Connections

CEAE UpdateFALL 2017

Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas

Letter from the Chair

Dear Friends,

We have lots to share with you. The principal theme of this issue of CEAE Update, highlighted by our feature article, is the close connections between the Department, the City of Lawrence, and the consultants and builders in the area. This represents just one example of the strong connections that CEAE has with

the engineering profession, world-wide. In this issue, we also profile Melinda (Fridy) Harger, one of our alumni who is a project engineer for the City of Lawrence and is very much involved in that partnership. Our third feature article profiles one of our students, Theresa (Amante) Kopper, the daughter of immigrants from Belarus and Ethiopia who grew up in Kansas and is now pursuing a career in environmental engineering with a strong desire to become a leader in her profession and to provide clean water to people around the world.

The Department continues to be exceptionally strong. We now have the largest engineering graduate program at KU, and our department has one the best, if not the best, undergraduate retention records for engineering departments in the State of Kansas. And at 33% department wide, we also continue to attract a high percentage of undergraduate female students.

Our faculty had a great year. Hongyi Cai, our lighting guru, was promoted to associate professor with tenure. Jie Han was appointed as the Glenn L. Parker Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, and Dennis Lane and Anil Misra were named Fellows of ASCE. Remy Lequesne was honored by the American Concrete Institute with the Young Member Award for Professional Achievement, while Ted Peltier received a nearly $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

In the way of transitions, Dave Parr and Bruce McEnroe have announced their retirement come the summer of 2018. And this year we have two faculty searches underway, one in environmental engineering with an emphasis in water quality and the other in water resources.

Of special note, this past year we signed a ground breaking agreement with Qingdao University of Technology (QUT), a top 25 civil engineering school in China, to initiate a program in which students pursue three years of instruction a QUT, join us for the fourth year to complete their bachelor’s degree and stay on for the Master of Civil Engineering in their fifth year. As part of the agreement, we will send professors to QUT starting in 2019 to present intensive summer courses. This is the first such program at KU.

I would be remiss if I did not address a key transition at KU, the retirement of Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and the assumption of that key leadership post by Douglas Girod, formerly Executive Vice Chancellor of the KU Medical Center. Dr. Gray-Little had an enormous impact on KU (especially in terms of our physical plant), and Dr. Girod has already stepped in with a strong program to continue moving KU forward.

This past spring, we dedicated the Henderson Engineering Illumination Lab, one of the fine new facilities in LEEP2. In the coming year, we expect to initiate a renovation our geotechnical laboratory, the last major laboratory in Learned Hall requiring upgrade since completion of the new engineering facilities, and plan to start fundraising to update our graduate student office space.

With a new school year, there is much to look forward to. As always, thank you for your support of KU Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering.

Sincerely,

Dave DarwinDeane E. Ackers Distinguished Professor and Department Chair

Photo by Susan B. Scott

CEAE Update is published annually byThe Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering at The University of Kansas

Department ChairDavid Darwin, Ph.D., P.E.

EditorSusan B. Scott

DesignChris Millspaugh Design

Comments, suggestions, or address changes may be emailed to sbscott@ku.edu or sent to:2150 Learned Hall 1530 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, ioa@ku.edu, 1246 West Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, TTY 711.

@kuceae

ceae.ku.edu

ON THE COVERLower level of the Wakarusa Water Treatment Plant. Photo by Matt O’Reilly/Susan Scott

CEAE Update

Photo by Susan B. Scott

CONTENTS2 News & Notes

4 Alumni Profile

6 Connecting KU

8 Student Spotlight

10 Lab Spaces

11 CEAE Academy

JIE HAN, PH.D., was appointed as the Glenn L. Parker Professor of Geotechnical Engineering. Jie’s appointment is in

recognition of his groundbreaking research, his superb scholarship, and his technical leadership, both inside and outside KU. Professor Han was also honored by the ASCE with the 2017 Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award for his extraordinary contributions to the development of design and analysis methods for stone columns, column-supported embankments, geosynthetic reinforced earth structures, and pile foundations allowing for broader application of these systems.

DAVID DARWIN, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department, was named a Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

DRS. ANIL MISRA and DENNIS D. LANE were named ASCE Fellows.

DR. REMY LEQUESNE received the 2017 ACI Young Member Award for Professional Achievement

“for contributions advancing the use of fiber-reinforced concrete in structural concrete, mentoring students, and service on ACI technical committees”.

DR. BRUCE MCENROE was recognized for 30 years of continuous service to KU; Dr. Brian Rock for 25 years and Dr. Belinda Sturm for 10 years of service.

DR. BRIAN ROCK received the Faculty Leadership Award from the KU Center for Sustainability. Dr. Rock has been a strong

advocate for holistic, effective building design, construction, and operation.

DR. TED PELTIER received a $3.9M grant from the National Science Foundation last fall, with the aim of developing

cutting-edge strategies for better management, treatment, protection and recovery of produced water.

DR. MARIO MEDINA is co-editing a special publication on Net Zero Energy Buildings for Solar Energy, the official journal of the International Solar Energy Society based out of Freiburg, Germany. The publication has a worldwide membership.

Recipients of the 2017 Bellows Scholar Awards DRS. DENNIS LANE, ANIL MISRA and DAVE DARWIN and Miller Scholar Awards DRS. REMY LEQUESNE and TED PELTIER.

Congratulations to Professors JIE HAN and ROBERT PARSONS, and graduate students MEHARI WELDU, MUSTAPHA RAHMANINEZHAD, JAMAL KAKRASUL, and KU alum, DR. YAN JIANG. They received the 2016 TRB Design & Construction Group Practice Ready Paper Award.

PAYAM POORSOLHJOUY was awarded the inaugural School of Engineering Outstanding Doctoral Student Award.

MATT MCFARLANE, as a senior in Architectural Engineering, accepted a GEM Fellowship in the Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering Department to pursue a graduate degree at KU in Fall 2017.

MICHELLE HUEY (ARCE Graduating Senior) was presented with the Robert Bradford Newman Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural Acoustics.

Ph.D. student, XIANGXIONG KONG, won third place in the ASCE EMI (Engineering Mechanics Institute) Structural Health Monitoring and Control Committee Student Competition.

FAITH JOHNSON won the Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Award at the Governor’s Water Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas.

MCKAYLA BLACKHURST became the Outstanding Graduating Senior in ARCE for Fall 2016. She has since become an ARCE graduate student. The Spring 2017 Outstanding Graduating Senior honor went to Fawaz Al-Shatti.

RACHEL KIRCHNER received the Fall 2016 Outstanding Graduating Senior in Civil Engineering, and the Spring 2017 Outstanding Graduating Senior was Faith Johnson.

KIEN NGUYEN, PH.D. student, received the $10k ASTM International Graduate Scholarship. He will use the scholarship to research how

to protect steel structures from corrosion. Kien was also named as one of 12 recipients of the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) Scholarship. He served as a representative of the University of Kansas at the 14th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit.

FACULTY UPDATES STUDENT UPDATES

News & Notes

2 / CEAE Update

The team formed by MADAN NEUPANE and CHASE BRECKWOLDT was one of the top three teams to participate in the 2017 National GeoPrediction Competition.

MATT MCFARLANE, JAMES LAFIKES, SARAH MORTON and KIEN NGUYEN, are CEAE’s new Engineering Graduate Ambassadors for the 2017-2018 academic year. The Graduate Ambassador Fellowship is awarded to current graduate students who serve the School and the individual departments to aid in recruitment efforts. Their selection is based upon their enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to KU.

Scholarships from The Builders’ Association Scholarship Award Program were awarded to the following undergraduate students: JESSICA GJERDE “Grand Construction Scholarship”; HARLEY KNAPP “Pearce Construction Company Scholarship”; MEGAN MCALISTER “George J. Shaw Construction Co. Scholarship”; BRETA PHILLIPS “John and Jill Dunn Scholarship” and to graduate student, DUNCAN MACLACHLAN “Advancement Center Scholarship”.

The national 2017-2018 Robert J. Besal Fund Scholarship First Prize was awarded to TUCKER RAYL (junior) and Third Prize to graduate student SIMON DIEDERICH. Both are students of Dr. Hongyi Cai.

TRISTAN YOUNG, CE MS student received a scholarship from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).

ARCE graduate students, HANNA KURIAN and HABIB ARJMANDMAZIDI won the 2nd & 3rd prizes of the Illuminating Engineering Society for the Emerging Professionals Luminare Design Competition 2016.

The Ross McKinney Scholarship and The J. Lloyd Barron Award were awarded to graduate student, THERESA AMANTE.

Environmental engineering graduate student JENNIFER WARREN received both the Bruce W. Long and The Robert Smith Scholarships.

The Tolaney Family Scholarship was awarded to Environmental Science graduate student, MARIELA MOSQUERA.

The Stoltenberg Scholarship was given to COLTON KENNER (UG), and graduate students JENNIFER WARREN, JACOB SCHULTZE, and SHASHI KAMBHAMPATI.

The Kansas American Water Works Association (KsAWWA) Terry L. McKanna Scholarships awards went to JACOB SCHULTZE and THERESA AMANTE.

Graduate student, MAI BUI received the Howard A. Stoltenberg Environmental Engineering Scholarship.

STUDENT UPDATES SCHOLARSHIPS

Students from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin who wish to attend

KU as either freshmen or transfer students are now eligible for the Midwest Student Exchange Scholarship. The scholarship

awards about $11,000/yr and can be renewed yearly based on performance. For more information visit admissions.ku.edu/tuition-scholarship/midwest-student-exchange-scholarship.

Bridge team 2017.

KU’s Concrete Canoe Team competed in the National competition in Golden, Colorado.

Fall 2017 / 3

Melinda (Fridy) Harger had been working as a project engineer for the City of Lawrence for just one year when her supervisors came to her

with a surprising question. “They said, ‘How would you like a $74-million

project?’” Harger recalls. “And I said, ‘I would be very excited about that!’”

The project in question included the construction of the Wakarusa Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), a state-of-the-art biological nutrient removal (BNR) plant intended to increase and improve the city’s wastewater treatment capabilities and satisfy new environmental regulations.

Although Harger had plenty of experience in project management, this new assignment was something quite different from the work she had been doing before joining Lawrence’s utilities department.

Harger began her career working for Water’s Edge Aquatic Design, a Lenexa, Kan. firm that designs water parks, aquatic centers, and fountains. Not long after completing her B.S. in civil engineering at KU and beginning work toward her master’s degree, she had set her sights on landing a job with the company after talking with by a friend who had just taken a position there.

“She showed me all this stuff from her interview, and I instantly said, ‘That’s where I want to work when I get my degree!’”

Harger went to work for Water’s Edge while continuing to take night classes toward her MCE at KU’s Edwards Campus. Harger’s job—mainly managing the design and construction of municipal aquatic centers—was everything she hoped it would be.

“I loved that job,” she says.Her work won the admiration of her young daughter,

too: “My five-year-old at the time loved when I would take her to opening day at a park that I’d designed and

tell her all about it, and she’d tell all her friends, ‘Look at these pictures! My mom designed this lazy river!’”

It was after eight years at Water’s Edge, with the faltering economy on her mind, that Harger felt a pull to return to traditional engineering and went to work for the City of Lawrence. Working for the first time in the public sector, Harger found herself examining new kinds of projects.

“Now I was looking at developments, residential areas, and I had never worked with wastewater—other than ‘here’s our pool drain’—so I learned a lot about water treatment for potable drinking water, and wastewater treatment,” she says.

When she was assigned to the WWTP project, Harger hurried to educate herself further about wastewater treatment. As she worked through plans with the newly selected design team, she immersed herself in environmental engineering to supplement her expertise in hydraulics and pumping. “I was learning as fast as I could,” she says.

Construction on the WWTP and related conveyance facilities, including new force mains and a pump station, began in 2014. When completed, the project will facilitate growth in Lawrence by increasing the city’s water treatment capacity by 2.5 million gallons per day (MGD) and preventing overflows during heavy rains.

Since construction began on the WWTP began, Harger has spent much of her time on site. Her constant presence there is somewhat unusual: with many city projects, “you don’t see someone from the city being in the job trailer and doing the inspections every day, but because of the scale of the project, this is my primary focus,” she says.

In addition to managing paperwork, Harger and other engineers perform the special inspections required on masonry, concrete, and piping—work that is normally

From Waterslides to Wastewater TreatmentBy Anne McDonald

Alumni Profile

4 / CEAE Update

Photo by Susan B. Scott

delegated to contractors. Inspecting work on site gives her a uniquely detailed knowledge of day-to-day operations, she says.

Beyond her work on site, Harger has spent much of her time over the past several years communicating with the public regarding the WWTP. In the planning stages, her job included making presentations explaining the project, talking with neighbors of the new plant about their concerns, and working with landowners and the Baker Wetlands to secure necessary easements. With construction now nearing completion, she updates the project’s website, offers site tours, and maintains a webcam that allows a real-time window into daily operations on the WWTP site.

Her current job as Utilities Engineer for the City of Lawrence certainly differs from her duties as a consultant, but Harger has found public-sector work rewarding.

“You’re actually making a difference in your own community,” she says.

In both private- and public-sector work, Harger has been in the minority as a female engineer. She is usually the only woman on the WWTP site. As a woman in the male-dominated engineering profession, “you definitely have to prove yourself,” Harger says. “When I first started, I had to have some tough skin and pick up things quickly so that I could show that I knew what I was talking about.”

Harger is used to facing resistance when critiquing work on a job site, but she has learned to respond with patience. “It takes a little bit of time at the beginning of a project to prove you have that (knowledge) and you want to build a relationship,” she says.

Inspired by her own experiences, Harger works to create a path for women into her profession. “I’m huge on promoting women in engineering,” she says.

Growing up southwest Kansas, Harger never heard about the work of engineers. “I was actually a senior in high school before I learned about engineering, which is sad to me now, because I try to promote it as much as possible. I have an almost-twelve-year-old daughter and I’ve been talking about engineering since she was five,” she says.

A former school outreach chair for the Kansas City chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Harger has made presentations at area elementary schools to introduce young students to engineering.

“The more female engineers can get out there and do those career fairs and meet students—that makes a big difference,” she says.

She encourages parents and educators to seek out summer camps, weekend events, and other opportunities that emphasize math and science to kids. Even a picture book showing a woman in a hard hat can help young children to see that “it’s not always a boy in those roles.”

After the WWTP goes online, Harger will continue to spend time on site to oversee any necessary adjustments to the new facilities. Once the plant is running smoothly, she will turn her attention to smaller projects included in the Department of Utilities’ $130-million capital improvement program for the next five years. Once again, she will find herself juggling a number of different projects and tasks. Harger considers this aspect of her job a challenge, but also its greatest perk.

“I like the variety, and learning a little bit of everything,” she says.

Construction of the Wakarusa Wastewater Treatment Plant.

MELINDA (FRIDY) HARGER

Fall 2017 / 5

By Anne McDonald and Matt O’Reilly

It’s hard to imagine Lawrence without the University of Kansas. KU buildings are nestled in the crook of Iowa and 19th Streets, the campus brushes close to

downtown, and many a Jayhawk is proudly displayed on the houses, mailboxes, and cars that line the streets of the city. The link between the University and the city goes far deeper than what is immediately apparent to the eye, however. Recent projects have highlighted the unbreakable link between KU’s CEAE Department, the City of Lawrence Utilities Department, and the contractors and consultants working to shape the future of Lawrence.

The ties between the Lawrence Utilities Department and CEAE run deep: the utilities staff includes several CEAE alumni, and the departments have long collaborated to facilitate and improve each other’s work. The close relationship stretches back decades, to the storied career of CEAE Professor Ross McKinney. Today, the tradition continues, with KU students and researchers benefiting from access to city facilities, and the Utilities Department benefiting from the expertise KU professors and graduate students bring to local projects.

The thriving university-utility partnership in Lawrence is a rarity, according to Wohlgemuth Faculty Scholar and Associate Professor Belinda Sturm. “It’s not as if every college town has this,” she says. The key to the success of the partnership, she says, is connections between the people involved. “I think it comes down to building relationships. There is no set blueprint on that, but I think it does require us to be available to each other and to listen to each other so we can find opportunities as they arise.”

Philip Ciesielski, assistant director of utilities for the City of Lawrence with a B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from KU, agrees that constant contact is important—“just

keeping those doors and that communication open so (KU researchers) think of us as a place to pilot or get data,” he says. “I think it’s a great relationship. Anytime somebody asks me, ‘Why do you like working in Lawrence?’, one of the top things I point out is having been able to maintain that relationship with the university,” Ciesielski says. “The opportunities we’ve tapped have been great.”

Ciesielski has maintained close ties with CEAE professors during his thirteen years working for the city. Each year, he gives tours of the Clinton Wastewater Treatment Plant to students in Professor Bruce McEnroe’s Water Resources Engineering (CE 552) class and Sturm’s Introduction to Environmental Engineering (CE 477) class. These tours, Sturm says, open students’ eyes to what the engineering profession looks like in real life. Ciesielski agrees: “I think it gives a little more weight to what you’re talking about when you’ve got the actual facility there—you’re talking to someone who on a day-to-day basis has to deal with (real-world challenges), versus just a classroom problem,” he says.

Beyond giving tours, the city offers CEAE graduate students the opportunity to conduct research projects using its facilities. The city has hosted student research for nearly a decade, in some cases serving as an official partner on research grants and offering in-kind matching to grant funds by providing necessary space and equipment.

A number of Sturm’s graduate students are currently conducting research at the Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant, gaining experience with technical aspects of wastewater treatment that cannot be reproduced in laboratory tests or computer simulations.

Recent projects by the Utilities Department also highlight KU’s strong ties to many local consultants. Construction

KU TO THE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY

CONNECTING

6 / CEAE Update

on a new wastewater treatment plant on the Wakarusa River (see “Innovative Engineering at the Wakarusa Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant,”) has involved several local engineering and architecture firms, including Black & Veatch, Bartlett & West, Treanor Architects, and PEC. Each of these firms draws heavily from the pool of talented engineers graduating from KU each year.

Bartlett & West was one of the first firms on site for the new treatment plant. Three KU CEAE alumni–Joe Caldwell, Angela Sharp, and Zach Breault took part in obtaining permits and surveying for the project, as well as designing the roads and site fill in the area. Garney construction, charged with building the physical plant, features two KU Architectural Engineering alumni in leadership positions-Mike Heitmann, the president and CEO, and Tony Kempf, Vice President.

The CEAE department also maintains strong ties with Black & Veatch, consultants for the project and a source of numerous internships and careers for CEAE students-including two CEAE graduates working on the new plant-Caitlin Perry and Tyler Brannan. Project manager John Keller spoke highly of the influence the CEAE department has had on the project, highlighting Dr. Belinda Strum’s numerous contributions. “Our process group consults with Belinda all the time, so it just made that connection a little bit easier for us, to tap into her expertise as well,” Keller said. “The monitoring and instrumentation that’s being provided [on the treatment plant] is pretty sophisticated because of Prof. Sturm’s influence. There’s going to be a lot more things monitored than usually you would see on other projects.”

As part of the new construction, the city also upgraded the laboratory at the existing plant to include space for KU graduate students - a move nearly exclusive to the City of Lawrence. “Not only do they provide us access, but they provide us dedicated space,” Sturm says. “So any given week, we have four or five students who go on site and benefit from having that real-world experience.” Sturm stresses that in addition to working with online sensors and computer networks, her students gain important interpersonal skills through their work with the city. “I think that’s really an understated skillset that we can’t provide in a classroom,” she says.

Professors Brian Lines and Bruce McEnroe are also conducting research projects in cooperation with the utilities department. Lines, who specializes in construction management, is testing the application of various alternate procurement and sourcing methods adopted from the design and construction industry, using these methods to guide the city in purchasing a software package to help with its project management systems. Ciesielski hopes that the pilot project will save the city money and improve efficiency, increasing the chances of selecting the right contractor or consultant for a job.

Professor McEnroe and one of his master’s students are doing a pilot study aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the city’s water and wastewater pumping

operations. Ciesielski hopes that the methods used in the project will ultimately give city operators tools to identify the most energy-efficient way to produce the needed amount of water at a given facility.

In addition to the research she is conducting with students at the Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sturm collaborates with the city utilities department in other capacities. She has taught continuing education classes to utilities operators for several years, and she has also served as a consultant on other projects, including the design of the new Wakarusa Wastewater Treatment plant, for which she provided an independent review of the biological processes to be used. She is currently involved in preparing operators for their work at the plant when it comes online in early 2018.

The physical presence of KU within the heart of Lawrence will always be felt, with the iconic Fraser Hall visible for miles around. It is the strong university-utility-consultant ties, however, that will bring the greatest benefit to all involved as the partnership develops in new directions.

“The possibilities are kind of limitless,” Ciesielski says.

Innovative Engineering at the Wakarusa Valley Wastewater Treatment PlantSoaring skyscrapers and signature bridges are often the first thing people picture when they think of new advances in civil engineering. A new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) being built in the Wakarusa River valley, however, is implementing its own innovative environmental engineering processes that may not so readily jump to mind–with the help of several Jayhawk alumni. Construction on the WWTP and related conveyance facilities, including new force mains and a pump station at 31st and Louisiana Streets, began in 2014. When completed, the project will facilitate growth in Lawrence by increasing the city’s water treatment capacity by 2.5 million gallons per day (MGD) and preventing overflows during heavy rains. The WWTP includes a peak flow storage basin with a 5-million-gallon capacity, which will allow the pump station to send up to 12.5 MGD of water to the new plant during wet weather events—water that might otherwise surcharge city sewers, increasing pollutants and resulting in heavy fines for the city. The new wastewater treatment plant will also give Lawrence the ability to handle runoff from nearby farms, a pollutant source of increasing concern to many communities. The high amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus found in fertilizer contribute to algae blooms and unpleasant odors when they accumulate in bodies of water; traditional water treatment methods, such as those employed at Lawrence’s existing wastewater treatment plant on the Kansas River, are not designed to remove these compounds. The new Wakarusa treatment plant uses a process known as biological nutrient removal (BNR), which relies on anaerobic and anoxic microorganisms to remove excess nitrogen and phosphorous from treated water. The treated water meets Environmental Protection Agency and Kansas Department of Health and Environment limits on nitrogen and phosphorous, improving the quality of water released to the waterways surrounding the city. The wastewater treatment process continues to be environmentally friendly after water leaves the BNR basins. At the end of the process, ultraviolet rays rather than chlorine will disinfect the water. The sludge separated from the water in the clarifiers will be sent through centrifuges and then applied to city-owned farmland on site, enriching the land and eliminating the need to transport the sludge elsewhere. The WWTP project also incorporates other green elements, including LED lights in all facilities, a green roof at the new pump station, and native grasses to be planted at both sites.

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Fall 2017 / 7

Although she has spent her life in land-locked Kansas, Theresa Amante has always felt close to water.

Fascinated as a child with the ocean and water in general, Kopper, who will finish her master’s degree in environmental engineering in December, grew up swimming competitively and dreaming of becoming an oceanographer or marine biologist.

“I was surrounded by water, even though I wasn’t surrounded by water, in a sense,” Kopper says.

Growing up in Garden City, Kansas, Kopper learned from her mother and father, who immigrated from Belarus and Ethiopia, to appreciate the ready access to clean drinking water the family enjoyed in America. Visiting Belarus as a child and hearing her father’s stories about his early life in Ethiopia, Kopper came to understand that clean water is not so freely available in many parts of the world.

“I grew up really appreciating what I had here, but also knowing that we sort of use the environment and abuse the environment in a way we shouldn’t be doing here in the States,” Kopper says.

Fueled by an interest in the science and infrastructure used to produce clean water, Kopper decided to pursue studies in civil and environmental engineering, intending to work “in an applied science way” with water-related issues, including wastewater and drinking water.

Upon graduating from high school, Kopper received

a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Scholarship, which provided full tuition and a stipend for four years of college. The scholarship allowed Kopper to realize her dream of attending a university, and she enrolled at KU.

As a minority student, Kopper says she felt like an “impostor” when she arrived on campus. Being a minority, she says, “naturally made me work harder. When I first came to KU, I had a sense that I had to prove myself, prove my worth, not only because I was female in engineering, but also because I was a minority racially and socioeconomically, because my parents are not wealthy.”

With her biracial background, Kopper found that she felt at home among the many international students in the engineering school, and she soon had a diverse group of friends who served as a support network as she navigated life within the university.

“That’s really important,” Kopper says. “I think that gets overlooked with students who are minorities. You need a support system to be able to succeed, especially in this grueling field, because you need people to study with and to encourage you. I found that with a lot of international students.”

As a junior, Kopper was awarded a McNair scholarship, which she remembers as a “huge transition point in my life.” The scholarship, intended to assist low-income and underrepresented minority students in preparing for advanced study, provided Kopper with paid research

By Anne McDonald

Theresa (Amante) KopperPhoto by Susan B. Scott

Student Spotlight

8 / CEAE Update

opportunities and allowed her to work with Professor Belinda Sturm as a faculty mentor. Under Professor Sturm’s guidance, Kopper began to delve deeper into her interest in water resources, and she ultimately decided to pursue graduate studies.

Kopper graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in December 2015 and immediately began working toward a master’s in environmental engineering. In her thesis research, Kopper is working with pilot reactors at the City of Lawrence Wastewater Treatment Plant, assessing the dewaterability of granular sludge. Her work will help water treatment plants replacing traditional methods with granular sludge treatment, enhancing their understanding of the dewatering process and helping them identify correct methods accordingly.

Kopper recognizes that the engineering behind wastewater treatment is widely unappreciated. “When it comes to civil engineering, we are like the set creators of life,” she says. “People don’t think about roads, they don’t think about the buildings we’re using all the time. Everyone has to live their own life, and they use these things on a daily basis; they don’t think about the bridges that connect society, or the water that they’re drinking, or the water they’re flushing down the toilet.”

For Kopper, the behind-the-scenes nature of engineering is part of its appeal. By implementing changes on a mass scale, Kopper says, engineers can improve quality of life and benefit the environment.

Kopper would like to raise more public awareness of environmental issues—especially those pertaining to water use.

“We lack a sort of connection with what we have here, because we’re given so much,” she says. “That’s why we use so many resources, or we waste so much water.”

Kopper enjoys participating in various outreach activities, and she says she always encourages people to avoid wasting water. Perhaps counterintuitively, she points out, wasting water makes water much harder

to clean. She suggests practical steps for saving water, including taking less frequent and shorter showers.

Throughout her graduate career, Kopper has been recognized for academic excellence and professional service. She has received numerous scholarships, including the Ross McKinney Scholarship from the CEAE department and the Bruce W. Long Scholarship, sponsored by WesTech, Inc., awarded for demonstrating leadership and care for the welfare of others.

In the summer of 2017, Kopper worked as an intern on the water resources team at CDM Smith, a Kansas City engineering and construction firm. After receiving her master’s degree in December, Kopper plans to work initially as a consultant. She imagines eventually shifting toward work in policy, a field that would allow her to continue to educate the public and effect positive change on environmental issues.

In whatever role she finds herself, it will be important to Kopper to continue to assist minorities and women making their way in the STEM field. Given her own background, she sees herself as uniquely capable of connecting with those who do not fit the traditional profile of an engineer.

“I look at my background as something that will help me connect with a vast array of people and help me to improve the situation for people who have similar backgrounds to mine, whether it be racial or socioeconomic,” she says. “As the field is growing, and as I’m coming into my profession and becoming a leader in my profession, I can be a voice to the people who may have been overlooked or underrepresented.”

Ultimately, Kopper hopes that her career will benefit not only Americans but also those who lack access to clean water. “I’d like to go back to Ethiopia and I’d like to invest in a wastewater treatment plant,” she says.

“That’s my goal.”

New international graduate students represent the countries China, India, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Iran, Vietnam, Egypt, Spain and Panama.

Student researchers perform experiments at Lawrence Utilities.

Photo by Susan B. Scott

Fall 2017 / 9

Photo by Susan B. Scott

Photo by Susan B. Scott

Photo by Sarah Morton

Dr. Remy Lequesne inspects a failed prestressed concrete beam in the Learned Hall Structural Testing Facility.

Architectural Engineering students develop basic skills in understanding the different stages of architectural design from site selection to building details in the built environment. The students study exemplary works of architecture by analyzing, sketching, 3D modeling, digital fabrication and graphic editing using.

Geotechnical Engineering students participated in a field demonstration with KDOT to learn different borehole testing methods for site assessment.

Located in the Lutz Fatigue and Fracture lab are two pendulum-style impact hammers. Professor William Collins research uses these hammers to evaluate engineering materials for their ability to resist fracture.

Dr. Hongyi Cai’s Darkroom Lab in Learned Hall will allow for cutting-edge research in many vision-related scientific and industrial applications. One such area of research aims to develop and improve camera-aided technologies to better evaluate complex lighting environments. His research also includes the design and development of innovative LED technologies to harness both the light and the otherwise wasted heat generated, improving efficiency. For more information on Dr. Cai’s research, go to: people.ku.edu/~h717c996/research.html

Research assistants in the Environmental Microbiology & Chemistry Lab in Learned Hall.

Transportation engineering students and faculty discussing preparation for a poster presentation.

Students and professors monitor the test of a reinforced concrete earthquake-resistant wall at the West Campus Structural Testing Facility.

Photo by Susan B. Scott

Photo by Susan B. Scott

Photo by Susan B. Scott

Photo by Erick Burgos

The Henderson Engineers Illumination Lab dedication in April 2017.

Photo by Akshit Ahuja

Lab Spaces

10 / CEAE Update

TOM GLAVINICH was a highly respected professor of architectural engineering and construction management from 1992 until his passing in 2014. Tom initiated the Master of Construction Management program, chaired the Architectural Engineering program prior to our

merger, and continued to lead the construction management and architectural engineering programs after the merger. Tom earned three degrees from KU: a B.S. in electrical engineering, an MBA degree in 1982 and a Doctor of Engineering degree in 1990.

CRAIG MARTIN, BSCE 1971, is former CEO of Jacobs Engineering Group, one of the world’s largest engineering and construction firms. Under Craig’s leadership, Jacobs expanded to more than 250 offices in more than 30 countries. Revenue grew from $4.6 billion to almost $13

billion and the number of employees went from 20,000 to 65,000. Craig received the Distinguished Engineering Service Award (DESA) from the KU School of Engineering in 2015.

ROSS MCKINNEY, N.T. Veatch Distinguished Professor Emeritus, served on the KU civil and environmental engineering faculty from 1960 until retirement in 1993. He founded and led our graduate program in environmental engineering. A member of the prestigious National Academy

of Engineering, Ross garnered international acclaim for his ground-breaking research on microbiological wastewater treatment. The KU School of Engineering honored Ross with the DESA award in 2016.

HAROLD PHELPS, BSCE 1984, is founder and president of Phelps Engineering Inc., a thriving engineering and land surveying firm in Olathe that specializes in land development and public infrastructure projects. Harold is a recent past president of the Home Builders Association of

Greater Kansas City. As a long-time member and current Chair of our CEAE Advisory Board, Harold has been a strong advocate for CEAE and a generous supporter of student scholarships.

STAN ROLFE, A.P. Learned Distinguished Professor Emeritus, served our department from 1969 until retirement in 2014, including 23 years department chair and a term as Interim Dean of Engineering. Stan provided tremendous leadership and strengthened our department in

innumerable ways. He is a world-renowned expert in fracture and fatigue of steel structures, a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Stan received the School of Engineering’s DESA award in 2014.

NATHAN THOMAS VEATCH, JR., BSCE 1909, co-founded the firm of Black & Veatch with fellow KU engineering graduate E.B. Black in 1915. Mr. Veatch directed the firm until his retirement in 1973. Under his leadership, Black & Veatch grew from a two-person partnership to a dominant

engineering firm employing more than 1200 professionals with projects spanning the globe.

L. WILLIAM (BILL) ZAHNER III, BSCE 1979, is President and CEO of the A. Zahner Company, an architectural metal company in Kansas City. His company has produced metal facades and other architectural components for high-profile buildings worldwide for acclaimed architects

such as Frank Gehry. Zahner also produces metal sculptures for artists. Bill is a member of the School of Engineering Advisory Board and a 2017 DESA honoree.

CEAE ACADEMY The KU CEAE Academy, founded in 2011, honors our department’s most distinguished alumni and friends. Academy members are elected by the CEAE Advisory Board in recognition of their outstanding professional achievements, high ethical standards, and advocacy and support for KU CEAE. Our KU CEAE website now includes an Academy page (ceae.ku.edu/academy) that displays all honorees. We are happy to announce the election of seven new members to the CEAE Academy.

Fall 2017 / 11

Premier Society: Individuals Giving $100,000 or more during their lifetimes

*Adaline L. Ames*Jane V. Barber Frank J. Becker and Barbara A. Becker

*Henry H. Benjes, Sr.John P. Fowler II and Doris M. FowlerGeorge E. Nettels Jr. and Mary Joanne Myers NettelsTed K. Pendleton and Marlene McGregor PendletonHarold A. Phelps and Donna R. Brady-Phelps

*John H. Robinson and Patricia Odell Robinson

*Thomas B. Robinson and Suzanne RobinsonDavid A. Ross and Patricia P. Ross

*James M. Secrest and Betty Gunnels Secrest

*Charles E. Spahr and Mary Jane Bruckmiller Spahr

*Bert F. Steves and Dorothy F. StevesGerald A. StoltenbergJelindo A. Tiberti II and Sandee TibertiTito TibertiMurli Tolaney and Mona Tolaney

*James L. Tyson*C. Keith Willey

Deans Club Champions: Individuals who have given $50,000 or more David A. Ross and Patricia P. Ross

Deans Club Ambassadors: Individuals who have given $25,000 to $49,999 Frank J. Becker and Barbara A. BeckerJames M. Kring Jr. and Donna M. KringHarold A. Phelps and Donna R. Brady-Phelps

Deans Club Benefactors: Individuals who have given $5,000 to $24,999Bob Benz and Janet B. BenzJames R. BessDiane M. Darwin and David Darwin, PhDBrian A. Falconer and Virginia Lamb FalconerJeff L. FunkDouglas H. Hall and Judith K. HallDon R. LandeckRoss E. McKinney and Margaret C. McKinneyStanley T. Rolfe, PhD and Phyllis W. RolfeLucille J. SmithTito TibertiRichard A. Worrel and Susan M. Worrel

Deans Club Patrons: Individuals who have given $3,000 to $4,999Gregory P. Pasley, PhD and Sonia Martinez PasleyJames L. Patton and Marilyn S. Patton

Ernest C. Pogge, PhDJohn H. Robinson Jr. and Kyle Simmons Robinson

Deans Club Donors: Individuals who have given $1,000 to $2,999Robert W. Agnew, PhD and Margaret Rose AgnewE. J. Allison* and Marjorie AllisonRobynn Andracsek and Michael E. AndracsekJon B. ArdahlPaul D. Barber and Diane M. BarberBrian J. Burke and Helen BurkeWilliam C. Clawson, PhD and Marnie S. ClawsonKenneth F. Conrad and Leslie Sauder ConradGlen E. DavisCraig K. Denny, PhDJason L. Draper, P.E. and Jennifer Guernsey DraperJohn P. Fowler II and Doris M. FowlerPhilip D. Gibbs and Kathleen G. GibbsWilliam J. Hall, PhD and Elaine Thalman HallLeaman D. Harris and Judith L. Harris, PhDAnthony G. Kempf and Teresa Mulinazzi KempfLes K. Lampe, DE and Karen Craft LampeDennis D. Lane, Ph.D. and

Funding Our FutureInnovative research. State-of-the-art facilities. Talented and dedicated faculty. Distinguished alumni. All are part of the fabric that makes the KU Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) Department student experience one of the best in the region. Our success is due, in large part, to the philanthropic contributions from our alumni and friends.

From one’s first donation to the CEAE unrestricted fund, to the creation of endowed scholarships and professorships, the passion that our graduates have for the department makes the difference for our students and faculty.

Thank you to our donors below who contributed to the CEAE department from July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017.

Your support will encourage and guide the next generations of leaders in engineering. You have truly propelled our department to a higher level of excellence by participating in Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas. To discuss opportunities for investing in CEAE, such as creating a named endowment, and equipping our new spaces, or to learn more about how to include the department in your estate plans, please contact Susan Reilly 785-832-7351 or sreilly@kuendowment.org.

You can also donate to the CEAE department online by visiting kuendowment.org/engineering (be sure to specify that your gift is to the CEAE department).

Or you can send a contribution by mail to:KU EndowmentAttn: EngineeringPO Box 928Lawrence, KS 66044-0928

2016 – 2017 Donors (July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017)

12 / CEAE Update

Kristine L. LaneWarren K. Lucas, PhD and Bonnie Owens LucasBruce F. McCollom, DE and E. Irene McCollomJohn L. Meyer and Marilyn A. MeyerMarilyn Miller Pattison and David C. PattisonTed K. Pendleton and Marlene McGregor PendletonEdwin C. RossillonLtCol Zachary T. Schmidt and Nicole Mehring SchmidtVicki J. SecrestRobert L. SkaggsGayle Slagell and Curtis W. Slagell, PEJ. Angelo Tiberti III and Lindsey Fisher Tiberti, PharmDKenneth J. Vaughn and Marilyn L. Vaughn

Campanile Club: Individuals who have given $500 to $999Glenn W. Anschutz and Margaret Gartner AnschutzCarlis J. Callahan and Sandra P. CallahanTheodore J. Cambern Jr., DE and Marcia Alexander CambernMichael J. Falbe and Melanie A. FalbeKathleen Gilman Hess and Michael R. Hess, PEThomas L. Jenkins and Judith Gripton JenkinsJeffrey A. LanaghanSteven M. LongThomas H. McCrackin IIIJeffrey A. Smith, PhD

Crimson and Blue Club: Individuals who have given $300 to $499Theresa C. Browning and Keith A. BrowningJoel A. Crown and Deborah A. EnglishColin P. Davidson and Mary D. DavidsonDeena Goodman and Philip J. GoodmanMary Kindsvater JonesJessie L. Randtke and Stephen J. RandtkeJacquelyn Diane SchlachterDeborah L. Smith-Wright, MD and David I. Wright, PhDRADM James T. Taylor, CEC, USN, Retired and Rosa Lea TaylorDean M. Testa and Karen L. Testa

1865 Club: Individuals who have given $100 to $299J. Douglas Ashbrook and Marilyn Stone AshbrookPaul E. Bengtson and Joyce L. BengtsonCreg S. Bishop, PhDRichard W. Bond and Susan Shockley BondZack BradyElizabeth S. Brewer

Marcus A. BrewerCarla Rabb Bukalski, PELaura E. CarpenterAmanda M. CarterPhilip E. CiesielskiTracy A. ClintonCynthia A. CogilDaniel W. DeaverGerard E. DeZernBehnaz Khodadadi DianatElizabeth S. DuvallRick D. EnszApril R. EscamillaRich FrankenfieldJoseph R. FranzmathesDaniel R. GoodroadBill Gordon and Sue GordonOtis D. GoutyJoseph J. GurdaJessica L. HaberstockTerence D. HagenDaniel B. HaltonDick HodgesMary McGreevey Horner and J. Michael Horner, PECharles E. HuffmanEricka JunoStuart A. Knutson and Hazel Z. KnutsonMarian K. Massoth and Vic RobbinsBruce M. McEnroe, PhDJohn F. Mehnert and Millie B. MehnertJohn A. Metzler and Suzanne M. MetzlerAlyssa Auld Meyer and Joseph D. MeyerCharles A. Miller, PhD and Vicki L. MillerJames D. MontgomeryFrank B. NelsonRobert J. Ooten and Cheryl OotenMolly E. Paugh and Clint PaughCarl B. Reed, P.E., D.E. and Melody A. Miller ReedJerry D. Rees and Sallie L. Veenstra, MDSusan M.T. RhodesEmily Reimer RoyalNorman W. Scheffner, PhDLeonard I. Schroeter and Patricia B. SchroeterM. Luke SchulerJohn T. Schwaller and Jennifer Pownall SchwallerLarry E. Shankles, PEGeorge D. Sloop and Nancy L. SloopJayne M. Sperry, PhDKatherin R. Steinbacher and Frank McMahonGeorge G. StrellaRandall J. Timi and Ann B. Timi, DDSLeroy E. ToblerNathan T. TritschJeffrey M. Valentino and Jennifer Zammit ValentinoJonathan T. WeaverLihua Xing, PhDYuan Zhao, PhD

Donors: Individuals who have given up to $99Amer H. Alani and Deborah Brungardt AlaniNicholas S. ArtzAndrea L. AustinDavid G. BeachWilliam J. Benne and Veronica Rose Hellmer BenneJames P. BornholdtDaniel R. BrownCraig A. Buhr and Ellen K. BuhrGrace S. CapsMichael DerubeisJames F. HallLance M. Johnson and Jennifer Thompson JohnsonDaniel A. JonesJohn W. KoenigBob L. Kopfman and Ann C. KopfmanCharles H. Linn and Shirley Howard LinnRonald L. MarquettePamela C. MontoyaJolyn MurrinShelly OlsonShivraj S. PatilCarrie L. Pepperdine and John L. Pepperdine, Jr.Warren G. Riekenberg, PE and Carol Lee RiekenbergMichael J. Schmidt and Tuija K. SchmidtAlan SchwartzBasit R. SheikhCalandra R. StatzJohn C. WeeksHerbert H. WeidensaulJulia M. Werthmann

Corporate and Foundation DonorsAffinis CorporationAmerican Institute of Steel ConstructionAmerican Society of Civil EngineersBartlett & West, Inc.Black & Veatch George Butler Associates, Inc.David E. Ross Construction CompanyDoherty Steel, Inc.J. E. Dunn Construction CompanyExxonMobil CorporationGarney Companies, Inc.Garver, LLCHenderson Engineers, Inc.Kansas Contractors Association Construction Education FoundationKissick Construction Company, Inc.Phelps Engineering, Inc.Sega, Inc.

*Indicates that a donor is deceased

Fall 2017 / 13

2150 Learned Hall 1530 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045

Photo by Susan B. Scott

ceae.ku.edu

Wakarusa Water Treatment Plant, Lawrence, Kansas.