Best Wishes to Professor Eric Hall On His Retirement
Congratulations to Professor Dr. Eric Hall, who has retired from UBC Civil Engineering after 26 years with the department! Dr. Hall obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Biochemistry from McMaster University in 1972 and 1974. He then pursued studies in the Water Research Group at McMaster, where he received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering […]
UBC Civil Teams Wins 2018 WEFTEC Student Design Competition
Congratulations to UBC Civil Environmental students (left to right) James Craxton, Steven Rintoul, Lutz Subagio, Johnson Li, as well as supervisor Professor Noboru Yonemitsu, who won first place in the 2018 WEFTEC Student Design Competition! The Student Design Competition begins at the Member Association (MA) level. Each MA is encouraged to develop their own Student Design […]
UBC Civil Professor Loretta Li Featured as Keynote Speaker at 2018 STEM Career Conference
On Sept. 16 2018, UBC Civil Professor Dr. Loretta Li was featured as one of the keynote speakers at this year’s STEM Career Conference, held at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel. The conference is an annual event for high school and university students who excel at or are interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and […]
2018 Civil Undergraduate Student Scavenger Hunt and Bridge Building Competition
On September 4th, 2018, the Department welcomed new Civil Engineering majors with its annual undergraduate student orientation. The orientation consisted of a scavenger hunt and popsicle stick model bridge-building competition, the latter being a new addition to the 2018 activities. This Fall, we welcome 121 new majors into the Bachelors in Civil Engineering program. The […]
UBC Civil Engineering Hosts International Students for Vancouver Summer Program
On July 14- August 14, 2018, the Department of Civil Engineering hosted dozens of international undergraduate students for the annual Vancouver Summer Program. The Vancouver Summer Program (VSP) is a four-week academic program offered by various Faculties at the University of British Columbia, Canada for students from cooperating universities. The program provides the opportunity to take two […]
UBC Study Co-Authored By Professor Tarek Sayed Examines Distracted Pedestrian Cellphone Use in Crosswalks
(Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images) UBC Civil Engineering Professor Tarek Sayed‘s research on pedestrian cellphone use was featured this week in The New York Times and CBC News. In the UBC study, led by engineers, two cameras were mounted at pedestrian crossing intersections monitoring the movement of over 350 pedestrians over a two-day period. Observations from the study found that over […]
Professor Alex Bigazzi Challenges the Concept of “Ideological War on Transportation” In Vancouver
According to a study on global traffic patterns , Vancouver has the 203rd worst traffic in the world. In an effort to solve the congestion issue in city, Vancouver Mayoral candidate Wai Young proposed to remove separate bike lanes and demolish the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts if she gets elected. But are these infrastructures really the ones […]
IC-IMPACTS Conference connects Canada-India infrastructure, water and health research
IC-IMPACTS (the India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability) marked the completion of its first five years by bringing together researchers to discuss their progress on infrastructure, water and health challenges. Special guests at the two-day research conference included India’s High Commissioner to Canada, His Excellency Vikas Swarup, and the Consul […]
UBC Team Takes Home Two Awards at 2018 EERI Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition
Last week, nearly 350 students participated in the 15th Annual EERI Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition (SDC) at the 11th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (11NCEE) and 2018 EERI Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. The Seismic Design Competition (SDC) includes over 30 teams from universities across the US and around the world. Each team designed a complex tall building model […]
Another Year of Success: UBC CSCE Wins National CSCE President’s Best Student Chapter Award
The UBC CSCE Student Chapter came first in a nation-wide selection of the best student chapters of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), an organization that aims to unite civil engineering communities across Canada. Having won the same award in 2015, this is another year of great success for the Student Chapter. After thorough review and evaluation of […]
Civil Engineering’s Dr. Loretta Li Speaks at Young WISE Event
Growing up in a family of only daughters and attending an all-girls school run by nuns, Civil Engineering Professor Dr. Loretta Li never thought to differentiate activities between genders. A rarity in 1950s Hong Kong, her father emphasized the importance of education for girls, supporting his daughters’ academic aspirations despite bewilderment from extended family and friends. Professor […]
Professor Bernard Laval wins prestigious Killam Teaching Prize
Civil Engineering Professor Bernard Laval has been awarded a 2018 Killam Teaching Prize for the Faculty of Applied Science. Nominated by students, faculty and alumni, the Killam Teaching Prizes are the highest recognition of an exceptional teaching awarded to instructors by UBC. Dr. Laval’s commitment to graduate and undergraduate learning has been a positive impact on Civil […]
Yes, It Floats: UBC Concrete Canoe Team Rises to the Challenge at National Competition
UBC’s Concrete Canoe team recently competed at the Canadian National Concrete Canoe Competition (CNCCC) at Waterloo University in Ontario. This three-day event brought together civil engineering students from all over the country from May 10th – 12th. The UBC team has been preparing for the better part of the year, designing and testing their material, designing […]
Professor Donald Mavinic interviewed by Star Vancouver about new approaches to Canadian wastewater management
UBC Civil Engineering Professor Emeritus Donald Mavinic spoke to the Star Vancouver about the need to update Canadian wastewater management standards. As the chair of a panel that spent six months reviewing water contaminants in Canadian cities, Mavinic discusses the need for treatment infrastructure to catch up with the new pollutants entering our water. The […]
Civil Research Associate Listed in CBC Environmentalist Roundup
Dr. Asha Srinivasan listed among powerhouse Canadian environmentalists like Naomi Klein and David Suzuki for her work in waste reduction To celebrate Earth Day, CBC released an article listing “13 Canadian environmentalists and innovators changing Earth for the better.” In addition to household names like David Suzuki and Naomi Klein, the list included a member […]
Spring 2018 Undergraduate Roundup: The Iron Ring, Student Awards, and Grad Trip to Cuba
With the spring term coming to a close, the 2018 class of Civil Engineering students are celebrating their graduation and transition into the engineering world outside of UBC. Amidst the celebrations, graduates affirm their commitment to engineering ethics, recognize the contributions of students to the UBC community and explore the field of civil engineering around […]
2018 Civil Undergraduate Teaching Award Recipients
Friday, April 20, 2018 | By Amelia Pitt-Brooke Pitt-Brooke After a vote by the undergraduate student body, the Civil Engineering Club has announced the recipients of this year’s Civil Undergraduate Teaching Awards: Undergraduate Teaching Award Winner 2nd year Student Appreciation Award Dr. Gregory A. Lawrence 3rd year Student Appreciation Award Dr. Noboru Yonemitsu 4th year Student Appreciation Award Dr. Reza Joghataie Exceptional […]
Steel Bridge Team Places 3rd at 2018 Pacific Northwest Regional Competition
Civil Engineering Students Progress to ASCE Nationals in Illinois The UBC Steel Bridge team won 3rd place in last week’s regional competition held by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE). The 20 member team took their 17’ model bridge to the ASCE Pacific Northwest Conference in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to face off against 18 other […]
UBC-Based IC-IMPACTS Deepens Canada-India Ties with Water Research in Iconic Varanasi City
Clockwise left to right: Dr. Banthia meets with representatives from DBT and DST, the location of Varanasi on the Ganges river, the river rejuvination scoping workshop held in Varanasi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s riding). Organization led by UBC Civil Engineering Professor taps into National River Ganges Rejuvenation The Ganges River is a lifeline for over […]
Civil Engineering Alumni Celebrated with Dean’s Medal of Distinction
Peter Taylor and Michael Jacobs to be honoured at 2018 Applied Science Celebration Peter Taylor and Michael Jacobs will be recognized on Thursday, April 12th for their contributions to civil engineering in BC and to the Department at UBC. Starting in 2015, the Dean’s Medal of Distinction was created to celebrate the 100 year history […]
Dr. Nemy Banthia Interviewed on Global National about the Florida Bridge Collapse
Civil Engineering professor Dr. Nemkumar (Nemy) Banthia was interviewed by Global National about the March 15th pedestrian bridge collapse in South Florida that killed six people, and the safety of Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques. Watch the interview here (starts at 2:44).
Civil Engineering Professor a BC Business 2018 STEM Star
Dr. Sheryl Staub-French recognized in the magazine’s list of influential women in STEM Civil Engineering Professor Sheryl Staub-French was recently acknowledged in BC Business Magazine’s B.C.’s Most Influential Women 2018: Stem Stars, a list that included six faculty members from UBC Applied Science, and several students and alumni. This year’s edition highlights influential women who are industry leaders and […]
Civil Engineering MASc Takes Second Place in 3MT@UBC
Rajat Jain, a civil engineering MASc student, claimed the second place prize in the 3MT@UBC competition. Tasked with the challenge of presenting their thesis research in a condensed but engaging three minute talk, competitors in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) came from a variety of departments across campus. On March 15th, these graduate students went head to […]
Putting Diversity Front and Centre: Civil Professor Sheryl Staub-French named Dean’s Advisor on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
At last Sunday’s Academy Awards, Lee Unkrich, the director of the animated film Coco, concluded his acceptance speech by reminding viewers that “representation matters.” The story of a Mexican boy’s journey through the Land of the Dead, Coco features an almost all-Latino voice cast and was inspired by Mexico’s rich culture and traditions. Another hit […]
Civil engineering professor uses UBC electric-assist velomobile pilot to study new patterns in transportation
Civil Engineering Assistant Professor Alex Bigazzi and his students are using the data from these pedal and solar powered rental vehicles to look at how alternate forms of transportation change the way we move. Working with the Veemo pilot project happening across the UBC campus, Dr. Bigazzi wants to see if the app-activated electric-assisted tricycles […]
Civil grad students take a on a “world’s challenge” at UBC
Civil Engineering Graduate Students won second place in the World’s Challenge Challenge at UBC for their work on a clean drinking water technology that could have applications in First Nations and small remote communities without access to potable water. The World’s Challenge Challenge is a competition hosted by the UBC Global Lounge encouraging students to […]
Civil Engineering graduate students get ready to take clean drinking-water technology to San Francisco in competition for the Hult Prize
An interdisciplinary team of UBC students is ready to take their drinking water technology case one step closer to the $1 million Hult Prize. Rajat Jain, Jatin Maheshwary, and Karan Grover have joined forces to create a business case for the drinking water technology developed under the supervision of Civil Engineering professor Pierre Bérubé. Their entry […]
Civil Engineering Graduate Students Turn Up the Heat, Advancing in the 3MT @UBC Competition
Wednesday, February 21, 2018 Graduate students from the Department of Civil Engineering competed in a 3MT @UBC heat on Friday, February 9th, putting their communication skills to the test. Started by the University of Queensland, the 3MT, or Three Minute Thesis, is a way for students to practice presenting their research in a concise but […]
Earthquake system reality check
UBC Civil Engineering research associate Kent Johansen, with the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility, spoke to CBC following the recent earthquake and tsunami warning in coastal British Columbia. The segment starts at 6:54. View Segment
Receive missile text alert on your phone? Not yet in B.C.
Kent Johansen, a research associate with the earthquake engineering research facility, spoke to CBC about earthquake warning systems. He said traditional SMS text messaging wouldn’t reach everyone fast enough, and that we need dedicated earthquake warning devices. The story also appeared on Yahoo.