Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Mexico

Welcome to the UNM Department of Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines. Civil Engineers design, build, and protect the infrastructure upon which modern society depends. UNM’s Civil Engineering Department fosters an environment of critical thinking and problem solving. We are home to state-of-the-art technology, impressive research facilities, friendly and motivated faculty, and a diverse student body dedicated to problem solving and making a difference in the world. It is the passion of our faculty and students that truly drives innovation within the CE Department.

Ever mindful of the future of civil engineering and construction, our Department is continuing to increase its focus on sustainable infrastructure . We offer active research programs in construction, environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources engineering – all of which include a strong sustainability component. We invite you to explore our website and learn more about the comprehensive programs our Department offers.

CE Department News

CE Professor Mark Stone Receives NSF CAREER Award

4-30-13 – Mark Stone, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering, was selected to receive a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. The award, which includes a substantial grant to support research over a five-year period, is given to promising young faculty members who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of both education and research. Read More...

Matt Raymer: Student Athlete, Excellent Scholar

4-30-13 Throughout his undergraduate career, Matt Raymer has balanced the challenges of studying engineering with playing Lobo football. This May, he will graduate with a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average and earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from UNM. Matt has excelled not only academically but in time management and leadership skills while being a student athlete. Read More...

Civil Engineering PhD Candidate Rashadul Islam Receives Award for Engineering Conference Paper

4-15-13 Rashadul Islam, a UNM Civil Engineering Ph.D. candidate, has been honored for presenting a conference paper during the 2013 ASCE Texas Section Centennial Spring Conference. His paper, “Evaluating Moduli of Base and Subbase Layer in Flexible Pavement,” received second place in the conference competition and carried a $200 award. Read More...

Dr. Bruce Thomson Named the 2013 New Mexico Public Sector Engineer of the Year

4-12-13 Dr. Bruce Thomson, P.E., Regents’ Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Water Resources Program at UNM, was recently named the 2013 Engineer of the Year in the Public Sector by the Albuquerque Chapter of the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers.

“The ‘Public Sector Engineer of the Year’ aptly describes Dr. Thomson’s commitment to the New Mexico community,” says Brad Sumrall, P.E. Sr. Project Manager, Bohannan-Huston, Inc., Chairman, NMSPE Awards Committee.

“Most engineers know Dr. Thomson for his 35 years of teaching in the UNM School of Engineering. The public is aware of his concern for water quality in Albuquerque, which is why they elected him to the AMAFCA Board,” he said. “His participation on various environmental boards and participation with the engineering community have made Dr. Thomson the ‘go to’ person for water quality in New Mexico. It was a pleasure to select Dr. Thomson for this award.”

About Dr. Thomson
With a joint appointment in the Department of Civil Engineering and in Water Resources, Thomson teaches a wide range of courses in environmental engineering at the senior and graduate level. His research interests focus on the chemical behavior and treatment of radioactive and inorganic water contaminants in both surface and ground water systems. Thomson has consulted nationally and internationally on management of wastes from the mining industry, radioactive and mixed wastes, and domestic wastes.

He has been heavily involved in water and sustainability issues within New Mexico, including serving on the City’s Groundwater Protection Advisory Board for 10 years and serving as Chair many of those years. Thomson was elected to the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority Board (AMAFCA) in 2011 representing southeastern Albuquerque and currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer.

Thomson also received the 2010 New Mexico Earth Sciences Achievement Award for outstanding contributions advancing the role of earth science in the areas of applied science in education in New Mexico.

About the UNM Department of Civil Engineering
The UNM Department of Civil Engineering is New Mexico’s premier and most comprehensive department of civil engineering and construction. The Department offers academic programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. levels and has active research programs in construction, environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources engineering.

About the UNM School of Engineering
The University of New Mexico School of Engineering combines excellence in academic programs with research that addresses global challenges, a commitment to help students succeed, and a thriving culture of innovation that contributes to local and national economic development.

Mayor Berry Speaks at 50th Paving and Transportation Conference

1-05-13 The Honorable Richard J. Berry, Mayor of the City of Albuquerque, was the keynote speaker at the Monday lunch for the 50th Paving and Transportation Conference. Mayor Berry presented ABQ the Plan, which outlines his vision for the future of Albuquerque. This presentation was very relevant for the audience as it included many transportation-related items, such as Route 66 improvements, bus rapid transit, and a 50-mile bike loop around the city. The UNM Department of Civil Engineering hosted the 50th Paving and Transportation Conference on January 7-8, 2013, at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid Hotel and Convention Center. Over 500 people attended the conference, making this one of the largest crowds ever. Attendees were able to listen to presentations on pavement and transportation engineering or visit with the many vendors exhibiting at the conference.

UNM Student Group Engineers Without Borders Featured in the Albuquerque Journal

4-17-12 - The student group Engineers Without Borders (EWB) was recently featured in an Albuquerque Journal aritcle for the organization's work on a clearn drinking water project in Bolivia. The article highlights the ongoing, impressive work that UNM students have done to bring clean drinking water to the Tsimane people in Bolivia. Quoted in the article are civil engineering students Kent Steinhaus (EWB treasurer, featured in photo above) and Ryan Webb (EWB president) along with Kelly Isaacson, former UNM student and current professional project mentor to the group.

You can access the article here with a simple trial pass. To learn more about the UNM chapter of EWB, visit the group's website.

Professor Walter Gerstle has received the "New Mexico Society of Civil Engineers Chapter Outstanding Service Award for 2012"

He was recognized at the Eweek luncheon held in Albuquerque on February 24, 2012.

Dr. Howe Receives $510K Contract for Water Quality Project

Dr. Howe and students 2-24-12 - UNM Civil Engineering Associate Professor Kerry Howe has received a new one-year $510,000 research contract from the South Texas Project (STP) Nuclear Operating Company to investigate industrial water quality and treatment issues. The project will investigate how a hypothetical loss-of-coolant accident is affected by the quality of the cooling water. STP operates two commercial nuclear power reactors in Bay City, Texas.

Read more here

Dr. Brogan Retires After 26 Years at UNM

12-2011 – On Friday, December 9th, students and faculty in the CE Department came together to honor Dr. james Brogan and wish him all the best as he steps into retirement. Dr. Brogan has been a Professor of Transportation Engineering here at UNM for nearly 26 years, and those present at the luncheon were keen on sending him off in style. Dr. Brogan was presented with a Southwest gift card for he and his wife, Kathy, to enjoy but he conceded that "his fondest memories will revolve around the pink hardhat, the surveyor's compass, and, of course, [his] own personal SOW (single occupancy walker)."

In a final farewell speech, Dr. Brogan prepared a David Letterman-esque Top Ten List: "You Know It's Time to Retire When ... ." If you missed out on Dr. Brogan's retirement party, be sure to read his list of retirement quips here (and don't forget to take a peek at the stylish SOW in the photo above).

CE 497/499 Capstone Class Project Featured in Scouting Magazine

11-2011 – Over the summer, the Department of Civil Engineering received the prestigious 2011 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The grand prize, worth $25,000, was awarded to the CE Department because of a project completed during the Fall 2010 semester by civil engineering and construction management students in the CE 497/499 Capstone Design Course, taught by Dr. Andrew Schuler. Students worked closely with professional engineer mentors to design infrastructure improvements for a youth ranch located in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains - the Gorham Scout Ranch.

The project was a success on many levels and gave students a chance to work on a significant, real-world engineering problem. Scouting magazine recently wrote an article for the November/December 2011 issue of the publication that features the project and highlights its success.

Read the article here.

Meet Our New Faculty Members!

The CE Department has welcomed three new faculty members this semester and we're thrilled about the experience and knowledge they bring to our community. Dr. Mark Russell joins the department as a lecturer in the area of construction after recently completing his PhD degree at the University of Florida. Dr. Vanessa Valentin joins us as an assistant professor in the area of construction. She recently earned her PhD from Purdue University. Dr. Guohui Zhang joins us as an assistant professor in the area of transportation after completing a post-doc at the University of Texas at Austin.

They are excited to join the UNM community and look forward to getting to know the enthusiastic students that comprise our department. They've each shared some information about their backgrounds and research interests as part of a three-part feature story. Click on the links below read more.

Dr. Vanessa Valentin
Dr. Guohui Zhang
Dr. Mark Russell

CE Students Tour CEI Enterprises

10-28-11 – On Wednesday, 16 engineering students from Dr. Gerstle’s CE 424/524 course (Structural Design in Metals) took a field trip to CEI Enterprises, a local manufacturer of production equipment for the asphalt industry and related industries. Scott Cloninger, an Engineering Manager at CEI, showed students around and provided them a very interesting and educational tour of the facilities. Not only did students get a break from the classroom, but they enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the manufacturing and materials control processes associated with the production of products for the asphalt industry.

Civil Engineering Students Line Up to Dunk Professors

9-16-11 – UNM’s student chapter of ASCE, along with the civil engineering honor society Chi Epsilon, hosted a departmental fundraiser that was complete with good food and an impressive high-tech dunk tank. Students lined up for the chance to dunk their professors in good fundraising fun.

Follow the link to read more and view photos from the event.

Dr. Coonrod Demonstrates Flood Control Model in Hydraulics Laboratory

9-7-11 – Much of the physical modeling and research performed by Dr. Julie Coonrod aids the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Athority (AMAFCA) in alleviating flooding, preventing injury or loss of life, and minimizing property damage. Her most recent project examines the potential impact of stormwater conveyance in the North Diversion Channel with the addition of bike notches beneath the Singer and Osuna Bridges.

Read about the interesting work Dr. Coonrod and her team are doing here.

New Book from Dr. Rounds

A new text book focused on Construction Supervision written by Dr. Jerald Rounds, co-authored by Professor Robert Segner from Texas A&M was published in April by John Wiley & Sons. This is the first text to focus on field supervision of construction projects. It addresses a wide variety of topics from the technical side, such as scheduling and cost control to the human resource side, such as leadership and motivation. It was designed to have applicability to both the academic and professional markets, and hence has been incorporated into the RS Means series of books within the Wiley family.

CE Capstone Class Wins NCEES Grand Prize

6-13-11 – UNM's Department of Civil Engineering was recently named grand prize winner of the 2011 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) granted this prestigious honor to the CE Department Capstone Design Course for students’ innovative vision and hard work on a project, Integrated Infrastructure Improvements for a Youth Scout Ranch. The course, taught by Dr. Andrew Schuler, has a long-standing history of proven success, and the NCEES Award is a testament to the hard work of our students and faculty.

Continue reading here.