Laurel Larsen, who is now an assistant professor of geography at the University of California-Berkley, participated in the symposium during her time as a graduate student at CU-Boulder in 2007 and 2008 and found the experience to be especially rewarding. During her involvement with the symposium, Larsen chaired and co-chaired the event, which gave her the opportunity to meet key industry leaders and valuable leadership experience.

“It was a really positive experience,” Larsen says. “It was a lot of work at the time, but when the symposium was occurring, it was exhilarating. You see all your efforts come together as you bring exciting speakers and have them interact with students. A lot of times when you go to these professional meetings, the students don’t have much of an opportunity to interact with the giants of the field one on one or through an extended period of time.”

For students interested in participating in the symposium, Larsen believes this is a great chance for them to present their research. Presentation skills are critical for a successful career in research and academia, and the symposium is the perfect opportunity for students to fine tune those skills and receive feedback from the industry’s top experts.

“Some of the conversations I had about hydrology have been deeply influential in my career,” Larsen says. “They have shaped my goals that I am working toward in my research. It was a great networking opportunity.”

The symposium turned out to be a highly successful event as it attracted more than 70 attendees, 20 of which were graduate students from the civil, environmental and architectural department who were also enrolled in the Hydrologic Sciences Program. These CEAE graduate students had successfully completed the program and received conferred certificates. Of all the certificates awarded, CEAE students represented the greatest number and also had the highest numbers for attendance and presentations at this year’s symposium.

Keynote speakers included Dr. Patrick Belmont, assistant professor of watershed sciences at Utah State University;  Dr. Dennis Lettenmaier, professor of civil and environmental engineering at University of Washington-Seattle; and  Dr. Patty Limerick, faculty director and chair of the board at the Center of the American West and professor of history at CU-Boulder.

Click here for video.

Despite what has been a sluggish job market, CU-Boulder students and prospective students considering careers in engineering are in for a path primed for plenty of growth opportunities.

“Engineering is one of the fastest growing job sectors in the U.S. with the demand for engineers expected to remain strong for many years to come,” says Joanie Ruge, employment industry adviser to Monster and president of TACK Consulting Inc. “One of the main factors driving engineering job opportunity is a factor of basic supply versus demand. A large number of today’s engineers are baby boomers nearing retirement age, creating higher demand than supply. Anyone just entering college should consider a career in engineering if they want to take advantage of where the jobs are and will be.”

Hiring in the engineering field has been especially strong over the past year, says Jeffrey Quinn, vice president of Global Monster Insights. In fact, 60 percent of respondents say they anticipate hiring to account for necessary staff increases while 54 percent of respondents attribute engineering job growth to company expansion. With this kind of growth and sustainability, CU-Boulder engineering students are in a good position once they enter the work force.

Among the various engineering sectors, civil engineering ranks in the top half for job opportunities, the survey reveals. Engineering job seekers can expect to find the best job markets in Houston; San Jose, Calif.; and Chicago.

“Regardless of a person’s country or economic status, people rely on clean water and safe structures,” Nelson says. “It’s a pretty high calling. When a civil engineer does the job correctly, very few people take notice of that. But when a civil engineer makes a design mistake, a structure can collapse, a bridge can fail, or a roof can come in.”

A two-time graduate of the CEAE department, Nelson (BS CivEngr ’84, MS ’88) has taken his talents to Martin/Martin, a Denver-based firm where he specializes in structural engineering. Part of Nelson’s portfolio includes pro bono design work for a homeless in Denver and a battered women’s shelter in Chicago. Nelson and other design professionals and contractors volunteered their labor and used donated materials to create these structures.

“Contributing to a pro bono design for people less fortunate gives me a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment in contributing to something that is so needed,” Nelson says. “Those kinds of projects really mean a lot to many people.”

Nelson, a trombonist, also played with three ensembles for the College of Music during his time at CU-Boulder, and his passion for the arts has carried through his career, he says. Much of Nelson’s portfolio focuses on performing arts buildings, such as the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. With his trained ear, the alum has a better understanding of the design requirements of these unique performance spaces.

Since graduating, Nelson has remained active with the CEAE department as a mentor, guest lecturer, and liaison for his firm’s activities with the university.  He’s also had the chance to work on construction projects on the CU-Boulder campus.

“I’ve always had a love of architecture and thought that the university campus was particularly beautiful with its Tuscan vernacular architecture,” Nelson says. “When I was given the opportunity to work on my first project at CU just after I graduated, it was like a dream come true.”

Funded by a five-year, $12 million National Science Foundation grant, Ryan’s team is weighing benefits such as U.S. energy independence and fewer carbon dioxide emissions against environmental drawbacks and developing a framework to help citizens sort through the conflicting information that has left communities in a stalemate over oil and gas development. The project’s first phase, an outreach initiative in Boulder County where heated debates have been causing a stir, has included a lecture series hosted by a diverse group of industry experts at CU-Boulder.

“Once we get that framework with how we evaluate these tradeoffs, we hope to use that as a tool to give people the opportunity to evaluate what would be the effects of new regulations and recommendations for best management practices,” Ryan says. “We hope this will help us move forward without getting stuck between the two sides.”

CEAE professors Karl Linden and Harihar Rajaramare assisting Ryan with this research. Linden’s is examining water safety following the hydraulic fracturing process ways to treat or repurpose the salty fluid left behind. Rajaram is developing groundwater models that show how oil and gas developments could affect the surrounding area which can be taken to a town hall meeting to help citizens visualize the true local effects.

“We feel many people think they’re at this high degree of risk, but they don’t have much information on which to base that concern,” Ryan says. “We hope to provide more information to give them a better idea about what the geology is like and how they could be affected.”

After several years without a team, CU ASCE team members had to build the canoe from scratch. Fabricating the canoe required a great deal of experimenting with different mixes of concretes to find one that would float but also provide structural strength.

The students are already planning for next year and focusing on growing student interest among the underclassmen as they look ahead to hosting the 2016 event here in Boulder.

“One of our big goals for next year is centered on recruiting,” says Julia Carroll, a team member and junior majoring in civil engineering. “We want to recruit good sophomores and freshmen and teach them to continue to program, so in 2016 we’ll be ready to go as the host.”

The team also hopes to create a professional advisory board of CU-Boulder alumni as well as procure research sponsors for materials and transportation.  Interested parties can learn more and contact the team via the chapter’s website: http://ceae.colorado.edu/asce/.

The CU Parents Association presents this annual award to CU-Boulder teachers, advisers and staff who make significant, positive impact on the lives of undergraduates. These recipients have demonstrated true dedication toward caring for their students.

In choosing the recipients, CU-Boulder students are asked to identify who at the university has made such an influential impact and what they have done to help students.  The award is named after Marinus G. Smith, a Colorado pioneer who made asignificant financial contribution and donation of land that made it possible for the university to locate in Boulder.

“What we do matters,” Vásconez says. “Our words, our actions, our time – they all make a difference. The Marinus Smith Award will always remind me of this. I am truly honored to have been one of this year’s recipients. I am grateful to the student who nominated me as well as the CU Parents Association.”

We will be removing you from the ceae-ugrad listserv no later than the end of May, so you will no longer receive our weekly updates and other undergraduate announcements.

We have also been receiving some questions about the FE exam and your EI licensure. For the “proof of education” requirement: your transcripts will be sent to DORA after your graduation is confirmed, per the transcript waiver forms that you submitted as part of your FE application package. You should contact DORA directly with any other questions.

People primarily use the floor in buildings, leaving the vertical surfaces highly neglected. The system we designed makes use structures’ windows to grow food in addition to providing benefits to occupants and for energy use.  Who wouldn’t want to look at a tomato plant while they’re at work?  The growth of our plants is well underway, and we are currently doing work to quantify the benefits of using window space for crop growth.

This research project is a part of a Discovery Learning Apprenticeship, a research program that all engineering students at CU-Boulder are invited to apply.  It has given me exposure to the research side of academia, something that is often reserved for graduate students. By having the opportunity to do research as an undergraduate, I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learned in the classroom in an immediate, hands-on manner rather than letting it grow stale while waiting to graduate.  It has truly provided me a well-rounded education in a way that is unique to CU-Boulder.

–Matt Kincaid

The President’s Leadership Award recognizes individuals early in their ASTM career who have significantly advanced the Society’s mission through extraordinary accomplishment, example and vision, and is presented to two ASTM members annually.

McCartney, who joined ASTM International in 2007, is a member of Committees D18 on Soil and Rock and D35 on Geosynthetics. He serves as vice chairman of Subcommittee D18.04 on Hydrologic Properties and Hydraulic Barriers and is chairman of D18.09 on Cyclic and Dynamic Properties of Soils. In 2011, McCartney received the D18 Richard S. Ladd Standards Development Award for his contributions to ASTM D7664, Standard Test Methods for Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils, and was the guest editor for a two-volume special issue on unsaturated soil mechanics for the ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal.

McCartney, whose research interests include unsaturated soil mechanics, geosynthetics and foundation engineering, joined the faculty at CU-Boulder in 2008. Prior to that he was an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. A graduate of CU-Boulder where he received a B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering, McCartney earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

In addition to ASTM International, McCartney is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors, the Deep Foundations Institute, the International Geosynthetics Society and the Transportation Research Board. He has received several other industry awards, including the Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award and J. James R. Croes Medal, both from ASCE; the Deep Foundations Institute Young Professor Award; and the Shamsher Prakash Foundation Prize for Excellence in Teaching of Geotechnical Engineering.

ASTM International President James A. Thomas will present McCartney with his award at the ASTM June Committee Week in Indianapolis, Ind., during the Committee D18 standards development meetings.