130 TEDIndia 2009 Fellows. TED is a small nonprofit organization which began in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds:Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then, its scope has become much broader.  Along with the annual TED Conference held in Long Beach, CA and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK, TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Program, the new TEDx community program, this year's TEDIndia Conference and the annual TED Prize. TEDIndia offers a vision of the future rich with invention, entrepreneurship, cross-disciplinary problem-solving, unexpected solutions and sensory delight.  It is hosted in a country that’s reinventing itself – and reshaping the world.  Additional information can be found at http://conferences.ted.com/TEDIndia/

Dr. H. Christopher Frey, professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering at NC State University, has been selected by the National Academy of Sciences to serve a three-year term on the Board of Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST).

BEST is the National Academies' principal study unit for environmental pollution problems affecting human health, human impacts on the environment, and the assessment and management of related risks to human health and the environment.

The board provides independent expert assistance to problems involving air and water pollution, solid and hazardous waste, toxicology, epidemiology, risk assessment, applied ecology, natural resources and environmental engineering, economics, law and policy.

Frey is a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and also serves on a National Research Council committee that will help establish a precedent for regulation of the use of tetrachloroethylene, a potentially harmful chemical used in dry cleaning and industrial processes.

Frey's research interests have been in energy and environmental systems, including air pollutants, greenhouse gases, power generation and vehicle emissions.  He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1985 from the University of Virginia, his M.S. in mechanical engineering in 1987 and his PhD in engineering and public policy in 1991 from Carnegie Mellon University.

Graduate students Ye Cao and Xiaozhen Liu, who are working with Professor Chris Frey, have received Student Travel Awards from the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) to attend the Society's Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD, December 6-9, 2009.  Ye Cao received the Student Merit Award from the Exposure Assessment Specialty Group of SRA for her paper on "Evaluation of the Modeling of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) in the SHEDS-PM Model."

Graduate research assistants in Dr. Frey's group have won numerous awards in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA), held June 16-19, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan.  Brandon Graver, Ye Cao, and Xiaozhen Liu received Student Travel Awards from the Research Triangle Park (RTP) Chapter of A&WMA to attend the Annual Meeting.  Ye Cao won an A&WMA Young Professional Best Paper Award in the area of Environmental Management.  Brandon Graver won first place in the A&WMA Student Poster Competition at the Master's level.

Dr. Sami Rizkalla, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction and Director of the Constructed Facilities Laboratory at North Carolina State University, has been elected a Fellow of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI).  The Institute recognized Rizkalla for his "outstanding contributions to the precast concrete structures industry and to the institute."

Rizkalla will received the award Sunday, September 13 during the PCI Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Rizkalla's research interests are in the field of advanced composite materials and their uses for civil engineering applications, including design, construction and performance of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures and bridges.  For the past 20 years, Rizkalla has been focused on the use of fiber reinforced polymer materials for rehabilitation, strengthening and repair of bridges and structures, as well as new construction.

Rizkalla received his B.S. in civil engineering in 1965 from Alexandria University, his M.S. in civil engineering in 1974 from NC State, and his PhD in civil engineering in 1976 from NC State.

Dr. George F. List, Chairman of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering has been asked by Interim Chancellor James Woodward to serve on a "Special Committee on Donor Naming."  This committee is charged with reviewing proposals for naming facilities and/or programs in recognition of individuals or organizations that "have attained achievements of extraordinary and lasting distinction.  Generally, these will be individuals who have had direct, substantial, and active association with University.  For individuals who have not had such an association with the University, selection may be based on the individual's record of scholarship, creativity, leadership, humanitarian service or public service.  Additional information can be found at www.ncsu.edu/policiies/alumni_dev/POL03.002.php

Leslie E. Robertson who led the structural design of the former World Trade Center, delivered the annual Paul Zia Distinguished Lecture in Civil Engineering and Construction.  This event which was open to the public was held at 3:00 PM on Monday, September 14 at the Raleigh Little Theatre near the NC State University's main campus.

Dubbed the "Skyscraper Superstar" for his groundbreadking work on the World Trade Canter and other towers, Robertson redefined the upper limits of high-rise engineering and design. He first gained worldwide attention in the 1960s for directing the structural design of the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York. His design was credited with allowing thousands of people to escape the towers before they collapsed following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In his address entitled "The Articture and the Structural Engineer: Both Friends and Foes," he used his innovative designs to discuss how the complicated relationship between structural engineers and architects can produce brilliant results.

Robertson is a pioneer in the application of computers to design, and has advanced the art and the science of structural engineering theory through his work on skyscrapers, domes, bridges and long-span roofs. His numerous honors include membership in the National Academy of Engineering and a place on Engineering News-Record's list of "125 Top People of the Past 125 Years." He and his New York-based firm, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, are also responsible for the structural design of the 1,614 Shanghai World Financial Center, the world's second-tallest completed building, and hundreds of other skyscrapers and structures around the world.

The series, established in 2002 to recognize the accomplishments of Dr. Paul Zia, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at NC State, was presented by NC State’s Constructed Facilities Laboratory and the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Zia, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, is a leading figure in the fields of concrete and structural engineering and served as head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State for nine years.

Dr. Sami H. Rizkalla, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction and Director of the Constructed Facilities Laboratory (CFL), has been elected Fellow of PCI. This action was taken by the Board of Directors at the PCI Summer Conference at the advice of the Fellow’s Nominating Committee in recognition of Rizkalla’s outstanding contributions to the precast concrete structures industry and the institute. The award was presented during the PCI Annual Convention which as held September 12-15, 2009 at the San Antonio Marriott River Center and Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX.

Jie Yu, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) at North Carolina State University, has been awarded a prestigious Career Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Yu will receive $567,232 over five years for her project, entitled “CAREER: Multi-scale Interactions of Waves, Currents and Morphology with Applications to Rip Currents.” The Career Award is one of the highest honors given by NSF to young university faculty in science and engineering and is intended to advance the development of their research and careers.

Yu, working to identify coastal dynamics that can generate deadly rip currents, cites a smaller project funded by North Carolina Sea Grant as a catalyst for the national award.  This project initiated a graduate research program at NC State that focuses on coastal hydrodynamics and environmental fluid mechanics. The potential impact of her research will lead to an understanding of rip current dynamics which will provide a scientific basis for rip current prediction which ultimately will lead to better forecasting of their risks and to enhanced beach safety. The new NSF project will expand the NC State graduate program and also will include outreach for K-12 education about coastal processes. Sea Grant and the weather service, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NC State Science House, will continue to help extend research results to various audiences.

Yu joined the CCEE faculty in 2007.  She holds a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master's degree from Florida State University, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Science and Technology of China.

Engineering Days 2009, a program presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC/NC), will be held April 21-22.  The event is designed to raise awareness among elected and appointed officials and the general public about engineering's importance for our state's future prosperity. The ACEC/NC is a professional organization of more than 8,000 profesional engineers, technicians and scientists whose member companies help create the transportation systems, environmental protection projects, schools, hospitals, clean water supplies and other infrastructure that is vital to North Carolina's future.

Engineering Days will feature two main activities:

• April 22 a small group of engineers will be visiting with members of the General Assembly in their legislative offices to discuss the importance of engineering in key public policy issues facing our state.
• April 21 & 22 the NC State engineering students who won the ACEC/NC's 2009 Future Enginering Award will be on the Halifx Mall (just outside the General Assembly Legislative Building) constructing and displaying their winning project: a fully-functional temporary pedestrian bridge.  On April 22, NCSU engineering students will present additional exhibits showing cutting-edge engineering technology in a variety of disciplies.

Legislators, their staff, executive branch officials, state employees, the media, and all members of the general public are encouraged to participate in the activities on the Halifax Mall on April 22.  Additional information can be found on the ACEC/NC web site:  http://www.acecnc.org

The NCSU American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is hosting a three-part speaker series focusing on the engineering world in today's troubled economy.  The series will include three, one-hour discussions focusing on the economy's effects on the engineering industry, with special focus on civil engineering and construction.  The series will be held in Mann Hall, Room 216.  A  light dinner or snack will be served.

People are always looking for ways to make something less expensive, longer lasting or more environmentally friendly.  A team of researchers at NC State is figuring out how to do all of these things at once for some of the largest, most common buildings found anywhere--parking garages.  Dr. Sami Rizkalla, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction and Director of the Constructed Facilities Laboratory (CFL), is one of the leaders of this research team and believes the new structural design "simplifies construction for precast concrete producers."

Additional information was recently published in the NC State Bulletin and can be found at:

http://www.ncsu.edu/bulletin/archive/2009/02/02-12/concrete.php

Roberto Nunez, Lecturer and Senior Construction Extension Specialist in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University, received the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Certification Award.  This award, established in 2004,  recognizes individuals and organizations that have made notable contributions to the advancement of ACI certification.  Nunez has been recognized for his efforts in developing certification programs nationally and internationally.   His work includes the award-winning ACI-NCDOT Concrete School that provides training and ACI accreditations to both NC State students and industry concrete professionals. Nunez also developed successful ACI certification programs in Ecuador, Panama and Guatemala. 

For additional information, please see http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/news/news_articles/nunez.html

38th Henry M. Shaw Lecture

What's the Matter with Concrete? A Multiscale Approach to the Development of Sustainable Materials and Structures

• February 5, 2009 (1:30 PM; 216 Mann Hall)
• Dr. Franz-Josef Ulm
  Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

After water, concrete is the material the most consumed on Earth. The current annual rate of worldwide cement production stands at 2.4 billion tons, enough to produce one cubic meter of concrete per capita and year. But concrete faces an uncertain future due to the ecological footprint of cement production: Each ton of cement produced equates to one ton of CO2 released that is the equivalent of 5,000 car km of driving, or equivalent to the absorption capacity of a tree, absorbing CO2 over a 100 years! Despite the ubiquitous presence of this material forming the backbone of our societal needs for housing and infrastructure, the nanobehavior of concrete is still an enigma. In this talk, I present recent developments in nanoscience and nanoengineering of concrete. Evidence from an original statistical nanoindentation technique shows that the calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) phase, the hydraulic binding phase of all cementitious materials, has a unique nanomechanical signature.  This signature is characterized by unique low- and high-density packing arrangements of 5nm sized nanoparticles, found to be packed close to the random packing limit of spherical particles (64%), or packed around the ordered limit packing density of spherical objects (74%), similar to oranges in a grocery shop (Keppler's conjecture). Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations provide evidence that these limit packings of nano-sized particles are necessary to stabilize an intrinsically metastable molecular structure. These conclusions do not only hold for concrete but for many other materials: clays, bones, etc. Furthermore, bridging between MD simulations and nanoindentation, I will conclude that this nanomechanical code of cement-based materials yields a new basis for the nanoengineering of sustainable concrete materials and structures. This will be illustrated through the recent design of the “bridge of the future”, a multiscale ultrahigh performance engineering design of the next generation of US Highway bridge girders.

After water, concrete is the material the most consumed on Earth. The current annual rate of worldwide cement production stands at 2.4 billion tons, enough to produce one cubic meter of concrete per capita and year. But concrete faces an uncertain future due

Biographical sketch: Franz-Josef Ulm is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his engineering degree from the Technical University Munich, Germany, in 1990, his Ph.D. from the Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées, France, in 1994; and his abilitation Degree from the Ecole Normale Superiéure de Cachan, France in 1998. His current research focuses on experimental and theoretical nanomechanics of natural composites, microporomechanics, and biochemomechanics. Dr. Ulm has published over 80 scientific papers in peer-reviewed mechanics, materials science, and biomechanics journals, and four books; most recently ‘‘Microporomechanics’’ (co-authored with L. Dormieux and D. Kondo).