Concrete structures of the past weren't built to withstand the fury of an earthquake, but a groundbreaking solution from engineers at Purdue could change that. A research team led by Akanshu Sharma, the Jack and Kay Hockema Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and an expert in structural engineering hazard solutions, is testing a cost-effective, minimally invasive technique to fortify older concrete buildings against earthquakes, potentially saving lives and preserving structures worldwide.

The Senior Design class is seen as both a rite of passage and the culmination of what a student at the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering has learned. For decades now, all students who have earned their BSCE at Purdue University have at least this one shared team project experience. This semester, alumnus Ron Klemencic (BSCE 1985, HDR 2025) further amplified the significance of the project though an $8,000 endowment awarded to the winning Senior Design team.

The showcase is being held at the ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships, hosted by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, June 27-29, 2025.

PhD student Phani "Saketh" Dasika has received a 2025 CIGP Spring Symposium Doctoral Talk Award, presented by the Purdue Office of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs (OIGP).

J. Case Tompkins, Senior Lecturer in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, received the Excellence in Instruction Award for Lecturers presented by the College of Engineering at the Faculty & Lecturer Recognition Banquet on April 25, 2025.

Fundamental science can have a profound impact when discoveries and research are developed into tangible solutions that benefit the public. In this NSF Discovery Files podcast, Pablo Zavattieri, the Jerry M. and Lynda T. Engelhardt Professor in Civil Engineering, discusses how research into mosquitoes may translate into bio-inspired sensors that could help save lives.

Ron Klemencic, chair and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering from the College of Engineering during the spring commencement ceremonies taking place at Elliott Hall of Music on Friday, May 16.

THANK YOU! Because of YOU, the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering received 223 gifts, totaling $1,833,316 in just 24 hours on Purdue Day of Giving! These gifts will be used to further support our students, school, and research.

Dr. Venkatesh Merwade, Professor of Civil Engineering, has been selected by the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) to receive the 2025 Education and Public Service Award.

Gerald A. "Jerry" Leonards (MSCE '48, PhD CE '52) was so beloved and respected that long after he died in 1997 at age 75, his 100th birthday was celebrated on this day at an event hosted by the Purdue Geotechnical Society. As a faculty member in Purdue's College of Engineering from 1952 to 1991, he gained recognition as a towering figure in geotechnical engineering.

Douglas Owen (BSCE 1980, CEAAA 2024), Senior Principal and Program Manager at Stantec, has received the 2025 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award presented by the College of Engineering.

The National Academy of Construction (NAC) has selected Deborah (Deb) L. Grubbe (HDR 2010) as the 2025 recipient of the Ted C. Kennedy Award, the Academy's highest honor. She will receive the award and the accompanying medal at the NAC Annual Meeting on October 30 in Colorado Springs, CO, during the Academy's Annual Meeting.

A team of Purdue faculty and students including Professor Sam Labi and members of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute placed second at the 2nd Annual Artificial Intelligence Maritime Maneuver Indiana Collegiate Challenge (AIMM-ICC) held April 10-12 at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana.

Manuel Salmerón, a PhD student in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering under the supervision of professor Shirley Dyke and co-advised by professor Julio Ramirez, wants to develop a framework that will allow us to better understand infrastructure and product degradation so we can design smarter and optimize maintenance for more predictable performance and reliability.

Pablo Orosa Iglesias, a Research Associate in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, has been named one of the Top 5 recipients of Purdue's 2025 Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award for the second year in a row.

Registration is now open for the 62nd Annual LSCCE Golf Open on Friday, June 13 at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. Whether you're a seasoned golfer or just in it for the fun, this is your chance to connect with fellow alumni, students, faculty, and industry professionals – all while enjoying a great day on the green.

This course, open to both undergraduate and graduate students, will seek to understand and recognize the importance of variability and incomplete information in civil engineering, particularly structural engineering. Students will be equipped to know how to measure the safety of structures, and how a designer implements the optimum safety level.

This course, open to both undergraduate and graduate students, will introduce material point method (MPM), a "hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian" method to simulate large deformations and fractures of materials, with applications in geotechnical and coastal engineering, structural analysis, material science, geophysics, and computer vision.

This course offers undergraduates hands-on experience with cutting-edge concrete 3D printing technologies and insights from industry leaders shaping the future of construction. As automation, sustainability, and digital fabrication redefine civil and construction engineering, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of the transformation—join us and help shape the future of infrastructure!

Terrence F. Paret, Senior Principal at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., will be presenting a seminar titled, "Why Do You Believe that Performance-based Engineering Really Works? Should you?" on Tuesday 4/15 at 4:30 p.m. in HAMP 1144.