The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (June 6) ratified the appointment of Makarand (Mark) Hastak as the Reilly Professor in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering

Kike Garzon-Sabogal, a PhD candidate in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, aims through his research to gain an understanding of material behavior at a grain scale in order to “tune” material properties for different performance outcomes and behaviors in dynamic events like vibrations and earthworks.

The Slag Cement Association (SCA) announced Chibueze Sylvester Ajuonuma and his research project, "Practical Implementation of Internally Cured Slag Cement Concrete Using Superabsorbent Polymers," as a winner of its 2024 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards. The winning projects were unveiled and celebrated on April 2, 2025, during the spring ACI Concrete Convention in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A team of Purdue University researchers has received the Technology Innovation Award at the 2025 IEEE PES Energy and Policy Forum Innovation Showcase for their work on Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT).

Jordan Cross, a Ph.D. student in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, has been awarded the 2024 Stephen H. Rothblatt Memorial Scholarship by the Air & Waste Management Association – Lake Michigan States Section (AWMA-LMSS). The award was presented at the Annual Air Conference in Chicago.

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 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.

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.

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.