Purdue's Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Student Chapter has completed another successful year. They recently won the award for the Best Student Chapter Report in the Great Lakes District and are currently in the running for the ITE International level award for the Best Student Chapter.

Chad Jafvert, Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering, has been named a Purdue University Teaching Academy Fellow, one of 12 faculty inductees for 2017.

Associate Professors Philippe Bourdeau and Steven Johnson have announced their retirements, effective this summer break. Together, Bourdeau and Johnson have dedicated more than 40 years of their professional careers at Purdue University as both teachers and researchers.

CE graduate student Seyed Ali Ghahari will attend the Making Academic Change Happen Workshop 2017 on the campus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technlogy, supported by the National Science Foundation as an Emerging Educator.

Congratulations to CE grad student Davis Chacon-Hurtado on being awarded the Outstanding Service Scholarship. This scholarship is presented to engineering graduate students who have provided outstanding service to the graduate student community, the School, the College, and/or the University.

Warda Ashraf, a PhD Candidate working with Professor Jan Olek in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, has been named as recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award. This award by the Purdue College of Engineering recognizes an outstanding PhD candidate who has demonstrated excellence in research through peer-reviewed publications, awards for research, leadership, academic achievements and participation in professional societies.

Congratulations to the Purdue University student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers for being named the ITE Great Lakes District Student Chapter of the Year.

Dr. Shirley Dyke, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering, was presented with the 2017 CE Outstanding Mentor of Engineering Graduate Students Award at a reception on April 10th hosted by the Civil Engineering Graduate Student Advisory Council.

The annual Awards of Excellence for engineering faculty were presented at the Faculty Recognition Banquet on April 7, 2017. Mark Bowman, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of Bowen Laboratory, received the Undergraduate Advising Award. Konstantina "Nadia" Gkritza, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Agricultural and Biological Engineering, received the Leadership Award.

Purdue University's Lyles School of Civil Engineering will recognize five passionate, influential and visionary graduates during the 24th annual Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Awards banquet on April 6, 2017.

Jie Shan, Professor of Civil Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). Professor Shan was presented with the award at the ASPRS annual meeting held recently in Baltimore.

Shirley Dyke and Chul Min Yeum are the first to combine computer vision and deep-learning technologies for rapid assessment of structural wreckage.

Robert J. Connor, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the S-BRITE Center, has been selected to receive the 2017 George S. Richardson Medal. The Richardson Medal recognizes a single, recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering.

Calling all golfers! Save the date! We'll be hosting a golf outing to sponsor CE scholarships on Saturday, September 16th at the River Point Golf Course in Hobart, IN.

The 103rd Purdue Road School Transportation Conference and Expo was the largest Road School on record at 2,709 attendees. This year's event included 155 technical sessions involving 327 speakers and moderators. The program had 164 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) available, including 4 hours of Indiana Statutes and Ethics for Professional Engineers.

Purdue Global Ambassador Davis Chacon-Hurtado focuses his research on the civil engineering of transportation systems in city environments. In particular, he is investigating the possible factors that make communities resistant or resilient to disruptions and economic shocks that can affect their quality of life and the role transportation can play in this resiliency.

The Purdue Lyles School of Civil Engineering has been recognized – once again – as a top 10 graduate program in the country.

Tariq Usman Saeed, a doctoral student in Transportation & Infrastructure Systems Engineering, has been appointed as a young member to the Standing Committee on Statistical Methods (ABJ80) and the Standing Committee on Bridge Preservation (AHD37) of Transportation Research Board (TRB) of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. He was appointed in recognition of the active roles he continues to play in the functions of these committees.

You know that sharp odor of chlorine from the swimming pool you can recall from earliest childhood? It turns out it's not just chlorine, but a potent brew of chemicals that form when chlorine meets sweat, body oils, and urine. Prof. Blatchley offers his insight in this NPR health news article.