CE alumnus Chris Burke (BSCE '77, MSCE '79, PhD '83, HDR 2010) has received the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from the University of Illinois Chicago for his contributions to the field of civil engineering.

Burke is president and owner of Christopher B. Burke Engineering (CBBEL), an Illinois-based consulting engineering and surveying firm specializing in civil, transportation/highway, municipal, traffic, construction, water resources, environmental, structural and mechanical engineering.

Burke has been engaged in numerous municipal and civil engineering projects, particularly site review and development, storm water management, sanitary sewers, flood control, transportation design, channel modification, and bridge replacement. He has authored various technical publications in water resources and, since 2002, has taught courses at the University of Illinois, Chicago, in Engineering Hydrology, Hydraulics and Hydrology and Hydraulic Structures.

A gift from the Burke Family established Purdue Civil Engineering's Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Graduate Program, one of the nation’s first named civil engineering graduate programs.