Recent News
PSWC Results are In!
May 6, 2021
Congratulations to our PSWC competition teams on their accomplishments at this year’s virtual conference. The Pacific Southwest ASCE Student Conference is an event where teams from schools in the south-western region of the U.S. compete and pitch their presentations on various topics. After much hard work, all five of our teams placed, with Cal Poly placing third overall.
The Sustainability team, led by civil engineering sophomore Naoki Weldon, received second place. As a first-timer at the conference, Weldon shared that his experience was great. The team developed a plan to make the UCLA event center more sustainable by looking into different areas of impact, such as solid waste and carbon emissions. In the end, they came up with nine solutions to decrease environmental impact in a wide variety of ways.
Led by environmental engineering junior Lanie Carl, the Environmental Design team had a great time at the conference and didn’t let the online setting stop them from enjoying the experience. Their project, the SLO Flow, developed a conceptual stormwater management design consisting of multi beneficial structural and non-structural practices for the Lincoln Heights community. These solutions resulted in better stormwater system management. The team saw their hard work pay off and ended up receiving second place in the Environmental Design competition.
The Transportation team, led by civil engineering senior Kezia Suwandhaputra placed second in their competition. They were tasked with creating a proposal and presentation to improve the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) lot. This proposal included trip generation and distribution, design, cost and environmental impact analysis. Although the restrictions of COVID-19 altered the conference, Suwandhaputra said she loved working with the PSWC Transportation team. “I learned how to lead a team, manage my time and my teammates’ time, and wing it.”
The Technical Paper team finished third in their competition. The team’s task was to answer a prompt about how the civil engineering profession should respond to a situation and what their ethical responsibilities were as civil engineers. At the conference, they had to do a five minute presentation followed by five minutes of questions from judges. Team captain Hannah Berenjfoorosh, a Civil Engineering senior, explained that it was nice to see the Cal Poly teams support each other at the events and banquet. Berenjfoorosh advises students in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department is to get involved with PSWC as she wishes she participated in earlier years.
The Surveying team, led by civil engineering junior Macey Ferron-Jones received third place in their competition where they constructed a topographic map of a small township in Eastern Ohio. As captain, Ferron-Jones met with the team and assigned tasks to complete with deadlines. She said she is so proud of the Surveying team and thankful for their hard work.
All of the teams worked so incredibly hard to compete at the conference and we are so proud of their achievements.
ENVE Students Claim Second Place in 2021 WERC Competition
Apr 17, 2021
Congratulations to the Cal Poly team of environmental engineering students for placing second at the 31st annual Waste-management Education Research Consortium (WERC) Environmental Design competition. Team members Sabrina Cegielski, Angela Ceja, Page Dionne, Teresa Godoy, Sara Henkemeyer, Anmol Kaur, Dulce Rodriguez Rivera, Joshua Schipper, Gracie Wong, and team leader Julia Broman competed at the virtual competition held from April 11-14.
WERC is a nation-wide environmental design competition where students take the lead as consulting engineers. Teams are tasked with solving real-world problems, administrated by industry partners and government agencies. The competition consists of a research report, oral presentation, and bench-scale demonstrations..
The Cal Poly team was tasked with designing a destruction technology for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of emerging contaminants. PFAS are known as the 'forever chemicals' due to their resistance to break down. Their prominence in a variety of products presents a problem as they contaminate drinking water.
Cal Poly environmental engineering students developed a two-step destruction system which utilized enzymes from fungi, followed by a process called electrochemical oxidation. The system operates to safely break down the contaminants achieving EPA's drinking water health advisory of below 70 ppt.
ENVE Team
Virtual Open House 2021
Apr 5, 2021
Saturday, April 10 | Department General Info Sessions
Civil Engineering General Info Session
Learn about our department and the many opportunities that await you. Department head Dr. Charles Chadwell led the information session to introduce the Civil Engineering program at Cal Poly. Students receive chances to explore different areas of Civil Engineering, connect with our various corporate partners, and partake in a unique Senior Capstone project.
Environmental Engineering General Info Session
Learn about our department and the many opportunities that await you. Dr. Tracy Thatcher led the information session to discuss the Environmental Engineering program at Cal Poly. ENVE majors learn to create a more sustainable world in Learn By Doing focused classes, research opportunities, and student competitions.
Sunday, April 11 | Student Club Showcase
Student clubs and organizations are an integral part of our department curriculum and give our students unique, hands-on opportunities to become successful and resourceful professionals in their fields.
CalGeo/GeoWall (For students interested in Geotechnical Engineering)
Cal Poly Cal Geo (CPCG) is a student branch of the CalGeo professional organization. CPCG provides students with the professional and social resources to success in the geotechnical engineering industry. CPCG's project team, GeoWall, is an regional and national award-winning project team who competes to design and build a retaining wall using the least mass of reinforcement to hold back 600 pounds of backfill. Cal Poly Cal Geo and GeoWall are open to students of all skill levels and interests
Concrete Canoe (For students interested in Civil and Environmental Engineering)
The Cal Poly concrete canoe team gives students an opportunity to get hands-on construction experience, perform structural analysis, and utilize computer modeling programs. Every year, the team designs and fabricates a canoe made entirely out of concrete to be judged at the Regional and National competitions. Final scoring is based off the final product, design paper, paddling races, and oral presentations.
Engineers Without Borders (For students interested in Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Engineers Without Borders Cal Poly is a non-profit, student-driven organization established to support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects while cultivating transformative experiences that enrich global perspectives and create responsible leaders. EWB Cal Poly currently partners with communities in Fiji, Thailand, Nicaragua, Malawi, and the local SLO area.
ITE (For students interested in Transportation Engineering)
ITE is an organization dedicated to connecting and educating transportation professionals. The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student chapter aims to connect students with peers and professionals, to explore the opportunities within the field, and to make a lasting and meaningful impact on the community and profession. They hold information sessions with firms and agencies, tour project sites, attend professional conferences, hold social events, coordinate professional development opportunities, volunteer with different organizations, and explore the infinite opportunities of transportation engineering and planning!
Rainworks (For students interested in Water Resources Engineering)
RainWorks is a multi-disciplinary club dedicated to educating students about water resources engineering. Their goal is to offer further opportunities for students to learn about all the disciplines of water resources, get involved in their local community, and form connections with professionals in the water industry. As participants of the annual EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge, Rainworks specializes in stormwater management techniques and low impact development. Their multidisciplinary project teams are a great way to exercise Cal Poly's Learn by Doing motto and are open to all ages and skill levels.
Society for Civil Engineers (For students interested in Civil Engineering)
SCE is the San Luis Obispo Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. SCE is a club that focuses on promoting personal, professional, and scholastic development with academic and social events such as: general meetings, career fairs, mentorship pairings, elementary school volunteering, hiking, camping and so much more! SCE is also the home to two major project teams, Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge, which provide members with opportunities for hands-on experiences.
Partners Scholars
Mar 31, 2021
Sofia Barale
Professor Stefan Talke
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"I worked on digitizing bathymetry maps for Biscayne bay in Miami, Florida, as well as digitizing and analyzing depths of the main channel in Miami, Florida. The maps of the data that was digitized date back to the late 1800s. These maps were then analyzed to see how tides have changed in the area, and what might be causing these changes tide level. We navigated this in a virtual environment by doing weekly zoom meeting when our schedules allowed it and keeping in touch through email. Few difficulties were encountered, except a few schedule problems, where my academic schedule sometimes overlapped with meetings and I wasn't able to attend.
The most impactful and interesting thing that I learned was the sea level rise and rising tides are causing real problems for coastal cities. These problems include nuisance flooding, which is impactful to the lives of coastal residents. I also learned that rising tides in the coastal area may be caused by direct human activity."
Thomas Burt
Professor Anurag Pande
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"The work I did included preliminary research about a left shoulder part time travel lane, to be trialed on 101 near Pismo, as well help edit citations for several other reports Dr. Pande was working on at the time. This worked fairly well in an online environment, as none of the research required me to be in a lab, and I was able to communicate effectively with Dr. Pande about any questions that rose up. The research process was challenging, as the proposal is a first of its kind in California so there were not many resources to draw from, and the ones I did find were quite technical.
I was able to learn a lot about good research techniques by working through this process on my own, and at the same time learn a lot about transportation engineering, specifically about how safety and efficiency are measured which I found really interesting. Transportation has always been something that interested me, and seeing how technical and precise the work around it can be has made me want to pursue it even more."
Anubhav Dawadi
Professor Shams Tanvir
Civil Engineering, Sophomore
"I worked on research regarding wireless charging roads that have built in chargers that you vehicle could get charge from as it was above the road. We wanted to see the optimum way these could be implemented, and I was looking at past research where they have completed this successfully.
I learned that research is a continuous and you must stay with it because results are often hard to see in the short term."
Gurtaj Khera
Professor Shams Tanvir
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"The topic I focused on for researching was figuring out designs on how we can accommodate autonomous vehicles onto roads and highways, with new infrastructure ideas. In other words, considering that the future of transportation is becoming more and more autonomous, I was responsible for researching different infrastructure plans for roads, highways, bridges, and other structures that are safe for vehicles and pedestrians to travel on in a sustainable way. Since most of our learning is virtual, it can be easy to become distracted and lose motivation to do your work but by being disciplined and using your time wisely, I was able to overcome this huge hurdle.
Something impactful that I've learned from this experience is that with your research, you're predicting the future with the work you are researching you on, where sometime in the future, you're work might be implemented and used for the betterment of society."
William Francis Killmond
Professor Hani Alzraiee
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"The work I did for Dr. Alzraiee was focused on the creation of a cloud-based framework that would integrate GIS (Geographic information system) data with a 3D point cloud. The purpose of this framework would be to give decision makers at Departments of Transportation (DOTs) a better tool for analyzing transportation assets, such as bridges, roads, etc. and in that way allow them to make decisions regarding the management and maintenance of these assets based on more data and data that is more reliable than human observations. My actual research was mostly reading a number of papers on this topic so that I would have the background knowledge to write our research paper. My partner, Jessica, and I would read these papers and do various tasks towards wiring the paper (such as writing the introduction) and would meet virtually with Dr. Alzraiee once a week to discuss our progress and ask him any questions that came up during our research.
I would say the most impactful thing I learned or noticed during this research was the way that technology can vastly improve the sustainability of civil engineering tasks. If DOTs were to adopt a framework like the one we are proposing, they would save time and money by using drones to collect data on transportation assets instead of human workers. Additionally, this framework would allow the most accurate decisions on the maintenance of these assets to be made, therefore guaranteeing that money would not be wasted replacing a bridge that doesn't need to be replaced, for example."
Philip N Le
Professor Stefan Talke
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"We used a program Professor Talke created to visualize the depths of certain inlets, which are the openings of rivers into larger bodies of water. We compare this with older historical data to find the effect humanity has had on these inlets. There was virtually no difference I could envision between doing this in a virtual or non-virtual environment, seeing as how this mostly electronic work; using a program and navigating different websites to find the data needed. Most difficulties that I encountered are those that come with coding projects of this kind, such as finding data that doesn't fit nicely together or having to edit parts of the code to accommodate said data.
The most impactful things I learned were the uses of coding in civil engineering along with the experience of working on a team."
Jessica McArthur
Professor Hani Alzraiee
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"I have been researching how to improve asset management for transportation-related structures. Specifically, I have been looking into using LiDAR and GID to make a 3D point cloud model that can be used to replicate both the current build and the effects of future events on the integrity of a structure. In a virtual environment, both my partner, Will Killmond, and I researched the topic independently, but we are collaborating on a paper, and we have weekly meetings with Professor Alzraiee. It was challenging to coordinate everything, since Will and I never met in person to work on the project, but there weren't any big problems to navigate because of the virtual environment.
I learned how to look at problems from a different angle. I never knew much about transportation engineering before this, but my research is giving me a new perspective when approaching projects."
Adam Monroe
Professor Amro El Badawy
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"The research project that I worked on was using nanoparticles coated in PEI to determine if there is E-coli in water. The nanoparticles have to first be coated in PEI, then they can undergo a process where they change the color of the water if there are any bacteria in the water. The virtual environment was difficult because I wasn’t able to be hands-on with the project, although it was difficult there was a lot I still learned.
One of the most interesting and impactful things that I learned on this project was just the research process of having a hypothesis and being able to test it along with changing the hypothesis after finding new information."
Steven Sturkie
Professor Long Wang
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"I worked on examining data that simulated a structure or system failing. There were various models, and my partner and I had to use metrics to compare the models against each other. This could improve structural failure forecasting in the future by helping researches know which model is most accurate and effective in its predictions. The project was very technical, so there was a steep learning curve to understanding the terms and equations we used.
I believe the most impactful thing I learned was continuing to gain experience in taking the initiative. In classes, the exact work you need to do is given to you. In research, things are more open-ended and you may not know what to do next."
Ryan Young Trainor
Professor Hani Alzraiee
Civil Engineering, Freshman
"I worked on a paper that investigated the application of terrestrial laser scanners(TLS) in steel bridge inspection. My participation was virtual, consisting of weekly zoom meetings and frequent communication with Luke Psomas, a second-year CE major who was also working on the paper. Navigating the virtual environment was definitely challenging, but I felt that I was well-supported by Dr. Alzraiee and Luke P.
Chi Epsilon Initiation and PDC Conference
Mar 15, 2021
The past month has been exciting for Cal Poly’s Chi Epsilon chapter with the initiation of new members and hosting the 33rd Pacific District Conference (PDC).
Chi Epsilon is a national civil engineering honor society consisting of the top performing students with membership by invitation only. The Cal Poly chapter was founded in 1986 and is one of 15 Pacific District chapters. Students are selected based on academic performance as well as recognition of Chi Epsilon’s four pillars: Scholarship, Character, Practicality, and Sociability.
On March 5th, Cal Poly Chi Epsilon finished hosting the six day virtual PDC. The Chi Epsilon PDC is an annual leadership conference that aims to connect the chapter with industry, develop students’ professionalism, and build bonds within the Chi Epsilon community. Each year, the host rotates between the various Chi Epsilon chapters within the Pacific District. This year, Cal Poly was selected as host Chi Epsilon vice president Meagan Chan as the PDC chair.
Cal Poly Chi Epsilon hosted 14 student chapters with a total of 200 registrants. Cal Poly’s PDC planning committee worked diligently for over 6 months to organize this virtual conference through scheduling events, recruiting sponsors, and more. The conference included student competition, networking, and professional development events. Despite limitations of a virtual environment, the PDC conference was a success and Cal Poly took home the title of provisional winner of the 33rd PDC and PDC Cup holder.
“I’m extremely grateful and proud of my committee members for helping make the event as successful as it was. Between implementing and executing the new chapter initiatives President Jacob Hamada and I instated, being involved in different student organizations, and planning this conference, they have remained diligent and resolute.” - Meagan Chan, VP and PDC Chair
PDC Committee Members
Additionally, as part of their yearly initiation, Chi Epsilon initiated 20 new pledges along with a new faculty advisor, Dr. Long Wang the week prior. Dr. Wang is a new professor at Cal Poly and will help provide additional guidance to Chi Epsilon in their efforts towards regrowth. This past year, Chi Epsilon has implemented strategic initiatives to improve their chapter and build a foundation for the success of future Chi Epsilon members.
Newly Initiated Members
Notable SURP Projects 2020
Nov 9, 2020
Civil engineering students received special recognition for their projects in the Mechanical/Materials/Industrial/Civil session of the 2020 SURP Symposium. Judges selected two "Notable Projects" within each session that they felt stood out among an already outstanding collection of work.
Civil engineering seniors Robert Sprotte and Andrea Leal were recognized for their SURP project that explored drone applications in the construction industry. They selected two potential drone uses that can improve worker safety and optimize construction work as their focus. Sprotte and Leal worked with civil engineering professor Hani Alzraiee.
The project sought practical applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the construction industry.
Civil engineering seniors Robert Sprotte and Andrea Leal with faculty advisor Hani Alzraiee.
Civil engineering senior William Andrews was recognized for his "Evaluation of Cost-effective Pavement Deformation Detection Technologies using Mobile LiDAR." Andrews worked with Dr. Anurag Pande and Dr. Alizera Shams. This project looked at using a mobile LiDAR system attached to a truck to scan road surfaces and surrounding areas. This data can be used to determine if roads need repairs and how they can be safer. Specifically, this project focuses on how the LiDAR scan compares to a traditional surveying team. The research team wanted to find out if the LiDAR scan is more accurate, faster, and cheaper than a traditional survey.
The image is a rendering of the LiDAR data from Suliman Gargoum and Karim El-Basyouny's research paper "Automated extraction of road features using LiDAR data: A review of LiDAR applications in transportation." This image shows how millions of data points can be used to make an image of the surrounding area.
Civil engineering senior William Andrews.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) provides research experiences for students to work with faculty. Projects lead to student-faculty authored publications in venues appropriate to the area of research conducted during the summer. SURP invites sponsors to provide university-industry collaborative research and project activities.
Meet the Faculty: Shams Tanvir
Sep 3, 2020
Dr. Shams Tanvir attended North Carolina State University and earned his Ph.D in civil engineering with a focus in transportation systems engineering. After, Tanvir was a research associate for the school’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) where he worked with state transportation agencies. After his time with ITRE, Tanvir moved to California and finished his postdoc fellowship at the University of California, Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT).
At CE-CERT, Dr. Tanvir researched energy and air quality implications from the transportation industry and how they can be improved. His research focuses on sustainable mobility and explores the carbon footprint of emerging transportation technology. “As the number one polluter in the U.S., transportation plays a very vital role in climate change,” Tanvir said. His research looks at self-driving technology, electric cars, and shared mobility options, like Uber or Lyft, to decrease pollution and improve our environment.
Students interested in this area of research are encouraged to contact Tanvir as there are research opportunities available in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s new Sustainable Mobility Lab (SuMoLab). The SuMoLab builds high-fidelity simulations and advanced onboard sensing systems to monitor and improve transportation systems. Students in the lab will develop solutions for the industry and agency partners and learn necessary skills.
Dr. Shams Tanvir attended the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in civil engineering. While Tanvir was earning his Master’s degree at the BUET, he taught as a lecturer. When he came to the U.S. for his Ph.D., Tanvir realized that he missed teaching. Tanvir wanted to teach in California because the state is a leader in many aspects of sustainable mobility and at the forefront of sustainable technology. During his postdoctoral research at the CE-CERT, Dr. Tanvir worked with many Cal Poly graduates which inspired him to pursue teaching at Cal Poly.
Dr. Tanvir is excited to use Cal Poly’s unique learning model to inspire transportation students. “The ‘Learn By Doing’ mindset of Cal Poly is much needed in the rapidly evolving transportation industry, ” Tanvir said. He advises students to consider all of the problems the transportation industry is causing and pursue active solutions.
“I’m looking forward to making an impact on students. Whether it’s virtually or in-person, I’ll continue to try my best to help students succeed," said Tanvir.
Meet the Faculty: Long Wang
Sep 3, 2020
Dr. Long Wang received his Bachelor’s degree in Port, Waterway, and Coastal Engineering from the Dalian University of Technology, China in 2014. He earned a Master’s in Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Wang earned his Doctorate degree and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
Wang’s research lies at the intersection of structural engineering, material science, and data analytics. Wang is interested in developing multifunctional smart materials (e.g., nanomaterials and polymers) that can be integrated with structural systems for simultaneously bearing loads, actuating, and especially monitoring structural performance.
“My research will help create a more collaborative environment for faculty and students across different backgrounds. And will create more visibility for the Civil and Environmental Engineering department,” said Wang.
Wang looks forward to teaching at Cal Poly. “As a recent graduate, I like working with students and Cal Poly is a great place to continue to do so. I’m also looking forward to potential research collaborations with the faculty,” Wang said.
Wang’s advice for his future students is to “be active in your learning. Pursue your interests and be proactive in looking for resources. Go to peers and faculty for advice. Don’t be shy.”
Students that are interested in Wang’s area of research are encouraged to reach out. His research works with new technologies in emerging fields of civil engineering, creating great career experience for students.
Robb Moss Publishes 3 Journal Papers & Textbook
Sep 1, 2020
Geotechnical engineering Professor Robb Moss has recently published 3 journal papers and a textbook. His papers "Liquefied Strength and its Relationship to Effective Stress" and "Large-Scale Liquefaction and Post-Liquefaction Shake Table Testing" were published in the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. His paper "Prior and future earthquake effects in Valdivia, Chile" was published in Obras Y Proyectos, Edicion 27. Moss's textbook "Applied Civil Engineering Risk Analysis, 2nd Edition" discusses applied fundamental statistics, probability, reliability, and decision theory as these pertain to problems in Civil Engineering.
Moss has been a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering 
Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California since 2005. He earned a Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley in the field of geotechnical earthquake engineering, with minors in engineering seismology and structural reliability. His research and consulting focuses on the physics and probability of natural hazards such as; strong ground motions, seismic soil liquefaction, surface fault rupture, seismic induced landslides, debris flow, and others. His teaching includes undergraduate and graduate courses in geotechnical engineering, engineering risk analysis, geological engineering, earthquake engineering, and others.
TMC Simulator Revolutionizes Traffic Management in California
Aug 27, 2020
Cal Poly’s Transportation Management Center (TMC) Simulator has helped revolutionize traffic management training in California. The Simulator is utilized as part of the TMC Academy, a unique program that combines classroom training with hands-on learning and has quickly become a statewide standard for traffic management operator training.
In 1992, Caltrans and Cal Poly hosted the first TMC operator training program. 28 years later, Cal Poly continues to host the year-round program that trains California transportation professionals to solve common traffic problems using simulated real-world incidents.
There are Caltrans Traffic Management Centers all over California where TMC operators work to manage traffic on state highways and coordinate appropriate responses to different transportation incidents. TMC operators manage congestion and determine the best solutions to help reduce traffic build-up after an incident. They are trained on a wide variety of scenarios ranging from hazardous materials to flat tires and everything in between. 
The week-long TMC Academy has participants use a TMC simulator that mimics the tools and technology of a real Traffic Management Center. This allows operators to have hands-on training while practicing new techniques learned during the course.
Cal Poly’s hands-on approach has changed and improved traffic management and accident response in California. Having the only TMC simulator in the state, the TMC Academy has proven a “successful testbed for new and emerging tools for Caltrans,” according to current TMC Academy Director and Cal Poly Research Analyst, Neil Hockaday.
“The program is an essential part of the development of techniques and tools in the transportation industry,” Hockaday said.
Hockaday explained that all TMC operators in California eventually attend the TMC Academy and with Cal Poly’s help, traffic management has been improved.
Professor Anurag Pande of Cal Poly’s Civil and Environmental Engineering department is the Principal Investigator for the TMC Academy. He agrees that the academy has been beneficial for both participants and the state’s transportation industry.
“We have professionals working in the real Traffic Management Centers statewide who come here and learn to handle real-world traffic management scenarios with an experience as close to the real-world as simulation can get,” Pande said.
The TMC Academy has proven a successful project with the application of Cal Poly’s philosophy. With technology and tools constantly changing, the TMC Academy helps TMC operators stay up to date and ensure a safe transportation system throughout the state.
“We don’t tell them how to do their jobs. We train them to do their jobs better,” Hockaday said.