There are countless themes from civil engineering that can be applied to everyday life — but, for last year, there is one that speaks loudest to me: resiliency.

Over the summer, the Lyles School of Civil Engineering offered a one-credit course for high school students — Developing Infrastructure for Tomorrow: An Introduction to Civil Engineering.

In 2021, the Lyles School of Civil Engineering lost two of its greatest alumni and friends — Delon Hampton and Stephen Bechtel Jr. Here, we honor and remember their tremendous contributions to Purdue University, civil engineering and society as a whole.

The American Society of Civil Engineers released its quadrennial report card on country’s infrastructure in April. The report card assesses 17 areas of infrastructure, assigning an overall grade of C-. That’s up from a D+ in 2017 and marks the first time the score was higher than a D since the ASCE began issuing its report card in 1998.

The bonds created among the Boilermaker community often run deep and can cross generations. For the Walb and Jesse families, their Purdue ties extend back more than 60 years and include a recent collaboration to establish the Walter W. Walb Scholarship in Civil Engineering.

There is a general consensus that success in life is a combination of personal drive and timely support. It can take many forms and from sources as varied as family members, academic advisors or workplace mentors.

When it came time for Shahara Nixon Byford (BSCE '01) to look at colleges, she was searching for a school with a strong engineering program and a competitive softball team. In contrast, Brent Byford (BSCE ’01) knew he wanted to major in civil engineering before he applied to Purdue.

Hugh (BSCE ’53, MSCE ’54) and Audrey Kleasen (BSAG ’52) both hailed from Buffalo, New York, but they didn’t meet until after they arrived on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus. The Kleasens loved their time at the University and believed in the transformative power of higher education as a pathway to an enriching life.

Student Q & A with CE senior Delaney Lewis

Andrea Rinaldo (PhD 1983), Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources
and Director of the Laboratory of Ecohydrology at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, has been named a recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award by the College of Engineering.

In October 2021, the Purdue University Board of Trustees ratified a $1.1 million gift made by Specification Products Inc. The gift goes to further the education and research efforts at the Sustainable Materials and Renewable Technology (SMART) Laboratory renamed the Joe and Lisa Shetterley Innovation Lab in recognition of the gift.

Throughout this year we have been reminded that civil engineering is not only interesting, it is critically important. Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, the 567 undergraduate students and the 393 graduate students enrolled in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering this year are being well trained to make their mark on the world.