Two of the Lyles School of Civil Engineering’s associate professors have announced their retirement.

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.

“Professors Bourdeau and Johnson have directly impacted the lives of thousands of students,” said Rao S. Govindaraju, Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering. “Everyone here at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering wishes them both the very best in their future pursuits.”

Professor Bourdeau – who came to Purdue in 1988 – said he plans to continue to remain in the Greater Lafayette area to continue his research, write, and consult. He is also deeply appreciative of his time teaching at Purdue and sees it as some of his most important work.

“Teaching has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me at Purdue,” Bourdeau said. “The feeling you get, knowing the students you’ve taught are then going out and using that knowledge to make a difference is something I will never forget. I believe that, even in a top-ranked research university like Purdue, our main impact on society is through teaching.”

Professor Johnson came to Purdue in 1992 after teaching at Virginia Tech for 16 years. After this summer, he said he plans to go into “full retirement.”

Professor Johnson added that he will always fondly remember seeing his students pursue their passion and succeed.

“I think back on all the graduates of our program with a degree or minor in surveying,” Johnson said. “I am very proud of our graduates and the impact they have had on surveying and mapping here in Indiana and throughout the nation.”

Johnson said he also enjoyed his many years of professional contributions serving accreditation activities with ABET and developing surveying professional registration with National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).