Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Learn about the Co-op Program (Disciplinary) Webinar
2021-12-01 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York)
Please join our Assistant Dean of Co-op at a webinar discussing the Co-op experiential learning opportunities available for graduate students in the departments of Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Mechanical & Industrial Engineering.
Register

Engineering Environmental Data Justice: From citizen science to community data
2021-11-17 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | 101 Churchill, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Please join the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for this Lunch & Learn seminar series, A Bimonthly seminar series focusing on convergent research, bringing together Northeastern colleagues and collaborators to think big/bold, explore ideas that build cooperation and foster transformative innovation within CEE and across disciplines beyond CEE.
Abstract: Premature births, unexplained human and livestock sicknesses, flammable water faucets, toxic wells and the onset of hundreds of earthquakes, the impacts of fracking in the United States are far-reaching and deeply felt. In this talk Dr. Wylie explores how extractive resource systems, like natural gas extraction through fracking, are proceeded and supported by extractive data systems that create asymmetric access to information. Drawing together the fields of Environmental Health, Environmental Justice and Data Justice, Wylie explores how we can build community centered information systems that help create accountability for corporations and state agencies.
Based on her work building tools for community monitoring of the oil and gas industry and co-developing the watchdog organization the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) Dr. Wylie reflects on how we can create community centered research and data systems that move beyond mapping exposure disparities to address the drivers of toxic contamination and make corporations responsible for their environmental harms. This precious present moment for action on Climate Change provides an opportunity to jointly create sustainable and just systems. Now is the time, Wylie argues to organize and collectively theorize, design, and engineer environmental data justice.
Bio: Sara Wylie is an Associate Professor Sociology/Anthropology and Health Science in Northeastern University’s Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI). Her award-winning book Fractivism: Corporate Bodies and Chemical Bonds examines the U.S. unconventional energy industry. She is the co-founder of the citizen science organization Public Lab and the accountability organization Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI).

Developing Resilient Civil Infrastructure Systems – a Convergent Approach
2021-11-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | 101 Churchill, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguish Seminar Series is open for attendees from the College of Engineering and the University as a whole.
Developing Resilient Civil Infrastructure Systems – a Convergent Approach
ABSTRACT: Critical Civil Infrastructure systems, namely- Transportation network, Water systems, Waste-water systems, Electric grid and Communications network are vital to functioning of a community. They ought to be considered as Community assets and should be treated with the same care as all important assets are.
When a damaging natural hazard event such as earthquake, hurricane, and floods occur and strikes a community, the results can vary from tolerable to severe. To minimize the impact of such a hazard event, it is necessary that the community as a system respond in an integrated way. While it is necessary for built environment systems, economic systems, and social systems to work synergistically together, the focus of this talk is built environment systems – specifically the infrastructure systems, excluding the buildings. Because it is not always feasible to develop 100% resilience to damaging hazard events, acceptable functionality is strongly advocated. Such resilience in infrastructure systems can work quite well to keep the community functioning in an acceptable way.
Convergent engineering approach is used to develop the resilience, as it focuses on a Societal-level Problem, requires team -science and use of a transdisciplinary language, all required for a satisfactory solution.
BIO: Vilas Mujumdar practices as an independent consulting engineer since 2009. Previously he was CEO, President, and Partner of many large consulting engineering firms and worked at highest-level in the public sector, such as, Chief of Operations, Division of State Architect, State of California; Director, Engineering Research Centers Program – Natural Hazards, National Science Foundation.
His experience uniquely combines consulting engineering in the private sector – 35 years, State regulatory work – 10 years, and Research management at the Federal Govt. level – 6 years. This is enriched by working in different aspects of engineering such as: Civil/Structural Design, Project Management, Teaching, Research and Research Management in Asia, Europe, Canada, and the US.
Please arrive early to prevent disruption.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar
2021-11-01 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York)
Please join faculty and graduate admissions staff at a webinar discussing the Civil and Environmental Engineering departmental program offerings and experiential learning opportunities in the Graduate School of Engineering.

Virtual Field Trip Series: Dialogue of Civilizations - India and Nepal: Climate Change Science and Policy
2021-10-28 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Learn about the impact climate change has on The Indian subcontinent’s diverse geography, culture, and economy, and the policies being pursued to mitigate the damage.
https://eventregistration.northeastern.edu/event/a2d5623e-cd58-481a-807f-89872942a82c/summary?RefId=COLLEGE

LEADERs Event: AI Challenges in the Deployment of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems
2021-10-27 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
This presentation will help attendees learn about integrating AI in auto industry. While AI has been able to achieve remarkable success over the last 10 years, can it really be trusted? What does trustworthy AI look like in the context of connected vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)? To create an ADAS for all, it’s paramount that the AI systems in the vehicle be trusted and work for everyone. This is especially important given the nature of ADAS as a safety-critical, cyber-physical, and people-centric system of systems. In this talk, the presenter will outline a number of challenges in building AI systems which could potentially be deployed in future ADAS.
Speaker Dr. Jacob Bond leads trustworthy AI research at General Motors R&D. In addition to his work on ensuring AI systems in the vehicle can be trusted, his research looks at how to keep AI systems private and how to ensure cloud and vehicle systems can establish secure communications. After receiving a Ph.D. in computational mathematics and cryptography from Purdue University, he joined General Motors’ Product Cybersecurity organization, focusing on applications of public-key cryptography. Jacob then began investigating the security of AI systems, moving to GM R&D and expanding his work to encompass the trustworthiness of AI systems.

Showcase of Opportunities for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (SOURCE)
2021-10-06 17:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Curry Student Center, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Calling all Huskies! Learn more about what cutting-edge research and creative endeavor look like at Northeastern. This is your chance to talk one-on-one with faculty from across the colleges about their research – and how you can get involved in projects during your time at Northeastern. Not everyone will have open positions right now but you’ll get a chance to see the range of work that’s happening and begin to make connections that you can build for the rest of your time at Northeastern.
Before you attend, here’s some advice to consider.

Take a look and see who’ll be there. We have an online database of attendees. Go through it and learn more about the project areas and visit the researcher/creative practitioner web pages. This will help prepare you for a conversation and help you ask any questions you might have.
Get ready for a conversation from your end. Think about goals you have , as well as your current interests and skills and those that you want to develop. How does what you have read about the various projects align with what you know about yourself and your interests? Take a minute to practice a simple declarative sentence, “My name is ____________. I study ____________. I think that this part of your work ____________ is interesting because of this intellectual reason/moral imperative/grand impact ____________. I’d love to learn more about it because of this previous experience ____________ and these skills ____________ and my long-term interest in ____________. How I can get involved?” You might not know how to fill in all of the blanks right now (that’s why you’re in school) but see how close you can get. When you know who you are, what you value, and how you can contribute — and get some practice saying it out loud– being confident becomes easier.
Remember, not every faculty member will have open positions now — but a good impression lasts a long time. You can’t go wrong with being polite and courteous. Address faculty members as Professor until told otherwise (better to err on the side of formality).
Keep in mind your time! If you want to be involved in research or creative practice, a good thing to keep in mind is that faculty members will commit a lot of time to training and mentoring their undergraduates. They’re investing time, energy, and expertise in their mentees and want to know that you will make time for the projects, show up consistently, and ideally be with them for longer than a semester if possible. The learning curve of most projects is steep and it takes some time to get to the meatiest parts of the work. Be honest with yourself about the commitment you can make, be frank with your faculty mentors, and stick to your word. Communication and honesty in relationships, including the mentoring relationship, is key.

SOURCE is a collaboration between Bouvé College of Health Sciences; College of Arts, Media and Design; College of Engineering; College of Science; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; D’Amore-McKim School of Business; and Khoury College of Computer Science. It is coordinated by Undergraduate Research and Fellowships on behalf of the Office of the Chancellor.

From Food to Resilience and Everything In Between
2021-09-14 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
This unique, interactive 7-part open seminar (attend one or all!) will feature guest speakers that explore the challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable and resilient programs at Northeastern University. The class topics will include energy, recycling, ecology, resilience, sustainable food, and climate justice, as taught by Northeastern faculty and administrative staff. Civil and Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor Michael Kane is the guest speaker on 9/21/21.
When: Tuesdays, September 14 through October 26
Where: 305 Shillman | Via Zoom
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST
Registration and Details: https://facilities.northeastern.edu/sustainability/open-classroom-2021/

COE CommLab/Khoury College Writing Retreat
2021-07-20 08:00 - 2021-07-22 13:00 (America/New_York)
College of Engineering PhD students are invited to join us for a writing retreat July 20 – 22. The aim of this retreat is to create sustained writing time for researchers to work in a calm, supportive environment on a longer project. Studies have shown that an academic writing retreat supports productivity and progress while also encouraging helpful guidance from peers.
Our virtual retreat is organized around alternating periods of quiet work on individual projects with collective sessions on topics related to research writing. Each of the three days begins with a welcome message and group gathering. On the last day, we’ll wrap up the retreat with a virtual lunch to share concluding thoughts.
Register here for this event by June 24.

Urban-scale Measurements and Modeling Fate & Transport of PFAS Across Media
2021-05-07 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Join the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the PROTECT Center for a seminar with the EPA’s Dr. Kiran Alapaty, who will deliver a talk titled “Urban-scale Measurements and Modeling Fate & Transport of PFAS Across Media.”
Seminar Abstract:
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) have gained attention due to their adverse health effects as well as unknown exposures to legacy and novel compounds. As many of these compounds are stable and persistent, many PFAS compounds have been detected worldwide across different media in the total environment. Thus, comprehensive multi-media PFAS chemical concentration data are needed to study PFAS human exposure and health impacts. While some PFAS measurements and exposure studies are available, no comprehensive PFAS measurement data exist at a continental scale. Also, it is not clear to the local and federal government agencies as to how to account for the spatiotemporal distributions of PFAS contamination and associated long-term health impacts. Such issues are acute at local to urban scales. Thus, the in-depth understanding of fate and transport of PFAS across media is much needed and may provide critical information for stakeholders.
The Washington Works plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia has emitted long-chain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) into the environment for decades and at present, it continues to emit hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid [(HFPO-DA), GenX]. A database for PFOA at Parkersburg was developed and these PFOA measurements in air, water, and soil provide a good opportunity to validate the multi-media modeling system.
We are tailoring a robust and efficient suite of modeling tools to simulate PFAS fate and transport in air, water, and soil at urban scales. For air, a state-of-the-art dispersion model (QUIC) is being tested for PFAS air modeling. For other media, we are testing two state-of-the-art USGS models (MODFLOW and MT3D) for groundwater, the BreZo model for surface water, and EPA’s model PRZM-5 for vadose zone. These modeling tools can be used at seasonal to decadal timescales, and their PFOA estimations can be provided as input data to a high throughput physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to estimate human exposure to PFAS. The combination of multi-media modeling system and PBPK model bridges the gaps between PFAS emissions and human exposure estimates and thus can provide the basis for epidemiological studies. This research opens doors to study the association between human exposure to PFAS and specific human diseases.
Speaker Bio:
Kiran Alapaty is the Senior Science Advisor in the Atmospheric & Environmental Systems Modeling Division in the ORD of US EPA. His research interests are in air quality modeling and model development, PFAS life cycle modeling, integrated assessment modeling, convective cloud parameterization development, boundary layer modeling, climate change and exposure science, and socio-economics. In the past, he was the Chief of the Climate Branch of the AMA Division with research interests in improving regional climate data for use with exposure science research.
Before joining EPA in 2011, for several years Kiran was at DOE HQ as a Program Director for the DOE’s national climate program managing DOE’s National Labs and research grants. Prior to that, he was also a Program Director at the National Science Foundation managing climate research at NCAR and academia.
Kiran holds an MS in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Sciences and a PhD in Atmospheric Science from North Carolina State University.

About the Lunch & Learn Seminar Series:
A new Bimonthly seminar series from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), focusing on convergent research, bringing together Northeastern colleagues and collaborators to think big/bold, explore ideas that build cooperation, and foster transformative innovation within CEE and across disciplines beyond CEE.
Due to COVID restrictions, this event remains virtual-only. Please bring your own lunch and join us online.

CEE Seminar: Cycling for Sustainable Cities
2021-05-04 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Please consider joining the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for this seminar on sustainable urban travel.
ABSTRACT: Cycling is the most sustainable means of urban travel, practical for most short- and medium-distance trips—commuting to and from work and school, shopping, visiting friends—as well as for recreation and exercise. Cycling promotes physical, social, and mental health, helps reduce car use, enhances mobility and independence, and is economical for both public and personal budgets.
This presentation explores how to make city cycling—the most sustainable means of travel—safe, practical, and convenient for all. Buehler and Pucher discuss the latest cycling trends and policies around the world and consider specific aspects of cycling. Taken together, the presentation demonstrates that successful promotion of cycling depends on a coordinated package of mutually supportive infrastructure, programs, and policies. Cycling should be made feasible for everyone and not limited to especially fit, daring, well-trained cyclists riding expensive bicycles.
Bios:
Ralph Buehler: Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of Urban Affairs and Planning in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech’s Research Center in Arlington, VA. Most of his research has an international comparative perspective, contrasting transport and land-use policies, transport systems, and travel behavior in Western Europe and North America. Between 2012 and 2018, he served as chair of the Committee for Bicycle Transportation of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). His research interests include: (1) the influence of transport policy, land use, and socio-demographics on travel behavior; (2) active travel and public health; and (3) public transport demand, supply, regional coordination, and financial efficiency.
John Pucher: Ph.D. is professor emeritus at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, in New Jersey. He was a professor at Rutgers University from 1978 to 2014, conducting research on urban transportation in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Over the past 25 years, John’s research has focused on walking and bicycling, and how to improve their safety and convenience for all age groups, for women as well as men, and for all levels of physical ability. John has published four books and over 200 articles in academic and professional journals. His most recent book, “Cycling for Sustainable Cities,” was published by MIT Press in February 2021.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Program Webinar
2021-03-23 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Please join faculty, staff, and current students to learn more about graduate programs in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department on March 23 at 10:00 EST.
Registration may be found at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KiuKTsiLRn2n-vmRlz2m6A
A recording will be available for those who are unable to attend.

NUASCE Virtual Game Night
2021-03-17 19:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Come join NUASCE for a virtual game night over Zoom. It will be Wednesday, March 17th at 7:30 pm. Socialize with your fellow CIVE and ENVE classmates!
Zoom link

NU ITE: Transportation Planning in the City of Boston w/ the BPDA
2021-03-05 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Join NU ITE for a presentation and Q&A with Nick Schmidt, AICP and Joe Blankenship, two Senior Transportation Planners at the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), the city agency responsible for neighborhood & transportation planning and approving all large developments in the city. Nick and Joe oversee major transportation plans and projects throughout the city, and are involved in permitting new developments, ensuring they align with the city transportation vision. Please pre-register at: https://northeastern.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIocuqtqD0sGtSEkwQL6rXf5KIWe7obDRsR

Engineers Week: Can AI Models Advance Our Understanding of Exposure to Local Scale Mobile Source Pollutants in Highly Urbanized Areas?
2021-02-25 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department presents Distinguished Seminar speaker Deb Niemeier for this year’s Engineers Week events.

Location: This event is virtual, free, and open to the NU community.
Join Zoom Meeting

Can AI Models Advance Our Understanding of Exposure to Local Scale Mobile Source Pollutants in Highly Urbanized Areas?
Deb Niemeier, PhD
Deb Niemeier, Ph.D.
Clark Distinguished Chair in Energy and Sustainability, University of Maryland, College Park
ABSTRACT: The surface topography, emission source variation, and population distribution of urban landscapes all lend themselves to highly variable air pollutant concentrations in urban areas; concentrations that can vary dramatically even within short distances. The spatial variations in air pollutant concentrations can be as large as the contrast between cities and epidemiological studies clearly show that within-city PM exposure is larger than the between-city effect. One of the critical gaps in our understanding is how to best characterize within-city air pollutant concentration gradients, which is crucial for exposure assessment, urban planning, air pollution monitoring, and environmental equity. The development of high accuracy portable pollution sensing instruments and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, the use of vehicles for mobile air pollution monitoring can be used to tackle some of the challenges of estimating pollutants based on stationary monitoring sites. These mobile sensors can typically achieve high spatial resolution for air pollutants measurement, but generate incredible amounts of data. This talk explores the trade-offs between using different ML approaches to produce credible micro-scale estimates for regional or hotspot modeling.
BIO: Deb Niemeier is the Clark Distinguished Chair in Energy and Sustainability at the University of Maryland, College Park and serves as a professor in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She has extensive expertise in understanding the spatial properties of mobile source emissions, developing new methods for improving vehicle emissions inventories, and accelerating the implementation of regulatory guidance to better identify vulnerable populations and environmental health disparities. Her research is currently focused on understanding infrastructure features that give rise to inequitable outcomes in the built environment, particularly with the onset of climate change. In 2014, Niemeier was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for “distinguished contributions to energy and environmental science study and policy development.” In 2015, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow for foundational work on pro bono service in engineering. In 2017, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Niemeier received a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Texas (1982), her M.S. from the University of Maine and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Washington (1994).
Download Flyer (pdf)

Race or Racism? The Black-White Disparity in Preterm Birth
2021-02-22 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
We would like to invite you to attend the PROTECT (Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats) Spring 2021 Webinar, “Race or Racism? The Black-White Disparity in Preterm Birth.”
Dr. Paula Braveman, Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Founding Director of the Center for Health at the University of California, San Francisco will talk about racism as leading to health-harming experiences and exposures that should be considered possible contributors to racial disparities in preterm birth rates. To learn more about Dr. Braveman and her work, and for a description of the upcoming webinar, please visit the PROTECT website.
This webinar will be presented via Zoom Online Meetings and if you are able to join us, please register at the following link – REGISTER.
If you have any questions about the webinar or experience any issues with registration, please contact Kristin Hicks directly at k.hicks@northeastern.edu, or 617-373-5384.

CEE Department Graduate Student Social
2021-02-12 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Join the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s Graduate Student Council (CEE GSC) for our annual Chinese New Year Social on February 12, at 6 PM EST, on zoom.
We will hang out, play games, and maybe explore some virtual environments.

CEE Lunch & Learn Seminar Series: Smoke, Satellites, and Storage Bins: AER’s Research in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases
2021-02-12 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is pleased to announce the second event in our Lunch & Learn Seminar Series.
This event will feature Matthew Alvarado of AER, discussing “Smoke, Satellites, and Storage Bins: AER’s Research in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases.”
If you are planning to attend, please RSVP for this event so we may get a proper headcount and share it with your colleagues and post-docs who you think may be interested. Details on how to attend will be sent to those who RSVP.
RSVP for this event

About Lunch & Learn:

This bimonthly seminar series focuses on convergent research, bringing together Northeastern colleagues and collaborators to think big/bold, explore ideas that build cooperation and foster transformative innovation within CEE and across disciplines beyond CEE.

Below, you may find participation information. This event is virtual via Microsoft Teams- RSVP to receive the link. Please contact Professor Yang Zhang (ya.zhang@northeastern.edu) with any questions.

Topic: CEE Lunch & Learn:
Smoke, Satellites, and Storage Bins: AER’s Research in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases

Time: February 12, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (Boston)
This talk will discuss three topics from AER’s recent and on-going research into air quality and greenhouse gases. First we will discuss the efforts at AER to improve our ability to model the impacts of biomass burning on ozone and PM2.5, with a focus on the chemistry that takes place within the smoke after emission. We will then discuss the use of satellite observations in air quality studies and monitoring, including work at AER to better constrain sources of ammonia, carbon dioxide, and methane. Finally, we will discuss a recent consulting project where we looked into the physics and chemistry of smoke from fires at eclectic storage facilities and made recommendations for how to model the impacts for planning and emergency response purposes. We will also discuss how AER has partnered with universities, national labs, and other organizations in pursuing these research topics.

Experiential Learning: Northeastern Co-op and Career Services - Civil and Environmental Engineering
2021-02-08 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University is pleased to present to you the third installment in our Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar Series.

This webinar, titled Experiential Learning: Northeastern Co-op and Career Services, will introduce you to the cornerstone of the educational experience at Northeastern: our premier Cooperative Education (Co-op) program. Co-op is an educational model whereby students alternate periods of academic study and full-time employment to gain hands-on, professional experience in their field of interest, and build personal connections and contacts.

Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar 3: Experiential Learning: Northeastern Co-op and Career Services

Thursday, February 8, 2021

10:00 – 11:00 AM EST

Register Here

Hosted by Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Co-op Coordinator Cheryl Arruda, this webinar will help you understand:

What is co-op for MS students? How is co-op different than an internship?
Where can I go on co-op?
Who can participate in Co-op, and what is the process like for international students?
What is available in Northeastern’s Career Services office, frequently ranked #1 in the US?
Hear experiences from current MS students about their co-ops, and ask your questions.
And more!

Located in Boston, Massachusetts, New England’s largest city, Northeastern University is a wonderful place to study and live. Our city is home to world-class entertainment, restaurants, and sporting venues, a diverse and dynamic economy, and a thriving community of academic institutions.

Apply now!

This webinar content will be useful for both those who have already applied and those still considering applying. An application fee waiver code for those who have not yet applied will be included. Check the deadlines for applying for graduate study.

Innovative Solutions to Fight Ocean Pollution
2021-01-21 09:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
18 billion pounds of plastic enter our oceans each year, a harrowing fact that only accounts for a portion of our planet’s pollution crisis. Northeastern innovators are tackling this problem to create sustainable solutions for cleaner oceans. Bureo Inc, an emerging B-Corp, has created a program to recycle fishing nets into a NetPlus™ material, used in products by Patagonia and other partner companies.
Join the conversation to fight plastic pollution with Ben Kneppers, E’07, co-founder and COO of Bureo Inc., and Maarten Eenkema van Dijk, E’14, MS’15, operations manager for Van Dyk Recycling Solutions.

This event is complimentary but registration is required.

Register

Dialogue of Civilizations Fair
2021-01-20 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
The Dialogue of Civilizations (DOC) Fair is an opportunity for students to learn more about Northeastern’s signature faculty-led summer programs! Faculty member will be available via Zoom for questions and conversation. Representatives from Student Financial Services, the Honors Office, and GEO will also be available for any questions you may have. These are the opportunities for College of Engineering students:

Discovering Turkish Cultural Values and Engineering Economy Principles (Istanbul, Turkey) – Mohammad Dehghani
International Applications of Fluid Mechanics (Panama City, Panama) – Carlos Hidrovo Chavez
Process Safety and Chemical Engineering in Spain (Tarragona, Spain) – Ron Willey
Sustainable Urban Transportation (Delft, Netherlands) – Peter Furth
Sustainable Waste Management: Resource Recovery & Environmental Protection (Cagliari, Italy) – Annalisa Onnis-Hayden
Technical Innovation and Product Prototyping (San Jose, California) – Bala Maheswaran
Timber/Masonry Technology, Design and Architectural Practices in Northern Italy (Trieste, Italy) – Luca Caracoglia
Virtual – Sustainable Energy in 21st Century Brazil (Sao Paulo, Brazil) – Courtney Pfluger

Uncertainty Quantification and Dynamic Response of Buildings and Tower Structures under Stationary and Non-stationary Wind Loads
2021-01-15 08:30 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
Luca Caracoglia
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
lucac@coe.neu.edu

Date: Friday January 15th, 2:30-4:30 pm (CET), 8:30-10:30am (EST)
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3a864f3dfe8993442ca116fe24bd231662%40thread.tacv2/1610092407076?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%226e6ade15-296c-4224-ac58-1c8ec2fd53a8%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%226d036117-bf26-4ee2-95fa-124ff7fb3f76%22%7d
Abstract: This presentation will review recent study activities examining the response of slender, vertical structures under the effects of destructive wind loads. These large-period, low-damping structures are sensitive to fluid-structure interaction and susceptible to damage induced by wind loads. The common feature of the research is the quantification of uncertain wind loads, associated with both stationary synoptic winds and localized, nonstationary events. The former are typical of large extra-tropical depressions and tropical cyclonic phenomena (at a scale of several hundred kilometers); the latter include thunderstorm downbursts and tornadoes (less than one kilometer in diameter). The research activities have been devoted to the examination of several methodologies for predicting the structural response by accounting for modeling uncertainty and measurement “errors”, e.g. loads evaluated by wind tunnel tests. The investigated methods are both analytical (stochastic calculus) and numerical (Monte-Carlo sampling). The ultimate goal of the research is the evaluation of wind-related damage over time in the context of risk analysis.
This presentation will include characterization of the dynamic response through multi-variable probability density functions and examination of lifecycle wind-related damage through intervention cost analysis. Examples will consider interactions on the envelope of tall buildings under various wind load scenarios and aeroelastic vibration causing damages primarily to nonstructural elements. The results will demonstrate that it is possible to predict the structural response and its consequences, even in the presence of large modeling and experimental load variability, provided that uncertainty propagation is extended to all the stages of structural analysis. These stages should possibly consider wind field simulation, wind-pressure load assessment and fluid-structure interaction.
Bio-sketch: Luca Caracoglia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He joined Northeastern University in 2005. Prior to this appointment, he was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (USA) in 2001-2002 and a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, USA) in 2002-2004. He received his Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the University of Trieste, Italy in 2001. His interests are in structural dynamics, random vibration, wind engineering, fluid-structure interaction of civil engineering structures, nonlinear cable network dynamics, energy harvesting systems in wind energy. Luca Caracoglia received the NSF-CAREER Award for young investigators in 2009. Luca Caracoglia was elected Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2020.

Caracoglia Part of International Panel to Discuss Bridge Aerodynamics
2021-01-07 12:00 - 13:00 (Europe/London)
The fourth in the series of international seminars organized by the University of Birmingham, UK and sponsored by the IAWE (International Association for Wind Engineering), will take place on Thursday 7th January 2021 at 12.00 noon UK time.
The seminar is entitled “Developments in Bridge Aerodynamics”. The program will be as follows.
Main Speaker: Prof John Owen, School of Engineering, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, The Response of Bridges to Wind – Some Lessons from Monitoring Large Bridges
Short presentations:
Prof. Steve Cai, Louisiana State University, USA, Time domain simulation of turbulence effects on the aerodynamic flutter of long span bridges.
Prof. Claudio Mannini, University of Florence, Italy, Nonlinear modelling of self-excited forces for a long-span bridge under turbulent wind.
Prof. Ole Andre Øiseth, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Lessons learned from long-term wind and acceleration monitoring of the Hardanger Bridge.
Prof. Luca Caracoglia, Northeastern University, Boston, USA, Relevance of Uncertainty Quantification to Study Wind Load Variability and its Effects on Long-Span Bridge Aeroelasticity.
This is a tremendous achievement. The top researchers in the world, in the field of long-span bridge aerodynamics, will talk to an audience of experts and PhD students from around the world (usually 300 people), who will be connected via ZOOM.
Refer to seminar page for more information including instructions for seminar registration, abstracts of the talks and biographical details of the speakers, including Prof. Luca Caracoglia.

Grad Applicant Webinar: Emerging Fields in Civil and Environmental Engineering
2021-01-07 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University is pleased to present to you the second installment in our Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar Series.
This webinar, titled Emerging Fields in Civil and Environmental Engineering, will provide you with a deep-dive led by our professors into our MS in Engineering and Public Policy, MS in Sustainable Building Systems, and our Data and Systems concentration for our MS and PhD in Civil Engineering. Come learn how these unique interdisciplinary programs are preparing students for pressing societal challenges and emerging opportunities.
This webinar is hosted by Associate Professor Matthew Eckelman, developer of the MS in Engineering and Public Policy, Associate Professor David Fannon, Faculty Advisor for the MS in Sustainable Building Systems, and the Faculty Advisor for our Data and Systems program, Assistant Professor Amy Mueller.
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, New England’s largest city, Northeastern University is a wonderful place to study and live. Our city is home to world-class entertainment, restaurants, and sporting venues, a diverse and dynamic economy, and thriving community of academic institutions.
This webinar will feature an application fee waiver code for those who have not yet applied. Please be aware of our application deadlines. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you prepare your application materials as soon as possible.
Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar 2: Emerging Fields in CEE
Thursday, January 7, 2021
10:00 – 11:00 AM EST
Register Here

CEE Graduate Student Game Night
2020-12-18 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Join the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Graduate Students for a Game Night!
12/18 @ 6 PM on Zoom.
Our plan is to have three breakout rooms of games including trivia, scribble, and among us. Members of GSC will be in the lobby chatting and coordinating break out rooms. Come hang & play with us!

Research and Funding Opportunities in Civil and Environmental Engineering
2020-12-14 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
As you consider pursuing graduate school, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University would like to invite you to the first in our new Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar Series.

This first webinar will provide you an overview of research and funding opportunities with our department, as well as how our interdisciplinary programs are preparing students for both traditional and emerging fields in civil and environmental engineering.

Hosted by our Associate Chair for Graduate Studies Associate Professor Andrew Myers and the Faculty Advisor for our Data and Systems program, Assistant Professor Amy Mueller, attendees will learn about fellowships, current research, past graduates’ successes, and have an opportunity to ask questions from our faculty presenters.

Located in Boston, Massachusetts, New England’s largest city, Northeastern University is a wonderful place to study and live. Our city is home to world-class entertainment, restaurants, and sporting venues, a diverse and dynamic economy, and thriving community of academic institutions.

While the deadline for PhD applicants is December 15, attendees for this webinar will receive both a deadline extension and an application fee waiver code. MS applicant deadlines remain the same.

Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar 1: Research and Funding Opportunities
Monday, December 14, 2020
10:00 – 11:00 AM EST
Register Here

CEE Lunch & Learn Seminar Series
2020-11-12 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Research Affairs Committee (RAC) is pleased to announce our newest seminar series: Lunch & Learn. This bi-monthly lunchtime event will explore interdisciplinary engineering issues, encouraging collaboration amongst Northeastern colleagues and collaborators on transformative ideas related to CEE and beyond.

We would like to invite you to join us for the inaugural event in this series, a discussion with CEE Professor Auroop Ganguly and Dr. Evan Kodra of risQ. Their presentation, Convergent Academic Research to Socially Motivated Startup: the case of Northeastern-spinout risQ, will explore the development of risQ as a viable business entity capable of maintaining its social mission. 30 minutes of Q&A will follow the presentation.

Topic: CEE Lunch & Learn: Drs. Ganguly and Kodra

Time: Nov 12, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Please RSVP to receive a link to participate in this event.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar
2020-11-10 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York)
Join faculty staff and current students to learn more about graduate school options in Civil + Environmental Engineering
Tuesday, November 10
8:00 AM EST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Vv1zQp56T1aTOv2k9mlFKQ

Halloween Themed Presentations with CEE GSC
2020-10-29 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York)
You’re invited to the Civil and Environmental Department Graduate Student Halloween Social
Thursday 10/29 @ 8 PM on Zoom
Costumes and custom zoom backgrounds are encouraged!! To accommodate for the virtual environment, we are going to do Presentation Karaoke with a winner’s prize.
Presentation Karaoke is where volunteers improvise some funny stories over a presentation as if they’d designed it. The theme for Presentation Karaoke will be ‘Halloween.’
Feel free to simply attend and listen to the fun presentations and stories if you don’t want to actively participate.

Virtual Heads Up Lunchtime Funtime
2020-10-01 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Graduate Student Services is hosting a Heads Up Virtual “lunchtime funtime” event for Master’s students to get to know each other and play an exciting competition against each other on October 1st, 12-1pm EST! Heads Up is a game where one student in a group will have to guess 10 words within a category with the help of their group members. You will need to register via the Zoom link we will send out shortly to students to attend the event.
