Civil Engineer

College of Science & Engineering • Department of Civil Engineering Spring 2012

Cleanest Water Contains ‘Super Bacteria’ Steel Bridge Team Going to Nationals

Alumni Luncheon Feeds Camaraderie and Interest in Northrop Renovation

It is my pleasure to share with you a selection of the activ-ities and accomplishments of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni in this edition of Civil Engineer. The stories that follow highlight the expertise and excellence demon-strated by so many people associated with the Department of Civil Engineering. On the research front, you’ll learn how our faculty are tackling problems associated with antibiotic resistance and road-clogging traffic. You’ll also meet the four new faculty members who are taking our de-partment in exciting new directions in research and teach-ing. With respect to students, you’ll share in the victory of the steel bridge team, which qualified for the national competition. We’ll also take an opportunity to mourn the accidental death of one of our undergraduate students, Na-than Helmer. Starting on page 11 there’s coverage of our popular alumni luncheon, which included a behind-the-scenes tour of the Northrop Auditorium renovation project. And finally, the issue closes with a profile of our depart-ment’s machinist, Gil Huie, and his enthusiastic dedication to engineering, learning, and volunteering. On a personal note, I’m announcing my service as depart-ment head will come to an end on June 30, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appre-ciation for the support you have provided me and the department over the past five years that has enabled the depart-ment to continue providing an excellent and distinctive education to all of our students. Professor Joseph Labuz has been appointed interim head while the department conducts a national search for the next department head. I know that you will support the next leadership for years to come, and that the person that will take the helm will greatly benefit from your moral and financial support. Please feel free to stop by for a visit next time you are in the neighborhood. I would very much enjoy meeting with you and continuing to champion our teaching, research and community service. In the meantime, enjoy this issue of Civil Engineer.

Greetings from Roberto Ballarini

Civil Engineer, a magazine for CE alumni and friends, is published by the College of Science & Engineering’s Department of Civil Engineering.

University of Minnesota 500 Pillsbury Drive S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455 phone: 612-625-5522 fax: 612-626-7750

Comments or submissions may be sent to: Charlie Plain, editor

For more information, visit www.ce.umn.edu

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Printed on recyclable paper.

Cover photo: Chris Bratsch (CivE ‘91) learns about the Northrop Auditorium renovation from one of the project’s staff.

Civil Engineer Spring 2012

C O N T E N T S

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Department News

Student News

Awards & Accomplishments

Alumni News

Scholarships & Fellowships

Gil Huie: A Craftsman of the Greater Good

Donor Thank You

Lectures and Webcasts

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Department NewsTraffic control technology devel-oped in part by Department of Civil Engineering Professor Henry Liu is set to be commercialized by SMART Signal Technologies, Inc., and sold as a system to better predict and man-age the flow of traffic on roads con-trolled by traffic lights. The system could potentially cut down on traffic congestion and help drivers save both time and fuel. Using data from existing traffic sig-nal equipment, the system accurately calculates queue length at signalized intersections. These data, collected in real time and archived in a data-base, will allow cities across the state to better mediate the flow of traffic at peak times using real time per-formance measures provided by the system. “The technology itself provides both hardware and software solu-tions to evaluate the performance of traffic signals and measures the traf-fic conditions on signalized roads,” explained Liu, co-inventor of the technology. SMART Signal will also give drivers a more accurate prediction of travel

times by accounting for time spent waiting at traffic lights. Unlike traf-fic information on highways, there isn’t a system currently in place to accurately track congestion on roads with traffic signals with the existing facilities. “Once you get off the freeway, peo-ple have no idea how long it takes to get through lights,” said Ken Shain, president and CEO of SMART Signal. “Because current travel information is based on whether the light is red

or green.” Shain hopes to make these travel time data available to drivers. He’s confident the added element of queue length processing will result in more accurate travel time predictions. The St. Paul startup aims to make the traffic management system afford-able for municipalities to implement by allowing them to use existing equipment. The SMART Signal system has already been field tested on three major arterials in Minnesota: - continued on page 14

University of Minnesota Startup SMART Signal Technologies to Improve Traffic Flow on Congested Roads

Motorcycle Accident Kills Senior Nathan HelmerIt is with deep sadness that the Department of Civil Engineering announces the death of senior Nathan Helmer. Nathan, who was only 27 years old, died on March 12 as a result of a motorcycle accident. Nathan graduated from Tartan Senior High School in Oakdale, Minnesota, where he was a diver on the swimming/diving team and played lacrosse. He transferred to the department from Century College. Nathan became very interested in transporta-tion engineering, and was excelling in the highway design course. In recognition of his academic achievements, Nathan was awarded a posthumous degree during the spring graduation ceremony. His friends described “Nate” as a very caring and supportive individual who enjoyed life to its fullest and was fun to be around. His classmates expressed their appreciation for the help that Nate routinely provided them with their assignments and projects. In his free time Nathan enjoyed bird hunting, spending days on the water in a boat he purchased and restored, and riding his motorcycle with a group of friends who shared his passion. He will be sorely missed.

Department News

A new study from Department of Civil Engineering Associate Professor Tim LaPara reveals that the release of treated municipal wastewater—even wastewater treated by the highest-quality wastewater treatment tech-nology—can have a significant effect on the quantities of antibiotic-resis-tant bacteria, often referred to as “super bacteria,” in surface waters. The study also suggests that waste-water treated using standard tech-nologies probably contains far great-er quantities of antibiotic-resistant genes, but this likely goes unnoticed because background levels of bacteria are normally much higher than the water studied in this research. The study is published in the

most recent issue of Environmental Science and Technology, a journal of the American Chemical Society. The research was part of a unique class

project in a graduate-level civil engi-neering course at the University of Minnesota focused on environmental microbiology. Antibiotics are used to treat numer-ous bacterial infections, but the ever-increasing presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has raised substan-

tial concern about the future effec-tiveness of antibiotics. In response, there has been increasing focus on environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance over the past several years. Antibiotic use in agriculture has been heavily scrutinized, while the role of treated municipal wastewater has received little attention as a reservoir of resistance. Antibiotic resistant bacteria devel-op in the gastrointestinal tracts of people taking antibiotics. These bac-teria are then shed during defeca-tion, which is collected by the exist-ing sewer infrastructure and passed through a municipal wastewater treatment facility.- continued on page 14

New Study Finds that Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contains ‘Superbacteria’

“The role of treated municipal wastewater has received little attention as a reservoir of resistance.”

Students Patrick McNamara, Mi Yan, Tucker Burch, and David Tan take water samples from Lake Superior. Credit: Tim LaPara

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Department Newsstudent and was impressed by its location on the Mississippi and its vibrant research activity,” said Guala. “It is now a honor and a challenge to work in such a dynamic environment, where tradition and innovation are perfectly mixed.” Guala’s research activities cover a wide range of scales and phenomena from atmospheric turbulence in alpine glaciers down to vortex dynamics and particles-turbulence interactions at laboratory scale. His research at SAFL involves turbulent boundary layers, sediment transport, optimization of hydrokinetic devices and wind turbines for renewable energy production. Guala is working with physicists, geomorphologists, aeronautic engineers and snow scientists and he believes that strong multidisciplinary research efforts are crucial to solve fluid mechanics problems in the natural environment. In front of students, Guala has taught Open Channel Hydraulic and Fluidic Mechanics. This coming fall semester he’ll add a new and interesting class examining atmospheric boundary layers.

Jia-Liang Le

Assistant Professor Jia-Liang Le is

the latest addition to the structural engineering research group. “I find the University of Minnesota to be a great place for my academic career due to its excellent reputation in solid mechanics and structural engineering,” said Le. “I believe that the comprehensiveness of the University would provide me abundant opportunities for collaboration to advance my research in fracture of quasibrittle structures.” Le’s research interests include fracture mechanics, probabilistic mechanics, scaling, and structural dynamics. The goal of his research

is to develop a sound scientific basis for the design of various engineering structures including buildings, infrastructure, aircraft, ships, medical implants and more. His current research efforts focus on the deterministic and probabilistic modeling of fracture and fatigue of quasibrittle structures, as well as the numerical modeling of progressive collapse of high-rise buildings. Le also has professional experience working as a structural engineer for the internationally renowned Arup firm. In the classroom, Le has taught Linear Structural Analysis, Steel II, Inelastic Analysis of Structures and Fracture and Scaling. “To me, teaching

is a rewarding experience as it not only facilitates the dissemination of knowledge to students but also deepens my own understandings in these interesting subjects,” said Le.

Cherie Lemer

Cherie Lemer is a teaching specialist in charge of teaching the writing-intensive portions of Capstone Design and CE Materials. Her prior teaching experience includes work at the University of Nevada – Reno where she taught freshman composition, science writing and an array of courses involving the intersection of science and society. She also was a lecturer in the University of North Dakota’s honors program. Lemer’s affinity for civil engineering came from a position with Barr Engineering’s environmental engineering group. “Soon after joining the department, I found myself explaining to another bus passenger that concrete and bone have a similar modulus of elasticity,” said Lemer. “I also cannot look at potholes without thinking about their failure methods.”Writing and engineering are major interests of Lemer’s. “Since my - continued on page 14

The Department of Civil Engineering recently welcomed four new instructors to the faculty to further enhance and expand its excellent research and academic programs. The new faculty are Stefano Gonella, Michele Guala, Jia-Liang Le, and Cherie Lemer. Please read on to learn more about them and why they’ll make a great department even better.

Stefano Gonella

Assistant Professor Stefano Gonella comes to the geomechanics group from Northwestern University, where he was a research associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “The moment I set foot on campus I was immediately struck by the sober elegance and the cultural atmosphere that emanated from the place, and by the intellectual depth and rigor of the mechanics group,” said Gonella. “ I remember thinking that this was going to be a great place for my wave mechanics interests to blossom.” Gonella’s research interests involve the modeling and simulation

of complex wave phenomena in unconventional solids, with emphasis on cellular and microstructured materials, phononic crystals and acoustic metamaterials. In parallel, he plans to use wave mechanics as the building block of novel techniques for dynamic material characterization, and as diagnostics tools for structural health monitoring. Some of his recent efforts include the investigation of multiphysics phenomena arising in piezoelectric metamaterials with

energy trapping and energy harvesting capabilities. What’s more, Gonella initiated a new research program in the area of materials diagnostics at the intersection of mechanics and machine learning. The goal of this work is to combine principles and techniques of wave mechanics, signal processing and computer vision to design smart and efficient strategies to detect anomalies at multiple length scales in a variety of materials with unknown internal complexity. Possible applications of this research range from the nondestructive evaluation of structural components to the characterization of soft tissues probed by ultrasonic excitations. Gonella is also active in teaching courses. Already he’s developed a graduate course titled Mechanics and Wave Physics of Cellular Solids, and

restructured the upper division course Wave Methods for Nondestructive Testing. Additionally, Gonella has taken on teaching Soil Mechanics II. “Teaching Soils II has been an incredibly fulfilling experience, “ said Gonella. “It certainly took hard work and dedication, as I had to adjust to a topic that is significantly different from my educational background, but I turned the challenge into an opportunity to dissect the material and really delve into the details of the subject. Being able to instill in the students an appreciation for the mathematical modeling of complex problems and for the fundamentals of engineering mechanics has been one of the peaks of my faculty experience so far.”

Michele Guala

Assistant Professor Michele Guala joined the water resources faculty to conduct experimental research in the areas of environmental fluid mechanics and renewable energy in the department and at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL). “I visited SAFL when I was a Ph.D.

Four New Faculty Expand Department in Geomechanics, Structural Engineering, Water Resources and Writing

Department News

“I remember thinking that this was going to be a great place for my wave mechanics interests to blossom.” - Stefano Gonella

“I find the University of Minnesota to be a great place for my academic career due to its excellent reputation in solid mechanics and structural engineering.” - Jia-Liang Le

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Student NewsStudent Steel Bridge Team Wins Regional Qualifier and Prepares for National ChampionshipsOn March 24 the Department of Civil Engineering’s Steel Bridge Team won its regional competition in front of the hometown crowd at Mariucci Arena to qualify for upcoming national championships at Clemson University in May. This year’s team was led by captains Benjamin Pierce and Ryan Melhouse. Melhouse was the head designer for the bridge, which was created over the course of several months during fall semester. For 2012, the ASCE/AISC Steel Bridge Competition rules called for a 23 ft. long bridge with a 5 ft. cantilever on one end. The bridges also had to be built to support 1500 lb. on the main span and 1000 lb. on the cantilever. The team’s bridge design for this year was similar to last year’s design, but lower in weight and less complex. A superstructure was allowed this year, however, during design process the team found that it would not provide enough stiffness to offset the cost of the additional weight it required and so it was omitted. To connect the components the team used laser cut “double dovetails”, which were conceived by last year’s team. The dovetail connections allowed for rapid assembly and provided significant stiffness without needing to torque the bolts used to secure the connections. Fabrication of the bridge began over winter break and continued into the beginning of the spring semester. Ryan Salmon led the fabrication of the bridge, and instructed new members in welding and fabrication techniques. Practice constructing the

bridge began after fabrication was completed. The construction team practiced regularly up until the regional competition. The team found that having the competition at home was enjoyable and convenient, because traveling was not required. This year’s location also allowed for family and friends of the team to come and show their support. Overall, the team was thrilled to win first place at the regional competition this year. It’s focus now is the national competition at Clemson University, South Carolina to be held May 25-26.

2012 Steel Bridge Team Roster

SeniorsEric McElrathRyan MelhouseMegan Nutzmann

Ben PierceRyan SalmonNick Tan

JuniorsDan ChouinardSteve BorntragerRyan BrozekShawn HinkeMelynda JensenTaylor MorkBen PerkeyKaylyn RonkSteve SlettenSean StreckEric VavraBihan Zhang

Freshman Aaron Behnki

Students

Cale Anger, M.S. Anger was the 2011 AMEC Summer Fellowship recipient.

Megan Kelly, Ph.D. Kelly won a 2012 Environmental Chemistry Division Graduate Student Paper Award from the American Chemical Society.

Teng Zeng, Ph.D Zeng received a Certificate of Merit for his presentation at theAmerican Chemical Society National meeting in August 2011.

Andrew Erickson, Ph.D. Erickson won the 2011 Matthew J. Huber Award for Excellence in Transportation Research and Education.

Pavithra Parthasarathi, Ph.D. Parthasarathi won the 2011 John S. Adams Award in transportation policy and planning.

Lei Zhang, Ph.D. CE alumnus Dr. Lei Zhang won TRBs Fred Burggraf Paper Award for paper 11-4223 - Behavioral Foundation of Route Choice and Traffic Assignment. This work extends his dissertation.

Shanjiang Zhu, Ph.D. CE alumnus Dr. Shanjiang Zhu won TRB 2011 Best doctoral dissertation presentation for his work “The Roads Taken – Theory and Evidence on Route Choice in the Wake of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse and Reconstruction.”

Awards & Accomplishments

The Steel Bridge Team assembles its span inside Mariucci Arena in March.

Faculty

Bill ArnoldArnold was a Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium Participant, National Academy of Engineering.

Cathy FrenchFrench won the 2011 Bonestroo, Rosene and Anderlik Faculty Award.

John GulliverGulliver was invited to give the talk “Mass Transfer from Bubble Swarms,” at the Gerhard Jirka Memorial Colloquium, University of Karlsruhe, Karlruhe, Germany, June 3 – 4, 2011, and the talk “Impact of Bubbles on Gas Exchange,” at the Colloq of the Institute for Environmental Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, June 6, 2011. Gulliver, Omid Mohseni, graduate student Adam Howard and the technical advisory panel received the Center for Transportation Studies Partnership Award, 2011, for “Assessment and Recommendation for Operation of Standard Pumps as Best Management Practices for Stormwater Treatment.”

David LevinsonLevinson received the 2011 Richard P. Braun Distinguished Service Award.

Vaughan VollerRecent scholarly contributions of Professor Vaughan Voller, related to his research in modeling geomorphic systems, have been in the spotlight. The paper G Parker et al: A new framework for modeling the migration of meandering riversEarth Surface Processes and Landforms 36 (1), 70-86, to which Voller was a contributing author was selected for the 2011 BSG Wiley Blackwell Award for the best paper published in The Journal of Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. And his lead author paper VR Voller, V Ganti, C Paola, E Foufoula-Georgiou. Does the flow of information in a landscape have direction? Geophysical Research Letters 39 (1), L01403, 2012. was selected as a research highlight by the American Geophysical Union.

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Alumni NewsLike most of the country, spring has shown up early this year on campus. It’s been a welcome change over last year, and the tulips in bloom (or not) always remind me of the College of Science and Engineering’s 50th Reunions in early May as many alumni return to the U. We thank those of you who have joined us over the last five years, making civil engineering well represented. We had even larger numbers of our civil engineering alumni come back to campus on May 3-4 to join the Class of 1962 alumni and Golden Medallion Society members, those alumni who have graduated ahead of 1962. These days were filled with tours, lec-tures and provided plenty of time for reminiscing about your days here. If opportunities allow you to visit campus, please let us know. We can arrange for a tour of the department and introduce or reintroduce you to faculty members who make the Department of Civil Engineering strong. Our students are great and their accomplishments inside the classroom are equally matched with their volunteer efforts on campus. Our alumni continue to give generously to the depart-ment, allowing more scholarship funding for our under-graduates than any other department in the College of Science and Engineering. Thank you! We are pleased that the Jack and Sue Cornwell Scholarship has recently been created because of an estate gift along with a gift from their daughter. Many of you continue your partnerships with Civil Engineering through support of established fellowships and scholarships. Lots of kids have dreams of attending the University of Minnesota—and your philanthropy makes these aspirations a real-ity. There are many ways to give that not only help cre-ate excellence in the Department of Civil Engineering, but also contribute to your own personal and financial goals. Please contact me at 612/625-6035 or euson@umn.edu if I can provide more information for you.

Sally Euson, External Relations Officer

Development News From ExternalRelations Officer Sally Euson

The department was pleased to welcome back more than 50 alumni for our annual CE Alumni Luncheon on March 7. Alumni heard about department updates and from students firsthand, who shared their backgrounds and aspirations as future civil engineering graduates. Roberto Ballarini emphasized the positive future ahead for our graduates as projected job growth in civil engineering continues across the U.S. and globally. A casual lunch included time for a Q&A before the group headed over to Northrop Auditorium for a tour of the major renovation underway. We extend a special thanks to Ken Styrlund (CivE ’77, MS ’79) president of JE Dunn’s North Central Division, for his efforts in coordinating this large tour. The history of the structure built in 1929 has been filled with civil engineering challenges of preserving the old architecture while building a more updated facility. Mike Ramerth (CivE ’75) of Meyer Borgman & Johnson, Inc., shared some of the challenges faced in working with a structure the size of Northrop. Once completed, the building will be reconfigured to provide more multi-purpose space for events and students. Overall, the event was fantastic and many thanks to all the busy alumni who attended. We’ll see you next year!

Alumni Enjoy Luncheon, Tour Northrop Renovation

Mike Ramerth (CivE ‘75), Principal, Meyer Borgman Johnson, explains the structural engineering of the Northrop work.

Doug Barr (CivE ‘48), founder Barr Engineering (right).

A look inside the new Northrop Auditorium Building.

Department Head Roberto Ballarini speaks at the luncheon.

Adam Markos and Tina Benedict (CivE ‘07).

CivE Student-athlete Michelle Maciej shares with the crowd.

ASCE-UMN’s Dan Chouinard (right) enjoys the luncheon.

Ken Strylund (CivE ‘77, MS ‘79), President, JE Dunn Construction - North Central, gives an overview of the Nothrop Auditorium renovation.

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For three days in March, the fro-zen hockey rink of Mariucci Arena is turned into a hotbed for robots as high school students faceoff in the FIRST Robotics regional compe-tition. Somewhere working among the teams is sure to be Gil Huie, the machinist for the Department of Civil Engineering. “I really like help-ing the kids and it’s neat to see the designs they come up with, “said Huie. He’s been a tireless volunteer for the competition since it came to the U of M, spending countless hours helping FIRST prepare for the compe-tition and by offering teams a help-ing hand. In a very literal way, Huie’s work with FIRST demonstrates his drive to give his best to tool and die making, volunteering, and education for the benefit of those around him. Born to Lifelong LearningHuie was born in Duluth, MN, in 1948 and into a life seemingly made for appreciating community, learning and craftsmanship. Huie’s mother, Beatrice, is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, and his father, Sin Ben, was a Cantonese Chinese immigrant actor, artist, teacher and chef. Huie’s interest in crafting parts and working with machines began in his youth building models and working on cars. “I built at least a hundred model airplanes, cars and ships,” said Huie. Following high school, Huie con-tinued working with machines when he entered the State of Minnesota’s machinist apprentice program and went to work for Aero Precision Engineering. Before long and at the urging of a neighbor, Huie got a job with Honeywell at its St. Louis Park Space Center. One year later he was accepted into the compa-

ny’s elite training program for tool and die maker apprentices where he was trained on the most sophisti-cated aspects of tool and die making. “That’s where I got my general util-ity knowledge,” said Huie. In 1971, Honeywell laid off the apprentices due to declining work associated with the waning Vietnam War. Curiously, the layoff and the war would conspire

to inspire Huie to commit his first act of adult volunteerism. At the time of Huie’s layoff job prospects were dim with the economy in a slump, so after talking it over with his mother, he decided to vol-unteer for the draft and enter the military. He was selected by the army and scheduled to be trained, much to Huie’s surprise, as a medic. Feeling

young and adventurous, Huie thought heading off to Vietnam would be exciting. Despite his youthful ambi-tion better luck would prevail. “I’d say two-thirds of my company was selected for Vietnam. But when they called my name they said ‘Private Huie – Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri’.” Huie was shipped off to the middle of America. He would spend the major-ity of his enlistment in medical clinic #1 taking care of fellow soldiers who were taken ill or injured manning the fort. He also served as an ambulance driver at nearby Lake of the Ozarks Army Resort. After his stint in the Army, Huie resumed working as a toolmaker and began college by enrolling at North Hennepin Community College. He soon earned an AA degree in man-agement in 1979 and became the first identified American Indian graduate from the school. In the years to follow, Huie was very industrious and worked for Twin Cities Manufacturing, operated - continued on page 14

Gil Huie: A Craftsman of the Greater Good

“One of the things I really enjoy is working with the students with their different backgrounds” - Gil Huie

Ryan Melhouse Named Recipient of Galambos Scholarship in Structural Engineering

Scholarships & Fellowships

The Gerald W. Everson/Ames Construction Scholarship dinner was held on March 8, 2012. The scholarship is named in memory of Dick Ames, the founder of Ames Construction, and CivE graduate and Ames’ first civil engineer Jerry Everson. The goal of the scholarship is to help prospective civil engineering students at the University of Minnesota enjoy the benefits of a quality education. The scholarship was established in 2008 with a $200K gift from Ames Construction, a $10K gift from Jane and Jerry Volz, and $1,000 from friends, family and associates of Jerry Everson. The scholarship is a member of the President’s Match program and receives a dollar-for-dollar match from the University. At the dinner, Ames Construction pledged an additional gift of $25,000 to go to the scholarship fund. This year’s recipients of the scholarship are as follows:Jusin Englund, Lakeville, MN Alex Utley, Rochester, MN

Charles Vermace, Decorah, IA Alex Haluska, Champlin, MN

Ryan Melhouse was named the recipient of the prestigious Professor Emeritus Theodore V. Galambos Scholarship for 2012. “I was honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Melhouse. “It really meant a lot to me.” The scholarship is named after department Professor Emeritus Galambos, considered to be the father of the “Load and Resistance Factor Design” method for steel. Galambos has been a member of the faculty for more than thirty years and very active in both research and teaching. He established this scholarship to recognize an outstanding student in structural engineering each year. Melhouse, from Kenyon, MN, was chosen for his academic excellence, contributions to research and work in outreach. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Melhouse has worked as a research assistant at the department’s Multi-Axial Subassemblage Testing Laboratory. He’s also engaged in professional service through activities with the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. “I am very grateful for this financial award as it will help relieve some of my financial burden upon graduation,” said Melhouse. Moreover, the award has stoked the motivation of this already driven student. “This scholarship provides

inspiration to always try my best at everything I do,” concluded Melhouse.

Everson/Ames Construction Scholarship Recipients Named at March Dinner

2012 Galambos Scholarship recipient Ryan Melhouse.

(Left-to-right) Ron Ames, Alex Utley, Charles Vermace, Justin England, and Butch Ames at the scholarship dinner. Photo Credit: Jane Volz

Gil Huie (left) gives a repaired part to a member of a FIRST Robotics team.

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Huie, from page 13

a custom machining side-business, owned a jewelry store, married and started a family, and even began work on a bachelor’s degree through Metropolitan State University. His persistent success fueled his desire to continue serving the community. This time Huie volunteered to be a found-ing member and later chairman of the Fond du Lac Off-Reservation Action Committee, a group created to give enrollees of the community living in the Twin Cities representation in the tribal government. In 1991 Huie accepted his cur-rent position as a machinist for the Department of Civil Engineering. Since joining the department, he’s been an essential contributor to its research and teaching by develop-ing clever components and devices and mentoring students. “One of the things I really enjoy is working with the students with their different backgrounds, especially the kids who are struggling to be their family’s first college graduates,” said Huie. Huie found working with students and the University so motivating that it stoked his desire to finish his undergraduate degree. He took advan-tage of the U’s Regents Scholarship program and began taking courses that interested him. “Going to school was my after-work hobby,” explained Huie. Taking one class each term, he eventually earned enough credits to complete the degree he began at Metropolitan State University. Since then, he’s gone on to complete all the coursework needed for a master’s degree through the U of M’s Masters of Liberal Studies Program. Oh yes, and consistent with Huie’s character of giving back to the communities that have given to him, he’s served on alumni committees for both col-

leges.

Surprise and Recognition In 2007 College of Science and Engineering Dean Steve Crouch asked Huie if he’d help the college put on a regional edition of the national FIRST Robotics competition. FIRST is an engineering competition founded by Segway scooter inventor Dean Kamen for high school students. During the competition, the students are chal-lenged to develop remote controlled robots that compete in sporting-type games on a court. “Steve asked me if I would take care of the techni-cal part of the program by building the prototypes of the scoring devices and act as a machine shop liaison for the local teams,” said Huie. The tool-maker happily accepted the task and has helped every year with the com-petition except 2009 when a battle with cancer forced him to sit out the competition. Huie has been such a devoted vol-unteer for the FIRST event that in 2010 he was officially recognized for it. On the final day of competition Dean Crouch led Huie to Williams Arena under the guise they were going there for an impromptu meet-ing. When Huie arrived, he quick-ly learned otherwise. “Steve and I walked in and I heard the announcer, Mark Lawrence, say, ‘We have some-body here who’s been here since the beginning and volunteers his time and his name is Gil Huie. And here to present the award to him for vol-unteer of the year is Dean Kamen’ ,” Huie recalled. Stunned by the news, he walked out onto the court and received a handshake of thanks and the award from Kamen. “That was a surprise, and I knew there were a lot of other people that deserved it just as much as I did; it was a nice thought for them to think of me,” concluded Huie. The sum and significance of Huie’s efforts has also drawn the attention of the University’s highest leaders. In 2008, Huie was named to the

Super Bacteria, from page 4

In this study, the Ph.D. students and professor examined the impact of municipal wastewater in Duluth, MN, on pristine surface waters by gathering water samples from the St. Louis River, Duluth-Superior Harbor, and Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. The treatment facility in Duluth is considered one of the best. After solids and biological matter are removed, the Duluth wastewater treatment facility is one of only a few in the country that filters water a third time through a mixed media filter to remove additional particles of bacteria and nutrients. Standard wastewater treatment treats water twice to remove solids and biological matter. “This was a unique and ideal loca-tion for this study because of the exemplary wastewater treatment mixed with surprisingly pristine sur-face waters with very low background levels of bacteria that wouldn’t mask our results,” LaPara said. “Previous studies in which treated munici-pal wastewater was implicated as a source of antibiotic resistance were more convoluted because multiple sources of antibiotic resistance genes existed, such as agricultural activity and industrial wastewater discharg-es.” While the levels of overall bacteria were still relatively low in the surface water samples, researchers in the U of MN study found that the quanti-ties of antibiotic-resistant genes and human-specific bacteria were typi-cally 20-fold higher at the site where treated wastewater was released into the Duluth-Superior Harbor compared to nearby surface water samples. “Current wastewater treatment removes a very large fraction of the antibiotic-resistant genes,” LaPara said. “But this study shows that wastewater treatment operations need to be carefully considered and more fully studied as an important factor in the global ecology of antibi-

otic resistance.” In addition to LaPara, researchers involved in the study include civil engineering Ph.D. students Tucker R. Burch, Patrick J. McNamara, and David T. Tan; bioproducts and bio-systems engineering Ph.D. student Mi Yan, with help from soil, water, and climate Ph.D. student Jessica J. Eichmiller. The University of Minnesota research study was funded by the National Science Foundation’s broader impacts effort, which com-bines research and education. The Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund paid for time on the R/V Blue Heron ship to col-lect water samples. To read the full research paper, entitled “Tertiary-Treated Municipal Wastewater is a Significant Point Source of Antibiotic Resistance Genes into Duluth-Superior Harbor,” visit http://z.umn.edu/lapara11.

SMART Signal, from page 5

Highway 55 in Golden Valley, France Avenue in Bloomington, and Prairie Center Drive in Eden Prairie. It is also being used in Pasadena, California. This technology was invented by Prof. Henry Liu and his research team; the research was funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Local Road Research Board, the U of M Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute and Hennepin County. The partnership between Liu and Shain and the resulting start-up was facilitated by the Office for Technology Commercialization.

exclusive list of President’s Award for Outstanding Service recipients, the highest award given to staff or faculty. ““I was in some big com-pany! Those guys did some fantastic things,” said Huie. “It was quite an honor.” In the end, Huie intends his love for precision engineering, dedication to helping others and earnest inter-est in education to be a lesson to those learning from him. “I look at it as a lesson for my family and my grandchildren that you don’t have to be the best, but be diligent and do your job, and be the person people can count on and you’ll eventually be recognized for it,” said Huie.

New Faculty, from page 7

freshman year of college, I have been trying to decide whether I should be a writer or a scientist and I’ve pursued a career path that allows me to do a bit of both,” said Lemer. “By

helping budding engineers develop their writing skills, I also get the opportunity to learn a bit more about how the world works.”

16 Civil Engineer | Spring 2012 Civil Engineer | Spring 2012 17

A special thanks to our Department of Civil Engineering alumni and friends for your generous support. Your generosity has enabled us to offer scholarships and fellowships to our students, retain talented faculty, and improve our facilities. Thank you!

Jose I AdachiJohn P AhlgrenDan W AkerlundDavid S AlexanderCarlos G AlfonzoIyad M AlsaamDaniel D AmonBrian G AmundsonRolf F AmundsonKeith J AndersonClaude T AndersonMitchell A AndersonDavid M AndersonJudith A AndersonNancy E AnewsStephen W AngstDiego S ArabboLynn C ArbogastDonald L AsmusThomas C Atchison JrGerald J Auge JrWenjin BaoCharles S Barger JrRichard M BarkerBlaine B Barker JrAhmed M BashierEdward C BatherJennifer R Bean PopehnKlaus P BeckerJohn L BehnkeJoseph G BentlerScott T BerglundCarol H BerglundKurt A BerglundJohn P BergsonLoren M BergstedtPeter R BjornbergJames H Boehmler JrNatalie J BohlkeJohn J BorghesiRod BoyerDavid BraslauJohn M BrattRichard P BraunLinda L BrekkeMarlee J BriceJames C BrotenJeffrey S BrowerKevin D BurnsRobin ButlerJordan T CabakChristopher N CallRobert L CalleryColin C CampbellRonald M Canner JrJames A CardleC Jim CarlsonWilliam R CarrJoseph P Carruth

Robert H Cartford JrMary Gail CauleyChristopher M CavettRaymond P CekallaTimothy A ChalupnikYu-Yuen W ChangPaul A ChaplaDonald L ChapmanDavid L ChingTroy A ChristensenMary B CohrsRoger O ColeRonald N ConradJ C Cornwell EstateSean C CottonKeith M CraikNicolas P CruzRoss S CulverhouseBruce H DahlquistJohn A DahlsengPatricia Q DaltonAbbas A DaneshyMichael A De SutterRobert L DegrootRachel E DeitzmanDonald O DenckerRobert H DenkmannMarie DexterJohn W DillinghamCarla D DillonJames A DirksHoang N DoTerrence R DobieTom C DonofrioDaniel L DorganJames N DornbushDonald P DuffyMark J DuncanLloyd A DuschaRoberta P DwyerC Walter DygveCraig L EbelingThomas J EggumJeffrey J EhleringerJohn D EkolaRichard A ElaskyDaniel F EnserShelli ErckRonald B EricksonBulent ErkmenNeil J EssilaSally C EusonCraig FalkumYi FangJeffrey T FaragherHerman R FastJessica L FelixRichard H FeiteDavid E FerrisKenneth B FickJacob E FinklerMark P FlashinskiEdward J FleegeDonald J FlemmingThomas F FoleyRaynold O FollandDavid M ForsbergTanya J FosterElizabeth FoxBill C Fox

James L FreemanJohn M FrielK Warren FrizellNoa J FunkTheodore V GalambosKaren M GalvinSarah GanleyRobert J GanterStefan T GantertAlysson C GebauerWilliam D GmiterkoDouglas A GordonJames M GraupmannLouis P Gravel IIIRobert J GreenKevin C GriebenowRoy E GriederGregory S GrossTimothy M GrundhofferLillian M GuldenJoseph A GustafsonDaniel A HaakGeorge D HagenMichael G HahnJerome F HajjarJonathan C HallAnita J Hall FrostKen W HallbergThomas M HalsDuane W HanselAmanda L HansenJeffrey L HansenEric C HansonJohn P HansonJoseph P HanusRay H HarioVictoria M HarrisArthur V HartwellJoel E HaskardNathan A HauerNicholas J HauptRonald L HaxbyRhonda Fleming HayesSteven J HayesLinda M HeathRosann HebertRichard S HeinJames S HendersonCraig P HenricksonLeo H Hermes IIIMatthew A HernickRichard D HeroldMichael M HeuerRobert D HietalaGeorge H HillDennis HjortMark C HoelDonald G HolderBruce J HoldhusenMary HolewinskiLinda M HollandWinfield HollandJohn H HollerWilliam E HolmanCynthia L HolmbergKatheryn R HopeRichard L. HoppenrathMark W HostetlerJohn R HotvetJudy A Hrkal

Yuying HuYun HuangHaiying HuangRobert F HuberRay A HuberGilbert B HuiePeter A HultgrenDonald L HurdJulie R IdzorekMichael A IndiharJohn H JacobsonJacquelyn JacobsonKauser JahanCharles T Jahren PEBonita JedlundJames A JessopSuzanne D JiwaniWarren E JohnsonJeff L JohnsonMark T JohnsonNorman E JohnsonDouglas W JohnsonTimothy C JohnsonJeffrey A JohnsonMelissa M JohnsonStephen W JonesRuth V JonesAnita L KaliszewskiGeorge W KalweitJohn M KannasZachary J KartakKarl P KeelLyle G KellerRobert A KempeShahin KhazrajafariWayne E KilkerAllan J King JrDaniel S KjellmanSteven KloiberRichard J KloskinGeorge D KluempkeEmily M KnudtsonJennifer A KoehlerLarry G KoenigHarold R KokalBrian J KollingJoseph P. KoscielakAmir KoubaaMarvin E KrafveThomas M KuckhahnJerry D KujalaGerard J KulbiedaJoseph F LabuzWilliam J LaferriereDustin T LangKim A LapakkoKenneth H LarsonHarold C LarsonKirk R LauFloyd J LaumannHannah F LeeAlbert L LehmanMichael D LesherJihshya J LinJames H LindErnest N LindnerWilliam E LischeidBenjamin D LodinMatthew A LohryBrian J Lokkesmoe

Kent M LokkesmoeJames E LondonHoward B Loomis JrJohn V LoperfidoThomas E LorentzGary L LovelaceJill M LowderMark S LudlowNorman N LueckDonald E LundMichael L LynnJeanne B Mac LeodMark C MagneyBrian MalzerHazel E MarraJulian D MarshallSteven E MarshikDennis R MartensonJacob T MartinAnthony G MartinoJosh A MauritzRoss A MayerRobert F MayhewScott H MaytanCindy A McComasThomas R MeathJeffrey C MeehanStanley C MellinCraig C MenzemerJames R MerilaWilliam Z MernikMichael J MetsoStephen E MeyerAmy J MeyerSusan M MichaelFreick A MickeJames A MilesKevin G MillerPhilip E MillerPaul C MillerChristopher MillerDwayne R MoenchSofia MogilevskayaThomas D MogrenWilliam H Moldestad SrCarol J MoleskiDiana E MonaghanThomas O MooreTimothy A MoreyLarry M MorganCollin W MoriartyJoseph J MuellerSubhash R MundleIsaac J MurphyJames B MurphyJill H MurphyMark J MutzigerDouglas R NagelKaren NelsonKevin L NelsonBrent K NelsonJerome B NelsonBruce A NelsonDavid E NelsonMabeth NeslundMichael J NielsonIngrid M NordbyDan C NormanEric V NovotnyDennis W Nygaard

James A NystromJames B OatesRobert C ObermeyerRobert J O’BrienKenneth W O’BrienPamela J O’BrienJack A OcenasekRichard L OjardRoy E OlsonManuel OrozcoLaurie I OsadjanJames F OttoJay A OwensCurtis L PageDelmar G PalacheckDennis E PalmerRobert K K PangJohn PangbornPanos C PapanastasiouTerry L PennazJoseph A PeroutkaGregory B PesolaErik G PetersChad A PetersenRyan D PetersonThomas A PetersonMark E PetersonRandall D PetersonTroy L PetersonAnne M PharesJohn G PhillipsJoseph J PiattScott A PiersonPaul J PilarskiMichael G PinsonneaultJ PlaistedPerry C PlankVizma M Podnieks & FamilyKenneth H PodpeskarAlexander PoletzRobert C PoltaRichard T PomerleauBrandi M PopenhagenJames A PostiglioneOran D PowellDuane T PrewRyan W PriceDavid N PriestRobert A PrusakPaul C PrusakScott F PutmanCarol D QuinnHernan A QuinodozRobert A RapaportDonald D RastorferAnew M RauchMarie E RauhLarry A ReadTina M ReidRobert B RhodeGregory RichardsonJoseph D RicheyRandy W RichterMatthew J RickerWilliam G RidgeMichael J RiefChristopher T RileyMelissa A RitchieRenee H RiviereJon H Roadfeldt

Thank you to our alumni and friends for your generous support!

The Department of Civil Engineering’s weekly Warren Lecture Series is now being streamed live and archived online. Viewers wishing to watch the lectures live can login from their computers to see the presentation, slides and submit questions. To watch live streams and archives visit: http://www.ce.umn.edu/events/warren_index.html

Below is a list of new archived lectures available for viewing:

September 9“Dense Granular Flows: From the Laboratory to the Hillslope”Kimberly HillDepartment of Civil EngineeringUniversity of Minnesota

September 16“Elasticity and Failure”Konstantin VolokhDepartment of Civil EngineeringTechnion, Israel

September 23“Exploiting the Ensemble Nature of Uncertainty Quantification”Steve WojtkiewiczDepartment of Civil EngineeringUniversity of Minnesota

September 30 “Where Is It Coming from? Does the Flow of Information in a Landscape Have Direction?”Vaughan VollerDepartment of Civil Engineering University of Minnesota

October 7Special Vardoulakis Lecture

“Localization of Deformation in Sand With Spatially Varying Density and Degree of Saturation”Ronaldo BorjaDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringStanford University

October 14 “Tackling Fluid Mechanics Challenges in Energy, Environment and Health via Numerical Simulation: From Cardiovascular Hemodynamics to Wind and Water Power”Fotis SotiropoulosDepartment of Civil Engineering University of Minnesota

October 21 “Viscoelastic Properties of Biological Tissue: Can Viscosity and Dispersion Properties be used for Characterizing Tumors?”Ralph SinkusDepartment of RadiologyUniversity Paris Diderot, France

October 28Special Warren Lecture in Memory of Robert Dexter “Structural Fire Engineering: Challenges and Opportunities”Michael EngelhardtDepartment of Civil, Architectural and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Texas at Austin

November 4 “Network Dynamic Traffic Assignment and Continuum Supply Chains Based onLWR Theory”Terry FrieszDepartment of Industrial and Manufacturing EngineeringPenn State University

November 11“Modeling of Microstructure Evolution in Shape Memory Alloys”Henryk PetrykInstitute of Fundamental Technological Research Polish Academy of Sciences

November 18“Advanced Oxidation Processes With Carbon Nanotubes: Surface-promoted Formation of Hydroxyl Radical During Ozonation”David CwiertnyDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Iowa

December 2 “Linking Pollution Sources to Health”Ted RussellSchool of Civil and Environmental EngineeringGeorgia Institute of Technology

Department Lectures Now Available Online

18 Civil Engineer | Spring 2012 Civil Engineer | Spring 2012 19

Anna RobertsFerrol O RobinsonPaul A RobinsonBurnell T RobleJohn P RodebergMisti H RogersDwayne A RollagRobert W RoseneJames A RosenowJohn S RotherMatthew P RubleBrian J RudieVictoria L RundorffDagmar L S RunyonJames W RustadDennis J RyanMatthew J RyanDaniel W SabatkaKian Sabeti CarrettaThomas B SadlerKelly A Samuelson SableStephen F SandquistRobert P SandsSteven L SavittD Kenyon SaylerPhilip C SchaferJames T SharberPaul D ScharmerRuth E ScheveniusWesley C ScheveniusHoward T SchulzeJames M SchumacherBruce G SchwanNeil T SchwanzPaul A SeaburgRichard P SellevoldTheresa A SenartDonald L SeversonJeanne M SharpsMatthew J SheehanAmy E ShortDouglas W SiersMatt F SimcikEugene M SimpkinsDonald J SkaffJames A SkaretRoger C SkogenKimberly J SmithMichael G SoltisMichael S SondagDana F SorokoMarvin L SorvalaKenton E SpadingCurtis J SparksMaria SpitaelPaul M SponholzBiruta SprogisJohn T SteichenJohn V StengleinThomas S StoneburnerSandy H StrausJohn J StrojanKenneth A StyrlundRobert P SullentropAaron B SundbergLeland N SundetErin M SurdoPauline W SuttonSteven R SwansonMary B Swanson

Ryan T SwansonEarl A SweenPaul T SwensonEdward F TerhaarFrederick C TheissDale R ThomasGary B ThomasNicole M ThomasMitchell D ThompsonJanet C ThompsonThomas A ThompsonLynne ThoenBruce M ThorsonGloria J ThurmesBenjamin J TimersonRobert E ToddieAmber E. TracyValerie A TroutmanThomas E TrowbridgeJohn G TrullingerAdam D TschidaRichard E TurnerJohn TweetGerald R TweetonSherry Van DuynEdward M Van EeckhoutArthur L VandersteenRaul A VelasquezJeffrey L VlaminckCynthia J VoigtRichard L Voigt JrSteven M VolbrechtVaughan R VollerKeith VossWilliam J WalburgBrian D WalterMichael J WaltmanKevin J WardScott A WardWilson B Wardwell JrMichael T WatryWarren F Weck IIIJames F WeingartzGregory A WeistFranz E WestermeierRobert E WestlundJoseph L WestphalLonnie L WeyerPeter S WhiteKaren L WiemeriMark R WikeliusLorne G WikstromJon K WilczekSteven C WilhelCharleen WilkinsNathan J WillsonThomas K WilsonKevin WitteRichard E WitterDenise L WitthusKent G WoodJames L WrightRonald R WruckeTina A WyffelsDuane S YoungAmy K ZanderTerry ZaudtkeCarlos R ZhingreLauren ZidekCharles W Zinn

Terrence L Zoller

3M Co.3M Foundation Inc.Alliant Techsystems Inc.AMEC Geomatrix Inc.B C Fox Intervivos TrustBank of America Charitable FoundationBarr Engineering Co.Boeing Co.Braun Intertec Corp.Brian/Carol Quinn Family Foundation-Fidelity Charitable Gift FundCargill Inc.Catch A Rising Star FoundationCH2M Hill Inc.CliftonLarsonAllen LLPCommonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research OrganizationDaneshy Charity-Fidelity Charitable Gift FundEngTech Inc.Ericksen Roed & Associates Inc.Esra Consulting Corp.ExxonMobil Corp.GE FoundationGeneral Mills FoundationGeorge & Joann Hagen Fund-Schwab Charitable FundGoodrich/Rosemount Aerospace Inc.Greater Twin Cities United WayHansen Heating & A/CItasca Consulting Group Inc.James B & Melissa A Murphy Family FundJames Wright ConsultingKluempke Char Fund-Fidelity Charitable Gift FundKretsch & Gust PLLCLaBreche LLCLeague of Minnesota CitiesMinnesota County Engineers AssociationMinnesota Geotechnical SocietyMinnesota Section ASCEMinnesota Surveyors & Engineers SocietyMinnetonka Rotary Club FoundationMTS Systems Corp.National Defense Advisors Inc.National League of Cities InstituteProcter & Gamble FundSaint Paul Sunrise Rotary Club FoundationSam M Dalal Insurance Agency Inc.Shell Oil Company FoundationSLP Sunrise Rotary FoundationSpack ConsultingTechnical Committee for Structural ShapesThe Dencker TrustTraffic Data Inc.WSB & Associates Inc.Weck Charitable TrustXcel Energy FoundationXerox Corp. USA

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CSE Hosts Boundary Element Method WorkshopThe “NSF Workshop on the BEM: Bridging Industrial Education and Industrial Application” was held on The University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus April 23-26, 2012. This workshop consisted of a two-day short course and a two-day colloquium on advances in the boundary element method (BEM) with educational and industrial applications. College of Science & Engineering Dean and Department of Civil Engineering Professor Steve Crouch (pictured to the right) hosted the event attended by researchers, engineers, and students from around the world.

Prof. Greg Rodin (University of Texas - Austin) with CSE Dean Steve Crouch.