Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering News

The annual Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Departmental Awards Ceremony was held on April 11, 2024. Great job and congratulations to the award winners.

Department Scholar Award

Senior status during the next academic year

Presented to: Parker Lyden, environmental engineering major – nominated Nominated by Audra Morse

I have come to know Parker much better as the advisor of the Built World Enterprise, and although there are many deserving students, I think Parker truly represents the attitude, curiosity, and passion a department scholar should possess. 

I met Parker when he attended the inaugural year of Prep4Tech program. The next year, he helped support the Prep4Tech program in a leadership position. He joined the Built World Enterprise in his second year, and he volunteered to lead a group of fellow students in the Timber-Strong Design Build Competition sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Why is this significant? No one at Michigan Tech had participated in the Timber-Strong Competition, ever. Parker was a second-year student taking statics and solid mechanics, and he is an environmental engineering major and did not have any structural expertise. Did that stop him and his team? Absolutely not! They had the largest structure and the fastest building time at the competition. He is leading the team again this year. I believe taking on this role and learning about structural design shows a high level of intellectual curiosity and intellectual creativity.

Parker is a talented oral communicator, and he has strong written skills. I think he positively fulfills the behavior, attitude and passion expected of a departmental scholar. 

Nicole Bloom Award for Environmental Sustainability

This award is made annually to an undergraduate civil, environmental, or geospatial engineering student who has demonstrated leadership, passion, and activism for effecting environmental sustainability at the local, national, or global level. This award is accompanied by the Pati and Soumitri Reddy $1000 endowed scholarship.

Presented to:  Cailin Bishop  (nominated by Noel Urban)

From the nomination: It is humbling and awe-inspiring to be surrounded by so many fabulous students that it is difficult to decide whom to nominate for the undergraduate awards.  I would like to nominate Cailin Bishop for this year’s Nicole Bloom award.  Unlike Nicole Bloom, Cailin is one of our first-generation students who grew up without family role models for finding success, finding inspiration, or finding a pathway for her own life through education.  Without that pathway laid out for her, Cailin has had to consciously choose what she values and what is worth working toward in her life.  As did Nicole, Cailin has chosen to excel in academics – she was usually on the Dean’s list and will graduate with honors this spring.  As did Nicole, Cailin has chosen to work to improve the environment around her – she is a long-term member of the Green Campus Enterprise where she has pushed forward the effort to implement composting on campus.  As did Nicole, Cailin has chosen independent research as a tool for learning about topics of interest.  She was awarded a SURF fellowship to study impacts of climate change on lakes.  She has assisted multiple grad students in their research into contaminants in fish.  In her upcoming research MS program, Cailin will also use research as a means for bettering the environment as she develops a monitoring tool for Torch Lake.  Fortunately for all of us, the artistry, the joy in life, the insistence on improving the world that Nicole Bloom exhibited lives on in many of the students here, including Cailin Bishop.

Undergraduate Department Service Award

This award is to recognize a CEGE students that have shown exemplary service to the CEGE Department through student organizations affiliated with the Department (ASCE, Chi Epsilon, Douglass Houghton Student Chapter, EWB, Husky Construction, and Rail Engineering Activity Club). This award is accompanied by a $500 scholarship.

This year we will be recognizing several students for their service to the various programs of the CEGE Department.

Teddy Ellis

Nominated by the Construction Management faculty

Teddy has been the President of the Husky Construction and Design Association (HCDA) for the past 2 academic years.  When Teddy took over as President the club was having a tough time. As happened with many student organizations, club membership coming out of the pandemic had declined significantly.

Looking to find value for its members, Teddy and the eboard initiated a number of things.  They found new co-advisors, competed and won first place at the Associated Schools of Construction Region 3 Heavy Civil Estimating competition, organized member field trips to see the Soo Locks Construction Project in partnership with Alberici Construction and attend the Associated General Contractors UP Student Construction Awareness Night at NMU, and brought in industry speakers.

The club has surged in membership, with 56 students currently on the roster. While I credit the entire eboard in this effort, it would not have happened without Teddy’s endless effort of time and his positive attitude.

Ruth Kirby   

Nominated by Jeffery Hollingsworth and John Bean

She is a senior in the geospatial engineering program and is also a member of the Douglass Houghton Student Chapter.  She has been very active in supporting the department outreach efforts in geospatial engineering.

Dylan Lane

Nominated by David Watkins

Dylan Lane has been very active in EWB and has taken on several leadership roles in the chapter over the last few years.  In addition to serving as the chapter president (2021-2022), he was the project lead for the Guatemala team (2022 – 2023) and facilitated an assessment trip to Fronterizo, Guatemala in May 2023.  He is currently involved in another trip being planned for May 2024.  He also served on the Bolivia team for one year and contributed significantly to planning the 2022 trip to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  Lastly, he led organization of the chapter’s 2023 Winter Carnival pasty fundraiser event.  All of these activities have involved a tremendous time investment, and they indicate Dylan’s dedication to the chapter and its partner communities.

Jonathan Wright

Nominated by Andrew Swartz

Jonathan Wright – Jonathan has put in a lot of time as captain of the Steel Bridge team.  Under his direction, the team has worked to implement significant innovations in order to adapt to new rules and restrictions in a competitive way.  He has also leaned into the recruiting work that comes along with being the captain for this team, not only for the team itself, but also the department.  Jon can frequently be found volunteering for department recruiting events such as Preview Day, and helping with presentations in courses like CEE1000.

Danielle Ladwig Award for Graduate Excellence

Libia Hazra was nominated by Judith Perlinger for this award.  

Libia has excelled in academics, research, and demonstrated service in the doctoral degree program in environmental engineering. She has been a GTA for several environmental engineering courses since joining the CEGE Department in 2021.  In research, Libia has developed analytical chemistry skills in measuring concentrations of contaminants, lipids, and stable isotopes in fish, and ventured on her own initiative into DNA analysis to understand the Lake Superior food web.  Based on her research and the health concerns with contamination in fish, she applied for and was selected for the competitive Copper Shores graduate fellowship in the Summer of 2024. 

Miaomiao Li was nominated by Barbara Dai for this award. 

Miaomiao exemplifies the ideals and qualities celebrated by the Danielle Ladwig Award for Graduate Excellence. Her outstanding achievements in research, teaching, and service, coupled with her exemplary character, make her an exceptional candidate for this prestigious honor.

Miaomiao has been a dedicated Write-D facilitator in our department for two years, demonstrating her commitment to building this weekly writing workshop for graduate students. In this role, she leads writing workshops, builds communities within graduate students in our department, and creates a welcoming and stress-free atmosphere for attendees. With her research, she has worked to improve the resilience of power systems and pavements. In the past three years, she has attended six academic conferences. She has made significant contributions by presenting her research findings, thereby enhancing the visibility of our institution on a broader stage. She has authored nine publications in reputable journals, highlighting her commitment to disseminating valuable insights and findings to the academic community.

Wilbur Haas Graduate Research Excellence Award

The Graduate Research Excellence Award is made annually to a graduate level student in civil or environmental engineering to recognize outstanding student scholarship and research contributions.  This award is accompanied by a $1000 Wilbur Haas Memorial Fellowship.

Presented to:  Miraj Bhakta Kayastha and Peifeng Su

Peifeng Su

During his time at Michigan Tech, Peifeng demonstrated enthusiasm for research projects. He has made valuable contributions to the evaluation and prediction of reinforced concrete corrosion resistance under various conditions.
To date, his research has led to 10 published and 4 in-preparation submissions. Most of his publications were published in well-acknowledged journals that top in the civil material research field.  His articles have been cited 150 times since 2020, according to Google Scholar (h-index 5 and i10-index.  He also presented his research work in the 14th IACIP Annual Online Student Forum 2024 and American Concrete Institution (ACI) 2022 Fall convention.
His research has been recognized as solid and innovative, particularly in investigating concrete performance using experimental and numerical methods. He is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship (spring 2024) in our department recognizing his academic performance.

Miraj Bhakta Kayastha

From his nomination…Ever since becoming a part of my research group in the fall of 2019, Miraj has evolved into a well-recognized early-career scientist through numerous impactful research papers, mentions in the news and media, and a strong presence at international conferences. As a PhD student, his main area of focus has been climate modeling and projections for the Great Lakes area. Miraj’s research integrates state-of-the-art Great Lakes climate modeling, tackling significant questions with wide-ranging implications and skillfully translating academic findings into practical scientific applications. Miraj has been consistently representing Michigan Tech and our research group through his various podium presentations at prestigious international conferences in our fields including the AGU Fall Meetings (December 2022, 2023, typical ~25,000 attendees) and Ocean Science Meetings (February 2024, typical ~6,000 attendees). He is currently scheduled to give a podium presentation about his lake-effect snow research at the prestigious European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Meeting in Austria (April 2024, the most prestigious one in Europe in Geoscience). With his active participation in conferences and multi-institutional project meetings, Miraj has established a strong reputation for his research within the Great Lakes scientific community.

GTA of the Year

We sincerely thank all of our Graduate Teaching Assistants who have diligently worked to deliver a quality laboratory experience.  The junior and senior level undergraduate CEGE students were invited to recognize their contributions.

The 2024 GTA of the Year Award is presented to:  Molly Greene

Faculty of the Year

The junior and senior level undergraduate CEGE students were also invited to recognize the hard work of our faculty in delivering a quality educational experience. 

In the Civil (structures, materials, geotech) & Geospatial Engineering category  –

Kris Mattila was voted the 2024 Faculty of the Year

In the Environmental Engineering/Civil (Water Resources) Engineering category –

Jennifer Becker was voted the 2024 Faculty of the Year

Department Citizen Award

The Department Citizen Award recognizes a faculty or staff member who goes the extra mile, whether it be in representing the Department, helping colleagues, or participating at events. This award is decided on by the Department Chair.

Guest Blog by Hriatpuii Vanlal, MS in Civil Engineering, Michigan Tech

As I embarked upon my academic journey at Michigan Tech, I encountered a multitude of challenges that tested my commitment from the outset. Each obstacle presented a chapter in a narrative that has profoundly shaped my personal and academic trajectory.

Amid the uncertainties that beset me, my steadfast faith and belief began to falter, and I found myself on the brink of surrender. It was during this vulnerable moment of despair that I encountered Dr. Audra Morse, the esteemed Department Chair at the time. Her inquiry into my well-being and subsequent invitation to her office provided a timely beacon of hope, serving as a catalyst for renewed determination. In a milieu where diversity in age, ethnicity, lifestyle, and academic pursuits distinguished me from my peers, I never experienced disregard or neglect. The unwavering support and guidance of the faculty, particularly the professors within my course of study, played an integral role in shaping my academic journey.

It is paramount to recognize the invaluable support provided by Dr. Theresa M. Ahlborn, respected Professor Emerita. Her intense dedication to my academic pursuits was evident through her provision of a dedicated study space within her office. Dr. Ahlborn’s consistent encouragement and guidance were instrumental in navigating the challenges I faced, for both academic and personal development.

Though the trials I faced were arduous and often perplexing, I now reflect with gratitude upon the strength I have gained from confronting them. Each experience has contributed to my personal growth, molding me into a stronger individual than I was before.

“I extend my deepest gratitude to the eminent faculty and officials of Michigan Technological University for their assistance and guidance throughout my coursework for a Master’s Degree. Their collective efforts have undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the fulfillment of my destined purpose.”