Dr. Rob Griffin, ChairmanAtmospheric Chemistry

Global trends of mega-urbanization, population growth, climate change-related disasters, aging infrastructure, higher pollution, energy security concerns, and decreasing availability of natural resources will place an unprecedented demand

for leadership from CEE over the next 25 years. Our challenges have never been clearer or more urgent.

Environmental Engineering Faculty

Dr. Pedro AlvarezEnvironmental Biotechnology & NanotechnologyDirector, NEWT Center

Dr. Phil BedientHydrology & Water Resources Director, SSPEED Center

Dr. Daniel CohanAtmospheric Modeling & Policy

Dr. Qilin LiAdvanced Technologies for Water QualityAssoc. Driector, NEWT Center

Dr. Mason TomsonFate & Transport of Pollutants in Sediments, Brine Chemistry

Dr. Calvin (Herb) Ward, Professor EmeritusRemediation Technology Development

BSCE Strengths• Size: relatively small size facilitates engagement;

• Agility: ability to steer quickly toward new objectives;

• Entrepreneurship: risk-receptivity and ability to assess and amass the resources needed to undertake new ventures;

• Interdisciplinary: leadership in the integration of expertise to address complex problems;

• Perspective: focus on urban systems sustainability, the interplay between the built and natural environments, the challenges that face society in the foreseeable future;

• Continuous Assessment: to improve curriculum, class scheduling, student advising, and facilities;

• Ethics: hard-working attitude of faculty members, staff, and students, with an unwavering commitment to quality first.

Keck Hall 116 | email: ceve@rice.edu | phone: (713) 348-4949 ceve.rice.edu

ceve.rice.eduCivil Engineering Faculty

Jim Blackburn, Professor in the PracticeEnvironmental Law & Sustainability Co-Director, SSPEED Center

Dr. Leonardo Dueñas-OsorioComplex Systems ModelingInfrastructure Reliability

Dr. Satish NagarajaiahDynamic Systems & Control, Smart Structures

Dr. Jamie PadgettReliability & Risk Assessment, Bridge Engineering

Dr. Rouzbeh ShahsavariComputational Nanoscience for Green Infrastructure

Dr. Pol SpanosDynamic & Vibrations of Structural Systems

Dr. Illinca StanciulescuComputational Mechanics & Nonlinear Dynamics

Ed Segner, Professor in the PracticeProject Management & Engineering Economics

Research Areas and InterestsCEVE faculty offer an array of research interests in which undergraduate students have opportunities to get involved. • Environmental Nanotechnology

• Urban Hydrology & Flood Prediction

• Air Quality and Environmental Policy

• Water Quality and Sustainable Water Management

• Hazardous Waste Remediation

• Dynamics of Smart Structures

• Computational & Stochastic Mechanics

• Reliability of Civil Infrastructure and Complex Urban Systems

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMING

Dr. Lauren StadlerMicro/biological processes for water treatment

EngineeringCIVIL and ENVIRONMENTAL

OBJECTIVES and FACULTY

Degrees offeredThe department offers two degrees: B.S. Civil Engineering and B.A. Civil and Environmental Engineering. Both tracks offer students a robust curriculum, with small class sizes and hands-on opportunities for research and design.

• B.S. Civil Engineering (ABET Accredited) – 133 hrs.Contact Dr. Bedient: bedient@rice.eduThe B.S. is designed to prepare students for a career in engineering and offers innovative and challenging courses while still providing significant flexibility to the student.

• B.A. Civil & Environmental Engineering – 122 hrs. Contact Dr. Tomson: mtomson@rice.eduThe B.A. offers a Civil or Environmental Engineering emphasis and allows both tracks to be tailored to the specific needs of each student.

Overview• 12.5 Faculty + 2 professors in the practice• 50 Undergraduate students• 65 Graduate students• 46 Doctoral candidates• 11 Masters students & 8 Professional Masters• 10 Postdoctoral fellows• 6 Research scientists• Graduate programs ranked 27 (Civil) & 24 (Env) ~

$4.6M Annual research expenditure

What is Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEVE)?Enhancing the sustainability of urban systems stressed bydemographic explosion, mega-urbanization and climatechange is the focus of CEVE. Graduating students are wellpositioned to solve emerging and critical challenges ofcomplex urban systems. Focus areas include renewal ofaging infrastructure, prediction, mitigation and extremeevent recovery, sustainable use of natural resources,pollution control, and enhancement of water and energysecurity.

CIVIL and ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING /UNDERGRAD RESEARCH EXPERIENCEUndergraduate ProgramsStudents choose one focus area of four listed below

CEE Minor & Department Centers• Minor in Sustainability: The CEE Department offers

undergraduate students to select a minor in energy and water sustainability. Students completing this minor in sustainability will be better prepared for global society that is attempting to understand and address the challenge of meeting the basic needs of an expanding population in light of a clearer realization of natural resource limitations

• Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center: The SSPEED Center has been studying hurricane issues in the Houston-Galveston area since 2009, ever since Hurricane Ike hit Galveston in September 2008. The SSPEED Center is currently engaged in a study to investigate and develop a potential regional surge protection system for the Houston-Galveston area, known as H-GAPS (Houston-Galveston Area Protection System). This proposed system provides for Multiple Lines of Defense, a concept currently being employed in the Netherlands. It is hoped that this regional system will be implemented by some governmental entity such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with funding from local, state, and/or federal sources. This project would also have to be in compliance with various applicable laws and regulations in order to get permitted for construction. SSPEED.rice.edu

• Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment Center (NEWT): NEWT is an interdisciplinary, multi-institution engineering research center whose goal is to facilitate access to clean water almost anywhere in the world by developing efficient modular water treatment systems that are easy to deploy, and that can tap unconventional sources to provide humanitarian water or emergency response. NEWT also develops systems to treat and reuse challenging industrial wastewaters in remote locations, such as oil and gas fields to help energy production be more sustainable and more cost-efficient in regards to its water footprint. Dr. Alvarez is the center’s Director, and Dr. Li is the center’s Assoc. Director. NEWTCenter.org

Undergraduates with the Engineers Without Borders organization of the College of Engineering in Nicaragua setting up a water treatment tank.

Environmental EngineeringAdvisor: Dr. Mason Tomsonmtomson@rice.edu | x6048

Urban Hydrologyand Water ResourcesAdvisor: Dr. Philip Bedientbedient@rice.edu | x4953

Structural Engineeringand MechanicsAdvisor: Dr. Satish Nagarajaiahsatish.nagarajaiah@rice.edu | x6207

Take a moment to look at the world around you. You mightsee buildings, roads, bridges, ports, tunnels, or boardwalksoverlooking urban waterways. While these everyday sightsmay be taken for granted, they are critical infrastructurecivil and environmental engineers have a hand in designing,building or maintaining.

For example, Dr. Jamie Padgett’s research focuses on risk assessment of structures and infrastructure such as bridges and buildings exposed to multiple threats, including earthquakes, hurricanes, aging and deterioration, and Dr. Dan Cohan’s research involves satellite data and energy policy. For further information on faculty research, visit ceve.rice.edu.

ceve.rice.edu ceve.rice.edu

Urban Infrastructure and ManagementAdvisor: Dr. Leonardo Dueñas-Osorioleonardo.duenas-osorio@rice.edu x5292

Brays Bayou runs through the heart of Houston, flowing through the Texas Medical Center and near the Rice University campus. Due to the dense urbanization within the Brays Bayou watershed, the channel is highly prone to flooding and has caused millions of dollars of flood damage in recent years. Given these motivations, six senior CEVE students were tasked with designing flood mitigation strategies for Brays Bayou and re-designing an overpass bridge at Greenbriar St in the Medical Center. The team developed a comprehensive design for the bayou that implements retaining walls at various locations and proposes an emergency spillway and detention pond in the Meyerland neighborhood, which has been most vulnerable to flood impacts in recent decades. These flood mitigation solutions would remove up to 453 homes from the current 100-yr floodplain. The team’s re-design of the Greenbriar bridge was extensively modeled and analyzed using structural design software, providing a structurally viable and aesthetically impressive design solution. The efforts in both flood mitigation and structural design earned this team first place and $5000 at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) Showcase. Engineering teams from all disciplines compete in this showcase, and the 2016 competition featured over 80 Rice University teams and over 200 participants.

All the members of the winning Civil Engineering team have a deep commitment to improving public infrastructure and have carried this with them as they leave Rice. Julianne Crawford, one of the structural engineers on the team, will begin her Masters in Sustainable Design and Construction of Structures at Stanford University. Another student, Avi Gori, will begin a Master of Science program at Rice University, and her research will focus on urban flood impacts and risk assessment. Kasia Nikiel, another hydrologist, will begin a PhD program at MIT this year in hydrology and hydroclimatology. Marie Gleichauf accepted a position at K Friese & Associates, an Austin-based civil firm. Sam Greivell will be working at KIT Professionals, which is a water resources firm in Houston. Jinal Mehta will complete her last semester at Rice in the fall and then hopes to investigate the sociological aspect of public infrastructure.

From left: Kasia Nikiel, Avi Gori, Jinal Mehta, Julianne Crawford, Marie Gleichauf, Sam Greivell, and Professor Charles Penland

Storage tanks located along the Houston Ship Channel

Industrial Wastewater Reuse