Dear all:

Fall semester always brings with it a sense of excitement as the new academic year begins and CEM students are as energized as ever after spending summer break working and learning while completing internships. The semester has ended, many students have headed home to their loved ones, and we are thrilled to share with you some highlights of the excellent work accomplished by our students, faculty, staff, and alumni throughout the last several months.

In this edition of CEM News, you will learn about two alumni who represent the hard work and dedication that we strive for in Construction Engineering and Management. Nelson Frech was an international student who graduated earlier this year and shared with us the journey from his home country to working full-time in the United States after earning his degree. Luke Marklin graduated from the CEM program a decade ago and is now the CEO of a successful startup after deciding his passion lies with management and not in construction. We applaud both these graduates for pursuing their passions and allowing CEM to be a major milestone on their pathways to success. 

You will also learn about our new Senior Design framework, which involves connecting students with real-world projects. Brandon Fulk, course instructor and Director of Internships, redesigned the course with the help of one of our PhD candidates to better serve the learning needs of our students. This semester, seniors completed engineering designs to help a community in Indianapolis, and we could not be happier to be able to give back to those in our home state. 

Another piece of exciting news you will read about is the National Science Foundation grant awarded to the Division of Construction Engineering and Management for research that has an opportunity to help communities across the globe by reducing the costs of risks associated with power outages caused by severe weather events such as hurricanes. The research team is looking forward to collecting and analyzing data from all over the United States to help develop a decision support system solution to be used by utility companies and legislators.

I hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter. As always, we welcome any feedback you would like to offer.

With best regards,

Makarand (Mark) Hastak, PhD, PE, CCP

Professor and Head
Division of Construction Engineering and Management