CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING FACULTY
Department Chair: Dr. Manos Maragakis
105 Scrugham Engineering Bldg. (SEM)
Mail Stop 0258
Phone: (775) 784-6937
Fax: (775) 784-1390
Academic Faculty
- Maragakis, Manos
– Structures
- Adams, V. Dean
– Environmental Engineering
- Buckle, Ian
– Earthquake Engineering
- Childress, Amy
– Environmental Engineering
- Dennett, Keith
– Environmental Engineering
- Itani, Ahmad
– Structures
- Kolodziej, Edward
– Environmental Engineering
- Marchand, Eric
- – Environmental Engineering
- Norris, Gary
– Geotechnical Engineering
- Pekcan, Gokhan
– Structures
- Saiidi, Saiid
– Structures
- Sanders, David
– Structures, Seismic, Concrete Design
- Sebaaly, Peter
– Pavement/Materials Engineering
- Siddharthan, Raj
– Geotechnical Engineering, Pavement Dynamics
- Tian, Zong Z.
– Transportation/Traffic Engineering
Research & Administrative Faculty
- Ardila-Coulson, Maria
– Technology Transfer
- Elfass, Sherif
– Structures/Geotechnical Engineering
- Hajj, Elie
– Structures
- Johnson, Rita
– Program Coordinator
- LaPlace, Patrick N.
– Seismic Testing, Dynamics, Servo-hydraulics, Simulation
AMY CHILDRESS
Professor and Chair, CEE
(775) 784-6942
amyec@unr.edu
PhD 1997, UCLA
MS 1993, UCLA
BS 1992, University of Maryland
Research/outreach areas: Physical and chemical processes in water and wastewater treatment; membrane separations in environmental applications; colloidal and interfacial processes in aquatic systems.
Relevant past experience: Experimental and theoretical investigations of membrane surface and performance characterization. Development of bench-scale and pilot-scale systems for fundamental and applied evaluation of membrane processes. Research funded by NSF CTS, NSF BES, NASA, ONR, USBR, AWWARF, California Energy Commission, Cities of Reno and Sparks, and Washoe County. Previous employment with CH2M Hill and Orange County Water District.
V. DEAN ADAMS
Professor, CEE and Associate Dean
(775) 784-1474
vdadams@unr.nevada.edu
PhD 1972, Utah State
BS 1966, Idaho State
Research/outreach areas: Water chemistry; low technology water and wastewater treatment systems; lake and reservoir restoration; treatment and land application of municipal biosolids; sensitized photooxidation of recalcitrant organic and inorganic contaminants and new analytical methods development
Relevant past experience: Teaching, research and administration; Professor and Head of the Division of Environmental Engineering at Utah State University; Professor and Director of the Center for Management, Utilization and Protection of Water Resources at Tennessee Technological University; State Water Specialist, Nevada Cooperative Extension.
IAN BUCKLE
Professor, CEE
(775) 784-1519
igbuckle@unr.edu
PhD 1967, Auckland
BE 1963, Auckland
Research/outreach areas: Seismic performance of bridges, lifelines and bridges; earthquake protective systems for structures including theory, hardware, and engineering applications of seismic isolation; non-seismic bridge performance for extreme loads such as thermal effects and overloads; linear and nonlinear analytical techniques for structures subject to dynamic loads. Short courses conducted in bridge engineering, seismic retrofitting and isolation of highway bridges. Currently, Director, Center for Civil Engineering Earthquake Research.
Relevant past experience: Conducted full-scale field testing and large-scale laboratory testing of structures using static and dynamic loads; reconnaissance team member for recent earthquakes in California, Japan and Taiwan; major contributor to the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges (Seismic Design) and the FHWA Seismic Retrofitting Manual for Highway Bridges; past Deputy Director, National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, SUNY, Buffalo; past Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), University of Auckland.
KEITH E. DENNETT, PE
Associate Professor, CEE
(775) 784-4056
kdennett@unr.edu
PhD 1995, MS EnvE 1990, BCE 1988, Georgia Institute of Technology
Research/outreach areas: Development of water supplies and design of water distribution and wastewater collection systems in developing countries; source water characterization and treatability studies; pilotscale testing for removal of arsenic from drinking water; implementation of erosion control systems and optimization of sediment trapping devices; design of wetland treatment systems for nutrient removal; optimization of physcicochemical treatment processes used in water and wastewater treatment.
Relevant past experience: Consulting engineer for water and wastewater treatment; design and operation of pilot-scale treatment systems; conduct bench-scale treatability studies.
AHMAD M. ITANI, PE, F. ASCE
Professor, CEE
(775) 784-4379
itani@unr.edu
PhD 1991, MSE 1987, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
BS 1985, Beirut Arab University
Research/outreach areas: Experimental and analytical behavior of steel structures; behavior of highway/railway bridges under gravity and lateral loading.
Relevant past experience: Bridge Engineer; conducted large-scale experiments on steel bridges; participated in establishing the design guidelines of evaluating the seismic retrofit of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay bridge and the Richmond-San Rafael bridge.
EDWARD KOLODZIEJ
Assistant Professor, CEE
(775) 682-5553
koloj@unr.edu
PhD 2004, University of California, Berkeley
MS 1999, University of California, Berkeley
BS 1998, Johns Hopkins University
Research/outreach areas: Occurrence, fate, and transport of organic contaminants in natural and engineered systems; optimization of water and wastewater treatment processes for removal of endocrine disruptors and emerging contaminants; fate of contaminants during groundwater recharge, analytical methods development for emerging contaminants, optimization of agricultural best management practices for steroid removal, disruption of chemical ecology by anthropogenic contaminants.
Relevant past experience: Analysis of endocrine disruptors in natural and engineered systems; Post-Doctoral Scholar/Project Manager for CALFED project “Identifying the Causes of Feminization of Chinook Salmon in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River System”; Experimental investigation of emerging contaminant fate and degradation in tertiary treatment and soil aquifer treatment.
Dean, College of Engineering
Foundation Professor, CEE
(775) 784-6937
maragakis@ce.unr.edu
PhD 1984, California Institute of Technology
MS 1981, California Institute of Technology
BS 1980, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Research/outreach areas: Earthquake response of buildings and bridges; computer simulation; full-scale and laboratory testing of bridges and their components; dynamic and earthquake response of railway bridges; fatigue analysis of railway bridge connections; underground piping system; earthquake response of non-structural systems.
Relevant past experience: Assessment of earthquake performance of building and bridges in recent earthquakes; assessment of the role and adequacy of cable restrainers for bridge performance during strong earthquakes; assessment of dynamic response of railway bridges through field testing and system identification field testing of highway bridges; experimental fatigue studies of full-scale railway connections; testing of pipe connections; assessment of the seismic performed of piping systems.
ERIC A. MARCHAND
Associate Professor, CEE
(775) 784-6817
marchand@unr.edu
PhD 2000, University of Colorado, Boulder
MS 1996, BS 1994, University of Nevada, Reno
Research/outreach areas: Optimization of biological processes for the treatment of water and wastewater; bioremediation of acid mine drainage with an emphasison retarding acid-producing reactions; microbial ecology in acid minedrainage-impacted watersheds; biogeochemical reactions in the subsurface environment
Relevant past experience: Water quality parameter analysis in
wastewater treatment pond systems; preparation of guidance documents governing biosolid disposal for the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection; evaluation of ion exchange for removal of bromide from drinking water; studies on microbial communities present in acidic ecosystems; bioremediation of acid mine drainage.
GARY M. NORRIS, PE
Professor, CEE
(775) 784-6835
norris@unr.edu
PhD 1977, University of California, Berkeley
MS 1971, University of California, Berkeley
BS 1969, University of California, Berkeley
Research/outreach areas: Deep foundations; seismic foundation behavior; soil property characterization; liquefaction; faculty participant in summer engineering camp for grade school kids.
Relevant past experience: Past Chairman of the Soil Properties Committee of ASCE; presented S-O-A paper on “Seismic Bridge Pile Foundation Behavior” at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) International Conference on Deep Foundations; funded research on pile foundations for Caltrans and WSDOT; liquefaction research for the Army Corps of Engineers; recipient of the F. Donald Tibbitts and Carnegie CASE teaching awards.
GOKHAN PEKCAN
Assistant Professor, CEE
(775) 784-4512
pekcan@unr.edu
PhD 1998, SUNY, Buffalo
MS 1994, SUNY, Buffalo
BS 1990, Bogazici, Istanbul, Turkey
Research/outreach areas: Theoretical low cycle fatigue behavior of steel beam-column connections; theoretical and experimental aspects of earthquake engineering and structural dynamics, focusing on earthquake hazard mitigation by passive supplementary energy dissipating systems; experimental and analytical studies of seismic performance, design and retrofit of buildings and bridges with/without energy dissipation systems.
Relevant past experience: Research Associate, SUNY, Buffalo; shaking table experiments of scaled models of reinforced concrete, steel and timber building and bridge structures with energy dissipation systems; field (ambient vibration, quick release [snap-back]) testing and analytical modeling of isolated highway bridges and deck-truss bridges; acting Senior Program Officer (MCEER); administration of several federally (FHWA) funded highway research projects.
M. “Saiid” Saiidi, PE, ASCE Fellow, ACI Fellow
Professor, CEE
Director, Office of Undergraduate
Research, Vice President for Research Office
(775) 784-4839; (775) 784-8226
saiidi@unr.edu
PhD 1979, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
MS 1977, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
MS 1973, Tehran University
Research/outreach areas: Earthquake engineering of bridges and
buildings, large-scale concrete bridge component and system testing, field testing of highway bridges, analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures, application of composites, shape memory alloy, and other innovative materials in earthquake engineering.
Relevant past experience: Founding and past chair of ACI Committee on Earthquake Resistant Concrete Bridges, Fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow of American Concrete Institute, member, ACI 318-Subcommittee F. Recipient of multimillion dollar research grants from National Science Foundation, Federal Highway Administration, California Department of Transportation, Nevada Department of Transportation, National Cooperative Highway Research Programs, and industry. Projects have been on earthquake engineering of structures, including large-scale model studies, retrofit method development, design method development, and innovative material adaptation in structural engineering. Recipient of UNR Foundation Professorship, UNR Outstanding Researcher Award, NSHE Regents Researcher Award, Lemelson Innovation Award, Distinguished Alumni Award from Tehran University and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Has published close to 400 articles and reports and presented research in 25 countries.
DAVID H. SANDERS
Professor, CEE; ACI Fellow
(775) 784-4288
sanders@unr.edu
PhD 1990, University of Texas, Austin
MS 1986, University of Texas, Austin
BS 1984, Iowa State University
Research/outreach areas: Behavior and design of structures in structural concrete with emphasis in bridges and connections; seismic evaluation, design, strengthening and repair including composites; laboratory testing and analysis of large scale components and systems including multidirectional earthquake simulation.
Relevant past experience: Chair of the ACI-ASCE Committee on Shear and Torsion, Past Chair of ACI Committee on Earthquake Resistant Concrete Bridges, ACI Fellow, Member of ACI 318-11, Earthquake simulation assignment at the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, SUNY, Buffalo, 1996; Funded research projects dealing with high performance concrete, retrofitting/repair and new design of concrete columns, beams and connections, field instrumentation, component and system behavior, and analysis using both simplified and finite element methods.
PETER E. SEBAALY
Professor, CEE
(775) 784-6565
sebaaly@unr.nevada.edu
PhD 1987, Arizona State University
MS 1983, SUNY Buffalo
BS 1982, SUNY Buffalo
Research/outreach areas: Pavement design; rehabilitation, maintenance and materials; pavement management systems; structural evaluation of pavement systems; in situ instrumentation for pavements.
Relevant past experience: Director of the Western Region Superpave Center and the Pavement Coating Technology Center, University of Nevada, Reno; work on projects dealing with the evaluation of structural properties of pavement materials; development of pavement life cycle analyses; development of specifications for pavement coating materials; development of relationships between material properties and long term pavement performance.
RAJ V. SIDDHARTHAN, PE
Professor, CEE
(775) 784-1411
siddhart@unr.edu
PhD 1984, British Colombia, Canada
MS 1981, British Columbia, Canada
BS 1977, Sri Lanka
Research/outreach areas: Soil response under static and dynamic loading including liquefaction behavior; dynamic behavior of rigid and flexible retaining walls; dynamic pavement response to traffic; pavement materials characterization; effects of blast loading on saturated medium; wave loading on offshore slopes; transportation risk assessment studies.
Relevant past experience: Received 1997 Shamsher Prakash Foundation Citation for research on dynamic soil-structure interaction and stability of retaining structures; Visiting Research Associate to MIT, 1992; many funded projects from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Departments of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Defense (DOD) and private firms; many consulting projects for national and international firms.
ZONG Z. TIAN, PE
Assistant Professor, CEE
(775) 784-1232
zongt@unr.edu
PhD 2004, Texas A&M University
MS 1996, University of Idaho
MS 1986, Beijing Jiaotong University
BS 1983, Beijing Jiaotong University
Research/outreach areas: Transportation Engineering, Highway Capacity, Traffic Signal System Control and Operations, Freeway Management, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Transportation Safety, Traffic Simulation.
Relevant past experience: Consultant, Kittelson and Associates, Inc. in Portland, Oregon; Associate Research Scientist, Texas Transportation Institute; Faculty of Department of Transportation Management and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, China.
MARIA ARDILA-COULSON
Director, Nevada Transportation Technology
Transfer Center (T2), CEE
(775) 784-1410
maria@unr.edu
website: www.t2.unr.edu
MS 1986, West Virginia University
BS 1985, West Virginia University
Research/outreach areas: Nuclear waste transportation; economic
benefits of the Strategic Highway Research Project; use of super-single
tires worldwide; scenic byways planning. Worked with the Nevada
Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, National Cooperative Highway Research programs and local transportation organizations
Relevant past experience: Director of the Nevada Transportation
Technology Transfer Center, responsible for an extensive outreach
program that includes partnering with transportation organizations
nationwide; conducts 60 training workshops per year; implements the
Roads Scholar Program to recognize highly dedicated workshop
participants; maintains a reference library; publishes a quarterly
newsletter and three other periodicals.
SHERIF A. ELFASS, PE
Research Assistant Professor, CEE
(775) 784-6664
elfass@unr.edu
PhD 2001, MS 1997 University of Nevada, Reno
B.Sc. 1991, University of Alexandria, Egypt
Research/outreach areas: Experimental and analytical studies of seismic performance of bridge foundations, soil-structure-interaction, pile and pile group response under axial loading. Theoretical and experimental aspects of earthquake engineering and soil dynamics, undrained soil behavior, soil liquefaction. Faculty participant in COE K-12 outreach programs. Application of Computational Science in engineering education.
Relevant past experience: Manager of Bridge Research and Information Center. Soil box and shake table experiments of scaled models of footings. Full scale testing of eccentrically braced frames for Richmond San-Rafael bridge retrofit. Editor-in-Chief of the "38th Engineering Geology and Geotechnical Engineering Symposium", 2003. Former member of the Liquefaction Subcommittee, Goescience Subcommittee, Nevada Earthquake Safety Council.
ELIE Y. HAJJ
Research Assistant Professor, CEE
(775) 784-1180
elieh@unr.edu
PhD 2005, University of Nevada, Reno
MS 2003, University of Nevada, Reno
BS 1999, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Research/outreach areas: Asphalt mixtures characterization; recycled asphalt pavements (RAP); thermal cracking of asphalt mixtures; pavement performance evaluation; pavement response to dynamic loadings.
Relevant past experience: Manager of the Western Regional Superpave Center (WRSC); laboratory evaluation of asphalt mixtures using state-of-the-art testing equipments; mechanistic analysis of asphalt mixtures under moving heavy trucks; former Pavement engineering services manager and laboratory supervisor at Terracon Consulting Engineers; conducted several pavement designs and investigations; young member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Strength and Deformation Characteristics of Pavement Sections.
RITA M. JOHNSON
Program Coordinator, Center for Civil Engineering
Earthquake Research, CEE
(775) 784-4223
ritaj@unr.edu
MS 2004, University of Nevada, Reno
BS 2003, University of Nevada, Reno
Research/outreach areas: Federal Highway Administration project on Improving the Seismic Resilience of the Federal-Aid-Highway System; education, outreach and training to promote knowledge in earthquake engineering; facilitation of service-to-industry testing in the large scale structures laboratory; contact person for the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation at UNR as well as State and Federal agencies; archivist of the Center for Civil Engineering Earthquake Research documents
Relevant past experience: Structural design for a variety of project types including new construction, studies, rehabilitation, and analyses; involved in residential, commercial, industrial, public works, drainage,
transportation, and bridge projects at Forbes and Dunagan Structural
Engineers and Stantec Consulting in Reno, NV; past research in seismic performance of bridge restrainers using smart materials.
PATRICK N. LAPLACE
Research Assistant Professor, CEE
Laboratory Manager, Large Scale Structures Laboratory
(775) 784-8080
laplace@unr.edu
PhD 2002, University of Nevada, Reno
BS 1996, Virginia Tech
Research/outreach areas: Servo-hydraulic control and simulation.
Seismic simulators. Non-structural component seismic qualification
testing. Development of non-linear numerical simulation software.
Development of data acquisition and instrumentation systems and
supporting software. Development of new seismic simulation test
equipment and control software.
Relevant past experience: Laboratory Manager of the Large Scale
Structures Laboratory since 2002 and laboratory graduate research since 1995. Installation and operation of multiple large-scale seismic shake table systems and support systems required for experimentation on largescale specimens. Extensive experience in real-time servo-hydraulic and digital control systems. Involvement in development, design, installation, set-up, testing, and analysis of all laboratory research projects.