Dr. Medina to be Keynote Speaker

1. Dr. Medina to be Keynote Speaker Dr. Mario Medina will be the keynote speaker at this year's Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association (RIMA) International Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, on September 27-28, 2008.  http://www.rimainternational.org

2. Professor Reappointed to KSBTP Prof. Tom Mulinazzi has been reappointed by Kansas Governor Sebelius to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions. He was first appointed to the Board in 2000.

3. Dr. Bennett Appointed Chair of ASCE Fatigue and Fracture Committee In April, 2008, Dr. Caroline Bennett was appointed the new Chair of the ASCE/SEI Fatigue and Fracture Committee. This committee focuses on key issues related to sustainability of the Nation’s infrastructure, and is a key research focus at KU CEAE.

4. Dr. Chong Appointed Chair of ASCE Managing Triple Bottom Line and Sustainability Committee Starting October, 2008, Dr. Oswald Chong will be the new Chair of the ASCE Managing Triple Bottom Line and Sustainability Committee. This committee focuses on environmental, economic and social sustainability as it relates to civil and architectural engineering (a key research and teaching focus of KU CEAE).

5. Prof. Darwin Ends Successful Year as American Concrete Institute President In April, Dr. David Darwin began a term as Immediate Past-President of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Dr. Darwin is the Deane Ackers Professor in CEAE at KU.

6. CEAE Builds New Environmentally-Controlled Laboratory (ECL) for Concrete Reserach Using alumni donations, the CEAE Department is in the process of building a new Environmentally Controlled Laboratory (ECL) for Concrete Research. The new lab, located on the first floor of Learned Hall, will allow concrete and other cementitious materials to be tested under controlled temperature and humidity. 

7. Dr. Browning Elected to Board of Directors of NEES Dr. JoAnn Browning was elected in July, 2008, to the Board of Directors of Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). NEES supports the equipment sites for the NSF NEES projects.

8. KU Represented at American Society for Engineering Education Dr. Francis Thomas represented the CEAE Department, and the University of Kansas, at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) held in Pittsburgh, PA. A focus of the meeting was the ASCE’s Civil Engineers Body of Knowledge (BOK2) and ABET accreditation.

9. Enhanced Sustainability for Bridges:Low-Cracking High Performance Concrete US 69 Ramp to I-435 1350 over US 69 – Linn County 34th Street over I-635 Using technology developed in the research groups of Drs. JoAnn Browning and David Darwin, 13 bridges have been constructed in Kansas with low-cracking, high-performance concrete. Parallel Ave. over I-435

10. Professor Wins National Electricity Industry Award Dr. Thomas Glavinich won the National Electrical Contractors Award Industry Partner Award at NECA's Convention last year for his contributions in research and teaching to the electrical construction industry (specifically grounding during transmission line construction). Dr. Glavinich was only the second individual to win the award that normally goes to an entire organization.

11. Sustainable Energy for Buildings Dr. Mario Medina and his students are working with the California Energy Commission on phase-change frame walls to reduce peak demand, shift load, and reduce energy use in the coastal areas of California.

12. Professor Becomes Fellow of ITE Dr. Tom Mulinazzi was named Fellow by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. “The Institute of Transportation Engineers is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. “ (http://www.ite.org/aboutite/index.asp)

13. Dr. McEnroe Authors Design Manual Dr. Bruce McEnroe was the principal author of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Road Design Manual, Part C, “Elements of Drainage and Culvert Design” (2008).

14. Professor Publishs Book on Green Building Construction Dr. Tom Glavinich published a book titled “The Contractor's Guide To Green Building Construction” (Wiley, 2008). The book was endorsed by The Associated General Contractors of America.

15. Large Scale Bridge Testing Conducted in Nevada KU Measures Column Deformations During Large-Scale Bridge Test in Nevada – Applying Photogrammetry Grids JoAnn Browning (KU), Jeff Olafsen (Baylor University) and their students conducted large-scale tests of a four-span bridge at the shaking table laboratory at the University of Nevada Reno. The project is funded by a NSF NEES-Payload grant to study hinging behavior in reinforced concrete bridge columns subjected to earthquake loading.  KU Measures Column Deformations During Large-Scale Bridge Test in Nevada – Severe Damage at End of Test

16. Prof. Darwin Awarded SEI Award Dr. David Darwin received the 2008 Dennis L. Tewksbury Award for service to the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

17. KU Professors and Student Attend NSF Workshop in Shanghai, China Professors Yong Bai and Tom Glavinich, along with KU student Christine Atkins, participated in a joint US-China Workshop on Rapid Bridge Replacement after Extreme Events at Tongji University in Shanghai, PRC.

18. Students use innovative technology for highway safety and construction Students from the research group of Dr. Yong Bai conducted field experiments recently on US 36 and I-70 to improve highway worker safety and improve construction methods. Students measure vehicle speeds at highway work zones using the smart sensor system. Real-time construction productivity in a bridge project using the wireless real-time productivity measurement system developed at KU.

19. Innovative Phase-Change Material Reducing Energy Consumption Students in Dr. Mario Medina’s research group are developing sustainable technology using phase-change technology to improve the overall efficiency of commercial and industrial refrigerated vehicles (funding by US Dept. of Transportation).

20. Prof. Han Visits Geosynthetic Manufacturers in China Three Gorges Dam at Yichang, Hubei Province on June 28, 2008 Prof. Jie Han visited geosynthetic manufacturers in China during June, 2008. While in China, he also presented technical talks at 9 universities, attended two international conferences, and visited three mega-projects. Yangshan Deep Water Port project in Shanghai, China on June 20, 2008 With Dr. Craig Adams in Shanghai

21. Dr. Browning Receives ACI Honor Dr. JoAnn Browning was honored with the American Concrete Institute’s Young Member Award for Professional Achievement for “contributions to advancing the quality of concrete construction…” Dr. Browning received the ACI Professional Achievement Award in Los Angeles in March, 2008. Dr. Browning being presented with award plaque by ACI President, Dr. David Darwin (who you might recognize as well!).

22. Yang, Parsons and Han Win TRB Best Paper Award Doctoral student Xiaoming Yang, Profs. Robert Parsons and Jie Han, and co-author Robert Henthorne (Chief Geologist at KDOT) won the first Transportation Research Board Soil Mechanics Sections Best Paper Award. Their paper was titled “Resistance Factors for Drilled Shafts in Weak Rocks based on O-cell Test Data”. The award was presented at the 87th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.