A multidisciplinary team of researchers led by Claudia Gunsch (BSCE 1998), Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University, will undertake an ambitious endeavor to understand and improve the microbial communities that inhabit the structures in which we live, work and play — what scientists call the "built environment."

Ersal Ozdemir (BSCE 1997), Chairman & CEO of Keystone Group and 2022 Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Award recipient, has been named to Indiana Business Journal's inaugural Indiana 250 list of leading state influencers.

Congratulations to the Purdue University Student Chapter of Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) for being selected to receive the 2022 Student Chapter Award. The Student Chapter award recognizes a chapter that has provided an exemplary experience for its members with robust programming and outstanding administration.

Darcy Bullock, Lyles Family Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP), has been awarded the prestigious 2022 Wilbur S. Smith Distinguished Transportation Educator Award by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).

CE grad student Ismail Olaniyi finished second overall in the Three Minute Thesis competition hosted by the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) as part of the IGARSS 2022 symposium. His thesis speech, "Developing a UAS Data Hub for the Wheat-Coordinated Agricultural Project," encapsulated his entire body of research with the aid of one presentation slide.

It is with great sorrow that we share the news of Prof. Jon Fricker's passing. Jon was an educator and researcher at Purdue University for more than 40 years. He inspired countless students and colleagues throughout his career — and he will be missed by many more.

The School of Civil Engineering has taken delivery of a new SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle that will serve as a research platform. Yiheng Feng, assistant professor of civil engineering, will lead testing of the car, including developing and testing smart transportation applications such as autonomous driving, cooperative perception, smart intersection management and cybersecurity.

Makarand (Mark) Hastak has been elected 26th president of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) with a three year term of office. In his acceptance speech he paid tribute to Keith Hampson, the outgoing President, and his energy and infectious enthusiasm despite a period of mainly online interactions.

How do you get humans and autonomous systems to work together as a cohesive team? How do you quantify trust between humans and autonomous systems in such teams? For the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), these are critical questions to be answered.

CE senior Joseph Romanyk, member of the Purdue men's track & field team, earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition for his academic excellence achieving a GPA of 3.7 or better during the 2021-22 school year.

Luna Lu, ACPA Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Intelligent Infrastructure at Purdue University's Lyles School of Civil Engineering, and her PhD student Zhihao Kong, have received the 2022 Alfred Noble Prize awarded by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for their paper, "Improved Method to Determine Young’s Modulus for Concrete Cylinder Using Electromechanical Spectrum: Principle and Validation," published in Journal of Aerospace Engineering, November 2020.

PhD student Fabian B. Rodriguez has been named a member of the 2022 cohort of Trailblazers in Engineering Fellows, a group of 25 PhD students and postdocs in engineering or related disciplines at U.S. research universities selected to participate in a three-day professional development workshop that will prepare them to secure a position as a future engineering faculty and thrive in that role.

A goal for the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE) is to develop innovative dynamic (in-motion) wireless power transfer technology.

Lyles School PhD candidate Mohammadhasan (Movey) Sasar has received the 2022 Purdue Graduate School Excellence in Teaching Award, the highest honor given to Purdue teaching assistants.

Shirley Dyke, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering, delivered keynote lectures at both the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Conference on June 1st and the 8th World Conference on Structural Control and Monitoring on June 6th.

Jinha Jung, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, has been selected by the Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC) to receive the Education and Non-Profit 2022 Excellence in GIS Award for the Indiana Statewide LiDAR Data Portal Project.

Chad Jafvert, Lyles Family Professor of Civil Engineering and Professor of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, has been elected as a Fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors (AEESP). The honor recognizes members who have exhibited exceptional long-term excellence in environmental research, teaching, or service to the environmental engineering and science community.

Erin Flanigan (BSCE '87), P.E., PMP has joined Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) as a principal for Transportation Operations and Safety. In this role, she will support clients nationwide in the advancement of transportation systems management and operations (TSMO), safety, emerging technologies, and infrastructure.

Alumnus Kenneth Beache (MSCE '94), President of Metric Environmental, LLC, discusses how his Purdue degrees and experiences have helped his career.